A little belated Mother's Day story. I tried to get it up yesterday, but well, I didn't have the time. Anywho, I figured what better way to celebrate than by bringing two mothers together. It is canon compliant, so if you didn't like the ending, that's fine, just please be respectful.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Enjoy!
Mother, Mama, Mom
One-Shot
It started with the keys.
Hinata could never find her keys. It was a problem that even the key ring Naruto bought for her didn't do anything to fix. She would swear they were in her purse and they would really be on the counter, or she knew they were on the table and they would show up on the bed. Little things like that that were really just an inconvenience to her everyday life but weren't important enough for her to put much stock into. It became such a routine everyday to search for her keys that the one-day she didn't have to stood out.
They were siting on the table in that little bowl Naruto specifically bought just for the purpose of holding keys, but Hinata never remembered to use. At first, Hinata thought her husband was putting them in the bowl and didn't think much more of it. At least she was able to find them now. It wasn't until Naruto mentioned how happy he was that she was putting it to good use that she really questioned anything.
"Aren't you putting them in the bowl?" She asked, gazing at her husband in confusion.
Naruto smiled, a bit unsurely, and said, "No. You know me, Hinata, I can barely remember to put my own keys there."
And it was true. Naruto almost never remembered to put his own keys in the dish. Of course, he tended to always know where he put them anyway (years of living on his own had done wonders for such things), so it wasn't as much of a problem for him. Hinata, on the other hand, didn't have this ability. But it did bring up the question that if Naruto wasn't doing it, who was?
It couldn't be Boruto; he was barely two. He couldn't even reach the table, let alone have the mental capacity to know to put mama's keys away for her. So, if it wasn't Naruto and it wasn't her, then Hinata couldn't think of who it could be.
Unfortunately, the mystery went unsolved as other, more important, things arose. The case of the moving keys fell to the wayside as she discovered she was pregnant for a second time and Kakashi issued Naruto a jounin vest. Someone had finally brought up the issue of allowing a genin to become Hokage, and so Kakashi had relented and raised Naruto's rank if only so he could bring her husband closer to taking over all the paperwork. With a new baby on the way and Naruto out on more missions, the keys became an unspoken and unthought-of of anomaly in their household.
Until the bowls began to move.
Hinata had always been a tiny person. She was short and she knew it. Naruto liked to come up behind her and place his chin on the top of her head. She didn't mind it until the day she realized she couldn't just climb on top of the counter or wall walk up to the top of the shelf. Her pregnancy meant her stomach got in the way and chakra control as a pregnant woman was always shoddy at best. After being pregnant with Boruto, all of this was old news, but it was still an irritation she could have done without.
"Mama, 'ice," the little boy cried one morning as he tugged on her skirt.
Hinata smiled down at her son. "You want rice, Boru-chan? Mama will have to make some, so it will take a little while."
"Long?" The boy asked.
"As long as one puppy show," she said, referencing the fifteen-minute cartoon Boruto loved so much.
Boruto gasped. "'at's long, mama," he whined. "'m hun'ry."
"Aww," she bent down awkwardly, her belly just beginning to bulge, and grasped him gently under the armpits. "It's not so long, honey. Do you want to put on the puppy show? When it's over the food will be done. Does that sound good?"
Her son nodded and Hinata beamed at him. "Then we have a plan. Why don't you head on in and I'll start cooking, okay?"
"Okay!" And the little boy was off, bounding into the adjoining room and turning on the television set. Considering that the children's channel was the default one in the house, Hinata wasn't worried. Still, she listened for the telltale sounds of "Where's Aoi-chan?" before she actively began to cook. Some rice and eggs should be a good breakfast. Quick, easy and healthy.
It was easier said than done. The rice and bowls were situated high up in the cabinets. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem. Even a week ago, it wouldn't have been a real issue. But it seemed the baby had finally decided to make herself known and the ever-growing bulge was, well, ever growing. She couldn't get up close to the counter to reach and the stool had obnoxiously broken not a few days ago. After a minute of futile grasping, Hinata was about ready to pull over a chair to stand on, when the rice moved. At first, she thought it was just a trick of the eyes. Then, the bowls moved. Both items moved themselves forward until they were situated at the very edge of their respective shelves. Any further and they would have fallen over.
Hinata stared.
She stood rooted in her spot, not even realizing just how long she was there until Boruto came back in and asked if the food was done. Her son's voice shook her out of her shock and she immediately activated her Byakugan, hoping against hope it would spot something she couldn't see from her angle.
There was nothing; no chakra, no seals, no tiny hole in the back of the cabinets for her husband to stick his hand through and prank her into thinking the house was haunted. Nothing.
"Mama?'
She shook her head, trying to return her heartbeat to a normal level. It didn't work, but she put on a brave face. Hinata quickly stretched and reached up to snatch the items down from their respective shelves, holding them carefully as if they might bite her.
She smiled at Boruto. "Sorry, honey. Mama had a small problem. Why don't you go back in and watch another show. Then we can both have breakfast."
The boy looked back, pouting. "Pr'mise?"
"I promise." That seemed to be enough for Boruto, for he returned without issue to the living room and Hinata was given the necessary quiet in order to stop her spinning head.
