Sakura woke up that morning with a pounding head ache and a stomach that was rebelling. She sat up slowly, holding her head. When she opened her eyes, a steaming cup of tea was right in front of her nose.

"Dear God!" She screeched jumping back in bed a bit. She followed the arm connected to the tea to see there was a Kakashi attached to it. He wasn't fazed in the least by her outburst.

Noticing she was only in her chest bindings and panties Sakura turned bright red and pulled the covers closer to her chest. She accepted the tea quietly and politely. She would wait till she got her embarrassment under control before she asked why he was in her house. She was used to the other two crashing after using her house as a mini emergency room from training injuries, but it was a first for Kakashi to be in her house so early with out a demand that he be there. Well other than that morning…

Sakura's cheeks turned pink as she took a big gulp of her tea, wincing as it burned her mouth. At least it took her mind off the thought of a naked Kakashi.

"I brought you home last night, and the storm worsened so I used in the spare room." Kakashi said nonchalantly, as if reading her mind.

"Oh…" She said quietly. She really wasn't feeling well, and the tea wasn't helping like it normally did. That could be because she was scolding herself with it instead of sipping it slowly.

Unconsciously she brought her hand to her head feeling for a fever. Kakashi's brow quirked at this, his interest in what she was doing.

"You alright Sakura-chan?"

"I think I might have caught a cold from the rain last night and running my self down twice in one day." She said quietly, not making eye contact with him.

He had stripped her out of her clothes the night before to keep her from catching cold and soaking her bed all the way through. He was a gentleman about it and kept his eyes diverted as much as possible; even if he had seen most of it before. He wasn't going to bring it up unless she did though.

"Thank you…" Kakashi looked up to see Sakura smiling at him. The smile that always caught him off guard.

"What for?" He said as he falsely busied himself with a string on his vest.

"You are always the one who stays behind and comforts me when I have a melt down about my parents. You were the one who was there for me the night it happened. It was four years ago, and I know I don't do it as often as I used to. It's still nice to know you are there for me when I get a little hysterical."

He did his famous eye crease that meant he was smiling at her and she smiled back. He patted her shoulder and stood up quickly as if trying to change the subject. "I am going to check in with Tsunade. Maybe check on Asuma afterward, if you are feeling up to it maybe-"

"I am going to check on him today, yes. I am picky about my patients. I just need to soak in an herbal bath and take some supplements and I will be just fine. I tend to recover quicker than most people." She said cheerfully, even through how cruddy she felt. Kakashi nodded and walked slowly to the door. He paused, his hand lingering on the door knob.

"Sakura?..." She looked up again, a little confused at his pause. He mentally collected himself and looked at her sideways with his uncovered natural eye. "I will always be there for you, remember that." His eye creased in one of his normal Kakashi smiles again, and her heart warmed.

"I know… Thank you." With that he took his leave.


Sakura lay in her bath tub staring at random things in her bathroom. The soak in the tub caused the waves of nausea to pass, and now she felt so much better. Her nose was a little stuffy too, but the hot steam from the bath helped ease her aches and pains from the mission that lasted for a week and what felt like an oncoming cold. She used this time to slowly eye around her bathroom at things she needed to take care of.

She needed to get more toilet paper… and a new tooth brush. Her hair brush had seen better days. She really needed to clean her mirror… and put lines through her calendar for the week she was away for the mission…

Sakura's eyes counted the days from the last time she checked her calendar. They left on Saturday morning, exactly a week ago. She remembered this because she had to pay for dinner the next day to uphold tradition. Her eyes went to the Saturday exactly a week before and she slipped further into the tub, causing the water to slosh over the sides. Forgetting her slight nausea, she sprung out of the tub and ripped the calendar off the wall.

"No…Oh my God, No!" Her eyes could have burned a hole through the Saturday the fifteenth.

It just seemed to mock her with the writing she had put there only weeks before. She always had it well calculated. She could set her watch by it, she was NEVER late. EVER.

Even with stressful missions, or coming of age, and changing of her diet.

Her period was never late.

Though now she was officially a week late.

With out a second thought, she grabbed a large black jacket and wrapped it around herself like a dress. She slipped on her sandals, before making a wobbly attempt to sprint out the door. She had to get to Ino's house.


A miserable Tsunade sat at her desk. Rainey days were so damned boring. She would kill for a bottle of sake and a nap right then. The only entertainment she had was a Kakashi standing in the middle of her office reading one of his many Icha Icha books. This wasn't really entertaining at all.

"How is Sakura, Kakashi? I heard what happened last night. I would visit her myself, but…" She didn't have to finish as Shizune walked in with a stack of paperwork. Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the stack grumpily.

"She seems to have a bit of a cold from over exertion. Other than that, she is well. You know Sakura." Kakashi said cheerily as he looked back down at his book.

"Yes, I know Sakura. She is feeling worse than she is letting on, you no better than to believe her when she says she's fine." Before he could even ask, Tsunade was holding up a little baggy or herbs for him to take to Sakura. He took it immediately and put it in his vest before closing his book and putting in his vest also.

"If your team hadn't been back when you were I'm afraid we would have lost Asuma." Tsunade sighed and rested her chin on her intertwined fingers. "When I started training that girl I knew she would be strong, but she has really gone above and beyond. I have to admit I care for her as if she was more than my apprentice, she is like a daughter to me."

"I know Hokage-sama." He nodded at her statement, but noticed her giving him a knowing eye.

"If anything or anyone were to hurt her-"

"I have no idea what you are talking about Hokage-sama, but I am a little protective my team mates also." He said a little quicker than he realized and Tsunade only smirked at him.

"Team mate, huh?"

"Team mate and friend."

"Team mate, friend and-"

"I am on my way to the clinic Hokage-sama, is their any mission scrolls you need me to pick up while I am here?" Kakashi said followed by a slight grunt of annoyance. Tsunade chuckled and waved her hand.

"Take the day off to let your medic recover. I have a long mission planned for you guys in the next couple of days. A long rest before it will be good for all of you. "


"I'm sorry Sakura, it's not everyday your best friend comes running over like a maniac in nothing but sandals and a coat." Ino laughed, over cheery that morning. This was more than likely due to the realization that her former sensei and good friend was alive and well. She smiled sweetly at Sakura and let her in. If Sakura was going to ask a favor, today was the day to do it seeing that she walked on water in Ino's eyes for saving Asuma.

Sakura sighed; there was no other way to say what she needed to say. No other excuse she could give to get what she needed quickly.

"I know you kept extra pregnancy tests around when you were trying with Sasuke-" Ino did a double take at this,"-I need to use one… now." Sakura tried to keep from shaking as Ino stared at her in awe. "I will explain; can we just hurry to ease my mind?" Ino stared at her for another few seconds before she grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her upstairs to her room. She left her standing there as she hurried into her bathroom and walked back with a little pink box.

"You know the drill from the hospital. Two pink lines equal yes, one equals no. You had better clue me in after you set it up. It gives us three minutes for you to spill your guts." Ino patted her back as Sakura quickly stepped into the bathroom. Pushing her door shut and began fumbling with the packaging. She stuffed the pink box into her coat pocket as she began to fiddle with the actual test itself. Her hands giving away her nervousness as they shook uncontrollably.