My One and Only

Chapter 19: The little surprise



The change of season was becoming more prominent now; almost all the leaves had fallen off their branches, making the trees stand like scraggly skeletons around the perimeter. The air was chillier, and the high wind bellowed around the grounds, forcing the shingles to move and dancing through the pipes to emit deep groaning sounds. The sky even looked angry now, a gloomy grey clump of dirty cotton wool that only let the occasional drift of sunshine through.



Autumn had well and truly set in, and the villagers were making preparations for the coming winter. Storing away the rice in sacks, smoking and salting meat to keep it preserved. Repairs had to be finished quickly; even the smallest hole in a house might cause the whole family to freeze to death over winter. Not forgetting to air out the winter clothes and bedding for the coming season.



Naruto had helped out as much as he could, working mostly with other submissive females, well at least the ones that were willing to let him help. Many still had difficulty to adjust to him being around, much less being part of their pack. Yet after a few days of hard work, they seemed to feel some respect towards him. Understanding that he was a strong demon and not some whiny bitch, a trait that the Uchihas seem to admire. Strength, intelligence and pride, three things that they held close to their hearts.



Although Naruto may not himself be as prideful a demon, two out of three was good enough. When Sasuke found out (from Iruka) how disadvantaged Naruto had been in his studies he was given a chance to learn, with Sasuke as his tutor. It might be easy to guess that that arrangement didn't turn out too well, since the pervert couldn't keep his hands to himself for very long. And these sessions usually ended up with Naruto panting and whining for more under his 'sensei's' ministrations.



Yet the past few days he hadn't been feeling well; when he stood up abruptly he got dizzy and was quickly out of breath. There were times when working with the other youkai out in the bitter cold that he would start burning up. At first he thought it might have been a cold, but he never in his 16 years had ever been sick, demons rarely ever got ill. Not only that, he didn't look ill, in fact many demons commented that there was something about the Kitsune that actually made him look healthier. So he simply couldn't explain the sudden fatigue or the odd temperature fluctuations that took over his body.



He hadn't told Sasuke how he was feeling, even though he knew he probably had to. Yet it might turn out to be nothing, and he didn't want to worry his mate over nothing.



The blonde felt fine now, sitting outside on the porch drawing designs in the dirt with a stick. It was obvious that he was bored, but there was simply nothing else to do. Gaara had been in and out of the compound, coming for the day to stay with him and then going away at night to return back to his research. Sasuke on the other hand had his training to attend to; the Jounin exams were soon, and his mate was working hard in preparation for it.



Naruto would have felt jealous; although he was at the same level he couldn't take the Jounin exam, because he would first have to pass a Genin test. Something that now he was too old to go through. He got over that quickly though, because as Kakashi always told him, 'he had more than enough ability than most youkai'. Sasuke also made the situation better since he always came back straight after training and started pampering Naruto unnecessarily.



The blonde still wasn't used to these lovey-dovey gestures, and occasionally they did throw him off guard. Yet recently he started enjoying them more and more, loving it when the wolf wrapped his strong arms around his slender frame. Kissing him, cuddling him… leading onto other things.



He blushed at the thought and quickly rubbed away the drawing on the ground to start again. Really, he didn't know what was wrong with him.



"BOSS!"



The Kitsune looked up to see the young wolf cub named Konohamaru standing in front of him; he was a pint-sized demon with big brown eyes, but just like the other wolves they were almost black to the eye. Black hair that was spiked up with a bandana tied around his head that just covered his ears. His scraggy tail wagged excitedly behind him, and he stood there smiling in glee at Naruto.



"I think my eardrums just burst!" he chided jokingly. "What do you want?"



"Can you help me train?" the young wolf asked.



Occasionally he had trained with Gaara, with Sasuke looming in the background like the overprotective mate that he is. He didn't win of course, the raccoon demon had more experience than him, so there would be little chance of him winning. But he did manage to stand his ground against the redhead, and even caused the other youkai to get out of breath.