Her eyes flickered back to the cabinets and on cautious feet she made her way over to the stove and began to cook. Despite her wobbly control, she kept her Byakugan on the entire time. If anything strange happened, it wouldn't go unnoticed.
But nothing strange did happen.
The rest of the day passed perfectly normal. The next day was the same. Every day after brought no more odd occurrences. Eventually, like the mysterious keys, the moving bowls also slipped into a vague memory.
It wasn't until the sixth month of her pregnancy that Hinata had any reason to think back on it.
She was attempting to do the laundry, but Boruto kept running over to her on his pudgy little legs and yanking the clothes off the line. The first time, Hinata laughed. Now, it was all she could do not to yell at him. Boruto, thinking it was all a great game, wasn't responding well to her telling him to stop.
With a deep intake of breath, Hinata placed the last few shirts in the basket and walked over to her giggling little boy.
"Boruto," she stated firmly, placing both hands on her hips. "That's not for playing with. Do I have to take away teddy?"
"No~!" The little boy whined. He immediately dropped his arms and stomped his foot, piteously looking at her as if to ask why she had to ruin the game.
Hinata wasn't having any of it. "Don't you stomp your foot at me, young man. Mama told you not to play with daddy's shirts, but you didn't listen. What happens to little boys that don't listen to their mamas?"
"They ge' pun'shed," he mumbled, digging his toe into the dirt.
"That's right. They get punished. You don't want to get punished, right?"
"No."
"Good. Then stop playing with the wash and hand me daddy's shirt." Boruto handed over the orange cloth morosely. He wouldn't look her in the eye and began to scuff up the grass with his shoe. "Boruto," Hinata warned.
"Sorry," he murmured, still obviously upset, but he did stop gouging out the dirt so Hinata didn't call him out on his attitude.
Instead, she nodded and swiveled back around to finish up the rest of the hanging, only to find it was already done. The five remaining shirts were hanging perfectly in a row on the line, waving just slightly with the breeze.
Hinata froze, her husband's shirt slipping out of her grip to crumple on the ground.
"Mama?" She felt Boruto tugging at her apron ties, but couldn't find the voice to respond. "Mama?" She heard again.
Hinata activated her Byakugan. The vision was blurry at first, her advanced pregnancy affecting the way her chakra flowed, but it quickly cleared up the longer she used it. Subconsciously, she felt herself settle into a protective stance, one palm up, the other reaching down to her son. She looked around.
Nothing.
There was no one around. There wasn't even any chakra residue to suggest someone had left in a hurry. There was simply nothing.
Hinata wasn't taking any chances.
She clasped hold of her son's hand. "Boruto, we're going to go on a little trip to go see daddy."
"Rea'y? Yay!" The boy shouted, either not noticing or not caring about how tightly his mother was holding his hand.
"Good," she said under her breath. "Good. Come on, honey. We don't want to keep daddy waiting." And she was suddenly tugging him along back into the house, stopping only to grab the kunai hidden in her closet.
Before long, the two were walking briskly from the house and out into the busy streets. The mother made sure to periodically activate her doujutsu, but in her condition it took a lot out of her and she would much rather feel fresh to fight if necessary. Boruto lagged slightly, his little legs unable to keep up as well with his mother's pace, and Hinata found herself hoisting him up awkwardly on her hip. One of her hands curled around a kunai.
Within ten minutes, the duo made it to the Hokage tower where Naruto was stuck in a meeting with Kakashi. In her panic, Hinata paid no mind to the shinobi flickering surprised glances her way nor to the shouting secretary stationed outside the Hokage's office. With a boldness she didn't normally exude, Hinata pushed her way into the room and shut the door behind her.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked, whirling his head around to look at his family. Kakashi too looked up from the piles of paperwork and gazed at the tense mother. His forehead crinkled in growing worry as he observed the kunai shaped indent in her pocket and the white-knuckle grip she had on her son.
Kakashi continued his inspection as Naruto got up from his chair and walked over his wife, himself taking in the ashen pallor of her skin and the tightness of her jaw. He was able to pry Boruto from her grip, but it was a near thing; Hinata didn't seem to really grasp the fact that it was her husband in front of her and not someone else.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked again, this time concern seeping into his voice, as he looked her over more closely, checking for any sign of injury. He discretely patted Boruto down too, just in case. When he found nothing, he reached his free hand out to grip her's and it seemed to startle Hinata out of her reverie.
He wasn't expecting what she said next.
"Someone was in the house."
Naruto stared and he heard more than saw Kakashi get up from his chair and approach them. "What? What do you mean someone was in the house?" Because surely no one could get past all the seals and evade Hinata's senses.
"I mean someone was in our house," she said more forcefully. "Someone has been in our house."
"What?"
"Naruto, I turned around and the laundry was finished. My keys have been moved and I've watched someone move things in our cabinets."
"Wait, you saw someone moving things around?" Naruto exclaimed.
Hinata shook her head, stopped, nodded, and then shook it again. She looked hesitantly at her son and lowered her voice, "Yes, well, no, well it wasn't that I saw anyone move it, but it definitely moved of its own accord. And I certainly wasn't the one to hang the laundry or remember to put my keys away."
