A few hours had passed before Azumi woke up slowly to the feeling of being watched. She opened her eyes slightly, seeing that Gaara was still asleep. With a soft hum, she stretched hard in his arms and sat up a little bit only to be startled by Shira sitting on the edge of the bed smiling at them. She gasped hard and pressed her hand to her chest. "Gods, Shira," she breathed through a nervous chuckle, "what the hell?"
"Didn't mean to startle you," he chuckled softly. "Did you sleep well?" he asked her, still smiling.
Gaara moaned softly next to Azumi, squeezing his arms around her. "We're still sleeping," he mumbled into Azumi's hair.
"So you don't want food?" Shira raised an eyebrow, looking at Azumi and laughing softly.
"Food?" Azumi hummed, sitting up a little more. "You brought food?"
"I always bring food," Shira smirked. "Hungry?"
"The baby is hungry," she chuckled.
"Would you like to eat here or can you two manage to get to the kitchen?" Shira chuckled.
Gaara sighed, stretching against Azumi. "We can come down," he told Shira. He stretched a little again, pressing a kiss to her neck.
"Very well, then," Shira grinned, standing up.
"How long have you been here?" Azumi asked him.
"I walked in about four seconds before you opened your eyes," he chuckled. "Don't worry, I wasn't watching you two sleep."
"I would have just asked if you wanted to nap with us," she giggled.
"And I would have taken you up on that offer," he smiled. "I'll give you two a minute. See you in the kitchen." He left the room and headed down to the kitchen.
Azumi looked at Gaara and leaned down to kiss him softly. "Are you hungry?" she asked him quietly.
Gaara smiled into the kiss, pressing gently into it. When they broke apart, he curved his body to settle into her lap. He took one of her hands to gently place on his head. "Yes," he answered, turning his face to kiss her stomach. "But I'm not in the mood to rush for it." He pressed his forehead to her stomach, a small smile pulling his lips. "However," he looked up at her again, "yours and the baby's needs outweigh mine. I'll move when you are ready."
She smiled, moving her hand and scratching his head for a few moments. "And I will move when the baby is ready," she said. Suddenly, her stomach growled. "And the baby is ready," she chuckled.
He laughed, curling up so he sat on the edge of the bed. He waited for her to get up and circle the bed. Smiling as he took her hand, he gently fixed a piece of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. He leaned in to kiss her again, nuzzling his nose against hers gently. "I love you," he smiled.
"I love you, too," she said, kissing him one more time. She lifted his hand to kiss his knuckles then let him lead her down to the kitchen where Shira was waiting for them.
"Ah, you didn't take as long as I thought you would," Shira chuckled, already serving a few dishes.
"The baby said no shenanigans," Azumi smirked.
"I'm glad the baby is forward with their wants and needs," Shira chuckled. "I think it means they will be very strong and healthy like their parents."
"So you think this baby is going to turn out like Temari," Gaara teased as he pulled out a seat for Azumi.
"I said no such thing," Shira hummed. "Don't you put your fears on me," he flashed a smirk.
"That isn't a fear of mine," Gaara chuckled.
Azumi looked over the food Shira had set out. "As always, this looks and smells amazing," she smiled. She put a little bit of everything on her plate, filling it up rather quickly.
"I also just made some of this for you," Shira grinned, setting a pitcher of rumman on the table in front of her.
She let out a small excited squeal. "Ah, thank you!" she said, already pouring a glass.
Gaara smiled as he loaded up his plate. "I think you might have to move with us if we go back to her village," he chuckled.
Shira smirked, sitting down across from them. "I can visit but I'm not sure I can leave either of my loves behind," he smiled, taking a sip from his cup.
Azumi squinted at him over the rim of her glass as she sipped the rumman. "Loves," she hummed.
"Yes," Shira smirked, "loves."
She squinted harder at him. "One of those loves is not Gaara?"
"Not this time. You've stolen him from me. I've got another."
"You're cheating on me," Gaara chuckled. "Who is she?"
Shira took a deep breath. His grin nearly doubled in size as he let out a long, happy sigh. "Her name is Sayumi," he swooned. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand, getting a dreamy look in his eyes. "She's perfect."
