The house smelt of spices and the sound of crying spilt from the walls of the Hatake home. Citizens walking by turned towards the wailing but quickly dismissed it as the norm. For it was the norm. The couple inside had only recently welcomed a new addition,and it was to be expected that a baby should cry. The neighbour, an elderly woman, who still had the hearing of a fox, relented to the crying that disturbed her peaceful life both day and night.
Sakura, however, had not.
"Why does she cry all the time?" The new mother begged for answers from someone who had to indure the same thing only a year ago. But Naruto's son didn't act like this. In fact, Maiso had been, and still was , a calm relaxed baby. Even at the moment he was passed out in Naruto's arms, with not a care in the world. While Rin screamed her head off. Her little face all scrunched up and beat red, demanding satisfation.
"She's changed and fed. I put her down, she cries to be picked up. I pick her up and she screams to be let down. I don't get it!" She was frustrated. She was running on no sleep, the laundry needed to be done, she only managed to have a piece of toast that morning and she was frustrated.
She didn't know what to do or how to appease the infant. Panic began to sink in. What if something was wrong? What if Rin had picked up a flu and Sakura hadn't done anything to help her. She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking the thoughts from her head. As a doctor, she knew Rin was fine. Angry, but not sick.
Naruto shifted Maiso in his arm so he could stir the noodles. He had certainy grown up since the birth of his son. Still the joker she knew and loved, but more responsible now. Confident as well. Naruto seemed to always know what to do. And, as an act of pity, offered to come over and share his wisdom with someone in desperate need of it.
"She's two weeks. You're still working out the kinks." He said it like it was the simpliest thing.
Sakura tried to mimic Naruto's skills and rest her daughter in a laying position in her arms, but Rin struggled against it so hard that she almost dropped her. Sakura brought the baby to her face and tried to kiss the fury out of her child. It did no good. Kakashi always said she had way too much of Sakura in her. Sakura was beginning to believe it.
"Shush." She soothed and , miraculously, Rin's wailing gradually became whimpers. With a sigh of relief, Sakura sank onto the couch before she fell over. She felt more tired then she ever had at the hospital, even working triple shifts.
Kakashi was better at this then she was. Rin always seem to melt whenever her father was around. In fact, he had only to walk into the room and the baby melted into happiness. Truth be told, Sakura almost felt a twing of jealousy about their relationship, but she got over it quickly enough. It meant Rin was wanting to be in Kakashi's arms most of the time, which gave Sakura a chance to sleep, do the launry and eat.
And her husband was madly in love with this tiny person. His whole world was centered around Rin. Sometimes, Kakashi reached for her before he even greeted Sakura. But she wasn't mad. They'd been through way to much for Sakura to not know how much Kakashi loved her.
With Kakashi on a mission, she was left to juggle all the house duties by herself. It could get a little hectic, to say the least.
"I know, she's new. And I love her to death, but with Kakashi gone, I get stressed." She replied. "And I appreciate you coming over Naruto, I really do." She was very lucky to have such friends.
Naruto smiled his signature smile and poured a bowl for her and himself. "No problem, Sakura-chan." He set the hot soup on the table next to where Sakura had collapsed and took up the seat next to her.
Inhaling the delicious smell, she devoured the meal in no time and asked for more. It felt good to eat. Sakura was notorious at missing meals at the hospital during shifts, but Rin relied on her for survival for now, so she couldn't be doing that anymore. As Kakashi had pointed out many times.
"So when does Kakashi-sensei come back?"
Sakuras sighed." Not too soon, if this one has anything to say about it." Rin moaned from her spot smuggled against her mothers chest. "She's a huge daddy's girl and he's been gone way to long for her liking. But we expect him sometime within the next couple of days."
She longed to see his face again. To know he was safe at home, where he was so loved.
"I still can't believe Kakashi-sensei helped you give birth in the woods. I can just imagine his expession!" Naruto laughed and put on a face of extreme terror. It was dead on. They shared a quiet laugh as to not distured the childern.
"I know. Imagine how i felt. We had no crib set up, only two pairs of clothes and I hadn't even had time to glance at the baby books." She just remembered being absoulty terrifed. Thank God Kakashi was there. Even as scared as he was, his presense helped her make it through that difficult time. She didn't want to think what could have happened if he hadn't.
"Baby books, shaby books." Naruto scoffed.
"Easy for you to say! You have natural mothering skills."
"And you don't?"
Sakura gave him a ' you're gotta be joking' look. "Anyway, it's late, you look beat."
Naruto yawned. "Yeah, long day. I think i'll let you try to get some rest."
"Try is the important word." She smiled, and walked him to the door.
After goodbyes, Sakura was once again on her own. It was still new to her. To have a tiny body in her arms. Knowing that she was everything in this little girls world. Rin couldn't survive without her. It certainly filled a huge need to be that much depended on. Yet on the flip side, the same point scared her to death.
The first couple of days, Rin couldn't sneeze without Sakura have a serious panic attack. Kakashi had to calm her down on more than one occasion, while she was on the verge of meltdown. A fact that the rest of Konoha found just the funniest thing ever. Hatake Kakashi, copy ninja feared within the entire Shinobi culture, was more comfortable around an infant that it's own mother. A fact that neither could live down.
Since than, Sakura had made it her duty to read up on the subject and personally cleaned the library out of all its baby books. The amount of knowledge was overwhelming.
Checking her watch, the time read 1:15 am. Stifling a heavy yawn, she glanced down and thanked the gods to see Rin fast asleep. Quick to take advantage of whatever spare time she could get her hands on, she hurried up the stairs and into the baby room.
