art 12: Gifts

~Katara's P.O.V.~

I smiled at the little girl in my arms. Her hair was dark, her skin pale, her eyes a deep, emerald green. Kakashi was playing with her fingers, kissing her forehead. I rolled my eyes at him and pushed him back, wanting some time with my daughter. I sighed inwardly as I realized she didn't look much like her father. A frown tugged at my lips. Was that a good thing or bad thing?

Kakashi settled next to me on the bed. "It's both. Bad because she won't know that Itachi is her father, good because we won't have to make up lies. We can say she is mine."

I arched my eyebrow at him. "Can you read my mind or something?"

He grinned at me. "No. You spoke out loud, dummy."

I glared at him and bit his finger. He yowled in pain, causing the woman who had assisted me through my daughter's birth to laugh. Kakashi glared at her and nursed his finger. My daughter whimpered as he drew his other hand away, loosing her first toy. Kakashi quickly realized his mistake and gave our daughter his hand back.

Our daughter, I thought to myself as tears formed in my eyes.

'Our child indeed,' a voice sounded inside of my head.

My body went rigid. I bit the inside of my lip to fight the scream that wanted to tear out of my throat. My demon was looking down at my daughter as if she were food. I locked her away in the depths of my mind. She would not ruin this moment. She would not ruin the day that my child was born. She wouldn't.

I could hear her evil laughter from the depths of my soul. I winced as the sound felt like it was tearing up my insides. I kissed my daughter's forehead, using the smell of her to fight back the evil lurking within my body. Kakashi's hand, the one I had bitten, gripped mine firmly, as if he too knew what was going on inside of my body.

Akira sighed, the sound itself admitting her defeat. I relaxed as I felt her vacate my mind for the time being. My daughter let out a coo, her emerald green eyes sparkling. Kakashi kissed my cheek softly. Then I heard the crash, the raised voices. Katana. I looked up at Kakashi, my eyes pleading to let her in.

"You know I can't," Kakashi whispered. "She's too dangerous. You know that she's been trying to find the Akatsuki again."

I sighed, looking down at my little girl. "But she's been through so much. Having her son taken away like that. In the middle of the night. Kakashi, she's hurt. She thinks that they have him."

Kakashi shook his head. "We can't. She'll just drag you with her, Katara. It's too big a risk."

"What are you going to name the little bundle of sunshine?" the nurse pipped up, bringing about a subject change.

"Mieko," Kakashi said.

"Hitomi," I said.

We looked at each other and started laughing. After all these months of bickering about baby names, we still couldn't agree. He looked down at our daughter, taking in all of her features. Her emerald green eyes settled on his face. He grinned, his face lighting up with pleasure. I smiled and kissed his cheek. He wasn't naming my daughter Mieko.

"What do you think she looks like, Tsunade?" I asked the woman as she walked in.

Her head flew up, giving me a brief smile before looking over my chart. I sighed and counted my daughter's fingers and toes once again. I could still hear Katana's voice carrying in the hallway. Arguing with some poor security guy. I gave another pleading look at Kakashi, who shook his head and kissed my brow.

"I think she looks like an Hitomi," the woman said as she looked down at my daughter. "And a very cute one at that. Can I keep her?"

"NO!" I growled, glaring at the woman.

She laughed. "Got somebody lined up to be the godmother yet?"

I shrugged, not wanting to say I had been considering one of Kakashi's students as godfather. Naruto would be very proud to be the one to look after such a gem as my daughter. As for the godmother... I looked up at Tsunade, eying her suspiciously. She grinned at me, that mischievous twinkle playing in her eyes. I looked up into Kakashi's horrified stare.

"I think she'd be a great godmother," I said, looking to what she had a picture of. A tree. A framed picture of a tree. "Tsunade."

"What?"

"Why do you have a picture of a tree?"

"OH!" she said loudly, waving the picture above her head. "I bought you a present. His name is Steve."

My mouth dropped open. "OMMIGOD!"

She laughed at me and gave me the picture. Kakashi rolled his eyes toward the heavens, begging for what I was guessing a normal family. Tsunade gave me a hug, which was more like suffocating me with happiness. She drew back and took my baby from my arms, taking her away to check her vitals and what not once again.

