Words: 6,900

Rating: T

Pairing: Kakashi/Rin

Warnings/Summary: Minato introspection, suggestive moments, some angst, lots of fluff, pregnancy stuff

Author's Note: This chapter feels a bit slower than I'd like, but at this point it's necessary. A huge thanks to Tabjoy and Cinlat for making this much better through beta reading.

After watching Kakashi disappear down the darkened street, Minato turned toward his office rather than home. Despite presenting a calm facade to Inoichi and his former student, the news that Orochimaru might be planning an attack on the village struck a nerve. The rogue ninja had posed several serious threats since Minato became Hokage, but he'd never made a direct move against Konoha. Even so, Minato kept a close eye on the sannin's movements.

The weight of the near silent village dragged at Minato's shoulders as he wandered through it. Rather than traveling through the Hokage complex, Minato teleported straight into his office. Kushina would already be annoyed that he'd been out later than intended, so there was no reason to waste time with walking.

Minato's sandals had barely brushed the wooden floorboards when the air behind him shifted. He turned, hand dropping to his weapons pouch as a cat-masked Anbu touched the katana slanting over one shoulder. The lean form prepared to move in any direction, muscles loose, weight on the balls of his feet as he watched Minato.

"Hokage-sama?" The shadow queried, closing a hand around his sword.

Minato spared a glance for the guard, taking in the red and green streaks that circled the eyes, then released his kunai. "At ease, Cat" he responded, flicking on the lights.

Though Minato set seals on the sensitive information in his office, it wasn't uncommon for one of his Anbu to spend the night patrolling. Tenzo had either drawn that duty, or he'd been the one tasked with trailing Minato in case of an attack When Minato had first become Hokage, the protection had irked him. But, he'd become used to their presence over the years, even found it reassuring.

As Minato ruffled through the papers on the desk, Tenzo crossed his arms. The black fabric covering them whispered against the armor protecting his torso. Pushing another report out of the way, Minato glanced at the Anbu from the corner of his eye. Tenzo stood motionless, eyes trained on the wall while managing to observe every detail of the room. The man had been a unique addition to the black ops force, and not only because of his ability to use mokuton release.

Though the details were murky, Tenzo had been kidnapped from his home as a child and used in Orochimaru's experiments. Years of exposure to kami only knew what had erased much of the man's early memory; he couldn't recall his family or where he'd come from. The sadistic toxins had either awakened the wood release in Tenzo's genes, or mutated his body to use it.

Minato supposed that he would never know which theory was the truth. Tenzo had been a teen when Anbu raided the hideout where Orochimaru had sequestered the boy. He had been left for dead, requiring months in the hospital to regain his strength. Except, there'd been no normal life for Tenzo to return to once his rehabilitation was complete. His singular ability to use wood release meant that the man could never be free. He would never be able to live a life away from the watchful eyes of those same Anbu who had rescued him. The mokuton would function as a beacon to enemy villages and rogue ninja alike. Konoha couldn't risk that type of exposure.

Ironically, the answer about what to do with Tenzo had come through Obito. The newly returned prodigal had been part of the team that liberated the laboratory, and he'd taken an interest in Tenzo. When Minato had stopped in to check on the boy, Obito was an ever present shadow. The correlation had been easy enough to draw, even without Obito's mumbled affirmation about understanding the life of an outcast. Minato had seen no harm in letting Tenzo follow Obito into Anbu. Over the years, the pair had become a cohesive unit, one of the best in Konoha.

Refocusing on the task at hand, Minato nodded to his guard. "You can return to your duties. I don't need protection here." Though the cat mask dipped into a respectful bow, he knew that Tenzo wouldn't be far away. Anbu never were.

Ignoring the presence as studiously as he did every day, Minato sank into his chair and pulled open a drawer. Scraps of documents filled the space, but he pushed them out of the way and reached for the false bottom. Minato deftly unwove the jutsu used to seal the panel in place. Hiruzen had tried to convince him that locks were just as effective, but Minato knew far too many shinobi who could pick any apparatus to trust something so flimsy.

