Fun fact: I have some affinity to names that start with M. Why? I have no clue.

I apologize for the wait. In the past month, I've gone through two moves and it's a bit hard to do anything when I'm constantly packing.

Anyway, this is the last chapter. There could be an epilogue but I'm still toying with how I want it to end. To sequel or not to sequel that is the question.

I want to thank everyone that has followed me throughout the story. It was definitely fun. Please join me in my upcoming stories.

Please enjoy the last chapter of Crawl.

Ch. 40
Crawl

Ino could feel the tension in the atmosphere. It was rushed, panicked. Even through her impaired vision, she watched people hustled back and forth, people ordered others around, hands touched her, sewing her wounds, casting her legs and taking her temperature. They were all blurs, of course.

Was this all a dream?

"What's going on?" she murmured but her words were trapped in her throat. She swallowed hard and spoke again but nothing was voice. Her mouth shaped the words but no sound. With one last stitch and mold, the figures disappeared one by one from her sight, leaving her anxious. She didn't have the strength to lift her head and look around the glowing room. "What's happening?" she repeated, pushing her voice through the block in her throat.

She had to be dead. She was in Hell.

A cool hand stroked Ino's forehead. She was a pale figure with black hair. "You'll be okay Ino," a familiar voice soothed, but it wasn't his voice, the voice she wanted to hear. "Your baby is on the way," the voice explained slowly. Ino blinked one, twice. Baby?

"I'm…baby?"

"You're about 7 centimeters dilated, okay?" She spoke slowly, annunciating almost every syllable. "We have to wait a bit longer." The voice then laughed a melodic giggle. It soothed Ino, almost making her smile even though she was in outrageous pain…at least she thought she was. "You are so lucky you didn't strain yourself enough to be at risk of a miscarriage."

Another voice sounded from the other side of her bed. Ino kept her gaze at the ceiling. The person that stroked her hair was still in sight but she didn't look at Ino; she looked at the one who spoke from the other side. "She's lucky Sakura and Shikamaru came when they did," and in a lower volume as if to keep it from Ino's ears, the other voice mumbled, "and they're lucky we came in or they'd all be dead."

Dead

"H-Hidan," Ino croaked as she fell victim to her eyes drooping from exhausted and perhaps all the painkillers they injected in her.

The woman petting her hair hesitated for a second. She then continued combing her fingers through Ino's hair. Ino allowed her eyes closed and focus on the lady's fingers gently raking through her hair. It was nice. "Focus on the baby now, Ino. We'll fill you in when you're healthy."

"Wait, wait!" Ino grazed her fingers on the woman's arm as she began to walk away. The fuzzy figure spun around to look at her. "Shikamaru, Sakura."

A blonde, curvy shadow appeared by her side. She was dressed in white clad. Ino knew who that was but she wasn't the one Ino wanted. Tsunade snapped a glove onto her hand. "Don't worry about them now and just concentrate on yourself."

"No, no." Ino shook her head but immediately stopped when her world began to spin. Ino laughed at the dizzying sensation. "Woah," she chuckled, closing her eyes. She opened them when her head felt less dizzy and focused them on Tsunade whose face looked clearer than before. "P-Please tell me where they are. Are they going to be all right?"

Tsunade sighed, cocking her hip, a defeated stance. "Will you calm down?"

Ino nodded slowly.

The Hokage was reluctant at first. "Shikamaru is in surgery right now. He took a critical hit to the stomach. Dumb ass refuses to be put under but don't worry; we have the finest in Konoha caring for him. Sakura only had a few cuts and bruises, so she's in there with the team." Tsunade caressed Ino's forehead, an action Ino never imagined Tsunade doing towards her. "You, young woman, have a minor wound in your shoulder and Konan decided to break your fucking leg. Also, not to mention you're having a baby. You must have been in some serious pain back there."

Ino couldn't recall. She was now in the world of awesome pain killers and Cloud High.

"Promise me that Shikamaru will be okay."

Tsunade pursed her lip, eyes saddened. She stroked Ino's head again. "I will do my best, okay?"

"Lady Tsunade, you're needed A.S.A.P," a medic said hurriedly as he burst through the door. "Sakura needs your help now."

