The Bank II
"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it." - Jean de La Fontaine
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters contained therein, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto who is kind enough to let fans write fiction. I make no profit from this nor do I intend to.
A/N: Unbeta'd. I will attempt to post every week. I think I'm going to need to do more rewrites than in previous chapters from here on out – chapters may be posted every other week if I'm just not happy with where they are after a week's worth of edits.
Enjoy.
Chapter XII
Kakashi idly flipped another page, not really taking in the words before him. He was sharing a safe house in the middle of nowhere in a sensitive enough location that it had been constructed quickly and with zero comforts included. The safe house was nearly always cold and damp and there was very little that they could do to counteract such discomforts. The location remained in a disputed area and was delicate enough that any unnecessary jutsu, meaning those not regarding identification or life or death situations, were banned. Consequently, he was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a group of grumpy ANBU. His mission was unrelated to theirs, fortunately, and they were due to complete their mission before he was supposed to wrap up his, leaving him the safe house to himself for a little while. It wouldn't make it less draughty or wet but at least he would no longer have to listen to them constantly complaining about their living conditions.
With a stifled sigh he flipped another page. His eyes not really taking in the words – he'd read this particular novel so many times that he could, if ever necessary, recite it from memory. Instead, his mind returned to the village – to Sakura. He was beyond in trouble. And, reading his smutty little novels while out of the village was not helping things. Especially now, since this particular novel, or rather an out of hand discussion of one of its love scenes, was directly responsible for him getting physically involved with Sakura in the first place.
Regardless, Kakashi now found that when he was away from the village for more than a couple days his mind would inevitably go back to Sakura and what they would do together when he returned. She had been amenable to everything he'd thus far suggested or tried and had had more than a few ideas of her own that he had also enjoyed immensely. A more compatible partner he had never found. Additionally, she had never once denied or even questioned him when turned up on her balcony or at her office. He was in trouble all right and he sincerely hoped she never barred him from her bed in the future.
Just as he was flipping another page, beginning to wish he'd brought a different novel as this one only intensified his desire to return to Sakura, the safe house door flew open with a dramatic bang.
"Hey!" the team leader of the other ANBU team, Gin, barked as he slapped a hand down on the pot for their current hand of poker, barely managing to keep the paper money from flying around the room.
"Daishi, what are you doing?!" Junnosuke cried, scrambling to grab his formerly face down cards from the table.
"Get that door closed Daishi!" Masanari added with more than a little irritation – he'd been positive that he had this hand in the bag… until two of his friend's cards flipped over in the wind.
A sheepish young ANBU hurriedly turned to try and get the door under control. From the blast of cold air that had entered when the ANBU opened the door, it was obvious what had happened. Struggling only a little, Daishi finally got the door under control and managed to get it closed, fighting against the wind the entire time.
"Phew! Boy am I glad I made it here!" he exclaimed as he started to remove the outer articles of clothing, thinking better of it upon observing that nearly everyone else in the room was dressed in their warmest clothing.
"What do you mean?" Masanari asked absently as his mind tried to find a way to save his paycheck – he really shouldn't have gone all in.
"Why would you want to be here?" Junnosuke exclaimed as he checked his cards once again, verifying that he still had what he hoped was the winning hand.
Daishi shifted his mask to the side, revealing his eyes opened wide in obvious surprise. "Wow, you guys really are isolated up here! I'm glad I didn't need to come and join you until the end of the mission!" He threw a quick glance around the room and wrinkled his nose. "This place is awful. Are all safe houses like this?"
"Daishi..." Gin growled, unamused with his fourth teammate's cavalier attitude toward their mission.
Junnosuke rolled his eyes and sighed, their most recent team addition was still very young. "Of course we're isolated!"
Masanari sighed and added. "That's part of the point."
"So, why do you want to be here?" Gin asked, afraid they'd never get back to their poker game until whatever Daishi was on about was dealt with.
"Who in their right mind would want to be here?" Junnosuke gestured around the bare chilly room.
"Geeze, okay, okay!" The new arrival held his hands up in a placating manner.
"Well, why are you happy to be so far away from civilization then?" Masanari asked all patience with the younger ANBU nearly gone.
Daishi sighed. "Things were crazy when I left –unexpected baby boom going on back at the village."
