Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

Chapter 13

"We'll need to buy a lot of paint," Sakura observed from the guestroom doorway. Kizashi stared at the ceiling, pencil between his teeth, and tapped a notebook against his leg.

"We will. And new curtains and bedding. Mebuki and I still have your old baby furniture tucked away in the garage. I'll get Lee to go digging for it and clean it all up."

"Chichi!"

"What? I'll be working on the nursery! It makes sense for both of us to be doing something useful!"

"I guess you're right. But he's been so busy with work and everything… I'd feel bad."

"But I won't." Kizashi jotted something down in the book. "If he wants to be a part of our family he has to pull his weight."

The doorbell rang and Sakura started, rubbing her hand on her enlarged belly. "That'll be the slave labour," she joked, heading down the hallway, leaning back slightly. She'd never imagined that a baby would be this heavy – it was like carrying a hundred whales.

Lee's grinning face appeared as she opened the front door. "Hello blossom!" He wore his work trousers, joggers and singlet, though the top was covered by a green jumper. The base of his shoes were slightly damp from walking through the grass, not covered in snow like they would have been two months ago, in the thick of winter. It was spring now and Sakura was seven months along. The last two months had been absolutely brutal as she'd finally attended prenatal classes, which turned out to be completely horrible.

In a nutshell: the other expectant hahaoyas. As soon as Sakura walked in, they fixed her with looks of disapproval. They were all thirty-plus and had had a chance to live their life before falling pregnant for the first time. To Sakura's credit, she'd thoroughly researched everything she needed to know before attending the classes, so she hadn't made a fool of herself in front of the other women. She was able to demonstrate the best ways to hold and feed a baby and soothe a crying child. If not for the other women, she might have enjoyed the classes.

"Hey love. How was work?"

"It was average." He shrugged and pecked her cheek, smiling. "I survived by thinking of you!"

"Come on in." She turned to move inside and Lee attached himself to her, following her along the hallway with an iron grip on her hips. "Chichi's started sorting out everything for the nursery. He wants you to find all my old baby furniture and clean it up."

"I would be delighted!" Lee disengaged himself so he could greet Kizashi and man and boy shook hands. "It is good to see you! I will return in my spare time to begin my quest."

"Why not start now?" Kizashi asked, examining his notes.

"I wish to take Sakura on one last outing to a local seafood restaurant before she decides against leaving the house in her state," Lee replied smoothly, flashing a smile at Sakura. Kizashi's features softened as he watched the pair of them.

"I don't see any reason to say no," Kizashi shrugged, beaming. "Sakura, how about one last hurrah before you're caught in the trappings of parenthood?"

"Sure." She shrugged. "Just let me put on something appropriate." While Lee and Kizashi discussed plans for the nursery, Sakura waddled to her room and skilfully changed into a knee-length, long-sleeved white dress with tiny pink hearts dotting the material. It was thick enough to protect her skin from the cold but cool enough that she wouldn't start to sweat. She pulled on a pair of pink ballet flats and brushed her hair quickly, deciding against makeup.

"You look beautiful," Lee greeted as she appeared in the doorway to the guestroom. He glanced down at his baggy work pants, green jacket and joggers and frowned, as if he didn't look nice the way he was currently dressed. To Sakura, he looked best in green.

"Shall we?" She grinned and held out her hand for Lee to take. He accepted the offered hand and the couple followed Kizashi out to the car. Sakura eyed the car nervously, as the baby became restless every time she'd entered the car in the last two months.

"I'm assuming one of you has a phone?" Kizashi stated, hopping into the driver's seat.

"I do," Lee replied as he helped Sakura into the back seat. He bent down to clip in her seatbelt and kissed her cheek fondly, causing her to blush.

The ride to the restaurant was a short one and Sakura's stomach moved quite a few times. "Give me a call when you're ready to come home. You kids behave yourself," her chichi quipped, waiting for Lee to help Sakura out of the car.

"It's not like we'll be getting up to any mischief, chichi," she countered, holding out her hands for Lee to pull on. She was heaved to her feet and paused to steady herself as Lee shut the car door. They moved onto the sidewalk and waved as Kizashi drove off. Then Lee took her hand and they walked the short distance to the seafood restaurant in question. Sakura could feel the judgmental eyes following their progress, watching her belly with distaste. She swallowed and was glad that this was her last outing for a while – her back was already killing her.