"Sayumi..." Gaara frowned in slight concentration. "I don't recognize that name. But I'm happy for you," he lifted a glass to his best friend. "But my poor aunt," he shook his head, smirking. "How will she get free food now?"
"Oh, make no mistake!" Shira gasped. "Lady Sachiko will continue to get free food."
"Clearly she is the other love," Azumi chuckled. "How did you meet Sayumi?"
"I actually met her at Lady Sachiko's birthday party," his dreamy tone returned.
"During the..." Gaara trailed off.
Shira's eyes went wide. He actually started to blush. "We made out but we didn't go that far," he laughed, blushing harder.
"Ah," Azumi chuckled, "neither did we," she hummed, realizing she had fallen into a trance at that party. "But I am happy for you," she grinned. Her grin slowly turned into a smirk. "Will we be meeting Sayumi?" she asked.
"Of course," Shira practically purred. "She has to know who is making her an aunt," he chuckled.
"And?" Gaara pouted playfully.
"And who her other husband will be," Shira finished with a reassuring tone to Gaara.
Gaara smiled and started eating his food. "Thank you," he hummed.
"Come to the restaurant tomorrow night," Shira told them. "She'll be there."
"I think we can make that happen," Gaara nodded. Azumi hummed in agreement as she downed half of her food.
"I'll have to make something special," Shira gushed. "Do you two have any requests."
"I don't," Gaara chuckled. "Everything you make is good."
"You're never any help," he chuckled. "Does the baby want anything?" he asked, turning to Azumi.
"Hm?" Azumi asked, looking up from the spoonful she was about to shove in her mouth. She set it down and hummed in thought for a moment, gently pressing a hand to her stomach. "The baby wants papas rellenas," she said softly to herself as if the baby growing inside her said it to her. She nodded in confirmation. "It is a thing we make in my village for celebrations. Fried balls of potatoes filled with meat."
"It sounds like the perfect thing to make!" Shira grinned. "I can make that. If the baby requests anything else you let me know," he chuckled.
"We can stop to bring anything, too," Gaara hummed. "We will just have to figure out an excuse to tell the family tomorrow."
"Are you two on house arrest?" Shira asked.
"Oh, you do not know of the crazy few days we have had," Azumi chuckled, realizing that Shira had no clue she left Sasori's house because he almost killed her and her baby.
"Well, now I'm intrigued," Shira smirked, sipping more of his drink.
"Well, it was revealed that I am pregnant," she started. "I do not know how he found out but he attacked me immediately. We escaped. But at the same time, my family arrived in this city. So we are all staying at Lord Sandaime's house right now. Then he tried taking one of my snakes as a way to lure me back to him and then he got it from me."
"And then from her father," Gaara added with a chuckle.
"But because he made an attempt to get me back, my father would prefer I stay inside. However, I know that the monster is in no state to move right now so I think we are okay to move around the city."
Shira nodded, staring at the two of them while he downed his glass then refilled it. He put the cup down with a light tap. He refilled his glass then proceeded to finish it once more. Once he finished the second glass, he took a deep breath. "Insanity," he finally said. "Gods, you two, that's too much," he shook his head. "Why didn't...aaah," he reached over and took Azumi's hand in his. "If you need to slip away at any moment and Gaara isn't there, you know you can come to me." He pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
She smiled softly at him. "Thank you, Shira," she said. "I appreciate that. But I am hoping that he will not be making any more attempts. I am sure whatever my father did to him was brutal enough to deter him from trying again."
He kissed her hand again then gently placed it down. "So what exactly is being done about Sasori?" Shira asked.
"For now, he is still recovering from his back to back fights. I don't exactly know what Uncle has planned for him. I know he is having a hard time with sentencing his nephew to death."
"Death?" Shira asked incredulously
Azumi frowned slightly. "My father," she sighed, "is very adamant about a death sentence." She knew Sasori deserved it, but she did not want to support it. Yet, she knew her opinion on the matter would only be met with judgment.
Shira's eyes narrowed at her. He felt like there was more she wanted to say but he did not push it.
"He deserves any punishment he gets," Gaara's mouth was a grim line. "I personally don't think he has earned the sweet release of death." His voice was a little rougher. He curled his fingers around his cup tightly then forced himself to relax.
