Guilt
By: Mnemosyne46
Author's note: I decided to do a sequel to "Birth" It's written quite a bit differently from its predecessor, but hopefully it's still good.
He lay in my arms, covered in the blood of birth, not death. He was trembling with life, life that had killed my mother. I thought about what my mother had said just seconds ago, when she had been alive, and I vowed to honor her dying wish.
Suddenly there was an awful brightness, and I woke up from my memory-dream feeling generally bad. Sakura Haruno was sitting in a chair near my bed. I appeared to be in a hospital. It was only then that the pain in my wrists registered, and everything came back to me in a nauseating wave.
"Are you feeling okay?" asked Sakura.
"Failed suicide attempts don't usually leave a person feeling so great," I responded.
"Why on earth did you do that, Temari? Thank goodness Naruto found you! Speaking of which, he's here to see you. Do you feel up to visitors?" she asked in a rush. I nodded, my head still reeling. Sakura left to find Naruto, and I took out one of my kunai, gazing at it slyly. Naruto Uzamaki was going to pay.
When my visitor entered the room, he was greeted with a kunai aimed straight at his face. He dodged it at the last minute.
"Whoa! Temari, what was that for?" he exclaimed. Wild with guilt and anger, I merely aimed another kunai at him. He dodged it again, then walked across the room and seized my wrist. He may have been pretty dumb, but he was also really strong. I struggled to get free of his grasp.
"Temari, please! What's the matter with you? This is nuts! First you try to kill yourself, then you try to kill me?" he cried. I looked at him incredulously for a moment, then sighed. He really didn't get it. I began my story.
"Ask anyone, and they'll tell you that my mother cursed the sand village as she was giving birth to my brother, and hoped he would avenge her death. Well, I was actually there, and I know otherwise. My mother cared nothing for her own life. She wasn't angry with anyone during Gaara's birth. The only thing she cared about was the life her son would have." I paused for a moment catching my breath, wondering whether or not to go on. It felt good to confide in someone, and anyway I wasn't thinking straight, which is why I continued.
"She told me to see to it that Gaara was treated like a person, not a tool. But…but I couldn't do anything about the way my father treated him. And then you came along, and talked to him one time, and suddenly-poof-he's happier than he's ever been in his life, and not only have I failed to do what my mother asked me to, I'm indebted to you forever."
Naruto stared at me with a look of complete bewilderment on his face for about twenty seconds. Finally he said,
"So why you're mad at yourself and me," he deduced. "Why?" From somewhere within me I found the patience and ability to explain again.
"You took away my chance to fulfill my mother's request—that I see to it that Gaara is treated like a human being," I said. It was as though for a few seconds, I was able to think about the situation calmly.
"So that's all Gaara is to you? A chance to do what you mother asked of you? That's pathetic, Temari! I'm sure your mother didn't mean for you to feel guilty about it, she meant for you to do the best you could. And it seems like you did. So don't worry about it. It's no reason to kill yourself!" he said. That's Naruto's tough love for you, I thought.
"Of course Gaara means more to me than that! He's my brother. But…I don't know, I guess I got tired of being the oldest, of always taking care of my brothers and never being taken care of myself. Maybe I sort of hoped on some level that by doing what she asked of me, I would bring my mother back," I said. I'd never thought about that before, but now that I was saying it I realized it was true.
I watched understanding appear on Naruto's face.
"I know what you mean. Both of my parents died before ever knew them, but sometimes I still wish I had someone to look after me, ya know? Only I bet it was harder for you because you had your brothers to take care of. And also I have Iruka-sensei and Jiriaya, even if he is a major pervert," he said. I nodded.
"It's silly to wish for what you can't have. I used to hope Kankuro could be like an older brother to me, but that will never happen. He's just not serious enough. I even used to wish my father would give me a hand, but that was stupid of me," I said.
"You know, I've always wanted a sister. Maybe we could be like brother and sister. But I guess that wouldn't do much for you, since I'm younger than you," he said sadly.
"That's okay. I officially adopt you as my brother," I said. I couldn't help but smile. There was just something about Naruto…he had the power to make people happy.
I guess there was a little NarutoTemari in there if you really looked hard. It's kind of a cool pairing now that I think about it. Not very possible, but cool.
Thank you for not flaming, and I apologize if Temari was a little out of character.
P. S. —This is a oneshot, though I may do yet another sequel if I get a good idea.