A/N: I didn't realize the wrong draft was up, nothing's changed much, except the end; Hachiko was napping in her room not downstairs; sorry for the confusion.

[Insert Disclaimer]

STORY ONE: DUELO AND REI – PART 2

Rei sat on the tatami matted floor and grinned watching her little pudgy baby girl on the soft yellow blanket. The dark golden haired baby girl was on her back and wriggling in attempts to roll on her tummy. Hachiko was a smart baby. At only 4 months she was already trying to do things on her own, such as roll over. The hazel-eyed baby had been the best thing to happen to the Hachimitsu family in Konoha.

Because of baby Hachiko and Rei's single mother status, Rei was stuck in the reserves much to her father's joy. Rei of course didn't mind it one bit, with little Hachiko needing her, Rei really didn't miss being a kunoichi. She still trained and since given the okay at the hospital, she began getting herself in back in shape. Rei had it all worked out in her head. Once Hachiko was in the Academy or Civilian Primary (yes, Rei would allow Hachiko to choose what kind of path to take), Rei would reintegrate herself to the regular chunin forces.

For now though, Rei was content watching little Hachiko's accomplishments.

'Duelo… You're missing out on so much. I hope you come back soon. I'm sure Hachiko would love you.'

-Duelo-

Duelo glared at the deplorable condition of lab room. Large glass broken containment cells, dirty machines against the wall and the stench of moisture was deeply penetrated in the air. Duelo knew what this place was. Is. Orochimaru had used it as a place to store the children he had experimented on a couple of years back.

"Many have died here. Shame not one survived. I'm sure you would've enjoyed dissecting another body to study." Orochimaru lamented and cruelly joked. The snake sannin let out a heavy sigh but then grinned broadly. Duelo felt his stomach churn but he held it together, he was past studying human anatomy and now was doing grunt work.

"However with Kaguya's Flower, how long until the extract is ready?" Orochimaru asked and Duelo grimly reported.

"About a week there's a few more distillation processes left then we can begin studying its properties." Orochimaru grinned and nodded.

"Once you've finished send Aoda to find me." A little blue-purple snake slithered over to Duelo who bent down and let it slither up his arm and rest on his shoulder.

"Take what we have here left of the Hashirama cells and any equipment. I'm going to hunt for the miko that continues to elude us. The scrolls copies I acquired from the Land of Honey are heavily coded and my contact assured me that the contents were only understood by the miko of the name Suisei." Duelo nodded and after Orochimaru left he relaxed a little.

"Orochimaru-sama can be intimidating." Duelo turned his head and raised an eyebrow at the small snake on his shoulder.

"I might as well get started, I don't want to incur his anger again." Duelo commented and headed into the lab to get what he needed.

-Days Later-

"How much longer will this take?" Aoda asked again for the 8th time. Duelo sighed and looked at the small vial and then went to one end of the table where the boiling minced contents of Kaguya's petals were boiling. It was nearly all evaporated. Just small morsels remained and a bit of the infusion.

"Ask again in 20 minutes." Aoda nodded from its warm aquarium that Duelo had made for the snake. Duelo found it strangely nice to have someone, aside from Orochimaru to talk to. Duelo had a feeling something was going to go down. Something big and something life changing, he just wasn't sure what though. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the door slammed open and Orochimaru grinned brightly.

"We have our prisoner who refuses to cooperate. I have a meeting in Rice Country, so you make sure she doesn't do something stupid and keep her fed and alive. Well at least until I return." Duelo nodded and the creepy snake sannin left. Duelo grimaced as he realized he was in charge of a prisoner.

'I didn't sign up for this… I knew Orochimaru would have much to teach me, and he has but it's more like I'm teaching myself and in the most unconventional ways. Was leaving Konoha for this really worth it?'

His thoughts strayed to Rei. He didn't dare voice it out but he really missed her company. Even if she was just watching him study, her presence in his life since they had met had been constant and comfortable.

'I'll return soon. That I promise… But when and how? Orochimaru will never let me go and has enough on me to ensure I'm no longer welcome in Konoha.'

Duelo rubbed his temples and focused put his attention on the scrolls that Orochimaru wanted decoded. Duelo liked challenges but this was ridiculous. The scrolls, the code it was a series of loops, scribbles in patterns and breaks. It was strange. At first he believed it to be some form of calligraphy since the brush strokes were fine, firm and not a smudge present but after looking through all the references, nothing. Not even the old language fitted. It was as if this from, this code was non-existent. Yet, the scrolls originated from across the seas, from the Land of Honey from some old noble clan.

