Life or something like it!
By: HatakeKelly2013!
Scroll one!
Mission Complete!
The sun shone brightly over the Village Hidden in the Sand, as a young boy with spiky silvery hair ran down the streets with a small food container in his tiny hands. He looked to be four-years-old and his sapphire blue eyes were shining with innocence as his gravity-defying hair bounced with every step.
"Hey Kai-Chan! What's your hurry?" a blonde-haired woman smiled when she walked out of the café she was just eating in and saw him run past. The boy ran backwards to greet her with a bright smile, "Morning Temari-Sensei! I'm going to give mama her lunch. She left it at home when she was in a rush!"
"Really? Well if you don't mind slowing down, I'll head over with you. I'm going to give the Kazekage his dinner as well." Temari chuckled as she ruffled the boy's hair and he blushed in embarrassment. "Sure thing!"
As they were walking to the Kazekage Mansion, Kai looked down at the container in his hands. "Um…Temari-Sensei…" he started shyly.
"Hmm?" the pretty woman started, turning to him expectedly.
"You know mama and I are heading to Konaha tomorrow, right?" Kai started, who couldn't hide his excitement even if he tried. "Yeah, your mother's mission here is over. Are you looking forward to seeing the Village Hidden in the Leaves?" Temari asked.
Kai beamed up at her, "Yeah! I can't wait to see the village my mama grew up in. To get to meet all of her friends…and of course…my papa. Do you know my papa, Temari-Sensei?"
Temari chuckled, "A little. Becoming best friends with your mother meant I saw him more. You certainly look a lot like him, that's for sure. Almost like a complete double." The boy smiled, "Yeah! My mama says that all the time…" he shook his head before continuing, "Will I still be able to see you, Kankuro-Sensei and Kazekage-Sama even if we're going to another village?"
"Of course you will. You and your mom have become family to us in your time here. Besides, I have no doubt you'll become an amazing jounin in the future so you'll get missions to come here to Suna. That is your dream, right?"
Kai nodded his head determinedly, "Yep! To become the best jounin ever! Just like my papa!"
Temari chuckled and patted his head tenderly, "I will miss you kiddo. And I know a certain Kazekage will too."
"And that's my last mission report to deliver, Kazekage-Sama!" a young woman with long brown hair smiled as she handed him the stack of papers.
"You know you of all people don't have to call me that, Kelly-Chan…" the red-head smiled warmly.
Kelly smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head, "Hehe sorry Gaara-Kun. Force of habit, I suppose…" she stared into his teal eyes before continuing, "I'll miss you so much, you know. The three of you have done so much for me in these past four years and I highly appreciate it."
"It was no problem at all, Kelly-Chan. You're welcome back here any time, the both of you," smiled Gaara. He suddenly found himself engulfed in a bone-crushing hug, the chair almost giving way. "I love you soo much, Gaara-Kun. The three of you have really become a family to Kai and me!" the woman practically yelled, tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks so the young man rubbed her back and smiled back.
A knock on the door brought the two of them back to reality so Kelly released the Kazekage but couldn't help the giggle escape her lips when she saw the pink tint on his cheeks. "Sorry, we're not disturbing anything, are we?" Temari smirked teasingly as she saw the scene before her.
"Mama!" Kai bounced up to his mother and presented her with the container, "You forgot your lunch this morning!"
"Aww Kai-Chan, you're so incredibly sweet, you know that?" Kelly cooed as she got down on her knees and nuzzled his cheek with her own. "Mama! You're embarrassing me in front of Gaara-Sama!" he squirmed about in her arms. "That's what mother's are for, kiddo!" smiled Kelly, tickling his small frame so he let out loud laughs.
The young boy eventually escaped his mothers tickling and crawled onto the red-head's lap. "I'm going to become the best jounin ever, just like my papa and come back to do missions for you, Gaara-Sama!" he smiled. "I look forward to it, Kai." Gaara smiled back.
Kelly smiled at her son's determination before turning to the other woman, "Hey Temari…want me to say hello to Shikamaru for you?"
