A/N: Rewritten as of 1/1/2023. Oh and happy new year!

Chapter Two

New Options and New Missions
...

The animals, the animals - trapped, trapped, trapped;

Till the cage is full.

The cage is full, stay awake, in the dark;

Count mistakes.
...

He hadn't slept in a week, maybe longer, and was beginning to feel the effects. Despite its luxurious charm, this mansion had made him excessively weary.

The assignment, he supposed, had been going well. Diplomacy wasn't his style but Leader had insisted that the negotiations were to be handled as peacefully as he could manage. He scoffed.

Hoshigaki Kisame didn't do 'peaceful'. If 'peaceful' meant that he couldn't lop this idiot's legs off and bury them - foot side up - in the lavish garden outside of his house, then he wasn't into it.

The client's name was Takamoto Shin; some backwater daimyo Kisame had never heard of. He was obnoxious and greedy and now seemed to be under the impression that he and Kisame were the best of pals. Takamoto was ridiculously wealthy, especially considering the state of his nation, and that was the point of this charade. He had been willing to discuss a contract for some 'protection privileges' from the Akatsuki and the price was definitely right.

Leader had insisted that the Akatsuki would need the finances in the upcoming days, but hadn't divulged any more information than that. What Kisame couldn't understand was why he saw fit to send him for such a mission in the first place.

Pesky group of hunter-nin on your tail? No problem. Send Kisame and he would make a decorative garland of hunter-nin parts to string through the trees.

Someone can't keep their mouth shut and needed some extra persuasion? Easy. Send Kisame and he could rip their tongue out and make himself a necklace from their teeth

Village leader not paying up for the protection he begged for? Next verse, same as the first. Send Kisame and he'd cut out their organs and sell them on the black market.

But when you needed a guy to handle your delicate diplomatic affairs where the outcome relied on how 'peacefully he could manage', you sent someone else.

Kisame didn't do delicate, peaceful, diplomatic or gentle. His method was more action and less talk. It wasn't like he couldn't handle things without violence, he could and he was going to, but that didn't mean he'd be happy about it.

Right now, as he sat at the table, in a room full of serpentine politicians, his alternative method would be to clear the entire room in one fell swoop with Samehada and remove the money from their fat pockets, blood splatter and all.

He needed to fight; he was restless and needed something to destroy to rid himself of the excess. He could even deal with a spar and take down some trees or something. Anything just to get some adrenaline pumping. He hadn't been able to even do that, as he had been spending a large amount of time with the Takamoto in order to get the negotiations in the right direction.

'That bastard is lucky I value my job.''

And he did. He really did. The life of a rogue shinobi was tough and it helped to have someone with your back and a place to return to when your work was done for the day. Most nukenin lived their lives on the run, always waiting for the distinct sound of a kunai whipping across the air and through their throats, indicating that their time was up.

He had to admit he had a decent gig; most people didn't want to fuck with the Akatsuki or any of its members. It just wasn't wise. That wasn't to say he couldn't live on his own as a single agent, he could - and he had - but it was easier this way. Plus, he got paid regularly, so that was a perk.

"So, Hoshigaki-san, Shiyo-san, and I were discussing some rumors we had heard earlier today, about a potential war between Konoha and Iwa. We were hoping that maybe you could shine some light on that for us?"

Shin's fat face was practically dancing with excitement as if the prospect of war was truly thrilling to him. The other four faces in the room shared the same excitement as Shin's and Kisame tried not to wince at the fact that he'd actually have to contribute to the conversation.

He had insisted - politely, he reminded himself - that Shin introduce him as his bodyguard and that he be a silent partner but Shin had instead referred to him as 'Hoshigaki-san, my very special guest'. Honestly, it made him unjustly sick and kind of pissed to be referred to as a 'very special' anything.

The meal was nearing its end now and he'd have to say something if he ever wanted to get the hell back to his lavish room and not sleep for another night. Hopefully, it would be the last; he was expected to be on his way back to Amegakure before the sun rose the next morning.

He flashed his teeth sharp, shiny teeth kind of hoping for an adverse reaction, and more than disappointed when he got none.

"I can assure you, gentlemen, the organization has absolutely no details on any war between Konoha and Iwa." That was a lie, he'd heard about it too, but it didn't matter. What Leader was up to was his business.

He had heard from Deidara that there had been a particular stir between the villages and that maybe Leader had a hand in it but no one knew anything other than that. He didn't care, and why should he? He was a hired hand, just muscle to be used when needed.

All shinobi were tools to their villages, and he was a tool just like any other; except he worked for a different machine.

Unlike his village, this machine worked for him too and actually gave something back to him for his efforts. He wasn't restrained to one place, and could generally come and go as he pleased as long as he knew where his loyalties lie and where his bread was buttered. He could do what he wanted. Provided he carry out his orders as a professional, of course.

And if Hoshigaki Kisame was anything, it was professional.

...

