I didn’t sleep after they left. I knew I wouldn’t and I wonder if I will ever be able to sleep while the war began. I’m sure my body would force me to sleep. I showered that morning and made my way to the center of town. There were still construction going on but it really did feel different. The village never felt so different. And I had nothing very important to do, other than the fact that I went to look after Rin for a bit. It would take at least a day to get to the Land of Lightning. Then another say to get organized. If I would guess, war would start in two days. For two days I would enjoy of the peace and rest of the world.
For two more days there would be no blood spilled on the earth. Lives will not be lost. They weren’t going to fight and fear for their lives. None of us were. Ume came to me early that afternoon to keep me company.
“It’ll get easier,” She said as we ate lunch together. I gave her a brave smile as we ate. If she said it would then maybe it will. Although war was going on, children still ran around thankfully they haven’t been affected like a lot of us have. My childhood would have been very different if I lived their childhoods. I knew I was given this life for a purpose. I could handle all the hatred and power because others could not. I was not the same as others, I knew I wasn’t, but it was also my strength.
The baby was very active throughout the day and night. It was if she was ready to get out of me or maybe she was trying to cheer me up like always. Ume stayed with me during the nights. She wasn’t comfortable with leaving me all by myself. I appreciated the company, my mind wandered away from Kakashi and the war while I talked about the baby with her. She asked how I was feeling. During dinner we talked about the baby more than other days.
“Are you afraid?”
“Yes. I can’t shake the possibility of possibly being a horrible mother to my child. What if I can no motherly instinct. Or what if I can’t take care of our baby. I fear I would be just like my father was when he was younger.”
“Seeing you right now really shows how much you care for the baby. You’re going to be wonderful because I’ve never seen anyone as caring as you. You’ve really saved and loved my son and you’ve helped me. I do not doubt that you will not be even more loving to your baby.”
“Does labor really hurt as bad as Eri said?” I asked as I took a big bite of fish. It was shocking that I have been craving it, since I’ve never liked it but I think the baby did. I bet she’s going to take after Kakashi a lot more than me. In taste and look but she’s going to be strong like me. I can feel it.
“Its worse. You feel like you’re bones are breaking over and over. You’re always uncomfortable. Labor is long, but its worth it when you get to hold your child in your arms for the first time. Its unreal. You get to see their little hands move and you see their chest rise and fall when they breathe. When they open their eyes for the first time its breathtaking. You completely forget the pain you just felt. You don’t even remember it.”
I wanted to have our baby in my arms already. Of course I knew having her would be worth all the pain in the world. I would give my life for her in a heartbeat. I would withstand all the pain on this world for our baby to live happily.
Ume knit in the evenings. She was making the blankets and everything that we lost in the rubble. It was almost done, she’s been knitting without telling me.
“She’s going to need to be wrapped in something when she’s born right. I was thinking about making her a little beanie too.”
“Thank you Ume,” I said. She smiled.
“So have you and Kakashi picked a name?” She asked. I shook my head.
“I came up with Kakashi’s name when I first saw him.”
“What does it mean?”
Ume laughed a bit, “Scarecrow.”
“Scarecrow. Why?” I laughed, but now that I looked at it, he did seem to have that feel about him.
“He looked like a small little scarecrow when I held him. That was the name that just popped into my head and I said it. Before I knew it the nurse wrote it down on his birth certificate and that was that.”
She laughed at the memory. I wonder if that will be the same for me. What name will pop into my head when I meet our baby? There were so many beautiful names and yet I didn’t have a clue what name to have our child bear for the rest of her life. It would be a name I would say often and love.
That night I slept for a few hours, but not very much since the baby kept moving and kicking.
“Why are you so active?” I whispered to her in the night. It felt like my insides were being squashed and pushed all around. She kicked in the same place Kakashi placed his hand, I smiled bitterly.
“I know. I miss him too. He’ll be back soon. By the time you’re born the war will be over and he’ll be right by us.”
WIth those words she calmed down a bit and I was able to call asleep. The next two days seemed to go faster than usual. Ume was able to finish the blanket, and news of movement came to us. Apparently the Allied Forces were going to set up in their battle fields soon. I didn’t know where Kakashi was, but no news was good news. I would always like to think that.
I visited Rin like any other day. I ate when I was hungry. Even though he were in war the once left behind had to keep going. Kurenai came to visit as well. She was visibly pregnant as well but by the look in her eyes I could tell she wished she was out there battling the enemy too.
