ACADEMY DAYS XII - AZUKI AND SHOHEI

Hatake household

At eight months pregnant, now's an important period for Anko. It's been becoming increasingly difficult for her to continue her daily life as much as she's tried not to let it affect her. She was warned, of course, that she needs to rest more but resting means more time to worry and worry is not something she's really done in a long time.

However, the time has come where she has no choice. If this baby is to come out good and healthy, she's got to listen to the medics. Thankfully, she's had help in warding the boredom away.

"Thanks for coming so often." Anko grunts as she tries to stand up to fetch the coffee from the pot.

Kurenai stops her and goes to do it herself. "No need for thanks. I know all too well what this time is like so I figured you'd need support. Or someone to talk to, at the very least." She chuckles.

"Yeah, well, I'm thankful, anyway. Who knew having a baby took this much effort." Anko raises her feet on a stool, getting into a comfier position. "Can't even get my guest coffee."

"Plenty of women know, Anko." Kurenai takes a cup from one of the cupboards and sips herself some coffee. "Don't tell me you came into this thinking it'd be easy. I could've told you otherwise."

"Not like we really planned for it to happen, you know. It just… happened." She tries to look behind the couch to the kitchen where Kurenai is but realizes it'd require too much movement for now.

"I noticed. You got pregnant before anyone could even process you two are an item." Kurenai walks back to the table, cup of coffee in hand.

Anko winces. "Was it really that fast?"

"I suppose? Then again, I've never known you as someone to take things slow. I just didn't think that would also translate to…" Kurenai gestures to her belly, "This."

Anko sighs and leans her head back. "I rushed into it, didn't I? Got too involved too quick and now there's no time to second guess."

Kurenai raises a brow. "Are you second guessing? Do you and Kakashi not want a baby."

"Yes. I mean no. I mean… we both want it, just... maybe we should've waited. We barely even knew what our relationship was before it got to the baby part. We'd never even been in a serious relationship before all this." Anko runs her hands across her face and groans.

"Hey, hey." Kurenai moves to sit closer to her, taking her hand for comfort. "You can't let yourself get trapped in that mindset. It's not going to help you nor Kakashi nor little Azuki. When you see her cute face and little fingers, it'll all wash away, I promise."

Anko smiles. "Maybe. Is that how it was for you?"

"More or less. I was so worried about what I'd do without Asuma, but with the help of Taisaku, Shikamaru, and even Konohamaru… I wasn't as lost as I thought I'd be. I'm sure it'll be the same with you; you'll see all your worries were for nothing. I know both you and Kakashi and I know you'll be amazing parents together."

"Oh, honey, we'll be the best." Anko laughs. "Kakashi's been… way different than the person we all know him as. More open about himself, more gentle, more attentive to other people's needs and wants…"

"That sounds great." Kurenai smiles.

"So I had to slap him around to tell him to knock it off."

"Wha- Why?!" Kurenai has to heavily restrain herself from smacking a pregnant woman over the head.

"'Cause it was really freaky! Felt like I was cheating with some guy disguised as Kakashi." Anko shudders.

"Every woman's dream come-true and you punish him for it." Kurenai shakes her head. "I feel sorry for Kakashi. Truly. Speaking of, where is he?"

"Out on Jonin Commander business somewhere. Fixing team assignments, checking rotations, barking orders…" She snorts. "Get it? Barking, 'cause of the-"

"Because of the dogs, yeah, I got it." Kurenai says dryly.

"Ah, where's your sense of humour." Anko playfully smacks her on the shoulder and begins the difficult progress of getting up to her feet.

"Anko, sit down. I'll get whatever you need."

"No chance!" With a lot of pained groans, Anko gets up to her feet and goes to the kitchen to get herself some coffee.

Kurenai sighs. "I was literally just there, Anko, you could've told me you wanted a cup, too."

"I'm not entirely defenceless just yet; can get my own damn cup."

"If I'm going to come here, at least let me help you a little." Kurenai resigns herself. There's just no winning with this woman.

