Thank you to everyone who has PM'd and reviewed. I love hearing from you. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

The first thing she noticed was the dim light on the other side of her eyelids. It was a dull sensation, barely registering in the fog of her mind. In that endless void, however, even the faintest light in the blackness was a blazing beacon at the end of the tunnel. It felt like she was crawling on her belly at the speed of a slug, desperately trying to reach it. At last, it seemed like that light was just on the other side of her eyes. Beki opened them, just a crack.

It's head on her chest, with startling green eyes staring back at her, was a tiny demon. Beki inhaled sharply, her eyes opening wide, and the thing gave her a cherub smile. It was in the form of a preschool aged child, maybe three or four, with soft unblemished skin and rosy cheeks. Normally Beki would have been excited to see a kid but she immediately knew that this wasn't a typical child. It's mop of snow white shaggy hair was exactly what demons were supposed to have. And then there were the eyes. Working at the academy, Beki had grown accustomed to the sweet, innocent cow like look in the eyes of young children. They knew so little of the world and were simply swept along with the tide of the other children, their selfish whims limited to wanting to sit next to a friend at circle time or getting to draw with a favorite marker. But these eyes were wise. Their gaze was piercing, the likes of which Beki had only seen on the most seasoned of shinobi. Maybe it wasn't a demon, then. Maybe it was just an assassin transformed into the shape of a child.

"I like listening to your heartbeat," the child-demon-assassin said with a saccharine sweet voice.

Beki went to speak but no sound came out, just a dry, raspy wheeze. She furrowed her brows and tried to sit up. "Shh," The child-demon-assassin forced her back down onto the bed. The thing's strength was staggering for its size; Beki was now sure it could only be a demon or an assassin. "You're still weak," it said.

At this point, Beki took a moment to survey her environment. The room was a decent size, maybe 12" x 12". The walls were rough concrete with a row of cabinets down the left side. There was a sink and rows of glass jars filled with medical supplies. The dim lighting was provided by some fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling. Most of them were turned off but the one by the sink was on. It smelled sterile but damp; reminding her of a hospital room. Then Beki noticed the machines next to her bed, beeping so softly she had barely noticed it. The wires, some full of clear fluid and others with blood, were stuck into her right arm with needles. That arm was strapped to the hospital bed, which Beki was quickly realizing was not all that comfortable. What happened to me? Where I am?! Beki wheezed again, trying to talk, and started a coughing fit.

"No, no, deep breaths, nice and easy," The demon assassin held Beki's face in her plump, babylike hands. "You need to calm down or they'll come!"

They?! The whole jarring experience was starting to make Beki panic. She struggled against the binds, finding herself abnormally weak. I've been drugged! Beki pulled harder, tried to unstrap herself, fumbling with her seemingly useless fingers. The machines started to go off, a cacophony of different wailing alarms. Soft footsteps sounded from behind Beki and the demon assassin hissed.

"Here they come!"

She jumped off the bed and scampered up the bare wall across the room into a large air duct. The creepy, on all fours way the thing climbed the wall sent chills down Beki's spine. She heard the squeal of a door opening and the footsteps got closer. For the first time in her life, Beki was completely at an enemy's mercy, and she was terrified.

Miki stepped into view, a concerned look on her face. "Beki! You're awake!"

Beki watched her, searching for any signs that Miki was an imposter. After a moment, Beki slowly nodded. Miki affectionately moved the hair out of her face. "We were hoping you would wake up soon. You...you've been through a lot. It was touch and go for a long time but here we are. You're alive and you're awake now!"

Beki let out a small wheeze and Miki sighed. "Save your strength." She walked out of view and returned with a strange squeeze bottle with a sharply angled straw. Beki reached up to take it but Miki gently put Beki's arm back down. "You aren't strong enough yet. Let me help you."

Miki squeezed the best damned water Beki ever had in her life into her mouth. It was as cold as a mountain top and instantly helped Beki through some of the fog still hovering over her. Every cell in Beki's body rejoiced at the rush of frosty refreshment. After a few gulps Miki took it away. Beki tried to reach for it again but Miki shook her head. "Only a little at a time. You haven't ingested anything orally for a while. You'll need to ease back into it."

"did" Beki blinked at the still rough, almost rusty sound of her voice. It was an incredible effort to speak, but she pressed on. "did you...see that... monster?" It took an immense effort to finish even the most basic of sentences. Beki looked at Miki expectantly, hoping that had been enough to get her message across. Miki glanced around with a concerned look on her face, her eyes eventually falling on the air vent. "its in the vents…"Beki whispered. "was it a ghost...or an escaped...experiment?"

Miki heaved a sigh. "It wasn't a ghost or a demon, Beki. That was Chiba."

"what's a chiba?" Beki blinked.

"A Chiba," Miki fixed Beki's blanket. "Is my precocious three-year-old."

"three-year-old what?" Beki still looked confused. "baby-spider hybrid?"

"Daughter." Miki shook her head. "She was climbing the walls again? I told her to stop going in the vents. She's the only one small enough to snake her way around in there and I'm worried that there might be…." Miki snapped to attention, realizing she shouldn't be sharing so much. "Never mind. She's mostly harmless."

