Naruto looked away as Karin's arms swept around his neck. This did nothing to deter her from leaning in, giving him a long, hard kiss as if in punctuation for their sinful detour. They'd only just finished redressing. Not even left sight of the large cart that had served as their walls and their bed. Both were still sweating faintly, even in the brisk, early winter air. It was hard not to blush and smile like some shy maiden when his eyes finally returned to her.

Even so, the guilt was eating him alive.

"Oh don't do that; you should be proud!" she offered, apparently reading his thoughts. When she continued to stare and hang onto him, he let it out. The truth of the matter that was weighing on him so heavily.

"I just can't stop thinking about Sasuki, how she'll react, how hurt she'll be," he grumbled.

"Screw her," she retorted, immediately softening up in response to his sudden glare. "It's not like you're her boyfriend, said so herself. She's no claim on you," she gently argued. "Besides with your blood? You need more than one woman to breed; your children are a gift, it's really quite selfless if you think about it,"

The cheeky tone she was taking didn't assuage him all that much.

"How by the void do you figure?"

"The healing? Presumably, they'll carry the same ability as you, albeit a bit weaker. Not even mentioning that strong, sexy jawline," she kissed him again. "Those big blue eyes and everything else that will make your sons such a treat to whoever weds or beds them. Just the thought of you, a head taller, more muscular, with a pair of small tusks… YUM," yet another kiss punctuated this remark. Her hands were trailing up his body, and despite himself, he found the words taking hold.

The first part anyway.

"It is good to know there'd be another healer around, if anything happened to me. If only the kingdom didn't have a bounty on my kind, they'd be able to do some real good,"

"Yes, it is truly a staggering waste of resources that law. The utter idiocy of your king," she muttered, seeming suddenly disheartened herself. She even let go of him and started walking off deeper into the forest, as if she knew where they were going. It was seeing her spirits drop that spurred his next words.

"A smaller, more human version of you would be pretty damn breathtaking too, you know," he offered. A brow was raised at that, but the bemused look she held didn't include a smile. "Not that, you know, your orcish features aren't beautiful too! I just meant-"

"-I know what you meant," she assured. "We'll just have to make sure we have at least one of each, won't we?"

That remark shut him up for a while.

He barely even looked at her until she suddenly stopped, examining a bushy plant before holding her palm to him with a smile. The berries there were a deep, dark purple, attached in some way to a leafy cape; nothing he recognized, but she took the first bite. Popping a couple of them into her mouth, 'cape' and all. Taking her meaning, he ate one as well.

A bit bitter, but sweet as well.

Delicious.

"Oh, I'm going to eat so much better down here," she mumbled whistfully, popping the rest of her palm into her mouth before continuing her harvest. Naruto thought to help but they were hard to find, the leafy part hiding them even as he fumbled his hands through. "Food just pops up out of the land here," she moaned out, mouth half full of the small fruits.

"Doesn't all food pop out of the ground?"

She flipped him off before answering.

"Yes. But not all ground grows food, does it? Like, for example, the icey wastes we just left?" she asked, flicking a hanky from her pocket and wiping her mouth, then using it to wrap up what berries were left to find. Naruto enjoyed the break. The forests were once again alive with the sound of chirping birds and rustling foliage. The sounds he grew up listening to while out stargazing in the courtyard. Enchanting.

If only he had a warm fire to help him actually enjoy it all properly.

Karin probably didn't even have that concern with her thick, ice-orc skin. If he were being modest, he'd assume the wide eyes and peaceful smile she wore for their little hike wasn't entirely the result of their quick fuck. It filled him with ease that she seemed to be happy here. Even if the startled gasp she released coming out of the treeline made him panic briefly.

Though it was only the face of that great, white stone cliff that took her breath away.

It was almost offensive to the eyes, combined with all the pure snow on the ground, like staring into a void almost unless you focused up. Still, the caves inside carried the promise of warmth, not to mention hot food. So suffice it to say that Naruto's grin was just as wide when Karin looked back at him.

They were discussing if she wanted to build her new tower at the top of it, rather, if the spectacular view would be worth the extra trouble, when the first Fangfolk found them. Both went quiet upon spotting that little dot come over a modest hill. It was worrying, even as it approached with no effort to hide itself, crunching faintly on the snow with the wicker snowshoes that he wore.

"FEY! These all allies, trustworthy?" he asked bluntly, perhaps three yards away, as his eyes combed over the dozen humaoid forms.

"Yeah, where's Tsume? Speaker Tsume, I should probably talk to her first, just in case?" he asked the last three words of Karin, speaking softly and receiving an amicable grin.

"Alright,"

"Right! Right yes, speaker Tsume is in three-tooth cave. Tall one that looks like snake but with extra tooth. That one,"

Both tall folks relaxed as he finally pointed out which of the countless little holes he referred to. As an added bonus, it was even tall enough to walk into! The journey was just about over; it was almost enough to knock him off his feet just from the weeks of fatigue finally having permission to hit him. The cave had a thin carpet of furs that cried out for his skin against them, and the faint blue glow of the fungi on the walls was so damn soothing.

"OH! Fey is back. Excellent!" a familiar voice called out, footsteps audible even as they seemed off somehow. The rapid, almost pet-like patter of fangfolk steps was slow and heavy in a way that became obvious the instant she came into sight. The young man sucked in a breath, his vision getting faintly blurry.

"Oh my, did you have something to do with that?" Karin asked coyly. Naruto opened his mouth but found himself suddenly mute. It was just as well; Tsume didn't wait two seconds to answer for him.

"Yes yes, great success! Babies grow well," Tsume exclaimed, patting her own bulging stomach without losing her carefree grin.

"Babies?! Bab- more than one?!" he exclaimed.

"What? Did you not know Fangfolk gave birth in litters? How did you think they spread so quickly?"Karin jided, only now frowning and rolling her eyes, still seeming more entertained than anything else. "Well, I suppose this explains their keeping you around,"

"Who this?" Tsume asked bluntly.

"Karin. A uh… a necromancer who wants to… you know…live here and uh…work with you," he prattled out, gesturing to her as he continued staring at the enlarged gut. She looked practically ready to pop already! He was only gone a couple months! Well, a little longer but less then three! "Are you… how long…"

"About four months from fertilization to birth, two more afterward for nursing," Karin shared with him.

Naruto felt sick to his stomach with shock.

"Yes yes, we will give birth soon,"

"We?" Karin asked, finally seeming just a smidge surprised.

"Me and daughter, both almost done," Tsume clarified.

Naruto fell to the floor with a thud.

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Thanks for reading!