She nestles into the sofa with her coffee, ready for a movie marathon. What better way to stave off boredom than to glue your eyes to a TV set and escape reality? A total of 5 Princess Gale movies to go through, for about over 10 hours of watchtime. This is going to be quite the long day.

As she grabs the remote control for the TV, a crash from the kitchen immediately sends her to her feet.

"What happened?" She quickly turns around and makes her way there to check up on Anko.

Inside, she finds her friend fallen to her knees in front of a broken cup of coffee, holding her stomach and groaning in pain. Anko tries to grab onto the counter to steady herself but only ends up slipping to her side.

Kurenai rushes over to her to help her up to her feet. "What happened?!" It's only then that she notices the tiles under her are drenched in water. Her eyes widen in shock as the realization dawns on her. "Anko, you're…"

-x-

Uzumaki household

With Kurenai wanting to spend the day with Anko, that left young Mirai needing a babysitter or babysitters in this case.

Hinata was more than happy to volunteer for the task, being free from her ambassadorial duties. She'd wanted to spend more time with the toddler, anyway, so this proved a good opportunity for it.

Recently there's been something nudging her at the back of her mind. A sense of yearning, something she wants more than anything. Maybe it hasn't been entirely recent. Maybe it started nudging her nearly two years ago, when Kotori came into their lives; the desire for a family. It didn't really stick with her before since they had to focus on performing missions for other villages; they had a job to do on top of learning how to be a somewhat odd family of three.

Now, however, they're home. They're still busy but their feet are more firmly planted and she has more time to think about their situation of living together despite only dating and having a daughter who's old enough to be their sister more than anything. Of course, she's happy with their situation and loves Kotori as a daughter with all her heart, but having the time to consider her future and especially seeing Shizune, Anko, and even their once-enemy Guren pregnant… A part of her is longing for that, too. A full family picture.

Her volunteering to babysit was also for a somewhat selfish reason. She wanted to experience caring for a child, even if only for a day. It's nowhere near enough for anyone to get a clearer picture as to whether they're ready, and she's fully aware of that, but it's still something she wants to do for herself. She might owe Kurenai an apology later. Still, a day of just her and Mirai was the plan.

Or… that was the plan.

As it turns out, Naruto has an off day today, as does Kotori.

Right now, Naruto is very awkwardly holding Mirai and carrying her around the room so she can get a closer look at all the high places.

Kotori's walking with him, with a clearly worried expression. "You're holding her wrong, she'll fall."

"Ehh? She won't fall, I have quick reflexes, you know!" Naruto reassures her.

Kotori puffs out her cheeks and holds up her arms. "Gimme."

Naruto sighs and lowers Mirai so Kotori can hold her. "What's got you so huffy, anyway?"

"Toddlers' skin is soft, it bruises easily." She adjusts Mirai to sit more comfortably against her chest. "Honestly, it's a good thing I was old enough to take care of myself when you adopted me." She sighs.

"Oi…" Naruto lets out a hurt complaint.

Mirai whines and holds her arms up. "Wanna go up!"

Naruto flashes a playful grin. "See? She doesn't wanna be with you, shorty."

Hinata giggles and walks over to them. "No fighting in front of Mirai." She leans down to brush the little girl's hair. "What do you want, Mirai?"

Mirai points up to one of the smaller shelves, which some might find odd has only a single book, 'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi', placed on it and not much else besides a singular blue origami flower. "Wanna read story. Mama reads lotsa stories."

Naruto takes the book off its shelf. "This one, huh? You got really good taste, Mirai! This one's my favourite." Naruto sits on the ground, pressing his back against the sofa. "The character's really awesome."

"I suppose the character's name has nothing to do with that?" Hinata teases.

Naruto sticks out his tongue. "Maybe."

Kotori and Hinata sit down on both his sides, with Kotori placing little Mirai on her lap to see the book. Hinata locks her arms with Naruto's and leans her head on his shoulder.

