Shattered (#1 in Shifting Series)

The Hidden Leaf Village

As if to say, "Now that you know about us, we can show ourselves", Sarah started getting sick the day before they were to return to the Hidden Leaf Village.  The little devils.  The trip home was going to be miserable for her if she kept this up the whole way... which going off of past history, that was a certainty!  She groaned as she leaned against a tree, losing what little bit of breakfast she had that morning.  Kakashi was holding her hair back with that expression he used to convey boredom, seemingly unaffected by her vomiting.  She felt like hitting him.  This was the part of pregnancy that she had hated the first time around.

He gave her a flask of water when she finally straightened, and she swished the water around in her mouth before spitting it back out.  "God, this sucks so hard!  It's going to slow our return down, too."

Kakashi gave a shrug of his shoulders, "It can't be helped and neither of us have anywhere we have to be right now.  It's not like we have to rush home."  He leaned towards her, "Just so you know, I'm telling Naruto I'm done going on missions permanently.  Our children will have both their mother and father, that much I will make sure of.  I won't have them going through what I did growing up."

She smiled sadly at him.  Yes, he had suffered greatly.  Mother dead while giving birth.  Father committing suicide.  Being sent to war at such a tender, young age.  Killing before he had even reached his teen years.  Losing friends all along the way.  It was a miracle that he had not gone rogue by the immense amount of pressure and trauma that he had endured in the formulative years of his life.  He could have easily become a monster had his heart not endured and clasped on to the good man that he was at his core.

Speaking of monsters... Sarah's hope that Jaylyn would be executed was denied.  Instead, she was to be imprisoned in one of the highest security prisons around for Shinobi renegades.  She did not like it at all.  There was a stirring deep within her that the woman would somehow escape one day to create more havoc.  Monsters did not change, nor could they be reformed.  Once a monster, always a monster.  She felt like the woman was too dangerous to be kept alive, but her unique standing as one of the last Uchiha's had granted her the reprieve.  She had been furious when she found out and regretted not ending her when she had the chance.

All but Yamato had returned already from the team that had come to the Land of Lightning.  Sarah thought that Yamato was going to be a punching bag for staying behind, but Kakashi had surprised them both by clapping the man on the shoulder and thanking him for remaining. Whatever anger Kakashi had for the other man obviously was gone now.  Kakashi's overall mood seemed high, actually, since finding out he was going to be a father.  Sarah had to smile over that.  He genuinely seemed excited about the prospect.  She knew he would be a great father to their children.  She could almost in her mind see him teaching their children how to hold Kunai and learn Ninjutsu.  He would be patient with them.  His desire to keep them from knowing the suffering that he had gone through would make him be the best father possible.  They might be in for some wild rides with the babies, but he would be more than up to the task ahead of them.

After many hours of walking, they finally pulled off the road and set up camp.  The Raikage had granted them all the supplies they would need for the trip and had even supplied a few men to escort them to the border.  Once they reached the border, they would be on their own through the Country of Rice.  Thankfully, her morning sickness did not last into the afternoon, and they were able to cover more ground during that period.

Sarah crawled into the sleeping roll and groaned.  The ground was hard and not that comfortable, but at least they had their own tent and could get some rest.  Kakashi had taken the first watch of the night.  She tried to get comfortable but inevitably felt a stick or rock jabbing her.  She sighed and stared at the tent above.  She had never liked camping. She remembered taking her brother, Reno, on a "Sissy-Reno" adventure that had turned into a nightmare.  She had never been camping on her own and her then, ten-year-old brother, had been the one that had to put the tent together. They had picked a spot that seemed ideal... up until they were overrun with ants.  Reno had been quite the pacifist in those days, crying when a bug was hurt.  By the end of the trip, he was a killing machine and almost a little crazy in his zeal to destroy the ants that had attacked while they were trying to sleep.  They almost were unable to get the fire going and while trying to cook the hotdogs, the plate they had balanced tipped and dumped them all over the ground.  They still cooked and ate them.  She laughed sleepily as she remembered that trip.  While it had been hell, it was one that neither of them would ever forget.  She must have dozed off while remembering because she briefly woke when Kakashi slid into the bedroll next to her, pulling her tight against him.  He gave a heavy sigh into her hair before joining her in sleep.