Scrolls, mission reports, notes, and Minato's personal research filled the compartment almost to overflowing. A half finished theory sparked by one of Naruto's imaginary games as a child nestled next to a comprehensive report detailing Obito's rescue. Minato pushed them both out of the way, reaching for a leather-bound notebook. Water and singe marks marred the cover, but the pages inside were undamaged. Jiraiya's familiar handwriting spidered across them in tiny, meticulous lines.

When Orochimaru fled Konoha, Jiraiya had gone after him. Minato wasn't sure whether the man had acted out of guilt for not putting an end to his former team mate's atrocities sooner, or hope that Orochimaru might mend his way. In the end, it didn't matter as long as the village had some inkling of what the snake was up to.

Jiraiya would periodically check in with Minato and leave his latest notes for safekeeping. Almost a month had passed since the last time his mentor had been in Konoha. Jiraiya dropped off the notebook, then departed like a phantom. The sannin rarely stayed long enough to greet Naruto and Kushina.

Shaking his head, Minato thumbed to the most recent entry: Suspected affiliations in the Land of Rice Paddies. Motivation unknown, but it seems likely he is there to conduct research away from Konoha's watchful eye.

Minato glanced at the space that Tenzo had occupied only moments before. Research was terming Orochimaru's human experiments lightly. The thought that a former Konoha would treat human life so casually turned Minato's stomach. Even though Orochimaru no longer wore the leaf headband, and his crimes had been decried dozens of times, nothing could erase the fact that he'd been one of Konoha's legendary sannin.

Though no one could have predicted the route that Orochimaru's life had taken, Minato knew that both Hiruzen and Jiraiya took it as a personal failure. Hiruzen had been the first shinobi on scene during the final disagreement that drove Orochimaru from the village. He'd frozen, letting indecision or mercy to stay his hand while Orochimaru escaped. Four konoha shinobi lives were lost in the altercation.

Minato wondered if Tsunade shared their guilt, but the woman had left the village after the wars and never looked back. While Konoha would have been safer with its sannin in place, Minato didn't begrudge Tsunade or Jiraiya the freedom to seek a different path. Both sannin had seen enough death. Minato could only hope that war could be avoided during Naruto's lifetime at least.

After running his fingers over the words, Minato snapped the notebook shut with a sigh. The Land of Rice Paddies was close enough to warrant additional security after what Inoichi's examination had revealed in Kakashi's memory. Minato needed more information. But, for now, the only thing that he could do was reaffirm the security that he'd already put in place and hope it was enough

Finger hovering over the seal that would summon Obito, the Hokage paused. Even though Minato had spoken with his former student, the Anbu's lack of self-control still bothered him. Confining Obito to Konoha might not have been enough to drive the point home. Determined to underscore his threat, Minato called for Tenzo instead.

The Anbu appeared seconds later, eyes sweeping the room through the shadowed holes of his mask. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"I need copies of the Anbu guard rotation for the next month, as well as their patrol routes." If Tenzo found the request strange, he didn't question it. The man produced a map of the village from one of his pouches and unrolled it on the desk. Minato raised an eyebrow. "You've memorized it?"

"Yes," Tenzo answered, shifting the map so that it fell into a pool of lamp light.

Minato chuckled under his breath. Of course Tenzo had memorized the roster; that type of dedication fit him perfectly. The man was second in command to Obito. While they didn't necessarily run the black ops, they were one of the most successful and well respected teams within its ranks. The task of determining the village guard rotation had fallen to Obito, and by extension Tenzo, who had a far better mind for such strategic matters.

"Myself and Obito will be your personal detail, in additional to your normal guards," Tenzo began. That didn't surprise Minato, they were his constant shadow. The man went on, detailing the strengths of each team and why they had been selected for those patrols. Minato nodded in time, breathing a silent sigh of relief that the village had such capable Anbu watching over it.

Exhaustion dragged at Kakashi's body as he sagged against the door to his apartment. He'd given up trying to find where he fit in this new world, the highs and lows of the day making it easier to simply exist. Part of him wanted to talk to Rin, feel her comfort and take advantage of her ability to make sense of everything. The more familiar impulse was to curl in on himself and ignore it all.

Darkness predominated the apartment when Kakashi entered. The man was halfway to his bedroom before he realized why the silence felt out of place. He no longer lived alone. The absence of a greeting could only mean that Rin had fallen asleep. Kakashi eased open the bedroom door, feeling like an intruder. The moment passed when his eyes fell on Rin, moonlight gilding the soft curves half-hidden beneath the sheet. The blankets laid in a rumpled heap at the foot of their bed.

