A/N: We're starting to wind down the story, but the drama just keeps on going! I'm so happy that some fans have stuck with this story. I started it what seems like forever ago (almost 10 months) and it still isn't finished. Onward to the finish line (though there will be one more after this!). REMEMBER: READ, REVIEW, REPEAT!

Chapter 15

When he was asked about it later, Iruka could remember those agonizing minutes alone with extreme clarity. He barely remembered Kurenai leaving, but everything that followed stayed with him. His body was spread out on the bed, claws cutting through the thin, cotton sheets and his legs spread as he gasped and panted. Sweat ran down the sides of his forehead to the sheets, dripping into his hair. The long, dark tresses were loose from when he'd slept the night before and he barely even had the energy or desire to do more than push it back over his shoulders.

The contractions were getting closer and closer together, barely ten minutes apart and he was becoming increasingly more terrified. Glancing at the close, he realized that it had been over forty-five minutes since Kurenai had left, the seconds ticking by with excruciating agony. Neither she, nor Kakashi, nor Tsunade were there. Not even Shizune had come. Shinobu had been left with Arata for the day, probably being watched by one of the elderly grandmothers that lived in the same apartment complex as Kurenai.

Between contractions, he gritted his teeth and slowly reached down to his cotton sleeping pants. Lifting his hips slightly, he easily slipped the cotton off his hips and down to his knees, lifting his legs so he could pull them off each leg. With a groan, he set his feet back on the sheets and draped the pants over his groin. He may not have had the energy to get up and pull down the sheets to give himself some semblance of privacy, but Iruka was not ready for Tsunade to walk in on him half naked. His masculine pride wouldn't allow that.

As he settled back against the cool sheets, he gasped, another contraction ripping through his abdomen. He let out a cry as several spasms shocked through him and his body stretched, preparing for what was coming. Tears came to his eyes as he tried to fight down the pain, calling on his ninja training. None of it helped through when a particularly bad contraction caused all of his stomach muscles to clamp down like they were trying to trying to squeeze all of his inner organs into smaller sizes. He grunted and moaned as he rode out the pain, his fingers struggling in the sheets.

When it passed, he fell back with a sigh of relief as heavy as had ever been heard in the world. His tail, which had been thrashing wildly, lay still against the cotton sheets as he relaxed. Slowly, the muscles in his legs loosened and he moved them out, spreading them further. He planted his heels in the mattress, attempting to stabilize himself more.

"Shit," he cursed quietly, rubbing the sweat from his forehead with his arm.

He covered his eyes with his hands as his panting slowly decreased back to a slightly above normal pace. His heart hammered in his chest, the beats slamming against his ribcage and spine, vibrating through his entire body. His head pounded in time to the beats. Overall, he was in complete agony.

With a sigh, he removed his hands from his face and splayed them gently over his round stomach. It had changed since the pain had begun the night before last. No longer was his belly rounded like he had a ball stuck under his shirt. Now, it was more elongated, oval-like almost. The baby was descending, nestling between his widened hips.

Biting back a moan, Iruka closed his eyes and let his mind drift, trying to ignore the buzzing that had filled his ears.

He thought back to the day Shinobu had been born, that cold, stormy day up in the Land of Snow. He remembered feeling the first contractions, his water breaking and soaking the single pair of pants that he had owned at the time. He reminisced about clearing away the snow at the base of the great oak tree and settling onto the cold, hard, winter ground. He recalled leaning up against the tree, bark cutting into his scalp, back and shoulders as he'd prepared for birth. He reminded himself of how the birth had gone completely wrong, leaving him crying, gasping, and bloody. He shuddered at the thought of cutting himself open to retreat the infant Shinobu. He thought about the wolf that had approached him, offering its extra energy to the Ookami so both the Chuunin and his newborn could live.

Suddenly, another contract hit and Iruka nearly reared forward with a short scream. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to block it out, he really did, but the pain was too much. His entire form shuddered wildly as he gripped his knees tightly, fighting to stay upright.

When it was over, the former teacher plopped himself down on the pillows, scooting up so his back was upright. He nearly sobbed with relief as the pain in his back lessened down to an ache rather than fire running up his spine.

A bead of sweat ran down his forehead to his nose, trickling down the cheek to his chin where it fell silently onto his shirt. His face was flushed, his whole body soaked with heat. He was just about to reach for the hem of his shirt when he heard a door burst open.

"Iruka!"

The Chuunin bit his lip, groaning loudly as another contraction ripped through him. His upper body rolled forward, his toes curling from the pain was Kakashi, Kurenai, and Tsunade burst into the room. The silver-haired Jounin raced to his side, grabbing Iruka's clenched hand. Iruka barely felt the cool hand of his lover wipe the sweat from his forehead, clenching his teeth as he struggled with the pain.

"Here!" Tsunade shouted as she tossed Kakashi a clean towel she'd found in the closet. "Drape this over his legs."

