Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.

Chapter Two: Baby Days

When Mina woke up again, she was surprised.

The blonde honestly didn't expect be able to wake up ever again, much less in such a comfortable place. She couldn't feel her body as well as she wanted, but it was better than nothing. Her eyelids felt heavy when she tried to open her eyes and look at the beige ceiling. There was a pillow under her head and a blanket around her, though Mina couldn't imagine why someone would bundle her up so tightly.

Suddenly, a face appeared above her. Mina opened her mouth when she realized that it was the Sandaime's, but no sound came out.

"Mina," he said, softly smiling, "it's good to see that you're awake. You slept for a long time."

Said person wanted to ask how long, however, once again, her throat felt dry. She tried to wriggle out of the blanket that held her. Her body was numb.

"Don't try to move too much," the old Hokage advised. "Your body is full of scratches and bruises. Jiraya spent the last days waiting for you to wake up with no rest, so I made him eat and sleep a little. You'll probably see him in a couple of hours."

And it was only when the Sandaime walked out of the room that Mina, still sleepy and yawning, noticed that her bed wasn't a bed, but a crib. She was too tired to protest.

Mina had been sleeping and waking up sporadically, never staying awake enough to question the reason why she was in a crib. When she finally managed to stay conscious to ask was only a few days later – though "asking" didn't exactly describe it.

Jiraya was sitting beside her, reading a book – though Mina couldn't say which one, as the letters were confusing. He dropped the book on the floor when he saw her blinking.

"Mina!" He cried in happiness.

Jiraya-sensei, Mina wanted to say. Why couldn't she say anything? It was as if her tongue had been tied. It felt as numb as her body. Why couldn't she feel her body?

"You sure slept a lot, huh?" The Sannin smiled at her. "Sensei and the medic aren't sure if you can understand us, but you were never conscious enough to test it. I'm not sure if I want you to comprehend me or not."

What was he talking about? Of course Mina could understand him – she wasn't stupid.

"Either way, you can't live alone anymore."

Alone.

She wanted to complain that she could – there was no reason why she couldn't – but the words tangled in her throat. Alone – she was alone. Naruto was dead. Kiyoshi was dead. When she had performed the sealing, Mina hadn't counted on surviving. Her future plans revolved on dying. It didn't even made sense to be alive when her son and husband were not. Jiraya was her blood-related father, but Mina was sure that he would get over it. They didn't act like daughter and father, after all. Her friends would grieve, but forget – with time.

Mina should have died.

Kiyoshi had. Naruto had. Why hadn't she died?

Jiraya-sensei was still talking, but Mina couldn't understand him. Her chest was hurting so damn much. Her numb body was on fire and she couldn't move out of the flames. Mina whimpered. God, she wanted to scream, but only cries came out of her mouth.

Kiyoshi!

Naruto!

Kiyoshi!

Naruto!

KIYOSHI!

NARUTO!

Her insides appeared to scream with all their mighty. Her chest burned. Her eyes were wet. Why was she alive? Why were they dead?

"Shh," someone breathed in her ear. "Shh. Everything will be fine, I promise. Daddy is here, Mina… It'll be okay…"

Mina was so surprised that Jiraya – of all people – was cradling her in his arms that her wail stopped. He had called himself 'Daddy'. He had never done it before. When she was small – either be it before her Mom died, either be it after it – Mina had dreamed of having a father. When Jiraya came, years later, she never tried to call him Dad. She wasn't a legitimate daughter – only the daughter of a woman he slept with.

Suddenly, Mina felt incredibly tired. She closed her eyes and slept.

Although she was one of the smarter people in Konoha, Mina only realized why she couldn't speak weeks later. The blonde never spent more than a few minutes awake and the only ones she ever saw were the Sandaime, Jiraya and a medic-nin that she knew it was called Tsubasa. A few times she wondered where Kakashi was.

Her body had become frail after the sealing, still getting used to the Kyuubi chakra and her chakra paths having changed abruptly. Only when Mina finally achieved staying awake for an hour that she realized that said body was a baby's one. Hence why she couldn't speak or move as freely as desired.

