FicWad

AN: Just FYI, I have tweaked some of the previous chapters, nothing major, just trying to improve the flow, in case you want to start again from the beginning.


Chapter 10: On the Town


The afternoon sun was shining, but the air was starting to get chilly when they finally stepped out through the doors of the hospital.

"Right!" Kakashi took a deep breath of the cool outside air as he surveyed the road ahead of them. "We're going to stroll right down the middle of the shopping district, bold as brass and twice as shiny."

Sakura gave a quiet sigh. "You're going to have to excuse me for not being quite so enthusiastic."

"What's not to be enthusiastic about?" Kakashi declared, speading his arms. "We get to show off our new baby, I get to show off my gorgeous fiancée, and what girl in her right mind wouldn't want to show me off?"

Sakura shook her head. "Okay, you got me there. But explain to me how I look gorgeous." She glanced down at herself. "I think I look frumpy."

"You do not," Kakashi chided her gently. He examined her thoughtfully. She was dressed in dark blue capris, holdovers from the early part of her pregnancy. Over that she wore a man's shirt, which had once been her father's. She may have thought she gained a lot of weight, but it didn't look like it to him. Even without a starved libido he would think she looked adorable. "I think you look adorable," he told her in complete truth.

Sakura gave him a half smile, still not entirely convinced but flattered by the appraising look in his eye. She shifted Aiko from one shoulder to the other, and Kakashi gently stroked the baby's back. "Is she going to be warm enough?" he asked.

"I think so." Sakura replied. "Tsunade said that most people tend to wrap babies up too warmly anyway."

"Yeah, but she's so little."

Sakura smiled. Kakashi probably didn't realize how sweet that sounded. "We can throw a blanket over her, if you like."

Kakashi pulled a blanket out of the bag Tsunade had given them, draped it over his shoulder, and held out his arms. Sakura passed Aiko to him, and holding her against his shoulder with one hand, he used his other hand to wrap one corner of the blanket over her, then the other. "How's that?"

"That's good," Sakura replied. "She looks good on you."

"Does she make me look responsible?"

"You look like a model citizen." Sakura picked up the bag and squared her shoulders. "Okay, let's get this over with."

Kakashi stepped closer to her and pulled down his mask for a moment to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Everything's going to be okay. Don't be nervous." With both hands holding Aiko, he stuck out an elbow.

Sakura smiled at him and linked her arm in his. "I'm not nervous," she said. As they walked down the road towards the center of town, she thought, I'm scared shitless.

As they entered the main part of town and started for the shopping district, they attracted a fair amount of notice. People on the streets or standing in doorways turned to watch them as they walked by. Expressions ranged from mildly curious to gaping surprise. A few even seemed openly scandalized. Many of them turned to whisper comments to each other. Oh, my god, there they are! Can you believe it? Well, I think they're cute. Cute my ass, he's twice her age. She's practically a baby herself. Don't you think she's kind of a tramp? I don't know. Sakura felt her face start to burn red and she looked down at the ground.

Kakashi looked around casually and muttered under his breath, "This is kind of creepy. I barely even know half these people." He glanced at Sakura's bent head and frowned. It disturbed him to see her so cowed. Holding Aiko securely against his shoulder with one hand, he put his free arm around Sakura's shoulders and gave her a quick, comforting squeeze.

Sakura turned her green eyes to him and tried to give him a faint smile. She had a kind of lost little girl look about her just then, which on the one hand Kakashi found extremely endearing, and under more congenial circumstances would even consider seductive. On the other hand, her vibrant, passionate spirit, one of the things he loved about her the most, was being smothered, and that made him angry.

"Hey," he whispered to her. "There's no reason you can't hold your head up in this town. They're the ones who should be ashamed. Not you."

Sakura almost drew in a sharp breath. He was right. Her inner Sakura had all but been knocked down and kicked in the head until she was senseless, and Sakura had just let it happen. She raised her chin a little higher. If she could just get through this first gauntlet, she would be okay. She looked up at Kakashi affectionately and hoped that everyone on the street noticed. "Y'know, I could go for some ramen right about now," she declared.

