Underneath It All
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: This story is Sci-Fi and thanks to genetic engineering the reproductive abilities of some characters are different than they would be as a human. So there will be Mpreg. I do not plan on getting very detailed in that aspect of the story, but feel that it was only fair to warn people. I know that Mpreg is not everyone's thing and that's okay. So warnings will be put in place during any parts of the stories that describe that plot device.
Chapter 12
His life was ruined. Ruined. Hiashi Hyuga couldn't believe that anyone could be this sadistic. This cruel, but someone had been. Damn those brats! Damn them!
The Hyuga Patriarch sighs as he glances down at the note for what seemed liked the thousandth time and the scientist administers him another injection. Another injection that was slowly turning him into a monster.
"Don't look so forlorn. The program has produced wonderful results. Besides, this way you can be with your daughters again." Tsunade tells him.
That was potentially true. There might be a silver lining to this, but Hiashi doubted it. That and did he really want to see them again? His daughters and nephew had betrayed him!
"By wonderful results, you mean turned human beings into animals." He mutters in disgust.
"If you prefer, I can stop this right now. We've never had someone stop treatment before. There's no way of knowing what would happen to you, if you did. The genetic material might simply filter out of your system, you could die, or you could be stuck halfway between being a human and a merman." The busty blonde warns him.
Hiashi grimaces. The woman wasn't fighting fair and she knew it. He had to follow through with the injections.
It was the only way that he could help his people. The Traditionalists might scorn him now, but he would help them. Perhaps, Hiashi would be able to help them even as a fish.
"Continue with the injections. I have no other choice." He says with a sigh as he glances at the note once again.
The note that had explained why his life would never be the same. The note that apparently, Rasa's children had left behind for him. Damn them! Damn them all!
Dear Hiashi Hyuga,
Congratulations. It's rare that someone has a chance to start over. To build an entirely new life for themselves, but you have that opportunity.
You're the on leader of the Traditionalists, but I hope that you won't squander this opportunity. While you were asleep, we dealt with your guards and injected you with Swordfish DNA.
You now have essentially two choices. You may become a merman or you may take your chances. Wait to see what happens, if you stop taking injections. It might mean your death, but that's your decision to make.
Our people believe that this is humanity's last chance to survive. Well at least mostly. We're willing to adapt. Nothing ever stays the same forever.
It's sad that your people are having a hard time accepting that fact, but it's reality. You can become a merman and live or you can stay human and potentially die. The choice is entirely up to you.
We have enclosed some instructions to the newest lab. In the event, that you decide to swallow your pride…you'll know where to get the help you need. Think very carefully. This isn't a decision to be made lightly.
Sincerely, the Survivalists.
Those bastards had completely ruined his life. Hiashi was determined that he would return the favor in full though. One way or another, the Survivalists were going to pay for this.
"I'm half tempted to just leave you as you are. You certainly do deserve it. Don't think that I don't recognize you, Hiashi Hyuga. Your people have been attacking our labs. You should all be in prison, but I can't do it. I'm a medical doctor. I'm sworn to do no harm to my patients and unfortunately, you are one of my patients at the moment." The busty blonde warns him.
They were going to pay for stealing three of his family members from him. They were going to pay for making a mockery out of humanity and most of all, they were going to pay for what they did to him. They were turning him into some sort of monster. That wasn't something that he could ever forgive the Survivalists for. Never!
"I don't need your lectures! I need your treatments!" He thunders at her.
"And you need to stop yelling at Tsunade. Show a little gratitude. The woman is saving your life." Jirayia growls at Hiashi as he makes his way into the room.
Damn it. As if one of them wasn't bad enough, now Hiashi had to deal with two of them. Most likely, Orochimaru would walk through the door soon and he'd be dealing with three mad scientists.
This was one of those days, when Hiashi Hyuga wished that he had never made the foolish mistake of getting out of bed. He should have just hidden away in his bed and waited for oblivion to welcome him into its loving arms, but he couldn't.
"Exactly." Tsunade agrees with Jirayia.
He had work to do. Hiashi was going to make them all suffer for what they had done and he was going to save humanity. It didn't matter that he wasn't going to be entirely human for much longer, Hiashi had to try!
Meanwhile Obito was still being treated by Sakura. Thankfully, Kisame and Itachi had managed to get him the help that he needed. Choji was also in recovery.
"Thank you, so much. I don't know what I would have done, if something were to happen to him." Rin whispers.
Itachi nods at the woman sympathetically. He couldn't imagine his world without Kisame in it. Not now and they had only recently been Mated.
For Rin, it might be even worse. She had been Mated to Obito for years and they had a child together. Not only that, but they were trying to establish a Kingdom and she would be left to rule it on her own.
