I have a bad feeling that this is kind of late, but technically I didn't set up a date for publishing, so I guess I'm not late: I know, excuses excuses!
Warning: will get gross and educational: P.S. Warning: if you don't want to give birth to anything, the gross stuff wont be very educational now will it? P.S.S. WARNING: Gaara is seriously OOC in this chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did I wouldn't put as many fillers in (sorry, I'm just raving is all)
Chapter 7
Gaara and Matsuri Have a Baby
Temari is many things: lovely, not a stick like a lot of Konoha girls (no offense), a blunt wind user, and considerably strong.
Matusri is many things: lovely, kind of a stick like a lot of Konoha girls (no offense), a blunt rope javelin user, and stronger than she was the first time we saw her in the anime.
Gaara is: Gaara + a little OOC
…K~S
Matsuri was dying. She pretended not to be, but it's hard to escape the fact that it is hot in the desert and sometimes having two accomplished and experience dessert crossers as your travel buddies was a pain.
Or as Shikamaru would but it: troublesome.
Gaara slowed his pace a few times to walk beside her, while Temari walked strongly on, but he was kind of impatient (I don't necessarily think an impatient Gaara is ooc).
Anyway, the poor girl was dying.
"Um, Te-Temari. Do you mind if we stop a minute?" Matsuri asked. They'd been traveling nonstop for about 3 hours, and the sun was being unimaginably cruel.
Temari clenched her fists in frustration. "Come on Matsuri! You are a representative of Suna's kunoichi! Show some composure and discipline!"
Gaara winced mentally and fell back into step with Matsuri who was now face palming while half bent over in exhaustion.
"I'm sorry about Tem-"
"DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR ME!" Temari interrupted.
Side note: Temari has been very uptight ever since Gaara's abduction. She is now obsessed about being seen as strong and able. She was really upset about how she couldn't do anything, and hopes for Matsuri, who's kind of like a sister to her, to be successful and never have to feel the way she felt. Temari has high hopes for Matsuri, but doesn't feel like telling her just yet.
Gaara sighed and hugged the slightly sweaty Matsuri, despite the sweat because he's tough like that.
"You've only been to Konoha once, right?" he asked.
Matsuri nodded weakly.
"It'll be a nice change from the desert, not as much convenient sand incase of emergency, but that is why I have the gourd." Gaara said, trying to take Matsuri's attention of the heat.
"And there will be water," Matsuri whispered dreamily.
Gaara offered her his canteen. Temari saw this, but decided to let him be romanticish this time.
Matsuri sipped the water, careful not to chug it down.
Luckily, the little bit of water went a long way, and Matsuri shot up straight. "I feel great, arigato, Gaara!"
"You're welcome." He said. Temari rolled her eyes.
"Oi, Gaara. I've been thinking about the first stop!" Temari said, breaking the romanticish moment. "We should go to the famous Korakuen shopping district and luxury resort village."
"Shopping!" Matsuri squealed, letting her inner girly girl shine through.
"Don't forget the spas and saunas and massages and-"
"No," Gaara said, cutting his big sis off.
Temari stopped walking to glare at her littlest brother. "What was that?"
"No." Gaara repeated, not even fazed by the daggers Temari was shooting at him.
The wind style ninja's hands itched towards her fan, which she used often to correct her enemies and opponents.
"Gaara…" Temari said, nice and slow. "It's on the way. I'm only saying we spend 2 days-"
"Temari, I said no. Our trip to Konoha isn't just some vacation. I'll be discussing matters with their Hokage, you'll be coordinating plans with Nara and the other ninja representatives and-"
"What about your girlyfriend?" Temari asked, thumbing at Matsuri, who had steadily inched a yard away from the two stubborn siblings, just out of detonation range.
Gaara would have blushed if it hadn't been OOC of him. "She can train with the other genin and learn the competition. She and her team are going to be in the chunin exams after all."
"So," Temari said, crossing her arms. "You'll be talking to the worlds most beautiful hag for the whole trip, and Matsuri will be talking to her future enemies. But what about your time…" she smiled. "To-get-her?"
Gaara did blush this time. "We can bond when we get back to Suna."
"By then you'd have a mountain of paper work regarding the village and Matsuri will have to catch up on her missions." Temari said, smiling. Checkmate, she thought devilishly.
Gaara sighed in defeat. "Fine we'll go to Korakuen-"
"Yeeeeeah!" Temari whooped, punching the sky in the face.
"-on one condition." Gaara added. Temari feel from the sky, darn that gravity! and sweat dropped.