"Well can you?" Konohamaru asked, tilting his head slightly to the side to appear cuter.



"Sure," he said. It might help and alleviate his own boredom.



They made their way to the training grounds and the open space in the middle of the area the size of a boxing ring. The wolf bounded towards it and started stretching; Naruto joined him in the warm-up. Then they both went into their stances. Konohamaru was a bit shaky, the flaws were already visible and the openings were easily identified. But Naruto wouldn't go for them; occasionally openings were traps, and he was always better at doing things on a more unpredictable scale.



"Ready?" he shouted over. The wolf nodded, and tightened his fists.



"GO!"



Konohamaru jumped first, claws outstretched, ready to do some damage; but Naruto pushed them easily aside, forcing the wolf's body down with his flat palm before leaping away from a furious kick aimed at his knee. Konohamaru quickly recovered, aiming a punch at Naruto's gut; a sudden fearful spike went up the blonde's spine, and instead of letting the punch hit so that he could use the closeness to his advantage, he twisted away. He gasped clutching his stomach, wondering what happened just then.



"You okay?" the wolf asked.



"Yeah, I think so…" but the words came out rather breathlessly.



"Then don't turn your back to me!" the brunette shouted and jumped into attack again, leaving the blonde time only to defend.



His body felt sluggish, as if he wasn't the one controlling it, and for some reason his body felt like it was burning up again. It was happening again. The world started to swim and it was getting harder to block Konohamaru's continuous punches and kicks. A well-aimed swipe at his shoulder made him yowl; it hurt more than he expected it to. Naruto tried to move away again but Konohamaru was quicker, and before he knew it Naruto was on the ground clutching his stomach and hacking up bile.



"Boss!" the young brunette shouted out worriedly and ran straight to the Kitsune's side.



"Boss what's wrong, tell me what's wrong?"



Yet Naruto couldn't answer him; he bit his bottom lip and breathed in short beats through his nose. He could hear more voices in the background, scared shouting, crying, and someone else – he thought it might have been Mikoto – touching his burning forehead with her cool hands. She was saying something, but her words were like a fly buzzing in his ears. Naruto was seeing stars; dots of blurry red whizzed around his vision, and then… nothing.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



In the middle of the village stood the ninja academy; it was closed now for the Jounin exam, but the classrooms were still being used for meetings. Sasuke leaned against the wall staring at the other youkai with suppressed irritation. It was only meant to be a small meeting, but their administrator was late, an hour late to be exact. He had half a mind simply to leave, when the front door suddenly burst open scaring the occupants in the room.



A slender hawk youkai stood in the doorway, her ponytail hair spiked up in a similar fashion to that of Kakashi's, the Konoha headband glinting in the bright light. Her face was pointy, but with wide dark grey eyes that scoped the occupants of the room, with a mocking grin.



"Alright you useless youkai. My name is Anko and I am your administrator and will now tell you about your Jounin exam. Follow me!" she then turned around and jumped out of the nearby window.



Sasuke stared dumbly after the demoness before quickly following behind her with the other demons right behind. She was quick, as it was expected from a hawk youkai; they followed her all the way to the edge of the village. Over the staggering wall just at the base of the mountain, Sasuke spotted the administrator standing in front of a large gate with a large 'Keep Out' sign nailed to it. A large forest stood behind the gate, but Sasuke could tell that there was more to it.



"Alright you mutts, I'm gonna explain what is going to happen right now. This is the Forest of Death!" Anko announced, ignoring the collective gasps coming from some of the students.



"You all will be split up into groups of threes, and will be sent out into the Forest of Death to set out certain tasks."



Sasuke grumbled silently to himself, this would mean he would have to work with other people. Sasuke worked well on his own, and he hated having to rely on others. Worse thing was that he may be put with people he didn't like or know, or would simply not be skilled enough to meet his expectations.