"Seems like you have a secret helper," Kakashi piped up from were he had propped himself on the edge of his desk.
"Not really the point, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto grumbled. He sent his old teacher a small glare and then looked back at his wife. "Has there been anything else?"
Hinata tried to think back. Nothing really stood out. Well, there had been the conveniently placed toys and the surprisingly clean kitchen and Boruto did seem to need less help reaching things he normally asked her for, but all those things could be explained away. There was no need to think someone was doing it, was there?
"I don't know," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "There have been instances, but…but nothing to suggest anything like this."
Naruto didn't bother to ask her if she was sure it wasn't just a trick of the eyes. If Hinata had enough evidence to come waltzing over here clutching a kunai then obviously something was happening. He turned to Kakashi.
"What do you think, sensei?"
Kakashi brought a hand up rub his chin is though. He pondered for a moment before saying, "It doesn't sound malicious, but I suppose we can't be too careful. I can assign some ANBU to watch over the house, but considering you two, how much good they'll be is subjective."
"An extra pair of eyes couldn't hurt," Naruto mused and exchanged glances with Hinata. The idea of having someone watch their house wasn't particularly ideal – they liked their privacy – but they had Boruto to think about and, with the new baby, Hinata wasn't exactly 100 percent. Naruto nodded. "An ANBU couldn't hurt, at least until the baby's born."
"I'll arrange it then," Kakashi said. "Why don't you go home, Naruto. You've done enough for today."
"Ehh? Really?"
"Do you really think I'd keep you here after this?"
"Yes."
"Well, you're absolutely right, but I'm in a good mood. We've done a lot of paperwork and deserve a break."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, but made no mention of the fact that he was pretty sure Kakashi only wanted him out of the room so the man could go read porn. He didn't think Hinata would really appreciate the comment in her current state.
"Besides," Kakashi continued more seriously. "If there is someone stalking your house, it might be best for you to be on alert. Search everything for good measure and place some more seals. I'll send the ANBU ahead."
Naruto nodded. He'd been meaning to place some more security seals around the perimeter and this offered the perfect opportunity. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. Think you'll need me tomorrow?"
The man shook his head. "No. Take the next few days off. See if anything happens. I'll give you a call if I need you."
"You got it, sensei." He looked at Hinata. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah," she sighed, the walk and excitement having gotten the better of her. They exchanged quick goodbyes with Kakashi before the three were out the door and in the empty hallway of the tower. Hinata pointed to Boruto. "Do you want me to…?"
"Nah, I got him," Naruto replied, hoisting the boy higher on his hip. He brushed a few strands of soft hair out of Boruto's face and realized their son had somehow managed to fall asleep. Naruto chuckled. "Guess he found all the talking boring."
Hinata cracked a smile. "At least he's not scared."
"That wouldn't end well," Naruto added, just thinking of the nightmares Boruto would have to suffer through if he was. It made Naruto flinch.
The three began a cautious walk through the village. Naruto held Hinata's hand, while the other held Boruto close to him. He kept his senses on alert, constantly checking to see if anyone was following them. There weren't. They made it back home without incident and Naruto went about setting up a new batch of seals. For the next few days, the family functioned uneasily, constantly looking over their shoulders for anything unusual. Nothing happened.
Eventually, they managed to get back to normal. The ANBU Kakashi promised were there everyday, offering an extra pair of eyes in the event something happened. So far, they hadn't been necessary. Naruto returned to helping Kakashi and Hinata felt moderately more comfortable at home than she had a week before. Honestly, a part of her felt a bit silly. Perhaps she had been overreacting. It wasn't like anything bad had happened. But then she would look over at Boruto and hold him a little bit tighter, because someone had been able to get into the house and just because they hadn't done anything this time didn't mean they wouldn't do something next time.
Either way, by time she reached her eighth month of pregnancy, Hinata had almost been able to push the strange occurrences from her mind – most of the time.
Then her water broke.
It wasn't as spontaneous as that. It actually started more innocuously with Naruto losing his phone. Or, more to the point, someone hiding Naruto's phone.
"Hinata!" She heard him shout from the bedroom. "Do you have my phone?"
She shook her head, then mentally slapped herself because of course Naruto couldn't see her. "No. Where did you last see it?"
"I had it right here," Naruto complained, appearing in the bedroom doorway. "I just put it down." He gesticulated wildly, somewhere in there indicating the direction of his nightstand.
"Are you sure you had it there?" Hinata asked. It wasn't that she doubted him; she just wanted to make sure. She carefully placed the sheets she had been holding in the hall closet and followed him into their room.
"Yeah," he responded. "I was just talking to Kiba and I put it down on the stand and now it's gone! I couldn't have looked away for more than a minute."
"Maybe it fell off?"
"I checked," he bemoaned. "It's not there."
Hinata felt her forehead pinch in confusion and she activated her Byakugan. She couldn't hold it for long now, but she shouldn't need to in order to find the phone. After a minute or so of searching, she gave up. "It's not here. Are you sure you left it in this room?"
"Yeah!"
"Odd," she mumbled to herself. Taking a deep breath and straightening, she said, "Well we might as well check somewhere else. It's not in here."
