(2022/01/19) Author's Note: Hey!

I was hoping to get this chapter out sooner, but things came up and I couldn't until now. Anyways... this chapter will be the beginning of a month hiatus as I focus on school, work, and other writing projects. I'll try to post the next chapter sometime late February, but it should be up by March. This fic is almost at 100k already and we just reached the halfway point - there's still so much more to write! I hope you like this new chapter, it's been one of the most challenging ones I've written so far, yet one of my favourites. I also just realized that according to the manga, this chapter is posted on Gaara's birthday - which is a happy accident.

As always, thank you all for reading! xx

Content Advisory: childbirth, trauma

Chapter 13
The Winding Road

"Gaara… you're here,"

Conscious and ridden with agony, Nomasaki weakly turned her head to see him rush to her side. A smile of relief formed on her lips, but her glance spoke of the fear and burning pain that devastated her on the inside. Her forehead was damp with sweat, her hands trembling on the metal bars that surrounded the hospital bed. She had felt nothing like it before in her life – perhaps even worse than the chakra extraction jutsu that tortured her within that blackened cave nearly a year ago.

And just like that instance, her life hung desperately in the balance.

Gaara knelt beside the bed, taking her hand in his and holding it tightly. "I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm here now." As he saw her give a feigned, warm smile, he turned to Sakura and Meiyumi. His face was urgent – frantic and stricken with worry. "What happened?"

"The assassin activated a blood-seal onto Nomasaki," Sakura answered, her green eyes dire. "She undid it and also managed to release the blood-seal on her arm, but she's not out-of-the-woods yet."

Gaara looked back to his wife, his eyes wide in astonishment. "You did?"

Nomasaki gave a pained smirk, sensing the pride in his glance. "I told you… I could do it, didn't I? I said… I refuse to die…" A contraction struck her, taking the breath from her lips. She gripped the bedsheets tightly, biting her lip to silent a harsh curse. "Ah-!"

"What's happening to her?" Kankurō entered. "She wasn't supposed to have the baby until April!"

Sakura shot her stern glance towards him. "The blood-seal triggered early labour but the baby is still breeched. We need to flip them – and fast." Turning, she eyed the Suna medic-nin with eyes firm of duty. "Meiyumi, it's time. We need to be very careful. This is a risky maneuver that requires utmost concentration."

Swiftly, Meiyumi left Kankurō's side and stood at one side of Nomasaki's hospital bed while Sakura stood at the other. "Right." She nodded. "Ready when you are!"

"Please bear with us, Nomasaki." Sakura said, her voice calming. "This won't take too long."

Nomasaki managed a nod – her fear and pain rendering her silent.

All she could think of was of her unborn child and the unfortunate luck that fell upon them. Had she stayed home, she might have had more time to mentally prepare and release the seal on her own terms. But fate had other plans, it seemed. Her child was to be born today whether she was read or not – and sooner rather than later. Distantly, she heard the rapid beeping of the heart monitor – her heart and her child's. She felt her chest grow heavy with anxiety. The god of death was deterred, but for how long Nomasaki did not know. If the desert gods existed, she hoped they would show a sliver of mercy for her – a fragment of the desert who shared blood with the mountains. They held no love for her, but maybe they did for her child.

She could only hope.

Carefully, Sakura and Meiyumi placed their hands of glowing medical ninjutsu onto Nomasaki's belly. Nomasaki felt the chakra enter her, striking the painful area with a thousand invisible barbs. Gaara watched with wary eyes and kept his hand on his wife's trembling arm, while Kankurō stood out of the way behind his younger brother – his expression firm but a remnant of disturbed shock lay within his brown eyes. Sakura and Meiyumi focused their chakra for a moment longer, concentrating on the task at hand with utmost precision and urgency.

"Focus your chakra lightly," Sakura reminded. "Imagine a cycle – like a turning clock."

With a breath, the two medic-nin slowly circulated their chakra over her pregnant belly. Meiyumi could sense the amniotic sac with her chakra, startling her at first. As Sakura kept her attention focused on the chakra within, she found the area with her jutsu and made the first push. Meiyumi passed her exchange, pushing the chakra back to Sakura in a slow rotation. Nomasaki let out a held back cry of pain, turning her head away from Gaara on the pillow. Her hands tightened on the sheets, every muscle in her body growing tense.