“We aren’t really the stay at home kind of girls are we?” She joked as we sat around doing nothing. I agreed. What were to do if we were not shinobi. I had to think hard about that I know being a mother will take a lot of time but even then like Eri I was a shinobi at heart. I was born and raised to protect.
“They say by noon they’ll be encountering their first wave of enemies,” Kurenai told me as we walked down the street. There were many new faces in the village now. With war it displaced many innocent people. Women, children and men from other villages in the Land of Fire seek refuge here in the village. Although we were still building, we always made room for those that needed help.
“I just hope they come back well,” I said. Naruto I hope you don’t find out too soon. Considering that you will be trying to control the nine tails I know for sure he is going to become aware of the fighting around him. It doesn’t matter if he’s isolated far away, in sage and beast mode he will feel everything. Once he does there will be no one that can stop him. Not even the kage will be able to keep him locked and away from the battlefield, but I hope that doesn’t come too quickly.
“There is not very much we can do but wait,” Kurenai said as she looked up to the sky. To her, Asuma wasn’t going to come back. I had that second chance that she didn’t.
“I kno-” I began to say but I was interrupted as I felt warm liquid fall to my feet. I look down as see a large wet spot at my feet. My legs were wet too. Did I just pee myself?
“Ki-Kiyoko. I think your water just broke! Oh my gosh, what do we do,” Kurenai began to panic a bit. I was still dazed that my water broke, but I felt fear rise in me as well. I was even eight months yet. Will the baby be alright? There are so many things that can go wrong with a premature baby.
An ANBU appeared before me. She was a woman.
“Mrs. Hatake I’m trained to be a midwife. I was assigned to you in case of this. Please we need to get back to your cabin.”
We walked back, as Kurenai left to get Ume from the market. Thankfully we weren’t too far from my cabin. I can’t believe I am going to have this baby today. I felt my heart beginning to race. The war.
No, she wasn’t supposed to be born during this. This can’t be happening.
“Kiyoko. Breath. You’re breathing is too shallow and quick. You’re going to be fine,” the ANBU said. She began to take off her gear and lay things out from a bag.
I changed into a gown. I sat on a chair and let Sayuri, was her name, check my heart beat and temperature. She said everything was fine.
“Are you beginning to feel contractions?”
“No,” I said.
“Which is normal. The average labor is about eight hours. It can be less or more depending on the baby and your energy.”
“The baby has been active lately.”
“We’re just going to have to be patient. Don’t worry, premature children although small, at your term they can do well outside the womb. You’ve looked healthy throughout your pregnancy, correct?”
“Yes. Lady Tsunade always said everything was perfect.”
“Then I don’t see anything to worry about. But you do seem a bit bigger than usual for seven month. I bet the baby is going to be a little bigger than usual,” Sayuri said. I felt relieved and less panicky with her here. She had such warm aura to her, I couldn’t really believe that she was a an ANBU shinobi.
Ume came back running with bags in her hand. Kurenai trailing her.
“The baby is coming?” She asked as she left the bags at the door.
“Yes, but I think its going to be a while. I don’t really feel anything yet.”
“You don’t have a fever? Irregular heartbeat? Lightheaded?”
I shook my head. She took a deep breath and nodded. She put away the groceries and took out the blanket. She smiled at it, I knew she was excited to meet her grandchild. I was excited to meet my child, but I was still afraid of the war. What will happen within these few hours?
“We don’t have anything ready. We need clothes, diapers, a crib,” Ume began to list off.
“Why don’t we ask around for any donations. There is very limited things we can buy right now. I know a friend of mine that was going to give me a grib. I can ask her in advance for it,” Kurenai said.
“Good. I’m going to head to the store and buy some diapers and see if there are any clothes.”
I was grateful that they were running around looking for things I will need. If only my father was here to make me a crib. I wanted one like the one he made me before I was born.
An hour later Ume and many other strangers came and left bundles and bundles of clothes. It was too much for a baby to wear, but even after trying to give them back, they refused. They hoped all went well in labor and left. Kurenai came with two older men carrying a large crib. I looked at everything they brought and thought about how and where are going to fit everything?
“This is all too much. Some of these clothes are too big for a newborn,” I said as I sifted through the pile of colorful clothes.
“Babies grow faster than the rest of us. Trust me you’ll go through a pile of these like that,” she snapped her finger. The crib was squished in a corner near the futon. I didn’t even have drawers to put the clothes in.
