Standard disclaimer, see earlier chapters.

Echolalia
By: TF

Chapter 03: Coming to Terms

After getting over the initial shock of Sakura's news Lee opted to stay out of the meeting with Tsunade, saying that he would hear the final decision after it was decided. He'd left Sakura and Naruto at the Hokage Tower to rejoin his old team for training, giving Sakura a quick kiss on the cheek before running off with his characteristic enthusiasm. Sakura managed a weak smile for her bright green boyfriend before sighing and leading Naruto into the building. Because Sakura was Tsunade's student she was allowed into the building and Tsunade's office at all times, making the task of scheduling an appointment into an easily bypassed stage of entry.

Tsunade looked up from the work she was actually doing when Sakura entered followed by a very pale Naruto. She wasn't surprised, not really, especially after some of Naruto's more creative mishaps while drunk, but she really would have thought that both of them would have used their brains a bit more than they had. Besides, having Sakura tell her it was Naruto and having Naruto showing up looking as if the sky was falling were two different things.

"So, what are we going to do about this?" Tsunade asked once the teens had settled down, watching their faces closely.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, a frown marring her forehead as she watched her teacher.

"I mean, what are you going to do about having this baby, about Naruto being the father, and about your current living situation? Sakura, I know that your apartment isn't big enough for more than just you, and Naruto's is even smaller. And what about Lee and your parents?" Tsunade leaned forward, resting her chin on one of her hands as she watched her student and adoptive brother think through their situation.

"I'm going to keep the baby, there's no question about that," Sakura said, protectively splaying a hand over her stomach as she stubbornly locked eyes with Tsunade.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't keep it," Tsunade said, rolling her eyes when Sakura gave her a doubtful look. "I'm just saying that you should know what you're facing."

"She's right."

Both women looked at Naruto as he sighed and buried his head in his hands. They waited as he shook his head and scrubbed at his eyes, frustration radiating from his form.

"If the village finds out that I've fathered a kid chaos will break out. They barely tolerate me as it is, especially after Sasuke left," Naruto's voice was thick with disdain that carried clearly, "They'll just be waiting for a chance to abort it, not to mention the chance to see whether or not it'll come out furry."

"They wouldn't do that," Sakura protested, holding her middle even more protectively than before. "They wouldn't abort it just to see whether or not our child will be born with fur."

"Yes the would, Sakura, yes they would. I don't know if you remember how I was treated when we were younger, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," Naruto paused a moment before amending his last statement. "Okay, I would wish it on my worst enemy, but never a child."

"I agree with Naruto," Tsunade watched Sakura as the bubble-gum pink-haired girl shook her head. "The villagers and the council of elders will never just accept this easily, no matter what I do. It would be best if you kept the father, or better yet, the pregnancy as discrete as possible."

"How am I supposed to hide being pregnant?" Sakura snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the two blondes.

"I never said you had to hide it, I said that keeping it discrete was the best solution," Tsunade said, rolling her eyes when Sakura glared.

"Again, being pregnant isn't really discrete," Sakura said, watching Tsunade sigh and shake her head.

Naruto just watched the exchange and tried not to appear too amused. Sakura hit hard enough when she was annoyed, an angry, pregnant Sakura was something to be feared.

"There are ways to hide changes in appearance," Tsunade said snidely, watching her student redden with embarrassment. "Besides, it isn't as if we couldn't arrange a mission for you as soon as you as soon as you start to show, even if it is going over important scrolls here for a few months."

"What am I going to say when I suddenly come home with a baby?" Sakura asked, shaking her head at the idea of coming home from a mission with a couple-day-old baby. "Oh, by the way, I found a baby on the side of the road and decided to nurse and keep it."

"I could take the baby and go somewhere else. Most of the village would cheer if that happened anyway, and no one here would have to know," Naruto kept his eyes to the ground as he spoke, his hands fiddling with anything that came within reach.

"Naruto," Sakura's eyes softened and she leaned over to hug the blond.

"I'm not sure that the situation will come to that," Tsunade said, watching the pair as they leaned against each other. "But we'll discuss possible situations later. For now we need to figure out what we're going to do once Sakura starts show."

"The idea of staying here during part of this pregnancy sounds good, but not for the whole thing. I couldn't stand staying cooped up for five or six months," Sakura said, shaking her head at the thought. "But there would have to be coordination between the two, and a reason for me to be looking like a blimp."

"Again, we can discuss that when it comes up as well, but that is a good suggestion," Tsunade watched Sakura beam at the compliment. "There's still the question of your living arrangements."

"Lee and I have been discussing moving in together," Sakura said, looking at Naruto out of the corner of her eye for the blond boy's reaction. "He can help."

"That's a good idea. We also need to figure out your mission status. Going on dangerous missions now isn't a good idea, and soon you'll have to start watching exactly how much you train so that you don't overtax your body. And don't even think about trying that stupid diet that you and your friend Ino seem to be unhealthily fixated on," Tsunade said sternly, glaring when Sakura started to sputter defensively.

