Chapter 59 - Aquarius Regulus

"Look, just tell me where the hell you're keeping her, okay? I know she's here."

"Sir, please, if you would calm down-"

"Like hell I'm calming down, where the fuck's Karin?"

"Sir, please."

"Quit calling me 'sir,' you little shitstain, and answer my question!"

Hatsumoto's patience was wearing. Very. Thin.

"I'd answer your question," he said, "if you told me who this 'Karin' woman is."

The man had pointed teeth and he bared them as he thought. "She is," he replied, "extremely fucking important to my job and if I don't see her then everyone here's in serious trouble. Got it?"

"I think that's reason enough," Yamada said, pleasantly.

Hatsumoto's glance was sharp and tired and in Yamada's direction. His partner did not notice.

"Look, sir, we at least need you to…" His eyes glanced from side to side over the blade on his back. "…declare yourself by filling out a few forms. As you're quite obviously carrying a weapon."

"Yeah? Well I declare that I got shit to do. C'mon, Shingetsu, you tell me where she is."

"Okay, Daddy!"

The silver-haired man and his companion in miniature stormed off before much else could be done.

"…well, we could always send a message ahead," Yamada said, helpfully.

Hatsumoto just sighed.

The message, through luck and connections and very enthusiastic interns, reached Karin before the man did.

Barely.

"Ah, yes, there's, um, a man with silver hair that's just arrived, and he wants to see you. He's got a little fellow with him."

They had woken her up. To her discontent. "You have got to be kidding me," she said, rubbing her eyes, reaching for her glasses.

"Do you know them?"

"KARIN. THE FUCK ARE YOU."

"Oh yeah. I know them."

And they knew where she was. They made this very clear from the lobby of the hospital, where everyone could hear.

Especially her.

"I'll be right down," she sighed.

And right down she went. In her pajamas.

Suigetsu was still shouting, despite the efforts of the staff to get him to quiet down and explain himself.

"SERIOUSLY, WOMAN, WHAT GIVES? GET OVER HERE."

"Quiet down, I'm here." She had her hands on her hips as she entered the lobby. She hadn't brushed her hair yet.

Shingetsu was the first to respond, with an overjoyed "Mommy!" and a hug around her middle. Which was an effort for such little arms.

Only someone like Suigetsu could have looked so angry and yet so relieved. "Fucking hell, there you are. You had me worried to death, why the hell aren't you back at the clinic?"

Karin stroked the boy's head a few times, idly, with her reply. "Because I had to go with Juugo down here, that's why."

"Juugo? He's here?"

"Yes, and Asaoto too."

"What the—why?"

"It would probably be best," Karin said, looking left, looking right, "if we take this conversation elsewhere, okay? And if you apologize for being so disruptive."

"Ah."

"Daddy, you were bein' kinda loud," Shingetsu said, matter-of-factly, letting go of Karin.

Suigetsu scowled. Stammered. "Sorry for… being all loud."

"And disruptive."

"You don't tell me what to say."

"Say it, or we'll get in even more trouble, okay?"

"…and disruptive there are you happy where the hell have they been keeping you anyways."

"Just… follow me, okay?" Karin said.

So they followed her. Shingetsu practically clung to her arm as they went.

Sakura, naturally, caught word of everything a short while later, and made her way to Karin's room a short while after that.

"So what is this I hear about you receiving guests, Karin?" she said, with as much intimidation as she could muster.

"Oh. Good morning, Sakura," Karin replied, and yawned.

"We're here to check up on her, 'zzat too much to ask?"

Sakura's intimidation was tarnished a fair amount by her sudden confusion. "…who are you, anyways?"

"None of your business."

"Suigetsu. At least try to be polite, okay?" Karin sighed. "I don't think you were ever properly introduced to Hozuki Suigetsu and his son."

"Hi," Shingetsu said, from Karin's smallish lap. He had his arms wrapped around her shoulders. "I'm Shingetsu."

"Uh, hi right back…" Sakura said. She quickly cleared her throat. "But, really. What are these two doing here?"

"Acting as my escort out," Karin replied, flatly.

"…what?"

"She left the clinic a… bit too suddenly and we gotta make sure she gets back safely, understand? Don't want anything to happen."

She nudged Suigetsu with her elbow, and hard. "How quickly I left and why is not under your control, Suigetsu. I'm worried about Juugo, okay?"

"Well yeah but-"

"Regardless. They're here to bring me home tomorrow," Karin said, glancing sideways, and then back at Sakura, "in place of your staff. I apologize for any inconvenience they might have caused, okay?"

"Mommy, I'm not an inconvenience, am I?" Shingetsu said, resting his head, like a puppy, on her chest.

