Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, then it's SaixSakura all the way. I'm still praying for it.

The Color Pink

Chapter 11- Separation anxiety

A/N: Wow you guys! Over 100 reviews? This has never happened to me before! Thank you! Anywho, about me asking for ideas in the last chapter, I was really surprised… and impressed… 'cause most of you gave me suggestions that were part of my original plot. Great minds think alike! I won't say which ideas I decided to use or who among you guessed some of my plot, but I will be mentioning you in each chapter from now on 'til the end. Oh, and kudos to everyone and your great ideas!

A/N: I don't know much about Kumogakure other than it is the Village Hidden in the Clouds and Killer Bee is its jinchuriki. I'm not sure about the village's layout as well as its currency (I'm not sure if they use Ryo like Konoha, but because it is in a different country, I'm guessing it's a different currency) so I'm making it up as I go along. Please bear with me.

Morning light filtered through the curtained windows and splayed across the wooden floorboards. Slowly and delicately, Sakura's eyes fluttered open. Instinctively, one of her hands flew to her stomach, caressing softly. Closing her eyes again, she turned to her side, her other hand groping the space next to her. Realizing that the spot was empty, her eyes flew open and all they met were the baby blue covers and matching pillow. Groaning softly, she rose out of bed and stretched before padding to the door. The smell of rice and eggs met her nostrils. At the delicious aroma, she sighed and headed to the kitchen. Sai was just placing some scrambled eggs and rice onto a plate when she entered.

"Mmm… smells great," she said, coming up next to him. "Ohayou, Sai-kun."

"Ohayou," he replied, kissing her forehead. "Right on time for breakfast, Sakura-chan."

Although he messed up in cooking odango for her a month ago, Sakura discovered that Sai at least knew how to cook breakfast decently enough for her to eat. Of the one month that they had been living together, he took responsibility in cooking her breakfast every morning.

Since that first time he spent the night at her apartment, Sai had taken to sleeping at her place and rarely went home except to shower and change clothes. Within three weeks, her apartment had basically turned into his new home so Sakura suggested that he move in with her; besides, her apartment was bigger than his and he spent more time at Sakura's than at his own place. A week later, he sold his apartment as well as the furniture, took his personal belongings, art supplies, and paintings, and moved in. Sakura's once bare walls were now filled with Sai's works and the empty guest room became his studio, at least for the time being; both planned to turn it into the baby's room as soon as Sakura reached her seventh month, and they had two months to plan it.

"Are you ready for your check-up today?" Sai asked, drying the dishes.

"Ready than I have ever been," she replied, beaming as she handed him another plate. Then, her smile dwindled a little. "What time are you leaving for your mission?"

Sai had been given a mission with Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato. They were to deliver some important documents to the Raikage of Kumogakure and would be gone for approximately five days unless something came up while they were there.

"Before sundown tonight," he answered, sounding depressed.

He hated being away from her. A few weeks ago, he suggested filing for leave until she gave birth. But his beloved refused. Sai was a shinobi and he shouldn't sacrifice that just to take care of her. Sakura needed him, but she knew he had a duty to the village. Sai, as usual, gave in but requested that Tsunade give him missions that did not require him to leave for long periods of time until the baby comes. This, Sakura agreed to.

Noticing the sudden depressing atmosphere, Sai took her hand and smiled genuinely the best he could. "But I'll be back soon."

Though seeing that his smile was fake, Sakura returned it anyhow. "I know."

And with that, the two proceeded with their morning routines.

"… there you go, Sakura," Tsunade said, helping her down from the bed. "You're all set. Next check-up is on the twentieth of March. That good for you?"

The pinkette nodded. "Hai, shishou. Arigatou."

"Arigatou, Tsunade-sama," Sai said, coming up next to Sakura. "We'll be going now."

They motioned to leave when Tsunade stopped them. "Wait, Sai. I have to talk to you for a minute."

Sakura turned her head to him, curiously. His face itself held a look of confusion.

"It won't take long, Sakura. I promise," Tsunade assured her.

So Sakura shrugged and squeezed his arm. "I'll be outside then."

