Chapter Two: No Regrets
Kakashi and Anko told their friends first. They invited all their friends over to their house - only Minato and Kushina, looking concerned, knew part of the truth.
And they told everyone everything - including their final decisions.
"We tell the village next," said Kakashi seriously, on the sofa in his living room surrounded by everyone including the nin-dogs, "indirectly, by applying for certain things."
"Which will be granted," said Minato immediately. "Kakashi… I just didn't think you were the type to…"
"Neither did I," said Kakashi bluntly. "That was the problem." He and Minato shared a long look. "But supposedly," Kakashi added casually, sitting back, "some good will come of it."
"Definitely some good," said Kushina warmly. "I am so looking forward to meeting them."
"Protection of Anko just became our top priority," Pakkun declared seriously, and the other nin-dogs were nodding.
"Okay. I have something important to say, and I'm wondering if I'm the only one who's thinking this?" said Kurenai uneasily. "Why would you want to have a child as teenagers? Don't you want more time to… I don't know, be young, have a life?"
"Why would you want to have a kid at all?" Jiraiya agreed, looking horrified at the very idea of an accidental pregnancy, and Kushina glared at him.
"Anko, you're not thinking this through," said Ibiki seriously. "And the fact that this is apparently also your fault and your undying love for your boyfriend are the only two things keeping me from murdering Hatake Kakashi right now, slowly and with instruments."
"Believe me, no one appreciates that more than I do," said Kakashi uneasily.
"Shut up!" Ibiki's eyes flashed in a glare at him. "If the two of you go ahead with this stupidass plan and I end up having a surrogate grandchild, you had better be a model parent at all times or that plan goes right back into action, you sniveling piece of shit!"
"... Of course, Ibiki-san," said Kakashi, looking genuinely worried.
"Look, I get what you guys are saying, but you've got it all wrong," said Anko intently. "I am thinking this through. Kakashi and I have been alone all our lives and it didn't do a damn thing for either of us! I've had shitloads of casual sex, I have lots of friends my age, I drank and fought and ate and conquered, I got into lots of fights as a shinobi and had some psychological scarring and trauma besides. And I still felt empty inside. All Kakashi proved spending his life alone is that he's an awesome fighter but he doesn't know a damn thing about how to take care of himself alone!"
"Thank you," Kakashi muttered.
"But look at what we've got a shot at now. If we can make it through this…" said Anko slowly, and she meant every word. "We could have a family, for the first time for either of us. A good family. We could have a loving relationship, and a kid, and a home, and a fucking support system like in all those trauma literature books. We even have the chance to give a kid a better childhood than we got.
"I wanted to be a mom, Kakashi wanted to be a dad, we just didn't think it would ever happen for either of us. Well. Now's our shot!"
"But Anko," said Kurenai worriedly, "you can still be together and then start a family several years later."
"I know," said Anko firmly. "But if I don't have this kid, or I give it away to someone else, I know I'm going to spend the rest of my life regretting it. And I have firmly decided not to regret anything else in my damn life!"
Kakashi was smiling at her warmly. It was at that point several people realized, from the look on his face, that Kakashi really did love Anko.
"People aren't going to like it," Minato warned them.
"Yeah," said Kakashi. "I know." He leaned back and repeated defiantly what he'd said to Anko: "Fuck them."
On their way out, Minato and Kushina looked Anko and Kakashi dead in the eye, standing near the doorway.
"We are really proud of both of you," said Minato seriously, "and we'll be honored to have our kid attend the Ninja Academy alongside yours."
Anko smiled. "... Thanks, Sensei," said Kakashi softly.
And so Kakashi and Anko did as they promised. Everyone in Konoha village knew they were a couple by this point, so the string of very public applications told the whole story for everyone.
Anko applied for a leave of absence from active duty and all missions on account of pregnancy - approved by the Fourth himself. Kakashi stepped down from ANBU without explicit reason and requested more infrequent Jounin level missions, the missions themselves starting at least a full month from now - approved by the Fourth himself.
They applied together underage to start a Hatake-Mitarashi clan, a joint clan - approved by the Fourth himself.
The rumors flew and the talk got loud, fast. People said it was typical of two clearly irresponsible teenaged people, to pull something like this, not knowing how hilariously far they were from the truth. People talked about an illegitimate clan child in scandalous, soft tones. People talked about the likelihood of a child remembering their own parents' eventual age-eighteen wedding, under the best of circumstances.
Predictions and bets were made about how long the relationship would last, or how long would last the plan to have the child and keep it.
Outside of their friends and pets, Kakashi and Anko kept to themselves and their house. They were used to gossip, and they paid little heed to it or to the dirty and disapproving looks they now got in the streets. They had more important things to worry about.
They had a pregnancy to get through together.
Author's Notes: I have decided partway through book two that the theme song for my Kakashi/Anko couple is totally, two hundred percent "LIFEGOESON" by Noah and the Whale.