If only Sakura saw that dagger coming in on time. Shikamaru's blood wouldn't be coating her clothes, hands, and skin. If she saw that dagger coming, she would have deflected it with one of her own. She would have saved him.

"There's too much blood," Sakura hollered at the team that was scurrying around the operating room with towels, water and clean tools. Each and every one of them was covered in this man's blood, Sakura being the one drenched.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura exerted an extra amount of chakra into the pouring wound, hoping it would cauterize it. Her brain rushed through all the options but her mind kept running back to the memory of watching the weapon drive through Shikamaru. If only…

Shaking her head, Sakura returned to the bleeding shinobi on the operation table. "Can someone bring in Tsunade?" Sakura shouted and someone hurried out of the door. "C'mon Shikamaru, you have to stay with me!"

Shikamaru passed out from the pain a few hours ago. The last words he said were, "Take care of Ino." Sakura knew taking care of the Nara boy would be taking care of Ino. If Ino found out that Shikamaru didn't make it through surgery, she would fail his wishes and his blood would be on her hands forever.

Sakura allowed her chakra to flow, hoping it would seal…something. The weapon luckily missed his organs but it did create a small sliver on his stomach wall, which Sakura easily healed. However, the hard part was fixing the wound. She never healed a wound that went straight through someone. Where did she start?

"You called?" Tsunade rushed over to Sakura's side, shoving away everyone that stood in her path. She even bumped Sakura away with her hip. "I thought I taught you how to do this, Sakura," Tsunade snapped but she sounded as if she were joking. Sakura wondered how someone could joke in a time like this.

"I'll need remedial lessons after this."

"Sa…kura." Sakura watched Shikamaru's eyes slowly open and his face turned in her direction. He was smiling. "How's Ino?" He winced, hissing as Tsunade healed his injury.

"She's fine, Shikamaru," she said gently. "Please, focus on healing."

"Yeah, Nara," Tsunade grumbled. She glanced at Sakura. "I need to go fast; I have a baby to deliver any second now and I promised the girl this boy would live."

"Shit!" Her stomach tightened as if her own body was trying to constrict her. Ino clenched Shizune's hand as hard as she could as the pressure in her pelvic area became unbearable. "I can't, I can't," Ino chanted, shaking her head. "Please, please, I can't!"

Ino cried at a sudden burn sensation between her legs. That was new.

"Ino, for the love of all that is good and glory, push!" Tsunade hollered. Ino's breath was hitched after nearly six hours of pushing. Ino just couldn't do it anymore. Her body wanted to give up, fall limp. Maybe the baby could stay there while she slept for a few hours. After the fifth hour, she was tuckered out. "C'mon, Yamanaka, three seconds!"

"Ino," Shizune whispered, "the more you push, the sooner you get to meet your daughter. All of this will be over if you just push."

Taking a giant breath and tucking her chin in to her chest, she pushed through the bottom of her feet, wincing as the pressure began to tear her apart. Her broken leg felt heavy and it hurt from applying pressure. Ino held her breath and pushed. Three seconds felt like minutes as Tsunade counted aloud in a slow pace, probably reciting the damn Konoha constitution in her head before proceeding to the next number.

"Good job, Ino. She's crowning, all right? One more, 'kay?"

The door slid open. Ino wanted to rip off the head of whoever thought it was okay to barge in with everything exposed. However, Shikamaru shuffled in, keeping his balance by placing a hand on the wall. He had his arm wrapped around her stomach.

"Shikamaru?"

"Damn it, PUSH!" Tsunade barked. Ino pushed again, hoping it would be the last. The pressure was relieved and Ino could lean her head back and breath. She looked up at Shikamaru to ask if he were all right. Shikamaru's eyes grew wide; staring at what could be a crime scene between her legs. His eyes rolled back into his head.

"Damn it," Tsunade cursed, watching Shikamaru lose his balance and crash to the ground. "I need clean up, please!" Tsunade beckoned over to the Nara crumpled on the floor before wrapping the baby and wiping her off.

Blissful cries echoed in the room, the cry of her baby, her daughter. Grinning, Tsunade strolled over to Ino and leaned to show her a pink, beautiful infant with a tuff of blonde hair and a button nose. Ino's lips pulled up in a smile before dropped her head onto the pillow. The weight on her shoulders vanished, angels sung and Ino fell asleep.