"You're welcome, but you don't have to thank us. It was our pleasure, truly." Itachi assures her.
"Yeah. We couldn't just let someone poison the King. I mean he's got you and a little baby to think about. This just ain't right. What kind of sicko would poison a new dad?" Kisame asks.
Itachi nods his head in agreement. Whoever did this, apparently didn't mind Princess Akemi growing up without a father and he couldn't lie. That put a bad taste in his mouth.
They were dealing with someone who either had a very personal grudge against Obito or wanted power at all costs. There was no mystery why someone would go after the King. Power or revenge. Possibly both.
"I don't know, but we're going to find out." Rin hisses.
The Uchiha knew exactly what the beautiful mermaid was thinking. She wanted to find out who did this and punish them. The woman was out for blood and he couldn't blame her.
God knows, if someone had done that to Kisame…he would have absolutely lost it. Itachi likely would be tearing the castle apart, right about now. Mercifully, the Queen was somehow maintaining her composure. Though he didn't really know how long that would last.
"Don't worry. We will, Your Highness." Sakura says reassuringly.
Itachi certainly agreed with the sentiment, though it was less intimidating coming from a Pufferfish Type. Still he supposed that it was the thought that counted. They needed to find out who had made the attempt on the King's life and stop them.
A few day later, the King was up and around. So was Choji. Kisame was pretty relieved about this.
Mostly because the guy had a newborn to care for and because Itachi had been worried. Though he knew that his Mate was still anxious. He could feel it through their bond.
"It's going to be alright, Itachi. We'll find out who did it." Kisame tells him as he caresses his cheek.
"Mmm. I know that we will. Well it looks like the races are going well. They've got a new racer. Interesting." Itachi comments absentmindedly.
Kisame looks out the window to see what his Mate was talking about and ohs. Yeah. Itachi was right. That was definitely a new racer. Hmm. An Orca type. Cool.
"Well you know, Obito lets the winners eat with him. I think he wants to show that he's a merman of the people or something. So it'll be pretty cool to get to know a Killer Whale." Kisame says with a wink.
Itachi chuckles in response and the Akatsuki feels his spirits lift. He didn't like it that his Mate was so anxious lately. Not that Itachi didn't have a good reason to be, but still.
He was his Protector. It was his job to make sure that his Mate was safe and happy. Sadly, Kisame had been doing a better job at the first part than the second part since the poisoning. He was going to remedy that soon though!
"Mmm. I suppose so. Should I be jealous though? He looks a little young for you and you're my Mate." Itachi teases him.
"Oh believe me. You've got nothing to be jealous about. No one could ever compare to you. He might be fast, but I doubt he could spin as good as you." Kisame assures his Mate as he kisses his forehead.
"Glad to hear it. I really didn't want to have to kill the new guy." Itachi whispers.
Kisame smirks. He knew that Itachi was saying that only half jokingly. Animal instincts could be difficult to control sometimes. Really, really different.
Scaring off or killing rivals for the right to Mate, well that was just deeply ingrained in one's psyche. Itachi couldn't help it and neither did he. Thankfully, they still had their human minds. So the impulse was tempered by the rational mind. (Still there were times when it was a close call).
"Yeah. Be a nice Dolphin. Come on. Let's head to dinner. We wouldn't want to be late. I'm kinda surprised that Obito hasn't just decided to have his meals in his chambers though. That's what I would have done." The Akatsuki admits.
"That would seem to be a smarter move, but I suppose he just doesn't want to give the potential assassin the satisfaction. That or he's deliberately pretending to be oblivious to the attempt on his life. In all honestly though, it's likely a combination of both of those things." The elder Uchiha brother muses.
"I guess so. Well time for food!" Kisame says happily as he swims of with Itachi.
A few minutes later at dinner, Danzo was seated next to Sai. There were some new guests in the castle, but for the most part that didn't really bother him. They were just three siblings who had won a race and earned the right to dine with the Royal Family.
"So you must have been a merman for awhile. Do you like it?" Gaara asks Jugo.
"Oh. Yes. I quite like it. The pace of life down here feels so much more natural and it's so beautiful. There are more types of fish for instance than one could ever count and the coral reefs are nothing short of stunning." Jugo says.
Danzo blinks. That was more than he had heard the gentle giant talk in the entire time that he had known the man. Oh well. That wasn't his concern.
His primary concern was not to get caught. He needed to ensure that Obito didn't become suspicious of him. In order to do that, he had to make nice with the Royal Family.
"Yes, it is beautiful here. Almost ethereal." Gaara agrees.
"Your daughter seems to be doing wonderfully." Danzo says cheerfully to Obito.
"Yes, she is. We're so blessed that she and Rin made it through the delivery safely. It's all thanks to Sakura." He replies with a smile.
