OKAY! I apologize for the ... delay with this chapter. You see, I actually wanted to put it up before, but there was some technical difficulties on my side... seriously! I wasn't just being lazy this time! Well, lazy wan't the only reason. Anyway! It's a long chappie to make up for it. I even have the next chap already typed out. I'm prepared!

ONWARDS!

Chapter 11: Surprise… Again

A week after my scare at the clinic, I was woken with another one.

"I'm hungry, hm." A small, blond haired boy sat in the dog bed. After a moment to control my breathing, my heart rate returned to normal.

"Jesus, after all this, my lifespan has probably halved." I grumbled. "So, I suppose you're Midas?" I said to the boy with ears and a tail.

"Yeah, my name is Deidara though, hm."

"Okay, Deidara: bomber dog-boy with a speech tick."

"Oi." He glared at me.

"Let's get you some food." I helped him down from the desk. "Actually, first some clothes are in order." I noticed Gaara behind me. He clutched my bunny close as he glared at the other boy.

As the three of us sat by the small table, I stared at the boys.

"Any idea about who you are?" I asked Deidara.

"Um, Deidara?" he replied, confused as to my question.

"No, not that. Yes, your name is Deidara, but who are you? What can we say your connection is to me?" we all fell into a thoughtful silence.

"We could move and be your children, hm." Deidara suggested. I immediately shook my head.

"Two issues with that. Firstly, my clinic is here. Secondly, you two look nothing alike or like me. Genetics doesn't work that way."

"A friend?" Gaara suggested.

"That would work for a short time. A week at most." There was another pause.

"Adoption?"

"That… could work. People know I wanted a child. I could have already been expecting you when Gaara came. You saw Gaara's ears and didn't want to be left out." I beamed. The boys looked at each other then back to me.

"You want kids, hm?" Deidara asked sceptically, as if it was a foreign concept.

"Well, I-" I was interrupted by Burrito's bark. I went to where Burrito was, closely followed by Deidara.

"Burrito, you're standing…" I noted, awestruck.

"Nice one Sasori no Danna, hm." The little dog tottered before falling. I lifted him up and hugged him.

"Well done!" I praised. "Come on, I'll get you something special for breakfast." I said happily.

Back in the kitchen, I watched him eat.

"So, Deidara, Gaara said he was sixteen. How old are you?"

"Oh, I'm twenty, hm."

"And do you know how old Burrito is?"

"Burrito? His name is Sasori, hm. As far as I know, he's thirty. He looks younger though, hm."

"Looks younger?"

"Yeah, like he's twenty or so, hm."

"Well that I can handle. Nowhere near as weird as dog-boys." I tapped my chin. "Wait a second; if you can turn from dogs into humans, does that mean you can change from human to dog?" Deidara just stared at me for a moment.

"I hope not."

"Look at the bright side: the world is your toilet as a dog." He didn't seem too amused by my humour, but I laughed.

"Anyway, today is Friday. I finish work a bit earlier." I took the bowls and dumped them into the sink.

"Gaara, you ready to go?" I called. Gaara stood from the couch and nodded. I was at the door when my phone rang. I shifted Burrito – um, Sasori – to my other arm.

"Hello, Leila Satobi speaking… yes… I see… yes, I'll be there. Must I bring – oh, okay. Sure thing. No, it's no problem at all. Bye, see you later." I put my phone away.

"What was that about, hm?"

"Just a little appointment after work." I smiled. The boys looked at me expectantly, but I walked out the door, not saying anything.

I took a deep breath before entering the clinic.

"Morning Melissa." I greeted her.

"Good morning Leila, morning Gaara. How are y-" she looked between the three of us.

"Who is this?" Melissa pointed to Deidara while whispering to me.

"Oh, this is Deidara." I ruffled his hair.

"And he is…"

"My son."

"Eh?"

I sighed, "Boys, go sit down, okay. Let me put Burrito down." Deidara and Gaara sat on the couches as I walked behind the counter.

"I thought you couldn't have children." Melissa said.

"Yeah, that's why I was in the process of adopting when Gaara came."

"Oh, I see. Then, I wish you luck taking care of two children." She smiled at me.

"Thanks Melissa," I smiled at her. "We should get ready for work now." I quickly changed the subject.