Beki surveyed Miki's face more closely. Her features were finer, more mature. Miki had never mentioned having a daughter before. They hadn't been the closest, but Beki imagined Miki would have brought up having a baby in the Sound Village at some point. "how...how long have I been out, miki?"

Miki gave her an empathetic look and took ahold of Beki's hand.

"It's been four years since the Fourth Shinobi War ended."

Beki's heart began to race. Four years?! I've been in a coma for four years?! Beki sat bolt up and started tugging at her wires. Neji. Hinata. Mom! They all must be worried out of their minds! I have to go see them. I have to let them know that I'm okay!

"Beki, stop," Miki struggled with her, incredibly strong as she pulled Beki back down on the bed and held her there. "I know this is a lot to process but you must remain calm!"

Beki continued to struggle against Miki feebly, her eyes wide in shock. The machines were going off again and another set of footsteps came down the hall. A second person came in the room.

"What's wrong?" It was a male voice. Beki swore she had heard it somewhere. He was surprisingly calm and friendly considering the entire world was coming down.

"I...I told her how long it's been," Miki sighed with exasperation and the man gave a soft laugh. Beki saw the figure step into view on the other side of her. His back was to her as he opened a drawer in the cabinet beside her and took something out. He turned around and stepped up to her IV, a syringe in his hand. "Easy now," He looked down at Beki. She had no idea who he was. His face was completely unfamiliar but that voice she knew.

"stop," Beki protested as he stuck the syringe into the IV bag. Within moments, Beki was out again and her arms dropped to her side.

"What were you thinking, Miki?" Kabuto chuckled. "Do you want to give her a heart attack?"

Miki pouted. "She asked me how long it had been. I wasn't going to lie to her."

"Then I come in and you're wrestling with her!" Kabuto shook his head. "It's almost like you want to undo all our hard work."

Miki shook her head. "I know it isn't professional but she is my friend. I was excited to see her awake. I wanted to talk to her again."

Kabuto reached across the hospital bed and gently brushed away a stray eyelash on Miki's cheek. "I know. This girl has a lot of surprises in her future, though. If we want her to make it, we're going to have to treat her like a delicate baby bird."

Miki laughed humorlessly. "If you knew Beki before, you would understand how hard it is to do that."

"I ran into her once, remember?" Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "The second she thought I had hurt you she was all fire and brimstone."

"I'm glad you two didn't actually fight," Miki admitted. "That would have been a lot for me to deal with when I was coming around from my little…" She gave Kabuto an accusing look. "Vacation."

Kabuto threw up his hands. "We all make mistakes, Miki. I owned up to that one a long time ago."

"You did," Miki gave him a small smile. "I still think I get about two more years of hassling you for it, though."

"Fair enough," Kabuto started to walk for the door and gestured for Miki to follow. "Let's go see how the other monsters are getting along."

…

Yuki came to, opening her eyes as if stirring from a normal night's sleep. She sat up on the couch and rotated so her feet were on the floor. Orochimaru was sitting at the desk across the room, absorbed in his work. Yuki watched him silently for a moment or two before her eyes started to rove the room.

"So glad you finally decided to join us," Orochimaru hadn't raised his eyes off his papers.

"This whole underground base and you couldn't even put me in a bed?" Yuki gestured at the couch. "That's pretty inhospitable of you."

"My assistants were busy and someone had to keep any eye on you. Regretfully, you do have a tendency of going on a rampage through my bases when left to wake up unattended," Orochimaru smirked.

Yuki shrugged. "You've got me there." She stretched, leaning back into the cushions. "So how's my daughter?"

"Haruka has successfully undergone the necessary surgeries to preserve her life," Orochimaru explained. "Right now she is still unconscious. Once she wakes up, your daughter will require some physical therapy and time to recuperate."

"I appreciate the assistance but you'll forgive me for asking what this is going to cost us?" Yuki watched him carefully. "This doesn't seem like the sort of thing you would do for someone who murdered their way through one of your bases."

"That's all in the past," Orochimaru waved dismissively. "If we're being completely honest, I took the case because I knew it was going to be a challenge. No one has ever attempted a lifesaving procedure to this degree. For all intents and purposes, your daughter would have died moments after your ice had thawed if we hadn't spent years preparing."

"That seems awfully generous." Yuki tapped her foot. "It would be rude for me to do anything but thank you at this point-"

Before Yuki could finish her sentence, there was a crash as the air vent at the top of the room spilled open. The metal grate smashed into the floor with a great clatter as a body tumbled from above. Instinctively, Yuki threw out her hands and caught the bundle in midair.

"If you're going to eavesdrop you need to be less obvious, dear." Orochimaru said, completely unfazed.

Yuki looked down at the toddler in her arms and laughed. "Who's this little ragamuffin?"

"That's Miki's daughter. Chiba." Orochimaru said flatly.

Chiba looked up at Yuki with her sparkling green eyes and beamed. "You're pretty!"

"You are too, pumpkin." Yuki wrinkled her nose. The girl's hair was a wild tangled mess of white candyfloss and her smooth baby skin was caked with dirt. "When's the last time you had a bath?"

