Book Two: Unwanted Surprises

Chapter Six:
The Journey Home

Watching Me. . .
Wanting me.

Yes. . . today was the day. Itachi could feel it in his blood. The Uchiha was very, very patient. He could wait for Temari to heal, the suspicion to dwindle down as well as her guard, and he would make his move. Oh, did he have quite a few plans for the blonde kunoichi. Never again would he allow her to enter that trance-like state and respond to nothing. Itachi looked out toward the horizon. . . his infatuation with the sand ninja was not healthy in any way; That's what made it so damn enjoyable.

Itachi was also aware that Temari had another love interest. How satisfying it would be to steal her away and make her his once more.

Not only this, but he had an heir as well. If only he could see the look on Sasuke's face about now. Would that increase Sasuke's rage and hate against him? Of course. Which is why the child was a bonus in this whole situation.

However, something struck Itachi. Would he be this obsessed once the kunoichi was in his grasp? Bound and defenseless? Temari usually provided a lot of excitement, and he only found it fair to give her a chance to fight back.

Too bad being 'fair' was most certainly not in Itachi's nature. Her screaming and begging would be just as delightful as her fighting back. A smirk appeared on his face for the first time since he last visited Temari.

She would not win any more games. Itachi would make sure of that.

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"One last push. . ." Kurenai coaxed Temari.

Temari grunted, and finally, it was over. She was sure she didn't look very attractive at the moment, but she also didn't particularly care. At least this child was alive to see her. What surprised her, however, was the fact that she didn't hear the baby crying.

Something was wrong. . . all babies were supposed to cry the minute they came out of the womb.

"He's. . . beautiful." Sakura cooed as she leaned over to see the little bundle. Shizune handed Tsunade a small blanket, allowing her to wrap the baby and keep him warm.

When she shifted her weight over to the left, Temari could finally see which parent the child looked like. She and the Uchiha were both pretty fortunate looking, so the baby could have looked like any of the two parents. Her jaw dropped. Temari couldn't help it. The child looked just like it's father, and seemed to act like it. He didn't cry. Tsunade wrapped him in the blanket and carefully handed him over to Temari so she could breast feed him. He stared at her, his expression telling her 'I won'. It wasn't paranoia. This child was smirking at her.

Temari quickly closed her eyes almost as tight as they could go. The second she opened them, she realized the child had a normal expression on his face.

Scratch that. . . for a newborn, it was still quite scary. He was looking into her eyes, head cocked to the side, calm yet interested. His gray eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul. The tiny male seemed to be in a trance.

By now, the other girls had left the room to give Temari some privacy. Tsunade probably went to get some water or something. "Alright. Let me unbutton my dress." she told the baby as though he understood every word; he probably did.

One by one, she undid the buttons and slipped her bra off one side. Since anyone could walk in at any time, she covered up with a small rag on the night stand beside her bed. Oh how she longed to sleep in her own room again. Carefully, she lifted the baby under the rag and waited for him to latch on.

And waited.

And waited.

"What are you waiting for?" she looked down impatiently and found him trying to scan his surroundings, confused by the rag she used to cover up her breast. Temari rolled her eyes and lifted him a little higher so he would understand what to do. Hunger finally overcame the curiosity of the rag and he latched on.

Temari really couldn't help looking at him. She wished he took after her instead. The fuzzy gray hair and emotionless onyx eyes were too much of a reminder, though the baby wasn't the one who manipulated her and took advantage of the loss of memories. She'd get over it.

Suddenly, the door burst open and she heard someone yelling, "Let me see the baby!" Naruto had burst in unexpectedly, making Temari glad she covered up. "Oh." Naruto suddenly felt awkward. Maybe he should've knocked.

Gee, ya think?

"We tried to stop him." another voice said. It was Shikamaru, standing next to a blushing Hinata in the doorway.

"S-sorry." she stammered. "I–we didn't realize you were. . ."

Temari held a hand up. "It's fine." The baby had stopped feeding anyway, due to the sudden disturbance caused by Naruto. She moved her arms and revealed him, careful not to have the rag slip off.

"He is so cute!" Naruto squealed, in an almost girly tone. Then he stopped in his tracks. "Wow, he looks just like. . . well--" he was interrupted by a bash on the head from Shikamaru.

