Here we are, Chapter 25!

I have to warn you, this one is a little depressing.

I apologize! Don't hate me! :(

But it is my story after all, I can shape it however I want to.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! Or at least appreciate it.

Ha. :p

I burst through the front door, my heart pounding like a drum. "Hinata!" I shouted, fearing the worst.

"In here," came a whine from the bathroom. She was sitting on the side of the tub, hand protectively over her stomach. A sweat broke across my forehead as I noticed the line of blood dripping down her leg. "Help me," she wheezed, reaching her other hand out towards me. I wrapped my arm around her back, lifting her carefully.

"Come on, Kankuro's waiting downstairs for us. He's got Temari's car." Helping her down the two flights of stairs was the hardest part. She nearly stumbled twice, wincing from labor pains.

"S-somethings wrong, Kiba." She whispered as we neared the front door. "This isn't right."

"I know," I mumbled anxiously, a sinking feeling growing in my stomach. I want to tell her not to worry. I want to tell her everything will be alright. But then what do I say if it isn't...? As we came through the front door of the building Kankuro honked twice, guiding us to the car. It was dark out now, so I had to be extra careful with Hinata so she wouldn't trip and make the situation any worse. I helped her into the back seat then slid in along side her.

"I called the hospital," Kanky gushed as he put the car into drive. "They're holding a place for you."

"O-okay," Hinata replied with a shaky voice. Her hand gripped mine tight as she gritted her teeth against another contraction. Kankuro sped off, going well over the speed limit. By the sound of Hinata's screams it was still not fast enough. The ride felt like it took forever. So many questions kept running through my head. Will the baby be okay? Will Hinata be okay? And most of all; What the hell is happening? As we reached the emergency room a man with a gurney was waiting by the door. Kankuro slid the car to a stop right in front of him. He rushed to the side of the car where Hinata was seated and swung the door open.

"Hinata Hyuuga?"

"Yes!" She cried. He helped her out of the car and onto the gurney. I jumped out of the car on the other side, then hesitated before shutting the door behind me. I wanted to tell Kankuro where to catch up with us, but honestly I had no clue where we would be. He waved his hand dismissively, once again knowing my thoughts before I said them out loud.

"Just go, man. I'll find you."

"A-alright," I mumbled, then slammed the door. I followed Hinata and the attendee through the automatic hospital doors.

"Kiba," she whined, her hand reaching out for mine. I grabbed it, struggling to keep up with the attendee.

"I'm here," I soothed, stroking her cheek lightly. "Don't worry."

"But it hurts," she squeaked, tears spilling down her already soaked cheeks. "S-somethings wrong." Before I could reply the attendee took a sudden turn, causing me to stumble and lose grip of her hand. He gave me a frustrating look which clearly told me I was getting in the way. I sighed, not knowing what to say. I began trotting behind them instead of trying to keep up. A woman with a white coat fell into pace along side Hinata. She turned her attention to the attendee, ignoring her completely.

"Get her to room 412, Neonatal intensive care." The man nodded, then took another sharp turn. I followed, nearly slamming into a nurse on my way. I pushed past her without an apology. Hinata is what's important now. Soon after the turn we reached the elevators. Hinata let out a shriek. I tried to get close to her, but the doctor jumped in front of me. She quickly shoved her stethoscope into her ears. She pulled Hinata's shirt up over her stomach and went to work trying to find the baby's heartbeat. "70 beats per minute," she called out. The attendee scribbled the number down on his chart. Hinata let out a slight whine. I glanced down at her with a solemn face. Seeing as she, being a medical nin, didn't like that number, I assumed 70 beats was not good. "And... 109 for the other one." Other one? My eyes widened in surprise. Does that mean...? Before I could finish my thought the elevator doors swung open. The bed, the attendee, the doctor and I all shoved our way in. During the brief ride the doctor examined Hinata's other vitals, calling out words and numbers I wish I understood. The doors swung open again upon reaching the 4th floor. We all rushed out, and I followed the two past a waiting room towards another set of doors. The doctor took the attendee's place at the end of the bed while he stopped suddenly and grabbed my arm. I stopped, starting past him at Hinata and the doctor who continued on through the doors.

"You can't go any further than here, sir."

I turned towards him, a mix of anger and fear in my eyes. "What?!"

"Just wait here please, someone will come out soon to talk to you soon."

"How soon?" I demanded, searching past him through the small window in the door. They were already out of sight.

"As soon as we know anything we'll come find you." With that he turned and followed their path through the double doors. Fuck! A surge of frustration flooded my system. I'm supposed to be with her right now! I slammed my fists on the counter next to me.

"Damn it!" I shouted, clenching my teeth. The other few people in the waiting room gave me an annoyed look before quickly going back to reading their magazines.

