Disclaimer: Sis didn't own Naruto, only her story plots and her OCs.
25—You're Having Fun
Gaara and Sakura stepped off the plane into the hot African sun. It had been years since they'd first brought Takeshi to Africa for Sakura's grandparents to see him. They'd been delighted to meet Sakura herself, though they were surprised she was so young and already married. Sakura looked over at Gaara, who had their two-year-old daughter Airi in his arms. Takeshi was holding onto Sakura's hand and looking a tad green. Sakura reached down and put her hand on his head, making him look up at her. She smiled at him and he smiled back.
His sixth birthday was in three weeks and he'd asked if they could visit 'Grandma and Grandpa Africa'. Sakura had laughed and looked at her husband, who said he'd have to see if he could get two weeks off of work. Sakura had just finished up finals for this semester and her job at the hospital wasn't set to renew for another month. Sakura watched her husband as he gave Airi some of the water from the bottle he'd gotten on the plane. He then took a swig himself before offering it to Takeshi, who took a gulp. Sakura was offered the bottle then and she finished it up, putting it in Airi's diaper bag so she could fill it up later.
She noticed Gaara grab her hand and lead her to the side. She looked at him, confused, until he lifted his chin. She looked over her shoulder and she gasped in surprise. Her mother and father were standing there with her grandparents. They had almost frightened looks on their faces. Sakura bit her lip and looked at her husband, who gave her an intense look. She smiled and nodded and he closed his eyes, nodding to her. He then shifted Airi's diaper bag, along with Airi herself, and took Sakura's hand. Together, they made their way to the two older couples.
Sakura smiled at her grandparents and hugged them, handing Takeshi's hand over to her grandmother as she regarded her parents. Her mother bit her lip and looked at Gaara, who was busy talking to Sakura's grandparents. Sakura looked over at Gaara and smiled before turning her attention back to her parents. "Mom…dad…it's been a while…" She noticed her mother's lip quiver and she stepped forward, hugging her. And that was all it took for her mother to break down, wailing as Sakura hugged her for the first time since she was a small child. Sakura whispered to her mother, telling her that no matter what, she always loved them.
Sakura noticed her father staring at Takeshi before looking over at Airi. She smiled and called her son to her. "Takeshi, this is your grandma and grandpa. They're mommy's parents." The soon to be six-year-old regarded them with wary eyes. Both her parents waited with baited breath before the little boy shyly said hello, hiding behind his mother. Sakura giggled and took Airi from Gaara. "And this little monster is Airi." The little girl squealed and laughed as her mother 'ate' her stomach. Sakura stopped suddenly and smiled. "Airi…how old are you? Tell mommy." The little girl held up two pudgy little fingers and giggled when Sakura cheered for her. Her short pink locks were brighter than Sakura's, having a slight red tint to them. Airi's eyes were the same color as her brothers, a bright green with lighter striations through the center.
"They're…they're beautiful, Sakura…" Sakura smiled at her mother and looked at Gaara over her shoulder. Gaara walked up to Sakura, his eyes steadfastly on his wife's parents. Sakura's grandparents smiled at the four as her grandmother held out a hand to Takeshi.
"Let's head back to the house. I have a present for a certain big boy." Takeshi's eyes lit up and he cheered. Sakura laughed as Takeshi dragged her grandparents out the doors towards the parking lot. She knew he'd be safe with them and she wanted to catch up with her parents.
"How long have you guys been in Africa?" Sakura asked her parents. Both looked surprised but cleared their throats.
"Two years now. Your grandparents thought it would be good for us to stay away from the old influences." Sakura arched a brow and canted her head to the side.
"Old influences? I don't understand." It was Sakura's father that spoke up then.
"The people we used to associate ourselves with. Our therapist said that being around them kept us from changing our thought processes. So we came here, away from the socialites we were used to being around." Sakura's eyes widened, as did Gaara's. She felt him squeeze her hand and they looked at one another. Sakura's mother noticed their shock and she smiled. It was the first genuine one Sakura could remember.
"After what happened with you, we started thinking. We examined our lives very closely and found we didn't like what we saw." She stated sadly and looked over at her husband. Sakura's father closed his eyes with a sigh.
"My…my parents…they made our marriage hard. They…never approved of your mother." Sakura's eyes softened and she smiled gently at her parents.
"Meyumi-sama and Hiashi-sama told me the day I went into labor with Takeshi about how your parents treated you, Daddy. I know it must have been hard, being denied your dream." She noticed her father swallow hard and he nodded. She looked at her mother, who looked sadly over at her father. "Mom, don't worry about it. You love daddy and daddy loves you. As long as you have each other, you'll never have to worry about anything, right?" Both her parents' eyes widened at that before both softened and they smiled.
"When did you get to be so smart?" Sakura giggled as her dad actually teased her. She'd never seen him like this before. She looked at her daughter, who was staring at her father with large, curious eyes. She then handed the two-year-old to her father, who gasped when the little girl squealed and latched onto him, her pudgy little hands digging wetly into his hair. He laughed and poked her, causing her to giggle. Gaara smiled and leaned towards his father-in-law.
"If you grab right…here," He chuckled when his daughter shrieked and laughed loudly, squirming in Sakura's father's arms. The little girl's giggles made the older man laugh and then he started doing it to her too. She laughed and laughed and shrieked and giggled until she had the adults cracking up. Sakura wrapped her arms around her mother's shoulders and laid her head down, smiling.
"I know you were trying to prevent me from ending up like you and daddy, but I'm glad things happened the way they did. If they hadn't, I wouldn't have my husband or my two beautiful children. And I wouldn't take anything for them." Sakura smiled and looked up at her mother, who smiled gently at her daughter.
