A/N: So. Since FYE doesn't need an update until July 3rd (Hyuuga Neji), I decided to post this up. It's been sitting on my laptop for a while, doing nothing but gathering electronic dust, and it... amuses me. Kinda. In a freaky, angst-type way. Yes, this is a oneshot. Meaning I will not update this story, because it's over.

I sometimes take prompts from people, and this was the result of the prompt 'Monster', from a friend at school. She was referring to an energy drink, 'Monster', that I am quite fond of, but my thoughts turned toward the darker side of shinobi life. Yes, there is implied MPreg in here, as well as man love, so if you don't like it, don't read it. Simple as that. The 'Back' button is there for a reason.

Disclaimer: Hatake Kakashi and Umino Iruka are property of Masashi Kishimoto, while Hatake Karuku is mine. If I ever get around to it, there will be at least one more fanfic with little Karu.

~Please enjoy!~

Monster.

That's what a child screamed when she awoke to find the stranger standing over her dead parents. Killing the young girl wasn't part of the mission, but nobody had guessed that she'd have a nightmare and try to sneak into her parents' bed. The ninja stared at her as she screamed and cried, before she finally collapsed to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. Small whimpers broke through a few times, tears ran down cheeks still chubby with youth, and little arms clenched around a small stuffed puppy. The ninja didn't think he could take it. The kid was so innocent, so... grief-stricken, that he couldn't imagine ending her life.

That changed the moment he heard footsteps coming closer to the room. His right eye darted to the door, and he made the decision that would plague him for the rest of his life; he moved toward the open window and threw a shuriken at the same time. The child lapsed into silence instantly, and a dull 'thunk' marked the moment of her impact with the floor. When the door opened, the night air was once again full of shrieks and sobs.

He watched from the tree just outside the window. They couldn't see him; he was well hidden, and the maids certainly weren't shinobi. One of them lifted the child into her lap, checking for any sign of life. He knew if was no use; if he aimed to kill, his target was dead. A child barely old enough to walk easily was no threat at all. The maid recoiled in horror as she finally noticed the fatal wound, and the child's head rolled back to stare directly at her killer with unseeing eyes. Why did his heart feel like it was dying? He was doing his job... this was nothing new.

It was a long time later before he dared leave his tree.

"Why the child?" the client snarled, leaning over the table to get in the ninja's face. "She was innocent! She wasn't part of the deal!" The man's eyes were narrowed in fury, but the assassin ignored that. What he was more concerned with was that the client's eyes were also damp with grief. It... confused him, beyond all else.

"She saw me."

The client's mouth opened and closed in shock. He'd obviously expected a better excuse. Being spotted was nothing, certainly not worth enough thought to kill a child. Finally, he regained his voice and was back to shouting. "That does not mean it's all right!"

"She saw me. I'm fairly easy to pick out in a crowd, if you hadn't noticed. I did what had to be done."

"You... you monster!"

The ninja stood swiftly, snatching up the envelope containing his pay. "So I've been told." He even offered the client a smile, albeit a fake one, even though the lower half of his face was hidden from view. The curve in his eye was enough to inform the irate man that the ninja was mocking him, however indirectly. Before the client could start back on his yelling, the ninja disappeared in a poof of smoke.

He slipped inside his own dark house, toeing off his sandals silently and discarding his hitai-ate and flak jacket before heading down the hallway. By pure habit, he pushed open the first door on the left and peered inside, not surprised at all to find the small bed empty and neatly made up. He left the door open and continued down the hall to the master bedroom.

There, the moonlight filtered through the window to shin on the two people in his bed. He paused for moment to gaze at the pair, to admire the way the shadows played on his lover's face and how the moonlight illuminated his son's hair. This was what he lived for; coming home to find the two most important people in his life failing to wait up for his return. He protected his village for them, to insure that his son had a long and happy life, and that his lover could continue doing what he loved best. If he had a say in it, they'd never experience even a moment of sadness and loss. Of course, as shinobi in a shinobi village, he had no way whatsoever to prevent that, so he did the best he possibly could.

He shook his head to clear his mind of those depressing thoughts and stripped down to his boxers, tossing the blood-soaked clothes in the small basket next to the door. A few seconds later, he'd pulled on a par of pajama pants and was sliding under the covers to press close to the warmth that was his lover. Dark eyes flitted open as the ninja's arms wrapped around the body and tugged it closer, letting his chin rest on the other's shoulder and exhaling in relief.

Instantly, the younger man turned and stared into the gray eye, frowning lightly at the obviously fake smile that was on his lover's face. "Kashi? What's wrong?" he asked softly, reaching up to smooth back the silver cloud of hair. "Did the mission go well?" The smile faded to nothing, a blank expression replacing it quickly.

"... The kid saw me."

Chocolate eyes widened. He knew exactly what his lover meant. Being a simple academy teacher, he'd never had an assassination mission, and they both knew he'd never be able to kill a child. Despite his reputation as a living legend, however, Kakashi was still torn apart inside by the murder of such innocence. The teacher wouldn't have it any other way, though, and loved the older man and his imperfections. A tanned hand reached up and brushed a pale cheek lightly.

"You're not a monster, Kashi..."

"'Ru... She... she'd had a nightmare and was going to sleep in her parents' room. I had no choice. She was Karu's age, and I..."

A tear slid from his closed left eye, and Iruka moved his hand to wipe it away. He smiled at the muttered 'Damn Obito...' and leaned forward to press his lips to Kakashi's lightly. It would distract him, if only for a little while. And a little while it was, for the child on the other side of Iruka opened his eyes groggily and found himself face to face with his dad's back. He sat up and stared over the teacher's shoulder to spot his other dad, and a sleepy smile broke out on his face.

"Papa...?"

Kakashi glanced up at the boy and this time, his smile was genuine. "Shouldn't you still be asleep, bud?"

"We was gonna wait up for you." The small voice was still slurred from sleep, and the boy crawled clumsily over Iruka to snuggle between the two men. Kakashi tilted his head downward to watch Karu press against the jounin's pale chest, dark chocolate eyes looking back up at him before drifting closed, lulled back into sleep by the beating hearts on either side of him. A pale hand reached down and ruffled the silver tuft of hair slowly, remembering a time 4 years ago that he'd stayed up all night to watch over the kid's crib.

"You'd better get some sleep," Iruka muttered, bringing Kakashi back to the present, "or you'll be exhausted in the morning when Tsunade-sama requests your mission report."

"Sleep sounds pretty good about now..."

His right eye slid closed, and he nuzzled Karu's hair, inhaling deeply. As long as he had Iruka and Karu, everything was all right in his little world. Iruka watched as the normally aloof jounin held the boy close and let himself slip into dreamland, his muscles still tense and his heartbeat still too fast to be completely relaxed despite being asleep.

But that was Kakashi for you, and Iruka loved him for it.