Chapter 4

Two weeks later…

Slipping out of bed, Kakashi silently put on a pair of black pants and a black shirt. The sun was just starting to rise and the first bird of the morning had already chirped. A faint breeze drifted in through the open window, ruffling his wild hair. Yawning, Kakashi shook his head to clear the sleep from it, shivering slightly in the cool air. Pulling his flak jacket out of the closet, the Jounin bent down to retrieve a box of additional shurikan that he'd hidden there to prevent Shinobu from getting at them. As he straightened, his head collided with one of the closet shelves, making him wince and rub the back of his head.

"You okay, Kashi?" Iruka asked, sitting up in bed.

"I'm okay. I'm sorry if I woke you up," the Jounin said.

"It's fine. I was awake long before you," the teacher laughed as he sat back against the headboard.

Securing the shurikan holder to his leg, Kakashi walked over to the side of the bed and leaned down for a kiss. It was soft, sweet, and even slightly innocent, not at all a representation of the night before. The Jounin's eyes trailed down his lover's bare chest to where the sheets pooled at the juncture of the teacher's legs. Snapping his gaze back up, Kakashi buried his face in Iruka's dark hair.

"I'll miss you," Kakashi sighed.

"It's only a week. Besides, Shinobu and I will have plenty of do before you return. You remember what happened last time all of the Ookami were together in one place," Iruka said.

"Ketai and Rei started wrestling in the kitchen and almost killed each other with the serrated knives," Kakashi sighed, remembering.

"Exactly. I have to get the house ready and lock away anything that could possibly used as a weapon. We'll be busy all week," Iruka said.

"Still," Kakashi groaned.

With a small smile, Iruka slapped the back of Kakashi's head lightly.

"Get going before I throw something at you," he chuckled, trying to sound serious.

"Alright, alright. I'm going to go say goodbye to Shinobu before I leave."

"Don't wake him up. I don't want to deal with a cranky seven year old this early in the morning."

"Will do, Boss."

Kakashi just managed to avoid another slap to the back of his head as he quickly walked out of the room. Heading towards the other end of the hall, he quietly slid the door to his son's bedroom open. The boy was curled up on the bed, his white tail wrapped around his thighs. The sheets were a mess, formed into something that almost resembled a nest. Silently, Kakashi bent down and laid a kiss on the white-haired boy's forehead. Stirring, the boy opened his dark eyes, sleep still heavy on his face.

"Go back to sleep. Your Papa will wake you up in a few hours," Kakashi whispered.

Nodding, the boy brought his knees closer to his chest, nuzzling his cheek into the sheets.

"Bye Chichi. Have a good mission," Shinobu murmured as he drifted of to sleep again.

The battle-hardened Jounin's eyes softened as he looked down at his son. He ran his fingers lightly over the soft, white locks. Even after two years, the fact that Shinobu was his son still amazed Kakashi. He'd never thought about being a father, let alone expecting it. Being a ninja had taken up all of his time and he hadn't even taken relationships seriously until Iruka had been thrown into his life. Now, he was a fully domesticated man and he felt no shame in admitting it.

Leaving before he could get too sentimental, Kakashi made his way to the front hall and retrieved his sandals. When they were on and the straps secure, he silently trudged out the front door, heading in the direction of Hokage Tower.

The week was even busier than Iruka had anticipated. When he wasn't teaching at the Academy, he was rushing around the house doing chores. He washed floors, cleaned dishes, and set sheets out in the backyard to dry. Shinobu tried to best to help his father, but Iruka quickly ran out of jobs that the small seven-year-old could handle and sent him to play with the ninken that he hadn't already recruited to help him.

By the time night fell, everyone in the house, Ookami and dog alike, were so tired that they went straight to bed after dinner. With Kakashi gone, Shinobu and the ninken piled onto Iruka's bed, falling asleep in a heap of fur. Iruka, forced to stay up late grading papers, would come into the room sometime after eleven and crawl in among them, his hand resting on the top of Pakkun's head.

A few days after Kakashi's departure, the teacher woke up feeling nauseous. Rushing to the master bathroom, he closed the door and threw himself down next to the toilet, retching. When the feeling subsided, Iruka collapsed onto the floor, his body shaking from the convulsions. The cool tile felt good against his hot skin as he spread his arms out to either side, trying to soak up as much of the cold as he could.

"Papa?" Shinobu asked, knocking on the door.

Groaning softly, Iruka pulled himself up and walked over to the door. He opened it to find Shinobu rubbing his eyes on the other side, looking worried. The ninken were seated around him, their eyes turned up to Iruka. Kneeling down next to him, Iruka fluffed his wild white hair.