God he hoped he wasn't put in with one of his fangirls…



Anko crossed her arms across her ample chest and leaned against the gate. "Remember the Jounin exam is no easy task; your objective is to work as a team and learn how to survive. Today will be your final preparation and split into groups before the real exam tomorrow-"



"Anko!"



The hawk demoness turned around to meet the heir to the Uchiha clan. Uchiha Itachi stood as regal and self-important as always, although his normally impassive face was pinched in distress. Slender eyebrows furrowed together, and lips were pulled together in a thin line as if he was suppressing himself from shouting or growling uncontrollably.



"What do you want, Uchiha?" Anko asked snidely.



"I'm sorry to disturb your lesson, but I have to borrow my brother for a while."



"What the hell Uchiha, I'm in the middle of my explanation about their tests right now!"



But Itachi stood his ground. "I apologize once again, but this is important and cannot wait."



Anko grumbled, and then turned to Sasuke with a harsh glare that promised nothing but pain. "After your little 'meeting', come straight back to my office where I can brief you and assign you to your team. Now get out of my sight!"



Great, now he was going to be grouped with his fangirls…



Sasuke glared at his brother and then followed him away from the rest of the group. He had to wonder what was so important that he to be dragged out of his Jounin test. What was even worse was that he had angered his administrator, and she would most likely lynch him later on. He hoped someone was actually dying for him to be carried out like this. It was so humiliating.



"What is the problem Itachi, why did you have to call me out like this?"



"As I said Otouto, this is a matter of the highest importance."



"And are you going to tell me what it is, or are you just going to keep it to yourself?" he asked, annoyed.



Itachi went quiet, as if he was trying to figure out how to word the situation properly. However that only managed to aggravate Sasuke even more.



"Well, what is it?"



"Naruto collapsed."



"Wait, what? When?"



"A moment ago; he was training with Konohamaru, when he suddenly collapsed. Mother and father took him to Tsunade and told me to get you."



"Is he alright?" he asked.



"That's what we are going to see now…"



Sasuke bit his bottom lip in anxiety; he hurried his step and hoped that it was nothing. Maybe just an upset stomach, or could it be something worse? What if Naruto was dying?



Kami, he hoped it was nothing like that.



They didn't talk to each other the rest of the way. When the hospital loomed over them Sasuke came to a stop. He didn't want to enter, because if it was bad news then how was he meant to live with himself with that idea hanging over his head? Itachi noticed his hesitation and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and gave a gentle push, leading the younger inside the building.



The hospital always smelled so clean, too clean to Sasuke's liking and his sensitive nose. Itachi led the way; they walked past sick, unhealthy people and with each room that they passed, the lead weight in his stomach got heavier. It made him think more about Naruto's situation, and he had to hold himself back from running rampant around the hospital.



"We're here, Otouto," Itachi said, gesturing at the door in front of them.



Sasuke took a deep intake of air and nodded; hesitantly he grasped the door handle and twisted it open and peaked inside.



The room was plain, just as expected, and his mother sat on a chair looking worriedly down at the figure lying on the bed. Naruto had always been small, but in that bed he looked like he was going to be swallowed by the crisp white sheets. He looked small and frail, his tanned skin pasty and sick, and there was a dull sheen of sweat over his forehead. Mikoto looked up when she heard the door click open. She passed Sasuke a reassuring smile and nodded at him to enter.



"I-Is he okay?" he asked, stepping inside.



"I don't know yet, your father is right now with Tsunade."



Sasuke sighed and went over to Naruto's bed and leaning down, took his smaller hand into his own. Oddly enough it felt hot underneath his grip; a fever. He reached another hand towards Naruto's face, moving the blonde strands out of his face lovingly. He looked up when he heard the chair scraping, and saw that his mother had stood up from the chair and was leaving the room. So Sasuke sat down on it instead, letting his upper body rest against the soft linen. His dark eyes never left Naruto, watching how his chest gently rose up and down, pink lips slightly parted, and he had to wonder…



Had Naruto been sick for long? And if he had been, why didn't he tell Sasuke? It made him also angry that he hadn't noticed anything wrong in his mate. In fact he hadn't sensed anything wrong in his mate at all, so this came as a surprise. Youkai rarely got ill, and if they do it had to be something very serious. But Naruto had been so lively; he had worked hard with other family members without complaint, even helping him with his own training. So why had this happened now?



