Flashback:
Neko's laugh pierced Naruto, and he began to walk back out of the door, muttering, "If the van's rocking… don't come knocking. Believe it."
Chapter 49: Dodging the Truth
Neko's POV
It had been a month after their wedding, and they were settling into their new home very comfortably. After the course of about a week, they had completely settled in with all of their belongings. Everything had been quite normal, until Neko started to feel different and act different.
She had become extremely temperamental, and sometimes she'd suddenly feel sick or something. Often, she couldn't go out of the house, due to sudden stomach pains and such, and she would also start sweating for no reason. Neko wanted to confront Kiba about this, but she didn't want him to be worried about her.
The feeling had been going on since about two weeks after they moved in, and had progressively gotten worse. Kiba did seem to notice that something was wrong, though, and kept trying to take care of her. It was the start of the fourth week, and she noticed that she had missed her period. "Am I… pregnant?" Neko asked herself, anxiously.
It was all that Neko wanted to know, but before she could do anything, she'd have to somehow sneak away from Kiba. He always wanted to be with her, and was constantly worrying about her.
Walking out of the bathroom for what seemed like the twentieth time that day because she got sick. Neko had brushed her teeth and gone through all lengths to clean her mouth, and walked down the stairs. Kiba was staring at her, and he asked, "Are you ok?" "Fine." She answered. Neko hadn't really been into talking to him lately. She didn't know why, and whenever she did talk to him, she couldn't help but be rude.
Akamaru and Talon had noticed that something was the matter, and kept their distance from her. "I'm gonna go over to Hinata's place, ok?" Neko looked into his eyes, and saw nothing but confusion. "Well… ok." She started out the door, but felt arms around her waist, "Be careful." Automatically, she pulled away and backed out of the door, walking as fast as she could without hurting the potential baby forming in her womb.
She rubbed her stomach and began to walk toward the hospital, thinking, "Hmm… I just want to know. I wonder if Sakura will check me out."
Kiba's POV
All Kiba ever felt around Neko these days was pain, and he wanted to know why. "She seems out of it whenever she does something. Yesterday, she was taking a glass from the cabinet, and I walked up to her and she dropped it."
Akamaru and Talon both seemed confused, but noticed a change in her behavior. Akamaru barked up at him, "Do you know what's wrong with her?" He shook his head, feeling close to nothing. "I wanna know what's wrong with my baby…" he whispered. Kiba suddenly stood up, getting an idea, "Ok… you two, stay here. I'm gonna follow her, because I know she's not going to Hinata's."
With that, Kiba ran out of the door, following her scent. He found her only seconds later, walking somberly down the road, passing Hinata's mansion. At first, it didn't look like she was going anywhere in particular, but she was walking toward the Hokage's office. "Why is she going to talk to Lady Tsunade? She probably could have told me if that's what she was going to do." She suddenly stopped and flinched, forcing Kiba to stop himself from running to her. Neko started to run, holding her stomach, toward the Hokage's Office.
Kiba ran inside, and watched her disappear down a hallway that was labeled as 'The Hospital'. His breath caught in his throat. "What's wrong with her? Why is she keeping secrets from me?" Kiba backed up for a moment, and ran blindly through the streets. "What the hell is wrong? Why is she in the hospital? Why won't she tell me anything?"
He fell, suddenly, and looked up to see Shikamaru standing there. "Kiba… what's up?" "Hey, Shik." Kiba got up and dusted himself off, feeling his hands shaking. Shikamaru must have noticed, because he said, "Kiba… what's up? You seem… nervous." He just nodded, anxiously, "Yeah… sorry, Shik, but something's wrong with her, and she won't tell me what it is. Hell, she won't tell me anything."
Shikamaru froze for a moment, and then asked, "What's wrong with her?" Kiba shook his head, feeling nothing but cold, "I don't know… she's been acting kind of out of it, and she's extremely clumsy. She doesn't like it when I touch her, and she seems like she's almost always sick, especially in the morning. Sometimes she yells for no reason, sometimes she cries for no reason… it's really painful, and she won't even talk to me."
It was as if everything clicked in Shikamaru's eyes, and he asked, "Is she always hungry?" Kiba thought about it, then whispered, "Yeah… but I don't see what that has to do with-" But Shikamaru just continued as if he wasn't even talking, "And… does she often… complain about pain?" Automatically, Kiba sighed, "Not to me… she doesn't tell me anything."
