Filing through the endless stack of magazines beside her, Sakura stole a few glimpses at her husband. Sasori twirled the golden band around his finger, his eyes locked onto the carpet in a pathetic attempt to avoid contact with the strangers surrounding them. Smiling to herself, the young woman began reading through an article containing a list of cleaning solutions that could power through spit-up and many other messes produced by young infants and children.
Typical, anxious Sasori.
Sasori didn't like the doctor's office. He hated the stuffiness. The cramped spaces between chairs. A woman beside him munched loudly on potato chips she bought at the downstairs vending machine. Although he loved his wife, going with her to her appointments was a task within itself. He sighed, clasping her attention.
Grabbing his hand gently, Sakura continued reading. Sasori was the sort that hated crowds, small rooms, and anywhere outside of their house. Taking him out often led to a quick return home or a grumpy husband, but it was something she had to endure for marrying a misanthrope.
A woman opened the sole door leading to the inner corridor and called out to the mass of pregnant women, "Akasuna? Akasuna Sakura?"
Sakura stood up hastily, dropping the magazine onto her seat. Any boring thought that had passed through her mind had quickly dissolved - the excitement of finding out her child's gender returning full-force. She walked with a bounce in her step, Sasori following behind sluggishly.
They entered a room, its lights dimmed and an ultrasound machine stationed to the side of the examination chair.
With her hand still gripping the door handle, the woman smiled warmly to the couple. "The technician will be with you shortly. Take your seats and relax."
Sakura couldn't shake her excitement, her smile growing wider. "Sasori, let's make a bet."
"I'm not making a bet," he answered her, getting comfortable in his chair.
She pouted, "Stop acting so high-strung. Look, this room is pretty spacious and it's only going to be you, me, and the technician in here."
He cracked his knuckles, ignoring her comment. "These fluorescent bulbs are irritably loud with their buzzing," he stated.
Sakura hadn't noticed and it didn't surprise her that Sasori would even bother to care. His mind was on an entirely different plane.
Small, soft movements erupted in her growing belly, a sensation that continued to entertain her. "Sasori, the baby's moving," she mumbled.
Moving from his chair, he rested his hand on her stomach as she positioned him in the exact place she felt the smallest of flutters. Sakura loved the feeling, but watching Sasori's expression change always caught her heart in a vicegrip. The way his mouth twitched into an amused smile as he felt an arm or leg move against his palm always seemed sincere.
Of course, she knew how much he already loved their child. Every night, he'd read aloud to her from the various pregnancy and child-rearing books he purchased until she dozed off. Preparing the house twenty weeks early to secure 'supreme safety'. Watching pregnancy and birth documentaries until Sakura begged him to change it to something interesting. Even a fool would notice that Sasori was looking forward to the day he would hold his child for the first time.
"The baby always puts you in a good mood," she mused.
His eyes reached hers, his other hand wrapping over her own. "They have yet to talk back to me, unlike you," he responded.
Suddenly, the door flew open and a bespectacled woman entered. Sasori moved away, but she waved her hands to him.
"No, no! You can stay by your wife, sir!"
Hesitating, Sasori returned to Sakura's side, unwilling to meet gazes with the technician.
"Hello, I'm your sonographer, Shiho. How far along are you, Akasuna-san?" She grabbed a handful of towels from a shelf beside the ultrasound machine.
"I'm around twenty-one weeks," Sakura answered.
Shiho nodded, "Ah, that's right. You were rescheduled two weeks ago. Sorry about that." Pointing to her shirt, Shiho motioned for Sakura to roll it up to the base of her bra. "First, we'll apply the gel to your abdomen to get a clear picture of your baby. Here, place the towels around the waist of your pants, so we won't make such a mess."
Sasori sat with curiosity as Sakura followed the woman's orders. As she switched on the machine, Shiho typed in the information then grabbed a bottle on the rack just below the display.
Squirting a large amount onto Sakura's belly, the young woman tensed up as she reacted to the cold gel. Sasori hid his smile behind his hand as Sakura squirmed uncomfortably.
Shiho laughed nervously. "Oh, sorry about that. I could've sworn that I warmed this bottle up before your appointment."
Sakura refrained from speaking, knowing full-well that her mind wouldn't be fast enough to catch up to her mouth.
Tool in hand, Shiho began prodding her belly. "Let's see how the little one's doing."
Their eyes were glued to the screen, a side-view of their unborn child prominently displayed front-and-center. Shiho adjusted the probe while simultaneously recording measurements of the baby's spine length and standard analysis.
"Is it healthy?" Sakura asked.
