70%
Read Equinox and come back!
"Your tummy is soft," Sakura commented. Her head rose and fell as Itachi let out a sigh.
"Don't rub it in. It's all that late-night pizza and ice cream," he groaned, crossing his arms behind his head.
"Oh. I wasn't making fun of you. I love it," Sakura assured him. She patted his knee as they laughed.
She had balked at the idea of buying a mattress that came in a box, but she couldn't deny that it was comfortable. And the pricey sheets that covered it didn't hurt. The lavender-scented candles sitting on the nightstand had never actually been lit, but they smelled nice all the same.
"Your place is super-nice," Sakura remarked, not for the first time.
"Mm, it is," he agreed. And then he stretched his arms high above his head.
"What's the plan for tonight?" she asked.
"Well, you just told your shoes to go to hell when you walked in," he began. But before she could protest, he added, "Which is where they should go. So I was thinking of a relaxing night in. I'll make dinner. Maybe put on some Edith Piaf?"
"How could I say no to Madame Piaf?" Sakura agreed.
As Itachi washed his hands and tied on his apron, Sakura wandered over to the record player. She took her time picking through the shelves while Itachi's knife tapped away on the cutting board. Not that it was difficult, because Itachi was always so organized. All the artists were grouped together by genre and by last name.
She placed the tip of the stylus on the record and the swell of violins and brass filled her ears. Hugging her arms around herself, Sakura hummed along to the lyrics. When she turned around, she saw that Itachi had set his knife down. He leaned his elbows on the counter, watching her instead.
"Dance with me!"
"And what about dinner?" he replied, still letting her take his hand to pull him away from the counter. Laughing as he wrapped his arms around her, swaying back and forth in time to the sweeping melody.
"You feeling alright, Bunny?"
"Other than feeling like a beached whale, I'm great," Sakura replied, biting her straw between her teeth.
"That's why I keep telling you to work from home. You need to rest," sighed Madara, patting the top of her head. His tail curled around her water bottle and pushed it closer to her hand.
"She doesn't listen to anyone. You know that."
Madara started. He peered over Sakura's shoulder in time to see the lump of blankets on the sofa stir. Silver hair peeked out past the dark blanket. Along with a haggard pair of eyes.
"What happened to you?" Madara wondered.
Tobirama's head flopped back down. He sighed.
"I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions. He's been up all night losing sleep," Sakura explained. She braced her hand on the desk and pulled herself out of her seat.
"I knew John Braxton Hicks. He was a terrible poker player. His tells were so obvious," Madara recalled, tapping his chin with his pointer finger. And then he turned back to Sakura, who raised her eyebrows at him.
"I know it's in poor taste to ask, but the suspense is killing me. Whose is it?" he asked.
And while Madara was right that it was a rude question, she appreciated the directness of it. Unlike everyone else who gave awkward looks behind her back as they wondered.
"We'll know in the delivery room. Siren babies are weird, honestly," Sakura sighed, rubbing her stomach as she thought.
"Sometimes it's a baby on the ultrasound. And then sometimes it's just... sound waves," Tobirama agreed, lifting his head again.
"Oh, I understand. Demon babies are born from literal hellfire. Takes decades for them to cool off and take a solid form," Madara commented. And Sakura raised her eyebrows again, nodding. She always learned something new when talking to Madara.
They all looked up when Sakura's phone chimed. At the same time, Tobirama's buzzed.
"What's it say?" Tobirama asked as Sakura unlocked her phone. She tapped on the notification.
"It's Itachi. 'Baby shoes'," Sakura read out loud. And then she held up her phone so Madara could see. Itachi had sent along a photo of tiny designer sneakers. She gasped when she saw the price tag underneath.
"Tell him it's pointless since the baby won't walk for a while," grumbled Tobirama. Before Sakura could type anything, their phones buzzed again.
"Kiba sent the emoji of the monkey covering its eyes. Oh, wait. Kakashi just responded too. 'If you stopped buying junk and invested it, the baby would be all set for college by now'."
Sighing, Tobirama finally pulled the blanket down to peer over at her. "Do you think it's a vampire thing?" he asked her.
"No. I'm pretty sure it's a him thing," she replied.
And then, in a very quiet voice, Madara commented: "I think they're cute."
A thunderstorm descended over Old Pines as summer approached.
Sakura's eyes opened as she listened to the rumble roll across the horizon. The wind swelled, billowing the curtains inward. It took a moment. But then, slowly, she heard the droplets begin to patter softly, then all at once against the roof. The cool air whispered against her neck and back.
Her eyes opened as lightning illuminated the skies. Followed by another growl of thunder.
"You were right," Sakura said.
"Told you. I can smell the rain," Kiba bragged, tapping his nose. He rolled onto his back to stare up at her, his arm draped across her lap. "S'not gonna last long, though. It's a little storm."
"You must be tired. You did a lot today," commented Sakura, pushing his hair off his forehead.
