A/N All I can offer is my sincerest apologies at my ridiculously long hiatus. Hope this finds you all happy:)

Chapter 15 – Bombshells all 'round.

The rain was coming down so hard it bounced off the street, flying back into the air a metre or so before falling back to the Earth. It was plastering her hair to her head and drenching her clothes, but she remained seated on the cold concrete step, her prolonged position causing an unshakeable numbness from the hips down. Still, despite the discomfort, Sakura remained where she was, staring dully at the second floor window across the street. Considering how dark the morning had gotten once the clouds had gathered, she knew he wasn't home because a light would have been on. Unless he was still sleeping, of course, which wouldn't be all that unlikely considering how early it still was. She knew she was exhausted, given she had not yet slept, but couldn't bring herself to go home.

She was completely alone on the street now. When the rain had first started, the early morning rush of people had been hurrying past her, desperate to find shelter. One kind old man had even stopped to ask if she was alright. She must have looked a right mess. Her eyes never left the window, however, and he had quickly given up.

It had only been sprinkling when she had arrived on her current perch, but the downpour had increased to monumental proportions whilst she sat there trying to convince herself that she wasn't a coward. Fortunately, the rain had become so loud it had drowned out the very thoughts from her head. It was a deafening assault of sound and so peaceful.

She knew she had been alone, which was why the small shift in shadows caught her attention. She couldn't look up for fear of getting punched in the eyes by the golf ball sized raindrops, so she glanced at the sandaled feet that had appeared next to her. She knew who it was, anyway. His chakra was so painfully familiar to her. Besides, even if she wasn't a kunoichi, she would have still known it was him. Kakashi had a certain presence about him that was unmistakeable.

"Yo."

His voice was oddly disquieting, as if he wasn't quite sure how to talk to her in that moment. He probably thought she was crazy, sitting out in this weather. Sakura didn't know what to say to him, or even if she wanted to say anything, so she simply remained quiet.

He let out a soft sigh and she would have been amazed she had heard it at all if she wasn't so attuned to everything about him now. It was decidedly unremarkable to her that she had caught the sound, even amongst the cacophony of rain.

He shifted, obviously preparing to walk away, but her hand shot out of its own accord and gripped the soaking material of his pants tightly. She felt warmth radiating from him. Her body finally realised it was cold, now that a heat source was so close, and goose bumps broke out along her skin, causing her to shiver slightly. She shuffled her legs closer to him in response, trying to steal more heat, but that small movement caused a shocking bout of pins and needles to shoot through her limbs. She let out a small gasp and winced.

"Baka," came Kakashi's soft voice and before she could protest, he pulled her to her feet, wrapped his warm hand around hers, and dragged her across the street. She had to awkwardly hop after him as the pain from suddenly using her legs after such a length of time remaining stationary lanced through her.

She glanced at the water streaming down the window above her one last time before Kakashi pulled her into the foyer of his building. It was just as cold in here, but at least it was dry. They left a little trail of puddles along the stairs as they climbed up to his apartment, and after he let her in, pulling her shoes off her feet, he left her standing in the middle of the living room. She stared around, sniffing slightly. Everything was neat and orderly, as it usually was. Except the bookcase. For some reason, he didn't believe in putting books side-by-side, but threw them on the shelves in random piles.

He came from the bathroom with an armful of towels. At some point he had removed his jacket and sweatshirt, leaving his toned arms on show for her to not-so-slyly appreciate. He didn't often wear just the vest and mask so she drank the image in and stored it away for the long winter that was fast approaching. They hadn't even had the Autumn festival yet but if this weather continued, it might end up being cancelled.

She was so lost in her thoughts about festival food and kimono's that she failed to react in time when Kakashi tossed the towel over to her. It landed on her face. She sighed and mumbled her thanks before beginning to rub over her arms. Apparently she was being too slow about it as Kakashi made an impatient huff, stomped the few feet across the floor to her side, pulled it from her hands and began vigorously rubbing it over her hair. She felt like a complete child, but for some reason, let him continue.

