Warning: This chapter gets heavy, and depicts domestic violence/abuse. Please bear this in mind before reading if such material is upsetting or offensive to you.


The Tenacity of Her Heart

Chapter 3


Three days after Sasuke returned from his mission, Sakura found herself pacing in the single-stall administrator's bathroom at the hospital. She was waiting the required four minutes for the little test on the counter to percolate.

She had ignored the signs and kept herself in denial for as long as possible. One missed period was unusual for her, but it had happened before when she was overly stressed and working too much. But now it had been two, and a week ago she'd started getting nauseous without having any other symptoms or reasonable causes. She had to know one way or the other.

Oh god, what would she do if it was positive?

No, she thought to herself for the one-hundredth time. It's fine. I've been protected by the shot; I'm just being paranoid. Something else must be wrong with my cycle, and really my stomach was just upset from all the greasy food last week with Kakashi.

But then she remembered. At the last minute she'd had to move her last appointment to get her updated shot. A mission had come up out of the blue, and Sakura couldn't turn it down. It had been high paying, and she'd only needed to delay her appointment by a week. She couldn't turn down that kind of money. It was hard supporting two people on one income, when Sasuke hadn't been able to take missions. The doctor told her it should be okay, but to use alternate contraception for two weeks just in case. But Sasuke…well, Sasuke thought he knew what was best for both of them, and that never included wearing a condom, no matter what the doctor said.

She glanced at her watch and whimpered. Now or never, she thought. She closed her eyes as she approached the counter, and picked up the little stick with a shaking hand. After a deep breath, she opened her eyes, and immediately wished she hadn't.

It was positive.

She felt the blood drain from her face, and she crumpled to the floor as tears welled up in her eyes.

What was she going to do? How was she going to tell Sasuke? Did she even want to tell Sasuke? What if she just took care of the problem now?

Before that thought had even fully formed in her mind, she knew she couldn't go that route. The life growing inside of her may have been made with Sasuke's DNA, but the other half was part of her. She couldn't kill a part of herself like that. Sasuke had already taken so much of her, as Kakashi's visits had only further proved to her. She wouldn't let him take this too.

Maybe he would be happy. He had always talked about reviving his clan, and now he had unknowingly gotten a head start.

Who was she kidding? She knew that wouldn't be the case. He wanted to revive his clan, yes, but on his terms. He was so Type A; he had to have everything planned, and everything had to be just so. A surprise pregnancy out of wedlock was not in his plans.

She took three deep, steadying breaths, and splashed cool water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to remind herself of what Kakashi had told her last week. The Sakura I knew was vivacious and assertive. She could be that person again, couldn't she? She had to be. She had a child to look after now.

The rest of her workday was spent going through the motions. As brave as she tried to be, she was still terrified of telling Sasuke. She had to tell him tonight, or the anxiety would eat her alive.

She arrived home promptly at 6:15, and was at least relieved to see that Sasuke appeared to be in a pleasant mood. Finally being trusted with a mission had had that effect on him, and it was lasting. Sakura said another silent thank you to Tsunade for that.

Sasuke stood at the stove, cooking rice and chicken. Oh goody. He said hello, but didn't ask about her day, and didn't move to embrace her or welcome her home. Cold as ever, she thought.

They ate in silence, as usual, but Sakura's appetite had left her.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

Sakura gulped, her throat going suddenly dry. She took a sip of water, and then a deep breath.

"I have some news, actually."

"Well, what is it?"

"Sasuke…I'm pregnant."

He didn't say anything. He stared at her, not a single emotion crossing his face.

"What?"

His cold black eyes narrowed. She bit her lip and looked away from him, suddenly feeling ashamed. This is your fault, his gaze said.

"I said I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby."

He stood abruptly, his chair screeching across the wooden floor. She thought he was going to hit her, as he had taken to doing lately when he was angry with her. But instead he walked straight past her and out the door into the cool October evening.

He just needs some time to digest, she thought. It's quite a shock. He didn't get angry the same way he usually does. He'll come back in an hour and apologize, like he always does, and everything will be fine.

But he wasn't back in an hour, or two. When ten o'clock rolled around, Sakura finally gave up and crawled into bed with a sigh. She didn't know what else to do.

