We're the Same
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry that this one is late. I was just wrapping up a couple other stories and so wanted to focus on them. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: This takes place two months after the last one.
Chapter 11
"Suki, I believe our relationship just went public." Gaara muses two months later as he reads the newspaper.
"What makes you say that?" His lover asks as she sits in his lap and rests her head on his shoulder.
The red head gestures for her to read the paper. Suki's eyes quickly scan it and she blinks. Well that was one way to break the news, she supposed.
The Ultimate Power Couple
For years, our Lord Kazekage was said to possess the Ultimate Defense. Well now the Sand Village is home to its very own ultimate power couple. Suki Uchiha and the Lord Kazekage were spotted in a rather heated embrace on the balcony last night.
Rumors have been swirling around for awhile now, especially after the last Uchiha's transfer. But now we can confirm that it appears to be official, judging the passionate kisses that were being exchanged.
Now one is entirely certain when this secret romance started. Still we all know one thing, this is probably going to send a shockwave through the world of ninja politics. How will the other ninja villages react to this? Only time will tell.
"I wonder who the spy was." Suki muses.
"I suppose it doesn't really matter. Our relationship will be common knowledge in the Five Nations by the end of the week with a display like that. They even included a picture. That was particularly thoughtful of them." The Kazekage states.
Suki raises an eyebrow. She glances down at the picture. The last Uchiha feels her face heat up slightly. It was a good thing that picture hadn't been snapped five minutes later or everyone would have gotten quite the eyeful. She remembered the night that they made love on the balcony well.
"At least they got our good sides?" She offers.
"I suppose that's true. Well there's nothing we can do, except hold a press conference." He says and kisses her cheek.
The last Uchiha nods her head in agreement. That was true. It was probably best to address this as soon as possible. God only knows what sorts of rumors were already spreading about the nature of their relationship.
"Sounds good to me. How quickly can you put one of those together?" Suki asks her lover.
"I can have it arranged for this evening. The sooner we address this, the better." The Kage states firmly and Suki couldn't help but agree with that assessment.
"Alright." She says and later that night they go to do exactly that.
"ATTENTION!" Gaara bellows out and Suki blinks.
She didn't know that Gaara could be that loud. It was impressive really. It got everyone's attention though.
"It seems that a certain newspaper has published a rather suggestive article about my relationship with Suki Uchiha. I would have preferred it, if the newspaper had been investigating real news and not trying to spy on our private lives. Though there really isn't use in denying it at this point. Suki and I are romantically involved." He says.
Suddenly a roar of questions is heard. Suki couldn't distinguish one from the next. It was almost deafening in its intensity. The normally quiet village was now the scene of utter chaos.
"QUIET! We'll be happy to answer any APPROPRIATE questions one at a time. You are still expected to conduct yourselves as adults, no matter how shocking our relationship may be to any of you." The last Uchiha practically growls at them.
That settles the crowd down. Suki couldn't help but smirk a bit. That was better. Maybe now they would actually get somewhere.
"Our relationship will not impact the relations between the Leaf and our village. Most likely we will have to meet with the other Kages and Daimyos to assure them of this, but none of you have anything to fear." The red head says.
"With all due respect, are you out of your mind? Lord Kazekage, you're lover is a former S Class Criminal!" One of them shouts.
Another Sand Villager smacks the first protestor. He wasn't going to have their Kazekage insulted. Besides, it was a very romantic love story.
"Don't speak to Lord Gaara that way! If he believes the Uchiha has changed her ways, then she has. Besides, Naruto also vouches for her. Are you trying to say that you are smarter than the savior of the world?" He demands.
Suki sighs. Oh boy. This might not end well. Soon enough a flood of "debates" broke out. It was like listening to a stormy sea. The shouts just kept rolling in like violent waves against the beach. She found this ironic because they were in a desert.
"SILENCE! I am your Kazekage. I will protect this village, but I am not going to allow my personal life to be dictated to by the whims of public opinion." The red head thunders at them.
That quickly quiets the crowd once more. Suki kisses his cheek reassuringly and smiles when he laces his fingers with hers. This was about what she expected really, but that didn't make it any easier. Still they had each other and that was what really mattered.
Later that week, the Kage and Daimyo were all at a meeting. Suki was less than impressed by the Daimyos, but she kept that opinion to herself. Now was not the proper time to express such things.
"Well I must admit that you certainly know how to create a splash in the press, Lord Kazekage." The Fire Daimyo begins.
"I assure you that was not our intention. One of the reporters must have happened to see us together on the balcony and foolishly decided that it would make a grand story." He replies.