All Shikamaru did was smirk, and begin to walk away, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about then, Inuzuka." Kiba growled, "Shik, you bastard! Of course it's something to worry about! What if she's slowly dying?" That made him stop in his tracks, but he turned and smirked a knowing smile, "Look; I know she's not dying. Trust a genius for once, Kiba. She'll probably talk to you later."
With that, he ran through the street, disappearing from sight. Kiba sighed heavily. "What does he know? Why didn't he tell me? There are just too many questions." He ran back to their house, and Akamaru greeted him at the door, "So… did you find out anything?" Kiba shook his head, feeling a frown plaster to his face, "No. I wish she'd talk to me."
Talon jumped onto his shoulder, rubbing her head against his. He walked over to one of the couches, "I guess I'll just wait for her to come back, then I'll try to talk to her."
Neko's POV
"Are you… are you sure?" Neko was almost in turmoil, for multiple reasons, but mostly because she didn't know how to tell Kiba. Sakura smiled, "Yeah. Even after all of those tests, I can tell just by looking at you that you're pregnant. Your breasts have begun to hurt, haven't they?" Neko's eyes widened; "How did she know?" Sakura just laughed, "Don't worry, it's normal. They'll start to get bigger throughout your pregnancy. You're about four weeks along."
Neko sighed, "I just… I just don't know what I'm going to tell Kiba. He'll be mad that I didn't tell him how I was feeling sooner." All Sakura said was, "Neko… he's gonna love you no matter what, and I doubt he'll be mad. You know him better than most people, and he can't be mad at you, can he?" Neko smiled for a moment, holding her stomach, "No… he can't."
Sakura laughed, "Now… one more question… would you want it to be a girl or a boy?" Neko thought about it for a moment; she didn't really think about it. "A girl," she said, after a moment. "I would love to have a daughter." With that, she walked out of the hospital, holding her stomach, smiling. "A baby… I can't believe it."
A huge smile was plastered on her face, and a hand grabbed her arm, "So… is it true?" She looked up to see Shikamaru, and she asked, "What?" He smirked, "Huh… Kiba was worried like nothing else about you. I just want to know if you're actually preg-" Neko automatically punched him, "Shh. Does he know?" Shikamaru smirked, "He has no clue. He thought you were going to die."
Neko couldn't help but smile softly and whisper, "He's always worried about me. I was going to tell him later." He nodded, "Good idea. The kid's going insane. Speaking of kids… Temari sent me out to go pick up food half an hour ago! Shit… bye, Neko. Good luck." He took off, and Neko began walking toward her house, feeling less clumsy than she had been since she had realized how much she was changing.
She walked into her house, making sure to take her hands off of her stomach, and walked in. Kiba was lying on the couch, looking almost bored, but when he saw her, he nearly flew off of the couch and walked toward her. "Hi," he muttered, nervously. "Hi," she responded, using all of her strength not to hold her stomach.
Neko couldn't help but notice that he looked like he wanted to say everything that was on his mind, but was too proud to do so. "…Why'd you go to the hospital?" Kiba finally asked, making Neko's heart stop. "I just had to check something out. I… I'm sorry for telling you that I was going to Hinata's house, I just didn't want you to… to know…"
His eyes became sharp, "Know what?" Neko shook her head, "I can't tell you." Kiba's eyes became almost pissed off and he shrugged, walking away, "Fine." Neko wanted so desperately to tell him what was actually the matter, but it was as if she couldn't. She watched as Akamaru walked over to her, pushing his nose into her hand, telling her that he wanted to be pet. She did, and he whimpered something to her. Talon translated it to something along the lines of 'we know what's wrong. It's ok; Kiba will never stay mad at you for long.'
Neko nodded to the two animals, feeling almost mute, and walked into the kitchen. She grabbed a glass, and it was almost like déjà vu from the day before; Kiba walked into the room and dropped it. "You ok there, baby?" He asked, sounding concerned. Neko didn't bother to turn around as she began to pick up the scattered glass, "Yeah, I'm fine, Kiba."
She heard his footsteps stop behind her, "Tch. Why won't you tell me anything? It's like you're keeping secrets from me." Neko couldn't answer the question or the statement, because what he said was completely true. She couldn't tell him anything, because she was nervous, and she was keeping secrets from him.
