Chapter 25

Heightened Senses

Kakashi had been gone for nearly two weeks. Juggling Tenzō's needs, Kakashi-kun's education, and the grueling hours in the hospital was exhausting. Sakura had never in her life been so exhausted. She got home from the hospital and immediately needed a nap before she could do anything else.

Rin's mother, Jun, was really going above and beyond to help. With both of their husbands gone, the blessed woman had all but combined their households. She helped with Tenzō while Sakura worked, and dinner was often had together at one of their homes. On days when she worked, Jun prepared dinner with Rin and Kakashi-kun's help while she napped. When she was off, Sakura did the shopping and helped with dinner.

Several evenings after dinner, Sakura sat with Jun, watching their children in the Hatake field with the ninken. Sometimes Kakashi-kun—who had been annoyed to have Rin around so much at first—talked her into a spar, sometimes he sat with her, explaining the medical scrolls Tsunade had given them. Most of the time, they entertained Tenzō and just played. Kakashi had remarked more than once before he had left how strange it was to see. He didn't remember ever 'playing,' but then, he hadn't had a little brother to entertain.

"Watching them play, it's almost easy to forget their fathers are all away fighting a war." Jun sighed into her tea. "And that they're being trained to join them."

Sakura pursed her lips, leaning back on her hands. "Have the instructors said anything to you about Rin graduating yet?" Kakashi had mentioned Rin and Obito, both already two years older than him, had not graduated until they were nine. That was only a year away. Unless things changed drastically, the war would still be going. How would they protect them if Kakashi was away fighting too?

Jun sighed again, setting her tea down beside her. "Yes. I'm delaying them as long as I can but…" She glanced at Sakura from the corner of her eye. "We do not have the protection of a powerful shinobi and the safety of a clan. There is little I can do if they insist."

Her voice was even, but her words still stung. She was right, it wasn't fair that civilian children like Rin—like Sakura had been—were treated as little more than fodder. She wished there was anything she could do to change it. "Even with Sakumo's decision and the other clans watching how the Hokage reacts, he came here and demanded more. If the war drags on, I doubt even those things will prevent Kakashi-kun from being sent with all the other children. He's only six, Jun. If we weren't here for Sakumo… Well, things would be different."

Jun's shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, Ayame. I didn't mean to sound so bitter. Were things really so bad for Sakumo before the Hokage's speech?"

Not wanting to share Sakumo's business, Sakura bit her lip, keeping most of the truth back. "Yes. It is lucky for all of us that my husband and I came to Konoha when we did." She looked out at a happy Kakashi-kun, imagining the life her Kakashi had lived. "I don't like to think about what would have happened to them."

Jun squeezed her knee. "I'm glad you're here then. Not just for them. I quite like your company."

Sakura relaxed a tension she hadn't realized she was carrying. "Thank you, Jun. I am glad we're friends, too."

"So," she smiled. "Did you finish that book I lent you?"

Sakura laughed. It was no Icha Icha, but Kakashi would have loved Jun's recommended reading. "I did. I loved it! You're terrible, giving me something like that when my husband is gone."

Jun smirked. "What do you mean? How else are we supposed to survive their absence?"

Rin and Kakashi-kun paused their game to look up at the cackling women before carrying on chasing the ninken.

Besides an increasing sense of playfulness, Kakashi-kun was also becoming extremely protective of Sakura. When asked about it, he had looked mildly confused by the charge before shrugging it off. 'Jii-san isn't here, someone has to take care of you.' She had laughed, ruffled his hair, and reminded him that she was supposed to be looking after him.

It had come to a head on their fifteenth day without Kakashi. They were walking around the market together, Tenzō clutching her hand and trailing along beside her. Kakashi-kun had taken to walking a few paces ahead, somehow managing to part the crowd for her despite his short stature.

As they walked along the food stalls, Tenzō pointed at a pile of bananas being sold by a familiar fruit vendor. "Oh, those are called 'bananas,' Tenzō-chan. Would you like to try them?"

He nodded, grabbing for them. The handsome fruit vendor who had been bent over a basket beside Sakura, stocking the table, noticed Tenzō. He stood, smiled charmingly at her and reached across her for the fruit. "Oh, nice to see you again, pinky. I haven't seen you in a while. Is this your little brother?"

Before Sakura had the chance to correct him, Kakashi-kun had shoved Cherry-guy back, put himself between them, and growled up at the stunned man. "Don't touch her!"

Horrified, Sakura tried to pull him back but he was undeterred. "Kakashi-kun!"

"He's her son, not her brother. She's ours."

Cherry-guy took a step back, hands up, and cast Sakura a confused frown. "Whoa kid, I got it, she's your mommy. I didn't know she was married?"

