The 40 Week Challenge

Week 31; Proposals and... Personal Massagers?

The goal; for Sakura to fend off her insane friends whilst sifting through appropriate baby shower gifts.

xXx

"Oi, Sakura-chan! This will cheer you right up!" Ino shoved a particularly large box decorated with a plethora of baby ducklings, bunnies, and kittens into the medic-nin's hands, her exuberant smile nearly obliterating Sakura's massive frown.

"Thanks, Ino," mumbled Sakura, trying to become more enthusiastic for her friends. Really, it wasn't their fault that Kakashi was beginning to act really strange around her now that her due date was looming over the next few weeks. First, she'd summed it up to nerves, and after his brief outing with Asuma, he came back acting differently.

Tearing into the ridiculous paper, Sakura beamed to find that her fellow kunoichi had bought her a cradle set. "Oh, thanks, Ino." Sakura sniffed, embracing her friend tightly.

"No, problem, Forehead. Now get that frown off your face!" chided the Yamanaka girl, shoving one of Hinata's gifts into her arms.

Sakura accepted the gift humbly, trying to banish her thoughts from lingering on the possibility that the Copy Nin could, very well, be considering opting out of parenthood. Really, it wasn't because he didn't love her, but he was raised an only kid and had a tendency to avoid children. He was bred and groomed to be a top notch shinobi by the time he was seven, having no desires to become a parent that would be responsible for another life, when his own was in jeopardy every mission he embarked on.

The medic-nin had come to terms with this possibility already, because if she wasn't going to have a kid, then when would she? Surely not when the day that particular mission would come along and she'd no longer be around. At least she'd leave something of her legacy, even if she wouldn't be around long enough to take care of him/her. Kurenai had opted to take the life of a civlian once her child had been born, but that was the genjutsu master's path, not Sakura's.

With only several days away until their little boy/girl was born, Kakashi needed to settle his issues soon.

Sakura, in a flurry, ripped through more tape and paper to unravel a neat set of unisex infant clothes. Humoursly, the Hyuuga girl had hired a special seamstress to design the clothes to match the shinobi garments that Kakashi wore, as well as Sakura's trademark white medical skirt and pink halter. "They're so cute!" said the medic-nin quite girlishly, embracing Hinata with a mighty hug.

"I thought you might like them," replied the winded Hyuuga, a shy smile on her face.

TenTen entered the mass of women and presented her gift as well. "It's specially made!" she hinted coyly.

Sakura unwrapped the gift and produced a small kunai attached to a metal necklace. "It's for when she or he gets older," replied the weapons master. "Then she or he can find some inspiration to come see me for some weapons training!"

"I'd send her to no one else," said Sakura happily.

Kurenai had given her a fresh set of bottles and a bottle warmer; Temari, who had ventured all the way down to the Fire country for her baby shower (though none of the girls believed it, thinking it was out of business with a certain shadow-specialist), had given her a special concoction based upon ninjutsu and a special desert plant that was used to prevent sunburn for infants that was popular in the Wind country; Hana, Hinata's younger sister, had given her a special offering of a puppy when her bitch gave birth, so the infant could have a companion; and Tsunade had given her the option of using her as a babysitter for a short period of time when the kunoichi returned to full-time medical duty. In Sakura's mind, Tsunade's offer would no doubt prove hysterical.

As the presents were opened and piled up one by one, the questions began to accumulate at an alarming rate.

"Has Kakashi proposed to you yet?"

"Will he want a boy or a girl?"

"Where do you guys want to go on your honeymoon?"

"When's the wedding?"

"Have you guys done it after you got pregnant?"

The latter had been Ino's question, but all of the others seemed much more important to answer than the last.

"No, he hasn't proposed yet," sighed the medic-nin unwittingly, cursing herself for revealing her emotions toward the touchy subject. It wasn't as if she wanted to marry the man - a shinobi didn't live long, and some did decide to tie the knot, she couldn't really see the point. Just being with one person for so long while surviving seemed like enough, adding a baby into the mix was more of a blessing than what it appeared to be.

Ino's face became scary fierce. "Well, that's just not right! He can't expect to get you knocked up and not marry you! You're not some sort of floosy."

"Ino, cut it out." Griped Tenten. "If he doesn't propose, he doesn't; they're already having a child, that'll be expensive enough as it is."

"Yes," affirmed Kurenai. "They'll be full time parents, they won't have time to get married in between the child."

"No, I don't think so." Rebutted Hana. "Sakura-chan is awesome! She can do everything."

"Thanks, Hana," said Sakura hesitantly, continuing to drown out the bickering which quickly escalated to using fists. Really, women could be so violent sometimes.

"Well, if that doesn't work out, open this!" Ino shoved another unassuming box into the pink-haired kunoichi's hands, absolutely glowing with anticipation.

Sakura opened it slowly. She revealed an object about six inches in length, phallic shapes, with an option for vibration. "Ino!" she chucked the offending object away. "What the hell!?"

The Yamanaka girl barely batted an eye. "It's a vibrator. You know, a personal massager, in case he bucks out of this relationship and you need a little mommy time."