"What?!" all three of his teammates exclaimed in unison, poker game now well and truly forgotten as all cards slammed back down on the table.
Daishi shrugged. "From what I heard, some of the kunoichi got a bad batch of hormones – something about…" he scrunched up his face trying to remember the exact details. "I dunno, expiration dates … maybe?" He waved his hands vaguely. "Kunoichi stuff gone wrong – lots of new shinobi on the way."
Silence descended upon the room. All occupants, save one, thinking about their last few romantic encounters. Everyone knew about the nearly one hundred percent reliability of the program all active kunoichi participated in – which often led to couples making less careful decisions than they might otherwise make.
"Any… any idea what the possible time frame might be?" Junnosuke asked hesitantly, he'd had multiple one night stands and a few multi-day flings the last time he was in the village.
"Um, think it's just a two-month window." Daishi frowned, trying to remember more of the details before adding, "That was a week ago though when I left the village. Uh, I did hear not all kunoichi were affected though."
"So… going back two months and a week from now, nine weeks?" Gin tried to verify, he'd just spent a very pleasant couple of weeks with his wife before leaving for his current mission – the first time they'd both been home in a while.
"Sounds about right." Daishi nodded slightly. "What people were saying, anyway." he shrugged, it didn't affect him.
Silence descended upon the room again. Junnosuke counting on his fingers – the number refused to change even after multiple tries.
Kakashi flipped another page, drawing the attention of all the other men present, the sound inordinately loud in the hushed room.
Masanari snorted. "Of course Old Hound Leader isn't concerned, now is he?"
"What? Why?" Daishi asked, still trying to figure out the right balance of indoor and outdoor clothing to make the room temperature as comfortable as possible.
Their team leader laughed. "Old Hound Leader is famous for his strict sense of self-control where kunoichi are concerned."
"Yeah, I'm sure he has nothing to worry about." Masanari elbowed Junnosuke with a chuckle, Kakashi had a fairly well-known reputation for long strings of flings outside the village. "At least, not for this baby boom anyway."
They both laughed, breaking the tense mood.
Daishi shook his head slightly, once again removing his coat with the thoughts of adding a sweater.
"But, you know, I've heard he's been seen around the village with that hot medic – you know the one…" he trailed off hoping the men in the room would fill in the blank. After a moment of the three of them just staring at him, he tried to find some other identifying feature. "Um, pink hair, the Hokage's old apprentice?"
The room was silent for a few moments while its occupants considered this statement and Daishi rummaged in his pack for a sweater.
"Nah, she's his former student."
Gin rose to his feet and tapped Daishi's shoulder as he walked past, heading to the corner of the room where they kept the food to see if the last team had left anything stronger than tea. He didn't need to do any math to know that his wife was probably pregnant, and from Junnosuke's reaction, he probably wasn't the only one with a pregnant partner.
"I don't know... I think they're together." Daishi's words were slightly muffled by the sweater he was pulling on over his head.
"What? When did that happen?" Masanari asked with some surprise.
Daishi shrugged pulling his scarf around his neck again.
Masanari shook his head in disbelief. "You must be confused, she's far too good for him…" he turned his head to address Junnosuke. "Right?"
His friend shook his head a little sadly before patting his shoulder consolingly as he left the table to join Gin in his search for alcohol. If Ms. Haruno was with Old Hound Leader, then Masanari waited too long and had missed his chance. Fool. Women like Ms. Haruno didn't stay unattached for very long.
"Nope, pretty sure they're together." Daishi clapped his hands together a few times, trying to figure out if he wanted to dig out his full gloves or if the fingerless ones he was wearing would be enough.
"What's a good-looking little thing like her doing with the likes of him then?" Masanari snapped, unable to hide his bitter disappointment.
"I dunno, you could always ask him," Daishi suggested doubtfully.