Shira nodded, silently taking in his best friend. "Well...when the choice is made...I am sure your father and Uncle will make the right one, whatever it will be to ensure yours and the baby's safety." He cracked a smile at the two of them.
Azumi smiled back at him. "I think you are right," she said softly with an agreeing nod. She continued eating her food, finishing it and then serving herself seconds.
"Was the baby that hungry?" Shira chuckled.
"What I just had was for the baby. This is for me," she smirked.
"Good thing I prepared second rounds," Shira gestured to a basket under the table. "Are you two staying here tonight?"
"No," Gaara cleared his throat. "The rest of the family would notice and probably send a search party."
"Fair enough," Shira chuckled. "Think your family and father would like what I make?"
"Oh, I know they will," Azumi chuckled. "My older brother is a bit of a food snob and I know for a fact he will love your food. My younger brother eats just about anything and I know he will love it as well."
"Two brothers?" Shira grinned. "Perfect. Oh, maybe I should have made more," he started to laugh, ducking under the table to check the basket. "Do you think Lady Sachiko will want some, too?" he asked Gaara, running a hand through his hair.
"Don't ask me dumb questions," Gaara snorted. "But relax, Shira, you don't have—"
"You're right! Okay, I'll be by tonight to bring you all more food!" His face lit up. He was starting to float a little in his seat.
Gaara shook his head. "How does Sayumi feel about your love for my aunt?" he asked teasingly.
Shira did not answer a first, smiling sheepishly. "I...felt a bit weird telling her about it at first..." he said. "But it turns out she also has a crush on her."
"Not surprising," Azumi chuckled. "So do I."
"I think everyone but our immediate family has a crush on my aunt," he chuckled. "Sasori and my father are particularly soft for her but I won't say it's a crush."
"Makes sense," Shira nodded. "I think...it's too early to say I'm well and truly in love with Sayumi but it's so nice to have someone." He closed his eyes, that dreamy smile returning to his face.
"It is nice that you have someone who is not already married," Azumi chuckled, finishing her food and pouring herself another glass of rumman.
"Yes, I suppose that is important," Shira chuckled. "But honestly..." he trailed off and glanced at Gaara then the most mischievous grin spread over his lips. "I wish they would throw parties more often."
"You're despicable," Gaara choked on his drink, coughing into his cup. Azumi rubbed his back gently. He laughed, shaking his head. "We never even stay that late."
"Ah, but maybe we should!" Shira laughed a little louder.
"Ugh, no, that's mostly my family!" Gaara laughed himself, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"It would be weird to talk about it with him because it is his family," Azumi told Shira. A smirk slowly appeared on her lips. "But we can talk about it," she mouthed to him, gesturing between him and her. Shira winked at her, nodding in understanding and solidarity.
Gaara shook his head, looking to the sky. "I don't care what you two do when I'm not looking," he chuckled.
"Oh," Shira hummed scandalously. "How trusting of you, Gaara."
Azumi cupped Gaara's jaw and gently turned his face toward hers to press a soft kiss to his lips. "He has no reason not to trust us," she told Shira.
"Right," Shira chuckled. "We're the loves of his life."
"That you are," Gaara smiled, pressing into the kiss. He pressed a few more soft kisses then pulled away.
"You two are cute," Shira smiled at them, starting to clean up his dishes. "I'm going to go so I can meet you guys back at the house with the food," he stood up, stretching a little.
"We will see you later," Azumi smiled, taking Gaara's hand and standing up with him. Shira cleaned everything up and gave them each a hug before leaving. They said their goodbyes and once again, Azumi and Gaara were left alone. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. "I guess we should be getting back to your uncle's house," she hummed.
"Mmmmm," Gaara hummed, burying his face in her hair. His arms wrapped around her as he continued to hum, holding her closer still. He started to kiss behind her ear, then down her neck. "But I don't think I'm ready yet," he sighed. He bit down on her shoulder but not hard enough to leave a mark.
"Oh?" she smirked. "Are you not?" She ran her fingers through his hair. "Was that nap not enough?" she teased.
"The nap was just the warm-up," he grinned, cupping his hands under her butt to pick her up. "Shira will take at least an hour and a half," he said, kissing along her jaw. "I think we have some time."
