For those who have kindly alerted this fic to keep up with it, thanking you btw, i just changed some minor details in this fic to suit the next few chapters. nothing much, just typo's and one or two words in dialogue. Thanks again. Prepare urselves for the next few chapters
Recent note: i was re-reding this to remind myself of waht i put in and was ashamd at the amount of typo's and details i had forgotten to change. hopefully i got them all this time ;
"Oh my God! Kankuro, it's her! Run!" Even if it were the middle of the night and the sky was covered in deep black, those eyes that sparkled at the site of the sand trio would have lit up even the world darkest hole in the ground.
"Tamari! Kankuro! Come here you sweet things" Most people pretty much feared this bunch from the sand village because of their fearless attitude, which came with the high talent to back it up. However, the site of Yuika sent the eldest two into a panicky frenzy. Despite their amazing speed and combat skills they were caught after barely running two feet. Yuika was somehow able to catch them, hold them down and wrap both them tightly in her arms. Gaara stared in confusion as both his brother and sister struggled to break free of this strange woman's grip. They flailed and thrashed and yelled the unspeakable but, she wouldn't let go. What was so scary about this woman? She seems pretty ordinary, besides the white hair, but that purple kimono makes her look a flower sales girl. Gaara turned his head to the sound of foot steps. He recognised the tall hair and face mask as Uzumaki's Sensei.
"I take it Tsunade asked you three to help out our village during it's little…situation? Well, it doesn't matter. Welcome anyway. Oh, and sorry about her. She gets a little enthusiastic sometimes" Enthusiastic? Gaara had never seen those two so freaked before. And why was she so happy to them? Gaara had never seen her before.
"Gaara! Get out of here now!" shouted Tamari. A bright, flashing light shined seemingly out of nowhere from this woman the instant she heard Gaara's name.
"Baby Gaara's here too" she squealed.
"Tamari! Why'd you tell her that?"
"I…don't know…" she quivered. The pair gasped as they were finally released from Yuika's mega hugging grip but, then they panicked. Oh, great that'll be a good start for the Leaf-Sand alliance: VILLAGER DIES AFTER SANDNINJA ENTER LEAF. They'll be gutted alive by the Anbu for sure.
"Oh my gosh! Look at your beautiful red hair. And those adorable green eyes. Awww, you're even cuter than when you were born." First impressions are everything. This woman is nuts. And just like his brother and sister, he too was pulled into an unbelievably tight embrace. "Oh Kashi-chan, he's so cute. Can I keep him, please?" Kakashi sighed heavily, shaking his head at Yuika's embarrassing behaviour.
"No, Yuika. And if you don't let him go soon, he's going to suffocate." Yuika cocked her head like a confused dog for a second and then looked down to see only half of Gaara's face, which was turning a slight shade of red.
"Whoops. Sorry, Gaara. I just got so excited to see you again. Oh, Kakashi! We're gonna be late. Again!" Yuika quickly grabbed Kakashi's arm and dashed off. "See you later, okay?" she called back before disappearing around a corner.
Gaara heard both his siblings sigh heavily with relief. "Thank Kami" said Kankuro "That could have been worse"
"Ughr…whatever. All that crazy stuff had just made me hungry now. I'll see you two later. I'm gonna get dinner."
"Fine. See ya later, Tamari." Kankuro rose to his feet as Tamari turned around the corner and out of sight. He stood a moment, taking in the quiet surroundings that were now more than welcomed. Then, he remembered that Gaara was still here. However, when he looked over his shoulder, he was surprised to see Gaara with a very strange look on his face. He'd grown so accustomed to the constant scowl that seeing anything else was really out of the ordinary. Kankuro waved a hand in front of his younger brother's face but he couldn't seem to brake Gaara out of his trance. Until, "How come you get to go down boob valley and I don't?" he smirked. That seemed to do the trick because Gaara immediately swung his whole body around, folded his arms and held his head up high. Kankuro grinned. This was a rare sight however, he's better not push it too far. "I guess you're wondering how she knows us?"
"It crossed my mind" said Gaara, still keeping his back turned.
"Well, how do I put this? She was kinda there when you were born."
"What do you mean 'kinda'?"
"She delivered you. I can't remember if she was a friend of Mom or Dad's though.
