This chapter is dedicated to Celty1208! I really appreciate everyone's reviews and questions - and thank you all so much for reading and following my stories.


DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own. I live for reviews and will take advice and suggestions from my readers while continuing the story.

Thinking

Biju, etc. speaking

Biju, etc. thinking

Emphasis


It was just too much! First the other hers - the CLONES - just keep popping up, crowding her room as she tried to let Kakashi-sama sleep, then they began leaving, looking like other people: she hadn't known what to do! Especially when the clones were making other clones as they left! She let out another wail of despair as she thought about how things kept getting worse all day. Although she thought it was funny at first: watching all those she believed were clones run around acting silly from the window, Kakashi became SO MAD at her. Her sobs increased and Naru grabbed her pillow, putting her face in it to try to silence herself. The worst part of it all, though? Finding out that the man she now knew that she's in love with actually loves a man named Naruto - his former student. After moving all her furniture against the door, she cried herself to sleep. Nothing will ever be the same!


Kakashi made his way to Sakura's office in the hospital, nearly dragging himself along the halls. Finally, he found his pregnant pink-haired former student. "Sakura," slumping, he closed his eyes as if saying her name took the remainder of his energy.

"Aa! Look who's here - it's been a little while, ne sensei?" She sounded nice, but the glare she was giving her superior looked deadly. Kakashi was supposed to ensure that Naru got to all her appointments which were ongoing: he had VOLUNTEERED to do that, she remembered furiously - and she hadn't seen Naru since she and Lee had them over to dinner. Days? No! It had at least been two weeks or close to it! As much as she wanted to walk to the Tower and drop kick both their asses for missing a number of appointments, she had just been too consistently tired after her shifts. She had reached the point in her pregnancy - or her ankles had - that she was ready just to be wheeled around from one patient or department to another. And there are still so many weeks to go! An equally exhausted Inner Sakura balled her eyes out, searching for something to hit.

Looking the Hokage over, she frowned. He looked like an absolute mess. "Working yourself every hour of the day sensei? I didn't think you'd do it to this extent now that you have Naru-chan. She heard Kakashi choke as he turned away from her. "Sensei?" she asked in concern. The man stood hunched over even more than usual, shaking his head sadly. "Oh gods: tell me what's happened... Is it Naru-chan? Kami, is Lee-kun okay?" Her heart rate picking up she asked quickly, "He just went on that mission yesterday! Is he okay?"

Kakashi turned to her, his eye red, and nodded. "Yeah. Nothing like that. Gomen."

"Are you sick? I don't know if I've ever seen you like this, Kaka-sensei!" He pulled her hand away from him and tried to explain - even if he didn't quite understand what was happening either.

"I - uh, thought things were going well, Sakura." He looked down at his feet. "Naru - well, she will hardly speak to me." He scratched the back of his head, then looked up at the ceiling. "She's back to 'Kakashi-SAMA'," he said bitterly; "she says it's only proper to do so out of the great RESPECT she has for me…" Sakura's jaw dropped; that didn't seem right at all! He let out a caustic chuckle. "I don't know what exactly I did for her to still respect me yet change so much… We had a fight - well, it really wasn't even a fight - but she didn't even come out of her room for two days until I forced my way in. I was worried: I still am." Sakura watched in near-disbelief as her aloof sensei let out a choked sound as he turned away from her. She was frozen in place as she realized he'd given a quick wipe of his eyes. He'd always been beyond strong, a complete rock they could all depend on, no matter how flawed he was... Seeing him break down was a little earth-shattering, though she wouldn't admit it, especially now. "You know, it was after all that nonsense took place all over the village…"

"It was her, wasn't it? That idiot…" Sakura said wistfully and with fondness. "At first I thought it was a collective effort by Kami only knows who, but seeing the multiples running around from my office window… They were all people she knows." She let out a quiet laugh. "Do you know how many compliments I got for the work I supposedly did on the Hokage Mountain? I finally stopped denying it: it seems to have increased my popularity, especially among the upper ranks who so despise the hospital. No one even noticed that those henged clones weren't pregnant and sticking out this far!" She gestured to her stomach as if it were a foot further out. She offered her sensei a smile that he realized was more of a grimace. "Tell me what's happened." He did - everything he could think of from that day forward.