As soon as he and Tsunade were left alone, Sai turned to the female Hokage. "What is it you wish to speak with me Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade turned her head to the door, watching Sakura through the glass pane for a moment. Then, leaning against a table, she looked at Sai. "You and Sakura have been living together for how long now?"

"About a month," Sai replied, curious.

"I see. And how does life treat you both?"

"Um… Rather well I suppose. We're both used to living with each other now."

Tsunade nodded. "Good, I'm glad about that. Now, how about when the baby comes?"

"Well, we're planning to turn the spare room I use as my studio for the baby's room when the time nears."

"And where are you moving your studio?"

Sai gave a start of surprise. "I… never really gave it any thought. Sakura and I are currently focused on the baby's needs."

Tsunade crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "I see. And how is your home budget? Now that you live together, it's double the expenses, right? "

"Well, yes. But the salary from my missions as well as Sakura's from the hospital seem efficient enough for the two of us for the time being." Sai tilted his head to the side. "Hokage-sama, I hope you don't mind my asking, but why are you asking me these questions?"

Chuckling lightly, Tsunade opened her eyes. "My apprentice is like a daughter to me. I want to make sure that her and my future grandchild's future are secure." She pushed herself away from the table and approached him. She reached into her pocket. "I want to give you this." She handed him a small pouch.

Curiously, Sai took it and to his surprise, inside were a bunch of ryos; at least a thousand if he wasn't mistaken. He looked up in alarm at the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, what is this for?"

Tsunade frowned. "For you, Sakura, and your kid, what else?"

But Sai shook his head and held out the pouch to her. "I can't accept this."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Although I appreciate your attempt to help us, Hokage-sama, I cannot take this money. I didn't work for it and I wish to raise Sakura and our child from my own blood and sweat."

At first, Tsunade just looked at him. Then, she started laughing, quietly in amusement. The dark-haired artist didn't understand what was funny so he remained standing silently, his hand still holding out the pouch, puzzled at the Hokage's reaction to his refusal.

"You really are something else Sai," she said in between giggles. Once she calmed herself down, she smiled at him. "Alright then, consider this an advance in your earnings for your mission tonight."

"But, Hokage-sama, this amount is three times what I normally earn from a B-rank mission."

"Alight then," she sounded annoyed now. "Consider it an advance for this mission and the next mission, and the next if you think two missions don't cover it. Fair enough?"

Sai still looked unsure. "But, why are you giving this to me?"

At his question, Tsunade gave him a sly smirk. "Let's just say I've been hearing some rumors about you trying to purchase that house for sale adjacent to the park."

Sai gave a start of surprise. How did she know that? He was very careful not to let anybody know his surprise for Sakura; besides, he was still saving up for it and based on his progress, he might not be able to get the house before the baby was born.

At the look on his face, Tsunade chuckled. "Don't worry about how I found out. Right now, I want you to take the money and buy the house. I'm pretty sure you have enough for it now." She narrowed her eyes at him when he made no motion to keep the money. "Take it, Sai. That's an order."

Realizing that she wasn't going to take the money back, Sai nodded and tucked the pouch inside his back pack. Then, he bowed low to her. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Hokage-sama. This… This means a lot to me and Sakura."

Sai couldn't help the smile that was tugging at his lips. Tsunade tilted her head in reply, smiling herself. "I trust you with her, Sai. Make her happy in a way that the rest of us couldn't."

Sai nodded and bowed again before taking his leave.

Tsunade watched as Sakura turned to see him come out of the room. She asked him something, looking worried. But the worry eased when Sai shook his head and flashed her a wide smile. With one last wave at Tsunade, the two left. The Hokage watched as they disappeared from her view then sighed before lifting her head to stare at the ceiling.

"My little girl has grown up," she whispered, affectionately.

Late afternoon, before the sun went down, Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato, waited impatiently for their last team member to say good-bye to his worried-looking girlfriend.

"… and here, just in case any of you gets hurt." Sakura tucked a medical kit into Sai's backpack before turning to the other three shinobis waiting for him. "I'm not going to be there to tend to you guys if you get injured so make sure you use this kit. Everything is in here: bandages, burn salve, cough medicine, band-aids, and pills for headaches too."

