Title: Romance in the air
Author: enchanted nightingale
Beta: pussycatadamah
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me. I only use them in my plot for fun.
A/N: As I mentioned in the previous chapter this story will have two outtakes. This one is the chapter with the m/m theme. Don't read of you don't like it. Go to the previous one of you like Naruto with Hinata.
Chapter 36
(YAOI version of chapter 35)
A month later…
Uchiha compound
Itachi stood in a shaded spot, watching the whole scene happen.
There was a flicker of chakra and Jiraya appeared at his side. The Sanin took in the scene as well.
"My, my. What a busy hive. Looks like every ninja in Konoha that Naruto knows is here," Jiraya observed.
"Danzo and Ibiki managed to slip away," was Itachi's dry response.
Jiraya chortled. "Still, I thought baby showers were for women only."
"Hn."
The Sanin rolled his eyes. "Do I really have to ask one of them?" he pointed at Sakura, Ino and Kurenai, who were bossing around the male ninjas.
"They are giving a makeover for the baby's room," Itachi said, taking some pity on the older ninja.
"They are? Isn't it early? Like two months too soon?"
Itachi shrugged. "They are using paint and Tsunade-sama did not want to take any chances so we're doing this now. Plus the weather is nice. The room will dry sooner."
Jiraya was eyeing the former Akatsuki member. "That's the longest I have heard you speak," the Sanin marveled.
Itachi glared him.
o
Neji looked at Sai. Somehow he had gotten involved in this mess and now he had to watch over Sai while the former ROOT operative decorated the walls with cute, fluffy animals, not the whole surface, just the small line that cut the wall in two parts, the low one a pale yellow and the upper one an even lighter shade of it. However the animals that were parading over the separating line had all sorts of colors and shapes. Neji was currently bored to tears and mentally went over the ways he would get back at Naruto for dragging him into this when Sai's pink haired team mate came by.
"How are you guys doing?" Sakura asked them.
Neji was about to tell her a dry 'fine' when the pink haired woman screamed.
"SAI!"
"Yes, you hag?"
"I'M NOT A HAG!" the kunoichi yelled. "AND STOP DRAWING PHALLIC SYMBOLS! IT'S A NURSERY!"
"Phallic? That's a worm," Sai told her.
Neji looked at what they were pointing and cringed. That was most definitely NOT a worm. He barely had time to stop the hot headed woman from throttling the artist. Now he knew why the idiot needed watching. He pulled out a kunai and held it to Sai's crotch.
"Rectify this," he told Sai in a warning tone.
Sakura sighed in relief, "Thank you Neji-san."
The ink user blinked. Then he gave a sly smirk at the usually composed Hyuga. "Why Neji-kun, are you making a pass at me?
Sakura spluttered and then she choked a bit at Neji's blush. Was that because of rage or had Sai been spot on? Still, she would really rather not know.
"SAI! STOP HITTING ON NEJI!"
"Of course Sakura-obasan," Sai grinned at her. Then to Neji he said, "I have a wonderful kunai collection. Want to take a look?"
"SAI! I'm not old!" Sakura fumed.
But the ninja ignored her in favor of a mortified Neji.
"You people in Team 7 are all crazy," the Hyuga muttered to himself before walking away.
Sai pouted at Sakura. "Now look what you did! He left," he accused her. "Perhaps he's correct. Team 7 is not a mentally balanced group."
"Sai."
"Yes?"
"You are a member of Team 7."
"Oh. Well, at least I'm better looking than you!"
"You're dead meat! But after you fix this wall!"
o
"Are you certain? It looks all wrong."
"No, no it goes here."
"It doesn't look like it's going to fit in."
Aburame Shino a few feet away from the two ninjas. Kiba and Lee had been paired up with the making of the crib. Kagome had insisted on one crib so that the twins would not get lonely. The males present had looked on clueless but the females seemed to coo over this so they went with Kagome's wishes.
"Kiba-kun, this is rectangular. That hole is oval," Lee said.
"So?" the Inozuka demanded. "Are you saying that I'm stupid? Cause I'm not."
Akamaru barked from his master's side.
The two, three with the dog, started squabbling again.
