Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Pink and Blue Blues
Chapter 8: All's Well That's Not Quite Finished
Tsunade immediately dropped to her knees beside Kakashi and laid her fingers against his neck. Sakura gave a cry and sat up, about to swing her feet onto the floor. Her head began to spin and with a moan, she lowered herself back onto the bed.
"Don't try that again for a while," Tsunade said over her shoulder. Turning back to Kakashi, she carefully pried the baby from his arms and stood up with her. "Don't worry," she told Sakura. "He's alive, but barely. His chakra must have already been severely depleted from fighting and using his Sharingan. He further exhausted himself getting back here." She looked down at him and shook her head. "I don't know how far he had to travel, but he must have been running on sheer will power."
She turned to the nurse. "Get hold of a couple of orderlies," she instructed briskly. "Have them bring another bed in here and get him in it. And get me another blanket." She nodded down at the baby in her arms, who seemed to be taking all of this in her stride. "This one has blood stains on it."
It was approaching midnight by this time, and Naruto and Hinata were finally ushered from the room. He walked her back home, and they would have stood out in front happily making out for at least another hour, but Naruto was anxious to pass on the news.
He bounded back into the village, bouncing off walls and roofs and generally disturbing the inhabitants. He finally ran up to the door of Iruka's apartment and pounded on it. He thought he heard noises from inside, and as he began pounding again, the door was flung open.
"Naruto, would you shut the hell up!" Iruka hissed at him. The chunin, clad only in pants, stood gripping the door in one hand.
"Hey, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto greeted him cheerfully. "Did I wake you up?"
Iruka gave a slight, impatient shrug. "Sort of. So what happened? Did Sakura have her baby?"
"Yeah! She had a baby girl! And Kakashi-sensei came back just in time! He missed all the gross stuff. Although he kind of collapsed. But Granny Tsunade says he'll be okay!"
"Oh, that's great," Iruka said, genuinely pleased.
"Naruto!" Ayame appeared at Iruka's side, pulling the bottom edge of what appeared to be Iruka's shirt down over her thighs. "That's wonderful!"
Naruto stared at the two of them for a moment, then chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, geez! I'm sorry!"
"That's okay, Naruto," Ayame replied calmly. "Just don't tell my dad."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and stroked his chin. "Well, that depends. How much free ramen is it worth to you?"
Ayame scowled at him. "How much is it worth to you to not have me spit in your bowl?" she snapped back.
Naruto put up his hands and grinned. "Okay, fine! We'll call it even. Well, I'll let you get back to...you know...whatever it-"
"Just go, Naruto," Iruka said, shutting the door. Naruto headed home, still chuckling.
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At about three in the morning, Sakura was awoken by the baby's whimperings. She swung her feet to the floor and stepped over to the bassinet. The baby's face would alternately scrunch up, then relax, as though she wasn't quite sure what she wanted. Sakura smiled at her as she scooped her up.
"Hi, sweetie!" Sakura whispered to her. She didn't even have a name yet, but there really wasn't any hurry. Sakura was perfectly content to wait until Kakashi regained consciousness. Actually, she was perfectly content about everything just now. She looked across at the bed on the other side of where the bassinet stood. Kakashi lay sound asleep, breathing quietly, his face now relaxed and calm. He had been cleaned up and dressed in hospital issue clothes, and Tsunade had seen to his wounds. The room had been put back in order after the delivery, and they had been left alone for the rest of the night.
Sakura sat up on her bed and nursed the baby. The sky outside her window was black, its darkness put into sharper contrast by the glow of a street light that stood somewhere below. A small, dim lamp was lit at her bedside, just enough to see by. When Sakura finished nursing, which for having only done it twice so far, she felt she had it down pretty well, she changed the baby's diaper, wrapped her in her blanket and carried her back over the bassinet.
The baby seemed like she didn't quite want to go to sleep yet, so Sakura stood slowly rocking from side to side, humming very softly. The baby finally relaxed, and Sakura was about to lay her back down when she heard a faint whisper.
"Sakura..." She turned and looked down at Kakashi. His right eye was partly opened as he looked up at her. "Let me see her again."
