A blond man stalked up and down the halls of the Konoha hospital. At three in the morning, he was the only person aside from the doctors, nurses and various med-nin. Normally, a person would have been asked to leave the hospital or at least stay in the waiting room. None of those people were the Hokage. And even among Hokage, none before were the saviors of the world.
Despite all of his accomplishments, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto was highly agitated with the current situation. He was, for Kami's sake, the person who'd saved the world and yet here he was being forced to wait out in the halls while his wife needed him. A door opened at the opposite end of the hall and a head of pink hair stuck itself out the door. Before Sakura could call him, a flash of yellow alerted her that her old teammate already knew.
He reappeared in front of her as if from thin air.
"Tell me how she's doing Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. The pink haired kunoichi sighed. He really was overreacting.
"She's fine Naruto. I just came out to tell you to go home and get some sleep. I'll let the ANBU know to get you if anything changes."
Naruto stood still and weighed his options. He could listen to the head of the medical corps and go home to rest, or he could stay here, in defiance of the woman that had saved his and his wife's lives numerous times over and possibly get punched and taken home by his ANBU.
He'd risk it.
"No Sakura-chan. I'm not leaving and that is the end of it."
Sakura stared at him for a long moment. Finally, she peered over his shoulder.
"Sasuke, if he's going to be stubborn, at least take him to get something to eat from the cafeteria. Please?" On cue, the Uchiha clan head dropped from the ceiling. Removing his weasel mask, he grunted.
"Fine. Come on, oh great leader, let's get you something to eat" he grabbed Naruto by the shoulder. Without protest, Naruto allowed himself to be lead away from the door. With her friend finally leaving, Sakura sighed again and closed the door. Turning to her patient, she snorted.
"You realize that your husband is a moron, right?"
A giggle erupted from Hinata.
"I know Sakura. But he's just so worried. He knows that it's unlikely that anything will happen, especially since your the one who's overseeing it, but he still worries just the same" Hinata said to Sakura.
"I know. Maybe Sasuke can allay some of his fears while he stuffs his face" Sakura said with a smile breaking out across her face.
"You did remember to tell him no ramen, right?" Hinata asked. Sakura's smile faded a little. Hinata sighed.
"It's going to be a long night" the pale-eyed woman said as the equipment around her beeped.
Naruto sat down in the hospital cafeteria with several bowls of ramen with clones fetching more for their creator. As he began to dig in, he heard Sasuke snort.
"You know your going to get into trouble for eating all that ramen, right?" he said. His tone was tinged with disgust at the amount of the substance his friend had gathered in front of him. Naruto looked up at him with noddles hanging out of his mouth. The blond Hokage slurped them up.
"I know, but come on! This is possibly the most stressful moment in my life!" he said. The seriousness in his voice was something that made Sasuke laugh.
"What?" Naruto asked. Sasuke laughed again.
"That coming from the man who stopped the Jubi and Madara from destroying the world. The same man who asked Hyuga Hiashi for permission to date his daughter and later marry her. The same man who's seen and done more incredible things in his life and faced down numerous foes that he had no right to confront, is scare by this?"
Naruto looked at the raven-haired man. And nodded his head.
Sasuke sighed. How could have this man-child have achieved everything he had?
"How did you manage when Saukra went through it?" Naruto asked. Sasuke could detect the concern in his friends voice.
"I managed one moment at a time, Naruto. Believe me, everything's going to be fine. Your going to be a great father" he replied, hoping that the other man would trust his words. Before he could reply, the speaker overhead came to life.
"Naruto..." came Sakura's voice. Said blond disappeared in a flash of yellow. Sasuke groaned.
"I hate it when he does that" he said to himself and Shunshin'd away.
Naruto appeared in front of the door and Sakura opened it right away.
"She's ready Naruto. Would you like stay with her?" she asked him. It was a redundant question, but she needed to ask anyway. His head bobbed up and down like a toy. "Alright, come on" she motioned for him to enter.
She turned back to see Sasuke appear before her.
"So, how many bowls and were you able to reassure him?"
"He only managed to get down a bowl and a half and I think so" he replied. Despite his lack of visible emotion, his wife knew better. He was worried for his friend just as much as she was. Sakura nodded.
"Okay. While were in here, can you send a kage bunshin to check on the kids?" she asked. While it wasn't worded as an order, it might as well have been. Sasuke made a half seal and a kage bunshin appeared in a puff of smoke. He nodded to it and it Shunshin'd off into the night.
"Thank you honey" she whispered to him. She leaned in and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. "It shouldn't be too much longer now. Then we can go home." Sasuke gave her a small kiss on her cheek as well.
"I love you" he whispered to her. Sakura smiled.
"I love you too."
Sakura closed the door and turned back to her patient. 'Or patients' she thought to her self.
Naruto had taken the seat to right of Hinata's bed. He had her hand in his and didn't seem to willing to let go.
"Hinata, I've already alerted your family and they're on their way. Naruto, are you okay?"
The blond Hokage was sweating bullets. Sakura wasn't sure if it was because of Hinata's condition or of her family.
"I-I'm good Sakura-chan" he said. No one in the room was convinced by his words.
Half-an-hour later, there was a knock at the door. Sakura opened it and Hyuga Hiashi and Hanabi entered the room.
"Daughter, it is good to see you" Hiashi said. He silently looked over at Naruto and nodded. Meanwhile Hanabi approached her sister and hugged her.
"It's good to you Hinata" she said. Hinata hugged her back.
"You too Hanabi" the older woman replied. Hanabi turn to Naruto and hugged him as well.
"It's good to see you too Naruto" the blond returned the gesture.
"You too Hanabi. How's Konohamaru?" he asked. He hadn't seen the young man since he'd returned from his latest mission. She groaned.
