Betas: ashcat (here at fanfiction[dot]net ) and txilar (at livejournal[dot]com).
Chapter 12: The Measure of A Child
Babies are such a nice way to start people.
~Don Herrold
Blue arched up and blinked rapidly so that its slitted eyes could acclimate to the low light. It flinched when it felt its top fin brush at the top of this small, square cave. There was so much going on, too many strange things all around; Blue swung its head from side to side, needing to get to a safe river or even a lake. There was a frantic, trembling feeling right in the middle of its mind, and Blue started to shake under the onslaught of panic.
Then, something touched Blue on its nose and it relaxed, a wave of peace washing over its scales. Silver was close; this was good. Blue could have this dragonling alone, but it was better that its mate was here to help keep watch while Blue gave birth.
Now that the wave of distress was beaten back, it noticed that there was a web of energy suspended all around this tree-less, water-less place. There was a protective feeling emanating from this net; Blue associated it with being in a pod with other dragons, swimming in close arcs through sunlit depths. It felt like family and smelled strongly of Silver, and Blue calmed down even more.
The water-dragon now peered at the other beings inside this fully enclosed cave. After it determined that they were not an immediate threat, it sent out thin tendrils of its chakra to detect if any predators were near, ready to take advantage of its current vulnerability. It could sense other beings outsidethe cave, and one in particular possessed a powerfully bright chakra with a dark core. Blue knew the dark heart of this brilliant chakra; it belonged to a strong, malevolent entity, a creature so like and unlike Blue that it was almost too unsettling to consider.
Thankfully, the brightness was what kept that shadowy essence trapped, and Blue also thought of this strong energy as part of its own pod. Its own dragon-chakra was finally free, cycling in the spaces between blood, skin, scale and bone and supporting the little one about to be born.
The pain under which its human form had been suffering was diminished for the moment, and Blue ducked its heard, now considering its mate very closely. Silver wasn't a lightning-dragon right now; Silver was different, human, with all that funny stuff atop its head and strange little eyes, one red and one not-red... but Blue didn't mind. Blue recognized and loved Silver, in whatever form. And Silver loved Blue. After all, hadn't Silver come looking for Blue? Hadn't Silver helped lead the water-dragon to where it needed to be? There had been so many blockades in the way, barriers that Blue could not cross as a human nor as a dragon, but Silver had done a good job.
Blue tilted its head to one side,watching as Silver reached up to stroke Blue's nose again; the dragon rumbled deep in the back of its chest at the touch of its beloved mate. Silver said something, but Blue did not understand. It reached inside, finding that part of itself that was named Iruka.
Beautiful,Iruka-mind translated, and there was a shade of amazement and pleasure colouring that word. Silver says I'm beautiful.
Blue trilled and nudged at Silver, letting out those sharp huffs which were a dragon's form of expressing amusement when Silver staggered a bit. But Silver was robust, standing his ground when Blue nudged him again. Blue closed its eyes in delight as Silver kept touching, light movements over its scales and sensitive whiskers.
Then it trembled as a fresh wave of pain rippled along its coils...not as bad as before, but still quite strong. Blue concentrated, sending more of its chakra inwards, for although its energy was supporting that of the little one, something was still awry.
The little one... the baby. Iruka-mind was fretful, and Blue felt the same... although the fears seemed to consist of two separate issues. Iruka-mind was worried about getting the child out. Blue was pondering over this when one of the other humans in this small cave (which was bearable to Blue only because Silver was in it) addressed Blue with the same urgent feel in the human's voice and chakra, and once again, Blue turned to the Iruka-mind.
Tsunade-sama wants to operate, to get the baby out, Iruka-mind helpfully provided. This only served to bewilder Blue even more, and Iruka-mind tried to explain:Operate; to cut open my stomach so that the baby can come out. I trust her in this, she will not harm me nor the baby.
Blue was increasingly perplexed, and its lack of comprehension caused it to become frustrated. And time was starting to run out again again, for the baby was getting ready to arrive. Blue could feel the muscles in its own body contracting in preparation. Only the gentle touch of its mate prevented it from crashing through the straight walls of this uncomfortable cave and seeking refuge in the nearby body of water.
I am male, Iruka-mind said. It is not normal for human males to give birth.
Ahhh. Now they were getting to the heart of it. Male and female. Yes, Blue remembered what it was like in its human form. Maleand female... but Iruka was different because he was Blue. Now, it was Iruka-mind's turn to understand.