Shino sighed and commanded his kikai to make sure neither of his fellow ninja plus one nin dog could move.
"Shino!" Kiba whined.
Akamaru whimpered, ears flat down, showing his regret.
Lee was left staring at the mysterious looking bug user.
"You two are useless and noisy," Shino told them. He then started making the crib on his own. He was done in twenty minutes but even then he did not release the troublesome trio from his kikai's hold.
o
Anko was scanning the pages of a book, not quite reading, not quite shifting through pages, when her boyfriend slipped behind her.
"What are you doing with a book?" Kakashi asked the beautiful woman.
The kunoichi blinked. "This is good material for Ibiki?"
"A book?" Kakashi wondered. He scanned for a title and saw it was a pregnancy book. "Really?"
"Hm. Listen to this, strong odors, which makes me wonder how strong they are. Can they gross out a traitor? Developing hair in unwanted places, loss of hair, loss of bladder control…"
She changed page. "And look at this one… Eww! Who does that! Avocado and red peppers dipped into pancake mix and fried, with chocolate on top?"
Kakashi turned a bit green.
"And this one," Anko read on. "Pickled eggs with … Really? Strawberry syrup?"
"Okay, stop now," Kakashi told her, trying to get the book away from her.
"Oh! Listen to this one…"
The silver haired jounin plucked the book from her hands and threw it away from them.
"What is the book's title?" Kakashi cut her off.
"Ten Gross Things About Pregnancy," Anko told him.
"And why are you reading that?" Kakashi asked. A light bulb went on in his brain. "Are you pregnant?"
"Me? No! But Tsunade reduced the budget for the T&I department and Ibiki has everyone doing research finding new ways to make prisoners spill their guts, figuratively not literally, faster and cheaper," Anko told him.
Kakashi was left reeling.
"That's it, no books for you," he finally told her. "How about helping Iruka san with the decorations?"
"It's no fun. Kagome-san vetoed my idea of putting kunai over the crib into one of these rotating platforms, to keep the kids busy, you now?" Anko told him.
"I could toss a kunai by age three," Kakashi told his lover. "What does Itachi think?"
"He's whipped," Anko replied.
Ino happened to hear the part about the kunai toys and the blonde looked pale and horrified.
"Never procreate!" she told them, before stomping away.
o
Sasuke found Naruto almost hiding away in the kitchen. Every other room in the main house was occupied.
"Hey," the raven haired teen whispered.
Naruto blinked at him.
Sasuke frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing…"
"Naruto," Sasuke growled. "Spill."
Naruto sighed. "It's about the babies."
Sasuke gave him a weird look. Naruto sighed and went on.
"When the babies come Kagome will be busy."
"Stop right there you idiot," Sasuke told him. "Did she like you any less when I came in the village? Or when Itachi came home? Or when Sesshomaru-sama started staying with us? Or when Gaara-"
"I get it," Naruto cut Sasuke off. "I get it."
"Good. Now come help me, come on," Sasuke pulled Naruto up. "Sakura got angry at Sai and Neji for some weird reason and now she upped and left. She took TenTen and Choji along; they're bringing the food. So I need you to keep Sai in check."
Naruto sighed. "Okay. And Sasuke?"
"Hm. What?"
Naruto kissed the raven haired teen's cheek. "Thanks."
He did not see the blush on Sasuke's face or how the other teen touched the spot the blond had kissed.
o
Itachi felt Kagome approach him, her unique scent giving her away. When she bumped her shoulder to his he looked at her. She was grinning. She kept doing this lately. She also kept looking tired, making the ninja worry. Tsunade had assured him that it was usual and that the weight from the babies was hard on her. Still he worried. And the miko kept waving his concerns off.
"Why are you hiding all the way here?" Kagome asked him.
"I'm not hiding," Itachi replied.
Kagome chuckled. "It doesn't look like this. You're in the darkest spot in the yard, away from everyone …"
"Kagome, you do realize that at some point in time I've attacked every single person there, left them almost dead or critical. That I've killed people they know, betrayed them all?"
