The remainder of our journey to Sunagakure was smooth and unbothered, even though Kakashi and the other shinobi Tsunade had deployed to hold back the Uchiha had yet to meet up with us again.
"They'll meet us at the village," Tsunade had said reassuringly. "In due time."
However, now that we had arrived and there was no sign of them, I felt uneasy. Kannon came to my side and stood with me, patting my shoulder encouragingly as we entered through the natural rock crevice that served as one of the entry points to the village. The Kazekage was first to enter, greeted by men who I assumed to be his councilors, followed by Tsunade, Kannon and I, and his siblings bringing up the rear.
"They'll be fine," said Kannon in a soothing voice as our small troupe emerged from the entrance into the actual village itself. "We're here now, that's all that matters. You should relax."
I sighed in disappointment as I looked down at Ayumi, who seemed to be quietly analysing her brand new environment. The drastic change in landscape we had witnessed in a day was mind-blowing to me, since I had never left Konoha prior to being taken by the Uchiha. The dusty dunes that surrounded Suna on the outside stretched as far as the eye could see, and made a startling change to the lush greenery that I was so accustomed to seeing. Within the village confines, it was no different. The village emitted an aura of dry, arid bareness, and seeing the plain coloured stone buildings around me made me thirsty just by looking at them.
"We're definitely not in Konoha anymore," I murmured to myself as Kannon and I stopped behind the Kazekage and one of his councilors.
"Amaterasu, welcome to Sunagakure," said the Kazekage in his deep, gravelly voice. "While you are here, you and your children have our village's full protection. We will make sure any needs you have are tended to, and that no harm will come to you. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to where you and Ayumi will be staying for the time being. As Tsunade-sama requested, your quarters will be kept close by mine, hers, and Kannon's, as a safety precaution. Which means, you'll probably be seeing us often. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't mind anything at this point," I said with an exasperated sigh. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kazekage-sama."
The redhead shot me a small, friendly grin.
"Call me Gaara. Kannon, is everything okay with you in terms of living arrangements?"
"Yes, fine, thanks."
"How was your journey before we met you?"
Without a second thought, Kannon had stepped ahead of me and begun to walk with the Kazekage whilst holding him in conversation, chatting enthusiastically with him about the trek. At first, I was slightly surprised, because for some reason I had been under the impression that the pair were total strangers. However, the more I thought about it, Kannon had probably been in Suna for a good few months if I remembered her story correctly. Well, I was just assuming so, because she looked super friendly with Gaara. All I was doing was walking behind them and observing their conversation, but even then my senses were tingling.
Aww. They have a thing for each other. 9 out of 10 chance they do. I want to see this.
Subconsciously beginning to ship the pair in my mind, I began grinning like an idiot as I became aware that I looked out of place thirdwheeling them while holding a baby, and decided to let my eyes wander elsewhere.
As we passed people in the streets, people greeted Gaara enthusiastically, which made me smile a little. Here and there children would run up to him for a hug, say hi, and have a quick chat, before darting off and letting us continue our walk.
"You're very popular with the people," I said loudly, so that the Kazekage could hear me. By now, he and Kannon were far ahead of me, and both had seemed to have forgotten that they were meant to be my escorts. As soon as I called out, the pair jumped and looked over their shoulders before dashing over, looking thoroughly flustered.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," said Gaara apologetically, now stuck to my side like glue. Kannon followed suit on my other side, and soon, we were all walking together in a straight line.
"Don't let me get in the way of your conversation," I chuckled, amused by their big reactions. "I'm sure we're safe here."
"No, I shouldn't have strayed like that," said Gaara, shaking his head. We began to approach a large, dusty building that looked no different to the others we had passed, which had two guards posted at the entrance. "Here we are. I'll show you to your room."
"Thanks, Gaara."
As we entered the guards bowed to their leader, and we stepped into a building that was vastly different on the inside than it appeared to be outside. Inside was clean and polished, much different to the dry, sandy exterior.
"This is the main office building, but also doubles as a home for guests to stay," explained Gaara as he led Kannon and I down the shiny, polished wooden hallway towards a winding staircase going up. Just as I was about to curse under my breath, Gaara chuckled and pointed to the elevator opposite it.
"We're not that ancient. Get in."
We got in, and went to the seventh floor. When we emerged, Gaara began to speak.
"This is where all our important guests stay," he explained as we passed a couple of rooms. "This is the Hokage's room. On the other side of the hallway is the room where Naruto stays when he comes over, and after that is Kannon's. Your room is here."