"Which is?" she asked nervously.
Gaara waved her over, and whispered: "Whenever either shopping or spa-ing is unincluded in Matsuri's schedule, she is mine."
Temari leaned back. "Possessive, aren't you?"
Gaara shrugged, "It is like you said. I'll hardly get to spend time with her."
"Deal, brother." Temari said, shaking his hand. "So, since you didn't add sauna-ing to the list of taboo, I'm guessing you-"
"SHUT UP!" Gaara yelled, covering her mouth and stomping off to catch up with Matsuri. He was red with embarrassment when he reached her.
(By the way, Gaara isn't perverted, don't worry. Temari is, but she's so loveable we over look that!)
…K~S
Korakuen town (this is starting to feel like Pokemon) welcomes Ash Ketchem (is that right? For all my life except for recently I thought his last name was Ketchup), his girly sidekick: May, Misty, or Dawn, pick your favorite, along side Brock: that's the imaginary Kankuro – and Matsuri is Pikkachu (pikka pikka be!)
…K~S
AN (authors note): Hey-oo everybody, life treatin' you good? It is 2:00AM as I write this, I'm full of Chinese food as my horsepower and I'm in a strange mood and a bit loopy. I don't want to get rid of any passed writing, so I'm going to stop now and continue later. When I write again it will be poetry! POETRY I SAY!
…K~S
Korakuen village was small and big at the same time, with earthy wooden buildings with red, blue and green painted roofs and decorations of jade and silver hanging over the old decks.
Matsuri could hardly believe such a place existed in the middle of the desert. She was even more amazed that the two thirds of the sand siblings trio were able to pull together and figure out where the village was in the first place.
Two youngish ladies in red and purple kimonos stood on high sandals at the entrance to the village. They were obviously twins, and obviouslt beautiful.
They were fair blondes with light brown eyes and goddess like figures.
Matsuri hated them and made a point of smiling extra wide and flirtyish with Gaara after the twin in the red kimono started giving him the look.
"Hello," the purple kimono'd one welcomed. "My name is Airi, and this is my younger sister, Akari."
"Welcome to our beautiful village, Korakuen," Akari said, bowing.
"Thank you!" Temari said, smiling widely. "You two look so adorable!"
Matsuri shot Temari a look.
"You are pretty pretty yourself," Airi complimented. "We will be your guides while in our village. Might I ask who you are?"
"I'm Temari of the Village Hidden in the Sand." Temari boasted.
"I'm Matsuri, a genin of the Sand." Matsuri said more modestly.
"I'm Gaara of the Desert." He said out of habit. Temari elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh, and Kazekage."
Akari nearly had a cow and Airi looked pleasantly surprised.
"Shall I arrange something special for the Kazekage and his guests, then?" Airi asked, dutiful and sassy at the same time.
"But I thought the Kazekage was, like, 40!" Akari voiced her surprise.
"That was the late Kazekage, our father." Temari said, still riding the happy train.
"Aw, I see." Airi said. "You're the 5th Kazekage. Also known as the youngest and most attractive of all the Kazekage."
Matsuri hated Airi.
…K~S
Airi and Akari dropped them off at a luxury inn to get settled and rest for an hour before going to the spas. Actually, just Matsuri and Temari were going to the spas. Gaara was staying at the inn to see if he could take advantage of the peace and sleep.
They shared one suite with three separate rooms and bathrooms.
Temari claimed her room instantly and unpacked her stuff that was stuffed in a small-boxed luggage.
Matsuri and Gaara did the same but at their own paces.
"Well, this is perfect," Temari said happily when the three regrouped in the suites living room. Matsuri sat down on the couch and Temari on the recliner.
"Glad I talked you into it, huh, Gaara?" Temari said, smirking at her little brother who was scowling while studying a small cactus.
"What should we do until the twins pick us up?" Matsuri asked Temari. Both the Sand Siblings heard the jealousy in the young Sand kunoichi's tone when she spoke.
"How about we plan the day out." Temari said. A brochure of Korakuen materialized in her hands. "I want to go to the mud spas!"
Matsuri shivered and took the brochure. "How about the facials?"
Temari smirked. "Like this face needs any work," she said, touching her face.
Gaara looked between the two kunoichi. Then he left to his room to try to find some earmuffs and catch up on his sleep.
…K~S
Matsuri sat on the bench in the dressing room. She grit her teeth at the thought of changing in front of all those perfect people. Airi and Akari had no problem stripping out of their kimono's and into the warm fuzzy towels provided.
