Hey there^^ I am just starting a story which haunted my head for a long time now. I can`t tell how long it will take me to update it, but i try my hardest. Promise.
Suggestions, critique or any other comment? Give it to me^^
But now, have fun.
(I do not own Naruto...)
Tsume was not a happy camper. It wasn`t her fist time, but for Kamis sake, it hurt her so much!
Her belly looked like she swallowed a whole watermelon and she never – never- felt so uncomfortable like now.
(Maybe the first time in front of the Hokage after the incident at the hot springs, involving 3 men, 2 women, a sponge, a ninken and a banana... But THATS a story for another time..)
When she was first pregnant with Hana, it felt so good, she had been full of excitement, but now, it was simple annoying. She scowled and patted her belly.
Her canine companion nudged her hip with his shoulder and grinned at her.
"Don`t look like that. Your face could freeze in that position and, believe me in this, nobody would want to see that." Kuromaru chuckled and shook his head a little, eyeing Tsume with an amused look in his eye. Tsume snorted, but patted her beloved canines head.
The two were walking through the streets of Konoha towards the daily market to meet with a few friends and to go shopping for a late lunch. She left young Hana at home with her husband, to look over the ill or pregnant dogs.
The summer sun radiated in the sky, allowing no cloud to touch the clear blue sky.
No soothing wind and no shadow to hide in left the people in town craving for anything which would provide protection against the sun.
Konohas streets were fillded with heat, and even in the mornings and evenings, it was like living in an oven!
Tsume and Kuromaru entered the market place and got a welcoming blast of noises. Many shinobis and civilians used the early hours of the day to go shopping, fleeing from the sun and the hottest time of the days. It was so very loud, so many colours distracted the eyes at once, so many smells of food and flowers and fruits invaded the nose.
The merchants screamed, people laughed and children cried, speeding through the crowd. It was like entering a war zone, just with more positive things to enjoy and images to remember than an actual battlefield.
The duo went further on their way, passing many different stands and shops and with every passing food stall, Tsumes stomach growled louder and louder.
She stroked her grumbling belly and scowled again, she had eaten a healthy breakfast not two hours ago. Grumbling and still stroking her belly she looked at the different food sellers near her and wanted to take a step forward, when a voice stopped her and the smirking Kuromaru.
"Hello Tsume-san! Was that your tummy or was it Kuromaru which growled like a feral beast? I have to admit, it was quite frightening, let me tell you!" Soft giggling accompanied the statement.
Tsume turned and looked at the two newcomers. Her lips parted into a smile as she gazed over the two teenagers in front of her. One was a dark-haired male, with a small cigarette dangling out of his mouth. The other one, the one who had giggled, was a black-haired, red-eyed female with her hair down to her belt.
"Asuma, Kurenai it is good to see you both healthy. And I feel offended by your comment. It was Tsumes always hungry, black hole of a stomach which emitted that frightening noise. Although she ate a whole table full of rice, meat and vegetables for breakfast, she seems to be hungry again!" Kuromaru laughed and shot his companion a look. The two teens joined him as Tsumes face became red like a whole bunch of tomatoes.
"What should I do? I can`t let the poor pup in me starve, could I? It wouldn`t be very nice of me." Tsume snapped at Kuromaru, but her voice had no malice in it and she stroked her watermelon belly again.
Kurenai looked impressed at the full body part, opened her mouth but shut it again. A curious glint danced in her eyes, she gathered her voice, wanted to ask the pregnant woman a question, when she was beat to it by a second.
"Do you want to touch it? Maybe the pup will kick." Tsume grinned brighter as Kurenai nodded happily and stepped closer to her, softly placing her hand on Tsumes belly. Kurenai waited for a few seconds, the her breath hitched as something inside kicked hard against her hand. Tsume whimpered softly, but continued grinning like a mad woman.
"It kicked me!" Kurenai whispered in awe and smiled at the pregnant woman beside her, but left her hand in it`s place.
Tsume started laughing, her shoulders heaving .
"Be lucky the pup kicked you just once. At some time I was thinking it already started training for taijutsu in there! Sometimes the pup was kicking non-stop, it nearly drove me insane!"
"And me too! Her whining hurt my poor ears." Kuromaru chuckled, but suddenly tensed and sniffed the air. His snout nuzzled his companion dangling hand.
Tsume, unaware of her ninkens behaviour, straightened her aching back and sighed.