Temari knew just what the brunette was getting at and returned the smirk, "Just make sure he's not crying like the cry-baby he was a few years ago." The two women both laughed until Kelly turned her head, feeling someone sneak their arms around her waist. "Nice to see you, Kankuro-Kun. The mission went alright, I take it?" she smiled back at him. "Piece of cake, as usual!" the puppet-master smirked, handing the papers to his sister since his arms were preoccupied.
"I wouldn't hold her for long, if I were you…" Temari started as she placed the papers on the desk, "Considering who her boyfriend is and all." "Eh, what he doesn't know won't kill him!" Kankuro stated back, completely indifferent. "No…Kai might 'accidently' tell him…out of protection for his mama of course!" the blonde smirked, winking at the small boy who nodded his head furiously.
"Aw c'mon, cut me some slack! We might as well spend as much time with both of them as we can before they leave for Konoha tomorrow!" "Kankuro has a good point actually…" Gaara caught their attention, as he stood up and placed the young boy on the ground as he did, "So…we should treat them to some dinner…one last time before they depart." "Yeah, can we mama? Please, please, please?!" Kai jumped up and down excitedly. Kelly placed her hands on her hips in thought, "Hmm…well I suppose so…as long as all three of them allow me to buy them dessert for everything they've done for us. No arguments…right Kai?" "Right!"
"I suppose that's fair! C'mon Kai, I'll race you to Sandy's Restaurant!" smiled Kankuro. "You're on!" Kai smirked before dashing out of the room, the older man trailing closely behind. "Hey, who said I'd give you a head start?" he joked in the distance.
The other three chuckled lightly but followed the two out of the Kazekage Mansion, conversing amongst themselves. Kelly certainly was going to miss the life she had made here in Suna but at the same time, she was just as excited as her son was about returning to Konoha. She wondered how different the village would be, if at all and what all of her friends were up to now, whether they were the same or not. And of course there was him…she wondered how he'd be at her return, whether he really did wait for her and of course, how he would take the news that he was a father.
It wasn't like she was keeping it a secret or anything. When she first got the mission in Suna, she wasn't even aware she was pregnant but after heaving her stomach empty every morning, the Suna doctors announced the good news. Obviously her skills were put on hiatus for a little while but once the bundle of joy was born, she was able to work on her mission in between motherhood.
It surprised her how involved the sand siblings became with her and the baby. All three of them insisted on babysitting when neither of them had missions of their own. She fully intended on giving the good news to the father – by letter, obviously – but she heard the village was dealing with some serious matters – most likely the Akatsuki – and she didn't want to put any more stress and bother on him at that trying time. He had enough to deal with it seemed, and he didn't need the distraction at that time.
As Kai got older, she noticed the details that brought his father into her mind. The obvious being his appearance, as he really was the spitting image of his father, especially when he was younger. The gravity-defying silver hair was the dead give-away, and Kelly couldn't help ruffling it every time she saw it. His personality was a mixture of his father and her own. He would often turn up late to meetings they had arranged and every time, he had some sort of excuse for her, which would make her laugh more times than be annoyed with him. Not that she could ever stay annoyed at him, especially when he flashed that closed-eye grin at her…god, how that grin reminded her of him.
"And I almost got the Lightening Blade down!" Kai interrupted her thoughts as he excitedly swung his legs back and fourth on the chair.
"That's good news. I take it you've been training really hard then," smirked Kankuro, "I wish I had more dedicated students like you!" Kai nodded, "I'll keep practising and hopefully the next time we see each other, I'll have perfected it!"
"Seems you have a little genius on your hands." Temari stated with a smile.
Kelly smiled nervously, "So it would seem. I should've guessed though. Look who his father is, after all. He graduated to chuunin at such a young age and then jounin not long after. Not to mention he was in ANBU as well!" She sighed deeply, "Of course…it makes me feel kind of dumb…I hate it when I can't help him with his homework!"