Attention once again focused on the man in question. Outwardly unperturbed, Kakashi flipped another page, ignoring the hubbub going on around him. His mind already lost in thought as a deep certainty hit him. He knew for a fact that Sakura had gotten her shot within that time frame, she had teased him about it, and consequently, he'd been overly ardent in his attentions later that day – she seriously had no idea what she did to him…
Sakura was pregnant. He could just feel it in his bones. There was no way that she wasn't. Not with the frequency and regularity of their evening interactions. Sakura had, of course, replenished her supply after that fateful evening when she had been out. However, he had never experienced anything quite like it, in more ways than one, and had been reluctant to go back to how things had been. Since Sakura didn't care, either way, she had understandably thought she had it covered, he'd reveled in the freedom he'd never had before – that he'd never allowed himself to have before.
Madam Verushka was right to insist that he avoid sleeping with the same woman more than just a few times… clearly falling into a regular routine led to a lowering of his defenses. Which, in turn, led to the one thing he'd never wanted in life. Consequently, his entire future was now in jeopardy – per the fortune teller he needed to avoid women and children if he wanted to earn his space on the Memorial. So far, he'd managed neither.
Contrary to all logic, Kakashi found himself unable to regret his decisions. Though he did not want to admit it, he knew the time he spent with Sakura – both in the bedroom and out – meant too much to him now.
With mixed feelings Kakashi flipped another page, mentally trying to see if he could somehow shorten the length of his mission.
Sakura felt a flutter of nerves stir in her stomach as she made her way to the Kunoichi Affairs Office. She was rarely called in unexpectedly and couldn't help but feel apprehensive about it. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't quite see how it could possibly be what she considered to be good news.
Honestly, she feared that with the recent kunoichi shortage, she might be about to be reinstated to the regular ranks. Though she had to admit, Tsunade would have had something to say on the matter if that was indeed the case. Sakura's position at the hospital, where there was also a shortage of medics, was too important for her to be returned to the regular ranks. At least, that had always been Tsunade's stance on the matter and Sakura didn't see that changing any time soon.
With a deep steadying breath, Sakura entered the building, greeting the receptionist as she continued on to the conference room specified on her summons. While on her way, she noticed that there were quite a few kunoichi hanging around, far more than usual. Most of them seemed anxious or keyed up as well.
Feeling her stomach clench in nervousness she paused at the door to the conference room. It was open and with a deep breath, she stepped into the doorway.
"Ah, Ms. Haruno, come in, come in," an unfamiliar voice called out while Sakura lingered on the threshold.
Slowly, Sakura complied, closing the door behind her. This must be the new-hire she'd heard about through the grapevine, she was younger than expected, only a few years older than Sakura.
"Take a seat, my name is Yuki Eto. I'm taking over for Emiko Eto."
Sakura raised an eyebrow at the shared family name as she took the proffered seat.
"My aunt," Yuki answered the unasked question. "She's been promoted."
Sakura nodded to herself, good to know that nepotism was still alive and well. That also explained why the woman appeared to be relatively young for the position.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Eto." As Sakura settled herself, she took note of the tall stack of folders, small pile of tissue boxes, various piles of not easily identifiable pamphlets, and the concerned yet friendly expression on the bespectacled woman sitting at the head of the conference table. Sakura's stomach sank.
Ms. Eto cleared her throat, a little nervously, and pushed her bright blue cat eye glasses up on her nose a little. "Well, let's get down to business, shall we? I see by your file that you're participating in the kunoichi birth control program?"
Sakura nodded, wondering if budget cuts were about to strike and how she'd explain it to Kakashi when he returned. The kunoichi birth control program was expensive if it wasn't being covered by the village – it was a necessary protection for all active duty kunoichi. From his actions, she didn't think he'd want to go back to how things were but, if she was no longer in the village program, then they would have to sit down and have an actual conversation about it.
"I see." The woman looked down at what Sakura assumed must be her file. "Well," she glanced up again to catch Sakura's eyes. "There's no real easy way to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it." Ms. Eto took a deep breath before continuing. "There has been a mix-up in the storage facility."
Sakura nodded, not entirely certain where this was going. Her stomach dropped a little nervously in anticipation.
"Because of the mix-up, the expired hormone injections due to be destroyed were kept and the new injections were destroyed instead."
Sakura's stomach plummeted even further, suspecting she now knew where this was going to go after all.
"Your last shot most likely was one of the expired ones. You have been unprotected for," she paused to consult Sakura's file, "approximately two months."