"Yesterday," Orochimaru sighed. "Our little dust bunny is kind enough to locate and pick up all the dirt in the building at remarkable speed."

"Mommy had to burn my last dress." Chiba grinned. "I got it so dirty I broke the washing machine."

"You said Beks isn't conscious yet?" Yuki glanced at the sannin.

He nodded. "She was under heavy anesthesia. I don't anticipate she'll be awake for a while."

"Well, I have a project in the meantime," Yuki laughed at the long toddler in her hands. Chiba reminded her so much of Beki at that age, the main exception being Chiba didn't share her daughter's strong aversion to pants. There was a sharpness to her eyes, though, an unusual intelligence for someone her age that Yuki found the slightest bit unsettling. She sensed no malice in the girl though and chalked it up to an exceptional amount of curiosity.

"You can use the bathroom through there." Orochimaru gestured to the door across the room. "Watch her with the tap. She likes to turn it to boiling when you aren't looking."

Yuki glanced at the seemingly harmless toddler, her smile becoming more alarming by the moment. "I like the noise they make when they get scalded." Chiba giggled.

Yuki returned the vulpine grin. "You know what, tater tot? I think we're going to get along just fine."

…

A short while later, Orochimaru was again interrupted by a knock on his door. By the softer, less confident sound of the hand he knew it was Miki. "What is it, Nomura?"

Miki walked in timidly. "Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I just wanted to inform you that Beki woke up. She got stressed so we put her back under for the time being."

Orochimaru nodded. "She's coming around right on schedule. Start working with Kabuto to develop the physical therapy and nutrition plan during her recovery."

"Yes, sir," Miki bowed. Before she was able to back towards the door, the one opposite her opened. Chiba emerged from the bathroom squeaky clean, her hair pulled back in a lovely complicated braid.

"Mommy!" Chiba scampered over with her arms raised. Miki scooped her up reflexively, her eyes wandering up to the party responsible. "Yuki?!"

"You're welcome." Yuki folded her arms.

"How did you…" Miki glanced down at Chiba. "She doesn't even let me brush her hair without a fight."

"Her hair is prettier, mommy," Chiba said with authority. "She knows what she's doing."

Miki reached up and touched her wine-colored hair self-consciously with a frown.

"Don't feel too bad about it," Yuki offered. "When Beki was little she wouldn't let me carry her. It always had to be her dad because she said I couldn't make her tall enough."

"As much as I enjoy her company, would you mind occupying Chiba for a while," Orochimaru glanced up at Miki. "Yukihana and I have some...delicate matters to discuss."

"He means the baby," Chiba whispered too loudly.

Yuki cocked an eyebrow as Miki shushed her daughter and made a speedy retreat.

"Baby?"

"One of the factors that so complicated the procedure your daughter required to save her life was we discovered she was expecting," Orochimaru purred. "The poor little darling was only a few months along. We took painstaking efforts to preserve both the life of the mother and the child."

Yuki's expression clouded in confusion. She sat down slowly on the couch, shaking her head.

"So you weren't aware of your daughter's condition," Orochimaru phrased the question as a statement.

Yuki gave a bitter laugh. "I know I don't come off as the best mother but you of all people understand the lengths I'm willing to go to when it comes to protecting my daughter."

"I suspected as much," Orochimaru cocked his head. "It did seem out of place to have let her go running off to war with such precious cargo."

Yuki buried her face in her hands for a moment. After she had centered herself, she took a deep breath and looked up. "So, the baby is okay too?"

Orochimaru nodded. "Your daughter and the baby are stable."

"She probably doesn't even know…" Yuki said, half to herself.

"We were waiting to bring it up with her," Orochimaru began. "That is, of course, unless you think you would do a better job of it."

Yuki steepled her hands and pressed her face into the space between her palms. "I think it would be better coming from me. Do you have any…" Yuki's voice trailed off. She had no idea what the modern technology for prenatal care was. Orochimaru would probably laugh at her but Yuki was beyond the point of pride now. "Were any ultrasounds taken?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "Your daughter isn't far enough along. It wouldn't really look like anything at this point."

"Alright then," Yuki sighed. "The first conversation I get to have with her after almost losing her gets to be a hard one. Thanks."

"As I said, I would have handled the matter myself," Orochimaru explained. "But my assistant told me that my bedside manner would have made Beki uncomfortable."

"Miki said that?" Yuki asked.

Orochimaru nodded.

"That was the nice way of putting it." Yuki grinned.

…

Miki had propped Beki up into a semi seated position. As she had tucked Beki back in, Miki warned against trying to get up or any sudden movements. Beki was apparently still at high risk of opening her wounds. She was exhausted and spent most of her time dozing in and out. People came and went, checking charts and monitors. It was always Miki or the young guy with the familiar voice. Every once in a while, Beki would hear the baby assassin demon skittering around and could feel her eyes on Beki through the vents. After what could have been minutes, hours, or days, Beki heard a new set of footsteps in the hall. At first, Beki was terrified it would be Miki's boss. Beki owed Orochimaru a debt for saving her life but at the same time the idea of meeting and thanking her childhood boogeyman was a bit too much for her at the moment. Once the door opened and the person stepped inside, Beki recognized their gait.