Naruto glances around the room. It was hard to get a read on what the Daimyo's all thought of this. The Kages for the most part looked rather grim. This might not end well.
"Surely, you both understand that this relationship will cause a panic, this I especially true if you decide to have children. What if the sand is genetic? That combined with a possible Sharingan would create a child that is more powerful than many would be comfortable with." Onoki reasons.
"I'm not sure if the sand is genetic or not. It doesn't matter though. As for children, that is our decision and ours alone." Gaara says in a chillingly polite tone.
Suki was fairly certain that Gaara was imagining Sand Coffining his ally at this point. Damn. She had to do something to salvage this.
"The Sand is a fairly small village. It has always been at a disadvantage because of this. Even if we had children, it would not tip the scales of power significantly. Besides, do you really think that Naruto would have transferred me to the Sand, if he thought that it wasn't safe to do so?" She says, deciding that a logical approach might be the best one.
Mei frowns. Hmm. It was a tough situation. The romantic in her certainly did approve of the idea of two lovers fighting to be together. Still Onoki did raise a valid point.
"Perhaps a compromise can be reached. There is a chakra bracelet that will temporarily cut off her access to chakra if she attacks when it is not self-defense or on the orders of her village. It's very…intricate and measures chemical reactions in the body to make these distinctions. We couldn't in good conscience put it on a child. I would trust the Kazekage, to know if such a drastic measure was necessary." She suggests.
Gaara's eyes narrow at that suggestion. He clearly wasn't pleased with the thought of Suki being treated like a criminal again. The raven haired woman shakes her head and places her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"It's fine, Gaara. I'd rather wear the damn bracelet than see a war started over who I take for my lover." She says and sighs, holding out her hand to receive the bracelet.
"It's not right and they know it. Naruto, you can't possibly be agreeing to this!" The red head protests.
Naruto grimaces. He didn't like the idea anymore than Gaara, but it was the best one they had at the moment. The blonde knew what he had to do, but that didn't mean he was going to enjoy it.
"It don't like it either, but Suki is okay with it. Humor them. In time they will see that she's changed. She's not the same person that she used to be before the war. People will get that. Eventually." He promises.
"I can't believe this." The red head hisses.
"You know that it's the right, decision. If you weren't so attached to her, you would see that. If anyone else was in your shoes, you would tell them that such a relationship is ill advised at best." The Raikage says.
Suki blinks She is forced to jump between Gaara and the other Kage, when the red head's sand makes a lunge at the older man. Damn it. The last thing they needed was for Gaara to start attacking other Kages!
"Gaara, it's okay. Really. I don't mind wearing the damn bracelet. It's kinda pretty anyway." She says.
The Daimyos watch this all with calculated looks. All of them were wearing the potential advantages and disadvantages of this unexpected match. None of them had any real idea what would be the best course of action.
"Well it seems that Mei's suggestion will have to do for now. Suki was pardoned for her crimes. We can hardly forbid her from pursuing whatever consensual romantic relationships she desires. While this one might not be the most prudent, it's perfectly legal. For now, she shall wear the bracelet. We will convene at a later time and decide what to do then." One of the Daimyos says.
Suki simply nods. She offers her hand to Gaara. The two of them teleport off in a swirl of sand and fire, leaving behind a very stunned group of ninjas and Daimyos.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Suki mutters once they were far enough away from the others.
"Yes, I feel the same way. I can't believe that they would give you a chakra bracelet like that. You aren't a criminal anymore and they should stop treating you as if you are one." Gaara states in irritation.
Suki manages to stagger a few feet away from her lovers before bending over and emptying the contents of what she had eaten that day. It was bad enough that she was getting sick. The last Uchiha certainly wasn't going to ruin what little was left of her dignity by vomiting on Gaara.
"Suki?!" He asks in concern and rushes over.
"It's fine. Probably just something that I ate." She murmurs.
"Be that as it may, I believe we should get you medical attention immediately. It isn't like you to get sick and especially not so suddenly. Come on. Let's go home." He says as they head back to the Sand Village.
They soon arrive back in the Sand Village. Gaara takes Suki to the hospital to get her looked at. The medic begins taking her vitals and doing the standard assessment.
"Well you don't have a fever and all your vitals are perfectly normal. I hate to get personal, but I have to ask as a medical professional. Everyone knows that the two of you are now together, have you been intimate without protection?" She inquires.
It would have been quite the amusing scene, if the medic wasn't partially terrified for her life. Two of the most fearsome ninjas on the planet suddenly looked rather bashful. Well that answered that question.