She was crawling again, staring up at Shikamaru. Her eyes never left Shikamaru who slowly buckled to the ground. His hands pressed against his wound, blood covered his hands and dripped down his clothes, creating a puddle of scarlet where he stood. Blood dribbled down his chin as he coughed, wincing as his stomach contracted around the blade. The dagger completely pierced through him, entering his torso and the tip peeked from his back.

The way he turned his head and smiled at Ino seemed like it was in slow motion. Ino watched his lips curve into a smile. His lips moved around words she didn't catch before. He said, "Take care of Minori, okay?"

Ino woke.

Foggy morning light shone into her room, rays of lights dancing along the gray walls of her hospital room. The curtains were partially drawn and from where Ino lie, she could see the sun peeking above the walls and illuminating the mountainous horizon. She could almost see the trees.

Ino dragged her legs over the side of the bed, slightly surprised when her right leg felt weighed down. A cerulean casted covered her leg, from her foot up to mid-thigh and the sight of the cast definitely earned a frown from the blonde woman.

At the end of her bed, she heard someone sigh and someone ruffle her sheets. "Ino?" a groggy voice called. Sakura was smiling at her with half-lidded eyes and half her face red from resting her face on her arms. "Thank goodness; you're okay."

"Yeah, but how are you?"

Sakura shrugged and straightened her posture. "A bit drained but I'm fine."

Ino bit the inside of her lip. She could have sworn Hidan did more damage to Sakura. "What happened to Hidan?"

"He managed to escape. ANBU followed him to the border but explosives cut them off before they could capture him. But, I don't think he'll be back any time soon." Sakura sighed but quickly beamed at Ino when she noticed her best friend's eyes on her face. "Konan is dead, Hidan is gone and the boy is back with his grandfather!"

"Boy?"

Sakura nodded. "The little boy that approached us before Hidan was Jin's grandson. He was at Intel all night, I guess. When he woke up, he gladly told Ibiki everything. Apparently Konan kidnapped him and 'brain washed' him. Entering the kid in the Chunin exams was probably Konan's indirect way of killing him."

A sense of relief washed of Ino. She thought about killing the child but thankfully, in this situation, her morals took the best of her. Now, Jin and his grandson can live together once more.

A soft coo caught Ino's attention. The sound froze every cell, every muscle in Ino's body. Ino glanced at Sakura, wide eyed, but the pink haired girl just grinned at her, her eyes holding warmth in them. Another coo came from the side of Ino's bed. Ino, slowly, glanced over her shoulder to see a small hospital crib sitting beside her bed. Ino hastily heaved her leg—as quickly as she could with the fifty pounds weighting down her right leg—over to the other side of the bed and peered into the crib.

She was blush pink and very, very small. Ino never expected someone that caused her to grow to the size of two watermelons be so small. She was pale pink with rosy cheeks and under her cute, white cap were tuff of blonde hair.

Ino spent many months, days and hours imagining what her daughter would look like. She imagined her as a monster, just like Hidan. Ino feared that she would raise her only to find out that she acted more of Hidan.

Her baby whimpered and shifted her head towards Ino, eyes closed. Ino felt her heart contract. Never in those months did Ino picture chubby flushed cheeks and a cute button nose. She never pictured something so utterly perfectly that it physically hurt to look at her.

Cautiously, Ino ran the side of her index finger across the newborn's cheek, earning another whimper and causing Ino to catch her breath and draw her hand back. How could an insane sadist and someone like Ino create someone so amazing and beautiful? How did Ino not know that a being so lovely and perfect grew inside of her?

Ino rubbed her eyes and her hands came away wet. Tears.

The feeling was unimaginable. Her emotions fluttered in her stomach, in her chest, in her mind and no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't describe this moment in words. Was she in awe? Joy? Ino wiped away her tears and continued to stare at her daughter.

Her chest felt like it wanted to explode but out of what? Ino didn't have a clue but she didn't care. Looking at the little one resting in the crib erased every single worry Ino had and replaced it with one word: love.