Temari had been the same way.
No one understood! It was hard when you are self-conscious!
Temari broke away from the laughing group of girls and walked up to Matsuri. "The twins are going to go ahead and get to the mud baths. They said the bath is really relaxing once you get passed the muddy thing."
Matsuri smiled, but it was a sad smile.
"What's up?" Temari asked, sitting down next to Matsuri.
The shorter girl frowned at her knees. "I'm kind of embarrassed to change in front of them." She whispered, glancing at the other girls who were pretty much perfection.
Temari rolled her eyes. "You can't be serious. You're just as pretty. And I thought you were over being shy!"
Matsuri sighed. "I thought I was too."
Temari thought her 5 words were so sad. "Who cares if you have a tiny chest, no curves, spaghetti limbs and brown instead of blond hair?"
Matsuri glared at Temari.
Temari sweat dropped.
"You are super pretty." Temari said.
"You're prettier," Matsuri said, smiling a little.
"I know I am," Temari said, smiling blissfully. "Now, I have an idea for you. Where's your towel?"
Matsuri held up a light blue fuzzy towel.
Temari spread it out and gestured for Matsuri to get up. When she did she used the towel as a shield from the other girls eyes.
"Oh, I see," Matsuri said, smiling. After she'd undressed and taken the towel the girls walked out proudly together.
…K~S
Gaara laid back on the bed, trying to let sleep come to him. Sleep was a foreign thing for the X-Shukaku vessel.
It helped that the room was painted soft, dreamy colors and there was an earthy and floral sent in the room. He could hear distant wind chimes and the trickle of a pool of water.
The red haired ninja sighed softly and fell asleep.
Yay Gaar-Gaar!
…K~S
Matsuri shivered in the warm, gooey mud. It was silverish and brown and smelled a little. Temari on the other hand was loving the mud. Airi and Akari talked gossip while they enjoyed their bath.
"T-Temari," Matsuri started, severely grossed out by the mud. "How long is this going to be?"
Temari smiled widely. "An hour!"
Matsuri bit her lip. "And after this is the facials?"
"Nope, after this is the acupuncture!"
Matsuri yelped and Temari laughed. "JK! Next are the massages, then the facials. Then we're going to get Gaara and we, including Airi and Akari, are going to one of the best family restaurants this place has got!"
"But the twins and I aren't apart of your family." Matsuri said.
"Yeah, the twins aren't, but you always have been!" Temari said sweetly.
Matsuri smiled and Temari hugged her, which grossed Matsuri out.
"OK! Alright! I get it, we're family, just stop hugging me!" Matsuri squealed, not OK with being hugged at the moment.
…K~S
"You should have gotten the massage and facial with us!" Temari said too loudly to Gaara, who scowled when two passing men snickered at his expense.
Gaara glared daggers at his sister. His ego had taken a paper cut to the finger.
"Well, not facials I guess, but the massage would have been good for you," Temari mediumed "You're too uptight." She added, hitting his arm causally with the right amount of pressure as pay back for being a downer. Temari was still riding the clouds in the sky.
Akari stepped in and put a heavy arm around Matsuri's shoulder. "Sooo," she said in a voice that instantly had Matsuri suspicious of the gorgeous blonde.
"Yeah?" Matsuri asked, trying to keep her voice light. She didn't want Akari to think she didn't like her, even though she kind of didn't.
"I'm getting the feeling that either you and the Kazekage are a thing or you are hopelessly chasing after him." She said in a soft voice so she wouldn't be overheard.
"We are a thing," Matsuri told her, glancing at Gaara. She wished that she had him to confirm their love but he was busy following a one-sided conversation Airi was telling about the town.
Akari frowned in a concerned, -Oh-she-is-so-in-denial way that was enough to make most girls' blood boil. Matsuri wasn't an exception.
"It's true." She hissed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Akari sighed. "Sorry, I understand. You're cute, sure, but the Kazekage…" she made a dry smacking sound that for reasons unknown very deeply annoyed Matsuri. "He's such a distant person, right. Kind of the silent lone wolf type of guy. Most girls find that attractive. They find the secretiveness interesting and sexy. Plus he's got wealth and a title, so you know he can provide!" Akari rolled her eyes dreamily. "But having a secretive guy can blow up in your face."
"What do you mean?" Matsuri asked.
"That stubborn composure that you wish you could break… ever had that, hon'?" Akari asked, examining her perfect nails, painted bloody red to go with her kimono.
