There was no such thing as a happily ever after. The human mind just doesn't work that way. Living beings are not composed of static particles, but rather of cycles of movement. Looping back to the beginning, forgetting: these things are inevitable.

Kakashi managed quite well, though. After the first time he forgot, he wrote out messages to himself and put them in places where he'd be sure to see them. "It hurts to make someone you care for anxious and afraid." These reminders helped him avoid falling back into thinking that he must always be anxiously afraid or else his companion would leave him. It was still hard to believe that the opposite was true.

There were some close calls with his mental stability. Sometimes after a bad day, thoughts of using his powers to destroy a very large area just for the fun of it came to him. He didn't tell Orochimaru about these thoughts. But he did request extra cuddles the next morning, and each time he did that the snake's soul would briefly stiffen. Kakashi always got as much cuddling as he wanted.

There was a period of warmer than usual weather, melting the snow. Then there was a cold snap. Overnight, temperatures dropped from above freezing to well below it. From his past life as a ninja, Kakashi understood the insulating power of snow. If snow had still caked the bare branches of their miniature forest, then the wolves would have had a nice warm den. But with no snow…

He wasn't surprised that they showed up around noon the same day. Most of the pack had traveled to the base; only the alphas had stayed home. Kakashi's mate brought up the rear so that the pup she carried from her jaws was surrounded by the warm fur of its uncles. The weather wasn't actually that harsh. A cold rain would have been much more dangerous. But Simo needed to be raised with human ways anyway, so there was no reason to delay. Kakashi nuzzled the little pup, whined softly in greeting, then created a scarflike wrapping around his throat and chest for Simo to rest in. The pup scratched at his clothes and tickled his neck with the flurry fur growing around its nose. It was nearly a month after Kakashi had first met his deformed son. Simo was well grown and capable of spending time away from his mother.

He wasn't old enough to understand the need to, though. Kakashi took Simo fully out of the scarf so he could say goodbye to his mother. On the cold ground, Simo shivered. His mother pushed him toward Kakashi, who promptly returned him to the warm scarf. The pup got the message. He licked Kakashi's neck gratefully even as the wolves, the only family he'd ever lived with, turned and walked away. Kakashi's mate looked back. He caught her eye and whined in a way that was sad, but also hopeful. This is a hard situation, but we're going to make the best of it. She lolled her tongue out, then looked forward again. Kakashi waited until they were fully out of sight before he turned and went inside.

Orochimaru followed him in. The snake had stayed out of the flow of wind a good distance away so as not to interfere, but he had witnessed everything. "I have my own ideas," he told Kakashi. "But as you are the one who's part wolf, I suppose your judgment ranks above mine."

"Don't worry! After all this time and everything I've taught you, I'm sure your ideas and mine are very similar," Kakashi said with a laugh. "First, I'll take him to the forest room. Then I introduce him to you. That shouldn't take long. Then, with both you and I present, we introduce him to Kokutan." He hesitated, then whispered, "Or rather, introduce her to him."

"Those are similar to my ideas," Orochimaru said, sounding more relaxed. "We'd better hurry." Simo was straining in all directions, trying to see where he was. Kakashi urged him to be patient as they made their way to the forest room.

The forest room was beginning to develop a thin layer of proto-soil. But that was exactly what forests did, so Kakashi didn't know how to feel about it or what to do. Let it develop? Clean it up? So far, he'd done nothing. Simo walked around on a thin mat of crushed leaf fragments, sniffing at the fresh branches that made up a nest. He investigated the whole room. When he reached one corner of it, he stopped. He sniffed over and over again, looking confused. Kakashi realized that the corners of the room would hold onto old scents. "He might have found something with a trace of his mother's scent," he told Orochimaru.

"How long ago that was," Orochimaru muttered. They didn't like talking about it. It was very painful to remember that Orochimaru had had to drive the she-wolf and her newly born pups out into the cold because of well-founded fears that Kakashi might kill them all. Watching his son explore the room where he had been born (but couldn't possibly know it) made Kakashi's heart ache.