When she didn't answer him, the tone in the room almost automatically changed. It was as if it suddenly got tense, and he growled, "Talk to me, baby. I wanna know what's wrong. Ok? Just tell me." She turned and saw him with his arms crossed across his chest. All that was in his eyes was pain, and it hit Neko; it hurt to not know what was wrong with her.
Neko sighed, and whispered, "I… um… I'll tell you later." Normally, Kiba probably would have been ok with that and walk away, but today was different. He knelt down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Tell me now," he growled. Neko's instinct kicked in as she pushed him away and slapped him, beginning to back away.
Realizing what she had done would probably make him beyond mad, she ran, trying her hardest not to do anything to hurt the baby, and locked herself in their room. Once inside, she let loose, crying her eyes out. "I'm so confused!" she wailed in her mind. "Dammit! What do I do? I can't tell him when he's mad at me!"
Kiba's POV
He chased her, at a slow pace, up the stairs. "Why the hell did she slap me? I didn't do anything… did I? She HAS been extremely sensitive these days, but… what happened just now was different. It was as if there was something else going on other than what's happening now."
Kiba arrived at their bedroom door, and heard Neko's soft cries from the inside. Instantly, he felt guilty. No matter how sensitive she was, he made her cry. No excuses. "Baby," he heard himself whisper. "I'm sorry." Her muffled reply could be heard, "Go away, Kiba." Go away. He felt instant pain at the thought of her not needing him at the moment, and whispered, "Baby… it's ok. Please… I just want to know-" "Leave me alone!" Her voice was rising, and Kiba knew better than to keep asking her questions.
"Sorry," he muttered, before backing away from the door, feeling kind of dizzy and wounded. In his nearly blind, sudden exhaustion, he almost tripped down the stairs. When he walked, stumbling every step, to the bottom, he sat down and put his head in his hands. "Dammit," he growled at himself. Akamaru came up to him and licked his hand.
Kiba looked up and Akamaru whimpered, "I'm sure there's a reason as to why she's acting this way." He nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I know. I just… I need to know. I don't know what's wrong, and it's killing me." The dog snorted, "You're an idiot! Put the pieces together!" The sentence made him think for a moment, and he shook his head, "There's nothing to put together, boy." Akamaru sighed, but said no more as he lay down at the bottom of the stairs.
Talon, however, suddenly jumped up and ran behind him.
Neko's POV
As soon as Kiba was gone, she felt automatically guilty. "I can't talk to him like this. I can't do it." She shook her head, holding her stomach, and felt a sharp pain right in the pit of her stomach. This made Neko flinch, and cry out softly. The pain disappeared in moments, and she stood up on her shaky feet. "All this drowsiness, all this clumsiness. I'm tired of it."
Almost silently, she walked out of the door, and at the bottom of the stairs, Kiba was talking to Akamaru, who lay down at the bottom of the stairs next to his feet. His elbows were on his knees, and his face was buried in his hands. He looked just about as upset as she felt, and she desperately wanted to confide in him and tell him how she felt.
Before she could make a decision on what to do, Talon came racing up to her, meowing and telling her that they should go to the park. "Why?" she whispered, trying to keep quiet enough that Kiba didn't see her. He didn't, and Talon told her that she wanted to know what was up with Neko in a place where no one else could overhear.
Neko merely nodded; after telling Talon what's up, maybe she could ask what she should do. They began to walk down the stairs, and Kiba turned to look at her. Neko tripped at the sight of his eyes; they looked pained and confused. It hurt to look at him.
After she and Talon passed him, they walked out of the front door to the park, which was literally in their backyard. Once she got to a comfortable spot, in front of the fountain, she looked into the setting sun and began to tell Talon exactly what was up.
Kiba's POV
His heart convulsed at her walking away, and once she left, Kiba stood up and turned to Akamaru, "I'm following her." But the white dog shook his head and whimpered, "She'll be back." Kiba growled, "What if she's not?" Akamaru whistled, "If she's not back in ten minutes, then we'll go find her." Irritated, he reluctantly agreed and sat back down, watching the door like a hawk.
Neko's POV
She finished telling Talon the story, and the cat mewed something along the lines of 'tell him while you can; take him here, to the park, and tell him. He's not mad at you, he's scared.' Neko's eyebrow rose, "Why is he scared?" Talon meowed that he thought she was going to die or something. Neko smiled softly, "Sounds about like him. Ok… you've convinced me as well as given me a little courage. Fine, I'll go do it."
