A/N: I cried so hard when I wrote this chapter... I honestly didn't expect to pound it out in twenty-four hours...I'm so depressed now...I remember when I read this part in the manga, it was just before finals last fall and I missed a full week of class' I was so depressed...

I'm thinking about ending it here...I don't know...it's getting predictable and it's almost caught up with the manga...

藤原の紫です。

The days passed without word from the hospital or her father, but Murasaki did find out that Tsunade did in fact take her seriously, though every time Murasaki set foot in Tsunade's office, the woman screamed at her and told her to go home and rest.

Murasaki found herself sitting at home and watching Obito chew on the stuffed kunai that Kakashi had bought him, though the boy preferred the stuffed toad that his grandfather had given him.

About a week after she got back, a messenger was sent from the hospital for her to come quickly.

So she got Obito ready and set out for the large building, noting how quiet and lonely the village felt without Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Tenzou.

She ran into Kurenai on the way into the hospital.

"Murasaki! You're back!"

Murasaki smiled. "Yeah, for about a week now...I've been resting up with Obito...look at you!"

Kurenai smiled. "Yes, I'm an irrational ball of hormones now..." She laughed slightly, rubbing her expanding belly. Obito made a run for the soon-to-be-mother, giving her a big hug around the knees.

"So how is everything going? Do you know what gender yet?"

Kurenai shook her head, patting Obito's hair as he let go and took his place beside his mother, linking his tiny hand with hers and beaming. "No, the doctor knows, but I asked him not to tell me..."

"What about a name?"

Kurenai sighed. "I...I really don't know...If it's a boy...Asuma..."

Murasaki nodded with a slight smile. "I think that's a great name..."

"Oi, Kurenai-sensei! You done already?"

Both the women turned around to see Shikamaru heading towards them.

"He's been coming here every time I have an appointment..." Kurenai muttered with a slight smile. "He was told to take care of me, but sometimes it's a bit of a bother..."

"Hey, Murasaki-sensei...Obito-chii..." The teen said with a slight wave. Kurenai and Shikamaru bid farewell to Murasaki and Obito before walking off down the street. She smiled as she watched the two go.

Things are returning to normal around the village finally... She thought as she led her son into the hospital by the hand.

"The doctor will see you in his office..." A male nurse said, opening the door and letting announcing their arrival to the doctor, who stood up with a smile when she came in.

"Ah, Fujiwara-san, please sit down, I have some good news for you..." He said as Obito crawled into her lap and sat patiently to face the doctor.

"Yes, sir? What...what is it?"

He handed her some papers. "You're pregnant again...frankly, I was shocked, given your medical history, but there's no mistaking it..."

"What? For how long?"

"Five months now..."

"How could I not have noticed?"

The doctor sat down and peered at her over his desk.

"Well, It's quite simple, really, due to the damage to your cervical tissue received in your teens, your periods are irregular anyway, so it's quite possible that's how Obito here slipped through the cracks, too..."

"But I haven't had any of to same difficulties..."

"The second's always easier than the first..." The doctor said, handing her a bottle of vitamins. "So take these twice a day and come in for regular checkups, don‘t do any heavy lifting or fighting...other than that, we're done for today. We'll schedule a sonogram for sometime next week. How does Wednesday sound?"

Murasaki nodded, hugging Obito and kissing his temple, something Itachi had said coming to mind.

How come every time I see you, you're...

It was then she got an idea for a name, but she doubted Kakashi would go for it.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

On her way back from the hospital Obito suddenly started giggling, letting go of Murasaki's hand and breaking into a run.

"Obito!" She said, chasing after him and suddenly stopping.

"Hey, sport." Jiraiya said, lifting the toddler up and kissing him on the cheek.

"Dad!" Murasaki called, grinning as she approached the toad sage just as Obito was giving him a big hug. It was then she saw Tsunade standing behind him, smiling slightly.

"What's going on?"

"We were just talking about old times..." Tsunade said, reaching up and touching Obito's hair.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"No, no, it's fine...I should get back to work, anyway, Jiraiya..." Tsunade said, a tone of sadness in her voice as she touched the man on the arm and walked off. Murasaki blinked after her, turning to her father with a smile.

"So...what all was that about?"

"Not what you think...come on, let's go for a walk...I need to talk to you."

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, sweetheart..." He said, putting his arm around her as they walked down the street. She smiled slightly, leaning against his shoulder and listening to his heartbeat like she did when she was a kid.

"I keep thinking back to when you were a little girl...when I first met you..." He said with a slight chuckle. "I kept telling myself not to be so reckless anymore...I had someone special to worry about..." He said, rubbing her shoulder gently. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Murasaki..."

Murasaki smiled slightly. "Thanks dad...you‘re th ebest thing that ever happened to me, too..." she whispered, closing her eyes slightly.

"You're all grown up now...this amazing, beautiful woman, you're no longer the innocent little shrine maiden..." He said, pausing by a pond and looking down at Obito, who looked back at him with eyes full of adoration. "You're positive you want Naruto to become the next toad sage? You understand the risks involved...he could turn permanently into a toad...since you already draw upon nature for spiritual power, you'd be a natural..."

Murasaki smiled and closed her eyes. "I'm positive, dad..."

"Very well, then, I'll have him work on it as soon as I get back..." He said with a smile, releasing her and handing Obito back. Obito protested, grabbing Jiraiya's vest, not willing to let go. After a few hectic moments of disentangling the boy, things were somewhat right again.

"Where are you going?" Muraskai asked, smoothing the young Hatake's hair down.

