So here we have the time skip chapter, hope you like it! After all the responses to the previous chapter I may do that one in Kakashi's POV after I have finished his story, what do you think? So you can see his reasoning behind his behaviour? Although it will all become clear later on hopefully :D
Athena xx
...
4 years later -
'Mama!'
Sakura groaned as her personal alarm started shouting from the room opposite hers.
'Mama! Mama!'
'Im coming sweetheart!' Sakura called dragging herself up from the cosy king sized bed. A quick glance at the clock on the bedside table showed that it was 6 am. She grabbed her white flannel dressing gown from behind the door and shuffled into her sons room.
She looked down at the three year old sitting up in his white cot. He turned and smiled when he noticed her and reached his little arms in the air for her to pick him up. After reaching down and hauling him into her arms, she settled down into the rocker in the corner of the room as was their normal routine. Sakura picked up the book on the side table as he snuggled into her lap ready for the continuation of The Wizard of Oz. She relished these times spent like this with her son, her busy job meant that the time spent with him suffered. That was why every morning they woke up extra early so they could just spend a few hours together, sometimes it was playing games or just being silly, other times they did some arts and crafts but Sakura liked these morning the best when she could hold her baby and pretend he wasn't getting any older. He giggled as she changed her voice to match the different characters and his eyes got wide as saucers during the part Dorothy and her companions met the wizard. It was such a lovely morning that she didn't want it to end but at promptly 8 o'clock the knock came at the door.
''Aunty Temawri!' He squealed from his high chair, face covered in porridge.
'Hey Ryuu' Temari cooed grabbing a rag to clean the boy up. She smiled and laughed at his look of outrage at being clean again but after a tense struggle she won.
'Thanks for this Temari I owe you big time' Sakura called from the bathroom. Their house was open plan at the bottom with only a breakfast bar separating the kitchen and the living room. The bathroom was joined onto the living room which curved under the stairs. The first floor of their little home had two bedrooms and a larger bathroom, it wasn't much but Sakura wouldn't trade it for anything. It held too many memories for her to leave or upgrade as Temari had been pushing her to do for the past few years. But Sakura couldn't leave, the door frame in Ryuu's room had marks charting his growth. The living room had a constant floral smell where Ryuu had spilt her perfume and the hallway held the bookshelf covering his scribbled masterpiece when he was just over a year old.
'No problem, you know I love hanging out my favourite little man,'
'How's the wedding plans going?' Sakura called rushing out the bathroom, her short pink hair was pulled into a small pony tail and her face just had touches of make up to enhance her natural beauty. She wore a smart, deep green, cotton a-line dress with her usual white doctors coat over the top. Her ID card swished from side to side round her neck as she dashed around the living room collecting the various things she would need for the day.
'Oh you know, slow. It would be nice for an opinion more than 'troublesome' but that's the man I fell in love with' Temari rolled her eyes as she stood in the kitchen, Ryuu balanced on her hip. She had not changed in all the years she had known her, still having her hair in four sections and wearing a black kimono. In the four years she had been here Temari had come to be her best female friend, she couldn't replace Ino but she loved her just as much.
'Nothing new there then' She replied giggling at Temari's face as Ryuu struggled to get down. He hated being carried and it was rare for him to let anyone do it anymore.
I miss the days when he used to cling to me all the time she thought with a sigh.
'Anyway shoo, get to work or you are going to be late! Give my love to my brother!' Temari yelled as after giving her son a quick peck she ran out the door.
One thing she missed about Konoha was the colour, everything here was just beige. But one thing she loved was it's people. When she first arrived 4 months pregnant she had been worried about the reactions, a single mum was not always looked upon kindly. As the months went on and her condition became more and more obvious instead of been ostracised as expected the exact opposite have happened. People smiled warmly at her, helped her out wherever they could and the woman of Suna gave her so much good advice she ended up carrying around a small notebook with her. After Ryuu had been born he was accepted like he was one of their own, no snide comments or disapproving gestures and for that she loved this place.
As she walked through the streets of Suna making her way to the hospital she greeted the familiar faces she knew and stopped to chat to a few of the older residents, inquiring about health and family members.
'Lady Sakura!'
She turned at the sound of the voice to find the Kazekage's aide panting in front of her.
'You ok Hiro? You should sit down and drink some water.'
She led him to a bench and fished out her cool bottle of water from her handbag. The middle aged man gratefully took the water and gulped it down, he pushed his glasses back up his nose and with a sigh of relief returned the bottle.
'Thank you my lady, the Kazekage's urgently wishes to speak with you' Hiro said, smoothing his balding brown hair back.
'Does it have to be now? I have urgent matters to attend to at the hospital?' Sakura asked checking her watch and mentally checking what needed to be done.
'A messenger has been sent to inform them of the change of plans' Hiro announced standing up and gesturing for Sakura to follow him.