Kakashi took three steps toward Rin before pulling himself to a stop. She needed rest, and he didn't know how to explain the storm inside of him anyway. Despite the physical and mental fatigue, Kakashi knew that his mind wouldn't settle enough to let him sleep. Deciding that a hot shower would ease the tension coursing through his body, he headed for the bathroom.

After turning on the water, Kakashi shrugged out of his flak vest. The weight slid easily from his shoulders. While placing his weapon pouches on the counter, Kakashi's fingers brushed over an unfamiliar cylindrical shape. He pulled out the mission scroll that Minato had given him, rolling it around on his palm. Once he opened it, there was no going back. For better or worse, Kakashi would have his answer.

The realization of Gai's death hit Kakashi a second time. Nausea pulsed through his stomach, and his knees cracked against the floor before he realized that they'd crumpled. He had spent the entire day forcing back the pain, compartmentalizing it so that he could continue functioning. Now, with those barriers removed, Kakashi paid the price of holding it at bay. A sob rose in his throat, and he pressed a fist against his mouth to stifle it.

"Kakashi?" Rin called from the other side of the door. "Everything okay?"

Startling, Kakashi scrubbed at the unfamiliar burn in his eyes. He had begun pushing himself from the floor when Rin entered. She glanced at him, then to the running water, eyes softening. "What happened?"

The lie that it was nothing danced on Kakashi's tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. "It's complicated," he offered, finding his feet again. Knowing that Rin wouldn't be content with such a vague statement, he continued. "Inoichi found a memory of Orochimaru being in the village during the chunin exams, but Minato assures me that it's impossible."

"I'm sure he knows what he's talking about," Rin soothed, brushing her fingers through Kakashi's hair. When he didn't relax, she nudged his shoulder. "There's something else bothering you. What is it?"

Rather than answering, Kakashi reached for his weapons pouch to retrieve the innocuous missions report that would change everything. Genma's words echoed like thunder as he fingered the edge of the paper. You killed him.

"What's that?" Rin took the scroll from Kakashi's hand, turning it over until she arrived at the rank symbol. It took her only moments to connect the dots, then her eyes hardened. "Where did you get this?"

"Minato gave it to me," Kakashi answered, feeling oddly like a little boy who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "It's the details of the mission with Gai."

Rin hummed noncommittally, but Kakashi could almost feel the gentleness radiating toward him. She closed her hand around the scroll. "Reading this won't change anything."

Kakashi shifted, raising his shoulders in a shrug. The soft spray of water from the shower had heated the room until a single bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. He focused on that, taking the moment to gather his thoughts. "I have to know what happened. Maybe it will help me remember something."

"Is this some twisted way of punishing yourself for what happened?" Rin always had known Kakashi better than he would have liked. When he didn't answer, she sighed. "Can't it wait until tomorrow at least? It's been a long day."

Rin didn't didn't deny Kakashi access to the scroll, but she didn't offer to return it either. Kakashi knew that if he reached for it, Rin would surrender. Their relationship was one of mutual respect, even if she didn't agree with every decision. His courage wavered. Did he really want to know what he'd done? What if he had made a mistake? What if his negligence had killed one of his closest friends?

Kakashi wasn't a fool. Though he hadn't studied the mind beyond what effect genjutsu had on it, he knew that traumatic events could cause a mental break. What if this mission had caused his memory loss? Would reading the details catapult him back to the real world? Of course, that meant that Gai wasn't dead, though. And, it means that none of this is real..

Fingers brushed Kakashi's cheek with a warmth that felt very much real. Exhaling, he glanced at Rin. "Give it a day or two," she encouraged. "If you still want to read it, we'll do it together."

"It might trigger a memory," Kakashi countered, voice trembling over the words. He shook his head to clear away the doubt burning through him. If he could do anything to save the village, it was worth the cost to himself, whatever it was.

Rin must have seen the indecision in Kakashi's eyes. She tucked the scroll into a pocket on the robe that she wore. "It might, but it would also trigger the same memory tomorrow. You have to take care of yourself, too." Rin caught his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Why don't you come to bed?"

Finally, something Kakashi could answer. "Because I stink."

