In the morning I said good-bye to the girls and watched them leave. Then, time seemed to fly by like it was blowing away in the wind. First a month past and I began to become faster and stronger. Then two months past and I was stronger and faster. And then three months past and I was able to get past Gaara's sand for more than three minutes. Gaara and I didn't leave each others side for more than a few seconds. We were never more than three feet apart and we never took our eyes off of each other.
Then I began to notice that I was gaining weight and not losing it. Then, my stomach began to expand and I realized that I was now responsible for another life. I cried at first and then I was happy. I was having a child with the man I love. But, I didn't think he was ready for a child, so I hid my stomach from him. I used an illusion jutsu and asked to live in my apartment. At first Gaara was hurt, but I told him that I was sick and didn't want to get him sick.
I moved out of Gaara's room and into my apartment. Serena was displeased and avoided me most of the time. I threw up for awhile and then stopped. Now, I was in my final stage of pregnancy and Gaara was coming for a visit. Accidentally, I fell asleep and the illusion wore off.
I woke up to a yell of surprise. Gaara was standing in my bedroom doorway. I sat up and rubbed my stomach tenderly.
"I'm sorry." I whispered.
"For what?" Gaara asked.
"For not telling you. I was afraid and now the baby's going to be here soon. I should have told you earlier, but I was afraid of how you were going to react."
"Well, I'm scared and surprised and cursing myself right now."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Then whose is it because I seem to recall that there are two people involved in this."
"It's both of our faults, but it’s mainly mine. I knew what I was getting into. This should have never happened."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"You said that you know a lot about me when we first met. Do you remember how I was born?"
"Gaara! I'll be fine! I know you're scared, but I am too. We can get through this together."
Gaara walked over to me and sat next to me. We wrapped our arms around each other and he leaned on me. He put his hand on my stomach and rubbed it gently. I smiled and he gave a small smile. Suddenly, the baby kicked where Gaara's hand was and Gaara jumped up and gave a little yell.
"Gaara! Calm down! It was just the baby! It knows its father." I said.
"It kicked me." He said.
"It was saying hello."
Gaara sat back down and I grabbed his hand. I laid it on a spot on my stomach and he gave a small gasp.
"You can feel it moving around?" I asked.
"Yes." Gaara whispered.
"Its excited to meet you."
Gaara leaned down and kissed my stomach. I smiled and Gaara's eyes grew wide as the baby continued to move. I brushed Gaara's cheek with my hand and he looked up at me.
"We need to go see Sakura. Today." I said.
"Why?" Gaara asked.
"Because she's the only medical ninja I trust and the baby is starting to move more and more. We have to go to the leaf village today. I'll put an illusion around my belly and we'll go to Sakura's house."
"Alright."
Gaara stood up and he carefully helped me stand up. I put an illusion around my stomach and then we jumped out the window. Gaara's sand formed around us and we flew very fast towards the Leaf Village. I cuddled into Gaara the whole way and he kept on kissing my forehead every few seconds. Within minutes, we were at the Leaf Village's gate. We signed in and then hurried to disguise Gaara. After that, we made our way along to Sakura's house. We knocked a few times before Sakura opened the door. She grabbed me into a big hug and then set me down.
"Chibi-chan! I've missed you so much!" She said.
"Onee-chan, you're the only one I trust as a medical ninja. We need a favor from you." I said.
She looked at me for a moment and then hurried us inside.
"You aren't!" She said once the door was shut.
"I am." I said.
"Oh my! Leslie!"
"Are you going to help us or not?"
"Of course I will!"
The illusion around my stomach dropped as a rush of water hit the floor. I grabbed my stomach and gasped.
"Good because I don't think this baby is going to wait much longer." I said.
Gaara's eyes went wide with fear. I gave a tiny scream as someone knocked on Sakura's door.
"Sakura? Are you okay? What was that noise?" Naruto asked.
"Damn it Naruto! This is bad timing!' Sakura shouted through the door.