"No, Shingetsu, you are not," Karin said, fondly. She ruffled his hair and he dug his head in just that little bit more.

(Shingetsu's hair was thicker and longer than Asaoto's and just a little bit darker.)

Sakura stood for a moment, eyebrows shifting lower, higher.

"…you two aren't, uh, together, are you?"

"No," Karin and Suigetsu said, simultaneously, and belligerently, "we are not."

"Just asking…" Sakura said. "What with the 'Mommy' business. Is this like with Asaoto?"

"What does she mean," Suigetsu said, with narrow, sliding eyes, "'like with Asaoto'?"

Sakura felt surprisingly flustered in her reply. "Well you said you weren't together, so if he's not your son and he's calling you 'Mommy' like Asaoto is..."

"Ohh. That. Yes, well… that's the case here too, okay? Believe me," Karin added, flatly, glaring at Suigetsu.

"The hell are you looking at me like that for?"

"Where's Asa-otouto?" Shingetsu said. "I wanna see him."

"Shingetsu, he isn't your little brother," Suigetsu said.

"But I wanna see him."

"He's next-door, Shingetsu, with Uncle Juugo. You can go see them while I talk to your father, okay?" Karin said.

"Next door? Really?"

"Yes, but be careful with Asaoto, okay? And don't bother Juugo too much!" Karin said.

"I WON'T!"

Shingetsu was off her lap and speeding out the door before Karin could say another word, brushing past Sakura as he did so.

When she did finally speak, it was, "That boy."

"Don't look at me," Suigetsu said.

"I wasn't looking at you."

"Um, did you guys need me to leave you alone?" Sakura said.

"Yeah, we have some things to talk about," Karin said. "If you don't mind."

"No, no, I understand, that's fine," Sakura said. "I'll just… let the staff know that Suigetsu-san is here. Um. What time did you plan on leaving tomorrow?"

"Soon as possible," Suigetsu said.

"When I feel ready," Karin said.

Suigetsu grumbled.

"Well just let us know in advance," Sakura said. "And, um, Suigetsu-san."

"Yeah, what."

"…I'd really appreciate it if you left your, ah, sword with our security personnel down the hall."

(Sakura knew that sword.)

"…I'm not gonna be using it," Suigetsu said.

"Then why do you need it with you?"

"Nobody touches my sword but me." He crossed his arms and left no room for negotiation on his face. "Besides, I won't use it."

"Suigetsu, just… give her the damn sword, okay?" Karin said.

His shoulders tensed.

"…I'll drop it off myself," he said. "Show me where the hell your security whatever the hell is."

Sakura noticed his eyes wandering through the open door of Juugo's room as she led him down the hallway. Shingetsu was sitting on the hospital bed and speaking animatedly to Asaoto, who blinked slowly, and listened, and smiled.

"So, um." Sakura tried to deflect the stares with speech. "How… do you know Karin, exactly?"

"None of your business," Suigetsu said, and said no more.

The rest of Sakura's afternoon was fairly quiet, minus an insistent, insistent insistence from Suigetsu that nobody touch the sword absolutely nobody touch it or even think of touching it and only he may touch it when he comes back to get it the next day when he and Karin leave now where's his son.

Suigetsu was surprisingly cooperative everywhere else. The model visitor, being (relatively) polite and (relatively) quiet and staying out of the way.

And then Sasuke showed up.

Nobody had any idea how he had found out about Suigetsu's entrance, nor why he was even bothering.

(It could have just been Sakura telling him about Juugo and Asaoto, or the fact that, in Konoha, unguarded facts and rumors spread like mice in a storeroom full of food.)

Sasuke had a most wonderful talent for looking like he was searching with purpose when he was, in fact, terribly lost. So his meeting with the rest was more of an accident than anything.

They were eating together in the cafeteria. The kids had been allowed to order their favorites. Presently, Shingetsu was tackling an intimidatingly large flan.

Juugo, naturally, spotted him first, and made this clear with a delighted, "Sasuke!"

"Oh, great," Suigetsu said, after a quick look over his shoulder. "What is he doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Karin asked, as Sasuke came closer.

"It's been so long. You look healthy, Sasuke…" Juugo said. His was a smile with closed, happy eyes.

"I heard you were in town. Didn't expect to see more of you, though," Sasuke replied. He didn't look at Juugo. "Suigetsu. What brings you here?"

"Well hella-freaking-lo to you too, Sasuke. Why do you think? I'm here for her."

"Her? You mean Karin?" An eyebrow rose. "I didn't think you even liked her enough to associate with her any more."