"It appears to be. Are you interested in the gender or would you like to wait until the baby's birth?"
"No, we want to know," she replied, openly sharing her excitement.
Sakura squeezed Sasori's hand as the image on the screen quickly swirled as Shiho moved across her belly. They weren't completely sure what signs they should be looking for - luckily, Shiho could identify the baby's anatomy easily.
"Mhm... Do you say that right there?" Shiho's finger hovered over the screen, making a circle over a pixelated, dark space.
Sakura squinted her eyes, unable to decipher what she was seeing. "No? What is it?"
"It's a girl," Sasori blurted, voice light.
Shiho nodded. "That's right! Nice job, Akasuna-san!" Her fingers rapidly clicked on the keys of the machine. "Would you like some pictures?"
"Yes, please," the couple answered.
As the machine printed their photos, Sakura gazed lovingly at her husband. She just couldn't stop smiling! They were having a baby girl! Of course, she would have been happy with a boy too, but a little girl! Perhaps she'd have pink hair with her father's curls or her eyes and Sasori's lips? They were halfway there to seeing her. Sakura wished she had a way to make time move faster.
"Here you go! Your little girl is growing right on schedule. Very healthy!" Shiho handed the prints over to Sakura then headed for the door. "Just wipe up the gel and throw the towels in the basket. Once you're ready, we'll make your next appointment at the front office. Have a great day!"
Sakura thanked her as she wiped up the mess. As the door quietly shut, Sakura squealed. "We're going to have a baby girl!" she said, smile bright and eyes shining.
Sasori helped clean her up, throwing the towels into the laundry basket. "She'll be beautiful." He stated this confidently, knowing well how their genes couldn't possibly produce a specimen lackluster.
"Now we can officially decide names!" Sakura announced, her feet dropping to the floor. "We still have that baby book we bought two months ago, right?"
Walking at her side, Sasori opened the door for her. "With all of those popular names? I wouldn't want my child sharing the same name as one of your friends' kids."
"So Naruto named his daughter after a ramen topping. It could be a family tradition. Besides, I think you would know me better by now. I would never name our little girl after a piece of food."
"You still have horrible taste," Sasori pointed out.
Sakura frowned, hurrying to the front desk. "Well, atleast I try to make an effort with names. You haven't said a single one." After confirming an appointment date for her next ultrasound, the couple left the office to return home.
"How about Mayumi? Or Momoka? That one's pretty cute." Sakura filed through the pages, examining each name and letting them roll off her tongue. "Akasuna Natsuki."
Sasori was silent - exhausted, actually. She read aloud each name that caught her interest (meaning - all of them) and he was growing irritated.
"Sakura."
"Hm?" Her eyes read through the text, barely catching him calling her name.
"All of those names are terrible and if you bring up another name involving a flower, I'm going to have to smother myself."
She placed the book onto her lap, eyes narrowed and scowling, "Oh, you're never happy with any names. I don't want to keep arguing about a name until it's time to give birth!"
"We have nineteen weeks left," Sasori countered.
She readied a comeback only to have Sasori walk across the room to her. Crouching down to her eye level, Sasori pulled the book away from her hands. "We shouldn't have to look through a book to decide on a name."
"It's just easier that way," Sakura explained, shrugging her shoulders.
"No, it's lazy," Sasori responded.
Miffed by her husband's behavior, Sakura jabbed at his chest. "If you're so insistent on not using the book then you decide! What sort of name would you want our baby to have?"
"Seia."
She blinked. "What?"
"Seia," he repeated, voice taut with annoyance.
Just as she did before, Sakura spoke the name aloud, pondering if it sounded suitable. "Akasuna Seia... Seia-chan..." Her eyes shifted to her husband then down to the book. "Where did you come up with that?"
"If you don't like it then just say so," he answered, unable to grasp that she wasn't being intentionally critical.
She shook her head. "No, that's not it! I do like it." She played with one of the many stray hairs curling away from his face. "It's a beautiful name."
Sasori hadn't expected her to grow on it so quickly. With her stubborn personality and the undying need to be right, he was sure it would take weeks to months of time to actually grant it a place in her mind.
"Seia." Sakura drew out the syllables, smiling at him. "Love of the stars."
"She'll stand out among her peers," Sasori proclaimed. "And know that we love her."
"Yes." Sakura rubbed her stomach. "You'll be a great father, Sasori."
"And you'll be an almost-fine mother," he answered, smirking.
"Hey! I just told you that you'd be a great father! I'm the one carrying her for nine months!"
Sasori knelt down, close to her belly. "She yells like that alot. Don't do that, Seia."
"Shannaro!"