Sakura swallowed, hard. Kakashi had most definitely been in the village for the majority of the past two months, he'd only just recently left for an undetermined length of time. Before that, he had mostly hung around the village completing smaller shorter missions or occasionally filling in on guard duty.
The woman glanced at Sakura over the top of the file. "Have you had unprotected sex during that time?"
Feeling her cheeks heat, Sakura nodded, knowing that there was no point in denying it.
Unsurprised, Ms. Eto nodded in response. She quite frankly didn't expect to hear any other answer to this question in any of the day's interviews. Everyone knew how reliable the program was – that kunoichi would rely on it outside of missions was unsurprising. The whole point of the program was to protect kunoichi while on missions when they were often put into positions where they had no other ways of preventing unwanted pregnancies. If the program was good enough for those situations, then it was certainly good enough for extracurricular activities. Frankly, it would be far more surprising to find someone who didn't rely on it outside of missions.
"You'll want to be tested then, an appointment can be made at your local medical branch," she paused, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose again while she checked the file, "oh, wait, I see that your file says you're a medic." She frowned and rifled quickly through the next stack of folders before nodding. "Huh. Looks like they wanted to do the medics first."
With a start, Sakura realized that she was probably the first person this woman had informed.
"Well, then I don't have to tell you that you have options." Ms. Eto nodded, mostly to herself. "The first step is to get yourself tested and then decide from there what you want to do."
Sakura nodded automatically. Due to the nature of the injections, she didn't experience the inconvenience of a monthly cycle so there was no obvious early indicator for her to miss.
"Good." Ms. Eto smiled warmly, it had gone better than expected. Granted, Sakura was just the first in a long line of what was likely to be difficult interviews. "Just remember that there are options and regardless of what you should choose to do," she nodded at the pamphlets, encouraging Sakura to take one of each, "if you should find yourself pregnant, the Kunoichi Affairs Office is committed to helping in any way we can."
Sakura nodded again, unable to form words. If she was pregnant, and she couldn't imagine that she wasn't, Kakashi was going to kill her. She knew without a doubt that the one thing he had never wanted during his lifetime was children.
"Let's take a look at your options, should you find yourself to be pregnant," Ms. Eto picked up one of the pamphlets and started to open it. "Your first option is-"
Sakura raised a hand and shook her head. She already knew and had no idea what she wanted to do – going over her options now would serve no purpose.
"No, thank you. I have the pamphlets and I can make another appointment if I have questions," she responded absently as her brain started looking for solutions.
"I-I see," she shuffled the papers in front of her, uncertain how to proceed. She was told to operate under the assumption that all kunoichi were pregnant – most would be considering how many of them relied on the injections – and to make sure to go over all their options with them carefully before they left.
"Um… No matter the outcome, make sure you schedule another shot unless you turn out to be pregnant and wish to keep it. We're having everyone re-up just in case. It's too important for us to leave up to chance."
Again Sakura nodded, obviously deep in thought.
"Well... that's all I, uh, all that I have to tell you... Do you have any questions?" Suddenly a bit nervous all over again she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose though they did not need any adjustments.
Sakura shook her head, already rising from the seat, pamphlets in hand. Her mind still elsewhere, searching for a game plan. She knew the first thing she would have to do – she'd have to do a test to confirm what she was already fairly certain was true. Then she'd have to figure out how to tell Kakashi when he returned. And, possibly even more difficult, would be what she would do. Of course, it would be all on her but… it would still require a lot of thought.
Sakura knew it was a decision she couldn't, in good conscience, just make on her own without at least mentioning it to Kakashi if he happened to make it back on time. Regardless of what she decided, she would have to tell him, there was no way to hide the bad batch of hormone injections from him as she was certain it would be all over the village before lunch – and was likely to be a conversation topic for months to come. Kakashi was an intelligent man, he'd know even if she did terminate the pregnancy – she'd teased him about her last appointment and he was unlikely to have forgotten.
Well, he was unlikely to have forgotten the evening he'd given her after she'd tweaked his nose about her appointment at any rate. To date that was probably the second-best evening, she'd spent with him – the best being the first as she'd never experienced him lose his sense of self-control like that before. And, since that first time he had always had a better grip on himself, she hadn't experienced the likes of it again – nor did she ever expect to. Doubly so now that she was fairly certain that she was pregnant.
