Author's Note
I am going to apologize in advance for this chapter. It is long, and I know you will be mad at me, but please do not kill the author. *Attempts a candy sweet smile* I do have today and tomorrow off, and will be working diligently on the next chapter so I do not leave you too long with how this ends.
As always, reviews/comments serve to inspire, I hope you enjoy this chapter. <3
Gaara
I was starting to get irritated. The woman, Mika, left me about two hours ago and still, I had not seen either of my annoying family members. I felt the sand twitch beneath my feet and I tried to calm myself down. I tapped the table, letting the sound of the hardened sand clack against the surface. Didn't they remember what day this was? How important this was to me? I had spent the last hour writing down possibilities of what might happen today, and those two imbeciles being late for our morning meeting was not on the list. Kankuro should have woken and been downstairs nearly two hours ago, and Shinki an hour ago. I had it written down. I looked back to my list for the itinerary for the day and scratched off the thing I had planned for this exact moment. Make breakfast.
Not anymore. They ruined my mood too much for me to offer them something to eat for putting up with me today. I should let them know I had planned it, then because of their behavior was taking it away. It was unprofessional. It was inconsiderate. It was insubordination. I groaned as more words to describe their behavior floated in my head and folded my arms. Twenty minutes. Twenty more minutes and I would drag their bodies down here by force. I was starting to not care if they lived through it. I had things to do. Things to prepare, things to practice, a schedule to keep. The day was here, the day was here. I shifted and eyed the stairs. My heart wouldn't slow down. The proposal was still hours away. Why was I so nervous already? I took a deep breath, then shifted again.
Maybe I wouldn't give them twenty minutes. Maybe I would give them five. I needed to rehearse. I needed to go over the menu. I needed them to know what I expected, I needed to express they couldn't give away why I was making dinner, or why I was having Shinki put her in a dress, and wouldn't she just be beautiful in it? I brought my fingers up to rub my forehead. This was no time to be thinking of this. I needed to prepare. I needed to make sure tonight would be perfect and go as smoothly as possible. Which was something I could not do without the two of them. I needed to make sure Shinki understood the timing necessary for Naruto to be down and ready at the exact time I began to cook. I wanted her to see how I made noodles, I wanted her to see my talents, talents I had never allowed her to see before tonight. It would be a surprise to her, and hopefully a pleasant one. I hoped she liked what I was planning on fixing for her.
What if she didn't like noodles beyond ramen? What if she despised my meal and demanded something different, would she look at me the same way or-
I was being ridiculous. I was letting my mind wander, and it was easy to do, since my soon to be dead sibling and my forgivable son were both horrendously late for the morning meeting I had set up. I tapped the table again. I was sure I set it up. I had mentioned it to them, hadn't I? What if I hadn't, and I was sitting here depending on them reading my mind again? On such an important day, what if I missed one of the most necessary and vital pieces of information? Had I done such a thing on the battlefield, we may have lost the war, or worse. A worse option, I did not even have the desire to ponder, considering I was facing the possibility of the worse option happening three weeks from now. It was not something I wanted to think about. Not today. It was too important. It was going to be a day entirely for her. To make her smile. To tell her a story from the heart of Suna. To propose to her, and hopefully I would be an engaged man by the end of the day.
I didn't care about the technicality of our marriage. Neither of us had been present. I may have consented, but it was out of... I wanted to be married to her. It was selfish, to a degree considering her state of unconsciousness. If I had chosen not to, the council may have been irritated but they wouldn't have said anything against it, not directly.
Finally, I heard steps coming down the stairs. I narrowed my eyes at the door frame which led to the stairs where the late culprit, whomever he was, would be arriving. I would accuse him of being late, and if confusion ensued, I would know I had forgotten the important task of telling them about the meeting to plan the day's events. I heard as the sound transitioned from stair to solid floor. Soon, I would chastise whomever approach.
"Sorry, Gaara, I got caught up in something." Kankuro spoke before he even entered the room.
So I had said it. "You are extremely late."
"Yeah, I know. Important day, and all that rot." He turned around the corner.
Every thought about yelling at him or crushing him to death in my sand left my mind the moment he came into view. I stared at him blatantly, confused as to why he did... whatever it was he had done. "What are you wearing? Are you attempting to mock me?"
He frowned at me, the slight gloss to his lips catching the light as he did. "What, can't a guy change his makeup around for a day to see what it looks like?"
"You decided on ceremonial bridal makeup as an experiment?"
He gave a small shrug and flopped into a chair. "So what's for breakfast?"
"Air. You are more than an hour late."
He groaned. He muttered an 'I'm gonna kill him' under his breath then folded his arms.
I tilted my head in question to his reaction, but before I could voice it, steps bounded down the stairs and my son appeared in the room. "Hey, cooking this morning?" He fell into the chair next to me and gave me a blank stare.
"You are late."
He hummed. "Not cooking then." He looked over to the cupboards and a frown formed. "I could do it I guess."
"Yes, you should." Kankuro narrowed his daintily outlined eyes at my son. "You owe me."
"Fine, whatever." He shoved off of his chair and started to grab things out of the cupboard and fridge.
"What does he owe you for?" I shifted my eyes to my brother, curious to what they were talking about.
He shifted in his chair and looked over to Shinki. "Oh, uh, I cooked him breakfast the other day."
I raised one of my brows at him. Kankuro, cook? "You cooked for Shinki?"
"Trust me, it isn't something you wanted to experience." Shinki shot me a pained look.
"Hey!" Kankuro leaned forward in his chair.
"Then why are you paying him back?"
Shinki chuckled as he began to chop onions. "Because the other option for breakfast would be a repeat of his cooking." He turned to me. "How do you want your eggs?"
"Scrambled."
I glared at Kankuro. "Poached with a side of toast."
Shinki turned back to his pan. "Scrambled it is."
I sighed. I should have known it was a trick question. Shinki never showed much interest in cooking and usually took the act of doing it as a punishment. I turned my attention back to my brother, my ridiculous looking brother, while my more sane son cooked us breakfast. Though, admittedly, at this point it was more like lunch. "After we eat, I would like to rehearse the story with you. I want to make sure I include every necessary point and make sure I enact it perfectly."
"Don't you think using sand puppets is a bit much?"
I didn't answer him. No, nothing would be too much for Naruto. I returned to watching Shinki prepare breakfast. "You should remove your makeup."
"Nah, think it suits me. Besides, if you are going to propose to me, shouldn't I be in full makeup anyway?"
I shifted my eyes back to him. Then buried him in a ball of sand.
.*. .*. .*.