"Sasuke," he looked up and saw his mother standing in the doorway, smiling down at him. He was confused, was there anything to smile about right now? Naruto was ill, and she looked like a giddy child.



"Come over here Sasuke, we have something to tell you," she said, beckoning him over.



Wearily the young Ookami stood up and made his way out of the room reluctantly; he didn't want to leave the Kitsune alone. Outside his family were all gathered around, all wearing quiet, pleased smiles. Tsunade held a chart in her hand and nodded down at him in greeting.



"What is it? Is everything alright with him?"



"Oh, everything is fine dear, Tsunade just gave us some pleasant news, that's all," his mother answered.



Sasuke looked from her to the doctor in confusion. "What news? Tell me what's going on!"



"Well Sasuke, you will happy to know that there is nothing seriously wrong with Naruto, in fact what happened today is completely normal."



His shoulders sagged down in relief. "So there is nothing wrong with Naruto?"



She smiled and nodded. "No, in fact, Naruto is pregnant."



…..



…



'Thud'





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Sasuke I'm fine, put me down I can still walk."



"No," the wolf deadpanned.



"Teme~," the Kitsune whined.



Ever since Sasuke found out about the pregnancy he had been amazingly protective; he didn't leave the blonde's side, and had even insisted on carrying him back home.



The pregnancy had been a surprise; Naruto's human side repressed the scent of pregnancy, as it would have normally been scented on full demons. So no one knew about it, although it seemed like the effects could be clearly felt by the young Kitsune. In the end he had confessed that he had been feeling a bit off for a while now, although the thought of pregnancy never occurred to him. Now he had to endure the embarrassing amount of attention his mate was focusing on him.



Itachi and Mikoto were laughing at his expense, and he grumbled as Sasuke carried him all the way back to their room. He begrudgingly let the older wolf set him down on the special winter futon that was lined with furs and was thicker, before lying down beside him. He snuggled next to the wolf, leaning his head in the crock of Sasuke's neck, while the raven wound his arms around the blonde to bring his smaller body closer against his own. A comforting silence hung over them, just basking in the revelation of something unexpected happening.



"This is amazing…" Sasuke whispered, stretching his arm to rub the still-flat belly over the cloth.



"Yeah… but…"



"But what?"



"Your Jounin exam, it's so soon and…"



"It won' take long, after tomorrow my exam will be finished and then- kuso!" the wolf cursed.



"What? What is it?" Naruto asked.



"I'm meant to go see Anko-sensei and get briefed…" he replied with a groan.



"Go see her now then."



"But-but…"



"Go on you big lug, then hurry back," Naruto urged and pushed him up.



Sasuke grumbled and hesitantly stood up, leaving out of the window. He quickly ran all the way through the village 'til he reached the academy, and started searching for Anko's room. It wasn't hard to find it. All he had to do was follow the angry aura leaking through the cracks around the door. Sasuke steeled himself. He was an Uchiha damn it, and wouldn't be brought down by that demoness.



So he strode straight into her office, and only barely managed to avoid the kunai she threw at him.



"What took you so long, you mutt?"screeched the hawk youkai.



"I'm sorry sensei but I-"



"Managed to get your little mate preggers, didn'tcha'? I guess congratulations are in order. Does this mean you still want to continue with your Jounin exam?" she asked.



"How did you-"



"We all have a way of finding out information, so are ya' continuing?" she asked again.



"Of course."



"Good, you're teamed with Neji and Sakura," she replied, passing him an evil all-knowing grin.



"Shit…"