Haruno Kizashi stared down at the tiny baby, lips quirked into a fond smile as she yawned hugely and blinked her large, emerald eyes up at him from the harness strapped to his chest. Mebuki snorted at him from where she walked next to him.
"Sap," she said fondly.
"Only for my little Sakura-chan," he replied, grin wide.
Kizashi once again silently thanked the Hokage for assigning him to the diplomatic mission to the Land of Iron as his punishment for 'accidentally' dropping the Elders' Council wagon into a quagmire on an escort mission.
Even if he and the Hokage both knew the old bats deserved a lot worse than some mud ground into their robes.
It was on his two year mission that he met and married Mebuki, after all.
Raised by samurai but never initiated into their ranks, she was strong, focused, and knew her way around a sword.
He fell in love with her the first time she punched him in the face for making fun of her Samurai-like clothing and bearing.
They stopped and made camp, bickering lightly. They were sitting around a fire when the woman stumbled into the camp, falling to her knees and clutching a bundle to her chest. Both he and his wife were immediately on their feet, weapons in hand.
Mebuki held Sakura in one arm, body turned so she was between their infant and the possible threat.
"M-Mebuki," the figure rasped, and Kizashi growled when he realized this threat was personal.
He was cut off from replying, however, by his wife, who hadn't lowered her weapon, but had relaxed fractionally in shock. "Mai?" she whispered, and the figure trembled.
"Nobody has called me by that name in a long time, little sister," the figure rasped, still cloaked in shadows and kneeling just outside the firelight.
"I'm only younger by two minutes," Mebuki said in a distracted voice, and Kizashi's eyes widened at the implications.
He knew Mebuki had a twin sister - he also knew that she hadn't seen her since she had run away, dishonored, five years ago. Nobody had ever given him a reason for her defection.
The figure chuckled, then broke off into wet coughs. Mebuki's face twisted in indecision, a strange look on his wife's face, before it hardened into determination - and that expression was more familiar.
"Mebuki..." Kizashi said in a low, warning voice that he already knew would have no effect on her.
She turned and gave him a steady look, and he let out a breath and took their somehow still sleeping child from her.
She then darted around the fire, and knelt by her sister's side. She gasped, and Kizashi stiffened.
"Oh, Mai, what have you gotten yourself into this time," Mebuki whispered, and helped the kneeling figure stand, leading her over to the fire.
"The worst kind of trouble," Mai said, and Kizashi had to work to keep his expression blank as the she stepped into the firelight. She looked so much like Mebuki that it was shocking. Her blond hair was longer than Mebuki's, and matted with sweat against her head.
Her eyes were the same bright green, and even with her obvious illness she held herself erect. In the woman's arms was a small wrapped bundle, and over the coughs of Mai and the crackle of the fire, he could hear the unmistakable sounds of a child cooing.
Mebuki helped her sister sit by the warmth of the fire, then hurried to get her some water and food. Kizashi sat silently across from her, watching closely for any signs of trouble.
He trusted Mebuki, though, and if she wasn't worried about an attack from her sister, he wouldn't be either. Finally, the woman held up a hand to stop her fussing.
"Enough. Introduce me to your man."
Mebuki smiled a little. "Ah, this is my husband, Haruno Kizashi. In his arms is our firstborn, Sakura."
Kizashi couldn't help the rush of warmth that went through him at her obvious pride, but he kept it off his face and gave a small nod as she studied him before snorting.
"You always did like the weird ones - pink hair? And what's up with that style?" Kizashi just shrugged, he was used to those types of comments.
Usually from opponents right before he kicked their ass.
Mai's eyes lingered on his headband. "And a shinobi, my oh my, what did our honorable father have to say about that?" the woman finished lightly, but Kizashi could hear the bitterness beneath it.
"Eh, you know father. I talked him around." Mebuki said.
The woman just hummed. "So I suppose you're on your way to Konoha, then?"
Mebuki nodded. "Yes - I'll be living there."