"So I'm supposed to do nothing?" Sakura asked snappishly.

"Sakura, you are a fully trained medic-nin. Don't act like you don't know how to take care of yourself while pregnant," Tsunade snapped, suddenly becoming imposing as she leaned over the heavy desk. "I'm not going to put up with any childish crap, especially since you know very well how to deal with this."

Sakura paled and sunk lower into her seat as Tsunade's anger washed over her. Tsunade sighed and flopped ungracefully back into her chair, pulling a bottle of alcohol out of her desk and taking a large drink before putting her head down on her arms.

"Come back later, I'm tired of dealing with this today. I have a meeting in a few minutes anyway," Tsunade said, waving them out the door.

"You can't just push us out you old hag!" Naruto snapped as Tsunade got up and started pushing the two out of her office.

"Naruto, not now. I mean it when I say we'll deal with this later. Just try not to let this spread around the village like every other secret."

Naruto and Sakura were left staring at the closed door as Tsunade slammed it shut, leaving them in the hallway with Shizune as she blinked at their sudden appearance.

"How about we go get something to eat," Naruto suggested, shaking his head as he and Sakura started away from Tsunade's office.

"Why do you always think of eating when something comes up?" Sakura asked, a little angry about being chastised and thrown out by her teacher.

"I dunno," Naruto whined, earning himself a smile from his teammate as she shook her head. "I always eat when something happens, and you do have to start eating for two now."

"I know, I know. It'll be something to get used to," Sakura said, sighing as they exited the building and entered the busy Konoha streets.

"That diet you and Ino keep up is stupid anyway. Being stick thin isn't attractive, and it isn't good for you, especially with the amount of exercise you and Ino get being kunoichi," Naruto said, eyes widening when Sakura raised her fist. "Don't hit me because of something that's true! Ask Shikamaru and Chouji, they agree."

"What do you mean they agree?" Sakura asked curiously, lowering her fist and looking up at Naruto as he stopped cowering.

"Ask them. Stick girls aren't attractive," Naruto said with a shrug. "Something about bones poking out just isn't good."

"So you want your girl to be fat?" Sakura teased, laughing when Naruto blushed bright red and sputtered.

"No! I like them muscular and in shape, not sickly," Naruto said, pouting as Sakura continued to laugh. "This isn't fair."

"It isn't supposed to be fair," Sakura smiled and leaned her head on the blond's muscular arm. "Come on, you can buy me some Ramen."

"Gee, what a privilege," Naruto quipped, smiling when Sakura poked him rather hard in the ribs.

"You're feeding my extra mouth, which you caused," Sakura said, twining her arm around Naruto's as the headed towards Ichiraku. "Besides, you owe me for how many bowls of noodles now?"

"Lots!" Naruto cheered, pumping one fist into the air.

"Damn straight," Sakura said. "Now lets go. Noodles await."

Ino looked up as the small bell over the door to the flower shop tinkled merrily at the entrance of another customer. She blinked when she saw Sakura enter the store attached to Naruto's arm, leading the whiskered blond around as he rolled his eyes.

"Oi, Forehead-girl! What brings you here?"

Sakura turned and smiled, dragging Naruto behind her as she wove her way through the maze of color and fragrance to the counter.

"I'm actually here to see you Ino-pig," Sakura said, leaning casually against the counter, still clutching Naruto's arm as the blond sighed.

"Why? What's happened?" Ino asked suspiciously, noting the way Sakura was clutching her teammate's arm like it was a form of comfort.

"Something happened, and I wanted you to know. It's a secret. A real one that can't be spread, so you better keep your big mouth shut, even around your teammates," Sakura warned, ignoring the looks that Naruto was sending in her direction.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto warned, pulling on his smaller teammate until she looked up at him. "Remember what Tsunade said."

"I remember, Naruto. But Ino's my best friend, and if she found out from anyone other than me it would damage our friendship," Sakura explained as Naruto started to look increasingly nervous.

"But if it gets out," Naruto protested. "No offense, Ino, but secrets in a ninja village spread faster than fire during a drought."

"No offense taken. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if it is that big of a deal," Ino said, leaning forward over the counter. "I won't even tell Shika and Cho."

Naruto sighed when Sakura smiled, "It's that big of a secret, which means you open your mouth to no one."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Ino said, waving a hand for Sakura to hurry up. "Just spill before I die of anticipation."

Sakura leaned forward and whispered into Ino's ear as Naruto winced, waiting for the explosion that was certainly going to happen. Sure enough it took only a few moments of silence for the information to sink in before Ino exploded.

"WHAT! How did this happen?" Ino shrieked, waving her hands wildly in the air.

"Keep it down, Ino-pig," Sakura hissed, clamping her hand over the blond kunoichi's mouth. "What do you want to do, alert the whole village?"

"Sorry, sorry. You just surprised me," Ino snapped once Sakura removed her hand.

"I couldn't tell," Sakura said sarcastically, but stopped when Naruto nudged her in the ribs.