"Mom?" Beki's voice was still a little rusty, but Miki coming in and giving her water every so often had helped.

Yuki stepped around the into her view with a look of concern pulling at her pretty features. She reached out and smoothed the hair on Beki's head. "How are you feeling?"

Beki gave a small shrug and winced. "I'm alive." It still hurt to talk. She had so many questions but just the brief interaction so far was exhausting.

"I'm glad to see they're taking good care of you," Yuki surveyed the room and the equipment. It may not have been glamorous but the accommodations were more than sufficient for Beki's needs. If not new, all the supplies looked modern and clean. Yuki took ahold of her daughter's hand. She glanced at it in passing and noticed that Miki had even gone so far as to do a basic manicure on Beki. The blood and grime had been cleaned out from under her fingernails and they had been carefully clipped back and filed. It was a comfort and a blessing, really, that Beki had somehow managed to befriend Miki. Never in Yuki's wildest dreams could she have imagined herself in her current position.: indebted to someone she had tried to kill and relying on wayward orphans to save her child.

Beki nodded. Miki had been fussing over her ever since Beki had woken up. Her mother stood there quietly for a moment holding Beki's hand and staring at the ground. "So they just finished going over everything they had to do to rescue you," Yuki began. "It was really complicated and full of medical terminology. Basically, you were on the brink of death. Those stakes destroyed your kidneys and they had to give you replacements."

Beki was quiet. The kidneys were considered a critical kill point. A well-placed blow to the kidney would kill a person in minutes and was said to be an incredibly painful way to go. Beki was mostly numb in her lower back but there was a dull throbbing ache beneath the pain medicine.

"There was something else, though," Yuki stroked Beki's hand. Her daughter was going to be a mother and was going to find out in the worst way possible. It wouldn't be with her lover waiting anxiously beside her for the test results. There would be no holding each other and crying, terrified and overwhelmed with a once in a lifetime sense of joy and anxiousness. Beki wouldn't get to make those excited phone calls announcing the news. Instead, she was going to be brought into the fold of motherhood in a dark underground hospital room so weak and feeble she couldn't even feed herself. It was horrible, it was wrong, but it was reality. "When they were doing the x-rays before the procedure, they discovered you were pregnant."

Beki's face was completely unchanged from before Yuki started speaking. A small frown pulled at the corner of Yuki's mouth as she watched what little color was left in Beki's face drain away. Her eyes widened and the monitors behind her began to beep more rapidly.

"I'm what?!"

"Shhh." Yuki sat on the corner of the bed and stroked Beki's hair comfortingly. "They said you went into war without knowing. You were a couple of months along. It was one of the things that made it take so long for them to pull us out. They had to figure out how to save you and the baby."

"Please, mom," Beki's eyes were filling with tears. "Tell me this isn't really happening."

Yuki gave her an empathetic look. Her own eyes were welling up at seeing her daughter in pain. Beki's face was twisted in fear and confusion. Yuki was powerless to protect her from this. "It's all going to be okay, Beki. We'll figure everything out."

"Do you realize how crazy this all is?!" Beki's lip quivered along with her voice. "We've been in ice for four years and I'm pregnant from before? How is that even possible?"

"The ice acts like a perfect seal, I guess." Yuki shrugged. "It kept me alive for almost fifteen years. Four years and a baby doesn't seem that ridiculous by comparison."

Beki sobbed. "Everyone thinks we're dead. For all we know, everyone is dead. Neji, Hinata, Naruto…" She looked up at her mother pleadingly. "Who is going to believe me? I'm supposed to show up and say, 'hey Neji, I know I've been dead for four years but I was actually alive and by the way I'm pregnant'?!"

"Shh," Yuki rubbed Beki's hands. "Take deep breaths, honey. Don't stress yourself out."

"Oh, God, that's right," Beki cried. "Because I'm pregnant and I could kill us both!"

Yuki got close and looked deep into her daughter's eyes. "Alright Beki, that's enough. I know this sucks and it's a shock to your system but you need to get control of yourself. There is nothing we can do to change what's happened. I will help you. I will be by your side every step of the way. No matter what happens, I will take care of you. To help me help you, I need you to keep it together. Not just for yourself, but for that baby. The same way you're going to count on me for this that baby is counting on you. Every decision you make from here on in isn't just about you, anymore, Beki. It's about that baby. So you're going to have to take all that fear, all that 'why me' and 'how could this happen' and put it in a box. A year from now or whatever when you're safe and settled, you can take out that box and deal with it a little bit at a time. That said, we won't be able to do anything until you're healed up and out of that bed. Okay?"

Beki took a deep breath and nodded. She focused on her breathing until slowly she felt the vice grip of anxiety release her spine. "Okay."

…

Miki smiled. "You're doing much better today."

Beki nodded. "Mom is pretty good at the 'man up' speeches. Maybe even better than my dad was."

"I'll just take your word for it." Miki's smile faded. She bit her lip. "Did you mom tell you?"

"About the baby?" Beki asked and Miki nodded. "Yeah. She did. It was a little rough but she told me I couldn't sit around feeling sorry for myself because of the baby. I have to step up and learn to not just think about myself with all this." She looked up at Miki. "You just became a mom, right? What was it like for you?"