"This is just weird, even for you Gaara." Kankuro's voice was strained and he struggled against his confines.
I held him down with the sand I covered him. "Hold still, otherwise it won't be right." I held up the picture of Naruto's dress and did my best to recreate it on my test subject.
"Come on, I said I was sorry." He groaned. "Is this still about me sleeping with-" His voice squeaked into oblivion as I squeezed him.
"I said hold still." I did not want to be reminded of his indiscretion. "Anyone else and I would have considered it treason."
"You know he is probably out there doing the exact same thing with someone else, don't you? I was just an easy body."
"Vulgar." I shoved him against the wall, ignored his grunt from the impact and worked on the back of the dress. I held up my hand as I administered the finer details. A flick of my index finger and a fold appeared near the small of his back, A crook to my thumb and the sand would squeeze in some at his middle, making him groan, but giving him an almost womanly waist. Sort of. He was a bit too thick for a man in order for me to pull it off entirely without crushing something vital to his survival in the process. Considering he was late for my very well mentioned morning meeting in order to mock me with his current choice of makeup, I was a little tempted. I stood back from my work a little, held up the picture again and twitched my thumb some.
He groaned. "Fuck Gaara, you're going to damn well kill me. Isn't this close enough? I can't breathe."
I frowned at the picture, set it on the little table and moved Kankuro to Naruto's old bed. I made sure he was in the position Naruto would be in and moved my sand beneath me to extend the bed since mine was much larger than the single bed Naruto had in here. I would easily be able to sit cross legged on my own bed next to her, so I wanted to recreate how I would be there so everything could be scaled with precision. Once I was sure the sand below me was to the level of the bed, I sank down into a cross legged position and faced him. "You didn't wash off the makeup."
"Shinki covered up my mirror." He shrugged and looked away from me.
I stared at him. "It is hard to take you seriously with this on you."
"Pretend I'm your wife, isn't that why you did this to me?" He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I feel ridiculous, and the faster you sort out what you are doing, the faster I can get back to normal. So go for it, get it over with."
"You could pretend to be more enthusiastic about this."
He gave an exasperated sigh. "You are already married. Even if she says no, there isn't a whole lot that can be done about it, now can there?"
I shifted my eyes away from him. I felt a heaviness settle in my chest. This was frivolous, wasn't it? What if she did say no, what if I found out she didn't want to be married to me in spite of everything? I heard her say she loved me, but what if it were just some random thing she said to people when she got happy? A... A figure of speech? My heart began to race and my breath escaped me. What if this was all for nothing? What if I was making a mistake? What if all I accomplished with this was getting her upset? Would it affect the baby? Would it harm her? Would she not want to see me for the next three weeks before our daughter was-
Hands grabbed at my shoulders and I was given a firm shake. I shifted my eyes back to him, to notice the stern and thin set face he wore. Which still looked ridiculous in women's makeup and lip tint. "Shit Gaara, stop freaking out. I'm sorry, already, so breathe. Everything will be fine, stop thinking so loud, will ya?" His hands left my shoulder and a single finger pushed between my eyes, forcing away the tension which had been building there.
I brought my hand up to feel between my eyes, where his heated touch lingered. Always uncomfortable, strange to me. I rubbed the sensation away and sighed. "I need her to know I want this."
He took a deep breath when he settled back down to his spot on the bed. "Damn tight." Another breath. "Go for it, I'm sure you will do a better job at this than anyone else in Suna, considering."
I tilted my head at him in question.
He rolled his eyes. "Listen, if there is anyone else in Suna who fights for keeping the traditions alive more than you, let me know."
I frowned at him, deciding not to answer. I knew plenty of people who fought for traditions. The Mika woman being one of them, the midwife from earlier. "Now listen." I raised my arms, creating a false desert. I started in on my story, recalling my notes on the details. I created a tiny man, moving through, I focused on what he wore, I focused on the people, the look of the fire. I concentrated on the details on the buildings, on the costumes between the two differing cultures, how over time the two styles merged to become what Suna called the traditional garb. I focused on the movement of the people, of the animals, on the way the grasses swayed in the imaginary wind I created within my mind. I focused on every detail of the engagement flower, the necklace. How it would be braided and long. When it came time, I floated the box to Kankuro and I barely noticed the sound of the box sliding open.
"Shit Gaara."
I didn't look up, I finished the last of the story, the hard working commoner with the daughter of the high family. After I was done, I let the sand move around me, then settle to the floor. I took a deep breath and looked up to my brother. Who was staring at me wide eyed, his mouth slightly ajar. I frowned. "Did I do something wrong?"
He blinked a few times, then shook his head. "Hell, if you were proposing to me with all that, I would have said yes."
"Everything seemed the way it should be? Did I miss anything in the story?"
"No, everything was perfect. If Naruto doesn't say yes to this, it's because she's in shock."
"You think so?" I started to pull the sand from his body and he took in a deep breath.
"Yeah, I do. Now can I get up?" He pointed at the sand at his legs.
I sighed. "Only if you promise to have your face back to normal by dinner. I will not have my own brother trying to outdo my wife."
"And if I show up with it on?" He smirked at me.
I didn't change my expression to tell him the outcome. "I will crush you before she can see it."
"You would regret it." He folded his arms, a smug smile on his face.
I studied him a moment. I had a panic attack a few months back when I nearly killed him. Of course I would regret it, the unfortunate part about it, was now Kankuro knew this fact. "Perhaps." I stood, the sand molding around my feet as I moved my legs for a smooth transition from sitting to standing. "But before I mourned your loss, I would rather enjoy the feeling as I crunched of all your bones into sand." Here, I smiled at him. Not my usual, half smile, but a full, bloodthirsty, toothy smile. "How warm I would be, wrapped in your life's essence, just for a moment." I turned from him and left the room before he could respond past the shocked look on his face. While I likely would never kill my brother, it was nice to leave him with a slight sense of doubt.
.*. .*. .*.
I carefully displayed every ingredient of my beef and noodles dish where it would be easily viewed from the table. I measured each thing carefully, double checked each item, weighed the beef and set the colder portions of dinner back into the fridge once ready for preparation. I turned to Shinki. "You are sure you can have her ready within a half hour?"
"It shouldn't be too hard to put her in a dress, should it?" He was leaned back in one of the table chairs, legs splayed and arms crossed.