He stopped before one of the last doors at the end of the corridor, gently opening it for me.
"It's all yours."
I didn't know just what to expect when I walked in, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't expecting a room that was so nice and so adjusted to fit my needs. The entire floor was carpeted with a soft, white material, and the room in itself was a decent, spacious size. A king sized bed dominated the middle of the room with the foot facing the large flat screen TV hanging east on the wall. At the foot of the bed was a trunk which I assumed to be for clothes, and underneath the TV was a set of drawers which were probably for clothes as well. On this side of the bed was a bedside table pushed up against the back wall with a lamp on it, and further down was a cot for Ayumi. A fridge stood between the door to the balcony and the TV, with a table for one, a chair, and a high chair making up a small dining area in the massive gap between.
"Here is the bathroom for you," said Gaara from behind me. I turned around from the middle of the room to see the bathroom that I had completely missed. "The sink doubles as a bathtub for when you want to bathe Ayumi, and there's a changing table in there for her as well." Outside the bathroom doubled as a closet, which was empty save for a few hangers, a folded up ironing table, and of course, an iron.
"Wow, this is amazing," I said in awe, looking around the furnished quarters. To top it all off, the room came with a view. Although it didn't feel like we had come up a long way, the view we had of the village said otherwise. A sliding door led to a small balcony outside, which came ready with a table and two seats. A row of potted plants against the ledge added a touch of homeliness, and I grinned at the prospect of this being my new home, even if only for a short time.
"Of course, when baby number two comes out, we'll adjust things once more to ensure everyone's comfort," said Gaara as Kannon made herself comfortable on my new bed. "The fridge has been stocked, and if you need anything, just let any of the maids know. For your privacy, I've made it explicitly clear that no one is to enter your room under any circumstances, unless you ask for them. There's a wicker basket in the trunk for you, so any dirty laundry you have, just put it in there and leave it in the hallway for them to collect. The maids come through this floor every hour on the hour, so if you need anything just stick your head out any hour and let out a call. However, from 10pm to 5am there are no maids, so if you need anything your best option would be to call Kannon or Tsunade. Temari and Kankuro are fetching clothes for you and Ayumi now, and should be here within the next half hour. All toiletries have been provided for you in the bathroom, and if there's anything else you need, you can ask any of my siblings or I directly."
Gaara's words came in one ear and out the other as I tried to take in everything, nodding like a fool.
"Yup, okay, got it," I said, still starstruck by everything. Okay, the stuff I had gotten from the Uchiha hadn't been that bad, but this was a whole different league.
"The maids will make sure that you get breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, except for any days when you decide to go out. Under the bed is a pram for Ayumi for when you want to take her out with you, as well as a box of diapers, and another box of some baby things Temari organised. I don't know what they are, but she promised me everything you need for Ayumi is under there."
"Gaara, really, thank you," I said gratefully, my eyes wide as I thanked the Kazekage. "Really! This is... this is all so amazing!"
Gaara smiled gently at me, shaking his head slightly.
"It's the least we can do for you. Welcome to Sunagakure."
I squealed as I took Ayumi out of her baby carrier and held her up to my face, kissing her before placing her in her new cot.
"Yay!"
"I'll be leaving now," he finished, nodding curtly at Kannon. "You'll be fine?"
"You bet. See you later, Gaara."
"See ya." With that, Gaara excused himself from my room and left me with Kannon, and I dashed immediately to the fridge.
"Wow! They have those cool wrapped onigiri triangles in here too! Kannon, do you want one?"
"No thanks," replied Kannon as she leaned over Ayumi's cot, cooing at her as she tenderly pushed it back and forth. "Hello! How are you?"
Now that I was finally settled in somewhere decent, I had a list of things running through my mind to do as I tore apart my onigiri ball and downed a bottle of water.
Gotta shower gotta put fresh clothes on gotta eat gotta wash Ayumi gotta feed Ayumi gotta sort our shit out when Temari and Kankuro come gotta put Ayumi to sleep and have a little nap...
However, my list was short-lived when I realised that after that, I had nothing else to do.
"Hey, once you and Ayumi are really settled in, maybe you and I can try training some more," suggested Kannon, who remained lulling my daughter to sleep. "Before number two comes in. You're only like, what, a month pregnant? We should be okay for a while. I can teach you seijutsu and other non-threatening things. It'll be great."
"I'm keen," I said, nodding vivaciously as Kannon ran her ideas past me.