"How's Lee taking this? You aren't dumping Lee are you? Because that would just devastate him," Ino babbled, giving Naruto dirty looks as the all of the implications set in.

"No, I'm not dumping Lee, in fact I'm going to talk to him about moving into his apartment. And before you ask, he and Naruto have already resolved this," Sakura's addition stopped any awkward questions that Ino could ask.

"Wow, just wow," Ino said, taking a step back so that she could look at her friend. "I mean, this is just unexpected."

"I know, I know," Sakura said, shaking her head as she leaned forward. "I'd never really thought about anything like this."

"Um, if you guys are going to get teary can I leave?" Naruto asked as Sakura released him to hug Ino.

"We'll be leaving in a minute," Sakura said, rolling her eyes as Ino shook her head. "Keep your shirt on."

Naruto scowled and wandered away to go look at one of the gaudier flower arrangements, leaving the girls alone at the counter.

"How are you dealing with this? I know that it's going to be tough," Ino watched Naruto as he knocked a vase off of its pedestal, caught it before it hit the ground, and put it back while trying to look as innocent as possible.

"I just found out, but I'm, well, dealing. I don't know how I'm going to hide this in a few months," Sakura said, her face etched with tension as she leaned against the counter.

"Isn't Tsunade going to help you? I mean, she is your teacher, and if it gets out about Naruto, well…" Ino trailed off with a wince.

"I know. That's why you can't tell anyone," Sakura said, watching Naruto as he frowned at an orchid.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Ino said before leaning over the counter to hug her friend. "I won't tell a soul."

"Thanks, Ino, you're a lifesaver," Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she returned the hug. "I'm still not too sure about what I'm going to do."

"Don't you worry. If you need anything I'm here."

Sakura smiled and hugged Ino one last time before freeing herself in time to stop Naruto from examining a particularly expensive arrangement and pulling it apart. Ino shook her head as Sakura waved and left, latching herself onto her teammates arm as she guided him out of the shop without any further accidents.

"Sheesh, Forehead-girl. What have you gotten yourself into now?" Ino muttered to herself as she watched Sakura's pink hair disappear into the crowd.

Sakura sighed as she rolled over again, sleep escaping her as she stared at the white ceiling overhead. Getting her mind to settle down was becoming impossible. Naruto's words about the village elders trying to take her baby away was unnerving, something she hadn't thought of before he'd brought it up. She could easily remember how Naruto had been treated as a child, bullied and ignored by the other children with parents who had had their lives turned upside down by the fox demon sealed in his stomach.

With a small growl of frustration she rolled over on her side, cradling her flat stomach protectively. It had been hard to come to terms with the fact that she was pregnant, pregnant with Naruto's child no less, but the more time she had to think about it the more she realized that she wasn't going to give her child up for anything.

"Hey baby, this is your mommy. I'm really new to this, and your father can be kind of stupid at times, but he's a good person, and he tries his best all the time. I can't promise you what will happen, but I can promise you that you'll be loved, even if you weren't exactly planned," Sakura whispered in the darkness, one hand gently ghosting over her stomach. "You aren't going to be alone like Naruto. You aren't going to be bullied and alone. I promise."

On the roof Naruto stretched out on his back, listening to Sakura's quiet murmuring in the dark as she spoke to the life building itself in her stomach. She didn't know it, but he'd started hanging around her roof soon after he'd found out about the pregnancy, disappearing before she woke up in the morning. He was more worried than he let on, worried about the baby's development and safety as Sakura started to enter her second trimester. She still wasn't showing yet, but she was starting to soften around the edges as she gained some of the weight she was going to need to carry the baby to term.

Birthrates among ninja were low due to the training kunoichi put themselves through to try to keep up with the shinobi. Due to the stress they put on their bodies carrying babies to full term was hard for most kunoichi. Naruto spent half of his time worrying about the baby's development, and the other half of the time worry about how well Sakura was taking care of herself, even though Lee hovered twice as much as he did and Sakura was going to be moving into the Lee's apartment within the next couple of days. He meant it when he said that he'd leave if it would benefit the baby. There was no way that he'd let his child grow up like he did, not while he was alive and able to bully people into agreeing to take any children he might have if anything happened.

Naruto smiled when he heard Sakura's breathing even out into sleep. She hadn't been sleeping well lately due to stress and wandering thoughts, which made him practically stalk her as she moved around during the day. If she realized how much time he spent watching over her she'd probably freak, but that was why she didn't know.

The blond ninja sighed and looked at the sky stretching overhead, stars winking brightly against the velvet backdrop of night. No matter what happened he was going to be there for this child.

"I promise you baby. I promise you won't have to go through what I did. You'll get everything that I didn't and more with parents who love you."

TBC…

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you all really make me want to continue this, even though there may be erratic updates at best. Thanks again!

This chapter goes out to Saria-chan, who reviews almost everything I put up and has nothing but helpful and kind words. You totallyrock!