"It's unbearable…!" She winced, near crying. "I feel like my insides are twisting!"

She's right, Sakura thought, narrowing her eyes at the green aura, If we're not careful, this could harm her… and the baby. We don't have much time. The heart monitor in the background brought her back to reality. She looked up to Meiyumi, her face stern and urgent. "Turn slowly. With me – one, two, and turn!"

Taking a deep breath, Nomasaki choked back the agony as she felt the chakra turn inside her again. Their touch was careful – precise. The green chakra encircled back to its original place, and finally she felt the chakra leave her – and with it, the pain. For the first time in what felt like hours, Nomasaki could finally breathe easier.

Sakura rubbed the scant sweat from her forehead and realized that the monitor was reading a stable heartrate. Checking the machine, she read the papers it printed and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's it. The heartbeat is stable, so the delivery will be low-risk."

"That's a relief…" Nomasaki panted, catching her breath. Taking her off guard, another contraction twisted inside. "But the pain…!"

"Your contractions are getting closer," Meiyumi said, making her way to the surgical shelf. "You're almost done. Just keep calm and focus on your breathing."

At the far end of the room, Meiyumi and Sakura put on medical masks and sterile gloves. Sakura approached her first, pulling her mask down to speak. "Nomasaki, your contractions are three minutes apart." She smiled, lightly. "In just a moment, we'll have you start pushing. Just breathe – we'll be here to help you along the way."

Meiyumi made her way towards Kankurō, catching his attention. "Kankurō, you have to go – there's too many in the delivery room!"

"Fine by me!" He spoke, walking off.

When the door closed behind him, Nomasaki looked frantically to Gaara. Her expression was full of fear, and tears dared to gleam in her eyes. "Can you stay?"

Meeting her glance, Gaara took her by the hand, holding it gently. "I'm not going anywhere." He assured, a warm smile on his lips. "I'll be right here by your side. I promise."

She smiled back, her heart fluttering in her chest.

Tears gleamed in her purple eyes, comforted by the love and comfort her husband gave her. In that moment, she held no fear. Before she could say anything back, another contraction struck her hard, the pain clouding her mind. Closing her eyes tightly, she rested her head back on the pillow and bit her lip.

"I can't feel anything below -," She whimpered. "The pain is unreal…!"

Gaara shot his glance to Sakura, urgently. "Can we get her something for the pain?"

Sakura shook her head, pulling her mask up to her nose. "She's too far along, Kazekage-sama. She has to make do."

"You'll be fine, Nomasaki. Just breathe, deep breaths." Meiyumi assured, guiding her into position on the bed. "Ease yourself into the stirrups – yes, good. Just like that. Stay calm, and keep breathing."

As the contractions continued, Nomasaki grasped Gaara's hand tighter. "It hurts so much-!"

Sakura readied her position between her legs, examining her patient thoroughly. Something caught her by surprise, striking her as odd being that the labour began a mere four hours ago. "She's ten centimetres dilated!"

"Okay, Nomasaki – we need you to push." Meiyumi said. "Take a nice long breath – yes, and push!"

Trying her best to breathe calmly, Nomasaki felt her chest rise and fall rapidly in her pain and anxiety. The beeping of the monitor only added more to her stress. Remembering that Gaara was with her provided some comfort, but the act of childbirth was beyond anything she could have imagined or endured. Even as a kunoichi from a powerful clan who dealt with threats far greater, she did not know if she had to strength to do it. And being the Kazekage's wife bound her to the clan's supposed curse. She was terrified. Taking a long breath into her fluttering lungs, she exhaled and pushed as best as she was able. The pain shot through her, her lower body writhing and her knees near buckling. As the breath escaped her lips, she cried out.

"Push again, and this time really push, alright?" Sakura called. "Breathe, and push!"

Grasping Gaara's hand tighter, she bit back the pain and tried again. Tears flowed from her eyes against her flushed cheeks as she exhaled and pushed this time, the pain growing greater than anything she had ever experienced. She could not even bring herself to voice the amount of pain she was in, the agony of labour preventing her from doing so. All she could manage was crying.

Sakura gasped excitedly. "I can see the head!"

