I Wanna Grow Old With You
WOOT BITCHES!!! Made it to CHAPTER TWENTY ONE!!! OMFG!!!! Aren't you all happy and excited? Well, I know most of you are because of the whole Deidara not dead thing, but you know lil ol' me. I just can't STAND THE IDEA OF DEIDARA DEAD!!! XP Well, enjoy the chappie everyone!!! Sorry for the long wait once again…
Chapter Twenty One: Who?!
Another day…Without your smile…Another day just passes by…
Now it was already the beginning of second month of being pregnant, and Temari's body was now starting to show the signs of its development. She could no longer run fast, or run even. She felt overwhelming needs to eat and sleep, and soon her mood swings were coming back. And because it became so obvious to herself, soon all the other shinobi's could see that something was wrong with their top female officer.
"Temari san," one of her subordinates asked, "is everything well? We haven't even made it to the base yet."
"I'm…I'm fine," Temari huffed out as she tried to catch in more air. She was still at the starting point of the daily mandatory exercise, and they had made it there by jogging from the Kazekage building.
"Temari san," Takada began with a small hint of worry, "I think we should take you to the hospital."
"Nothing's…wrong," Temari continued to huff out. She then put up a small smile to assure her assistant.
"Temari san," Kintoku spoke, "we've already had to stop about ten times coming here. I agree with Takada. You should check in the hospital, find out what's wrong and get yourself some proper rest."
"Nothing's wrong!" Temari shouted as she forced herself to get back up. Staggering a bit and undoing her fan for a support balance, she leaned on it a bit and looked up at her subordinates in the eyes, "Nothing is wrong, understood?! And don't you dare it was a mistake!"
"I-I'm sorry," Kintoku replied, not being sure of where the topic was going. But before he could say another word, he watched his superior suddenly collapse onto the sands.
"Temari san!!" Takada shrieked as she went to her side.
"Someone get a medic! Immediately!!" Kintoku ordered.
Bursting through the doors and causing everyone to stop and gasp, the Kazekage, Gaara, was now running down the halls of the Suna hospital searching for his sister. With his brother, Kankurou, behind him, both were very intense and on edge on what they had just received. For their sister to suddenly pass out during a morning exercise worried them dearly.
"Ka-Kazekage Sama?!" a shocked nurse called as she ran into them, "Wha-what brings you here?"
"Where is my sister?!" he asked authoritively.
"Uhh, uh well she is just-!"
"Speak up!!" Gaara shouted.
"She's down the hall on the right!" the nurse squeaked at the tone of how sharp the Kazekage had spoken to her. Without another word, Gaara and Kankurou sped off down the hall. Taking a right, just as the nurse had spoken; they had made it to their sister's room.
"Temari!" Gaara exclaimed with relief and worry.
"Temari! Are you feeling well? What happened?" Kankurou asked looking over his sister.
"It's nothing, really, I'm fine now." Temari replied with a tired tone. Hands were held together and resting atop her belly.
"Something has happened! What is it?" Gaara asked as he pulled up a seat close by his sister, "Please tell me, Temari. Something like this is serious. This isn't your average passing out during training accidents. Now please, what is it?"
Temari looked to her brother, Gaara. His eyes were reflecting worry, apprehensiveness and desperation. She could plainly see in his eyes how deeply worried he was and how he didn't want to hear such things as losing her. Sadness and betrayal filled her heart at the thought of how her youngest brother was about to take this. Turning her head, she looked up at Kankurou. Sweat dripping down his face, causing faint trails of his makeup to turn into a small purple river. His breathing was filled with worry and self anger as well.
Temari then looked down at her belly, the white hospital sheets were covering her atop those layers of hospital clothing she now wore. She was now in a mess. Surely now her brothers would be able to figure out what was going on now.
"Temari…Neesan," Gaara began as he took his sister's hand into his, causing her to become a bit taken back. "Please."
'Neesan,' it had been years since Gaara called her that. Many, many years. Hearing this, Temari couldn't fight back the tears forming in her eyes no longer and allowed them to fall.
"Kazekage Sama…Kankurou dono," a voice called from the outside, "may I see you, please?"
"Alright," Gaara replied as he slowly let go of his sister's hand. Both he and Kankurou headed outside of the room, leaving their sister to weep. Closing the door behind them, so no one could see their sister cry, Gaara then turned to the famous Suna doctor, Chacha.
"What happened?" Kankurou asked instantly.
"Oh, so I see you didn't get the note that I had written for you and Kazekage Sama," Chacha replied with a feeling of small disappointment. Holding a clipboard in her arm, she then tore off the paper that was clipped on and handed it to Kazekage. "Here is what you should've known last month," she spoke slowly and solemnly, "I could understand why she didn't give it to you."
With trembling hands, Gaara scanned the paper with wide, surprised eyes. Reading every character, every bit of information, and every bit of what the letter was holding, Gaara finally understood why to his horror. His sister, his only sister, was pregnant. With stunned and surprised hands, the paper slipped from his grasp and floated to the tile floor. And throughout the entire building, everyone one, every corner, heard the Kazekage's cry.
