Month Four
Mirai was walking around Konoha watching all of the villagers. She was on her way to a store to look for a crib. She wanted to get a move on in furnishing the baby's nursery. Sakumo was supposed to be looking with her, but he had been called away on a mission this morning.
Things were getting rough; the hidden villages were beginning to threaten each other. Konoha, being the most powerful, was getting the most threats. Sakumo, as well as the other ninja in the village, were being sent on more missions lately.
Mirai sighed as she walked into the store. She looked around her and saw all of the furniture you could ever want to furnish a nursery. She smiled slightly and rubbed her growing stomach. She was approached by a saleswoman.
"Can I help you miss?" The woman asked.
Mirai turned to her and smiled. "Shima." She said.
"Oh, Mirai. How are you?" She asked hugging her friend. She felt the raised bump on Mirai's stomach. "How far along are you?" She placed her hand on Mirai's stomach.
"I'm four months pregnant." Mirai smiled rubbing her stomach.
"Can I help you find some things to furnish the baby's nursery?" Shima asked.
"Of course, this is the first time I'm shopping." Mirai said.
"What do you want to look at first?"
"I'd like to look at cribs first."
"All right, well, you're lucky; we just got a new shipment in yesterday." Shima said leading her to the back of the store where there were many cribs lined up. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"
"Well, I don't know. I'll be finding out this week if it's a boy or a girl. But something I know for sure is that the crib can't be too big because the baby's room isn't very large." Mirai told her while looking at a decently sized crib with vines carved into the wood.
"Okay, well, we organize the cribs by size, so the smallest ones are on the left end." Shima said pointing to the end of the row.
The two women walked together to look at the smaller cribs. Mirai was a bit overwhelmed; it was finally dawning on her that she was really having a baby. She smiled at that thought and rubbed her stomach.
Mirai was looking at a small crib that was painted white and had one collapsible wall. But somehow it just didn't look right. She sighed; she didn't know what she was looking for. Mirai continued looking with her friend's help. Shima was one of her very best friends; they had grown up together and attended the academy together. But Shima had retired from the life of a ninja almost a year ago and she hadn't seen her in a while.
"So, are you and Kaito thinking of having children anytime soon?" Mirai asked while still looking at cribs.
Shima blushed deeply and hushed Mirai.
"What, are you?" Mirai asked.
"We're trying, but I just can't seem to get pregnant. Kaito likes the idea of having a baby, and so do I, but I just don't know if this is the right time. Things are getting tense between the hidden villages." Shima said in a low voice.
"I understand. I was worried when I found out I was pregnant. I'm off missions until after the baby is born. I don't like the idea of being out of the loop, and I always worry about Sakumo." Mirai said quietly.
Mirai felt Shima's hand on her shoulder. She turned and smiled at her friend.
"How is Sakumo? Kaito doesn't see him much anymore." Shima asked.
"He's all right; over worked. He says he's fine, but when he's home from missions he sleeps all day. He's exhausted. I'm worried about him. I don't know what I'm going to do if this happens after the baby is born." Mirai said in a strained voice.
"It will all work out." Shima said giving Mirai a hug. "Now, let's change the subject and focus on your baby."
"Sounds good." Mirai said smiling. The two women continued to talk about Mirai's pregnancy and the furniture she still needed to buy for the baby's room.
At the end of the week, Mirai was getting ready to go to her monthly appointment. She slipped on her sandals and left the large, empty house. She didn't run into anyone she knew on her way to the hospital.
She stepped through the large hospital doors and approached the front desk to tell the receptionist she was there. She sat down in the waiting room, and saw only two other women. Uchiha Hama's wife was sitting across from her, her stomach finally showing that she was pregnant. The other woman was a villager and looked like she had only just found out that she was pregnant; she must have been there for her first appointment.
Mirai was called into the examination room and only had to wait a few minutes until Dr. Shumiso entered. She smiled at Mirai when she entered the room.
"How are you feeling, Mirai? Is everything going well? Nothing out of the ordinary?" Dr. Shumiso asked.
"I'm feeling all right. I'm still experiencing morning sickness, but not as often as I was a month ago. Other than that, I feel perfectly fine." Mirai told her.
"Good. And the morning sickness will gradually go away during the second trimester." The doctor told her. "So, are you ready to find out the sex of your baby today?"
"Yes, very much so." Mirai grinned.
"Okay, then, lay back and lift your shirt." The doctor washed her hands and grabbed the gel for the ultrasound. She pulled the monitor over to the examination table and sat down on the stool. She squirted the blue gel onto Mirai's stomach and used the instrument attached to the monitor to spread it over her stomach.
She turned on the monitor and the baby's heartbeat filled the room, loud and strong. Mirai couldn't help but smile at the sound.
"Ready?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, tell me if the baby's a boy or a girl." Mirai said taking in the sound of her baby's heartbeat.
The doctor moved the instrument down her stomach until she found the baby's position.
"Okay, here's the baby, you can see it a lot better now. It looks more human than during the first trimester." The doctor pointed to the monitor.
"Wow." Mirai gasped out looking at the screen that showed her baby. "This is incredible."
"Hmm…" Dr. Shumiso had a look of slight frustration on her face.
"Is something wrong?" Mirai asked worried.
"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that…the way the baby is positioned and how its legs are positioned, I can't tell you the sex of your baby." The doctor said looking at the monitor.
Mirai sighed, "So, the baby wants its sex to stay a mystery. I was really hoping I would find out."
"I know, but I can't move the baby." The doctor chuckled. "We'll just have to try this again next month."
"Okay." Mirai smiled listening to the baby's heartbeat until Dr. Shumiso took the instrument off her stomach.
"Just make an appointment at the front desk, and I'll see you next month." The doctor said smiling.
"Thanks for everything." Mirai said as she wiped the gel off her stomach.
Mirai lowered her shirt and jumped off the examination table. She left the room and made her way to the front of the office. She made her next appointment at the front desk and then left to go home. Again, she didn't run into anyone she knew on her walk home.
She stepped up the wooden stairs leading to the front door. She opened the door and stepped into the house feeling disappointed that she didn't find out if her baby was a boy or a girl. Mirai felt a slight headache coming on, so she went upstairs to take a nap.
When she opened the door, she saw Sakumo sleeping in the bed already. She smiled softly at the peaceful look on her husband's face. She closed the door quietly and slipped into bed next to him. Mirai felt him stir and roll over. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.
"Hello, Darling." Sakumo said quietly.
"Hi, Honey. Did you just get back?" Mirai asked.
He nodded and took a deep breath before wrapping his arms around her. "Where were you?"
"I was at my doctor's appointment." She said.
"Oh, did you find out if we're going to be welcoming a boy or a girl into our family?" He asked smiling excitedly.
"No," Mirai sighed, "The baby is being sneaky. It doesn't want us to know. The baby was in a position where the doctor could tell if it was a boy or a girl."
"Well, then, next time." He smiled kissing her lips.
"I miss you when you're away." Mirai said her face sad. "And you're always so exhausted when you get home. I worry about your health."
"I'm fine, Darling. Don't worry about me. Just worry about taking care of yourself and our little one." He said placing his hand on her slightly raised stomach.
Mirai nodded and kissed Sakumo's lips. He hugged her to him and buried his face in the crook of her neck.
"For now, I just want to sleep." Sakumo whispered.
"Okay." Mirai answered and rubbed his back.