As she breathed frantically in her state, Nomasaki tried to glance down but she could not see anything past the cloth they placed over her lap. To hear that she was so close to being done was relief to her ears – and the thought of looking upon her child's face filled her with joy and excitement. In a few short moments, she would finally get to meet her and Gaara's child and put all the pain behind her.

"Nomasaki, keep going!" Meiyumi cheered. "You're almost there!"

"It hurts so much!" Nomasaki cried, the pain shattering her voice. "I don't think I can do it, there's so much pain!"

"Just a few more and you're done," Sakura assured. "You can do it!"

Before Nomasaki could speak, she felt Gaara's fingers intertwine with hers. His touch surprising her, she glanced to him at her side. His face was firm in his belief and conviction, while his eyes spoke of pride for the woman he saw.

"I'm right here." He said, his tone comforting and strong. "You can do this, Nomasaki – I know you can."

"Breathe – and one big push!" Sakura called.

Nomasaki complied, swallowing her fear and repeating the pattern of breathing in – breathing out, and pushing with as much strength as she could muster amongst the agony. When she did not hear them say anything, she realized she must have not pushed enough. Pain shook through her core again, near too powerful for her to hold back her cries.

"One more time, Nomasaki – you're doing great." Sakura said, in her true 'medic's voice'. She edged herself closer to the birthing bed. "Breathe, and… push!"

Crying out, Nomasaki pushed as strong as she was able.

Her voice was harsh and shrill, her fanged teeth emerging as she let out a cry soaked in pain. Her core buckled, her legs near shaking as she felt a great weight finally leave her. Relief and fatigue washed over her instantly like a wave, rendering her near out of breath. She collapsed her head onto the pillow behind her, her lungs desperately catching her breath. While her breaths finally eased, she could sense the sweat that coated her forehead from the ordeal.

But now it was over.

Did I... Did I do it...?

A small cry filled the silent room.

And it was at that moment she realized, It's my child.

"Get the warm cloth and the water! Hurry!" Sakura called out, urgency laced to her tone. Once Meiyumi returned with the needed supplies, she exhaled a long breath of relief. "Now we wait for the placenta,"

Meiyumi gasped in awe. "Oh, Nomasaki - he's beautiful!"

"He…?" Nomasaki repeated.

By the time she turned her head on the pillow to find Meiyumi, she saw her friend approach with a swaddled newborn. The baby was cleaned of birth, and Nomasaki could see a visible tuft of red. When Meiyumi brought him to her, she saw the baby's brilliant crimson hair and his bright purple eyes that looked upon her absently while he blinked slowly. He was so beautiful. Tears ran down her flushed cheeks at the sight of him, knowing it was love at first sight.

Nomasaki turned to Gaara, smiling warmly. "We have a son…"

When Gaara saw the infant, he could not believe the child was theirs. To him, their son was just as he imagined – his red hair and her kind eyes. It was all that he would have wanted – and for the first time in months, they had peace. As Gaara met her face, he saw her joy suddenly turn to pain. She winced, tightly shutting her eyes. The heart monitor suddenly began to beep rapidly, alarming the medics in the room. Gaara could sense Nomasaki growing weak by their touch, her grasp slowly waning as the beeping grew frantic.

No, this can't be happening, he realized. "Nomasaki -?" When she did not respond, he turned to the medics in urgency. "What's wrong with her?"

He was ignored.

Hastily, Sakura rushed to grab a needle of morphine and wheel in the surgical tools to the bedside. Meiyumi took their son away, making room for the Konoha-nin to act quickly. "She's hemorrhaging!" Sakura shouted. "Quickly - we have to stop the bleeding!"

Of all things… Gaara sat by in shock, frantically watching his wife breathe with difficulty.

A horrifying thought entered his mind. It was twenty-one years when his own mother passed away from his childbirth, while his father Rasa could do nothing but stand by helplessly as the medics and doctors tried to keep Karura's frail heart beating. She took her final breaths moments after his birth, her heart failing as the consequence of a botched sealing jutsu.

He felt his heart sink at the notion of history repeating itself.

