The next few days he was gone were the worst for her. She was strictly on bed rest, and she was getting sicker. They had someone posted at the door to make sure she could call for help if she needed it. She had hoped that she would get better before he got back, but the sheer unknowing if her child would even have a father by the time it was born was eating her alive and not helping her health. She understood now why nin parents often retired shortly after having their children. Those who didn't, usually made their children orphans.

Temari stayed behind as acting Kage, the council was furious to know why, and Baki was stalling. They were both keeping them away from her as long as they could, but she was wondering if now was finally the time to tell them. She was hoping that she could at least wait until Gaara got back. She wasn't sure how well she could fight a battle with them in her state. They would use it against her in his absence, and it wouldn't be good for her health to battle them herself.

"Hinata." Matsuri came in. The look on her face told her she had good news. She sat up straight in attention and beckoned her in. "Word just got back, the war is over, and Gaara is okay."

Hinata chewed her lip waiting for a but. "And?"

"He has Shukaku," Matsuri added carefully, looking unsure of how she would react.

Hinata wasn't sure how to react to that.

Shukaku? She had been so tied up in her pregnancy. She hadn't had time to think about him.

She felt joy and worry all at once. She didn't know what they had done to him while he was apart from Gaara. She wasn't sure what that would make him do to Gaara.

"They should be home within a day or two. Gaara's having some trouble adjusting to the demon, so they are taking their time coming back." She explained. "I talked to the council today, and I had to say that you have fallen ill and that it's a Hyuga matter, so I have no information for them. They were not happy."

Hinata rested her head back and sighed, rubbing her belly gingerly. "It would be a lot easier if this was not all happening at once."

Hinata woke up in severe pain. She panted, holding tightly around her abdomen, trying to stop the pain to stop. She let out a scream of pain as another wave came. She realized she was soaked. Her water had broken.

The door burst open as her assigned nin headed in. "Hinata-sama what's wrong!"

"I need to get to the hospital… Get Temari-chan." She scrunched her eyes together as another pain. "Tell her I'm going into labor."

"Labor?" He asked, looking down at her stomach. "You're pregnant?"

"GET TEMARI!" She barked as another wave of pain came.

He flinched and ran back out the door as she sat up and found clothes.

Temari and Matsuri got her to the hospital in record time. Temari practically carried her while Matsuri sent for her Hyuga medic.

The medic tried to stop the contractions, but they started as soon as they were calmed. "He's going to have to come out today, Hinata-sama."

Hinata rested her head back and sighed painfully.

"Can he come out now? Doesn't she have a few months left?" Matsuri asked.

"He's going to be small. It lowers his survival rate, but he will have a chance. However, if we try to force him to stop now, he won't." She promised.

"Gaara was small. He was premature," Temari mumbled. Hinata wasn't sure if that was just a spoken memory or if it was an attempt to make the situation sound less dier.

Hinata was in labor for several hours. The sun had come up, and her contractions were still not close enough together to start pushing. After the first few hours, Hinata was getting used to the pattern and rhythm of being in pain every few minutes.

"You're doing well, Hinata-sama." The medic soothed. "You have your mother's pain tolerance."

"Let's hope it doesn't end the same way," Hinata mumbled.

The medic and the two girls gapped at her.

"I'm sorry that was dark." She looked down, surprised at herself.

"You would be surprised how common dark humor is in labor." The medic excused.

"Temari-sama." Someone said from the door. "The Kage is at the gate."

"Tell him his wife is in the hospital, and that's where he needed to be now." She relayed back. "She is in labor."

"She's pregnant?" The nin asked.

"NOW." The nin nodded and fled.

Gaara was ragged. His body refused to be comfortable with Shukaku's return. Shukaku was equally as discomforted though he was seemingly content to be back into his more favored vessel. That's what Gaara assumed. He couldn't feel his feelings properly. He couldn't even hear his voice properly in his head. It was like he was far away and shouting, but his voice was being carried away in the wind.

A nin ran up to him, looking confused and urgent. "Kazekage-sama, your… wife is in labor? Your sister needs you at the hospital now."

His blood ran cold. It was too early still wasn't it?

'... pregnant?' Shukaku asked. It sounded like a faint echo.

He tried to summon his sand, but it wouldn't listen enough to even form a half ball. He gave up and took to running his already tired body. He hoped she was doing better than he was.

Hinata laid back sweating after the last round of contractions. She was exhausted. This had been going on for hours, and the medic somehow expected her to take naps with her contraction continuing every couple of minutes.

"Hinata, I think I have decided that Etsu is enough, and I will never have my own," Matsuri mumbled, holding her hand through the burst of pressure. She looked tired, as well. The stress was getting to her.

"I think I agree," Hinata told her honestly with a weary smile.

"Do you want to bring her? You might scare her out of teen sex. "Temari chuckled.

"I think she has had enough scaring… the pun was unintentional." Matsuri corrected herself. "Now I feel bad."

"I think it's fine. Have you heard her lately? She makes jokes about it all the time." Temari waved her hand.

Hinata got hit by another contraction as she started to giggle. "I haven't gotten a chance to see her in a while. How is she?"

"She is growing too fast, and she has hit her training hard. She's only in her first year, but she's doing better than I did at her age." Matsuri sighed. "I told her if she got past my marks, she could have a party with all her little friends."

Hinata smiled and sighed. At least somebody was happy.

