Dreams of the Past

What's in a Name

Chapter 35

What's in a Name

Kakashi rested his chin on folded hands, sitting in the stiff chair beside Sakura's hospital bed, watching his family sleep. Tenzō had been beside himself to be reunited with Sakura, sobbing hysterically until he'd fallen back to sleep in her arms. She had cried too, of course—tearfully explaining how she'd watched him go limp in the arms of one of the ROOT agents that had broken into their home, believing him dead, being unable to get to him.

It made him boil with impotent rage to hear about it. He'd folded one of her hands in his as she reminded him he had gotten revenge, everyone that hurt them was dead.

Hiruzen wasn't dead.

They had been asleep for the last couple of hours. Good. They needed rest.

I need rest, too.

Kakashi did not think he would be able to sleep until he knew what was happening with Hiruzen. Not until he knew for sure his family was safe. Mebae was standing guard in the hall, Senbei was curled up by his feet, and Tsunade and Sakumo were less than a mile away in the Hokage tower, but it still didn't feel secure enough.

They were his responsibility. He would not fail them again.

A soft knock at the door pulled him from another spiral of self flagellation.

"Come in."

Tsunade slipped into the room, a clipboard in her hands and a haggard expression on her face. She stood at the end of the bed, watching Sakura and Tenzō for a few minutes before pulling up another chair and sinking into it. "How is she?"

Kakashi sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "She's safe. She's alive. I think... we'll be okay, eventually."

Nodding, Tsunade rapped her fingers along the edges of the clipboard, reading it. "The lab work came back. I had them rush it in case I needed to prove everything was healthy before..." She sighed, holding up a hand when she noticed his incredulous glare. "I didn't need to. The other clan heads were furious. When Utatane Koharu tried to claim that she must have just miscarried naturally, I had to restrain Kakashi." She sighed again, tapping the clipboard. "Anyway, the baby... it was a girl, if you were wondering."

Truthfully, it had not crossed his mind yet. He'd been too concerned with Sakura and Tenzō to picture what they'd lost to that degree.

A girl.

An entire life played out in his mind. A beautiful little girl, her mother's face and his hair. Racing through their field, the trees, with a pack of ninken, chasing her older brother.

Sunlight pouring through the canopy, long silver hair waving behind her as she ran towards him, green eyes and chubby cheeks, a bright smile. 'Silly Daddy, I found you!'

He didn't realize he was crying until Tsunade passed him a box of tissues. She was staring hard at her lap.

"She was perfectly healthy, around fifteen weeks. Physical trauma caused damage to the placenta. Kakashi said Sakura sustained two powerful blows to her stomach before he lost consciousness. Danzō killed her." One of her hands fisted. "I hope you made him suffer."

He was angry again.

My baby girl...

I made him suffer. He paid for what he did to you.

Wiping his eyes, Kakashi reached across the bed to run his fingers through Tenzō's hair.

Safe.