Mina had been known for her patience and wisdom, so, it is no surprise that she didn't scream when the fact was taken into account. True it was because she was crying from the loss of her most beloved ones, but nevertheless, it was impressive to be so calm. Truly, Mina couldn't care less about being a baby again. She missed Kiyoshi and Naruto so damn much that being a baby didn't faze her.

She could feel the Kyuubi asleep inside her and its chakra. Jiraya checked her seal every day, but – from what she had heard him tell Sandaime one day – it was alright. Of course it was, Mina wanted to say at the time, Kiyoshi and I designed it. Her husband had been an incredible Seal Master. But no comment ever came from her mouth, only whimpers and cries.

At best, it was monotonous to be a baby – at worst, annoying.

Mina discovered – as who knows how many weeks passed – that her body reacted as a baby's would and she could do nothing about it. Jiraya and Hiruzen decided that she couldn't understand them after so many weeks of no action. Mina was surprised that Jiraya was both delighted and sad with the fact.

She was woken up a few minutes every day during her bath time with the medic and when Jiraya fed her with a bottle. As Mina ate, the man would babble about anything in his mind and appear to be having the time of his life. The blonde thought it was funny and weird at the same time, because she was an adult in a baby's body, but nobody was aware of this – much less her… father, who treated her as his daughter.

Mina wanted to cry every time she was awake – the now small one couldn't get used to the fact that her son and husband were dead – but Jiraya's happy face prevented her from wailing. She wasn't heartless enough to just cry, cry and cry, no matter how much it hurt. He was just so in peace while holding her close to his chest and babbling… It was a side of him that she had never seen, no matter how many years they spent together.

Months went by and soon enough she could sit with help. Her arms and legs didn't feel as numb as before and she could grab toys offered to her. The small blonde tried to calculate how many weeks had passed since the sealing, but her baby mind was soon bored with all thinking. No more than six months, but no less than three, her mind decided and focused on the bunny plush offered to her instead.

The hospital room where she was being hidden away soon enough became too boring. When she spent more time sleeping than observing around it was okay, but now there was nothing to do. The Sandaime did have to take of an entire village and the medic-nin did have other patients. Jiraya was the one that stayed the most with her, but there were times when he disappeared only to come back days later. Mina supposed he had missions for the village.

Her young mind was a bother most of time spent awake. She couldn't concentrate on what she usually could – and, though months had passed since her husband and child died, her body was too young to control her reactions of sadness. Thus, she cried all the time when alone. Mina wasn't the easiest baby to take care of, she knew, but couldn't help her needs.

"Don't cry, baby-chan," Jiraya said to her one day, smiling goofily. "It's a beautiful day, you know."

Mina wanted to say that she didn't know, of course, being stuck in here every week. She whimpered against her will and her arms moved in need of a hug.

"Daddy knows how annoyed you are. This room must be so boring for you, huh?" So he did know. Mina wanted to hit him over the head, but all she could do was cuddle against his chest as he brought her in his arms. "But Sarutobi-sensei said you still aren't old enough to go out. Silly, ne? Most babies spend their time outside with their mothers…" Jiraya's look was a sad one. "Though I suppose Yuki isn't here for you. Not anymore."

Mina was silent, observing her father with two huge blue orbs. She had never heard him talking about her mother.

"I was angry at your mother when I discovered about you being my daughter, did you know?" The man talked to her as if she could understand. Well, Mina could, but Jiraya didn't know that. "Yuki was a sweet woman when I met her and I couldn't imagine why she wouldn't tell me about you. I'm not angry anymore… it'd be stupid to be. I can't be annoyed with the dead, right? I hope you can forgive me someday. You know, for not being there for you like Yuki had been."

Mina blinked. She had never been angry at her father for not being there. Her rational mind told her that it was stupid of her to be, since he didn't know about her existence. Her emotional part of her mind, however, was a little bit hurt that he never searched for her or treated her like his daughter.

Jiraya kissed the top of her head, which was full of blonde baby-curls.

"You have her eyes and hair color. You look so much like her. When you smile… It's like I'm seeing Yuki again…"

Mina felt as if she couldn't breathe. Although Jiraya hadn't said it, the blonde knew that he still loved her. Her father's dark eyes were full of unshed tears and his voice was broken. Mina had been wrong all these years.

