A/N: Nearing the end of this ride.


Chp 7: Rumour

Ino felt like she was losing her bearings these days as she had entered her third trimester and was now sometimes unsteady on her feet.

Sai, who had been walking in front, fell back into step with Ino. "Do you need a hand?"

Ino held her jaw steady. "I think you've done enough," she retorted.

Sai nodded then. "I know I have."

He didn't catch her nuisance, and so Ino sighed. "You are not getting what I truly mean."

Sai put on his innocent smile as his gaze flicked to her stomach. "I do. I've done a lot for you," he acknowledged before meeting her eyes, "but I still like to help."

Ino caught the brief teasing in Sai's dark eyes before he suppressed it, and she faltered. Ino had been mistaken again. Her new smile was quick to turn evil. "I've underestimated you."

The statement caused Sai's fake expression to crack slightly, so he quickly looked away. Sai was keen to hide the enjoyment he received from besting her when it came to wit.

Sai then casual looped his arm around her waist to keep Ino steady. He bent down to bring his lips to her ear. "Underestimating me is what got you into this situation," he whispered.

The rushing heat of warmth that enveloped Ino was altogether euphoric, and she closed her eyes against his teasing words. Then, drawing in a shaky breath, she made sure to steady herself. "Stop goading me," she sighed.

When Ino reopened her eyes, she came face to face with the small smile on Sai's lips, which demonstrated how clearly victorious he felt at this moment.

Ino shook away his triumph and continued walking, lest she wanted them to end up in another compromising situation.

However, Ino backtracked once she reached the restaurant and saw who was already waiting for a table.

"Let's go somewhere else," she stated quickly.

Sai's eyebrows furrowed. "But you specifically asked me to bring you here."

Ino took Sai by the arm. "It seems like it will be a long wait, and I can change my mind," she explained.

Sai appeared confused. "You struggled to come here, though, and you're hungry."

Although Ino tried to pull him away, it was then that Sai spotted the middle-aged woman that Ino had been complaining about. She went by the name Yui. She had sent Ino into a rage because she was responsible for starting a rumour around Konoha. The one that had made the city think that Ino had got pregnant while Sai had been away, implying that she had cheated. It was no secret to Sai that most of Konoha already believed him to be incapable of emotions, let alone sexual desire. They thought that his relationship with Ino was a sham and that she had desperately settled since Sasuke had turned his attention elsewhere. The spiteful in Konoha had never quite been able to figure out Sai's motives for wanting to be in a relationship with Ino but had chalked it up to him trying to blend in.

Although Yui had started the rumour, all she had done was put fuel on an already lit fire. Sai didn't care for what people thought. He knew the truth; however, Ino's vexation bothered him. She would get herself quite worked up over the careless comments of others.

With newfound determination, Sai guided Ino inside the restaurant instead. She struggled against him, but Sai stood steadfast. He didn't like making Ino uncomfortable, but they would not start hiding from people.

"I haven't made anything for you today, so we've got nothing to eat," he stated plainly.

Ino's tension was evident as she entered the restaurant and more so when some patrons turned at the sound of the door closing behind them. There were distinct disparaging looks, and Sai watched as Ino shrunk back. The restaurant was abuzz with chatter, and Yui stood close to the counter with a friend. Her voice could be heard in every direction, and she was gossiping about her favourite topic.

Sai noticed then how Ino gritted her teeth in response.

With a sigh, he realised that this would never get resolved. It was then that he moved.

"Sai," he heard Ino call out in panic, but he had already left her side.

Yui could be heard saying. "Can you believe she is so brazenly trying to pretend?"

Sai couldn't understand why people loved to talk about others. Didn't they have anything better to do?

Sai interrupted the pair then. "Aren't you bored of speaking about the same things?"

It was then that the women turned around. Yui's friend had the decency to look embarrassed about being caught. However, Yui was not. She merely smiled in a way that Sai recognised as quiet, malice.

"It is nothing against you," Yui was justified, "Ino has always struck me as the type who prefers to chase after strong men but settle for a man she could dominate. You would be her type." Although Yui left her implication in the air, Sai knew which category she believed he fell into.

Sai levelled with the women who thought herself superior to him. He was aware that she was indeed slighting him as well.