All dragons... just dragons.Blue had no problem explaining to Iruka-mind; it did not use nor require the human sounds to communicate. Not male. Not female. Iruka is Blue now. No 'operate' needed for the little one.
There was a pause that seemed to stretch out through an eternity; memory, thoughts and comprehension fell like rocks and the final wall that separated them began to crumble. It wasn't a disconnection that had been deliberate, not on Iruka's part anyway, but it had always been there; as they had grown, Blue had been hidden away, a secret locked away in the body of Iruka. Now the human Iruka linked fully with the dragon Blue, weaving the threads of experiences and feelings into one solid thread. One single being.
One complete entity... which was still having a dragonling, a baby.
Blue slid off the human sleeping surface, arranging its body into a half-circle on the hard floor. It wanted the leaves and sticks of its comfortable nest, but that couldn't be helped right now. Tsunade, Toshiaki and Sakura stepped forward to help, but Blue blew clouds of chilly mist at them out of its nostrils, a strong defence mechanism. Blue did not want themclose right now, and when it ascertained that they would not approach any further, Blue turned its head to look at Silver expectantly. Silver knelt down, one hand on Blue's flank, but Silver's fingers shook. Blue could feel the small vibrations against its sensitive scales, just easily as it felt the strongest cramp yet. It felt a shifting inside, and wriggled in pain, even as it bore down. There was a breathless wait, and then Blue tried again, and the heavy, painful sensation was gone.
How simple; and they had wanted to cut Blue open!
The baby was out, and Blue turned to nudge the slimy, tightly curled little body with its long snout. Blue didn't blow mist at the medi-nin this time as they hurried forward with strips of clean cloth and wrapped the unsettlingly quiet child, mostly due to the fact that Silver had one hand pressed against the side of Blue's jaw. Blue watched them with its eyes narrowed as they went through whatever procedures humans had for a newborn; they were here to help and not harm, but if they made any suspicious moves, Blue would pounce on them in an instant.
When they moved away, Blue got a glimpse of smooth skin and small limbs; the baby didn't look like a dragon at all! Blue was disappointed, but not overly dismayed at that. It was still Blue's and Silver's child. What was infinitely more worrying was that the little one was completely still.
Exhausted and unhappy, Blue allowed itself to change. It couldn't help this way... it was time to take back its human form, and without the seal, the shift was as easy as sliding into water.
~x~
Iruka heard someone breathing in a hoarse manner and realised that it was himself. He tried to get up from the floor, but Sakura and Kakashi were wrapping a yukata around his naked form; he batted their hands away irritably, managing to sit up by himself and tugging the garment close. He felt as if he had been on a week-long mission, battling for hours each day, but a feeling of exultation still rang through his bones. For the first time in his life, he had gained his dragon form, and it had been wonderful, even though he had been in the middle of having the baby-
"The baby!" Iruka cried out, twisting to look up in Kakashi's face. "It's not-"
"It's a girl," Kakashi said quietly; the skin of his cheeks were horribly ashen as he helped Iruka to his feet. "She's not breathing."
Iruka cried out wordlessly, turning back to see the baby being placed on a wide, wooden surface. He and Kakashi leaned against each other as they made their way towards Tsunade and Toshiaki, who were holding their hands over the still, small body. Chakra poured out of their hands and into the child.
"Iruka, Kakashi," Tsunade said in tight voice. "Give us your hands." She grabbed Iruka's hand without waiting for him to lift it and Toshiaki held onto one of Kakashi's. Iruka looked up into Kakashi's face, feeling as if the pleas of his heart were written all over his face. He was shocked to see what appeared to be a similar expression in Kakashi's eyes, a desperation that echoed his own. Oddly, calm settled over him and he folded his fingers into Kakashi's, a smile wavering over his lips.
"She'll make it," Iruka said and Kakashi's eye widened ever so slightly.
He felt a pull in his chakra and broke eye-contact with Kakashi, blinking at the swirling light cascading over the baby... over their daughter. Come on, Iruka thought.Fight, little one! Fight!
Iruka bit his lip and sent out as much chakra as he could through the conduit created by Tsunade and Toshiaki. He could feel the energy backing up, not going anywhere at all; sweat beaded down his forehead and the back of his neck. Kakashi was holding his hand so tightly that Iruka's fingers would be sore for hours afterwards, like the rest of his body, but he didn't spare the slightest thought for that right now.