"Time for another nap?" she joked, tilting his face back toward hers to kiss his lips.
"How about a more...engaging nap?" he suggested with a smirk against her lips. He started down the hall back to his room, kissing her as he moved. He liked the feeling of pretending for a moment that this is what will feel like to have their own home, to be together as a family once his cousin was taken care of. He sat down on the bed, pulling her down with him as he kissed her.
She cupped his face, pushing deeper into the kiss. "I think we both are deserving of a more engaging nap," she smirked, gently pushing him down to lay on the bed. She kissed along his jaw and down his neck, sliding her hands down his arms to lace their fingers together and pin his hands to the bed next to his head.
He grinned up at her, squeezing their hands gently. He arched up, to press their bodies together, biting her lip as he did. In a swift movement, he rolled them over and pinned her hands to the bed. "Agreed," he smirked.
Orochimaru looked up from the scroll he was reading. Something was not sitting right with him. He had the intense feeling of being watched by...at least two people. Neither of them felt like his sons nor his daughter. His eyes flickered back down to his scroll to pretend he had not noticed them.
A few moments passed and he could feel the two entities shift to another location. The feeling of being watched was still there so he knew they were still around. He stood up, continuing to pretend as if he knew nothing and made it seem like he was heading to the bathroom. He got to the door when he felt a cord wrap around his neck and jerk upwards sharply. He gasped as he was pulled roughly against a hard, muscular chest. One of his hands flew to his throat while the other arm jerked back hard. His elbow dug sharply into his attacker's side. The attacker let out a small grunt and pulled the cord harder.
"Did ya get him?" a voice asked. Orochimaru knew it had to be the second presence he felt.
"No," the attacker grunted. "Shut up."
Orochimaru started to relax his body so the cord on his throat was not pressing so hard. He reared his head back, shoving it hard under the man's jaw. The man behind him struggled to tighten the cord as his jaw stuttered. There was a very small window of time where the attacker loosened his grip to regain a harder grip. Orochimaru used that time to spin and knee his attacker hard in the gut, causing him to double over.
"Lord Kakuzu!" the other man yelled. Orochimaru looked up to see a man with purple eyes and slicked-back grey hair.
"Shut up, Hidan," the attacker groaned as he tried to get up.
"But my Lord!" Hidan yelled, distracting the man long enough for Orochimaru to bolt for the door. He needed to get outside so he would not damage anything.
The large hitman growled as he pushed himself off of the ground, rushing after his target. "Dammit, Hidan!" he snarled. "Go find the others!"
Hidan started to follow Kakuzu but halted at the order and immediately started looking through a couple of doors to find the rest of the family. However, he figured his master was going to need help with this particular hit so after opening the third door and not finding anyone, he moved in the direction he saw Kakuzu follow Orochimaru in.
Orochimaru made it to the back balcony of the house. There was enough room out there to do what he needed to do. He walked to the edge of the balcony then turned to face Kakuzu who had skidded to a stop in the doorway, catching himself on the frame. He narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru. He figured there would be a fight but he did not like how prepared his target seemed. His hand fell to the whip on his hip. He unraveled it, snapping it slightly as he stalked towards Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed at the whip. He watched carefully as Kakuzu's hand moved to snap the whip. He moved out of the way just in time but still felt the wind it produced.
Hidan came running out to the balcony. "Dammit, Hidan!" Kakuzu repeated when he saw his slave.
"I came to help ya, my Lord!" Hidan defended. He stepped between his master and their target.
"Hidan, move!" Kakuzu snapped the whip, hitting Hidan hard in the back. The silver-haired man hit the ground hard, bleeding instantly.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes again in disgust. He was disgusted with both the whipping of another person and the semi-orgasmic sound that came from the man who got whipped.
"I'm sorry, Lord Kakuzu," Hidan said through a grin as he kneeled up. It only furthered Orochimaru's disgust.
Kakuzu stepped closer to Orochimaru, pushing Hidan down as he stepped by him. Hidan let out a pleased whimper as his knees hit the ground. Orochimaru turned his attention away from Hidan to Kakuzu. "You cornered yourself," the hitman smirked. He circled the whip on the ground, ready to snap it at any moment.
