Breathing in Snowflakes
Author's Note: Easter was yesterday and I didn't see a single rabbit, but I did go to 10 o'clock mass. And since, I'm still on Easter break...I'll try to make this chapter long! Anyway, here you go, and I'll get to the reviews at the end.
Pain
It was a painful headache that woke Kakashi in the middle of the night.
His sharingan eye was throbbing in pain as he sat up and placed his head in his hands. In the midst of his pain, he felt as if he was trying to remember something. Or his eye was recalling a past event, something that showered him with guilt.
It wasn't Obito he remembered, it wasn't Rin either. True, their deaths caused him great pain, guilt and regret, but this memory was something else. Something different but at the same time, something present.
Fragments of something warm, something fragile and something frightened. He knew this feeling very well, but yet he couldn't center it around something specific.
Iruka...The name forced itself into Kakashi's mind, making his head hurt even more.
He didn't understand! Had he done something bad...was his sharingan trying to tell him something?
Sighing, he fell back into his bed and looked up at the ceiling. Seconds passed before he stood up and walked over to the window. He looked outside and noticed it was snowing.
There were dancing snowflakes that reflected the brightness of the moon.
Something was wrong with him...he knew he had done something terrible. But he couldn't put his finger on it...he just prayed he didn't do anything to hurt anybody.
Things had been heating up so much in his life, and...everything was just falling apart right before him. He needed something, at least an ounce of happiness to light up his life with the way it was going now. Sighing, he turned away from the window and went back to bed.
No matter how many times Kurenai heard the story, nothing added up.
She went through the whole story over and over in her head and things just didn't make sense. Why had Kakashi attacked Iruka, when he had a girl friend? Why would he even go to Iruka's home in the first place?
And above all...why was Iruka so sick. Sure, he was frightened and traumatized but still. Nothing was adding up, and things were just getting worse.
They had finished their mission with success, but they still had to camp out in the woods that night, mainly because of Iruka's sickness. That worried Kurenai, and she addressed it and everything else that night.
"Are you cold?" Kurenai asked as she worked on the fire.
"No..."Iruka said. "You're worrying too much." Kurenai rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"I worry just enough you know, I'm a mother and a wife." She replied, staring into the fire. For a while, there was nothing but silence that passed between the two. The only noise was the slight crinkle of the fire wood and the crickets in the forest.
It was Iruka who broke the silence. "How is Asuma?" He asked.
"He's fine...somewhat. But that doesn't worry me." She replied. "What worries me the most is that...Hidan and Kakuzu...they're still alive. They'll be after him you know, but enough of that Iruka. I'm worried about you." She stared at him for a while before speaking. "You're sick...but for no reason. I know what happened to you must be traumatizing but..." She paused for a while and looked at him. "You're going to be uncomfortable with me asking you these questions but..."
Iruka looked at her with clueless eyes. "After Asuma and I well...did what we did, I felt the same way you're feeling right now. Sick, feverish..nauseous." Again she paused, and looked at Iruka who still seemed confused. "I was pregnant Iruka, and I showed all your symptoms..."
"What?"
"And I wasn't sure at first but_"
"No, this doesn't make sense."
"I know it doesn't now, but there's an explanation...there's no other reason_"
"Yes there is!" Iruka stood up. "You're speaking nonsense!" He was breathing fast now. "You know there's no way_" "I can be wrong, Iruka. But you must accept possibilities. When we get back to the village, we'll get Lady Tsunade to diagnose your condition, okay. Now sit down."
Slowly, he sat down and stared into the flames.
"We'll move out tomorrow morning, and report straight to the Kage office. For now, you need to sleep."
And within seconds, Iruka found himself drifting off into a deep slumber and having a dream that he could not recall.
The next morning, as planned the two headed back to the village and straight into Tsunade's office. As usual, she sat there, sipping her morning tea. However, there was someone else there, looking as tired as ever.
Kurenai felt Iruka tense up behind her, as the two both stared at the second individual.
"Kakashi..." Kurenai began.
"Good morning Kurenai, Iruka. How'd the mission go?" He asked.
"It went fine." Iruka replied, with an unreadable voice. "But I think we should be reporting to Tsunade...not you."
Kurenai wasn't sure if anyone else heard it, but she did...a quiver in his voice.