"You don't have to explain. I'm going now. I'm bored here"
What a title that woman gets to carry with her Kankuro thought sarcastically. The woman who delivered the demon baby of the sand village because everyone else would have killed it. Kankuro couldn't remember much about Yuika other than the dreaded hugs he was unable to block from his memory. However, he did recall how friendly she used to be with his mother. Always talking with each other, laughing and doing mum stuff even though she was pre-five. He also remembered the day Yuika was banished from the sand; it was the same day that Gaara was born. After their younger was born they learned the horrid truth of what their father had been up to. It wasn't very surprising to hear the Kazegage tried to terminate the birth, their father was predictable for last minute changes. Their mother had tried to hide and give birth on her own. Unfortunately, it was a breach birth. The umbilical cord got tangled around the infants neck, fortunately she took solace in the one place she felt safe in her home village. Yuika's place of stay. It had been a long, difficult birth. By the end, it had cost a life in order to give a life. And by the laws of the Sand village, that even the Kazegage couldn't change, it would be classified as murder to kill the newborn despite the spirit it possessed. Kankuro could only guess that the reason behind Yuika's banishment was to prevent the risk of Gaara being protected or taken from the village. It was a secret between Kankuro and Tamari that they had always wanted to know their brother but, were never allowed. Maybe if they had found someway, their brother wouldn't be so spiteful towards his elder siblings. Still, he couldn't hold it against Gaara. He only hoped one day the gap between in their family might close one day.
XXXX
What was I thinking, thought Gaara. It had been three since the sand made their alliance with the leaf. It had been a battle all on it's own due to the majority of the elders who protested against it. The decision was made after the Hokage received an anonymous letter or recommendation. It read how the sand was under the influence of the sound village after their Kazegage was murdered. Under any other circumstances, the attack would have never happened. Apparently it did the trick. So, now the leaf and Sand were officially united.
Gaara wasn't sure why he agreed to join the leaf village. Maybe he was just bored; the leaf village was always a source of excitement. However, that idea seemed a little ironic now considering he had given a 'D' rank mission to carry out. He just didn't expect it to be babysitting.
The mother was a piece of work. The infant was dumped into Gaara's arms less than a second of the door opening, along with a bag five times the weight and size of the baby. Not that the baby was big. In fact, it looked no bigger than a new born. "Bring her back around midnight or something. No earlier, got it?" Gaara didn't even get a chance to answer because she stormed off down the street and out of sight. After an hour, Gaara was already having second thoughts about this whole Leaf/Sand alliance. Since there wasn't a specific location for this 'mission' he just stayed pretty much were he was, not seeing the point in going somewhere else if he had to come back here anyway. It was a good thing too because the area was practically empty and the baby was ready to cough up a lung from all its crying. A whole hour of this and Gaara was happily willing to kill himself. What was I thinking, he thought. It wasn't even past midday yet. How the hell was he going to last until midnight.
"Wow. You are actually hopeless at something" When Gaara looked up, the first thing that registered to his mind was…eyebrows. It was none other than, 'The Handsome Devil Of The Leaf Village', Rock Lee. (Not Gaara's choice of words)
"What do you want?" groaned Gaara.
"I think it is more what that baby wants. I could hear the crying all the way from my place. You are lucky everyone is preparing for the upcoming festival otherwise they would have thought you were committing murder"
"I've given it thought" he growled as the baby gave another sharp tug on his hair. Lee suddenly gasped aloud. He pointed directly in front of Gaara's face, nearly losing balance on his crutches.
"No! This is unacceptable." he shouted "You require training" Gaara raised an eyebrow (if he had any) at Lee.
"Excuse me?" Lee bent his body forward as much as possible and looked at Gaara mockingly.
"For one thing, that baby looks like it can barely hold its own head up. The way you are holding it, it is ready to snap off" Gaara hadn't really been paying much attention to how he was holding the baby, he just….well…held it. What other way was there?
"Here. I will show you" Gaara gratefully handed the infant over. The way Lee held it was completely different. He had it nestled in his folded arms like carrying a bundle of apples. It looked very strange in Gaara's eyes but it did stop the crying. Gaara actually leapt to his feet and stared in disbelief. (I know, very OOC moment but bare with it)
"That's impossible" he said. Lee threw one arms in the air with his nose pointing to ward the sky.
"It is not impossible" he exclaimed. "I just have experience at this. You, have not" Gaara's head drooped like a heavy flower on a its stem. It felt a little embarrassing to have been beaten by a baby and then outmatched by this bushy freak. Still, it was pleasant to have silence again. Even if it was only a moment because the baby started crying again. Gaara pulled his own hair and groaned loudly through his teeth.