Some time later she was woken up by a loud thud in the main room of her apartment. She heard Sasuke cursing the door and the chair and everything in between. He was loud and his words were slurred.

He's drunk, she realized with terror. Sasuke rarely drank at all, and she had never seen him intoxicated like this. He sounded angry. Before she had a chance to contemplate what to do, her bedroom door banged open.

"You!" he yelled at her. His steps were staggered, but he was propelled forward with rage. "You did this on purpose! You're going to have my bastard child just so you can keep me here!"

"Sasuke, it's not like that!" She pleaded with him, "It was an accident!"

"Then you lied! You lying bitch, you said you were on the shot!"

Sakura sat up in her bed, was frozen in fear; never in her worst nightmare had she expected this.

He was beside the bed now, and before she could duck his fist darted out and connected with her temple.

"Ahh!" She cried out in pain. Her vision was blurry and she couldn't focus on Sasuke. She had to focus and get away from him.

"Sasuke, stop! Please stop! Let's talk about this!"

"It's too late for that! You're already knocked up!"

Suddenly he grabbed her leg, and yanked her towards the edge of the bed. For being intoxicated, he was still remarkably fast and strong. In Sakura's dazed panic, she couldn't avoid him. His drunkenness only made his movements more unpredictable.

"Is it even mine?! I swear to god if I find out you fucked somebody else while I was gone..."

"It's yours, Sasuke! I haven't been with anyone else, I swear! I love you, remember?"

"Bullshit! You haven't loved me for years! You love Kakashi now! I heard all about your little lunch dates down at the bar tonight!"

Her face paled.

Sasuke was yanking her over the side of the bed, and she couldn't get a hold on anything but the sliding sheets to try and escape his grasp. Her panic was so blind that she couldn't even summon her chakra. Suddenly he turned her over and his hand was on the back of her neck, forcing her face into the mattress.

"I guess I have to remind you who you belong to!" He slurred as he started yanking at the shorts she'd worn to bed.

No, not this. Not like this. Please make this stop.

Her limbs were flailing as she tried to escape, and suddenly her hand connected with the lamp on the bedside table. Relying on instinct, she swung the lamp behind her and felt it connect with his head. His hold on her went slack as he tried to recover from the hit, and it was just enough for her to run for the bedroom door.

Kakashi! I need Kakashi! she thought desperately.

She summoned enough chakra to lock Sasuke in the bedroom, but she knew that would only last a minute or two before he overpowered it and came after her. She grabbed for the phone on the kitchen wall and dialed frantically with shaking fingers.


Kakashi woke with a start to a ringing noise, and it took him a few seconds to realize it was his phone. He glanced at the clock next to his bed. 2:17 am.

Who the fuck is calling me at 2 am? He thought. Nevertheless, he stumbled into the living room and picked up the receiver.

"H'lo?" he answered sleepily.

"Kakashi! Help, please!"

Instantly he was wide awake. He would know that voice anywhere.

"Sakura, what's wrong?!"

"Please come get me! It's Sasuke—he's going to hurt me! Please, Kakashi, hurry!"

"I'll be there in two minutes, I'm coming!"

He'd gone to bed in a sleeveless shirt and an old pair of standard issue pants, and he was thankful that all he needed to do was shove on a pair of shoes. He grabbed two kunai from the kitchen counter before darting out the door and into the night.

He flew over the rooftops, not caring how loudly he landed. His only goal was to get to Sakura as soon as possible.

That rat bastard! He seethed. He knew there was more to this story. When Kakashi found out how long this had been going on, no one would stop him from exacting his revenge on Sakura's behalf.

His stomach dropped when Sakura's apartment came into view, and he saw that her front door had been left wide open. A second later he heard her scream, and in an instant he was there on the threshold.

On the wall to his right, Sasuke had one hand on Sakura's throat, pinning her against the wall, and his other arm disappeared into the waistband of her shorts. Blood dripped from her left temple, and he could see bruises blooming on her legs.

"Sasuke, please stop!" She sobbed.

Kakashi growled and launched himself at Sasuke, knocking him sideways and away from Sakura. He glanced back at her and saw her crumple to the floor.

"Sakura!"

She scrambled to her feet, but she was frozen to the spot in terror.

