Word Bank
Venter: n. The womb
Tote: v. Carry with difficulty
Excogitate: v. Reflect deeply on a subject
Suspire: v. To sighf
Strewing: v. The act of scattering
Torrid: adj. Extremely hot
Chapter Nine: Range of Emotions
Jet black ink slid onto smooth skin with cool, damp bristles gathering chakra points concentrating on her womb. Ancient writings circled the point like the way it did on Naruto's seal. As instructed, she began concentrating on her reserves and focused them on the cool, tingling sensation tickling her abdomen.
The moment she felt the gentle strokes stop, she heard the way air would gasp when one hastily performed several sets of seal. When a clapping noise sharply echoed in the room, the kunoichi felt a pulse drain all the energy from her limbs and drag it all the way to her venter. The more she tried to gather chakra from her reserves and maintain it, the greater the drain.
"Concentrate Sakura" commanded Tsunade.
And she tried harder. But the more she did, the pulse would easily match her defense. It wasn't long before lactic acid became a menace to all her muscles, disrupting her chakra flow. Later, she felt the scalding lines rake her veins from within its walls and merge to the point of massive chakra collection. And it wasn't long before her head began teetering beyond the edge of her conscious mind, until she could no longer retreat and stay awake.
"Oxygen!"
Immediately Shizune reached for the mask and strapped it onto the fainted kunoichi.
"Set the Chakra stabilizer," commanded Tsunade as her glowing thumbs gingerly pressed onto the miniscule dot she drew beneath her navel.
"Get the scroll"
The moment she received the dry unraveled parchment, she placed it atop Sakura's tummy, faintly aligning the ring of ancient writings from both skin and paper. When it did, she lay down another set of seal before palming down the empty circle, setting off a wallowing cloud of smoke that emerged from the paper and shroud her right arm.
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It took ten days for Sakura to recover, and a week to understand Gaara's itinerary, two more to get used to it and four days to adjust to the unwanted morning sickness. The final week was used to run some tests regarding the fetus' development and her biological changes. Her stay in Sand was more or less monotonous with the occasional deviant approaches to their schedules, but the second month that came around took a slight whirl that strayed from their usual tight schedules. Until she hit the fourth month and began to feel the blatant changes she concealed quite well.
Sakura frowned when her belly button poked out from her shirt, and all the more frowned when she could realized that she could no longer fit in her narrow skirt, when just yesterday she managed to squeeze in. She was just in her fourth month but why did her tummy growth seem to double?
"Sakura," Gaara calmly spoke, "hurry up we have a schedule today--"
"Shut up will you?!" she shrieked before holding her breath when she tried fastening her skirt again. After sucking in her breath with bloated cheeks, she sighed in satisfaction when she finally managed to button her skirt in place. Then she froze when a strange undulation waved in her abdomen—POP!
CLACK!
Her skirt pooled to her feet after the button formed a tiny crack in the center of her door.
"Sakura?" Gaara knocked slightly, "We're running--"
"I KNOW!!" she roared then marched heavily towards the door. She swung it wide open; its wooden mass reverberated against the wall with massive force as she greeted Gaara with a deep frown. She muttered, "my only medic skirt won't fit anymore… at it was supposed to be garter-ized!"
He slightly peered over her should and noticed the broken apparel helplessly nestling on the carpeted floor. Then he turned to Sakura with a calm visage, "Should we buy clothes?"
She scoffed, "you want me to go out wearing just this?!"
He sighed, unbuckled his gourd and began sliding off his maroon coat. Sakura immediately crossed her arms across her chest, "what are you doing?"
She squeaked and screwed her eyes shut when his shadow threateningly casted over her for a fleeting moment before feeling the warmth and weight of his coat. "Oh" she muttered.
He fluidly swooped down to retrieve his gourd then turned his back on her to quickly veil his smile as he buckled the container back on. Who knew innocent Sakura wasn't so innocent anymore. He shook his head.
"Where are you going?" called Sakura before hurrying over to him, "Why are you smiling?"
Gaara hardened his demeanor while Sakura narrowed her eyes, "you think I look ridiculous, don't you?"
He spared her a sideways glance, scanning her from head to toe. His coat was left unbuttoned, leaving an opening to reveal her hanging zipper shirt and cycling shorts. The color emphasized her fair skin's silkiness and brought more attention to her pink hair though it horribly obscured her figure. His long sleeves barely revealed her tiny fingers while the hem of his coat flapped against the back of her knee.
"Well?" she barked
"You look... Cute," he grounded out with difficulty
"I look what?"