The two walked, slowly, back to the purplish-gray house, and Neko held her stomach all of the way there.
Kiba's POV
Only about five minutes later, the door opened and Neko stepped back in, with Talon. "Told you," yawned Akamaru. Her eyes met his, and they were completely different; clearer than they had been in days. "Kiba," she asked. "Huh?" He stood up and walked up to her, and she smiled, "Would you come to the park with me?"
"Of course, baby." He murmured, only wanting to hug her but knowing he couldn't. Akamaru and Talon, who had jumped off of Neko's shoulder, were tailing them as they walked outside. The sun was setting, and everything was turning a yellowish-pink color. They stepped off of the porch and began to walk to the park, when Neko tripped and regained her balance.
Feeling automatic concern, he murmured, "Are you… sure you're ok, baby?" She turned and looked at him, "Yeah. I've just… just been kinda… kinda off. Nothing to worry about." Kiba sighed, "Ok." Neko looked at him, and took his hand, silently. When he looked down at her, she looked up at him with the clearest, most beautiful eyes that he had ever seen.
Neko's POV
"Exactly what am I going to say? I don't want to make it bland… I want to tell him, but… I don't know how. Heh, now I know how HE felt when he asked me to marry him." Neko was almost in turmoil, and she held his hand tighter without intending to. He looked down at her, "Is anything… wrong?" "No," she answered, quickly.
Kiba's eyebrows creased for a moment, and his mouth turned into a frown, but when she looked away, he looked away as well. They reached the park, and Neko sat down on a bench near the fountain, Kiba sitting next to her. The two animals were running around the fountain, and Neko realized that she had her hand on her stomach as she sat down.
Thinking fast, she removed it and before she could do anything, he muttered, "I'm sorry I made you cry. I didn't mean to." Neko nodded, "It's ok, Kiba. I'm sorry I cried. All of the pressure just-" "Dammit." His eyes became sharp again, "What pressure?"
Neko sighed, "There's something… that I want to… that I need to tell you." Kiba was attentive, and she whispered, "Well… as you apparently know, I went to the hospital instead of Hinata's house. Sorry for lying to you… I had to find some way that you wouldn't follow me, but you always follow me." She made it sound lighthearted, which made Kiba smile, "I know. Well… what'd you have to tell me?"
She took a deep breath, "I went to Sakura, and… well… she told me something that I've been suspecting for two weeks." His eyes became sharper, more worried than anything else, "Are you hurt or something?" Neko shook her head, "No." Kiba's eyes became puppy-like, "Then what is it?" Neko sighed, "Kiba… I'm… I'm… pregnant."
Kiba's eyes became almost tired, and they narrowed in almost confusion… or disbelief. He was silent for a moment, and that was all Neko needed to doubt her decision to tell him. "Does he not want me to be?" She thought desperately, but she was suddenly pulled into an embrace.
Kiba's POV
Every single suggestion that he had thought of was blown out of the water when her sentence registered in his mind. Everything was blank, and all he could think was, "Really?" His arms moved automatically, and he pulled Neko into a hold. "Not too tight," he warned himself. "You might hurt the baby."
Those words, even if not spoken aloud, made him smile. "Baby," he cooed. "Hmm?" She asked, pulling away from him just enough so that she could look into his eyes. "I love you, and I'm so, so proud of you." He placed his lips on hers, softly, and closed his eyes for a moment. He pulled away after a few seconds, and saw Akamaru and Talon looking at them almost excitedly.
Neko was still looking a bit uncertain, and he tilted his head, "What's wrong?" Her eyes met his, and there was no moment prior, and he was quite sure that there would be no moment in the future, that he wished for their child to have her eyes so intensely. They were wide and almost scared as she said, "I dunno what to do…"
Kiba laughed, "I'll help you. I promise. If you need something, I'll get it." Neko laughed, for the first time in what seemed like forever, and then smiled, "Hmm… does this mean that you'll leave me alone for once?" Kiba frowned, "You don't like it when I'm with you?" Neko took her hand and laid her hand on his neck, sending shivers down his spine, and causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up, "I love it when you're with me. I know you're gonna be so clingy."
