Yes, I am terrible and horrible and many other bad things for making you wait this long. I'm sorry, and I'll really try not to let the next update be so late. Also, I have a shout-out to Hanna who reviewed, but isn't a member - Thank you for sending me such lovely feedback, you're wonderful! And maybe you could get an account so I can write a proper response? (hint hint)

Anyway, here's Kakashi's PoV for all you patient readers. Enjoy!

Kakashi was not ready to wake up when somebody knocked on the door. He'd been drifting in a dream world of soft hair and sunlight and a warm body on his chest, when the sound of someone rapping on wood yanked him to wakefulness. He spared a brief smile to an oblivious Sasuke – sprawled out sleeping over the bed and his chest, lips half pouting and body naked – before scowling in the direction of the hallway. Should he answer, and get dressed, and lose out on precious cuddling time? Or leave it, and risk Sasuke getting woken?

He was saved from deciding when he heard the lock click, and the somebody strode down the hallway.

"Sensei, it's nearly midday, how lazy can you g-eep!" Sakura's voice turned into a squeak of mortification as she marched into the room, noticed the undressed state of the occupants, and covered her eyes. He sighed softly as Sasuke stirred. This was not the way he'd planned on starting the day. His thoughts had been more along the lines of snuggling, sleeping, and maybe making love some more if Sasuke was amenable.

Somehow he didn't think she would be in the mood for tenderness once she saw her teammate's blush. He reached out his left hand – the other being pinned down by warm, soft breasts and quite unwilling to move – and pulled the covers up to reduce the stress on his ex-students's minds.

"Wha'th'fuck?" Sasuke's voice vibrated interestingly through his skin, and he had to remind himself that now was really not the time to be getting aroused. Especially as her voice mirrored his own irritation at being awoken from such a blissful sleep. He looked blearily over at Sakura, who had stopped covering her eyes for some reason, and was now openly staring, still flushed but no longer quite so shocked. In fact, her gaze looked almost apprecia...tive.

Oh yeah, he wasn't wearing his mask. Well, he was, but it was round his neck, and not covering his face at all. It was about time to show his students anyway, he trusted them all, and it wasn't like there was much to see. They'd lost interest in it as they'd matured, and now he couldn't even tease Naruto with it. Though hadn't Sasuke said something about that first night being a mission to see his face? Either way, they'd earned the right to see it, and it wasn't a problem that he was so exposed, not a problem at al-

Suddenly a blessed facefull of hair covered him as Sasuke turned, looking over at Sakura.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She clearly didn't have the same issues with exposure he had – the sheet he'd only just covered them with was now pooling round her hips, and those lovely breasts must be on full display. Yep, definitely, judging by the way Sakura was looking pointedly away.

"I'm here to check up on you. I posted a note this morning to let you know our appointment could be moved to lunchtime, and you didn't turn up. I thought there might be a problem, so I came over and...well, I can give you a check up here and now if you like." A moment of stiff silence, then his face was uncovered again as Sasuke got out of bed without a single glance at him.

He pulled his mask up and tried to look nonchalant. Somehow he didn't think he was doing a very good job of it, but it didn't matter,because he needed to stop keeping up appearances for the sake of it. He needed to do what he truly wanted, because that seemed to be the only thing that brought Sasuke closer to him, and there was nothing more wonderful than being in her arms.

She looked over at him, but she was dressed now, and it looked like all her walls were safely up again. He wondered idly if he'd ever get past them again, or if last night was a fluke, an accident to be regretted. He certainly didn't think so, but with Sasuke he couldn't tell, she was just naturally enigmatic. Then he shook his head at his own dreaminess, and got out of bed too. Sakura blushed again, but he escaped to the bathroom before she saw too much. When he got out he felt a bit more grounded, and went to make tea as Sakura started her examination.

