Sorry this took so long to update. Just finding the drive to write has been really hard right now. I wrote it in small chunks just to get something written but didn't want to force myself and have a horrible chapter. Hope you like it.
-
The walk back home was quiet. Home? It really had become my home these past 18 weeks. Would I even be able to leave after this? Konoha the place I grew up, the place I thought I would grow old.
Then the whole situation with Kimiko. Who is this mysterious Akio? We just seemed to get more questions than answers now.
With everything happening I felt worthless, My training had been slacking ever since I got pregnant. Partly my fault, partly things out of my control. When we arrived at the front door I made up my mind and headed to the sparring grounds.
"What are you doing?" Gaara asked trailing after me.
"I need to train." Yes I was pregnant but as long as I didn't go overboard everything would be fine.
"No."
I spun around and glared at him. "You don't get to decide."
Gaara stepped closer to me trying to intimidate me. "You're pregnant."
"Who is the medic? I can train all I want." I squared my shoulders refusing to back down.
"I forbid it."
I could feel my anger flare. Training was the only way I could protect my child and myself. "I need to do this. How can I protect them otherwise." Arms wrapped around me as tears started to fall from my eyes. "I just feel useless." I was always having people protect me. Yes I was one of the best healers there was out there but my combat skills were always being surpassed by everyone else.
In my genin days Naruto and Sasuke were always protecting me. Even when I went against Sasori if Chiyo hadn't been there I would have lost.
"I just can't keep being weak." My body shook as tears kept falling from my eyes. I felt fingers running through my hair trying to sooth me.
I felt my stomach churn. It felt like every time I got over upset my stomach was in knots. Forcing myself away from Gaara I started dry heaving. I needed to calm down or I would really get sick.
A handle started rubbing circles on my back. The smallest gesture was helping to calm me. "Sorry.
"You can train."
My back straightened and I stared at him. "You sure." I nearly whispered. Afraid he would change his mind.
He nodded and walked away. I leaned against a wall waiting for the pounding in my chest to fully calm. Sighing I headed towards the kitchen. A glass of water was a must before I headed out for a light training session.
Gaara changed his mind and I was thankful. I wasn't planning on anything too strenuous but some chakra training and use of the training dummy to keep up my endurance.
I wasn't one that dealt much with pregnant women back in Konoha but it was part of my training. While pregnant a constant stream of the mother's chakra was being supplied to the baby which made using chakra more dangerous. With my excellent chakra control I should be able to find my limit without putting my child at risk.
Chakra usage was my main focus of this. Even physical attacks used up some chakra so it was best to do my endurance training first.
Planting my feet into the ground I punched the dummy. Feeling my fist make contact released a lot of emotions I didn't even know I had. A lot of anger that had been building. I swung my leg up and landed a kick but stumbled nearly falling. My center of balance was off because of the extra weight. That was something else I had to take into account. Every attack had to land but not leave my stomach open. Every kick had to account for the extra weight so I needed to adjust. Every punch needed to shift to make sure it had the most impact.
Once I reached the limit I set for myself I chugged the rest of my water and sat in the shade. I gave myself a few minutes to relax before I went into my chakra training. My goal was to expel my chakra until I felt my levels start to change. My child was taking a constant stream of my chakra so if my chakra got to a certain point I should feel a shift before it got dangerously low. Then as long as I stayed above that level I could use my chakra freely without risking anything.
I crossed my legs and closed my eyes. Palms faced up on my knees as a steady stream of chakra was released. Honestly I wasn't exactly sure what the sign would be but I knew there would be one. I was being extremely careful to not release too much chakra at one to not pass the threshold, so I wasn't sure how long it would take. Finally I felt a shift in my chakra and I stopped. If my calculations were correct I could only use about 75 percent of my normal amount before damage was possible.
Fighting wasn't something I was planning but if needed I had to be able to defend myself. Approximately a quarter of my chakra in a fight was needed to sustain my life and my childs. It was a large portion to lose but uncontrollable.
I sighed and looked at the sky. I know everyone was showing up tonight but a shower and bed was seriously calling me right now.
-
RR