Rin nods her head in agreement and leans down to check on Akemi. The baby mermaid was laying in a crib next the table. That meant that as the Queen was checking on her daughter, Danzo could see her Mating Mark.
Perhaps not surprisingly, it was an orange clownfish. The Marking was on the left side of her neck and contrasted nicely against her fair skin. It seemed that the neck was the most common place to Mark your Mate, he idly notes.
"Yes, we got very lucky. You see, we didn't realize that I was pregnant when we took the injections. It's the male seahorses that carry the children. So half of my biology just wasn't compatible with the pregnancy." Rin says.
"Ouch! That sounds really brutal. Sorry, you had to go through that." Naruto says.
"I can't even imagine, what I would have done in your place. I would have gone insane with worry over this one." Sasori says as he caresses Deidara's cheek.
Deidara beams and Danzo barely refrains from rolling his eyes. This whole Mating thing was far too sweet for his tastes. If it was any sweeter, the elderly man was certain he would have gotten cavities by now.
Despite that, Danzo continues surveying his surroundings. One never knew when even the most trivial detail would come in handy.
"Awe! You do care, yeah!" Deidara beams at Sasori and kisses him.
Trivial details like Mating Marks. The blonde merman had red sting ray mark on his neck. Sasori's was a golden octopus. The King's was a purple Seahorse. Interesting.
"Of course, I care. I wouldn't have Mated you, if I didn't." Sasori informs him.
He didn't really understand why everyone was so obsessed with Mating. Though Danzo supposed that had something to do with his age. He was more concerned about leaving a legacy than chasing tail. (Pun intended).
"This is a wonderful meal." Konan says with a smile as she sits in her Mate's lap.
Konan's and Pain's relationship was interesting though. A female Protector and a male Nurturer. Danzo wondered how common such a Mate was as he glances at their Mating Marks.
An orange Jellyfish for Konan on her neck and a purple one for Pain. Though his was on his arm instead of his neck. Danzo couldn't help, but wonder if that was important or just a matter of preference.
"I must say, I'm impressed. How did you get your makeup to stay on under the water?" Sai asks Kankuro pleasantly.
"It's not makeup! It's warpaint! It's waterproof warpaint." Kankuro grumbles.
"Ah. Well I do appreciate the artistry that went into it. You know, that's my hobby. I'm an artist." He tells him.
Oh Good Lord. God help him. It seemed that even Sai might be falling prey to this Mating Obsession. He hadn't even known Sai was gay, but apparently he was.
The man was looking at Kankuro with far too much interest for it to be entirely platonic. Wonderful. That was another variable that he was going to have to factor into the equation.
"That's cool. Painting? Drawing? Sculpting?" Kankuro asks curiously.
"Oh a little of everything. Mostly painting and drawing though. I've started on sculpting recently. I've gotten very good with my hands." Sai tells him with a far too cheerful smile.
What disturbed Danzo most was the fact that the smile appeared real. It wasn't his standard fake smile. Damn it. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.
Itachi raises an eyebrow as he sees Danzo surveying the room. He was doing so with such purpose, that the elder Uchiha Brother doubted it was a coincidence. He was willing to bet that the other merman had something to do with Obito's poisoning.
He just had to find some proof. Though that was easier said than done. Danzo struck him as a crafty old backstabber.
"Itachi, are you alright?" Sasuke asks suddenly.
Itachi was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear Sasuke at first. It wasn't until Sasuke lightly cracks the water next to Itachi with his tail, that he snapped out of it. Damn it. He must have really been out of it.
"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He replies.
"Your pouch is glowing." The Fox Shark informs him.
His pouch? What on Earth did Sasuke mean by his pouch? He didn't have any pouch.
That's when Itachi looks down and blinks. The strange belt like material around his hips was indeed glowing. Well he supposed that pouch was as good a name for it as anything, really. Though that didn't answer the important questions that were now on his mind.
"Oh congratulations!" Rin says excitedly.
Why was his pouch glowing? Was this permanent? Was his life in danger? What had caused it?
"W-What are you congratulating him for?" Hinata inquires nervously.
That was a damn good question, really. What was the Queen congratulating him for? Did it have something to do with his glowing pouch?
"Yes, I must confess. I'm also wondering the same thing." Neji adds.
They weren't the only ones. Did the Queen know something that he didn't? That thought was more than a little unsettling. Rin knew more about his own body than he did.
Warning Mpreg Scene
"Well a glowing pouch means you're pregnant. Our new bodies can carry babies, no matter the gender. Usually, it's Nurturers who are the ones who get pregnant though." Rin explains.
Itachi blinks. Whatever he had been expecting. That wasn't it. He was pregnant?!