Sakura held her breath as her knees wobbled. She fought down the urge to run back to her apartment and hide forever.

She couldn't read any emotion on Tsunade's face, except for the briefest shock when the news came out. When she first walked through the heavy door that led to Tsunade's office, she expected something different than what she had gotten. Maybe a paperweight to the face - Tsunade was notorious for her excellent aim with office supplies - but she had greeted her with a solemn 'Sit down, Sakura' and look on her ever-youthful face that made Sakura very uneasy.

It was almost as if she knew what Sakura had to say, but that couldn't have been it. No one had known, hell not even she had known until just a few days ago. It seemed like an eternity as she sat there, across from the blonde with her expression unreadable. Sakura braced herself for screaming, but it never came.

Instead, Tsunade's shoulders sagged and she placed her face in her hands, a long, exaggerated sigh escaping her before she spoke,

"There are no words to describe how disappointed I am right now, Sakura."

Sakura winced visibly; this bothered her worse than screaming or flying paperweights. Her voice was small like a child's when she responded, "My actions that night were inexcusable. I'm sorry Shishou."

She felt tears prickling at her eyes but she kept them from falling; she couldn't afford to act any more immature than she had already been. Tsunade stood and walked to the window, her back to her apprentice as she looked out over the village. A snide voice in her head reminded her that she had betrayed that same village. The very one that had shielded her from harm her, the one that she had sworn to protect until her last breath - she had turned her back on it.

It hurt that she was unable to divulge to entire truth of her deeds to the woman who had taken her under her wing and always treated her like more than just her student.

For the first time since she passed away, she was almost happy that her mother was gone now, so she didn't have to see what a mess her daughter had become.

"That is not why I am disappointed in you." Sakura's eyes widened and Tsunade turned around, looking down at her as she continued, "Everyone makes mistakes, Sakura, even you. Even me. I'm just hurt that you didn't come to me with this sooner, and I'm disappointed that you've let yourself get in this condition. You look awful, have you even been eating?"

Her only response was a solemn shake of her head as she looked down at her lap. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday; she didn't figure it mattered since she couldn't keep anything down anyway.

"Have you had morning sickness? Have you slept at all?" Sakura knew more questions would come and that she had to answer them but she just wanted to go home and sleep. She was far too exhausted for this.

"That's why I haven't eaten anything, I can't seem to even keep water down. And all I've done is sleep, Shishou."

Tsunade sat down on the desk in front of her, clasping her hands together, suddenly seeming very maternal and Sakura's heart warmed.

"I can understand being scared but you should have known better. You even left the whole encounter out of your report!" Tsunade's fist met her desk, a small crack decorating the wood now. Suddenly, the Hokage looked very tired, sighing shakily before continuing, "Did you not trust me, Sakura?"

The words sent a pang through the rosette's chest. Sakura wanted to say that of course she did, why wouldn't she? This was one of the people who truly loved her, who had taken Sakura under wing and taught her everything she knew. Without her Shishou, she'd probably still be that same pathetic little girl, pining over Sasuke-kun. Of course she trusted her!

But she couldn't say that, because the truth was, she hadn't trusted Tsunade. She didn't know what other people would have done in this situation but going straight to the Hokage after she'd floozed it up on a mission hadn't seemed like the optimum choice at the time.

It was a necessary lie, but she wished she could have been honest. Tsunade deserved that much, especially with all Sakura had put her through. She kept her eyes down. She could tell her truth but to do so would effectively ruin any and all trust that Tsunade had in her.

"Look, kiddo," Tsunade went to sit on top of her desk. The trauma and pain that the pink-haired girl was going through came through as clear as day. The last thing Tsunade wanted was to put her in a position where Sakura felt she'd need to keep anything else from her. For a moment, she let the Hokage mask slip. "I'm not angry. You're an adult, as much as I hate that, and a more capable shinobi than even I gave you credit for. You can make your own decisions and when you do, you alone have to take the consequences for them. What's done is done, there's no going back now. All I ask is no more secrets, okay?"

Sakura breathed out, anxiety threatening to tear her apart. "Okay, Shishou,"she lied. The blonde Hokage smiled at her, clearly mistaking Sakura's anxiousness for relief.

"Good. Because I can't help you if you're not honest." She laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder, giving it a brief, reassuring squeeze before letting go. She went back to her seat.

"I know."

A moment of silence passed before Tsunade's hands went to rest beneath her chin and the soft, motherly look she held was replaced by a stonier visage. Sakura felt her stomach coil in fear; she knew what was coming next.

"Now. Since this occurred while you were away from the village, I have to ask, Sakura, do you have any idea who the father might be?"

Sakura's hands twisted painfully in her lap, willing her face not to betray her. She'd known the conversation would drift to this but she'd been hoping that the vague statement of 'I don't know who it was' would have stuck. Apparently not.