"Nothing"
"No, I heard you say something"
He ignored her. Then he heard her steps come to a halt. He glanced over his shoulder and caught her frozen in mid step with her hands pressed to her belly with a shocked façade plastered on to her face.
"Saku—"
"Shh!" she hissed, and then beckoned him. He curiously approached her before she grabbed his hands and guided him to gently press her belly.
"Do you feel that?" she asked through a mere whisper
Gaara gazed at her then shook his head. He sighed, "It's only been four months—"
Sakura smirked and turned to him, "well?"
Corner of Gaara's mouth pulled back farther than his usual smirk, both hands now cupped her abdomen, "it moved" he kneeled before her and placed his ear against her tummy, slightly surprising her. She felt the push from within her as her tummy undulated against his cheek.
He released a short-breathed chuckle, "she moved again" he giddily looked up at Sakura fashioning a stunned look and asked, "did you feel that? Here"
He grabbed her hands and placed it on her tummy; he rose to her feet and then asked her again, "do you feel that?"
Sakura could no longer suppress her ecstatic giggles, "yes, I do!"
He let out a single-breathed chuckle, "I'm gonna be a dad, Sakura"
She could no longer help but watch him with a smile before she was caught off guard when he pulled her into an intimate hug and a kiss on the forehead. She was stunned and did nothing more but widen her eyes as she listened to Gaara whisper into her hair.
"I love you"
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"This feels wrong," muttered Hinata
"What is," asked Ino
"... Stalking?"
The blonde fell back from the cemented banister high on the rooftops and palmed the ground to support her weight. She sighed, "For the last time, we're not stalking, we're just monitoring them"
"That's what you said last time"
Ino rolled her eyes and draped an arm over the Hyuuga heiress, "listen to me and listen well. A concerned friend would just like to assure a very vital information that needs to confirmed, so consider yourself lucky that I let you in this"
Unsure whether or not she could believe what she was hearing Hinata finally gave up.
"Okay first, we have to see why Sakura was admitted in the hospital, and then we fly to Suna"
"Fly?" the Hyuuga blinked
Ino rolled her eyes, "It's a figure of speech"
"But why bother now when it's nearly been two months or so?"
Ino rose to her feet and turned her back to the heiress, "because I'm gathering momentum for that impact"
Hinata knit her brows together when she managed to pick up on the blonde's intentions. She peered over her shoulder, "Ano..."
"What now?" sighed Ino, lazily turning to face her
"Um... I mean why do you want to ruin her so much...?" the heiress glanced down, ashamed by her rash choice of words.
Taken aback, Ino took a step forward with a raised finger and an open mouth, ready to answer that question but faltered when words failed to organize into sentences.
She stood at ease, sighing as she planted her hands on her hips. She tilted her head back and gazed at the white fluffy clouds strewing across the sapphire sky. Her eyes narrowed when sunlight peered through the clouds with smothering warmth that gripped her through the cloak of the cool day.
She gathered the momentary peace and let it clear her mind. "Why do I want her to ruin her so much?" she repeated the question then scoffed in amusement. With narrowed eyes, she turned to Hinata, "because I want to know her limit"
"And then?" asked Hinata, "What would you do after that?"
Ino turned her back with a scheming smile on her face, "I get Sasuke"
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"I feel ridiculous," muttered Sakura as she fashioned a peach, sleeveless dress with a ribbon tied to her back.
"Don't be" said Gaara, keeping an awkward distance from the kunoichi now. With a gauche tone of formality in his voice, he added "It's what pregnant women wear these days"
She pouted, "But I don't want to wear this"
Gaara just stared at her, looked away and then carefully asked, "So what do you want to wear?"
"Your--" coat. Still, she held that thought. Who in the right mind would request for the Kazekage's favorite coat? She timidly looked at Gaara, "where did you buy your coat?"
Gaara released a short-breathed chuckle, befofre a blank look settled on his face; he took her by the hand and led her out of the store. Sakura furrowed her brows; Gaara never did these kinds of things... Nor was he perverted, or the fact that he was determined to convince her to have his child, or drag her by the hand across the street, or let alone smirk, or simply go ballistic with glee just this morning when he felt the baby move...
He scared her that way, the way he let tidbits of emotions slip past his guard when he was around her. Though it frightened her to have him like this, it somehow felt great to change someone who never had a wide range of emotions… like Gaara.