"But mama, you have helped me!" the young boy cheered, "If it wasn't for you I would never have learned about my lightening and water chakra natures!" "And he's been advancing greatly ever since," stated Kankuro before rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "In fact – and I don't know if the Leaf Village will do things differently – but if you were to stay here at least, I'd recommend him for the academy right now." "Really, Kankuro-Sensei? You think I'm ready for that?" Kai beamed up at him. "Absolutely kiddo."
"Although we should get settled in the village first, Kai. You have a lot of people to meet after all," smiled Kelly. "Oh like my papa and all of your friends? What are they like?" he asked curiously. Temari snickered, "Well let's just put it this way…you'll never be bored with them around." Kelly smiled nervously at her, "Don't forget your grandparents and the rest of the Harinezumi Clan, Kai."
"Oh yeah! Grand-mama and Grand-papa! What about papa's family? Will I meet them?"
The brunette smiled sadly, "No…I'm afraid your father is the only one left…"
"Oh…will my papa like me?"
Kelly looked up in shock, "Of course he will sweetie. I won't lie, he will be shocked beyond words but I'm sure he'll love you as much as I do!" "As long as he doesn't embarrass me as much as you do!" Kai pouted so Kelly laughed lightly. "I wouldn't be surprised. He used to embarrass me practically all the time!" "Oh? How?" "Er…I'll tell you when you're older," blushed Kelly so the other three snickered at her expression.
Kai bounded up the stairs to finish his packing with an excited laugh as Kelly tucked his shoes under the cabinet, as well as her own.
She stood below the stairs as he disappeared into his bedroom and giggled to herself before turning to the cabinet and picking up a small frame. On the photo was her and Kai's father in an embrace and both were smiling happily. "He really is excited to meet you…I've never seen him this happy…" she whispered to herself.
Placing the photo back on the cabinet, she walked into the bare kitchen and threw her pouch on the table. "Mama, how long will it take us to get to Konoha?" Kai asked when he ran back downstairs. "At the least, it'll take us three days." Kelly yawned, "I've asked Lady Tsunade to keep it a secret so we can surprise everyone…especially your father. I think its best if the news comes from me…" "About me, you mean?" he asked, packing up his video games. Kelly chuckled to herself; he really is a genius. "Yeah, but I also want to know if he's excited to see me after all these years. I already know he'll love you."
"Mama, why wouldn't papa love you? He did promise he'd wait for you, right?" the boy smiled, throwing the bag on the sofa and giving his mother a tight hug. "Yeah, you're right Kai-Chan. I shouldn't doubt him." "Yep!" he nodded furiously. He then released her and ran back upstairs to finish what he was doing. The woman smiled slightly, 'This is your family now…you'll see how wonderful Kai really is…he's our angel.'
Stretching her tired arms, she stood from the stool and walked to her own bedroom after locking the front door. The house looked bare and unwelcome now since all of their belongings were in bags and boxes. Gaara said they'd send the rest of their stuff once they got settled since the two would be travelling by foot and would have to travel rather light, with only the necessities. For a moment Kelly wondered where they would be staying, as she doubted her apartment would still be there for her. She just hoped her parents wouldn't mind them moving in, at least until she could get things sorted for the both of them. Of course she knew her parents wouldn't mind, as they said they'd always be there for her no matter what. And besides, how could they ever deny their adorable grandson?
Kelly gave a short laugh. Kai was going to get mobbed by thousands of happy cousins, aunts and uncles. And not forgetting his grandparents! And then there were her friends. She could name a few who would go absolutely crazy over him. Yep, life was undoubtedly going to get interesting for the both of them from now on. Who knows what'll happen?
When the door opened, she saw a little shadow appear in the doorway. "I thought you were asleep already," she smiled. "I just wanted to say goodnight mama. I can't wait for tomorrow," he says softly with a smile. Kelly got up and walked up to her son, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek. "Me neither, sweetie. Get a good nights sleep, okay. We have a lot of travelling to do over the next couple of days." "I will, but you better get some sleep too, mama!" he warned back before jogging back to his room.
The young woman got back up, changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed. She kept imagining his reaction to seeing Kai and how happy the two of them will be that she eventually fell asleep, dreaming of the upcoming events.