Kotori leans forward and looks them over. "You two aren't gonna get weird in front of Mirai, right?"

Hinata's face turns beet red. "O-Of course not! Why would you say such a thing?" She hides a bit behind Naruto's larger form.

"Just making sure." Kotori chuckles.

Naruto flicks her ear. "Cheeky lil' brat, ain'tcha?"

Just as they're about to sit down for Naruto to read a book that's… honestly probably not for a two year old, although certain parts can be skipped, the portable radio switches on. Similar to the kinds they use on missions, these ones are mostly for personal use and in this case, was for Hinata to contact Kurenai in case something happens with Mirai and mama bear needs to rush over.

What she wasn't expecting was for Kurenai to check in on them this early on.

"Hinata! Are you there?" Kurenai's voice comes through.

Hinata gets up and answers. "I'm here, sensei. Do you need something?"

"I know it's a long shot, but can you find Kakashi?" Kurenai sounds off, and it's not the staticy radio, she sounds like she's been running.

"I… don't know. I can try to look for him with my Byakugan but it's a longshot. Why, what happened?"

By this point, Naruto has stood up, slightly concerned that she's asking for his sensei with such an urgency to her voice.

"It's Anko! She's going into labour; we need to tell Kakashi."

"Wh-What?!" Hinata squeezes onto the radio and holds it closer to her face. "Are you sure? Isn't it far too early?"

"I'm sure! Can you find Kakashi?" She repeats.

Naruto presses the button to respond. "I can."

"Naruto? Good. Tell him I'm taking her to the hospital right now."

Naruto sits down on the carpet, crossing his legs and bringing his hands together, remaining perfectly still.

Mirai tries to break away from Kotori to go to him but is stopped.

"No, Mirai. Uncle Naruto needs to focus." Kotori brushes her hair.

"I can focus, too!" Mirai affirms and tries to copy Naruto's pose. She's… less than successful.

Kotori giggles. "I'm sure you can."

After a few moments of silence, Naruto gathers all the natural energy he needs and enters [Sage Mode]. He doesn't move from his position and instead focuses even more. Wading through all the chakra signatures within his reach to find a specific one.

When he does, he jumps up to his feet, "Found him," And heads for the door.

"Wait, I'm coming with you." Hinata begins to follow but stops in her tracks when she remembers one very important detail. "Mirai…" She looks back to the toddler, in a clear bind.

"I can look after her!" Kotori says. "I looked after a lot in the orphanage, I know how."

Hinata bites her lip in frustration. "No, I promised Kurenai-sensei I'd take care of Mirai today. I can't leave thatNaruto, go."

Naruto nods.

Deciding this is urgent enough to require as fast a speed as possible, he enters with [Chakra Mode], his entire body instantly lighting up with orange chakra. "I'll call you over the radio." And with that, she disappears in a flash.

Hidden Leaf Hospital labour ward

Today is both a joyous and stressful day for the medical staff. While there's more than enough work to go around, everyone is eager to receive news from the labour ward, where currently Shizune is giving birth. She's trained many of the staff here and even the ones who were already part of the medical unit, she helped their skills grow exponentially. There's no doubt that Shizune is the most beloved person in this hospital so they all want to know that everything is going well.

Inside the labour ward itself, Tsunade, Sakura, and a handful of the best medics around are tending to Shizune. She's lying on the bed, legs spread with Iruka standing right beside her, having his hand squeezed into paste.

Shizune lets out a guttural scream that resonates through the corridors outside.

"You're doing great, Shizune." Tsunade talks her through the process. "Keep at it."

Sakura checks one of the machines from which jutsu formulae spread onto the bed the mothers lie in. A sheet of paper is constantly being printed, with new information on the subject being added, monitoring vitals and overall condition.

"All's clear, Lady Tsunade." Sakura informs.

Tsunade nods in affirmation before turning her attention back to her ward. "Alright, I need you to push."

"I've been doing nothing but push!" Shizune yells.