Naruto groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Sakura-chan. Can you let Sai go so we can leave already?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him before turning to Sai. He smiled at her. She bit her lip and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Stay safe, okay?"

Sai returned the hug and kissed her forehead. "Of course, Sakura-chan." He went down on one knee on the ground to be eye-level with her stomach. "Daddy will be back as soon as he can, my child." He kissed his two fingers and placing it over her stomach before rising.

Smiling, she stood on tiptoes to peck him on the lips then nudge his nose with hers.

"Aw, come on! Seriously?"

"Shut up Naruto!" Sakura growled in his direction. "You and Hinata were doing the same thing a while ago."

At her words, Naruto blushed red before saying, "Hmph," He stayed silent for the next few minutes.

Sai chuckled before leaning his forehead against Sakura's, a hand stroking her belly. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Sakura whispered back.

After one last kiss, Sai broke away from her arms and walked towards the rest of the team.

"We'll be back before you know it, Sakura," Yamato said, brightly.

"And don't worry, we'll take care of Sai for you," Kakashi added.

"Haha, Kakashi-sensei," she retorted but smiled anyhow. She waved as they began to walk away from the gates. "Good luck!"

The team stopped walking and began to run at top speed before leaping off the ground and out of sight. Sakura sighed before turning on her heels and walking home, an arm over her belly.

The next day found Sakura at the

Yamanaka Flower Shop. Sitting on a stool behind the counter while Ino took care of her customers, the pink-haired kunoichi had a hand tucked under her chin, looking bored. She had nothing to do that day since she was on maternity leave from the hospital and Sai was gone for a couple of days. So she decided to spend the day with Ino at the flower shop. The latter seemed eager to let her spend the day with her; she had been equally bored with no one to talk to while she worked.

"Thank you! Come again soon!" Ino said brightly to her customer. When he left, she sighed before heading to the counter and plopping herself on a stool next to Sakura. "Damn, can you believe he took a half hour to choose a flower to apologize to his girlfriend and in the end, bought one rose? One freakin' rose! He could have at least bought her a bouquet!"

Sakura giggled. "That's just something you would want from your boyfriend if he wants to apologize. Who knows? Maybe his girlfriend prefers just one rose."

"Or he's too cheap to get her a bouquet." Ino pursed her lips then grinned. "Now when I get a boyfriend, I'm making sure he's rich."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Money alone won't make you happy in love you know."

Ino waved a hand, nonchalantly. "Well, that's you forehead. I, on the other hand, want a guy who will shower me with riches."

Sakura giggled. "You know, Sai showers me with love."

"Again forehead, that's you. I want both love and riches. Besides, you and Sai are practically a married couple anyway. He should just go ahead and propose to make everything official."

At her words, Sakura frowned a bit. Noticing her look, Ino tilted her head to the side.

"Let me guess. He hasn't made the slightest indication of proposing?"

Solemnly, Sakura shook her head. "I just wonder what's taking him so long. I mean, a few months ago, he practically insisted that I marry him. Now that we actually have feelings for each other, he won't propose?" She sighed and blew a stray piece of pink hair from her face. "I don't get men at all."

"Ditto." Ino patted her on the shoulder and flashed her a smile. "Give him time. He'll come around."

Nodding, Sakura returned it. "Yeah. I guess when he's ready, he'll ask."

"That's the spirit!"

The bell rang and Ino looked up to greet her customer. Meanwhile, Sakura stared at her hands, imagining the beautiful ring Sai had attempted to propose to her with months ago. Yes, he would come around. She just hoped that it would be soon.

It was raining when the four Leaf Shinobis landed gracefully outside the gates of Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds. After two days of travel, they finally arrived. The guards narrowed their eyes at them suspiciously until Kakashi walked up to them and showed them the letter from their Raikage to Konoha's Hokage, confirming that they had the right to be there. After inspecting and making sure that the letter was legit, they were allowed in and escorted to the Raikage's tower.

As they were escorted throughout the building, Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks and waved at a figure. "Hey, Killer Bee! It's me! Naruto Uzumaki! Remember me?"

