Sakura frowned as she pulled out Ino's seat. Ino smiled her thanks in as grim way that let her know that she was fussing again. Sakura made sure that the pepper was in easy reach of Ino but not the salt and vowed that was the end of her fussing. Ino's clothes were stretched to near bursting point, since Ino had always been slim she was just more round that the average body weight but it looked weird seeing Ino chubby. Her clothes reflected that as they seemed to be screaming.

"What did you have for lunch?" Sakura asked as she placed her napkin into her lap.

"Sakura…" Ino said warningly.

"What? Ino you're nearly six months along and you're half the size you should be!" Sakura said.

"Trust me Sakura I'm fine. All I seem to be doing is eating," Ino said wearily "I was arranging an order of violets and they started to get brown stains on them. It took me ages to work out that it was from my sandwich. It was just second nature to be chewing that I forgot what the hell I was eating."

Sakura laughed and felt more at ease "okay, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, it's nice you care," Ino waved her fussing away airily.

She looked at Ino, she did care. Ino stopped moving and couldn't look away from Sakura's intent gaze.

"Ah, lucky me, you two are here!" Shizune sat down at the table with a sigh "I thought I might have to wait."

"Shizune," Sakura smiled but cursed internally. Shizune gave no sign that she knew she had just interrupted a moment.

"Shall we order? I'm starving and I'm sure Ino is too," It wasn't really a question as Shizune was waving down a waitress.

"We haven't looked at the menu yet," Sakura protested

"Doesn't matter I invited you I'm paying," Shizune grinned as Sakura became flustered. The waitress came to stand with her pencil poised at the ready. "We'll have one of everything," she turned from the stunned waitress to Ino "if there's anything you like especially or want specially just tell the waitress."

"Shizune-san I can't, we can't, impose on you like this," Ino said looking slightly panicked.

"Oh, don't worry my husbands loaded," Shizune said nonchalantly, her diamond ring sparkled.

Ino oddly seemed to relax at that "so," she said "was Sakura the perfect intern?"

"Prefect?" Shizune laughed "oh definitely not. In fact on her second week, there was a guy that came in with a genital rash, you had never seen anyone run out of the cubical so fast! I thought we were going to have the first case of death by embarrassment!"

XxXx

"…There she was ready to prescribe a seventy five year old man for bowel surgery when it turned out to be…?" Shizune and Ino were both grinning at Sakura's flushed face.

"…trapped wind," Sakura muttered and Ino laughed deeply. "He was complaining of stomach pains and there was a blockage in his colon!" She defended herself.

"Which were all cause by…" Shizune goaded.

"Excessive barley in his diet and not enough fibre," Sakura admitted reluctantly as the other two women laughed at her. She was pleased that the most important people in her life were getting along. She just wished they got along over something other than her embarrassments.

There was a calm in their storm of laughter and Shizune folded her hands together in a gesture that was unmistakably Tsunade like. Sakura felt a bitter sweet twinge in her chest and had to look away. "So," Sakura didn't notice the sharpness that had found its way into Shizune's voice and eyes "Ino, I'm told you're the reason that Sakura won't publish her breakthrough. Awful selfish don't you think?"

Ino jerked at the attack the seemed to come from no where "what?"

"Sakura, could get fame and financial security from her discovery and your stopping her. Lets not forget all the people she could help, you're denying them a solution," Shizune said.

"What Sakura did was amazing. She's an amazing doctor but I fail to see how a sex change jutsu can help the world at large," Ino said slowly.

"You didn't grasp the complexity of her jutsu?" And Shizune seemed to be sneering. She had never really had much time for dumb girls.

"I wouldn't say-" Ino begin but Shizune cut her off "you wouldn't say that your being selfish? Tell me how else would you put quelling a medical discovery?"

"Hey!" Ino's temper finally raised its head. "Who do-!"

"That's enough!" Sakura snapped but it wasn't at Ino she was shouting. Her gaze lanced through Shizune.

"No! I can't sit here while your potential is being suppressed!" Shizune slammed her hands down and her voice held just as much anger as Sakura's. They glared at each other in a moment heavy with threatening violence. Sakura stood roughly scraping her chair back. Shizune followed her. Sakura pushed Ino gently back into her chair when she made to follow. They walked through the restaurants kitchen and out into the back alley. The startled shouts of the chiefs were ignored.

"I told you to leave this alone," Sakura said as she faced off with Shizune.

"I can't believe you're allowing this!" Shizune glared.

"This has nothing to do with you!" Sakura yelled angrily hating the fact that she felt like a teenager pointlessly rebelling against her mother.