I drove along the highway, smiling broadly. I took an off-ramp and went along the familiar roads of my suburb.

"This isn't the usual way, hm." Deidara noted, looking out the window.

"Yep, I've got a little appointment."

"Oh yeah, hm." Every. Single. Sentence. I felt my eye twitch. Gaara was right, that speech tick was annoying.

"Where are we going?" Gaara asked.

"The library." My previous irritation instantly dissipated as I pulled into the shaded parking lot.

The library was an old, two-storey building. The garden was over taken with various vegetables that were given to some charity. I carried Sasori as I hurried inside.

"Leila!" the librarian whispered happily.

"Julia!" I gave her a hug, keeping my voice down. She was my height and age. She kept her brown hair at shoulder length.

"Have you been forgetting to eat again?" I asked, looking her over.

"Ehehe, maybe… it was a really good series." I sighed but smiled.

"What is it today?" I asked, changing the subject. Julia searched through the books and papers piled on the desk. She handed me a very thin, soft cover book.

I read the title, "Rumpelstiltskin. Nice one."

"Thanks, now go upstairs and wait."

"Oh, do you mind if these two join for today?" I pointed to the two boys. Julia looked them over.

"I would ask why you have them, but there's no point. Yeah, just make sure they behave… the puppy too." She shooed me away and went back to work. Bringing the boys along, we walked past dozens of shelves overflowing with books. I was used to the path and walked confidently up the stairs.

There was a large landing with a long, dark wood table in the centre. At the back, there was a circle of children's plastic chairs. That's where I went. I sat in the only full sized chair and read through the thin book quickly.

"Come sit." I waved Deidara and Gaara over. I dug around in my bag.

"Here, now you guys need to behave." I gave Deidara his play dough. His eyes lit up as he started moulding. Not long afterwards, another pair of children arrived with their parents. I greeted the parents, hugged the kids. For the next five or so minutes, parents came to drop off their children. Once the chairs were filled and children settled, I began reading. I always enjoyed spending time with children. They were so innocent. Not yet fully aware of the issued the world presented.

Sasori had grown an inch in the past week. He was able to stand for just over a minute by himself. The other two were still half human, half dog. We had no more information on how they got that way.

"Come on Sasori, just a few steps." I crouched near the puppy, arms outstretched. Lulu was in the lounge playing board games with the boys. Sasori tottered towards me. His legs were stiff. 'Come on, come on.' I willed for him to reach me. Little by little, he inched forward. He brushed my fingertips and fell over. I managed to catch him just in time.

"You're doing much better Sasori. You'll be able to walk normally in no time." I picked him up and carried him to the kitchen. "You need to practice by yourself though." I placed him on the countertop and gave him some dried meat to chew on. He still needed lots of work to train his muscles.

"Ha! I win!" Lulu cheered loudly.

"You cheated, hm!" That bloody speech tick. Gaara stayed silent.

"If there's one thing I don't cheat at, it's Monopoly." Lulu stated proudly. I sighed and shook my head.

"Rematch, hm!"

"You're on!" The board was quickly reset and money dealt. I stroked Sasori's back as he munched. My phone rang.

"Hello, Leila Satomi speaking." I answered as usual.

"Yo Lee, how you doing?"

"Sup Kettu. I'm good, you?"

"Chilled. Heard you got another kid. Care to explain?" I sighed.

"It's a long story. I'd rather not."

"Alright, alright. I know you hate phone calls, I'll cut this short. Wanna go out? Lunch maybe? Your kids are welcome." Chris offered. I sighed again.

"I don't know Chris…"

"Come on, Leila. When is the last time you went out?" I couldn't answer. "See? It's just lunch."

"Hmm… where are you thinking?"

"That sandwich shop not far from you? Maybe the Spur is more family friendly." I could almost hear him shrug. I thought for a moment.

"The Spur, Sunday. I'll meet you there at 1. Okay?"

"Sure thing, Lee. And… I'm glad you're better. I'll see you Sunday then." We said our goodbyes and hung up. Sasori was glaring up at me. I was still stroking him.

"No, you rolled a seven! You moved eight, you little cheat!" I heard Lulu from the lounge. I couldn't help but smile. Maybe I was getting better.