He came back in to see Sasuke lying on her back, midriff bare but covered by slender fingers – both hers and Sakura's feeling for the child. Her eyes were closed in concentration, but Sakura's were following him, head cocked as if she were listening to him. He coughed slightly, uncomfortable under her oddly professional gaze.

"Tea?" Pink hair shook in a negative, then her head twitched as she gestured for him to come closer. He did so slowly, watching her eyes as they flashed through myriad calculations of some kind. When he stopped at the edge of the bed, she lifted one hand and placed his on against Sasuke's abdomen. A moment later, apparently satisfied, she took the other hand away, and Sasuke opened her eyes.

"Interesting. The child's chakra response is very developed. I could feel the change with every step you took." Chakra response? He'd heard something about that once...what was it? He'd been talking with Kurenai, just a few weeks after Asuma's funeral. But what had she said?

#

They were both at the memorial as dawn broke, both too wrapped up in their own thoughts to care about the other's presence. They stood all morning, silent and disconnected, until she moved, wiping tear tracks from her face and turning to him. He didn't want to talk, but if she wanted to...well, she had lost more than him in this last week; he would give what comfort he could.

"Kakashi." Her voice was flat and tense, her face blank and her eyes shining with more tears.

"Kurenai. How are...things?" He didn't want to ask if she was coping, that would only insult her pride as a kunoichi. He couldn't ask simply how she was, because it was clear she was greiving and hurting, and she knew it. Still, 'things' sounded too vague, not caring enough.

"I'm managing. Things are improving, I suppose. But...it's not looking good for our...my...baby. His chakra production isn't stimulated without A-Asuma's feeding in, and the drain on me is much greater as a result. I'm going to have to stop working, and I might even need top-ups at the hospital." She paused, looked at him with shadowed eyes. Paused again, leaving his breath stuck in his throat, waiting for her to say whatever it was that was so important.

"I put you down as my next of kin, just...just in case. Just until he's born or the danger passes. And Tsunade thinks the presence of a male, any male, may help stimulate his chakra response..." She didn't quite ask him, but the meaning was clear. He would help; he owed Asuma that much.

"I come here every morning." It was close enough to an offer, she would understand. She nodded, and they fell back into silence.

#

"-oably means it will be born early. It also means if you'd bothered coming to the hospital, we could have done a screening and found out the gender, but it's only a few weeks till your next appointment, so that shouldn't matter. Let's see...I think that's all, is there anything you want to tell me about, or any questions?" Oops, he'd missed most of that. Never mind, she'd given him an interesting thought.

"Sakura? How does the chakra response work?" She shot him an exasperated look, clearly annoyed that he didn't know already. Maybe she'd mentioned it while he was reminiscing. Sasuke didn't appear to be any the wiser though, leaning on her elbows to listen, top bunched up around her breasts. He shook his head and looked back at Sakura; now was not the time for fantasies.

"You should know this, it's genin stuff! Chakra response occurs in all individuals, it's a kind of...echo, you could say, between family members, and it stimulates growth and chakra production. It's stronger in some than others, and it fades as you grow. But that's why they don't send family members on missions together – their chakra signature will increase with proximity, allowing them to be detected." Well, that's why he didn't know – he hadn't had a family for long enough. Oddly, the thought didn't hurt as much as some days. Maybe because he had somebody close to him again, after all this time alone. Maybe just because he's got bigger things to worry about than the past now.

In particular, Sasuke's reaction if she finds out about his habit of stalking her...assuming Hinata noticed his chakra or the baby's. But in the end, isn't it a good thing? He's helped, he's made their child stronger, more developed...even if it was unwitting. He's probably done some growing of his own, being near a family member for the first time since he was a child.

He and the baby. Sasuke and the baby. His Sasuke.

They would all grow together.

Yes, I managed to be both sappy and scientific...but that's Kakashi for you! I hope Sakura's explanation made sense, if not tell me and I'll explain in more detail. Sorry again for being so late. And as always, feedback makes my world go round...please support my addiction?