"Hinata." She looked to Gaara at the doorway. He was pale and sweating. Had he run here? Since when does he run?

"Gaara, you should sit down. Are you okay?" She asked, sitting up more to see him.

"You're in labor?" He asked.

"That was news 8 hours ago, sit." Temari forced him down in the chair she had been sitting in by Hinata's bedside.

"It's too early." He continued his concern. "You look sick."

His sister squeezed his shoulder, glaring down at him.

"It's late enough that if he survives birth, he should live, but he will have to be in the hospital for a while." She explained, reaching out her hand for him to take. "Right? Now we are just waiting for him to decide to come out."

"He can do that?" He asked.

"In a way..." She wasn't sure how to explain that. "But what about you."

He frowned. "You shouldn't be worrying..."

"We are so far past that point." She snapped and paused, taking in a contraction. "Sorry, I'm grouchy."

"She has had two hours of sleep and has been having contractions regularly for the last 8 hours. I think she gets to be grouchy." Matsuri corrected her.

Gaara glanced between them and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. His hands were clammy, like he had a fever. "Shukaku and I's chakra are not mingling the way they were before." He explained.

"That's what I heard… onee-chan, can you call my medic in?" Temari nodded, stepping out. "I would look, but I can't use up my chakra."

"Your cousin already had a look. He said it looked like Shukaku and I aren't mixing, like oil and water." He stated. "He was concerned about why you haven't written back. I told him you were mildly ill. He didn't believe me."

She wasn't surprised. "You're not the best at lying, and he doesn't trust anyone when it comes to me..."

After the doctor had a look at his chakra and heard his troubles with his sand, she confirmed what they feared. "I believe your chakras are fighting each other. He's far stronger than you. He was eating your chakra away. If he's not removed, you will likely lose control of your own body before long."

"Is this a result of the rerouting?" Temari asked.

"It could be, but even then, the beast was ripped out. Even if he was returned, it is likely the damage was too great to replace him without trouble." She explained. "If you don't remove him to another vessel, you will slowly die."

"Great, all three of us can have a joint funeral," Hinata mumbled with a sigh.

Gaara looked at her, shocked.

"I'm sorry, labor gives you a dark sense of humor." She whispered, turning red.

"Is there another compatible vessel?" The medic asked.

Temari shrugged, thinking back... "As far as I know, Kankuro and I aren't compatible. I thought that was why Gaara was chosen."

Hinata then squeaked, prompting her full attention. She was writhing back on her bed, arching her back painfully.

After a half-hour of calming her contractions down, the doctor concluded if they didn't use chakra to force the birth to start, it would kill both of them.

"She was doing so well a moment ago. How did it get so bad so quickly?" Temari wondered, her arms crossed over her chest, hugging herself.

"This is not uncommon for premature births." She explained. "Anything can happen. You just have to be prepared for the worst."

Gaara rubbed his wife's cold hands. She was pale and looking nearly dead now if it wasn't for her heavily labored breathing.

"I… don't think he's going to make it." The medic whispered to them. "His heartbeat is weak, and his chakra isn't well enough developed. I'm not sure it will respond to treatment if we force him out. If all goes well, Hinata should be fine, she'll need some hospital time, but she's done way better than expected."

Hinata looked over at him sadly. "That… okay." She pressed her lips together sadly.

He felt an uncomfortable pain in his chest. He had been so worried that he would lose her. He hadn't realized it would also hurt to lose the baby alone.

He felt his sand tug. His gourd shook weakly and managed to fall, overdrawing everyone's attention. 'Me...' Faint call in the back of his head. He pressed a hand on the side of his head and tried to focus on Shukaku's distant voice. '..se… me...'

"I can't hear you," Gaara said aloud.

"What?" Hinata asked weakly.

"Shukaku. He's trying to say something, and I can't hear him. It's like he's far away." He focused harder.

'... SE... ME!' He made out of the faint yell.

"Se.. me?" He wondered, looking up.

"Is he asking for help?" Hinata pointed to the gourd. "Open it."

Temari popped the cork and dumped some out. They waited for a second as kanji was written into it. 'USE ME'

"Use me? What does that mean?" She wondered.

The medic seemed to put it together. Her head jerked up. "It's possible that the child is compatible."

"No," Gaara said quickly.

Hinata stared at him.

"My mother was killed, giving birth to a demon child." He explained. "I can't make that trade."

The room fell silent.

"We can induce the birth first and then try moving vessels once he's out. If he survives the birth, we can do the transfer." The medic tried to defuse.

Eyes were on Hinata for a decision. She was looking solely at Gaara.

"Do you promise me that you'll be kind to him?" She wasn't asking Gaara, even then, it sounded silly, but her eyes were trained past Gaara's eyes to Shukaku's soul.

"You will not treat him like you have Gaara in the past, or I will be very upset." She told him solidly.

The sound of dragging sand prompted her to look at the pile as a tanuki face was drawn poorly with a smile.

She looked back up at Gaara, for Gaara this time. "Maybe he can save our son."

Gaara had never been so torn. He could have both his wife and son live but could damn his son to the childhood that he had suffered.

Hinata trusted him, Shukaku liked Hinata.

He didn't trust Shukaku. After all, they had been through, even the calm past couple of years could never make him truly trust him, but she trusted him and Shukaku seemed to trust her.

"Alright."