A new thought appeared now, something she had never even considered. And it wasn't too terribly absurd an idea, she thought briefly. It wouldn't be hard to convince anyone of it either, in fact, it really all made perfect sense given his occupation.

But as Sakura opened her mouth to speak, guilt rendered her silent. She couldn't, wouldn't, say he had raped her. It seemed like such an easy way out and honestly wished she had it in her to lie. He'd never know and it'd just be another entry to his extensive list of crimes but still she found the words clamming up in her mouth.

She just couldn't do that.

Her head raised, caught Tsunade's eyes and with a voice as hard as stone she spoke.

"All I know is that he was a civilian. I don't know anything other than that, Shishou."

"You don't remember anything? No interesting physical attributes or anything like that? Nothing stood out to you that seemed strange?" A single blonde eyebrow rose. Sakura's face didn't change.

"No, he was just a regular civilian."

Honey eyes narrowed just the slightest, appraising the pink-haired kunoichi in silence. When her student was so intent to harden herself and double down like that, when just a moment ago she'd been so reserved, it could only mean thing:

Sakura was lying to her.

'Interesting.'

The Hokage found herself at an interesting crossroads. She could either press on and when the rosette continued to lie - and she would - she could enlist the help of Ibiki or Inoichi to squeeze her for what she was hiding. Hell, even Inoichi's daughter had mastered the Yamanaka clan jutsu; she could definitely get something out of Sakura. The two women were best friends after all, she probably wouldn't have to use her jutsu. Or...

She could take this answer at face value, for now, and drop it. She really didn't want to subject the younger woman to such treatment; it didn't bode well for her already delicate condition. So she'd let it go - for now, she reminded herself - and decided that when Sakura was either ready or circumstances allowed for it to no longer be kept secret, it'd come out then.

That was a risky gamble, Tsunade thought, and it was very likely to blow up in her face. She repressed a smirk, Jiraiya would probably be in stitches if he were here to see this situation. She could hear him now, rich voice full of mirth.

'You never were good at not betting what you couldn't afford to lose, Princess.'

Tsunade would take that bet just to spite the perverted son-of-a-bitch. Besides, surely whatever Sakura was hiding from her couldn't be all that bad. Sakura had a very strong moral compass and had likely worked herself up into thinking it was far worse than it was.

"Well," Tsunade smiled, her mind made up. She picked up a clipboard, scribbling as she continued, "The first thing we need to do is get you down to the examination room and get you a prenatal check-up. I'll order an ultrasound, just in case. We don't need that kid suffering because its mother has been taking such poor care of herself." She gave Sakura scolding look, "We'll get you on an IV drip, and some nutrients, I'll order you something for the nausea, and after that we can-"

"I'm not keeping it." Sakura interrupted, words tumbling out before she could stop them. She flinched at the admission, wishing she could have come up with a more delicate way to say it.

Honey eyes furrowed, looking confused, "I'm sorry?"

"I-I can't keep this baby, Shishou."

Tsunade looked taken aback for a moment. Oh, the council wasn't going to like that at all. It was no secret that Sakura's chakra control was amongst the best in the entire shinobi world. Any child of hers, regardless of its paternity, could make for another indispensible shinobi and medic for the village, years down the road. It could only strengthen Konoha in the long run.

Not to mention, Tsunade thought just a little forlornly, there was a selfish part of her that wished Sakura would reconsider. As someone who'd been down that road, and had ultimately regretted it, she knew what kind of toll it could take on someone. Especially when that someone was as soft-hearted as her student was.

And there was a part, such a tiny part really, that couldn't help but think it would be nice to have what would be the closest thing she'd ever have to a grandchild running around.

Even so, it was ultimately Sakura's decision to make, and though Tsunade would be there to advise her and help her out, with support and as much love as she could, she couldn't make it for her. The village council couldn't force her to keep it and she wouldn't either.

'Those old windbags can't always get what they want.'

Tsunade sighed again, a dull throb settling behind her eyes as she thought of how she was going to explain this to the council. And where the hell was Shizune with her sake?

"Sakura, I can understand that you are scared and I don't blame you at all. These are probably not the circumstances in which you had envisioned having a baby. I just don't want you to do something without fully thinking it through first. I wouldn't want you to do something you might regret."

"Shishou please..." Too late did Sakura realize that the tears had begun and she was unable to stop them this time. She knew Tsunade would try to talk her out of it, and had expected her to, but whatever choice did she have?

This wasn't just some random stranger's child; this was the progeny of a man whose very existence proved a threat to the village's entire well-being.

There were a number of horrific and terrible outcomes if she wound up keeping the child and none of them needed to be explored if at all possible. If that meant that she had to... remove it from the picture, so be it.

For the greater good, she reminded herself, it was all for the greater good.

Tsunade sighed with just the slighest remorse. "It's your decision, Sakura, but... just get the checkup done. Have the ultrasound, hear the heartbeat and then... then if you still want to go through with this, you can. But I refuse to consent to any procedure like that until I've checked you out first." She stood and opened the door for her, indicating that she was going to make her go through with this regardless if she wanted to or not. She had no choice.

