All of it was so... stunning. Like getting slapped in the forehead unexpectedly. To some, this was probably the worst outcome ever. Jiraiya was a father. He's a parent. Heh, even now it sounds weird. Baby. He has a baby. A daughter. A little baby girl. She's perfect in every way and he never knew he could love something so much. Hayami... that was the winning name so far. It meant rare beauty. What else could fit his beautiful daughter? She's so perfect he can't deal.

She took so long to get here. And now that she was here, he was absolutely stunned. All he wants to do is touch her but he's scared to. Babies are so fragile. She can't even hold her head up! How can he be expected to hold such a little thing? A fierce feeling of protectiveness overtook Jiraiya. Just as a sudden grim thought passed his mind. None shall harm her. Even if she is fragile, she has her father to protect her. No one will dare mess with his kid if they want to live. That goes for you as well. No one will live if they harm his family. He'd go to great lengths to protect them. It's the best thing in his life, he can't and won't lose them. His heart couldn't take it.

Speaking of you, Jiraiya looks over to the other side of the room. You are still asleep. Shifting only slightly in your kingdom of pillows before settling back down. You really are amazing. Squeezing out a kid was hell on the body. You took it like a champ. You endured hours of pain. Hours of clutching onto your husband and begging for it to end. You almost gave up. You clung onto Jiraiya and cried. You only wanted it to end and if he wasn't there you would have been in a much worse place. It was all new and scary. He was the calmness you needed. He told you that it was going to be alright. He told you that over and over. He never wavered. No matter how hard to squeezed his hand or cursed at him. He took it all with a smile, because he knew you didn't mean it. Labor is just one cruel bitch. Such an overwhelming sense of relief washed over you when the cries of a newborn finally filled the room. And the announcement filled you with joy.

"It's a girl!" Jiraiya practically screamed he was so excited. His whole face was lit up with joy. It's an expression you haven't seen on him in years. He held you closely as the baby was handed to you. "Look at her..." He gently felt her cheek. "She's beautiful."

You were a mess. You cried, but couldn't stop smiling. And there was that magical moment where your baby stopped her crying and just stared at you. She has big black eyes. Just like her father. They look so curious. Locked in a staring match with you. You couldn't look away. You felt a kiss pressed to the top of your head. The secure arm of your husband braced under yours and helped you handle the weight of the baby. You held her for what felt like an eternity. You were caught in an endless moment in time. Your newborn on your chest. Your husband holding you tightly. It was the start of your perfect family.

Little coos brought his attention back to his baby. Jiraiya focused back on Hayami. He smiled. He couldn't help but smile whenever he looked at her. He had to put the onesie on her as soon as he could and it was the greatest thing in the world. She was stirring from her rest. Her face twisted in a cringe and she began to cry. Her limbs wiggled about as her cries gained in volume. Oh. Okay! It's okay! Ever so gently, Jiraiya scooped her up. His brows in a tense furrow as he focused. It looked more like he was defusing a bomb than picking up his baby. But he's only ever held a baby like once before. It's harder than it looks! He supported her head with one hand and her back with the other. Baby cries are precious but also the most heartbreaking sounds in the world. The weak 'wahs' she made made his heart hurt. Now he really understands why parents work so hard to comfort their children. He rocked her up and down. It was probably futile, but he tried to hush her with quiet words of comfort.

"Come on, kiddo. You'll wake your mom up." Jiraiya somewhat whined to his baby. You had just fallen asleep.

It seemed to calm her for a moment. She quieted down at the new sound. The sound of her father's voice. It's a little foreign. It's deep and pleasant. It doesn't keep her quiet for long as she began to wail to the best of her ability. It's loud enough to rise you from sleep.

You rise like the dead, sitting up slowly and almost robotic as the only thing that moves if your upper half. You already have your arms outstretched ready to take her. Your hair is a mess and you don't even have your eyes open yet. Muttered and slurred from being half asleep, you demand to know where your baby is.

"I got her, dear." Jiraiya told you. He looked you up and down. He does smile a little. It's kinda funny to see you like this. You're usually put together quite nicely. But now you're a mess. Not that he can blame you. You had a baby after all. You're his wife, he's seen you in all kinds of states and he can't help love it.

"Give her to me. She's probably hungry." You motion your hands towards you.

"Alright."

He very carefully drops Hayami off into your awaiting arms. You smile and cradle her against your breast. Now for the interesting part. You ain't sure how this is done. Wow... at least she knew. Hayami latched and got right to it.

"Whoa. This feels weird." You spoke your mind on the matter.

"Oh?" Jiraiya asked. He sunk down beside you and stretched. He snuck his arm around your back and settled into the pillows. "Weirder then when I suck on them?"

"Jiraiya! Inappropriate." You scolded him.

