At last, an update! Sorry it's taken a while, I'm in the middle of exams at the moment, and I'm kind of short of free time. Plus it was my birthday, and I had a load of organizing to prepare for that. Anyway, I probably won't update very fast next time, but after that I'll try to get up to speed. Thanks for being patient :D
This chapter's Sasuke's PoV, enjoy!
Hit, hit, spin, kick. He loved the sound the wood made as it creaked against his onslaught, and it didn't matter that his foot would be a mass of purple tomorrow. He needed to get some training in, and to work of all the tension of the past few days. It was good to have some peace and quiet at last too, no chattering friends or Kakashi snickering. Just the thud of his heartbeat and the soft thrum of chakra through his being. It was too soft, really, almost down to a whisper now, a far cry from the furious roar that still echoed in him from the fight with his brother. But it was still enough to add the power his strikes needed to leave those satisfying dents in the wood, so he dealt with it. His female body just seemed that little bit lower on stamina, and like any good ninja, he would simply have to work round the obstacle.
"Oi, Teme! Wanna spar?" Oh great. Naruto. Oh well, he'd had a few hours to himself. "No, apparently I'm not allowed to stress myself, since it could damage the baby. Plus I need to get back soon to help Kakashi move in." He hated the irritation that seeped into his voice uninvited, it sounded weak and petty. Trying to make his face blank again, he turned to look at the Dobe. And had to stare, because the girl in front of him was very definitely the one who he'd been talking to. "Dobe? What the...unh?" She blinked and shimmered at him, short-shorts and mesh top surely far to tight for fighting. "I wanted to spar with you as a girl, seeing as it messes up your chakra flow and all. I'm not happy kicking your ass if you're at a disadvantage, it's no fun! But if you're under orders I guess we could just hang out, right? Nice outfit by the way."
How the hell was he meant to respond to that? After all, they were both girls, so compliments were okay...right? But they were both men really, and Naruto wouldn't normally say anything about his appearance. He decided to ignore it, and focus on more important matters. "Hn. You didn't 'kick my ass' then, I just quit because I had to get home to make a decent meal, rather than cup-ramen. You couldn't beat me if you tried, even now." Naruto just grinned a little girly grin, and sashayed closer. "Ah, but we'll never know, will we. Seeing as you have 'doctor's orders' and all. So anyway...hows life as a lady?" He blinked. The Dobe...was digging for gossip. And complimenting him on his clothing. And not taking up the challenge to fight. Something was seriously wrong here. "Naruto, what the fuck is up with you?"
"Tut-tut, no swearing now...Sassy. I'm only trying to help you adjust. I've spent loads of time in this form, I understand girls better than any woman around – I actually studied them for ages, as well as being one some of the time. You need to learn how to talk like a girl, to tell other girls about your daily life, and to complain about the little problems. Unless, of course, you're going to stay as 'Sasuke' all through this, and have your reputation ruined?" Damn, he...she did have a point. He would definitely rather hide the fact he, an Uchiha bent on marriage, was pregnant. "Hn. I suppose. But can you be a guy while telling me? I'd rather not have a face full of cleavage." She blinked a few more times, then 'poofed' back to a normal Naruto. He felt sorry for the people who knew about his condition, it made his brain ache, thinking about Naruto's sexy jutsu form, and he probably wasn't the only one who got confused about the appropriate pronoun to think in.
"Okay. First, you need to talk right – that means nothing too macho, and no hn-ing at people. Its kind of your trademark noise, so avoid it." "So what am I allowed to say? I'm not going to be some pretty, polite lady. And I'm not going to let men ignore me just 'cause I'm a woman. And no way am I going to be someone with a name like Sassy." He wasn't macho, just practical. And for the most part, that wasn't changed by this form. Stupid Dobe. "Calm down, you don't have to. We'll work out a new identity for you...think of it as cover on a mission. Then all you've gotta do is keep it up in public for the next nine months. And when you want to appear as a guy, you can use a henge, okay? You win all round." He didn't quite agree with the last statement, but resigned himself to the fact that winning all round wasn't really an option any more. He just hoped there wasn't too much work in being female.