She remained silent while he worked. After throwing the damp towel in the direction of the bathroom, he picked another one up and wrapped it around her. She snuggled into the fluffy cotton, bringing it up to her chin. He placed a hand gingerly on her shoulder and directed her to the couch where she sat, pulling her feet under the towel and leaning into the cushions. He disappeared again for a few moments before coming back with a dark blue blanket and throwing it over her. She watched him stride to his small kitchenette and begin making tea. The entire time, neither of them said a word. He obviously thought she was still upset about everything and was waiting for her to break the silence. The thing was, as soon as she did, this strange peace they had settled into would be over, and she wasn't ready for it yet. Sakura was content with being looked after for a moment. Sometimes being strong and wilful was exhausting.

When the tea was ready, he placed it on the small coffee table in front of the couch and sat on the opposite end. She watched the steam curl from the water for a few minutes, but the silence began to drag and she knew she would have to break it soon. She was unsure of what to say. She really wasn't in the mood to discuss what had happened but he would probably want to know where they stood with each other. The problem with that was she wasn't sure herself. She couldn't just forgive him, could she? Surely she should make him suffer a bit first. She already had, she knew it the second he had started to leave her on that step. She sat up slowly, helping herself to a cup and blowing on it gently. She knew trying to stay angry at him was hopeless and that in itself frightened her. What else would she be willing to let him get away with in the future if she forgave him for this so easily?

Kami-sama, the future? What was she exactly expecting? That they had a future? She shook her head slightly. What a fool she was.

She finally decided to keep things simple.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" He asked.

She sighed. Why did he like to complicate things? Obviously for drying her off. She tugged at the towel pointedly for explanation and he gave a slight nod before they sunk once more into silence.

She couldn't pretend. There was no point.

"I forgave you already. You can relax."

She felt his gaze on her face and her skin tingle as the blush crept over her cheeks. She loathed how much she adored his attention. That was probably the reason she had been so quick to admit forgiveness. She really couldn't imagine how empty her life would be without him in it. Even before all the confusion of the past few weeks, it would have been difficult to cut him out completely, but now… She was so angry at herself for becoming this attached. She felt like it destroyed her independent image for some reason, but that wasn't fair on either of them. He had never tried to control or possess her in the way she feared men would. She knew people made mistakes; hell she had made plenty, and as terrible as it was to go behind her back like that… He had put a stop to it before it became completely unforgivable.

"Perhaps you shouldn't," he said suddenly and she turned large, confused eyes towards him. He shrugged and stared at the steam rising from his own cup.

"Probably," she admitted, shuffling into a more comfortable position.

"Then why..?"

She could feel the guilt pouring from him and the pettier side of her sort of enjoyed it.

Instead of saying anything, she skewered him with a withering glance and drained her cup. Kami-sama knew she was never going to admit anything to him now. He set his own cup down and turned towards her, examining her face closely. The shift in his mask gave away the sudden smile and the knowing look in his eye was too much for her. Her cheeks flushed. Sakura groaned loudly and slammed the cup onto the table before pulling the blanket over her head. She could hear Kakashi chuckling softly. She desperately wanted to kick him and was feeling incredibly betrayed by the grin spreading across her face.

The couch moved slightly as Kakashi shifted position. "You're smiling, aren't you?"

"No," she lied adamantly.

"Hm."

Silence swirled peacefully around them. Sakura was warming up and she felt hazy. The blanket was so soft. Her eyes drooped and she let out a small, wistful sigh.

Kakashi's voice breezed nonchalantly through the apartment. "I ran into Sai."

Fear jolted through her and she was suddenly wide awake. She tensed, frozen in place, unsure what to say.

"He gave me quite the telling off, actually," he mused.

"What?" Discomfort forgotten momentarily, she emerged from the blanket to stare at him perplexed. His eye was creased in amusement, which reassured her somewhat.

"Something about how I should be ashamed of myself for getting you into such a state."

Sakura snorted. "I am not a state."

