Black Camellia

Chapter 1: Flights of Angels

PART 1: Heaven

...

Tap, tap, tap.

Sharp lights illuminate an already glaringly bright, white hallway.

Tap, tap, tap.

Two young men are set up before a closed room, one standing and the other sitting on a plain white bench. A red sign peers down at them from above two heavy-looking doors, glowing with the word Operating.

Tap, tap, tap

"You know-" The tapping pauses briefly at the interruption. The speaker breaks under the pressure of his companion's full attention. "...Nevermind."

"What was it?"

"Nothing, really," The young man chuckles apologetically, though it sounds mismatched with his robust, chesty laugh. His friend stares for a moment before going back to tapping his foot on the linoleum tiles of the hospital floor, looking intently at the closed doors. He sits down but occasionally will stand briskly to stretch his legs by pacing back and forth in front of the occupied room. When he returns the bench, his foot inevitably begins again a rhythmic tapping pattern on the floor.

Tap, tap, tap.

Impatient and nervous.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Well-"

"Guy?"

"Yes?"

"Don't make me any tenser." Guy scratches the back of his head, frowning. He's not the most handsome man in the world- with a squashed nose, a bowl-cut, and bushy eyebrows- but his eyes sparkle and so do his teeth, which would be his saving grace if it weren't for the obnoxious green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers he dawns. Guy crosses his arms and tries to think of something calming to say to his friend, before seating himself on the bench.

"Kakashi, I won't bother you." Kakashi looks at Guy out of the corner of his eye. Kakashi isn't much stranger looking than Guy. His mouth, nose and a decent part of his cheeks are covered by a dark blue mask, and his right eye is shielded with a forehead protector. A portion of his silver hair falls messily over the hen-tei, and occasionally, he'll pull at it unconsciously. His left eye- the only part of his face showing- is sharply shaped and black, looking intensely about him as if in battle. But somehow, the way he carries himself makes him appear cool and suave.

"That's good." He murmurs sarcastically.

"But..." Guy huffs. "It's hard to think of something cool to say in this sort of situation."

"You don't say." Kakashi deadpans. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, tightly pressing his hands together.

"But I'll try anyway." The green-wearing man ramps himself up. "How old are you?"

"..." Kakashi hangs his head, resigning himself to Guy's comforts. "Eighteen."

"How old is Asako?"

"Eighteen."

Guy spreads his hands.

"It's not that weird."

"It's very weird."

"Yeah, for civilians. We're ninja. Shinobi are weird and have strange customs." The silver-haired man attempts to glare at his friend but acknowledges to himself that Guy is not the type to recognize visually when he's getting on someone's nerves.

"I'm not worried about our ages, Guy."

"Ah," Guy once more crosses his arms and nods his head, understanding. "So it's the fear, huh? Will I be good enough? And what if I fail her? Well, don't fear Kakashi, my rival. I know that you can overcome any obstacle in your way."

"Really, Guy..."

"Oh, I was wrong again?" The bowl-cut wearing man energizes, growing passionate in his efforts. "Okay, so, it's because you two are unmarried. No one cares about that! All our friends support you-"

"Guy." The babbling finally stops. Kakashi straightens, his back cracking unintentionally. "I'm worried because we aren't married, I'm nervous because we're young, I'm scared that I'll be a shit dad. All three are correct. No need to analyze."

They stare again at that red word: Operating.

It should say: Delivery in Progress.

Guy does not know what to say. He wants to help Kakashi by saying something empathetic and insightful about human nature, but he cannot. There is no real moral lesson to say. He truly believes what he said: there is nothing unnatural about the situation. Maybe this is the wrong time to bringing a new life into the world when all of them are still working out what they want for themselves. But that does not mean it is something that should be treated with shame.

Guy straightens. There is no time to be pitying their situations.

"Marriage is...I don't know a lot about marriage, but you and she have love, so that's fixed right there." Kakashi stares at him sideways. "And as for your ages, you'd have to be deaf not to have heard about ninja having children young to raise the body counts of their clans. Asako is the last of the Ueda, so it's only natural she'd start having kids now. And...You'll be a fine dad. You excel at everything- as expected of my rival."

Kakashi sighs out a long breath.

"You think so?"

Guy laughs loudly.

"Of course!"

Perhaps Kakashi smiles, but Guy can't tell. It's not the root of the problem, but it works for at least a little while to calm the expectant father down. One agonizing hour later, the red sign blinks off. The walls grow even more illuminated for Kakashi. He watches the doors intensely, analyzing every crack and bump and scratch. He listens for sounds, echoes, scraps of conversation between hushed doctors.

And after an eternity, the doors spread apart, a nurse steps forward, and Kakashi Hatake hears a baby crying.

...

We are not perfect. But we can try.

...

A/N: Hey guyyys! Thanks for reading the first chapter :) Hope you liked it! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me! I love discussing the naruto-verse with others. Thanks again for reading~