"You're my student of course it does!" Shizune's lip curled in distaste "and why are we out here anyway? Do you plan on hitting me? Is that the solution you've come up with. Honestly I thought you'd have grown beyond this."

"We're out here so Ino doesn't have to get stressed by you attacking her! Stressing out a pregnant woman isn't the healthiest thing to do," Sakura glared. She would never hit her mentor senselessly.

"She would be disappointed in you. Tsunade would never-" Shizune's head jerked to the left violently as Sakura cut her off with a slap. She was surprised at her actions but didn't feel at all apologetic.

"How dare you," she growled "Tsunade would never endanger or discomfort a child for selfish reasons. For any reason. I won't have you disgrace her name by saying she would." She glared and in that moment she could feel their twin hates collide. She was furious, her face unconsciously had the exact same hardness in her expression when she had punched Sai for insulting Sasuke. "I am not your student. I haven't been in a long time."

Shizune slowly turned her head back towards Sakura. Her cheek was a blazing rude red that throbbed in time with the angry vein on her forehead. They looked like they were about to kill each other. Shizune wiped at her lip slowly, it had bleed slightly from Sakura's slap. "It's a good thing you're not my student or else I would die of shame right now. Tell me, Sakura, You're so concerned about your children's welfare are you sure you can say the same for Ino? How much do you even know about her?"

"What?" Sakura demanded in annoyed confusion.

"I asked around town since this whole thing seems so sudden. You had never shown any interest in women before her. It came as quite a shock to the staff to find out that you're not only with a woman but she's having children. What was Ino's sudden desire to procreate? Why did she choose you of all people, a woman, when any man would do. And if she's so concerned about the little ones why is she wearing a glamour to make herself look thinner? Surely you explained the dangers of Chakra use for pregnant woman," Shizune had a viscous glee in her eyes at Sakura's stunned face. She would regret it later but her fury clouded her judgement.

Sakura's head rang with all the questions she couldn't answer. She was struck for the first time how little she and Ino knew each other. Her hesitation showed on her face and in her voice as her mind stuck on the last thing Shizune had said "she would…she knows that using jutsu could hurt the twins…she wouldn't…"

"Come on Sakura," She enjoyed the weakness in the student that had seemed to self righteous before. The remark about Tsunade had hurt and she was lashing out "you must have seen that she was far too thin for a woman pregnant with twins."

Sakura had seen it and just assumed that Ino wouldn't genetically balloon out like most women. She had thought she would just need to feed her more but unbidden teenage Ino flashed through her mind. The Ino that had always worried about her weight. That was always dieting and the Ino that always frowned at her reflection no matter how many times Sakura told her she was beautiful. Shizune saw the realisation dawn in Sakura's eyes. Her entire body seemed to rock backwards with the shock and as horror drowned her pale face Shizune felt instant regret. Sakura seemed to turn away in a daze forgetting that Shizune was even there.

She ran a hand through her hair and pulled absently "no…" she shook her head "no…she wouldn't…"

Ino got to her feet as Sakura re-entered the restaurant. Her blue eyes were lit with concern that seemed to stab at Sakura. She wouldn't. Not the Ino she knew. She wouldn't risk it. How much do you even know about her? "Sakura are you okay?" Ino went to Sakura's side since she looked ready to collapse. The doctor looked at her like she was fuzzy and out of focus. She reached for her water to give it to the other woman.

"Ino, you're not using a glamour are you?" Sakura asked taking the water listlessly. Ino seemed to just freeze. The lack of movement clearly broadcasted her guilt and Sakura felt her chest crack as her idea of Ino shattered and tumbled to the ground. She thrust the water into Ino's hands blindly and pushed past her and away. She ignored Ino's cries at her back.

XxXx

"Hello gorgeous," a inviting voice purred from the darkness of her apartment as she shut the door. Sakura clicked the light on to see the last person she ever wanted to. Mina jerked in surprise as she saw Sakura instead of Ino. She immediately sat up from her provocative position "sorry, I thought Ino was back."

Sakura's jaw clenched and she glared at the brunette. She was hurt and confused and someone had made a convenient target walk in front of her. "Did you have plans?" A smart person could have heard the not quite right pitch in her voice. A half trained chunin would have seen the way her stance was geared towards hiding her coiling muscles that were ready to attack. Mina was neither smart or a ninja and didn't notice the many subtle ways that Sakura was threatening her.

"We had plans of a sort," and she smirked in a way that reeked sex. She seemed to be enjoying hinting at her lascivious intent which only fuelled Sakura's anger. "We rescheduled for later since she had some work thing."