"Shut up, loudmouth! You are such a drag."

While the two argued, Hinata quietly walked over. "I-I think he's really. . . really cute." she said, quiet as a mouse.

Temari resisted the urge to ask, 'You want him?'.

"What's his name?"

This put Temari in thought. She hadn't even thought of a single name while she was pregnant. She was way to busy fantasizing and dreaming about the father and Shikamaru! She felt really horrible as she looked down at the boy. He was simply looking over at the two other males arguing.

"I haven't actually. . ." Temari replied sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. "I should do that right now."

"Oh. . . I didn't mean to. . .Sorry." Hinata stuttered

"It's not your fault I forgot to name the baby."

"Well–um, I guess."

This girl really needs to lighten up. She acts like someone's going to bite her head off any minute. Temari thought. Well, now it was time to get down to business and name the child. But what? She mentally kicked herself for not even thinking of a possibility when she was pregnant. Let's face it, when you're dealing with nightmares, psycho fathers, boredom, sickness, perverted jounins, lazy bodyguards, angry brothers, and drunk Hokage's. . . you don't really have time to think of a name.

She thought back and tried to remember what names appealed to her. Itachi Jr., was most certainly out of the question. As was Gaara, Shikamaru and Kankuro Jr. The name 'Sachi' was always a favorite of hers. . . but it sounded too much like the father's name. Not to mention, that name meant 'wish'. And this child didn't really resemble a 'wish'.

Naming a baby was hard work!

"Having trouble?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Yeah. I honestly didn't think it would be this hard."

"There. . . are a lot of names."

Temari nodded, concentrating on the child in her arms. He look sleepy, yet he was trying hard to concentrate on Naruto and Shikamaru. Until his attention turned to Hinata. Almost as if her were not only studying her, but analyzing everything, as well. This was one scary child. . .

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"I'm ready!" Temari called to Shikamaru, who was probably asleep in the waiting room of the hospital. Just a couple days after the baby was born, she felt ready to go back home and have a brand new attitude about being cooped up.

She lifted the knapsack and securely placed it on her shoulder so that it wouldn't fall. Then, she hoisted a little bundle up near her chest. Temari looked down at baby Rai to see how he was doing. Well, he looked the same as he did the last couple of days. Simply staring at everything and everyone as though he needed to know everything about them. Because she needed a simple name, she named her son Rai, on a whim.

Over the last couple of days, Temari found herself stumped. The baby did not wake her up in the middle of the night with endless crying, yet they communicated quite well. Temari always seemed to know what Rai wanted, whether it was milk, attention, or simply a diaper change. While this should have scared her, Temari was relieved at how low-maintenance he was. Yet, she couldn't help but shake off a scary feeling about this child.

Because she knew. . . sooner or later, this child would cause mayhem. And lots of it.

"We're going home." she explained simply to him.

Rai merely hiccuped in response and tugged at the blanket wrapped around him. Who knew a madman's baby could be so adorable?

Rai's fuzzy gray hair and big black eyes made him one of the cutest babies Temari had ever seen. She was just sorry she never got to see the female half, who might've been just as cute.

"Finally." Shikamaru sighed. "How long does it take a woman to pack?"

"For your information, since you're too lousy to offer to hold Rai, I had to pack with one hand, while making sure he was comfortable."

"He put you through nine months of hell, what's a minute or two away from mommy?" Shikamaru shrugged.

"You are such a typical male!" Temari pointed an accusing finger at him. "It's not his fault, it's Itachi's! And he's still my child, so I have to be the responsible one since the father is psychotic."

She suddenly stopped her rant when she heard a low humming sound. Rai was watching them. As though he knew what they were talking about. Temari made a mental note to put this baby down for a nap whenever she decided to talk about Itachi. She had the funny feeling Rai somehow, most likely by instinct, who Itachi Uchiha was. Scary.

"Well, let's go."

"Wait!" Temari stopped Shikamaru. "We have to check and see if I have enough for the trip!"

"You're going to be riding on a horse! It'll only take a few hours." Shikamaru protested. "What a drag."

Temari raised an eyebrow. "I have to make sure I have diapers, food, a couple blankets, and plenty of water."