Sayuri reassured me to just keep on going with my regular day. Being able to walk was good to relax a bit, and certainly it would be of use after the contractions began to get closer. But I felt fine. I felt energized and ready for the hard work of bringing the baby to this world even if I did not want her here yet.
“We’ve relayed the message to Lady Tsunade. She wants hourly updates on Mrs. Hatake’s condition and status,” An ANBU appeared before Sayuri and me to inform us.
“So far no contractions. But that not to be alarmed,” she said.
“And can you please tell Lady Tsunade if she can also relay the message to Kakashi. I know he will be busy fighting, but he would be angrier to not know about the birth process of his child than not at all,” I said to the ANBU.
“Yes. I will relay it to Lady Hokage.”
He disappeared quickly. I wondered if he was going to send it through communications, it would be faster that way. I hoped to hear back from him quickly. But there were only so much he would be able to do. I began to wonder if telling him was the right thing to do, what if he’s not focused enough and he gets hurt because of it. No, he isn’t someone who can be easily distracted. He can differentiate his emotions from battle better than anyone I know.
It wasn’t until the next few hours that I began to feel sharp pains in my lower abdomen. There was pressure beginning to form too. I took a few deep breaths and it got a bit better, but Sayuri said that I was beginning to dilate.
I was honestly going to be a mother in the next 24 hours and that alone scared me. I was already afraid about labor that I didn’t even know what to do with myself. What do I have to do to pass the time? Sit? Cook? Read? Walk? It was too uncomfortable to sit or lay for a long period of time.
“I have a message from Kakashi Hatake,” the ANBU messenger said as I felt another contraction.
“He told me to tell you, he wishes he was here, but to not worry because he knows everything will end well. He can’t wait to meet your baby and hold her. He knows you’re going to do great. He also added to not worry for him. He is unharmed and doing very well. He’ll come back for sure. He also, ahh um told me to tell you he loves you. That is his message to you,” the ninja told me. I thanked him and thanked the heavens for protecting him while I was not by his side.
“You’re contractions are still not close enough that we have to push, but if you feel an urgent urge to push do not hold back. You’re about four centimeters dilated,” Sayuri said as she checked on me. Ume stayed quietly by my side as Kurenai went out to get ice. I was craving ice. Thankfully the contractions were not close to one another. I had an hours in between to relax.
In those hours I ate when I was hungry but more than anything I was thirsty and having bowel movements. All which Sayuri told me were normal.
I went to the bathroom a lot more often. It was an irrational fear that if I went too often I was going to give birth to my daughter in the toilet. Kurenai came often to see how I was doing but the process was long and slow. It wasn’t until later in the evening when I began to feel the pain that Ume told me about. It was uncomfortable to the point of yelling. My back and lower abdomen felt like they were being squeezed and crushed at once. My thighs hurt and I had to lay down until they went away. They were beginning to last longer too.
“Breath. Take a deep breath in, and out when you feel the worse of the contractions. You’re still going to have to dilate more before we start pushing. Depends on how quickly you’re going to keep dilating.”
“Ah,” I moaned as the contraction slowly went away. I can’t believe I still have to dilate six more centimeters. How the hell am I going to do that? It was truly incredible what a body can do.
“You’re actually dilating faster than I did or a lot of woman do. She’ll be in your arms before you know it,” Ume said as she patted the sweat from my forehead.
But the contractions got worse, and Sayuri helped me by giving me messages. The pain coursed through all of my body. The contractions were beginning to last longer, and I tried my best to not yell so loudly but I couldn’t. The sun was setting and I knew the baby was going to be coming soon. The pressure in my lower abdomen was getting too great.
“Shit, I said as I laid on my back. I held on to towels as I felt another contraction. I was afraid if I squeezed Ume’s hand I would break it. I breathed in and out. Ume kept patting my forehead dry, but I felt that wasn’t doing very much. The covers must be soaked by now.
“You’re going to have to start pushing Kiyoko. You’re fully dilated,” Sayuri said as she covered my legs once again. It was late in the nights, and through the floor I could feel the coldness.
In the worst pains I closed my eyes and imagined Kakashi right besides me. He would have held my hand and given me strength. He would have looked calm but I knew there was panic in his eyes. Like me, he wouldn’t know what to do.
“Push when you feel pressure,” Sayuri said. I nodded, and I began the long night of labor.
I pushed and rested for hours. The baby was coming down slowly.
