Knowing
Sasuke reached his home and found Karin. They talked for quite a while about what he thought he discovered. Now Karin was a bit upset about what he thought.
"I think I would know if I was pregnant or not," Karin said, "We barely decided this morning to try. Have a little patience."
"It's not that at all. Sai and I may have figured a pattern out," Sasuke said.
"Pattern," she asked.
"Yeah, or the apparent lack of one. The nightmares are all connected to pregnant females. Then there are those carrying select Kekkei Genkai…," he trailed off their research hadn't gotten very far in regards to that subject.
"I'm not having nightmares. I just had a nightmare," she said.
"I understand. Maybe it is all the more proof for our purposes. So you're not pregnant. So the jutsu cast on you failed to take root in your subconscious like the others. But it did appear as a nightmare. So the caster assumes you are pregnant. We need to find out about why they would assume that. Maybe then we can figure out who is responsible," he said.
"Shopping," she blurted and stood up as if remembering something important.
"Shopping," he questioned. It wasn't Karin's favorite thing to do but she did enjoy shopping occasionally. Most likely she was buying some thing for Miyako whom they both spoiled.
Karin started pacing the floor lost in memories.
"Yes, I visited a baby store recently. I looked at some items," she said.
"Can you remember anyone strange in the shop," he asked a bit surprised to know she was so fixed on the subject of babies lately. He figured she might be pregnant after all.
"It was only me and the store owner," she said.
"Anything about the conversation you might have had with the owner," he questioned.
"She greeted me and showed me a cute baby toy. Something musical. I said that it was perfect and purchased it. I wanted to give it to Ino for a baby shower," she said.
"No one else was there so we should talk to the owner. Alright, and the toy do you still have it," he asked.
"I visited the hospital that day. It was in my purse and…wait…that was the day I talked to…I don't remember her name…anyway that was strange…I…After that must have been around the night I had the nightmare about Naruto and Sakura. Anyway I showed Sakura the gift for Ino. She smiled and said it was lovely. I went home-I mean I went to our home here and ran into Ino, so I gave it to her then," she explained.
"So she has it," he said. There was a lot to take in. Sasuke was a little more than upset that his wife was in town talking to so many people but he said nothing.
"That could be the key," she said.
"Did you show it to anyone else you can think of," he asked. It didn't sit well with him that there was at least one unaccounted person that she couldn't remember.
"No but this is starting to freak me out," she said.
"Calm down it could still be just a toy," he said.
"In a way I hope it isn't; then we'll have the answers were looking for," she said.
"Karin stop working yourself up," he said and motioned for her, "come here take a deep breath and calm down. Sometimes I feel like I can't keep up with you." Sasuke wrapped his arms around her and held her close. It felt nice for him just to hold her for a while. Her hair smelled of that apple shampoo that she used and it reminded him of autumn.
"What's all this Sasuke are you becoming a romantic," she teased.
"So what if I am?"
"Sasuke I feel much better now but I still want to help our friends," she said unable to let go of him.
"We will help them," he said letting her go as her arms dropped reluctantly to her side.
"What did you find out about the village that you were so excited to tell me about," Karin asked suddenly remembering how their conversation started out.
"Oh yeah about Kakashi. I'd rather not talk about it…I feel bad for him," Sasuke said.
"How so," Karin asked intrigued now. Sasuke rarely felt bad or at least not enough to tell you about it.
"Kakashi didn't fall in love lightly he's been thorough quite a lot and this woman that came into his life wasn't supposed to live let alone see life inside the walls of Konoha. He knows all that he sees the contradiction and he knows that your status is somehow mirrored to that of his wife's," Sasuke said.
"But she's a music teacher in their school and no one has challenged her at all. Why now and why the Hokage's wife of all people," Karin said. Despite her status she knew almost everything about the big shots in the village.
"She willingly retired as a Shinobi. She went along with all the laws and compliance between the villages no one has complained so far but with you and I…I just don't know who had the agenda against us. I think it is because Kakashi tried to help us out with a push from Naruto," Sasuke said.
"Naruto said some thing to Kakashi," Karin asked.
"I'm sure after our last conversation that he must have said something to Kakashi," Sasuke said.
"I don't understand…Kakashi's wife has been in the village for quite some time. If someone wanted to go after her they could have long ago," Karin said.
"It took Kakashi some time to make her his wife. It took some time for him to carve his own path as the Hokage in the place of Tsunade. Naruto says it is because he became Hokage that he married at all," Sasuke said.
"Tsunade never married or had any children so it wasn't like the job made him do it," Karin argued.
"I suppose it did not but something about these past few years made him want to marry," Sasuke said.
"I can see why when you love someone," Karin said and snuggled into her husband's embrace. There was no doubt about it how much she loved Sasuke. They had both been through a lot and their shared past helped bond them later in life. There was no letting go of him; henceforth they were simply together.