A tall, muscular, dark-skinned man with blonde hair and wearing sunglasses turned his head in their direction. He seemed to squint in confusion for a moment before a look of realization broke into his features. "Yo, it's the fox-kid!"

Happily, Naruto bounded up to him and they bumped fists. "Nice to see ya again!"

"What are you doing here, kid?"

"Mission. This is my team by the way." He gestured to Kakashi, Sai, and Yamato. "Guys this is Killer Bee. He helped me control Kyuubi a couple of years ago."

Killer Bee waved at them. "Yo. If you guys want, I'll take you to my brother myself." He turned to the guard and said, "I got them."

The guard bowed, respectfully before walking away. As Killer Bee led them to his brother's office, Naruto animatedly talked to him and told everything that had happened to him since they last saw each other. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Kakashi just raised their eyebrows at each other and Sai couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's constant attempt to rap in order to impress the eight-tailed jinchuriki. Not that the eight-tailed was any better himself. He was about to say something when they stopped outside a door. Killer Bee knocked on it before opening it.

"Yo, nii-sama, you have visitors." He turned to the four shinobis. "You can go in now. I can't stay though, got some stuff to do. The way out is pretty much the way you came in."

"Thank you Killer Bee-san," Kakashi said.

"No problemo." He raised his fist.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow until Naruto nudged him on the side. "Bump fists," he whispered. For once, Kakashi obeyed his student and bumped his fist with the older jinchuriki.

When the four entered his office, the Raikage looked up from his desk. "Hmm… What do we have here?"

The four stepped in and bowed respectfully before Kakashi moved forward and placed the important scroll on the desk. "These are the documents that you requested from Tsunade-sama." Then, he placed another scroll next to it. "And here is a letter from her as well. She insist that we stay and wait for your reply." He stepped back in line between Naruto and Yamato.

The Raikage slowly picked up the documents and opened them one by one; his eyes scanned over them, a small smile appearing on his face after each. Finally, he picked up the Hokage's letter and read it. Afterwards, he placed it aside before looking up at the four.

"I have some matters to discuss with the council about these documents. You are welcomed to stay and wait for my reply to your Hokage's letter."

"How long are we talking about, Raikage-sama?" Kakashi inquired.

"Not more than three days, I assure you."

"Alright. We shall take our leave for now then to look for accommodations."

"Of course. I shall summon you when my response is ready."

The four bowed to him before leaving the office.

"Well team, I guess we're staying here for three days," Kakashi announced when they were out of the tower. "Yamato, you and I will send word to Tsunade-sama about our stay. Naruto and Sai, look for a place to stay; somewhere cheap yet clean, got that?" He reached into his backpack, took out a money bag, and handed it to Sai. "There's five hundred ryos in there. Make sure we'll have enough for three days."

The dark-head nodded and tied the money pouch into his belt.

"We'll meet here in one hour. "

"Hai, senpai."

"Gotcha, sensei."

And with that, they parted ways.

The rain had stopped now and the sun was slowly peeking out of the dark clouds. Naruto and Sai made their way around town, searching for an inn or a motel, exploring in the process. Neither have gone to Kumogakure before and both were rather curious of the new surroundings. Although it was built on top of the mountains and held a magnificent view of neighboring plains and valleys, the village was fairly similar to Konoha's busy streets. As foreigners to this land, they were regarded rather suspiciously by the villagers, but they paid no mind as they took in their surroundings. They passed a ramen restaurant; though Naruto wanted to stop and eat, Sai talked him out of eat by reminding him of Kakashi's orders. Pouting, the blonde walked away from the restaurant.

"I'm hungry," he whined, miserably. "Let's find a place already! I wanna eat!"

Sai rolled his eyes. "Can't you think of something else other than your stomach for a change?"

Naruto crossed his arms and held his head high. "Hmph!" He began grumbling some rather incoherent but seemingly rude things under his breath, which his teammate ignored.

A couple more minutes of walking without seeming to go anywhere, a small, three-story building caught Sai's eyes: Fukazawa Inn. Without a word, he grabbed Naruto by the collar and dragged him to it. The blonde squirmed in his hold.

"Oi! Teme! Let go!"

And Sai did, because they already reached the front of the Inn. "This looks decent," he commented.

