Chapter 21 – Heirs

"WHERE is that lavender I asked you to grab for me?"

"You moved everything around!" A cloud of Saki's kikaichu flew up to her, chattering solemnly in what she sent them to get not being where they remembered it to be.

Sakuya sighed, she was used to Ussa who got everything for her instantaneously. She was missing him right about now – he was sent on a mission that morning. She ordered some of her kikaichu out with a pointed finger to show Saki's swarm where the supplies she needed were. She was tied to the stove, where a pot of boiling herbs needed to be stirred or it would burn and be ruined.

"Poor Shino, we're making him wait,"

"He'll be fine,"

"Maybe you should mix and I should get the supplies,"

"You know the amounts to add best – a lot of these are approximations…" Saki looked at the recipe list with a raised eyebrow.

"Mmm," Sakuya sighed in a small groan.

…

Sakuya ran across the courtyard and saw Kuroji out of the corner of his eye over by Jima's place. She ran up to Shibi's door and knocked.

Knock knock

"Oh, thank you Sakuya," Kaho graciously accepted the teapot from her.

"Sorry that took so long."

Kaho shook her head and smiled, bidding goodbye. With briskness but also carefulness as to not spill the tea, she went upstairs. She creaked open a door and sat down on a bed too big for the child laid in it. She placed a hand onto Shino's chest, "Hey," she said gently in a manner of waking.

"Mmmmm," He opened his eyes tiredly.

"Chest still hurts?"

"Hurt." He said softly, nodding.

"Does it hurt a lot or just a bit?"

"Not much," he said quietly, he seemed mostly lethargic and drowsy.

"Here, Sakuya and her mother made you some medicine, it will make you feel better. But you need to sit up so you can drink it."

The first brood of kikaichu from the breeding pairs Shino received had hatched. He felt tired and weak because of the sudden drain of chakra from the hungry and growing kikaichu larva, or more specifically 'grubs', as they were baby beetles. They were small, and their wriggling was barely tangible, but their appetites were voracious and the pains in his chest certainly told him they were there. The little caterpillar-like grubs were barely 1/4 inch long when born, but they would grow quickly, reaching adult and breeding size in about 3-4 months. Full grown kikaichu were ½ inch (the females) to 3/8 inch in size.

Everything about kikaichu was strange from typical insects, from them having lens-based eyes (similar to that of jumping spiders – not compound like other insects), minimal digestive systems (as they eat and directly absorb chakra turning it directly into more energy with no byproduct) and high levels of intelligence - their developing habits were no different. It was just as atypical - kikaichu do most of their developing in their adult stage.

Most insects spend weeks to years in a larval stage (cicada nymphs can live in the ground for as long as17 years!), living for mere hours to months in the adult stage whose only function is to find a mate, lay eggs then die to repeat the cycle. Kikaichu pupate with days, spending only 2-4 days as a grub, feeding heavily then constructing a chrysalis out of pure chakra. Within a few more days, they emerge as mini adults – about half the length of their full grown size. So within the span of a week, they are in their adult stage. However, they are not mature yet. They will not be able to breed for at least another 2 months. Kikaichu learn and grow in that 2-3 months like you'd expect from a puppy maturing into an adult dog. Also like a dog, they have many natural instincts, but because they have high intelligence based brains they need to grow and learn of their surroundings and be taught.

Shino drank the tea, looking very mature for a child his age doing it.

Kaho watched him.

He put the cup down and breathed.

She placed her hand on his chest and felt for the larvae like Shibi had taught her to do when she first had her kikaichu. Everything seems fine to her.

"Now get some rest." She tucked him in away from the cold.

He obeyed her.

Kaho put the rest of the medicine in the fridge and sat down in the kitchen. She thought about how in just six short months Shino would be starting school. He'd still have his eyes. She hoped he'd be in shape to begin school, hell she knew she was in bad shape that point in getting her kikaichu. But she kept forgetting how much easier it was for the children than it had been for her. He'd heal faster and not be in as much pain. She still worried though; it was a mother's prerogative to do so.

…

A bowler hat topped brown suit and a maroon hoodie garnished with a silk skirt stood together outside Konoha hospital.

"Are we going in or are we just going to look at it?"

"…"

Jima grabbed Tao's cane out from under his hand and went forward for the doors. Tao fell for a moment from the fact he'd been leaning on it out of habit (he really didn't need a cane to walk, it was really for his jutsus….he did have a slightly bad knee but nothing debilitating to NEED A cane). After catching himself, he walked briskly after her.

"Hello," The woman at the desk greeted Jima, Tao walked up and was handed his cane without her looking away, "May …help you?" the nurse blinked at their exchange.

"We were wondering if you had a medical nin who specialized in pregnancy?"