Kankurō entered, sensing the growing panic. A scattered few Suna nurses ran to assist the two medical-nins, each of them rushing to the many machines that were taking Nomasaki's vitals. He made his way to Meiyumi as she held their newborn son, remaining as calm as he could. "I'll take him." He assured. "Meiyumi, I can take him. Help Sakura!"

With a brief nod, Meiyumi passed the child over. "Take him to the neonatal unit – they'll take it from there."

As the chaos ensued, Kankurō eyed Gaara as he held the swaddled baby in his arms. Meeting Gaara's stern ringed-eyes, he saw him give a stern nod that concealed his hurt and panic. Kankurō nodded back, and soon disappeared into the corridor with the child.

"Keep breathing, Nomasaki-sama!" A nurse called, placing an IV into her limp arm. "You're almost done. Just stay with us!"

Gaara grasped her hand in his, his grip tight and pleading. "Nomasaki! Hang on, don't close your eyes!" He shut his eyes tightly to contain his strife, hanging his head low against their joined hands. "We need you here – I need you, our son needs you! Stay with me… please!"

"Gaara… I did it…" Nomasaki spoke, her voice as silent as a whisper. "I…-,"

And her eyes closed.

Faintly, she heard the voices of those in the room around her.

"Not good! Her blood pressure is up, we have to stabilize her!"

"We need her back on oxygen… while we close the wound…"

And her vision went black…

Morning.

Sunlight entered her slowly opening eyes.

Her vision flickering, Nomasaki saw the ceiling tile above. Her breath was smooth, controlled, and relaxed – normal. Stunned, she slowly collected herself and rose to sit up. She did not feel any pain – none that she could notice, anyways. An IV was punctured through her arm still, she felt it as she edged herself further in the sheets. She smoothed a hand over her lower belly, averting her eyes out of held fear. The feeling startled her. It felt as if she never gave birth at all – feeling close to the same shape it was before her pregnancy. It reminded her of her dream where she spoke to Karura - frightening her. Her heart jumped in her chest, trying to piece it all together. Everything seemed like a fever dream to her.

And what shocked her the most, was that she was still alive.

Am I really alive? Or is this some cruel joke by the Pure Land? She pinched herself – nothing. Her nail dug in her arm further, causing her to bleed a little. Still, nothing. Then I really am alive. Smugness and pride swelled into her chest. The god of death can dine alone… Today, I am the one who is victorious.

She sighed, leaning her back against the pillow propped up behind her.

And the Kazekage Clan curse didn't touch me... or that heiress' vision.

Catching her attention, she thought she could faintly sense the chakra of Meiyumi and Sakura nearby. Her senses were still foggy, but she realized its perception was stronger than in recent memory - a sign her chakra was returning to normal. Even as faint as the chakra was, she felt the presence of Shijima guarding the door and a team of ANBU stationed throughout the corridor of debris and ash. She wondered when she would have her abilities back to normal – she was hoping soon.

"You're awake!" Meiyumi beamed, entering with Sakura at her side. "I was wondering when the anesthesia was going to wear off. You were knocked out cold the whole night! At least you had a good night's sleep after all you went through."

When Nomasaki saw them, she could not help but smile as she saw their faces. They were tired around the eyes, but their expressions were relieved and pleasant. Without Meiyumi and Sakura there to help her in her time of need, she may not have made it. She was in debt to them and their service. And she was forever grateful for their friendship.

Tears gleamed in Nomasaki's violet eyes. "You're all… -," A sudden burn spread through her lower left, dulled from the morphine but enough to cause great discomfort. Clutching it lightly, she grit her fanged teeth and cowered. "My side… it feels like something was ripped out of me."

"You started hemorrhaging after the delivery." Sakura spoke. "That blood-seal the enemy placed on you not only triggered your early labour, but the resulting pressure caused some damage to your…" Noticing Nomasaki's glance looking up to her, she coughed into her hand and averted her eyes to the floor. "…internal organs. We had to remove one of your ovaries… it was twisted from the effects of the seal, and was worsened from the delivery."

Nomasaki's face went blank, her eyes widening.

