Hinata pulled the last of her supplies together and tucked them neatly into her backpack. Though it had been nearly a year since she had been out of the village and even longer since she'd been on a mission, she was pleased to know that some of her training had remained second nature. It was too bad that her observation skills hadn't stayed sharp as well. Perhaps she would have seen how bad an idea it was for her to sleep with Naruto. Sure it had been wonderful at the time and for days afterwards she had felt warmed by the afterglow. As the afterglow faded though she began to realize that her bid to relieve what she thought was Naruto's pain that evening a couple of months ago had shown her exactly how much she was in love with him and how hard it was going to be watching him move on with Sakura, something she was sure would happen eventually. Naruto never gave up and if Sakura was what he wanted then he would eventually have her. Besides, Sakura would realize how special Naruto was, how could she not? In fact, Hinata had even overheard her talking to Ino about the trip to Suna and how she was kind of sad to have left Naruto behind. This had both saddened and gladdened her leaving her emotions on a constant roller coaster. So when she had been given the initial summons from Tsunade requesting her temporary return to duty she had been excited, looking at it as a welcome distraction from her current situation. The closer the trip got the more she began to suspect it was going to take more than one mission to distract her but one was a good start. Throwing her pack over one shoulder she headed off to get medical clearance so Tsunade could assign her two escorts. With any luck someone other than Sakura would be on intake duty today.

It had been two months since she confessed to Naruto, one month since she had left Suna alone and she was no closer to winning over the baka. She had hoped he would have been home by now but Tsunade had extended his stay yet again and her sensei had outright refused to give her any information as to when he might be back. Frustrated and just a little bored as Sasuke seemed reluctant to spend any time with her alone, she had signed up for overtime at the hospital. As if that wasn't enough, she had checked the appointment book and found her first patient was none other than the woman who she believed was responsible for her frustration, Hinata Hyuga. Yep, it was definitely shaping up to be a great day.

Hinata dropped the pack with a sigh of relief. It had been far too long since she had seriously trained was what occurred to her as she wiped sweat from her brow. She was about to sit when the door opened and a voice she recognized all too well spoke her name. Just my luck.

"Hinata." Sakura had managed to use a professional if not exactly friendly voice. "Come on in." She gestured for the Hyuga to sit on the examining table. "Mission medical eh? I didn't think you were on active duty anymore?" She didn't really care for the answer but it was still her job to put the patients at ease. She cursed to herself as she noted the fleeting frown on the other woman's face as well as the resulting flucuation in her chakra levels. Damn, I forgot. Hinata had walked away from ninja duty after the 4th war and the loss of her cousin, Neji. Back then the eleven remaining members of the Konoha Twelve had been close. The lose of one of their number had been enough to unite them in victory and the ensuing grief that followed that victory. Eventually they had moved on and all except Hinata had returned to their life as ninjas. It had been a much different world they had returned to. For the most part their missions were peaceful but that didn't matter to Hinata. She couldn't bring herself to return to the life that Neji was no longer part of. Instead, she had become a teacher at the academy. As a result Sakura had lost touch with her and had not even realized until recently that Naruto was still close to her, too close it would seem, given what she had overheard in Suna.

"Still not on active duty." Hinata answered with a slight smile. "Diplomatic training mission."

Sakura acknowledged her response with a nod and then turned to pull some paperwork from Hinata's file. She asked some general questions about any recent illnesses then asked the woman to lay down so they could start the physical exam. Once she had Hinata as comfortable as was possible on the narrow medical table she held her hands, palms facing down over Hinata's face. A green glow emanated from her hands, casting an erie light over the other girl's features. Sakura's examination ran from head to toe, then reversing the order to complete. She did this three times, each time the frown on her face deepened. Finally she finished and turned to make some notes. At the last minute, she seemed to change her mind and looked back at Hinata.

"I know." Pale lavender eyes met bright emerald. "I was pretty sure anyway." Her eyes lowered as she sat up and straightened her vest.

"Hinata," Suddenly it was the girl who used to be her friend, her sympathy obvious. "What are you going do?"

Sakura was surprised by the sudden smile. "I'll decide the details while I'm away but I'm keeping it." She saw the worried look on Sakura's face and added, "I won't complicate anyone's life. I just have to figure out a way to make it all work. I won't deny a father his child but I don't want someone with me just for a child."

The old Sakura knew the child had to be Naruto's. She also knew he loved Hinata and would likely be in seventh heaven over a child...his own family but the new Sakura, the one that wanted him was desperate. To her it looked like her last chance had just flown out the window. Hinata saw the mixed emotions cross Sakura's face and knew suddenly that her original assumption had been correct. It had happened sooner than she expected but it was obvious that the woman in front of her was now in love with her team mate. Hinata slid off the table and put her arm around Sakura's shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll figure it out but I need a favour from you."

Sakura glanced up at her old friend and wondered how things had gotten to this point, how they had gone so horribly wrong. She knew they were ninjas and that happy endings were few and far between but why couldn't they just have a little happiness. She could see Naruto and Hinata's little one and hers and Sasuke's attending the academy, becoming team mates and hopefully even friends. That wouldn't ever happen though because Sasuke didn't want her. Then something occurred to her. Did she really love Naruto or was this all because of Sasuke? It was all too confusing, too much to process at one time. She leaned into the comfort of Hinata's warm embrace for a moment before stepping away and straightening up her scrubs. "I can definitely do a favour for an old friend." She said this with the utmost conviction. This was the least she could do said her guilty conscience.

"I want you to leave the pregnancy results off the medical." Hinata's face was serious.

"Hinata..." Sakura started to shake her head.

"I know it's asking alot but I really need to go on this mission. I need to get away and if the Hokage knows I'm pregnant..." Though she was smiling Sakura could see her pale eyes pleading with her. She turned to the paperwork again and wrote a couple of notes before handing the package to the other woman.

Hinata leaned over and hugged the medic, her gratitude obvious. Sakura, feeling more and more guilty as each moment passed, pulled away, her face solemn. "Make sure you look after yourself out there."

"I have to, it's not just me I'm looking after." The pleading look disappeared leaving in it's place such a fierce look that Sakura shivered visibly. Thankfully Hinata did not notice her discomfort and after some quick words of advice in regards to her pregnancy she left, leaving a much relieved Sakura to finish up the rest of her shift.

By the end of the day Sakura was clear about two things. One, she was not doing anymore overtime for at least a month and two, she couldn't continue to chase Naruto. She didn't really love him, not the way Hinata did. He was just a way of escaping her biggest fear, her weakness. She did not want to be alone. Naruto had always been there for her and when she suddenly noticed that absence of that attention she had panicked. After seeing what Hinata was willing to do for what she thought was the happiness of the man she loved Sakura had finally been shamed into facing the truth. She was just glad she had realized it before she had caused any damage.

As she walked home the fatigue that she felt lifted and for the first time in months she smiled, thinking of the brother she loved and how happy he was going to be when Hinata told him.