"Are you pregnant?"

"No," Jima said with a jut of breath as if the woman had made a joke, "That's impossible."

"Oh," The white-clad medical nin nodded, "Then I don't think I understand."

"Would it be possible to talk with the medical nin in charge of the pregnancy ward currently?"

"Um," She still looked lost, "Well our main pediatrician nin is away on call, but Dr. Yakushi, who in charge of that floor, is in."

"Is she experienced?"

"Oh yes - she is the wife of the chief medical officer of the Konoha Medical Unit Squad."

"Please may we speak with her?" Tao said short and assertively.

"Third floor room 4-A, if you want to ask her something."

"Thank you." Jima bowed and walked off. Tao bowed with a slight delay then caught up with her. He said nothing as they waited at the elevator, but did put his arm around her waist. She leaned into him, only moving for the doctor-nin getting out of the elevator when it came.

Dr. Yakushi found two pairs of sunglasses peeking in her office door.

"Come-in?" She blinked. Aburames…?

"Sorry to disturb you." Tao and Jima bowed politely.

Jima studied the woman, she looked to be a little older than herself, maybe mid 40's. Her hair was white-bluish silver, perhaps from premature graying, because streaks of a darker gray blue could be seen. Jima spoke frankly in typical Jima fashion, "My name is Jima, and this is my husband Tao."

"Nice to meet you." The woman bowed back from her sitting position, "I am Dr. Yakushi. What can I do for you?"

Jima adjusted her gourd's strap, and then said, "We…have decided we would like to have children, but I was in an accident many years ago and am incapable. We have been trying to adopt, but no one will adopt into our clan and to two active ninja of our age."

The woman put her fingers together, "How old are you?"

"I am 40, My husband is 42."

"Humm…" Dr. Yakushi nodded, "That is a bit old to want to have children, isn't it?"

"It….took us a while to work things out."

"Even if something happened to either of us, our clan, as you most likely know, is close knit. Someone would be there to look after them." Tao added.

"I…I don't know…it still seems risky." She sighed.

There was a moment of silence.

"Are you a mother….Yakushi-san?"

She looked up suddenly, then smiled, "I have an adopted son. Me and my husband never were able to bear any children ourselves."

Jima smiled knowingly at her.

"Do you regret that?" Tao said in a very Aburame tone.

She looked to the side, "Perhaps," She looked back at them, "I do regret, us never trying harder to have a child of out blood. I guess I must say I…admire your cause."

"Then you'll help us?"

"But what are you coming to me for if your wife cannot physically have children?"

"We were wondering if it was possible to…seed a physically capable woman without my husband actually making love to her, to have the child for us."

Tao lowered his face in his collar. Jima…!! He thought to himself in a very embarrassed tone, must you say it so frankly?

Dr. Fubuki widened her eyes, then tilted her head forward, "A surrogate mother."

"Yes exactly."

The woman thought, "Well I'm sure I can picture a simple way for us to accomplish that. I have never had anyone ask me to do it before, but if you can find a willing woman to be your vessel, I think I could do it."

…

"Tesuro," Kuroji spoke up to his son as they happened to pass on the stairs. The first thing he had said to him in days, as Tesuro had been avoiding him obviously.

Tesuro jumped as if struck, and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"You will be at dinner tonight?"

"Y…yes of course father."

"Good. You seem to have been missing from family affairs for a few days."

Tesuro ran off to train with his sister.

When dinner came, Tesuro prepared the rice nervously in a casual long-sleeved button up and no sunglasses. Yusuro looked over from her dish cleaning with a very Kuroji-like expression, "Your kikaichu are buzzing quite noticeably."

"Father is going to speak with me tonight. I don't think he is pleased."

"You are overreacting."

"He hates both of us,"

Yusuro threw the plate she was cleaning into the sink causing the water to splash up, "If you don't snap out of this I'm going to hit you."

Tesuro made a face and cowered a little, "How come father didn't react so badly when he found out you liked Hina?"

She picked the plate back up and continued washing it, "He just is brooding cause he thinks he is never going to get a heir."

"Well, do you want to have kids?"

She didn't look at him and continued in her slightly miffed tone, "I might."

Tesuro stared at her.

"What?" She flashed her sunglasses at him.

"No offense, but I thought you said kids hate you."

"They aren't so awful. Hina expressed interest…I wouldn't be against it. …and it would please father."

Tesuro looked down and poked the cooking rice.

"You're only 15 you got plenty of time to think about it. Stop worrying."

"No offense sis, but how would you and Hina have a child?"

"That's none of your business."

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Who would that be?" Yusuro watched Tesuro walk over to answer it.

"Konbonwa," Genjo bowed respectfully in the doorway.