Miki leaned against the counter and brushed some hair out of her face. "So I'll have to give you a little backstory if you want me to tell you about my experience with motherhood."

Beki shrugged. "It's not like I have anything better to do, Miki."

Miki laughed. "Don't sound so jazzed about it."

"It's not you," Beki frowned. "It still kinda hurts to talk. I'm trying not to get too excited about anything."

"Fair enough," Miki sighed. "Sometime before the Fourth Shinobi World War, Orochimaru died. With his death, the already unstable Sound crumbled away. Most of the shinobi were killed when experiments escaped or rebelled. The rest of us just kind of went our own ways. You remember that boyfriend I told you about?"

"The scary one?" Beki asked.

"Yeah. The scary one." Miki looked down at her feet. "Well, I didn't really have anywhere to go, you see. Orphan, ronin, you get the picture. He had some dangerous projects to work on and didn't want me to have to go through them."

"That sounds considerate," Beki furrowed her brow. "But based on your face I take it that it wasn't?"

"He took my memory. Left me outside a quiet town thinking that with my latent skills I would finally have a shot at a normal, non-shinobi life." Miki explained. "It didn't work out so well. He came back to check on me when it was all over and I'd made a mess of myself."

Beki's face twisted in righteous anger. "What kind of a mess did he get you into?"

Miki gave her a dismissive wave. "That's not important. I got my memories back. Then I found out I was pregnant and that complicated things. Things were touch and go between us, mostly because I was still mad at him, but he said he wouldn't leave me again."

From the way Miki told the story, Beki wasn't sure if Chiba was the boyfriend's kid or not. The artful way Miki dodged explaining how she had messed up her life wasn't helping. The next sad place Beki's brain jumped was that a kunoichi without her memories and only her latent training to guide her might easily end up being a thief or a prostitute. It wasn't Beki's place to pry and considering she had gone to war with her baby in her belly and hadn't known, Beki didn't exactly have the moral high ground.

"It was scary, Beki. I know your mom wasn't around when you were little but you have had parents." Miki tugged at her shirt self-consciously. "I saw kids with their parents growing up. I wanted that so bad. I wanted that love so badly it hurt. Even if they had just yelled at me, I would have liked to have parents. Someone that would know and care if I lived or died. At the same time, though, that means I have no idea what a parent is supposed to act like. I know the stages of child development but when you have a tiny person in you kicking at your ribs that all goes out the window."

Beki listened patiently. Miki was much closer to Beki in age. If she did the math right, Miki would have only had a year or two on Beki when she had Chiba. Yuki would probably have some good advice, but she had Beki almost twenty-five years before. The medicine, the science, the psychology of it all changed so much. "I know this is going to sound stupid, but is it hard?"

"Yes and no," Miki sighed. "I mean there is definitely a learning curve and a lot of nipple soreness and sleep deprivation. It amazed me how quickly I got used to it. It's kind of hard for me to remember what my life was like before I had Chiba."

"Next question," Beki gave her a small, mischievous grin. "And feel free to shoot me down if it's out of line. Did you have that baby here?!"

Miki rolled her eyes. "Yes, Beki, I had Chiba in the Sound."

"But like, weren't you worried? Didn't Orochimaru abduct kids back in the day?" Beki pressed.

"Yes, he used to," Miki folded her arms. "But he's not interested in that anymore. I was worried with how he would deal with a crying baby around here all the time. Luckily, Chiba hardly ever cried and he was surprisingly good with her. More than once I was trying to work on something and she was fussing in her swing and he would just swoop in out of nowhere and baby talk her through it. He'd just walk around with her bundled up in one arm and notes in the other."

"I can't picture him good with kids," Beki shook her head.

"You haven't even met him yet, have you?" Miki's eyes widened with realization.

Beki laughed nervously. "No. And could we keep it that way a while?"

"Well, just so you know, he's already named himself your baby's Godfather." Miki smirked.

Beki blanched. "What?"

"Well, if he hadn't stepped in and saved you and your mom, there would be no you and no baby." Miki explained. "Your mom already agreed."

Beki blinked. "Do I get any say in anything that happens with this baby?"

"Oh, and I'm going to be 'Auntie Miki," Miki put a hand to her heart. "I mean, by default that would make Kabuto 'Uncle Kabuto' but I don't think he particularly cares what he gets called…"

Beki swallowed hard. Everyone in this underground base was more excited about her baby than she was.

"I want to be Auntie Chiba." Chiba slithered up from under the bed like something right out of a nightmare. Beki shuddered at the creepy sight but kept it together otherwise.

"You can't be an Auntie, Chiba," Beki sighed. "If your mom is the auntie that would make you the cousin."

Chiba pouted. "But then I can't boss them."

"You're three, you don't get to boss anybody," Miki sighed.

"Yuki hime lets me boss her." Chiba grinned. "So does Orochimaru sama if I ask nicely."

Miki blinked. "You're calling Yuki 'princess' now?"

"That's what she looks like," Chiba said matter-of-factly. "She's pretty and has princess hair and freckles and can sing really nice."

"Careful," Beki looked at Miki. "You let mom get her hands on Chiba and she'll be making them matching outfits. It's a threat I constantly live with."