The week flew by. Sasori made serious progress and was able to walk a full metre with ease. Lulu had gone away again; can't remember where. Before I knew it, Sunday was upon me. Damn. As soon as I woke up, a feeling of dread washed over me. I wanted to cancel the lunch with Chris. The only things that stopped me were that the boys were coming and it was against how I was raised.

"They haven't gone out before, never been there. Neither have I; not in a long time. It isn't far either. Middle of the day. There's nothing wrong, nothing's going to happen." I muttered to myself as I paced through the apartment. Once I re-convinced myself to go for the umpteenth time, it was already 10:30. Gaara and Deidara were lolling about in their pyjamas, reading or modelling dough respectively. I didn't even notice they were there…

"Gah!" I ran around like a headless chicken, feeding Sasori and searching for my bag. "Shit~!" I had to get ready.

"What are you running for, hm?" I looked at Deidara who was sitting by his usual spot by the low table in the lounge. "It's Sunday, you open late." I blinked stupidly a few times.

"Mellissa's taking care of the clinic today. She'll call me if there's anything she can't handle. Deidara cocked his head to the side at my answer.

"Then why rush, hm?"

"Oh, right. I didn't tell you guys. We're going out for lunch." We looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Shit! I need to get you guys ready!" and my mad dash around the house resumed. I had to help bath them, get them dressed, then get ready myself. I had the very rare issue of not knowing what to wear… Curse the world and society.

At 12:41 we were ready to leave. I got another call from Chris, checking that we were still coming. He sounded really happy when I confirmed… It felt good. We got to Spur at 12:57. Just in time. I hated being late.

"Table for three?" a waiter asked.

"Oh no, I'm meeting someone." I looked around. Someone waved to me. I smiled at the waiter and went over to Chris.

"Hey Lee." He smiled and stood to hug me in greeting. He ruffled Gaara's hair. "Hey kiddo, how're you doing? Is Leila treating you well?" Gaara nodded silently. I sat opposite Chris, the boys next to me. Chris already had a drink. A Coke by the look of it. 'He's thought about that.' A little voice in told me. 'He's considerate.´

"So you're Leila's new child. What's your name?" Chris snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Deidara, hm."

"Hm?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask." I sighed. Chris shrugged. The waiter then came over to take our orders.

"There's a play area over there. Do you want to look?" I said to the boys. Gaara's gaze followed my pointing finger. He nodded.

"Should I go with you?" I offered. He shook his head. "Alright. Deidara, you should go with him." The blond smiled in agreement. The two boys slid off their seats and raced to the play area.

"Behave." I called after them.

"They're pretty young," Chris noted, "but very mature."

"They've each had their own issues… they've had to grow up too quickly." I tried to cover. Chris seemed to buy into it.

"So, Deidara? What's his story?" He questioned. I sighed.

"I was planning on adopting him before Gaara came. So… two kids instead of one." I gave him a very brief version if the story we made up. Chris tapped his chin. I knew that action. I tensed slightly.

"I don't believe you." He stated bluntly.

"W-why? That's what happened."

"No it isn't. I know when you're lying, Leila." I sighed again. Chris and I were close. We had known each other for many years. He knew when I lied, that much was true.

"That red head isn't your nephew either, is he? Nick wasn't a family person." I shiver went down my spine. I forced back a wave of dizziness that threatened to overwhelm me.

I managed a smile. "Yeah, he wasn't, was he?" Chris rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Lee, I know it's hard, but you're not the type to bottle emotions. Please talk to me. Talk to someone." He pleaded, genuinely concerned. I felt my eyes stinging.

"I don't want to talk about it." I mumbled.

"Fine, but at least tell me the truth about the kids." I couldn't hold back a chuckle at that.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Try me." Chris challenged, grinning. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, I'll tell you." I took a slight pause, looking him in the eye. "They were originally puppies that Lulu brought to me. I was taking care of them, and two of them turned semi-human." There was a drawn out pause. Chris took a sip of his drink.

"Alright then."

"You don't believe me?"

"I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do. I know when you're lying, but you weren't. I have to believe you." Chris leant his head on his hand. "It is, however, quite bizarre. Care to explain? Or perhaps you've gone mad?" I shook my head.