As soon as he barged into her room days after everything happened - and that had been a task - he'd unintentionally broke a lot of what was against the door… He checked on her and apologized profusely for getting angry. He really wasn't angry with her when everything happened, he was simply completely stressed, and most of that was his own fault. Even when he told Naru about how the majority of the villagers were now celebrating what she did, she simply gave him a small nod and fake grin, but immediately looked away from him. He's even had to force her to eat ever since - and she wasn't a bit hungry after being in the room for two days. She still isn't eating right.


From a medical standpoint, the hunger thing really worried Sakura. One, Naru-chan was nearly always hungry, which made sense since she had a metabolism that she'd only seen in Naruto. Two, she still needed to gain weight, and from what her former sensei was telling her, she had to be losing weight instead. "I've got surgery in 15 - it's going to be a long one. But I can come by tomorrow morning if you'd like?

Kakashi rushed her into a hug, thanking her profusely. Maybe there's still hope? There had to be. He would NOT lose Naru-chan. He would force her somehow to be with him if he had to... "I love her too much to lose her: I won't let it happen, Sakura."

They talked a little more, Sakura mainly reassuring her sensei that everything would turn out alright. She also guilted him into agreeing to sleep tonight or sooner; she even tried to force him to take a prescription for sleep, but he wouldn't do it. Stubborn man! In the end, she quickly concocted an herbal blend that he could mix with water either upon getting back to the Tower or by this evening. She threatened to hospitalize him if he didn't use it and she promised she'd know. He only rolled his eyes at her.

Before running off to surgery, she gave him a hug that he actually accepted, nearly lying his slumped head on her shoulder. That was it for her: her aloof sensei giving and accepting hugs? Two in one day?! She might have born witness to him being hugged a few times in her life - but those instances were probably years apart and always awkward at best, aside from his relationship with Naru-chan. Oh, love can be so hard… but the power of youth can… She stopped dead in not only her thoughts but her trek to the OR. She groaned and tried to shake off the horror of thinking like Gai and Lee. Kami forbid!


.


"You've been missing appointments, Naru-chan," Sakura scolded the blonde. She'd made it to the Tower just after the crack of dawn and found an improved-looking sensei and now sat in front of a wilting Naru in her bedroom. The blue-eyed young woman completely lacked any of her normal vibrancy or energy.

She showed all the signs of depression, but Sakura knew from Kakashi that it only began recently - at least according to him. She thought back to the last times she'd seen the blonde and felt that more had happened to her recently - either physically or emotionally - than the "fight" between the lovebirds. Trying to chat with her blonde friend was getting her nowhere, so she just abruptly got down to business.

"You seem depressed, Naru-chan, not like your bubbly self at all, ne?" Naru shrugged her shoulders, looking completely defeated. Once again, Sakura was smacked with the thought that Ino would be far superior to her in dealing with issues like this. Where is Pig when I need her?! Continuing to ask Naru questions and getting nowhere, she went through the list of psych professionals on hand in the village and it was wanting. There were some in training, but the vast majority worked in T&I and that was the last thing Naru needed. Inoichi-san had retired after the war due to injuries and retaking his Clan Head duties. The Yamanaka had been more than down in the dumps since his daughter deserted. She made a note to herself to check on the man. Maybe she could at least get his opinion on what was going on here if Naru would just TELL HER ANYTHING!

Sakura took a deep, cleansing breath and tried to ignore the annoyance she was beginning to feel as her former teammate stared blankly out her window. Now was no time to "unleash the beast," as Naru-chan called her occasional rough nature, though. After nearly an hour of prodding, she decided to give the blonde orders. Orders which she would follow or Sakura would stick her in the hospital! She hated using that threat on people, but some, like Naru and Kakashi, simply despised the hospital, so the threat usually had the effect she wanted. Most shinobi didn't like being hospitalized, but with those two it bordered on a phobia! It's really such a nice, warm place: logically I can understand wanting to be out of any confined space, but I swear they'd rather be imprisoned than hospitalized!

Oh, that was so true.