"Perhaps a pregnancy test would be a wise move?" She suggests.
"Yes, that would be a good idea. Thank you." Suki says, apparently she was the first of the lovers to get over her embarrassment enough to formulate a reply.
The medic nods and runs a blood test. She blinks when the result came in. Oh boy. She wasn't entirely certain if the ninja world was ready for this bombshell. Suki was no longer the last Uchiha.
"Con-gratulations. It seems that you are pregnant. My best guess is you are about two months along." She stammers.
Gaara blinks. Well they hadn't been using the Jutsu, so perhaps it was to be expected. If that estimate was accurate, that would mean that Suki had gotten pregnant the first time they had been intimate or not long after.
"I don't think Clan restoration is going to be an issue, if you are this fertile." Gaara muses.
"Gaara!" Suki says and lightly swats her lover.
"I am merely stating the obvious." He says as he tries to dodge the swat half-heartedly.
The red head was joking about her pregnancy. Suki took comfort in that fact. If he felt comfortable enough with the idea of her being pregnant to make jests about it, that meant the Gaara was comfortable with fatherhood in general.
"Yes, you should take these vitamins and we'll of course set up an appointment." Mikia states.
"Very well. Thank you, Mikia. I would appreciate it, if you kept this between us for now. Patient confidentiality is an important foundation of the medical field, so I'm told. We will just have to make another announcement relatively soon." The Kazekage decides.
Mikia was the medic who had just told them that Suki was pregnant. She was barely older than them. Gaara almost felt sorry for her. It had to be awkward to be the one to tell the Kazekage's lover was expecting their first child.
"Of course, Lord Kazekage. I would never reveal such personal information about a patient, without their consent." She assures him.
She had long brown hair that reached to her waist and forest green eyes. Mikia was wearing the traditional uniform of a Sand Medic. As far as Gaara could tell, those green eyes of hers were sincere when she promised to keep their "secret."
"Thank you. We appreciate it more than you will ever know." Suki says with a smile and she offers Gaara her hand.
"You're welcome, My Lady. Though I am just doing my job." The medic tells her.
Suki nods. Gaara takes her hand and the two head off to schedule their next appointment. After that, they quickly head to Suki's apartment. They needed some privacy to discuss things.
"Well I think it's safe to say that we have a lot to talk about." Gaara says once they were alone and Suki nods.
"Are you not happy about this? You were joking in the doctor's office." Suki asks anxiously.
"About the actual pregnancy itself? Suki, I never would have made love to you without protection, if I wasn't willing to be a father. It's more the reaction of the other ninja villages that concerns me. I'm very happy that we are going to have a family. We just have to find a way to make sure that others share our happiness." He says as he sits down on the couch and has the sand pull her into his arms.
Suki nods. She couldn't lie, it was a concern. But she was confident that their child would be safe. It had her, Gaara, and Naruto to protect it. She doubted anyone would ever be able to lay a finger on this kid.
"I'm going to wear the bracelet. That should reassure them. The fact that article about us is circulating makes it rather obvious that we are lovers. I'm certain that a certain degree, people are expecting this to happen eventually." She reasons and cuddles into his embrace.
"Yes, eventually. I don't think any of them were prepared for it to happen this soon. This is serious, Suki." He tells her and kisses her forehead.
"I know that it's serious. But I also know you. You won't let anything happen to us. Besides, it's a baby. I don't think anyone wants to get caught plotting against a couple expecting their first child. Can you imagine the devastation that would bring to a village's reputation?" The raven haired woman inquires.
Gaara pauses as he considers that. It was true, attacking a pregnant woman or a small child wouldn't do wonders for a village's prestige. That didn't mean they wouldn't do it though, if they thought the threat was great enough.
"I believe you of all people should know that we can not count on such assumptions." He says and caresses her cheek.
"Oh I know. I think that should keep most people from doing anything stupid. If it doesn't, well I'll just make sure that there is nothing left of them to burry. My first family was taken from me. I won't allow that to happen ever again." She vows.
The Kazekage kisses her. He knew that on some level, Suki was panicking. She was terrified of losing everything they had. He couldn't blame her.
"We'll find a way to make this work. Though I suppose I should inform Kankuro. Temari as well. They are going to be an aunt and an uncle. They have a right to know, don't you think?" He asks gently.
The eldest Uchiha snorts in amusement. Oh yes, she could just picture Kankuro's reaction to this news. He didn't even want Gaara to be with her. The young woman could only imagine how he would respond when he found out that she was carrying his bother's baby.