Tsunade glanced up upon hearing someone enter her office and was faintly surprised when she noticed it was Sakura, her former apprentice wasn't due to come by for another few days. She must have something on her mind to stop by now – something important considering the lack of color in her cheeks.
"Sakura, this is a surprise," she commented when Sakura seemed to have lost her words. "I hear you were called down to the Kunoichi Affairs Office this morning." She added, idly wondering Sakura's visit to the Kunoichi Affairs Office might have something to do with her visit before dismissing that idea out of hand. Last she heard, Sakura had been seen out and about with Kakashi – that is to say out and about more than usual with Kakashi and often in date consistent settings.
Sakura nodded, color rising to her too pale cheeks.
Tsunade's eyes widened as the realization hit home, she sat up straighter in her chair. "You were amongst those affected, I take it?"
Sakura nodded, unable to hold Tsunade's gaze. Though she had assumed that she was pregnant when she left the Kunoichi Affairs Office, a small part of her had still hoped that she was wrong, that maybe she had gotten lucky…
"Kakashi, I take it?" Tsunade asked, unable to keep the disbelief from shading into her tone of voice.
Sakura nodded again, her cheeks now blazing and her head drooping forward in shame. She knew it happened and had been fairly certain of the results even before she even took the tests but... she was a highly skilled medic and kunoichi. This sort of thing shouldn't have happened. Having to tell her mentor how she'd failed as both a kunoichi and a medic…
"Well." Tsunade sat back in her seat, digesting the surprising bit of information. "This certainly is unexpected." She took another moment to better examine Sakura and observed in every line of her posture and body language the shame and distress that Sakura obviously felt at her situation.
Tsunade stifled a sigh and allowed her expression and tone of voice to soften. Bad hormones or not, Sakura was far from the first and certainly would not be the last kunoichi or medic to find herself in this situation.
"Sakura, it happens. Happens to the best of us, even if the hormones hadn't gone bad. It still happens sometimes – doesn't make you any less of a kunoichi or a medic. This is in no way your fault."
"I-I know but… I just feel like I shouldn't have let it happen."
Tsunade shook her head. "You had every reason to believe that you had it covered. It's not your fault."
Sakura sighed, doing her best to collect herself, and shook her head. "I just… I don't know. I feel as though I've somehow failed."
"You don't need me to tell you that you're anything but a failure. There are probably dozens of kunoichi in your shoes right now. You're in good company and none of them are failures either."
Sakura nodded, knowing her mentor was right but still continuing to struggle with her feelings.
"At least you weren't out on a mission. I'm sure there will be at least a few kunoichi who have it worse than you do - and they might find out too late to make their own decisions." Tsunade paused for a few moments to let Sakura contemplate those other kunoichi who were far less fortunate. Those who were out of the village and might find out – too late – the hard way. Depending on the nature of their missions, the unexpected news may even jeopardize their success.
Sakura nodded again, Tsunade had a point – things could be far worse for her.
"Besides, Kakashi is a good man. And, one you were already planning on having a child with..." she trailed off as it occurred to her that though Sakura had been planning on having a child with Kakashi, she had not planned on doing it until after his name had been added to the Memorial.
Unhappily, Sakura nodded again, unable to comment further. She knew Tsunade was right. She really did. However, a part of her just couldn't help but feel embarrassed. And, another part of her felt dirty – Kakashi never wanted this child. She'd assured him that she had things covered… And yet, apparently, she hadn't. Now she had something he never wanted during his lifetime.
"Well, you're keeping it, I'm sure. We'll need to make some plans – plot out when you'll likely be out on leave and see how we can get people to cover. It will be useful to plan everything now with all the current shortages." She nodded mostly to herself. "This is good, it will take the two of you out of the program too."
Sakura glanced up sharply, her uncertainty evaporating in the face Tsunade's assumption. "I don't know if I'm going to keep it."
Tsunade straightened in her seat in surprise. "What?!"
She swallowed before repeating herself, making and keeping eye contact with her mentor. "I-I don't know if I'm going to keep it."
Tsunade stared at her uncomprehendingly.
Sakura ducked her head a little guiltily but held Tsunade's gaze. "I would like to speak to Kakashi about it."