He turned back to Sasuke just in time to block the strike of Sasuke's own kunai. They traded blows and the kunai clanged, but Kakashi was quickly gaining the upper hand over the intoxicated man.

"Sasuke, it's over. You've gone too far this time! You're not going to get off easy this time!"

Apparently Sasuke agreed. Before Kakashi could stop him, Sasuke gave up the fight and fled for the wide open door. Sakura screamed again as he darted past her, clinging to the wall.

As soon as Sasuke had fled, Kakashi ran to Sakura and caught her as she collapsed again against his chest. She was crying hysterically and Kakashi did his best to calm her, easing them both to the floor.

"Shh, it's okay! He's gone! You're safe, I've got you now. He won't hurt you anymore."

He maneuvered her onto his lap so that he could hold her, her legs stretched out to his right side. She clung to his chest and he stroked her hair, whispering soothing words into her ear.

When her sobs died down, he bit his left thumb and pressed his bloody hand to the floor, summoning his pack.

Before the dogs could even ask for orders, Kakashi was commanding them.

"Pakkun, go wake Tsunade. Tell her that Uchiha Sasuke has abandoned Konoha again, and that he severely wounded Sakura. Have her meet us at my apartment. The rest of you, follow Sasuke's trail."

Kakashi turned back to Sakura. Her sobs had subsided but she was still crying, the tear tracks marring her pretty face.

"I'm going to take you back to my place now, okay? You'll be safe there."

She nodded against his chest and he lifted her with him as he stood up. Cradling her securely against his body, he set off into the night once more, but took extra care with his precious cargo.


Kakashi brought Sakura straight back to his bedroom and laid her down to rest while they waited for Tsunade to arrive. As the weight of the last half hour came down on her, her tears began anew.

"I'm so sorry, Kakashi...so, so sorry..."

He kneeled next to the bed and tucked her hair behind her ear in a comforting gesture.

"Shh, you have nothing to apologize for. I told you I would be here for you. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now."

Sakura's face twisted again.

"You don't understand," she whispered, "I messed up...I messed up really, really bad..."

Kakashi frowned and his heart gave a lurch at her pain. How could she blame herself for this? He had never seen her like this before. What had transpired between their last lunch a few days ago and tonight? What had happened while he was away on that mission?

"No, Sakura. No...you haven't done anything wrong. There's no one to blame but him."

He continued to stroke her hair and her eyes welled with fresh tears, but before either of them could say anything else they heard the front door slam open with a BANG.

"Hatake! Where is she?"

"In here," Kakashi called in the direction of the bedroom door.

Tsunade rushed into the room with heavy footsteps; her rage was palpable. She flew to the bedside.

"Out, Hatake!"

He rose to his feet but didn't leave the room. He didn't want Sakura out of his sight, though he knew she was safe here.

"Shishou, it's not as bad as it looks..." Sakura tried to protest.

"I said out," Tsunade reiterated, but softer this time. "I need to remove your clothes and examine you, Sakura."

Sakura's face turned red. It was not the pretty blush he was used to, but rather a consuming embarrassment at the thought of being naked and helpless, and in another man's bed.

"I'll just be on the other side of the door, Sakura. I'm not going anywhere."

He left the room and closed the door behind him.

Tea, he thought. Tea would be good right now. He moved to the kitchen to keep himself busy. He didn't really want to overhear anything anyway. He would hear it all from Tsunade later, and right now he wanted to keep a lid on his rage, for Sakura's sake. She had seen enough anger and violence tonight. She needed him to comfort her and make her feel safe.


Tsunade leaned over Sakura as she lay on Kakashi's bed, taking a visual inventory of her injuries. A laceration on her left temple, which appeared to still be bleeding. Bruising on her right cheek and throat, and various spots were blooming on her arms and legs, which were clearly defensive wounds.

"Can you breathe alright?" Her approach was clinical as she assessed Sakura, deciding what needed to be dealt with first.

"Yes."

"Did he use any weapons? Do you think you have any other serious injuries?"

"No to both."

Head wound first, then. Tsunade reached into her med pouch for some clean squares of gauze. She cleaned the blood away from Sakura's skin and hair before pressing her other hand to the wound and stitching it closed with chakra.

She moved next to Sakura's throat, where the clear outline of a single hand was visible. She felt for internal swelling around the area and finding none, pushed small amounts of chakra into the surface of Sakura's skin, healing the burst capillaries and erasing the blotched color.