"Shinki..." I frowned at him. Everything hinged on her arrival. Thirty minutes, and the proposal would begin. First, I would sit her down, then make a show of dinner. With luck, she will be entertained sufficiently while I cook, then I could watch her as she ate. When she was finished, I would bring her back up to her room. Our room. Then, after placing her upon the bed and giving her the box with the instructions to not open it until the end of the story, I would begin. With practiced perfection I would execute the story which explained the origins of the Suna engagement rose necklace, let her open the box, then I would tell her how much I love her. Then, I would lean in, tilt my head as Shinki instructed, and press my lips to hers and hope for a positive answer.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure I can handle this." With this he shoved away from the chair and bounded up the stairs. "Thirty minutes and I will be back."
I sighed and paced the floor. Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes and the most important moment of my life would begin. I paused and let out a shaky breath. I can do this. Naruto is my wife, Naruto is my savior, Naruto is mine. Naruto was having my child, my daughter, possibly at the cost of her own life. She would accept, wouldn't she?
"You're thinking too loud again. You should sit down and relax. Shinki hates to disappoint you, he'll be here on time. Don't worry." Kankuro walked past me and sat on the same chair Shinki had occupied only minutes before. He jerked his head to the side. "I'm being serious. Sit."
I stared at him a moment, then shifted my eyes to the empty chair. I wasn't in the mood to sit down. I needed to pace, I needed to check the ingredients again, I needed to go over the story again, I needed to- Something pulled on my arms and torso and I found myself in the chair. I jerked my head in Kankuro's direction, his fingers still posed in front of him, incriminating himself.
"You weren't going to sit down." He lowered his hand and pulled out a handful of tiny puppets. "Thought you would worry yourself into the ground so I brought these. Make a board." He tapped the table.
I tensed a moment. I should be doing something else. Anything else. I was behind on my work as Kazekage. I was in need of making everything perfect so tonight would go smoothly. I needed to- I sighed. Fine. I will play along. I crossed my arms and the table filled with sand. It swirled around the table a moment, agitating as I concentrated on what I wanted it to do. I flattened it, formed squares and placed them one by one on the table until it looked like a giant checkerboard. Except instead of being flat against the table, the squares were raised with the blank spots recesses of pure doom. I shifted my eyes back to Kankuro who started to smile like a maniac.
"I'm going to take you down this time Gaara. It's been too long since we've played this."
I hummed, rested my elbows on the table and began to form tiny soldiers from the sand and had them climb up the squares and position themselves onto the blocks, each one- depending on their position, holding onto a sword, bow and arrow, or a bag of kunai. Kankuro followed suit, his hands raised up to his shoulders, his fingers poised and suddenly his own army of puppets began to hop into position one by one. "Duel for first turn?"
"Works for me." With a twitch of his finger, one of the small puppets in front hopped through the squares, careful not to fall into the abyss between squares. This puppet carried a tiny bag of kunai, and I decided to pit one of my own soldiers with the kunai against it. It hopped with ease through the maze of squares and landed in front of the other, an empty abyss of a square between them.
I flicked a finger and a tiny sand bridge formed between the two. The battlefield. Here, on this bridge, we would determine the first player. My soldier grabbed out a tiny kunai and readied it in it's tiny hand. It crouched down, and moved swiftly towards the center of the bridge. The enemy soldier was much less tactful. It grabbed a kunai from it's pouch, twirled it around in it's hand in an elaborate display of skill and bounded quickly towards my soldier. I paused mine, readying it for impact. Kankuro's soldier threw it's first kunai and mine quickly darted out of the way by jumping over the flying object. The kunai landed behind him, stuck within the bridge, and he launched his own attack. He kept low to the ground and struck out once in range of the enemy. It dodged, pulled out a new kunai and the blades met.
The battle for domination stretched on, neither soldier getting tired, neither soldier making headway until- Footsteps. I shifted my eyes to the doorframe and I heard a chuckle come from my brother. I shifted my eyes back to the board as quick as I could, but it was too late. The little soldier lost it's balance, a tiny kunai sticking out from it's abdomen. It tumbled sideways and was lost into the abyss, the thud of it hitting the bottom made me wince a little. "Sorry." I told it, ignoring the amused smile on my brother's lips.
"Uncle Kankuro, can I talk to you for a minute? I need help with something." Shinki spoke from the doorway, his face carefully masked into a neutral expression.
"Need me to go up with you for something?"
"No, you will stay down here with me. I have a score to settle from the murder of my soldier."
I swear he whispered, 'You would think those were living soldiers' but I wasn't sure if I was hearing things. Because they obviously weren't. They were sand, and the defeat was personal, therefore the statement was an oddity and not even my brother was this naive when it came to the act of war. In fact, he was more experienced than most and could easily take my position had he truly desired it.
"Fine, he was the one who said he needed me for something anyway. Hold the game." He dropped the soldiers in place, all of them going limp, a picture of a deceased wooden army, ruined to battle.
Shinki let a frown escape just before Kankuro reached him, then they both turned away from the door. "You need what?"Kankuro's voice rose from beyond the door and I heard Shinki shush him.
I frowned. What were they hiding from me? I abandoned the game, let it fall and gathered the sand. I crept towards the door, careful to be quiet so they couldn't hear me. I stood, back against the wall, the small indent between the counter and the door frame my own personal hideout. I leaned, slightly towards the opening and listened in.
"I don't know if your Aunt and Naruto wear the same size in underwear. How would I know? I've never exactly measured..." Mumble mumble, "Yeah, I guess you could try," mumble, mumble.
"In her old dresser then?"
"I don't know." Kankuro emphasized the word. "Just check."
A groan, then more steps. More footsteps, closer this time. A face appeared inches away from mine. "You know, you could have just asked instead of acting like a creep."
I stiffened and eased my posture against the wall as though I were doing nothing out of the ordinary. "I heard you being hushed."
He sighed. "So you eavesdrop?"
"I am a Kage." I looked away from him, pushed away from the wall and sat back in my spot at the table. It was a nonsensical explanation, but I had nothing better beyond 'I was eavesdropping to make sure everything was fine.' Which sounded worse than the nonsensical explanation. Because it showed weakness. Emotion was weakness. I was not an emotional person and I refused to admit how much my heart sank at the simple thought something had gone wrong with getting Naruto ready for her proposal. I watched him silently as he returned to the table and stared at his dead army.
"You didn't have to stop the game."
"Consider it a deciding match for the start of the next. You won the start, so when we play the full game we won't have to play a deciding match. I am not in the mood for games. Shinki should be bringing her down shortly, it has been nearly a half hour."
"I'm not sure he's going to make it." His voice was tight and he scooped up his tiny soldiers and pocketed them.
I stared. What? What did he just say? I felt my shoulders tighten. "Why?"