Iruka leans down and holds her hand up to his chest. "Just a little more, dear. You got this."

Shizune yanks him closer, still holding him in a death grip. "I don't need fake encouragement right now, Iruka!" She lets out another scream.

The doors to the room swing open, a medic hurriedly bursting through. "Lady Tsunade!"

The Hokage clicks her tongue. "What part of don't disturb me under any circumstance did not stick with you?!"

"But… My Lady," The man tries to explain. "It's Anko Mitarashi. She's giving birth."

"What?! How! She's only in her eighth month!" Tsunade feels like hitting something in frustration but nothing hittable is really around. "Damnit, Anko, you have the worst timing…"

"My Lady." Sakura places her hands on her robes, ready to untie them. "With your permission."

"Go. Sukui, Io, you're with her. Get whoever else is around."

"Yes, ma'am." A larger man, Io, and a much shorter woman, Sukui, head for the door.

The three of them take off their robes and place them in a basket just outside of the room. Everything they were wearing inside is to be changed, sterilized, they themselves are to be sterilized- that involves heavily a lot of water and a lot of soap, and only then can they leave to go to where Anko was taken. Then, they need to repeat the sterilization process and don their new robes.

They try to do this as quickly as they possibly can so they can get to their patient

-x-

Hidden Leaf

Two flashes of orange zoom over the people walking through the streets, fast enough to generate wind that blows away anything light enough and not held down in place. No one is able to see these two shapes in time or recognize what they are.

And what they are, are Naruto Uzumaki, still in his [Chakra Mode], and Kakashi Hatake, his flak jacket glowing orange just like Naruto's entire self while a layer of orange chakra surrounds his body.

Kakashi clenches his fist. "This time… I can't be late no matter what. Obito, Rin, watch over them."

Hidden Leaf Hospital waiting room

Five hours later

Naruto paces in a circle, following the same steps he has for an annoyingly long time now. He's biting his finger and muttering incomprehensibly.

When he passes by the bench, Kurenai grabs his sleeve. "Naruto, would you please sit down? You're giving me a headache."

"But what's taking them so long? What if something went wrong and they don't wanna tell us!" Naruto fears the worst. Somehow he's more nervous right now than when his life is at stake.

"If something was wrong, we'd have heard about, and this is how deliveries usually go. Mine was even longer." Kurenai tugs him to finally sit down.

He lets himself be pulled and decides to try following the sensei's advice. Of course, he's still worries so his leg starts twitching but that's quickly put an end to when Kurenai places a hand on his knee to stop it from moving.

"Sorry." Naruto rubs the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I did not take you for a worrier, I have to say." Kurenai chuckles.

"I guess… it's an important day, y'know? Both Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are becoming dads. On the same day!"

"I suppose those two do mean a lot to you, huh?" Kurenai leans back in her seat. "But that's all the more reason to keep your cool and be there for them, okay?"

"Right." He nods firmly.

"Sensei!" They both whip around at Hinata's voice coming down the corridor.

A while ago Kurenai called through the radio to tell her to come here with Mirai. She heard from Naruto, and she had plenty of time to talk with Naruto, that she'd been firm in staying home to look after Mirai. Not wanting to keep the girl cooped up while Naruto is out here worrying, she called her over.

"Mama!" Mirai runs over to Kurenai, with Kotori following close behind to make sure she doesn't fall.

Kurenai leans down and picks up her daughter. "Hey, honey. Did you have fun?"

"Yep!" Mirai nods. "We read really books!"

"Oh? You can tell me all about them." Kurenai smiles.

"Are you sure about this, Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata worries as she usually does.

"I'm sure. Besides, I think he needs taking care of more than Mirai." She points to Naruto.

"Hey…" Naruto protests.

Hinata chuckles and sits down next to her boyfriend. "I'm sure he does."

"So, are they here yet?" Kotori looks at the large door they're waiting in front of.

"Not yet."