There was a quiet knock at the door. Without waiting for a response, Tsunade tiptoed in with a small grin playing on her lips. "How are you?" she whispered and leaned over the crib, her grin growing as she looked at the newborn. "She's adorable."

Ino didn't—couldn't—say anything.

"Have you thought of a name?"

Shikamaru's voice whispered a name in her mind. Ino shook her head.

"She's surprisingly healthy. All that stress on your body and she's fine. Did you ever think that she pretty much as the right to two clan techniques now?"

Ino snorted. "We'll think about it when she gets older…. Oh, Tsunade…"

Tsunade grumbled something under her breath and pointed to the other side of the bed without taking her eyes off the baby. "Down the hall, room 105."

The cast was definitely difficult to maneuver around in but and didn't think her shoulder would have been much of a hassle but it was. As she pushed herself down the hall, she grimaced every time she lifted her shoulder to roll the wheelchair down the hall. Ino didn't like the fact that she was leaving her child but she needed to see Shikamaru.

"Here, let me help." Sakura pushed her down the hall, relieving Sakura of reopening her wound.

Ino didn't bother knocking. Sakura wheeled her in, stopping at the doorway. He was sleeping, strapped to various machines with different tubes and wires attached to his body. Ino gulped. He couldn't be in that bad a condition, could he?

Sakura rolled Ino over to the bed and parked her at his side. "I'll leave you two," she whispered. Ino didn't watch her friend leave. She grabbed Shikamaru's hand and squeezed. The tears began to stream again, just seeing the man that helped her through everything in the past months strapped to a bed in a critical condition. Ino sniffed and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"She's beautiful," Ino began. "I've never laid my eyes on something that I loved so much."

Ino watched Shikamaru gently breathe. The heart monitor beeped at a normal speed. He looked like he was in pain with his eyebrows furrowed and a frown on his face. Ino kissed his hand.

"I…am so sorry, Shikamaru," she wept. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't have gotten hurt. You definitely shouldn't have come into the room while I was in labor; you probably made your wounds worse, you idiot." Ino sighed. "I hope you're just asleep….I don't what I would do without you, Shikamaru."

Ino loosened her hand to roll away but his hand latched on to hers, stopping her.

"I'm awake," he coughed, peeking through one eye. "I'm just in a lot of fucking pain."

Ino couldn't contain it. The emotions jump out and caused Ino to leap out of her chair, balancing her body on one leg. She leaned over Shikamaru, one hand on either side of his face.

"Ino?"

She didn't answer. Just kissed him.

"So," Ino said, still hovering over him after she released the kiss. "Minori, huh?"

Shikamaru flushed. "I like it."

Ino smiled. "I do, too" and kissed him again.

"Good morning, Shika—AHH!"

Shizune had her clipboard covering her face. She peeked over the side to see the two staring at her, completely crippled and flushed. Ino hurriedly—in a slow manner—sat back in her wheelchair and laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "Good morning, Shizune."

Minori's toothless mouth perked at the corners as Shikamaru tickled her stomach, cooing at her. Ino smiled at the two from her bed. Shikamaru never ceased to surprise her—when she thought he was terrible with kids, he had to go and do this. He constantly talked to Minori, kissed her, played with her and it took everything Ino had not to jump on him, squealing at how cute he was.

It's been three days since Minori was born. The past three days were surprisingly the best and Ino felt well rested besides the fact she woke up every two hours to feed and clean her daughter. During the day, as Ino rested, Shikamaru would keep their daughter company like he was now.

"Who's the cutest baby in the whole wide world?" Shikamaru mumbled as he wiggled his finger into Minori's grasp. "You are!"

Lavender eyes crinkled as the newborn attempted another smile. The sight was heart wrenching.

Ino's smile faded as her daughter's eyes averted to her. Ino, as much as she did love Minori, couldn't help but feel disappointed that Minori had, in fact, inherited something from Hidan, those stunning, pale violet eyes.

Sakura was the first to see Minori open her eyes, which was when Ino was in Shikamaru's room. When Ino arrived, Sakura was staring at the newborn with wet eyes. Sakura quickly wiped the tears away and replacing her frown with a fake smile.

"What's wrong?" Ino asked.