"Damnit, I'm gonna be late and Kiba's gonna kill me," Naruto whined. His face was decidedly cute, Hinata decided, and so she gave him a little peck on the cheek.
"If it helps, I tell Kiba-kun you were helping me."
Naruto chuckled. "Well, if I have to," he played like it was a big sacrifice on his part. The smile didn't help him.
What transpired next, though, wiped the grin off his face. The duo spent a good twenty minutes searching all over the house for Naruto's missing phone. Any humor in the endeavor quickly gave way to frustration and Naruto was ready to say, "fuck it" and just leave. He'd gone without a cell phone for twenty years; it wasn't like he really needed it now.
After another five minutes of searching, he finally gave up. It was then that he hit another obstacle. His keys, which had been sitting in plain view in the dish (he'd know, he just checked), were missing. For a moment, he just stared at the bowl in shock. They'd been right here.
"Hinata!" He shouted again, this time a little more urgently. "Did you take my keys?"
"No!" He heard her shout from the kitchen. "Why?"
"They're not in the dish. I just saw them here!" Naruto continued to stare at the bowl as if doing so would make them reappear. "What is going on?" He whispered to himself. It was like everything was conspiring to keep him in the house.
He searched around the bowl for his missing keys. It wasn't like they could just get up and walk away. Had he accidentally pushed them over? But no, they weren't on the floor or under the couch. He patted his pockets, thinking that maybe he'd placed them there without thinking. Nope. They weren't in his pockets.
Naruto sagged against the couch. Trying to think back to everything he'd done in the last few minutes, he almost missed the sound of his wife's startled gasp. Almost. Naruto started and, when a loud crash followed not a second later, he was up and running.
"Hinata!" He cried, worry coating his voice as his heart rate picked up. He stumbled his way into the kitchen and felt his eyes go wide at what he saw.
His wife was positioned half-standing, half-kneeling on the ground, one hand gripping the table and the other wrapped around her bulging abdomen. Pieces of a ceramic jar lay dangerously around her as she twitched in pain. Her eyes were screwed shut and her breathing was irregular; her knees wobbled as she struggled to remain somewhat upright.
"Hinata!" Naruto yelled again as he made his way over to her. He deftly avoided the sharp ceramic and moved to grasp his wife around her middle. Hinata sagged against him. She grasped his hand in a vice grip, tightening it every few seconds as a new wave of pain flowed through her.
Naruto didn't know what to do. "Hinata! Hinata, what happened?"
"T-the ba-baby," she gasped out, barely able to string the two words together. "S-something's happening to t-the baby." Two terrified eyes peered up into his own and Naruto felt the blood drain from his face. He was about to say something else when Hinata let out another groan and grit her teeth, the hold on his hand tightening even further.
Nothing happened for a second, and then Naruto felt something warm on his toes. He looked down, scared of what he might find, and felt his eyes widen. What had been a dry floor was now wet with a small amount of green-tinged water. He immediately felt his hands begin to shake. A pit settled in his stomach and he wasted no time in scooping Hinata up into his arms. With a flare of his chakra, the ANBU appeared in the room.
"Watch my son," he ordered, staring the other shinobi down with an intensity that had the ANBU saluting and darting into the nursery to look over the sleeping toddler.
Making sure Hinata was secure, Naruto bound out of the kitchen and into the entranceway, pausing only to scoop up his phone and keys from the bowl. Had he not been worried that the high speeds would hurt her, Naruto would have gladly bypassed such things and shunshin-ed to the hospital. As it were, he had to hope running on rooftops would suffice.
He managed to make it to the hospital in record time, barging through the doors and half-scaring the nurse on duty into an early grave. It was lucky for her that Sakura had felt her old teammate's flaring chakra from a mile away and had already made her way to the entrance, sparing the nurse from Naruto's rampage.
The medic took one look at Naruto's panicked expression and Hinata's pained one, before she was shouting out orders for a gurney. It was a testament to how well she knew the blond that she wasted no breath telling someone else to help her with Hinata. No, Sakura just walked over to the two, looked full on into Naruto's desperate eyes, and reached out her own arms. Naruto didn't hesitate. Hinata was transferred easily over to Sakura and was then quickly secured onto the gurney. Within seconds, she was out of sight.
Naruto stood frozen in place; the only thing keeping him upright was Sakura's steady hand on his arm. He felt himself going numb.
"What happened, Naruto?" He heard Sakura ask, but he was unable to get his mouth to move so he could answer her. Sakura shook him a little bit, but it still wasn't enough to get his lips moving. "Naruto? Naruto, I need to know what happened. If I don't know, I can't fix it."
That did it. "She, uhh, she was, umm, in pain, and she yelled and there was-there was water. There was water."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Water? What kind of water? Naruto? This is really important. Was the water clear? Did it have a smell?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, no, it was green. It was green water. It, umm, it didn't smell."
"Okay, okay," Sakura mumbled, putting on a careful mask of calm. "Anything else. Was it sudden?" Naruto nodded his head. "Alright. I'm going to go in there and help. Why don't you wait here and I'll come get you, okay?"
Naruto jerked. "No!" He exclaimed. "No, I need to be there. She was in so much pain, Sakura-chan. I need to be there."