Smiling, Sakura carefully sat down beside him on the edge of his bed. She held the baby near him, pulling the blanket a little away from her face. Kakashi was unable to move yet, and just staying awake was a supreme effort, but one corner of his mouth curved up almost imperceptibly. He slowly drew in a deep breath and whispered, "Aiko." (AN: beloved one)
Sakura smiled, feeling very pleased. "Good choice," she replied. She laid Aiko back in her bassinet, and after making sure she was asleep, she sat next to Kakashi again. His eye had closed, and she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, then his eyelids, then the ridge of his nose, and finally his lips. She started to rise to go back to her bed when she heard one more faint whisper.
"Stay."
Sakura looked into his face. She couldn't tell if he had already drifted back into unconsciousness, but it didn't really matter. She slipped under the blanket beside him and, being cautious of his bandaged wounds, she put her arm across his chest and lay her head on his shoulder. Soon, all three of them were asleep.
----------------------------
Tsunade walked down the quiet hospital corridors. She didn't generally make early morning rounds, but she was feeling antsy. She looked into a few of the rooms, glanced over the patients in them, and went on her way.
She came finally to the doors of Sakura's room and paused. This was where she had wanted to go to begin with, but she didn't want to appear overanxious. Or nosey. She stood outside the doors for several moments, debating with herself.
"I'm the chief medic," she finally told herself. "Not to mention the Hokage. If I want to check on a patient, I can."
She hesitantly put her hand on one of the doors and gave it a gentle push, opening it just a couple of inches. She listened intently for a moment, then pushed it open further. Putting her head in, she peered over at the set of beds.
None of the occupants of the room were making any sound other than quiet breathing. The baby lay in her bassinet, but the bed Sakura had been in was empty. Tsunade looked over at the other bed and saw Kakashi stretched out in it with Sakura curled up against his side. She had one arm draped across him and he had somehow managed to bring his arm over her shoulders.
She quietly backed out of the room and let the doors close noiselessly behind her. She touched one of the doors lightly, almost affectionately, with her fingertips, and she smiled as Jiraiya's words echoed in her mind. This is good. This feels right.
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AN: Supposedly, the sign of a true artist is knowing when to stop. I could end here, but hell's bells! Who wants that? Yet more to come!
Tsunade immediately dropped to her knees beside Kakashi and laid her fingers against his neck. Sakura gave a cry and sat up, about to swing her feet onto the floor. Her head began to spin and with a moan, she lowered herself back onto the bed.
"Don't try that again for a while," Tsunade said over her shoulder. Turning back to Kakashi, she carefully pried the baby from his arms and stood up with her. "Don't worry," she told Sakura. "He's alive, but barely. His chakra must have already been severely depleted from fighting and using his Sharingan. He further exhausted himself getting back here." She looked down at him and shook her head. "I don't know how far he had to travel, but he must have been running on sheer will power."
She turned to the nurse. "Get hold of a couple of orderlies," she instructed briskly. "Have them bring another bed in here and get him in it. And get me another blanket." She nodded down at the baby in her arms, who seemed to be taking all of this in her stride. "This one has blood stains on it."
It was approaching midnight by this time, and Naruto and Hinata were finally ushered from the room. He walked her back home, and they would have stood out in front happily making out for at least another hour, but Naruto was anxious to pass on the news.
He bounded back into the village, bouncing off walls and roofs and generally disturbing the inhabitants. He finally ran up to the door of Iruka's apartment and pounded on it. He thought he heard noises from inside, and as he began pounding again, the door was flung open.
"Naruto, would you shut the hell up!" Iruka hissed at him. The chunin, clad only in pants, stood gripping the door in one hand.
"Hey, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto greeted him cheerfully. "Did I wake you up?"
Iruka gave a slight, impatient shrug. "Sort of. So what happened? Did Sakura have her baby?"
"Yeah! She had a baby girl! And Kakashi-sensei came back just in time! He missed all the gross stuff. Although he kind of collapsed. But Granny Tsunade says he'll be okay!"
"Oh, that's great," Iruka said, genuinely pleased.
"Naruto!" Ayame appeared at Iruka's side, pulling the bottom edge of what appeared to be Iruka's shirt down over her thighs. "That's wonderful!"
Naruto stared at the two of them for a moment, then chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, geez! I'm sorry!"