He only had one hand on her throat, Tsunade observed. Where was the other?

"Sakura." She started, to get the girl's attention. "Did he touch you?"

Sakura's face burned again. She bit her lip and looked away from Tsunade, but nodded. Her eyes were glistening again.

"He didn't get very far. Kakashi got there in time."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Sakura. This isn't your fault. But I do need to look at you and make sure he didn't hurt you."

Sakura nodded again, but stayed silent. With Tsunade's help, Sakura removed her shorts so that she could be examined.

"Aside from some bruising on your thigh, you seem to be okay. Are you sore?"

"A little."

"Take some painkillers, and the ache will be gone soon. I'm sorry this happened to you. Let's pull your shirt up so I can check your abdomen."

Sakura stiffened, but complied. Tsunade noticed the increase in her heart rate, but assumed it was because she was so exposed. She began to press chakra into the girl's stomach, checking for internal injuries.

"It's alright, Sakura. This is just an exam. I'm not going to—"

She stopped short as her hand passed over Sakura's lower abdomen. She focused her chakra there, and gasped. Before she could say anything, Sakura started to explain.

"I know already," she admitted with a shaky voice, "I just found out today. That's why...Sasuke...he was so angry with me..."

Sakura's voice broke off. Tsunade's voice was calm and tentative, but she had to ask the question.

"Do you want to keep it? I'll understand if not. I can make an appointment for you at the clinic; no one will know."

Sakura shook her head against the pillow and stared at the ceiling as she spoke softly.

"I already considered it. I can't do that, I don't have it in me to kill another part of myself because of Sasuke."

"Very well. I understand that, too, Sakura. I'll take you off the active mission roster and schedule an appointment this week with an OB/GYN. By my estimation you seem to be about eight weeks along." she paused before continuing. "It will be alright. You have good friends who will help you through this, and I'll be here, too."

Sakura nodded and continued to stare at the ceiling. With more of Tsunade's help, she dressed again. Sakura was clearly struggling to keep it together as Tsunade finished healing the last of Sakura's bruises.

"Do you want me to tell Kakashi for you?"

Sakura shook her head again.

"No, I need to be the one to tell him. He deserves to hear it from me."

"Okay. I'm going to bring him back in. I know it's late but we need you to tell us what happened tonight, and what's been going on with you."

Tsunade studied Sakura closely. The girl looked defeated and exhausted. She would have a hard road ahead of her, but they needed to get this unpleasantness out of the way first.


At Tsunade's behest, Kakashi re-entered the room and assessed the mood of the two women. The hair on his neck stood up. There was something they knew that he didn't.

Sakura was now sitting on the edge of the bed, and she looked better now that she had been cleaned up. Kakashi sat next to her and pretended not to notice Tsunade's raised eyebrow.

"Sakura has agreed to open up and tell us what's happened to her," Tsunade began. "Sakura, take your time. We know this won't be easy for you."

"I don't know where to start..."

"Last week you said you hadn't been happy for a while. Why don't you start with that?" Kakashi prompted gently.

She nodded and took a few minutes to collect her thoughts.

"It started to go sour not long after Kakashi left on his mission. We were spending so much time together, and we fought a lot. The fights got worse. He started cutting me down with words every chance he got, and one night...he slapped me."

Kakashi tensed in anger. Keep it together, he reminded himself. Based on what he knew happened tonight, Kakashi had suspected something along these lines and he also suspected it got worse, but he had to stay calm right now. Sakura glanced at him before looking down at her feet.

"He apologized immediately. He said he didn't know what came over him and promised never to do it again. I forgave him easily. But a week later, he did it again. Again he apologized and again I forgave him."

Her words were coming easily now that she had opened the floodgates, but not without taking their toll on Sakura. She was crying freely now. Tentatively, Kakashi rested a hand on her knee. She covered it with her own, squeezing his fingers gently to let him know she appreciated the gesture.

"It got worse. The slaps became more frequent, and then they turned into punches. It was always just one hit, nothing like tonight. I dodged when I could but he's always been faster than me. His apologies came slower. Usually he would hit me and then storm out of the house. He would come back later with flowers or some other trinket to buy my forgiveness."