"I understand," she tried to sooth. "But we need to concentrate. I promise you, if anything happens, we'll immediately come get you, but you need to wait." When he didn't respond, she pressed, "Naruto."
He sagged against her and she managed to steer him over to one of the chairs before he full on collapsed. Once she felt he wasn't going to pass out on her, she reiterated, "I will come get you, okay? Trust me, nothing will happen without you knowing."
Naruto nodded, but didn't speak and Sakura couldn't help but sigh. There was nothing for it now. Time was of the essence and she had to go. She squeezed his bicep in reassurance before getting up and running towards the maternity ward, leaving Naruto on his own. He sagged into the chair and buried his face in his palms. Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm his frayed nerved. It didn't really work. His heart continued to race and his fingers were shaking. He tried desperately to think of something else.
Boruto.
Yes, he could think of Boruto, who was home sleeping safe and sound with the ANBU.
But what if he woke up? Naruto's head shot up. How could he have been so stupid? Boruto wouldn't take it well to waking up with a stranger in the house. Especially when he found out neither mama nor daddy were home. It took only a second for Naruto to decide he needed to get someone else over there or they would have a problem on their hands.
He fished out his cell phone from his pocket and quickly issued a text message to Kiba, simultaneously letting him know what had happened while also begging him the watch over Boruto. Naruto needn't have worried. Kiba replied almost instantly, letting the blond know he'd happily look after the kid. He also stated that if Naruto didn't keep him updated he'd come over there himself and kick his ass. Somehow, Naruto didn't doubt he would.
With Boruto taken care of, Naruto closed his eyes and leaned his head back, one hand going up to wipe at his face. This was such a mess. The only thing that kept him from truly breaking down was the relief that he had still been home at the time. If he hadn't lost his phone-
His phone.
Naruto's eyes snapped open as he whipped his head down to stare at the cell phone still clutched in his hand. He shakily checked his pocket and, yep, there were his keys. He vaguely remembered scooping them both out of the dish by the couch, but that was impossible. They hadn't been in the bowl. It had been completely empty. No keys, no phone, nothing.
What the fuck…?
He stared at the phone. If it hadn't been missing, he would have left. If the keys had been in the bowl, he would have left. If either of these things had been where they were supposed to, he wouldn't have been there to get Hinata help. Naruto's heart rate picked up again as 'what if's' played through his mind. They looped, over and over again in his head. What if he'd left without his phone and keys? What if he'd just decided he didn't need them? What if he wasn't there?
They played like a horrific mantra in his brain, taunting him. For an hour, he sat there, just listening to it. He was eternally grateful that Sakura came out when she did, or else he might have begun pulling his hair out.
"If you want to see your daughter born, you better hurry up," she stated, already reaching out to pull at his sleeve.
"W-what?" Naruto asked. He was already scurrying out of his chair to follow her down the hallway and into the maternity ward.
"We've decided it's best for a cesarean. Hinata's being prepped as we speak."
"But it's too early!"
"Apparently, the baby doesn't agree," Sakura retorted. "She's gone into premature labor and we don't think the baby has enough oxygen to make it through a natural birth."
Naruto's head was spinning. This wasn't exactly how he expected this to go. Boruto had been much easier. Unfortunately, he didn't have as much time as he would have liked to calm himself before Sakura was handing him a surgical gown and a hair net.
"Put these on," she ordered. Naruto quickly pulled them on, his hands shaking a bit as he tried to tie the back of the gown. "Done?" Sakura asked, as she put her own, much more complex, uniform on. Naruto nodded. "Good. Alright, let's go."
What followed were some of the most nerve-wracking minutes of Naruto's life, and he could still remember Boruto's birth. This was much more terrifying. The only thing that made it slightly more bearable was the fact that at least Hinata wasn't crying out in pain. Instead, she held tightly to his hand, so tightly Naruto was surprised he could still feel it. He managed to ignore the sounds of the surgery by focusing on Hinata's face, occasionally kissing her forehead and brushing sweaty hair from her face.
"She'll be okay," he whispered into her ear. "Everything will be fine." And Hinata would nod, but he could tell she was still worried. He continued to stroke her hair as they both waited with baited breath for their daughter.
It didn't take much longer. About twenty minutes in, there was a cry from behind the screen and Naruto heard Sakura's shout of, "It's a girl!" The words may have brought a smile to his face, but it was the baby's healthy wail that made Naruto start crying.
He kissed Hinata on the lips, feeling her smile with his mouth, and looked up to see Sakura holding the baby over the screen. The infant was red, and wailing, and covered in blood and afterbirth, but she couldn't have been more beautiful to Naruto. He kissed Hinata again.
"Himawari," he heard her mutter. "Himawari."
"Is that her name?" Sakura asked, coming closer with the baby now wrapped up hastily in a blanket. She had yet to be washed and Naruto knew he couldn't hold her yet, but she was even more perfect up close.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah," he answered, still staring. "Himawari."
Sakura smiled down at the girl. "Well then, welcome to the world Himawari. You're going have your daddy wrapped around your finger, I just know it."
Naruto knew it too. He could already tell he wouldn't be able to say no to anything this child asked of him. He could barely say no to her brother.