"No. Its good timing actually. He can keep Gaara from bursting into the room. Let him in. Quickly!" I panted.
Sakura looked at me for a second and then whirled around as I gave another small scream. Sakura was very quick in opening the door, pulling Naruto in, and shutting the door again. No one could know what was about to happen.
"Whoa! When did this happen?" Naruto asked.
"It doesn't really matter right now!" I said panting.
Gaara was about to come over to me when Sakura stopped him.
"You can't do anything for her right now except stay calm and not kill anyone! Naruto, it’s your job to make sure Gaara does not come into my room no matter what!" Sakura said.
"Alright." Naruto said.
Sakura hurried me into her bedroom and shut the door tightly behind her. Then she closed the blinds in her room and made sure that the window was shut and locked. I lay down on the bed and Sakura pulled down my shorts and coverings. I screamed as a contraction came on.
"Leslie! You need to breathe! You still need to dilate!" Sakura said.
I screamed as another contraction came on and Sakura filled a basin with warm water. Then she got cloths from her closet. She put everything down and then Kneeled in front of me.
"I'm going to check to see how far along you are." She said.
I just panted and tried to keep my breathing regular. She reached a little up into me and then pulled out quickly.
"You're almost fully dialated. You're gonna have to start pushing soon." She said.
I screamed as a contraction came on. Sakura whipped sweat from her forehead and then spread my legs far apart to the point where it hurt the muscles in my legs.
"You need to push now Leslie!" Sakura said.
My hands curled into fists around handfuls of the sheet under me.
"Push now!" Sakura said.
I took a deep breath and pushed as hard as I could. Sakura counted down ten seconds and then I breathed again along with a scream. Sweat poured off my body and then there was a sudden crash in the other room.
"Gaara!" I panted.
"Forget about him! Right now you need to concentrate on this baby! Now push!" Sakura said.
I took a deep breath and then pushed again. Sakura counted down the ten seconds. I screamed and tried to breathe while noises of struggle reached my ears from the other room. Almost an hour later, I was still pushing. And then came a cry that wasn't my own. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and whipped the baby off. She wrapped it in a blanket and then handed it to me. I cradled it and it stopped crying once it reached my arms.
"It’s a boy. What would you like to name him?" Sakura asked.
"I'll name him after my father. Darien." I said.
"What a wonderful name."
I brushed my finger against Darien's cheek and he cooed softly. I smiled and he opened his eyes. They were a beautiful shade of brown. When I looked up, there was a small tuft of red hair on his head. I gently poked his nose and he giggled.
"You look like your father." I said.
Sakura cleaned me up and got rid of the excess stuff that was still in my body. Then she helped prop me up against the headboard and pillows and then covered my lower body with another sheet. Sakura opened the door and Gaara stumbled into the room. Naruto lay on the floor with cuts and bruises covering his body. Sakura sighed and shut the door behind her. Gaara starred at me for minutes before rushing to my side and kissing me.
"I'm so glad you’re alive! I thought I had lost you! I almost killed Naruto to try and get in here!" Gaara said.
I laughed and then heard a soft coo. I looked down to see Darien starring at Gaara.
"That's your father." I whispered to him.
Gaara gasped when he noticed Darien. He climbed into the bed next to me and placed his cheek against mine.
"He's beautiful." Gaara whispered.
"He has your hair." I said.
"And your eyes."
"Do you want to hold him?"
"Can I?"
"Of course you can! You’re his father!"
I carefully placed Darien in Gaara's arms and helped Gaara arrange his arms so that he wouldn't drop Darien. I kissed Gaara on the cheek and then snuggled into him in a way that I wouldn't disturb Darien or make it awkward for Gaara to hold him. Darien looked at Gaara and cooed softly. Gaara smiled and then I smiled.
"He likes you." I said.
"That's unusual." Gaara said.
"How?"
"He likes me. Most people are still scarred of me."
"You’re his father. Why would he be scared of you?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have a demon inside me."