"Why did you stay, Sakura? Why not get out?" Kakashi implored.

"I wanted so badly to love him. I felt like we were supposed to be together, you know? I could heal my injuries easily in order to hide them, and I thought that if we could just get through this...rough patch or whatever...that things would be like they were in the beginning, and we would be happy. But it just kept going, and by the time I started to realize it wouldn't get better, he had moved in. I couldn't abandon my own apartment and I couldn't very well kick him out. I was in over my head."

She paused to catch her breath and compose herself again.

"That's why you were taking so many extra shifts at the hospital," Tsunade mused as she put the pieces together. "You were avoiding your own home."

"Yes."

Kakashi could see Tsunade's face fall.

"I should have seen the signs. I'm sorry Sakura. I owe you an apology for not thinking anything of it at the time."

"It's okay—" Sakura started before Tsunade cut her off.

"No, it's really not. If I had paid more attention you might not be sitting here in such a state. I'm sorry for my oversight, Sakura."

Sakura only nodded, apparently at a loss for words in response to such an admission from the Hokage. After a moment Kakashi pulled them back to the task at hand, wanting this conversation to be over as soon as possible.

"Sakura, what happened in the last few days? Last time I saw you, you seemed to be a little better."

At his prompting, Sakura seemed to curl into herself. One hand clenched into a fist and rested against her chest, while the other arm wrapped around her stomach as if she was trying to hold herself together. She lurched forward and a sudden sob escaped her lips.

Reacting to her distress, Kakashi laid a warm hand on her back.

"Sakura...?"

He didn't want to hurt her any more. He wanted to share whatever burden she was carrying that was causing her so much pain, but she had to tell him about it before he could take some of the pain away.

She turned her whole torso towards Kakashi. Tsunade may as well not have even been in the room anymore. Kakashi's focus narrowed to the girl next to him, as she appeared to want to address him directly.

"I'm so sorry..." She whispered again while fresh, hot tears rolled down her cheeks. He took the hand still wrapped around her middle and held it in his own, while his other hand remained on her back.

"Sakura, you have nothing to be sorry about. Whatever happened, I'll help you. Let me help you."

"I don't know if you can help me with this." She finally looked into his eyes and his heart broke for her. It seemed that she wanted to continue, so he stayed silent. After a deep breath, she finally gave away her secret.

"Kakashi, I'm pregnant. With Sasuke's child."

Kakashi's mind went blank, and regretfully he couldn't help the look of shock on his face. He tore his gaze away from Sakura and looked to Tsunade for confirmation. Tsunade nodded.

"About eight weeks, I think. They'll do an ultrasound to know for sure."

"Oh, Sakura," he sighed. He did the only thing he could think of, and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

She buried her face in his chest and fisted his shirt in her hands, and Tsunade spoke again, filling Kakashi in on what Sakura had already told her.

"Sasuke apparently wasn't receptive to the news. That's what sparked his outburst tonight."

"Kakashi, what am I going to do?" Sakura cried.

"It's okay. Let's just take it one day at a time. We'll figure this out. It'll be okay."

In truth he didn't know what else to say. He didn't know if it would be okay. He didn't know what this meant for her. For all of his skills and his one thousand jutsu, in that moment Kakashi felt he was the most ignorant person in the world. He knew nothing.

Without any other comforting words to say, he held Sakura close to his chest. He stroked her hair and let her cry, hard, into his shirt. They were both lost, but she needed him to guide her through the dark.

When Tsunade made a small cough in the back of her throat, Kakashi turned his head towards her without letting go of Sakura.

"I'll leave her with you. We can talk more tomorrow," she said softly as she made her way to the door.

Kakashi nodded. When Tsunade was gone, he spoke to Sakura again.

"Let's get you to sleep, hm? It's late and you've been through the wringer."

She sniffled and slowly pulled away from him. Kakashi rose from the bed and went to his dresser, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt.

"You can wear these if you want. I'll run over to your apartment in the morning and bring some of your things."

Sakura took the clothes graciously and made her way to the bathroom to change. Kakashi heard the sink running, and a few minutes later she emerged with a clean face and wearing fresh clothes. He helped her into bed again, pulling the covers over her.

When he turned to leave, intent on taking the couch, she caught his arm.

"Stay. Please. I don't want to be alone."