He cleared his throat. "So, you want to, ya know, um..." He trailed off, his voice squeaking half way through and higher pitched throughout.
"You are hiding something."
"Shinki wanted to know if Temari and Naruto would wear the same size, well, you know. Things."
I blinked at him. Things? "What sort of things?"
He swallowed, his eyes moved to the door. His body gave a small shift under the table, angling him towards the door. Fear. I knew this reaction. He was hiding something from me.
"Kankuro, you will tell me what you know."
He took a deep breath. "Shinki needed undergarments for Naruto."
Undergarments? "What sort of undergarments would make you afraid of me?"
He stared at me. "Panties." Blunt, to the point.
"Panties?" I repeated the word as a question. What was so indecent about panties?
He hummed, a small blush forming on his cheeks. "Yeah, panties. The tiny bit of fabric that separates their bits from the outside air."
I stared at him. "I understand what they are, Kankuro. What I don't understand is why you are acting as a schoolboy about it."
"No reason." He shifted in his chair and fell silent. I studied him for a while before I heard footsteps once more.
Shink appeared in the doorway again. "Hey, uh, you should make dinner without us. We will be down before it's done, I promise, but there was a tiny issue."
My eyes widened at his words. "Issue?"
His eyes moved away from me. "Yes, an issue. One I'm sure Uncle Naruto would prefer to keep to himself."
"Naruto isn't your uncle."
A frown formed on his lips at my words. Then, he sighed. "Fine, I will try to stop thinking of Naruto as my Uncle, but you have to start dinner without us. A trade." He tilted his head to the side at the offer.
"I desire to display my cooking abilities." I frowned. This wasn't part of the plan. This isn't what I wanted. This was wrong. Everything was going to fail, I was going to fail, she would say no and everything I was trying to do would be-
"Calm down, everything will be fine. Trust me. Won't you just try to trust me?"
Trust. Trust my son. I could do this, trust him. I took a deep breath and gave a curt nod. "Fine. I will start dinner, but do not be late." I narrowed my eyes. "Forty minutes, Shinki. You have forty minutes until dinner should be done."
He let out a breath. "Forty minutes." He repeated the time frame and left the room quickly.
"He better be back in forty minutes."
"He will be."
I gave him a sideways glance.
"He will. Trust him, he's your son."
I frowned and returned my stare to the door. Another forty minutes then, and I will start my proposal with the serving of dinner. It was a change I was unprepared for, a change I had not included in my carefully planned list of possibilities.
I didn't like it.
I didn't have much choice.
.*. .*. .*.
Instead of my grand show of culinary expertise for Naruto, I ended up showing off for Kankuro instead. While it was hardly my first choice, it was not a terrible second. I knew I had a good audience with him, and he had yet to complain about any of my techniques or dishes I ever made him. The egg noodles took me the longest in prep. I set aside the vegetables and chopped them while mixing the dough, rolling it out, rolling it up and cutting it in small slices to make it perfect. I cut them thin, as thin as I could to simulate the thickness of Naruto's precious ramen noodles. I wanted this to be perfect. I cooked the beef before adding it to my special broth I had made earlier, heated up on the stove then added the ingredients one by one until they reached near perfection. It had simmered for about twenty minutes while I finished the noodles, then I added them in. Nerves set in as they began to cook. It only took about five minutes for them to be done, usually sooner, but I liked my noodles softer than most. Where were they? Shinki was nearly five minutes late.
Five. Minutes. Late. I tapped my leg. I trusted him. Was it so hard to get her ready? I extended his time by forty minutes, what in the world could he be up to? It wasn't like him to be late. It wasn't good to be late. I instilled this in him as a child, and he usually was good about keeping time.
Footsteps. I let out a breath before I could stop myself and made a point not to look to Kankuro, hoping he hadn't noticed and not wanting to know if he had. I forced myself to stare into my stew. More footsteps. Concentrate. This is it. Naruto is here. I felt my heart thud painfully in my chest and the contents of the breakfast Shinki made threatened to remove itself from my stomach. Deep breaths. Everything would be fine.
"Hey kid, thought you were bringing Naruto with ya."
Kankuro's words felt like lead. Everything wouldn't be fine. Today is a disaster. Nothing was going right. Nothing. Deep breaths. "Would you prefer I bring her down?" I did my best to keep my voice even, calm. A contrast to what I felt. I willed the calm into my stomach, willed my heart to act normal.
The scraping of a chair forced my eyes away from dinner. He settled back into the chair, arms crossed. "Stairs." He tilted his head in the direction of the stairs and I followed his direction. Soon, dark sand became visible in the doorway. Then more. Then... Pretty. What. Pretty. I blinked a few times to make sure I was not mistaken on who came down the stairs then I carefully schooled my face to hide my emotions. What was she wearing? My stomach twisted painfully as our eyes met. My throat went dry as I stared at her, my eyes wide. Naruto, my wife, in full engagement makeup. Everything from the purple Suna face paint around her eyes, to the rouge on her lips, to the crystals pinning what little hair she had to her head. Then, the traditional brown dress, barely visible from within Shinki's sand. She didn't look like Naruto, she looked... Beautiful. More than beautiful. More than Naruto. Just, more.
I quickly averted my eyes. I was going to propose to this woman. Soon. The proposal process was starting now, at this moment, and her arrival, wearing that of all things, only made the point settle deeper in my stomach. Calm down. Breathe. Don't act strangely, she will catch on. I couldn't help it. I looked at her again. The makeup made her practically glow, the face paint and the sparkle within her hair made her seem like a goddess of some lost civilization. Why was this tradition becoming obsolete? This moment, it would be ingrained in my mind for eternity. "Naruto." Her name escaped my lips in a breath. I took in the sight of her. My wife. My beautiful Naruto, the wife of the Kazekage in all her glory. Without meaning it she held an air of great elegance, beauty and charm. My people were going to love her, as much as I did if not more.
The beeping of the timer I set for the noodles went off and I cleared my throat and tore myself away from the beauty which was my wife, and hopefully fiancee after tonight. It was more of a chore than I would ever admit to. I started to stir my stew once again.
"Hey." Her voice wafted over the sounds of bubbling stew.
A clearing of a throat. "I see Shinki got creative." A strange laugh came from Kankuro, one which usually meant he was hiding something. "Traditional? A bit much, don't you think?"
I was going to ask him if he knew Shinki was up to this. I paused in my stirring. Kankuro wearing the engagement makeup made sense now. Of course he knew. How could I have been so blind?
"I thought you guys had people to cook for you." Naruto sounded shocked and I frowned into the stew, reminded to the lack of being able to show off my full ability.
