Love & Truth
7. Coldest Stone, Warmest Embrace
Two weeks time skip
(Third person's POV)
It was early morning when Naruto came to the Hokage tower.
He knocked on village head's door hesitantly, jumping once the woman inside invited him in.
„Naruto!" She exclaimed, seeing the young visitor. „What brings you here Naruto? I haven't seen you for some time." the woman smiled, offering the blonde a cup of saké.
Naruto however stayed quiet. Which definitely seemed a strange sight and the woman realized something is not right the moment he did not reply.
„Naruto? What's wrong?" she asked, worried. She has never seen the blonde boy this serious.
„I need to talk to you."
L&T
(Tsunade's POV)
„You're WHAT!"
I really could not hold the exclamation that escaped my mouth.
Naruto only sat silently on the chair opposite to mine, still looking as serious as he did before.
„That is not possible! It simply isn't!"
„And yet it's true." Naruto mumbled only.
„It simply can't be! Give me one reason why it should."
„I wouldn't believe it also... if I did not see it myself."
„What?! On who?!"
„On Gaara..."
That caught me off-guard.
„You're telling me that Kazekage is pregnant?!"
„He is... He's about..." He stopped for a while, probably counting. „... six months along..."
„That. Is. Not. Possible!"
„I'm telling you I've seen it! He's having swollen stomach, as any woman would. I felt the child move inside him... Why can't you believe me?"
I wanted to say something more against it... but I've seen the sincere and desperate expression on his face and realized just who it is I was speaking to.
'He really means it?' I asked myself as I looked at the epitome of sincerity.
I sighed in defeat as I rubbed my temples with my hands, knowing full-well "yes" was the word I was searching for.
„I need to run some tests on you."
„I'm sure about it though... and one more thing..."
„What?"
'What else is there to it?'
„I'm having twins."
„WHAT?! How come? How can you be so sure of it?"
„Well, leaving aside that I've been throwing up for a month... and Gaara said I won't even feel the morning sickness, due to Kyuubi, there's another thing... Argh... it's hard to explain..."
I watched his expression turn to that of distress.
„Don't stress it... It's no good for the children..."
„You believe me?" he asked his face lightening up.
„I'll believe you completely once I run those tests, but... Well, it's not like you'd joke about something this serous in the first place."
„Thank you..." he whispered softly.
I then went with him to actually try some tests on him.
L&T
'Impossible. Well, not impossible so obviously.'
Faced with results before me, I really needed to re-value what I called ordinary.
'Even when checked with chakra I still can't find any other possibility than that he really is pregnant... And really with twins to boot.' I thought furiously.
„How is this even possible?" I said, more to myself than to anyone else.
„It's Kyuubi's fault." I heard Naruto say.
„What?"
„Kyuubi made me like this as a "parting gift"... that's what she called it." Naruto repeated, grumpy.
„And how did you know that you... conceived?"
'God, to ask a guy this question sounds strange.' I rambled to myself. That did not change the fact that I eagerly waited for his response.
„Well... When I was in Suna I met with Gaara. It took one look at him to know that Shukaku was back in his body. He then asked me about the injury I got on my way there and such, when we were suddenly interrupted..."
„By whom...?" I asked curiously.
„By his lover."
„And that would be?"
„Wouldn't you want to know, baa-san? You can try to guess. You and I know the person..." the blonde smiled cheekily.
„How am I supposed to know?"
„Well, limit it to those who requested missions in Suna lately, or those who otherwise spend a lot of time there."
„Request missions in Suna? And who do you think would..." Suddenly a name entered my mind. He was young, he was Naruto's friend and he certainly developed an interest in Suna in last few months.
My eyes opened wide and my mouth opened also, while Naruto's turned into a grin.
„You can't be serious...Hyuuga?!" I got out of myself.
„Why can't I be? It's true. And before you ask it is his, the child Gaara carries. And it was because of Neji that Gaara accepted Shukaku back in the first place."
I looked at him, asking for more explanation.
„It is in the power of Bijuu to make a male Jinchuuriki bear a child. Gaara took this possibility as a payment for Shukaku living in his body once more. He did it, because he wanted to give Neji a family. He did it, because he loves him."
I wanted to say something to that, but then I realized something...
„And what about you?"
„Kyuubi did it without me knowing it... I actually got to know this when I spoke to Gaara. He mentioned that Shukaku told him that this kind of ability has been inflicted on one of Jinchuurikis already... and guess who that was." he added sounding very sarcastic.