"Work thing?" Sakura said making her way idly over to the couch. She force her muscles to move in a relaxed motion instead of ripping Mina's throat out like she wanted. And why was she hesitating? This was a perfect opportunity to scream and vent. But something held her back. Here was a person that knew Ino much better than she did. It was knowledge that she begrudged and longed for but this woman didn't seem to care about Ino beyond sex.

"Yeah," Mina shrugged disinterest "I'll see if I can catch her up. I can take her to my hotel so we don't disturb you."

She walked past Sakura who could stop herself from shooting her arm out to the side. Mina collided with the steel limb and for the first time frowned. Latent instincts only now seemed to have registered that not all was as it should be.

"Mina," Ino closed the door slowly as she took in the situation.

"Hey sexy," Mina smiled and went to Ino's side. Ino ducked the kiss and pushed Mina away from her slightly. Mina frowned offended.

"I think you should leave," Ino said not taking her gaze from Sakura. She watched her like she was a stalking tiger that would pounce any minute.

"No, why don't you stay Mina. You know a lot about Ino don't you?" Sakura could hear the icy sharpness of her voice and sneered as Mina once again seemed too dumb to get the danger. "You can tell me all about her past and hey, I bet I can tell you a few things that would shock you about her now."

"Sakura I know that you're angry," And Ino's voice held a panicked warning that Sakura enjoyed. What's the matter Ino? Did you not want your bitch to know about your pregnancy? She thought snidely.

"No!" Sakura snapped taking a furious step forward. Mina flinched but Ino held her ground "I'm not angry. I'm hurt and confused and furious! I am not merely angry. Mina," she growled trying to seem friendly "did you know about Ino's condition?"

"Condition…?" Mina frowned glancing at Ino in fear.

Sakura laughed bitterly as Ino said her name in warning.

"You don't have a disease do you?" And Mina actually backed away from Ino. Sakura grinned like a crocodile as her prey came closer to her.

"No, that's not it," Ino quickly assured Mina before turning to say again in a warning tone "Sakura."

"What?" Her voice was venomous. She heard Ino's desire for her to kept her mouth shut she just didn't care.

"We'll talk about this later, when we're alone," Ino said grabbing Mina's arm and trying to take her out of the room.

"Talk about what?! Talk about how you don't even care about our children?! How you would endanger their lives!? Or how you're a selfish bitch that cares about no one but herself!" Sakura raged blindly.

"Kids?!" Mina said in shock.

"I don't care?!" Ino echoed in disbelief. A storm cloud of fury then darkened her face and she forgot all about Mina. She drew herself up to her full height but Sakura didn't care that the storm hovered over her. She growled defiantly back as Ino stalked into the bedroom to reappear lightning fast with a box as big as her torso. She emptied it on the couch and thousands of bottles and devices spilled on to the fabric. "Don't you dare tell me I don't care about anyone!" She screamed shrilly.

Sakura looked at the boxes in puzzlement but wasn't prepared to let go of her anger. Ino snatched a bottle up blindly "these are my iron supplement tablets that I take every morning before you wake up. These are the garlic tables that I take each night before I go to sleep and these are the folic acid tables that I gag on every day because of their damn size!" She snatched bottle after bottle and explained their uses before flinging them back into the box. She lifted a strange face mask and thrust it in Sakura's face "this! This bastard thing, is a gag that I wear every morning so I don't wake you up with my morning sickness! The few times you've woken up to the radio are the mornings that I was violently ill but couldn't make it to the box! This is the ointment that I rub onto my ankles which are twice their normal damn size! And this is for the ugly stretch marks that are taking over my stomach! These are the damn control pants I wear so I don't wet our bed in the night! Do you know how embarrassing that is?! But I don't want to annoy you by getting you up to change the sheet! These are the herbal pain killers that I'm taking like candy because I'm constantly hurting but I don't want to take it out on you and this!" She held up the battered bunny that Sakura had bought for the children back when she thought there was only one "this is chibi-Sakura! This is the thing I batter when you're annoying the life out of me by breathing! I know that the homicidal rage that consumes me is wrong and so I try not to take my mood swings on you! I've battered a bunny rabbit until it's stuffing has come out! So don't you dare tell me I don't care!"

Somewhere in Ino's tirade Sakura's anger had fled. She thought it was when Ino had began to cry. The blonde was annoyed at herself and tried to continue doggedly onwards but her breath kept catching and stuttering. She finally broke down and sobbed sitting on the couch that was still half full of tiny bottles and gadgets. Sakura knelt before Ino and pulled her into a hug. At first the blonde tried to push her away then hit her but eventually she crumbled into Sakura's arms.