Kakashi grinned under his mask. "You read my mind."

On their way to Ichiraku's, they walked past the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Ino was just coming out the door wearing a yellow apron and carrying a large vase of lavender chrysanthemums. She glanced up and, seeing Sakura, gave of cry and just managed to tighten her grip on the vase before it crashed to the pavement.

It had gotten to the point, some months earlier, where Sakura found it difficult to spend time with her friend because Ino would always start crying. Now the blond girl stood in front of the flower shop, staring over the tops of the flowers she held.

Sakura gave her a timid wave, not sure of what sort of reception she would get. "Hi, Ino," she called.

Ino hesitated, then dumped the vase on the outdoor counter. She ran out into the street and threw her arms around Sakura.

"I'm so glad to see you!" she cried, laughing and sobbing at the same time. "I missed you so much!"

With tears welling in her own eyes, Sakura hugged her friend tightly. "I missed you, too, Ino."

Ino stepped back, holding Sakura's hands and practically bouncing with joy. She looked past her at Kakashi and the little pink bundle he held at his shoulder. Ino put a hand to her mouth and gave a little squeal.

"Omigod! Omigod, she's so little!" She went over to look at Aiko but paused as she approached Kakashi. He had gone from being her best friend's sensei to being the man who had gotten her best friend pregnant. He was now in a category all by himself, and she wasn't quite sure what it was. "Um...hi, Kakashi...sensei," she faltered.

"Hello, Ino-chan," Kakashi replied, smiling under his mask. Ino's reaction was actually an improvement over what they'd met with so far. Anyway, she hadn't come to see him. With his hands securely against her back and head, Kakashi bent forward slightly to tip Aiko back. He carefully shifted her from his shoulder to the crook of his elbow. Aiko blinked sleepily and stretched out a tiny hand.

"Ohhh!" Ino gasped with delight and took Aiko's hand between her thumb and forefinger.

"Ino, I'm going back to the house." Inoichi stepped out of the shop, shrugging into his vest. "Tell your mom that-" He stopped short as he caught sight of Ino standing in the middle of the street with Sakura and Kakashi. He stood still, regarding them for a moment, then he approached them. He stood next to Ino, who eyed him cautiously, and one corner of his mouth twitched in a smile as he looked down at Aiko. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ino cut in first.

"Be nice, Dad," she warned.

Inoichi gave her a brief scowl, then turned back to the baby. "She's cute," he said.

"Thank you, Inoichi-san," Kakashi replied.

Inoichi's eyes flicked up to Kakashi's face, then he looked at Sakura. "I'm going to be honest with you," he said. "Sakura-chan, I'm not your father, and you-" he said to Kakashi, his voice hard, "-are very lucky that I'm not. But I've been very unhappy with this whole thing from the start. It was, at the very least, irresponsible. These kids are in our care, Kakashi. They're supposed to be taught to defend themselves against enemies. They shouldn't have to worry about whether they're going to be safe around their senseis. You got off way too easy, in my opinion." He arched an eyebrow at Kakashi, who gazed back at him calmly. "You know what happens to sex offenders in prison?"

"Daddy!" Ino hissed angrily between her clenched teeth.

Inoichi glanced at her with a look of irritated, long-suffering patience. He turned back to Kakashi with an air of someone who had lost his train of thought. He gave a slight shake of his head. "So, anyway, what are your plans, now that you're at large and in charge?" he asked. Ino rolled her eyes. "Are you two going to move in together and play house?"

Sakura frowned angrily and glanced at Kakashi. She could see his jaw clench under his mask, but his expression remained composed. "Not exactly," he replied quietly. "As soon as Sakura turns eighteen, we're getting married." He let a hint of acidity creep into his voice. "Then we'll move in together and play house."