The miko sighed. "You're too gloomy for such a fun event," she told him. "And I don't care what they say or think. You are mine Itachi. And I want you here. This is happening for our children and as their father you should be part of this. We're family now. And if the rest of the family, meaning Sasuke and Naruto, don't mind, then why are you thinking what others say?"
A small smile appeared on Itachi's face. "Has Naruto been giving you lessons?"
"Maybe a few hints though I never really needed them. No come on. I need to inspect the room. You can bob Sai on the head if he has done anything inappropriate. I think he fears you more than Sakura. He just likes to annoy."
Itachi allowed himself to be pulled towards the house not being reluctant for once but actually looking forward or this.
o
It was nightfall when the large company that helped Kagome with the baby room finally settled for a grand dinner. At first the ninjas were a bit apprehensive when Sesshomaru joined their tabled. His disdain of human food ruffled quite a few feathers but the miko jumped to her old friend's defense. She had at one point seen Sesshomaru eat. The Inu Lord took on the form of his demon and hunted for prey. It was usually demons weaker than him. In his castle in the Western Lands he would feast in domestic animals like cows and goats. Kagome had been both horrified and awed at what and how Sesshomaru could eat. And she had then been flattered at how she managed to get the Demon Lord to actually accept her offer to make tea for him. Usually the flavors humans favored were too strong for the delicate senses of demons.
That obstacle overcome, Naruto managed to bring life in the tired group. He sat next to Sasuke, the two teens exchanging glances every once in a while and the youngest Uchiha poking fun at Naruto whenever the blond stopped entertaining everyone else.
Ino was chatting Shikamaru's ears off. The Nara had hid himself for the majority of the day, especially when Ino told him the phrase 'I need your help' and 'manual work'. Choji was merely observing his teammates and enjoying the various foods available. Hinata was sticking close to Shino. The two quietest members of the group were mostly observing the others and sharing conversation often. Neji had been seated next to Sai, with TenTen between them to keep her team mate from killing the former ROOT soldier. Truthfully though, TenTen enjoyed seeing the normally composed Hyuga lose his cool. Kiba at one point challenged Choji into an eating contest. Sakura stayed close to Lee for the most part and then kept an eye on Kakashi and Anko, still reeling at the unlikely pair.
Itachi felt a bit odd but Kagome stuck close to him, every once in a while brushing her soft hands over his calloused ones, or even holding his hand for a short time. She spoke to everyone but her eyes always strayed towards him. It made Itachi feel proud and quite touched.
Tsunade (the Godaime had arrived the moment sake started being passed around the table) caught Itachi staring at Kagome a few times and snickered at the love struck man. Itachi strangely found himself not in the mood to retaliate. Jiraya had joined them soon after Tsunade while Shizune had a shift in the hospital she could not get out of.
The oddest feature around the table was the semi-transparent figure of Kyuubi that made many look twice at the feared nine tailed fox. The scariest thing was that the fox demon and Anko had hit it off and now Kakashi sat between the two of them watching them with his one visible eyed glazed over.
"Kagome!" Naruto yelled. "The presents!"
There was murmuring and smiles.
"The kid is right," Tsunade smiled at the miko. "And you can start from me."
The Godaime's present was held in a scroll. "It's a supply of diapers," she told them. "I'm doing you a favor. There's also powder, ointments and a few toys for when they start teething."
Kagome smiled at the thoughtful and practical gift thanked the Hokage.
"Mine is far better," Jiraya piped up. Another scroll was given to the expectant parents. "A student of mine first made this. It's to look over babies when in another room. All the seals needed and instructions are there."
"That's surprisingly thoughtful of you," Kagome observed.
Itachi was staring at the scroll thoughtfully. "The Yondaime made this, right?"
The rest of the people were blinking and they gasped in surprised when Jiraya nodded.
"Thank you Jiraya-san," Itachi said. "And you Tsunade-san for the nursery supplies."
"You read the baby books," Kagome said with a smile on her face.
Itachi's blush was her answer.
