A/N: A new chapter. While short, I felt the need to post. Sorry that the last few have been so short, but I feel like posting more often is probably better. Anyway, remember to READ, REVIEW, REPEAT! This story is now up to 34 reviews! We need some more!

Chapter 11

Another two months had passed and Iruka had just started his seventh month of pregnancy. His hormones were in full swing and Kakashi had already had to dodge several flying kunai and even a chair at one point. It didn't help that the ANBU that Tsunade had sent out a few ANBU to try and track down whoever it was that stole Iruka's files hadn't found any leads. That fact only set the Ookami on edge, making him more irritable than he had been before.

In order to calm down his lover, Kakashi had been forced (or rather willingly accepted) to have a regular schedule of pampering, whether it was a foot massage or full out sex. Kakashi did not mind at all. He was stuck at home most of the time anyway, unwilling to take any difficult missions until after the baby was born and Shinobu was sent to school on the weekdays, leaving the two men home alone.

Kakashi had discovered during this time however, that he was even more perverted than he had originally though. Due to Iruka's size, sex in their usual fashion was almost impossible. It was too hard on the Ookami's back or just plain uncomfortable. They had taken to having sex while laying on their sides, Kakashi behind his lover and one of the former teacher's lithe legs held up with the Jounin's strong hand. Since Kakashi liked to see his lover's face as they made love, he had bought a mirror so that he could see Iruka's every reaction. At first, Iruka had been opposed to it, but he'd come to find that he too had missed seeing Kakashi when they came together and had begrudgingly accepted it.

This was where they lay when the news arrived. Shinobu had been sent off to school and the pair of lover were laying on their bed, breathing hard. Iruka's eyes were only half open and his body was practically melting into the mattress. His dark hair was wild and loose, falling gently over the silk sheets. Kakashi was behind him, still buried inside his lover. One arm was under Iruka's head, acting as the pillow. The other was wrapped around the bulging stomach, his hand gently caressing the stretched skin. Their clothes lay in a heap on the floor.

Leaning over his lover, Kakashi nipped at the curve of his ear, smirking when he heard a faint groan. His hand started tracing curved lines on his lover's stomach, gently caressing the skin. Slowly he kissed and bit at the back of Iruka's neck, working his way down when loud shouts broke through the air.

Kakashi bolted up, grabbing his pants that lay at the end of the bed. Groaning, Iruka sat up and slowly followed his lover. He wrapped a towel around his waist as kneeling to pull up his pants was now getting difficult. By the time he reached the kitchen, Kakashi was already dressed in his ninja uniform and strapping his kunai bag on his leg.

"I'm going to see what's going on," Kakashi said, quickly pecking Iruka on the lips before pulling up his mask. "If there's trouble, I'll go find Shinobu and bring him home."

"Alright, I'm going to transform into wolf form. It'll be easier to flee if necessary," Iruka replied as he pushed his lover towards the door.

As soon as Kakashi was gone, Iruka slumped into the kitchen, his weariness apparent on his face. With a groan, he quickly grabbed his prenatal vitamins and tossed them down with a swig of water from the sink. Opening the fridge, he found some leftover rice from the night before. He wolfed it down cold, not caring at all about the lack of heat in the food. He couldn't take chances in the current situation. Speed and strength were everything to the pregnant man.

Tossing the bowl in the sink, Iruka slipped into the living room for some additional space. Since his pregnancy, the transition from man to wolf had become easier, more fluid even. However, the easier transformations had also given him some new sort of excitement and adrenaline whenever he was in his wolf form. He had destroyed a table in Tsunade's office only a few months earlier in his springing excitement.

Reaching the center of the room, Iruka quickly slid down towards the floor, his body morphing in its shape. Soft fur grew wildly from the skin as the hands curled into paws tipped with long black claws. His wolf ears sprung up from his head as the human ones receded. His abnormally long tail swished behind him as the transformation came to completion. The heavy belly swayed slightly as he happily shook his coat and chased his tail, his claws scratching lightly on the wooden floor.

The burst of energy gone, Iruka settled down onto his haunches to wait. For a long time, the village outside was mostly silent, captured in the spell of tension that arose before a battle. Taking a steady breath, Iruka tried to calm himself. His ears pricked at the rustling of leaves as the wind blew softly and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the soft chattering of a squirrel in the backyard.

Iruka gasped softly when his sensitive ears picked up the first explosion of battle. He leapt up from his sitting place, rushing towards the nearest window, leaping up onto the couch to get to it. Pressing his snout to the glass, he growled softly at the smoke that rose in the distance. With a growl, he ripped himself away from the window and settled back onto the floor, his whole body tensed. He knew he couldn't join the battle, not in the state he was in, but it didn't make the want go away. His ninja instincts, the ones that he had trained so hard to get, were a permanent part of him.

An explosion rocked the village and Iruka sprung forward, his instincts in full drive. He couldn't contain himself as he rushed to the front door and broke it open with a loud howl. Snarling, he took off into the street, running against the flow of citizens fleeing from the fighting. Another howl took him by surprise and he whipped around to see a small white pup come tearing towards him. He barked and snarled as he approached his son, pulling the pup in towards his swollen stomach. Shinobu whined softly, his white ears pressed to the top of his head.

"Iruka!"

The black wolf raised his head to see Kurenai running towards him. She was dressed in her ninja uniform, hair tied back.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" she cried as she approached the two wolves. "You shouldn't be out here!"

Iruka snarled a little, snapping his jaws. Kurenai pulled back a little as the wolf's growl deepened. The ice blue of his winter-based powers seeped into his irises, taking over like an invasive weed. Shinobu whined a little bit, kneading the end of his father's long tail with a paw. Iruka glanced down at the pup, nipping his ear affectionately.

"Iruka? If everything alright?"

The Ookami glanced back up at her, snarling a little. Iruka didn't know why he was suddenly so hostile especially towards a close family friend and comrade. Somewhere, deep in his heart, anger as raw as anything he'd ever felt sprang forth and he let out a howl. The people around them, terrified, scurried away, screaming.

Kurenai was frozen on the stop as Iruka stood. Shinobu stayed where he was, his ears pricking forward. Bearing his teeth, the Ookami leapt forward with a snarl. Kurenai leapt out of the way as the wolf soared past her, foam boiling from between his teeth as he ran. The kunoichi watched as Iruka raced towards the battlefield, her mouth hanging open. She only looked down when Shinobu yanked on the cuff of her sleeve with his teeth. Nodding, she picked him up and dashed towards the Academy, the safe zone for all citizens and non-active ninja.