Kosuke

Kana stepped out of the house again, this time he was dressed in his warrior clothes and was prepared to go into the birthing storm. For the moment, there were only small flurries propelled by the growing winds, and the ground was being lightly sprinkled with fresh icy dust. The chill wasn't as harsh when they had a storm, but the snow melting on a warm body could wet a man's clothes and skin and evaporate in the dryness, stealing heat in mere seconds. The young man plodded along atop the crunching snow and headed in the direction he remembered his son leaving in.

The sky was clouded over with colossal masses of gray and white, and the birds were flying away twittering their warning cries as they faded into the distant skies. It would definitely be a big one. It wasn't as though a Zuka getting caught in a blizzard was just like a normal person being in a rainstorm; just because they could maintain a regular body temperature in the cold, didn't mean that they couldn't be buried in an avalanche or fall into a crevasse in the blinding weather. It was still very harsh, and even more so for a Zuka child. All this made Kana's movements speed up into a run as he scanned the slick white surface of the valley. Kumi-chan wouldn't have gone far, or at least Kana hoped he wouldn't have.

The snow flurry was raising a difficulty by now, as it blocked his vision and he couldn't see past forty feet away from himself and Kana was beginning to feel genuine anxiety. He wondered if he should have set out earlier, then he cursed himself for even thinking of it; his new baby and his wife were both the bigger concern back there.

After another half-hour of walking he began only to rely on voice, struggling to overpower the surging winds' deafening howls and whistles. He called out endlessly for his segare-san, but all he heard in response was the thickening storms' voices screaming out in competitive spite for his own.

Kana gave up the calls he forced from his throat and let the last echo return with the vicious screeches of the gusts. Closing his eyes, he spread out his arms and legs into a stance that looked like a freeze from an ancient dance. The position was best for letting heat conduction and radiation spread through his body, he had known it ever since Jiji taught it to him after Kana had graduated from academy. He concentrated his energy and began building up an icy mass of frozen energy in his chest. The bulb of frigid coldness threatened to explode, but Kana locked it there and kept dropping it's temperature waiting for just the right amount.

When the arctic mass was cold enough, Kana willingly let it burst from his body out into the merciless storm. The snow turned to hail and pelted down relentlessly, freezing more and more until the clouds themselves iced over and plummeted from the sky, their tiny pieces shattering on the now frozen ground.

Kana opened his eyes and looked around, the clearing that he had created in the storm was near two hundred feet in diameter, but he still saw no signs of his son. He rushed swiftly over to where the edges of the clearing were and began congealing another ball of coldness inside of himself as he ran. When he reached the border he slowly released the energy and directed it at the sky. The clouds above him poured down in beads of melting ice, not strong enough to harm anyone. He ran, aiming the cold at the clouds in front and to the sides, pushing his search deeper into the valley.

Using this technique threatened his energy level, and made it impossible to hear anything above the shattering of the clouds' now frozen particles. Yet it gave him a good view around him as he passed through the storm's scornful bulk. His feet carried him over the slippery terrain without a single loss of footing, as his eyes searched the expanse for any signs of life.

He could hear the voice of his whitechild in his head screaming for his daddy, wailing about his mother's death. Kana was reminded that Kumi would never be the same after his mother's passing, he was her treasured child, her only child, he got her attention more than anyone else's in the world. The two of them would drink, sleep, talk, and eat with each other every day and night of their lives. It was only recently that his sweet mother was first kidnapped, and then bedridden, and even in those times he was either distracted by the war or taking care of her.

For now, Kana just wanted to find his son, and take him back home to his safe bed and tell him that it wasn't his fault. He wanted to tell him that there would be a surprise visitor, who might stay forever if he was good. He could picture his sons laughing together as they grew older, he imagined Kumi teaching the child how to fight and wash and talk to girls. Kumi shouldn't have to be concerned about his mother when such a great future was ahead of them. Once he got over it he would see that her love was reflected in the new child and would grow to love him as he had loved her. Then they could train together and when they both were graduated, all three of them could go on missions for the village. They could keep each other in check while they imported medicines from foreign lands or went out to represent their village in a peace treaty affair.