For the next hour, Mirai was starting to get a bit agitated so Kurenai had to take a few long walks to get her to calm down a bit. Besides that, the group awaits patiently for news about the mothers and the babies. It thankfully doesn't take long before someone comes to them.

Sakura takes off her mask and flashes the largest grin she's ever grinned. "You can come see them now."

-x-

Lying in two beds, side to side, Shizune and Anko hold their children. Wrapped up in soft blankets, the two babies stir between consciousness and sleep, neither side taking the definitive win. Both of them are tired, exhausted, and fatigued but seeing their kids' faces just… washes all of that away.

Iruka is sitting by Shizune's pillow, not at all concerned about the waterfalls streaming from his eyes. He brings his finger closer to his son's smooshy face. The newborn reaches out with his tiny finger and tries to grab on.

Iruka laughs. "Careful you don't inherit your mom's death grip."

Shizune winces. "Sorry about that."

He shakes his head. "It's fine. I can't even imagine what it must've been like. Can I…" He holds out both hands toward their son.

Shizune smiles and lifts the baby so Iruka can take him. He gently wraps his arms around him and holds him close. "Hello, Shohei." He leans down to kiss him on the forehead.

On the neighboring bed, Anko looks up to Kakashi who's standing by the bed. "Do you want to hold Azuki?"

"I'm… afraid to." Kakashi admits.

Anko raises a brow. "Afraid? What does Kakashi Hatake have to be afraid of?"

"That I'll drop her. That she won't want me." He takes a small step back, his uncertainty getting the better of him. "That… I won't be a good father…"

"You idiot." Anko herself had very similar thoughts just earlier that day but somehow hearing them from a person who's normally so sure of himself like Kakashi makes it seem like a foolish fear. Maybe Kurenai felt the same way when she had to listen. Anko grabs him by the hem of the shift and pulls him closer. "Get over here, kiss your wife, and hold your daughter. We're gonna raise the best damn kid this village has seen, got that?"

Kakashi laughs. "Yes, ma'am." He pulls down his mask to do just as instructed. He sits down by her side and kisses her warmly. With still a slight hint of worry, he takes Azuki in his shaking arms and smiles up to his ears when her eyes meet his. "Hey."

The two new families have only a moment more to themselves before the room fills with people. Sakura leads them in with Naruto walking right behind her. The two recoil in shock and terror when they see their maskless sensei, needing to prop themselves against the wall.

"AHHH, HE HAS A FACE!" They couldn't have said it in better unison if they'd rehearsed it.

Shizune immediately shushes them both. "Don't yell around babies; you know this, Sakura."

"Ah… Sorry." She lets out an apologetic whisper.

"Who has a face?" Kurenai walks in with Mirai in her arms. She looks around to see where their gaped jaws are directed. "Of course he has a face, what're you talking about?"

Hinata enters last with Kotori, who runs over to gush over the cute babies, first going to Iruka and stepping on her toes to get a better look. Iruka lowers Shohei slightly so the poor girl doesn't have to strain herself too much.

Naruto takes one careful step at a time toward Iruka, not wanting to get on Shizune's bad side again. He goes next to Iruka and the moment he sees little Shohei, the widest of smiles shines across his face.

"This is… Shohei?"

"It is." Iruka holds him up. "Would you like to hold him?"

Naruto nods stiffly. "Yeah." With slow movements, Naruto takes Shohei in his arms, using his arm as a rest and holding his tiny head up with his free hand.

Kotori was about to correct him but he seemed to figure out how to do it on the first try.

"He's so small." Naruto whispers, afraid of stirring him awake.

Shizune smiles at how gentle and peaceful they're being. "He'll grow big before we know it."

Meanwhile, Kurenai walks over to Anko and Kakashi. "Congratulations." She says with a bright smile.

"Thank you." Kakashi bows his head lightly. "And thank you for getting her here in time. I… was in a rush before, so I couldn't properly express it…"

Kurenai chuckles. "That's fine."