Rin's laughter broke the tension, and Kakashi managed a smile for her sake. He hated to admit it, but she was right. Whatever that scroll contained, as much as he wanted to know, it could wait until the morning. Slipping his arms around Rin, Kakashi pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I won't be long," he promised.

Rin glanced at the shower, then turned back to Kakashi with a playful grin. Her hand brushed against his stomach, managing to slip beneath his shirt when he was distracted by the heat in her eyes. Delicate fingers grazed hard muscle, causing Kakashi's abs to tense in response. His breath stuttered in his throat as Rin pulled away with a teasing chuckle. "Don't keep me waiting."

Kakashi was still trying to form a response when the door clicked shut. He glanced down, almost certain that he'd see trails of fire where Rin's fingers had been. For three erratic heartbeats, he considered going after her and-and what? Kakashi's mind stalled before going any further. He might be married to Rin, and the father of her child, but Kakashi didn't remember that life.

Uncertainty swirled through Kakashi. He understood battle: the dance of dodging blade and jutsu, shifting to avoid a fatal strike while getting inside his opponents reach, then ending the fight as quickly as possible. From his earliest memories, Kakashi had been trained for death. And, he was good at it. He'd lost count of the enemy shinobi that he'd killed, during the war and his time in Anbu; their blood stained his hands. So had Obito's and Rin.

Death was a concept that Kakashi understood; love was less so. There had been other women, few and far between, but he barely remembered any of them. There were times during Anbu when only the solace of another person could ease the ache in Kakashi's chest. Those indiscretions had lasted one night, usually after several drinks. Love never entered the equation. They were the closest that Kakashi had ever come to a relationship, and he purposefully chose someone from outside the village to avoid complications.

Rin was the complication Kakashi had tried to avoid, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to care. In the back of his mind, a tiny voice screamed that this wasn't real, but he forced it to silence. Rin was real, more real than anything else had ever been. The whisper came again, but it was so faint that it no longer mattered. As badly as Kakashi wanted to hold onto his defenses, Rin cut through like they were nonexistent. As fast as Kakashi threw up walls, she ripped them down. He wanted to go to her.

Shaking his head, Kakashi peeled off his soiled clothing. A shower wouldn't take that long, and it would help cool the heat twisting through him. He could use the time to collect his thoughts, preventing himself from doing something that he might regret in the morning. With that thought firmly in mind, Kakashi lingered until the water turned cold against his skin. When he stepped onto the mat, he scanned the counter only to realize that he hadn't brought fresh clothes to change into. He'd never had to think about such things when he lived alone.

Kakashi considered his predicament. He could wear his dirty clothes just long enough to find something clean, but the idea of putting on the sweat soaked garments made his skin crawl. Another option was to sneak out of the bathroom to get boxers from the dresser before Rin noticed him. The latter was more challenging, but nothing that Kakashi couldn't handle. He was a renown Anbu, listed in the bingo book of every shinobi nation. He could slip across his own bedroom undetected, no problem.

Once he'd decided on a course of action, Kakashi moved closer to the door. He paused, listening with bated breath to the sounds on the opposite side of it, or the lack thereof. After several heartbeats, Kakashi eased the door open and glanced around the moonlit coated bedroom. Rin lay on the bed, unmoving. He padded toward the dresser on tiptoes, soaking in the silence. Once he reached it, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief and reached for a pair of boxers.

"You could come to bed like that; it makes my job easier." Kakashi didn't startle at the sound of Rin's voice. Shinobi didn't jump at unexpected noises. He moved instinctively away from a perceived danger, clutching the scrap of thin, black fabric like a shield.

Face burning crimson, Kakashi struggled into the boxers with as much grace as he could manage. "I thought you were asleep."

"That was obvious from the sneaking around," Rin laughed, pushing herself onto one elbow. "If you didn't want to show off your goods, why didn't you wear a towel?"

The playful lilt in Rin's voice made Kakashi wonder if a person could die of embarrassment. Under normal circumstances, he showered, dried off, then walked into his room to get dressed. The idea of wrapping a wet towel around himself hadn't crossed his mind. Somehow, Rin muddled Kakashi's thoughts without trying.