"Tsunade," I whispered as I remembered what had happened only moments before. "She's not going to get a demon, right?"

Tsunade tensed, sighed. Bad sign. "Your family's type of demon is passed down through genetics. So there is a high possibility that she has her own. We'll figure it out as she matures."

I leaned my head back, eyes closed. "That wasn't the answer I was looking for, Tsuande."

She sighed. "I know. But that's how it's going to be."

I glared at her.

"When do we get to go home?" Kakashi pipped up, trying to change the subject.

Tsunade arched an eyebrow at him. "Well, you've sure gotten antsy. Got any big plans for your wife?"

He sighed, relaxing onto the bed once again. "Yeah, but I'm not sharing. But honestly, Tsunade, when can they go home?"

"A few days to a week, max," Tsunade said, cooing over the baby in her arms. "I want to keep you here for awhile, Katara, to make sure that your demon doesn't come out and eat everybody in your weakened state."

I growled to myself, crossing my arms. Kakashi settled me against his body, his hand absently stroking my arm as he chatted away with Tsunade. I heard a crash, and a yip. My face lit up with a grin as I watched Violin, in all of his glory, run through the door and hide behind the bed. A doctor came running in, slightly out of breath, looking quite annoyed.

"You!" he bellowed, pointing a finger at me. "That thing you call a dog isn't allowed in the hospital!"

I looked up at him, innocence spilling out of my pores. "What ever are you talking about, doctor?"

Tsunade looked at the man, her stare going icy. "Her dog is allowed in here because I said so. Do you understand, doctor?"

He hung his head like a child who had just gotten yelled at. "Yes'm."
~Deidara's P.O.V.~

I sighed, watching Itachi brood over his tea once again. Today was better, since he had yet to bite off anybody's head. Tobi tiptoed into the room, trying to make as little noise as possible. I looked at him in pity. He had become the usual whipping boy for Itachi when he went off into his moods. Today, the Uchiha seemed distant, distracted. He jabbed a spoon through his tea.

"What's wrong with you today?" I asked, my eyes not leaving the clay that I was molding in my hands.

"..."

"Ah, a man of many words," I said as I molded the clay into a little doll, smiling at the childishness of it. "I'm guessing it's the big K-word again?"

"..."

With a glare.

I sighed. "She's not coming back, Itachi. It's time to move on."

Itachi turned his head towards me. His eyes held so much sorrow for a split second before the feeling was hidden, steeled away in the depths of his soul. I nearly felt pity for the man, before remembering that he had begun to enjoy torturing his victims, killing them ever so slowly. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"With Ruki here, it's getting harder," he muttered before taking a sip of his tea. "That kid is fun, yeah, I'm not gonna lie, but it's not the same. He's not mine."

I sighed, rose from the table. He watched my every move wearily. His eyes were rimmed with dark bags, his skin paler than ever before. He gave me a slight smile before he moved away. I sighed as he walked out of the room, his shoulders hunched in his sadness. When he went through the doorway, I finally let myself rub over my heart from where the pain had radiated outward from the mention of Katara's name.

"I hope you're all okay," I muttered to myself as I set the doll on one of the highest cabinets.

Ruki could be heard cooing from the hallway. I heart Itachi's laugh and the child's squeal. He had most likely played airplane again. Hidan could be heard as well, cursing the taller, black-haired man. I sighed and opened the door, stealing my insides for the rush to come.

Ruki squealed in delight, his pudgy little arms reaching out towards me. I grinned and grasped him by the middle, stealing him away from Itachi, who looked at me with a relieved look. The Uchiha lowered his gaze to the floor ans lipped through the doorway and into the hallways of the base. I sighed and tickled the little boy I held in my arms.

"So you've been driving your daddy nuts, huh?" I cooed to Ruki as I held him out in front of me.

"HEY! SUPPORT THE HEAD! SUPPORT THE FUCKING HEAD!" Hidan yelled as he snatched his son away from me.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled as I went outside.

After all, you had to start a search somewhere.