Miki sighed. "Well, whatever, I guess. As long as she's doing normal three-year-old stuff instead of learning how to differentiate between scalpels."

Beki blinked. "What?"

"Kabuto's been teaching her numbers so she can fetch his scalpels for him." Miki groaned. "He wants her to start medical ninjutsu as young as possible."

"...Why?" Beki furrowed her brow. "Isn't letting a three-year-old handle a scalpel kind of reckless?"

"My fine motor and icky motor skills are good for my age." Chiba beamed.

"'Gross' motor, sweetie, not 'icky'." Miki walked over and scooped her up. "Come on Chiba. Its dinner time." Miki glanced at Beki. "I'll bring you some jello and we'll see how you do. If you can keep it down, we'll get you eating solids again soon."

"Thanks," Beki called over her shoulder as the door closed behind Miki. Alone in the room with her thoughts, Beki's mind wandered. Right now, at this exact moment, she had a tiny person growing inside her. It was absolutely terrifying. At the same time, though, Beki couldn't help but wonder what her baby was going to look like. Chiba had Miki's bright green eyes and her nose. She was smart like her mother, too, but confident to the point of arrogance. Was that the difference between mother and child? Chiba had two parents, regardless of if Kabuto was her actual father. Not to mention Orochimaru in whatever strange supporting role he had served. Chiba was happy and safe, constantly being taught new things and given new responsibilities. Miki had been an ostracized orphan, struggling to get by and focusing on survival. Yet for her lack of experience as far as Beki could tell, she was doing a good job with Chiba. Beki had parents. Would that make her even better? Yuki had been an orphan, too. Although Beki wouldn't say she was a perfect parent, Yuki had all the important things down. Beki knew Yuki would do anything to keep her safe, even though she had to do it alone.

Which path would Beki get to take? Was Neji alive? Had he moved on? If he was alive, whether he had moved on or not, Beki would have to tell him. Would he believe her? Beki imagined she would have a hard time believing someone who came back after four years dead saying they were pregnant with their baby from before they died. Beki hugged herself. Would Neji even want her back? They had been in love, yes, but he would be what, twenty-four? Twenty-five now? Beki was nineteen and pregnant. Part of her was screaming yes, that Neji loved her and always would. He would be elated that she was having his baby. Neji would throw anything and everything away for her. But what if he found someone new? What if Neji had met some amazing girl and they were happy and married now with their own baby on the way? It would be wrong for Beki to stumble in and be the homewrecker. She would be his ex, blowing in with some unbelievable story and complicating their lives.

Beki wanted to pull her knees up to her chest and hug them for comfort. Miki told her she still wouldn't be okay for a while, so Beki restrained herself. Her mind was racing with all the possibilities. Most of them were sad. Most of them ended with Beki getting her heart broken. The emotions were all welling up inside her and tears spilled out onto her sheets. After a moment, she took a deep breath and centered herself. Yuki's words came rushing back to her. It wasn't about Beki anymore. There was no time for her to sit here and wallow in her self-pity. She needed a plan, for her and for her baby. So Beki went through the possibilities one by one and made a game plan for what to do:

Neji was still single and happy to see her. This would be the easiest situation to deal with. Neji would sweep Beki off her feet, carry her to the church, and they would get married without incident.

Neji was single and not happy to see her. Beki would need to convince him her story was true. She might need Yuki's help to do that, maybe even a paternity test for proof that Beki's story was true. Either way, Beki was sure she could bring Neji on board.

Neji was in a relationship. Beki would feel like an ass, but she would tell him about the baby and let him decide. If his new relationship was so great, he could stay with the new girl (as much as it would kill Beki) but he could still be a part of the baby's life. Or, making Beki a bigger jerk, Neji could dump the other girl and it would be situation 1.

Neji had started a family. This would be the worst option. Beki would have to be around them and read the situation. There was a strong chance Beki would just have to keep her mouth shut and go off somewhere and raise the baby by herself. It would suck and it wouldn't be anybody's fault. No one could have predicted the situation she was in.

Neji was dead, either from the war or a later mission. That would really hurt Beki. She had tried to sacrifice herself to save his life. If she came back and found out he had died anyway and she was left to raise his baby by herself, without the knowledge or comfort that he was out there somewhere, alive and happy, Beki would be miserable.

The next argument that popped up in her head was if Neji was unable or unwilling to be the dad, should Beki see other people? Would it be better to find a stepdad in that situation? I'm getting ahead of myself, Beki thought. I have to get out of this damned bed before any of this matters. She pulled up the covers and nestled in, determined to regain her strength with some good sleep.

...

"So physical therapy is working," Kabuto walked in rubbing his jaw.

Miki furrowed her brow. "What happened to you?"

"I went in there to do a checkup exam on her. I don't know what you told your friend but she worked up the strength to sock me one," Kabuto shrugged. "She's about as strong as an angry toddler right now and it got the rage out of her system, so I don't care." He gave a soft chuckle. "I just hope I can get on her good side before she gets her strength back."

Miki shrugged. "She's as quick to anger as she is to forgive."