"What's wrong now?" Lee pressed a hand against the baby's stomach.
"She is hungry. When did you last feed her?" Gaara didn't have an answer, just a vacant stare. Lee simply sighed. "I would have at least guessed you knew humans need food, Gaara."
XXXX
Gaara sat on Lee's green couch, sulking.
"Come on, Gaara. This is your mission. I am merely showing you how to accomplish it but you are the one who have to do it" Gaara, begrudgingly, held out his arms and took the baby and the bottle of milk. By now, this was his fifth attempt at trying to hold her and he had half a mind to just leave the baby with Lee. But, he was expected to bring the baby back and this was his chance to gain at least an ounce of trust with the leaf village. So, he tried. He focused to remember everything Lee told him. Arms folded. Support head. Wrapped up. Hold the bottle upwards at an angle. Where the hell did Lee learn all this crap?
"Gaara! You did it!" Sure enough, he did. There was no crying. Or nagging. Or mistakes. Lee slumped on to the couch next to Gaara who sighed with relief. There was silence between them , apart from the gentle sucking noises from the bottle. Gaara adjusted his arms slightly and felt something beat against his chest. It was the baby's heart beat. Even through layers of clothes and sand he could he could feel the ba-bump, ba-bump. Each beat felt warm and strong. Gaara wondered if a baby could really be strong even if it's dependent.
The bottle was almost finished so Gaara took it away so the baby wouldn't suck in air. As Lee had previously instructed. Gaara then gently rest the baby against his shoulder and began messaging its back. It felt weird doing all this because he had never been so careful with something in his life. He suddenly felt Lee tuck something between the baby and his shoulder.
"Just in case she throws up" he smiled.
"How did you know she's a girl?" Gaara asked. He had noticed earlier but was too frustrated to ask. In Lee's classic pose with his indent finger in the air, he answered, "It is simple. Her eyes." Lee clearly noticed Gaara's confused expression. "They are bright and they shine like precious jewels. Those are the eyes of a girl. Look for yourself" Gaara was curious to understand what Lee meant. So, lifted her up to take a good look when-SPLAT
Gaara glared. More at Lee than at the baby. Lee bit his lip and gripped his knees, doing his best to hold it in but he couldn't. He let out into such a hysteric fit of giggles that he fell off the couch. When he felt he had calmed down enough he looked at Gaara apologetically but seeing blobs of baby peeuk dribble off his chin was just too much to bare.
"I am sorry" he wheezed "I am so sorry" Lee crawled onto the couch again, still laughing to the point of tears. Gaara quickly dumped the baby on Lee' lap and stormed off to the closest sink.
XXXX
After that little incident, Lee decided it would be a good idea to get some fresh air. So, Gaara's plan to hide out at Lee's all day went down the drain along with the baby sick. Lee lead the way with Gaara, grudgingly, carrying the baby. Gaara followed Lee to a remote area of the leaf village; a small, grassy area with small hills and large oak trees.
"Why are we up here?" Gaara moaned after they sat by a random tree.
"It is not healthy to keep a baby inside while it is so nice outside. And if we stayed in the apartment, your new cologne would have stunk up the whole place for weeks" Lee laughed to himself despite the Gaara Glare. Of all the things I could be doing, why this? He was beginning to think this village was out to get him.
"Oh no!" cried Lee suddenly. "I forgot I was supposed to be meeting Gai Sensei today. If I do not hurry I will be punished" Lee immediately stood up and sprinted for the main village. He called over his shoulder about coming back but he was too far away for Gaara to hear the whole thing. There was brief moment of silence between Gaara and the baby. Maybe the baby is smart enough o realise if she does anything, Gaara is bound to screw up. But, something must have been important because she began to wine and wriggle around. He set her on the ground and she started to crawl away. Oh, come on! Surely he wasn't that bad? When she got further away Gaara thought she shouldn't wander off too far otherwise he'd never hear the end of Lee's endless banter. So, he had his sand wrap itself around her waist and lift her back to Gaara's lap. When the sand released her, she giggled.
"You liked that?" Well, if it kept her from crying.
For almost an hour, over and over again, they played. She would crawl away and the sand would pull hr gently, letting her think she was stronger. Other times he would lift her high into the air an she would wave her arms like a bird.