"Yeah, usually. Never, ever say no to a dinner from Gaara though. Just a warning." Kankuro sounded serious, and for him it would be. Naruto, I would probably make an exception.
"It would be the last one he would fix you." I threatened Shinki once with this. Why were they telling her this? This was supposed to be an amazing experience, one which would both shock and awe her. Leave her speechless for the story, something I knew would be a difficult task to accomplish. Were they intentionally attempting to sabotage my engagement? I was starting to honestly think so.
"He cook often?"
I tensed at her question. I looked over my shoulder. My breath escaped me when she came back into my view. Was this really my Naruto? I went to answer, but my voice was gone. However, I wanted this conversation to end. "No." I barely scraped the word out and quickly turned back to my stew, adding the last of the oils to the mix. I was dangerously close to outright staring at her. Out of her hospital gown, with her face dressed up like this, Naruto truly was a beauty.
"Don't get me wrong, blondie, but you're kinda hot like that." I nearly broke the spoon. The lump in my throat fell back down to my stomach, all my nerves gone with the single, vulgar sentence.
"Don't even think it, puppet boy." Her voice was low. Annoyed. That's it. I flinched and I felt my sand move, almost entirely on it's own, forming a blockade between the two of them at the table.
"Aw, come on, can't I even admire-"
"No." I spoke the word from between my teeth. Images of him over her clone floated through my mind. Never. I would never let him touch her.
I felt myself tense as I heard a soft laugh. "Knew he'd like it."
I quickly dished the stew into the bowls I had ready next to the stove. The conversation was over. Whether or not the stew was perfect, I was not going to wait and allow them to influence my perfect night any longer. Everything was going wrong. I flicked my hand, moving the bowls to the table. All three of them. There was no way I was going to eat with my heart in my throat and my stomach churning so violently it threatened to empty itself even without eating anything. To eat would mean getting sick, and I was not going to chance it. Not today. Not with this. Not with Naruto. Not when I had a story to tell, and a necklace to deliver and a very important question to ask, and a kiss. A kiss. Tonight, after the proposal, I would kiss her. Tonight.
The thought didn't help my nerves in the least. I followed behind the bowls and sunk down into the empty chair next to Naruto. Now I was facing her again, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Mine. This woman, this person who was my wife, this creature which was more beautiful than anything I had ever laid eyes on, was mine. A blush rose to her cheeks and her eyes shifted down to the bowl in front of her. A small smile formed as she looked into the bowl and after a small, calming breath I decided to explain what was inside. "Egg noodles. I have not yet learned to make ramen, nor do I have the desire to learn. I am hoping these will suffice to ease your usual desire of noodles."
"Um, yeah, it's fine Gaara, thanks." She didn't sound pleased, just confused. Complacent. I did something wrong. What did I do wrong? Did she not like it? Did she have this dish before, hated it and just didn't have the heart to tell me? I bit my tongue, the small sand wall between her and my brother falling without permission as I concentrated on her face as she tasted my cooking for the first time. What if she hated it? What if she didn't tell me she hated it and she honestly despised my cooking? I bit harder to control my nerves, keeping a small wince away from my face when I tasted the metallic flavor of my own blood from biting just a little too hard. She picked up her chopsticks and picked up a noodle. Instead of eating it, she held it up and turned it about, inspecting it as though it were a specimen rather than a noodle. She looked up, flinched then frowned. "Hey, why you all staring at me like that? It's damn creepy."
My stomach nearly emptied as the noodle lowered back into the bowl. She wasn't going to eat it. She hated it. The night was ruined. What was I going to do? I stared, willing her to pick it up with my eyes. Give it another try. Please, just one bite, maybe you will like it, Naruto. Please, just try it... "Just eat the damn noodle." My idiot brother decided to intervene.
My initial reaction was to just reach up and strange him to death, but I refrained. "Kankuro, another word and I won't cook for the next year." I darted my eyes over to him to seal my threat, narrowing at him. Images of me crushing his bones into mush played through my mind. I was proud of myself. I didn't actually murder him. On the other hand, I regretted not locking him in his room for this.
The color drained from his face and he gave a shrill laugh. "Hey, I'm kidding, you take your time, kid." When his eyes met mine I motioned for him to be silent and I felt the back of my throat vibrate at my own irritation.
"This meal was made specifically for you." I froze as Shinki spilled the secret of the meal to her. What was he doing? Were they purposely trying to ruin this? I clenched my jaw and returned to watching my wife as I realized this wasn't the first time the thought crossed my mind tonight. Tomorrow, I will kill them. Tonight, I will try and keep calm and propose to my damn wife.
She gave a half smile. "You people know how to make a guy nervous, you know that?"
My mask fell for a moment with the words. Guy. My stomach lurched at the reminder of who my Naruto really was. Man. Hokage. Husband. Father. Out of reach. Was I doing the right thing by proposing to Naruto? Was I making a mistake?
A quick movement brought me out of my self destructive thoughts and I realized she had grabbed hold of a noodle from the bowl and shoved it into her mouth. She hummed softly, her eyes widened and she gave me a shocked look. I watched as she swallowed it with another soft hum. "My god Gaara, this is damn amazing."
My breath caught in my throat. Did she just say... Amazing? I bit at my sore tongue to keep the smile from creeping on my face, but the tension in my shoulders eased immediately.
"Aren't you going to eat?" I heard my son, his voice soft. A tone I come to understand as worry.
"Perhaps later." I didn't want to admit I was so nervous about what I was about to do I was afraid everything I would eat would simply return the way it came. Naruto faltered, a frown slowly forming on her lips. Had I done this? I changed the subject to a happier one. "Temari comes in a week. It will be nice to have her here again."
She nodded, but her frown deepened. It didn't work. I didn't fix the frown, it should have worked. I felt myself begin to panic. How do I fix it? Could I fix it? Everything was going wrong. She was going to decline. Why would she marry someone who can't even fix a frown? A frown gained during the engagement ceremony no less, even if the person on the receiving end had no idea what was going on. Everything was backwards for us. Completely wrong, completely askew, completely-
She began to down the rest of her bowl. I watched her as she did. She was quickly done with it and pushed it away from her. "Would you like a second?"
She shook her head no. My stomach dropped. She lied. She hated it. She never simply ate a single bowl of anything. Ever. Other than just before we, when we, and then we... While I thought she was terminally ill with some strange disease. Not the 'I made a wish to deflower you' kind of disease either. Lies. It disturbed me how she so easily told them. I filed the dislike for the dish in the back of my mind, determined to not disappoint her again. I bit at my tongue again, relieved for the distraction of the sharp pain my injured muscle gave as my teeth came back into contact with the place I had punctured it just a few minutes prior. I turned my attention back to my family. I watched them eat, willed them to eat faster. They seemed to catch what I wanted and soon, I found myself asking to be excused.