"He's been doing nothing but sleeping, the lazy-ass." Naruto laughed at that.
"To be fair, he had a long mission. While that doesn't give him a free pass on forgetting his other commitments, at least understand why he's out like a light" Naruto said. He hoped that his protege would wake up soon, or he'd find out why you don't piss off a Hyuga woman who could Juken the shit out of you.
"Well said Naruto" Hiashi said. Naruto beamed; praise from the man was fleeting and something to savor whenever it happened.
Suddenly, Hinata groaned in pain.
"It's starting" Sakura said. She hit the intercom and called for a couple of nurses. They came in with a cart with blankets and bags and a mirror.
"Do you want to watch Hinata?" Sakura asked her friend. Hinata nodded. Sakura placed the mirror, but before she could lift the hospital gown, Hiashi made for the door. Everyone gave the man a curious look.
"I wish to give my daughter the privacy she needs. Hanabi, do you wish to stay or leave with me?" His youngest daughter looked at her sister.
"I'd like to stay with Hinata, father" she said "If that okay with you, that is?" she asked, looking at her sister. Hinata nodded to her and Hiashi closed the door behind him.
"Okay Hinata. It's time" she said. She placed other woman's legs up and lifted her gown. "Now, when you feel the contractions, I want you to push down as hard as you can."
The lavender-haired woman nodded. As soon as the contraction started, Hinata began to push as hard as she could. As the pain increased, she began to squeeze Naruto's hand as hard as she could. A crunching sound could be heard from Naruto's hand as several bones were broken. A grimace on his face confirmed the breaking of his hand. Hinata looked over at him, begging for forgiveness, even as she continued to squeeze.
"It's alright Hinata-chan" Naruto grunted out "My healing factor with take care of that in no time at all." Reassured, Hinata refocused on pushing down.
Several more minuets passed as Hinata pushed and squeezed. Naruto felt something change as Hinata practically tore his hand off and dared to look at the mirror. He saw a tuft lavender hair emerging from his wife's body. A second later, a cry pierced the air.
"It's a boy!" Sakura shouted as she pulled the newborn from Hinata's lower half and wrapped him in a blanket. Sure that he was warm, she handed him to Hinata's waiting arms.
Hinata's face contorted in pain.
"It's another contraction!" she shouted. Sakura handed the bundled boy to one of the nurses as Hinata began pushing again. Naruto and Hinata looked down at the mirror and saw a shock of blond hair emerging.
Hinata pushed again and Naruto thought he felt the bones in his hand break even more, if that was possible. One more push and Sakura pulled the baby out.
"It's a girl!" she shouted. Wrapping the girl in blanket, she took the boy from the nurse.
"Sakura-chan, I thought there was only one heart beat in the womb?" Naruto asked, rubbing his hand as his healing factor mended the bones.
"I thought so too, but I guess her heartbeat was masked by her brothers" she replied "So, congratulations you two. You've got twins."
She handed the boy to Hinata and the girl to Naruto. Both had tears in their eyes as the held their children. The boy was crying in his mothers arms, but the girl... Naruto watched her as intently as she watched him.
A knock at the door alerted them that Hiashi had returned.
"Twins?" he asked, just as surprised at seeing two children as everyone else.
"Twins" Hinata cried in joy. If she had been a Hyuga in the old days, she would of had to condemn her daughter to the branch house. But she was a Namikaze now and, while the elders only held figurehead positions now, she'd be damned if they ever got close to her children.
"Naruto-kun, I have name for our son, if that's alright?" she looked over at him. He looked back at her.
"I know. And I think that it's good" he smiled. Hinata looked down at the newborn in her arms.
"From this day forth, your name is Namikaze Neji in honor of your uncle" she said. She looked over at her father. Despite the stoic nature of the Hyuga in general, and Hiashi in particular, she saw a single tear fall down his cheek.
"And the girl?" Sakura asked. Everyone looked at Naruto. For his part, the blond looked down at his daughter.
"My daughter..."he whispered. While he felt like he should name her after his own mother, there was a name that he felt deserved to belong to her more.
Even Hinata was on the edge of her proverbial seat while they waited. Finally, the new father cleared his throat.
"From this day forth, your name is Namikaze..." he said "Kurama. To honor the great fox that sacrificed his life to save mine." In another time, naming a child after the Kyubi would have ensured that she was ostracized from her peers. Now, no one would think twice about being associated with her.
"I think that's a great name Naruto-kun" Hinata said. She raised her arms up to Naruto and they switched the children. Neji stopped crying and watched his father while Kurama snuggled with Hinata.
Sakura sighed and waved to Naruto who nodded. She left the new family to be together and walked out of the room. Standing outside, her husband was waiting for her.
"So...how'd it go?" he asked, stretching his arms out to her.
"Twins" she replied tiredly. Yawning, she fell into his arms.
"Twins?" he asked. Sakura simply nodded. Sasuke sighed again. "Twins" he muttered to himself as he Shunshin'd away with his wife.
In the hospital room, Hiashi sat in a chair and held both of his grandchildren. He looked up at his daughter and son-in-law.
"They have a very bright future ahead of them" he said with one of the few genuine smiles either of his daughters had ever seen. Naruto nodded.
"They both got big names to live up to" he said "but they'll do great. Dattebayo!" he shouted. At that, both babies started crying. Hinata gave him the meanest glare he'd ever seen.
"Sorry" he said rubbing the back of his neck. The hairs there began to raise as he noticed the look on her face
"So, Naruto-kun, I think it's time you learned to change a diaper" she said, an evil gleam in her eyes. Naruto gulped.
"This is going to be a long night" he said to no one in particular.
