My Fatal Impudence: A Sakura Haruno Story: Part 4

As Kakashi rushed me to the hospital, the labor pains became more and more unbearable, I couldn’t stand it and this baby needed to get out! I knew that having a baby six months into my pregnancy wasn’t good for me or for the baby, but it just had to come out.

After hours of agonizing labor and Kakashi holding my hand and whispering encouraging words in my ear, the baby finally came out. I didn’t know what happened exactly, I was so dizzy and out of it that I didn’t feel the weight of the words that the doctor said.

First, there was rushing, yelling, and tears. I didn’t know what had happened until I saw my husband crying and I held my son, dead in my arms. His body was icy cold, he wasn’t moving. He didn’t cry like normal babies do when they’re born, he was stillborn.

            I looked to my lover to see why he was crying, and all that he could do was bow his head and bury it in the white hospital sheets, after I had slightly recovered from the shock and the pain of labor, it hit me. My baby was born dead. I would never be able to watch him walk or hear him talk or watch him become the great ninja that Kakashi and I had anticipated. After such shock settling in, I too cried and I kissed my dead son’s head.

            After kissing the stillborn baby and looking at his fragile little head, it dawned on me. This was Neji’s baby, not Kakashi’s, but Kakashi was still crying and lamenting over the dead child. Maybe Kakashi loved me more than I thought possible.

            “Ms. Haruno and Mr. Hatake?” A nurse’s voice asked, almost unsure of what to do in our fragile state, an obvious sign of a new and inexperienced neonatologist. Both Kakashi and I looked up from our safe haven of tears and the calming white sheets to meet the eyes of a young man who looked very nervous.

            When he was sure that he had our silent attention, he licked his lips nervously and then spoke again, “Would you like us to take your baby and get him ready for burial?” the young naïve man asked. I just stared at him and blinked, finally shifting my gaze to my poor baby. After staring at him, I finally spoke, “Can we bathe him? Dress him?” I asked with the cursed tears almost spilling out of my eyes.

            “I’m sorry but you can’t ma’am,” the young man answered, my face immediately fell and he seemed to notice my expression before continuing on, “due to him being premature, and a stillborn, his skin is very fragile and to wash him would hurt his paper thin skin.” The neonatologist answered.

            Tears poured out of my eyes and dripped onto the cold forehead of my baby, “Sakura,” Kakashi began as his steady gaze fixed itself on me, I pretended not to notice, “we need to give him to the nurse. Or else it will be harder for the both of us to let go.” Kakashi reasoned, his gaze remained steady on me until I sighed and handed my precious baby over. I doubled over in sobs that hurt my rib cage and my fragile body after giving such unexpected birth to a dead child.

            The hospital wanted me to stay the night just to  make sure that I recovered from my early delivery, and I wearily complied with the orders of the hospital, being too tired to move and too overwhelmed with the potent memory of seeing my baby dead in my arms.

            Kakashi and I fell asleep holding each other in the little hospital dead and crying into each other’s bosom.

           

            “Ms. Haruno! Mr. Hatake!” the young nurse from yesterday busted through the door; he was sweaty with worry and the ever present nervousness that seemed to follow him unyielding. Both Kakashi and I shot up in bed and looked at him, our eyes crusted over with tears as a reminder of the previous night spent crying.

            “Someone stole the corpse of your baby!” The man blurted out, Kakashi and I looked at each other in shock and Kakashi jumped up, I positioned myself to get up as well but Kakashi put his hand in front of me, as a gesture telling me to sit down, and I did as I was told.

            “Show me where you were keeping him, I’ll summon Pakkun.” Kakashi resolved as he gave me a final stare as if to say “don’t do anything stupid”. So I just lied back down and complied once again, too tired from birth and emotional strain.

            After a while of waiting, I assumed that Kakashi had had no luck finding the culprit’s scent. I wasn’t sure what sick, twisted human being would steal the corpse of a baby, but I had a feeling that I knew who it was. The killer.

            Kakashi came into my room with Pakkun after a long while, I sat up and stared at him expectantly, “We found the scent, but riots are breaking out all over the village. It’s not safe, you need to stay here,” Kakashi ordered, I nodded and opened my mouth to speak, “If you find the person who stole this baby, maybe you’ll find Ino too. It seems like someone is after us Kakashi.” I told him, staring at him even temperedly. I was much too tired to convey any emotion at this point.

            “Maybe, but you need to stay here Sakura. It’s safe here, if you go out there,” Kakashi sighed and ran a finger through his silver hair, “you could get seriously hurt. Riots are no place for a young lady.” Kakashi finished as he faintly reminded me of my father. I just nodded, knowing full well that I wouldn’t follow his orders. Kakashi just ran up to me, kissed me quickly and then he was off with Pakkun.

            I sat upright, staring at the whitewashed walls, whose presence and purpose that it served gave me hope that my residence here was only temporary. After a while of staring, I got up, and put on my maternity clothes, which didn’t seem to fit anymore, after giving birth and all.

            I had to find Ino and the corpse stealer before it was too late, I put on my shoes and I ran out of the hospital, not stopping at the young nurse’s protests for me to stay, or anyone’s warning of the riots outside. I forced myself out of the front hospital doors and I was greeted to the riots first hand.

            I stopped as I watched people shout things about the Hokage and throw things violently through innocent shops and homes. After regaining my ambition, I ran close to the side and battled the riot on my own, not stopping at the people shouting and throwing things at me. The bodies in the mob were so strong and so pressed together that I felt constricted and claustrophobic, but that didn’t stop me at all.

            Conviction burnt through my veins as I ran faster and faster through the madding mob, someone through a chair through a glass window and I had to stop in order not to get hit with the shards. I kept making my way through the riot, running faster once I saw the light at the end of the tunnel of people.

            I ran into the safety of an alley to catch my breath and summon a slug, who appeared almost instantaneously and ready to help. “Find Kakashi and tell me where he is,” I ordered panting, the slug nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, I sighed and slid down the alley wall, trying to catch my breath and waiting for the slug.

            The slug came back momentarily and told me where Kakashi was, I breathed a light thank you and the slug disappeared. “Hello Sakura, long time no see,” A mocking voice called at the end of the alley. It was a voice that I knew too well, and I turned my head grudgingly to meet the lifeless stare of my past lover.

            “Neji,” I whispered.