Chapter 2
Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. Sorry.
Author's notes: Yay, reviews coming in already! (And it's only been, what, an hour since I posted chapter 1? Whoo!)
To A-Light-Sleeper: Yeah, I'd never really thought of the ShikaNaru pairing until last night… I basically thought, "If Naruto got drunk and had sex in his female form… who would he be more likely to have sex with?" And I kinda stuck on Shikamaru. It had to be someone in the village (ruling Sasuke and Gaara out) and I wanted it to be someone in the Rookie Nine. Kiba was a close runner-up though. But I think the plot would be turning out quite differently.
To Sweet-single: Here's an update!! Hope it was soon enough!! Huggles
I'm hoping to keep updating this fic steadily. I work very long hours during the day, but I'll do my best – updates will likely come on weekends though.
Here's chapter 2 (And it's a nice long one – for me. XD)
Chapter 2
"P-pregnant?" Naruto stared at them, waiting for them to laugh, to point at him and say he'd been had, that they'd been pulling his tail (all nine of them). But neither did. They both looked at him rather solemnly.
"I'd like an explanation, Naruto." Tsunade said firmly.
Naruto swallowed. "I… I was drunk."
The Fifth frowned. "You're under-age."
"I know that." Naruto said. "But… we just wanted to have a good time… just… relax."
"We? Who else was with you?"
"I was, Tsunade-sama." Sakura said. "I remember that night. Most of the Rookie Nine were there. We all… we all just wanted to have fun together – to be irresponsible just for once."
Tsunade nodded, accepting Sakura's story. "Who's the father, Naruto?" She asked gently.
Naruto's face burned. "It was a dare at first… they wanted me to kiss him. I used my sexy jutsu so it'd be easier… later… we were really drunk… I changed back to my female form, and we ended up together."
"Naruto… who is it?" Tsunade pressed.
"… Shikamaru." Naruto whispered. "But I don't understand, Tsunade-baachan. How… how is this even possible… even if I was female at the time, I… I'm male now…"
Tsunade looked thoughtful. "It's possible that your female form was ovulating at the time." Naruto's face burned even brighter at the mention of the word 'ovulating'. "So when you slept with Shikamaru… but wait, how long were you in that form?"
Naruto shook his head. "I don't know… I woke up the next morning in it. About ten hours?"
Tsunade nodded. "Long enough… an egg must have been fertilised during that time. And then… when you reverted back, your body or your Chakra must have sensed that it needed to retain certain female parts – because you definitely have a womb, Naruto. And there is definitely a baby in it."
That was it. The word that made it all sink in. Baby. "I'm pregnant…" Naruto murmured, mostly to himself. "There's a baby in me… my… my baby…" He sat there a moment longer, and then slowly got to his feet. "I need to think…" He turned to the window and jumped out.
"Naruto, wait!" Sakura and Tsunade shouted at the same time, but he was gone.
--
Naruto positively fled from the Hokage's office. He jumped aimlessly over rooftops, through trees, running in straight lines and circles. Eventually, he stopped somewhere close to the border of the village, in a tree that had a good Naruto-sized nook in its vast limbs. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally drained, and he slumped down in this, for the moment, perfect resting place. The feeling of the rough bark against his back and head, the solidity under him, seemed to ground him somewhat, and his mind cleared a little.
Naruto looked down at himself. His jacket was still unbuttoned, and his fingers found the hem of his black t-shirt and lifted it, exposing the smooth flesh beneath. Unblemished. Unchanged. Slowly, almost hesitantly, his fingers crept over the skin, resting on his lower abdomen.
Pregnant.
Right now, under his hand, in his body, a new life had formed and was growing steadily. The very idea was very nearly incomprehensible. He was still waiting for Sakura and Tsunade to tell him they'd both been having a laugh at his expense. Though he knew that could not be the case, he knew they would not joke about something like this. Would they?
A baby. A real baby. Naruto's baby. The teenaged Shinobi's hand moved softly over his belly. Someone to love unconditionally, someone who loved back. Someone to care for, to teach.
A small smile of wonderment fell upon his lips. A child of his own. It would mean he would never be lonely again.
He felt a presence alight on the branch in front of him; he did not need to look up to know the Hokage had found him. She sat down in front of him. "Naruto, we need to talk."
Almost reluctantly, the young ninja removed his hand from his belly and looked up to meet Tsunade's gaze. "Am I really pregnant?" He asked softly.
Tsunade nodded. "Yes. You really are. I'm still not one hundred percent sure how, but there is definitely an embryo in there." As one, the both looked at Naruto's flat abdomen.
"Naruto, you need to make certain decisions now." Tsunade said seriously.
"Decisions? Like what?"
"First of all, do you want to keep the baby? If you want, you could terminate the pregnancy. Only Sakura and I know, and neither of us would think any less of you."
Naruto's brow furrowed. "Terminate? As in… as in kill the baby?"
Tsunade nodded.
"No way." Naruto said. "No. I couldn't… this…" he couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't give his reasoning. But he knew he'd climb to the very depths of hell before he willingly killed his own baby.
Tsunade looked understanding, and a small smile appeared on her lips – as though she had hoped, or knew, that would be his answer. Then she looked serious again. "But Naruto… you do understand that this will mean certain sacrifices. You won't be allowed on any dangerous missions. In fact, much of your time will be restricted to the village. This means no more tracking Akatsuki. Or Sasuke."
It was a blow he hadn't thought of. He had spent years focussed on retrieving Sasuke, and defeating the Akatsuki before they killed anyone else. To give that up, his driving force for nearly half a decade… to give it up for a being that had existed barely a month, who had come into existence as the result of a drunken whim… the decision was surprisingly easy.
