Notes: Takes place during Naruto Shippuden…slightly AU. I don't own Naruto. Please don't sue.
Mother of the year
'If you be a good boy and wait here. Your okaa-san will come for you, ok?'
Chapter 1
They came across the boy in the middle of the desert after leaving Konoha. He was small, maybe four years old at the most, dirty, and weighted down with sand. His brown hair stood out wildly in spikes and his lips were cracked and red. His clothes were torn and ragged, but other than that, he looked perfectly fine. Content, actually, to just sit there in the sand with wide brown eyes watching them.
Overall, Temari was not impressed or incline to sympathized with the kid. She ignored the whisperings of her companions behind her. She tossed a canteen of water at him and walked on pass, forcing her companions to follow. The weather was hot. It was sweltering, actually. It would take another three days before they reached Suna and after about a week of traveling already, she wanted nothing more than to get home and to her bed - Temari dusted off the sand that had gathered on her shoulders - and to a bath.
"Temari-dono," someone called to her.
Turning with annoyance, she waited for the jounin to speak.
"I'm sorry," he apologized when he noticed the irritation on Temari's face. "It's just that…well…he's following us."
"What?" Temari shifted on her feet to look pass the jounin's shoulder and fought the urge to groan. The kid that she had given the canteen to was behind them a few yards away. In his arms, he held the canteen closely to his chest as if he was holding the world's greatest treasure.
All she wanted was a bed and bath. Was that really too much to ask for? Temari rubbed her temple trying to will away the headache that she felt coming.
"Go away," she snapped at him. As if she needed to travel with another idiot.
When he didn't do as he was told, Temari felt her temper flare. She opened her mouth, ready to tell the kid off when they locked eyes.
In her mind, the boy's hair had shifted from golden-brown to bright red. His brown eyes changed to green, to match her own, and they were outline in black kohl. Tan skin turned pale and sickly. Features shifted until it overlapped with another face, one that she knew well and was afraid of. The symbol for love was black and angrily tattooed on the side of his temple.
The boy said nothing. He had no expression other than stoic and vague uncaring. The canteen in his arms was replaced with another image. One of a torn bear that had seen the worst and was pathetically patched and ragged.
Temari almost took a step back.
Her hands began to shake uncontrollably and she felt her legs tremble just the slightest bit. Her chest began to heave and tighten as the guilt almost crushed her with its intensity. Through her turmoil thoughts, the boy's face never changed from its stony expression. Even though there were no tears. She felt him crying out. Unwittingly, Temari took a step forward and her hand reached out for Gaara.
"Temari-dono?"
The vision vanished abruptly. Jerking back her hand, Temari took a moment to straighten her composure. The child in front of her stared at her with curiosity and Temari fought the urge to curse. She turned around.
"Leave him," she said. She marched forward, determined not to look back.
Looking at one another, the jounins said nothing and were quick to follow after the irate sand nin.
"Temari-dono. A storm is coming," one jounin remarked. He pointed to a gathering of dark clouds in the distance.
"Keep going," she ordered. It was just a little dark cloud. It would probably dissipate by the time they reached it. Her mood turned sour when the cloud did not dissipate as she had hoped. Instead it grew larger and darker. Temari halted everyone and allowed them to set up camp.
They quickly pulled out the tarps from their packs and began to pitch tents. By the time they finished, it had already began to drizzle.
Temari ducked into her shelter, relieved at having some privacy. She untied the her weapon from her back and laid the iron fan next to her as she laid on her cot. She disinterestedly tossed a package of food off to the side as the sound of laughter came from the other tent. She closed her eyes.
The rain was coming down harder now. She could hear it patter, almost violently against the roof and the sides of her tent. She could feel the wind pushing, trying to rip it off its foundation.
"Great," Temari muttered.
Then, it thundered rather loudly. Before she could react, a small, heavy figure was already on top of her, clinging for dear life. Yelling, she reached over and grabbed her fan ready to swing. A sudden bolt of lightning sent in light through her open tent flap. It gave her a glimpse of her attacker's face.
Her attacker's tear-streaked face.
"Temari-dono!" The jounins clamored into the already small tent almost causing it to collapse. They stop short when they saw the cause of the trouble.
Temari grabbed the back of the kid's shirt. She tried to throw him outside but he resisted, throwing his small arms around her neck and holding tight.
Temari turned blue.
Seeing her distress, the only other female in the group quickly came forward and tried to comfort the boy.
"Come on now," she soothed. "You have to let Temari-dono go. She can't breathe."