Kiba began listing his accomplishments, counting off on his fingers as he went. "Finished installing the sink in the new bathroom, installed a bunch of lights. Uh, what else? Oh yeah. And I assembled the shelves and crib for the nursery."
"You're my hero," Sakura declared, leaning over to press a kiss to his mouth. He grinned as lightning flashed bright, filling the window with blinding white light for a moment. Several seconds later, thunder rolled through again like a drumroll.
"I feel like there's still a million things to do. And somehow the list keeps getting longer," he lamented. Sakura laughed.
"Me too. But I feel like we'll never actually be ready," she pointed out.
"Yeah. That's what my mom says too," he agreed.
Sakura gasped when she felt a jolt in her abdomen. She grabbed Kiba's hand to place it on her stomach. He became very quiet as he waited. And then he could feel the flutters.
Slowly, he rubbed his palm back and forth across her stomach, following the movements.
"I'm really scared, Sakura."
Her chin jerked up. Eyes widening.
But Kiba's gaze stayed on the swell of her stomach. He seemed to be deep in thought before he decided to speak again. "Like, what if I'm a bad dad? What if I screw this kid up because I say something dumb?"
"Hey," she said. He lifted his head to look at her. She smiled. Hand cupping his cheek, she pulled him in for a kiss.
"Everything's gonna be alright. We've got our family, don't we?" she assured him. Sighing, Kiba laid his head down on her stomach.
"And, worst case scenario, we'll ask your sister to do damage control," Sakura then added.
"That's actually not a bad idea," Kiba conceded, finally laughing again.
When Kakashi walked in a few hours later, he was just in time to witness Kiba preparing to flip a pancake. Sakura sat at the kitchen counter, her hair knotted on top of her head. She glanced back when she felt Kakashi's arm wrap around her waist. Her kissed her shoulder, then her mouth.
"It's almost 9. Why is Kiba making pancakes?" Kakashi wondered.
"Why? Do you not want a pancake?" Sakura challenged.
"I never said that. Do we have syrup?"
"Itachi brought over some from his business trip to Canada," Kiba responded. And then he cheered as he flipped the pancake and caught it in the middle of the skillet. Sakura and Kakashi applauded together.
Kakashi kissed the top of Sakura's head before he went off to grab plates and cutlery.
"Smelled an outsider in the woods a couple hours ago," Kakashi said, setting the plate down beside the stove. Kiba's head perked up. Balancing the pancake on his spatula, he looked over his shoulder at Kakashi.
"Along the river?" he asked.
"No. Further west. Past where I can reach," answered Kakashi.
"I'll go out and take a look tonight. The Mayor asked me for a favor so I'd be in the woods anyway," Kiba told him. He dropped the pancake onto the plate. Jiggled the pan to keep the other cakes from sticking and burning.
"Guys, be careful," Sakura couldn't help but fret.
"No one knows these woods better than we do. It'll be fine," Kiba assured her, flashing a grin. But his smile faded as she continued to stare at him. He leaned his hip against the counter. He rubbed the back fo his neck. Beside him, Kakashi blew out a long sigh. Kiba glanced at him as he heard Kakashi scratch a hand through his hair.
"Kiba," Kakashi said.
"Huh?"
"Can you make a lot of noise and spook them east? I can help you flank him once he gets close enough to town," Kakashi asked. Kiba thought for a long time, scowling.
"I guess so," he finally considered.
"It'll be safer if we have each other's backs. And that way Sakura won't feel as stressed," Kakashi added, looking Sakura's way. She smiled, rubbing her stomach a little.
After they finished the pancakes, Kakashi insisted on staying to do the dishes. Sakura walked with them to the door. Waddling, actually.
"Bye, baby," Kiba said, kneeling in front of Sakura to kiss her stomach. Sakura swatted him away, pulling her shirt back down. Getting to his feet, Kiba took her hands and grinned.
"Bye, baby," he then said, kissing her on the lips. Sakura laughed as she nudged him off the porch.
"We'll be careful," Kakashi assured her, kissing her too.
Sakura couldn't help but feel nervous. Even after Kakashi's parting words. She boiled water. And while the tea steeped, she wandered out of the kitchen, into the little mudroom Kiba had added onto the house. Perching on one of the benches, she stared out the window. Past the blackberry bush and the peach tree. Out into the darkness. Wondering.
She woke up to Itachi, who had come home for the weekend. Suit rumpled and his stubble growing in. He rested his hand on her forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Why're you sleeping out here, Bunny?" he asked.
"Mm- what?" Sakura mumbled. She dragged her wrist across her eyes. The inside of her mouth felt dry. Her lower back hurt. But it had been hurting for the past several days, so it wasn't anything new.
"Why're you out here, Bunny? It's late," Itachi asked again.
"Oh. Hi," Sakura greeted him. "Kakashi and Kiba went to investigate something in the forest. I'm just worrying for no reason. It's stupid. I know."
"That's not stupid," Itachi answered. His hand slid down her arm, fingers linking with hers.