Her brother.
Naruto's smile widened. Oh he could just imagine the look on Boruto's face when he brought him to meet his sister. Boruto had been so excited about being a big brother. This was going to make his day.
"I'm going to take her to get cleaned up and measured, while we get you settled back in your room, okay Hinata?" Sakura asked his wife. Hinata nodded, but it was obvious how loath she was to be separated from her newborn. Sakura smiled. "Don't worry, you two. If everything goes as well as I expect it to, I'll bring her right in to you."
They could do nothing but acquiesce. The next few minutes were a blur of cleaning Hinata up and moving her into a recovery room. Naruto held her hand throughout the entire process, only letting go to shed his own surgical attire. He didn't realize how stuffy it had been until he felt the cool hospital air hitting him. It was very refreshing.
A few minutes later, the two were finally left alone in Hinata's room. The woman in question was still slightly out of it from the surgery and found herself nodding off as they waited. At least it was calmer than before.
"Bet you Tsunade-baa-chan's gonna wish she held off on her vacation," Naruto joked. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand and Hinata couldn't help but laugh.
It didn't help her with the soreness, but at least the pain medication was still working so it didn't hurt too badly. "She's going to be so mad."
"She'll be spitting fire," he continued. "And Shizune's gonna throw a fit."
"They'll never let us live this down."
"Never," he agreed. He looked at her tired face. "Think we should hold off a bit on telling Boru?"
Hinata's eyes widened. "Oh no. We didn't leave him there, right? Not with just the ANBU?"
"Hinata, Hinata, calm down," Naruto chuckled. "I called Kiba. He's watching him."
The woman sank back into the bed. A puzzled expression formed on her face. "When did you have time to call him?"
"Well there was that hour of worry I sat through," Naruto mused, but quickly followed it up after catching sight of her guilty expression. "He says he'll watch Boru as long as we need him to. Which reminds me…" he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text of, 'Hinata's fine. It's a girl!' to Kiba. Knowing him, all their friends would probably know within the hour.
He looked back at his wife only to see her staring intently at the cell phone. "Didn't you lose that?"
"Oh well, yeah. Funny story. It was in the bowl, with the keys."
"The bowl we searched?"
"Yeah…" he trailed off, still not quite sure what to make of that.
"But how-"
A knock on the door broke her off and both shinobis' eyes shot up to see Sakura leaning in the doorway with a big smile on her face.
"Guess who's a very healthy little girl?" She teased as she opened the door wider and pulled the tiny cart into the room. "I suppose those Uzumaki genes have to be good for something."
"Sakura-chan!" But he wasn't really upset and Sakura knew it. She laughed and moved over to ruffle his hair, the effect thankfully not as noticeable as when he'd been younger.
"Congratulations, Hinata-chan. Now you have three knuckleheads to put up with. Think you can handle it?"
Hinata smiled. "I think so."
"Me too," Sakura beamed. "Now, I'm just going to check your vitals and then, if you're ready, we can probably give Himawari her first feeding. Sound good?"
Hinata nodded and after everything was considered to be in good order, there was no time wasted in settling the baby into her mother's arms. Considering the experience she already had, getting Himawari to feed was no trouble, and both parents found themselves alone as Sakura headed out to file some of the paperwork.
They had a good hour to themselves before Sakura came back, and by that time it was evident that both Hinata and Himawari needed to rest. With that in mind, as soon as Sakura took the baby back into the nursery, Naruto felt it best to head home, relieve Kiba of his duty and pick up Boruto. Considering the events of the day, there was no way Boruto wouldn't be asking a thousand different questions. Naruto thought he'd spare Kiba the headache. With a quick kiss to his fading wife, Naruto was out the door and walking down the hallway with a spring in his step. He couldn't wait for Boruto to meet his new little sister.
But with Naruto now gone, Hinata found herself with peace and quiet for the first time all day. Not that she didn't love her husband's company, but it was nice to be able to close her eyes and relax. Her boys were okay, her daughter was safe, and everything was finally calming down.
Hinata shut her eyes.
The next thing she knew there was a laugh and her eyes flew open. A flash of red played off her peripheral vision and she wearily turned her head to see what it was. At first, she saw nothing. Then, as she looked harder, a shape began to form. The sunlight streaming in through the window seemed to distort and mold into the form of a woman.
She was a very beautiful woman, with a round, happy face and long red hair Hinata felt she should have recognized. The woman wore a long green dress and blouse combination and sat next to Hinata's bed as if she belonged there. It was a testament to just how tired Hinata was that she didn't immediately scream. A part of her was convinced this was just a strange dream. So instead of yelling, she stared somewhat confused as the woman finished forming.
"Hello," Hinata whispered. She couldn't bring herself to put much energy in her words, but it didn't seem to stop the smiling woman. If anything, the stranger grinned that much brighter.
"Hi!" The woman gave a little wave. "I hope I didn't scare you. These entrances are always a little spotty."
Hinata shook her head, still a bit dazed. "Ah, no. You didn't startle me."
"Oh good!" She clapped her hands together. "I'd really hate for our first meeting to go badly. I mean a lot of my other first encounters didn't exactly go well so I'm not very good with first impressions and I'd hate for us to get off on the wrong foot."
