Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 14: New Lives

Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke appeared in a brightly lit waiting room. Temari and Kankuro sat next to each other and softly talked to the small child in the older man's lap. Shikamaru sat by his wife and prayed that the medical book he borrowed from his father could help Tsunade. Hinata quickly ushered Sakura to the doors that led to the delivery room.

Kakashi stood outside of the doorway and nodded at the pink-haired medic. "Go," he said. "Don't mind the seals, they won't affect your chakra."

With that cryptic remark, Sakura pushed past her ex-sensei. "I've got to go help," she said and disappeared through the doors.

Once she entered the room, she was surprised by the number of binding seals placed on the floor around Kina's bed. Gaara sat behind his wife, giving her support both physically and mentally as he held her hands. Shizune held glowing hands to the woman's shuddering belly as she tried her best to numb the pain of the contractions. Tsunade sat in a chair at the foot of the bed and murmured encouragement to the struggling mother.

Years of working together made it easy for Sakura to ease into the scene before her. Standing on the other side of the bed, she concentrated and placed her hands on Kina's stomach. She closed her eyes for a few moments as she got the feel of her contractions and began massaging the taut muscles in time to them.

"Lilith wasn't this much trouble," Kina panted as she rested a bit before the next wave hit. She relaxed her hold on Gaara's hand and gave a half smile when he quickly snapped his finger back into its socket.

"You dislocated my index finger, Kina," he calmly stated.

"I just might break your entire hand by the time these babies are born," she shot back. She pressed her head hard against her husband's shoulder as another contraction tore through her body. "GOD-FUCKING-DAMMIT!"

Gaara's heart tore in half at the pain his love was going through. It was true that this delivery was more difficult than that of their first child. He just took his wife's hand and continued to subtly reinforce her chakra and energy with his own. It was the only thing he could do at the moment.

"Why won't this baby be born?" she shouted at the three medical shinobi attending her. "Why the fuck can't you make this baby be BORN?"

The women ignored the cursing and Shizune answered, "Because they aren't ready to be born yet, Kinabuhi-sama."

"What do you mean 'they aren't ready'?" she screamed.

"You're twins are having their first disagreement," Tsunade gritted through her teeth. The first child was being stubborn while the second was impatient. The contrast between the two was making the labor more difficult than it should have been.

"WHAT?" both Gaara and Kina yelled in shock.

Sakura bit back a smile and continued her steady massage. She knew that Shizune and Tsunade, as well as Gaara, were slowly feeding the woman and her babies chakra. The intensity of the contractions was quickly drawing the energy from the woman and she didn't think that Kina could last more than four more hours, demon vessel or not.

"What's with the seals?" she asked her sensei.

"Kina's chakra, along with Gaara's and their babies, is too volatile at this moment," the Hokage answered. "Without the seals, the whole hospital could blow from the chakra blast."

"So the children will be vessels as well?" Sakura quickly grasped the truth of Tsunade's short explanation. "They'll have demons inside them?"

"It's not a bad thing, Cotton-candy freak," Kina snapped. "They'll grow up to be good people, just you wait."

Sakura just nodded. With Kina as their mother, she had no doubt about that.

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"Why is it taking so long?" Naruto asked as he stood by the doorway. Another yell came through the wooden door. "She sounds like she's being tortured."

"Babies come in their own time," Kakashi said. He sounded as calm as he always did, but inside he was quaking in fear. Even with the seals he and Kankuro drew, some of Kina's chakra was leaking out and the strength of it stunned him.

Plus, the idea of any woman giving birth freaked the Copy Ninja out more than anything.

Stupid Asuma, he thought. Kakashi fully blamed the fact that he could vividly imagine what Kina was going through on the man. The chain-smoking jounin and proud father had shown Kakashi the video he had of Kurenai's labor of their only child.

"But she's been in there for six hours," Sasuke whispered, worried about his foster sister. "Lilith was already born and feeding by this time."

Temari and Kankuro watched the three Konoha shinobi whispering to each other by their sister-in-law's delivery room. Although they were friends of hers, they knew that they were also there for security reasons. The two Suna nin acknowledged the fact that security was needed in this situation, but they didn't have to like it.

The appearance of Uchiha Sasuke was a surprise to Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru. During their long discussion with Gaara and Kina, the plan for Akatsuki was explained to them. The couple apologized for keeping the information hidden from them, but the three shinobi understood more than anyone the value of secrecy. Not to mention the realism raw human reaction and emotion added to keep Sasuke's deception alive.

Lilith wriggled out of Kankuro's lap and walked over to her godfather and his friends.

The three-year-old looked up at the tall men and immediately recognized her godfather, Naruto, and his sensei, Kakashi. She looked at the third man and realized that, although she didn't recognize him, he seemed familiar. So it was to the third man that she raised her arms to.

Sasuke stared at the small redhead and looked into her purple eyes.

Her mother's eyes, he thought.

Without hesitation, he picked the girl up and, with the familiarity that comes with handling children, placed her on his hip.

The others were shocked.

