Birds chirping nearby caused white furry ears to twitch as a gentle breeze shifted through the trees. A sleepy head lifted itself from resting on top of crossed front paws, and red eyes blinked slowly. Mori let out a yawn and slowly got to her four paws, dirt clinging to her white fur. It had been days since she decided to run, and had been constantly on the move.

Even thought it was for the best for the village, her heart continued to break piece by piece as she continued her trek. She had to keep moving for fear that the village elders would set the ANBU after her. Even though the kind man had found no malicious intent in her memories, she had killed innocent people. Mori had to get away; even if it meant leaving her friends and the man she loved.

Letting out another large yawn, Mori stretched each limb slowly and languished in the stretch of her muscles. Her stomach gurgled in hunger and she shook out her fur. Her stomach had been acting funny lately, and she found herself not being able to keep anything down. Padding through the forest, Mori pushed the mysterious stomach illness to the back of her mind and concentrated on finding food.

'Not that it would matter with the way my stomach is acting up' Mori thought ruefully.

With an internal sigh she lifted her muzzle and scented the air, sifting through the scents to find something to eat. Finding a pleasing scent, Mori began stalking a rabbit through the foliage. It wasn't before long when she had the rabbit in her jaws, hanging limply.

Before long, the contents of the rabbit was brought back up and splattered onto the forest floor. Sides heaving with effort, she weakly coughed as her limbs shook. Without realizing it, her body turned human and human hands weakly pushed strands of hair away from her face. Sweat beaded across her forehead and dripped down her face. She wiped her mouth with the back of her palm, and some bushes rustled nearby. Her eyes snapped to the bushes, and a threatening growl rose from her throat. She blinked in surprise when an elderly woman stepped out of the bushes, huffing with the effort.

"Oh! I thought I heard someone. Are you alright my dear?" she said in a kind voice.

Mori nodded mutely and shakily stood, bracing herself against a tree trunk. The elderly woman scurried towards her as Mori winced at the pain in her stomach as it tried to reject the rest of the contents. She felt a withered hand press itself against her forehead as she coughed and spat out the vile contents. The elderly lady tsk'd and helped Mori stand straight and led her to the bushes that she came out of.

"You are not alright! You will come with me this instant. My house is close by. Come!" she said, continuing to lead Mori through the foliage.

Mori tried to weakly protest, but the elderly woman had none of it. After a couple of minutes of walking, the two came to a small village. People walked about and talked in loud and cheerful voices, and children laughed and played through the dirt streets. Mori felt her lips lift in a small smile as two small children ran around the pair, laughing and chasing each other.

The elderly woman chastised them gently and sent them away as she led Mori to a small wooden house. The smell of roasting meat wafted past them as the woman opened the front door, and Mori let her eyes drift shut as warmth licked at her skin. It dried the sweat that was dripping down her body, and her stomach began to uncurl itself from the knot it had tied itself in during their trek. The elderly woman led Mori to a small room and helped her lay down on a bed.

"I'm not clean! I don't want to dirty your bed" Mori protested as the elderly lady brought the blanket up to Mori's chin.

"Nonsense! Dirt can be easily cleaned" the elderly lady said and briskly walked out of the small bedroom.

The sound of metal clanking and water running drifted through the open door as Mori let her mind drift away. She heard the elderly woman puttering away in the other room, and it gave her a sense of comfort. It calmed her body, and before long her eyes shut and Mori fell into a deep slumber. A cold cloth wiping her forehead caused Mori to awake with a start, and her eyes snapped open. She blinked away the sleep as the cloth continued wiping her brow, and then moved down to her cheeks.

"I hope you slept well" an elderly voice said above the woman, and Mori's eyes moved to see the elderly woman smiling down at her.

She nodded and sat up slowly with the elderly woman's help.

"Thank you for helping me" Mori said in a quiet voice, and the elderly woman smiled.

"I was out stretching my legs when I heard someone, so I thought I would try and be of use. These old bones are getting old but I can still do some things. You may call me Midori" she said, dryly chuckling to herself.

"So, my dear, how long have you been having stomach issues? Have they been every morning?" the woman asked suddenly, startling Mori.

She gazed with wide shocked eyes at the elderly woman as she stood in front of Mori, smiling brightly.

"Um...a couple of days" she said, confused with this line of questioning.

The elderly woman, Midori, smiled and nodded causing Mori to become even more confused. Her head tilted in confusion as the woman put the cloth away.

"Midori, may I ask as to why?" Mori asked.

Midori chuckled to herself and came up to Mori, grasping her hand in her wrinkled ones.

"Because my dear, you are having morning sickness. You're pregnant" she said with a smile.

Everything around Mori grew still, and her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Pregnant? But...how? And when? Her mind flashed back to the nights spent with Iruka, and heat raced across her cheeks. Midori patted her hand and walked out of the room, leaving Mori to digest the news.

Pregnant. With Iruka's child.

Her hands drifted down to her still-flat stomach, and her mind struggled to accept it. There was the beginning of life dwelling inside of her. A small smile twitched itself across her lips.

She would be having a child...with Iruka.