The weeks rolled by and I was growing. Week thirty rolled by and Sakura became scary, more than usual that is. There's always some fright associated with Sakura. This was no exception.

"Five weeks Ino, in five weeks you're both most likely in the clear."

She had shortly mentioned that the baby was fine before she started scolding me. I swear that girl either had eyes of a hawk or spies. Possible both, possible a spy with even better eyes called, Sasuke. He thought he was so stealthy occasionally following me when I was around town believing I hadn't the faintest idea.

"I'm fine! The baby is fine!"

"She's still underweight and she will come early."

We were arguing again, saying I had to be on bed rest and that did not involve shopping, walking around town and hanging in the flower shop.

"But I'm telling you she won't."

"Tsunade said she would come early."

I was so sick of having Tsunade's words thrown at me. I knew what she had said. I knew what she meant. It was still possible that she was wrong. I knew she was, I could feel it and being on bed rest then was just a drag I could avoid. She had already been very wrong once. Not even once had she apologized, just given me more directions on what to eat, what I had to do, should do, shouldn't do and couldn't do. I knew my baby best, I knew what I needed to do.

"We have no problem helping you if that's what you need. Sure it would be and awful inconvenience and you'll ruin what little free time we have outside of work."

"Shut it!"

She had been saying this for weeks now. Telling her how I would ruin her life if I didn't stay in bed. It was a sham. She didn't have a life to ruin.

"Sure, okay. I'll hire someone to stay with me and I'll try to stay at home as much as possible."

It wasn't possible to stay that much more at home then I already was. She didn't need to know that. She would find out, but I was free for the time being.

"Yes!"

I sighed and rolled my shirt down. Sakura insisted on checkups every second week from this point on. She was developing and responding as she should but she was still small, she was still underweight no matter what I ate and how much.

To say that I had grown was an understatement. I felt like a stranded whale half of the time. It didn't bother me like everybody thought, including myself. It felt natural in some sense, it felt right that I should be this big.

"Have you talked with Itachi about when the baby comes?"

I think he was doing as much of a good job avoiding me as I was doing avoiding him. We had left things off at an odd note last time and he was probably scared senseless.

"Not since I tried to bed him."

"What?! Shut up!"

"I'm not saying anything…"

Sakura was gasping and jumped out of her chair in the examination room we were occupying.

"You tried to sleep with him?!"

"I tried, and I think things got weird."

"Wait, he rejected you?!"

He hadn't technically rejected me and my streak of zero rejections still lived on. He hadn't accepted my advances either and I had been pretty clear about my intentions.

"No, I don't know. Nothing happened, but he's seeing someone else, right? It was just a spur of the moment kind of thing, hormones, right? I'm entitled to be crazy at least once, right?"

I was seeking her approval. I was entitled to do something crazy and messed up while pregnant, right, even if it was just once? I could blame it on hormones but as I had said to myself it takes a lot more than hormones to try and seduce someone like Itachi.

"I wouldn't say he's seeing someone, it's more like he's seeing a parade of them including that girl and she spends the night, often. Sorry, Ino. Might have been hormones, but don't you think it could have been your feelings?"

No. It had nothing to do with my feelings. It was not my feelings, it was hormones and maybe lust. Lust caused by my hormones and I couldn't control them. Much like I couldn't control my feelings, but I was Yamanaka Ino and I could control my feelings if I really wanted. I'd force myself to feel what I wanted for whomever. I didn't have any romantic feelings for any man, especially not any geniuses with dark hair, dark eyes, busy with other ladies and especially not those who seemingly hated me.

"No, I do not whatsoever have feelings for Itachi."

Or anyone else for that matter. I bit my bottom lip. If I kept telling myself that it would become true and the pain might go away. I'd focus on being a mother, a good one and I'd show them. I didn't need a man, I didn't need anyone.

Humans were all unreliable.

I would have my daughter and I knew she would never abandon me, not for the first what sixteen or so first years of her life. She would need me like I need her and we would never forsake one and another. We'd be together through thick and thin and that was the only thing keeping me alive. The fact that I would become a mother.

And not in long either. In about two months time she should be here. Less than two months even. Less than. I had so much to do, so many things that had to be sorted out. I was starting to run out of time.

I needed diapers, I needed towels, I needed more clothes for her and the house was a living death trap for a baby. Imminent death was around every corner.

"I still think you should see him soon, talk things out."

I didn't answer her because I knew she was right. I could argue logic; I could argue anything and everything. Today I didn't have the willpower.

"So, have you been thinking about how and where you're going to give birth?"

Sakura gave me pamphlet. I tossed it on my belly, gave a large sigh and hid my face in my arms. There weren't only different places to give birth but also ways? There wasn't just in the hospital or at home.

"I'm running out of time!"

"You'd have more time if you'd stay in bed."

Sakura was right, in more than one way. I'd have more time because there wouldn't be jack to do and more time because the baby might stay on board longer.

"Sakura, give me every pamphlet, everything I might need to know, I'm hopeless. I don't know anything, I hardly know what a baby is!"

COCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCO

No responses because no one reviewed, sad face. Okay, I'm fine now…

BTW, I've finished this story (for the second time) chapters will run up to 50 and the story will then be over. For real this time, it will be over. How can I be certain about that? I'm writing the more lighthearted sequel that follows the child rather than Ino. I do find it very cute myself up until the angst will catch up… but that's not for a loooong time. Hope you've enjoyed the chapter and story so far.