"Whatever. As long as I can eat after."

The two entered the inn. At the front desk was a girl, who appeared to be their age. She wore a tight, blue tunic with a metal nameplate pinned to her chest; her long, blonde hair was on a braid and she was chewing on a piece of gum, her legs crossed as she read a magazine. She looked up when they approached and they saw that her eyes were green. Suddenly, Sai felt a pang in his chest; seeing those eyes reminded him of Sakura and how much he missed her.

"How may I help you?" the girl asked, sounding bored.

Pulling himself together, Sai put on a bright smile. "We wish to inquire on how much your rooms cost," he replied.

At his smile, the girl gave a start. She squinted her eyes at him before suddenly smirking, a little seductively, Sai noticed.

"Depends on which room," she said, uncrossing her legs and leaning closer to the desk. "Single is one hundred soke, double is one fifty, and suite is three hundred. Also includes a buffet breakfast." She said all these like the announcer of a T.V. commercial as she batted her eyelashes at him. "So which is it?"

Naruto scratched his head. "We don't have any, uh, what's your money here again?"

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. "Soke. Well, you can just pay with whatever money you have as long as its amount is equivalent to the soke you're paying." She turned her attention back to Sai, a suggestive smile on her face. "I can give you a discount since you're visitors from another country."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Are you even allowed to give discounts?"

She frowned at him. "I'm the owner's daughter. I can give discounts to anyone I want." She turned back to Sai, smiling widely. "Do you want it?"

But Sai was unfazed. Instead, he checked Kakashi's money pouch. "No need, thank you. Do you know how much soke is equivalent to a ryo?"

Disappointed, she took out a chart from underneath the counter and pushed it towards him with one finger, still watching him like a hawk for an indication of interest. Sai scanned the chart; one soke was equivalent to half a ryo. He did the calculations in his head and determined that they had enough.

"We'll take two doubles," he said, pushing the chart back.

"And how long will you be staying?" she asked, writing on a form delicately, like the paper would rip if she as much put some force into it.

"Three days the most." Sai placed the money on the counter and she took them, not bothering to count.

"Sign your name here, please." Sai signed and she took the form and looked at it. "Mr. Sai, follow me please." She went around the counter and began walking towards the stairs, her hips swaying as she moved.

Naruto stared after her, his eyebrows raised. "Okay, is it just me or was she hitting on you?"

Sighing, Sai shook his head. Avoiding the question, he said, "We're meeting Kakashi-senpai and Yamato-taichou in fifteen minutes. We should hurry."

And with that, he followed after the girl, unaffected. Naruto scratched his head before shrugging and jogging after him.

On the second floor, the girl stopped and turned around to face them. "Room 121 and 122 are your rooms." She held the keys out to Sai who took them, a small smile on his face. "If you need me," she seemed to be talking only to the artist and not Naruto. "My name is Fuyuko. Call me when you need anything."

With one last wink at Sai, she walked away. When she disappeared, the two shinobis looked at each other.

"She was so flirting with you, man!" Naruto exclaimed as Sai opened one of the rooms.

"I'm aware," Sai replied. "But you know that I'm taken."

Naruto flashed him a look. "I must say I'm impressed. You didn't even bat an eyelash when she was practically seducing you!"

Sai simply answered with a wide smile on his face.

Back in Konoha, Sakura looked at herself in Ino's bedroom mirror while the blonde threw around outfit after outfit. She had a date and enlisted Sakura's aid in helping her dress. Whiles she talked about what was wrong with each piece of clothing she got her hands on, Sakura sat on the bed and stared at her reflection as she ran a hand over her swelling belly.

"… do you think this top makes me look fat?" Without waiting for an answer, Ino slipped it off and threw it across the room. "I knew it! Urgh! How about… this one?" This time, she waited and hearing no response, threw a silk belt at the pinkette's head.

Feeling the soft impact of the belt, Sakura turned her head, scowling the blonde. "What'd do you that for?" she growled.

Ino furrowed her eyebrows. "What has you all distracted? You've been staring at the mirror for a half-hour. And you call me conceited."

Though she knew it was childish, Sakura stuck her tongue out at her anyhow before turning back to the mirror.