Sakura watched Mina hover uncertainly before she finally retreated. She stroked Ino's hair soothingly and it was awhile before the blonde's cries became sniffles. "I…didn't do the glamour jutsu. I had Shika do it for me. I couldn't stand seeing myself so huge."

"I know," she said gently. She didn't want to fight anymore. She pulled Ino up and half carried the distraught woman into the bedroom. She undressed her patiently while Ino still sniffled occasionally. There was a strange silence filled with a weary expectation. Sakura decided that they were both too emotionally drained to talk about the multitude of questions that they probably both had. She stopped and stared at the saloon belly that should be much bigger. She trusted Shikamaru to not have hurt the baby but couldn't help but wonder at Ino's actually size if the small foot ball had leaked past such an advanced jutsu. Ino grew uncomfortable under her gaze so she reached for the blondes night dress and dressed her.

Sakura bid Ino to stay as she dampened a facecloth in the bathroom and gently washed Ino's flushed face. She wiped away the tear stains and damped Ino's fringe playfully. The blonde gave a weak smile as Sakura guided her down under the covers and tucked her in. Ino shyly flipped down the covers on the other side of the bed and gazed beseechingly at her. Sakura sat and kicked off her shoes before changing into her own pyjamas of black shorts and an oversize tshirt.

She turned the light off and got into bed in the dark. Her body was too stiff to fall asleep and she felt the tension on Ino's side but didn't know what to do. The small space had become a great gaping divide that seemed never ending.

A little while later in the dark Ino shifted. Sakura didn't know if the blonde thought she was asleep or had found a reserve of courage. With the barest whisper of the sheets Ino edged closer to her. She hovered near Sakura her courage faltering at the final hurdle. The doctor debated reaching out but something stopped her. She heard Ino swallow before the blonde swallowed and settled down on Sakura's chest. Sakura turned into Ino and the blonde reached down to entangle their hands. Together they slept.

XxXx

When Sakura woke up she was alone. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and searched for her clock. She was sure she had the day off but didn't want to spend all day in bed. She sniffed as the smell of cooking bacon called to her. She pulled on a pair of jeans but left her baggy tshirt on. She ambled into the kitchen yawning and stretching. "Ino?!" She jerked to a stop.

"Hey Sakura," Ino nodded trying to act normal. She turned with the frying pan to place the bacon on the plate "eggs sunny side up, right?"

"Yeah," Sakura answered stunned as she nearly fell into the kitchen seat. "Wha…?"

Ino blushed but pretended that she wasn't "do you like it?"

Sakura reached up to touch Ino's short hair then her beach ball seized belly. And was Ino wearing the ugly maternity clothes that she raged about? The horrible floral print didn't seem to be something she would wear voluntarily. "You took the illusion off…"

"Yes," Ino confirmed.

"And you cut your hair…" the shock was still in her system.

"Well long hair was getting too hard to manage with the twins," Ino said.

"And the…don't you have problems with looking so…" she cast around for a word that wasn't 'fat.'

Ino's mouth twisted downwards and she sat down beside Sakura. "Yes, and I'm going to need a lot of encouragement and love because I'm dressed like a blind hippy and am bigger than a cow."

"You're not that big," Sakura lied. Ino seemed to have doubled in seize. It was odd, she actually looked like she was faking pregnancy. It was like she stuffed a giant beach ball up her jumper. Sakura wanted to touch it. Her hands itched and she couldn't contain herself. Her eyes flickered from the bump to Ino's face and back. "Can I…?"

"Sure but I don't think you'll be able to feel anything yet," Ino said as she turned towards Sakura fully.

Sakura reached out excitedly and groped Ino's stomach. She hadn't been allowed to do this as much as she would like. It was smooth and warm with the curve of the pregnancy filling appealingly into Sakura's cupped palm. She pressed lightly against the flesh but was disappointed when to answering push came back. "You don't think I can feel it? Does that mean you can?"

Ino's smile was marvellous as she placed both her hands on either side of Sakura's. "It's like little flutters. Sometimes I imagine that I'm a fish tank, I think that's the best way to describe it."

Sakura laughed at Ino's comparison but was surprised to find that she was slightly jealous. Her throat burned with the feeling of exclusion. She wanted to interact with her children and feel them flutter. Ino ruffled her hair comfortingly. It was like she knew what Sakura had been thinking.

XxXx

This update was so fast because I was promised pictures. You know who I'm talking too! Show appreciation! If you haven't seen it already go to Kirbygirl13's deviant art profile. She drew a picture in tribute to the story. kirbygirl13./art/Call-Me-Daddy-tribute-99421088 I hope the link works it's really good.