"Gaara! What are you doing?" shouted Lee. Gaara was so taken by surprise and lost control of the sand. It was like watching a leaf fall from its branch but, much faster. Gaara sprung to his feet, leaping forward with all his might. His arms stretched out wide. He just caught and as he did he rolled on to his back in mid-air leaving a flat trial or grass and dirt. He opened his eyes and sighed with relief when he heard the familiar giggle.
"What were you thinking Gaara? That is dangerous" Gaara scowled at Lee as he sat himself up.
"Don't even try to blame this on me! You should try not sneaking up on people like that" They glared at each other intently. If it weren't for the baby they would have probably got into a fist fight there and then. Out of nowhere, Lee smiled widely in a very mischievous manner.
"What were you doing anyway" Gaara suddenly felt the blood rush to his face. He shook his head wildly which only made Lee smile even wider.
"You were playing and having fun too. Admit it!" Gaara looked away, his face turning more red by the moment.
"Uh…um...dinner! Let's go get dinner!" He shot up from the ground like a daisy and walked off. Lee soon followed, bringing along the baby bag Gaara had forgotten in his embarrassed panic.
XXXX
Gaara and Lee found themselves outside Ichiruka's where a ramen stuffed Naruto welcomed them. "Hey Guys!" he waved in his typical goof-ish manner. Then he noticed the little baby chewing on one of Gaara's fingers. "Couldn't have one of your own so, you two decided to adopt?" If massive waves blew down the streets like tumble weeds, this would be the perfect place for that to happen.
"No! It is not like that! I am simply helping Gaara with his mission, Lee exclaimed, waving his arms frantically. Gaara could easily see Naruto's attempt to hold in his amusement and if was really starting to piss him off.
"If you buy us dinner, I might not sand coffin your orange ass"
"THREE BOWLS!"
"So, what's it like to be the baby sitter for the day, Gaara? I've never actually did it before" said Naruto through half a face full of ramen.
"A nuisance. Nothing but humiliation to my name"
"No, it is not" said Lee with a smirk. "You should have seen him earlier, Naruto. He was having the time off his life until I showed up"
"Then let that be a lesson," said Gaara, seemingly unaffected by Lee's statement, "Don't invite Lee to parties"
"Got it!" saluted Naruto.
"Hey! That is not fair!"
Because Naruto's so generous, he ordered a second round of ramen for his friends. As the Ayame sat the overflowing bowls down she glanced as the little baby sitting on the table top. She watched as the giggling infant played with a pair of chopsticks, with Gaara resting a hand behind her so she wouldn't fall. Gaara hadn't noticed the woman staring at him. He was just silently eating away at his food, occasionally feeding the baby a small mushroom, completely oblivious.
"Excuse me but, that wouldn't be….Rohama-San's baby would it"
Gaara looked up from his bowl. He had this extremely awkward feeling and having noodles dangling form his mouth from his mouth wasn't really helping. Everyone was staring at him like he had just farted at a funeral. Gaara quickly thought back to his mission handout. Sure enough, 'Rohama' was the baby's mother's surname. He nodded, slightly worried about what their reaction was going to be.
"Oh my God! Anther one?" exclaimed Lee. "You are not mistaken?"
"What's the big deal?" moaned Gaara.
They all heard Ayame sigh heavily. She reached out her arms, physically asking to hold the baby. The tiny infant tugged on the woman's hair innocently. "Poor little thing. You won't have ,much of chance in life with a mother like that, will you?" There genuine sorrow lingering in her voice although, it didn't help Gaara's confusion much. He then heard Naruto growl in background.
"I bet she even told you to bring her back in the morning or something. Like some borrowed scroll"
"Well…yes but, what's that got to do with anything?" There was a dull silence where everyone looked to the surface below them. Lee physically turned in his chair to face Gaara.
"Konoha is a big place. Not everything can be dealt with efficiently. Especially if no one talks about it. That woman has a reputation. All sorts of rumours have spread about her drinking habits and only Kami knows what else. I heard she tried dumping a child on a ninja once, claiming she found it on the street. Later they found out that the baby was actually hers and she was arrested for child neglect. They had to release after she claimed she worried about an Ex dropping by and harming her baby" Lee swore under his breadth and fell deafly silent. However, Gaara suspected that wasn't the end of the story. " A few days later, that same ninja went to check everything was okay and…."Lee bit his lip. Gaara could clearly see the tears welling up in beneath those thick eyebrows. "The door was open…he found that bitch lying in pool of her own drunken induced vomit and…the baby…she….left it in the bath tub to either freeze or drown to death" Lee hugged his elbows. His normal, joyous face seemed to have washed away, leaving a glum and deeply saddened expression behind.