I could feel myself tremble as I spoke the question. Naruto thankfully seemed to have spaced out sometime during the meal. My nerves were starting to get more noticeable the closer it came to the time to leave dinner. Because leaving dinner meant going upstairs. Going upstairs meant telling a story. Telling a story meant proposing, and proposing meant kissing her. I wasn't ready, but it didn't matter. It was too late. I had the necklace. Naruto would be having my daughter, my daughter, in just three tiny weeks. Not enough time to prepare for this, not enough time to figure out how to approach the birth, not enough time to-
"Relax, you will be fine." Shinki gave a light punch to my arm, effectively dragging me back out of my current panic.
I gave him a silent nod, not trusting my own voice. He gave me a reassuring smile and I gathered up my wife into a floating chair, and began to head back up to our room. Our room. The one I shared with Naruto. The one I will always share with Naruto. My wife. For the rest of my life, and hers. My legs were lead as I climbed the stairs. In mere minutes, the story would begin. In mere moments, I would tell her how much I love her, in mere moments my lips would descent onto hers and I would claim them as my own. In mere moments. I was not ready.
I counted every step. Every breath. Every beat of my pounding heart. Move. Breathe. I can do this. I'm not ready. I have to be. I was in my room. I moved her to our bed. Ours. I cushioned her back so she could be comfortable. Then I noticed. My nerves were replaced by shock at my room. The bassinet was next to the bed, which I quickly moved so I could be next to her. I flicked my eyes around the room and noticed changing tables, diapers, random toys and baby furniture scattered on the outer edges of my room effectively turning the thing into a nursery. All of my personal belongings were stacked in the center, a tiny faux room made from the items.
"Why didn't you tell me you could cook?"
I pushed my room to the back of my mind and focused on the beauty in front of me. "Because you would ask me to cook for you every time I seen you." It was honest. "I see Shinki rearranged my room while I was away. I shouldn't have let him in without supervision." Maybe not so far to the back of my mind.
"I was here."
If I were akin to laugh, I would have. Even if she had the ability, she would likely have helped with the carnage, considering what I did to her home back when- Proposal, proposal, proposal. I must not allow my thoughts to become errant, astray, move away from what I needed. My eyes wandered over the room again. Shinki must have sounded like a train coming through this room while he did this. "I apologize for my son. he did not tell me he was going to do this."
She pointed at her face. "You mean the makeup? It's alright. He said you would like it." She paused a moment. "Do you?"
I would never apologize for the makeup. I cleared my throat. I must thank Shinki for this later. Like it? My eyes locked onto her face. Heat welled in my chest at the sight of her. Beautiful, exotic. The last word was because of the heat elsewhere this look seemed to elicit. But I had no time for such thoughts, or acknowledgements towards this particular misbehaving piece of my body. I refused to take notice, or at least enough notice to make it something which would distract me from my task. Of course, thinking about not thinking about it, only made the heat surge in my abdomen and I averted my eyes a moment. "Yes." I barely hissed the singular word to acknowledge the fact I did, in fact, like her makeup. She would never fully understand how much. If she said yes... I took my position on the bed. Cross legged, facing her as I had done with Kankuro earlier in the day. When I returned my eyes to Naruto she was giving me an odd look. Her brows, slightly furrows, accentuated by the makeup. I should elaborate. "I have an affinity for tradition, and this, what you are wearing, is highly traditional for Suna. For this."
"This?"
I almost gave it away, with two simple words. No, it was alright, in this moment, it was alright. I took a deep breath. From here, there was no turning back. From here... I looked into her eyes. I searched within the blue, the dark depth of the black in the center of her eyes. "Yes, this." This, a word which would let her know there was something coming, though she wouldn't know what, not yet. Not until the end of the story. Not until she seen the necklace. I broke our eye contact. Could I do this? I wasn't ready, I needed to do this, what if she said no, what if I lost her, would all this be pointless?
"You're nervous about something. What's going on Gaara? I might not be the brightest g-" She cleared her throat. "Girl around, but I'm not entirely stupid as to not figure out somethings up."
"Naruto, I have a story to tell you." No turning back. The box was sitting on my desk in the center of the room, and with a crook of my finger it came to me. I looked down at it. This was it. This is where everything began. This is the moment I would either be grateful for, or regretful of for the rest of my life. Say yes, Naruto. Please, say yes. I handed the box to her, my arm felt heavy as I did. Not ready. No other choice but to go forward. I was committed to this. This wasn't how it was done. This wasn't how traditional marriages were ever done. Chaperoned visits. Private liaisons with chaperones in toll. Then, public outings, then the proposal ceremony. This was different, because Naruto was already my wife. Pregnant. She didn't know the story. There would be no handing off, no chaperoned living conditions, no... The box felt like a brick in my hand. "Here, do not open this until the story is done. It is important you understand the meaning before you see it."
"You are nervous." She frowned and the box lifted from my hand, the heaviness transferred over to her. She was holding it. The box, it was over. It was beginning. I had a story to tell.
Wait, what did she say? Was I so obvious? Nervous? More than she knew. I pulled sand into my lap as I answered her unspoken question. "Yes, but it is unimportant. I must tell you this story." My nerves were unimportant. I wanted this. I wanted this more than anything I wanted in my life before, more than anything which would ever come. Naruto, this person was everything to me. She had been everything to me since we were children, and I had the chance to make her mine. Claim her in every form, and it would start here, with this, and it must be done.
She looked at the sand, the frown not leaving her face. "Okay..." She trailed off, an odd look crossing her face.
Explain, make her at ease. My heart was racing. Focus. I was confusing her. "When Shinki was small, I started to use sand puppets to tell stories." Why did I choose this to be the way to explain? I chastised myself in my mind but continued. "It was the only thing which entertained him. More than the toys, more tan any words I could use, no matter how much I gave, this simple little thing made him smile." I grabbed at the sand, letting the feel of it running through my fingers calm me. I should confess to her. "He suggested I use it to tell it. I've... Ive never shown you." I always thought she would find it childish. Immature. Something I disliked her to think of me. I somehow had garnered her admiration, and I grasped onto it with every ounce of my being.
Her expression changed, the frown fading away into a smile. "I'm watching."