She gave the redhead a curious look as they wove through the quiet streets of Suna's lazy morning. It was the first time she recognized the new person residing within this man. Her eyes fell to the hand that held hers and almost immediately grew sensitive to the roughness of his skin, the warmth of his hand and his reassuring firm grip--
"We're here," said Gaara, looking up at the store then turned to Sakura, "I can ask Yuki-san to customize your apparels"
Sakura nodded with an dreamy visage, Gaara sighed, "Remind me to visit the library after this"
"What do you-- heeey!" whined Sakura, "Are you calling me stupid?"
Releasing her hand, he made his calm escape by hastily entering the shop. Being the crazy sadist he was, he still couldn't resist teasing this woman. He stepped into the once humble store, which was now a noble boutique because of his loyalty over the years.
"Ah! Gaara-kun" in the corner of the boutique was a young woman with her wavy brunette hair propping her shoulders, "It's been a--"
CRASH.
Dust wallowed into the store as daylight displayed a growling silhouette by the threshold, "Gaara..." growled the figure
Gaara hummed and gave the frightened woman a polite smile, "I'd like you to meet Haruno Sakura"
Two green orbs glowed from the dense cloud of dust before the kunoichi dangerously striding in with heavy steps that threatened to crack the wooden floor. She marched right up to the redhead and jabbed a quick finger against his chest, "how dare you slam the door at my face! Had I not used my hands to protect this kid, it'd be dead by now"
Gaara blinked, slightly grasping his guilt when he noticed the distinct marks of rosy patterns embedded to her face. "Never expected you to follow me that close--"
"And then you called me stupid?!" she screeched, poking him again with slightly greater force. Through collar a thin line emerged when a cracking noise ever so lightly echoed in the quiet store, his armor of sand slightly wavered against her strength.
"A-ano, Hi!" greeted the woman, quickly catching Sakura's attention. She suppressed her squeak when the kunoichi glared at her then bowed deeply to escape her penetrating eyes, "I'm Yuki, you must be Gaara-kun's girlfriend"
Sakura's eye twitched then turned back to Gaara while pointing an accusing finger at the woman, "Who is this?!"
Gaara blinked.
"Ano... I--"
"Shut up bitch, I'm not talking to you!!" she roared with eyes deeply embedded into the man before her.
"Sakura," said Gaara with a stern voice, "that's enough--"
"Enough?" interrupted Sakura before she scoffed and bit her lower lip to fight back tears. She planted her hands on her hips, "you could've just told me you wanted to see her" she said, avoiding eye contact
"What are you--"
But she already stormed off leaving Gaara speechless, clueless and stationary. He turned back to Yuki, unconsciously flashing a look that could match to that of a lost puppy.
The brunette had been watching in amusement before she sat back down on her stool, resuming her work of creating more clothes.
"She's pregnant, isn't she?"
The corners of Gaara's lips twitched upwards, "She's also got quite a temper"
"But it's too sudden," Yuki looked over her shoulder, "she is pregnant, her tummy's as large as a pot and she just referred to her tummy the moment she came in… perhaps she as good as five months or so…?
Gaara shrugged. Yuki grinned then asked, "she your girlfriend?"
"I..." Gaara looked back at her with an unsure look, "Don't know"
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Sakura had been embedding craters on her path. The ground shook as villagers gave her a look that irritated her even more. She just returned their gaze with a deadlier one that sent them scurrying back to their ways.
Heavily heaving out deep breaths, she forcibly tried to calm down before she could cause any more damage. Little did she know that from afar two pairs of eyes have been studying her.
From one perspective, her world was devoid of proper colors that normally filled the world, where its vibrancy is appreciated. But through her eyes, chakra was greatly accentuated.
She scrutinized the pinkette's chakra flow, watching them circulate her body in sync with anger. It would wash Sakura from head to toe and then reside on that bulb of reserve bulging in her venter. Chakra swirled there for a fleeting moment before it began creating its own flow, granting her the conclusion: "She's pregnant"
Ino sighed, "it doesn't take a genius to figure that out…"
When the blonde opened her eyes, she caught Hinata averting her gaze. Furrowing her brows, Ino asked, "What's wrong?"
"One month..." the Hyuuga's words fell to nothing more but incoherent murmurs
"What?"
"Ino-chan," spoke Hinata, gazing down on the streets from above the rooftop of the torrid buildings, "do you plan to serve Konoha for the upcoming war?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Then accept the Hokage's fetal boost..."
"What are you talking about--"
The heiress hesitantly pointed a dainty finger at the blonde's belly.
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"Hmm... I see..." mused Yuki, "don't worry, no one will know"
Silence reigned save for the sand rushing back to him after returning the door back on its hinges.
