"Hey Sakura," Sakura's head jerked up at the happy voice of Ino. The blonde stood in the door way poised to knock "its not a bad time is it?"
Yes she was swamped with budget deadlines, "no, come on in. What are you doing here?" She said pushing her papers to the side and smiling at Ino.
Ino came further into the room and sat on the chair opposite her "it was at my first scan today."
"Really? You should have told me I would have been there," Sakura quickly rushed on as Ino frowned at that "ah- how did it go?"
Ino still seemed slightly bothered but brushed it away as the joy of the scan filled her again "it turns out I'm two months along."
"Two months?!" Sakura said shocked. She did some mental calculations, that meant that Ino had conceived either the first or second time they had had sex. "How did you not know before?"
Ino raised her eye brow not appreciating Sakura's tone but Sakura was still reeling at the fact she was a daddy for two months. "Well I never had a regular period due to all the training we did and my diets never really helped and then there was the trauma of the war and I also happened to read the instructions wrong on the pregnancy tests I took previously."
Sakura had to laugh as Ino tirade dwindled down to an embarrassed flush "you read the instructions wrong? Did the plus and negative signs confuse you?"
"I got the kind with the kittens" Ino admitted reluctantly.
Sakura laughed.
"Shut up! Its not funny!" Ino grouched her face warm "in every other kit blue means negative! It was a reasonable assumption to think that the blue kitten meant I wasn't pregnant!"
"So," Sakura said reigning in her laughter "what you mean is that you didn't read the instructions wrong but that you just didn't read them?"
"No one likes a smart ass Sakura," Ino said.
"How is everything with it? Do you know the sex?" Sakura let Ino off the hook and continued with the questions she really wanted answering.
"Everything's fine, so far so good and I decided not to know the sex of the baby," Ino said "I just thought I would stop by since I was near, let you know what's going on." Ino stood to leave.
Sakura stood as well but didn't know what to do. Ino was walking out and waving goodbye her mouth opened before her brain good stop it or think of anything good to say "Ino!"
Ino stopped and turned with an expectant and polite smile "what is it Sakura?"
"You've always been bad at DIY and stuff so if you need help with the crib, or anything really," her mouth opened to expose her teeth in what she hoped was a smile that said, Sakura was the person to call for assembly, despite the fact she doesn't own a toolbox.
Ino laughed "that's okay I've already roped Shika into that duty."
"Oh, well good," Ino turned to go again "Ino!"
Ino turned back once more annoyance starting to filter across her face "yes, Sakura?" She said less patiently.
Her face twitched and for some reason looking at Ino's eyes which were starting to get angry a the silence. Ino shifted her weight but the blood in Sakura's body was fizzing and trying to back track from her mouth. She hadn't felt this nervous since her first mission. She didn't have her team mates here to help her this time "I want to be your daddy," she winced at how wrong that sounded then quickly tried to take it back "no! I mean that I want to be involved, like if you need…" her hands groped the air trying to pull out examples of her usefulness "…ah, ice cream! Yes ice cream! If you're too tired or fat to go get it yourself, I could be the one to do that."
Ino looked less than impressed with her offer of personal ice cream woman. Her face darkened until it was nearly purple with fury. She pulled her head down until her chin met her neck and advanced on Sakura like a rabid dog. Sakura, shocked and not a little frightened, was driven back until she had to scramble on top of her desk. Ino thrust her hands down on either side of Sakura and lent over her threateningly. "No! How dare you Sakura! I told you from the beginning what I wanted from you! How dare you try to take this a way from me."
Ino's voice when it came was a rumbling growl that grated on the mind. Sakura was speechless she had never seen someone so angry at something she had said. Naruto yes, but not her. "You won't take this a way from me. I won't let you," Ino threw herself from the table and stormed out.
Sakura gingerly felt to see if her head was still attached. What the hell just happened?!
XxXx
"Word on the street is that you're in hiding and Ino's public enemy number one at the hospital," Tenten said stacking the world history section of her shop.