"M-me too?" Hinata said, though it came out as more of a question than a statement. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name."
"Ehh?" The woman blinked and then immediately reached up to rub her neck. "Oh right, sorry about that." She laughed sheepishly. "Uzumaki Kushina, 'ttebane."
"U-Uzumaki…Kushina…?" Now she definitely knew this was a dream. Still, it didn't stop the shock. "B-but you're…"
"Dead?" She said bluntly, causing Hinata to blush. The younger woman needn't have worried because Kushina waved it off with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'm only here for a little bit. Can't stick around too long, you see," she winked. "But I told you my name, so what's yours?"
"Oh! I-I'm sorry. I'm, umm, Uzumaki Hinata," she mumbled the last bit, even to this day bashfully proud of the change in surname. Not that she wasn't still a Hyuuga, but well…she liked her married name.
Kushina seemed to agree. The grin, which had already been huge, now threatened to split her face in half. "Aha! There we go! Now, we're finally formally introduced and my son isn't even here to be embarrassed about it."
Hinata couldn't help chuckling. Naruto probably would be embarrassed, if for no other reason than his wife and his mother were talking about him. "You'll just have to stick around so he can see you."
"I'd like that. Unfortunately, I can only stay so long so he'd better hurry up. I'm not getting any younger."
"He'll be back soon. He went to go get Boruto."
Kushina's eyes seemed to sparkle at the mention of the boy. "Oh yes! My grandchildren! I have to say, you and my son make beautiful babies, Hinata-chan," she teased as the other woman turned scarlet. "Boruto's so cute I just want hug him all day long and Himawari is already adorable. I was scared for a moment there, you know. I was almost afraid my son was going to leave."
"W-what?" Hinata's felt her eyes go round. "You mean, you-"
"Were the one moving his phone and keys around?" Kushina finished with a grin. "Yep. One of the benefits of being dead is that you have a little forewarning with things like that. Almost like a dog, you could say. Since I couldn't exactly come out and tell you, I figured making sure Naruto stayed put would do the trick. And see, it all worked out."
Hinata stared for a minute, trying to wrap her mind around this new information. "Did you fix my laundry?" Kushina nodded. "The bowls?" Another nod. "My keys?" Another nod, and this time an amused grin accompanied it.
"Yes, yes, and yes. Along with a bunch of other little things, because the number of times you could have tripped terrified me. And I couldn't have my daughter-in-law stuck outside in the cold, never mind the thought of you falling off the counter or getting too stressed," she rounded off. To Hinata, it seemed as if Kushina had fallen into her own little world of worries. The living woman reached over to cup Kushina's hand in her own.
Surprisingly, it was warm – like touching sunshine. She didn't think she was dreaming anymore.
Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Kushina-san," she said, trying to put every ounce gratefulness into the words. She didn't know if she succeeded, but Kushina stopped rambling and smiled back, so she considered it a win.
"You're very welcome, Hinata-chan. But I think we can do without any of that '–san' stuff, " Kushina brushed off. "It's 'mom' to you," she winked. Her face then proceeded to soften the longer she gazed at her daughter-in-law. Hinata felt herself blushing. "You know, before Naruto was born, one of my greatest fears was that he wouldn't be able to find someone that would love him as much me. I used to lie awake at night, terrified that he wouldn't ever know what it was like to love someone like that. I know it's silly, but it scared me. But now that I know you, that I've seen how much you love my son – how much my son loves you – I realized I had nothing to fear. I couldn't give him the childhood he deserved, but he has you now, and that's all I've ever really wanted for him. You've given him everything I couldn't and more. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, if anyone deserves a thank you, it's you. Thank you for loving my son."
And for a moment, Hinata couldn't speak. She was too stunned by Kushina's words that she hardly knew what to say. Her throat felt clogged and a lightness filled her chest. She squeezed Kushina's hand tighter. "You don't have to thank me for that. I'll always love him, no matter what."
Kushina sniffled. "I know and that's what makes me happy the most." She shot Hinata a toothy grin and her eyes flickered to the door. "I don't have much time left and we're about to have visitors, so there's just one more thing for me to do."
"Wha-" she was cut off as a pair of warm, sunshine lips pressed themselves to her forehead. Hinata lay there stunned and Kushina laughed.
"My mother used to kiss my forehead every day before I finally left Uzu. I always said I'd continue the tradition, but, well, things happened and Naruto always seemed to need hugs more than anything else. I never got to do it before. But seeing as you're my daughter now, I think this might be my only opportunity. Besides, hugging you might be uncomfortable right now."
Hinata chuckled at that; it was true. But the warmth that came from the kiss seemed to spread throughout her entire body anyway. "Do you mind if I continue the tradition?"
Kushina beamed, the sunlight surrounding her. "Of course not! Kisses and hugs are meant to be shared, especially with our children. Just be sure to give them both extra ones from grandma every day!"
Hinata nodded and would have said something when a knock at the door interrupted her. She turned her attention to the entrance, not noticing as the warmth next to her hand began to fade. Within seconds, the door opened and Hinata smiled as her two favorite men walked in.