„So why didn't you try to ... prevent it somehow?"
„Too late... When I spoke with Gaara, I had them in me already." Naruto mumbled.
„And the father?"
„Sasuke-teme... Who else." he stated as a matter of a fact.
„Expected as much." I couldn't help but smile. That was until I remembered why Sasuke has been coming here for past month. „Does he know?"
„He knows about the possibility. I told him that the chance of conceiving is really small, though... And it obviously isn't."
„How did the two of you get together? More like "Why did it take so long for you to get together?" But anyway. Everyone who knows you has been aware for some time already."
„You know me and Sasuke... We both had it... with gaining and losing..." he trailed off, only to continue in almost inaudible whisper. „I wouldn't get from it, if I lost him also."
I watched Naruto as he hunched his shoulders. He really seemed to fear that such a day might come. I so wanted to reassure him that he may stay with the young Uchiha for the duration of their lives... I was afraid, however, that I could not promise that to him. I knew... that it would be a lie.
„Naruto?" at his name called he lifted his head only enough so he would look at me.
„What is it, baa-san?" he asked softly, sounding almost exhausted.
„How far along are you exactly?"
„Two months. Why?"
I counted in my head for a while then sighed. „Did Sasuke ever tell you why he comes here so often?"
Naruto seemed a bit taken aback by the change of topic, but answered. „He refuses to..."
„You know, I hate to tell you, but I think it would be better if you left the village for a while." I said, after thinking about which words to use for some time.
„Why?!"
„It would not be safe... Not with the children. Naruto... I want you to know that I don't approve with the way some of the villagers treat you, but it simply is not in my power to somehow make them stop... That's why I want you to leave for a while, until the children are born at least. Once you start showing they'll take it as their enjoyment to try to harm you. There are already rumours about your and Uchiha's relationship around the village... And once they get to know about the children... I don't even want to imagine it... And I'm sure that neither do you..."
I saw Naruto hug his body with his armsa as he tried to stop the trembling that overcame him at the words. It took him few minutes until he got some word from his mouth.
„How long can I stay?" he whispered.
„A month. At the very most. More than that would be risky... and Naruto... Don't tell Sasuke."
The last words had the same effect as a punch to him. I could clearly see that.
„Why?! Why can't he come with me?" he asked in a little voice which spoke of so much pain.
„If he would be gone for too long, people would get suspicious. And as sad as it sounds, when you disappear, no one would." It was almost painful to say these words, but we both knew just how much truth was in them.
„Naruto I want you to come here in a week or so, so I would check everything is alright... and so we could talk about some more details."
Naruto started to cry softly, as it dawned on him, just how would days that are to come look. It must have been a terrible premonition to him.
„Why? Why? WHY? Everything went so fine... Why must it be like this. What have I done wrong to not deserve even an ounce of happiness?"
The streams that came flowing down his cheeks were such a pitiful sight. It was at times like these, that I hated Yondaime for sealing Kyuubi into his own child. He was dead already. He could not see how much pain it brought to his child. How much pain it still brings him.
I knew that speaking in such a situation would not be the best choice, so I took the crying boy into my arms instead.
I so wished that I could take some of his pain on myself.
L&T
(Naruto's POV)
After I left Tsunade-baa's office I wandered around the town. I even stopped by Ichiraku's to get some ramen, but it simply did not have the usual taste, so I gave up after a bowl. I was exhausted, mentally and physically so I decided to go through the streets back to Uchiha mansion, hoping to get some more time to think by it.
It was unusual to walk through Konoha's streets alone. Lately, I always went with Sasuke, and now that he wasn't here with me it made me feel even lonelier. And those cold stares and thrown insults now and then that once again appeared made me sick.
Walking on the main street like that for a while, I saw a familiar figure approaching me.
„Naruto!"
„Iruka-sensei!"
As he came closer to me and patted my shoulder I heard some new "sweet" insults escaping mouth of one of the men standing by the shop. Sometimes I hated my strengthened senses.
„Let's go somewhere else." I mumbled only, not wanting to drag Iruka-sensei to this whole mess that surrounded me. He only looked at me questioningly not really getting the reason I said it. Then he heard some of "loveable speeches" and nodded in agreement.
I then started running in the direction of village's training grounds, not really caring whether he followed me or not.
Once I reached the grounds, I found out that he did.
„What was that about?" He asked, as soon as we stood under one of the trees that framed the area.
