◊ (42: She's So Cheerful) ◊
∆ (Home Sweet Home) ∆ - ¤ (Another 2 Months Later) ¤ - VP: Tenten
I'm starting my 4th month, being 3 months pregnant already meant I'm a third of the way done. But I'm really fine with that. I'm really happy to be pregnant. I don't think Neji appreciates how hard it really is. As Sakura says, what guy could? I laughed, none that I knew. Boy simply didn't understand the pain of pregnancy and somehow I thought it was funny to see any of the guys pregnants. My sudden started laughing, startling, the other reading girls. They looked up from there books to me.
"What's so funny Tenten?" Sakura asked me.
"Yeah, I mean these aren't exactly romance novels. They're books about pregnancy. Important but not at all something to laugh at." Ino said.
"Listen to this, imagine the guys… (I giggled)… pregnant." Their faces went blank as we all thought about it.
"Sasuke… pregnant, um. An interesting subject." Sakura said and began to think.
- (Thoughts for Sasuke) –
Sasuke walked in the room, and sat down on the bed next to Sakura. "I'm pregnant." He mumbled under his breath.
"What?" Sakura asked. Not quite understanding; and being taken aback.
"You heard me. Leave me alone." He said resting on the bed. "My stomach hurts, can you get me something to eat Sakura? The baby is making me sick." – Sasuke runs to the bathroom.
"Poor Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, sighing, and going to the kitchen to make him something to eat.
- (Thoughts Over) –
"So very wrong." Sakura said shaking her head. "Sasuke!" She screamed upstairs.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
"You would tell me if you were… um pregnant right?" His eye twitched in his normal fashion when he was annoyed beyond reason.
"Yes Sakura, I would be sure to tell you if I was pregnant." He said shaking his head and returning to his room, worried about Sakura nonetheless.
"I bet that way he could easier revive the clan." Ino said. Everyone looked at her. "I mean, with all those fangirls…" Sakura glared at her. "Shutting up." Sakura nodded.
Hinata, who didn't really want to join in the conversation as I could see. "Naruto pregnant… interesting." Hinata thought about it.
- (Thoughts) –
Naruto comes running into the house. "Naruto, calm down." Hinata asked politely.
"I wish I could but I'm so happy. Guess what Hinata?" He asked.
"I don't know Naruto-kun, what?" She asked.
Naruto, not wanting to wait, par usual told her. "I'm pregnant." Hinata, blinked, just to make sure it was real. Her husband was… pregnant? He hugged her. "Aren't you so happy for me Hina-chan?" He said with a smile.
"Of course I am Naruto-kun. Very happy for you." She replied.
"I know you would be. I can't wait for our child to be born… can't you?" He asked.
"I am excited too." She said. "What do you think the child will be like?"
"I don't know. If it's a boy, he'll probably be like you. If she's a girl, I hope she's like you. You're perfect Hinata." He said smiling.
"Thank you Naruto-kun." She said kissing his cheek.
He held his stomach as he knelt down. "Um… Hina-chan… my stomach feels bad. Can you do something. Please?" He asked.
"Of course." Hinata walked out of the room and got him some food to eat, not ramen because that wouldn't help. He ate barely any of it. And lied on the bed, resting his head on her lap.
"I don't feel so well Hina-chan." He mumbled.
- (Thoughts Over) –
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata mumbled.
"That was… interesting." I said.
"He's not very much different. We'd have to do everything to keep him calm though." Ino said.
"Yeah, definitely. He'd give the child brain damage jumping around so much." Sakura agreed. "Poor child."
"Men are so impatient I'm sure they'd complain forever about it. Unlike women do, they take it like men should." I said. "I know I don't complain. At least I try not to. Do I?" I asked them.
"No, you never do. You take care of yourself and it's almost as if you weren't pregnant." Sakura reassured me.
"And speaking of complaining… Shikamaru." Ino said laughing.
"That proves to be… interesting." Hinata said. We laughed more as we began to imagine that too. We entertained ourselves within our own minds.
- (Thoughts) –
Shikamaru starts looking pregnant and his stomach has constantly been hurting him. "Shikamaru are you okay?" Ino asked.
"No, of course. I'm pregnant and everything hurts. I'm gaining weight like forever. My stomach hurts and the baby is kicking like… Ow. Make it stop. Stop it." He screamed at his stomach. Ino just stood their looking flabbergast. "What's up with you?"