Determined to hide his embarrassment, and give Rin a taste of her own medicine, Kakashi affected a grin. He put one hand on his hip and pulled his shoulders back in a way that allowed moonlight to accentuate the muscles of his chest and stomach. "Complaining?"

"Only if you don't come to bed," Rin answered, not missing a beat.

A flush covered Kakashi's cheeks, one that he hoped that the darkness hid. When he couldn't think of an appropriate response, Kakashi crossed the room, swallowing the nervousness that leapt into his throat. This wasn't the first time that he'd shared the bed with Rin, not by a long shot. And, technically, he had clothes on. Tugging the covers down, he slipped in beside her.

Almost immediately, Rin snuggled closer to Kakashi's side and pillowed her head on his chest. Her burgeoning stomach pressed flush against him, an ever present reminder, as her idle fingers traced across his bare skin. Kakashi slid an arm around Rin's shoulders to rub her back through the oversized t-shirt that she wore. Despite the heat of her earlier words, Rin's breathing leveled into the steady cadence of sleep within minutes. Kakashi closed his eyes, but found sleep much more elusive.

Kakashi slitted one eye open to stare at the familiar ceiling of his bedroom. Each day, he expected to find that whatever dream he'd been living in had evaporated like morning mist. But, with the rising of each new sun, it continued. While Rin wasn't in bed beside him, the warm, vanilla scent of her filled Kakashi's nostrils. Her presence lingered on the rumpled pillow, the t-shirt folded neatly at the foot of the bed, and the assorted bottles scattered across Kakashi's dresser.

Glancing at the window, Kakashi pushed himself into a sitting position. It couldn't be more than an hour or two past sunrise based on the light streaming into the room. While Rin had always been an early riser, he'd thought that pregnancy would have made her relax that habit somewhat. Rest was important; at least, he thought it was. Kakashi wasn't up to date on the intricate needs of growing a living person. Not beyond the basics of conception, anyway.

Kakashi threw off the blankets and stood, stretching stiff muscles. While Rin wasn't in bed any longer, she couldn't have gone far in their small apartment. Rather than risk repeating the embarrassment of the previous night, Kakashi opened their dresser and lifted out a pair of jonin blues. After tugging on the soft fabric, he walked toward the living room as quietly as his feet would take him.

Light filtered through the window, casting a golden halo around Rin. The woman's eyes were shut and small hands pressed together in front of her heart as she inhaled, sweeping her arms overhead. A slight bend formed in Rin's back, making her rounded stomach more prominent, then she returned to her original pose on the exhale.

Kakashi watched mesmerized as Rin continued the movement for several more breaths, blissfully unaware of his presence. When he cleared his throat, Rin's eyes popped open. She startled to find Kakashi leaning against the wall. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," Kakashi answered. He gestured vaguely toward the other side of the room. "What's all this?"

"Yoga," Rin answered, crouching to pull up the mat that she'd been standing on. She frowned from her new position, then used a hand against the couch to push herself onto her feet. "It's supposed to help with flexibility for labor."

Labor. Kakashi heard the foreign word, but his mind couldn't complete that jump. Not in connection with Rin anyway, not yet. They still had plenty of time before they needed to worry about that.

Rin filled the void that Kakashi's silence left. "There hasn't been any news about your team." Her deft fingers coiled the mat into a tight roll, then placed it by the door before facing him again. "No news is good news, though. Several teams have already been disqualified."

Kakashi didn't ask where Rin had gotten the information. Shinobi had their methods, and in the end, it didn't matter. There were a dozen ways that chunin hopefuls could be eliminated during the second exam. Injury, cheating, death-Kakashi stopped that line of thought before it could run away with him. "They'll be fine," he concluded, more for something to say than an actual need to repeat the sentiment. "They're as prepared as they can be."

"They are, so you should stop worrying about them," Rin answered. "In fact, I have just the thing to take your mind off it."

When Kakashi didn't answer, Rin worried her lower lip between her teeth. "I have a doctor's appointment today. I was thinking that you might like to come along. You went to some of the earlier ones, but you probably don't remember them. I'm scheduled for an ultrasound today, so you might be able to see the baby. It'll be fun. If you wanted to go, I mean."