"Go to bed, Bunny. I'll wake you up when they get home," he then told her. She sat up, wincing at how her body ached in all the weirdest places. Itachi helped her to her feet.
"Sorry, Itachi," Sakura said, looking up at him. His eyes widened. "I didn't even ask you how your day was. That was selfish of me." Because that was usually the first thing out of his mouth each time he saw her.
'How are you?', 'I missed you', and 'I'm glad I'm home now'- in that order.
A smile filled his face. His eyes glittering just a little as he pulled her against his chest. "Great. But we can catch up when you're not half-asleep and I'm not half-starving."
Sakura pulled away. He followed her as she walked into the kitchen. She opened up the refrigerator door to stare at the contents within. She felt him hovering over her shoulder as he looked too.
"There's some peach cobbler Hana dropped off yesterday," Sakura pointed out. Itachi wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He shook his head.
"Apples?"
She tilted her head in time to see him wrinkle his nose.
"Plum?"
His eyes lit up. He reached out to grab one of the dark purple fruit.
"I can wash it for you," Sakura began to say. Itachi made a face as he held it out of reach instead.
"You can help me by going to sleep," he told her instead. As Sakura scowled, he pressed light little kisses to her mouth until it was smiling again.
"Go," he urged again.
"Alright," Sakura finally conceded. Hand on his cheek, she pulled him down for another kiss before she slipped out of his arms. She listened to the rush of water as he rinsed the plum off in the sink. She fell asleep to the sounds of Itachi humming as he washed his face in the bathroom.
Tobirama drove into Old Pines early in the morning. He had planned to be back the night before. But Sakura had scolded him about not driving after drinking- even if it was only a couple beers with Madara. So he had crashed on the sofa in Itachi's empty apartment. Relatively unworried since he knew that Sakura wouldn't be alone, at least.
The drive in from the city wasn't so bad this early in the morning. As he crossed the border, he felt the subtle shimmer of the magic curtain part. He took the turns that led to the familiar home at the end of a small road.
"I'm home," Tobirama announced as he opened the front door. The smell of fresh coffee washed over him. Itachi raised a hand in greeting as he turned away from the kitchen sink.
'Is Sakura sleeping?' Tobirama mouthed. He mimed pillowing both his hands under his cheek.
Itachi shook his head. And then he pointed in the direction of the backyard.
Tobirama backtracked out of the house. He looped around the outside, walking into the yard instead. Familiar voices drifted over, paired with laughter. He was glad that a heightened sense of smell wasn't one of his gifts when he finally saw the source of the commotion.
"There he is," Kakashi announced.
Sakura sat on the wooden steps of the porch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. When she spotted him, she made an exasperated noise. Kakashi stood on the top step of the porch, in a wrinkled t-shirt and jeans instead of his usual uniform. He held a mug of coffee in one hand.
"Tobirama! Look at this mess," she complained, pointing.
Next to the blackberry bush lay a very large lump of... something. A huge wolf lumbered out of the woods, fur looking stained and wet. It closed its teeth around the lump and rolled it over to reveal tusks and a flat snout.
"Is that a pig?" Tobirama demanded.
"A wild boar. They're an invasive species," Kakashi informed him. Tobirama came to a stop in front of Sakura. He sat down beside her. She spread her arms to let him get under the blanket too. Kakashi leaned over to pull the edge of the blanket over Tobirama's shoulder before he stood up straight again.
"So the intruder in the woods was a boar?" Sakura questioned.
"No. It was a were. Probably just separated from his pack. He looked pretty small," Kakashi answered. And they all watched as the wolf bristled. He bared his teeth as he gave off a faint shimmer. The fur receded into his skin, his limbs twisting and shrinking until Kiba stood there, his hands on his hips.
"We didn't hurt him too bad. Just enough to scare him off," Kiba added. Before Sakura could yell at him. She didn't stop scowling.
"I still don't get where the pig came from," Sakura insisted.
"Oh. We just ran into this. And wolf-brain was all 'feed family'," Kiba replied with an easy smile.
Kakashi took a long slurp of his coffee before he said, "I tried to stop him."
"I figured," snorted Tobirama.
"So... what do we do with Wilbur?" Tobirama then wondered. Sakura swatted his arm. He smiled, not looking at her.
They all turned at the sound of Itachi's voice. His upper body stuck out of the back door. He held a cooking knife in one hand and a half-peeled apple in the other.
"I called the Mayor. She told us to bring it down to the beach to roast it. Said the Akimichi's are already down there digging a pit," Itachi told them.
"Oh, a pig roast. That's not a bad idea. What kind of salad should I make?" Kakashi mused, rubbing his chin.
"Ooh. The one with grapefruit and avocado," Sakura suggested.
"With sunflower seeds," Tobirama agreed.
"What should I do?" Kiba asked.
All eyes returned to him.
Kakashi let out a long, long sigh. "How about you put some pants on first, Wolfman?"