"I'm glad you're happy, sweetheart. Your father and I have done a lot of soul searching…a lot of questions asked to each other, late at night. We finally realized that despite everything we did to try not to end up like his parents, that's exactly what we'd become. It has taken us years to realize that and to take the steps to change it." Sakura squeezed her mother's shoulders and smiled. The older woman smiled back and looked over at her husband, son-in-law, and granddaughter. "It's going to take time to heal the wounds we've caused. But we're here…and we want to be a part of your life. Part of your brother's life."
Sakura bit her lip and looked over at her husband, who was smiling as her father played with her daughter. "I don't know if Xavier has it in him to forgive right now, mom. That's going to take a lot of time and convincing." She noticed her mother's sad smile.
"I know, baby. But he's our son and we have to try and make amends. If not for our sake than for his children's. We don't want what we did to affect them. They need to know it's not their fault." Sakura smiled and hugged her mom. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her brother's wide eyes.
"Well maybe now is a good time to tell you that Xavier and his family tagged along for Takeshi's birthday?" She heard her mother gasp and then turn mechanically. Her eyes met her son's and tears welled up in them.
"M-Mori-" She stopped herself and shook her head. "No…you're not that little boy anymore." She whispered and looked up at her son with loving, gentle eyes. "Hello…Xavier." Sakura watched tears gather in her brother's eyes. It was just that simple. By using the name he'd chosen for himself after they'd disowned him, their mother had partially healed the wound in his heart. She watched with tears in her eyes as her mother and brother embraced for the first time probably since he was Takeshi's age.
"Uncle Xavier, you made it!" Sakura looked over as Takeshi ran towards his uncle and jumped into his arms. Sakura laughed happily as their familial ties were healed. She looked over when Gaara came up beside her and wrapped his arm around her, smiling gently at her. She leaned over and kissed him, which drew a loud response from their son. They laughed and held one another as their family caught up, apologies were made, and wounds were healed. It wouldn't be an overnight thing, but it was a beginning.
Sakura's ears perked when she heard her mother ask Takeshi if he wanted to take a bath when they got to the house. Takeshi cheered and smiled. For some reason, the kid loved baths. She gaped, as did Gaara, when Takeshi held up his hand. "But mommy and daddy can't take baths. The last time daddy washed mommy's back, the stork brought Airi home."
Complete silence reigned as Sakura stared at her son, her entire body red. Gaara just sighed and shook his head. Xavier stared at his nephew, unable to say anything in response to that. He looked at his wife, who looked down at their small brood, who looked confused. It was Sakura's parents, thankfully, that broke the silence with loud guffaws of laughter. Sakura's mother pointed at Xavier then, tears coming from her eyes. "You told my parents almost the exact same thing when Sakura was born!" Xavier turned red slightly and looked at his wife for help, but she just shook her head. Xavier just laughed nervously and looked at Sakura, who was trying to hide behind Gaara at this point. The red head looked at his son very seriously then.
"Do I need to call Uncle Naruto?" Takeshi blanched and shook his head frantically.
"No daddy! Please! If you call him, he's going to try and sing happy birthday to me again! Please don't!" He was almost to the point of tears and it made Xavier chuckle.
"Still threatening him with Naruto, I see." Gaara smirked and looked over his shoulder at his wife.
"Yeah, and she still sings to them." Xavier laughed heartily and put Takeshi on his feet. He ran over to Sakura's mother, tugging on her sleeve. She smiled down at him and he blushed slightly.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Takeshi looked over at his mother before shyly looking at his grandmother.
"C-can I call you nanna?" He asked softly. Sakura noticed her mother's eyes widen before she smiled gently and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
"You can call me anything you want to sweetie. I've been waiting to meet you for a long time." She smiled wider when he threw his arms around her, laughing happily. Tears were in her eyes as she picked him up and held him close. She looked at Sakura, who leaned against Gaara's shoulder and smiled at them. It was Gaara that spoke up suddenly.
"Takeshi has a picture frame his grandfather made. Airi is going to need one." Sakura gasped and looked over at her father.
"That's right! Hiashi-sama gave us the frame you made when Meyumi-sama was pregnant with Hinata. Takeshi's picture from when he was born is in it still. Airi is going to need a frame too, daddy." She smiled as her dad's eyes widened in shock.
"He kept that, even though Hinata turned out to be a girl?" Sakura smiled and nodded.
"He said it was something you made with your own hands and that he couldn't bring himself to get rid of it, but that since I was your daughter, and Takeshi was my first child…" She noticed tears gathering in her father's eyes. She stepped away from Gaara and went to her father, hugging him tightly. Airi was still in his arms, bouncing now. He swallowed the lump in his throat and laughed at the little girl as the tears streamed down his face.
"I'll have to borrow your grandfather's kiln while we're here. I have frames to make all my grandchildren." He smiled over at Xavier, who smirked back at him. Sakura smiled and hugged her father tightly before going back to Gaara and leaning against him once more. She smiled up at him as he quietly stood off to the side, observing the interactions of his wife with her family. She leaned over to him, a smile on her lips, and quietly sang to him.
"I loved you yesterday, I love you still. I always have…I always will." She noticed his ears turn slightly red and she rested her head against his shoulder, a smile on her face. She sighed when she heard him whisper against her ear. She knew he wouldn't sing, but the fact that he knew the lyrics to one of her favorite songs endeared his attempt.
"I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need. I'll love you more with every breath-truly, madly, deeply do." She smiled at him and closed her eyes. For the first time in her life, Sakura felt like everything in her world was falling into place…here in the arms of her guardian angel.