Lilith was an outgoing child, but she'd never asked as stranger to pick her up.

And she'd never seen Uchiha Sasuke before in her life.

"You have her eyes," the child whispered into the man's neck. "And you smell like her."

"Who, imp?" Sasuke asked, automatically using the nickname the Sabaku family used for her.

"Auntie Temeki-chan," Lilith innocently murmured, rubbing her cheek against the man's dark hair. "She calls me 'imp,' too."

"I thought your Aunt's eyes were light blue," Sasuke stalled. His eyes darted to Temari, but the woman shook her head. His eyes were still darkest black.

"There's more to someone's eyes than color," she answered.

"And there're more wonders in the world to see for those who have the intelligence to look for it," Kakashi said.

Sasuke nodded and held his godchild closer to his heart.

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"I can't do this anymore," Kina sobbed. It was almost eight hours since her water broke and she was tired.

Gaara propped himself behind his wife and massaged her shoulders. "Yes, you can," he encouraged.

"No, I can't."

He was surprised by his wife's listlessness. "Yes, you can!" he repeated.

The three medics looked at each other in fear. If Kina's will gave out now, then she and the babies would almost certainly die. They could manage to deliver the twins, but if Kina didn't try then the babies would give up as well.

"I want my Kuya," she sobbed into her husband's shoulder.

Gaara nodded and placed a kiss on her sweaty hair. He knew that she missed her brother. His heart ached as he realized that he was partially responsible for the fact that she couldn't even have her foster sister at her side for this.

"I know," he murmured.

Another contraction hit her tired body and Kina let loose with another howl and screamed.

"TEMEKI!"

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Sasuke jerked as they all heard Kina scream for her sister. Lilith's hold tightened on his neck and he absentmindedly ran his hand down her back, giving her comfort. He avoided the gazes of Temari, Kankuro, and even Shikamaru and met the cool, assessing one of Hyuuga Hinata.

"She needs her sibling," the pearl-eyed kunoichi whispered.

He hesitated, but Kina's next scream made his decision an easy one.

"SASUKE!"

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"SASUKE!"

Sakura looked up at Kina, surprised that she'd yelled out the Uchiha's name. She was even more surprised when the man in question barreled through the doors, stood next to Sakura and grabbed Kina's hand.

"I'm here," he whispered. "Kina-chan, I'm here."

Kina laughed and rubbed their joined hands to her cheek. "Took you long enough, tonto."

"Hey, watch who you call an idiot," he joked, using a towel to wipe the sweat off of her forehead. "I'm supposed to be a genius, remember?"

Gaara used his free hand to clasp Sasuke on the shoulder and the two shared a look of deep respect and gratitude.

Sakura looked on and wondered why these three looked more like a family than when she saw the couple with Temari and Kankuro. She wanted to ask what had happened to form the bond between them, but Kina's next contraction made that impossible.

Kina grabbed both Gaara and Sasuke's hands and sat straight up. Now that her foster brother was with her, her determination returned along with her strength. Temeki had been there when Lilith was born. It was only fitting that the man who was Temeki be here when her twins were born.

Sasuke gripped Kina's hand and looked at Gaara. Her chakra was still strong, but her strength was weakening. The redhead returned Sasuke's look and nodded.

Using their joined hands, the two men formed the Master Seal with Kina and concentrated on transferring their strength to the woman.

Kina felt a burst of energy and screamed.

Tsunade quickly took advantage of the situation and eased the baby boy from his mother's womb. Sakura took the baby and cleaned him up while Tsunade delivered the baby girl who quickly followed her brother. Shizune took Tsunade's place by the foot of the bed and took care of the afterbirth.

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The loud cries of the newborns both reassured and confused the people in the waiting room.

"I thought babies only came one at a time," Lilith told her uncle. "Why do I hear two babies?"

"That's why she was so huge," Kankuro whispered. He shook his head in wonder while Temari gaped and Shikamaru's face took on a green and worried look.

"You didn't tell me twins run in your family," he murmured.

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Kina laughed as she looked at her twins. Sakura placed the firstborn in her arms and she immediately counted his fingers and toes. His pale skin matched Gaara's, but his hair was the exact shade as Kina's. She smiled at her husband and gently kissed his lips.

Tsunade offered the other baby to Gaara, but he shook his head and motioned to Sasuke. Sakura was surprised again when Sasuke smiled and expertly handled the newborn. He sat down on the bed and looked over at Kina.

"Looks like you got a two for one deal this time, sister," he said, laughing.

Kina and Gaara laughed as well as Sasuke cuddled the dark-haired newborn girl to his chest.

"Well," Kina sighed. "You know how I always like a good bargain, Sasuke-niichan."

Sasuke kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "We'll see how much of a bargain they are when they keep you up all night."

"Shut up and let me enjoy this moment, tonto."

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the banter between the two. They really were acting like siblings.

"What are you going to name them?" he asked.

Gaara eased himself from behind Kina and took his daughter from Sasuke. "I don't know," the Kazekage answered. He nuzzled his face against the newborn's cheek and smiled. God hadn't gifted him with two children. He'd given him three. First Lilith, and now these two, tiny twins.