"Well pardon me for showing a remote amount of concern for the mother of my child, Sasuke," Suigetsu said. "Times change."

"Stop making such a big deal out of it, okay?" Karin whispered, leaning forward in her chair. Her face was barely flushed.

"What, so it isn't a big deal? I think it's a big deal," Suigetsu replied.

"Please, you two, don't fight," Juugo said, quietly. Asaoto, in his lap, his usual place, put another spoonful of vanilla ice cream in his mouth.

Sasuke's eyes just flicked between the two of them. Suigetsu, he noticed, had cut his hair short, and there were more lines on his face, but his eyes were still young and full of violet anger.

"Ah," he finally said. "So you are the father. I had a feeling."

"Oh bull shit," Karin said, almost laughing. "No you didn't."

"The hell is he talking about?" Suigetsu said, with a lemony scowl. He looked at Sasuke, when Karin started sniggering. "The hell are you talking about, Sasuke?"

"I had a feeling that you were just saving face when you told me that the father was nobody I knew," Sasuke continued. "Didn't think you'd settle for him."

"Oh fuck you," Suigetsu said.

Shingetsu, from the chair beside him, giggled. "Daddy, you said a swear."

Sasuke's eyes rested on the boy for a moment. Of course, condescendingly. "Is that one yours too?"

"Yes," Suigetsu replied, "he's my son."

"Hi," the boy said, wiggling his spoon at Sasuke, "my name's Shingetsu."

"Hm," Sasuke said. "Well, I suppose you could have picked a worse option to settle down with. I'm assuming it didn't work out with the last one?"

"Are you trying to piss me off?" Suigetsu had his hand on the edge of the table.

"Just ignore him, okay?" Karin said. She had stopped laughing, instead letting her face fall into a neutral, resigned expression. "I'm not offended."

Suigetsu's teeth sunk into his bottom lip. He returned to his lunch.

"But really, Sasuke," Karin continued. "Are you going to continue taking shots at us or do you have something meaningful to say?"

"I'm just here on my lunch break. Can't stay long." He put his hands deeper into his pockets.

"The fuck are you even here, then," Suigetsu said.

"No particular reason."

"I can't believe you."

"Suigetsu, please calm down a little," Juugo said. His face had grown increasingly worried, but not distressed.

Sasuke took a moment to look at Asaoto, drawn there by his father's voice.

For a moment. "I'll leave, then."

And he left.

"What the fuck," Suigetsu said, after a while. "Jeez, I can't believe you used to have a thing for that guy."

"I never had a thing for him," Karin said, glaring at him.

"Right, and I'm a fucking fairy princess."

"Both of you, please…" Juugo said.

"Daddy, you're really swearin' it up today," Shingetsu said, with a cheeky smile.

"Yeah, and you'll be repeating none of it, you understand?" Suigetsu said, shoving his boy, gently. Shingetsu nodded.

"…Juugo, what's the matter?" said Karin.

He was quiet for a long time. "He didn't even say hello to me," he finally said.

"Oh, Juugo…" Karin reached across the table and put a hand on his arm.

"Just ignore him, Juugo," Suigetsu said. "He's not worth it."

"It's okay, Daddy…" Asaoto said. "Don't be sad. Maybe he was just having a bad day."

"Asaoto, every day's a bad day to that guy," Suigetsu said.

"Oh." Asaoto ate another spoonful of ice cream, but he left the spoon in his mouth for a while. "That's kinda sad…"

"What is?" Karin said.

"Being so angry all the time that you can't never have a good day. I think that's really sad," Asaoto said.

"Yeah," Suigetsu said. "It really, really is."

Sakura went to check on Karin in the evening. This was almost becoming a habit.

But that's stupid, she thought to herself, it takes longer than this for things to become a habit and besides she leaves tomorrow, anyways.

She was only checking twice a day, anyways. In the morning, and at night, before going home.

And Karin was leaving the next day, anyways. Maybe she'd need help packing. Even though she hadn't packed much.

Sakura's mind functioned best when it was trying to do two things at once and it was always looking for more, at its most fervent. It was productive as hell at best and annoying and jittery at worst.

(She hadn't heard about Sasuke's appearance at the canteen.)

(This was probably for the best.)

The door to Juugo and Asaoto's room was open, so she poked her head in there first. "Hey, you guys doing okay?"

"Hi, Sakura-sensei," Asaoto said.

"We're doing just fine…" Juugo said. Apparently they had been reading, together, on the bed. Shingetsu was with them. There was still space left over in Juugo's lap.

"Good to hear." Sakura paused. Noticed something.

Missing.

"Ah, Shin…gatsu-kun?"

"Shingetsu." A giggle.