Matsuri glanced at Gaara. Yes, she had had that while with him. Even now most of the time they were together he was loving, but guarded.
"And he must have tons of wealthy, attractive beyond belief girls chasing after him," Akari murmured with a finger to her chin.
"Umm…" Matsuri remembered, before their relationship was more obvious, Gaara had relentless fangirls. Now he had fangirls who swooned over him from a respected distance and in their daydreams.
"He's just a man, even if Kazekage. I wonder if one girl…" Akari chuckled, "Per say a slightly over average tall girl… long sporty legs and short chic glossy black hair…" she thought. "And light eyes a color close to the Kazekage's, perhaps. What if that girl… named Sugureta, had ran into the Kazekage and they'd become friendly?"
"He wouldn't," Matsuri whispered.
"How do you know?" Akari asked, raising a perfect brown eyebrow. "From what I've heard, ninja aren't just kunai and jutsu. They are tactful and deceptive." Akari glanced at Gaara who walked, oblivious to the girls' conversation, out of hearing range. "Well, you're cute, I guess. Nice eyes, thin but not really curvy." Akari shrugged. "Your voice has an endearing nasal quality to it." Matsuri touched her smallish nose. "I suppose it was do to a childhood thing, like tonsil removal.
Matsuri gulped. "Maybe," she lied, biting her lip.
She looked up at Gaara, who still didn't notice her, and felt undeniably ugly.
…K~S
Gaara walked into Matsuri's room a half hour after arriving back at the inn. He was generous to give her a little time to get settled and work up an explanation for what had happened at the restaurant.
Matsuri looked up from where she lay on her side tucked under the heavy sheets of the bed.
"Is Airi alright?" she asked after a moment.
Gaara sighed, staying where he stood at the door. "She insists that she is, but that cant be completely true since-"
"Since the damn marshmallow burnt off her eyebrows, I know!" Matsuri finished, pushing her head into her hands.
For desert the waitress had brought them on-the-house marshmallows, chocolate and crackers. Matsuri was still getting over how busty the waitress was, and was sloppy as she stabbed the spongy sweat through the stick and let it roast.
It seemed that at the time Matsuri had a quarrel with everyone. The waitress for being so womanly. Temari for saying she was pretty and apart of the family. Airi for being so damn peppy. Akari for putting the thought of a cheating Gaara in her head. And Gaara, for being guilty until proven innocent.
She pushed the marshmallow into a small fire that licked at the other marshmallows. Temari, who was still impatient as always, blew chakra filled wind at her marshmallow and caused the flames around it to uproar slightly and catch fire to the sweat treat. Airi's marshmallow had been helped out in the process. The two happy blondes high fived and watched their 'mallows burn until perfection.
After the two, Gaara and Akari's caught close to the same time. Akari smiled at Gaara. "Fate smiles down upon us," she cheered before glancing at Matsuri who averted her gaze.
Burn, she hissed as she glared daggers into the untoasted 'mallow. The pressure from the day built up in her, causing her to snap. She flung herself back and swung the marshmallow out of the fire, somehow managing to make it catch flame as she did so. However, momentum and gravity weren't on her side… or Airi's.
The flame coming from the 'mallow licked at the thin hairs of her right eyebrow. Luckily the flame didn't catch on her X-flawless skin, but she'd browned and her right eyebrow, along with those delicate pale blond lashes of her right eye, were gone.
Gaara sighed, back to the present. "Come, take a walk with me," he said. Matsuri shook her head, pulling the covers back to reveal her camisole and sleep short shorts as explanation. She pulled the covers back up at the first wake of cold.
"Then change into something warm. This is important." Gaara said.
Matsuri looked up at him worriedly. "Are we okay?" she asked, her eyes afraid.
Gaara's lips twitched up, but otherwise only his eyes showed his feelings. "Don't think so negatively, Matsuri. I don't intend to end our relationship."
Matsuri nodded, and got up to get dressed. Gaara left and waited outside until she came out in long pants that hugged her tones legs warmly and a hoodie over her camisole.
The couple walked out of the inn, the lobby empty except for a lanky/hunky teenager who was reading a comic.
The night was cold, so the nightlife was limited to a few people hustling home to get warm. It was nice and quiet, more elegant than Suna, but not exactly better. Too perfect, perhaps.
Gaara led her over a small cobblestone bridge that crossed a thin trickling creek with fat loosely set rocks that were colored from white to black, blue to red, and wampum to chinchilla.
"This is nice," Matsuri said to break the silence, though she'd been happy walking in silence close beside Gaara.