"You're… pregnant?" She asked.
"Yeah, duh. 3 months." Ino passes out. "Ino? Ino? Man, now I have to take care of myself, her and this stupid baby." He pokes Ino. "Wake up Ino. It keeps kicking me. Make it stop."
- (Thoughts Over) –
Ino laughed. "That's exactly how it's going to be."
"I know. That's like a dead on portrayal." Sakura said, joking along with the others.
"I think he would complain for years about it." I said. "He'd most likely blame you."
"He'd most likely blame me if I was pregnant too." Ino said. "But I know he'd be there for me, like I would be for him."
"Yeah… but one person that would be funny. Is Neji." I said.
- (Thoughts) –
Neji sits down. "I'm pregnant Tenten."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes." He responded.
"Do you need anything?"
"No, I do not."
"Alright then. I'll be downstairs if you need me. I'll support you no matter right, you know that right?" I told him.
"Yeah I know." He said. I nodded and left downstairs. Neji went through anything normally, well except for training. He was about to go out.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"To train."
"You can't Neji. You're pregnant."
"So. I can train." I shook my head.
"Sorry Neji, but it's dangerous to the child. You have to sit down." He crossed his arms and glared at me.
"Fine. But I'm going to train later."
"No, you can't Neji. You're not allowed to."
"I did, now for you own sake, sit down." He crossed his arms and sat down, grudgingly.
- (Thoughts Over) –
"Interesting." I said.
"Very." Sakura said, then we all broke into laughter. We were just hanging around, imagining stuff that won't happen and enjoying ourselves. It was just like our entire lives, except without ninja work. That, they had already done. I missed ninja stuff but I'm over it. I understand.
With all the laughter, the guys came out of their rooms and down the stairs. "What's going on?" Neji asked.
"We're imaging you guys pregnant." Sakura said laughing.
"Figured." Sasuke said snorting.
"What? Why would you do that?" Shikamaru asked.
"Us… pregnant. That can't happen, can it?" Naruto asked. Everything was silent. "Can it?"
He ran out the door. Hinata's eyes followed him. "Where's he going?" Sakura asked.
"To talk to Tsunade-san, it seems." Hinata said. "He's going to ask?"
"Yep, probably A." Sakura began.
"Can men get pregnant?" Ino finished.
"Or B."
"Am I pregnant?" I finished. After a second of silence, the two other girls and I began laughing hysterically. The boys and Hinata were just silent. Hinata was confused. It was normal, funny but normal.
I walked out of the house. Neji 'secretely' following. "If you're going to follow, at least accompany me properly." I said out into the air.
"Alright." He said, appearing beside me. "How are you doing?"
"Perfectly fine." I answered. "It was nice to have a good laugh with them."
"So who started that conversation?" He asked, curious.
"I did. I was thinking about how guys don't understand pregnancy."
"And?" He questioned, trying to understand my logic.
"Well… then I told them and we started really applying it specificially to you guys." I said.
"So you don't think I understand you."
"I didn't say you didn't understand me. I said pregnancy." I corrected him.
"How can I?" He asked. "I, unlike Naruto, am sure that there is no way for me to get pregnant."
"True, but it was just a statement. It's not your job to be pregnant, as a male. Your job is to provide and take care of this child and me, not carry it. At least not until it's born. Then you can, but until then, it's my job. I don't expect you to."
"Good, because I can't. As much as I wish you didn't have to suffer and I could help you. I can't." I smiled. The love and care that he gave me was more than enough. To make me happy.
"I know you can't. And if I thought you could. I don't think I would wish my pain, and gift I guess… on you."
"Why not?" He asked.
"Let's just say I know what would happen." His eyes brow rose. I smiled. Playing around with Neji's head, what fun.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Answer me a few questions. Do you like being in the hospital?" I asked.
"Definitely not, why?" He asked me.
"Being pregnant is sort of like being in the hospital. You feel pretty bad, your kind of sore and your body feels sort of num and above all you feel weak. You also want so bad to get out… but you can't. It's honestly very depressing." I said with a huge smile on my face.
"Then why are you so happy?" He asked, suspicsiously.
"Why shouldn't I be?" I asked him.
"Is that a trick question?" He asked me.