Mirai walks up to Kakashi and holds up her hands as high as she can. "Can I see? Can I?"

"Of course." Kakashi kneels down to let Mirai see her junior.

Hinata kneels down with them. "You were this small, too, Mirai."

The toddler looks up in awe. "Really?"

"Kakashi-sensei, may I?" Hinata reaches over asking for permission to hold Azuki.

"Of course." He hands the baby over to her who's more than familiar enough with how to properly hold a newborn.

Naruto grins and walks over, bringing the two babies closer. "Shohei, have you met Azuki yet? You two are gonna be best friends, right?"

"They're gonna be more than that." Anko laughs. "I'll personally chase away any girl that comes near Shohei. Only Azuki is the right girl for him!"

"Don't go deciding that on your own!" Shizune chastises her.

A much lighter mood fills the air as laughter fills the room. The joy of a new life coming into the world, the joy of people you care deeply about finding love and being there for each other.

As Naruto holds Shohei and as he watches Hinata hold Azuki, a warmth fills his heart and a burning desire for something more. If he feels like this when his sensei become fathers, then what will it be like to be one himself.

For a brief moment, his world consists of only them two holding the babies and he can't think of anything that would make him happier.

"Alright, everyone." Sakura lightly claps her hands; just enough to grab everyone's attention. "I need to take those babies for their check-ups and the mothers need to rest."

She takes the babies off Naruto and Hinata's hands and lays them down in a special cart made just for wheeling newborns around the hospital.

Uzumaki residence

Rather than heading home, Kotori made it her top priority to head right for Yokumaru and Shoto to tell them about everything that happened today and the absolute whirlpool of emotions they went through. That left Naruto and Hinata alone for the moment.

Closing the front door, Naruto leans back, his mind racing through everything that happened. He can still feel Shohei's body on his arm, the sensation of holding a new life in your hands. It was such a scary notion that something that small and defenceless could exist but at the same time, it felt right.

Hinata has the same train of thought running through her mind. She got as far as to leave her vest on the sofa when she began thinking about how much happiness filled her soul while holding the newborn.

Everything she felt before has been reaffirmed. She no longer has any doubt about wanting a family of her own.

She straightens her back and takes a deep breath, needing a moment to get back to her senses.

Before she can, Naruto walks up to her and wraps his arms around her, pressing her body against his as much as he can.

"Naruto?" She looks up to him in confusion.

He presses his forehead against hers. "Y'know, when we were in there… Even though it was a big moment for Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei, all I could think about was myself."

"In… what way?" She raises a brow.

"It's like, I was just thinking 'Wow, this feels right', y'know? I didn't wanna let go and just wanted to stay like that with you."

Hinata pulls herself away from the hug and turns around to face him. "Naruto, w-what are you saying?"

"I'm saying…" Hegently cups her face and brings himself closer again, this time looking her directly in the eyes. "I want us to be a family, officially. I want us to have kids of our own, to grow old together. So… Will you marry me, Hinata?"

She's barely able to contain her excitement; tears rolling down her cheeks. "Yes, of course!"

-x-

"Ah, if Ino asks, could you… not tell her I asked you in the living room?"

Hinata giggles. "Sure."

Trivia

The original plan was for a heavily pregnant Shizune to deliver Anko's baby before herself going into labour, kind of to show off how badass Shizune is. Thinking on it a bit more, it didn't make sense to me that Tsunade and/or Sakura wouldn't be around to do it, since they're both heavily invested in these pregnancies.

CHAPTER 16 REWRITE

It's not a full rewrite and it probably still needs a lot of work, but Chapter 16 'Hidden Leaf Break' has some new added scenes to it:

- More dialogue between Tsunade and Naruto & Hinata.

- More dialogue between Hiashi and Hinata.

- New scene of Sakura and Karin treating Yokumaru's mom.

- New scene between Kurenai and Hinata, and Kotori and Yokumaru playing with Mirai.

- New scene between Naruto and Iruka & Shizune where he learns they're a couple.