He responded with a thin hum.
"So," Matsuri began carefully. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Gaara didn't answer at first, but then nodded as if confirming something. "Do you know what love is, Matsuri?"
The girl blinked in surprise. Before she could answer Gaara spoke again. "I'm not speaking of parental love, or friendly love. I speak of the love a happily married couple have."
"I think it has to do with devotion and trust." Matsuri said.
"You are right, but so wrong, Matsuri." Gaara told her as he gazed into her surprised eyes. "Love like that, I believe, is in a way selfish and utterly unselfish at once. It leaves room for forgiveness, lust, and a future. Because true love is something too hard to come by. Once you've found it, you want it to be yours forever."
Matsuri smiled nodding.
"And if that love is taken from you, the bond is not severed." Gaara said surely. "You wish to stay with them, and your body knows it. It cries out to your lost half, and finally when it can take no more, it commits a suicide and leaves the body you once had empty."
Matsuri barely noticed that they'd stopped walking.
"That is why ninja must be composed and secretive." Gaara said. "If you give hints to who of the group is your love, the enemy would cause harm and death comes to your loved one in battle to get to you. In the end you can only blame love for the death." His breath came out broken. "And with that loss you are already dead."
"A beautiful way to kill." Matsuri whispered.
Gaara nodded and they locked eyes, black night to cloudless blue day. "That's why I-"
The sound of pain without words coursed through the slate gray night.
Gaara and Matsuri froze, their hearts stopping. Somewhere someone was in trouble.
…K~S
Temari lay on her stomach on her bed and wrote carefully what her heart felt. A letter to Shikamaru, telling him of her day and status among other things in strong, sure writing that expressed her personality.
When she was done she signed the letter in her name and drew a poor picture of herself in a chibi-esque state with overlarge spiky ponies and longer lashes than she owned.
Temari kissed the letter, looking it over, and tore it up. She'd finally gotten off the bliss train and had crash-landed into the gates of reason and reality.
Shikamaru Nara was a long distance relationship with an unhappy ending. She was 3 years older than he, a strike to her ideals for a perfect boyfriend who was indeed older than she. And she could never tell how much love he had harbored for her, since he never seemed willing to show it.
Yet, what was this feeling? A hope and curiosity in the back of her mind.
Temari chuckled and shook her head, grabbing some more paper and spilled her guts about her insecurities and confusion concerning their relationship. Afterwards she ripped it up to pieces and wrote a new note on a small, humble page.
'I miss you, but I wont be for long. See you soon.
Love, Temari
P.S. – FYI: you'd had better make this trip special for me or else!
Blood and Guts,
Loving, Carefree, Drop-dead gorgeous me'
Temari smiled and prepared the letter to be delivered ahead of her. It might not be pure love she had for Shika, nor was her relationship perfect, but that didn't matter.
As long as she wore the pants in the relationship, she was kind of OK with it.
…K~S
Gaara and Matsuri pinpointed the sounds of distress to be from an old and empty out of season chicken and cow barn. It was a rather small, unimpressive barn with plain bare wood that was tagged and nature beaten.
When they walked inside the sounds of the beams supporting the structure groaned. It was sort of like Atlas in the myths holding the world on his shoulders while kneeling over on foot and knee. Wow, that was one gnarly kink in the neck.
On the top floor of the barn the sound of panting and pain echoed over their heads.
Gaara and Matsuri braced themselves, expecting a twisted, bleeding body, or a genjutsu set to mega creepy.
What they found was a medium sized female dog laying on her side. Her flanks were swollen and sickly looking, her muzzle streaked with gray, showing that she was elderly and too weak for what was happening to her.
Matsuri put a hand over her mouth and watched as the dog glanced at them, the eyes glazed and tired. And scared.
When Matsuri had been younger, their family owned a dog that was pregnant, and her mother had let her stay in the room while the birth was happening. In the end the mother dog passed away from exhaustion and Matsuri had to give the puppies up immediately since the pups needed milk. Milk didn't come easily from dead bodies.
Matsuri sat by the dog and ran a hand over the short, worn fur. This wasn't a nice, elegant dog like she'd owned, but instead a mutt that belonged to no one.
In a way she felt it was perfect and nice. The humble mother dog giving birth to humble puppies in a very humble old barn.
In Korakuen town, perfection had become boring, and little moments like the one they were experiencing were like miracles.
"Gaara," Matsuri said, her voice even and determined. "We are going to see these puppies."