"Have you thought about baby names?"
"Huh?"
"You know, for the little one! Any potential names, hmm?"
"Honestly, I don't know," I said truthfully, grabbing another onigiri ball from the fridge and unwrapping it. "For a girl? Well, I love Kyoko a lot- the woman who raised me- but my birth mother's name really resonates a lot with me..."
"Please don't tell me you'd name your daughter that mouthful of a name-"
"No, no, of course not! Maybe, just half of it. Like Konohana. Or Sakuya. To be honest, either works for me. They just sound nice and unique."
"And if it's a boy?"
"If it's a boy, I'd like to-"
I stopped abruptly mid-sentence as reality struck me. My silence made Kannon raise her eyebrow in suspicion, and wave a hand wildly in the air to try and get my attention.
"Hello? Tera?"
"Never mind about names," I said hastily, turning my back on Kannon and trying to shove my onigiri down my throat, preferring to choke on food than on my own tears. "When the time comes, I'll choose. Anyway, how long have you been in Suna?"
"Me? I've probably been here for about... five? Or six months, give or take."
"You seem to be quite close to the Kazekage. Is there something I should know about?" I teased, averting the attention from myself. Kannon rolled her eyes at me, looking aghast.
"He's a Kage, Tera," she said disapprovingly. "He has a village to run. He has no time for games."
"And you do?"
"Why are we even talking about this?"
"Because you look cute together," I said with no qualms. "I ship it. How old is he?"
"He's twenty, Tera."
"Twenty?! And he's Kazekage?!"
"He's been Kazekage for about four years now, Tera. What are you, living under a rock?"
"What the fuck?! I'm so mad! He was sixteen and Kazekage, and what was I?! Nothing!!"
"Well, yes, he was. I'm sure you were something in high school."
"Yes! Nothing!" I threw my hands up in defeat, unarguably one upped by Gaara. Yes, I was the host of an immense amount of chakra that belonged to a sky spirit turned demon, but did I become Kazekage at sixteen? No.
"Actually, they wanted to make him Kazekage earlier but the daimyō refused to have him made Kazekage until he turned sixteen," elaborated Kannon, not making me feel any better about myself.
"Hey, Ayumi!" I called out, gobbling down a third onigiri. "You know what? Let's make you Hokage when you're fifteen! Do you hear me? We can't let Suna show us up like this!"
"It's not about who's showing up who," snickered Kannon, shaking her head at me. "You might as well just appoint Ayumi as the Ōgami."
"What's an Ōgami?"
"It's what the title of the ruler of our land was called," she said. "Your grandfather was the last Ōgami. Ōyama Kurotsuki."
"Ōyama? That's a strange name..."
"It's derived from the name of the god Ōyamatsuri, so I guess that's why it sounds funny."
"Why are religious names such a rife thing in this clan? My name, your name, my mother's name..." Kannon shrugged.
"I don't know. I just know that we've always had that kind of tradition. Maybe the names chosen for us to use are meant to represent who we turn out to be. I'm not sure. But I do like the idea of Ayumi having a name like that, just so that it can tie her closer to the clan."
"She's only a quarter Kurotsuki though," I retorted. I myself was not a full member of our own clan, which made Ayumi even less entitled to the clan's traditions than I was.
"Trust me, in this day and age, with our dwindling numbers a quarter is all you need," said Kannon. "As long as she's got that maroon hair, she's a Kurotsuki alright."
"You just said the other day that Shizuka would be a good name for her. Are you saying not to go with Shizuka anymore?"
Kannon raised her hands in defense.
"Hey, I didn't say you had to do anything," she said with a shrug. "Just thought you'd like to know that tidbit of information. You could even give her godly name to her as a second name, if you wanted. Entirely up to you. None of my business."
I snorted at Kannon's words, finally shutting the fridge and getting back up.
"Godly name," I scoffed. There was a knock at our door, and all I could hear was Temari calling out to me.
"Amaterasu-chan! We've brought all your clothes!"
"Godly names, huh?"
"Just a suggestion."
With all this talk about our clan and godly names, I thought that Kannon's earlier question would have slipped my mind.
And if it's a boy?
But it hadn't.
I didn't want to say it, because saying it would be like hammering the final nail into the coffin.
I still held high hopes for Shisui's survival.
But... just in case he didn't make it...
If it was a boy, I would've liked to name him Shisui.
But now with this whole "godly name" thing in the mix, I very well could end up naming my child something entirely different.
Only time could tell.