Chapter 7: Enter Iruka

Pregnant.

Naruto shifted onto his side and curled into a ball. He was lying under the blankets on his bed, in his room, in his apartment, and he still didn’t feel secure. How could this have happened? It was bad enough being stuck as a girl, possibly for the rest of his life, and now he was... pregnant? How?

It wasn’t fair! How was he going to care for a child? He was sixteen, for gods’ sake! And gods, he didn’t even want to think about the demon fox problem.

“This is all Sasuke’s fault,” he mumbled, turning onto his other side. “Damn Sasuke. Damn all of them. I hate my life.” Big fat tears rolled off his face, soaking his pillow. He clutched the blankets to him and sobbed violently. Damn it! Hadn’t he decided years ago that he wasn’t going to cry anymore?

He came to slowly, the pain of what seemed like a thousand needles calling him relentlessly back into consciousness. He blinked once, twice, and looked down at his feet. Some distance away, that boy--Haku--lay on the ground, seemingly unable to get up. And in front of him...

“Geez... all you ever do is get in the way...”

--standing in front of him was Sasuke. “Sasuke!” he said, overjoyed. They’d beaten Haku! They’d won! “You...” he started to continue, then stopped as a small lake of Sasuke’s blood hit the bridge beneath them. Sasuke looked back at him, and his eyes said he was dying.

“What’s... with that face... you moron...” Sasuke said, still more blood dribbling out of his mouth.

“Why?” Naruto asked. He hated Sasuke! Sasuke hated him! And yet Sasuke had risked--no, had given his life for Naruto’s. He didn’t understand!

“How should I know...” Sasuke said, then made a small noise with his lips. “I hated you...”

“But... but... why? Why me?” Naruto shouted. Sasuke was silent. “I never asked for your help!”

“I don’t know...” Sasuke whispered. “My body just moved on its own... idiot...”

Then he fell, and all Naruto could do was catch him. He cradled Sasuke’s body gently in his arms and listened carefully as Sasuke imparted his last words to him.

“That man...” Sasuke said in a weak, broken voice, struggling to keep his eyes open. “My brother... I told myself I wouldn’t die until I killed him...” Sasuke took a pained breath. “Don’t die also...” Tears started to spill from Naruto’s eyes.

And then Sasuke went completely limp and died.

“He landed a blow on me without flinching, died to protect you.” Haku said, getting to his knees in preparation to stand. “To protect a precious person, knowing it was a trap, he was still able to jump in. He is a shinobi that deserves respect.” He stood. “Is this your first death of a friend?” he continued. “This is the way of the shinobi.” Haku slipped back into his demon mirror, and the slithering sound jolted Naruto from the trance he’d been in.

“Shut up,” he said. He’d hated Sasuke too. Hated him so much. And yet he was crying now, crying because Sasuke was dead. His eyes snapped open. His mind screamed “I won’t forgive you!” though whether it was Haku or Sasuke he meant the words for, even he didn’t know. The Demon Fox’s chakra swirled through him crazily; he could feel the needles embedded in his skin quiver with repressed energy. He frothed and shook, the only thought on his mind to kill the person who’d killed Sasuke, to kill him--Haku!

“That boy,” Naruto sobbed. “He didn’t want to be pregnant either!”

There was a knock at his door. Naruto pulled a pillow over his head and refused to answer it. Whoever it was could come back in the morning, when things didn’t look so bleak.

“Naruto?”

Naruto blinked. Why was Iruka here in the middle of the night?

“Naruto, can I come in? I’d like to talk to you.”

Naruto slowly worked his way out of his bed and padded to the door, fumbling with the lock a little before opening it. Iruka stood silently in the doorway, watching as Naruto rubbed what he hoped were the last few tears from his eyes. Naruto stood to the side and Iruka walked in, placing both hands on the kitchen counter in what Naruto knew was a calming gesture for himself. Naruto shut the door.

Leaning his weight onto his hands, Iruka took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and looked straight at Naruto, dead serious. The silence lingered into uncomfortability. Naruto started fidgeting, leaning against the door. Was Iruka just going to stand there all night and stare at him?

“Naruto,” Iruka said, finally breaking the silence, “I’ll ask you right out: are you pregnant?”

Naruto went cold. How had Iruka found out? He himself had only found out that afternoon. Did he have some kind of “Pregnant-Former-Student” detector?

What would he think of Naruto now?

“Naruto,” Iruka repeated, “are you or are you not pregnant?”

Naruto closed his eyes, prepared himself for the worst, and nodded. There was silence for a moment. Then Iruka exploded.

“Sixteen and pregnant!” he yelled. Naruto winced. “Naruto, how could you? I thought I raised you better than that!” Naruto buried his face in his hands, feeling the tears coming again. “If your father were alive...”

“If my father were alive, he wouldn’t be yelling at me!” Naruto sobbed. “If my father were alive, I wouldn’t be an orphan! If my father were alive, I would’ve had a family, and friends, and I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant!” He slid to the ground, still sobbing. “If my father were alive, I would be happy, Iruka-sensei!”

Naruto bent over so that his forehead was almost touching the ground, wailing and hugging himself. Why couldn’t Iruka understand? Nobody understood him! Nobody! He was all alone, and pregnant, and he didn’t know what to do, and--he looked up in surprise as Iruka leaned down and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Naruto,” he said, wiping away one of Naruto’s tears with his thumb. “I shouldn’t have gotten so angry. I was just... surprised, that was all.”

Naruto nodded and hiccuped. “It’s OK, Iruka-sensei,” he said. “I understand--I mean, I am a boy. Or, I was. Oh Iruka-sensei, what am I going to do?”

“It’ll be OK, Naruto,” Iruka said. “I’ll always be here for you, always. I’d never abandon you over something like this.” Naruto’s eyes widened when Iruka grasped his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. He’d always been the one to hug Iruka, never the other way around.

“Iruka-sensei...”

“If--If it gets too tough for you living on your own, Naruto,” Iruka said quietly, “there’ll always be a place in my house for you.”

Naruto felt his eyes watering again, but this time in joy. Iruka understood! He forgave him! He still cared for him! He clung to Iruka and shook with mingled tears and laughter. Several minutes later, he was asleep, Iruka still rubbing his back soothingly, the first rest he’d gotten since his visit to Tsunade that afternoon.