The boy loosen his grip but he didn't let go.
"Get off me," Temari snapped. She gestured for the others. Even with three jounins pulling and Temari pushing, the boy refused to release his hold. He tightened his grip when thunder rang out again. He buried his face in the nape of her neck and began to cry.
Unsure what to do, Temari looked for guidance. When the others gave her a blank stare, she sighed and gestured for them to go.
"Are you sure, Temari-dono?"
"Yes. Just go."
With that, Temari found herself alone again with a crying child on her lap. Awkwardly, she patted the boy on his back and tried to find the right words to soothe him. More than anything, she just wanted to toss the boy out and get some sleep.
"Stop crying," she said sternly. His sobbing had quiet down to just tears and he hiccuped occasionally. Much to her annoyance, the child still wouldn't remove his arms from around her.
Laying down on her cot, she shifted so that the top of his head rested below her chin. Her arms wrapped itself around the small body to hold him in place while she tried to find a comfortable position to sleep.
He cried out in fear again when the thunder clapped. Feeling tired, Temari rubbed his back gently and watched as he was content to snuggle into her embrace. Moments later, he was fast asleep.
Temari allowed her eyes to close.
When they opened again, it was morning. The storm had pass and outside she could hear the others packing their things for another long day of travel. Feeling the absent weight, Temari glanced down and noticed that the child was gone. A dream? God, she hope so.
Her hopes were dashed a moment later when she heard high-pitched laughter coming from outside. Peering out of the tent, she watched as the boy cheerfully helped the jounins gather their things. His eyes were bright and merry with no trace of fright like during the storm.
One of the jounins said something and the boy eagerly dashed off.
"Ah, good morning, Temari-dono," they greeted her. Before she could say another word, she felt a pair of arms wrap itself around her thigh.
"Okaa-san," the boy said.
For a moment, everything froze.
Temari felt her eye twitch. "Listen kid, I don't know who you are, but I'm most definitely not your mother."
The boy shook his head solemnly. "Okaa-san," he said again. Nearby, Temari could feel the silent laughter coming from her companions as they continued to pack. They moved around, trying to be oblivious.
Temari gave them a withering look.
She spent the next five minutes trying to straighten the boy out. He called the other jounins by name. Touya-san. Mika-san. Jiro-san. But for Temari, he refused to call her anything else but Okaa-san.
Realizing that it was a lost cause, Temari moved to her tent. Her new shadow followed obediently behind her. He watched her every movement as she packed her gear and strapped her fan to her back. When she ducked out, Jiro and Touya were already taking down her tarp.
They were ready to go off again, ready to track through the desert and sand. Before that however…Temari grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and toss him into the arms of Mika.
"You take care of him," she ordered. She marched ahead.
Touya, the senior jounin of the group, quickly caught up.
"Temari-dono," he began. The wrinkles around his eyes seemed more pronounced as he spoke. " Is it safe to bring him? We don't know who he is. He could be a spy."
"It's not a genjustu or ninjutsu. He's a normal child," Temari waved off his concerns. " If he really is a spy, then he's the most pathetic spy I've ever met."
"Or the cleverest," Touya remarked.
Temari acknowledged his point. "Next break, question him."
"Yes, Temari-dono," he slinked back to join the others.
Temari glanced up at the clear sky. Two days. Two days until she was back at home. She abruptly picked up her pace. By mid-day they had made good time and Temari allowed them to take a break. She dismayed to find the kid popping himself down right next to her.
"You never did tell me your name," Touya said. He knelt in front of the boy and offered a kind smile. The boy opened his mouth and closed it. He looked puzzled and turned to Temari.
"Okaa-san. What's my name?"
"How should I know?" she asked, irritated.
The boy looked back at Touya. "Okaa-san says she doesn't know."
The other two snickered behind their hands.
"Nee, Chibi-chan, why do you think Temari-dono is your mother?" This question came from Jiro.
"He said so."
"He?"
"My otou-san. He told me that if I sit there and was a good boy, my Okaa-san will come for me."
"How long were you sitting there?" Mika asked. She sat beside the boy and placed her arm around his shoulders.
"A long time," he said solemnly as Temari discreetly eyed his blistering skin. It was at least three days worth of exposure. The kid was lucky his clothing, no matter how tattered and worn it was, protected most of his skin.
"Why do you think Temari-dono is your mother?" Jiro asked.
The boy dipped his footed sandal into the sand. "My otou-san said that my Okaa-san was really pretty and that she would come for me."
