Chapter 71

Shiori Interlude

Three and a half weeks after setting out on an easy C-Rank mission and four days after Shiori got the confirmation from her gynecologist, Kakashi returned tired and in a strange mood. From what Shiori could read of his body language he was a bit contemplative, mostly amused and somewhat exasperated. That hadn't been the expression she had expected after the mission in Wave.

Shiori found Kakashi bend over their daughter's nap bed that he had assembled in the library some months ago and watched Hinako sleep with some of his ninken sprawled around the room, standing guard. Shiori had put her to sleep after an early dinner, Hinako had been exhausted from her day at the crèche and nearly slept in her food to the black haired woman's amusement.

The scene brought a small smile to her lips and Shiori basked in the knowledge that her family was back together. And she had to admit that she was looking forward to Kakashi's reaction to her latest pregnancy. There was something relaxing and comforting about the sight of her husband gently placing a plush toy in the form of a fish close to their daughter. The sun was about to sink and bathed all rooms in a warm red orange light. From outside Shiori could hear some of the birds chirp and for a moment time seemed to slow down while tranquility filled Shiori.

Then Kakashi straightened up and silently walked over to her. She couldn't help but close her eyes at the feeling of his arms enclosing her. It sometimes still surprised her how small his frame could make her feel, small but well protected. His left hand came up from her back to gently tangle in her lose ponytail. Shiori had had her hair cut the day before; it was getting too long for her taste and the hair tips were now falling against the small of her back once more instead of brushing the back of her thighs. She waited if he noticed anything about her changed scent but when he didn't say anything she inwardly shrugged her shoulders. It was quite early in the pregnancy and her husband was clearly tired from the mission.

"You cut your hair." Kakashi said with a tiny hum, his hands tracing small patterns on her skull.

"It was getting too heavy for my taste…" Shiori said just as idly and then she shivered when Kakashi carefully kissed from her left earlobe down to her bare neck.

"It reminds me of our wedding." Kakashi whispered huskily in her ear and then pressed her closer to his body.

Shiori felt her eyes widen, right she had completely forgotten that that was the exact length she had nearly three years ago. Involuntary her body shivered at the thoughts of their honeymoon, oh yeah Kakashi had been gone too long.

"I'm glad you are back, it has been a long month." Shiori confesses with a sigh against Kakashi's neck.

Her husband just hummed at that before he reluctantly took a step back, "Not only for you."

"How was your mission, everything alright?" Shiori asked not very worried, if something had happened to the kids he wouldn't have been so relaxed and amused.

"The mission was successful but… well it was a completely wrong classification. I'm going to up Team Seven's and my own training; I underestimated how distracting a Genin Team could be in a fight. I really don't want this to happen again." Kakashi said with a wry sigh.

"But you and the kids are fine?" Shiori confirmed with her forehead pressed against Kakashi's collarbone.

"Yes." Her husband answered soothingly before sighing once again, "We brought somebody with us, a boy a bit older then the brats… Haku is a good kid, a bit fanatic but he has the heart on the right place… he is going to be on Anko's team from now on."

Shiori's eyebrow rose before she couldn't suppress a giggle "Anko has a complete team now. Kami-sama help us."

"That's what I thought too…" Kakashi chuckled good-naturedly, "Her team has even more issues than mine… honestly I'm not sure if I want you to meet her brats yet, especially not with Haku being so mentally unbalanced at the moment. Asuma's or Kurenai's would probably be a better choice… hell even Gai's. Though I'm not sure if the loudmouths in the teams could hold it together."

Shiori nodded thoughtfully at that "Well I have already met Sai… more or less. He was on bodyguard duty when Anko visited me and your dogs… hhm took exception to him being there without invitation… Anko found that hilarious."

Kakashi didn't say anything but his smug grin was answer enough.

Turning the topic back to what Kakashi had hinted at Shiori couldn't help but ask "What is that about me meeting more Genin Teams? Why do you want to introduce me to some of them?"

Kakashi absentmindedly caught Shiori's hand and then pulled her into the kitchen.

"I want a bigger support network for you. The crèche is fine but if you need an emergency baby sitter and no one of the regular crowd is available I want you to know where else you can go… and I think it's a good time. With the Chunin exams coming up a lot of those that I don't want to know yet will be busy and distracted… it's also so happens that during the Chunin exams the most outlandish stories crop up… if someone slips it will probably be dismissed as a baseless rumor."