"Really?" Kakashi's eyebrow quirked and the gleam in that dark grey eye quite clearly indicated she wasn't going to enjoy his next sentence. Sakura glared at him warningly, but predictably, he ignored her.

"Attempting to seduce Sai… Sounds like you're a bit of a state."

She cringed slightly. So he definitely knew. "So?" She spat venomously, "and whose fault do you think that is?"

The laughter faded from his face and she made a haughty huff of triumph.

"I really am sorry, Sakura," he said, voice serious and sincere. She attempted to ignore him for a few seconds but failed miserably, her eyes drawn to his.

"I know," she admitted gently.

Kakashi continued to stare at her and she could tell he was burning to say something.

"What?" She sighed.

"I know it's not really any of my business but I am curious… Why Sai?"

She looked at him, trying to read his mind, but of course his blank face was indiscernible.

"Why do you need to know?" She countered.

Something flashed through his dark eye that sent a chill down her spine. She shivered under his scrutinising stare and decided it wasn't worth an argument simply because she wanted to be stubborn.

"Honestly?" She asked and he raised an eyebrow slightly, as if daring her to lie. "I want to say proximity," she sighed, staring out of the small window above the kitchen sink. The rain had begun to ease. "It had more to do with the fact he said the nicest, most sincere thing in the world at that moment. I needed a little kind honesty."

She gazed back at him and his expression had become soft and thoughtful.

"I can't really be angry about that," he sighed.

"You have no right to be," she quipped back.

Kakashi's mouth opened, but he stopped himself. "Suppose not," he admitted after a few seconds, folding his arms across his chest and staring blankly at his bookshelf.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "We've just spent the last few days ignoring each other, do you really want to go back to that?"

"No," he said, sounding sullen.

She smiled. "You're such a child sometimes."

He turned towards her. "Really? This is coming from you?"

"Yes," she stuck out her tongue before burying her grin in the blanket.

Neither of them spoke again for the longest time. The rain had stopped completely before Sakura whispered, "I should probably go now."

"Mm…" The sound he made was so soft. She poked a small hole between the folds of the blanket to peer out at him. He had shifted so that he was leaning on the arm of the couch, legs thrown out at an angle, head back, eyes closed. His chest was rising and falling slowly, clearly on the edge of sleep. He had tucked one arm behind his head in place of a pillow and the other was resting casually across his stomach. He looked far too inviting and as soon as the thought flittered across her mind, her mouth went dry and a pang of longing coursed through her. She grimaced, pushing the feelings away and wrapping the blankets tightly around herself. She decided to just sleep where she was, but only because she was so warm and comfortable.

Naruto smiled mildly to himself as he trudged through the drenched streets of his village. He wasn't sure why, but he loved Konoha after a fresh rainfall. It was like everything was new again. He put his foot down with a little more aplomb than necessary into a puddle, sending a wave of water to splash a nearby toddler. Before Naruto could apologise, the boy burst out laughing and jumped into the puddle. Naruto giggled, stuffed his hands into his pockets and kept walking.

His training with Yamato had been going well, but they kept getting rained out. Once the clouds had passed, Naruto had assumed they would be heading out again, so he had gone to the Captain's house only to find the man mumbling furiously to himself. Apparently, someone had stolen his favourite rug. Personally, Naruto thought he was overreacting to a silly piece of carpet, but since Yamato-taichou refused to leave for some serious training until he had it back, Naruto had agreed to help. There was one prime suspect – Kakashi-sensei. Naruto had scoffed, convinced his sensei would never steal something so useless. Yamato hadn't really explained much, but informed him that Genma Shiranui was probably an accomplice. Assuming Genma was framing his sensei, Naruto had decided to find the shinobi and confront him. Unfortunately, he didn't know where Genma lived, so he had been wandering around the village for the last hour. Thankfully, Iruka-sensei, on asking, informed Naruto that he had seen the shinobi at a nearby dango shop barely five minutes ago. Naruto prepared himself for a showdown to get his Captain's rug back and defend his sensei's honour!. Sadly, when finally located him tucked away on a small wooden table at the back of the shop, Genma wasn't particularly responsive.