"Why wasn't anything done" Gaara asked calmly. Unlike Naruto, who could be heard gnashing his teeth together.
"Because she fucking screamed 'RAPE'!" yelled Naruto. There was frightening look in Naruto's eyes that Gaara had only seen once before, when he had unleashed his own demon against Shikaku. "That…monster, doesn't deserve to be a mom. She shouldn't even be allowed outside" Ayame silently handed the baby back to Gaara. He gazed at the depressed threesome. It was like some sort of infection had just suddnely seeped into them, sucking away what Gaara had grown so accustomed to. It made him wonder why he didn't feel the same way. He rose from his seat, slung the bag over his shoulder and walked off with the infant his arms without a word.
"What are going to do Gaara?" shouted Lee. "You can't take her back there"
XXXX
Hours stretched in from day until night. There were problems with no solutions. Questions with no answers. The story of Gaara's life. For a long time he had blocked out most of his past memories. Dark and unwanted thoughts were what made up Gaara's childhood and they were penetrating their way back. Along with lies, deception and anger. But, what always seemed to hurt the most was the love. A dead mother who supposedly loved her child enough to die for him. An uncle who betrayed the only bond with family he had ever known and a father who wanted him dead after possessing him with a fucking sand spirit. I bet she told her child over and over again how much she loves her. Why does love cause so much pain? Is it really a word that we use to express how much we care for someone, how far we would go to protect them and keep them safe? Or is it really a way to cover up our own lying asses. Does 'I love you' really mean, 'You are nothing to me' but, just softens the blow? It still hurts the same when you realise the truth. It hurts more when all it's been is a lie. Gaara couldn't let someone else got through that. He was only able to bare that kind of torture because he had his sand to protect him. To be completely alone and live though that kind of pain; it kills you inside.
There was a knock at Gaara's door. ( He was grateful for the privilege and privacy Konoha allowed its visitors) When he opened it, there was a warm, smiling face on the other side.
"I'd say I was in the neighbourhood but, I know how much you dislike dishonesty. Naruto and Lee told me what happened and I thought you'd might like someone to talk to" Any other time, any other place, Gaara could given an easy answer. But, with this strange woman standing here, all his lips could manage was a light quiver. How is she able to do this with a smile too? Why doesn't she show how much this hurts her to see?
"Why do people do it? Why do we people we care about hurt us? What's the point of saying kind words when you don't mean it?" Gaara held a hand across his face. His shoulders shook as he tried to understand these words escaping from him. "It's not fair….that I should know all this shit. What am I supposed to do?" he cried. This sensation was strange. His cheeks felt hot and cold at the same time. It was like eyes were clouds holding back a storm and had finally erupted. Yuika bent forward to meet Gaara at eye level. She reached out with her Kimono sleeve and dried Gaara's teary eyes.
"I probably shouldn't tell you this but, I'm guessing Lee didn't tell you he was the one who found that baby before" Gaara thrust his head up in shock. "He was only ten at the time and didn't fully understand the laws of the shinobi at the time. He wasn't supposed to be checking in the baby because he had been part of the investigation. That's why they weren't able to make a clean case because of his innocent interference. Otherwise, he would have stopped you from even leaving Ichiruka's"
"But….he…." Gaara chocked in his own words. The lump in the base of his throat had swollen to much.
"You can still do something though. Something for the better. I can help but it has got to be your decision, okay?"
XXXX
Someone else received a knock on their door that night. A middle age couple known as the Richuka's, who ran a vegetable stall together were cursed with the terrible tragedy of not being able to bare children. When they opened their door, the bright light from within pushed its way through the dark and shined on top of small basket on their doorstep.
"Is this really a good idea?" asked Gaara. He and Yuika were hiding just a few feet away, encased in shadow.
"I hope so. Clever idea with the note by the way. What did you write on it?"
"Nothing special" he answered while staring at his feet. Yuika just patted him on the head, smiling down at him.
"I'll see you later, okay? I have to be up early tomorrow. Make sure you get some sleep too." When Yuika left, Gaara gazed over at the Richuka couple. They looked overjoyed to see a 'miracle' finally happen to them after waiting so long. The tall guy read the note as they went back into their home
Her name is Yuika
Just lover her