"No where important..." He said with a grin. Sometimes he reminded her a lot of Naruto. He leaned down and kissed them each on the forehead. "I left something for you with Tsunade...your hitai-ate's with her, too...Laters!" He called, leaping into the water.

"Watch your neck, dad!" She called as Obito buried his face in her shoulder, fisting his hands in her shirt. She sighed.

"What's wrong, boo?" She asked, stroking his hair. Suddenly, he broke down crying. Not a loud wailing cry, but a soft, whimper, like he was afraid. Murasaki sat down on the ground by the pond, wrapping her arms around him and whispering comforting words to him. After a long time of holding him and rocking him, he was finally reduced to dry sobs, his tiny hands still fisted in her shirt.

"Hey, sweetie, it's okay...Grandfather will be back..." she whispered, kissing his cheek, trying to comfort herself as well. Obito didn't get stressed out like this unless something bad was going to happen.

"Let's go see Grandmother Tsunade..." she said quietly. Tsunade usually cheered him up. She suspected it was the boobs.

Obito shook his head defiantly, still clinging to his mom.

"What's wrong sweetie? Is it daddy?"

Obito shook his head.

"Uncle Naru?"

Same response. She sighed, hoping he was just upset about Itachi.

"Is it Uncle Itachi?"

Obito bit his lip, pressing his forehead against her chest.

"Grandfather?"

Obito moaned like he was going to cry again, and Murasaki stood up, looking up at the darkening sky.

"Let's go home...there's no use staying here..." She said, feeling tears building up in her own eyes as her voice broke down. She pulled Obito closer, crying into the boy's hair and praying that nothing happened to Jiraiya. She didn't think she could handle losing another member of her family; Itachi was bad enough...

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Over the next few days, Murasaki tried desperately to stay upbeat, telling herself that there was still a chance that her father would come home alive, but Obito's weepy, fitful mood made it difficult.

It added to Murasaki's weariness that Obito didn't want her out of his sight. If she left the room for a moment, he would be up and running around the house, looking for her and crying.

She found herself breaking down into tears at random points, not wanting to cry in front of Obito, which made it even more difficult for both mother and son. She never really had been one to cry, but it was hard not to.

About a week after Jiraiya left, Murasaki was sitting up in bed, not really sleeping, but watching Obito sleep beside her in his fathers usual spot, when she heard what sounded remotely like a summoning jutsu in the room.

"Eh? Murasaki? That you?"

"Grandmother Gama?" Murasaki said, standing up, careful not to disturb the toddler.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, dearie..."

"Shh...not in front of Obito..." Murasaki said, grabbing her robe and leading the toad out into the living room, where she struggled to hold back her tears as she knelt on the floor to face the toad. "Dad's dead, isn't he?" she asked, too scared to bring her voice above a whisper.

"I'm so sorry, dear..." the elderly toad said, patting her shoulder. "He fell in battle..."

"How?" Murasaki sobbed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "How did this happen?"

"His throat was crushed by the enemy..."

Murasaki sat in silence, digging her fingers into the carpet, tears flowing down her face. She didn't know why she was so upset...she knew it was coming...

The young mother shook her head. "No...dammit, I told him to watch his neck..."

"Where's your husband?" Grandmother said gently.

"He's on a mission...grandmother, what are we going to do? Dad...daddy's gone..." Murasaki muttered, shaking slightly.

"Gather up the tadpole and go see Tsunade-hime..." Ma said quietly. "Pa's going to be coming pretty soon to break the news...where's the Prophesy?"

"He's with Kakashi..."she muttered, wiping her eyes and attempting to pull herself together. "I'll go get dressed and wake Obito..." She said quietly, standing up. The great Toad Sage...her father...her hero...he was gone...

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

When she arrived at Tsunade's office, she was greeted by tears and a big hug.

"I'm so sorry...this is all my fault...I never should have let him go..." Tsunade sobbed, downing a cup of sake and rummaging in her desk.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without him..." Murasaki muttered, holding Obito to her chest and rocking him slightly as he teared up against her neck. Shizune stood quietly behind Tsunade, watching with sad eyes.

"Dammit, where'd I put it...he wanted me to give you something..."

"Tsunade'sama..."

"I don't need this right now, Shizune!"

"But Tsunade-sama!"

"Why don't you go...make tea or something..."

Tsunade sighed and nodded, leaving them. After a minute or so, Tsunade sat up, her cheeks flushed.

"Your hitai-ate...It's around here somewhere... it was sitting on top of a small red book..."

"Is...that it on your desk, Tsunade-hime?"

The blondes amber eyes fell on the small book and the forehead protector.

"So it is..." She said, standing up and handing the book that was beneath it to Murasaki.

"He told me to give you this..." Tsunade said, bursting into tears again. "He started writing it after you came here..."

Murasaki frowned, opening the book and recognizing the handwriting as her fathers. Upon seeing the inscription inside, she burst into tears.

"What does it say, dearie?" Ma asked, leaning over curiously.

"It says..." Murasaki choked. "The Tale of Flowering Fortunes...for my wisteria blossom, I love you...you'll always be my little girl..." She fell silent as she read on. There was even a Small dedication to Kakashi. "It's a fiction...about...a shrine maiden who falls in love with a shinobi..." She said, shutting the book and wiping her eyes, finding an unidentifiable strength in his words.

"It's not finished..." She said quietly.

"I think he meant the rest of it for you, dear..."

"Then...it looks like I'm finishing the Tale of Flowering Fortunes..." Murasaki said, looking down at her son with a slight smile. Tsunade and Ma exchanged knowing looks just as Shizune came back in with the tea.