"If we waited any longer, we wouldn't have been able to stop the bleeding." Sakura met her glance, her face cleansed of guilt and marked by a medic's composure. She gave a smile of assurance, but a flicker of guilt lingered behind her green eyes. "Luckily, nothing else was damaged. But if you plan on having more children someday, it… might be more difficult. I'm sorry…"

Nomasaki shook her head, sighing with relief. "I'm alive, so that's alright by me…" A thought crossed her mind, causing her to jolt up from the pillow. Concern washed over her, eyeing the medic-nins frantically. She was scared to ask, but she forced herself. "And my son? Is he… okay?"

"He's doing great!" Meiyumi gushed, clapping her hands together. "He's in the neonatal unit now with Kankurō and getting his vitals measured." She sighed in awe. "He's so well-behaved… he only cried when he was born, but he was quiet as anything after that." Placing her hands on her hips, she snickered. "He must take after his dad. Knowing you, anyways."

Nomasaki smiled, but concern still swelled within her heart. "Where's Gaara?"

With a subtle smirk, Meiyumi gestured to the space beside her hospital bed. Following her glance, Nomasaki turned and saw Gaara slumped over on a chair. His arms were crossed against his chest, and his unruly red hair clouded any expression from his sleeping face. Nomasaki felt sorry for him, but she was at least glad to see that he was alright. If luck was still at their side, he would have been able to sleep for at least some of the chaotic night.

"He stayed the whole time." Meiyumi told her. "He must've fell asleep after the surgery. He never left your side – not even once! He was worried sick of you, and held your hand through it all." She snickered again, her tone boastful. "You're so lucky, Nomasaki. Men like that are hard to come by!"

As she looked at him, she saw the fabric of his burgundy collared shirt rise and fall with each breath. She could faintly sense his chakra in the room around her, the familiar warm and protective presence gracing her for the first time in months. Eased, she looked back to the medics and felt her eyes swell with tears.

"Sakura, thank you." She managed, her voice choking while she fought the oncoming sobs. "And Meiyumi – I don't know what would've happened if you weren't… -,"

"No 'ifs' or 'buts'! You have to rest!" Meiyumi interrupted, pointing to her. Excitement brimmed behind her brown eyes, clasping her hands together in anticipation. "The longer you rest and relax, the sooner you can go home with your newborn son! I'll bring him in soon, don't worry."

Nomasaki wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. No amount of saying 'thank you' will ever be enough… You truly are my best friend, Meiyumi. I owe you so much. Nodding once, she smiled from the heart. "Thanks, Meiyumi."

Exchanging a final nod, the two medic-nin left the room.

When the door closed shut behind them, Nomasaki sensed Gaara's chakra flicker. Turning to him, she saw him stir in his seat and sit straight. His ringed-eyes were full of insomnia and exhaustion, and his expression was stoic with calm. When she met his glance, she began to question if he even slept at all. Knowing him, he most likely just wanted the two of them to be left alone. Nomasaki did not mind, but it would ease her worries if he slept for once – or was even able.

He leaned forward in the chair, eyeing her cautiously. "How are you feeling?"

"Relieved." She sighed. Seeing his expression as they were alone, a thought entered her mind and caused her to chuckle through her prideful smile. "Our son has your red hair. That should be a rude surprise for those who said otherwise." Gaara scoffed and leaned back into the chair, and seeing the smile curve its way across his lips convinced her that he was humoured by the remark. Nomasaki smirked to herself, glancing down to her lap. "I proved that heiress wrong. I can't wait to meet her in person and tell her myself."

"That can come later." Gaara said, his smile fading. When Nomasaki looked to him, she saw guilt ridden within his expression. "I'm sorry I took so long… I should've stayed in Sunagakure. I should have never left you alone. It's my fault…"

Solemnly, she averted her glance and shook her head. "The summit was a surprise, but it wasn't your fault. You couldn't help it. You're the Kazekage - it's your duty." She spoke, quietly. "Blame Tenbu and the rest of those bastards. I was supposed to give birth weeks from now, but their seal triggered the labour…"

As she grazed her hand over her bandaged belly, she froze.

Noticing her shocked expression, Gaara narrowed his glance. "What is it?"

"That one who touched me and formed the seal… They reeked of wine." She flinched – and suddenly her mind connected the dots. She clutched the bedsheets angrily, gnashing her fanged teeth and cursing. "Son of a bitch…!"

"Did you recognize them?"

A chakra suddenly appeared within the room.