"Sir?" A nurse called me from behind a desk. "Are you the father?"

I struggled to get myself under control. "Y-yes," I cooed, noticing she had a hidden rain village forehead protector dangling around her neck.

"I know your upset, but can I get you to sign some of these admission papers?" Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. I put my hands momentarily at my temples, hoping this could somehow stop the growing pain in my head. I slowly reopened my eyes, and let out a long exhale. Thankfully that stopped the shaking in my hands.

"Sure."

--Half an hour later--

"Kiba Inuzuka?" I literally leaped up from my chair. Finally! During my waiting period I called Hana and Neji to let them know what was up. Neji was on his way to fill out some papers on Hinata's history. I feel like such an idiot. I say I love her, but I have no clue about important things like this!

"Yes?!" I blurted, nearly tripping over myself on the way to him. It was the same attendee as before. "H-how is she?"

"She's headed into surgery." He explained, his light eyes scanning the chart in his hands. "One of the twins was detaching from the uterine wall--"

"WAIT," I exclaimed, my brain completely flooded by what he just said. "One of the twins?!"

His eyes went blank for a moment. "You mean you didn't know?" I just shook my head, astonished. She's having twins?! But I swear to god, that ultrasound showed only ONE baby! He went on, obviously in a rush. "Anyway, she was starting to miscarry. If it continued both of the twins would have to have been delivered now, but with surgery we can remove only the detaching twin and hopefully it will be developed enough to survive out of the womb. Although it is fairly dangerous to both fetuses and the mother, we feel it is the most logical thing to do at this point." I sat speechless. I am having two children. One is being born today. She might die. The other might die because of the surgery. Hinata might...die... My legs felt weak all of a sudden. I reached backwards for a chair. The attendee grabbed my arm and helped me into a seat. "We will call you when the surgery is done, and then you can visit her in post-op." And with that he was gone. I sat alone now, drowning in my thoughts. Oh, god. Every different scenario rushed through my mind. Me and Hinata without one baby. Without two babies. Me with two babies, but without Hinata. My eyes stung, and I realized I was crying. I buried my head in my hands. Why is this happening? Is this my fault? I suddenly felt someones hand on my shoulder. Kankuro? Neji? Hana?

"Not good, huh?" I was right on the first guess. I lifted my hands, catching Kankuro's sympathetic look with a sting.

"No." I said simply, deciding to leave details for later. He opened this mouth to say something, but a sudden burst through the double doors sent both of our eyes in the other direction. There were four doctors--two traditional, two medical nin--hovering over a small cart with what looked like a cradle on top. As they passed, I couldn't help but notice the tiny, pale, motionless baby lying inside. My stomach heaved. I knew that had to be my baby. Dead. My baby is dead. I dropped my head between my knees. Stomach acid traveled up my esophagus, along with my meal from earlier that evening. I vomited, then leaned back against the back of the chair with my eyes closed. "No. No, no, no, please!" I begged, not sure to whom exactly. "No, no..." I continued, tears falling hysterically down my face. "Oh god, please... No..." My skin felt paper thin, like I could blow away with the wind at any second. Pain welled up in my gut, causing me to double over. I threw up again. This time I kept my head down, tears and sweat mixing and burning my eyes. "Why?" I sobbed, leaning my head onto Kankuro's shoulder. My body convulsed with pain. He wrapped an arm around me. I knew by his irregular breathing that he was crying, too.

"I don't know," he croaked, his voice hoarse and broken. "I'm s-so sorry, Kiba." It felt as if my chest were collapsing. I struggled to breathe, unable to get myself under control. I haven't felt like this since I was 7. So much pain... I screamed through my teeth, hoping to get it out of me. Nothing helped. Nothing. The double doors opened again, and a single nurse came out. I turned, catching the unexpected sight of TenTen. I guess that makes sense. She is a medical nin, after all. Why wouldn't she become a nurse? Her face fell at the sight of me. She came up to me, and grabbed me by the arm.

"Come with me, Kiba. She needs to see you." Her voice was quiet. Her eyes were soft. I slowly rose, trying to regain control of my legs. She nodded to Kanky, meaning he should come too. We both followed her through the doors and down the hallway. I knew immediately which room was Hinata's--several more doctors and medical nins were surrounding the room, including Sakura and Shizune. I heard sobs echoing loudly from inside, and despite the loud tone the doctors had taken it still rung through. As they noticed me approaching they cleared a path for me, all the while giving me the same look as TenTen had. I slid through the doorway of room 412, seeing Hinata curled on her side. She was facing away from me. She was now in standard hospital attire, and was attached to several IVs and different machines. I noticed two heart monitors, which confirmed for me the reality of twins. One is still in there. I made my way to the bed.