"I'm okay. I just felt a little sick. What do you want for breakfast?" the teacher asked.

"Can we have oatmeal?" the boy asked.

Iruka nodded and Shinobu dashed excitedly towards the kitchen, the pack of ninken at his heels. The teacher had been surprised at the boy's instant love for foods like oatmeal and granola. For the first five years of his life, he and Iruka had survived entirely on cooked meat and whatever else they could find. The concept of eating something as simple of oats was entirely lost on Shinobu until he was finally faced with it. What had been most shocking was that, when Iruka set the small bowl in front of him on their eighth day in the village, the white-haired boy had picked up the spoon and, without adding anything sweet, stuffed the strange brown substance into his mouth. His fathers had exchanged a slightly worried glance and they almost protested when Shinobu smiled brightly and started to eat the oatmeal as fast as he could.

"What happened?" Pakkun asked as he jumped down from the bed.

"Like I told Shinobu, I just suddenly felt sick," Iruka sighed.

He walked back to the toilet to flush away the disgusting contents. As he left the bedroom, Pakkun trotted after him, his long claws clicking on the wood floors.

"Could it be something you ate?" Pakkun asked.

Iruka shook his head and rubbed his stomach absentmindedly.

"I don't think so."

"Could you be pregnant again? You and the Boss have been going at it hard since you got back from Suna," Pakkun said, earning him a glare from the teacher.

"Possibly, but I'm not sure. I didn't start getting morning sickness with Shinobu until after the first month. Kurenai told me that there's been a stomach flu going around. I could have picked it up from one of my students," he mused.

"Whatever it is, you might want to get it checked out. The Boss will freak out if he returns and you're sick in bed. He's a complete wreck when it comes to your health," the pug laughed.

"Well, when I came back to Konoha two years ago, I wasn't exactly in the best shape," Iruka reminded him.

"It doesn't give him the right to freak out practically every time you sneeze-"

"-He doesn't, Pakkun-"

"-And he will when you're throwing up for the next two and a half months."

"I really don't-"

"-Fine, think whatever you want."

Iruka rolled his eyes at the stubborn dog as he made his way into the kitchen. Shinobu was already seated at the table, the box of oatmeal, a small cooking pot, two bowls, and two spoons set in front of him. Taking the pot, Iruka poured in roughly a cup and a half of the oatmeal before adding the water and setting it on the stove. He stirred every now and then, watching carefully for any signs of burning.

When the food was ready, Iruka turned around to find that Shinobu was sitting backwards in his chair, his legs wrapped around the wooden back. The ninken were sitting around it, their tails waging. He chuckled and walked over to the table, filling the bottom of Shinobu's bowl with oatmeal. As his son attacked his favorite breakfast, Iruka sat down across from the boy and poured the remaining contents into his own bowl, feeling surprisingly hungry. They ate in relative silence, the only sound being the scraping of teeth on the metal spoons.

"Papa, how many more days until Chichi comes back?" Shinobu asked, looking up from his oatmeal.

"Three more, Shinobu. You know that," Iruka laughed.

"I wish he was home now," the boy said quietly.

"Sometimes what we want and what we have are different things," Iruka replied, motioning to his son with his hand.

Hopping down from his chair, Shinobu walked around the table to his father with his bowl of oatmeal in hand. Iruka reached down and pulled his son into his lap, holding the boy close as he started to eat again. He rested his chin on the top of the head of white hair.

"I miss him," Shinobu murmured.

"I do too, but he'll be home soon and the dogs are here to keep you company."

"Why does Chichi have to leave so much? You're a ninja too, but other than visiting Cousin Neji, you haven't left."

"Your Chichi is very important to the village so the Hokage sends him on a lot of missions. There aren't many that are close to his strength. I, on the other hand, asked to be suspended from missions unless I absolutely have to. That way I get to stay in Konoha and make sure that you behave."

Shinobu giggled as his father tickled his sides.

"Papa, don't!"

"Alright, but only if you promise to get that sad look off your face. We don't want Cousin Neji to show up and see that, do we?"

"I promise!"

"Okay, now go play with Bull and the others while I clean up."

Leaping off Iruka's lap, Shinobu ran towards the backyard, the pack practically licking his heels with their rolling tongues as they bolted after him. Again, only Pakkun remained with Iruka, curling up at his feet as the teacher stood at the sink, cleaning dishes.

Two packs filled with clothes and provisions sitting by the front door of the Kazekage's apartment. The faint sound of running water drifted through the apartment from the bathroom. Gaara sat on the couch, dressed in red pants and a red jacket. Sayuri was settled in his arms and playing with the fringe of her father's scarf. The Kazekage gaze down at his daughter lovingly, not daring to move in case it would distract her from her playing.