Inoichi stared at them, genuinely surprised. He started to say something, but Ino gave a loud shriek. "Oh, no way! You're getting married?"

Aiko flinched in Kakashi's arms. Her face scrunched up and she started to wail. Inoichi rolled his eyes. "Nice one, Ino," he said dryly, gesturing at the baby. "Now look what you did."

Not letting his irritation show, Kakashi moved Aiko back to his shoulder and swayed slightly, whispering softly in her ear while Sakura rubbed her back. Inoichi watched them silently during the few minutes it took for Aiko's cries to settled down to quiet whimpering. Finally he nodded.

"Okay, I'm impressed," he said. "It would take us at least half and hour to calm Ino down." Suddenly he grinned. "You know, before you know it, she's going to be a teenager." He gave a short, quiet laugh. "Talk about payback." He looked at them shrewdly and gave a nod towards Aiko. "Enjoy this stage while you can." He started walking away, then turned around as a thought came to him. "Hey, do you guys have a crib?"

Kakashi, who had no idea, glanced at Sakura, who shook her head. "No, we don't."

Inoichi nodded. "We've still got most of Ino's stuff up in storage. I'll send it over. Let me know what else you need." He turned again and continued up the street.

"Oh! Okay. Thank you!" Sakura called after him.

"Well, that was unexpected, " Kakashi observed.

"I have to apologize for him," Ino muttered darkly, still feeling embarrassed.

Kakashi shrugged. "He's entitled to his opinion."

Ino looked excitedly from one of them to the other. "So, you're actually getting married! That's so..." She struggled to find the right word.

"Weird, Ino," Sakura finished for her. "Just say it."

"Oh, no! Well..." Ino faltered helplessly for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe...Do you know when yet?"

"I was figuring my birthday, actually," Sakura replied. "That's pretty much the absolute soonest that we can."

"The sooner, the better," Kakashi remarked to no one in particular. Ino glanced at him, her dark blue eyes widening slightly, and she blushed.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Sakura said quickly, giving Kakashi a nudge. "I want to find Naruto."

"Okay. Bye." Ino waved as they walked away. I love you like a sister, Sakura, but it's still weird. Sorry. Turning back to the shop, she smiled to herself. Of course, that leaves Sasuke free...if he ever comes back.


"Poor Ino," Sakura remarked with a guilty chuckle. She gave Kakashi a disapproving look. "The sooner, the better!"

"What?" Kakashi replied innocently. "She asked when we were getting married. What does she think we're going to be doing? She's probably the type who can't picture her parents having sex."

"Well, she is, but you don't have to-"

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!" They were still nearly half a block from Ichiraku's but Naruto managed to spot them. He stood outside the restaurant, waving frantically.

"Good thing he wasn't any closer," Kakashi remarked. "He'd set Aiko off again."

Sakura's heart sank a little. Thanks to Naruto, nearly everyone out on the street turned to stare at them. "Great. Here we go again," she muttered.

"Screw 'em," Kakashi replied. He proceeded at a leisurely pace towards the ramen stand, ignoring the curious stares. Sakura did her best to do the same, but she was mightily relieved when they finally reached Ichiraku's. She was happy to see that not only was Naruto there, but so were Hinata and Iruka. She felt a deep sense of relief at finally being able to be around people she was comfortable with.

Ayame, who had been behind the counter, practically danced around to the front of the stand. "There she is!" she gasped with delight as she went up to Kakashi and looked around his shoulder to see Aiko's face. Kakashi obligingly shifted the baby to his arm to give everyone a better look. This was something he felt he could get used to. When he looked over at Sakura, she could tell that he had a pleased smile under his mask.

Hinata came closer to admire the baby. As a result of a combination of Naruto's influence and her own determination, the raven-haired girl had lost much of her shyness. She still had a demure and quiet way about her, but she was no longer the timid girl she once was. With a warm smile, she leaned over and kissed Kakashi on the exposed part of his cheekbone above his mask.