Mai took a deep breath that rattled. "Well, I suppose I'm being rude."
She shakily held out the bundle to Mebuki, who took it carefully, and unwrapped the infant enough to reveal a tuft of hair that shone red in the firelight.
"He's beautiful," Mebuki breathed. "His eyes -!"
Mai gave a soft smile, which looked strange on her strained face. "Ah, they are the same as yours and mine."
"And Sakura's," Mebuki said, looking up at her sister and smiling, and Kizashi could suddenly see how close they had been before they were separated. No wonder his wife never wanted to discuss the circumstances of her leaving.
"Good, that's good," Mai said, before breaking into a coughing fit for a few minutes. Suddenly, his wife was handing him the other infant and she rushed to get her sister more water. He blinked in surprise, and adjusted both of the babies until he had one in each crook of his arm. He looked down and raised an eyebrow.
They were close in age - off by maybe a month or so. Sakura's hair was pink, and Gaara's was red, but their eyes were identical - large, and emerald green, just like their mothers'.
Finally, Mai's coughing stopped, and she spent some time catching her breath before speaking again.
"Meet your nephew. His name is Gaara," she whispered, and her face was full of pride and sorrow.
"He is also the son of the Kazekage."
Mebuki jerked in shock. "What -!" Kazuki froze as the implications hit him.
"Are you telling me," he said in a low, dangerous voice, "that I'm currently holding the kidnapped child of a Kage?"
The only thing keeping him from leaking killing intent in his rage was the two infants in his arms - it wasn't good for the development of young children.
"I think," Mebuki said in a low voice, "That it's time you told us why you're here."
Mai gave a small bitter smile. "After I left, I wandered for awhile - years, really.
Picking up jobs as a mercenary where I could, living the life you and I always said we wanted.
Two years ago, I ended up in Sand Village. Got into some trouble I was having difficulty fighting my way out of.
That was when I met him . The Kazekage." her eyes had turned inward, obviously lost in memory.
"He was so strong, and fierce - he took out the men giving me trouble in seconds. After that - well. I admit I was infatuated. He looked at me and saw me ..." Mai shook her head and gave a wry smile.
"Anyway, it went quickly after that. I never told him my true name, or where I was from, and he never asked. I think he knew it wasn't something I liked to think about."
"Then, ten months ago, I found out I was pregnant. I was so happy, but his reaction was...it was strange. Almost a grim satisfaction. He already had two children from another wife, so I didn't understand why he treated the pregnancy like it was an acquisition he'd been working towards. I knew something was wrong but didn't want to see it..."
Kizashi and Mebuki exchanged glances but didn't interrupt. "One day, I heard two of his high-ranking men talking. They...they were going to turn my baby into a monster ," she said, and Kizashi started a little at the rage.
"Not just a jinchuuriki, but a purposefully unstable one, one that would supposedly act as a deterrent to other villages. I knew my husband was desperate to gain back power after the last Shinobi War, but...I didn't think he'd go so far as to curse our baby to that life."
The woman stopped and took a few shallow breaths. "So I ran. I was pursued, of course, but running and tracking were always my strong suit growing up. I gave birth in a medium sized village, and left a false trail there - they'll find the cremated remains of a woman and infant that died in childbirth." Mebuki sucked in a sharp breath of surprise, but Mai wasn't finished. She was looking down at her feet now.
"Sister, I know I have asked for too much in our lives together, but I would hope that you do one last thing for me," Mai whispered, and Mebuki took her hand.
"What is it?" his wife asked.
"I am dying," Mai said bluntly, and Mebuki reared back as though struck, but her sister continued on without remorse.
"I am fading quickly. Please, take my Gaara in as your own. Raise him alongside your Sakura.
Do this one last thing for me." Mai turned her determined, fevered gaze on Mebuki, and grabbed her hands.
"Please, sister." In his arms Gaara was looking around with his wide, green eyes, so like his own daughter's that his heart clenched. "We'll do it," he found himself saying.