Rin must have realized that she'd begun to ramble and snapped her mouth shut. Kakashi's hung slightly ajar in contrast. He understood that Rin was pregnant, but the idea of seeing the baby changed things. As the silence continued, disappointment slid onto Rin's face. "It's fine if you don't want to, I'm sure there are other-" she stopped when Kakashi touched her shoulder.

"What time is the appointment?" That was the closest that Kakashi could get to saying that he wanted to go.

With a small grin, Rin caught Kakashi's hand and tugged him toward the kitchen. "We have just enough time for breakfast," she laughed, already rummaging through the refrigerator.

After a meal that consisted of more food than Kakashi had ever seen in his apartment at one time, the pair headed into the village. Restless people milled through the streets, impatient to hear results from the next exams. Even though it technically took place inside Konoha, entrance into the Forest of Death was prohibited, at least until the conclusion of the exams. While the proctors could watch the participants through strategically positioned cameras, the general public would have to wait on announcements.

The second exam was scheduled to take a maximum of five days, and only one of those had passed. If Kakashi knew his team at all, and he thought that he did, they would complete the assignment with moments to spare. That meant he had four more days of worry nagging at the back of his mind.

The hospital loomed ahead, temporarily distracting Kakashi from his thoughts. Rin wove through the building with a familiarity that make him uneasy. After a few turns, the sterile, white hallways gave way to pastels. The scent of antiseptic and blood had been scrubbed away, leaving a faintly floral aroma.

The corridor opened into a large waiting room, bordered on one side by floor to ceiling glass. Sunlight flooded over the plush chairs where a few women waited, flipping through magazines with cherubic faces smiling on glossy covers. Rin approached the large, circular desk that predominated the opposite side of the room. Kakashi hung back, eyeing the situation with the same nervousness that being in the hospital always left him with.

Once Rin had completed whatever she was doing, she took a seat near the windows. A few of the women gave her small smiles and nods of acknowledgement, but none spoke. Kakashi finally recognized the thought that had been pestering for his attention since they entered, none of these women were shinobi. The familiar navy clothing beneath olive vests was conspicuously absent. It wasn't unusual for ninja to have families necessarily, but Kakashi had never expected to have the opportunity. Shinobi who regularly took missions outside the village usually didn't live long enough.

"Hatake-san," an unfamiliar, female voice called. Kakashi looked up only a heartbeat faster than Rin. As the woman smiled and lumbered to her feet, an undeniable warmth spread through his chest. It was strange watching Rin respond to his name, but Kakashi thought he could get used to it.

The blond nurse led the pair toward an exam room, pausing by a scale on the way. Rin dutifully stepped on, and Kakashi looked away to afford her some modicum of privacy as the nurse began to move the weights. The woman hummed under her breath and made a notation in Rin's file. "Good. You've gained a little since your last checkup, but you're still well within range for what we like to see."

Rin mumbled something under her breath, but Kakashi didn't catch what it was as the nurse ushered them into a room. His wife settled onto the bed, tucking hair behind her ears and appearing completely comfortable as she offered her wrist to nurse. The woman pressed two fingers into the porcelain skin and glanced at her watch, counting Rin's pulse. "Perfect, as usual," she said, writing the number down in her chart. "So, how has everything been going? Any problems or changes?"

"Everything is going well," Rin answered, lifting her arm so that the nurse could slide a blood pressure cuff around the upper portion. As the apparatus began to tighten, she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing to a more regulated rhythm.

Kakashi watched the women from the corner of his eye. He had never realized that being pregnant was such an ordeal. Sure, he knew that labor had to be pretty bad, everyone heard nightmare stories about that, but this seemed a bit excessive.

"You're sure that you've been feeling okay? Nothing bothering you or creating undue stress?" The nurse removed the cuff from around Rin's arm, frowning slightly. She picked up the chart and flipped through it while waiting for an answer.

"No, everything is fine," Rin answered, casting a questioning glance at the other woman. "It's been a bit more exciting than usual with the chunin exams taking place, but otherwise everything's been the same."

The nurse nodded, snapping the file closed. "Okay, I'll let the doctor know that you're ready."

As the door clicked shut behind the woman, Rin looked at Kakashi, biting her lower lip. "Did she sound worried to you?"

"I'm sure it was your imagination," Kakashi soothed, shaking his head. "How often do you have to do this?" He gestured around the room, studiously ignoring the models of the female reproductive system that lined the small counter.