Sakura grabbed Kakashi-kun by the back of his shirt and pulled him into her side. "I'm sorry. Yes, I am married, and yes, they're mine. I'm sorry, my husband is away at the front and my nephew has been a little overprotective, haven't you, Kakashi-kun?"

He glared up at the man before turning confused, hurt, eyes on her.

Sighing, she paid for a bunch of bananas and took them all home. Kakashi-kun sulked, not saying anything the entire trek back, and she didn't push until they were safely back home. Sending Tenzō and Kusa outside with a scarf and a banana, Sakura sat beside Kakashi-kun on the engawa. He was resting his chin on his knees, his arms hugging his legs against his chest.

She put her hand on his back and he leaned into her side. "Kakashi-kun, why did you get so mad at the man in the market when he tried to talk to me?"

Kakashi-kun groaned, wiping his eyes on his pants. "He got too close, Me-chan, and…" he sighed. "I can't explain it right, but I had to."

Kusa, who was close enough to overhear, licked Tenzō's head, sticking his hair up at odd angles before ambling closer, stretching out, and flopping down. "He's a Hatake, it's a pack thing. You're pack, Ma, and important, precious. It's normal that he would be a little territorial around strangers, especially with Sakumo and Boss gone." He licked his face, a glob of drool falling to the ground. "You being pregnant only makes it worse."

Sakura blinked once.

And then again.

"Um… I'm sorry, Kusa, what did you just say?"

He was watching Tenzō again, his panting clouding up the cool afternoon air. "It's a normal thing for him. He's young though, so he won't have the self control Boss would." He barked a laugh. "Though, somehow I doubt he'd let another male touch you right now either."

Had he just…

Did he say…

Frowning, she turned to Kakashi-kun, finding him staring pensively at her flat stomach. He pulled his mask down and his nostrils flared as he inhaled her scent. "I guess you do smell different, Me-chan. More like Jii-san than normal, but..." Before she could even begin to think of a response, he had pressed his face against her stomach, wrapped his arms around her waist and stretched out on the engawa beside her. "You smell like us, Me-chan, like a Hatake." He let out a content sigh and propped his cheek against her, looking up with a small smile. "A pup!"

Sakura felt her head begin to spin.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

Well, no wonder you've been so freaking tired.

Needing to confirm it for herself before she completely spiraled—how the hell did the dog know before she did?—Sakura gently nudged Kakashi-kun aside and placed a glowing hand where she knew her uterus was.

Her definitely not empty uterus. Yep, there was a baby in there. A new and separate chakra signature pulsed beneath her hand. Very early. Doing quick mental math, she estimated maybe six weeks.

Fuck.

"Fuck."

Kakashi-kun frowned, he might have even said something, but she didn't hear it.

What was she going to do? They were in the middle of a freaking war. Kakashi was gone, and probably would be for most of the next few years. She didn't want to do this without him. If she was having a baby, his baby, shouldn't he be there? She was only nineteen. She wasn't ready for this. They were at war.

Oh gods, what would Kakashi even say? Did he want more children? He was proving to be a great father to Tenzō, but that didn't necessarily mean he wanted more. They were raising Tenzō because he had been their friend. That was not the same as a baby they had made together. Her skin burned and her stomach clenched.

They had made a baby, together. She and Kakashi. They had sex—rather a lot considering they had a two year-old—and now she was pregnant. He had put a baby in her. She was having his baby. There was sex, and now there was a baby.

Fuck.

No. That's how this happened in the first place, dummy.

She needed Kakashi. She was quite sure she had never needed him more.

For just a moment, Naruto's face popped into her head. What would he say? Would he freak out? Would he be disgusted? Would he be happy for them?

Sasuke would probably try to kill someone, likely Kakashi.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Ino was screaming with laughter.

What about Sakura? Shouldn't she be happy?

Was she?

Sakura knew she wanted more children, specifically Kakashi's. But… they hadn't ever talked about it. Any imaginings she might have had were vague and years away; after the war, when she was a little older, when she felt she'd leveled up in her training, when Tenzō didn't need her so much.

"Me-chan?"

A surprised gasp came out more choked and wet than she had expected when Kakashi-kun reached up to touch her face. She was crying, she realized.

"Are you okay?"

Sniffling, she forced out a pathetic sounding chuckle as she wiped her eyes. "Um… Yeah, Kakashi-kun, I'm okay. I'm just surprised, that's all." She glared half-heartedly at the offending bulldog. "How long have you known about this, Kusa?"

His dark eyes were wide and guilty as he started to realize his mistake.

"Uh… since a little before Boss left. I just assumed you knew. He should have noticed, too."

She gasped again, this time more urgently, momentarily forgetting her panic. She could come back to that. Sitting up, she shifted Kakashi-kun out of her way. "Do Bull and Senbei know? What about Sakumo's summons?"

Kusa shrugged. "If they've been around you at all, though Bull and Senbei are probably too young to know what it means."