Sakura hesitated. "She's not really Shikamaru's, is she?"

That's when Ino noticed Minori's eyes, the exact same color as Hidan's eyes. Her stomach plummeted and without warning, Ino spilled what happened to her in Cloud, the murders, the night Hidan whisked her away, how she hated herself the past several months. Sakura listened without taking eyes off Minori and Ino told her stories the same way.

"I wish you could have told me sooner."

"I wanted to," Ino said.

"You know I'm always here."

"Yeah, I know."

"Ino," Shikamaru mumbled, nudging her in the sore side with an elbow. "You feel okay?"

Ino smiled and rested a hand at the crook of his elbow, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Yup."

She felt Shikamaru tense as footsteps echoed throughout the room, coming from behind them. Ino peeked through her peripherals. She recognized Tsunade's usual garb with her black capris and green cardigan hanging around her knees. The person next to Tsunade sported the usual black sandals and tight black pants that clung to her slender legs, forming perfectly around her curvy hips. The woman wore a white tunic, tied by a black sash under her bosom.

Shikamaru handed Minori to Ino who cradled the baby close to her chest, hard eyes glued to Kanna who was paying no attention to Minor but to Ino. Her eyes were solemn as they stared back at Ino.

Shikamaru was the first to speak. "What brings you here?" he asked through a tight voice. His eyes flashed to Ino's voice, frightened and Ino was sure she mirrored the expression.

There she was, Kanna. She was the woman Ino decided to give her daughter to, the one she thought would protect Minori and raise her. Now, as she held her violet-eyed baby, Ino knew nobody could raise or protect her as Ino would. She knew that.

Kanna stepped forward, her eyes switching from Ino to Shikamaru's eyes. "I understand if you change your mind. This will be very hard for you." She paused to look at her hands. A smile twitched onto her lips before she looked up. "I'm not here to pressure you into any decision you're not ready to make; I'm here to give you my congratulations and my prayer that you two recover very quickly."

"Thank you," Ino said. She hesitated, glancing down at Minori who had her eyes half way opened and looking up at her mother. "W-Would you like to hold her?"

Kanna looked surprised. Her jaw dropped slightly and her eyes grew into giant circles but she gained her calm façade and nodded. She sat down across from Ino, eyes eagerly on the infant. Ino slid Minori into Kanna's arms, careful to keep her head supported. Kanna, with graceful mother-like ease, cradled Minori in her arms. For a second, the newborn squirmed and whimpered—Ino felt herself grinning at the fact Minori disapproved anyone else holding her besides Shikamaru and Ino—but her face calmed and nestled in Kanna's arm, causing a frown to set on Ino's face.

"I forgot how small newborns really are."

Ino merely hummed in response.

Ino's forced themselves to close as the clock ticked midnight. Shikamaru sat at the end of the bed, head resting on a pillow she had thrown at him early that night. Minori cried Ino awake, wanting to be fed.

"What are you thinking about?" Shikamaru whispered; his voice groggy. His eyes squinted at her. "You have a lot on your mind."

Ino smiled. "Her, of course."

Shikamaru lifted his head and propped it up with a hand. He was silent. Dark auburn eyes stared at her with an indifferent look.

"Hidan is still out there."

"Yeah, he is."

Ino sighed. "Call Kanna in the morning."

Sakura's comforting hand on Ino's hand dulled compared to the excruciating pain as Ino's fingers raked through her scalp. Ino's incontrollable sobs drowned Shikamaru and Sakura's pleas to stop hurting herself and calm down but Ino just couldn't as she stared down at the forms sitting in front of her.

Shikamaru's lips whispered close to her ears, getting his words in as she inhaled for another hysterical round of tears. "No one is pressuring you, Ino. Take your time."

She knew that nothing would happen until she signed those papers, consented that her child, her dearest Minori, was not hers anymore. Everyone in the room waited patiently, eyes boring sympathetically into her back. Ino could especially feel Kanna's eyes on her. Ino could feel the tension rippling from her; she could hear Kanna's heart drumming in her chest as she waited for Ino to grab the pen and sign her name. Ino knew it was going to happen but she just couldn't bring herself to grab that pen and do it.