#
"Hey Kakashi, are you in?" It sounded strange, calling out in his own home. He never usually spoke at home, because he'd never had guests, and even when he was with Orochimaru he never had to call out, because the sannin was always home. With a little sigh of disappointment, he released his henge, feeling the drain of the illusion cease. He shouldn't have used so much chakra training, he'd be running low by evening at this rate. He came across Kakashi at the stairs, throwing boxes of belongings up to the landing. "Kakashi. We need to talk." The masked ninja turned to him slightly, one eyebrow raised. "Oh?" "Yeah. About how we're going to hide who I am." Clearly, Kakashi was playing dumb – he simply shrugged and said "Okay. From who?" Infuriating man.
"From the rest of the village, of course! Nobody knows outside our team and the Hokage. I want it to stay that way, because I want to get a bride, and nobody will marry their daughter to a pregnant woman. Understand?" He shook his head slightly against the dull pounding in his head. He shouldn't have to explain all these things, Kakashi was a fucking genius, why couldn't he act like it? "Well I think that might be difficult. Especially once you start to show...And people will notice that there's a girl living in the Uchi-" "Yes. I know all that. So, what we need to do is...well, for starters, we need to move back to your place. I can use a henge to hide my condidion. And I'll have an alternate identity for when I'm seen as a girl. See?"
Kakashi sighed, and stared at the boxes he'd brought over. He didn't look entirely happy, but after a long moment of contemplation, he nodded. "Right. Only take the essentials, and help me get this lot back down. I've got space for a bed next to mine." Phew. For a moment there he'd thought Kakashi might actually refuse to help. It made him feel oddly helpless, and he didn't like the thought that they both knew it. Though of course, since the copy nin was the father, he'd never do anything that might risk the baby's future wellbeing. He leaped up to the landing and satrted throwing the boxes back down. He needed to get a list of possible wives too, there didn't seem to be many on the market any more. Where were all the hordes of screaming fangirls when you needed them? He stomped to his sparsely furnished room, and grabbed all his female clothing, shoving eveything in a shopping bag left over from the previous day.
"Ready yet, Sasuke?" He paused in the bathroom doorway. Kakashi's voice seemed slightly forced, why would that be? Probably just he was annoyed at moving house twice in one day. It wasn't like he'd brought much anyway, he should just let it go. And he was even going to have help carrying it back. Ungrateful man. "Yes, I'm done." He walked down the stairs and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Kakashi tapping one foot in impatience. He didn't get what all the hurry was about.
"Come on, I want to get done here, I'm busy this afternoon." Busy with what? He had no right to be busy today, they needed to go over his new girl-identity. "Oh?" A trace of irritation laced through his voice, reminding him that he needed to control his emotions rather than masking them now. Stupid expressive female face. Kakashi did the eye-crinkle at him, horribly carefree and happy. "I'm taking Yugao out for a film and dinner. I might not be back till tomorrow."
Oh, a date. He had said Kakashi should have dates, and he meant it. But to have one so soon, and to expect it to be serious, must mean he already had something going on with the ANBU agent. That could explain Kakashi's slightly odd reaction to his decisions. It would have made everything much simpler if the man had just said straight out that he had a partner...but then again, it wasn't actually his business, and he didn't need to know about Kakashi's personal relationships. Either way, he knew now, and that was fine. "I'll get settled in on my own then. Come on."
He lifted a stack of boxes, remembering Naruto's warning to him to bend at the knees. Not that he was wearing a skirt, but it was a good habit to get into anyway. Then he put it down again, remembering that he had to henge first. It was strange really – looking like himself, but feeling the underlying female body...and actually being male underneath that. Stranger still was the way his eyes were drawn to Kakashi's shoulders and backside as he picked up his belongings. Female hormones really got on his nerves. With a sigh, he grabbed the remaining pile and hurried out of the house. It was definitely a good thing that Kakashi had a girlfriend.
Uh, sorry if that wasn't quite up to my normal standard. I'm not 100% happy with it, but I didn't want to make everyone wait even longer for an update (And at the rate I'm going right now, I wouldn't have got it out for a week or so). Forgive me? Reviews make my world go round, so thanks in advance to those who give one!