"That's a comfort." Kabuto smirked. "I was thinking maybe you were going to gang up on me or something."

"If things were going to come to blows between us, it would have happened by now," Miki tossed an ice pack at him. "Which I would lose. Even if I tried to cheat."

Kabuto held the ice pack to his chin. "I think we can start working on walking."

Miki blinked. "You think so? So soon?"

Kabuto nodded. "She's healing rather quickly. I don't know if it was the sage chakra I used to stabilize her but I'm pleased with her progress."

Miki grinned. "You got it, boss."

…

"Easy," Miki was holding onto Beki's arm and using her body to support Beki as she stumbled. Kabuto was supporting her on Beki's opposite side.

Beki looked furious. Her face was flushed with embarrassment as she staggered like a newborn fawn down the hall. "Work, dammit," She muttered under her breath.

"We can stop at any time," Kabuto said in a friendly tone.

"No," Beki spat. "My damned legs are going to work, so help me God. I don't have time to sit around in a hospital bed all day!"

"We might not have even needed to do the surgery on this one," Kabuto joked. "I think she could have stubborned her way through those injuries."

Miki rolled her eyes. "She thinks so. Would have just ended up being a stubborn ghost who refused to acknowledge it was dead."

Beki winced and almost collapsed. Miki and Kabuto gently lowered her to the ground and Miki went and grabbed a wheelchair. "You did good today, Beks," Miki chucked her chin. "Go easy on yourself, okay? We shouldn't have started this for at least another month but you're healing fast. Don't screw it up being impatient."

Beki exhaled sharply and folded her arms. "Fine." The pair were walking Beki back to her room when a question floated through her mind. "When is the stiffness going to go away?"

"Stiffness?" Miki asked.

"Yeah, I have trouble with my arms," Beki raised her hands. "I can't raise them up past my shoulders anymore. And I'm having trouble like, opening things."

Miki frowned. Beki was looking straight ahead so Kabuto and Miki were safe to share a grimace. "So Beki, about that."

Beki went still. "Don't tell me I'm stuck like this."

"Half the spikes went to your kidneys," Kabuto explained. "The other half lodged in your shoulder blades. We were able to replace your kidneys, but your muscle tissue was permanently damaged."

Beki buried her face in her hands and let out a string of expletives.

"Think of it this way, Beki, you traded some movement in your arms for your life and the baby's," Miki offered gently. "One arm per soul."

Beki sunk into a sour silence. Miki and Kabuto helped her back into bed and left her to rest for the day.

…

A few weeks later, Beki was back up on her feet and tentatively moving around on her own. Kabuto insisted she use a granny walker. Beki tried to ditch it a few times but the man had a gift for somehow being everywhere, all the time. On the fourth attempt to fly solo, Kabuto appeared and told her with a friendly smile that if she was so eager to break her hip, he would go ahead and do it for her. Something in the way he said it told Beki not to challenge him. Even with the walker, it was nice to build some of her strength back up. Beki kept telling herself every step she took got her closer to seeing Neji again. Every step took her a little closer to finding out her fate.

Miki restricted Beki's movement between floors. The underground base wasn't especially well lit and Beki wasn't ready for stairs yet. It was embarrassing how many times she stumbled on level ground; steps would be suicide. Beki was consistently reminded in her newly repaired, less able body how much she had taken for granted before. Like not having to be scrubbed down like a child by another person. It was always Miki or Yuki, but it was humiliating nonetheless having them fuss over her. Miki had cleared out the hallways for Beki. She had taped little arrows on the floor that led to different places, like Yuki's room and Miki's office. One of the arrow trails led to Orochimaru's office. Beki had been conscious for several weeks now and still hadn't met the man that was responsible for her rescue. All the nights spent laying in bed, worrying about her baby and their future, meeting a formerly murderous sanin almost seemed simple by comparison. At least Beki knew that if Orochimaru was going to kill her or experiment on her, he would have done it by now. She picked up her courage and inched her way at a frustrating turtle pace down the hall. As Beki approached the door to his office, she heard voices from within. One of them sounded like Yuki. Beki took a deep breath, leaned on the walker for support with one hand, and knocked on the door with the other.

"Come in," a strange, almost raspy voice called out.

Beki wrestled with the doorknob. It wasn't a French door handle like the one on her room but a traditional round knob. She fought with it for a few moments but her arm refused to torque in cooperation. She let out a frustrated sigh and rested her forehead against the door. "I can't open it. You're going to have to let me in."

There was rustling and soft footsteps inside. A tiny grunt of effort, then the door opened. Beki was left standing face to face with Chiba in an enormous pink silk and white lace ribbon covered tea hat. Chiba looked up at her with an expectant, too large smile.

A shiver crept down Beki's spine. Beki had heard Orochimaru stole people's bodies from Naruto. Had Miki had her daughter and Orochimaru took over the tiny toddler body for a fresh start? That would explain why Chiba's eyes were too wise, her smile so threatening. But then why didn't Miki tell her? Was it even worse, were Orochimaru and Miki's daughter actually sharing a single being, two personalities trading spaces? As Beki's mind raced with the possibilities, that raspy voice from before spoke again:

"Chiba, let the poor darling inside. It's hard enough for her to get around without you blocking her way."