The time we spent apart will make our love grow stronger… But it hurt so bad I can't take it any longer…
A month had already passed since Korin had found him. And now, even while his body was still healing itself, Deidara had already decided it was time to leave. He had grown tired of her constant attention and grew more stressful on wondering how his dearly beloved was doing. Throughout the entire month, he had tried planning of ways on escaping, but he had always failed each one. But now, a new idea had come to him.
"Korin!" he called from his room, "Korin, you here?"
"Hai!" the annoying tone answered. And in almost an instant, she arrived into his room. "Do you need anything?"
"You can leave into other countries, can't you?"
"But of course," she answered with her utmost perkiness, "but why do you ask?"
"Well," Deidara began slowly, "seeing as how bored I am of here, I was sort of thinking that you and I could go somewhere, hmm."
"What?" Korin exclaimed with a bright blush, "Deidara kun! What, what are you trying to say?" She was trying hard to fight back the feeling of shouting and squealing like a school girl.
"I'm saying that I want you and I to take a trip to another country for a while and stay there," Deidara explained using careful words, "seeing as how missions are slow here, I thought you and I could rest easily in, maybe, perhaps…Suna, hmm?"
"Y-y-you and I?!" Korin squealed giving a ring into Deidara's ears. "I-i-in Suna?! Together?!"
"That's what I just said, didn't I?" Deidara tiredly replied, "Do want to? I mean you don't if you don't like the idea-!"
"Yes of course!!" Korin immediately replied with her face totally bright red, "I-I-I'll immediately start packing and getting my passports together!" and without a moment longer, Korin left the room.
Deidara carefully adjusted himself up and looked around the room. Forming a smile upon his lips he found that this would be his only perfect plan on leaving this place and entering in his beloved's home. Though he knew that this time security would be high as well as the risk, Deidara actually had no choice but to go along with his crazy suicide plan.
Things can come and go I know but…Baby I believe…Something's burning strong between us…Makes it clear to me
Days passed by and soon word quickly spread of Temari's pregnancy. But by the time that had happened, she could care less of what all the other kunoichis whispered about. How they would purposely walk by her room and make sneering side glances hoping to pull the guilt trip on her, or just walk by whispering in a voice just audible enough for Temari to hear. Temari would hear such things as, "There she is, the trash of our village," or even, "Heh, look at the proud 'Wind Kunoichi' now. Some shinobi she turned out to be."
To this, Temari would simply ignore it. She didn't give a damn on what they thought of her now. Right now, she had felt all emotions of hope and care detach from her body. Slowly ripping away from her in such a painful manner ever since she had heard that Deidara had died. Looking gloomily outside the window from her bed, hands held together on her stomach, she watched as her old comrades went about on their daily missions, talking to civilians and chatting with the younger generation Gennin. Seeing a sight like this, Temari was beginning to feel regret now of how she had completely ruined herself forever. 'What am I thinking?!' she quickly thought to herself, 'How can I think such things?!' Placing a hand to her heart and another on her still-growing child, Temari felt a tear slip from her eye, 'That's right,' she thought with sadness, 'I cannot have regrets with a man whom I had shared memories and emotions with…a man that I proudly would call my husband and father of our child. Yes, our child, born out of love, not scorn. Born out of pure hope, not of regret or remorse.'
"Temari san? Are you awake?"
Temari quickly looked to the door and saw her ever faithful assistant, Takada, by the open door with hands behind her back. "Eh? Takada? What're you doing here? I thought you were off to your missions." She quickly wiped the tear away in hopes Takada didn't see it.
Takada sighed with a half hearted smile, "Oh Temari san! You know me, always completing them on time," she began while walking in, "so I decided with all this free time I thought I might drop by to give you this!" she then presented a fruit basked with a really chipper smile.
"Oh you really didn't have to!" Temari piped up as she looked at the shiny, perfectly shaped fruits.
"Nonsense," Takada replied as she sat by her superior, "you're my best friend and favorite superior. So…it's not that I feel obligated to do this, but it feels right and it also makes me feel happy doing this. Here." Takada then presented a shiny red apple to her superior.
"Thank you," Temari said as she took the cool apple. Taking a bite into the crispy, juicy fruit Temari felt a bit happier.
"I'm sorry to report I haven't, or rather, we have no new information about the incident." Takada began as she placed the basket on Temari's nightstand, "No new news on Deidara san or Sasuke. We explored the terrain where the explosion and battle was, but so far, nothing is there for us. The desert hounds have no other scent except for the clay. It seems every smell or slight pieces of evidence were wiped out clean by the explosion."
"I see…"
"And, Temari san…I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"That I wasn't able to recover new information that might be helpful to you." Her face then fell to the floor.