They moved on quickly to step two. Orochimaru knelt in the middle of the room, near the nest, and Kakashi pushed Simo over to him. Simo looked back frequently, saw Kakashi's calmness, and copied it. In less than two minutes he was playing with Orochimaru's hand just the same way as he did with Kakashi's.

Now for step three. Orochimaru left the room to get Kokutan. While waiting, Kakashi patted Simo's ears and wondered what sort of food to feed him. Orochimaru came back shortly, holding the door open carefully to make sure it would not swing closed behind him. Kokutan followed him in.

Simo whined, afraid. Kakashi guided him into the nest. Kokutan detected the young wolf and headed towards him, but stopped at the nest, unwilling to climb in. Orochimaru laid a hand on her head and communicated soothing things to hold her still. Simo leaned over the side of the nest to sniff at her. He jumped back as she flicked out her forked tongue. Again, he looked back at Kakashi to find out how he should react. Kakashi wasn't at all afraid, so he leaned out of the nest again, batting at the forked tongue.

Orochimaru moved into Kokutan's sight. He performed a smaller version of the demonstration he'd used to convince her that Kakashi was friendly, tracing his fingers and hand over Simo's whole body. Simo whimpered in confusion. When it was done, there seemed to be no reaction from Kokutan. Aside from shifting her head slightly to the right, she did not move. Orochimaru sat back. "See that head movement? Everything's alright." Kakashi looked more closely. Turning her head to the right those few degrees angled her snout alongside the nest, no longer pointing right at it. Simo could climb off the side of the nest onto her head.

That was exactly what he did. Kakashi froze. Kokutan hissed softly, then began to move. Keeping her head low and level, she slithered slowly all around the room. Simo yipped in delight. Kakashi relaxed. "You're right. They'll get along very well."

.

Just how well came as a surprise. Kokutan had developed a habit of following Orochimaru around inside the base, and now she applied that same behavior to Simo. Between the forest room and Orochimaru's room, she never slept alone anymore. Simo rode on her head or back so often that Kakashi worried he wasn't getting enough exercise. This behavior is strange for a snake, isn't it?

To compensate, he started Simo's training. The large room where Amita lay coiled on her stage provided the perfect place. He and Simo chased each other around at speeds that required just a little bit of chakra to maintain. Kakashi jumped sometimes: another thing that commonly required chakra. Once Simo was able to keep up this pace of running and jumping for more than five minutes, Kakashi got so into it that he accidentally jumped right onto a wall. That got Simo's attention. He spent a solid half an hour trying to walk up the wall. He had some success, too. He learned to take a few shaky steps up the wall before his grip would weaken and he'd fall to the floor. Simo's spirit was truly something. Already at his young age, he was determined and bold. He only stopped because he got too tired to continue.

As always, Kokutan was nearby, watching. She gave Simo a ride to the nearest torch. Kakashi let himself go all gooey and melty for two minutes. They're so adorable together! Then he shook himself, took a deep breath, and realized Orochimaru was watching from the door. Damn! What a stealthy snake! How long was he watching?

Kakashi went over to the door and lowered his voice. "So. He's doing well."

"More importantly, he shows great determination tempered by sense and fueled by genuine enjoyment," Orochimaru whispered back. "I hope he applies the same attitude to his siblings."

Kakashi blinked. The other pups were at home with their pack. And why would Orochimaru care about them anyway? "Huh?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Orochimaru said, turning to look at him. "Kokutan's been gravitating to any source of steady heat she can find." He indicated her resting, coiled, beneath the torch with Simo on her neck.

"Don't snakes usually do that?" Kakashi asked. "Wait. Are you saying that's what Simo is to her? A living heat lamp?" And what does that have to do with -

"I said steady heat," Orochimaru explained patiently. "The sort that can be relied on to stay warm for a long time."

"For a long time…?"

