time for chapter two yay ^^ sorry I take so long to write this, my brain is all over the place with two anime conventions coming up this weekend and its hard to focus enough to actually write something
Kakashi POV
I watch as the nurses quickly cart Iris away on a gurney while I hold this small child in my arms, assuming its her daughter which surprises me since she's still so young,
"Kakashi-sensai?" I turn and see Hinata waiting by an open room for me and I carefully walk in making sure not to jostle the child too much before she closes the door behind me
"could you just set her on the table and I'll check her for injuries," she asks me and I do but the moment I let go the child starts fussing and is soon in tears, instinctively I pull her close and hush her to soothe her fears.
I glance at Hinata and she nods in understanding before stepping closer and carefully checking her, both of us quickly notice the hand sized bruise already forming on her arm and the red spot on her cheek, as I look closer I notice faint little marks and my eye widens slightly when I realize they look like whiskers,
"Hinata, do these marks look like whiskers to you?" I ask hesitantly and she examines them carefully before agreeing then slowly taking the child from me, luckily she didn't seem that fazed this time
"I see what your getting at so I'll run some tests just to be sure," she explains and I nod before turning to look through the bag that was found near them.
Digging through it I discover a small red fox plushie which seems to grab the child's attention,
"Kyu!" she hollers excitedly while reaching out for him almost making Hinata lose her grip for a second, I smile at her enthusiasm before handing the fox over to her and she snuggles it closely which brings about another round of smiles,
turning back to the bag, I find a small book and upon opening it I quickly find its a photo album, I see Iris laying in a hospital bed holding a newborn baby and underneath is written "look out world, Alexis Rain Uzumaki has arrived" which makes me chuckle a little,
'oh Naruto is in for a surprise'
I turn back to Hinata just as she's finishing her examination, "seems the tests wont be necessary, how is she?"
"she seems alright, nothing too serious or permanent that we should be concerned about," she tells me and I nod in relief, hurting a child is something I can't stand
"she looks like him you know," I hear her say quietly and I walk over as she brushes some of her bangs from her face and we gaze into Alexis' bright blue eyes as she stares up at us and I mentally sigh for everything that's going to happen next.
Normal POV
"Hinata can you watch her for a little bit while I check on Iris?" Kakashi asks before leaving the room and heads down the hall only to stop as he runs into Tsunade leaving the emergency ward,
"Hokage-sama, how is she?" he asks and Tsunade sighs and mutters something about needing a drink before becoming serious,
"she'll survive, her injuries were bad but they could have been worse if she had been left any longer, how's the child?" she replies
"she's alright, a few scraps and bruises but nothing serious, seems her name is Alexis Uzumaki," Kakashi states and watches as Tsunade's eyes widen before she groans
"oh this just keeps getting better and better," she sighs then goes quiet
"Hokage-sama, is everything alright?"
Tsunade remains quiet for a moment, "I never thought we'd see her again... after she left, Naruto seemed to loose a piece of himself but hid it behind his smiles... now she's back and apparently has a child by him," she sighs and ribs her eyes "well lets go see this Alexis Uzumaki then," she states then walks past Kakashi who quickly follows after.
upon entering the room Tsunade sees Hinata trying to entertain a little girl who couldn't be no more then two with chin length messy auburn hair and the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen already knowing where she got them from,
"what did you say her name was again Kakashi?"
"Alexis Rain Uzumaki," he replied
Tsunade noded then silently strolled over only for Alexis to turn and stare at her then pull the biggest smiles a two year old could do and hold her arms our towards Tsunade, "GAMA!" she screamed excitedly
Tsunade stumbled but quickly catches herself and tries to hide her annoyance behind a smile as she reaches over and picks up the toddler, "hello Alexis, it seems you'll be staying with me for a little bit until your...daddy gets back from his mission," Tsunade tells her then turns back to Kakashi and Hinata, "the moment Naruto gets back I want him brought to my office immediately, is that understood?" she asks and both shinobi nod seriously before Tsunade leaves.
'oh Naruto... you sure got yourself in a situation this time,' she thinks as Alexis yawns then lays her head on Tsunade's shoulder and is soon sleeping the night away, Tsunade smiles fondly at her as she strokes her hair and silently thanks Iris for coming back.
she takes Alexis to her office and lays her down on the couch then puts her Hokage robe over her as a blanket before taking her seat behind her desk and getting back to the paperwork she was previously trying to avoid doing, its gonna be a long night.