As all of these thoughts passed in and out of Kana's head, not one of them reminded him of the monster.

"Mama!"

Suddenly, Kana could hear a distant cry calling out from the expanse to his right. The voice snapped him back into reality where he found himself standing without the aid of his technique in the middle of the blizzard, he must have lost track of his own movements and ran into the snow without thinking. Whatever deity had allowed him to strike such fortune; he thanked now, and ran into the direction of the familiar voice.

There in the blur of frost lay his son, on his face, shaking, and bleeding from the forehead. Kana rushed to his side and knelt by him, turning him over onto his side carefully.

"Ōtou-san…" Kumi looked dazedly into his father's face, "I'm okay, go away. I want mama."

"Kumi. Mama's going to be alright. Can you stand?" Kana offered a hand to his son, but Kumi wouldn't take it. The young boy tried to stand on his own, pushing his legs under his body and trying to lift himself up. Kana could see the frost on his face, from where there had been tearstains. The blood on his forehead was already starting to crust into ice, and Kana reached out to wipe it away. Kumi pushed his father's hand away, but the imbalance in weight caused him to slip and he fell backwards onto his back.

Kana stood and went behind his child, trying to scoop him up off of the ice and into his warm arms.

"Stop!" Kumi shouted. "I can do it, I don't want to be annoying! I'm brave, Ōtou-san!" Kana could see that his son was worn out and too shaky to walk on the ice all the way back to the village.

"I know you are. I saw you yesterday. You did everything I said without pause, when I told you to get the wrong herbs." He emphasized the word 'I', even though he knew it was a lie.

"You mean it wasn't my fault?" Kumi said weakly.

"I didn't mean to tell you to get the wrong ones, Kumi." Kana whispered as he moved to scoop Kumi up again.

"I know mom will forgive you." Kumi managed.

"So, will you give me a turn to be brave?" Kana said softly as he held out his arms.

"Yes." Kumi almost seemed relieved by the thought of being carried, and he nearly collapsed into his father hold. Kana lifted him up and held him tight, just as a father should. It took a lie, but he had managed to calm him. Maybe later, he could tell him of his mother's death, though it was not yet to come until labor.

He clutched his son firmly and drew him into his own warmth, walking slowly back towards the village.

Kumi's mother had died from her illness that night, while he slept in his bed, or so he was told. Supposedly, medics wanted to investigate the illness before they held a funeral for the lady. So her survival remained a secret while she slept, waiting for the day her baby would be born.

Kumi's eyes would not dry; he could not take his mind off of the memories of her scent and smile, everyplace that he had been with her now haunted him. Kana gave him every reason he could find to distract him from the loss. Yet Kumi didn't even seem excited about a visitor coming to stay with them, he locked himself in his room and only left when he was needed. School was an even greater issue though, as he found himself closing off from the other trainees.

Kana did everything in his power to keep Kumi out of depression; they went out hunting more often than they ever had before, and Kumi was often sent out to his grandmother's house whenever his Ōtou-san was away from home.

The former Simokage had promised to persuade Jiji into the plan of using his elite Genjutsu, and finally the day came when Kana received a summoning to the Shimokage. His wife was in labor.

Kana ran through the village streets until he stood at the foot of the medical center, where a secret room had been prepared for the delivery. Kana was both excited and terrified of the upcoming event. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he looked up and down the structure before bursting in through the front doors; he would not let Inari be without her husband for even a second of the delivery.

As he hurried through the halls his heart pounded in his chest, rattling what assurance he had left. He turned to the hall where the door was marked as the messenger said it would be. Kana placed his shaky hand on the handle of the door; this would be a life-changing experience, he could taste it in the air, but nothing could stop him from going through it. Kana had promised that he would be there, so he was going to be there. He slid the door open and closed it swiftly behind himself.

The cries of his wife could be heard, but she was not in sight yet. Kana passed through the small hall before making the last turn into an attached room at the end of the walkway. Kana passed through the curtain that hindered his view.