"If she was out in the wild, this same sense would lead her to compost piles or geothermal springs. Sustained warmth is vital. Small things can't hold warmth like large things can. Even a brief bit of cold can be deadly."

Kakashi blinked. And blinked some more. And then, finally, he put it together. "She's pregnant?"

Orochimaru nodded. "It's not terribly visible with snakes like it is with mammals, but the change in behavior is very distinctive. All she needs, at her size, is exceptionally warm spots that last long enough for her to bask in. She wouldn't usually be interested in things only a degree or two higher than ambient, and their likelihood of staying that way for weeks would have no relevance."

Kakashi watched her and Simo resting beneath the torch. "A living being that she can trust is better than a compost pile. Warm-blooded mammals are much more than a degree or two above the environment, and they can actively protect eggs or babies from predators."

"I've had lady snakes who were already pregnant get drawn to me for that reason. Most mammals can't be trusted. We all know that. But I'm different. Special."

"I'm guessing you weren't quite the benevolent protector they were looking for…"

"I drove them away," Orochimaru said with a hiss. "I'm not that much of a monster. Results derived from snakes would have no application to humans anyway."

Kakashi laughed. "Alright then. She's been following you, then Simo, around for a while. I assume that means they're coming soon?"

"In the next couple of weeks. They'll be live, not egg."

Kakashi made his happy face. "How cute will they be?"

Orochimaru hissed. "Well, if you're going to be like that, I won't tell you when it happens."

"Aw, come on, you know I couldn't pass up the chance to tickle adorable little itty-bitty serpents…"

"There will be no tickling!"

.

Orochimaru had said that he had little appreciation for baby mammals. That turned out to be a lack of appreciation for helpless mammals, not babies, exactly. As soon as Simo's training began to show results, Orochimaru got involved. He read to Simo. He taught the young wolf chakra-strengthening techniques and supervised their active training sessions, ready to step in if there was a problem. He took over Simo's feeding, which was a relief. Feeding the pup reminded Kakashi of how wrong it was to be separated from mother and pack at such a young age, making him feel guilty. Orochimaru did not have this problem. He seemed to see nothing wrong with such a young pup living with snakes and humans. Kakashi wondered who was right.

Simo figured out how to speak very quickly. Kakashi and Orochimaru, both child prodigies, were impressed. After only a week and a half of being surrounded by language, Simo started to say simple words. "Dad." "Mom." "Koku." "Fast!" "More!" According to him, Kakashi was Dad and Orochimaru was Mom. The first time he said that, Kakashi blushed bright red. But Orochimaru laughed. Kakashi put up another couple reminders for himself. "Orochimaru is always of mixed gender, even when not using Transformation Jutsu."

Simo was the first to realize that something was wrong. After a training session, when he and Kakashi normally played less active games to cool down, Simo had trouble concentrating on the game. Kakashi got worried. Is something wrong? Eventually, Simo looked up at him and asked, "Koku?"

Kakashi tilted his head. "What about her?"

Simo walked over to the snake and prodded her with one paw. She didn't react. But that was normal; she often preferred to move as little as possible. Simo looked back at Kakashi. They stared at each other for a while. Is he expecting a reaction from me? If so, that expectation was disappointed. Simo looked at Kokutan, twitched his ears, then went back to the game and had no problem focusing from then on.

Kakashi found Orochimaru as soon as possible. "You may want to check on Kokutan. Make sure she's healthy and all, since she's pregnant."

Orochimaru turned down the flame and gave their afternoon meal a thorough stirring, then turned. His glittering eyes scanned Kakashi from top to bottom. "I can tell that you're trying to use your anxious, 'I know this is nothing but please reassure me' voice. It's very skillful and it would fool anyone else. But it doesn't fool me. There's a reason why I should check on her, isn't there?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Simo acted worried earlier. He wanted me to look at her. I didn't see anything unusual, and he went back to our game like nothing was wrong. But I think that's just because he took cues from me. In regards to Kokutan, that's the wrong thing to do - he knows her much better than I do. If he was worried…"

"What sort of looking did you do, exactly?" Orochimaru said while turning the heat up even higher than it had been before. He added what remaining ingredients there were and stirred the pot in quick movements, totally unlike his normal leisurely approach to cooking.