"Aoda, do you know where these scrolls originated from?" Duelo asked the small purple/blue snake.

"Ah, something with bee's… Ah! Hachimitsu." The little snake proudly proclaimed as it remembered. Duelo blinked at the coincidence.

'That's Rei's last name. Could it be that she'd know something about this? Perhaps talking to the old woman would be best right now.'

-Rei-

As September began to roll in, Rei smiled at her adorable little girl who was in her small sling carrier across Rei's chest. Hachiko was now 8 months old and very attentive to everything around her. Rei decided the day wasn't so cold and Hachiko would love the afternoon walks to view the changing leaves. She had dressed up Hachiko to be warm, just in case of a sudden chilly wind. Hachiko wore a light brown sweater with a hoodie that had bear ears and sleeves like mittens that looked like little paws. Rei though her little bear was adorable.

Hachiko's round honey colored eyes drifted from the greenish-turning yellow-orange leaves to peeking around at those around. Hachiko for a small baby was very attentive to where there were lots of people. Rei had a hunch Hachiko could be a sensor as the little baby had a tendency to turn her attention often to where there were shinobi, who had larger chakra reserves than civilians.

"OMA! MMM!" Rei looked over to where Hachiko was reaching out her little pudgy hand. Rei noted that it was a reaching up on the tree rather than at the trunk of it. Rei slowly walked over to the tree and Hachiko held out her hands up towards the treetops.

"What are you seeing that I'm not?" Rei playfully asked Hachiko who began to squirm and then suddenly lowered her hands and began making little pouty faces. Rei suddenly knew what more like or who Hachiko was reacting to.

"Oh no! Don't cry. Ah, I know, honeydew! You love honeydew milk and I have some in here somewhere." Rei with one hand ransacked her satchel and as she was about to pull out the honeydew milk, she spotted a red-haired woman that was very familiar and it seemed she was with child.

"Kushina-senpai!" Rei walked over and noted how Hachiko was staring at her senpai.

"Ah, Rei-chan! I haven't seen you since you know," Kushina rubbed her stomach and Rei nodded.

"Oh, who's this cutie?" Rei didn't miss the way Kushina sort of hesitated but then lightly poked Hachiko's cheek causing the little baby to giggle.

"She's so… Cute!" Kushina raved and then Hachiko clapped and held out her hands up once more but this time at a tree behind Kushina.

"Hachiko-chan, this is mama's senpai, Kushina. Say hello ne?" Rei wasn't ashamed of being a teenage mother. She knew what the rumor mill had done to her image and what still was said about her behind her back. Many tried to guess who Hachiko's father was but none were able to make an accurate guess since Hachiko took after her the Hachimitsu in looks. At one point there was speculation that during one of her last missions, Rei had been captured by the enemy and violated. Rei never bothered with denying nor pay attention to the claims. She didn't find a point in it, however it had affected her life during her pregnancy. Her male friends had become distant per her request, as she didn't want any one of them to be caught up in the rumors. Kakashi, Genma and Raido had complied but had kept tabs on her and sometimes they would randomly drop by in private, though they'd never approach Hachiko or even tried to carry her, they had this fear they'd drop her or something.

Hachiko nodded her head as if bowing and Kushina gushed over her.

"Eh, she's yours. Ohayo Hachiko-chan." Kushina smiled and Rei watched how Hachiko stared at the red-haired woman and clapped.

"How are you, Rei? I know… Kakashi told me about how rough it was during the pregnancy." Rei smiled sadly and nodded.

"The looks and way people threw their comments with pity and disgust would get on my nerves, I won't lie that at times I felt like hiding away but, Hachiko was the one thing in this world that made me stand proudly. If I can't stand up and be strong to set an example for Hachiko then what kind of mother would I be?" Rei looked at Kushina-senpai who nodded.

"You know, I'm to give birth soon. I know Mikoto has a son around Hachiko's age and I was wondering if it would be, you know possible to have Hachiko-chan be my baby and Mikoto's baby's friend? Like play dates dattebane!" Rei was taken aback but nodded with a happy smile.

"Hachiko having friends will be a nice ne?" Rei asked Hachiko who nodded and made Kushina laugh a little in the process.

"Does she agree to anything when asked something?" Kushina asked and Rei nodded.

