If Sakura knew terror as well as she did, it was written all over Sai's face when he stood at the end of her hospital bed, wearing full ANBU gear with his mask shifted to the side of his head, eyes wide, lips slightly parted as he looked down at the child wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms.

'You can come closer, Sai.' She said through her barred toothy smile, adjusting her position on the mattress, the child in her arms stirring slightly.

He missed the birth, something Sakura could live with, the few blood stains on his own ANBU armour told her he'd seen enough blood, heard just as many screams as well, that day. He scratched at his cheek and nodded, stepping to the side of her bed, clearly seeing the glare in her eyes and Sai stiffened in posture as he took another step closer. Sai leaned forward on his toes and glanced down at the small life in Sakura's arms, jutting out his lip; he let out a low hum.

'Come on, Sai,' Sakura warned, her voice rising slightly as she patted the baby. 'Your daughter won't bite.'

The rain had started sometime during his dash to the hospital, word spread quickly to him and now that he was there, the lack of cries that he was warned about not sounding, he felt a little uneasy and out of place. Once coherent enough assess the situation clearly, he carefully began removing the blood stained armour, setting it aside neatly on the chair near the window.

He lowered his weight beside Sakura, glancing at her worn out, exhausted appearance, the dark circles under her eyes, the jade depths slightly glazed. Her warmth against his damp body comforting and he leaned a little closer.

'It's quiet.' He whispered, placing a hand on the baby's stomach, feeling her chest rise and fall against his open palm and finger tips.

'She's sleeping, Sai.' Sakura kissed his neck, shifting her weight; she began watching the expressions he went though until he settled on one that made her feel a lot more comfortable.

His eyes creased, his smile grew. 'She looks nothing like you!'

She bit her tongue on that one. He didn't use the word 'Ugly' or 'Disgusting' like she thought he would have and he spoke the truth. The messed bit of black hair, the pale skin, very narrow pointed features. She was her father's daughter and Sakura cursed with a soft laugh as she tilted her head back onto Sai's shoulder.

'You bastard.'

'What? I'm merely stating the obvious.' Sai replied meekly with a small smile. 'And don't swear in front of her.'

'Hold your daughter, moron.' Sakura began shifting the sleeping girl to his arms and when he awkwardly shifted away, it dawned on Sakura that Sai had no clue on how to hold a baby.

Attempting to hold his daughter for the first time was just as awkward as his social skills, but what would Sakura expect from a man who used his hands primarily for killing and painting. With the baby they created resting in his arms, Sai cocked his head, raised an eyebrow and quirked smile.

His hands situated themselves into the positions Sakura, like always, instructed and then he sighed with a crease in his brow.

'Shouldn't she be doing more?' He asked, glancing over at Sakura. 'Crying, screaming?'

Sakura sighed when the infant began twitching and fussing in her sleep. Surely, this is was when she would be the crying, screaming child Sai had expected, but when she opened her eyes, looking blearily up at her father, she made a strange gurgling noise and spat up.

'Well there we have it...' Sai said proudly, Sakura cringed again, enduring for the impact of a foul mouthed remark, 'Not only does she has your eyes, but she spits out some of the most disgusting things I've ever seen come from a woman!'