The Girl Under the Mask-Kakashi x OC Romance

Chapter 49

A/N: alright peeps, so somewhere within the next 10 chapters-ish, this story will finally be coming to it's end. So in the spirit of the holiday, is there anything any of you would like to see happen before it's over? If something comes to mind, let me know in the comments and I'll try my best to incorporate if I can work it into my chapter ideas.

Itatsu yawned and began to curl into my side, a sign that for him the day was ending.

"Alright, I think it's time for you guys to head on home and get some rest." I chuckled. I may not be going anywhere, but I wasn't going to be having them sleep in a hospital as well. "That goes for you too, soldier-" I gave Kakashi a pointed look. He looked like he'd been in that chair one too many nights. "-you need some proper rest."

"I am not leaving you as long as you're in this hospital." He argued

"And I'm more than happy to stay the night with the kiddos as long as you need." I narrowed my eyes on Jiraiya as he was not helping my side.

"And if it weren't for the kids, I'd appreciate that sentiment, Kakashi." I patted his hand as I looked back to him. "In my state, I doubt I'm leaving here tomorrow. And Itatsu should have at least one of us to be there to tuck him in at night and be there if he wakes from a nightmare." Kakashi opened his mouth to argue, "and if you don't, I will check myself out of here tonight if I must."

I dared him and now he narrowed his eyes on me. After a minute of the silent stare down between the two of us, he sighed in defeat and rolled his eyes. "Fine-" he pointed his finger at me, "-starting tomorrow. I'm not leaving you your first night here." He negotiated.

Now I sighed and gave in. "Fine." and Kakashi grinned under that mask like a Cheshire cat at my defeat.

"Alright, well now that that's settled-" Jiraiya came around the side of my bed and gently scooped up Itatsu. He had fallen the rest of the way asleep and his head just lulled from my belly to Jiraiya's shoulder-and so did the drool that came with it. "-come on kiddo." He said to Maya with a head nod to the doorway.

Maya had since settled down at the foot of my bed, just staring off at the floor as she kicked her legs off the end.

"Actually, Jiraiya, would you mind waiting just a moment in the hallway for Maya?" I asked. He looked between me and Maya who had stiffened when I said her name, then nodded in understanding. I patted Kakashi's hand one more time."you too, Kakashi." This is between me and Maya.

The lot filtered out of the room, leaving just me and a very stiff looking Maya.

"Do I scare you?" I asked softly, making her jump.

She finally turned back to me looking startled. "N-no, of course not." She stuttered out.

"Then will you come closer and look at me. I hate feeling like I'm leagues away from you." Confusion consumed her features, but still she did as I asked. Itatsu had been able to get her close to me to feel the baby earlier, but as the day went on she grew distant again, so busy with the thoughts weighing down her mind. She did look at me, for a second, then her eyes glued nervously back to her hands. So I took them in my own, cradled protectively in my own grasp. "You're thinking about that night, aren't you?" My wedding night. The night the Keisan got ahold of me.

"It's just-" her face said it all. She hadn't even gotten out two words and her expression crumpled into guilt and hopelessness and she fell into my lap weeping for forgiveness. "-from the start you knew and you hated me so much for being a threat to Itatsu. I led the Keisan to you, they took you away, and now you're in the hospital all because of me." She lifted her head, tears welled in her eyes as she sniffled. "But still Kakashi let me stay, Itatsu calls me his sister, and now...and now-" she wiped her sleeve across her nose, "-you should hate me. I'm just horrible. I'm nothing but dirt, but still you smile at me and welcome me. Why don't you hate me? I don't deserve this!"