Kakashi tucked his tail between his legs. "Not much. Simo prodded her, and she didn't make any visible or olfactory response."

"Any?"

"I was careful this time. I was looking for slight turns of her head, shifting her tail, flicking her tongue, that sort of thing. She didn't do any of that."

"Not even flicking her tongue?" Orochimaru grabbed Kakashi and pulled him over to the stove. Kakashi took over cooking, and the snake raced out of the room. Kakashi did not turn down the heat or slow his movements. If both of them are worried, then I'm really worried.

It was good that he kept cooking fast. That meant the food was done when Orochimaru came back. "Puppy. Follow me." Kakashi put the steaming pot on a trivet to cool and followed.

"What have you found?"

"She's in great pain. I need you to use your demon vision to find out why."

That pushed Kakashi to the edge of panic. Oh god, what if something is really wrong? "Emergency womb-opening" wrong? What if someone - He stopped himself from going that far. Contemplating death was more than he could handle in his current state. I need to be strong. I need to help.

Kakashi had left Simo and Kokutan in Amita's room as soon as the game ended. They were still there. Normally they would have left, Kokutan giving Simo a ride. But now, she lay still in nearly the same position as when Kakashi had looked at her. Simo had wall-walked high enough to grab the torch and bring it down to her. If she appreciated the heat, she wasn't showing it.

Orochimaru knelt next to her head. "Don't be frightened," he said to Simo. "Your father has special eyes that he's never showed you before. They might look scary, but he's going to use them to find out why Koku's sick. Then we can help her get better." The torch stopped shaking so much in Simo's paw-hands. Orochimaru pointed to the approximate part of her body that Kakashi should look at. Kakashi took a deep breath and unleashed his demon eyes.

"I don't see any bleeding," he reported in a carefully controlled voice. "None of the babies - there are four, by the way - are in distress. But there seems to be a large air bubble… What is that…" He leaned forward for a closer look. It can't be; I think I see a membrane around it. But I don't see -

Orochimaru kept a very, very tight lid on his panic. "Kakashi. Report." Simo's paws started to shake again.

"Ah…" It was difficult to move. Kakashi could hardly breathe, he was so paralyzed from fear.

"Goddammit, report!"

"She's in pain because one of the babies is too large. I think it has a human body. I can't know for certain because -" He swallowed. "Because it's an angel."

.

The paralysis crept from his body into his mind. The false world took over. He obeyed Orochimaru's every command, not asking a single question. Describe the size of the "air bubble." Cut open her snake-womb. Squeeze the membrane-bound bundle several times before taking it out. Slice it open. Stitch her back up using the finest possible threads of darkness while simultaneously peeling back the membrane (a dark clone helped). Massage the infant until he starts to breathe on his own. Don't faint.

Even after the squeezing and massaging, the infant made a bubbling sound as he struggled to breathe. Orochimaru took him from Kakashi, massaging more vigorously. Liquid spilled from his mouth. Don't faint. He made a very thin, sad-sounding wail. Don't faint. Orochimaru rubbed him over and over until a bluish tint disappeared from his skin, until one leg kicked. Kokutan hissed. Don't faint.

"Thank the gods," Orochimaru muttered. "Everyone's going to be okay."

Kakashi fainted.

.

He woke up to find Simo staring directly into his left eyeball. It made him laugh. "Your nose looks so small from this angle, did you know?" Simo whined happily and grabbed his face, licking it all over.

After the face-licking, they snuggled together. Simo curled up against Kakashi's chest and Kakashi held him, wrapping his arms around his pup in a silent promise of safety and security. Simo whimpered. He had been badly frightened. Kakashi actually wondered By what? before remembering. He curled his arms tighter.

