The Most Terrible Thing That Ever Happened Again
'Twins'
(Naruto, #1, )
The final battle had been fought. Blood had touched earth and tears had fallen to lie on the ground alongside the bodies of all those who had given their all for whatever cause they had chosen to live, and die, for.
One body looked particularly mangled. Whoever it had used to be had needed a great deal of killing. This wreck of bones, blood, and meat looked as if years of rage and pain had come into play at it's demise. It also looked like someone had been cradling it as it died.
Naruto limped away, his body torn and broken, his strength, and very nearly his mind, gone. He had lost a hell of a lot today. The shame he felt for the things he had been forced to do coursed through him in waves. Just when he thought the last of them were gone, a new set would break on his memories like waves on a sinking ship. And the guilt that buried them all was also the only thing that kept him stumbling toward the last bit of salvation to be found in this gods-forsaken place. Guilt, and relief.
Relief that he no longer had to keep moving. That he no longer had to search for a way to bring back the forsaken. That his set of tasks and burdens, most of them self-appointed, were for good or ill, gone.
Gone.
Done.
They were Done.
He was done.
Time to go home. Just keep moving. Keep walking.
One foot in front of the other. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right...
000
Four years passed.
The Hidden Leaf Village had changed. New buildings had once (again) been raised. Well-wishers and new allies had helped fund the renovations. Vendors lined the streets. Children gaped into windows before being shooed off. The elderly scolded, the young pretended to listen, and the working adults got on with their day.
Sakura had finally gotten Naruto to lighten up enough to realize she genuinely loved him, whatever he had to say in the matter. Not that she ever let him get away with saying anything anyways.
The result of Naruto's enlighten-up-ment was causing Sakura a great deal of pain and making her wish she had considered his point of view more thoroughly.
"C'mon, push! That's right! Breathe! Push!" The matron who was giving the orders kept going on and on. Despite the abuse flying at her and the rest of the world from the seemingly innocuous little lady with the bulging stomach and pink hair.
Naruto was just outside the room, pacing and wincing. He wished he was in there. Then again, Sakura hit like a mack truck when she didn't feel like she was being torn in half by a stampeding buffalo lodged in her abdomen. And this time, it really was his fault.
Eventually, the noise-level dropped. He very nearly fell on his face, he turned so fast.
The matron walked out. There was a concerned look on her face.
Naruto filed that under the Oh, Shit! file.
She began speaking to him very quietly, and very firmly. "Mr. Uzumaki, do not panic. Your wife is unconscious STOPRIGHTTHERE! Nothing's wrong, she's just resting from her ordeal, which is not uncommon. But, I need to ask you some questions."
Naruto, bug-eyed and twitching, burbled out, "Questions? About what?"
She continued. "Were there any, er, irregularities at the time of, uh, conception?"
"What! What the hell kind of question is that!? What's going on!?"
"Things are currently, ah, uncommon at the moment. We're just trying to understand what is going on."
"You're the experts! It's your job to 'understand' what's 'going on'." Naruto froze. "Wait. What is going on? Is the baby all right?" Naruto began to walk past her, but she stepped in front of him quickly.
"I'll answer those in reverse. Yes, the...baby is all right. Specifically, both...babies...are healthy. As for the first question, we don't know. This is the first time anything like this has happened at this hospital. Or any hospital for that matter."
Naruto was confused and angry. They were two of his default states of being. And like always, he moved into the attack immediately.
"What is the first time what has happened!? When can I see...my...kids...?" Thought processes started screaming. "Uhhh...twins?"
"In a matter of speaking. Now that you're relatively calm, I need you to see something. Then I'm leaving, very quickly, and you can speak with your wife when she wakes up."
They both went into the room. All was quiet.
...
...
...
!
"PUPPIES?!"
The End. Deal with it.