Ino squeezed her eyes shut and allowed the hysterics to wave through her body. This was a dream. These past ten months was just a dream—no, a nightmare. It was just one long nightmare. The question was when was this nightmare going to be over? When she opened her eyes, would the nightmare be over?

"Can I open my eyes now?" Ino mumbled through her hiccups.

She felt Shikamaru tense at her side. "What?"

"C-Can I wake up?"

"Ino, open your eyes." Her eyelids were heavy from tears and fatigue but she opened them. Shikamaru gazed at her with the same red, tear swollen eyes. His lips quivered before he dropped his gaze and allowed a tear to fall down his cheek. "I wish this were a dream, Ino. I really wish it was."

Without responding, Ino turned her gaze to her friend sitting on her other side. Sakura kept her eyes staring hard at the floor, fist clenched in her lap. Teeth bit into her bottom lip. Ino's eyes wondered to three women with their backs pressed against the wall. Tsunade stared at her with a soft gaze that, for a second, surprised Ino since she was accustomed to Tsunade brutal glower. Ruke, the adoption agent, stood in the middle of the three women. She held the same concerned look in her eyes as Tsunade but a small smile played on her lips, which Ino desperately wanted to rip off. Kanna was the last woman leaning against the wall. Her body was frigid but her eyes focused on Ino sternly, waiting for Ino's decision, waiting for Ino to sign those papers.

"You will take care of my baby."

Kanna opened her mouth to speak but it quivered close, forcing her to simply nod.

"You will take care of my baby."

"I—I will."

Finally, Ino's eyes wandered to the infant soundlessly resting in the crib. If Ino met her in the future, would she hate Ino for giving her up for adoption? Hate Ino for not fighting for her or would she understand that Ino did it for her protection?

With a deep breath, Ino picked up the pen. Her hand shook. Try as she might, Ino couldn't keep her hand still for long. She pressed the pen on the paper and closed her eyes. This was it. Her hand, her muscles hesitated and didn't respond to her commands. The pen dragged along the paper, almost ripping a whole into it as Ino signed her name across the dotted line.

Ino dropped the pen.

"C-Can I have a moment with her, please?" Ino wept quietly.

Four people walked out of the room. Shikamaru woke Minori from her slumber but she didn't go off into hysterics but whimpered. She looked up her mother once she was in Ino's arms.

"I want you to grow up big and strong," Ino whispers to her daughter, poking her tiny nose. Minori cooed and blinked her beautiful lavender eyes. "Drink your milk, eat fruits and veggies. Brush your teeth and don't forget your tongue. You don't want bad breath," she sniffed. Shikamaru chuckled. He wrapped an arm around her, bringing her close to his side. He kissed the top of her head. Ino felt dampness in her hair but she ignored it, her eyes never leaving the pale violet eyes of her daughter. "I want you to study hard and be a genius like Shikamaru here. Work hard in whatever you want to be. Treat Kanna and her daughter with respect; they're your family now."

Ino wiped her plummeting tears on her sleeve. "I wish you could understand why this has to be this way. One day if we meet each other again, I will tell you everything."

"Ino, it's time," Tsunade said as she entered the room with Kanna trailing behind.

Ino held her daughter tighter and kissed her forehead. "Lastly, I love you."

Kanna's appeared and scooped Minori out of Ino's arms. She listened to footsteps exit the floor, her eyes glued to the empty space in her arms. Ino allowed the tears to fall, trailing down her cheeks, down her neck, dripping into her lap. Is this what it's like to really cry?

"Ino?"

"We'll be okay. She's in good hands now." Ino nestled her head in Shikamaru's chest which was damped for his tears. "She'll be in a family where she's taken care of and loved. Kanna will always be around and she'll have a big sister to look after her. She'll be safe if Hidan ever comes back."

She looked at Shikamaru in the eye. He still shed tears for the newest member of their family. Ino's heart still ached and now yearned to hold her daughter. It would take days, maybe months to live their normal lives once again. Ino knew it'd take her years to find peace within herself but she knew Shikamaru would be there to catch her if she fell. Before living their normal lives, before learning how to be happy without that bundle of joy in their presence, before running, walking, or jumping, they would have to learn how to crawl.