Hearing the water stop, Gaara was forced to look behind him as Neji came into the living room. The Ookami of Reflections was busy clipping his hair into the metal clasp, stopping momentarily in the doorway to focus on it. When he heard the satisfying click, Neji turned his attention to his lover and daughter, walking over to them.

Sayuri giggled as her other father came into view, letting go of Gaara's scarf. Taking her from Gaara, Neji lifted the small baby to his shoulder, one hand holding her head upright. She cooed in response as her cheek touched Neji's.

"Are you ready to go?" Gaara asked, standing.

Neji nodded, rocking his body slowly from left to right. Walking to the packs, Gaara knelt down and picked them up, slinging both of the packs over his shoulders. Behind them, he found a baby sling, which he handed to Neji. Slipping it over one shoulder, Neji carefully placed Sayuri inside. The little girl nestled into the fabric comfortably, turning her white eyes up to her fathers.

"I'll send a clone ahead to tell Iruka we've left when we reach the edge of the village," Gaara said as they left the apartment, locking it behind them.

"How did Temari take the news?" Neji asked, jogging down the steps behind Gaara.

"About taking over for a few days? She was fine with it. I think she sort of relishes being given some power every now and then," Gaara replied.

As they walked out into the bright sunlight, the couple stayed close to each other, but didn't touch. People who recognized the famous pair of lovers waved their hellos, which were returned with a cool head nod from either Gaara nor Neji. At the front gates, the shinobi bowed to their leader and calls for good luck.

When they were out of sight of the village, a small stream of sand flowed out of the gourd on Gaara's back. In midair, the sand shifted and morphed into a clone, awaiting his command. After receiving instructions from his live counterpart, the clone quickly took off in the direction of Konoha.

They were finally alone. Gaara wrapped an arm around Neji's waist, holding him close. Almost purring with happiness, Neji leaned against his lover, grabbing the back of his jacket. He yanked on it lightly and Gaara smiled, understanding the message clearly. As they turned to face each other, their mouths met, open and ready, their tongues intertwining. Gaara ran his rough appendage over the roof of Neji's mouth, making the former Hyuuga growl possessively.

"I know, love, but you're still not fully recovered. Just because the medics said you could travel doesn't mean that we should jump into sex right away," Gaara murmured against Neji's lips. "Besides, we do have the new addition to think about."

Glancing down at their daughter, both men smiled. The baby had fallen asleep, her hands clenched into fists that rested peacefully on her chest.

"Are you going to tell the Hyuuga Clan about her?" Gaara asked, leaning his forehead against Neji's.

"I've already told Hinata," Neji sighed. "The problem is that they're going to find out sooner or later, even if Hinata and I don't tell them. News of a new Byakugan user will reach their ears eventually."

"They won't take her away from us. They don't have that much power," Gaara said.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Neji admitted. "I'm more worried about them trying to hurt her. There's never been a Byakugan user born outside of the Clan, let alone one being a citizen of another village."

Neji took a steady breath, letting it out slowly.

"I'm going to request a meeting with my uncle," he said.

"Would you like me to come?" Gaara asked.

Nodding, Neji pressed his forehead against his lover's. He closed his white eyes, cradling his infant daughter with one arm. The sun's harsh light reflected from his silken hair, creating almost a halo around his head.

"He isn't physically intimidating, but I did give birth only three weeks ago. I don't want to take any chances," the former Hyuuga said.

"Whatever makes you happiest, love."

There was a long silence.

"Are you scared, Gaara?"

"Of your uncle?"

"I meant of finding out Sayuri's other name. Daiki will bring the Sei no Hon with him to the annual meeting."

"No. Are you?"

Neji nodded again, opening his eyes.

"I'm terrified. Daiki is spring and his daughter, Rei, is fall. Iruka-sensei is winter and his father controlled aspects of water. Kakashi-sensei's jutsu is lightning based, something that Shinobu inherited as his Ookami power. My mother was smoke, an association with fire, and I am true reflections. Most Ookami powers seem to follow a pattern almost, but where does a power go from here? What will parents who control sand and reflections produce?" he mused, stroking his daughter's back through the sling.

"Don't think like that, Neji. It'll all be fine. Sayuri is an Ookami born from two powerful ninja, just like Shinobu, and look where he is. He's seven and can use jutsu that most adults only dream about learning."

"That's because Kakashi-sensei is a slave driver when it comes to training."

"But Shinobu has the ability to pull it off, doesn't he?"

"I hate it when you make sense."

"Only because it makes you feel better, love. You're far too hard on yourself."

The two shinobi kissed softly, their daughter fast asleep between them.