I hurt. Though I couldn't feel my body. All I could see was black. Were my eyes even open?
"Where am I?"
I said into a vastness. A baritone grumbly voice answered.
"In the place that dwells not. In the home long past. I thought all our descendants were gone. Our line extinguished. But you are here, young dragon. So it must not be."
"Who are you? What are you talking about?"
"I am the soul of the Doragon clan. The dragon, Heiwana hikari (peaceful light)."
"So I am descended from you, Heiwana hikari, but why am I here?"
A growly chuckle vibrated around him.
"Do you not know? Hahaha. You received a mate mark, did you not? young dragon. Your mate smells of a wolf, no canine, there is dog mixed in the scent. When our kind finds their mate and receives their mark they must journey here. Receiving the gift from your Elder for your special occasion. I must ask though, the last to come was decades ago. The young one was named Yume Doragon."
"That was my maternal grandmother."
"I see. So then are you the last?"
" Most likely. I am male in a relationship with a male. I have a bond with two children I have claimed as my own, but I am the last Doragon mixed with the nameless snake clan. Yume was the last of her clan. She married into a snake clan to hide. I was the only child of an only child. I knew nothing of my history, but songs and stories long forgotten until a child imprinted on me and it awoke something."
"You awoke your Dragon spirit. Much like a tailed demon trapped inside a host. You to carry another thing. A second spirit. Yours is a female. The imprinting from the child most likely stirred her from her slumber. We died out because the clan failed to awaken their dragons. An awakened dragon can pass to this plain once their human counterpart dies. But if they continue to slumber till death, death takes them also. Our clan grew week when the dragons stopped waking. Females were hunted and killed to stop our procreation. Males grew weak without their dragons and could not protect the horde. And so we died."
"How sad. Umm, so does my dragon have a name?"
"She carries your name, till she reaches this plane of existence. Now your mating gift."
"It is enough you explaining this to me, but I beg a few more questions."
"Go on, young dragon."
"If my mother never came here. She did not awaken her dragon."
"That is true. So sad. She must have carried more snake than a dragon. But I still wonder...why you have come, when she did not."
"Is there any written history that may have survived?"
"Ours was a verbal history. Knowledge passed through songs and stories. But your dragon knows those."
"Can I communicate with her..umm...my dragon?"
"She is spirit. So you can feel her and usually nothing more. The knowledge you seek will be found in our songs and stories, she has already shared those. But she has shared her power of intelligence and strength with you since before you were born also. Now our time is limited. So I must tell you. Children of bond over blood will bear the Doragon mark. And babies conceived after the mark will bear the mark. The mark is not complete until you share the mark. So you must mark your mate also. But you must do it quickly. An incomplete mating will cause stress on your Dragon and stress could cause your death."
"Ok. I'm starting to feel my body."
"Your time is almost up. Your mating gift. Ask your heart's desire."
"Oh...umm. Let me see..damn... I wish I have more time. I am unsure."
"Your wish has been shared by your dragon who knows your heart and so I grant it."
A swirling bronze light that was cool and warming at once. It tickled and Orochi suppresses a laugh.
"Never hide your happy, young dragon. We are a strong warrior clan with cold intelligence and a protective countenance. But we also lived to love, care, and guide our young and live and laugh. So be happy. Your wish to carry on young with your mate has been granted. Your dragon says to tell you 'look inside and you will find your gift'. Now be well, young dragon and I pray you will not be the last. Farewell."
"Goodbye Elder, Heiwana hikari. And thank you."
And with that Orochi felt sleepy and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was in a dark room. He lay on a stiff bed. The smell of antiseptic and clean abused his nose. Someone sat near him in a chair by the bed. He pulsed his chakra to sense his surroundings.
The figure sat up and grabbed his hand.
"Orochi!?"
"Sakumo? What? How am I here?"
Sakumo moved and cupped his face. He kissed him lightly and sweetly.
"I gave you a mate mark and you and the kids lost consciousness. I thought I was losing you."
Orochi felt wet hit his face. He reached up in the moonlight and touched Sakumo's face. Wet from tears falling. Though the big brute over him gave no other sign he was crying.
"My love. I'm ok. And Kakashi and Anko?"
"They woke the next morning. They are fine. You have been out for three days with a fever raging through you. You've had Tusnade a mess trying to control it."
"I'm sorry. Gomensai. I didn't mean to worry you and I still don't, but we must finish the mating before I get worse."
"What are you going on about? Your clan doesn't do mate marks."
"I am more dragon than snake at this point. And dragons do have mates. I will explain, but after. Your neck, Sakumo."
Orochi was starting to feel week and feverish. It was an urgency he felt. He pulled at Sakumo's clothing and arms.
Sakumo sat on the bed and leaned forward. He tilted his head and exposed neck and shoulder by pulling his shirt to the side.
Orochi tongued the spot he would bite. The ugly scar where the enemy had tried to end his life was just above it. He sucked and nibbled. Preparing Sakumo. Sakumo let out a low growl, it shot straight to his groin and warmth pooled there.
"Orochi, Utsukushī, it is torture just mark me, please."
"I'm sorry my love, yours will not be as pleasurable as mine, but there is no time."
Orochi bit into Sakumo's neck under the scar where the shoulder meets the neck. He sank fangs and buried his teeth. The taste of iron coated his tongue. And Orochi pushed chakra into the bite.
Sakumo cried out and slumped forward. Orochi unlatched his mouth. He licked clean all the blood from Sakumo's neck and shoulders. He felt complete. His strength was starting to come back. The fever suddenly breaking.