Resignedly Sakura stood; she was determined to do this anyway, no amounts of prenatal exams or ultrasounds could change that.

Nothing could change her mind now and she had to believe that.

...

The night air in Amegakure was unusually cold, even for approaching winter, and the sky was clearer than he had seen it in months.

Ame was typically drowned out in rain pretty much year-round and though it let up a bit during the colder months it still had a tendency to look like it was going to rain at any moment, even if it didn't. Kisame was stretched out across the roof of the Akatsuki headquarters, arms locked behind head. He watched from above as the bar hopping patrons stumbled across streets and roads in order to get to their next note-worthy destination.

He could use a drink himself but ignored the desire for this instead. He had returned barely an hour ago and had felt drawn to his rooftop spot the moment he unloaded his gear in his quarters, for some unknown reason.

He liked this spot, it gave him quiet to sit and reflect on things that he considered private. He didn't like to even think about personal things in the presence of others and pretty much everyone was in tonight.

'Everyone except Itachi of course.' But Itachi would never be in again.

Kisame would never admit it aloud, probably not even to himself, but more often than not, he missed his old partner. He had held a silent respect for him that the younger Uchiha had returned - none of it born of the usual fear. It was a rare thing.

He knew that if he had ever been partnered up again - he hoped he wouldn't - he would never have the same kind of partnership he and Itachi had. They hadn't been friends per se, not in any traditional way, anyway. They rarely talked about shit like personal feelings or affairs but they had worked well together. Where Kisame was gruff and battle-ready, Itachi was smooth and strategic. Where Itachi was quick to take unnecessary burdens on himself for the sake of noble causes, Kisame was ready to absolve them both of such restrictions.

Kisame had liked the fact that Itachi had defined these roles at once.

'He could have handled that last mission a lot better than I did, that's for sure.'

It was a shame when he had died, though it wasn't as if it hadn't been coming. He didn't honestly believe that Itachi's shit-head little brother would have been the one to stick him in the end but he had, although Kisame was certain that Itachi had given the kid the win. It was what Itachi had wanted after all. Another one of his noble causes, though not one Kisame had ever really disagreed with.

Itachi's health had severely deteriorated by that point, especially so considering his age, worsening more everyday. If anything, Kisame was almost certain that without Sasuke constantly at his heels, if just out of reach mostly, Itachi wouldn't have lived as long as he had. The younger Uchiha's grief was too much. Kisame had supposed the best thing he could have done was give his little brother the satisfaction of having his long sought vengeance when the time came.

Things happened the way they happened, there was no point crying over spilled blood now.

He did harbor resentment towards Konoha though, it was their fault that things ended the way they had. That village was probably the worst out of all of them, spouting the purity of goodness and truth when the simple fact was that they operated the very same way every other village did. They used their tools the same way as anyone else but pretended to actually care for them.

Kisame scoffed, no village actually gave a shit about their shinobi. If you lost a tool you just replaced it with a new one and went on your merry way; to lie about it made it worse. If it were up to him, that entire village would have burned to the ground years ago.

Despite his ire for Konohagakure, when they were dispatched there on missions Itachi would never let him do anything outrageous. It was almost as if Itachi loved that place. How anyone could hold reverence for somewhere like that - and especially after what they'd put him through - he had no idea. He certainly could give two shits less about Kiri, that place could drown in its own mist for all he cared.

He closed his eyes and let himself get wrapped up in the sounds of the city. Ame was probably the better of all the villages, at least they embraced a sense of freedom, but he wasn't fully tied here either. No village would ever get his balls in a vice again; he'd make sure of that.

A new, fiery, chakra signature filled the area and he cracked one eye open to see a familiar blond head in his vision, and the goofy, excited smile that came along with it.

He closed his eye with a 'tsk'. There went all of his peaceful musings.

"Can I help you, Deidara?"

The man in question plopped himself down a few feet away, still grinning like an idiot. Deidara took out a piece of clay to fiddle with before speaking, "What are you doing up here, yeah? It's fucking freezing."

"Well, I was trying to get some quiet. Not that you would know anything about that, huh?"

Deidara laughed; a vibrant, sparky sound that was almost always contagious and Kisame hated it. He didn't dislike Deidara, he just wished he did and that made him dislike him more. He was a good enough kid - a little bit rowdy maybe - but he was too damn likeable for Kisame to be comfortable with. If he'd had his way, the only people he'd be surrounded by were those who didn't want to speak to him at all. Or dead people. Either way could work out for him.

"Oh, I see. This is like your reflection spot, yeah? You're not going to start writing poetry up here are you? I'm not going to come up here one day and find you making yourself a purse, huh?" Deidara burst out into maniacal laughter and was rolling too hard to catch the fist that collided with his arm. His laughing stopped immediately and pouted, rubbing his now very dead arm, "Ow, yeah. That hurt you know."

