"Is that all your feelings have to offer? Go ahead. Try to wrench open my heart. That's the only way you'll get me." ~Ookami Shoujo To Kuro Ouji
43.
I will admit that it was a nice surprise to see Akari again. What was not a nice surprise was her waking me up first thing the next morning. She was lucky I liked her I guess. Akari and I met on one of the numerous guard missions I ran with Shisou and his anbu teammates.
"Wake up. I want to take you to see Saki before your meeting with the Kazekage." She spoke cheerfully despite the earliness of the morning. Ino sat up from her futon somehow looking perfect despite just rousing from sleep.
I groaned forcing myself into a sitting position. "I hate you." Akari just smirked, like the psycho she was.
"No you don't, now get ready we're on a schedule here Mi-chan." Then she left the room shutting the door softly behind her. Ino stifles a laugh and I glare at her.
"She acts like your big sister or something. I didn't even know you liked other people Mitomi-chan." I roll my eyes. I didn't usually like other people, especially those in Konoha but Akari was different.
It also helped that Akari was a fellow Uzumaki. Her grandparents had fled Uzu when it was destroyed and untrusting because of what had happened they came to Wind instead of fleeing to Konoha.
"Akari is technically my cousin. Although I am sure you noticed the resemblance." I offer the information carelessly. I begrudgingly liked Ino. She had grown on me.
"That she is almost a carbon copy of you but only older and taller. Yeah I noticed. So she's another Uzumaki then?" I nod while changing out of my night shirt. In Suna because of the hotter temperature and unforgiving sun it required a bit of a wardrobe adjustment. So instead of my usual attire of a jonin short sweater dress I have to opt for a more light but covering outfit. Which means long sleeve linen blouse and a long midi skirt.
"Amazing you own more than one outfit." Ino speaks dryly, her tone light and I know she's joking. Bitch. Obviously she was growing on me. That jerk.
"Shut it, also you may want to cover up more. It may be hotter here but you're going to want to not leave your skin so exposed." I warn her and she waves me off already pulling out a different outfit.
"Not my first trip to the desert. I'll be fine. Also are we supposed to come with you with Akari-san or…" She trails off somewhat uncertain. I shrug.
"If you want to you can. You'd probably like Saki. She's fun. But you do not have too, unlike in Konoha I am actually a respected figure here. Gaara trust me, which is good enough for most of Suna. Technically you three are only here to babysit me, Shikamaru is gonna run the diplomatic side for me because I lack the graces for that but really that's it. So the choice is yours." Then I get up and walk out of the room ready to go.
If I kept Akari waiting any longer she'd be back up here and be far more wrathful than before. No one wanted that.
…
Team 10 decided to let Mitomi go off on her morning errand alone instead the three of them explored the village. Shikamaru was appointed the leader since he'd done an extensive stay in Suna before, obviously he declared it troublesome but went with it anyway. Baki told them areas to stay away from before leaving them to their own devices. It was a lot different from the missions they usually ran.
Although not too different from the missions they had run with Mitomi in the past.
"So what are we going to do?" Choji asks them, Shikamaru sighs in exasperation and Ino suggests the markets. Perhaps they could get some souvenirs right, the marketplace here would be different from Konoha.
"Mito's birthday is soon, could we get her a gift?" Choji is the one to suggest and Ino claps her hands together.
"That is an excellent idea Choji!"
…
"You're still short." I roll my eyes at Saki's brash tone, good to see nothing has changed here. Saki was another Suna konoichi, retired now due to child rearing I guess. I mean I wouldn't want to go on missions if I had six kids.
Oh wait maybe I would, I don't personally know if I'd want to be around that many kids all the time. Even if they were my own. Something to think about I suppose.
"You don't really have any room to talk Saki." Akari says ever so nicely, and since she is the tallest of the three of us all we can do is glare at her.
"So how old are you now Mito-chan?" Saki questions while beckoning for us to follow her into her home.
"I'll be fifteen in a few weeks." Technically I was getting closer to like fifty but I'd keep that to myself. Saki sighs dramatically.
"So young still, I still can't believe you were only eight when the triplets were born." I smirk at her but refrain from commenting this time. Because what was there to say.
An eight year old ninja from another village delivered three premature triplets in the middle of an escort mission when no one else could. Honestly I was surprised when they made it, I really had thought all four of them were going to die when it happened. So there is nothing I can say to that really.
Other than I am glad they survived and that I was able to help. Although I had left my other life behind when reborn here there were things that were too hard to let go of, that life had its difficulties too but there had been real moments of goodness too. I used to not be so broken, I was broken then but not nearly as much as I was now. Now I was just bitter.
"Do you wanna see the kids?"
"Yeah, I do."
XOXOX
Short chapter I know but I sort of wanted to leave it here. Next chapter might be longer but possibly not. I probably won't go into a lot of detail about their time in suna again but it's not really that important plot wise other than the few things I've already written about it. So yeah.
I hope you like the chapter!
As always thanks to everyone who has given support to this story over the years you guys are awesome. I hope you all are having a wonderful day!
Sincerely, La'Rae