"Mama!" Boruto exclaimed, running into the room. Naruto stood poised behind him, frozen in the doorway. The blond man's happy smile had fallen off his face only to be replaced by one of complete and utter bafflement. Hinata grinned and looked beside her for only a second to watch as Kushina disappeared into the sunlight, waving and smiling at them before vanishing entirely.
"Mama!" Boruto's cry brought her attention back to her son. She turned to see the little boy trying his best to clamor up onto the bed, but his short legs didn't allow it.
Hinata giggled. "Hi, sweetheart," she said, hoisting him up with all the strength she was able to muster. Boruto immediately threw himself at her and wrapped his little arms around her neck tightly. Perhaps a little too tightly because it jostled her still sore abdomen uncomfortably. "Oh, careful honey. Mama had a big booboo and she's still a little sore."
"Mama go' booboo?" Boruto asked. "Nee' sticky?" He indicated to the colorful bandage wrapped around his finger.
"Mama has one, sweetheart, but thank you," she smiled. "But you know what I would love?"
"What?"
"I would love a big Boruto kiss," and she swooped down to kiss his forehead, making a loud smacking noise as she did so. Boruto let out a peal of laughter and brought his hands up to clasp his mother's as they held each side of his face.
"Mama! It tickles!"
"Oh it tickles? Well, how about we get daddy over here to give you another tickle kiss?"
"Yeah! Daddy!" The little boy yelled, spinning around to flash his father with a bright smile.
Naruto still stood stunned in the doorway, having not moved a muscle since he entered. Hinata smiled in understanding and she patted the empty spot on the bed. "Naruto, didn't you hear us? We need you for a big tickle kiss."
It didn't break Naruto from his shock, not entirely at least, but he was able to smile at them as he walked on jerky, hesitant feet to the bed. Hinata saw his eyes flicker to the once occupied chair and hid a grin.
"So how big are we talking?" Naruto asked as he sat down beside them.
"Big!" Boruto shouted, raising his arms in the air for emphasis. "'eally big!"
"Really big? Well then," he plucked Boruto off the bed, loudly kissed his forehead in the same manner Hinata had, before jokingly rubbing his slightly stubbled face against his son's.
"Daddy!"
"How's that for tickle?" But Boruto didn't respond, too caught up in his laughing. "I think I win."
"I think you do," Hinata agreed. She loved watching her boys interact like this and couldn't wait to add Himawari to the mix.
Naruto grinned at her, but even still, she watched as his eyes flickered over to the now empty chair. She grasped his hand. "I know what happened to your phone."
"Huh?"
"She didn't want you to leave." Naruto looked at her in confusion for a moment and Hinata let her eyes twitch over to indicate the chair. Her husband followed their direction and let his own eyes go wide.
"But…what?" He asked, baffled and completely ignorant of the child attempting to play with his vest.
Hinata nodded. "Mmhm. And it turns out I did have a helper with the laundry."
She watched as Naruto's eyes got progressively wider and his mouth formed a little 'O' shape. "The keys?" He struggled out. Hinata nodded. "The bowls?" Nod. "My keys?" Another nod.
A grin pulled at his lips, bright and shining, as he began to laugh. "She knew," he gasped.
"She knew," Hinata reiterated, also beginning to laugh.
"Daddy, wha's funny?" Boruto chimed in. He gazed up as his father inquisitively.
Naruto's grin widened and his kissed his son's forehead again. "Nothing, buddy. Mama and daddy are just really happy."
"Why?"
"Because we have the best family in the world. We have you and now we have your little sister and we love you both very much. So much, it makes us laugh because we're so happy."
"I love mama an' daddy, too!" He paused. "An' I love my si'ter, too."
"You do?" Boruto nodded. "Do you want to go meet her?"
"Yes!"
Naruto exchanged at look with Hinata. "What to you think? Should we go get Himawari?"
Hinata beamed. "I think that would be wonderful."
"Yosh!" Naruto shouted and lifted Boruto up to rest on his hip before standing. "Let's go meet your little sister."
"Yay! Mama, I gonna me't my si'ter!"
"Yes, you are," Hinata said. "Just bring her back with you so we can all be together."
"Okay!" He turned to his father. "Le's go, daddy!"
"We're going, we're going!" He threw a wink Hinata's way. "Don't miss us too much."
"I'll try, but it'll be hard."
He swooped down to kiss her cheek. "We'll be quick then."
"Oh, just go," she gently pushed him away and he grinned, but he didn't say any more as he carried their son out of the room, laughing at the chanting cries of "Si'ter, si'ter, si'ter!"
Hinata relaxed back against the bed, her eyes gentling as she listened. This was her family – happy, whole, and perfect. She turned her head to look at the empty chair by her bed and a felt pressure build up behind her eyes. She ignored it.
Waving her hand gently under the warm sunshine, it was like Kushina was still sitting there – still watching over them.
Hinata smiled.
"Thank you, mom."
So it was longer than I planned, but oh well. I hope you all enjoyed and please remember to review. I appreciate constructive criticism, but flames don't help writers improve their writing. Happy belated Mother's Day (or early Mother's Day to all my readers who celebrate the holiday in June or July) and have a wonderful day/night!
~AlabasterInk