Unbearable Weight of Leaves

Restraint

Gaara

I only half paid attention to the meeting going on. I didn't even want to be here, yet here I was. I already had written a letter of apology to the two other Kages who were supposed to attend this meeting. Something about a threat from the west, but my village was far enough inland I didn't have much reason to attend beyond offering support and troops to those who were closer to the threat than I was.

The things I did pay attention to, however, were the things which may be relevant to the attacks on Suna, on Naruto. If these things were connected somehow, it made this threat much more relevant. I still hadn't figured out where the prisoner went, or why they went to such an extreme of distraction to release him. Was the target my family, or Naruto him... Herself. I chided myself for the mental slip. Someone had attacked Konoha before Suna, where all signs pointed to the death of the Hokage. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought the same. I had thought the same until...

I shifted Kimi in my arms, ignoring the sighs around the table at the movement. They wanted me to leave her with someone. How absolutely absurd. She is mine. Mine. Two months into her life, and the idea still seemed highly implausible to me. Not just the fact I had a child, me, as in the sort which is blood related and from my own bodily functions, but the child's mother was Naruto. The guy I ignored because I thought he was far too inferior to care about. Then he was the one I tried to kill because he was in my way, then... I snorted at the thought I once believed Naruto was far below me, which also gained me a few odd looks.

"Lord Gaara, if you don't mind, it would be better if you fully paid attention to this meeting's details."

I tilted my head at the man across from me. Kage? Probably, I really didn't care who it was at the moment to really pay much attention to the actual inhabitants of the room. "To this point, the information is yet to be fully relevant to my participation within this meeting."

"The child is distracting." He narrowed his eyes and made a small head gesture towards my precious child.

As though on cue Kimi gurgled awake and began to cry. A myriad of groans sounded from the table and Shinki, who was standing behind me, handed me a prepared bottle. I shifted under the stares, still unready to explain her to them. Wasn't it obvious she was mine? It was strange, how much she looked like me, a constant reminder she was a part of me. I made this little thing. Me. Amazing.

The Kage at the other end of the table, who was staring in my direction for most of the meeting though keeping his end of the conversation going without ever moving his eyes from me or the child stood, slamming his hands on the table. "I demand an explanation of this. Not only has a birth into your line not been announced to any of us, there was no mention of a wedding. I can tell by looking at the child it must be yours. Who is the mother? Is this an indication of possible dissension from the alliance?"

I worked at consoling Kimi who had taken to outright crying at the man's outburst. I tried to ignore the question. I had no desire to yet explain her, or my wife. Definitely not my wife. I couldn't just go and tell them Naruto is my wife and Kimi's mother, now could I? No, not exactly.

"Lord Gaara." His voice went low, my name long and drawn out.

I ignored him a moment longer until I heard a clearing of a throat, the entire room silent save for the whimpers from my daughter. I slowly raised my eyes to the man who disturbed her. I clenched my teeth. I didn't even want to be here. "I have no reason to abdicate." There. An answer. I looked away from the offender and placed the bottle to my little one's lips, which she took greedily. Her tiny little hands half gripped at the thing in front of her. Precious little fingers.