Then, the strange blockade that had been preventing their chakra from going through suddenly melted away; at the same time, the little girl's chest expanded and she let out a thin wail from between lips that had been going blue. Tsunade released Iruka's hand and pumped her own in the air with a shout of triumph. As Toshiaki wrapped up Iruka and Kakashi's daughter, there were tears streaming down his lined face. He held her out to her parents; Iruka looked at Kakashi, and then smiled as Kakashi accepted the little bundle gingerly, as if she was wrapped in explosive tags. Iruka reached out and touched her cheek, marvelling at the softness of it against his fingers. The baby cried some more, and Iruka thought it was the loveliest sound he had ever heard.
"Kumiko," Iruka whispered. Kakashi swallowed heavily and nodded. He seemed at a complete loss for words. Toshiaki actually startled, staring at Iruka with wide eyes.
"Iruka, that's... you may want to name her after someone in your own family," he whispered, barely able to speak through the tremble in his voice. "You should probably pick a-"
"Kumiko," Kakashi croaked out; one of his shoulders was raised unnaturally high, as if he was doing a strange, extended shrug. Iruka realized that he was trying to tilt his whole body so that the baby was held comfortably.
Toshiaki blinked rapidly, and then he swallowed very hard. He nodded, and then turned away with jerky movements to help Sakura in the clean-up, but not before Iruka detected the sheen in his eyes.
"Kumiko," Kakashi said again, weighing the name on his tongue. "Umino Kumiko."
Iruka felt his jaw drop; he was about to say something but Kakashi placed the baby in his arms and everything promptly flew out of his head; his whole world narrowed down to the baby in his arms and the man beside him. All these months, and finally she was here. She was so warm and so very small; Iruka pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then smoothed a wondering hand over the dark fuzz of hair. She didn't look like either of them, but she was only a few minutes old, anyway.
"She looks like you," Kakashi said, a scant moment after Iruka had that thought, and Iruka shook his head, amused. The baby stopped crying, and her mouth tilted up in a tiny pout. "She does. She's beautiful." Kakashi touched her hair as well, and then his fingers wandered to Iruka's cheek, his touch as light and comforting as it had been when Iruka had been Blue. Kahiro buzzed around them in loud excitement.
"Thank you so much for what you've done," Iruka said and gave Kakashi a tired grin; his cheek moved against Kakashi's palm. "You were amazing."
"Me?" Kakashi shook his head. "If anyone should be congratulated, it's you." His gaze drifted back down to their daughter and Iruka saw a brand of amazed disbelief in his expression. "She has all ten fingers and toes. I checked."
Iruka laughed, even though it hurt his stomach to do so. "Did you?"
Kakashi nodded. "Her chakra has traces of dragon-energy in it. Do you... want to-"
Iruka shook his head so fast that the loose strands of his hair whipped against his cheeks; the baby fussed at the movement and then settled back down. "No. My parents sealed away that part of me because they felt it was what was best at the time. She is who she is. I won't seal that away from her."
Kakashi's only response was the slow movement of a smile underneath his mask.
"She'll continue to have as much protection as possible," Tsunade said, removing the voluminous robes that had been pulled over her normal clothes. "She's still a Hatake, and part water-dragon. We need to-"
The door was abruptly shoved open and Naruto blasted in, bellowing, "I don't care, somebody better tell me what's going on! I'm out there worrying my head off, I don't know what's happening, I'm going crazy! I heard a bunch of noise-" He caught sight of Iruka on his feet, standing very close to Kakashi, and stopped so short that he stumbled. If Sasuke had not been right behind to grab him, then he would have fallen flat on his face.
"Naruto," Iruka said, turning properly so that Naruto could see the baby in his arms. "Come and say hello to your little sister."
"My what?" Naruto's eyes were so wide that there seemed to be inches of white shown around the blue. "My what?"
"Sister," Sasuke hissed in his ear and pushed him forward, not too roughly. "Go on, idiot."
Naruto approached Iruka with trepidation and blinked at the baby. "It's a girl?" he asked after a few long moments.
"Yes," Iruka laughed. "That's what sisters usually are... Naruto, are you all right?" he asked in alarm, for tears were spilling out of Naruto's eyes. Sasuke was rolling his own eyes so hard, they were almost falling out of his head. Beside him, Sakura said, "Typical," in a tone that was both annoyed and fond.
"She's so beautiful!" Naruto wailed, but he was grinning as he pushed away tears from his eyes with the pads of his fingers. "Iruka-sensei, she's... she's amazing."