"Here we are," Lee announced, pointing to the bar. He pushed the sliding door open, allowing Sakura to enter first, and followed her to a table near the back of the room. Conversations stopped as they passed and Lee moved beside Sakura, as if shielding her from the oppressive stares. A wave of adoration surged through her and she smiled at him fondly. Upon reaching a table, Lee darted in front and pulled out a chair, pushing it in once she was seated. He then sat down across from her.

It was a comfortable little place with wooden walls and furniture and clear windows lining the front wall. The kitchen was in the very centre of the restaurant, with the rest of the tables surrounding it, either against the wall or in the middle of the floor. Stools lined the kitchen benches, forming a rectangular shape, and most were full. The people sitting at neighbouring tables to Lee and Sakura gave them strange looks.

"Is it really that much of a shock to see a pregnant teenage girl?" Sakura sighed, lowering her gaze to her menu.

"Cheer up! Their opinions do not matter." He reached across the table and held her hands. "What matters is how we feel."

"You're right." She nodded. "They can keep their thoughts to themselves. I'm hungry for some seafood!"

In the end, Sakura almost wiped out the remains of Lee's wallet. She couldn't help it. She was starving for seafood! As there weren't any almond-based desserts, they decided to forego dessert. The stares had lessened as they ate, as people gradually forgot they were there, and it made conversing much easier. They'd had a good laugh about the waitress's reaction when she came to take their order. She'd looked between Lee and Sakura several times, wondering if they were 'for real', before realising she was supposed to be working.

"That was a very nice meal," Sakura announced, lowering her chopsticks for the last time. "I think our little one enjoyed that."

Lee grinned and leant around the edge of the table so he could see her stomach. "What was that? Oh, our child says that she loves seafood." They shared a smile before standing up, Lee moving quickly to help Sakura to her feet. She wouldn't normally like being treated like an invalid but it was great for people to see just how much he cared for her. It gave her pride to know that someone as special as Lee was by her side.

"Can we go for a short walk before calling chichi?" she asked, accepting his hand as he led her from the restaurant. "I'd like one last chance to stretch my legs. I'll be holed up in the house for the next three months, so I should do it while I can."

"Of course."

They walked down the street side-by-side and hand-in-hand, this time ignoring the stares that were sent their way. At one point, Sakura was sure she saw her old Literacy and Numeracy teachers, Kakashi and Iruka, walking into a grocery store together but she couldn't be sure.

"Do you want to look at names when we get home?" she asked. "Or will you get onto the job for chichi?"

"We shall choose a name. It cannot possibly take very long."

"You'd be surprised," she said dryly. He chuckled and raised their joined hands, pressing the back of hers against his lips in a sweet gesture.

"Sakura?"

She turned slowly – mindful of her swollen belly – and stared in shock at the group of boys approaching them: Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji. Kiba and Shino were nowhere to be seen, which struck her as odd.

The group of boys halted and swapped gazes between Sakura's pregnancy and her and Lee's joined hands. Neji, however, knew everything already, so he was fine with speaking.

"You've gotten bigger since I last saw you."

"Yeah." She fidgeted. She glanced at Sasuke's wide eyes and bit her lip, wondering what was going through his head.

He turned to Neji. "You knew? Why didn't you tell us?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "It's hardly my business to go blurting to the world that Sakura's pregnant. Who she tells is her decision. Besides, I'm dating her best friend and to do something so cruel would end us."

Sasuke faced Sakura again, swallowing. She didn't know why his acceptance felt so important to her. "So… how far along are you?"

"Seven months. And yes, Lee is the chichi."

Naruto grinned and rushed to the couple, pumping Lee's hand enthusiastically and hugging Sakura like she was a bomb. "I'm so happy for you guys! Is it a girl or boy?"

"A girl."

"What're you calling her?"

"We have not decided yet," Lee sighed. "That was the next item of business."

Shikamaru approached them slowly, shaking their hands loosely. "Good luck. Children are such a drag." He gave them a wan smile and moved back so Choji could say his congratulations and salutations.

Then there was just Sasuke. Everyone could see the gears turning in his mind. "So… when you were throwing up at school…"

"Yep."

"And why you haven't come back this year?"

"Yep."

"When did this happen?"

"Gah, it's like everyone wants to know! It was just after we broke up, so no, I didn't cheat on you."

He let out a breath. "I just can't believe you're pregnant. What will you do with the baby?"

"We are keeping her," Lee announced, pulling Sakura closer.

Naruto shook his head. "You guys sure are brave. I can't imagine doing anything like that at sixteen."

"You're not a girl," Neji pointed out. He inclined his head to Lee and Sakura. "It was a pleasure to see you. I'm guessing your back is killing you right about now, so we'll leave you be. Good luck."

