Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Love Me When I'm Gone	By : KittenCobra Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1971 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (the manga or anime) or any of the characters included within it. I only own the original characters in this story including the main character Utako Mizuke. I do not make any form of profit off of this story.

Chapter List
- 37
- 38
- 39
38. Inheritance
The sand that had trickled in through the window quickly carries itself over to me and clings to the surface of my stomach. It begins to press inward towards me, painfully, and I hear Tsunade swear under her breath.
“What the…” Tsunade mumbles to herself. The machine is not working properly. She cannot get a clear image any longer. She sees the sand also, and looks up to me with surprise in her eyes.
“No,” I state with dread, “I am not doing that, and neither is Gaara.”
The sand looks like a shield over my stomach. A thin layer, but just like that which protects Gaara from harm. It presses firmly against my soft skin and I whimper at the sensation. It’s like it’s trying to press right into me, through my skin. Tsunade pulls the machine’s wand back when I draw in a sharp breath through my teeth. The sand relaxes its hold but remains in place.
“Shit,” she mutters. “It’s interfering with the equipment. I just lost my chance to see the baby.”
I want to cry again and press my face into my hands.
“There is still something else we can try,” she explains, bringing the wand back.
The sand tightens again and I grit my teeth against the light pressure pain. Suddenly, there is noise coming from the machine. I freeze at the sound. It is unmistakable. The soft and rapid thumping of a heartbeat… my baby’s heartbeat! She works quickly to capture it as the sand tightens further and further. I let out all my breath when she finally pulls away, and the sand once again relaxes.
“Well…” Tsunade says in a frustrated tone, “It seems to have inherited its father’s abilities before it’s even born. This child is going to be trouble…” She pinches the bridge of her nose again and turns to face me directly. “The heartbeat seems to indicate that the baby is indeed alive and healthy. I didn’t pick up any abnormality which would have been a concern in a case like this.”
My heart floods with relief and joy, and I realize I was holding my breath again. I let it out in a rush and clutch Jiraiya’s hand tight. I turn to look at him with joy in my face, but his thoughts are sorrowful.
“However, this… sand problem…” she continues, “seems to confirm Gaara’s fears. If the sand is responding to the baby in an attempt to shield it… it is very likely to continue to do so. If this happens in labor, I’m not sure what would happen. Shukaku could have been right. It could ultimately prove fatal.”
Part of me fears this. I do not want to die, but I suddenly know my choice. I remember screaming at Temari that I would have willingly died for this child. That has not changed. The thing I wanted most in this world still exists and is fighting for its life within me. I will give it everything I have to give.
“Mizuke,” Tsunade states carefully but I am already angry at her train of thought. “I can work to find out if this can be… removed from you. I do not know if it is even possible.” She takes her fingernail and scrapes it down across the skin of my belly as if to scratch me with it. It is blocked completely by a thin layer of sand, almost invisible to the naked eye.
“Why… why is it doing this now?” I ask, confused by the sand’s behavior.
“I have no idea,” she admits. “Maybe it was the machine. Maybe it was your recent reuniting with Gaara. Maybe it was simply magic hour…” She sighs deeply. “But regardless, it doesn’t make the likelihood of removing the child any better. I swear I will try though… if that is what you want.”
“No!” I screech, pulling away from her. “How could you say that!?”
“Mizuke…” she tries again. “This child may end your life.”
“Then it ends.” I spit firmly. “Nothing… and No One on this Earth… can take this child from me. I will not allow it.”
“You would ask your lover… one of the most powerful and volatile shinobi in the world… to let you choose death?” She does not believe he will give anyone any choice in the matter.
“He doesn’t have to know!” I shout, angry that she would even consider killing my baby as an option.
“Are you going to leave him then?” she asks. She is willing to shelter me from him if I want that, but she is afraid of starting a war with Suna.
My breath catches at the idea. Gaara… I feel like crying again. There is no way he can find out about this child. Leaving would be the best option… but I’m not sure I could get away from him even if I tried. He would want to know why… and I am terrified of him trying to find out. But how do I keep it hidden from him without leaving?! I could begin showing at any time! I am lucky I haven’t already. The changes in my body have all been explained by the hormone changes from the pregnancy everyone thought to be ended.
“No,” I sob. “He can’t know about the baby. He would try to take it from me… to kill it! But if I try to leave…It would kill him, too. I may not even be able to get away from him. Oh Tsunade…. What do I do?!”
“I have an idea,” Jiraiya interjects. I had almost forgotten his presence, despite still crushing his hand.
“Jiraiya, that’s brilliant!” I screech in excitement and desperation. I have no idea if it is realistic or not, but I’m willing to try anything. Tsunade looks at him with questioning eyes.
“Mizuke can mask her appearance,” he explains. “She did this in Gaara’s office the first time we met, hiding herself completely from view. Do you think you could use that to alter your appearance, instead of disappearing completely?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, trying to reign my chaotic emotions back in. “But I am willing to try anything. I know my power is growing! Perhaps I can push the boundaries out.”
“She should train with Kakashi,” he continues, turning back to Tsunade.
“No!” I object. “No more people can know about this. It could spread too quickly!”
“Kakashi will not say anything to anyone if I give him a direct order.” Tsunade’s trust in him is complete. “And I don’t think it would be wise for you to start spending large amounts of time with Jiraiya do you? Especially before… your wedding?” She raises an eyebrow at me in question
“So you’re willing to offer me then?” I ask, raising my own.
“I’m not foolish enough to offer someone else, if that’s what you’re asking,” she states in a huff. “I’m sure the elders will try for someone else first, but I will encourage them that nothing short of you will be satisfactory. I can make them think it’s what they really want.”
I smirk at how much she and Gaara think alike.
“Do you still think that is wise?” I ask, sincerely worried. “If I am going to die…”
“Actually,” she cuts me off. “Gaara’s solution is perfect. Maybe not for the treaty… but for the child. He has already unknowingly saved its life.”
“What do you mean?” I am excited but confused.
“I can work into the contract that any child born to the two of you would be a citizen of both villages by right of birth. That would grant me automatic rights to protect the child after it is born, even if you… die.” She explains, but her heart aches at the idea. “I would even be able to protect it from Gaara if need be. He is likely to assume the detail is a request of the council. He won’t want to challenge it, because he won’t want to reveal his own inability to give you children. It’s typically frowned upon in this type of agreement. As long as the treaty is not forcing you to have a certain number of children, or within a certain period of time, he is likely to let it slide.”
The idea that my baby will be protected after I am gone brings fresh tears to my eyes.
“I can never thank you enough, Tsunade. Protection for my baby is more than I could have hoped for. I will do anything you ask of me.”
“Then agree to train with Kakashi,” she insists. “We still don’t know if this is going to work… but if it has any chance at all, we need to move on this fast! I will speak with Kakashi and he will come to find you.”
With that she jumps up from her chair and begins moving from the room.
“Do you think this will work, Jiraiya?” I ask him, feeling hopeful.
“I’m honestly not sure,” he admits, “I know you are already able to cover at least several people at once, but when you marry the Kazekage… you will be even more in the public eye. However… that honestly doesn’t worry me as much as hiding this from Gaara himself. You are able to alter someone’s perception of their visual signals. Can you do the same thing with… other senses?”
I blush at his train of thought. “I will have to manage.”
- 37
- 38
- 39
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Love Me When I'm Gone

38. Inheritance