The next day bright and early who should walk through the front gate but the great and wonderful Naruto Uzumaki, after easily finishing up his mission he strolls merrily towards the Hokage's tower pausing only to wave and greet some of his friends,
"hey man you missed quiet the fiasco last night," his friend Kiba informs him "seems Kakashi and one of the other guards found a woman and her kid nearly beaten to death just outside the gate,"
Naruto's eyes widen at this, "what!? are they're OK?"
"last I heard they were taken to Konoha hospital and the Hokage herself worked on them,"
"it must have been pretty bad then, I'll have to ask granny when I see her, I'll see you later Kiba," Naruto waved as he ran off
'what kind of person could beat a woman and her child, its just not right,'
'kit there's something going on around here,' Kyuubi replies making Naruto frown, ever since Iris accepted both him and Kyuubi they're conversations became much more frequent and less heated.
Naruto chanced a glance around ignoring the obvious stares and heated glares, though they had gotten fewer over the years, some people you just couldn't change, shaking his head he decides to just ask Tsunade-baa-chan if anything's going on, making up his mind he sets off to the Hokage tower
Tsunade, meanwhile, was just finishing the last of her paperwork, a true miracle, when she glanced over to see Alexis still out cold now sprawled out over the couch, Tsunade couldn't fight the amused chuckle that escaped her before turning back to her piles of paper when her office door was suddenly kicked in
"OBAA-CHAN! I'M BACK!" Naruto hollers making Tsunade groan and slam her head on her desk several times before quickly getting up with a glare
"how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!" she seethes at him but Naruto was unfazed, instead his focus was on a little two year old girl who was now awake and rubbing her eyes and staring at them,
"geez sorry obaa-chan, had I known a kid was here I wouldn't have entered like that," he apologized while rubbing the back of his neck and looking genuinly sorry, "hey wait is that the kid they found last night who got hurt?" he asks then walks over and kneels in front of her and smiles at her
Alexis stared at him a moment while her brain seems to try and catch up to her being awake which made Naruto smile more and chuckle before ruffing her hair, "she's cute, pretty eyes too, " he mentions then frowns at the similarity between his own eyes and the girls, his eyes then notice the red mark and his frown turns sad as he's careful not to touch there but pauses when he sees her whisker marks, "baa-chan?" Naruto calls hesitantly
Tsunade watches the whole exchange quietly, "Naruto, there's something you should know about this girl," she walks over and places a hand on his shoulder to steady him, "her father is a jinchuuriki, that's why we think she has those markings on her cheeks, but as far as we know she doesn't host a demon, and her mother..." Tsunade hesitates to say anything
Naruto quickly stands and turns to Tsunade, "is her mother OK? she didn't... you know"
"No no she's fine she's recovering at Konoha Hospital," she tells him which seems to help relax him a little, "but..." Naruto meets her gaze and seeing those same blue eyes, Tsunade sighs, "the little girls name is Alexis... Alexis Uzumaki,"
Naruto's eyes widen, "she's... she's an Uzumaki?" slowly he turns back to the Alexis and sees her yawn "she's from my family?"
"not exactly kid" Tsunade says
"daddy?" Naruto freezes and slowly turns back to Alexis and sees her staring wide eyed up at him now wide awake and notices the red fox plushie wrapped in her arms,
Naruto blinks then slowly kneels in front of Alexis and stares at her a moment and quickly Alexis lets loose a huge smile "daddy!" she hollers and giggles then reaches out for him to pick her up
Naruto hesitates a moment before quickly turning back to Tsunade "but that cant be... I've never 'been' with anyone so I can't have a kid," he exclaims nervously, Tsunade stays quiet to let him figure it out
"nobody... except..." his eyes widen when he remembers Iris and his eyes slowly meet Tsunade's before turning back to Alexis who looks ready to burst into tears at any moment from being ignored, "Iris... she..." Naruto's eyes water as he slowly bends down and carefully picks up his daughter and holds her close
Alexis giggles loudly then hugs him tightly "daddy!" she shouts and Naruto cant fight the tears that slide down his cheeks as he hugs her back 'this cant really be happening, I'm... I'm a father?'
'well believe it kit, it may be faint but I can still smell our scent mixed with Iris' on her... she's your daughter, guess I cant call you kit anymore since you have one'
Naruto smiles at Kyuubi's bad humor before remembering something from earlier
'seems Kakashi and one of the other guards found a woman and her kid nearly beaten to death just outside the gate'
'she's recovering at Konoha Hospital'
"Iris!" Naruto's eyes widen then turns into a glare as they flicker red and he turns to Tsunade "Iris was the one they found just outside the gates wasn't she? what happened?!" he shouts holding Alexis tighter remembering the bruise on her cheek
"Naruto calm down, she's alright she-
"SHE IS NOT ALRIGHT!" he screams "she was found outside our village nearly beaten to death! Tsunade!"