They were on the floor of Amita's room. Orochimaru hadn't moved him after he fainted. Of course not. He had much better things to worry about. Kakashi wondered if the serpent goddess had been watching. If so, what did she think? Did she approve of a demon using its power to help? What did the gods think about demons in general? Unanswerable questions, all of them, but anything that could keep him from thinking about what just happened was to be eagerly embraced.

One eternity later, Orochimaru reappeared. His arms were empty. Kakashi stared at him in horror. "What wonderful things clone jutsus are," Orochimaru muttered while sitting. "How are you, Puppy?"

"Mah, not much. Lightly traumatized. That's all."

"By a mere womb-opening? You used to kill for a living."

"Killing is one thing. Bringing life is another."

Orochimaru snorted. "Good luck choosing only male bodies for the rest of your existence."

Kakashi groaned. "Weren't you frightened?"

"I was, but I was also seeing a human son that I never expected to have for the first time."

Kakashi stroked Simo's fur. He couldn't imagine what he'd have done if his mate had borne a human-shaped child. It was an excellent thing that she hadn't. "How is he?"

"Healthy." Orochimaru briefly retreated inwards. He resurfaced moments later. "I've named him Mitsuki."

"Does he glow?"

"Not yet."

Kakashi's mind was still reeling. In all of the excitement, he forgot to be afraid. "Do you hear that, Simo? You're a big brother. You've got to look after your little brother now. He'll take a long time to start walking. You've got to be by his side for all that time, watching over him."

"Isn't it a bit soon to dump all that responsibility on his head?" Orochimaru asked smoothly. "I'd better return. An Earth Clone can hold a baby, but it can't react to anything unexpected." He got up and left.

In many ways, Kakashi felt as if he was the one who had just been born. He took deep breaths and made his thoughts drift away, like mist or butterflies. Most of his thoughts obeyed, but one refused to go. I want someone to hold me. Using demon powers, he levitated himself and Simo into the air without disturbing either of their bodies, then moved sideways and deposited himself gently inside one of Amita's stone coils. Nestling against her side partially soothed him. It felt right for her to be the one to "hold" him when he felt newly born. I'm her son in law. We're technically family. I have the right to want this.

Sleep surprised him. He usually felt it coming. Not this time.

.

A/N: According to Google, egg-laying snakes prefer to lay their eggs in piles of rotting matter that will incubate them. All I found about live-bearing snakes is that they like to give birth "in a sheltered place." And I was unable to find any source that differentiated between large snakes and small ones, though I can't help but think there must be a difference. I don't even know if large snakes ("large" defined, by me, as "large enough to wrap around a human torso") typically give birth, or whether they tend to lay eggs instead. So everything said in this chapter about the pre-birth behavior of a large snake like Amita is conjecture, and everyone reading this should remind themselves that this story takes place in the Narutoverse where animal biology is noticeably different from our world.

Everything said here about emergency womb-opening is conjecture based on my general knowledge of the processes of birth and 101 Dalmatians. Seriously. In the movie, one of the pups wasn't breathing at first. The human owners resuscitated the pup by wrapping it in a blanket and massaging it. I've never read of such techniques being used when humans give birth by C-section, but even voluntary C-section is a pretty vigorous process, so maybe that does it? I just can't imagine that a human baby, developing in a sack of fluid, wouldn't start out with fluid-filled lungs that need to be forcefully cleared. Again, that scene is all conjecture. Do not take medical advice from fanfiction.

There is one thing in this chapter that is not conjecture. I recently learned that wrapping ceremonies for the mother after a birth are a thing that exists. In many cultures, becoming a mother (especially for the first time) is considered an equivalent transition: that the new mom is "giving birth" to a new version of herself. After the big event, the doctor or midwife will wrap her in strips of cloth, tight enough to give a bit of compression. They leave her wrapped for a few minutes, then slowly unwrap her. It feels very restorative, apparently. Kakashi's experience: not conjecture.

Merry Christmas to all!