Tesuro's jaw nearly dropped, but instead he clamped it shut and stared at him blankly.

"Hey Genjo-san," Yusuro smiled.

Genjo stared at Tesuro, who stood there in the doorway.

"May I come in?"

"AH…umm...yes. Please." Tesuro moved and showed him in.

"It was nice of you to invite me for dinner, I am low on food actually, heh, it was good timing."

"What?" Tesuro startled.

"Your father invited me for dinner. You…didn't know?"

NOW Tesuro's jaw dropped.

"Take a seat Genjo-san," Yusuro dried her hands, and brought over plates to set the table with. He pulled out a chair and looked at Tesuro, gesturing for him to sit first. Tesuro complied after a pause and was scooted into place by their guest. Genjo took a seat afterwards.

"How have you been Tesuro-san?"

"Oh, fine. Training, missions, the usual."

Yusuro put a plate in front of him and some chopsticks.

"I see."

"Yusuro, where is father?"

"He is upstairs I think, he'll be down in a minute."

Before Tesuro knew it his father was downstairs, dinner was on the table, and all were seated. He sat silently, and watched Kuroji and Genjo speak back and forth.

"Genjo-san, have you completed your kendo training yet?" Kuroji asked.

"For the most part, yes."

"But you don't intend to become a master sensei yourself in it, do you?"

"Not really, no. I just wanted to be versed in the discipline and practice it, but it is not my main jutsu, my kikaichu are."

"And you are living all by yourself in Jima's family's old home?"

"Yes."

"That must get lonely."

He shook his head, "It's fine, since we are in a clan, friends and family are not far away."

"Ah…that is true."

Kuroji looked to Tesuro, and paused.

Tesuro stared.

"Tesuro, would you pass the salt?"

"…"

Tesuro lost it.

BANG!

He put his hands down flat on the table as he stood up knocking his chair over, "Father you can't treat people this way!"

Kuroji blinked, "What way would that be…?"

"Like – like - Arrrgggg!" He put his hands up to his face groaning in frustration.

Genjo's small round blue sunglasses barely hid his wide eyed expression of confusion.

Yusuro kept eating her rice like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Why don't you just say it!"

"…" Kuroji stared at his son, "Tesuro -"

"You are disappointed in me, aren't you? Just say it! And you didn't have to invite Genjo here just to embarrass him while you mocked me! He's a nice young man and doesn't deserve your manipulative shit!"

Yusuro looked up.

Tesuro breathed, not noticing a few wisps of kikaichu swirling off his shoulders.

Kuroji's expression softened slightly, "Tesuro, calm down."

He breathed then swallowed, feeling his chest grow tight.

Genjo got up.

"No, you don't have to-"

"This is a family matter, I should not be in the middle of it," Genjo said respectfully.

"Genjo-san…"

"Thank you for dinner Kuroj-sama," He bowed, and grabbed his coat off the back of his chair.

No…please don't go…Tesuro thought, not like this…geeze what have I done…

The sound of the door clicking stung Tesuro like a bee.

"You like Genjo-san." Kuroji said in the unsettling silence.

"……I do."

There was another pause.

"I am not disappointed in you Tesuro…I am merely an old man feeling his years and not wanting to see his family line of over century die with his generation. You are both children who would make any parent proud...." Kuroji put his hands on the table's edge.

"F…father," Tesuro felt the sting of tears in his eye wells…it hurt, but he didn't care much at the moment.

Yusuro smiled and watched Tesuro embrace his father as he stood up.

"Now are you going to go after him or should I?" Kuroji's glasses gleamed down at Tesuro mischievously.

Tesuro was out the door in a flash.

"What if Genjo doesn't like him?"

"I can tell," Kuroji grinned.

"Heh," Yusuro nodded, "If you say so."

"Now then Yusuro, how about that heir?"

"Ehh….now you'll be pressuring me!" She moaned.

….

….

….

Author's note:

So we have a couple wanting to have a kid and a father pressuring his kids to have kids in this chapter. XD Haha.

In you are going 'DUH' over Jima and Tao's situation and conversation with the doctor because they seemed really dumb about fertility and artificial insemination – remember the world Naruto takes place in. The technology of that world is fairly mid-range to low, most things are done through the 'magic' of ninutsu; it's really a semi-medieval world. There are no such things as sperm banks or fertility clinics, and the thought of taking another random guy's sperm to seed a woman he was not in love with or married to was kinda unusual I bet, even if was just a sperm donor. And the good doctor most likely did not want to insult her husband to ask if she could use another man to bear herself a child for them to raise (I am assuming in this situation he was the one with the problem). :P

Also, in case you didn't catch it, the last name / history of the doctor should be familiar to you. ;) At least I hope it is to Kabuto fans. :D