The boy looked up at Temari and gave a goofy smile. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her uniform. "I'm glad you came for me, Okaa-san. I was really scared by myself." Tears leaked from his eyes and onto her shirt.
"What do you think?" Temari asked Touya. They were on the road again. Making sure to shove the kid off on Mika, Temari walked ahead gesturing for Touya to join her.
"He was probably abandoned. The father made up some half-cocked story about his mom coming to get him and then left him there waiting. Then we came along. It seems to be just a big misunderstanding."
Temari looked blankly ahead. "So fathers like that still exist." Ones that abandon their own children. She shook her head to clear the image of her own father out of her mind. "How old is the kid?"
"I'm five," the child said at camp later that night. He held up exactly five fingers. When it was time to turn in, nothing she said could dissuade the boy from her tent.
"Come on, kid," Temari leaned her back against the tent wall. She exasperatedly tried to get the boy to spend the night with someone else.
"I want to stay with Okaa-san," he said, stubbornly crossing his arms and pouting.
"Look. I'm only seventeen. I can't possibly be your mother. That meant I would've had you at twelve!"
"You're my Okaa-san," he insisted. Exhausted, Temari gave up. She made room on her cot and watched as the boy excitingly climbed in. She was on the verge of drifting off when she was woken by small hands shaking her shoulders.
"Okaa-san," the voice pleaded.
Temari opened her eyes. "What?"
"I have to go to the bathroom," he said. He grabbed the front of his pants and whimpered. Temari toss to the other side of her cot.
"So go," she said. She closed her eyes again.
"It's dark."
"So?"
"I'm scared. Please, Okaa-san?"
Groaning, Temari got up and shoved the boy out of the tent. Using a flashlight she found in her pack, she waited impatiently as the boy did his business behind a sand dune. When they arrived back, Temari was unable to sleep thanks to the wiggle body next to her.
"Stop moving!"
"Sorry, Okaa-san." He was still. A few minutes later he was shifting again.
"I told you to stop moving!" She sat up. She glared down and noticed the tears.
"Okaa-san?"he whimpered. "My foot hurts."
"Fine. Let me look," she pulled back the cot sheet.
She yelp when she saw a black scorpion beside the boy's foot. Grabbing her fan she gently ushered the creature out and turned back to the boy. She gave a suffering sigh when she pull her pack out for the aid kit she carried. She quickly treated his wounded foot, treated his blisters while she was at it, and spent the night listening to the boy moan in pain.
By the time morning arrived, she only had an hour of sleep.
"Carry him, would you?" she gestured inside. " Don't wake him."
Jiro nodded. If any of the jounins noticed the bags under her eyes they wisely didn't mention it. Instead, they trudged behind her while the kid was sleeping comfortably in Jiro's arm.
One more day to go. One long day to go.
When the boy woke up he apologized to Temari for moving around so much. He had forgotten the bit about the scorpion, only remembering that he had disturbed his Okaa-san with his restless movements.
"I promise not to do it again," he said solemnly. Their last night in the desert, luckily, went without incident.
Later, when she saw the walls that guarded Suna, Temari couldn't resist. She hastily made her way down the last sand dune, leaving the others behind.
"Okaa-san!"
Temari ignored the boy and quickened her pace. She had almost reached the gates when the sounds of loud sobbing stopped her.
Apparently, being the clumsy boy that he was, the child had tripped over his own two feet and was lying face first in sand, crying. He had fled from Jiro's arms, trying to catch up with her, only to stumble. Temari looked at the gate longingly. Then turning with slump shoulders, she made her way to the child.
"Big boys don't cry, you know." She roughly hustled the boy up to his feet and began brushing the sand from his clothes. She looked with some degree of disgust at the mess that was the boy's face. It was dirtied and mixed with tears, snot, and sand. Using her sleeve, she wiped his face clean.
"Come on." She grabbed his hand just as the other finally joined them. Together, they made their way to the gate. She showed her passport to the guards.
"Welcome home, Temari-sama." They stared at the boy by her side in curiosity.
"He's a guest of Suna," she said as she took her passport back. With that, she ushered the boy in.
Awed, the boy watched the crowds of people in the market place with fascination. "Is this where you come from, Okaa-san?"
"Yes. This is my hometown." She was so happy to be home that she even allowed the Okaa-san to go by quietly.
Jiro, Mika, and Touya drew up beside them. Picking the boy up, Jiro placed the boy on his shoulder much to the child's delight.
"Kid," he said. " Welcome to Suna."