"Her name is Kumiko," Iruka told him and Naruto's smile shone in the gloom.
"Kumiko-chan," he whispered at the baby. "Welcome home!"
~x~
Iruka snapped awake when he heard Kumiko's thin cry. He had been on the verge of sleep, and now he sat up and tucked his loose hair behind his ears, getting up and shuffling towards her crib. He jumped when the door that led to the room he had been using all through his pregnancy pushed open and Kakashi literally leaped inside, armed with a bottle in one hand. Kahiro wavered around them, but seemed to be allowing Kakashi inside Iruka's space for now.
Iruka clutched his chest and took a deep breath. "You startled me!" he said and Kakashi's eyebrow twitched.
"Sorry." He shook the bottle. "I have the milk ready. Do you want to?"
Iruka glanced at the pale liquid sloshing around. He had not known that Konoha's hospital storedbreast-milk, and had been planning to follow up on Kurenai's previous suggestion for a wet-nurse. He had been so surprised when Kurenai herself showed up with a few bottles, informing him with great delight of the service the hospital offered. In a village such as Konoha, where kunoichi had their babies and went on missions relatively soon after, Iruka thought this was a marvellous programme. There were even civilian mothers who expressed their milk and donated it to be frozen...just in case a kunoichi did not return from her duties. Iruka thought that the next time he saw a new mother, he would march over and thank her just for having milk.
"You can feed her, if you want," he answered now, a bit quickly because Kumiko's cries sounded quite cross. He could see her little hands waving in the air, and he pressed down the urge to hurry over and snatch her up before Kakashi could. It was the same way he felt when Tsunade and Toshiaki had been weighing Kumiko, handling the baby quite roughly in Iruka's opinion; he had to keep telling himself that babies were more hardy than they appeared.
"Go on," he urged now, jerking his chin in the direction of their hungry child. "I think she's about to jump out and attack you for it."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Kakashi answered, handing the bottle to Iruka and turning to lean over the crib. "That would make her a true Umino-Hatake, for certain."
Iruka felt a warm spot inside his chest at the sound of their names placed like that, side-by-side. He watched as Kakashi picked up the squalling baby, one large hand behind her head, the other spanning her back and nappy-clad bottom. He wasn't wearing his gloves, and Iruka eyed his casual dark yukata. Without most of his shinobi-gear, he looked like a regular father settling in the rocking chair with his newborn daughter...although the mask kind of spoiled the effect a little.
Kakashi looked up at him as soon as he was properly seated. "Did you check if the milk was all right? I warmed it up."
"Oh." Iruka did just so, and determined that it was not too hot. He smiled as he returned the now-uncapped bottle to Kakashi, who nodded his thanks and put it to Kumiko's mouth. She went at the bottle like a champion, sucking at the teat with much enthusiasm.
"She might end up eating as much as Naruto," Iruka warned, laughing slightly; Kakashi simply nodded. He was staring down at his daughter's face as if he was trying to commit it to memory. Iruka went back to the small bed that had been placed in the nursery, sitting with his back against a wall and watching Kakashi feed Kumiko.
Finally, she was finished and Kakashi got up, placing the baby against his shoulder and walking to and fro. He patted her back very gently.
"Where'd you learn all that?" Iruka asked and Kakashi threw him a quick, unreadable glance.
"Read it in a book," he answered and Iruka chuckled at his mock-mysterious tone. "She burped," he informed Iruka, who kept smiling. Kakashi seemed so nervous and capable at the same time. He would have never expected that particular combination in the Copy-nin, and it was endearing.
"Where'd you get the book from?" Iruka asked, just so he could hear Kakashi use that low croon he now employed when he was around his daughter.
"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi murmured. "And I got sixbooks."
Iruka laughed again, one hand covering his mouth so that the loud noises wouldn't escape and startle the baby. Kakashi grinned too, and rocked in the chair very slowly, still patting the child's back. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, and then Kakashi arose to place Kumiko back in her crib.
He nodded at Iruka, saying, "I'll see you again in a few hours," and headed towards the door.
"Wait," Iruka said and bit his lower lip when Kakashi looked over his shoulder. "You should stay in here, so you can hear her when she wakes up again."
Kakashi turned around. "I have very good ears, Iruka. I heard her waking up just now." He still stepped towards the bed, though, and Iruka lifted the sheets and slipped under them, holding them up in invitation.
"You won't be so far away when she cries again, then."
"I'm in your room, right next door," Kakashi pointed out, one knee now on the bed. "And the milk is in the kitchen."