„Nothing that unusual, I'm afraid." I muttered through my teeth, not really wanting to take this subject further, so I rather studied my shoes than look him in the eyes.
„That, was usual?" He asked, horrified.
I only nodded that did not seem enough to him, so he urged me to explain.
„As soon as I'm alone, they can take it physical, and when I'm with someone, they talk rubbish only." I sighed in defeat.
„And you let them? How come you did not tell anyone?"
„It's just the same as it was before, well, maybe worse, but still it is nothing to make fuss about." I so wanted to end this line of talk quickly Iruka-sensei looked really troubled and I did not like it.
„Naruto? Look at me."
I did not want to, so sensei just came closer to me and lifted my chin, so I'd look at him.
„You know, the expression you make is not that of the one who doesn't care."
'Is it that visible?'
„You look more like on the edge of tears." he said, releasing his hold.
'It's not like I can control it.'
„You can always talk to me, you know?"
'I wish this was something I could talk about.'
„Do you not trust me anymore?"
This sentence struck me. Did he really think that?
„That's not the problem." I mumbled only, as I tried to shake his hand, which was on my shoulder, off.
„And what is the problem, then?"
Suddenly I saw some group come onto the training grounds, so I pointed at them.
„Let's talk somewhere else."
Iruka-sensei turned around and nodded.
He then followed me to one place I had on my mind already.
L&T
(Iruka's POV)
„I always come here when I need to think." Naruto said as we reached the destination he spoke about. Hokage mountain, precisely Yondaime's head. „I always think that it should have been someone else, on my place. That someone else should bear the destiny that was set for me."
I looked at him as he spread his hands and breathed in the breeze that was about strong enough to move the leaves only.
„Naruto? What's weighing your mind?" I asked after some time passed.
„A lot of things, I'm afraid. It would take too long to even say them, not to mention explain. "
„You can try to share. I'm patient listener."
Naruto looked at me for a while and then sat down on the cold stone, signalling me to do the same.
„You know Iruka-sensei, if not for you, I wouldn't be here. I would have died because of that Mizuki bastard way back, before I even became genin. It's just that sometimes..." he stopped and looked at his hands, that he held together so hard that his knuckles turned white. „... Sometimes I wish that you'd let me be back then... I'd be with mom and dad now..." he patted the stone as if trying to highlight whom he spoke about. „... and I wouldn't have to go through all this. Through all these troubles with Kyuubi, seeing so many people die during the war... and that was a lot... considering that my clones were at all parts of battlefield... And most of all... I wouldn't have to go through all the mess around Sasuke." he sighed and hung his head, which made him look older somehow.
At his last sentence I stopped myself.
„But I thought that it goes well for you two lately." I said out loud, voicing my concern.
„Sometimes, it would be better if it didn't..." he trailed off. After few seconds he added in a whisper. „It would not hurt so much to just lose it, then..."
I came closer to Naruto and put my hand around his shoulders.
„What happened?"
„It's just that bunch of people would rather throw me into a cave full of poisonous snakes... to see me "taint" their beloved Uchiha."
„That's not up to them... it's up to Sasuke, whom he chooses to be with."
„They refuse to see that. They'd probably want him to marry some rich snob's girl." Naruto mumbled.
„Knowing Sasuke, he would rather run with you to some unknown and distant country, than to take some girl and have heir, for the village's sake."
At word "heir" Naruto stiffened a bit, and started stroking his stomach absent-mindedly. It was then, that a part of my conversation with Tsunade-hime, I had only few minutes before meeting Naruto, came to my mind.
„Iruka... Could you watch after Naruto for now? ... He won't kill just himself if he stresses too much this time..." she said grimly.
„Just himself? Who else are you talking about, Tsunade-hime?"
„Naruto thinks of you as a father figure of sort..." she said, stressing the words speaking of a family relation. "Maybe he will tell you himself.."
"But what does that mean?"
"Nothing bad..." She assured me. "Just that Naruto is even more unpredictable than I would have expected him to be."
'That's not possible...' I thought as the pieces clicked together in my head.
As I was collecting my thoughts, Naruto was about to stand up. I laid my hand on his shoulder and pulled him back into sitting position.
Naruto watched me curiously, wanting to know the reason for what I just did.
I gathered my courage and placed my hand on his stomach which caused him to gasp. I almost thought that I won't be able to get the words out of myself, but I did.
„Naruto? Isn't there something else you should tell me about?"
L&T
I returned home in late afternoon.