"So what can I expect?"
Yuki giggled, "Constant cravings, sudden weight change, volatile mood swings..."
"And the glow?" asked Gaara as he stayed put with folded arms
The lady giggled again, "What glow? It never existed; if you want her to be happy shower her with precious jewels and fancy clothes"
"She's different"
"Well, then you'd know what she'd like"
A melancholic smirk grazed his lips as his eyes fell on the floor, "I do"
"Then give it to her," she encouraged
"It's not easy," he quietly added
The constant chattering and churning of the sewing machine came to a halt before the lady sympathetically asked him, "Why not?"
Gaara gave the woman an askance look before he slightly bowed, "Thank you for your time, Yuki-san" then he turned to leave to avoid the question and search for Sakura.
Had he not left any sooner, the sun would have already set, leaving poor Sakura for far too long. Yuki was the closest friend he had next to Naruto, she would calmly listen and then advise him. There really wasn't anything going on between them, but talking to her helped him reflect deeply and understand things in life he never usually encountered regarding his social issues.
He would admit that what he did to Sakura was hurtful and wrong. She was pregnant and deserved better treatment. He should have known better, he could have almost harmed their child… their… baby…
The more he thought of it that way, the more he despised himself. Why did he always hurt the ones he loves most?
He pondered and regretted the moment he perched on top of the tower's rooftop, sending thin tendrils of sand to pick up on her signature chakra as he began thinking of ways to make up for his maltreatment.
Aggravation soon came at hand when the sun already sank beyond the horizon and he still hadn't found her. What could he do to make her happy... Of course, he should be thinking about that, her condition is quite critical now that the jewel Tsunade set to boost the fetal development is intact her skin. This would mean that the child will be very sensitive to its environment and its mother's.
And then he was curious.
Because of the fetal boost, the baby was probably already developed enough to determine its gender... so what it a he… or a she?
"Gaara?" that familiar gentle voice reeled him back to the real world. If it weren't for his clouded thoughts, he wouldn't have missed the idea of also searching in the tower.
But it didn't matter now that she was here, standing before him with a pale face. Wordlessly, he sauntered towards her and then froze when she was merely a few inches away from him.
His first instinct of course was to hug her tightly, to apologize and then reprimand her for running away like that. But if he did... He feared that he might further confuse her in a way that might leave her torn when she's free to return home. The three worded, intimate phrase he impulsively babbled had just been an annoying slip of the tongue kind of thing…
He should try to control his emotions with a firm grip next time. He should also be careful when the baby moved; its tiny efforts were enough to strip him down from his usual self. Though it didn't scare him, it slightly pleased him… because somehow, he was giving Sakura a rough idea of how he felt—
Wrong, he can't let things get out of hand… She still has a commitment to attend to, and to sever it with a lengthy mission would hold him responsible for her social life since it never meant to merge with work in the first place. Though this baby was a strong connection that binds them together now…
"Gaara," Her troubled face worried him along with the ominous ambiance shrouding her presence. He knew that she was about to tell him something that would catch him off guard. So mentally, he braced himself.
"What's wrong?" he asked, hoping that it would have nothing to do with their baby and its development—
"Stone and Rain are approaching Konoha!"
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A/N: Wooow… that was the most… eventful day Gaara and Sakura ever had, perhaps a breakthrough from their dull daily schedule. I apologize for Gaara's OOC-ness, but… imagine just how much he had to hold in during her stay in Sand. He had a soft spot for the kid, and he was only inches away from his breaking point the more he was around Sakura.
So… I dunno, if I should have let him have that three-worded, intimate slip of the tongue… do you guys think it was too soon? Or sudden?
Well anyway, after a massive whirlwind from one emotion to the next, they come face to face with the reality of an upcoming war.
Hope I'll be able to deliver the next story as well as I expect it to be.
^u^
Please oh please don't ignore them reviews!!
I needs to feel yer love guys! Because I'm beginning to feel cold shoulders! There used to be at least six reviews per chapters above… and now, it barely reaches that point… *gasps*
^,^;;
Honestly, I get inspiration from the reviews you guys give... Please keep reviewing if you'd want me to quickly update... Or at least get started on the next one already...
Anyway, for advanced voting, Should Gaara and Sakura have a boy or a girl, or twins? Please choose well, I've got a plan for either of the three choices that I don't know what to give the pair… so, yeah, choose well, because the majority of the vote will lead to one of the three paths to weave a plot.
May the votes begin the moment you send a review!
^^;;