Temari gave a little smile and patted her friend on the back. "It's alright," she spoke with a smile, "what's really helpful right now is that you're here talking to me. It gets really lonely when not many people you know don't visit you."
Takada was just about to reply until the doors quickly slid open; the Kazekage then made his way in. "Kazekage Sama!!" Takada greeted as she quickly stood from her seat and bowed.
"Please leave us," Gaara spoke as he made his way towards his sister.
Takada bowed even lower then made her way pass the Kazekage and to the door. Giving a look of hope to Temari, she then left and slid the door closed. When it seemed like she was away from the door, Gaara walked to his sister and sat by her. "How have you been, sister?"
"Fine, Gaara."
Gaara then gave a sigh and looked at her once more. "I'm going to ask you, just once more; who is this child's father?"
"And I shall tell you, once more; I shall not say." Temari stood her ground on this. She knew what Gaara was doing; interrogating every male shinobi in all of Suna. Hunting the truth out of them. Young or even old, she knew he was doing it to all ages.
"Temari," he began with a pleading tone, "please tell me! I cannot bear to continue seeing you like this. My own sister, my one and only sister, to be banished from Suna because of this." He then took her hand and held it tightly in his, "Temari! I cannot stand the thoughts of you not being in this village! If you tell me, the council will allow you do stay and-!"
"And punish the convict that has done this to me by the fullest measure of the Suna law." Temari finished for him. Tears were forming in her eyes as she had said this. "And…by the fullest measure he shall be killed by a public execution, am I not wrong?"
"Temari, don't think of it that way! Temari, it's either you or the criminal! And I don't want you to face that!"
"'Criminal'?" Temari repeated as she turned to face her youngest brother, "Is that what he is? In the eyes of our council, in the eyes of our village and of the previous Kazekage's, is that what he is?"
"Temari, already bearing the child of another without marriage is considered a crime. And for you to try and hide it from us already makes the matters much more worse than it already is. Not only that, you have shamed Suna by using the Chuunin Exams as an excuse." Gaara held his sister's hand even tighter, "Temari," he continued, "I bear not see you to be the one that faces the punishment."
Temari couldn't help but allow the tears to flow from her eyes, did she place herself and Deidara in already this much trouble? Did she allow it to go this far? She did not know anymore. She couldn't know anymore. It didn't matter anymore either. Deidara was dead and there was nothing she could do about it. If she were to say it was him the council would already know that he had died in the fight with Uchiha Sasuke and that would surely lead her to banishment, or even death. Putting a hand on her brother's, Temari had to pull all her courage together. "I think you've already met him before, if you can just think hard enough to know who it just might be."
Gaara looked at his sister and gave an unhappy, yet angered look. He couldn't believe that his own sister was defending this person. Giving a sort of grunt and removing his hand from hers, he stood up and started to walk to the door, "In three weeks," he began with a controlled tone in his voice, "if you do not give the answer…Temari, you shall be given your sentence by the council." With a look of pain in his eyes, the Kazekage then left the room and his still weeping sister.
I wanna be there for you…Sharing everything you do…I wanna grow old with you…
"I can't believe we are almost at Suna!" Korin marveled she clutched at Deidara's coat.
"Neither can I," Deidara replied truthfully and tiredly. Inside he was actually very eager and anxious to enter through Suna. Sure, he had burned his Akatsuki coat and ring, as well for anything else that was related to that organization and had gotten completely new clothes for a disguise; Deidara just hoped that he would manage to reach the sand village in time for Temari. Already half a month had gone by, marking his dearest just about four and a half months pregnant. Clutching his straw hat so that it would cover his eyes from the strong sand storm, Deidara hoped he wouldn't be too late.
"So what'll we do when we get to Suna?" Korin asked, still holding onto him.
"First thing's first, do a little sight seeing. You know, walk around the village, hmm." Deidara explained. He had devised this entire plan out already. His strategy.
"Huh, for what?" Korin asked while she brushed some of the sand away from her eyes.
"Just to be familiar with where we'll be staying."
"Oh! I see….Hey!! Look, Dei-chan! There are the walls to Suna!!"
"Yeah, yeah, I see…" he mumbled under annoyance that she continued to call him 'Dei-chan'.
But as they neared the walls, the Shinobi watchmen at the entrance stopped them. "Alright," the spiky haired guard spoke, "identifications are needed if you want to be allowed."
"Here!" Korin spoke as she presented her I.D. from Kusa. Just as she was about to give them the phony I.D. she had made for her 'Dei-chan', Deidara then flipped off his straw hat.
"Here I am, how's the village been, hmm?"
Gotta stop there everyone!!! X3 DEIDARA CAME BACK LIKE HE PROMISED!! W00T!!! Crappy ending, I'll say, but I hope you all enjoy it!! Gonna work on Chapter TWENTY TWO!!! But don't expect it too soon, okay? After all, with school, it might take longer. Oh well, R&R!!!! WAIT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT!!! (P.S. I do NOT encourage anyone on making phony I.D's okay?)