"Congratulations, Kakashi-sensei!" she said to him.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan," Kakashi replied, pleasantly surprised at her reception. Hinata then joined Naruto where he stood next to Sakura with his arm flung over her shoulder. She gave the new mother a tight hug.

"You must be so happy!" Hinata said to her.

Sakura nodded. "Happy and tired."

"How was it coming over here?" Naruto asked her. "Did anybody say anything?"

Sakura shrugged. She didn't want to let it bother her anymore. "They might have." She looked at both her friends fondly. "It's so good to be with you guys."

"Stay right there!" Ayame said suddenly to Kakashi. "Have a seat. I'll be right back." She went around the counter and through the door that led to the back of the restaurant. "Hey, Dad!" they heard her call. "Come out here for a minute!"

Kakashi sat on a stool next to Iruka, who had been watching him with a pleased grin. The chunin looked down at Aiko for a moment, smiling at the little ears on the hood that framed her face, then looked up at Kakashi. "So how does it feel?"

"Which part?" Kakashi asked, looking back at him.

Iruka shrugged. "All of it. Being back. Fatherhood."

Kakashi gave a short, quiet laugh. "I think I could recommend it."

"Well..." Iruka glanced in the direction Ayame had gone. "I've been strongly considering it," he admitted.

"You should. There's not a lot of people I'd say that to, either. Just make sure you do it right and get married first," he added. "I had no idea people in this town were so tight-assed."

Teuchi came out from the back of the restaurant, wiping his hands dry on a towel and grinning widely. "Okay," he said with obvious relish. He stood in front of Kakashi and held out his arms. "Let me see this little lady you've got here."

Not being used to handing his child over to someone else other that Sakura, Kakashi hesitated for an instant. Teuchi was an experienced parent, after all. He had to know what he was doing. Fighting the urge to tell him to be careful, Kakashi laid Aiko in Teuchi's burly arms. He then sat back and glanced over at Sakura as she stood between Naruto and Hinata. He was pleased to see a happy smile on her face. That's more like it.

Looking past Sakura and across the street, Kakashi could see Genma standing outside a shop, talking to Izumo and Kotetsu. Genma glanced casually in the direction of the ramen stand and said something to the two chunin, who grinned. Kakashi got up from his stool. As he walked by Sakura, he leaned towards her and said quietly, "Excuse me for a minute."

"Sure. You go ahead." Sakura had no desire to leave the safe confines of the ramen stand for a while yet.

With his hands in his pockets, Kakashi strolled up to where Genma and his companions stood. The two chunin regarded him with a slight wariness, but Genma gave him a casual nod.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Can't complain," Kakashi replied. "Well, I can, but it wouldn't do any good. You?"

Genma shrugged easily. "Nothin' much. So..." He jerked his chin toward the little crowd of people at the ramen stand. "You're a dad now, huh?"

Kakashi thought the tone of Genma's voice seemed a little dismissive, and he bridled slightly. "Somebody has to be responsible for establishing the next generation of shinobi," he replied smoothly. "It may as well be the best."

"Oh, I see. So you totally planned this."

Kakashi ignored him and turned to Izumo and Kotetsu. "Um, look, about that guarding my apartment thing, I probably owe you guys an apology for being kind of..." he hesitated for a moment.

"A dick?" Kotetsu suggested. Genma snickered and shook his head.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I guess. I realize you guys were just doing your job."

"For which we are not getting paid nearly enough, I might add," Kotetsu remarked.

Genma had been regarding Kakashi thoughtfully for a few minutes. "I have to ask why," he finally said.

"Why what?"

Genma gave him an impatient look. "How and why did you get involved with a teenager? Why her? I mean," he gave a shrug and a slight smirk, "We've all had our fantasies-"

"Oh really?" Kakashi frowned at him. "Like what?"

"Oh, man!" Kotetsu began excitedly. "I've had this one-"

Genma smacked him up the back of his head. "What made you cross the line? Icha Icha wasn't doing it for you anymore?"