000
Sasuke finished explaining what he figured out with Karin to Sai, Naruto, Ino and Sakura about the baby gifts. The group of colleagues were having tea in the house that Sai was so proud of. In happier times this place yielded happier faces. For now everyone had a look of seriousness plastered on his or her face. Naruto explained that he had to leave with a team ahead of them and hugged Sakura goodbye. Sakura sat down and listened as the rest of the meeting went on.
"We have to also consider our theory is off. We need to question the other nations find out more about who is being attacked by the jutsu," Sai said.
"He's right," Karin sat down beside Ino pouring some tea.
"I understand," Ino said, "You're right and at the same time we have to find out what's going on and how this toy is related."
Sai took the seemingly harmless toy from the table and placed it in his pack.
"Were going to go now," Sai said.
"I'm coming too," Sakura spoke up. Her secrets were long gone amongst this group and they would all start to treat her like fragile glass.
"Sakura," Sai said questioning the addition to the team.
"We may need a medic," Sasuke said.
Sakura stared at Sasuke wondering what got into him that he would even want her involved.
"Alright we need only one other member. Don't even look like that Ino you're not coming," Sai said.
She knew not to pick a fight over it so she dropped it. Of course she wasn't going. The way she thought of it Sasuke shouldn't be going either.
"I'm not going anywhere," Ino said.
"I can be that other member," Karin said.
Sasuke looked at her but said nothing. He couldn't stop her from coming to Sai's place and most likely he wouldn't be able to stop her from coming along with them to find out whom was attacking them.
"There really isn't anything that can stop her," Ino added glaring at Sai.
"Take care of yourself," Sasuke said to Ino, "We'll give you two a few minutes."
Sasuke, Karin and Sakura left to wait outside the house for Sai.
Outside the house Karin broke her silence, "You didn't put up a fight about me coming along."
"It's a waste of energy to fight you," Sasuke answered, "besides you're not going we'll do without another member. Take care of Miyako."
"What about me," Sakura spoke up.
"Don't be ridiculous. You're the medic-nin," Sasuke said even as normally he wouldn't reassure Sakura he felt some sympathy for her condition.
"There are other medic-nin that can go and I think that if I am a target the mission will suffer. Besides that I…I am taking myself out of the equation," Sakura said looking away.
I have to think of more than myself right now.
"I understand why," Sasuke acknowledged then turned to Karin, "You're taking it well."
Karin remained silent. She knew not to talk about what was really going though his mind. He had that look that she so often seen on the face of people remembering the death of a loved one. She didn't want to see his thoughts so she looked away focusing her thoughts on something else.
Sasuke turned surprising her. Despite the mood she knew he was smiling.
"I know what you're thinking. Put it out of your mind. You worry too much, enough for the both of us," Sasuke said.
He got her and it made her feel at ease. He could be so calm all the time she wondered how.
"I was serious when I vouched for you back there. You'll make a great team member," Sasuke said to Sakura who just decided not to come along.
"I know you were. There are a lot of things I'm responsible for here. Go on and talk to her I'll be fine. I'll take care of them all," Sakura said and headed for the Hokage offices. Once again they were down two team members and back where they started. He trusted Karin to have his back on his team absolutely that went without saying. Although it had been years since they were in perfect sync in the war Sakura would always be his teammate. There was no one else he could think of working with to fit that role.
Sai came out as if on cue. Sasuke turned his attention to Sai.
"Sakura is not coming after all. It looks like we need two people to come with us after all," Sasuke said.
Sasuke pulled Karin aside shielded by the porch, "give me something to remember you."
"As if you could forget," she said gently framing his face in her hands she kissed him passionately and slowly.
This wasn't the first time he had a mission and as long as he was a shinobi it wouldn't be the last. That knowledge did nothing to help her as his actions and strange behavior made her worry even more. Not to mention that her friends were the target. He just wanted to get things over with quickly so the strategy was to go with the powerful group and eliminate the threat right away.
Sai cleared his throat interrupting them.
"We should get going Sasuke. Team Naruto will be too far ahead if we delay," Sai reasoned.
"Take care. I'm counting on you Sai, Sasuke," Karin called out to him as they made their way to find their team members. Lately their missions have been difficult. They had encountered fights with stronger opponents, secret hideouts and shady groups popping up in regions that had previously been inactive. Karin never worried so much as she did now in the unknown world she was living in despite how overpowered Sasuke and Naruto always seemed to be compared to everyone else.
"We leave," Sasuke said to Sai.
Karin watched as they left all the while conscious of her child napping in one of the bedrooms of the Yamanaka home. Kakashi the Hokage knew she was here for sure and Sasuke wouldn't have left if there had been any problems with her staying there. So she would do as he asked and take care of Miyako.