Sakura gently set her infant down on the pink sheets and nestled hre stuffed rabbit up close. The rabbit her father had bought in the hospital gift shop the day after the eventful birth. Leaning down to inhale the baby smell, she placed a kiss of the soft skin. New skin. All the worries of the today left her mind as she gazed at her duaghter. All the trouble was surpremly worth it.
She was so tired she didn't even remember going to bed, but she was jarred awake at around 3:00 by a soft clicking sound sounding downstairs. Shinobi training kicking in immediatly and she slipped softly from the bed and padded soundlessly across the room for her knife. The rough handle fit her hand perfectly, and she felt completely at home holding it.
The house was pitch black, but Sakura glided effortlessly down the hall and onto the staircase without making a sound. She paused by the bend, knelt and peaked out around the corner for any sign of an intruder.
All tension drained from her body when she saw who was standing like a statue at the front door.
"Kakashi." She whispered, fear running through her body when the smell of blood hit her like a ton of bricks. She took a step towards him but paused when she saw his expression. "...What happened?"
His eyes were hollow from lack of sleep and so heartbroken that she felt the heart inside her own chest shatter. She knew that look. Someone had lost their life. Kakashi may be able to hide from everyone else, but here she knew he couldn't hide from her. He didn't handle the death of a teammate well at all. Even someone he had just met was like family to him.
A wailing began from upstairs. Sakura turned, torn as to who needed her more.
"Go." He whispered gently. Sakura turned to see him looking up towards the baby's door. A new light had sparked inside him. An anticipation; a hope that he had lacked before.
Sakura pocketed the weapon and bounded up the steps to pick up the screaming infant. As if knowing father was near, she stopped crying instantly and focused her eyes on the stairs. She struggled in ernest to make Sakura take her where she wanted to go.
She never tired of it. The reunion between her husband and their child.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Kakashi glanced up. He had replaced the headband back over his Sharingan eye like he always did, because he though Rin didn't like it. Sakura didn't think that was so.
Chubby little arms reaching out, a bright smile plastered on that beautiful face. Rin squeeling with excitement, Sakura crossed the space between them and glanced at her daughter with a smile. Kakashi, however, didn't reach out to take her from Sakura as he normally did.
"Kakashi" She held the eager baby out and Rin squeeled, happy to be united again.
Yet, Kakashi shock his head, guilt filling his already remorsed filled eyes.
"I'm all dirty, Sakura." He explained, rubbing his dirt, blood spatter hands on his equally dirty pants in shame.
Tsking, Sakura litterally shoved Rin into his arms, so he had to hold her or risk dropping her.
"Sakura..." He whispered is dispair and rushed over to grab a tee-towel to whip off his hands one at a time, while Rin ran her tiny hands all over his face, happy as a clam.
She took the towel from him and ran and ran it under the tap. "I don't think she cares much, do you?" Smiling sadly, she began to wash his face gently, taking her time as Kakashi took to kissing his daughters face softly.
"I love you." His whisper broke her heart, so she slowly guided him over to the couch. With all of his attention focused on Rin, he didn't even notice as she began to remove his muddy shoes from his dirty feet, then proceeded to wash them clean.
His clothes were all bloody and torn. A make-shift bandage wrapped around his neck and covered a very nasty gash that had just missed his artery. His leg was a mess, torn up badly from his right knee down, like someone had sliced him clean.
"She missed you like hell." Sakura replied, glancing up at him but she kept his eye on the baby. An odd expression crossed his features. A pained expression, and Sakura quickly began healing his leg before infection could set in.
"So innocent. So new." His voice croaked, and his eyes cast down. Composing himself for a moment before finally focusing his eyes on Sakura for the first time. "I don't want her to know." His voice cracked.
Tears built up in Sakura's eyes, she leaned over and cupped his strong jaw with both hands. "What?"
He didn't answer. So she gave him a firm shake." Know what?"
His own eyes clouded and warm tears ran over her her hands.
His begged her to understand.
"I don't want her to understand. This life." He hung his head and began to sob gently.
Sakura sobbed right along with him. This strong man before her. Her rock. Tears dried up from her eyes and she soothed his silver hair from his face.
"Listen to me." She demanded. Still his eyes refused to meet hers. Rin blinked in confusion, wondering what was happening. "Listen to me, now." She forced his head high, as it should be.
"She won't have to. She won't. I promise." And she meant it. Rin wouldn't have to take the shinobi path. She would probably want to. Sakura knew she would have wanted to, but they would try their best to talk her through it.
"I know how hard it is for you to be away from her." Sakura searched her husbands face as he processed her words. "But she needs you. To keep her safe. To keep us safe. To keep other families safe."
Kakashi looked deep into her eyes. "I killed many families today, when i killed a man. What will she say to me when she can speak? When her friends loose their parents or their siblings? Will she hate me?" He pleaded with her to make it not so. She could see how much the idea scared him. So should couldn't just laugh it off as ludacrisity as she wanted to.
"Look into her eyes and tell me that answer." She whispered.
Kakashi hesitated before doing so. Rin's sleepy eyes stared back at him. A slow upturning of his chapped lips, made Sakura's heart fly. He stroked the soft cheek and looked back up at Sakura, who waited patiently.
"Thank you." He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. She sighed and kissed him back, all the time in is abscene forgotten as if he had never left. One last kiss to the corner of his mouth and she rocked back on her heels.
"You must be starving." She arose and stepped into the kitchen to serve him a bowl of soul left over from Naruto's visit. "I didn't cook if that's what's worrying you. And i didn't start any fires when you were gone."
There was no response.
"Naruto was over a lot. That boy can really make a mean soup if given the..." She paused with the bowl in her hand at the doorway.
Smiling, she turned and set the soup back down on the counter, before walking over to the couch and sitting on Kakashi's left. With shoulder resting together side by side, Sakura finally let her eyes shut for the night. At peace, with her family asleep beside her.