"Hatake has it."

"Why would Kakashi-sensei steal a rug?" Naruto demanded, arms crossed and trying to appear menacing.

Genma simply rolled his eyes. "Who knows? Look, I have to leave soon. He has it, so quit bugging me, I'm busy."

Naruto bit back his reply and peered over the old mans shoulder to gave at the paper's he was hunched over. "Hey, that's a letter to Shizune-chan; tell her I said hi!"

Genma's face suddenly paled and he threw his arms over the letter protectively. His eyes were wide, almost like he was genuinely afraid.

"It's, uh – not that kind of letter, Naruto."

The blonde scratched his head, not really understanding. Perhaps it was a mission report or something else classified? Must have been a pretty serious matter for the shinobi to be reacting this way. Naruto sat down and stared solemnly into those dark eyes.

"If Shizune-chan is in some kind of trouble, please let me help. Baa-chan would want me to."

Genma regarded him for a moment before shifting awkwardly in his chair. "No one is in danger, it's…. it's not a ninja thing, ok?"

Now Naruto was thoroughly confused. "Then what is it?"

Genma gave an exaggerated sigh before glancing over what he had written. "It's actually an apology of sorts."

Naruto felt his eyes narrow. Shizune was always nice to him and often diverted Baa-chan's crazy mood swings. If this guy needed to apologise for something then he obviously hurt or upset her in some way and that was definitely not ok.

"Oi," he began threateningly, "if you've done something –" but Genma gave a blasé wave of his hand, as if bored with the whole situation.

"Cool it, Fox-boy," he drawled, senbon bobbing in time to his words.

Naruto felt Kurama stir within him.

TELL THAT WELP I'LL BE PICKING HIM OUT OF MY TEETH IF HE DOESN'T LOOSE THE ATTITUDE.

Naruto folded his arms and opened his mouth to let the older shinobi have it but Genma cut him off.

"Look, this is grown-up stuff, ok kid?"

Naruto could feel his patience wearing thin, but before he could react, a small hand lightly touched his arm and the familiar chakra calmed him instantly.

HUMPH, THAT GIRL MAY AS WELL BE YOUR CAGE, Kurama sneered haughtily.

Naruto ignored the Kyuubi and turned instead to smile into those pretty lavender eyes.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!"

She blinked and blushed slightly, mumbling a small greeting of, "H-hello, Naruto-kun."

When he next spoke, Naruto made sure he lowered his voice slightly. He was always so happy to see her that he often forgot to curb his enthusiasm and as a result, was far too loud. "What are you up to Hinata-chan?" He saw her glance between Genma, the letter and himself, taking it all in.

"Nothing really… I was thinking off making sushi for lunch but I like dango too…"

"Ok," Naruto smiled, Genma momentarily forgotten. "I'll get some!"

"Oh! N-no, I can't…" but it was too late, Naruto had bounded off to the counter. He grinned to himself happily. She always seemed so flustered when people were kind to her. It was endearing, but also a little sad in a way. It had taken him a while to understand why someone who had been given everything as a child would be abashed by someone doing something nice for them, but as he had realised, having people wait on you hand and foot because they were expected to wasn't the same as someone doing it just because they wanted to see her smile. By some miracle, she had been spared the typical Hyuuga arrogance and become the most caring person Naruto had ever known. He believed she, more than anyone, deserved true kindness, which is why he enjoyed doing little things like this for her.

She accepted it from him with a shy sound of thanks, staring dumbfounded at the sweet treats perched neatly on the skewer. He laughed merrily at her face before bounding back out into the street, deciding Genma was a lost cause so he may as well just go straight to the source.

He realised Hinata was following a few steps behind, so slowed to match her pace.

"So, I'm not the greatest cook," Naruto began conversationally, "So if you like, I can buy the ingredients if you don't mind making it?"

Hinata's eyes were wide, but the smallest of smiles was tugging at her mouth. Obviously she knew he was angling for a home cooked meal and he figured she accepted his proposal simply because she knew he never really had anyone to cook for him. She really was kind.