"I'll find another way to get Sasuke back. And Akatsuki can wait. Tsunade-baachan… I want to keep this baby."
Again, she gave him a small smile. Understanding. Then she spoke again. "This is not something you have to do, but I think it will be better for all in the long run: You should tell Shikamaru. As soon as possible. I think he has a right to know."
Naruto nodded, a sense of foreboding settling in his stomach. He had no idea how Shikamaru would react to this. He had already feared their one-night-stand had irrevocably altered their friendship – Shikamaru had been seemingly avoiding him since it happened. He didn't want to contemplate how a baby conceived between the two of them would complicate things.
"And Naruto," Tsunade continued, "I want you to come see me tomorrow. I want to run some tests on you – some of them are routine for pregnant mothers. Others are to see how this whole thing will affect you… to my knowledge, pregnant men are rare."
"But not unheard of? I'm not the first?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade shook her head. "No, you're not. There was one in Konoha when I was a girl, but I don't remember what became of him or his child. I'll need to research it. But I want to monitor you closely for the safety of you and your baby. You understand?"
Naruto nodded. "Yes." He did. He also understood that she wanted to make sure he didn't do anything reckless.
The Fifth stood up and looked down at him. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Around mid-morning. And Naruto…" The boy looked up at her; he had been contemplating his belly again. "Tell Shikamaru. And make sure you eat something, and get some rest. "
--
Evening settled over Konoha. Naruto, feeling better for having indulged in some ramen, kept it down, and slept for a few hours, took to the village streets. He had a destination in mind, but wandered aimlessly for a while as though his subconscious was trying to keep him from breaking the news to Shikamaru that he was going to be a father.
Eventually though, he found himself on Shikamaru's street, his feet carrying him reluctantly to Shikamaru's door. And there he stood. He could not bring himself to knock. The seconds dragged into minutes, and he stood with his back against the wall, his mind running through all sorts of scenarios – ones where Shikamaru stormed off, ones where he stayed, and strange images of them in the future, the three of them, together and happy. These last thoughts were most puzzling to him – he was straight, so far as he knew, and so far as he knew, Shikamaru was as well. He had no desire to be with him outside of a drunken fling, did he? But still, the thoughts were nice, and he, somewhat guiltily, indulged them.
"Naruto?" The blonde boy nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. He turned sharply to find Shikamaru standing next to him, his features unreadable, as they frequently were.
"Sh-Shikamaru…" Naruto stammered, and everything he had thought to say, everything he had mentally rehearsed seemed to fly out of his head into the night.
"What's up? What're you doing here so late?" the Chuunin asked, hands in his pockets.
Naruto knew he looked panicked and nervous and he tried to control his features. "Um… could we walk? I need to talk to you." At a nod from the other, they set off down the street, though away from the village centre.
"I take it you want to talk about what happened a month ago." Shikamaru said eventually. Naruto startled again, but nodded.
"I'm sorry I ran off. I was… a bit freaked out by the whole thing," the brunette continued.
"It's okay… it was a strange situation," Naruto said. "But… there's something I have to tell you… it's something that happened because of that night."
The two of them stopped under a streetlight. They were alone, save for the chirping of the crickets.
"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked.
Naruto felt his face growing hot, and he scratched nervously at the back of his neck. "Well… you know how I was in my sexy jutsu right?" Shikamaru nodded. "Um… it turns out that I become completely and purely female when I do it… inside and out."
Shikamaru looked confused. Naruto continued on doggedly.
"Since… since the form is truly female, um… it can do things that female bodies can normally do." Naruto's heart was beating uncomfortably in his chest, making him feel as though he wanted to throw up from anxiety.
"Naruto… where are you going with this…?"
"Look, I don't understand it myself, but… Shikamaru, I'm…" the words stuck in his throat, he couldn't get them out. He looked at Shikamaru in anguish. Without thinking, his hand found his belly, almost as a talisman. The gesture did not go unnoticed by the other. Shikamaru's eyes widened.
"Naruto… you're not… you… you can't be pregnant, can you?"
The blonde looked away, and nodded. "I've been feeling off lately… tired, ill," he said quietly. "Sakura insisted on checking me over last night… she… realised… but had Tsunade-baachan give a second opinion."
Shikamaru winced. "So the Hokage knows…"
"She's not angry." Naruto said quickly. "Worried, I think. Shocked. Not angry."
Shikamaru released a breath he'd been holding. "That's a relief." Then, hesitantly, "Are… are you going to keep it?"
"Yes," Naruto said. "There's no other option I want to consider." He gave a small grin. "I've given my word to this baby that I'll protect it. I never go back on my word, that's my Way of the Ninja."
Shikamaru smiled at that. "You've always been that way, Naruto."
They stood quietly for a moment. Then Naruto said, "Um… Tsunade-baachan wants to run some tests on me tomorrow."
"Tests?" Shikamaru frowned.
"She says they're routine for… um…" he made a vague gesture at his abdomen. "She also wants to make sure everything's okay… considering I'm a guy and all."
"What time?"
"Huh?"
"What time are the tests?" Shikamaru repeated.
"Oh, um… around mid-morning."
"Do you want me to be there?"
Naruto looked at him blankly, then smiled softly. "Yeah, I'd like that."
The seconds ticked by. Then, "So, you really have… you really have a baby in there," Shikamaru said, pointing, "… my baby?"
Naruto nodded, an awkward smile on his face. "Yeah. Our baby."
--
Shikamaru strikes me as the responsible type. He'll do all he can to support his child, and Naruto. At this moment, he doesn't feel anything for Naruto besides friendship and a deep regard. But the fact that he's not in love with Naruto won't make him shirk his duty.
Please review! Especially if you've any advice on how I can improve! I'll try to get the next chapter out ASAP.