"Shit." Sakumo had sent one of his ninken three weeks earlier with a letter. "Kusa!"

He sat up. "Yeah, Ma?"

"Go home, now. Tell everyone they're not to say anything to Karasu—or Sakumo! I do not want him finding out like I did."

Kusa shifted, uncomfortable. "Don't you think he would want to know about his pup?"

Sakura bit her lip. On the one hand, he had a right to know, she wanted him to know. She wanted him to be there. But they were at war, and he wouldn't be able to come home just for this. His rotation was only supposed to be three months. She could wait until he got back and tell him in person.

"I don't want him to have another thing to worry about while he's out there. He'll be back in two and a half months, Kusa. I want to tell him in person."

He nodded but still looked a little confused. "Did he really not notice?"

She remembered how extra affectionate he had been the couple of weeks before he'd left, how he had slept with his nose buried in her hair, inhaling her scent like it was keeping him alive. At the time, she'd thought he just knew their time was dwindling. "He probably didn't know what it meant either."

Kusa looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his wrinkled head. "Okay, Ma, I'll do it. Summon me before you go to bed, alright?" With a final snuffle for Tenzō, he poofed away.

Predictably, Tenzō burst into tears. "Kusa! My Kusa!"

She dropped her head into her hands and groaned. Dammit. "I'm sorry, baby. Kusa is coming back." She stood and went to pick him up. "He'll be home in time for bed. Let's go inside, hm? I think it's time for a nap."

Kakashi-kun followed her inside. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need anything? Like… A doctor? Or special food? Should I go get Ume-san?"

Sakura sighed, reaching out with her free hand to pull him closer. "No, I'm fine just now. Kakashi-kun. I think I need a little more time to process before we tell my aunt, alright?"

He nodded, but still looked unconvinced. "Are you not happy about this, Me-chan?"

Again, she sighed. "It's… I'm not not happy. I wish Karasu was here, and that there wasn't a war." Tears stung at her eyes again as she felt the last five minutes begin to overwhelm her. She would blame the tears on the hormones. She could do that now. "I'm happy to have his baby, Kakashi-kun. I'm just a little shocked. I wasn't planning to do this yet. Maybe in a couple of years… But I'll be fine, and when he comes home and I tell him—" she laughed a little at the image that came to mind, "he is going to be shocked too."

Nodding again, a smile crept up Kakashi-kun's face. "I think he'll be happy." He snickered. "I told you, sometimes you get a baby even when you're not planning to."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura ruffled his hair. "Yeah well, congratulations on being such a smarty pants, kid."

He batted her hand away and laughed again. "I'm going to go find Asuma or Genma. I'll be home for dinner."

"Alright." As he raced for the door, she felt a rush of dread at the thought of the Hokage finding out so she shouted after him. "Don't say anything to them about the baby, okay!"

He slid to a stop to throw her an offended glare. "Of course not, Me-chan."

The entire time she was cooking with Jun that night, Sakura felt like she was bursting with anxiety, questions and not a little fear. By the time she was chopping an onion into mush, spiraling, imagining giving birth alone, hiding on some damn, gods-forsaken island because Kakashi was dead and Hiruzen wanted her son and her baby, Jun laid a hand on her wrist.

"Are you alright, Ayame-san? I don't think we will be able to use that onion for the curry…"

Sakura dropped the knife, letting it clatter onto the cutting board. Pressing her hands over her face, she shook her head and tried to take a deep breath. "No." A sob escaped and she looked at the other woman, her voice small. "I'm pregnant."

Jun's eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "Oh, oh Ayame-san. That's…" She looked her over, taking in the distress on her face before pulling her into a hug.

The comfort the older woman offered broke the damn. She blubbered and sobbed. "I wish Karasu was here."

Jun sighed, hugging her tighter. "It's going to be okay, Ayame-san. He'll be home before you know it, and he's going to be so happy."

"But… but he's going to have to turn around and leave again. The Hokage isn't our friend right now, Jun-san. What if he finds out and decides to keep him away for longer? What if I have to do this alone? What if he doesn't ever come home?"

"Shh, you can't think like that, Ayame-san." She pulled back, holding Sakura's face between her hands. "And no matter what, you won't be alone. You have your aunt, and you have me. We're friends, aren't we?"

Unless I have to take the boys and run.

But she couldn't say that to Jun. Still, the sentiment made her feel a little better. Sakura nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry." She tried to pull away, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just…"

"Hey, no. It's okay to be scared. I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant and my husband was an active shinobi." She pursed her lips and shrugged. "He was able to retire and be there for me. Karasu won't be able to do that. It is scary, but you're not going to be alone."

She sniffled, nodding again. "Okay, thank you, Jun-san."

Jun smiled. "Are you happy though? I'm guessing this wasn't planned."