"I could have hit you in the face." Kisame shut his eyes and leaned back against the roof. He half wished Deidara would go away but he supposed he didn't mind the kid's company all that much. It could be worse, he figured, it could be Hidan.

"Thank Kami you didn't, yeah. That's my money maker." Both men laughed but the truth was that Deidara - despite the unusual hand mouths his kekkai genkai provided him with - was an attractive guy. He had the kind of looks most men - and some women - would kill for. He often referred to himself as 'man-pretty' and he wasn't lying.

It wasn't that Kisame wanted the kind of appearance Deidara had, he could honestly care less what people thought about him. He was used to the looks he got when he walked into a room; the similar faces of disgust, pity or fear were familiar to him now. He could deal with the disgust, and he enjoyed the fear he struck but the pity angered him. It reminded him of the way his mother looked at him after his procedure, before she died.

He couldn't remember a lot of her, just a particular point in time where she would sit around drinking and crying because her baby was now a monster. She'd give him this look, like she only kept him around because she had to. She'd hated him. He could remember the fear she'd had even then, and these were the only memories he had of the woman that brought him into the world.

Deidara wouldn't have to worry about things like that; his mug didn't invoke terror in the hearts of everyone who saw him. His bloodline was physically manifested, yes, but he could at least hide it. Kisame had to deal with his face every time he looked in the mirror or passed a body of water. People had just assumed that, with his tendency for violent actions and accompanying features, that he didn't own things like feelings.

Maybe he didn't anymore. His appearance didn't bother him much anymore. Over time it had become normal and now was the only way he could ever remember looking in the first place.

He had been maybe three when the procedure had been done and two years after that his mother had died. She'd committed suicide in their living room obviously unable to handle having to deal with what her own son had become.

After that he had been placed in the loving care of the Kirigakure government and honed into the finest, most efficient killer they could mold him into. And the rest was history. He'd keep it that way, there was no sense on dwelling on the past and he tried to focus on the present. It had been over fifteen years since he had left Kiri and he knew he'd never go back. He'd never need to.

Kisame looked over to the blond who was currently still fiddling with a piece of clay, molding it into a little animal figure. He was beginning to get uncomfortable with the forced intrusion and figured he'd be going back down inside. He went to stand when Deidara stopped him.

"Going back in?" Deidara didn't look up from the figure, which had taken the shape of a dove. Kisame froze. If he told him he was he'd likely follow him and all Kisame wanted right now was to be alone.

"I was going to take a shower." He hoped that Deidara wasn't going to try joining him in that too. The thought made him cringe but he honestly didn't think that would happen he was pretty sure Deidara didn't swing that way. Though one could never tell for sure.

"Well, Leader wants to see you, yeah. Says it's urgent."

Kisame narrowed his eyes at the kid and growled, "And you're just telling me this now? You've been sitting here for fifteen minutes!"

Deidara looked up sheepishly, "It slipped my mind?"

Kisame rolled his eyes. Great, now he was probably going to get a stern talking to about punctuality. He hopped down off the roof, leaving Deidara and reminding himself to get him back later.

...

In the darkest, deepest part of the Akatsuki Headquarters, an attractive slender woman sat on the edge of a desk. Her normally stoic face was slightly contorted in concern and she pressed her hands to her temples. Across from her a tall man stood in the shadows, waiting for her to comment on the news she had just been given.

"Are you absolutely certain that was what you heard, Zetsu?" Her quiet voice echoed in the empty room, giving the illusion that there were more of her than just the one. It was just an effect of the room though, one that slightly annoyed her even still.

The man in question stepped into the moonlight streaming from the lone window, revealing a two-colored face that was split directly down the middle, one side black, and the other white. His upper body was encased in a carapace that resembled a venus fly trap and as he spoke, it was as if he had two separate personalities.

"We are certain of it, Konan-san. She spoke with her hokage about it."

Suddenly, appearing as if from nowhere, a dark and intensely strong chakra presence made itself known. The air itself filled with a coldness that was certainly not from the weather outside.

"So, it's true then. The Haruno girl is expecting, is she?" The voice that spoke echoed just like Konan's but this time it wasn't entirely due the acoustics of the room. Konan looked to her left as the figure appeared, as if out of thin air, but she knew he had been there the whole time. He certainly enjoyed his theatrics.

"We had suspected this would happen when we saw her leaving the inn that night. Would you like us to take care of it?"

A cold, penetrating laugh permeated the darkness and for a moment Konan felt uneasy. What would Pein do with this situation? Would he let Zetsu just 'take care of it'? Would he even tell Kisame?

"No, no, I don't think that will be necessary Zetsu, thank you. You may go now, I wish to speak with Konan privately."

"Hai, Leader-sama."