"I have to just pop in on Kakashi-sensei first," he explained as he rounded a corner suddenly.

Hinata tripped slightly as she turned to follow him and the blonde couldn't suppress his chuckle. He knew she was graceful, he'd seen her in action and she was magnificent to behold, but she was oddly clumsy during peaceful days in the village.

Naruto put his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky. He knew it wasn't far to Kakashi's. He could just duck in, sort out this whole mess with the rug, then head to the store for ramen noodles. Usually, he preferred Ichiraku, but he knew Hinata would make delicious ramen, she was so good at everything. Hinata did like ramen, right? He tried to think whether he had ever seen her eating the mouth-wateringly good noodles….

"Oi, Hinata?"

"Umm, yes?" She seemed a little startled he had spoken and he forgot what he was going to sat for a second as he pondered at how she became so timid. Then again, growing up with Hisashi Hyuuga as a father couldn't have been easy. Still, her younger sister, Hinabi, was aptly named. A firework indeed. Still, he enjoyed Hinata's peaceful presence.

"Do you like ramen?" He asked, finally.

She shot him a perplexed look. "I suppose…"

He grinned, ready to announce his grand plan for lunch, but her words echoed through his mind and he paused. 'Supposed'? Well, as painful as it was to admit, he knew not everyone loved ramen as much as he did. He really wanted ramen, but he also wanted Hinata to eat something she'd enjoy…

"What's your favourite lunch?"

Those mind-blowingly large eyes swam with curiosity as she stared at him. For some reason, he felt his cheeks warm under her gaze and had to look away, grinning to himself sheepishly.

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I did think I was going to get some sushi ingredients, but if you would like ramen I'm more than –"

"Sushi it is!" Naruto exclaimed. He stopped outside of Kakashi's building, covering his eyes as he glanced up at the second floor window. "You think about what you would like and I'll be right back."

Without another word, he scaled the side of the building, pulled himself through the window and stumbled unceremoniously through the jonin's bedroom. He scoffed at how tidy everything was. Grinning, he cheekily moved a few of Kakashi's things around, tossing some socks onto the floor and pulling back his neat bedding. Any opportunity to annoy the old man. With a satisfied smirk, he pushed open the bedroom door and strolled lazily into the living room as if he owned the place.

Kakashi's bright silver hair was sticking out over the top of his drab couch and Naruto felt a devilish smile take over his face. His sensei was clearly sleeping deeply if he hadn't acknowledged Naruto's chakra, which he was making no effort to hide. The jinchuuriki knew he would never again be presented with such a wonderful opportunity as this.

As he slowly crept forward, he tried to restrain the joy and excitement that threatened to burst forth any moment – he was finally going to see Kakashi-sensei's face! This was going to be the greatest moment of his entire – Naruto froze, mouth open in shock. His mind was struggling to comprehend what his eyes were seeing.

Kakashi wasn't alone.

That in itself would have been incredibly uncomfortable, but what made it a thousand times worse and caused the pit of his stomach to drop to his feet was the image of his little pink-haired friend tucked into the old perverts side like it was the most natural thing in the world. The old, thieving pervert, because there it was, rolled up and leaning against the far wall – Yamato-taichou's rug.

Fury began to build inside of him, but before he could let out the enraged scream caught in his throat, a voice thundered through him.

NARUTO, LEAVE RIGHT NOW!

He gritted his teeth, hands balled into fists, but spun on his heel and fled the scene.

Perched on Kakashi's window ledge like an angry bird-of-prey, he whispered furiously, "Why won't you let me pummel the bastard?!"

He felt Kurama's impatient sigh slide through his mind. YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS SIUTATION. IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE HOKAGE SOME DAY YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN TO COLLECT ALL THE FACTS BEFORE YOU RUSH RIGHT IN AND BUNGLE EVERYTHING UP.

Naruto glared at the street below, but as his eyes met a concerned Hinata, the anger began to dissipate.

WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO HER ABOUT IT? Kurama mused.

"Why?" Naruto asked, perplexed. He doubted Sakura wanted this getting around.