Naru-chan stirred uncomfortably at the threat, giving Sakura side-eyed glares before finally giving up and agreeing to do as her friend asked, to the best of her ability. She slumped forward at the thought: she just couldn't force herself to do nearly anything these days. It was hard to simply get in the shower every morning! Sakura was probably still ordering her to do Kami only knows what, but her voice was muddled in Naru's head. She really needed to stop thinking about Kakashi this way; she'd be of no help to him if she went on like this - and she'd secretly promised the both of them, "No matter how I feel, I'm going to do anything I can for him, just as he's done for me. My feelings are my own, and…"

"Naru-chan, what do you mean?" Sakura sat down again, staring into those familiar blue eyes, now filled with tears.

"Mmmm… Did you say something?"

Sakura sat back and willed herself not to punch her friend through the wall: she'd heard Kaka-sensei use that stupid line so many times, especially against Gai, that it was… difficult. Her friend seemed to be serious, though so she repeated her question.

Naru looked a little shocked - in a really subdued way, especially for her. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, yes you did Naru-chan," Sakura replied, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. See, this is why I need you, Ino! Sakura's patience, especially as her pregnancy went on was running really thin.

Suddenly Naru sat up, her eyes gaining focus. "Hey Sakura-chan, do you have any medical books or stuff like that I can look at?"

Sakura couldn't believe she asked that. Naruto couldn't even be forced to care about such things - he left it all to her and could be the one counted on for years when they were younger to forget even basic supplies like bandages when they went on missions. Looking at her friend in disbelief she only saw stubborn, questioning eyes and a serious expression. She's serious! Squee! "Absolutely, Naru-chan! If you're interested, I can bring you some things from my house or you can come by there or the hospital while I'm at work…"

"I'll do that," she replied, looking determined. Sad but determined, Sakura thought. She looked at the blonde for a good long while. Seeing Naru uncomfortably shift and look away from her gaze, she patted her on the shoulder then gave her a big hug. "Don't forget to do what I told you. I'm telling sensei, too! He'll be watching," she said in a sing-song voice as she turned to the door. She gave a little wave as she closed Naru's bedroom door behind her.

Fucking great - and just when I started to feel better, Naru thought. Oh shit! What did she tell me to do? "I guess I can ask Kakashi-sama later." The blonde curled up in bed after locking the door, then summoned a clone who was also depressed. Super depressed in fact. Naru finally told her as much, feeling worse and worse as her clone droned on, and asked her to leave. The clone dispelled, but not before calling her a bitch. Perfect. She dragged herself to the shower, and when she came out, she was greeted by her boyfr- no, by her Hokage.


By the time Sakura closed the door to her office behind her, she'd made a decision. After writing a note telling her old friend that she needed her back now - and that she had the juiciest news in the Elemental Nations, she summoned a small clone of Lady Katsuya, sealed what she had written, and gave orders. "I'd like you to return to the Woods, inform your original, and do everything possible to find Yamanaka Ino-chan. Make sure your original has enough chakra to be called upon in case of an emergency here in the village, but we really need Ino-chan now." She paused thinking whether she should go through with the next part of her plan. Screw it - we've been trying unsuccessfully to get either of them back for months. Plus, the Rokudaime didn't order me NOT to do this

"I haven't put specifics in what I've written here, but there's been a return of someone we care about. This person desperately needs our help. I hope I've wetted Ino's interest enough in what I've written, but if you come across Tsunade-sama, tell her I'm about to pop and really want her here." Sakura's eyes teared up as she rubbed her pregnant belly; she really missed her shishou. The head of medicine felt her baby kick in a particularly violent way: he or she will be our taijutsu monster, she thought fondly. "Katsuya-sama, just… tell her that someone else is back here too. Someone she loves very much, ne?" The slug nodded in acceptance.

"Any other orders, Sakura-sama?" the slug asked respectfully.

"Just to destroy the note if there is any chance that it may get into anyone else's hands other than Ino or Tsunade-sama. No matter who he or she might be." Sakura hummed in thought. "Lastly, allow Ino-chan time to write back. Whether or not she does, return to me privately and let me know if you're able to find either one of them. Tsunade-sama can always summon you, too - but I want to know how she is and how she responds."

"As do I," the slug replied. Waiting a moment, she reverse-summoned herself back to the Shikkotsu Forest. Sakura really hoped to get responses, then get the women back in the village. She also hoped that Kakashi-sensei wouldn't kill her for what she had just done.