The room was a small one, with no window, and a large hospital bed was set up against the wall, with three sides open to the viewers. There was one doctor there, assisted by his three nurses, the former Shimokage stood at one side of Inari's bed and next to him stood Reikoku. Reikoku was positioned with one hand over Inari's forehead, and the other in an energy concentrating hand symbol. Inari's pained expressions could be seen clearly from where Kana watched. Her face was like nothing he had ever seen before, though she was covered with sweat and bore an aggrieved look, she looked more beautiful to him than ever before.

When Kana entered the room, the former Shimokage walked swiftly over to him, seeming to notice some sort of depression in Kana's eyes.

"Today is a day to celebrate and be joyful." He offered. Kana hadn't expected this comment; he was already celebrating and thought it was obvious on his face.

"She is beautiful." Kana whispered gently. "How is that possible when she's in so much pain?"

"Inari's actions are beautiful…" the former admired the young girl in the bed; it was obvious from the faint smile that brightened his tired face. Kana couldn't help but smile as well.

"She's going to die…" Kana stuttered, tears kept falling down his face. His eyes only seemed to want to obey his emotions as they rained and poured down his pale white face.

"Kana-san, think of a name." The former suggested quickly. Kana-san had completely forgotten about the name that would be needed for his son. He only had so many names floating around in his mind, and probably only around five hours to decide. His mind danced through the memories of Inari's talks with him; there weren't any names that she had suggested ever. Kana smiled bigger; she must have planned it, planned all along for Kana to be forced to name the child without her.

Inari's contractions began to arise closer and closer to each other and the nurse announced that the baby was on its way; the plan was working! Though her eyes stayed shut and she spoke no words, her mind was controlling the need to birth the baby. This could be the only time in all of the earth's lifespan that a woman had given birth in her sleep. Kana hoped that the pain would be lessened since it was in her dream.

The nurses rushed to and fro, trying to apply pressure to areas on her body that would encourage movement, just to help the technique along. The doctor watched patiently and arranged the equipment for the baby's cleansing, which would be extensive for a Zuka newborn. Zuka's had very gentle and delicate processes for the baby, which would automatically reduce the risk of any post-birth illnesses.

The pre-birthing labor took almost two hours, and it was noticeably over when the doctor said that her baby's head was visible. Kana's eyes filled up and spilled over again when he heard the news and he held on tightly to the ends of his shirt, trying to suppress more from forming.

The former leaned over the cot above Inari's ached body, and laid a scroll out over her abdomen. When Kana noticed he bit his lip and exchanged his line of sight with Inari's wet face. He could sense that the former was gathering an enormous amount of energy above the open scroll, and after a while he could hear the old man begin chanting.

Kana's eyes shut tight, and he listened intently to all that was said, waiting for a specific sound that he had heard the first time. It took almost an hour before he heard it, the shuddering cries of his new son as he entered the world that hated him. Kana kept his eyes shut, this was the moment that the former was going to have to finish the technique. Kana focused on all of the names he had ever heard before, all of the random strangers and close relatives.

He could hear the nurses and doctor's countdown for the birth, one arm, two arms, chest, knees, one foot…

Kana opened his eyes to the bright room. He opened them to the excited movements of the nurses. He opened them to a lifeless young girl on a cot, and began to shut them again. Before he let them shut he looked to his newborn baby, and couldn't take his eyes off of him. The doctor held the tiny delicate baby in her tender grasp; the boy was so small and innocent.

His son's hands were curled into little fists, his face was pure snowy white once the blood was cleared away, and his feet weren't any bigger than Kana's pinky finger. His heart forced his eyes to clear the tears so he could see his son with perfect vision, there was a painful stoke of joy in his body and he could have sworn he felt a baby girl's eyes watching him from inside his son's quivering body. Kana reached out gently toward the doctor.

One of the nurses laid a blanket across Kana's arms and the doctor placed the newborn into his father's arms. Kana closed them around the baby, as though he was made of weak, delicate glass.

"I've been waiting for you. Your mother and I have been worried sick about you. But don't worry anymore; I will always take care for you. I love you. I promise, I will always be watching over you, until the day I die." Kana cradled his treasure with his arms and his heart.

After the nurses said that they were done, they rolled the cot away and Kana was left alone in the room with his segure-san. He held him closely for a long while, until he heard the baby's cries totally diminish. Then he laid him in a crib with strict care, and sat on a chair next to him. He didn't care about the smell; he didn't take any of his focus off of the newborn.