"Why? It's nothing to do with him. We both know he's not going to settle down and he has already done his paperwork leaving you everything. What should it matter if it's before his name is added to the Memorial?"
"That's not the point…" Sakura started, with a warning edge to her voice, this decision was hers to make.
Tsunade shrugged. "It's your body, you can do as you please… I'd just have assumed that you'd grab the chance to have the child you've been wanting for some time now."
"Yes, I can do as I please. And, I do want children." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Both of those are certainly true. However, I'd still like to speak to Kakashi about it first, before making any decisions."
"Sakura, I sent him out of the village two weeks ago."
"Yes, I know."
Tsunade sighed. "Sakura, I can't call him back for you."
Sakura's eyes widened. "What? No! That's not why I'm here!"
"It's not?"
"No, I just wanted to know if you had an expected timeframe for his return. That's all. My window to make a decision is shrinking. If he's not expected back for another month or longer, then he'll be too late. I'll have to make my own decision. But, if he's expected back sooner…" she trailed off hopefully.
Tsunade eyed Sakura's determined expression for a moment and sighed. "Okay, let me see what I can do."
Tsunade knew that she could if she truly wanted to, order Sakura to have the child for the good of the village – in fact, the Council would do just that regardless of Sakura's feelings on the matter, never mind Kakashi's. But, Tsunade also knew that if she were to ever issue such an order, it would be an extremely unpopular one and if she wasn't careful she would have a kunoichi uprising on her hands. She also knew that potential kunoichi uprising aside, such an order would absolutely destroy her relationship with Sakura. No, it would be best to let Sakura do as she pleased. Kakashi would one day attain his goal and once that was accomplished, Sakura would have his child. No need to rush things unnecessarily if that's not what Sakura wanted.
With only a small amount of reluctance, Tsunade pulled out her master copy of the mission assignment log and flipped through to the back, unsealing the ANBU section when she got there. After a few moments of examination of the log, she had to remember what his code-name had been changed to once he was reinstated into ANBU, she found Kakashi and his mission. He was currently two weeks into what was planned to be a six-week mission. While there were some opportunities for an earlier completion, she didn't think Kakashi would take any unnecessary risks. He was too close to achieving his next goal – he only had a few more missions before he'd be bumped up to the next level.
"Well… it looks like he's about two weeks into what is estimated to be a six-week mission."
Sakura's expression tightened as she inhaled sharply. She'd hoped he would be expected to return sooner. Slowly, she let the breath out. "I see. Okay. Thank you." She turned to leave, uncertain what she was going to do but knowing she would have to figure it out on her own.
"There is some wiggle room, he may be back sooner – depending on how things go."
Sakura chuckled. "Kakashi isn't known for being early, you know." Color rose to her cheeks as she realized that Kakashi returning from a mission early was the direct cause of her being in this situation in the first place.
Surprised that Sakura could find some humor in it, though briefly wondering about the accompanying blush, Tsunade could only agree. "You're not wrong there. But, there is still a chance. Stranger things have happened."
Sakura sighed. "You're right. Of course, always a chance, I suppose." She turned once again to leave.
"Sakura," Tsunade called out, stopping Sakura in her tracks. "I understand that this must be difficult for you, a tough decision, I suppose. Especially, since Kakashi isn't around right now." She sighed. "But, I'm behind you, regardless of what you choose. I'll make sure you get the best benefits possible however it should go."
Surprised, Sakura turned. "Thank you. I-I think I need some time to think. I'd hoped..." She shook her head. "Never mind. I just need some quiet time to think, sort things out on my own, I guess."
She nodded. "You're due a break. Take the rest of the day off," she eyed Sakura for a moment, before adding, "and tomorrow too. I'll send a note to the hospital letting them know you won't be in."
Sakura opened her mouth to protest but then shut it as she realized that in her current state of distraction, she would likely be no good at work anyway. Instead, she nodded. "Thanks."
"Go get a mani-pedi or something, pamper yourself."
Sakura smiled weakly.
"Or, go spend a little alone time at the Memorial."
"Yeah, thanks." Sakura nodded, she'd go get her things from her office and head out – as tempting as the mani-pedi sounded, she just wasn't in the mood. Instead, she'd go try and find some answers at the Memorial.
"Oh, and Sakura?"