"Ino!" chastised Hinata, clamping a hand on Hana's ears. "There are some of us not quite old enough to hear this stuff!" her face was absolutely inflamed in embarrassment.

"That's just gross," shuddered TenTen.

"That seems like something she'd do though," sighed Tsunade.

Temari finally quieted them down once bringing up the fact pizza was on its way. Sakura sighed once peace finally found its way to her apartment. All of this stress couldn't be good for the baby. As if hearing her internal thoughts, the younger Hyuuga girl placed a hand on her rotund belly, feeling the vicious kicks the baby was doling out in its frustrated. She activated her blood line limit and observed as the almost fully mature baby squirmed and moved.

"Why does it move so much?" questioned the young girl.

Hinata answered for Sakura, who was observing in quiet fascination as Hana watched straight through her uterus. She wished she had that ability. "It's getting used to moving outside the womb, Hana. It's exercising."

"Don't tell me the sex," interjected Sakura before Hana could reply. "I know you can see him or her, but I don't want to know yet." She winked.

"Got it," said the younger Hyuuga, deactivating her Byakugan.

"Say, Forehead," Ino came to sit beside her best friend, her eyes alight with mischief. This couldn't be good. "Would you be angry if I hired a certain something for your shower to... liven things up?"

"Ino," warned Sakura, her chakra flaring but sputtering due to the baby's own chakra interfering with her own. "Man, I hate it when that happens."

Kurenai laughed knowingly. "Get used to it. It took a long time for my chakra to finally stop its erratic movements after I gave birth."

"I have superb chakra control," Sakura said proudly. "It should be back in no time."

"We'll give you medication to help with the fluctuations," assured Tsunade.

"Thanks, shishou. And, Ino, don't think I've forgotten your little 'present.' Please tell me you didn't hire a stripper..."

"I didn't hire a stripper."

"Don't just say that because I told you not to."

"Then I should say it?"

"No!"

"Okay, then I won't."

Sakura growled, and the doorbell chose that moment to chime. Ino sent a conspiratorial wink toward her pink-haired friend and leapt to answer it.

"Pizza's here!" She shouted to the house, but was surprised to hear on the other end, "Pizza? I was supposed to bring pizza?"

The Yamanaka girl, puzzled, opened the door a crack. Kakashi stood on the other end, dressed in a fine suit, holding flowers and something in his other hand. His lone slate grey eye met Ino's cerulean, and both exchanged a look of knowing. "I really wasn't supposed to bring pizza, was I?" the Copy Nin asked, worried.

"No, you idiot, it was a cover!" she hissed back, quietly.

"Ino, is it the pizza guy?"

"Yeah! He's just so cute looking!"

The rest of the girls were oblivious to the little scheme Ino and Kakashi had created, so none were the wiser, especially their favourite pink-haired kunoichi. "She's on the couch, don't screw this up, Hatake!"

"The entertain-er, pizza is here!"

All heads shot toward the door in expectation of either a male stripper or the pizza man, none holding their breath for either option. As the door opened and the jounin slipped through, all jaws simultaneously became slack and eyes rounded. Sakura took a second longer to glance up, and became immobilized while fondling one of the teddy bears she had received, taking in the site of Kakashi dressed impeccably while holding a bouquet of roses.

"K-Kakashi!" said Sakura, astonished as well as a little wary. "You're not... not going to start stripping are you?" she barked out a nervous laugh. To her surprise, none of the other kunoichi looked too upset at this prospect, which lead her to believe no one knew why he was here. "Are you?" she repeated.

"No," he said simply, extending the bouquet out for her to hold between shaky fingers. "Although I'm sure if Ino had more persuasion skills I'd be here for that instead of something else." Ino's laugh came from somewhere behind him, but Sakura couldn't remove her eyes to find out where.

"Then, why are you here?" she bit her lip nervously, almost ruining the fine cluster of flowers in her fingers.

Sounds of absolute shock echoed within her apartment as he knelt to one knee, his one hidden hand revealing itself which held a tiny box perched within his palm. "I'm here for this." He opened the lid and revealed a golden ring embellished with pink and white diamonds. "Sakura," he began, slowly, fearing her reaction but also encouraged by it, "will you marry me?"

Sakura promptly fainted.

"Way to go, Hatake!" chided Ino, fanning her friend.

The Copy Nin panicked. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked emphatically. "That's how they did it in the films, and they never faint!"

Ino gave him a knowing look. "No, you did it right."

Sakura gained enough consciousness to say yes, and then was transported gently to bed, where Kakashi shooed everyone out of the apartment and began to clean up. A half an hour into cleaning, the doorbell rang once more. Suspicious, the Copy Nin moved to the peep-hole and discovered an unidentifiable male outside.

Kakashi opened the door to discover a very under dressed unidentifiable male outside of his apartment, holding a pizza in such a way that could be considered lascivious. "Pizza guy," he said in his rehearsed voice, eyes peering into the empty apartment. "Um, this the baby shower house, right?"

"Yep," Kakashi said, taking the pizza from his arms and shutting the door faster than the man could speak.

A/N: I know this has been a while since updated, but I've been busy with fixing my query letter and manuscript while editing other's novels as well, so I haven't had a lot of time. Hope you like, please comment!