He just laughed before shutting his eyes. He kept shifting as he tried to get comfortable. It was hard. He wants to rest but he's also very excited and his brain won't shut off. His hand mindlessly stroked your side as he simply rested his eyes. You lean against him as you pay attention to your baby. She's feeding well. Thank goodness. So far, Hayami was a very chill baby. A very cute one too. She was going to grow up to be a very pretty girl version of her father. That much was easy to tell already. Her dark eyes were watching you, sparkly and curious. Her nose is of a similar shape to his. She has these very fine short white hairs on her head. It seems Jiraiya's genes dominated the pool. Which was fine. It'll be quite cute to see him with his little clone of a daughter.

Can't you just see a little girl with bright white hair that stuck out in every direction smiling the same 'I'm totally innocent' smile as her father? They would both beam at you in the same way whilst having something behind their backs as they are clearly hoping their charming smile will make you forget to ask what they are doing. And he would get her into trouble. Jiraiya was going to be the fun parent. That was pretty much set in the stars given his personality. The one that encouraged his children to disobey in a harmless way. To break a rule and have fun under his supervision. Most fathers were like that. But it would suck to be the rule enforcer, as most mothers are. Hopefully Hayami won't have a taste for trouble like her father did. But a bit of rebellion won't be so bad. A kid gotta live while life was still about games and fun. Jiraiya did so with his team when he first got them. He turned a blind eye when his youngsters pulled pranks. He probably helped on most occasions. He wanted them to have a bit of fun before reality set in. Even if it was small, it was a noble act and his team learned to appreciate it. Isn't life supposed to be a bit childish and fun sometimes?

"Do you think she'll have markings like yours?" The thought crossed your mind.

"Hm... The ones on my face?" Jiraiya asked. He cracked an eye open to look at the baby in your arms, her eyes currently free of any red lines. He didn't see his until he was about four.

"No, the ones on your ass."

He snorted in amusement. Even sleep deprived your sarcasm will round the corner when he least expects.

"Who knows. She'll be cute either way." He answers with a half shrug.

That's true. But it would be extra perfect if she had her father's markings. Those iconic red lines that ran down her cheeks and curved when she grinned. Hm... perhaps you should get her a set of haori hakama that compliments her father. Maybe in yellow and pink. Or black and crimson. Now that would be great. The great toad sage and his daughter. Both posing in the same way and playing the same speech. Her loose clothing catching the wind as she span. Where she would flip her long white hair, stick her hand out in front of her, and hop on one foot as he introduced herself in the same over the top way her father does.

That was still many years away. The future held many good things. But for now, it was best to enjoy the challenges of a baby. It's time to take it day by day. Hayami finished up and you set her on your shoulder to gently rub her back.

Once you were sure she was okay and wiped up any spit up, you cradle her back against your chest. You yawned. Gosh this new parent thing is exhausting. You sink down into the pillow pile and cuddle up to Jiraiya. He was more than happy to pull you closer against him. To your surprise, he actually took Hayami from you. You let him. He needs to get comfortable with holding her and bonding with her. The fucking dork went completely tense the first time he held her. But the tension faded when he made eye contact with her. The sense of strangeness faded as Hayami was stuck staring at him just as intensely as he was staring at her. She knew exactly who he was and it made him smile. He tugged on the folds of his kosode and wrapped it around his daughter. She made a small noise but was content to drift back to sleep against him. His warmth, heartbeat, and vibrations from his voice helped her sleep.

"Is that how we're going to travel?" You ask. You stroke Hayami's soft head. "It's cute to see her all snuggled up against your chest."

"We aren't traveling for a while." Jiraiya reminded you. "You need to recover."

And he needs to protect you. He's still rather anxious about this whole baby thing. At least here on the mountain he had more control over things while he figured out how to dad. No enemies. Nothing to fear. He looks down. It is very cute to see his baby snoozing against his chest. He wouldn't mind traveling around with a baby tucked snuggly against him. The only thing visible under his kosode being an ear poking out. At least he knows they're safe. Hm... maybe the next one. But not now. That too is many years away.

"I know. But it's not like we're staying here for years." You pause and look at him. "Right?"

"A year at the most isn't asking a lot, is it?"

"No. I guess not." You agree. It would be nice to have a break from all the traveling. Especially now that you had to figure out how to mom.

It's safe here. Raising a baby on the mountain can't be so bad. There's an army of over protective toads and one giant over protective man ready to guard you and Hayami. Jiraiya perks his lips to ask for a kiss. You peck him with a quick one. He yawned right afterwards. His yawn made you yawn. You wrap an arm around his torso and cuddle into his side. You rest your head on his shoulder and you could watch your baby from this angle. Her face was turned to the side and her big chubby cheek was squished against Jiraiya's chest. He slowly rubbed her back and head to help lull her into a deep sleep. His head tilts and rests on top of yours. It's peaceful, for now. It's time to enjoy these little moments and look forward to the future. Soon you'll get to see exactly the type of person your daughter will grow to be. And with the influence of her father, she'll turn out great.