"Just get in, Kakashi," Iruka snapped. "And stop talking, we need to sleep. I don't know about you, but this whole parenting thing is a bit tiring."
Kakashi huffed, but he did as Iruka said; the bed was indeed quite small, but Iruka snuggled close to Kakashi, tangling their legs together. He felt Kakashi's hesitant touch in his hair, and he smiled. It was the same way Kakashi had touched him when he was in his dragon-form.
"You are so bossy," Kakashi mused. "Even as a dragon. It's a bit overwhelming."
"Were you… afraid? Of me?" Iruka said, and tried not to squeak when Kakashi's arms tightened around him.
"No," Kakashi said, that single word a crisp sound, but Iruka remembered the soft awe in his voice when he had called Blue beautiful. He wondered if his father had ever said as much to his mother.
He probably had, Iruka decided.
"Guruko is a bit sulky," Kakashi said out of the blue and Iruka grinned against the cotton of Kakashi's yukata; he rubbed his cheek against the soft material, just because he could. "He's happy that the baby is here, but he's afraid you'll forget all about him now."
"I would never forget him, or any of the others," Iruka said. "Tell them that for me. You'll summon them to visit soon?"
"Yes."
They were quiet for a long moment, and just as Iruka settled into a light doze, Kakashi fidgeted and spoke his name.
"Hmm?"
"Look at the crib."
Iruka peeked over Kakashi's body and felt his eyes go wide. There was a strange cloud suspended over the crib, hazy ribbons of light-blue twisting in the air. It was not very bright, but it was hypnotic with its twirling, cycling mist.
"What is that?" Iruka tried to slide over Kakashi and dash over to the crib, but Kakashi grabbed his arm. "Kakashi-!"
"That's Kahiro," Kakashi said and tugged Iruka back down. "The wards are welcoming Kumiko properly into the Hatake household. It's weaving a little of her chakra into the family layers, so that she will be watched over and obeyed. Didn't it do that to you when you first got here?"
"Well, yes." Iruka rested his chin on Kakashi's chest, so he could keep his eye on Kahiro. Then he frowned as a thought occurred to him. "Wait… my chakra is already in these wards?"
"Of course. The wards knew who you were from the very first, anyway."
"They did? I thought they just recognized the baby. You told me that you had added an extra seal for me... but how did they know who I was? Why did they accept me?" Iruka turned his head and looked up at Kakashi's face. Kakashi kept his head fixed in the direction of Kahiro and the crib, and did not answer immediately.
Finally he began to speak: "I've told you before that the wards are imprints of the personalities that have created and added to the layers of seals. But... the wards are always most strongly influenced by the current head of the family." He paused, and swallowed. "The wards knew you because I know you. As a matter of fact, that extra seal for your security was really not necessary. The wards have already been lockedto you through me, for lack of a better word. Long before now, you would have been able to walk right into the compound without incident."
"So... they were only confirming what they already knew when I first got here," Iruka whispered.
"That's right."
"Kahiro recorded some of my chakra, just as they're doing to Kumiko now."
"And placed it with the rest of the family's collected energy," Kakashi answered, now turning his head to meet Iruka's gaze. "As long as there is a surviving Hatake, or a recognized spouse of one, they will always remain strong."
Iruka stared at him some more, then placed his head back on Kakashi's chest again. He simply had no other words for this, so he just listened to Kakashi and the baby breathe. He thought back to all those times when Kahiro treated him with such deference, even to the point of disregarding Kakashi. That meant that... that Kakashi held Iruka in higher regard that he held himself, and the wards simply followed suit. Iruka had always heard the phrase 'mind-blowing', but he had never experienced the sensation until now.
It was only when Iruka had almost claimed slumber again that he heard Kakashi speak. The words were low but very clear: "Kahiro acts that way towards you and the baby," he murmured, "because it is a mirror of what is in my heart. I... I love you." There was a wonder in his words, as if he couldn't believe he was capable of using them.
Iruka smiled. "I'm so glad you're both here with me," he whispered simply. "I love you." Then, he went right to sleep.
Author's Note: There's just one chapter after this... maybe another, a separate oneshot. I'm pretty excited and sad over the impending ending of this particular series. Randomly: one of my betas, Niko, gave me a hilarious summary for this chapter: blue is like 'whatever little ninja, i'll handle this. see? baby. hmmm. not dragon-y enough, but i'll deal. ok, need hands, brb'. I laughed so hard at that.