Shiori leaned against the kitchen counter while she watched lazily as Kakashi started to take out the bowls with the leftovers from lunch and dinner. To his explanation she nodded thoughtfully though she had to admit that she was somewhat disconcerted by the thought of other Genin teams than Team Seven buzz around her home. From what she heard from their senseis they were a lively bunch that had their fair share of mishaps, so those meetings should be entertaining.

It was probably best to inform Kakashi of her condition right now before he could set any other plans in motion.

So she hesitantly said "I understand your reasoning… though there is something that could potentially complicate this whole shinobi style meet and greet."

"Oh?" Kakashi looked curious in her direction but didn't stop dishing out his food.

"Your protective instincts," Shiori said with a wry grin.

Kakashi stilled and this time Shiori could see his confusion while he stared at her.

"I'm pregnant again." And this time she couldn't suppress her grin.

Kakashi became very still for a moment before he deliberately sat down the leftover container and took in a deep breath to test the air around them more thoroughly.

"Well fuck," escaped her husband breathless a second later.

Shiori's eyebrow rose in disbelief, did Kakashi just swear at hearing about her pregnancy?

He seemed to realize that too because he hastily followed up, "That came out wrong. I meant it concerning my plan to introduce you to other people…" his lips then slowly moved upwards in a gentle smile while he encircled her still thin waist with both hands "It's good news, just surprising… after all we didn't use any protection for the last year and a half and you never became pregnant then."

Shiori rolled her eyes before leaning more into Kakashi's warm body. Content she closed her eyes and enjoyed his warmth, even if the after mission smell was not doing it for her. She had noticed that this time around her sense of smell was already hypersensitive to a lot of different things.

"I asked Etsuko-sensei about that. It's because of Hinako's birth. Sensei may have healed me from all the damage that giving birth caused but because Hina-chan is a clan kid she needed more milk than civilian born children. My body apparently adapted to that demand and spent more of its energy on producing milk than preparing my body for another pregnancy. So while I did get my period my uterus didn't accept any potentially fertilized eggs. Etsuko-sensei called it my body's survival instinct because even with chakra pills I would have been hard pressed to carry the child to term."

"Ah… but now everything is fine? Because the smell is very faint."

Shiori could hear the slightly worried tone in his voice and so hastily reassured, "It looks that way. It's too early to give any decisive answers about the fetus, I'm only about five weeks along. But don't worry, my overall health is good and I have been regularly taking chakra supplements since Etsuko-sensei confirmed it… by the way it was Pakkun who informed me, or I probably would have continued to being oblivious for some time."

"Pakkun huh?" Kakashi said amused.

"Yes… I'm now being followed everywhere," at that Shiori sent a dry look at the dogs that were sprawled out around Hina's crib in the other room.

"Good work," Kakashi praised in the dogs' direction who just waggled with their tails.

Shiori rolled her eyes before indicating to his dinner and motioned to hurry up.

She had MISSED her husband.

Kakashi Interlude

With Hina out cold from her busy day he took his time with Shiori to be as thorough as possible. Only after she had fallen asleep well past midnight today's news fully sank in.

He was going to be a father again.

Kakashi felt his chest tighten and a warm feeling crawl from his belly through his whole body. In a few months he would hold another Hatake child in his arms. The thought was… he couldn't describe the feeling, only that his instincts nearly made him growl in satisfaction. His pack was growing, soon there would be another little girl or boy learning how to crawl, speak and run in his home.

The smile these thoughts brought to his lips didn't vanish even when he fell asleep, curled around his wife.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was easy to fall back into the routine they had established in the weeks before the Wave Mission. His Genin showed up for breakfast and then regaled Shiori with the details of their mission. His wife listened amused as the three brats started to vigorously discuss who had made the most progress concerning their training in Wave.

Kakashi simply sat back and observed all of it while a still sleepy Hinako had buried her face in his chest and kept her hands twisted in his blue Jounin sweater. His little girl had latched onto him the moment she had seen him this morning and hadn't let go since then. Since Hinako had been born Kakashi hadn't been gone longer than two weeks at most, she had clearly missed him and it showed.

Kakashi took in the minute differences of his eldest child. The more prominent canines of the Hatake bloodline had finally dropped completely and to his amusement she now looked like an adorable baby vampire, especially with those pigtails Shiori had given her this morning. Sakura had had hearts in her eyes the moment she saw Hinako yawn for the first time. Come to think of, that had been his initial reason for wearing a mask. The constant cheek pinching of their neighbors and his father's friends had driven him insane.