"I'm fat," she stated, solemnly.

Without thinking, Ino replied, "Of course you are, you're pregnant." Seeing a devastated look appear in the pink-haired kunoichi's face, the blonde realized too late what she said. "I didn't mean it in a bad way," she added, quickly. "All pregnant women… get big."

Not consoled at all, Sakura released a loud, frustrated sigh. "What if Sai leaves me for some nice, thin girl who's not in any way pregnant? What if he finds someone else in Kumogakure and forgets about me? And what about those fan girls of his who do nothing but follow him around whenever he's out?"

Shocked, Ino furrowed her eyebrows before plopping down on the bed next to her. "I thought you were past the hormonal stage, but I guess not." Sighing, she patted Sakura's hand. "Sai loves you. He won't leave you for some nice thin girl. You know why? Because he really, really, really loves you and your child so much he's willing to risk is whole life to protect you. Besides, those fan girls are nothing compared to you. They don't know Sai like you do and he pays attention to no other woman but you. After everything the two of you have gone through, how could you think that he'd leave you?"

The words sunk in slowly but surely. Sakura knew the pig was right; and why exactly was she worrying about Sai's faithfulness? The artist loved her to no end. She felt it in his words, his actions, the way he would place his arm around her waist as they walk around the village, when he held her at night as he kissed her. And they were having a child, a family. They were going to be a very happy family.

Smiling at the thought, she flashed Ino a grateful smile. "Thanks pig."

The blonde returned it. "No problem, forehead. Now, on to my outfit!"

"Good night…" Fuyuko drawled as Sai walked past the desk to get to the stairs, followed by Naruto, Yamanto, and Kakashi.

Not wanting to be rude, he fake-smiled at her and tilted his head. "Good night. Fuyuko-san."

As he mounted the stairs, he heard her sigh loudly. Behind him, Naruto whistled. "She so likes you, man!"

Sai didn't answer.

"Hmm, what's this?" Kakashi mused, chuckling. "It appears that the lobby girl has a crush on Sai."

Naruto growled at him. "I just said that!"

Sai sighed. "She won't leave me alone. If I didn't know any better, I think she may have been following us all afternoon."

But Yamato and Kakashi only grinned. They have been followed alright, rather, Sai was being followed; by almost every teenage girl who came across him flashing his smile. But just like back in Konoha, the artist was oblivious to the existence of his little fan girls.

After bidding each other good-night, the team separated; Sai and Naruto in one room and Kakashi and Yamato in the other.

Naruto took over the bathroom for over half an hour until Sai grew impatient and pounded on the door, threatening to send in an ink tiger if he didn't finish up soon. A few minutes later, the blonde got out, grumbling underneath his breath. He settled himself on his bed and took out a shojo manga he brought along to read while his teammate entered the bathroom.

After taking a long hot shower, Sai was just drying his hair with a towel when Naruto looked up from his manga.

"Hey Sai. Mind if I ask you something?"

Sai shrugged, continuing to dry his hair. "Go on."

Naruto placed the manga aside and crossed his legs underneath him. "When are you proposing to Sakura-chan?"

Sai's hands stopped as he felt his whole body freeze.

Naruto continued with his questions. "I mean, you have the ring and everything. And you two are living together and all. Why don't you just ask her to marry now?"

Sighing, Sai stopped drying his hair and threw the towel over a chair. Without a word, he dug into his backpack and took out a black velvet box. Opening it, he settled himself at the edge of his bed and stared at the silver, diamond-encrusted engagement ring.

"I love Sakura," he stated, running his thumb over the sparkling rock. "And I want to marry her. But…" He sighed, solemnly. "A marriage requires the woman to take the surname of her husband."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "So?"

Sai frowned at him. "You are aware that I have no surname. I don't know who my family are or where I came from. I have no identity other than being Sai, a member of Team Kakashi, a former member of Root, and a current Anbu shinobi. All I know of myself is my present, but I have no past." He closed the box and brought it to his lips. "I have nothing to give Sakura."