Sakumo had passed out. His body heavy. And without his normal power, Sakumo collapsed on him. It was a heavy restraining weight. Orochi searched blindly for the nurse button. His hand found the cord and followed it down to the button which he pushed.
He tried to breathe slowly as he waited. Sakumo's weight crushing his chest. Breath in. Breath out. He would not panic. He sent a silent apology to his dragon. And felt acceptance. He also apologized to Sakumo for worrying his love and then knocking him out with the mate mark.
He heard familiar clicking coming down the hall. He pulsed his chakra and the clicks started running. As a well-known pulse responded.
The door flew open and a light clicked on.
"What the fuck! Orochi!? What happened now!?"
She pulled Sakumo to a sitting position which allowed Orochi to answer.
"I had to complete the bonding. It was incomplete and that is why I have been this way. He should be up by morning like the children were."
He felt his dragon's happiness at that statement. Making him think she was agreeing.
Nade was able to get Sakumo moved to the other bed in the room. God bless her incredible strength. After checking he was ok. She came back to Orochi. Checking him over.
"Your fever is going down fast. Ok, spill mister, snakes don't mate mark. How did you know what was needed."
Orochi explained his journey and what he had learned. He was excited by one other thing.
"Nade, can you bring in an ultrasound machine. The Elder dragon gave me a gift and I want to see if it is what I believe it to be."
He felt love completely and totally from his dragon. If his guess was correct he could go a different route with obtaining children. Though he was very close to a breakthrough in his research and experimentation.
"Now? You know it's like 0100 in the morning."
I gave her an exasperated look.
"Ok, let me grab the portable. I'll be right back."
Nade had come back and set everything up and asked where he wanted to check. When he told her his lower abdomen. She gave him a very questionable look. But did as he asked. She wanted to know what she was looking for. He only said she would know if she found it. It was while she was doing a scan near his bladder that she dropped the wand and covered her face with her hands. She started sobbing.
He cried with her in his joy. He knew what she found.
"How? Orochi, you have an ovary full of eggs. There doesn't seem to be anything else. But it's there. Look."
Orochi and her had composed themselves and had done the ultrasound again. She pointed to the monitor. The picture frozen on the screen was one healthy-looking ovary. Nothing was attached. No other reproductive organs or female sex body parts. Just one ovary hopefully full of eggs made by him.
"You realize if that is real, we could have a fertilized embryo and fetus by weeks end. Do you want me to extract some and run testing to see if they are viable?"
He could not speak and just nodded. She ran off to get everything she would need. After all, was said and done Nade had extracted a dozen eggs and told him to rest. She would jump on the testing. She promised answers by tomorrow night. That is when she had told him he needed a week off. To rest and enjoy his mate and their surprise. She said the kids were with Jiraiya and by tomorrow morning he would be begging the parents to never let him babysit again.
The following day Sakumo woke with a grey scale tattoo-like mark and a set of fangs under it. Orochi thought it was beautiful. Sakumo took him to the bath room and showed him his own mark. Four bronze scales overlapping. Orochi was in awe of the beautiful mark on his shoulder near the obvious bite mark of a mate. He said both children carried a mark also. And he couldn't wait to see theirs.
And if on cue, Jiraiya showed up with three young ones in tow.
"Thank Kami you're awake. Here are your gakis back, now I have to find Nade to return hers. Please I don't want to ever have to watch them again. That one ( he pointed at Anko) put bleach in my saki cup, that one (he motioned towards Kakashi) ignored me the whole time except to tell me I'm creepy and smell and Nade's kid pointed out every unhealthy life choice I have been making. Orochi she wanted to measure me to find out my body fat distribution. Then they set traps all over my house. My hair was pink yesterday. I haven't been able to do any research for the last 3 days."
A chorus of "Pervy sage lies." was screamed at him by three children.
"Raiya did you take our children to the hot springs while you peeped at woman?!"
A low growl that got louder and louder was heard as Jiraiya stumbled for an explanation. When he saw Sakumo was ready to kick his ass he disappeared in a cloud of leaves. Probably won't see him for a month.
"Utsukushī, I don't understand your teammate. How do you and Tsunade put up with that?"
"Oh, we don't. I usually threaten him with venomous snakes. And Nade usually puts him through walls. But Raiya is one of my oldest friends also. Besides in combat, I trust him 100% to guard my back. And he might be a horrid role model, but he still would have protected our babies with his life. Speaking of babies. Anko crawled on the bed.
"Mama are you otay?"
I pulled her into my arms and brushed her long bangs out of her eyes as I kissed her sweet-smelling head.
"I'm just fine. Hatchling, do I get a hug and some loves?"
Kakashi sheepishly walked over. Sakumo picked him up and set him on the bed.
"Pup, what is the matter. Why are you frowning? Your mother missed you?"
"Mama, are you sure your going to be ok?"
"Of course, Kakashi. I'm ok. I'm actually very good. I'm not gonna break. Now come here, my little Hatchling."
He crawled crying into Orochi's arms. He wept and snhuffled with his face buried into my chest. I understood how terribly upset my son was. He was terrified.
The last person close to Kakashi that wouldn't wake up left him alone. Though it wasn't Aunty's fault as she passed into the peaceful lands, it caused some trauma for Kakashi. I actually had known that fear too.
I also understood Anko's orphanage trauma. I had lived that abuse. I made a silent vow to never make it worse. To always be there for my children.
"I love you both. Kakashi, Anko, I promise I won't ever leave you. I will always be here and love you."