"I am not in hiding, I'm merely writing up my report in seclusion," Sakura lied. She was hiding from Ino. Not because she was afraid of another serial killer episode but because she was embarrassed to be near her. To be rejected so thoroughly wasn't a blow to her ego but a shattering strike to her self confidence.
"Seems like hiding to me," Tenten continued stacking books "oh and by the way you might want to avoid Temari. She's been going around like a bear with a sore tooth trying to find you. She's been out the front twice."
"Temari?! What did I do to her?" Sakura asked confused and annoyed some else wanted to give her a hard time.
"Her and Ino have been really close since she married Shikamaru so I'm guessing that its something to do with that," Tenten said finishing her stacking and turning to look at Sakura.
"Damn all these woman after my blood…I should have just stayed straight," Sakura said and Tenten laughed and patted her on the shoulder sympathetically.
XxXx
She was forced from her hiding place in the book store when Tenten got sick of the sight of her. She had finished her report of the experiment that was now rocking her once wave less life. All she had to do now was track Ino's progress to see if the baby was progressing normally and put on the conclusion which she wouldn't be able to do until the birth.
It was about four o clock and the streets teamed with activity. She decided to take a short cut through the park in order to avoid the flower shop and reach the safety of her apartment faster. Work was not an option because if she had to look at another sympathetic face or angry on her behalf expression she was going to hit someone. Hard.
She tripped and fell on her face over nothing.
"Haha you're it!"
She turned to see a mini Shikamaru laughing at her. Behind him were a few other kids. "We're playing tag with powers! You have to chase us now!"
Sakura rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. When it became obvious she had no intention of chasing the other kids she was tripped again. "Why you little brats-!" She growled and hurled into the centre of them like a bull into a red flag. The children dispersed in a cloud of delighted laughter scrambling in all directions. She chased after each of them grabbing at girls and boys alike. They evaded her easily dodging and using their height to their advantage going around her and through her legs. Somewhere in all the melee she began to laugh.
She caught the little blonde girl that launched herself from a tree at Sakura's head. The added weight made her stumble back were she tripped over a boy kneeling on all fours. It was a strategic attack. Sakura fell once again and was dog piled by the little buggers. "Get off!" She laughed/threatened "I swear I'll kill every one of you little brats!"
Since she was laughing the kids didn't take her seriously and the dog pile continued until only Sakura's head could be seen. One thing was for sure, these little brats would make excellent ninja's. She continued to thrash and threaten but was careful not to hurt any of the little bodies.
"I swear Shika if you've dog piled another old woman I'm going to skin you alive!"
A child slid down the dog pile until he covered Sakura's face but she knew that voice anywhere. Temari. The kids quickly fled the avenging mum and Sakura had no where to hide. Temari who had been reaching forward to help the poor person waylaid by her son paused. She straightened with a glare. "I have a few things I'd like to say to you."
Sakura pushed herself to her feet and was unprepared for the little Shikamaru double to take her hand. "Okaa-san she's didn't mind playing with us! Honest! Isn't that right?"
She looked down at the wide eyed innocent child and swallowed hard "no, if was fun."
"So, you here to steal someone else's baby?" Temari glared.
"What? No! I was just on my way home," Sakura defended herself.
"Shika go play," when the little boy hesitated Temari glared at him and he scampered off "you have Ino extremely upset."
"I just wanted to be…" she trailed off and looked away. She wondered if her kid would dog pile on Ino with all its friends? Probably not, Ino would kill it. "It doesn't matter," she said pushing past the blonde.
"Oh, but it does," Temari said grabbing her arm roughly and spinning her back "are you going to bring it to the Hokage?"
"What?" Sakura frowned in confusion.
"Are you going to take the case to the Hokage?" Temari bit out again "because I don't care how popular you are I won't let you steal her kid."
"I have no intention of doing something like that," Sakura said appalled "I asked and she said no. I'll respect her decision," even if she didn't like it. Drawn out court cases and arguments would only sour things between her and Ino making it difficult for the child in the long run. She didn't want Ino to hate her.