"If I was mad, I would know why. We have no information whatsoever." I then remembered something. "Oh, they also come from a different world." Chris choked on his drink.

"Okay… this is crazy."

"Still believe me?"

"Yes, and I'll even help you."

"Help me? How?" I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well, I could watch over them. Think of me as a free babysitter."

"Gaara is eighteen and Deidara is twenty." I deadpanned.

"I'm also a good source of information. I have contacts, remember?" he added quickly, completely ignoring my statement.

"Yes, I know, Mr. Computer Wiz."

"So?" I thought for a moment.

"Maybe." I finally answered.

"So that's a yes." He grinned.

"Fine." I grumbled in defeat, taking a swig of my own soda.

"Alright then, you can move your stuff in next week."

"What?" I stopped and stared at Chris.

"You're going to move into my house." He said innocently, as if he was confused by my question.

"… What?"

"Think about it, Leila: you started with three dogs and ended with three children. Not only do you not have space to house three kids, but people will be suspicious. I have a couple free rooms, so there's enough space in my house. No one would question your comings and goings." Chris explained seriously.

"No." I said bluntly.

"Leila, consider it. Not just for you, but for the boys as well."

"Chris, thank you for the offer, but I don't think-"

"A bacon burger?" The waiter arrived with our food.

"Oh, that's mine. I'll go call the boys." I stood and went to the play area.

Both the boys were happily playing with the other children there. Gaara was climbing around the plastic tunnels. He came down a slide and I caught him and spun him around.

"You're food's arrived." He nodded and trotted back to the table. I saw Deidara playing with the building blocks. I crept up behind him and put my hands over his eyes.

"Guess who." He peeled my fingers away and looked back. "Your food's there. Come on." I took his hand. He waved to the other child as we left. I wondered if they were as old as they said. Maybe they were just really good actors.

I got a call on Monday when I was at the clinic.

"Hey Lee, when should I have the beds made by?"

"No Chris, I'm not going to move into your house." I hung up.

"What was that about, hm?" Deidara peered up at me with curiosity.

"Oh, nothing important. Don't worry." I smiled at him. I realized, I had been smiling a lot more recently.

"Doctor Satomi, can you help restraining a patient?" I heard Melissa call out somewhat desperately. I hurried to the other room, Chris forgotten.

He called every day for the next four days. Finally, on Friday, I snapped.

"Fine! Jesus Christ! I'll go to your house! Stop calling me!" I slammed the phone down, my body shaking in anger. Everyone in the clinic was staring at me. I wanted to disappear. The phone rang again. I reached for it timidly.

"Hello, Satomi vet clinic."

"So Lee-"

"Ah!" I screamed and slammed the phone again… shit. Deidara snickered. I blame Lulu for everything.

Gaara walked up to me.

"What happened?" He gestured to the phone.

"Uh…" I scratched my head nervously. "Looks like we're moving temporarily." Gaara just looked at me.

"Remember Chris? Yeah, he's made a pretty convincing argument… so we'll be staying at his house for a while." I explained.

"I see… is he aware of our condition?" I looked at me feet.

"Yeah. He saw right through the story." Gaara looked slightly worried.

"Is the story no valid in this world?"

"Oh no, that's not it. Chris can just see through any lies I tell."

"I see…"

"I'm sorry."

"Uh, no, it's fine. It may be a good thing." I looked up from the floor and to Gaara.

"Are you trying to comfort me?"

"Um…"

"You are so cute!" I squealed, hugging him tightly. It took him a moment before he hesitantly hugged me back.

So, that was that, and this is this. May I just say... HAHAHAHAAA! See? I told you! Someone would pop up again from the other chapter, and you all guessed wrong. Honestly, when I initially wrote this, I didn't know this was going to happen... *shrug* oh well. As my father says: shit happens. The next chapter WILL be up next weekend. I PROMISE! However, after that, I will be very stressed with time. As I am in matric this year, school takes preference... unfortunately.

2 random side notes: 1, Hatsune Miku's Bacterial Contamination has the most epic PV ever. 2, the Night Angle Trilogy is an AMAZING book series. Read it.

Until next time

I'm out.