"Don't think like that! He'll love you for you just like I do! That demon doesn't matter anymore. Well, except for at night. He's pretty useful at night." I said.
Gaara chuckled and then looked at Darien.
"Your momma is just kidding!" Gaara said.
"If I'm just kidding, then why didn't you correct me?" I asked.
"Because...I uh...."
"Because I'm right?"
"Yes."
We both laughed and then kissed before a soft cooing caught our attention. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was Gaara talking to Darien and Darien cooing in response.
A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of Darien crying. I opened my eyes to find Gaara walking around the room, rocking Darien back and forth.
"What happened?" I asked?
"I don't know. I was talking to him when he suddenly started crying." Gaara said a little fearfully.
"Relax, Gaara. He's probably just hungry. Let me see him." I said.
I held out my arms and Gaara placed Darien in them.
"Make sure Naruto doesn't come in here." I said.
"Okay." Gaara said.
I pulled down my shirt and placed Darien near my breast. Almost imminently, Darien latched on and began to suck. I smiled and Gaara's eyes went a little wide.
"Do I have to explain to you why I'm doing this?" I asked.
"I think so." Gaara said.
"When a woman gets pregnant, she produces milk which is fed from the breast."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Can I have some?"
"Gaara! Darien, don't listen to your daddy!"
Just then the door opened a crack.
"It's Sakura. I've brought some things from the hospital." Sakura said.
"Come in." I said.
Sakura stepped into the room and dropped a bag at the foot of the bed.
"There are supplies in there to take care of Darien. You three can't leave until tomorrow so that I can make sure that Leslie and Darien are healthy. Gaara, you might want to contact your brother and sister." Sakura said.
"Why?" Gaara asked.
"You're going to need help if you're going to sneak a baby into the Sand Village. And the best people to help you with that are your siblings. I think they have a right to know that they've just become an aunt and uncle."
"Alright."
Gaara hesitated.
"They'll be fine." Sakura said.
Gaara kissed me on the forehead before leaving. Sakura looked at me and sighed.
"It’s good that you're feeding him. I was going to suggest that when I came in." Sakura said.
"What's the matter Onee-chan?" I asked.
"I never accepted Chibi-chan to have a child before me."
"Life is full of surprises."
"It certainly is."
"Who do you think he looks more like?"
"I think he looks more like you. He's got your eyes and nose."
“I think he looks like Gaara. Darien got his hair and face."
"Then Darien's a perfect combination of both of you."
Just then, Naruto burst into the room.
"Who does he look like?" Naruto asked.
Sakura slapped a hand over Naruto's eyes and I pulled Darien away from my breast. He whimpered for a minute before opening his eyes and cooing at me. I pulled my shirt back on and nodded at Sakura. Sakura unclamped her hand and Naruto gasped when he saw Darien.
"He's a perfect combination." Naruto said.
"Do you want to hold him?" I asked.
"I'd love to."
"But I have something I want to ask the both of you."
"What is it?"
"I want you two to be the Godparents. Gaara and I decided last night that you two would be the good people to be Darien's Godparents. Temari and Kankuro get the pleasure of being blood related."
Naruto pumped his fist in the air and Sakura jumped up in joy.
"Of course I'll be his God Mother!" Sakura said.
"No way would I say no!' Naruto said.
I laughed and Darien giggled.
"Now, calm down Naruto and you can hold Darien." I said.
Naruto sat down at the foot of the bed and held out his hands. I placed Darien in his arms and Darien whimpered for a moment before crying. Sakura jumped up and carefully plucked Darien from Naruto, which frightened him and made him cry louder. I got up and stood beside Sakura. Once Darien saw me, he calmed down.
I giggled and Darien smiled. I let Sakura hold him for a few minutes before making her give Darien back to Naruto. This time, Darien stayed calm. After a minute, he stretched and yawned. A few seconds later, he was lightly snoring in Naruto's arms. I smiled and then Gaara walked into the room. He tiptoed past Naruto and Darien and slid into bed next to me.
