Author's Note: This chapter may be shorted than normal, since I've decided to post it faster than I usually would. So, I hope you like it! After this, there are about five or six more chapters to go. So as an early farewell, thank you all so very much for reading and enjoying my story!

Oh and if you are truly concerned about the baby's gender, vote on my poll.

Gift in the Snow

The snow had picked up drastically since Kakashi, Naruto and Hinata had gone searching for Iruka.

The temperature had dropped nearly seventeen degrees under freezing and many villagers had gone inside to stay warm. However, the trio didn't even think of giving up their search, no matter how cold or harsh the weather became. In a course of three hours, all eight of Kakashi's hounds had been summoned. Almost half of the village had been searched and there was no sign of Iruka.

However, Kakashi's faith didn't shift at all. Even if there was no physical evidence, he knew that Iruka was still alive. As long as the two had been apart, he still felt that bond with him that no one else could, not even Naruto.

"We need to split up." Kakashi ordered as the group walked over large mounds of snow. "This snow is going to pick up."

"Agreed." Naruto replied. "The more of us there are, the quicker we'll be able to find him." Automatically, clones were formed and it didn't take long for them to disperse.

"I'll go now...may I take Pakkun with me?" Hinata asked Kakashi who seemed to be distraught in thoughts.

"Yeah..." He said, and much to Hinata's surprise, his voice sounded hopeless. She walked behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We will find him." She softly spoke.

Hinata tried to hide her pain inside, be the snow had become so antagonizing that she had nearly given up. Pakkun's nose was visibly frozen and therefore out of commission, so she had to rely on her Byakugan to help her.

Try after try, her eyes had failed her but finally, in the midst of the white precipitation picking up...she saw something beneath the blankets of the snow.

"There..." She pointed. "I see something."

"Are you sure?" Pakkun asked, moving under her. "It's not another false alarm?"

"I'm positive, now go...dig!"

And Pakkun did as he was told.

At first, digging through the white snow, he believed his mission hopeless but soon, he started to see things.

Brown hair...tan face...Iruka?

"Hey!" Pakkun yelled, getting Hinata's attention. Running over to the small pug and kneeling down, she gasped when she saw Pakkun's discovery.

"Iruka Sensei!" She yelped with a coarse voice.

With her bare hands, she began to dig him out of the snow, no matter how numb her fingers became. All she told herself was that she had to continue on, that she had to ignore the pain. Naruto would do it, so why couldn't she.

When Pakkun saw she was doubting herself, he pitched in to help as well and in no time, an unconscious Iruka was flat on the surface of the snow.

"We did it..." Hinata said quietly with an ounce of happiness in her tone.

Pakkun looked at her and smiled. "We couldn't have done it without your eyes." He gave her a calm smile. "Now, I'm going to contact Kakashi. Stay here with Iruka, okay?"

"Okay."

And in silence, Hinata watched as the small pug vanished into the snow.

Three hours later, even though Iruka had been found alive, tension still remained present. For one, Iruka was unconscious, and second...the status of the baby could not yet be identified. Whether it was dead or alive, the trio had not yet figured out.

All they could do was wait in the lobby, until Tsunade emerged to tell them the results.

The ticking clock didn't make anything better, not for Kakashi at least. Every tick felt like a nail being hammered into his skull and it took him every ounce of sanity not, to get up and scream.

He waited, and listened as the clocked mocked him. He waited for Tsunade to come out and give him some terrible grave news.

The baby is frozen. He thought.

Iruka and the baby are frozen, they're both dead. You are a terrible partner and father. Another voice in his head spoke. Just like your own.

He continued to wage a war in his head, all the while he attempted to ignore the tick...tick...

The only thing that put him to ease was Tsunade's figure, as she entered the waiting lobby. On her face, she had a somber expression.

"There's good news..." She spoke. "And there is bad news."

"Tell me," Kakashi replied. "I'm ready to hear it." And straightening himself up, he prepared himself for the worst.

So far, I've had a shitty weekend. As usual, my sister who loves getting my mom's attention brought up a topic that made my mom shift to my grades (I'm terrible at Geometry). On top of that, my sister did it in front of my cousin and then after my mom left and scolded me, she had the nerve to ask "What's wrong?"

And this morning, I had terrible cramps that caused me to throw up a yummy cinnamon roll.

But aside from all of that, I think writing makes me really happy! So I'm not entirely sad. And oh for any American, or anyone in general living in Texas, did you see Air Force One (President Obama's Plane) take off? Honestly, I tend to feel terrible for Obama. The country was fucked up before he got into office and people still blame him for out crashed economy. The sad thing is that he is really trying and people tend to forget that...this is way off topic.

Well I hope you liked this chapter. Please make sure to review...

And I know I'll regret asking this question, but if you are American, or if you just live in America: What do you think about our President? Do you agree with me, or is there a different opinion?

PS: I don't own Naruto.