“Ahhhh!” I yelled as I squeezed the towels. I felt it tear in half in my hands. Ume combed my hair back as she encouraged me.
“You’re doing great. I’d say just a couple of more pushes and the baby will be in your arms. Ryo get warm water ready,” Sayuri said and an ANBU showed up before us. He left to get the warm water ready. I sighed as I felt a bit of relief. This was so much harder than I thought. I don’t know how mothers have more kids after the first one.
Four ANBU appeared round me.
“What is wrong?” I asked.
“Lady Tsunade has informed us that if the beast were to escape from your body to seal it.”
I sighed and took a deep breath, “No. The tailed beast will not try to escape. The only way he would leave my body is if I died.”
I looked over at Ume, “If it comes to that, he will be able to live freely. He is not a danger to the people. Sayuri, please. I’ve never broken a promise and I know he won’t harm anyone.”
Sayuri looked up at the men and nodded. The men disappeared. I thanked her, if somehow Ryuu were to leave my body I wanted him to live freely. I didn’t want him to be sealed in anything or anyone ever again.
“With how everything is going so far, I don’t believe we’ll need to be worrying about that,” Sayuri said as she smiled at me.
Breath. Breath. I told myself as I felt a stronger contractions and pressure. Sayuri had her arms ready for the baby as Ume smiled. I clenched my teeth and pushed. All I could hear was my panting through the room.
“Just one more push. I see the crown of the head. You can do it,” Sayuri said with a smile. I was exhausted, but just one more push. One more and I would be able to see my beautiful child. I gathered my strength and pushed. I felt relief of pressure and then heard the crying. I wasn’t very aware of my surroundings, but I saw her. She was beautiful and screaming at the top of her lungs. I thanked the skies for her safe delivery.
“She’s healthy. A little small, but it looks like her lungs are working perfectly. Ume if you can cut the cord and wash her up. I need to help Kiyoko,” She said. I watched in tears as I saw the cord being cut. I lied back down and rested for a bit. I was a mother. I was finally a mother, and it felt so surreal.
“God,” I heard Sayuri said.
“You’re having twins. There is one more. Kiyoko did you know?” She asked. I was panic flash in her eyes. I shook my head. What do you mean another one.
“Twins?” Ume asked. Sayuri nodded. I felt weak and tired but I had another baby.
“You can’t rest now Kiyoko. There are risks of infections. Come on push,” Sayuri said. I nodded and with the chakra I had I pushed. I can’t believe I didn’t know I was going to have two babies.
“Ahhh!” I yelled as I tried to push, but I wasn’t as strong as I was nine hours ago when it began. I was beginning to lose feeling in my back and thighs. And yet no matter how much I called for Ryuu for strength I didn’t get a response. I could not danger my child because of my weakness. I was their mother and I was going to protect them for the rest of my life. With every ounce of strength in me I pushed. I don’t know where time went or how long I pushed.
“I see the crown. You’re doing great. Just one more,” Sayuri said. I felt lightheaded and out of breath. I’ve never felt so out of chakra before. Childbirth was different than any other training I have ever done. I looked to my right where Ume held my daughter in her arms. I haven’t even held her yet. I smiled a bit as I took shallow breaths and pushed. I couldn’t feel my legs, but I saw barely the outline of Sayuri holding the baby. The baby wasn’t crying.
“Its a boy,” Sayuri said as she wiped the blood away from her nose.
“Is-is he okay,” I said softly. I saw the way Sayuri was panicking that my little boy wasn’t as strong as his older sister.
“He has a weak pulse. I don’t have emergency tools with me,” she said as she looked into her bag with my little boy in her arms.
“He has to be okay,” I said as I tried to touch him. He was going to live. He has too, even if I were to give him all of my chakra. I was able to touch his little foot, and I gave him my chakra. I was losing my senses but I wasn’t going to let him die here. I was going to give them love and life, I was their mom. I heard him cry and I smiled as I felt my hand drop to the floor.
“Shit. Her blood pressure is dropping fast.”
I knew my twins were safe. They were alive and that is all I could wish for. I could hear Ume trying to call my name but I felt myself slip away to somewhere warm and there was a hand reaching out to me. I took it.
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Chapter notes: So like I am so excited to finish up this story and I loved writing this chapter. I hope to write the next one soon. My entire story was inspired by these next couple of chapters. I hope you enjoy the chapter. (surprise!)
Chapter end notes: So how was the chapter? LOL. Let me know what you guys think.
Until Next Chapter! Love you all.