"Sometimes she'll shake her head. Though, right now it seems her fixation is on that tree top." Rei eyed the tree.

"Ah, so she's noticed. Hmm, I'll have to tell Minato his ANBU is incompetent if he was noticed by a baby." Kushina whispered and they laughed causing Hachiko to laugh too just to be a part of the laughter.

"I should get going. It was nice seeing you Rei, you should visit me soon. You too, Hachiko-chan." Kushina poked Hachiko's cheek causing the baby to babble. As Kushina left, Hachiko's pout returned and her round eyes stared in the direction Kushina had left.

"Seems Kushina-senpai left an impression on you huh?" Rei asked and proceeded to head back home as it was near Hachiko's naptime. Upon getting home Rei bypassed entering through the shop, she didn't want customer gawking at Hachiko. So she went around through the alley and entered the courtyard. Hachiko recognizing home and fussed to get down.

Once in the living room, Rei set Hachiko loose to crawl everywhere. Eventually Hachiko got tired and fell asleep clutching her yellow blanket and a teddy bear. Rei set the sleeping babe in her crib upstairs and Rei proceeded to grab something to read from her room. It was then when Rei was surprised to see a familiar lone figure in her bedroom.

"Still using the window huh?" Rei asked and sat on the bed next patting the empty space for him to sit. Hatake Kakashi over the years had been one of those people that were distant and Rei had pegged him to be a stick in the mud but overtime her opinion of him had changed. He had seen so much, been hurt by so much, it was sometimes hard for Rei to see him so defeated when he visited. Usually, he visited when he felt lonely and didn't want anyone asking about his feelings. She knew he only visited her and Hachiko because she didn't ask, just comforted him by treating him like he wasn't broken.

"Where's your kid?" Kakashi manually asked.

"Napping in her room. She noticed you when you were tailing Kushina-senpai." Kakashi seemed to grimace a bit. As an ANBU, Rei knew he was wounded that a mere baby had easily spotted him.

"You still deny you're a sensor and your kid too?" He monotonously asked and Rei gave him a small smirk.

"I just know. I told you, I've been evaluated and I can't do what sensors do, feel chakra. Hachiko though, she might be. She hasn't been around you that long to know what you feel like and instantly recognize-" Rei stopped talking as she heard a small cry. Kakashi noted it too and followed her out to the a small yellow room where the little baby in a bear onesie was rolled on her side and she held out her arms towards a hesitant teen ANBU.

"And the little bear demands your attention." Rei simply said and grinned as she saw Hachiko manage to roll over on her tummy.

"I'm not carrying her. You know I don't do infants." Kakashi pointed out and took a step back a bit away from the crib that contained the baby that kept stretching her arms out towards Kakashi.

"But she likes you, not sure why but she does, more than Genma, he makes her scrunch up her nose and Raido, he refuses to go near her because she likes to pull hair." Rei admitted.

"I need to get back, I was just on a small break." Kakashi turned towards Hachiko and crept down to her crib level. Rei wondered why and then Kakashi spoke, staring at the little babe through the crib bars.

"Don't make trouble for your mom or me." He said with his eye narrowed and awkwardly patted the top of her head that was still covered by the bear hoodie. Rei silently chuckled. Kakashi left, via the window and Rei turned to a pouting Hachiko.

"Looks like Kakashi is warming up to you huh? Maybe you can be the one to break him out of himself." Rei lightly said with a small sad smile. She picked up Hachiko and wondered if Duelo would be the same with Hachiko, like Kakashi was?

"Let's get you some fruit, ne?" Hachiko bounced in Rei's arms at the mention of fruit.

As Rei got Hachiko's snack ready, she noted a small letter on the kitchen counter. She picked it up and paled as she read who it was from.

'Duelo.'

A/N: Not a long one. I admit but the cuteness levels here! :3

Baby Hachiko is cute! This one part felt a bit filler-ish but it exposed a bit about Rei and Duelo. Poor Rei though, the sh*t she had to put up with.

Next time, yeah, it's going down. Anyone noted that this chapter is set shortly under a couple of weeks before Kushina gives birth, meaning, Rei's ending is coming and Story 1 will be finishing up.

[May 15 Edit] Loveabe O has more fanart! Rei has been drawn as have other pieces like NaruHachi, Pinkie and Hachiko, Jun and Mimori, all are very well drawn by the way, link is up on my profile go check 'em out!

Until Next Time,

-Anbu