"How long do you have to endure it? I mean, it can`t be that long to the date?" asked Asuma, with his nearly to-deep-fo-a-teenager voice, but his voice cracked into a single high pitch tune at the end of his question. He cleared his throat in a masking attempt, failing and blushed slightly.
"A month to two weeks more to go and then everything should be fine. And I swear to you, I will be fuckin` happy when this, my personal hell, will be over!" she straightened her back again, a dull ache growing in her belly. She scowled again at her offending body part.
"You can`t be serious?! I am already on my way to grab something to eat, but you want to rush me? I think I have got the wrong pup in me, we are Inuzukas and not Akimichi!" she growled and glanced down.
For a second, she stopped breathing. Looked at the ground. Her brain had difficulty to comprehend what seemed to have happened. She drew a much needed breath. And snarled.
Kurenai stared, Asuma gulped and Kuromaru whined softly, all three shocked at the sight.
A clear fluid dropped down Tsumes legs, darkening the ground beneath her and wetting the hem of her dress.
Her belly ached again, harder this time and her knees began shaking.
"...Tsume-san?" Kurenai whispered, not really sure how to behave in this situation. Academy doesn`t teach you nursing a pregnant woman who is about to give birth.
Asuma had lost the colour in his face, tried desperately to still his fidging hands.
Kuromaru nudged Tsume again, smelling a mixery of anger and excitement from her.
"You can`t be fucking serious!"
The ninken paced in front of the door, which divided him from his female companion. His ears picked up the tiniest sounds from within. Groaning and wheezing sounds and the smell of blood, disinfectants and other fluids invaded his senses. It made him uneasy and anxious.
He turned again, his eye landing on Hana-pup, who was sitting with her back against the wall, looking pale and a few tears were flowing down her face, falling on her propped up knees. Tsumes husband had deposited her there and had entered the room full of nurses, a doctor and an very sweaty and angry Tsume, who was wearing a thin simple hospital gown. It was a quick glance, and then the door had been shut again.
That was half an hour ago.
A yell full of pain shattered the semi-silence. It was a yell without words, but it sent Hana flying into him, desperately clutching his dark fur for any sort of comfort he could give her.
"Mama will be ok... She will be ok, Kuromaru?" she asked in a quiet voice, shaking with more tears, tugging his fur, but he couldn`t answer her as another scream sounded through the late afternoon.
It was high pitched and followed by applause.
Kuromaru listened to the shallow breathing and the whispered encouragements behind the offending door.
"Congratulations Tsume-san! It is a small little boy!"
The door opened just a few minutes later and Hanas father, white like chalk and shaking like old leaves in the storm, staggered out, a small delicate bundle in his arms.
Hana let go of his fur and got closer to her father, looking fascinated down on the bundle, grinning widely.
"I am a big sister now!" she squealed and did a little happy dance. Kuromaru sniffed at the new pup, catching his scent. The boy-pup started wiggling and screaming at the tops of his lungs.
Hana and her father instantly started fussing over the small one as a nurse took the pup in her arms again.
The ninken trotted inside the room, nibbling at Tsumes tense hand.
"Tsume-san, you can stop pushing now. Stop it already!" another nurse stated, looking nervously at the doctor, who alighted his hands with chakra and touched the womans belly. His brown furrowed. He stood again, opening Tsumes legs again and stared under her gown.
"PUSH! You have to start pushing again! Harder!"
Tsume was breathing hard, her muscles spasming and her hands nearly breaking the metal pole she hold on to.
"What are you thinking I am doing here? COOKING?!" she snapped and let out a deep groan.
Several nurses rushed in again, pushing the frightened Hana, a sweating husband and a nervous dog to the far side of the room, all staring at the angered woman, who fought another battle on her own.
The sweating, cursing and screaming lasted for more minutes.
It all ended in one last push and another screaming voice, joining the rucus.
High pitched screams, little wiggling feet and a tuft of dark hair. A spitting image of the first new pup, but smaller, tiny, delicate small.
And a girl.
Hanas father swayed, tried to grab something, failed and fainted, hitting the ground with a hard `thud`. Hana was laughing loud and stared at the two babies, which were now laying in Tsumes arms.
Kuromaru let out a loud howl of pride and grinned wide, baring his teeth in the progress.
Tsume gazed at her babies, chuckled softly.
"Well... That was unexpected..."