Chiba turned her head with a chilling smile. "Yes, Orochimaru sama."

Beki almost audibly let out a sigh of relief. She had no idea how she would have dealt with her childhood boogeyman in the body of a child. Chiba pulled the door open and Beki focused on crossing the threshold without wiping out. Once she was inside the softly lit room Beki screwed up her face in disbelief. "Um...what am I looking at here?"

Yuki spread her arms wide. "A tea party, what does it look like?"

Yuki was wearing an almost identical hat to Chiba, the exception being Yuki's hat was in creams and baby blues. Yuki followed Beki's gaze and gave her a shrug. "Hey, he would have one too but doesn't want to mess up his hair."

"I'm fabulous enough without a hat, thank you," The tall thin man(?) in the seat beside Yuki sipped on a small, flower patterned cup. His hair was long and silky, more of a brown black than her mother's jet. He was so pale skinned he nearly glowed even in the soft light of the lamps. Two purple streaks came down from the center of amber eyes with serpentine pupils. She would have called him frightening, but after seeing the Hanged Maiden in the field Beki wasn't sure anything could scare her anymore.

"Orochimaru, I presume?" Beki's old ambassador voice came out without realizing it. She managed half of a bow while supported by her walker. "Thank you for saving my mother and I. We're in your debt."

He gave a soft effeminate laugh daintily behind his hand. "And you said she had no manners."

"Careful about throwing around that you're indebted to people, Beks," Yuki sipped on her own cup. "Park your walker and join us."

Beki surveyed the trio. Yuki and Chiba were crowded on a loveseat and Orochimaru was sitting in a leather armchair. "Where am I going to sit?"

"Here," Yuki reached down and scooped up Chiba, setting the toddler on her lap. "There you go. Plenty of room."

Beki crept across the room, turned with great effort, and collapsed on the loveseat beside Yuki. She was nearly panting from the effort. Chiba held out a teacup for her. It was full of steaming ochre liquid and smelled faintly of jasmine and chamomile. "Oh. I didn't realize you were actually having tea."

Orochimaru scoffed. "Do you really think I have time for pretend tea parties?"

"Yeah, come on Beki, use your head," Yuki paused. "Is it okay for her to have tea with all the meds she's on?"

"It's herbal," Chiba beamed. "No caffeine, no adverse effects with her medications."

"Clever girl, Chiba," Orochimaru purred. "You'll outdo us all if you keep up at this rate."

Beki could feel his eyes on her, evaluating every motion she made. "I understand that you are struggling with adapting to your new limitations. There was a time where I was unable to use my arms and I know how frustrating that can be." He paused for a moment before continuing: "How are you feeling, Miss Tsukimori?" There was weight to his question. Something told Beki he already knew. She was in constant pain, had no endurance whatever, and was battling with endless fatigue. Beki didn't like saying what was expected of her, though. Controlling a conversation was just about the only thing she was strong enough to do right now and she wasn't going to give that up.

"Pretty well, considering what I've been through," Beki explained. "Your team is good. I might even venture to say they're better than Tsunade's students."

"Ooooh," Orochimaru cooed, his eyes falling on Yuki. "She's flattering me. I must say, she's cleverer than I expected from someone who threw themselves into the path of projectiles on purpose."

"If you were a parent, you would get it," Yuki shrugged. "They're all brilliant in some ways and dumb as rocks in others."

"You two cozied up fast," Beki chuckled. "Didn't you try to kill him? Didn't he try to kill you?"

"To be fair," Yuki raised a finger in a wait-a-minute gesture. "That's the thing. He attempted to kidnap and kill you. I successfully killed all his men that night and slaughtered my way out of one of his bases. In the realm of reality, I'm the dick here. He's even been so kind as to dedicate four years of time, energy, and research to saving us. Being anything less than grateful would really make me a monster, now wouldn't it?"

"I forget how loose your moral system is," Beki shook her head.

"Not loose, just practical," Yuki shrugged. "It's pretty easy to forgive and forget on a personal level. That's why it's so nice not being overly attached to a village. I get to think for myself, not have a kage think for me."

"We really should have met when we were younger," Orochimaru smiled and Beki suppressed the urge to shudder.

"Psh," Yuki rolled her eyes. "You would not have wanted me to work for you. I was more stabby when I was younger."

"Yuki hime, you were quizzing me," Chiba tugged gently on Yuki's hair.

"Oh, that's right," Yuki adjusted in her seat. "Okay, sweetie, how do you take down a target that's running from you?"

"You go right for one of the critical points," Chiba scrunched up her nose and began to count on her fingers. "The kidneys, the subclavian artery-"

"Ehhh," Yuki made a buzzer noise and Chiba looked up at her, crestfallen.

"Instead, you can hamstring him," Yuki explained. "Then, you can interrogate him without worrying about him escaping. Theeen you can go in for the kill."

Chiba blinked as if having come to a great revelation. "I never thought of it like that."

And so it went, with Orochimaru and Yuki peppering Chiba with questions that no toddler should ever be able to answer. That afternoon Beki had tea with her mother, the sanin who had once tried to kidnap her for experimentation, and perhaps the most troubling toddler in human history.