"Hmm..." Kakashi walked over to him. "That's tough talk for someone lower than me, don't you think Iruka?" He glared at the chunin, who looked away. "So why are you looking away from me, Iruka? Are you guilty of something?"
"Get away from me." Iruka didn't meet his eye. "I'm not in the mood."
The older man stared at him for a while before turning away. "You think you're the only one in a bad mood Iruka? Well my life hasn't been going as planned either."
Kurenai intervened. "That's enough you two. Kakashi, I thought you'd be with Hanare."
"Well I don't have to spend every minute with her, do I?" His voice was accusing. "And that's tough talk from a woman who leaves her handicap husband alone to care for a baby."
"Now you wait a_"
"All of you, silence!" Tsunade stood up. "Kakashi, you are dismissed."
"I was just leaving." And with that, Kakashi left the room.
Kurenai then began the mission report, hurrying to the end.
"No bandits."
"I took care of them." Kurenai said. "There and back."
"Hm." Tsunade looked at Iruka. "And did you just sit around the whole time."
"I_" "There's something wrong with him, Lady Tsunade. He's sick, and it would be great if you can check him out. He doesn't want to ask, but..." Kurenai ignored Iruka's protests.
"I understand." Tsunade smiled. "I can get ready right away."
"Wait!" Iruka yelled. "I'm fine."
"Actually you're not." Tsunade stood. "When you arrived here to receive your mission the other day, I saw changes, physical changes. I could sense that there was something wrong by the way your chakra was acting. And aside from that," She placed a hand on his forehead. "You are sick Iruka, so I would highly suggest that you stay for a while." She smiled and looked at Kurenai. "Thank you."
"Your welcome. Iruka, I'll drop by your place tomorrow." Kurenai bowed slightly before leaving Iruka and Tsunade alone in the office.
"I was starting to miss your company." She looked at him. "It gets lonely, especially with Shizune out...but you're back now. However, before you get back to work, helping me sort out these missions, these tests must be executed."
"Yes," Iruka surrendered. "I'll comply."
"Great!" She smiled and quickly, her hand pressed against his stomach and she focused for a while. "This is where your chakra is acting up Iruka." A green aura formed around her hands.
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not sure..." She looked confused herself. "A mix of chakra...something like this can only be executed by those of a specific clan."
"You're not making any sense." Iruka looked worried.
"Iruka, there is a jutsu possessed only by a certain clan that is not in Konoha so it would have to be an outsider."
"Lady Tsunade_" "Iruka please sit down." She said, pushing him over to his chair behind the desk. "This'll take a while."
He sat down, and took a deep breath. "Explain."
"There is a clan, a deadly clan that possesses many abilities. One of their secrets however is impregnate anyone who they...have an intercourse with, or cast the jutsu on someone outside of their clan allowing that person person outside of their clan to impregnate whom ever they have an intercourse with. It doesn't matter if it's by will or if it's force, if the person holds the kekkei genkai of it the jutsu was cast upon a person, doing the action, then their victim will become pregnant." She paused for a while and continued. "You see, the chakra and the jutsu work together with the anatomy of a male specifically, changing it from the inside. What once was not there, has slowly grown and is currently working with your other organs to...provide for what is inside of you. Iruka, your body is changing and it's very rare...but you are pregnant. The facts add up, and trust me, I'm right.
"As we speak now, your anatomy is changing...whoever did this to you either had the kekkei genkai, or the Jutsu was cast upon them by a foreigner holding the kekkei genkai." She sighed and looked at Iruka.
"It's not possible." He protested. "It's not!" He knew that Tsunade had just explained his situation in great detail, yet he was in disbelief. "How...how..."
"I'm not going to ask you who did it, I only ask that you come back for a check up around this time next month."
Iruka who wasn't sure what to do just nodded.
He answered "yes" to every question Tsunade asked him, mainly because he wasn't fully aware. He had zoned out, while his mind was racing, his heart was pounding.
What am I going to do? He thought to himself. Should I tell Kakashi?
No! That was one thing that he could not do.
That would ruin Kakashi's life, or just make everything worse, so he had to keep this to himself. Eventually, he would figure out something...or that's what he told himself. He just couldn't lose his courage or his nerve. He was pregnant yes, a pregnant man, but that didn't make it the end of the world.