She had never called Jiraya her father. She had thought he wouldn't like it, simply because she was the daughter of woman he never loved. Mina had been wrong, oh-so-wrong. She could see it in his eyes: Jiraya had loved Yuki. Otherwise, he wouldn't be crying for her.

Mina raised her chubby hand.

"Ooh," she cooed, smiling. Jiraya blinked, confused. Mina spent most of her time as a baby sleeping or crying, and when she wasn't doing that, she never smiled. Mina wasn't happy with her husband and son's deaths. But she was willing to try just to make this fatherly sensei feel better.

Jiraya started smiling little by little.

"Aah," Mina cooed once again.

The man definitely laughed now, his eyes curving as his smile widened.

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up, Mina-chan."

"Ooh," was her response.

When Mina crawled for the first time, Jiraya and Hiruzen were discussing quietly not to disturb the baby. She cooed and clapped happily as a baby would while trying to get their attention.

"What is it, Mina-chan?" Hiruzen smiled softly at her, coming closer.

"Ooh," Mina replied. "Ooh aah! Baadaa!"

Jiraya's eyes appeared to jump out of their socks when his daughter started to crawl. She rolled over her pillow and crawled until the bars of her crib. He took her in his arms, delighted.

"She's a genius! Crawling at her sixth month of life!"

Hiruzen hid his smile.

"Actually, there are reports about some babies crawling at this age. And it isn't as if you already didn't know about her intelligence. She wasn't known as Konoha's Yellow Flash for being slow of mind and body."

Jiraya nodded, still cradling her to his chest.

"Ne, sensei, can I finally take her out here? Mina-chan is tired of being in this room all the time." As if to make his point, Jiraya turned his daughter face to his teacher, showing her big eyes. Mina tried to make puppy eyes to help in this cause.

Hiruzen was missing his pipe as he never smoked inside Mina's hospital room.

"Alright, you can take her out."

"Yes!"

"But…-"

"I should've known it wouldn't be so simple," Jiraya deflated as Mina giggled.

"… with one condition. Even though she appears to be fine, I was talking with Tsubasa yesterday about her condition and Mina isn't as strong as she should be."

"But sensei," Jiraya whined childishly. Mina patted his cheek with a chubby hand. "She's crawling and everything – earlier than expected too! How can she not be fine?"

Hiruzen sighed, "I wasn't talking about her muscles, Jiraya. I meant her chakra paths."

Jiraya instantly became serious.

Mina tensed. She slept more than a normal baby would not only because of her experience of de-agement, but also because of the seal. She was no Uzumaki with crazy chakra reserves and her Hokage pools of chakra could take her only so far. As Jiraya said, Mina should've known it wouldn't be so simple.

"You know as well as I do that when Mina created the Hiraishin no Jutsu that she trained hard. No human body could keep up with such a fast jutsu."

"I'm aware of this," the Sannin agreed. His daughter had trained like a maniac to strengthen her body just to be able to use the Hiraishin, which was useful, but also fatal if not careful.

"While her adult body developed and adapted to it, her chakra became more resisting and could – let's say – protect her of damage. You know all of this, I'm sure." Jiraya nodded in agreement, so the old Hokage continue. "However, her baby body isn't as strong as it should be because of this. Having her chakra paths modified by the sealing didn't help. Right now, if she tried to use her chakra, Mina would die of pain."

Jiraya's eyes widened.

"But what about later? Will she be able to mold chakra?"

Hiruzen was somber and Mina was already dreading the answer.

"Tsubasa and I aren't sure. The only thing we can do is hope. It would be a waste of talent if she can't use it. Mina is an intelligent girl and has the potential to be great once again. But for this, we must treat her carefully."

The Sannin kissed his daughter's head as it was his habit when worried about her.

"The citizens know nothing about her status as a Jinchuuriki. In fact, they know nothing her survival. They believe their Hokage is dead as well as the Kyuubi. We – Tsubasa, you and I – are the only ones aware of her existence. Don't go beyond this hospital walls, do you hear me? Until she's at least one year old and her chakra condition more stable, we can't take her far from here. A disaster could happen and we need to be near here."

Jiraya just cradled her closer.

Mina wanted to cry – and for the first time since she last saw Kiyoshi and Naruto, it wasn't because of their deaths.