I LIKE THE INFLUENCE SHE HAS ON YOU, was Kurama's only way of explanation.

Naruto leapt from the window to land beside the Hyuuga.

"What happened?" She asked, clearly worried.

He took a deep breath, but couldn't quite shake his discomfort. "How about I tell you over sushi," he offered, forcing a smile.

Hinata blinked wearily. "Ok."

It hadn't taken long to purchase everything they needed and Naruto rather enjoyed watching Hinata prepare everything. He was glad she had chosen a quieter area of the Hyuuga compound as the stares he had received from her clan as they had entered had been unnerving. They clearly didn't approve of him hanging out with their heir, but he knew how stuffy the Hyuuga's were. He glanced at Hinata as she carefully placed a dish on the table in front of him. She really was completely different to the rest of them.

He popped a piece of sushi into his mouth and closed his eyes, savouring the taste. The fish was slightly tangy but it worked perfectly with the rice and seaweed.

"Hina-chan, this is amazing!"

She smiled at his praise before putting several pieces on a small plate in front of her. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it," she began, picking up a piece of tuna, "but you were quite upset earlier."

Naruto paused with a second piece of sushi already touching his lips and sighed heavily. He had been desperately attempting to forget the image now burned into his brain forever. He shuddered slightly and placed the sushi roll back on the plate.

Hinata's mouth opened into a little 'o' shape for a moment, but she recovered quickly, a smile quirking her lips. "I don't think I've ever seen you stop eating when there is still food available. This must be serious."

He returned her smile before scratching his head thoughtfully. "There is no easy way to say it," he sighed, "so I'm just going to come out with it." He watched intently for her reaction whilst the strangest sentence he had ever uttered fell from his mouth. "I think Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei are like, um…. Together." He whispered the last word, as if saying it too loudly would bring down the wrath of Kami-sama.

Hinata stared at him and for the first time ever, her eyes were completely unreadable. When she spoke, her voice was just as devoid of emotion as her expression. "That explains why you were so upset." Something suddenly flashed across her face and if Naruto didn't know any better, he would have thought her suffering from some hideous wound. She was clearly uninjured, however. "Obviously," she continued, "seeing the woman you like dearly with another man would hurt."

She had now completely averted her gaze and Naruto let out a huff of air in an agitated sigh. "It's not like she was just with some random guy. It's our sensei. Surely there is something incredibly wrong with that?"

Still not looking at him, Hinata had let her silken, dark hair fall across her face as she fiddled with her chopsticks and glared reproachfully at her food. "If she is happy, does it matter who it is with?" Her voice sounded oddly heavy.

"I suppose," Naruto agreed reluctantly, not sure if he believed himself.

"I am sorry though," and in an uncharacteristically bold move, Hinata reached over the table and place her hand over his. "It must hurt you terribly. I know you've loved Sakura-san for a very long time." She squeezed his hand gently before abruptly standing. She rolled back the paper screen doors to reveal the gorgeous gardens before strolling into the sunshine and sitting on the steps that overlooked a small koi pond.

Naruto stared after her. She seemed to be acting peculiar. To be honest, she was always a little odd, but this was different somehow. "Wait," he blurted out, launching to his feet and closing the distance between them in three long strides. "I don't love Sakura-chan!" He had no idea why, but it was suddenly vitally important that she understood this. "I mean, she's my best friend and I did love her, and I do, but as a sister now… She's family, and you protect your family, right?"

Hinata's lips twitched, but she said nothing, so Naruto sat beside her and continued. "Kakashi-sensei is family too, but Sakura… we went through so much together but I'm not in lo- I mean, I don't love her as in, yunno, love." He trailed off, no longer sure of what to say or whether he was even making any sense.

Hinata's strange mood broke and she chuckled lightly. The sound was wonderfully reassuring to Naruto. They sat in silence for a time watching the fish swim in lazy circles. A small breeze blew across the surface of the water and Naruto noticed Hinata shiver slightly. Without a word, he unzipped his patent orange and black jacket and dropped it around her shoulders.