I nodded. This was it. Concentrate. Focus. Be on point. I took a breath and the sand began to form the landscape I practiced earlier. Remember every detail, remember every word. After the first scene I eased into it. The sand, it was always a comfort to me, and being able to show my skills to her in this way, it felt freeing. I continued on in the story, not fully paying attention to my own words, focusing on the scenes, the details.
"Suna?" Her question nearly brought me out of my concentration.
I hummed and continued the story, moving on to the part of the high family. How they were uncomfortable with their new life.
"Why, they had what they needed to live by having the nomads there."
This did make me pause. I looked up to her, keeping the scene still. Concentrate. Do not lose this. "Yes, but listen." I hoped these interruptions would not become a habit for her. I continued on, returning my eyes to my work. The people moved in the scene, I described why. I got to the part where the nomads forbid the boy from seeing the daughter of the high family.
"I'm not sure I'm liking your story."
I gave her a quick, poignant glare. Just listen. I tried to convey the message with my eyes, then continued on. It was getting closer. It was almost time. Concentrate. It will be fine. Just continue. She would say yes. She had to say yes. I focused all my will on the riches the boy created with hard work and determination. Until he returned. Here. My stomach twisted with every word. "He came prepared with crops, with goats, with water and a small box." I paused here and met her eyes. Make the connection. This box, doesn't it look just a little familiar to you? Do you understand what this is? Do you have any idea how much I love you? I returned to the story. I wanted it done. I wanted to make the point. I wanted to her to see what I wanted. I wanted her to- "For many years, real petrified sand roses were used for the necklaces, but when they became scarce, jeweled ones replaced the real." I pushed the sand out of my way. Over. It was now. This was the moment. It was here I would ask her. I shifted my legs so I could be closer to her. Touch her. I never wanted to touch her as much as in this moment. "It is a simple box, designed like they were back then. The lid slides off from within the wooden groove."
She swallowed and her eyes went down towards the box. I noticed a slight tremble in her hand as the cover slid off. Was she nervous? Did she understand? I heard a soft gasp come from her.
"Gaara?" Her eyes came up to meet mine, questions unspoken yet obvious on her face.
Touch her. I needed to touch her. I pulled the sand away from my hand as I moved to grab hers. Now. "Naruto, will you do me the honor of choosing to be my wife?" I said it. It was done. This was it. My heart leapt to my throat as I waited for her to respond.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Her mouth moved, then closed, then she nodded.
Nodded. Yes? She... She said yes! She agreed, she would marry me, we would- I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my lips. Yes. A nod meant yes. The weight in my throat fell down to my stomach and erupted into a funny sort of twisting feeling. Without thought I grabbed for her. Touch. I pulled the sand from my face. Lips, hot, they would be mine. She is my wife. We would marry. She was mine, for life, from here, she was truly mine. I held her tightly to me. Felt the heat of her. I breathed her in, felt her life within my arms. Mine. Forever mine. I shifted and looked closely at her face. Memorized every contour with them. This sight, this moment, I wanted to remember it for eternity. I traced her chin with my fingers, then I placed them underneath. I needed more, more touch, more of her scent, more Naruto. I lifted her chin and lowered my face towards hers. I was so close our breath mingled, but I needed to speak. Speak before I touched. "Naruto, I love you more than life itself." My words were a truthful whisper and I felt what little resolve I had left melt away as she gasped the words into her mouth.
I descended upon her, tilted my head and placed my lips upon hers. Hot. Not like sand at all. Not remotely like sand. Sensation exploded out from where we connected, a thin pleasurable, all consuming sort of feeling. The world melted, our breath became one. I tightened my grip on her arms and I gasped at the feeling my lips gave me. Naruto. This... This... There was a rumble on my mouth. The feeling sent a chill down my spine. I moved to deepen the kiss, but hands pushed at my chest, my lips fell from hers.
She gave a small cry, a high pitched moan. She gasped for breath. "Wrong, it's... Something..." Her hands slid from my chest and she gripped tightly onto my arms. She doubled over in a whimper. Then, she gasped, her eyes widened. "Too soon, oh god, it's too soon."
Her grip on my arms tightened to the point it cracked my armor. I felt numb. Something went wrong. Something was wrong. Something was extremely wrong. I tried to clear my mind, ignore the lingering heat on my lips. "Naruto?" Her only answer was a pained whimper. What happened? Had I hurt her? Wait, what did she say? Too soon? "What do you mean, too soon?"
Another groan, then a quick, deep breath. She gave a light pant to catch her breath. "Nng, baby, doctor. I need the damn doctor."
I held her in my arms as I tried to process what was happening, my mind still a little foggy from our kiss. "Doctor..." I trailed off, and after she made another sound which seemed to be a cross between a moan and a yell, I was able to connect the pieces.
Baby. Doctor. Naruto in pain. Too early. My heart leapt to my throat.
"Yes. The fucking doctor."
I stared at her. What did I need to do? Who was closest? How would I pry my arms away from her in order to hunt down said doctor. Too soon. I wasn't ready to propose, I sure as hell wasn't ready for this.
Who in the hell was available at this time of day? The baby wasn't due for three weeks! It would be a whole other week before the first wave of help was supposed to arrive, she can't be in labor, what did-
"The. Fucking. Doctor." She said the words through her teeth and the glare she gave was piercing.
"Vulgar." Possibly the stupidest thing I could say, yet it escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
"Gaara!" My name was followed by another whimpering yell. "Please, please get- ngh" Her entire body trembled, her grip tightened further on my arms which elicited my own gasp as my sand cracked further, pressing it deeper into my skin.
Something. I needed to do something, what this something was I wasn't entirely sure, but I needed to do it now. I scanned the room, wishing I had installed the emergency buzzer for Naruto already. My heart began to race and my breath left my lungs. I could feel myself begin to shake. "I..." What do I do? "I..." I don't know, what will I do, what if she needs me, what if she dies while I go to find a doctor, what if- I fought to breathe.
Panic.
Naruto shook me slightly by the shoulders. I hadn't even noticed she moved her hands from my arms. "Shit. Breathe, Damn it Gaara, breathe." Her own breathing was labored but I did as she told me.
A deep breath in through my nose, out through my mouth. Doctor. I needed a damn doctor. Vulgar, necessary. I would have to leave her to do so. I bit my cheek. I didn't want to. I needed to stay. She needed a doctor more. But now, not when, after I, when she- I fought to control the surfacing emotions. I needed to leave. But first... I grabbed the back of her neck, I splayed my fingers into her hair there, I cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. "Naruto." I crushed my lips onto hers. Soft. Hot. Just as addicting as before, but I filled this kiss with a promise. A desperation. I wanted her to know what I felt and I hoped my emotions would somehow transmit to her through my lips. I pulled away from her. "Don't you dare die on me while I get the doctor." I pried myself from her, tried to ignore the pained whimper which followed when I neared the door. I managed to still the shaking in my hands enough to grab hold of the door enough to pull it open. Walk. Now I just needed to...