Shikamaru did not hide his sigh. Temari giggled before nudging him and handing him the knapsack. Reluctantly, he rummaged through, while Temari told him one item at a time, what she needed.

Tsunade was kind enough to give Temari supplies, seeing as she was really in any position to buy them herself. Enough to last her the few days she was here after giving birth, and on the way home to Suna.

Finally. . . she was on her way back home for good. It had been almost a year since she had any peace. But she wondered; When she finally did make it back home, would all the chaos stopped? It wasn't likely. Gaara and Kankuro were probably still throwing fits, and she felt guilty for leaving them. Itachi had vowed revenge, and if Sasuke ever found out, Naruto informed her that he would go berserk. Probably killing both her and the baby in an insane state.

But Temari was going to put all of that behind for now. She needn't worry about the Uchiha for now, as he had probably forgotten all about her. Despite his efforts to find her, see her, and mentally frighten her, she knew deep down that the Akatsuki was his number one priority.

For now. . .

If he did ever catch her, she would just resist responding to anything he did. However, it terrorized her inside, knowing that strategy might not work again. The one time she did use it, Itachi knew he didn't have a lot of time to spare, thus, could not waste any time. But if he did catch her again, he would have all the time in the world.

Plus, it wasn't like Temari not to respond. She was loud, outspoken, and a little demanding sometimes. Fighting back was just in her nature, and it seemed like Itachi absolutely loved it when she fought back, participating in his sadistic games. And though she would never admit it, she sometimes got a kick out of them, as well.

"Temari?" she heard a faint call for her. "Temari?"

Suddenly, Temari's eyes snapped open and she stared at Shikamaru. He was waving one hand in front of her teal eyes, while trying to hand the knapsack to her with the other. "I asked you if we had everything."

"Oh." Temari shook her head and rubbed her temple with her free hand. "Yes. Thank you, Shikamaru." she reached for the knapsack, but he pulled it away.

"You're looking a little woozy. Maybe I. . ." he hesitated greatly, letting out a huge sigh before continuing. "Maybe I should carry your stuff for you. And baby Rai." he added.

Temari knew this was not an opportunity to turn down. Shikamaru was offering to carry her things for her. Maybe spending eight and a half months with a woman did him some good, after all! Carefully, she handed the baby to him. Rai looked up at Shikamaru, then back at Temari as if to say, 'You've got to be kidding me.'

Temari rolled her eyes at him. He's not that bad. She thought, as though the baby could read her mind.

And for the first time since she escaped from the Akatsuki, Temari was on her way home.

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"One last thing." Shikamaru had said when they left the hospital. "We'll get a bowl of ramen before you leave. To celebrate."

"Celebrate my leaving?" Temari raised an eyebrow.

"Sort of." Shikamaru shrugged, trying to hide to smirk on his face.

But Temari agreed. After all, these were the last few hours she was going to spend with Shikamaru before returning home.

As they walked, older couples pointed and giggled at Shikamaru carrying baby Rai and Temari's supplies. She couldn't help but stifle a little chuckle, herself. It was a pretty funny sight. The only thing he was missing was a little baby carrier to strap around his chest.

Soon, they arrived. Obviously, Naruto was there. "Hi guys! Are you two finally going on a date? It's about time!" he told them before slurping down his last bit of ramen and paying the bill. "Want me to stick around and have another bowl with you?" he asked them.

Simultaneously, they responded. Shikamaru simply shrugged, while Temari told him, "If you want to." To Naruto, it was an obvious invitation saying they did need company, and he felt obligated to sit with them.

After they ate, Naruto and Shikamaru started arguing about who-cares-what. Temari felt herself getting nauseous from all the different smells of the flavors. She needed fresh air. "I'll be outside" she told Shikamaru.

Lo and behold, she met up with the eccentric teacher of Naruto. He was casually leaning against a wall, reading his perverted books. When he caught her staring, he simply looked up at her and gave a friendly wave. "We meet again, I see."

"Um. . . yeah. I guess so. What a coincidence."

It felt awkward when he simply went back to reading. "Don't you have anything better to do than to read those?" she asked, frustrated.

"Not really." he responded.

Temari babbled on to him about how he should date someone instead of finding pleasure in the lives of fake characters.

Sound familiar, fellow readers?