Sai put on his fake smile as he replied calmly. "No, actually, she prefers to be dominated. I learned that, and we can say it had consequences."

The quip sent Yui reeling for a moment, and it was apparent that she had underestimated him.

Sai dropped his voice low then but maintained his smile. "If you keep upsetting my wife, then I could make things very difficult," he said before allowing his gaze to land on Yui's son, who was playing a little further away with another boy. Yui's smugness was quick to evaporate, and her face morphed into actual dread when she realised that Sai was talking about her sons' status in the academy or worse.

"Y-you wouldn't dare," she stammered.

Sai knew his threat to be empty since he would never harm an innocent child; however, he didn't let Yui realise this. Instead, he responded with, "Well, in your own words, I am an amoral ex-root member."

Sai brought his voice back up then to benefit those in the restaurant who were eavesdropping. "You're welcome to see the baby when it arrives. It will put your fears to rest when you see that it looks like me."

Yui was left wordless, and Sai could feel the stunned expressions of those sitting close by but chose to ignore them. Sai then moved back to where he had left Ino, and the only difference was that her face had now coloured.

"How could you say that out loud?" she whispered lowly, pressing her hands to her cheeks.

Sai shrugged. "It is not a secret considering your current condition."

~ooOOoo~

A few days later

Ino's face was a pillar box red at bumping into Shikamaru after leaving the flower shop. They had been avoiding each other for some time due to the unfortunate incident. Ino had never given a spare key to her home. She had made sure to give neither Shikamaru nor Choji one for this very fear of being caught in the act. However, the lack of a key had not saved her. Shikamaru had come over to see if she had wanted to go out somewhere. Unfortunately, though, Ino had been pre-occupied 'comforting' Sai as he had requested amongst his pile of books. They had not made it to the bedroom that time and Ino knew too well that she and Sai could be quite vocally expressive in their lovemaking. It still amazed her that the otherwise composed Sai seemed undone whenever they had sex. Perhaps it was a physical outlet for his emotions. Be that as it may, though the blinds had been drawn in the living room so that they were shielded from voyeurism, how could Ino forget that she liked to have the windows open for air?

Between this and the gossip of Sai confronting Yui and boldly claiming the child as his own, it had led to an uncomfortable situation with Shikamaru.

Shikamaru was quick to avert his eyes and flee. "Let's leave it another few weeks," he advised over his shoulder.

Ino did not stop him. "Agreed," she shouted back before continuing on her way towards the direction home.

Ino had contemplated going for a walk after finishing her work; however, she now decided against it. She found it was hard to ignore the looks of the women who passed by her just then. Although Sai's confrontation had considerably reduced the gossiping, there were still the odd comments here and there. The latest was that her and Sai's antics were just a method of overcompensating and trying to prove to everyone that it was Sai's baby. Ino's blood boiled as she thought about It. She would love to sit on those who spoke ill of her and Sai with her pregnant body. However, they would soon learn their lesson when she was bearing down on them with all the weight she carried now. Eventually, Ino entered her home and was not in a great mood as she had worked herself up stewing over people's comments. She found Sai sitting peacefully, painting in the living room. This was out of the norm, though. He usually preferred to paint in the spare room at the back of the house not to be disturbed. Unbeknownst to Ino, Sai waited for her to make sure she had arrived safely.

Ino entered the room with a grumble. Sai remained calm as she began blustering around him, tidying up.

"What's wrong?" he asked when Ino had settled down a bit.

"I just want to get this baby out so I can prove them wrong," Ino explained, "It's only then that they'll stop talking."

Sai said nothing in response, for he knew this to be untrue. There would always be those who would doubt and gossip, no matter what evidence presented them. They would believe what they wanted to.

Sai settled for a different approach with Ino because of her current state. "Well, the time is nearly coming," he told her while dipping his brush into a smear of pine, green paint.

It worked as Ino lost the tension from her shoulders as if remembering that this was indeed the case.

"True," Ino acknowledged with happiness, but a slight pang of fear resonated within her then as the reality of her situation was beginning to dawn.

When Ino soon fretted her lower lip, Sai realised more than she needed to be appeased about.