She turned around one more time, wondering what else her mentor could possibly have to say to her.
"Not a word of this to anyone."
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Why?"
"I can guarantee the village will want that child. The Council will want that child."
Sakura took a step back. The ramifications that it was Kakashi's child, beyond the immediate issue of him not wanting children, hadn't hit her just yet.
Tsunade nodded. "They will do whatever they can to interfere if they even get so much of a hint of the situation."
Sakura nodded slowly, this additional wrinkle turning out to be most unwanted.
"I'll do whatever I can to stymie them but can't guarantee I'd be successful."
Sakura let out a long slow breath. "Thanks. That's just… well, more to think about."
"Have you already told anyone else?"
"No, just you. Came directly here when I got three positive verifications – three different ways."
"Good. Don't tell anyone else, then."
Sakura nodded. "The only other person I wanted to tell would be Kakashi… if he returned on time."
Tsunade nodded. "When you come to a decision, no matter what it is, please let me know – we can strategize if necessary before moving forward."
Sakura took a deep breath and turned once again to leave, this time finally making it out the door.
Tsunade waited a few moments after Sakura left, her mind turning the issue over. If Kakashi didn't return in time, Sakura was likely not to keep the pregnancy. Clearly, if she felt it necessary to discuss the situation with Kakashi, then she wouldn't feel comfortable going through with it without his blessing. Unnecessarily, as Tsunade was fairly certain that Kakashi wouldn't dare express an opinion other than Sakura should do as she pleases. However, Sakura was likely to feel as though she was somehow betraying Kakashi if she kept the child without speaking to him about it first.
After a few more moments of thought, she sighed and hit a hidden button on her desk. Making a few mental calculations, as she grabbed a blank scroll. If it arrived too soon, its arrival might jeopardize the mission, but if it arrived too late, then the effort of sending it could be wasted. Though he was an elite, there were limits to what Kakashi could accomplish with the proper motivation in shortened periods of time. Less than a minute later an ANBU appeared in front of her. Quickly, Tsunade scribbled a note on a scroll, sealed it, and handed it to the ANBU.
"This is to go directly into Old Hound Leader's hand, him alone, and no one else. If he's not in when you arrive, you're to wait for him, do not leave it with anyone except for him. I need this to get to him in two weeks – he's in the north-west safe house in Lightning. Get directions from your superior if you don't already know it."
The ANBU nodded and held her hand out for the scroll.
"I believe there should be other mission correspondence that needs to be delivered in that area or along the way – pick anything up that's headed in that direction and plan your route so that this scroll is your last delivery. It must be delivered in two weeks – not sooner nor later. Two weeks, precisely."
The silent ANBU nodded sharply and took herself out via the window.
Tsunade watched her go, not thrilled with how things had gone but still pleased that there had been some progress. That Kakashi had actually managed to get Sakura pregnant was surprising, the bad batch of hormones notwithstanding. He'd told her point-blank that he'd never entered such a situation unprepared. Clearly, that had changed, at least where Sakura was concerned.
The ANBU hurried onward, almost at her destination. She was looking forward to finally taking a break. Due to the peculiar timing for the delivery of the message she carried, as well as the locations of the other messages she was asked to deliver en-route, she had been forced to take a long and winding path. Consequently, she was absolutely exhausted.
Finally, the safe house came into view. Or, rather, the enormous fallen tree lying up against a small hillock that marked the entrance to the hideout – exactly as it had been described to her.
Carefully, she performed the long chain of identifying hand seals to let the ANBU inside know that she was from the village and safe to be let inside. Identity confirmed she approached the large log and formed the correct second sequence of gestures required before opening the door.
Upon entering the small quarters she paused a moment in the doorway to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, it was going on twilight, and from what she could see there was very little in the way of lighting inside.
An older ANBU approached her, likely the leader of the team currently sharing the safe house with Old Hound Leader. "State your business."
"I have correspondence for Old Hound Leader."
"What?" someone exclaimed from behind the older ANBU, from his tone of voice, he was quite a few years younger than his team leader.
She leaned around the ANBU in front of her. "That's surprising?"
"Old Hound Leader left this morning," the team leader responded, ignoring the fact that she'd addressed her query to someone behind him.