"Hinata?" I called, the name catching in my throat. The sobbing paused, although a sniffle was still detectable. She said nothing, but she didn't need to. I wrapped my arms around her back, my face buried into her neck. My tears had stopped, but I still felt empty, so empty. She shifted in the bed, turning so she could see my face.

"K-kiba..." she whispered, her red eyes dull. "Is she...gone?" I waiting before answering. Yes. At least it seemed that way to me. But what do I know, I'm not a doctor? Finally I sighed, grabbing her hand. "Honestly, I-I don't know. I saw her, and--" my voice broke, falling away from me somewhere. I just shook my head, unable to continue. The picture in my head was too much. My stomach shifted, but it had nothing left to expel. Her sobbing began again, and she curled into my arms. I noticed then the bandage under her hospital gown, still red with her blood. Her grey eyes looked faded, which I then realized was because of the drugs. They had to give her something before cutting her open, right? A moment later they fluttered closed, and not too long after her breathing slowed back to normal. Good. Rest, darling. Please don't cry anymore. I kissed her forehead. I turned around, hoping most of the doctors were gone. They were. But in their place stood Kankuro, TenTen, Neji, and Hana, all watching; all crying.

--Three Hours Later--

A knock sounded on the door. Hinata and I both turned to look. It was the woman doctor from when we first arrived. She came into the room. This is it, I thought. We've been waiting three hours to find out whether our child would live or die. She pulled a chair from the corner and placed it close to the bed, sitting down without a sound. She looked us both firmly in the face before finally frowning, and saying "I'm sorry." Hinata let out a shrill wail. I clenched my fist. I knew it. As soon as I saw her, I knew. She collapsed back onto her side, her body unable to cry anymore. Somehow, the weak silence sounded worse.

"Why?" she asked pathetically, the word hardly more than a whisper.

"We did everything we could. We had her on life support this whole time, but just a few minutes ago... she couldn't hold on anymore."

"Her," I repeated, the absence of my daughter weighing heavily on my heart. "What about the other one?"

"The other twin is also a girl," the doctor replied. I slid back into my chair, letting the news rest for a moment. She's dead. Three hours into her life, and she's dead. I was in shock.

"What happened?" I asked without even thinking. The question had been unanswered so far. "Why was she miscarrying?"

The doctor took a deep breath, then leaned forward towards us. "Well, since is so young, and since this was her first pregnancy, her uterus was not used to this kind of stretch. Twins for a first pregnancy are always hard." She placed her hand over Hinata's. "Because there was such little room, the fetuses were basically forced to compete for space. The one that won, which is the one that was detaching--"

"The one that's dead." I said simply, getting slightly disgusted with her tip-toeing over the sensitive words.

"Y-yes. That one took more space in the womb. This extra space caused it to grow rapidly, while the other stopped developing what-so-ever. Because of this growth occurred so suddenly the uterine tissue couldn't adjust to the needs of the baby, and began detaching."

"How long ago?" I questioned, wondering why we didn't have any warning before.

"Oh, I'd say by judging on how malnourished the child was, about 3 weeks ago?"

Hinata sat up. "She... was starving... inside of me?" Her eyes were wide and held a hint of guilt. The doctor nodded.

"Why didn't the other doctor tell us it was twins?" I asked quietly, hating the reality I was in.

"They may have just been in the wrong position. Or maybe the ultrasound machine wasn't working correctly." I nodded, not knowing what else to do. "I am very sorry for your loss." She paused for a fraction of a second before continuing onto some more bad news. "Unfortunately, since the larger twin was taking up most of the space, the smaller twin is now developmentally delayed. The worry here is that her lungs will not be fully mature by the time she is born, which would give her about a fifty-percent survival rate on life support." Hinata's face grew even darker, which I didn't think was possible.

"So... I lost one daughter... and because of that, I may lose the other?" Her eyes were out of focus. Honestly, she was worrying me.

"I am very sorry." The doctor gave us each a pat on the shoulder, then disappeared out of the room. Back to her happy life, and she leaves us here in hell. Hinata curled into the fetal position, her unfocused eyes staring across the room. She said nothing. When the nurse came to feed her, she ate nothing. When they told us we could go home, I don't think we even had a home anymore. We're just two strangers living in an apartment too small for the both of them. We both sat alone with the same question burned into our minds. Is this my fault?

I feel SO BAD for them!

But then again, the whole village does.

Awe. :(

I'm already working on the next chapter.

Reviews would be lovely!

Thanks to all my readers, old and new!

Sorry if you guys didn't like it. But hey, I think drama is what makes a good story!

I love you alllll!

-- Hinata Inuzuka xx