"Right, Shingetsu-kun… Where's your father?"

"He went to go take a walk. Or get Mommy something. I dunno. He told me to stay here with Uncle Juugo."

"We're reading a story," Asaoto said.

"I can see that," Sakura replied. "Well… you guys just holler if you need anything. The staff's here for a reason."

"Thanks…"

"Thank you, Sakura-sensei."

"Bye-e," Shingetsu said.

A little down the hall, Karin's door was closed.

"Karin? Are you there?" she asked, softly.

No response.

"Karin?"

"Mmuh, jus', hold on." Karin's voice sounded almost slurred.

"Hey, is everything all right in there?" Sakura asked.

"Jus' fine, gimme a seccon. Unnh…"

A great deal of time passed between her reply.

And another moan.

"Karin, what's going on? Are you okay?" Sakura had her hand on the door handle.

"Just… hold on, I can… handle it."

"Karin, I'm coming in."

"No, don't-"

Karin was sitting on the bed with her tunic unzipped. Her hands were on her stomach. They were glowing with chakra.

"Get OUT of here, I'm not DONE!"

There was something red dripping from her mouth.

Sakura shut the door, despite her medical training and her common sense and her worry and the voice in her head going WHAT THE FUCK.

She was breathing like.

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?

Like she had been in battle for hours.

Her heart was loud and fast and.

What in the world was wrong with Karin's stomach?

That wasn't normal. That wasn't, by any stretch of the word.

Skin wasn't supposed to look like that. Skin wasn't supposed to be puckered and streaked through with red striae and covered with deep scar-memory gouges.

And Karin, was, was she trying to heal that?

Karin had been bleeding from the mouth.

GET THE FUCK BACK IN THERE!

So Sakura did, closing the door behind her.

Karin was zipping up her tunic, by then, and she had wiped her mouth off. Sakura did not hesitate, this time, in approaching her.

"Karin, are you, are you okay, do I need to call anyone for you, what in the world was-"

"Sakura, calm down." Somehow, Karin sounded calmer than Sakura did. "I'm fine. Just… calm down, okay?"

But skin wasn't supposed to look like that skin wasn't supposed to look like that.

"But your—what in the world happened to your stomach?"

"Nothing for you to worry about, just… old scars," Karin replied. The side of her mouth curled up. Slightly. Bitterly.

"Scars? What in the world from?"

Sakura's hands reached for the zipper of the tunic, almost on reflex what in the world could cause such things but.

Karin caught her hand and held it, firmly. Almost reassuringly.

"Let's just say that my patients aren't always the safest people for me to be dealing with, okay? I get hurt sometimes. They're just scars. Nothing new. I'm fine."

Sakura's hands were trembling.

Just below the collar of Karin's tunic, just beneath her sleeves, she could see the circle-edges of bite marks.

Just scars. Nothing new.

"Karin, Karin, but…"

"Please, just… stop. I'm fine. Honest, okay?"

Karin's red eyes were red around the edges.

She took Sakura's shaking hands and pushed them away, and let go.

"But… what were you trying to do just now? I mean, you looked like you were in pain."

"Oh, that…" She leaned back a little, on the bed, and rested a hand on that (awful horrible tortured poor) stomach of hers. "Premature contractions. I was able to stop them with some healing chakra and medicine."

"Premature—Karin, that's serious!"

"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before, okay?"

The few seconds of silence after that statement was like a cold knife in Sakura's stomach, and the edge was Karin's voice.

Nothing she hadn't—oh that was.

"I've… almost miscarried. Several times." Her voice was suddenly much softer, and the movements of her hand over her stomach were softer still. "But somehow this little one's managed to hold on."

"Just how often has this been happening?" Sakura said.

"…not often. And this is the only time since I've gotten here. I figure it's just because I'm stressed about the situation. It should be easier when I get home."

"Karin, maybe you should stay-"

"I can't stay."

"But you-"

"Look, Sakura, it was just one instance, and I got it under control, okay? If you hadn't barged in then you wouldn't even have known."

Karin's eyes were very red and they could be extraordinarily intimidating if she wanted them to be.

(And she did.)

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine," she said.

Sakura struggled to.

Regain her power. She was Chief Medical Officer for a reason, wasn't she?

"You were—bleeding from the mouth, though."

Karin actually laughed at that. "Oh, did I get some on my face?"

"Your face?"

She pointed to a glass on a rolling table beside the bed. There was a red residue still left in it.

Karin was wiping her mouth off, needlessly. "It's probably the medicine, I kind of chugged it down in a panic and choked because I didn't mix it thoroughly enough." She managed another laugh. "How dignified of me."