I will protect you with my life, he vowed to the child in his arms as he vowed to Lilith when he first held her. No matter what it takes, I will protect you, your siblings, and your Mama.

"They weren't supposed to arrive yet," Kina said.

"We'll take them now," Tsunade smiled gently. "You need recover and the rest of your family is anxious to see the new additions."

Sasuke caught Sakura's eye and smiled gently at her. Her breath caught and she smiled back. The moment seemed to stretch before Sasuke looked away.

"I'll get rid of the seals with Kakashi and then head back to my mission," he said softly to the suddenly sleepy Kina. "I'm not even supposed to be here."

"Okay," Kina slurred. "But I want you to be a godfather again. Sakura, think you can handle being godmother?"

Sakura nodded once and went with Shizune to take care of the babies.

What were the emotions I saw in his eyes? Sakura wondered as she placed the little girl in a cradle. Longing? Longing for what? And there was something else too. Determination, anxiousness, and anticipation. Sasuke, what are you thinking about?

Sasuke was pushed to the back of her mind as soon as she saw Lilith race to the window and smile at her little brother and sister.

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"Oh, Naruto-kun, look how tiny they are!" Hinata whispered as the blonde hugged her from behind.

The group smiled as the baby wrapped in the pink blanket cried loud enough to vibrate the glass separating the nursery from the hallway. The baby in the blue blanket simply continued to suck on the pacifier the nurse gave him.

"Well, at least now we can believe Kina-chan when she says she was born with that loud voice of hers," Kankuro joked.

"Shika-kun," Temari said, leaning against her husband. "I can't wait until it's my turn."

The Nara grunted and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Two hours ago you were threatening my manhood for getting you into a situation where you have to go through the pain of childbirth," he reminded the blonde.

She blushed and looked again at the babies. "If it gets me one of those, I don't care."

Naruto listened shamelessly to their conversation and chose that moment to interrupt. "So I guess that means that me and Hinata will be visting you in Konoha's hosptital in about nine months?" he asked.

Sakura joined the group just as everyone turned to Temari and Shikamaru. "Hey guys!" she said. "What's going on?"

"Temari-kaasan was just about to share her news with us," Naruto said slyly.

"Kaa-san?" she repeated. "Why are you calling Temari a mother? Oh my god! You too?"

That was all the warning Temari had before she was crushed in a hug from both Sakura and Hinata. Naruto soon joined in and she looked at her husband for help.

"Oi," he said. "Don't be troublesome. Pregnant women need more oxygen than regular people."

The three immediately released her and sighed in relief when her skin became a normal color again.

"What do you mean 'you too'?" Kankuro asked.

Hinata turned to the paint-wearing puppet master and smiled. "Neji-niisan and Tenten-chan are expecting a baby as well!" she announced.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask and patted Naruto on the back. "So, when will can we expect a blonde-haired, white-eyed child, Naruto?"

The blonde stuttered for a few moments and Hinata turned bright red. The moment was broken when Lilith tapped on the glass.

"There's Daddy!" she said. "Uncle Kanky, pick me up so I can see." Her uncle shrugged and obeyed the order.

Gaara waved at the group on the other side of the glass and smiled. He walked behind the two cribs and looked down at his children. He placed two cards in the cardholders at the top of each crib and Lilith read the names out loud.

"Maayo," she repeated as Gaara's hand placed the card over the girl's crib. "And…Ayo," she read from the boy's crib. The adults noticed that she pronounced 'Maayo' as 'Mah-ayo.'

"I don't recognize those names," Kakashi said.

"They're from my grandfather's home. Mama's homeland," Lilith answered, wisdom filling her young voice. "Maayo means 'fair' or 'good' and Ayo means 'order' or 'to heal.'"

"How do you know that?" Sakura wondered.

"Shukaku told Akakuro that right now," she said calmly.

"Shukaku?" Kakashi asked.

"Who's Akakuro?" Hinata questioned.

"My demon," Lilith responded. "She can talk to Shukaku since he's her daddy the way my Daddy is my daddy."

Everyone nodded. It made perfect sense—especially when Naruto smiled at the girl with a serious light in his eyes. They all looked over at the baby girl in her crib and the baby boy who was now in Gaara's arms.

Don't worry, Daddy, Lilith thought to her father. She picked up on his worry and fear, but didn't know the cause. Everything will be okay.

Gaara cuddled his son to his chest and smiled at his oldest child.

I know, Lilith-chan, he answered through the link their demons provided them. I know.

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Kina turned her head to the darkest corner of her hospital room and smirked.

"You might as well tell me what you want," she said. "Things won't wait for you forever."

"I need your help," Sasuke whispered.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and gestured to the chair by her bed. "What do you need of me?"

A/N:

Okay, some stuff before the seriousness breaks through again. No footnotes…yay! Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, you guys are the best!

If you wanna read the sidefic I have about Gaara and his twins, it's called "Only For You."