"Yes."
"Then…"
"No."
"What?"
"Maybe, I'm not sure." I replied.
"Fine. I'll answer you. You just described to me how you feel. You described it as… pretty bad, num, sore, weak and depressing and then you are smiling constantly."
"Well… it's depressing to be depressed." He just looked at me like I was some idiot or something. "When things are very bad, it's alright to be upset. But if you're upset, or depressed in the matter for a long time, you grow weary of feeling that way. You can't be upset your entire life, or it begins to rule your live. You get over it, grow out of it, and you smile. You begin to see the better things about a situation." I said.
"So what are the better things?" He asked.
"That's easy. I'm pregnant!" His face dropped. I suppose that isn't what he wanted. "I'm pregnant for the first time with a living breathing child that I have with you. One I can take care and love forever, just like I can with you. I am having our child and every day, and every minute brings me closer to being with that child. Just thinking about it, makes me smile. It's so very worth it."
"Ah. I see."
"Exactly. Moreover, besides losing part of my focus of life, life goes on. I still make food for everyone, eat, sleep, and talk with you, laugh, read, and do everything I did before I was pregnant; beside training of course. Nevertheless, everything around me goes on and being depressed doesn't do anything. I should move on just like everything else." I said smiling.
He pulled my body, carefully toward his and our lips met in a wonderful feeling of love and happiness. As I had just expressed, nothing had changed. Therefore, I couldn't train for 9 months. After that, I probably wouldn't train much either but it would be all right. I didn't care.
He let me go. "You know what Tenten, you're the most amazing person." He said.
"Really, because so are you, honestly." He smiled.
"I don't think under these circumstances that I could be happy, especially when so many negatives out weight the positive.
"What negatives, besides the normal pains and sickness there aren't any. Oh beside training, but I'm over that. Training may have been my life, but that was before I got married, and pregnant. Priorities change, you're always my first priority, and now this child is too. I don't mind, really." He kissed me again.
"What changed your thoughts?" He asked.
"A lot of thinking." I answered. "And a poem."
"Move along and keep going, were in the song?" He asked me.
"Yeah. In the middle of the turbulence surrounding you; These trying times that are so hard to endure; In the middle of what seems to be your darkest hour; Hold fast your heart and be assured." I said. © This Too Shall Pass :: Yolanda Adams
(A/N: Personally, I've never heard the song but I read the lyrics and it sounded inspiring so… I don't know but if you like the song, tell me because, upon recommendation I'll listen to it. The lyrics are nice though.)
"It sounds like that's exactly what you needed to hear." He said.
"Yeah." (A/N: When I was depressed about not making it to finals in robotics the song "In the End" played on my MP3 player and I was like. That's how I feel. Yeah.)
"So you're going to be cheerful now."
"Yeah, I'll push through everything that has disguised itself as something that is hard and upsetting and get to the happy times with you and our child. I can't wait." He smiled, kissing my forehead.
"Yeah, that song is exactly what you needed." He said, carrying me back to our room, to rest.
I laid down in the bed, resting my head on Neji's lap. "What are you thinking about?" I asked him. He was meditating and I knew that he didn't like to be bothered when he was doing it, but I was curious. He opened one of his eyes to look at me.
"The future, what you said had made me want to think about it? So…" I sat up, trying, as best I could to meditate as he had taught me however long ago it was.
In the future, I saw Neji and myself walking down a road toward the Hyuuga Clan with a small child with us. It was a small child. It was wrapped in white blankets carefully and gently. I was carrying it to be more exact. Neji just looked forward, glancing at the child and I ever few seconds. He would smile, one that I would return and then he and I would return to looking forward. We were now at the Hyuuga Complex and we were welcomed by Alex and Hiashi whom we had become the closest to of the Hyuugas. Alex had a smile on his face as did Hiashi. I sighed, sitting down. I of course was tired. The baby couldn't be more than a week or so old. I'm surprised Neji would let me out of the house; nevertheless, alone I'm sure he wouldn't.
I opened my eyes, holding my stomach gently. No matter how many weeks I've been pregnancy sometimes, a lot of the time it surprised me to see my stomach like that. I'm so use to seeing my body one way that seeing it another is surprising. However someone who has had an even harder time adjusting is Neji. Now I'm sure some wouldn't believe that.