"I'm not sure how Temari will take this, but I doubt Kankuro is going to be happy. Are you sure that you are ready for that?" She asks gently.
"Considering you are already pregnant, I had better be. Don't worry. We'll find a way to make this work." Gaara promises her.
Meanwhile Naruto had arrived back in the Leaf. He heads to Sakura's immediately. She had wanted to know what was discussed at the meeting. Like any good friend, he was going to keep her in the loop.
"Yeah. So there wasn't really much point in denying it. Gaara and Suki are together. Gaara was pretty angry about everyone getting involved in their relationship. Suki is now wearing a bracelet that will keep her from attacking anyone if it isn't self-defense or on the Kazekage's orders. He REALLY didn't like that, but then they left. I think that things might be okay now." The blonde explains in a rush.
"I feel bad for them. Everything they do will be in the public eye. He's a Kage and her reputation will always make people suspicious of her." The pink haired woman admits.
"Yeah. I feel bad for them too. Then I remember that they found love. We should all be that lucky. Still I'm not really sure how this is going to go. I mean I trust that Suki will wear the bracelet, but she's a hot head and Gaara is very protective of her. Bad things might go down." The blonde continues.
Sakura couldn't disagree with that. The medic was also happy for Suki. God knows if anyone needed to find love, it was probably her. Maybe Gaara would be able to help her heal in ways that they simply hadn't been able to.
"So do you think they are really in love then?" She asks.
"I would say they have to be. If they aren't, it'd be pretty stupid for them to go through all this." Naruto says with a grin.
"That's good then. What's not so good is not knowing what is going to happen. Do Kankuro and Temari know?" His teammate inquires.
The blue eyed ninja blinks. That was a good question. He honestly didn't have any idea. They were Gaara's siblings, but the red head was a pretty private person. So it was hard to say.
"I don't know. If they didn't know before, they definitely are going to find out soon. I mean that newspaper made it obvious what was going on." The blonde answers honestly.
Sakura nods. Yes, the newspaper article had left very little to the imagination. She blushed just thinking about it. If nothing else, there was definitely a physical attraction there. A powerful one.
"Do you think it will last?" The pink haired woman dares herself to inquire.
"Judging by the way Gaara was acting, yeah. It's for real. I never thought I'd see the day when Suki fell in love, but I guess it happened." He says cheerfully.
Sakura giggles at that answer. She simply nods. Well they didn't have much of a choice now. They would just have to find a way to deal with it.
"I guess this explains why she wanted the transfer so badly. She wanted to be near him. I can't blame her. That is a long distance to travel back and forth." She muses.
Naruto nods in agreement. He wouldn't have been particularly thrilled to basically have to take a week to see his lover for one day. The transfer was just more practical.
"Hopefully, she ends up being happier there than she was in the Leaf." He says.
"What about you? Are you going to be okay with all this? You fought so hard and so long to bring her back." Sakura points out.
"I'll miss not seeing her every day. But if she's happier in the Sand, I'm not going to stand in her way. Maybe it's better for her in the long run." Naruto says with a shrug.
Sakura tilts her head in confusion. She wasn't entirely certain what Naruto meant by that. How was it better for Suki in the long run? She didn't get it.
"What do you mean?" The pink haired woman asks.
"As much as I hate to say this, it's the truth. So I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It'd be hard for her to ever really start over here. People's opinions about her are pretty well fixed. In the Sand, there is at least a chance that people might let her have a fresh start. She won't get that here." He says with a sigh.
Sakura shakes her head. She places her hand on her friend's shoulder. She knew Naruto. So the medic had a damn good idea what was going on in his mind at the moment and it wasn't pretty.
"You're right, but none of that is your fault. You can't blame yourself for people not wanting to give another person a second chance. You did everything you could do to help her. Besides, I'm sure she's grateful that you approved the transfer." Sakura says with a smile.
"Yeah. That's true. She did seem happy about that. I still wish there was more that I could have done, you know?" Naruto asks.
"I know. If you play your cards right and they have a boy, maybe she'll name him after you." The pink haired woman muses.
Naruto blinks. That thought had never occurred to him. That would be fucking awesome. He wondered if Gaara could talk her into doing that.
"That would be cool. I guess it's good to look on the bright side of things. I think we are going to need to do so, if we want to get through whatever the political fall out from this will be." Naruto states.
Sakura could only nod. The political repercussions of this relationship were bound to be enormous. One thing was for sure, she doubted very many people were going to stay neutral.