Kakashi stared at him for a moment. I really don't need to bother with this, he thought. He began to feel the vestiges of the feral rage that he had survived on during his mission start to well up in him. He fought it down and replied calmly, "I fell in love with her. What else do you want to know?"

The warning in Kakashi's voice was not lost on Genma, but casually rolling the senbon from one side of his mouth to the other, he asked, "Was it worth it?"

That was a pretty fair question, Kakashi had to admit to himself. He glanced back at the ramen stand and felt a surge of pride at the admiration that the little knot of people around his daughter were displaying. Sakura happened to turn her head and meet his eye, and an unguarded, affectionate smile grew on her lips for him. It was like having the spring sun come out from behind a thick bank of cold, dark clouds. He had a sudden vision of that night, almost a year ago, that Aiko had been conceived, and he nearly shuddered with pleasure at the recollection. Kakashi turned back to Genma.

"It was worth every damn minute," he said. He gave them a brief nod and went back to the ramen stand. Coming up behind Sakura, he slid his hands onto her hips and gently pulled her closer to him. With a smile, she leaned back against him and tilted her head slightly as he lowered his face close to her ear. The three men across the street watched them silently for a few minutes.

Finally, Genma remarked, "Well...all the really hot chicks are in ANBU, anyway."

Izumo and Kotetsu absently nodded in reply.

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Having solemnly sworn to Tsunade that he would stay no later than 9:00 pm, Kakashi walked Sakura and Aiko back to Sakura's old home later that evening. When they got there, they found a folded crib, a baby carrier, and a cardboard box full of clothes, blankets, and cribsheets on the doorstep.

"Wow!" Sakura said, pleased and deeply touched. "Look at all this stuff!"

Kakashi nodded. "I guess Inoichi isn't such a hard-assed bastard after all."

They dragged everything inside, and Kakashi set up the crib while Sakura laid Aiko in the carrier, which rocked gently on its curved base.

"Where would you like it?" Kakashi asked, leaning on the completed crib.

"The master bedroom, I guess." Sakura pointed towards the hallway.

"I remember," Kakashi replied with a smile. He wheeled the crib down the hall and returned. He wrapped his arms around Sakura and they quietly contemplated their daughter together.

"It's getting close to nine," Kakashi finally said. "I should get going."

Sakura held his arms securely around her. "I wish you didn't have to."

"Me, too." Kakashi pulled down his mask and kissed her cheek. He bent down and kissed Aiko's forehead. "Good night, little one," he whispered to her. Straightening up, he put an arm around Sakura's waist as they walked to the door. They turned and kissed, holding each other closely, until they heard the electronic chimes on a small shelf clock chirp when it reached nine.

"I'll be back in the morning," Kakashi said.

"Bring something for breakfast," Sakura told him. "I haven't been here for a while and there's not much here." She kissed him one last time and smiled. "I love you."

Kakashi pulled his mask back up, but not before Sakura could see him smile. "I love you, too, cherry blossom."

As he climbed the steps to his apartment, Kakashi glanced up at his window. It had been repaired at some point. Well, there goes my security deposit, he thought ruefully. It wasn't as though he were strapped for cash. After rent, food, and the occasional novel, he didn't spend much money. The window had been a needless expense. Well, maybe not entirely needless. Launching that chair through it sure felt good.

Entering his apartment, he switched on the light. Not much had changed. He had kept it relatively neat since Ayame had cleaned it up, and except for a layer of dust, it didn't look to bad. Stripping off his vest, shirt, forehead protector, and mask, he went to his bookshelf and the familiar row of orange-bound books sat.

"Miss me, fellas?" he asked. Grabbing one at random, he laid back on his bed and started reading. He had mentally recast the novels some time ago. The heroines, if they could be described as such, all had pink hair. He had always pictured the male lead as silver-haired. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was, though, and before he even got to the first really good part, he had fallen asleep.

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