Kakashi hesitated a moment, not sure if he should be sharing a bed with her after everything she had been through tonight and considering their charged history. But she had specifically asked him to stay and if he was honest, he really didn't want to spend the rest of the night crowded on his ancient sofa. So in the end, he walked around to the other side of the bed and slipped in beside her.

He listened to her breathing slow after a few minutes, and he was thankful that she had fallen asleep so quickly. She must have been exhausted.

Unfortunately for Kakashi, he couldn't seem to make his mind slow down, despite how much he wanted to sleep. He lay on his back, his hands resting behind his head as he stared at the ceiling and thought about the sleeping girl beside him.

He couldn't believe that Sakura was pregnant. His heart went out to her and her plight. It was clear she was facing single-motherhood, a situation difficult for civilians, and virtually the end of a career for a kunoichi. Kurenai had been perfectly content to give up her career for her sweet and outgoing little girl, but Kakashi knew that she was also receiving financial assistance from the Sarutobi estate. Even without knowing his fate, Asuma had made sure his family would be well cared for in the event of his death.

The value of the entire Uchiha estate had passed to Sasuke upon the death of his clan. He was the wealthiest person in Konoha before the age of ten. But Kakashi doubted that there was much money left in the estate now, if any at all.

Sasuke had always been an excellent maker of short-term plans, but he often lacked the foresight to consider his decisions long term. Before leaving Konoha as a thirteen-year-old boy, Sasuke had liberated whatever he could carry from the clan vaults. Since the only two remaining Uchiha had abandoned the village, after six months the government had seized what Sasuke left behind.

When he returned, the money he'd taken was spent. He had to fight through a lot of government red tape in order to procure a pithy monthly stipend from the government to live off of until he was permitted to take missions again. Sasuke argued the money still belonged to him and the government argued he had forfeited the money when he left. In the end they had settled on a meager monthly sum that would never accumulate to much wealth. It was certainly not enough for childcare.

Even so, Sakura had a lot of friends. Even if they had kept their distance recently, they would help support her. Ino loved babies, and Naruto had both a lot of wealth and a generous heart. But what about himself?

Kakashi had told Sakura over and over again that he was her friend, and he would help her through her troubles. He had meant every word. But he had not told her that he loved her. Had that changed since her revelation?

Although he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that a tiny human was now growing in Sakura's belly, it was also a fact that she was still Sakura. And he had proven last week that without Sasuke's dark influence, she was still his Sakura. Nothing could change that. Sasuke didn't, and a baby wouldn't change that either. Sakura's responsibilities were changing, but she was not. He would still love her. The thought was comforting to Kakashi.

Next he thought about his intentions for his relationship with Sakura. Before, he had fully intended to rekindle their flirtatious friendship and try to forge a romance with her. Had that changed now that she was pregnant with another man's child? Kakashi's plans had never gone beyond the "serious dating relationship" phase. It was not necessarily because he didn't want marriage and children and a white picket fence, but simply that he had never been with a woman long enough to consider it.

Kakashi scoffed to himself. He wasn't with Sakura, and now he found himself considering the possibility of assuming the role of surrogate father to her child. Could he care for her child as if it was his own? Feed him, teach him, and keep him safe?

The kid would probably possess the Sharingan, too. Kakashi was the only remaining person in Konoha that would be able to teach him to wield it, surrogate father or not.

As Kakashi sifted through his jumbled thoughts, the answer revealed itself like a gemstone in a panner's sieve, slowly emerging from the sand and grit until it was free and shining.

Yes.

Yes, he could do those things. He could do those things and more for Sakura's child because he loved Sakura. This child would be Sakura's, not Sasuke's, and she would love it as if the father's DNA did not run through its blood. Such was the ferocity of Sakura's resolve and the tenacity of her heart. She loved completely or not at all, and Kakashi loved her.

All of this depended on Sakura, too, of course. Maybe she wouldn't even want his involvement; maybe he was getting ahead of himself. He would have to approach this delicately and see how the coming weeks played out. But he knew that whatever Sakura was willing to accept from him, Kakashi was willing to give.

His thoughts in order and his mind made up, Kakashi finally felt that he could succumb to sleep. He drifted off indulging in a dream about a house on the edge of the woods and more pairs of little feet running across the floors.