She looked at him surprised. "You don't have-" but he shushed her with a smile.

Her small hands gripped the edges of the jacket lightly and the sight of her snuggled into it did something strange to his insides.

"N-Naruto-kun?" She asked suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"If they are happy together, wouldn't that be ok?"

He shifted uncomfortably. They did both deserve to be happy… There were worse people they could have ended up with…

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. It's just going to take some getting used to."

"There are going to be a lot of people who don't approve. They're going to need their friends and family more than ever."

"Hmm," he mused, wondering what the rest of their friends would think.

"You should go talk to them," Hinata stated, firm but kind.

He nodded in agreement as a thought struck him. "Hina-chan… could you come with me?"

Those captivating eyes were surprised, but warm. "Of course."

"Things seem much easier when you're around," he announced suddenly.

He was embarrassed slightly, but it was worth it to see that beaming smile.

Hinata eyed his bear arms and neck, expression soft. "It's going to be getting a lot colder and I never see you with a scarf…"

Sakura had spent the journey form Kakashi's apartment to her own with one eye over her shoulder, waiting for the blonde bomb to drop. When Kakashi had told her they had been busted by Naruto she thought the whole world just disappeared from underneath her feet. What the hell were they going to do?! Naruto was going to murder the both of them! Well, if she was honest, she might get away with receiving the silent treatment for a few weeks, which wasn't so bad (it actually meant she got more work done), but Kakashi? His days were surely numbered.

When he informed her Naruto had simply left, however, she could hardly believe it. Then again, she had not been rudely awoken. Actually, she rather enjoyed the sensation of gradually regaining consciousness in Kakashi's arms, feeling him squirm slightly as she stretched languorously on top of him. This lasted only a few seconds, however, as she then became a little embarrassed at her behaviour. This helped her leave, explaining to Kakashi that it would probably be best if she spoke to Naruto alone.

She desperately wanted a shower and a few hours to prepare first, however, which is why she had been running as stealthily as possible through the village and cried triumphantly when she reached her apartment. Her exultations died, however, when she realised she wasn't alone. The impeding panic attack vanished when her brain caught up and she realised it was Ino's blonde head she was looking at, not Naruto's.

"Oh, hey Pig," she said, kicking off her shoes.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Ino practically screamed.

Sakura blinked, finally taking in the ragged appearance of her best friend. The dark, hollowed appearance of her eyes told Sakura quite clearly that she had in fact gotten more sleep than Ino last night, impossibly.

"What's wrong?"

Ino had leapt to her feet when Sakura entered and she was wringing her hands in an aberrant display of vulnerability. Tears began falling from her bloodshot eyes and noticing the many tissues strewn over couch, Sakura realised this was definitely not the first time her friend had cried in the last few hours.

"Ino, what-"

"I'm late," Ino hissed dramatically, as if this statement held more meaning than life itself.

Sakura stared at her blankly. "We didn't have anything planned today, did we?"

Ino gawped at her, open-mouthed, and Sakura caught up.

"Shit." The silence stretched between them until Sakura finally decided to be practical. "How long?"

"Put it this way, Shikamaru is going to be a Daddy." She looked stricken, almost as if she hadn't fully comprehended the words until they were out in the open for everyone to hear.

"Did you speak to him?"

"No," Ino suddenly turned on her, furious. "I had decided to talk things over with my best friend, but apparently she and her large forehead had better places to be."

"Oi," Sakura snapped, "this isn't my fault. If I had known I would have been here."

"Where were you, anyway?" Ino switched it around so fast Sakura felt she was recovering from whiplash.

"I, uh… wait, this is about you."

Her friend's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but as her predicament was indeed a bit more life altering than Sakura's, the blonde was willing to drop it.

"What am I going to do," she whispered horrified, collapsing into the nearest armchair.

Sakura sat on the arm of the chair and pulled her friend in close, wrapping her arms around her tightly, as if trying to hold her together. "We'll figure it out," she said simply, knowing that Ino needed to sleep. Everything else could wait.