He glances at Kisame nervously. Itachi wasn't really sure how the other merman would react to that little bombshell. Honestly, did the Queen have no tact at all? That wasn't something that you just mentioned so casually!
"Itachi, it's okay. You don't have to worry about me. If I didn't want you to have my hatchlings, I would have taken precautions. Just how think how cute the little guy or girl is going to be." Kisame says smugly as he wraps his arms around his suddenly skittish Mate.
Oh good. Well at least Kisame was happy about it. Itachi was still in shock though.
He honestly had no idea how to react to the news. The Dolphin liked kids. He always had. It was just that when he pictured becoming a parent, he had always assumed that he would be the father. Not the mother.
"And you're still a father. The fact that you're the one laying the egg doesn't change your gender." Kisame assures him.
Laying the egg?! Wait. Had the Akatsuki referred to children as hatchlings? He was going to lay an egg?!
"How…exactly does this work?" The raven haired man asks anxiously.
"Well I had to have a c-section, but my pregnancy was the exception. Not the rule." The Queen says soothingly.
Kisame shakes his head and rumbles for Itachi. It was that damn purring thing. The one that calmed him almost instantly in ways that the merman didn't understand. It was equal parts soothing and infuriating.
"You really shouldn't wind yourself up like this. It's bad for you and the baby. Basically, you're pouch will expand and eventually, you'll lay the egg. The egg will take a few days to get bigger and the baby will come out. You don't need to experience labor to have it. The egg just pops up towards the top when its ready." The First Generation Merman explains.
Well that was a relief. At least he didn't have to go through labor. That was something.
"How long does this "pregnancy" last?" He demands.
"Ah a couple months. Give or take a week or two. There is some slight variation depending on the what subtype the parents are." Kisame continues.
That was good. A shorter pregnancy would probably be less traumatic. Well this wasn't what he was planning, but he did love Kisame. While he was still anxious about being pregnant, he loved their child too.
"Good to know." He mutters with a sigh.
"Don't worry, Itachi. I'll take good care of you." Kisame promises.
"Whoa, bastard! Do you know what this means? You're going to be an uncle!" Naruto exclaims and Sasuke rolls his eyes in response.
Itachi couldn't help, but laugh at that reaction. It seemed so normal. Truthfully, that helped to ground him a bit. It seemed his foolish little brother and his best friend were always going to bicker like cats and dogs. It didn't matter whether it was on dry land or under the Sea.
There was something comforting about that. Something so normal. Predictable. It made him feel much more relaxed and with that thought in mind, Itachi cuddles closer into Kisame's chest.
"Yes, I know that. God, you're such an idiot sometimes." Sasuke mutters.
"Sasuke! Be nice!" Hinata lightly chastises him.
"What? You know that it's true." Sasuke grumbles and Suigetsu nods sympathetically.
Itachi chuckles at the sight. Well he supposed that Uchihas must be naturally attracted to Great Whites or something. That or the reverse. Maybe, Great Whites were just naturally attracted to their family.
Oh well. That was something to ponder for later. Right now, he had a baby to plan for. That and he was going to be watching Danzo very carefully from now on.
"I'm glad that you're feeling better. I promise that nothing's gonna happen to you or our Hatchling." Kisame tells him.
"Mmm. I know. That's why you're called a Protector because you protect things." Itachi notes in amusement.
"Damn right. Now, lets get that sexy tail of yours back to bed. You should be resting." He states.
Uh oh. Itachi could see where this was going and his pregnancy had only just begun. Kisame was likely going to drive him crazy with his overprotective nature.
Well at least he was only going to be pregnant for a couple months. Itachi wasn't really sure that he could have handled an overprotective Akatsuki for nine. So that was something.
"Alright. Just don't go overboard. I know that you're excited about the pregnancy and worried about me, but you don't need to go crazy over it." The Uchiha says.
"Right. Right. Come on. Lets get you back to the bed." Kisame says as he scoops Itachi up into his arms Bridal Style and carries him off.
As Itachi was being escorted off, he catches bits and pieces of the conversation that resulted. To say the least, it was all rather predictable. Though more than a little embarrassing.
"Did that really just happen?" Sasuke asks.
"Looks like it. No need to be jealous though. That'll be you one day." Suigetsu tells him.
"I never would have thought of Itachi as a mommy, but it's kinda cute." Naruto says cheerfully.
Oh Dear God. They were never going to let him live this down. Itachi just knew it.
"You're such an idiot. Both of you. First of all, Suigetsu that is NOT going to be me one day. Secondly, my brother isn't a mommy. He's going to be the second father to the child. Third, why am I surrounded by idiots?" Sasuke asks with a groan as everyone else chuckles.