Zetsu slipped into the floor and was gone in seconds, leaving Konan alone with her partner. They sat in silence for a few moments before Konan turned to him behind the desk. He looked the same as he always did, a complex mind working behind a face that gave nothing away.

"Pein-"

"No, do not say it, Konan. I do not wish to hear it. We will handle this, you needn't worry."

He had done it again, had read her mind as if he lived there. She sighed quietly and reached out towards him, fingertips brushing against his bare arm. She felt him relax ever so slightly. He didn't seem as irritable about this situation as she figured he would have been. That in itself told her more than she'd get from him. His mention of 'we' led her to think that he'd already been fully informed of the plan ahead. It was probably out of their hands now, if it was in his but...

"Do you think he knew who she was when they met?"

Nearly two months ago, Zetsu had come to them with information that he had spotted the apprentice to Konohagakure's Hokage in Amegakure, apparently on a mission. Pein had decided that she wasn't a threat to them, despite the fact that she was technically after intel regarding the upcoming attack on Konoha that the organization had a hand in.

While it was unlikely that Haruno knew their role, Konan had figured that Pein would have taken stronger precautions against preventing the kunoichi from getting her hands on that information. All he had done was send Zetsu to keep an eye on her, but not to act even if she came across something of worth. He was convinced that she was no true threat.

Zetsu had reported that he had seen her leave a nightclub with a man on her last night in the village, and once he tailed them back to their destination, he realized that the man was Kisame. He said that they were very inebriated and very intimate. Kisame had taken her back to an inn where he had a room rented, probably an ongoing room he kept, and that sometime, hours later, she fled out the window and left the village shortly after. Now he had come back with information that she was currently pregnant with his child.

It was as absurd as it was shocking. She was, after all, a very experienced medic-nin, second best in the shinobi world only to her very own mentor, the Hokage. The fact that she would even allow herself to be bedded by a stranger on a mission was perplexing at best; there was no way she could have possibly known who that stranger was.

Konan severely doubted that Kisame had known either, so both of them must have been in hiding their appearances. When Sakura had awoken, after the incident, she must have realized what she had done and fled.

"I sincerely doubt that."

"Are you going to tell him?"

She couldn't see his face in the darkness but she could feel the slight smirk on his face no less. She knew his brain was turning over some sort of plan to deal with this in a manner that he saw fit. Some part of her felt as if he'd use this for the organization's benefit, as he did when he was thrown with a challenge. This was especially to be expected when other certain individuals had the same interests.

"Konan-chan, what do you think," He stood and turned to the window, and she could see the moonlight shine off of the posts in his face, her heart squeezing tightly at the sight of him as always. He never ceased to make her weaker every day. He turned to face her and his unusual smile made her slightly uncomfortable, "would happen to Miss Haruno if her village found out who the father of her unborn child is?"

"I'd imagine she'd probably be tried for treason and exiled if they found out. Why? What are you thinking Pein?" She truly wanted to know what he planned on doing.

"That child could potentially be of worth to Konoha. And to a lot of nations. I don't know if they'd simply toss her out knowing she holds something valuable like that. I wouldn't be surprised if Kirigakure tried to step in on the matter, if it became public knowledge."

Pein, trailed his finger up her arm, sending shivers down her spine. She wondered briefly if he knew what things like that did to her, really, but of course he did and he did it with just that intention in mind.

"Do you think she plans on keeping it?" Konan certainly did not. The Haruno girl would be distressed with not only an unplanned pregnancy but the awareness of just what kind of danger she - and possibly the child - would be in when the details were discovered.

"It doesn't truly matter what she plans on doing, Konan-chan. I will see to this matter myself, you needn't worry with it."

"Pein, are you going to-"

"No, Konan, I am not going to tell him. If Kisame were to learn about this, it would certainly throw a wrench into every possible angle. He's a liability in this case."

"But if he does find out, surely he won't-"

"She's never going to seek him out, you know this. I know for certain he'd never seek her out."

Konan shifted uncomfortably, she didn't like where this was going at all.

"However," Pein started, a strangely quizzical expression on his face. Konan didn't think she'd ever seen that look before. The sienna-haired man continued, "Leaving her in Konoha puts us at a bit of a disadvantage. We have no choice but to retrieve her."

Konan's mouth fell open in shock. Retrieve her? And then do what? Surely he wasn't serious. "What do you mean we'll have to retrieve her? Are you planning to kill her?"

"No, no, Konan-chan. Nothing so macabre as that. We'll simply capture her and bring her here. Think of it as a sort of... insurance policy." He waved his hand dismissively, "She'll be safe to continue the pregnancy here and we'll be able to fill our empty medic slot and keep the other nations from interfering."

Konan balked. If he were to do that, then there was no doubt that Kisame would find out about this. The two would be living in the same quarters! Yes, they'd be able to keep Konoha - and Kiri, if they so chose to intervene - at bay but was he even considering the consequences this could have? Unless...