"That's okay, Naruto," Ayame replied calmly. "Just don't tell my dad."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and stroked his chin. "Well, that depends. How much free ramen is it worth to you?"
Ayame scowled at him. "How much is it worth to you to not have me spit in your bowl?" she snapped back.
Naruto put up his hands and grinned. "Okay, fine! We'll call it even. Well, I'll let you get back to...you know...whatever it-"
"Just go, Naruto," Iruka said, shutting the door. Naruto headed home, still chuckling.
-------------------------------------
At about three in the morning, Sakura was awoken by the baby's whimperings. She swung her feet to the floor and stepped over to the bassinet. The baby's face would alternately scrunch up, then relax, as though she wasn't quite sure what she wanted. Sakura smiled at her as she scooped her up.
"Hi, sweetie!" Sakura whispered to her. She didn't even have a name yet, but there really wasn't any hurry. Sakura was perfectly content to wait until Kakashi regained consciousness. Actually, she was perfectly content about everything just now. She looked across at the bed on the other side of where the bassinet stood. Kakashi lay sound asleep, breathing quietly, his face now relaxed and calm. He had been cleaned up and dressed in hospital issue clothes, and Tsunade had seen to his wounds. The room had been put back in order after the delivery, and they had been left alone for the rest of the night.
Sakura sat up on her bed and nursed the baby. The sky outside her window was black, its darkness put into sharper contrast by the glow of a street light that stood somewhere below. A small, dim lamp was lit at her bedside, just enough to see by. When Sakura finished nursing, which for having only done it twice so far, she felt she had it down pretty well, she changed the baby's diaper, wrapped her in her blanket and carried her back over the bassinet.
The baby seemed like she didn't quite want to go to sleep yet, so Sakura stood slowly rocking from side to side, humming very softly. The baby finally relaxed, and Sakura was about to lay her back down when she heard a faint whisper.
"Sakura..." She turned and looked down at Kakashi. His right eye was partly opened as he looked up at her. "Let me see her again."
Smiling, Sakura carefully sat down beside him on the edge of his bed. She held the baby near him, pulling the blanket a little away from her face. Kakashi was unable to move yet, and just staying awake was a supreme effort, but one corner of his mouth curved up almost imperceptibly. He slowly drew in a deep breath and whispered, "Aiko." (AN: beloved one)
Sakura smiled, feeling very pleased. "Good choice," she replied. She laid Aiko back in her bassinet, and after making sure she was asleep, she sat next to Kakashi again. His eye had closed, and she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, then his eyelids, then the ridge of his nose, and finally his lips. She started to rise to go back to her bed when she heard one more faint whisper.
"Stay."
Sakura looked into his face. She couldn't tell if he had already drifted back into unconsciousness, but it didn't really matter. She slipped under the blanket beside him and, being cautious of his bandaged wounds, she put her arm across his chest and lay her head on his shoulder. Soon, all three of them were asleep.
----------------------------
Tsunade walked down the quiet hospital corridors. She didn't generally make early morning rounds, but she was feeling antsy. She looked into a few of the rooms, glanced over the patients in them, and went on her way.
She came finally to the doors of Sakura's room and paused. This was where she had wanted to go to begin with, but she didn't want to appear overanxious. Or nosey. She stood outside the doors for several moments, debating with herself.
"I'm the chief medic," she finally told herself. "Not to mention the Hokage. If I want to check on a patient, I can."
She hesitantly put her hand on one of the doors and gave it a gentle push, opening it just a couple of inches. She listened intently for a moment, then pushed it open further. Putting her head in, she peered over at the set of beds.
None of the occupants of the room were making any sound other than quiet breathing. The baby lay in her bassinet, but the bed Sakura had been in was empty. Tsunade looked over at the other bed and saw Kakashi stretched out in it with Sakura curled up against his side. She had one arm draped across him and he had somehow managed to bring his arm over her shoulders.
She quietly backed out of the room and let the doors close noiselessly behind her. She touched one of the doors lightly, almost affectionately, with her fingertips, and she smiled as Jiraiya's words echoed in her mind. This is good. This feels right.
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AN: Supposedly, the sign of a true artist is knowing when to stop. I could end here, but hell's bells! Who wants that? Yet more to come!
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