He didn't take any of his focus off of the newborn, until a distinct sound caught his ear. He had only one second to block the knife that was flung into Kosuke's crib; it hit the floor the same second he had stood in the same that it had been flung.

"Who's there?! I swear I will kill you!" He screamed into the curtain.

You would kill your own father?" Kana could hear Jiji's voice from behind the curtain. His mind went almost immediately into shock. He had thought about Jiji doing something obstructive before, but when Jiji didn't do anything back when they took his wife to the former he had totally forgotten about him. The kunai knife clinked loudly on the floor before settling, and soon after another was thrown. This snapped Kana back into reality; he had promised to protect his son until the day he died, Jiji was not going to kill his baby.

The second Kunai knife clanked on the hard tile floor and Kana rushed for the curtain, moving to strike Jiji with his own knife. Jiji had stepped back by the time Kana ripped down the curtain with his knife, and he looked almost amused at his son's stance.

"Are you going to try to kill me?" Jiji scoffed, "I'm only slaying the village monster." Kana took a step back and looked around the room again. He was trying to find something, anything that he could throw or break to make a loud noise; Jiji was stronger than he and Kana would need help to save the baby. Nothing appeared to be of any use, if there had been a window it would have been easy to attract attention, but for now the room was bare of all delicate equipment.

"Somebody help!" Kana screamed desperately, "Get help!" The baby instantly started crying, and though Kana didn't want the baby to be disturbed, he knew that screams and a baby's wails would bring anyone to his room now. Jiji noticed what Kana was trying to do and lashed out towards him with full force. There was no joke on Jiji, his seventy-year-old body was still very powerful and his punches were of no lesser strength. Kana raised his arms defensively and tried to catch Jiji's punch.

There were several large cracking sounds as Jiji's fist landed in one of Kana's open palms. Kana couldn't feel the full of it until near ten second afterwards, when he could feel the misplaced bones jutting into his muscles. Kana shouted in pain, but kept his stance trying to step forward to force Jiji away from his baby.

Footsteps and loud voices could be heard in the hallway and Jiji's face lit with panic, he forced Kana off of him and lunged towards the crib, pulling out a kunai. Kana's fist whipped across Jiji's face and knocked him into a corner, where he lay with blood pouring from his nose. Kana reached gently into the crib and retrieved his baby holding it tightly and turning towards the door.

The former had been speaking with a few of the nurses when he heard the cries. He dropped the cup of tea he held in his hand and turned towards the ceiling. Right above them was where the hidden room had been, it was one of the most soundproof rooms in the entire hospital. The former stood immediately and looked around. Jiji had been sitting in a corner of the waiting room reading a magazine, not anymore. The former rushed towards the doors to go further into the hospital, and he began hurrying to the stairs. Jiji may have been strong but he was never a match for the Shimokages, the strongest ninjas in the village.

He bolted through the hall and dashed up the stairs, he turned the corners to the room and called over a few of the warrior ninja rushing to the room. The ten of them burst through the door and passed swiftly through the small hallway.

Past the shredded curtain they could survey the scene, Kana lay in a corner bleeding severely from his nose, he appeared to be barely conscious while Jiji held the baby threateningly in his rough hands. The child was run through with a kunai and the blood dripped down its cloth wrap onto the floor. The former watched in panic, and while he was stunned one of the other ninja took things into their own hands.

The warrior took out a kunai and threw it at Jiji.

The former finally caught on to what was going on, and just as soon as he knew the genjutsu was there it faded from sight and all of them could see the mistake. Kana held the baby in his arms leaning weakly against the wall with a kunai lodged deep in his chest, blood spilled from his mouth and nose sprinkling onto the baby he held so protectively. Kana slid down the wall and sat on the floor looking over at the former in sheer desperation. Jiji lay in the corner where they had thought they had seen Kana.

Former Shimokage ran to Kana and dropped down next to him, he looked at the baby and Kana looked up at him. Kana's arms went limp and fell to his sides as Shimokage took the child into his own hands. Kana breathed heavily and slowly, trying to form words.

"Take care of her. Take care of my son Kosuke."