"Good," Temari said seeming to loose some of her hostility. She then deflated and pinched her nose in a very Shikamaru like fashion "this whole thing has been so bothersome. Ino's scared to death you're going to get into a custody battle. I knew this was a bad idea from the start. I knew she wanted a kid but the way she went about it was ridiculous," Temari then began to mime what seemed like an old conversation. She seemed to be unaware of Sakura still standing there "'Ino' I said 'if you want a baby so bad I'll take you to a big city and you can get a rent boy for the night' but nooo that wasn't good enough for Ino. She should have just listened to me in the first place."
"Tenten thinks the same," Sakura said "she thinks I should have just listened to her from the start."
"Seems like a smart girl that Tenten," Temari said walking away "come on, I want to get to know more about the father of my godchild. Like how the hell you managed to impregnate my friend to start with."
XxXx
Sakura licked her ice cream and watched Shika play on the climbing frame. Temari sat beside her laughing, her own ice cream in danger of falling "you had sex with her as a man? Ino had sex with a man?!"
"Yeah," Sakura said slightly confused about that comment.
"That's rich!" Temari wiped a tear from her eye. They sat in silence for a little while the occasional chuckle escaping Tamari now and again. "why do you want to be involved with this kid anyway? It seems to me that you were fine with being the donor before?"
Sakura shifted and her gaze turned inward. Being with Ino had been the most fun she had had in ages but it was more than that she was sure. "At the start I didn't actually realise or fully realise what I was doing. I didn't understand that there would be a little kid with half my chromosomes running around. It was just a science experiment, a challenge that no one else had over come. Then it got real."
Temari stood and waved Shika over to her "you're an idiot."
"So I've been told," Sakura said dryly.
"If you don't do anything stupid to annoy Ino I might put in a good word for you," Temari said scooping the little boy up in her arms.
"Thanks," Sakura smiled. The mother and son just waved back half heartedly. That had gone much better than she thought it would. Things seemed to be looking up.
XxXx
"Is this true!" The door to her office flew open with all the force of a million angry deities. Sakura stopped writing immediately to see the thunderbolt of fury surging towards her desk A familiar set of notes was hurled on to her desk as Ino, breathing heavily with rage, loomed over the sitting doctor.
"That's my report, how did you get that?" Sakura asked picking up her work with a frown. She had left it safely tucked away at Tenten's, how did Ino get a hold of it?
"Is it true?!" Ino demanded again.
"What? Is what true?" Sakura asked frustrated. She hadn't seen Ino since her last angry outburst nearly two weeks ago and now the other woman was shouting at her again. All that anger couldn't be good for the baby.
"There! This!" Ino snapped the report off Sakura and opened it to the page that had greatly offended her. Sakura peered attentively down at the paper unwilling to take her eyes of the thundercloud before her for to long.
"Side effect and dangers? Oh yeah. You should have known that every thing has its draw backs Ino," Sakura said calmly.
"Why didn't you tell me about them?!" Ino if possible seemed to get more angry.
"Because they only affect me not you or the baby," Sakura snapped getting tired of being shouted at.
"Damn it! I still had the right to know!" Ino screamed.
"What do you care!? You got what you wanted! Everything! You didn't seem to care about me when you were in here screaming not to long ago!" Sakura yelled surging to her feet to be on some equal level with Ino.
"Sakura this could have brought on the menopause early for you. It could mean that you're infertile! How could you guilt me like this?" Ino said.
"Guilt you? Believe it or not Ino, I didn't think how this could effect you!" Sakura said feeling indignant at the other woman's gall to insinuate she was using this as a guilt trip.
"Oh? then how did this end up on the counter of the flower shop?!" Ino said with righteous energy.
"It should have been at-Tenten," Sakura growled as she realised what had happened. Tenten had put the report there in a misguided attempt to help. She was going to kill her. "Listen Ino I'm sorry about this. What's done is done and can't be changed. Don't worry I don't plan on using this or anything else in an attempt to take away…your child." The last two words were painful but she got them out.
Ino took a breath and seemed to calm down. For all of two seconds "damn you Sakura!" She said with disgust before slamming the door shut behind her. She was really getting sick of that.