The rest of the presents came. They got toys (cute cuddly bunnies and kittens) from Choji, two wonderful blankets from Shino, baby books for when they were a bit older from Shikamaru, a book of stories and fairytales from Ino, more toys from TenTen (shaped like kunai- something that made Itachi smile widely). The crib Kiba and Lee had attempted to make but Shino finished, more teddies from Kakashi and Anko, clothes made by Hinata's expert hands (the cute outfits made even Tsunade and Anko coo over them). Neji had opted on giving the expectant parents a basket with bottles and tippee cups.
"For later," he had told them.
"And now from us!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke stood to fetch it. It was two baby carriers. They were done in greens and yellows each and they were soft and had their own blankets.
"Guys…" Kagome smiled.
"Do you like them?" Naruto worried his lip.
Kagome motioned him closer and then pulled the blond for a tight hug. "You're a great kid, Naruto."
"I'm close to seventeen," the demon vessel told her.
The miko just smiled and then turned to Sasuke. "Your turn and don't think of getting away. I'll just set your brother on you."
Sasuke complied but he blushed the whole time.
"Miko," Sesshomaru stood.
"Sesshomaru?" Kagome blinked.
He just placed a pouch in her hand.
The miko stared at it.
"Open it," Sesshomaru told her.
Kagome followed the order just this once and pulled a dark pearl from the pouch.
"What is it?" Itachi asked.
"It's like Inuyasha's…" Kagome breathed.
Sesshomaru nodded. "When the kids need weapons you'll know what to do. Totosai told me after you disappeared that Bokuseno spoke of you and your offspring."
Kagome was left speechless so Itachi thanked the demon, though the miko's grateful face was enough of a reply.
"I guess now is my turn," Kyuubi said. "Well, seeing how I'm disembodied, have no money and so on; I have nothing but the promise that I'll make for you and the brats the best garden in Konoha."
"Thank you Kyuubi," Kagome told the fox demon. "Thank you all for doing what you did today."
"Everything for you Kagome," Sakura told her, the rest of them nodding.
Itachi rubbed a thumb over his lover's back. "You're a wonderful person, Kagome," he told her. "You should be getting used to this."
Kagome just kissed him on the lips.
A few days later…
The Hokage's Library
Tsunade was ready to pull her hair out. She was up to her neck in parchments, scrolls and dusty books and she felt she would crack a rib if she sneezed one more time. The Godaime had been after a very obscure scroll. The demon lord had been to her office almost every other day since his eventful arrival in Konoha. Tsunade was drilling him for details, any he could remember about the ritual, him and Itachi; who was there when the Akatsuki summoned the Inu in this dimension. The demon was actually a few rows away, looking into another pile of books.
"This is hopeless," Tsunade sighed. "I'm done for the day.
"Tsunade," the demon called out.
The human sighed and stood. She would have loved to just punch the demon with his icy posture, composed face and completely dust free clothes, but she liked being healthy and whole.
"What is it?" she asked Sesshomaru when she reached the spot he was searching.
"Take a look at this," he told her, handing her a scroll.
Tsunade took it and quickly read through. Her eyes widened with each line she read.
"Is this what I think and dearly hope it is?" she asked the demon lord.
Sesshomaru nodded. "I'll need to study this more, just in case, but this is the only ritual that tears through space that I've found. Modifying this should be easy between me and my sensei."
Tsunade tried not to cringe at the thought of Kyuubi getting his paws on the scroll but she admitted that the sly demon was the more knowledgeable one.
"I'll tell Naruto we need his tenant," the Godaime said.
"And I need to tell Kagome," the demon lord said.
That somehow killed Tsunade's good mood.
Uchiha compound…
The Uchiha's, Naruto and Kagome were all seated around the table, eyes focused on the dog demon.
"We've found the ritual needed to get me back," Sesshomaru repeated.
"That's good news, right?" Naruto asked the people in the room.
"Miko."
Kagome closed her eyes. "How does the ritual work?" she asked.
And Sesshomaru explained that it took great energy and a high demon's energy to work. The runes were complex, the star alliances difficult to calculate and the requirements looked like spells demon priests used. No human could do this. No demon vessel could do this. The only demon in the land was Sesshomaru.
"It is a onetime thing miko. Do you come with me to the Feudal Era or stay here?" Inuyasha's brother stated. "It's your choice. So what will it be?"
Everyone looked to Kagome.
End of chapter