Turning, Nomasaki glared at Sasuke the moment she saw him for herself. He only just entered using his incredible and swift speed, most likely through the open window that let in a soft late winter breeze. That would explain why the curtains flickered, at least. Her violet eyes narrowed at the visitor, irritated. "Uchiha. I could sense you staring." Her glance softened as she turned back to her husband in disbelief. "But no, I didn't – my chakra sense is still foggy from the pregnancy, but my sense of smell is as heightened as ever."

Sasuke ignored the quip. "What of the scent?"

"That wine was spiced. The last time I smelt that scent was during the Setsujin, when a man was reciting a ridiculous poem – about a wolf cursing a tanuki." Nomasaki explained, thinking back to the event. "The first time was when that assassin tried to poison me with wolfsbane – a herb that can be masked by spices."

"Those spice-traders who were killed after our honeymoon had most of their stock stolen…" Gaara pondered. "Perhaps Tenbu took it for themselves?"

Nomasaki agreed. "Maybe…"

"There's something else." Sasuke added. "I chased down the one who attacked, and they dropped a shogi piece. I didn't think anything of it, but it's distinct from a normal set." From the pocket hidden amongst his black cloak, he pulled out the carved piece. "It's made of ivory and dyed."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "A black rook."

"Are there any who frequent Suna known to sell wine?"

"…The Kurogane." Gaara answered, crossing his arms against his chest as he leaned back in his chair. Without lifting a finger, his sand left his gourd and shuttered the window. His brow furrowed, an iron-firm sternness marking his expression. "This must not leave this room. I need to investigate this further before we jump to any harsh conclusions. They may not be involved in this at all, but they're a political ally of our village. If we were to betray them, there could be civil war."

Nomasaki instantly thought of that elder – Genji.

A bitterness filled her tongue, her hands bunching the sheets from the mere thought. Her temper rose and fell as she breathed in and out, but the memory of her passive aggressive encounter with the Kurogane patriarch rubbed her the wrong way. If the elder had anything to do with the attacks, he had hell to pay in her eyes.

Calmly, she breathed out and met their glances. "Let me handle this."

"You just gave birth to our child!" Gaara objected, standing from the chair. "You're in no shape to resume your shinobi duties – not yet, anyway." He turned to Sasuke, nodding. "I'll go. With my Third Eye, I can scout covertly."

Nomasaki shook her head, drawing their attention. "They'll recognize you right away - you're the Kazekage. Your trail of sand is easy to detect… no offense." She shot an irritated glare to Sasuke, conveying all that did not need to be said. "And you and your menacing eyes are worth a fortune in bounty. My bounty is smaller, but a bounty is still a bounty. But I'm also a woman – and I can blend into a crowd of riffraff and peasants easier than either of you. I did grow up a peasant, and I can play the part better than either of you, too." When she looked to Gaara, she tried her best to assure him with a smile. "Let me do this – for us, for Suna, and our family."

Gaara was not convinced. "I don't like this. You can't go alone, and you're a target." He eyed her, concerned. "What about our son? He needs his mother."

"He needs his father, too." She agreed, staying firm. "And he'll grow up proud that he has a mother as strong as me." She looked down to her lap, smiling proudly. "Gaara, I just defied death today. Death knows me well, but I know how to cheat death." She rose her gaze back to him, smiling softly. "I know you don't agree with me, but we can discuss this with Kankurō once we settle into our new homelife. I'm… too sore to argue right now."

Seeing the conviction in her expression assured Gaara, but a lingering sense of guilt and worry still swelled within his heart. Knowing he could not change her mind, he surrendered and smiled back as much as he did not want to imagine her taking on things alone.

A wolf has their pride, as you've said before, he thought.

Gaara glanced and saw Sasuke toss him the shogi piece.

His sand caught it midair, flowing it back to his hand where he examined its carving carefully. The finish was a polished black, the characters inscribed in a brilliant white. Suspicion entered his thoughts, wondering if the rook carried any significance. Of all pieces to drop, it was this one. Surely it was not on purpose – but one could never be too careful, especially if they were dealing with a family as ancient and powerful as the Kurogane.