Of course. He would already have a contigency plan if exposed. He'd never tell her what it was but that was likely because she'd probably not agree. Pein didn't keep her in the dark on much, but what he did keep from her he did so for what he felt was her own good. Suddenly a thought struck her.

"Who are you going to send to get her?"

The silence after her question stretched on to an uncomfortable length which either meant one of two things: he hadn't decided yet or he knew she wasn't going to like his answer. Of course it was the latter.

"Kisame."

Konan couldn't help the volume her voice reached then, "Pein, you can't be serious!?"

His carefully calculated and cold demeanor never broke but irritation rang through his voice. All she'd done was question his methods tonight and he couldn't help but feel as if he was being undermined.

"He is the best one for the job. He's been to Konoha several times, he knows the landscape and the easiest ways to get in and out undetected. It's not as if I'd send Deidara - or heaven forbid, Hidan - on a mission like this. Don't worry, he will go in, bring her back and it will be fine. You will not question me on this any longer, am I clear Konan?"

Konan bit her lip, frustrated with him but unable to do anything about it, "Yes, Leader-sama."

Konan stood to leave but didn't move further. She wished he weren't doing this, the consequences for this endeavor somehow far more profound to her than a war. Unfortunately, she had no say in it. She'd sit silently by and allow him to make his own moves, and she'd always be by his side, even if their dreams blew up in their faces.

As if he could feel her hesitance to leave, he placed his hand on hers, frustration on both sides momentarily quelled at the contact.

"Do not concern yourself, I'll be along shortly. Wait for me."

Satisfied with this, Konan walked out of the room, leaving her leader, partner and lover to his silence.

He knew where to find her when he was done.

...

"Okay, here we go. I'm just going to put some of this conductive gel on your stomach and we can begin."

Tsunade didn't need to explain the procedure to her, Sakura knew how to perform ultrasounds, but she kept the line between patient and doctor as straight as she would with someone she wasn't as familiar with. It was how most medical practitioners conducted their work, and she appreciated it.

She wasn't concerned with the results, and she knew they wouldn't be able to see much, it was just a little blob at this point but she was still very much nervous. Then again, she thought anyone would be nervous in stirrups with no pants on.

Tsunade squeezed some of the terribly cold gunk on her stomach and placed the conducer to it. Nothing was visible at first and she desperately wanted to look away from the screen. She just didn't want to see it, the sight would be the final nail in her proverbial coffin, the proof that this truly was happening and she hadn't been in some awful dream.

Sakura listened to the sound of her insides, a soft pulsing noise and vaguely detected a second, slight beating sound. Her chest constricted tightly at the sound. Tsunade moved the conducer around, uncomfortably pressing it deeper into Sakura's abdomen. After a few minutes of moving and wiggling, a visual appeared on the screen and she heard the sound more clearly now.

"Ahh, there we are. Do you hear it? That's the heartbeat, nice and strong at this stage." She moved a little more until the fuzzy image became clearer and she could finally see better.

A small strangled sound escaped Sakura's throat before she could stop it, as her heart hammered out of control.

"There's the little head and the body. I'd say you're at just about eight weeks exactly. Everything appears to be just fine. Progression looks strong so far." She pointed it out to her on screen, even though she knew Sakura already could see.

Tsunade had counted on this, had known that if Sakura were to see it with her own eyes, her perspective would be different about the situation. She

What the rosette kunoichi hadn't counted on was that she would be right. Jade eyes were fixated on the screen, on the little extension of leg that seemed to stretch out slightly. She could hear the heartbeat strongly now, thrumming in her ears and echoing in the examination room.

This little thing that was so tiny suddenly had a face - not that she could see it at that point - and now more than ever she was faced with the realization that what she was carrying was a living human being and a part of her. That other part didn't seem so important at that one moment, as she sat and gazed on in awestruck wonder at the little, slightly wiggly form that lived, survived and depended on her to keep it safe.

For the first time in days, the smallest but most honest of smiles crept on her face. Tsunade was still pressing the conducer to her stomach but her face was fixed on Sakura's and she smiled in return. She returned to the screen and didn't even ask her if she wanted pictures before she started the commands for printing them.

Conflicting emotions rioted through Sakura and suddenly everything she had been working so hard to maintain began to crumble. She wished she hadn't seen the ultrasound or heard the little thump that indicated life, if for the reason that this would be even harder to do. She knew she couldn't simply 'get rid of it' anymore, didn't even know if she could have been so cold towards it to begin with.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine, shishou. I'm just tired is all." Of course she wasn't fine, she didn't even know why she'd opened her mouth in the first place.

"Well, let me go get these and when I get back we can talk discuss this more. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." In a flurry she was gone, leaving her apprentice to her jumbled thoughts and feelings. She sat for a moment, stoic and silent, listening to the sound of the hospital around her. One second she was fine enough and the next she was sobbing again, burying her face in her hands, crying like a baby once more.