I still processed all the information I gained over this afternoon, and honestly, it was worrying me. It was worrying me, because I knew just what was happening around the village, getting to know mostly through Kakashi.
„I'm home." I said as I opened the door.
„Welcome home." I heard Kakashi reply from the living room.
I entered the living room, only to find him sitting on a couch stuck in one of those books he always used to carry around. He did not do that anymore.
„You're re-reading your entire collection, or what?" I asked, forcing a smile.
„I haven't read them in a while. It seems almost unbelievable that Jiraiya died more than two years ago." He said sadly. Then he turned to me, looking at me questioningly.
„And what is it that weighs your mind? I wonder."
„I'm just thinking about how unfair life is sometimes."
„Something happened?"
„Not to me..." I mumbled, sitting next to him.
He looked at me for a while and then sighed. „To Naruto?"
„How did you know?"
„With all that's messing up lately it seems like the most logical guess, since he's the one who's to suffer from it the most." He replied. When I thought about it, it made sense.
„It's even more complicated, I'm afraid." I said, replaying my earlier conversations with Tsunade-hime and Naruto.
'How can things turn this bad in such short amount of time?' I thought, almost not listening to what Kakashi said.
„How can it get more complicated? Share with me, I thought that it can't be more serious than it is now."
'Should I tell him?' I questioned myself. 'Can I tell him?' Then I remembered something. Something that Naruto said when we spoke. 'Did he mean this?' I returned in my memories some time back and tried to grasp the meaning.
„Secret is a heavy burden sometimes, isn't it? But sometimes, when you have someone really close whom you know will not betray your trust to share it with, it can lift some weight from your shoulders."
I thought he meant that it is worse for him to have such a secret, since he's not able to share it with Sasuke, but what if...
'What if he wanted to make it easier for me also?'
Kakashi, who's been looking at me still, now came closer and pulled me into an embrace.
„What's wrong?"
„If I tell you, what makes this situation even worse... won't you tell it to anyone?"
„Who do you take me for? A blabber-mouth?"
„That's not what I meant."
„Then what?"
„If this gets out, someone might really get killed."
'Maybe even three of them.' I thought bitterly, thinking about Naruto and his unborn children.
„It's that serious?"
I nodded in response, looking at him. He then promised. Promised that he won't tell a living soul, that he will guard this secret as long as necessary. After this I realized that there was no reason to doubt it in the first place. So I sighed in defeat and said it.
„Naruto's pregnant."
L&T
(Sasuke's POV)
I closed the door of Hokage's office and headed home. My head was full of new updates about the attackers. More of them were appearing at least every other night. It was starting to get frustrating.
'Should we leave?' I thought, worrying about dobe's safety. If in normal circumstances, I wouldn't be worried, but he seemed so out of it lately, and got exhausted quicker than he usually would. There was something wrong with him, yet when I asked, he told me everything was all right. Just one look at him would tell me it certainly was not truth.
'But why won't he tell me?'
By the time I returned home, it was late afternoon. I looked through the house, as Naruto did not respond to me when I called out to him, which was unusual.
As I peeked to the bedroom I quickly noticed the lump in the sheets, as dobe laid there. He looked like sleeping angel like that.
I had the urge to wake him up and do bad things to him, but he seemed really exhausted so I decided not to. Instead I changed myself to something more comfortable and laid myself next to him.
Before I could even notice it I fell asleep also.
L&T
(Naruto's POV)
I sighed at the sight of two sprouts by the Sakura tree. They were certainly slightly bigger now. On one side it made me happy, because it meant that the children are all right. On the other side, I was afraid that teme would notice them.
I stood up and went into the flower field. The glow that flowers emitted was a bit shallower than usual. It was probably caused by my mood, but it's not as if I could lift it at my will.
Just as I was about to fall into the depression, I saw whirlwind of flowers. Being fully aware who is arriving I ran to it, jumping at the man who appeared the second the flowers disappeared.
„Dobe!" Sasuke choked out, as he fell onto a carpet of flowers, taken down by my weight.
„I'm so glad you're here." I said, fully expressing my feelings with a shower of kisses.
„I'm happy to see you also." He smiled.
I tightened my arms around him, basking in the warmth he provided me.
There is nothing warmer than the embrace of the one you love.
Done~
I hope you enjoyed (^^) this chapter
Please, leave a review if you did (^o^)=b
Another one will be added here in a week or so (it usually will be like that, I guess) (^3^)
See ya~ ( "-.-)/