"Thanks. We'll see you around."

Sasuke took a moment to shake their hands, finally past his shock, and the group retreated. Sakura watched them go sadly.

"Everyone at school will know now," Lee sighed, groping in his trouser pocket for his phone. "It will not be a secret."

"I don't want to keep something this wonderful a secret." She turned her gaze to Lee and smiled. "Besides, I was right."

She paused, prompting him to ask: "About what?"

"About their faces being hilarious when they saw me well and truly pregnant!"

o.O.o

The group of boys drew out of sight from the expectant couple and Neji watched Sasuke warily, waiting for the boy to say something. Naruto practically glowed with joy at the discovery and his glow was even affecting Shikamaru, who looked a little more alert.

"Sakura is pregnant," Sasuke said slowly.

"Yes. She is. With Lee's baby, so you don't have to worry about paying child support or anything." Neji wouldn't admit it but he enjoyed seeing his poised friend unsettled.

"What is she thinking?"

"Maybe that she should make the best of the situation and give the girl parents who love her?" Choji shrugged. "It seems straight-forward to me."

"You're a very straight-forward person, Choji," Shikamaru shrugged.

"Guys!" Sasuke snapped. "Help me out here! Help me wrap my head around the fact that my ex-girlfriend is pregnant."

"You and her didn't do it, so it's not yours," Neji stated.

Sasuke faced him quickly and the group stopped walking. "How did you find out? I don't imagine they were eager to tell you."

"They didn't. I was eavesdropping when they told Hinata, Tenten and Ino. That made me a honourary member of their little group until it started breaking apart."

"It didn't break apart," Naruto protested. "The other girls just joined our group! I, personally, am very proud of them. Everyone knows that Lee loves Sakura and it looks like she finally noticed!"

"Oh yeah…" Sasuke seemed to realise, for the first time, that Sakura's pregnancy wasn't a way to get back at him. If anything, it was a way to get over him. Neji rolled his eyes as the imaginary lightbulb clicked over Sasuke's head.

"Now I want you guys to swear that you won't go blabbing this to anyone who'll listen. We have to respect Lee and Sakura's wishes and they don't want their baby to be a massive spectacle. If anything, avoid telling people at all. Sasuke, you especially. You owe her this much."

"Fine." Shikamaru yawned. "Gossip is too troublesome."

"Sure thing," Choji grinned.

"You bet," Naruto agreed.

"Fine," Sasuke conceded.

"Then it's settled. Just leave the poor girl alone, okay? She's on her last leg of pregnancy and she doesn't need distractions."

"Okay." Naruto pulled Sasuke in for a brief kiss, just to make sure he was still alive. "Now let's go to the arcade!"

o.O.o

"Thanks chichi." Sakura stood on tip-toes and kissed her chichi on the cheek as Lee closed the front door behind them.

"It's alright. I got all the paint we needed." Kizashi smiled at Lee, who was laden with five large cans of paint: four white and one lilac. "Lee and I agreed to do three walls white and have a lilac feature wall."

"Sounds great."

"Well son, if you can take those up to the guestroom I can start taping and you can look at names."

There chichi goes again, calling him 'son', Sakura sighed. She plonked herself onto the lounge room couch and waited for Lee to come back so they could begin. Sometimes she wondered if her chichi was saying 'son' on purpose or if it was a reflex, as Lee had been a honourary member of their family for years.

Lee say down beside her, opening her laptop and entering the password. "I should have taken you out during school hours," he sighed, "that way we would not have crossed paths with them."

"It's okay. It felt good to show her off a bit." She patted her belly lovingly. "Now let's get started. I'll be honest, I've been thinking about names for a while now."

"As have I. The only name I found appropriate was Sakurako: cherry blossom child."

"Not bad." It did have a ring to it. Sakurako Haruno. "Write it down."

He opened a Word Document and typed down 'Sakurako'. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, there's a cross between my hahaoya's name and Gai's name… Mai. It means ocean or elegance, I think."

"Mai Haruno. I like it." He wrote it down.

"I also liked Keiko: blessed child. And Maeko: child of true blessing."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "This will be a difficult decision. Let us start with Mai. Could we include your chichi's name in that too? Maishi?"

She shook her head immediately. "That's a boy's name. If it was a boy… probably. And now Mai is off the table because then chichi would feel left out."

Lee backspaced over Mai and looked at the next one on the list. "Maeko? I do not think this will suit our child. It is a nice name, but is not right for her."