She desperately searched herself for options. Maybe she could put the baby up for adoption? That would be alright, she decided, as long as no one ever knew who had fathered it and it didn't carry any sudden, obvious traits from him. She sniffled and wiped her face on the back of her hand. Coming clean about being pregnant seemed not as awful as it had been beforehand, but what would they say if they knew she was simply going to give it away?

A fierce anger fired up inside of her as she decided that she wouldn't care about what anyone thought of her. This was her life, her body and her child, and she would control them as she saw fit.

Tsunade returned soon after and wordlessly handed her a tissue before handing her the little flimsy photos. Sakura's hands trembled slightly as she gazed at them for what seemed like a long time before she spoke again.

"Shishou, I've been thinking..."

...

Kisame stood in the darkened meeting room, slightly uncomfortable and wishing he could be elsewhere, even on the roof with the blond nuisance. Unfortunately, he knew he had to handle what Leader had summoned him for before he could go anywhere.

He had been waiting for about fifteen minutes and really, was it so difficult to not make a person wait forever when they had called for you in the first place?

Suddenly that unusually strong but subdued chakra signature flooded the room and he had to grip Samehada tightly to prevent her from going insane. The sword did that every time it was introduced to a unique chakra signature, but Leader's was her favorite. The scales wiggled with anticipation as if it would ever get a taste. He couldn't blame it, sometimes he wished he could too. Of course though Kisame was not a complete idiot and doubted he'd ever try.

"Kisame. I trust the meeting with Takamoto-san went well?"

"Hai, Leader-sama. The price is set at the standard you wanted it. He seemed very willing to pay it."

"I imagined he would. Very good. Now, down to more current matters: I have a new mission for you, very high priority." He slid a scroll across the desk and Kisame picked it up.

Honestly he just wanted to get a few hours of sleep in, but he never turned down a mission (usually none of the members did, if they liked living) and he just hoped he could leave in the morning. He unrolled the scroll to reveal a few lines of script and a picture of a woman.

She had green eyes and the most unusual hair color he'd ever seen: vibrant pink, like the color of cherry blossoms. Her head was adorned with the hitai-ate of Konoha and he cringed slightly. Figures, he wasn't even from that fucking place and it still haunted him. Something about this girl struck an unusual chord in him, but he ignored it as he read the information given on her.

"Excuse me for asking, Leader-sama, but what is so important about this? It's just a leaf kunoichi." He was beginning to feel a little annoyed with the extreme deprecation his qualifications had been getting lately. First diplomatic missions and now he was being forced to deal with little girls? What happened to elimination missions?

"I can assure you, this woman is very important to our plans. She is a very close ally to the Kyuubi and a highly qualified medic, I think we could use her skills as well as the leverage she'd give us as a bargaining chip. I need you to retrieve her and return her here."

Kisame had figured as much. He was fighting back the urge to ask why he had to be the one to do it, it wasn't like anyone else had anything important going on, and this mission seemed ridiculously simple. He had infiltrated Konoha on several occasions, to do so and snatch up a girl would be no problem but he felt strongly that this was a waste of his time. Of course, he'd comply but maybe he could have a little fun out of it if-

"Should I emphasize that she needs to be brought back alive and unharmed?"

Damn it. Well there goes that idea. "No, Leader-sama. When do you want me to head out?" He rolled the scroll back up and placed it inside of his cloak. The smug bastard had better be happy with the shit he'd been doing lately and a bonus would be nice for sure, he could use a new set of training weights.

"You can leave in the morning. Dismissed."

"Hai, Leader-sama." He ducked low to one knee before standing again and headed off to his room. Against his better wishes, he reached into his cloak and pulled out the mission scroll, scrutinizing the photograph of this Haruno girl as he strolled down the halls. She was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had ever seen her.

If she had been close to the Kyuubi that meant she was probably also a former student of the Copy-nin Hatake Kakashi, but she hadn't been there when they had been 'introduced'.

The corridors were empty but that was to be expected as it was very late and most of the remaining members were probably asleep. He was relieved, dealing with Deidara again or Hidan at all would be unwelcome. He dropped his cloak the second his door closed and he stripped down to nothing as he made way for the bathroom, intent on taking a hot shower.

The scroll was left on the bed, still open and he decided he might do a little bit of research before he tried to get some sleep. When he reached the bathroom he stopped at the mirror for only the briefest second to notice that he needed to shave before stepping in the shower. The pink haired girl seemed to stay with him as he turned on the taps and stood under the stream for a few minutes before washing his hair. Why was this tugging at him so much? She was just a damn goody-goody leaf kunoichi he had certainly never met before, so why did she keep popping up in his head?

'She's your mission. That's all.'

Of course that was what it was, he thought as he reached for his body wash. What else could it possibly be?

...

The light was off but now it's on;

Searching the ground for a bit of sun.

The sun is out, the day is new and everyone is waiting;

Waiting on you.

...