Summary: Neji has always known he was a little different from the rest of his clan and has never told anyone about it, not even his beloved father. What will happen when a certain Kazekage steps into his life? What does it have to do with Iruka's kidnapping six years ago? GarraXNeji, KakashiXIruka, OCs, language, mpreg
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story apart from the plot and the OCs (obviously). At times, this story is set in the Land of the Snow from one of the Naruto movies. Most of the OC's will appear in later chapters.
Prologue
"Kakashi-"
"No! We need to try harder. He's-"
"-They aren't agreeing to our terms."
"I'll go there and get him myself!"
"You know that not even you would be able to infiltrate that place. Himura's forces are too strong for that-"
"-But Iruka-"
"-Will be fine. We just need to wait."
"Don't fucking give me that!"
"Watch it Hatake! I'm still Hokage and I won't take that shit from you!"
Kakashi's hands were shaking, tightened into harsh fists at his sides. His teeth were clenched so hard that it felt as though they would break at any moment. Rage burned fiercely in his stomach. Tsunade was standing behind her desk, arms crossed and scowling. He knew that she didn't like the situation anymore than he did, but it still hadn't prevented his outburst.
"Go find something to occupy your time with," the Hokage spat. "I'll alert you if anything changes."
Spinning on his heel, Kakashi stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. Tsunade sighed heavily, sinking down in her chair. Her gaze fell to the scroll that lay on her desk, rereading the precise calligraphy that spelled despair for the whole village, though for Kakashi more than anyone else. After all, it was his lover that was gone.
Roughly Seven Months Later…
The forest was filled with loud screams that vibrated off of the snow and trees like a rock skipping over water. It was filled with unbearable pain and suffering of many kinds. The animals that remained in the forest for the winter all raised their heads and listened, not daring to move, but not daring to run either. They were not afraid of the screams. Instead, they sensed that something wonderful was occurring, that a power they had missed in their land for years was returning. Underneath their hooves and feet, the snow hummed softly.
A man lay in a clearing, his shoulders resting against the rough bark of a tree. He was dressed in a plain yukata, which he had viciously pulled open to expose his chest and stomach. Despite the cold wind that whipped around him, he was not cold. As the muscles in his lower abdomen passed, he raised a shaking hand and laid it on his swollen stomach. He knew that he only had a few minutes before another one came. Sending his remaining chakra into his hands, the man watched as the white power danced over his fingers like a glove of fire.
"This had better work. I don't want that damn escape to be for nothing," he panted to the snow and air before he set a thick twig into his mouth.
He clenched his teeth around the wood as he started to cut into his abdomen. He worked slowly, but methodically. He knew what he was doing, having seen the procedure preformed a year or so earlier by one of his former students, but the nervous twinge he felt still wouldn't leave him. When the incision was done, he slowly reached in and, finding what he was looking for, pulled it out. The thing wailed as he wrapped it in a small blanket and cut the thick cord that extended from its stomach. He set the bundle on a patch of dry, dead grass next to him that he had cleared of snow when he'd first started to feel the pain. Turning back to his stomach, he finished the procedure, all the time his teeth digging into the broken branch.
"Shit," he cursed softly. "I don't have any chakra left."
The cut on his abdomen was bleeding profusely, the blood soaking into the snow between his legs. Spots filled his vision, but when he tried to blink them away, they always came back. He was too tired to even cry for help, although he knew that, even if he did, it would never come. He was completely alone except for the wailing blanket beside him.
Suddenly, a figure stalked out of the trees. It stopped at the edge of the clearing, eyeing him not with suspicion, but with wisdom and knowing. The man met its gaze and opened his mouth a bit, letting the branch fall to his lower chest. He managed to summon a growl to his throat, though it just left him panting harder.
The figure, a giant wolf, silently padded over to him, unafraid. It glanced at the bloody blanket at the man's side and let out a protective growl as it turned its yellow gaze back to the man. The wolf leaned forward and rested its chin on the top of the man's head. Chakra as white as the snow surrounding them flowed from the wolf's body and into the man's, giving him just the amount he needed.
The man slowly raised his shaking hands and formed a series of hand seals before slamming his palms onto the open cut that was seeping blood. Panting hard, he dropped the branch from his mouth and performed the same seals again, and again, and again. All the while, the wolf kept its head atop the man's.
When the man was satisfied, the wolf slowly pulled away and watched as the man slowly reached down and took the blanket in his arms. Softly pulling at the edges of the blanket, the man stared down at his son. The child's crying had stopped, replaced by peaceful sleep. Leaning down slightly, the man kissed the child's head, one finger caressing his son's thick white hair.
"Fuyu," the woods around him whispered. "Arashi. Fuyu. Arashi. Fuyu."
"Shinobu," Iruka Umino whispered softly, curling his aching body around his newborn son.
"Fuyu: Winter, the son of the Dormant One and a Summoner of Water Dragons. Arashi: the World Storm, the son of Winter and a Dog of Lighting. Fuyu. Arashi. Fuyu. Arashi."
The chant was carried from the snow to the trees to the air, then to the lands far beyond the snow. The air itself seemed to shudder as it passed the news along. The stoic mountains of the Land of Lightning shook slightly. The sand of the Land of Wind grew hot under the moonlight. Small waves formed in the normally calm sea surrounding the islands of the Land of Water. In the Land of Earth, the ground quivered.
Sitting in the garden of the Hyuuga estate, where he had visiting his cousin, Hinata, Neji felt the stir in the plants around him. He frowned slightly, his meditation broken as he opened his pale eyes. Leaning forward slightly, he looked down into the pond he sat at the edge of. His reflection stared back at him, though the look on its face was much different. It smiled at him.
"Fuyu: Winter himself, the son of the Dormant One and a Summoner of Water Dragons. Arashi: the World Storm, the son of Winter and a Dog of Lightning. Fuyu. Arashi. Fuyu. Arashi," the reflection crooned.
Sighing, Neji sat back, his reflection disappearing and, along with it the ode. The plants around him calmed as the words were carried on through the village.
"What the fuck happened this time?" Neji wondered aloud.
Preview: Neji is having trouble sleeping, Tenten is worried, and Gaara enters the story