Neji usually adjusts to a situation easily but after years of him being able to pick me up and carry me off to wherever he feels like it. As well as, him holding me tightly in his arms I think he feels limited because of the baby. He has to be a lot more careful around me, and sometimes I think he's worrying un necessarily.
Another thing that I'm surprised about is how a lot of time, more like all the time I look down in my stomach and I see just my stomach. Sometimes I wish I could borrow Neji's eyes to see the baby, to make sure that it really is there. Its weird feeling a weight on your body but you can't really 'see' what it is. It's strange, but a wonderful feeling knowing something is inside of you.
"Tenten, Nii-san, dinner." Hinata says quietly from the door.
"Alright Hinata." I called. I poked Neji from his meditation. He sighed.
"I did here her you know."
"Yeah, I know." I said. I pulled myself across the bed to get my feet to the ground, and pushed myself off. I'm glad I have good balance.
"Come on." He said. I stuck out my tongue, and sighed.
"If I could get you back now. I would." I replied walking over to him.
"I'd win if you tried." He said with a smirk. I walked away.
I wasn't mad but sometimes his cocky behavior can get annoying and it's definitely bothersome; more than it normally is. It's harder than you think to be weakened mentally and physically and still be cheerful. It's a lot harder than you think it'd be. I'm tired and emotionally unstable and my body is unstable it's in pain and stressed beyond a point and all I'm trying to manage is being pregnant at the same time being happy.
We quickly ate. "Tenten, how are you doing?" Hinata asked.
"Fine, just the normal stuff going on now. I'm a bit sick to my stomach sometimes but other than that, I'm fine." I said to Hinata.
"That's good." Sakura said.
"So have you guys thought about names?" Ino asked excitedly.
"Sort of." I answered. "A few names."
"Really, like what?" Sakura asked.
"I want to know!" Naruto yelled, jumping up.
"Naruto, quiet please." Hinata said. He nodded, sitting down. Everyone besides those who Ino had dubbed 'çlantesque' laughed. (Çlantesque means behaving a clans are expected to act. My word.)
After dinner was over the girls and I all decided to go on a walk. Neji, as expected, was protective. Sakura, as expected, put him in his place and he reluctantly, let me go.
"So Tenten, how is it when you're pregnant?" Hinata asked. "I mean like…"
"Well, I really feel sort of heavy. That's normal though. It feel weirds to wake up. Most mornings I forget I'm pregnant and have to think about it for a while. I sometimes think about is it real or not. I sometimes wonder if there is a child really there. It's kind of hard to imagine, you know?" I asked.
"I can't imagine being pregnant right now. It's kind of a foreign feeling to me."
"Really, it was to me but now it's becoming more natural. It's still funny that I don't wake already knowing what I'm waking up to. I think Neji's the one who it bothers the most?"
"What?!" Sakura said.
"Calm down. I meant like he's so used to our lives being so normal. A set schedule and how things are he has to focus hard to remember that there are things that are changing. That's what I meant. He's smiling even more everyday. That makes me happier and it's sort of why I can go on being cheerful." I said trying to explain it.
"A baby." Hinata said staring up into the sky. "I want one of my own."
Everyone went silent. It's was an awkward statement. What we supposed to say? I had to something. Something more was hinted in there. Something I couldn't quite read of her statement. "What more?" I asked out loud. She turned to me.
"What do you mean Tenten?" Hinata asked me.
"Sometime I've learned about those born under Hyuuga rules, they're always thinking and when they say something there's always much more to it. For Neji, having spent so many years with him, he doesn't really have to talk. I can read everything that's going on, not just the basic statement he makes. So what more are you trying to express?"
Hinata began blushing. "It's kind of uncomfortable to talk about but… I'll try. So I can be helped."
"That a girl Hinata!" Ino said smiling.
"Yeah, we'll be here to help you." Sakura said gently.
"He's scared… for me. I mean we haven't talked it about it much but I can tell and read him, like you can read Neji, Tenten that he doesn't want me to be hurt."
"That's one thing about Naruto. When it comes to anyone important to him getting hurt, it hurts him. He would be extremely protective of you and he would be very upset if you were in pain like that. Most likely, he's blame himself." Sakura said.
"Yeah. I knew that would be the outcome." Hinata said sadly.