"Okay. Sakurako Haruno." She fidgeted, unwilling to admit that she didn't really like the name Lee came up with. "It's a good name I guess, but… her name will define her. She'll be a child of the cherry blossom and she'll never be able to escape us. Like… ah, I don't know how to say it."

"You believe that she will be looked down on as her parents were teenagers when she was born."

"Yes! She'll be known as the 'child of the cherry blossom who got pregnant at sixteen'. Everyone will treat her differently if they're constantly reminded of our age."

"I understand. That is hardly fair. Well, that leaves us with one option."

"Keiko Haruno. Blessed child." That was the least objectionable one. "I suppose… she is a little blessing in disguise as months of morning sickness, sore backs and insomnia."

"Keiko… Haruno…" Lee said softly. He smiled. "I like it. Little Keiko." He put the laptop on the coffee table and knelt in front of Sakura, placing both hands on the sides of her belly and resting his forehead against the middle.

Her heart beat faster and she felt Keiko kick a little, startling Lee. "Looks like someone can't wait to meet chichi," she grinned, running a hand through Lee's hair.

She was shocked when he looked up at her with tears falling messily down his cheeks. "I am so happy that I cannot express it," he hiccupped. "I love you. I love our daughter. I will never turn away from either of you, ever. I swear upon my honour that I will stay with you no matter what!"

"Lee…" She bit her lip, feeling tears well up. "I love you. I always will. And I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy." She sucked in a shaky breath. "Don't you ever wonder if we're too young?"

"All the time, but then I think of the adventure we are embarking on. Not just anyone can be a good parent and yes, we are young, but we also have the capability of love. I know we will love Keiko and perhaps one day provide her with siblings-"

"One is enough for now!" Sakura interrupted hastily. "Let's just get through this first before thinking of more."

"My point is, we may not have the funds to give her everything she needs but she will always have our love and that is the most important thing for a child to have." He kissed her belly tenderly. "Without my chichi's love, I do not know what man I would have grown up to be. Everyone is defined by the love and attention shown to them by their parents – everyone. By loving Keiko, we will be good parents no matter how young we are."

"When did you become so youthfully mature?" she joked, smiling. Lee grinned, remembering Gai saying something similar when they declared they were keeping the baby.

"When the woman I love told me she was carrying my child," he whispered, standing up and bending over her, capturing her lips in his. They kissed for several long moments, their contact deepening quickly, before Keiko moved.

"Ah," Sakura groaned, pulling back, "I think the little one'll have a 'hahaoya and chichi want alone time so I won't give it to them' alarm."

"What?"

"You know when you were little and you… um…" She cursed inwardly, as Lee had never had two loving parents so he wouldn't know what the hell she was going on about. "Well, hahaoya and chichi told me that when I was a baby, I would start crying whenever they kissed or tried to have alone time. It was like I sensed they wanted a break and I wouldn't give it to them. Apparently I did it until I started school."

"Let us hope she inherits your beautiful face as well as your annoying childhood habit," Lee chuckled, rubbing his hand over her stomach. "Do not forget, we have two homes."

"About that…" she hesitated, unsure of how to put it. She didn't want Gai to be living on his own but at the same time she wanted Lee to come and live with her and Keiko.

"You wish for me to come and live here, but do not want to offend my chichi." He sat on the couch beside her, frowning thoughtfully. "I understand if you do not wish for him to move in here. He can be a handful."

"You got that right," she muttered.

"And my house is totally unsuited as there are only two bedrooms and the nursery is here."

"There's always the shed… I mean, if you cleaned out the back room and did it all up real fancy…"

"That is a fantastic idea!"

She stared at him. "What?"

"Chichi can move into the shed! He will not mind, as long as he is near us! If he stays in the shed temporarily we can still manage the affairs of our current house."

"I'm not sure I'm sold on the idea of Gai living here… and I don't know if my parents will be either."

"What if it was temporary? Once he decides that he is ready to live on his own, he will move back."

Nodding slowly, Sakura began to see the merit in the idea. "And he can help around the house and make more of his fabulous seafood curry. Hahaoya and chichi really like him. Maybe they might see some sense in the idea."

"Chichi would be pleased to see Keiko on a daily basis. He loves babies and children. He always gives them advice and encourages them to enjoy life."

"Okay. Although there is one condition if he's to live here. He has to wear proper clothes around the house instead of those tight little pants he loves."

Lee laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "Deal."

Hopefully their parents would go along with the plan. If not, then Gai would be living alone for quite a while and there was no telling what that would do to his already insane mind.