Rin chuckled under her breath. "Once a month, give or take, but it will probably be more frequent once we get closer. I've been poked and prodded more times than I can count since the started. I'll be glad when all of this is over."

Kakashi rubbed Rin's shoulder. "There isn't that much longer left," he reasoned, not allowing his mind to stray into the territory of counting days. If he did that, he'd be paralyzed by fear. Better to speak in generalities.

"I know, but it's the worst part," Rin whined, lower lip sticking out in an uncharacteristic pout.

Kakashi chuckled and resumed drawing nonsensical shapes on Rin's shoulder with his finger.

The minutes ticked by until even Kakashi wondered if there might be something wrong. Finally, after a brief rap on the door that made both of them jump, a medical-nin slipped into the room. Grey peppered the man's black hair, and friendly creases crinkled the edges of his eyes and mouth. The man carried Rin's chart in one hand and a blood pressure cuff in the other.

"Hatake-san," the doctor began, bowing to Kakashi and Rin in turn. "The nurse was concerned that she didn't get a good reading from you. I'm going to recheck your blood pressure. Try to relax."

Rin's shoulders tensed, rising toward her ears as her hand tightened against the edge of the bed. "What was wrong with it?"

"Nothing," the doctor answered, patting Rin's knee in an obvious effort to comfort her. "We just want to make sure that it was an accurate reading. I'll tell you what, why don't we check it again at the end of your appointment instead?"

When Rin nodded, the man continued. "We're going to do an ultrasound today to make sure everything is progressing as we'd like. And, I'd like to do a non-stress test as well."

Rin squeezed Kakashi's hand, short nails digging into his skin. "Is there something wrong?"

The doctor opened Rin's file, scanned the information, then shook his head. "Toward the end of pregnancy, a variety of complications can pop up, so we're more cautious than in the earlier months. But, you were the picture of perfect health before getting pregnant, so complications are less likely."

The strain in the room eased enough for Rin to draw a breath and release her death grip on Kakashi's hand. She rubbed her thumb over the indentations that her nails had left and nodded at the doctor's words. "You would tell me if something was wrong?"

"Of course," the man answered. "I'm going to give the nurse your new orders to get this moving."

Once they were alone, Rin glanced at a Kakashi. While the doctor's words had helped, they hadn't allayed her worries. Sliding closer, Kakashi rubbed a hand between her shoulder blades, smoothing the stress away as best as he could. As a medical nin, Rin must have expected some of what the doctor had said, he imagined that applying it to herself was more difficult.

Before Kakashi could fumble through assurances that everything would be fine, the nurse returned with a warm smile. The blond's easy demeanor made the doctor's words more believable, further alleviating the tension. She led them from the room, explaining that the non-stress test would come first, then an ultrasound, followed by the doctor's report.

A leather recliner sat in the middle of the small room that Kakashi and Rin entered. A second, less comfortable seat nestled between it and the wall, while a machine waited on the other side. Rin moved toward the recliner without hesitation as the nurse began to fiddle with the dials. The two women seemed to know what the other expected without speaking, moving flawlessly together. Rin lifted her shirt, and the nurse ran two elastic bands around her belly.

"You'll do these tests periodically for the remainder of your pregnancy. They help us check on baby and make sure that he's moving like he's supposed to." The nurse explained, pressing a small buzzer into Rin's hand. "Push this whenever you feel movement."

After some adjustment of the straps, a steady drumming filled the tiny room. Neither Rin nor the nurse looked up from discussing the test, but Kakashi found himself struggling to remember how to breathe. He couldn't explain why the sound made his knees grow weak, but he found himself sitting without any memory of collapsing into the chair beside Rin. The nurse reached toward him, and Kakashi recovered himself enough to bat her hands away. "I'm fine."

The heartbeat increased, followed by a growling, swishing noise. Kakashi stared at the machine, eyes riveted to a leaping needle that recorded the heart rate. Before he could ask, Rin answered his question. "That was him moving." She winced and pressed just above one of the bands. "And kicking."

"I'll be back in half an hour," the nurse interjected, breaking the spell that had come over Kakashi while he stared at Rin. She bowed out of the room leaving them with the swelling and ebbing heartbeat.