For a while, Naruto was quiet. Neither dared disturb the silence. Sai had been thinking about this fact for some time now. Though he wanted to, he was… afraid to propose to Sakura. What if she rejected him? He knew she loved him, but what if she rejected him because he had no surname to give her? He could not offer her what another man could.

"I don't think that matters," Naruto suddenly said.

Curious, Sai looked up at him.

"You love Sakura, right?"

"I believe I've established that."

"And she loves you, right?"

"Yes, I believe she does."

"Then that shouldn't matter!" Naruto now had a determined look on his face. "Sakura won't not marry you because you don't have a last name. She won't marry you if you're an insolent jerk who doesn't care about her! But she does! She does love you and trust me, she'll marry you if you asked. Come on, Sai! You have guts! Don't tell me you're chickening out now!"

All Sai could do was look at him then back at the box. He smiled. "I never knew you could be so persistent, dickless."

The blonde scowled at him. "I'm trying to help you here!"

"And I thank you. I really do, Naruto." Sai smiled.

The corner of the blonde's lips twitched but he refused to return the smile. So instead, he grabbed his manga and turned his back to Sai. "Just ask her," he stated.

Sai didn't reply. He still appeared unsure.

Later that night, while Naruto snored away on the bed next to his, Sai couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned but he was struck with sudden insomnia.

I wonder how Sakura's doing? he thought to himself. I miss her. I hope she isn't too lonely since I left. I'll make it up to her when I get back. Maybe I should get her a gift.

Deciding that sleep was avoiding him that night, Sai got up and headed towards the sliding paper doors that led to the balcony. He stepped into the night and breathed in the cool air. Leaning his arms against, the rail, he allowed the gentle breeze to tug his dark hair as he stared at the distance.

A few minutes later, he heard shuffling in the balcony next to his room and turned his head to see Kakashi emerge from their own room. His visible eye crinkled at the sight of Sai.

"I thought I heard something," the silver-haired jounin stated, coming up to his own room's balcony rail. "Why are you still awake? After the long day we had, I thought you would be tired."

Sai shrugged in response. "I can't sleep."

Kakashi tilted his head. "Missing home?"

"Hai."

They stayed in silence for a few minutes until Sai spoke up, "Kakashi-senpai?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm a little… confused."

"About?"

Sai paused and thought about what Naruto said to him a few hours ago. "I want to propose to Sakura."

Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "What's so confusing about that?"

"Ano… at the same time, I don't want to."

Kakashi stared at him. "I see. Why not? You're together aren't you? And haven't you done it before?"

"Well, yes. But, at that time, I didn't know I loved her. I only wanted to marry her for the child. But now, now that I love the child and her, I… I'm starting to believe that marriage is indeed a huge step and I'm afraid that she'll reject me because I have no last name to offer her."

For a while, Kakashi didn't answer. Then, he turned his head towards the horizon. "I don't think she'll reject you because you don't have a last name. She loves you and I know she'll marry you."

Sai tilted his head. "Naruto told me the same thing."

"And he's right. Sai, Naruto and I have known Sakura since she was twelve. When she loves something or someone, she hold on to it tight and never lets go. She gives it her all. I doubt that she'll reject you over something petty as a last name. Do you understand?"

Taking his words in, Sai nodded. "I suppose."

Reaching across the space between their balcony, Kakashi patted him on the shoulder. "Sleep on it, Sai. It'll help. If not, here." He handed the young Anbu an orange book he had in the pouch on his waist. "I thought there was a specific reason why I brought that volume along instead of the other one."

Sai took the book and raised an eyebrow. He shook his head before handing it back to the silver-haired jounin. "Sakura told me not to read these specific books. She said they were… what did she say?… oh yes, perverted and useless."

Offended, Kakashi narrowed his eyes at him as he tucked the book back in his pouch. "Well, that's the last time I'll offer these classics to you."

Sai chuckled. "Have a good night, senpai." With a tilt of his head, Sai returned to his room.

As the paper door closed, Kakashi waited a few minutes before grinning underneath his mask and stared at the peaceful, quiet night.

Well, Sai, he thought. I never thought I'd see this day. Take care of our Sakura for us.

A/N: Well, this chapter could have been longer but I thought that was a bit too much already. For this chapter, kudos to brendabond!