"You might know what to do with it… but if I had a hunch, I'd say it's a token of passage." Sasuke spoke, his face stern and tone flat. "There is most likely some black-market pipeline in Sunagakure that would recognize this… Tokens are what are used to gain entry in illegal fighting pits, I uncovered some in my travels."

Gaara nodded, putting the piece in the pocket of his shirt. "There are some rumoured to exist here, yes. I'll have our sources gather what they know before we start looking into this."

As the Suna-nin watched his every move, the Uchiha turned on his heel and started for the door. Pausing before the doorway, he glanced back to them. "I have to send a hawk back to Kakashi. I won't mention the Kurogane, but I must inform them of this incident."

Meeting his glance, Gaara swallowed his need to argue further and gave a firm nod.

And the Uchiha left.

"You really think it's them?" Nomasaki asked, waiting until the door was closed shut.

"…In my mind, yes." Gaara sat back in his chair, taking a calming breath as he did so. "Enough of that… we can talk about this at another place and time. You need to recover."

"You're right." She smiled fondly, relaxing onto the pillows at her back. "This almost reminds me of when you were recovering from losing Shukaku, only now it's me in the hospital bed."

As soft as could be, he smoothed his fingers through her long golden hair. "And now it's my turn to take care of you." He smiled, warmly. "I brought you something."

She rose a brow, curious. "What is it?"

From under his chair, his sand brought a loosely wrapped gift.

Passing it to her, he nodded to let her know she could open it. Carefully, Nomasaki pulled at the ribbon and tried not to make a mess of the paper. Holding the blanket out, she noticed it was stitched from the pelts of many animals native to the desert. She saw fur belonging to jackal, antelope, and camel – all sewn together into a warm blanket lined with down feathers on the underside.

Before she could manage to say anything, Nomasaki found no words to speak.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she studied the pelts further, warmed by such a present. In the mountains, it was customary for the husband to present his wife a blanket of pelts from his hunts when she was to give birth. Her own mother received one from her father – sewn from mammoth, great elk, and cave bears. But Nomasaki thought her own pelt was something ever greater than she could have ever hoped for – and it was something truly unexpected. She could tell he worked hard on it, seeing the threads in every stitch – mismatched and all.

Warmed, she looked to him. "For me?"

"I know it's not furs like the ones from your homeland, but it should still be warm."

She held him close, wrapping her arms around him. "Gaara, I love it! Thank you so much…"

Being careful not to go near her bandages, Gaara returned her embrace. Resting his head on her shoulder, he closed his eyes as he felt the bare skin of her back behind her hospital gown and the indents and scars that marked her. Her skin was still slightly cold to the touch as always, but also was the warmth of the living. He could sense every breath as she breathed and take in the sweet scent that was laced within her long strands of gold. She was alive – and like him, she defied death.

For that, he was forever grateful.

The door opened with a cautious creak, signalling to them to part.

Meiyumi entered wheeling a bassinet and beaming from ear to ear. "Here he is!" She exclaimed, trying her best to whisper. "He's still napping. You'd think he'd want to be awake after just being born eight hours ago!" Leaving the bassinet at Nomasaki's bedside, she began writing on her clipboard. "He was slightly premature, but he weighs a healthy 3 kilograms, and his vitals were perfect. Because of his early arrival, the hospital wants you to wait a few days before taking him home." She smiled. "You will need a few days, too." Putting the clipboard away, Meiyumi reached in and carefully lifted the newborn from his bed. Sensing her friend's hesitancy, Meiyumi guided her. "Just support his head like so – yes, like that. You're a natural, Nomasaki!" Once she saw her friend holding her baby comfortably, she gathered her clipboard and started for the door. "I'll leave you two alone so you can meet. I'll have a nurse come by in an hour to check-in."

Nomasaki nodded, smiling back. "Thank you, Meiyumi."

Once they were alone, she marveled at her son – their child. He was still sleeping, the tiny hums of his breath grazing her fingers as she held his swaddling blanket. From first glance, it was easy to determine who his parents were. He had his father's crimson red hair and his mother's fair skin tone. Seemingly, as Meiyumi mentioned earlier, their son inherited Gaara's innate quiet as well.