Sai didn't have to wait long before Ino spoke again. "Have we been overdoing it recently? "she asked then.

Sai continued to paint through his eyes flicked to her occasionally. "What do you mean?"

Ino cringed slightly at the need to explain further. "Are we having too much sex?"

Sai merely shrugged. "No more so than our first year of marriage when it was a new experience for the both of us," Sai stated before being eclipsed by momentary confusion, "Can that even be a problem?"

Ino watched as Sai's wrist and fingers delicately guided the brush in his hand and marked out the edges of a forest in his painting. 'No wonder he has such skilled fingers,' she thought for a moment but quickly shook herself free.

Ino's quiet finally caused Sai to stop painting, and he was quick to turn his attention to her entirely. Sai furrowed his brows then as he knew that Ino had a habit of not being completely honest with him to spare his feelings.

"Is it painful for you?" Sai asked then, seriously as a tension suddenly rose in his muscles, "Is this why you are bringing it up?"

Ino frantically shook her head as she lifted her hands. "No! Not at all."

However, Sai did not seem appeased, and he fixed her with a pointed gaze that paralysed Ino.

She was quick to explain before a misunderstanding was born out of her ridiculous reason for starting this conversation. "It's just people have been saying that we are overcompensating by acting like rabbits," Ino hurriedly stated.

With this, Sai's body relaxed, and his gaze returned to normal. "Well, rabbits do procreate a lot, so I guess it is an appropriate comparison based on our current level of activity."

It seemed that no matter how logically Sai approached this situation, he wouldn't get through to Ino as her worried expression remained plastered across her face. So finally, Sai decided to resolve the situation by working through the problem with Ino on an emotional level with a sigh.

"Despite your loud nature, Ino, I know you are sensitive," Sai began as he abandoned his brush and palette and approached her, "You especially are quick to get angry and hurt if anyone attacks me or us, and I thank you for that."

It was with such sweet words that Ino's worry melted, and her features relaxed into putty.

Sai was pleased by the reaction and so continued. "We don't need to prove anything because we both know that we're having a baby. So forget everyone else because they will talk regardless, "He advised, "Trust me, I know I've been dealing with it since I arrived in Konoha."

Ino was about to rebuff. No doubt in a grand gesture that she would claim to fight anyone that bad-mouthed Sai.

Sai gently pressed his pale fingers against her lips with a faint smile in a gesture that Ino understood as his need to continue.

"Do you enjoy having sex with me?" Sai asked then before removing his fingers to allow Ino to reply.

A hot flush rose from her neck to her cheeks, and Sai revelled in the reaction every time.

"Y-yes," Ino stuttered before admitting quietly, "Maybe more so than ever before."

Sai was silently pleased but decided not to comment. "Do you think we are having enough sex for you to be satisfied?"

It was with this question that Ino's blush grew deeper, and she averted her eyes while tucking a loose strand of hair. "For the most part..."

Sai found himself truly surprised for the first time. Her quiet response caused his eyebrows to rise and arch. Sai looked down at his heavily pregnant wife and was indeed in awe that she had the energy for continuous physical desire at her size, although Sai was aware that he did most of the work these days.

Realising then that his silence had caused Ino to shudder in embarrassment, Sai was quick to run his hands down her stomach in a soothing gesture.

"From where I'm standing then, Ino, I don't see a problem other than me having to put a bit more work in," he concluded. Sai had never had a single complaint about the by-product of Ino's pregnancy, being that she had an increased desire for him. From what Sai had read, it seemed that they should be basking in their current state because it would be far harder to be intimate after a baby.

Suddenly Sai felt Ino hug him tightly. Her stomach pressed into his torso. "Thank you," she whispered. Her two words encompassed so much that Sai was already aware of, so he merely looped an arm around her waist in affirmation while his other hand played with her long hair.

"Would anything people say ever annoy you?" Ino eventually mumbled into his chest.

Sai thought, and as he did so, Ino turned her face up to him. The hand that was toying with her ponytail, trying to free her hair, moved to hold her face. "No. Unless it annoys you."

Sai knew this was an appropriate response as Ino beamed up at him.


A/N: Right, you lovely readers. I have mapped out the last chapters. It will just be a question of finding the time to write them. Going back to reality.