She sighed. "Okay. I'll wait." It was too much to hope that he'd have been in when she arrived. He was likely out doing whatever it was that he needed to do for his mission.
The team lead shook his head. "No, I'm sorry I wasn't clear. He left this morning – to return to the village."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "What?"
He shrugged.
"He wasn't due back for another two weeks at the very least."
"What can I say, he must have been motivated."
She shook her head. "I didn't see him on the road on my way here."
The team leader shrugged again. "Old Hound Leader has been around a lot longer than the rest of us, not particularly surprising that he can pass unnoticed when he wants to."
She sighed. "Right, right..."
Kakashi made his way more or less leisurely into the Hokage's office, pushing his porcelain ANBU mask up and out of his way as he crossed the room to her desk.
Tsunade glanced up upon hearing someone enter her office and did a double-take upon seeing that it was Kakashi.
"Kakashi! That was fast – even for you!" She glanced down at the calendar on her desk and frowned. "How did you get back so quickly? The ANBU I sent with the message should have arrived left less than a week ago."
His eyes widened, his stomach dropping a bit as nervousness hit him, if she had sent for him, then it was likely because she knew Sakura was pregnant. Though, why she would have waited a couple of weeks to do so, he couldn't guess. Sakura would have told Tsunade as soon as she found out… likely the same day, or close to, when Daishi left the village. Instead of admitting to anything, he decided to play dumb as he truly didn't know anything about an ANBU sent after him.
"What ANBU?"
She looked at him hard for a moment. "I sent an ANBU out with a message for you almost three weeks ago, with instructions to arrive at the safe house maybe five days ago. I take it that she didn't catch you?"
He shook his head. He hadn't seen anyone on the road. But then again, he'd been traveling quickly enough and without regular stops to rest that it was possible that he'd just passed her while she was resting or she passed him while he was resting.
"There something I need to know?"
Still pretty surprised to see him, she shook her head. "No, no, it's fine now that you're back. I'm sure she'll be back in a day or two if she turned right around to come back. If she catches up with you before returning to me, you can disregard her message, it's no longer necessary."
He nodded.
"So, how did you manage to return this early?"
He shrugged. "I saw an early opening and took it."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. That was unlike him. "Risky."
He shook his head. "Not really, they were far too complacent. No real challenges to their security in years and no apparent need for them to be vigilant or make any sort of changes to their routines. Consequently, a quick job." Carefully, he reached into a hip pouch, extracted a small velvet-wrapped parcel, and placed it on the desk.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she guessed what he may have done. "This…" carefully she unwrapped the velvet to find a small not particularly distinctive – but still very important – uncut gemstone. She glanced up at him again. "This was not exactly a part of the deal."
Kakashi shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea to take it – they'll blame the deaths on the theft of the stone. Since we have no use for it, it's unlikely that suspicion will fall on us."
She nodded, still surprised that he'd managed to pull it all off early, elite or not, it was still a tall order for one man.
"A good bargaining chip for a rainy day, I should think."
"It was too good of an opportunity to let pass."
Shaking off her surprise Tsunade pulled herself together, re-wrapping the uncut gemstone in the velvet. After a moment's thought, she decided to seal it as well.
"Excellent job, Kakashi. I'll have it secured in the treasury for now."
"Thank you." He turned to leave, report verbally given – this particular mission not requiring a written report – he would be free until his next mission.
"A moment, Kakashi," Tsunade called before he could make a move to step away.
Surprised, Kakashi turned, his stomach once again clenching as he wondered if Tsunade really did know about Sakura and if he was going to catch hell for his actions.
"If you're looking for her, Sakura left maybe half an hour ago." She studied him intently, looking for any signs that he may have heard of the village's current baby boom. After a moment's scrutiny she snorted, he needed a bath.
Kakashi was only just able to keep himself from shifting his weight nervously from one foot to the other.
"You're a bit travel weary. If you're going to go looking for her, a shower might be a good idea before you head over to her apartment."
Swallowing, hard, Kakashi found himself nodding. He'd been so focused on returning to speak to Sakura that he had not properly paid attention to anything else. He likely needed to clean himself up and change as Tsunade was not-so-subtly suggesting – he must stink.
"Good. I'll call for you when I need you."