Tsunade pauses when he uses her first name before taking his arm, "come on... we'll go see if she's awake but you have to stay calm, if not for her then for the two year old your currently holding in your arms," Tsunade's words bring some clarity to his mind and he looks down to Alexis to see her staring up at him, taking a deep breath Naruto calms himself remembering Tsunade say she's fine and just resting and he doesn't wanna frighten the daughter he just met
"papa Kuubi" Alexis says as she pats Naruto's cheek making his eyes open and he looks at her,
"wha-?" he frowns as she does it again closer to his eyes and she frowns
"papa Kuubi!" she says more determinedly, Naruto stares a moment longer before his eyes widen, seriously their gonna get stuck that wide if he keeps getting surprised, as he gets it
"papa Kyuubi?" Naruto asks hesitantly making Alexis smile and consequently himself as well
'seems Iris made sure Alexis knew all about us Kyu' Naruto thinks which makes Kyuubi purr in happiness
Tsunade watches in silence before putting her hand on Naruto's shoulder to grab his attention again, "come on brat, lets go see how Iris is doing" she leads him back to the hospital.
The walk to the hospital was silent and full of tension, the only relief Naruto could find was in watching Alexis stare at everything in awe then point and babble about something which would bring a smile to his face, the hospital itself is silent and still smells too clean to Naruto, he wrinkles his nose already wanting to leave but steels himself
Tsunade speaks with the nurse at the front counter a moment before leading him down the hall and pause in front of a room, "Naruto, remember we are in a hospital so try to keep your voice down," she tells him and instead of answering he nods his head.
Tsunade then opens the door and walks in but Naruto pauses outside the door a moment to take a few deep breaths before slowly walking into the room,
what he saw would forever haunt his dreams, the woman laying in that bed was no doubt Iris, she had a bandage wrapped around her head, dark bruises on her face and arms with IV's giving her fluids, she was sweating from a fever it seemed and an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth,
Naruto's eyes flashed red in anger as he stood frozen in place, after checking her vitals Tsunade seemed to notice Naruto's anguish so she quietly walks over and takes Alexis from his arms, "I'll get her something to eat, you stay with Iris... maybe if she hears your voice she'll wake up faster," she whispers to him then walks out of the room.
the room is deathly quiet except for the heart monitor beeping to show that she's alive, slowly Naruto walks over to the bedside and watches Iris breath for a moment before he carefully takes her hand in both of his, "kami Iris... I'm so sorry..." he chokes out as he fights the tears
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you... or be there for you when you needed me... to help you get through everything that came your way... you even... you even had my child... even though people still hate me and think of me as a demon..." he ended in a whisper before laying his head on the bed beside her arm,
"shut up Naruto"
Naruto's head whips up so fast he actually gets dizzy for a second before he focuses on Iris who's eyes are open and staring at him, "Iris!" he yells which makes her close her eyes briefly before opening them again and giving him a pointed look, "sorry" he whispers quickly, "your OK," he gently moves some hair from her face but pauses when he sees her glaring at him, "what?"
"you called yourself a demon," her voice sounded angry and before he could say anything she reaches up and whacks him upside his head,
"OUCH! what was that for?!" he yells in surprise
Iris glares at him a moment before yanking her oxygen mask off, "two years and you still act like the punching bag,"
"hey dont take that off you need that," Naruto tries to stop her only to pause when she suddenly grabs the front of his coat and yanks him down and firmly presses her lips against his,
Naruto tenses up for all but half a second before he carefully cradles her face and returns the kiss being mindful of her injuries, slowly she pulls back and he stares into her eyes and watches as they fill with tears, "don't ever call yourself a demon again or I'll kick your ass all the way to the sand village and have Gaara knock some sense into you," she threatens but it ends with a smile which he easily returns and nods in agreement before claiming her lips in another quick kiss then pulling her into a tight but gentle hug,
"don't ever leave me again... please... I couldn't take it knowing... you... and Alexis... you belong here with me... please.." Naruto begs silently without releasing her from his hug
Iris smiles and returns the hug just as tightly, "we're not going anywhere... you think you can handle being my boyfriend again and the father of my child?"
Naruto quickly smiles and holds her tighter, "guess we'll just have to see and find out, wont we?" he pulls back then closes the gap and presses his lips against Iris who returns the kiss just as softly.
and I'm done chapter two, I'm so sorry that took so long I nearly lost my love for Naruto then started playing the new Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 game and my love returned