For several minutes, neither spoke. Then, a loud kick echoed over the speaker and Rin turned toward Kakashi. "You really don't remember hearing it before?" There was no need to clarify the question; he shook his head. "You came to every appointment that your duties would allow."

The words made Kakashi feel slightly better about the time that he'd missed; he hadn't been a complete failure. Nodding, he turned his eyes back to the machine, unable to think of a reply that would express his gratitude properly. The constant beating made his chest clench with nervousness. It reinforced the reality that Kakashi would soon be a father, whether he was ready or not.

When the nurse came back, she pulled a printout off the machine and studied it. After a moment, she nodded and smiled. "Looks perfect, he did exactly what he was supposed to. We'll do the ultrasound next."

Rin exhaled, lowering her shirt into place after the nurse removed the straps around her stomach. Kakashi offered a hand to help his wife climb out of the chair, and she took it with a grateful smile. Once she'd found her feet, Rin linked her fingers through Kakashi's rather than letting go. They walked to the ultrasound hand in hand.

Near darkness filled the room where the blond nurse traded them off to a brunette who didn't look old enough to have completed her medical training. The woman's enthusiastic greeting made Kakashi cringe intenerally, but Rin smiled as if they were old friends. Maybe they had worked together in the past, because again, the women moved together seamlessly. Rin laid down on the bed and lifted her shirt so the nurse could smear gel across her stomach.

All too soon, a black and white shape filled the screen that Kakashi had been watching with apprehension. The image almost resembled a baby, one tiny, white arm waving in a sea of black. Kakashi supposed the ultrasound showed bones, but it was unmistakably arm shaped. Words washed by his ears, completely ignored as his attention remained riveted on the baby. When a leg jutted out abruptly on the screen, Kakashi blinked to see Rin's stomach move at the same time.

"The baby is measuring a bit bigger than twenty eight weeks, but it's nothing to worry about," the nurse said, flipping the machine off, then wiping Rin's stomach. "Babies all grow at different rates."

"I've been hearing that there's no reason to worry all day," Rin laughed, uncertainty evident to Kakashi's ears.

The nurse offered reassurances that the baby was moving well, and his heartbeat had been steady on the ultrasound. Rin's nod felt pensive, though she'd relaxed somewhat by the time they were back in their original room. The doctor arrived within minutes carrying Rin's file, now covered with the printout from the non-stress test and notes from the ultrasound. He skimmed the new information, nodding to himself. "Everything looks perfect. Let's check that blood pressure again and see where we are."

Seconds dragged by as the doctor watched the tiny dial on Rin's arm, face unreadable. When she couldn't take it any longer, Rin burst out. "Well?"

"It's still a bit elevated," the medical nin answered, recording the measurement on Rin's chart. Sighing, he laid the paperwork aside. "I said I was going to be honest with you. The number is higher than I'd like to see at this stage. Have you been under a lot of stress lately?"

When Rin chewed on her lower lip, Kakashi almost answered for her. She had been under significant stress lately, mostly because of him and his fractured memories. Before Kakashi could vocalize his concern, Rin shook her head. "The chunin exams are exciting because my husband's genin are competing, but other than that, there's nothing."

Sensing the unspoken tension, the doctor continued. "Your blood pressure isn't high enough to warrant bedrest yet, but if it continues upward," the main trailed off with a shrug. "We'll check it again in two weeks. In the meantime, do whatever you can to reduce your stress. Drink plenty of water, and make sure that you're getting enough rest."

Questions leapt into Kakashi's throat at the serious expression on the doctor's face. "What does a high blood pressure mean?"

"It could be an isolated case, but it could also be something more serious." Turning to Rin, the doctor narrowed his eyes. "If you start seeing spots, get blurry vision, have stomach pain, or anything unusual, come back to the hospital immediately."

"Of course," Rin answered, placing her fingers on Kakashi's wrist to stop any additional questions. The doctor nodded, apparently content that Rin knew what those warnings were supposed to mean, even if Kakashi didn't. "I'll keep an eye on things, and come back if there are any issues."

The doctor patted Rin's knee one last time, then signed off on her paperwork. "You're free to go, but please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions."

Rin's smile pulled unnaturally as she stood. Walking from the hospital in silence, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder what new hurdle this reality had thrown at him now.