"No— I mean, yes, I think I am happy, but no, this was a surprise. We weren't… we haven't really even discussed babies yet. Tenzō still needs so much…"

Jun smiled a little brighter, eliciting a tentative smile from Sakura. "Well you have more than half a year, I'm sure he will be a little more independent by then. Oh, Ayame-san, they're going to be so beautiful!"

For the first time, Sakura let herself feel a little happy, she let herself picture it without the dread. A tiny, silver haired little boy or maybe a green eyed baby girl in Kakashi's arms. Would Tenzō understand? How would he react to a baby brother or sister? She imagined him sitting in Kakashi's lap, meeting them for the first time, and the tears nearly started all over again.

Her laugh was watery and tentative. "I think so, too."

Jun tapped a finger on her chin. "Does Karasu-san have the uh… teeth, like Sakumo-san?"

"He does." Sakura wiped her face and turned back to their dinner prep, laughing again at the pathetic state of her onion.

"Do they come in that way when they're babies, do you think?"

She shrugged as she tossed the wet mush into the trash. "Kakashi-kun has sharp little puppy teeth. I'm guessing so, why?"

The other woman winced, rubbing at her breasts. "I'm remembering when Rin started getting teeth and imagining it with sharp little fangs instead of blunt baby teeth."

Sakura gaped at her, cupping her own breasts in horror. "Oh no."

Sakura went back and forth on whether or not to tell Ryoshi-sama that she was pregnant yet. The old woman would probably not be happy to lose her for any length of time in the middle of a war. She also didn't want it getting back to the Hokage before Kakashi came home. Maybe she was ascribing malice where there was only weakness of character, but she genuinely feared him not allowing Kakashi to come back to her.

Ultimately, she had had the decision made for her. She had been walking with Ryoshi-sama to her office after performing another major surgery when the scent of oranges overwhelmed her senses and sent her racing to the nearest trash can. After all the foul smells of surgery, it was a new air freshener that got to her. Ryoshi-sama gave her a flat look, handed her something to wipe her face and dragged her to her office.

"Are you pregnant?"

Sakura folded her arms around herself and nodded. "Yes. Ryoshi-sama I—"

The old woman sank into her desk chair and swore. "Dammit girl, I was hoping having your husband gone would spare us this inconvenience. I can't afford to lose you to a proper maternity leave. You've hardly been here two weeks and I already know I can't do without you." Her gnarled hands dug through gray hair. "I guess I'll just have to move a few things around. I'll need you to start training medics immediately..."

Sakura dared to interrupt. "Ryoshi-sama?" She begrudgingly glanced up at her. "I know I'm assuming a few things about my health, but this shouldn't hinder me much for now. And after," she tapped at her Byakugou seal, "I should be able to heal my body much faster than anyone else. If you need me, I'm sure I will be able to be here at least a little."

She scoffed, but the tension that had been rapidly coiling around her shoulders relaxed. "I think you're underestimating how difficult it will be for you to leave your new baby. But you're probably right at least a little. A surgery or poisoning now and then should be fine. I had forgotten about how fast you could heal yourself. Still…" Reaching into her desk, she pulled out a few forms and a thick folder, muttering to herself. "We'll need to document it, let the Hokage know, damn paperwork—"

The dread she'd been trying to ignore for days spiked and she gasped, shaking Ryoshi-sama's desk with the force of her hands suddenly gripping It. "Ryoshi-sama! Please, can that wait? I don't want the Hokage to know yet…"

"What?" She frowned up at her, incredulous. "Why ever not?"

Sakura sighed, forcing herself to release the desk and take a step back. "He… He has put himself at odds with our clan, repeatedly offending both Sakumo and my husband. Karasu, my husband, will be home in two and a half months and I want to tell him about the pregnancy in person. If the Hokage finds out, I am… concerned he may keep him away."

Ryoshi-sama looked stern. "I'll have to document it, but I suppose you won't be showing too much for a few months yet. I doubt Hiruzen would be so malicious, though, girl."

Sakura shifted her weight, not sure how much she should say. "He wants custody of our son."

The older woman pursed her lips and nodded. "Orochimaru's experiment. Not a state sponsored experiment fortunately for the child or he'd be at liberty to do whatever he pleased with him." She huffed. "But that would require him to admit to knowing what that slimy bastard was up to in that horror show he called a lab. I read Sakumo's report." Her face screwed up in disgust. "Vile man. The world's better off with him dead, and your little boy is lucky to have been adopted by a clan willing to offend the Hokage to protect him."

Sakura let out a small breath. At least she seemed to be on their side. "Thank you, Ryoshi-sama. I appreciate your discretion."

She sniffed. "Let me worry about Hiruzen. You just focus on taking care of yourself."

A/N If you guessed, congratulations! Please keep in mind my warning from the last chapter.