Finally, Shikamaru came out with the baby just as Temari was finishing her rant. Kakashi looked over at the baby, who stared right back at him. He raised an eyebrow, and then looked to Temari, who was avoiding his stare.

Before they went their separate ways, Kakashi lightly kissed the back of Temari's hand and wished her good luck, for her journey was just beginning. He seemed to understand more than anyone at the moment. . .

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She and Shikamaru had reach the outskirts of Konoha. They were both contemplating the time they had spent together, reminiscing both the good and bad memories.

"You used to complain about how much tea I would drink." Temari giggled, poking him.

"That's because I know you sent me to get some just because you knew I had to wait on you hand and foot. But finally, the 'mission' is over. Now when everyone looks at my profile, they'll all know that I was once a bodyguard for a bossy pregnant woman." he said, sarcasm on every word.

"Yes, and you did such a fantastic job at it." Temari replied, matching his sarcasm.

"I believe this is yours." Shikamaru told her, handing her the baby. At least he was nice enough to pack up the saddle for her.

Temari was slightly confused. She couldn't really go alone. What if she dropped the baby? What if the horse suddenly went out of control? Worst case scenario, Itachi would show up at her moment of weakness, kidnaping both her and Rai. Going alone was much to risky. "Aren't you going with me?"

"Actually, your brother agreed to come here and escort you home. He said he wouldn't mind the trip here and back as long as he got to see you."

Temari gulped. "Which brother?"

"The one with the puppet on his back. Kankuro, was it?"

She now sighed with relief. As much as she loved Gaara, Kankuro would be ten times better than traveling with a temperamental Kazekage. While carrying Itachi Uchiha's baby. . .

Now Temari felt extremely cheery. Her brother was coming to pick her up, coming all the way from the Land of Wind just to make sure she got home safely. It was finally time to head back to Suna. . . with her baby. She hoped Gaara wouldn't lose his temper and try anything.

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Temari saw Shikamaru try not to gag when Kankuro finally arrived. It took much too long for him to get to Konoha. Temari was extremely happy to see her little brother. Though she couldn't really say the same for Rai. Then again, that kid looked like he hated everyone. He merely tolerated them.

"Kankuro, I'm so glad you're finally here!" she shifted Rai to the side so his head wouldn't get caught in the bear hug. When it was finally over, she awkwardly introduced Kankuro to his nephew. "This. . . is Rai." she stated simply.

"He's very. . ." Kankuro searched for the right word to describe him that wouldn't offend Temari. "Observant." he finished uncomfortably, obviously noticing the child's intense stare. "Can I. . ." Awkward pause. "Hold him for you?" Kankuro asked cautiously.

Temari nodded, handing over the bundle. Rai, once again, stared up at Kankuro, unblinking. "I can't wait to go home." she sighed with great happiness. Konoha was all well and good, but she was so tired of worrying about when she'd have the baby, and little things. Like not being able to sleep in her own bed.

She had even forgotten about the Uchiha. For now. . .

Kankuro handed the baby back for a minute to make sure everything was nice and organized. Temari couldn't afford losing any supplies in the unforgiving desert of Suna.

"I guess. . ." she heard Shikamaru pipe up, "This is goodbye, Temari. For now." he stuck out his hand, expecting a handshake from her.

After all they went through together, Temari wasn't going to leave Konoha (and Shikamaru) if she knew later her only parting gift to him was a–a handshake! She moved closer and gave him the good-bye she thought was appropriate. It was not a hug. It was not an innocent peck. Temari got Shikamaru full on the lips, careful not to smother the baby in between the two of them.

His eyes widened, while Kankuro pretended not to notice. When it was finally over, Shikamaru still had his hand up. To play along, Temari giggled and shook his hand before cheerily hopping onto the horse. "See ya later!"

"Girls. . . are such a drag." Shikamaru said, his thoughts still lingering on the kiss.

You know you liked it.

Fin.

At least. . . It's the end of Book Two: Unwanted Surprises. Does this mean an end to the previews? Well. . . it looks like another epilogue thingy happens to be handy at the moment:

Gaara looked at the child and realized he reminded him of somebody.
It was not Itachi.
Nor Temari.
But himself. He and Rai were two of a kind.