'Well then lead the way'
It took Sakura a lot longer to reach the Kazekage's tower than it would have done due to Hiro accompanying her. He was a lovely man but detesting any form of exercise, claiming he needed to rest after every 5 minutes of walking. Sakura rolled her eyes but humoured the man knowing full well the asthma attacks he kept claiming to have where merely a figment of his imagination as was the many other ailments he claimed to have.
He opened the door to the Kazakage's office and after an exaggerated bow ushered Sakura in.
'My lord Kazakage, here is Lady Sakura as requested!'
And with another bow promptly left the room.
'He doesn't half make me laugh, every other day he is in my office stating he has this that or the other' Sakura said smiling as she poured herself a glass of water from the side of Gaara's office. She poured on for him and added his preferred lemon from the side dish, after handing over his glass she made her ways to the chair in front of his desk.
'You have my gratitude for humouring him, he is a good man but just'. Gaara started, but couldn't seem to find the right word to describe his aide.
'A hypochondriac is the technical term for it,' She replied taking a large gulp of her water. The desert heat dehydrated her and as a result she had found herself becoming obsessed with drinking water, much to the annoyance of everyone around her.
'So what's so urgent that I had to drop everything?'
'I'm the Kazekage, everything can be dropped if I say so' he retorted with a slight smile on his face.
'Careful with that ego, you might struggle to fit through the door if your head expands much more'
Sakura grinned at her him loving how he could relax like this around her. But he suddenly lost the playful gleam in his eyes, it being replaced by a serious expression. She couldn't help but feeling slightly worried, knowing the reason he called her something she wasn't going to like.
'The Chunin exams are coming up, and it has been decided that holding them here would be a good idea'
Gaara showed no emotion as he watched Sakura spit the water she had in her mouth all over his floor. But a smile did grace his face as he watched her mouth open and close over and over again. Sakura speechless was a rare sight after all.
'You should have said no' Sakura finally choked out.
Gaara gave one of his rare laughs.
'With what reason? You cannot hold this event here as my head doctor doesn't wish to see a certain jounin from leaf.' He shook his head at the thought. 'You have been lucky the past 4 years that we have not been chosen, but your luck has ended. What are you going to do?'
'I might go for a holiday in Konoha, will be nice to see people' Sakura mused knowing her plan was futile.
'Your friends will be here, what is it that you always say to me? Time to get you adult pants on and face the world? Good advice you gave me.'
Sakura could hear the smugness in his voice and cursed herself for saying that a few years ago.
Should have known that would come back and bite me on the ass.
When she had first arrived she had not known how to take the Kazekage, he didn't seem to respond to any of her jokes or sarcasm. But with working together everyday they grew close, she had managed to crack his outa shell as he had with her. Sakura trusted no one as she did Gaara, he had been there at Ryuu's birth not complaining once as she squeezed the life out of his hand. He had been there to look after Ryuu so she could get some much needed sleep while he was teething. He had been the one she had confided in about Ryuu's father and he never once judged her and she knew he would be there for her through this.
'You bastard' she groaned but couldn't help but smile at his innocent looking expression. 'And I believe I told you to get your big boy pants on.'
'Same thing and you love me really Sakura' he retorted standing up and walking round to her.
'You will get through this you know, you are strong and you have me, Temari, Kankuro and all of Suna behind you'
Sakura looked up and threw her arms around him. She did not know what she would have done without this man for the past 4 years.
'Although I may have to at least break his nose'
She smiled up at him and gave him a playful slap feeling a lot better. He moved to stand in front of the window looking out at Suna and cleared his throat.
'Is it alright for me to see you tonight?' Gaara asked looking at Sakura all humour gone from his face.
'Sure, I will leave the key in the usual place for you to let yourself in' she replied grinning at how shy he could still be about it after all this time.
They heard someone clear their throat by the door and Gaara looked up to see his brother leaning against the door. He was wearing a knowing smile and winked at his younger brother.
'If you two are finished Gaara is needed in a meeting'
Sakura got up and after bidding the brothers farewell started her journey to the hospital. She made it to her office on the top floor without any trouble or anyone stopping her and with a thud sat down behind her immaculate desk. Her head fell into her hands and she finally let out the emotions she had been keeping locked up, the fear, the worry and the hurt all came out. She looked up and saw the picture of her and Ryuu on her desk. It was her favourite, she was wearing a floral sun dress with a straw hat and in her arms was Ryuu. They had gone for a picnic and Gaara had snapped the picture without her knowing. In the picture she was looking down at him in her arms while he was giggling up at her, he had been barely 1 at that time. She sighed at the sight of her sons hair in the picture.
What the hell am I going to do? I can't even deny it, Ryuu has silver hair for goodness sake! How could I pass that off as a coincidence?
A knock at her office door brought her out of her despair and with a sigh she pulled herself together, ready to become the doctor she needed to be for the day. She could break down later but now people needed her.