"Kankuro and Temari will be waiting on the very outskirts of the Sand Village gate. No one will be able to see us from there." Gaara whispered.
"After the Chunin exams, we'll have to announce our relationship and Darien." I whispered.
"Those are a month away."
"I think we'll be able to hide Darien until then. And you can watch him while I take the exams."
"Alright."
Darien cooed softly and we stopped talking. Darien slept for nearly three hours. Naruto had to sit there and hold him the entire time.
"I guess he takes after you in that department." Gaara whispered.
"That's my boy." I whispered.
Just then Darien began to stir and we all stopped talking. Darien stretched, opened his eyes, saw Naruto, and began to squirm around to find me or Gaara. When he saw us, he cooed and then reached out his little arms towards Gaara. Gaara took him and held him gently in his arms. Darien looked from Gaara to me to Gaara to me and then cooed. We all laughed and Darien giggled and smiled.
The rest of the hours slipped by as Gaara and I looked after Darien. Soon, Darien and I were asleep and Gaara was lying beside us. When Darien woke up in the middle of the night, Gaara took care of him. Instead of waking me up, he made a bottle of formula and fed it to Darien although Sakura woke up and helped him with it. Then, while the rest of the village was still asleep, Gaara, Darien, and I made our escape.
It was quite in the pale light of dawn and nothing was moving in the forest. This worried me slightly, but Gaara was on high alert and he sensed nothing. We floated over to where Kankuro and Temari where waiting for us. Kankuro looked like an excited little kid and Temari looked like she was ready to kill someone. As soon as we landed, Kankuro raced over to us and looked at Darien.
"He's perfect!" Kankuro said.
"He certainly is." I said.
Temari marched over to Gaara and started quietly yelling at him.
"I can't believe you! Coming to us yesterday and telling us that you now had a kid! You could have given us a little warning!" Temari said.
"Well, we were afraid that you were going to act like this so we hesitated a little too long." Gaara said.
"That still doesn't give you the right to-"
"That's enough! You should be glad I even told you! Most importantly, you should be happy because you are now an aunt whether you like it or not."
There was a few seconds of silence before Temari sighed.
"Look, you may be Kazekage but you're still my little brother and I worry about you." Temari said.
"I know, but you don't have to. Thank you for helping us." Gaara said.
"No problem! It was fun rearranging Leslie's apartment." Kankuro said.
"What exactly is going on?" I asked.
"Well, you three are going to climb into the back of Salamander and we're gonna bring you to your apartment. We've made it so that all three of you can live in that apartment." Kankuro said.
"Thanks Kankuro and Temari!" I said.
"No problem. Now, let's get going." Kankuro said.
Kankuro pulled out a scroll and unraveled it. He laid it on the floor and Salamander appeared in a brief cloud of smoke. Gaara, Darien, and I climbed into the back and Kankuro closed it. We then traveled to my apartment. It was easy getting past the gate; the hard part was maneuvering around in the city. But after a little while, we arrived in my apartment.
Gaara, Darien, and I climbed out of Salamander to find that my apartment was very rearranged. Everything was in a different place except for my bed. Gaara and I laughed and Darien smiled.
"We would like it if you two stayed for a little while." Gaara said.
"We'd love to!' Kankuro said.
I made Darien a bottle and let Kankuro feed him. At first Darien, would not go to Kankuro because Kankuro's make-up frightened him. After some convincing and cooing, we finally got Darien to go to Kankuro. After Kankuro fed Darien, Temari took him and rocked him to sleep. After a few minutes of holding the sleeping Darien, Temari went into the bedroom and laid him in his crib. Then Kankuro and Temari left.
Gaara made us dinner and we got to eat before Darien woke up crying. Gaara fed him and I changed him before we all crawled into bed. I laid Darien in his and he fell asleep quickly. Gaara and I stayed up for a little while talking before I fell asleep on his chest.