One step. Two, three and I was out the door. I heard a pained yell and I forced my body forward. Ignore it. I could do nothing beyond get the people who could help. Get the people who could help, fast. I formed the sand beneath my feet and bounded down the stairs. Kankuro's room was first, but it was empty. I groaned, frustrated. I moved to Shinki's room, I busted down his door. He was there, looking shocked. "Baby. Naruto. Doctor." I couldn't form a sentence, these were the only indication of what I needed, but he seemed to understand.
His eyes widened. "What? How? I mean-"
I pointed downwards. "Call the doctor. Can't..." I trailed off. Phones were not exactly my strong suit, and I could barely form a coherent sentence with my son, in person, so calling someone was simply out of question. He jumped up from his desk and bounded past me. I followed, still letting the sand carry me. He jumped the stairs, two, three at a time. I followed closely behind, until we reached the kitchen, to the phone.
He picked it up and paused. "Names. I need names." He began to dial even without the names. Not a direct call. He was calling people who could fetch them.
"Kimiko."
He repeated the name, then looked back to me.
My mind blanked. Who else. Names, I couldn't think of names. Who was on the list Kimiko gave me? My heart raced, I looked around the room and I remembered a name as I caught sight of the table. "Mika of the Western Gate." It was a name, it would have to do. I could only hope she was as good as she proclaimed.
I turned from Shinki. "Send them to my room when they arrive." I left him, I went back to my room as quick as I could. She was in bed, doubled over, holding onto her middle. Whimpers and groans left her mouth consistently. I was at her side, holding onto her hand. She glistened, her makeup began to run. I brushed my fingers over her forehead.
"Hey, didn't die while you were out, yeah?" Her voice was strained and she tried forcing a smile. Her breath was labored. Was she supposed to be sitting like this? Should she lay back? I had no idea.
I couldn't voice anything. Alive, she was still alive. I needed her to stay this way, and I would have no way of guaranteeing it unless I got a doctor to come in. I squeezed her hand. Where was everyone?
To answer my question, steps came up the stairs. I looked up to find Mika there, slightly out of breath. "Too many stairs. Why the top floor?" She came up to the bed and patted my shoulder. "Up with you, I need to check her out."
I moved away, reluctantly letting go of Naruto's hand. "Can you stop it? She isn't due yet." It needed to stop. I couldn't lose her. We had three weeks left. Three.
She shushed me and she sat on the bed next to her. "Look at me, everything will be fine. Do you understand? First, we need to get this off you. Arms up." Naruto did as she asked and the dress began to lift off of her. I was too worried to care about exposed flesh and soon the blanket covered what the dress had done moments before. Mika looked over to me and tapped the sand behind my wife. "She needs to lay back a bit. Not all the way, but I need her at an incline."
I nodded and I moved most of the sand away from her. Naruto whimpered as she was leaned back.
"Try to relax." She rubbed Naruto's leg and she pressed on her stomach. A frown formed. "Water's broke." She looked up to me. "The baby is coming." She grabbed hold of Naruto's leg and guided her to her side. "Baby is facing the wrong direction. We need it facing down. Relax into it, shh." She rubbed her back as Naruto gave another cry.
"Hurts. God, it hurts."
"I know, shh. It will be over soon. Your contractions are close. We might not have much time." She continued to rub her back, then pressed on her abdomen. "Almost there." Another whimper.
I stood there, frozen. Staring at the scene in front of me. What could I do? What was she doing? Where was Kimiko? I am going to kill her as I promised when we were children for this.
Minutes passed, then she was rolled back onto her back. She gave another cry. Mika turned to me. "Who are you to this woman, Lord Kazekage?"
"I... She is my wife."
Her eyes widened for a moment, then she nodded. "Go, hold onto her hands. Keep her calm."
I followed her order. This woman, who feared me only hours ago had every confidence in what she was doing to the point of giving orders to the Kazekage without hesitation. The woman lifted up the blanket, grabbed hold of Naruto's legs and spread them wide. "Deep breath."
Naruto whimpered and I squeezed her hand tighter. "What... What are you doing?" The words came in a high pitched squeak and she flinched.
"Checking your dilation." I did not want to contemplate what these words meant.
There was a commotion at the door, and soon a familiar shrouded woman was kneeling next to the bed, next to the midwife. She moved her hand over Naruto's abdomen and her head turned quickly to the midwife. I didn't catch what was said, but something about the contractions being too close together. I think. What was a contraction? Maybe I heard wrong. Naruto looked up to me. Her makeup was running freely down her cheeks, leaving trails of where her tears had gone. I wiped the wetness from her face.
"The hospital said it would send a few nurses with some supplies." Shinki jogged up to the bed, his head turned away from it as he did. He held out his arm, a large bag held out from it. "Here, your bag."
Kimiko took it, and began to hook Naruto up to a small monitor. She gave me a glance. "Special circumstances, so I included a heart monitor, to be sure." For Naruto. Keep her alive.
Just keep her alive. Keep her alive. I wasn't ready for this. I couldn't lose her. Soon, a soft, high pitch beeping sound filled my room and I was reminded of her life. There were moments it seemed erratic, followed by a soft scream or an 'Oh god, get it out of me'. Followed by a stern 'Do not push.' from one of the doctors.
"Shit, this is too fast." Kimiko shifted and placed both of her hands onto my wife's abdomen.
"The baby is crowning, push, now." Mika dropped between Naruto's legs.
There was a deep groan, her grip on my hand tightened. Then, she stiffened and screamed. "I can't, I can't please, I can't. This is wrong, there is something... There is..." The words were spoken between pants, followed by another scream. I winced from the pain in my hand.
"Almost there, one more push, and you will be done."
The heart monitor began to act strangely, the beeps became erratic. "Some... Something..." Another scream, her body stiffened.
"Naruto?" I grabbed hold of her hand as tight as I could.
"We need him to move."
"We are done, the baby is out."
The baby is... Shouldn't the baby be crying? I thought babies cried when they were born...I stared at Naruto, she gave a deep exhale and she went limp.
Darkness surrounded me.
My world collapsed around me.
All I could hear was the thin, high buzz of the heart monitor no longer registering a heart beat.