Orochimaru managed a smirk through his disgust. How he could not wait to return to his village. "You are underestimating me," he said matter of factly.
"You've put up a bit of a fight, but nothing I can't handle," Kakuzu said, snapping the whip again which Orochimaru evaded once more.
Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "Is that so?" he smirked, transforming into the large snake.
"What the fuck?" Hidan grumbled. "I told ya that ya need my need help!"
Kakuzu had no time to retort as the massive snake loomed over them. He turned to run, to put some distance between him and the beast as it reared back. Hidan got to his feet, pulling out a short sword. Instead of running away, he charged towards Orochimaru, screaming at the top of his lungs. Orochimaru shifted at the last second, dodging Hidan easily.
As Hidan turned around, Orochimaru struck, opening his mouth wide and unhooking his jaw. Before Hidan could scream again, he was in the snake's mouth. Everything moved so fast for him as he felt the snake move. Orochimaru used his tail to reached for Kakuzu, wrapping around him and tossing him into the air. The snake struck for the hitman and the slave and master pair were both stuck in the snake's mouth.
"This is fucking disgusting," Hidan murmured, thrashing a little in an attempt to get the snake to let them go.
Orochimaru rolled his eyes and moved off of the balcony to the ground below the house and toward the back wall of the city.
Kakuzu struggled, trying to push himself or Hidan out of the snake's mouth as they were carried away. "I'm going to kill Sasori myself," he growled. He pushed his hands hard into the Orochimaru's tongue, trying to push himself out of the mouth. "Give me your blade!" he grunted at Hidan.
"I don't have it!" Hidan looked around, trying to see if he had any weapon to offer his master.
"Useless as always," Kakuzu grumbled, punching around the snake's mouth. Orochimaru threatened to swallow them with a contraction of his muscles.
"He's gonna eat us!" Hidan gasped, trying to move to the front of the mouth.
Orochimaru moved quickly to the wall, getting into a taller stance and into a position to toss his two problems away. He pulled back, turned his head away then swung back hard to spit the two men as far as he possibly could. Hidan's scream arched through the sky, fading with them into the distance. Once they were out of sight, Orochimaru slithered back towards Sandaime's mansion. He pushed himself up over the balcony before returning to his human form. "Fowl," he grimaced, running his tongue over his teeth. He walked quickly back into the mansion, beelining for the bathroom to cleanse his body.
Yashamaru stepped out of his room when he heard his father walking through the hall. "What was all of that?" he asked with a slightly amused look. He had seen Hidan running down the hall but did not bother to pursue him, knowing his father could handle it.
"Someone," Orochimaru pressed into the word, "seems to have taken a hit out on me."
"A hit?" Yashamaru raised an eyebrow. "He is desperate," he snickered softly, following his father into the bathroom. "What did you do with them?"
"I tossed them out like the trash that they are," Orochimaru answered, running the water and immediately washing his mouth out.
"You did not kill them?" Yashamaru questioned.
"I did not want to stain my clothes with their blood."
"That's reasonable," Yashamaru started the bath for his father. "Do you think they will come back for a second try?"
"Absolutely not," Orochimaru scoffed. "It does not sound like Sasori was well informed about me so they were not prepared at all."
"Not many people are prepared for your level of brutality," Yashamaru hummed.
Orochimaru washed his face up and quickly undressed to get into the bath. "I am going to need to soak for a long time," he muttered.
Yashamaru chuckled softly. "Then I will ask someone to bring you tea."
Orochimaru muttered his thanks and tilted his head back with a heavy sigh. "I want to get out of this city as soon as possible."
"That might be harder than you think it will be," Yashamaru smirked.
Orochimaru squinted at his son. "Why? What now?"
Yashamaru started to chuckle. "Mitsuki is really in love with Lady Sachiko. Are you ready to tear him away from that?"
Orochimaru scoffed and rolled his eyes. "When Mitsuki is old enough, he can find another, more age-appropriate woman," he said.
Yashamaru laughed a little harder. "Well, at least he has good taste in women," he reasoned.
"At least he has that," Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "I thought you were going to get me tea?"
"Yes. yes," Yashamaru stretched. "Be right back," he said, the mirth still in his voice.
Orochimaru sighed again and settled further into his bath, awaiting his son's return.