He couldn't help but snort, "If you don't want me near you, then I'll walk away." "Doubt it," she whispered, before kissing him. They stayed like that for a moment, until she pulled away. Once Neko had pulled away, Kiba wrapped his arm around her body, "No, come here, baby," he whispered, pulling her toward him and kissing her again.
Neko's POV
She was so relieved that Kiba was happy about having a baby, and all she wanted was to stay there, making out with him, all night. The sun was beginning to set even more so, and she finally pulled away enough for him to sigh, "Fine."
They spent the next few moments in silence, until Kiba asked softly, "Why didn't you just tell me?" Neko shrugged, "It wouldn't come out. It's like the baby didn't want me to tell you yet." Kiba smiled and placed his hand on her stomach, "So… our baby… is inside of you?" Neko nodded, grabbing their necklace that was inside her shirt.
Kiba leaned in to kiss her cheek, "I love you both." Then, he cautiously lifted up her shirt enough to expose her naval, and kissed it gently. Neko blushed, and leaned her head on top of his shoulder. "We love you, too." She pecked his neck, and he groaned, "Why won't you let me make out with you?"
Neko sighed, "Because, for one, we're in public and you know how I am about that, and two… not in front of the baby." She watched him blush slightly, and he sighed, "I love you… so much."
Kiba's POV
"Why do you keep saying you love me?" Neko asked him, seeming happy. "Because, I want you to know." "But… I do know." Kiba sighed, "Then I'll stop." "No!" She said, loudly, and she cupped her hand over her mouth, a slight blush engulfing her face.
Before he could do anything, she asked, "Kiba… on a scale of 1-10… how protective will you be?" Confused, he asked, "Of who?" "Us," she said, glancing down at her stomach as she laid her hand on it. Kiba smiled, "Five hundred." Neko blushed, and he laid his hand over hers, making her blush even more deeply. "I won't let you do anything by yourself. So don't even think about it."
Her head snapped up, "But… you said-" Kiba smirked, "I've changed my mind, baby. What if you're home alone and something happens to you or our baby? I don't want that to happen." Neko seemed to give in, nodding, and he sighed in relief.
Suddenly, Neko looked up at him, "Kiba… I want a daughter." Feeling almost overwhelmed, he said, eyes widening, "I do, too." "Why?" She looked eager, and he sighed, "Because… I want her to look like you." Neko blushed, "Aww… you're so sweet, Kiba." He hugged her, loosely, as to not hurt the baby, "Meh… I can't help it. If it's a girl… I won't be able to say no to her. You might, but I can't."
"Why? Kiba, you're the most 'say no' person that I know." Kiba sighed, "If she looks like you, then I can't. It'd be like saying no to you, and you know how that always turns out." Neko kissed his cheek, "Yeah, I do." Talon jumped on his head, and Akamaru sat next to Neko, letting her rest her arm on him. "Which one do we get them?" Neko suddenly burst out.
Kiba sighed, "Baby, what are you talking about?" But she was looking at him frantically, "A cat or a dog? Which one do we get for them?" The question made Kiba widen his eyes, "Huh. I guess… both?" Neko sighed, "I dunno… that's a lot of work for one kid…"
"Baby… it's my offspring, too. It's won't be too hard for them, having my genes." She snorted, "What about mine?" They were about to fight, but Akamaru barked, "It's dark out and I'm cold." Kiba snorted, "Akamaru, you're always cold. Ok, baby, let's go back." Neko stood up, only to be picked up, "Kiba! Put me down, you idiot!" She hit him on the head, making him flinch, "But… I don't want you to hurt the baby."
He put on a pouting face, and she sighed, "Is it gonna be like this all throughout the pregnancy?" He nodded, evilly. "Yes, it will." They were silent as they walked back, and Neko muttered, "No matter what gender, we're getting that kid a jacket like you used to have." Kiba blushed, "Tch, pussy cat." "Psh, dog boy. I'm trying to come up with ideas, here!"
Kiba didn't feel anything except joy as he carried her back to their house, Akamaru and Talon rolling their eyes at each other as the happy couple walked and bickered, back to the purplish-gray house.
Heh. The next chapter, I have a feeling, is going to be my ABSOLUTE favorite chapter. Don't ask me why, but I have some really good ideas for it. The next chapter is the last chapter though D: No matter… looks like I'll have to continue with some other stories, and/or make one-shots and new stories! Guess after the last chapter, you'll have to look for a different one of my works! :'( I really liked this chapter… Rate/Review!