"Oh, I'm… sorry, it just looked like blood and I… well, I don't know what I was thinking," Sakura said.

"Hey, easy mistake. You were shocked, okay? I understand." There was a smile, and it was not bitter any more, but reassuring. "Even I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror any more. It's bad. I get it."

"Karin, don't say that."

"Hey, it's my body, I can say what I want about it." Her eyes lowered to her hand. "Besides, it's keeping this little one healthy, and it's still well enough for me to take care of others, and that's enough for me."

It was strange and unsettling, how quickly Karin could shift her moods.

(And how sad she seemed to be, while simultaneously grateful.)

"It sounds like you're really working hard, for this child's sake."

"More than I probably should," Karin said, with a sigh. "Then again, I'm desperate."

"Desperate…?"

Karin thought.

For a strange long while.

"…never mind," she finally said, "it's not much of a reason."

For not much of a reason.

Sakura sat down next to Karin on the bed.

And she thought for what seemed like a longer while. Looking for the right words.

"Well, whatever the reason," she decided, "I hope it'll feel like it was worth it."

"I hope so, too," Karin said, quietly.

"Hey. It probably will. Speaking from experience here," Sakura said.

She finally smiled. The knife was finally gone from her stomach.

"Hey, what makes you think I'm not experienced?" Karin said. "I'm juggling Asaoto and Suigetsu's little bratling with my work—you have no idea how many times he just drops that kid off at my house and just expects me to take care of him—don't think I don't know how to handle kids, okay?"

"Fair enough!" Sakura said. "Oh, I don't think I ever asked—are you expecting a boy or girl?"

"Hm?"

"Well, do you know? Or are you leaving it a surprise? I mean, Lee insisted that we didn't find out until our kids were born, and that turned out all right."

"Oh, no, no, I already know. It's a boy."

"Oh, how sweet. Have you picked out any names for him yet?"

"Yes," Karin said, "I know his name."

"What is it?"

"Osato."

"Osato! Well that's an… interesting name," Sakura said. "But I think there's a fair amount of charm to it!"

"Oh, just tell me it's stupid, okay?" Karin said.

"It's not, Karin, I think it's very cute."

"Sure."

"I mean it!"

"I'm a sensor, Sakura, and I can tell you're lying, okay?"

"Oh come on…"

(Well, it was just a little unusual, but who was Sakura to judge? Honestly?)

(Plenty of children had last names for first names, right?)

"At any rate," Karin said, "this has gotten me ridiculously tired out. I sent Suigetsu out to run some errands for me. If he comes back, just tell him I'm sleeping, okay?"

"Oh, sure, absolutely. You should get your rest," Sakura said. "I mean, after that scare of yours…"

"It wasn't a scare, and I'm fine," Karin said.

"Well, if you say so."

"I know so. For heaven's sake, Sakura, I'm a doctor too. You think I don't know how to treat myself? Now let me sleep. I need it, okay? Especially for the trip tomorrow."

Sakura got off the bed. "Okay, okay. If you need anything, just… you know who to call."

"I know."

And it was when Sakura was almost out the door that Karin said, "Hey, Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

Karin was still sitting on the bed, though there seemed to be a new sort of heaviness around her. "Sorry for scaring you so badly. I really do appreciate the concern. It's a lot more than I usually get."

"It's… fine. Right?" Sakura replied.

Yet, for some reason, her smile felt just that little bit more uncomfortable.

"Yeah, it's fine. Goodnight."

Was Karin's voice uncomfortable too? Sakura left before she could think too hard about it, closing the door behind her.

Suigetsu wasn't anywhere nearby, so she left a note with his son—Shingetsu not Shingatsu, he was eager to inform her again—about it. She wrote it on a piece of paper from the memo pad in her pocket, just in case. A nine year old's memory was not the best thing.

"I hope Mommy gets some good sleep," Asaoto noted, following the message. "She tells me the baby just makes her tired sometimes."

"Yeah," Sakura replied. "Just a little tired."

For Karin's sake, Sakura hoped for no more incidents. No episodes from Juugo, no attacks from Asaoto, no premature contractions.

At least until Karin got home.

She worried, for once, about how she would get by at the clinic on her own, especially with little Osato on the way.

(It was still a strange name.)

She'd been told that Karin had assistants, but…

But the same reflexes that kept her from worrying too hard about Ino and her children and all the phone calls kicked in, and told her to stay out of things, for her own mental health. Karin had a good handle on herself.

If she hadn't walked through that door, if she had been just a few minutes late, she wouldn't have even known.

She'd be fine.

Unfortunately, in the morning, Karin did not return home. All transport in and out of Konoha was halted.

And for a very, very good reason.