Shaking in terror, Kakashi quickly replaced the dark sweat pants with the cotton sheet. Tsunade rushed around, grabbing as many towels and blankets as she could find, Kurenai dragging others in from the additional bedrooms. Kakashi returned to Iruka's side, grasping his lover's hand as the dark-haired man collapsed back against the pillows again, panting. The Jounin's mouth hung open a bit, unsure what he should say.

"Alright Iruka, I'm going to check you over. I doubt that it would be safe to transport you to the hospital at this point, but I need to see how far along you are," Tsunade said as swung her legs up onto the bed, crossing them as she lifted the sheet slightly.

Iruka hissed as one of her cold hands touched his thigh, making him cringe and shiver. Kakashi squeezed his hand in response, taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside him. He threw a glance over at Kurenai, who had just walked into the room with a bowl of water and a towel over one shoulder. She shot him a small smile as she set the bowl and towel beside the Hokage as she examined the Chuunin.

"This sure is going fast," Tsunade said breathlessly. "You're already fully dilated."

Kakashi paled. During Iruka's last few check ups, Kakashi had asked Shizune about what would happen when the time came for the birth. She hadn't been completely sure, considering the difference between Iruka's anatomy and women, but she tried to explain as best she could. Kakashi, despite his years in ANBU and as a Jounin, had felt somewhat sickened by it. The thought of Iruka having to push out a small creature was terrifying to him, but now he knew each stage and change of the birthing process.

"Any idea how far apart your contractions are?" Tsunade asked.

"Only a few minutes," Iruka croaked, his voice hoarse.

"On the next one, I want you to start pushing, okay?"

Iruka nodded, his dark hair lying and sticking to his sweaty forehead. Carefully, Kakashi brushed the stray hairs out of the way and grabbed the small black string that his lover usually used to keep his hair back. Pulling on the dark tresses, Kakashi gently tied them in a loose ponytail at the back of his neck, the usually smooth hair wild.

The next forty-five minutes were filled with deep groans, screams, and gentle attempts at consolation and encouragement. Iruka pushed and pushed, resting only when the contractions stopped for a few minutes before they began again. He was exhausted, practically weeping despite Tsunade's best attempts to sooth the pain. His claws dug into the skin of Kakashi's hand, drawing blood that dripped thickly onto the white sheets below, but the Jounin barely noticed.

Kakashi was focused entirely on his lover, not even noticing when Kurenai was sent away to fetch Shinobu. His free hand petted Iruka's shoulders, trying to sooth him without saying anything. Kakashi had never felt as hopeless, weak, or unsure as he did when Iruka lay in their bed, bleeding and sweating as he tried to push their child into the world. Although he felt regret for having not been there when Shinobu was born, he was in a way relieved as well. He didn't know if he would have agreed to a second child if he knew it was going to be like this. It didn't help that Tsunade was unable to give Iruka any real medicine to dull the pain that lanced through him. All she was able to do was direct it with her own chakra, trying to contain it as well as she could.

Finally, at 10:23 that morning, Iruka gave a loud scream as he pushed one last time. He felt something leave his body and he fell back, his vision darkening for a moment. A cry filled the room as Tsunade straightened up, a small baby wrapped in the towel in her arms. She shot the fathers a wide smile as she quickly cut the umbilical cord and began to clean and give the infant a quick check over.

Iruka tried to sit up, but Kakashi gently pushed him back down onto the mattress. The dark, tear-filled eyes turned up to his Jounin lover and the older man grinned widely. His long fingers brushed through Iruka's black hair as Kakashi pressed their forehead together. Slowly, Iruka's breathing settled back to its normal pace and he let his legs drop to the sheets, not caring at all about the fluids that were soaked into the cotton around him.

"Well boys," Tsunade said slowly as she came over to them, the child tight in her arms, "Take a look."

Carefully, she handed the baby over to Iruka, who cuddled the small form to his chest. Iruka broke into a bright grin, rocking the small baby slowly. The fists were curled up against the chest; eyes squeezed shut as the baby dozed. The skin was a faint pink color and a dark crop of black hair erupted from the scalp, as thick as Iruka's, but as wild as Kakashi's. Quietly, the baby yawned and Iruka growled softly in the comforting way that only a wild animal could to its young.

Kakashi rested his chin on top of Iruka's head, his silver gaze fixed on the baby in his lover's arms. He felt like he was in a trance, unable to tear his eyes away from the tiny form.

Suddenly, he realized that Tsunade was speaking and both fathers glanced up at her. She shot them a smirk and repeated what she had said.

"You have a daughter."

"A girl," Iruka murmured, his voice hoarse from screaming, but full of excitement and complete astonishment.

Tsunade nodded. "A perfectly healthy girl. About six pounds, I'd wager which is small for a second child. That's probably why you were able to have a natural birth rather than a C-section like you did with Shinobu."

"He was a lot larger than her," Iruka admitted.

"Do you have a name?"

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