"You just tell him that's what you want." Hinata furiously shook her head. "I don't want to tell him what to do. If it's going to upset him, then I don't want to."
"Naruto's definitely hard headed and you're not exactly the kind of person to pound it into his head." Sakura said. "No offense, you're just çlantesque."
"Yeah, you were taught to be silent and listen to your husband. You were taught to be strong as well as beautiful but pretty much kunoichi and house wife material. You weren't taught to be bossy and pushy like I was by my parents." Ino said laughing. "Which sometimes aren't good things, unless you're married to Shikamaru like I am?"
"What about you two?" I asked them.
"Sasuke-kun and I have already talked about it. We really want to wait a while longer so we be settled with our life and such. I also feel better that way. I'm a bit nervous about it anyway." Sakura said uneasily.
"Shikamaru doesn't mention it much." Ino said sighing. "Probably not for a while. I don't think that's something he wants yet. I'm all right for now though. We're really settling into how things are now a days."
"I can understand that. I guess I don't mind since well I'm a year older than you guys are and I've spent the last few years with Neji already as his fiancé while for you guys it was a lot less time between when you got engaged and marriage. Neji and I already have had everything set with ourselves for a while. And anyway, there's no way I can do anything about it, right?" I smiled.
"Nope, you can't Tenten. I'm glad you're so accepting and happy about it though." Hinata said with a smile on her face.
"Me too! I think it would be truly upsetting for me had I not been so accepting but I really am happy to be carrying this child of mine around." I said.
"That's wonderful Tenten. It really is. I hope I can be as accepting as you are." Sakura said. "Sasuke expects me to."
"I can't believe he'd expect you to. That's ridiculous." I said. She nodded as we all returned home.
I climbed in bed after changing my clothes. I was 4 months pregnant now. I was starting my 5th month. More likely I had just completed my 18th week. In 2 more or so Tsunade could tell Neji and I if the baby was going to be a girl or a boy and I'm almost half way done.
"So what did you guys talk about for almost 2 hours on your walk?" Neji asked, obviously interested.
"My pregnancy and what's going on with them." I said. "A update of things basically. Though we live together we don't go so in-depth when we have meals together or we'd be eating for 4 or 5 hours. I'd definitely make him cook it all. He'd begin to appreciate how much work Hinata does just to be able to feed him constantly." I said laughing.
"So how are they all?" Neji asked.
"Hinata is a little bothered by Naruto. He's overprotective. Not much to say other than that. Sakura said he's overprotective of all his friends. For Hinata, she's just not use to being so protected so it's a little bothering to her. Ino says not much is going on with her at all. She's pretty much keeping Shikamaru in control, being a typical wife. Sakura is definitely happy with Sasuke, anyone could tell you that. I didn't really need to report that. She's be happy with Sasuke no matter what."
"Sometimes that concerns me. How easy it was because of her solid love for him for him to take advantage of that. I'm not saying that he would but I don't think she's honestly go against anything he said. Sometimes I don't think she'd stand up against him. Like a few months ago, while other times she'll tell him what she things." I smiled.
"I'm glad you're thinking about our friends. A few years ago, you wouldn't have. Even if it was your own cousin but you changed, definitely for your better. I'm glad. Good Night Neji." I said closing my eyes and resting against Neji; trying to go to sleep and rest for another day.
The Reasons Why… She's so Cheerful.
1. She was entertaining herself within her own mind
2. She enjoyed her conversations with the girls
3. She missed ninja stuff, but she got over it
4. She understood it wasn't good to be depressed
5. The love and care that Neji gave her was more than enough to keep her happy
6. Playing around with Neji's head was fun
7. She decided to change her attitude
8. She grow weary of feeling depressed
9. She can't be upset her entire life
10. She get over it, grow out of it, and she smiled
11. She begin to see the better things
12. She's pregnant
13. It's the first their with a living breathing child that is hers and Neji's
14. She will soon have a child she can take care and love forever
15. Every minute brings her closer to being with that child
16. Just thinking about it makes her happy
17. It's worth it
18. Life goes on
19. She can do most things she did before
20. Being depressed doesn't do anything
21. It's best just to move on
22. Truly upsetting for her had she not been so accepting
23. She's almost half way done with the pregnancy
24. Soon she'll find out if the baby is a girl or a boy