"He's so perfect," She turned to her husband, smiling warmly as tears ran down her cheeks. "Gaara, we're parents! I can't believe it…"

Placing his hand over hers, he happened to gaze at his child the moment he blinked his sleepy eyes. They were a vibrant purple, like the lilacs of spring. "He has his mother's eyes," He spoke, smiling gently at his son. As he looked further, he noticed their child possessed faint rings around their eyes. They were hardly noticeable at first, but Gaara recognized them immediately. And my eye shape, he realized, It seems even a faint sliver of Shukaku's chakra was passed down. Sleepily, the newborn closed his eyes. With his eyes closed, he appeared the splitting image of his father.

Gaara then found himself wondering if their son would be more tanuki or more wolf.

"Would you like to hold him?"

"Hold him?" Gaara repeated, unsure.

Nomasaki snickered, nodding for him to come closer. "Just like Meiyumi said - like this,"

As careful as could be, Gaara followed Nomasaki's hands to cradle the baby as best as he could. With a firm hand at the back of his head and the other holding him to his chest, Gaara stood as he felt the infant stir. Stopping at the window that was brightened by the morning sun, he looked down to the newborn and saw that his violet eyes were looking up at him. The child's eyes shone in the sunlight as they met Gaara's of turquoise. Moved, he lowered his head slightly and held the infant closer.

Nomasaki only saw him from the back, but even at their distance she could see him shudder.

It was then she realized he was crying. "Gaara,"

"You made me a father, Nomasaki." He spoke, his voice breaking past the sobs in his throat. "Thank you…"

She could sense her heart flutter with the love and comfort she felt in that room. Smiling at him gently, tears glistened in her eyes and she near cried herself. Wiping away the tears from her eyes as he approached with their son, she eyed them both warmly.

"We should name him."

"You're right." Gaara said. "Any ideas?"

"Me?"

He nodded, pride evident in his gaze and lips. "You're the mother, you should be the one to name him."

As Gaara brought him closer, she looked at their son's sleepy face. His tuft of red hair was the first thing noticeable about him, but his demeanour was another. A name would be a challenge. Gaara was named 'a demon who loves only himself', a variant of 'a self-loving silk' – whereas she was named after 'a blossom in the field'. The more she watched her baby's face, the more she realized what they should name him.

"Kyōkurō."

"Kyōkurō…" Gaara seemed to like that name. "After your father?"

"And your brother." Nomasaki smiled. "Kankurō should be thrilled to be the godfather."

Gaara turned, a subtle smirk on his lips. "Are you sure that's a wise decision?" Hearing her chuckle, he looked back to their son in awe. "Kyōkurō… like a winding road."

Nomasaki nodded, smiling warmly. "Yes, like that."

By themselves, they took in the first few moments of parenthood alone as they had wanted.

Marvelling at their son, they cuddled and held him before putting him back in the bassinet to rest. As Kyōkurō took his first night's rest, Gaara carefully joined her on the bed and they watched their son together. Their son gently hummed in his sleep, the most noise he made since birth. As they lay together with the pelt of desert furs, Nomasaki noticed that Gaara's arms grew limp around her - realizing that he, himself, had fallen asleep. She was relieved. As she felt her eyes grow heavy with sleep, she thought of all that they went through to get to this moment - the moment neither thought would ever become possible.

Against all of life's challenges as shinobi, they were together through it all - and now they were parents.

The road to get there was winding and treacherous, but everything seemed to fall into its right place.

And just like that, they were a family.

Notes: Kyōkurō's name has held meaning to it. His name is a hybrid of his maternal grandfather Kyō (杏) and his paternal uncle Kankurō (カンクロウ). Putting the romaji spelling of his name together, we get "Kyōkuro" (京九郎) which can be translated to "winding road".

Also to note... I wanted to make the birth scene even more crazy than the one in Breaking Dawn and the ACOTAR series, so if I accomplished this goal - that's what I was hoping for (lol). Another thing to say about this particular chapter is that I'm absolutely ~terrified~ of childbirth and not sure if I would ever experience it someday in the future, so writing this was also an experiment to try to imagine what the experience may feel like emotionally and physically (aside from all the sealing-jutsu stuff, of course).

I hope this chapter wasn't too graphic or disturbing - rest assured, no more birth scenes like this are in upcoming chapters.

See you next time! xx