Gaara lost composure for a moment, hesitating. "Uh… sure, Matsuri."
"So," she said carefully. "I need you to take all manly pride you have, all the ego you've built up in your 16 years. You need to see your title and rank in the ninja world… just take all of that, and kick it in the balls."
Gaara was speechless.
"This is a womans' job, and as the man in this situation you need to stay the hell out of my way!"
Gaara's mouth hung wide opened, but he moved back out of her way, watching Matsuri sit by the dog's side. She cleared the area near the female dogs back legs and stripped off her jacket to lay it over the dusty old wood.
Gaara watched amazed as Matsuri didn't even seem fazed as sickly liquid trailed from the dog to her jacket.
"Is she alright?" Gaara asked, feeling a bit helpless. Surprisingly he'd done what Matsuri told him and his manly pride was doubled over in pain from the swift kick it had taken.
Matsuri nodded. "I think I remember my mother telling me that the dark discharge means the thingy was broken."
Gaara's respect and admiration for Matsuri wavered when she said 'thingy'. He looked at her questioningly.
"Um… oh, placenta, that's it." She remembered.
Gaara nodded and turned back to the dog who's flanks where rising and falling hard, trying to push the little pups inside her out. To his discomfort the dog's lowers were being slightly disturbing.
"I think it's going well," Matsuri said, not even minding the greenish fluid or disturbing labor caused activity happening. Then she gasped and shuffled back a little from the dog
"What?" Gaara asked, but was silenced, while being very sickened and disturbed, as a pup was given birth to. The mother dog somehow managed to swing herself around and nipped and licked at the amniotic sack that the pup was somehow born inside of.
Poor Gaara, with his manly pride gone, gagged, turning his head completely around so he wouldn't have to see such a thing.
"Gaara!" Matsuri hissed in slight disbelief upon seeing her boyfriend turned completely around from the sight of beauty and life.
He glanced back at her, his cheeks blushing. "Was that the only one?" he asked.
Matsuri shook her head. The pup was now out of the sack and nestled next to his mothers' warm belly.
"Shouldn't you keep the little dog away from the mother dog while she has the others?" Gaara asked. Oh, poor naive Gaara.
Matsuri rolled her eyes. "She's female. She'll manage perfectly fine. Unlike a male."
Gaara frowned. That was another cruel kick to his pride.
The next pup was small and was out of its sack and nestled next to his brother to drink warm puppy milk.
After about 20 minutes, the next came, a female who was a little bit bigger this time, matching size with the biggest male.
Matsuri smiled at the strong female before turning her attention back to the other. The poor dog had perhaps one last pup left. Her flanks heaved and her sore neck was limb and heavy against the ground. Her labored panting sounded tired and just… done.
Matsuri swallowed, trying to keep composure.
At least the mother dog was still trying to push, and Gaara had managed to pull his pride back together. Good time, too. Matsuri was done wearing the pants, and she had a feeling that for this last puppy, pants were needed.
"She's going to need help to get the last puppy out." Matsuri said to Gaara, moving around to that she sat on her chins at the mother dogs back. "And… I cant do that."
Gaara looked a little green, understanding what she was asking, but nodded and moved beside Matsuri, who was producing an understandable nervous sweat.
"What do I have to do?" Gaara asked.
"When you see the sack coming out, you need to grab it and pull gently. But first let me get her up." Matsuri said.
She encouraged the dog to maneuver her tired frame up, the pups wailing n protest. Gaara was deep green, and with the red of his hair he seemed festive and ready for Christmas. (that was a joke, kinda sorta).
Once the dog was up Matsuri lifted the tail straight up. "Pull straight out." Matsuri said once the dark of the sack was visible.
I hope this isn't too graphic for my readers. This is a T for Teen rated fic, right? If it isn't I need to change that. If you're thinking, 'Keomi-Sage, what the hell are you thinking putting this in there?' and thinking that this should be a Disney movie where everyone is tripping and screaming 'They're about to have the puppies!' and then they cut to 5 little golden retriever puppies, no disgusting sack anywhere, all perfect and fluffy – NO! I've always wanted to experience the birth of a dog, but my dog's fixed. Well, I wouldn't want her pregnant anyway! Too cute for that adult stuff. Anyway, I want this part of the fic to scar you, so if you ever have to improvise a dog birth, you have an idea of what's gonna happen. This is supposed to be educational, =D SO GET EDUCATED!
Matsuri looked at the 4 puppies, all brown white and gray patched, suckling from their mommy. Gaara looked at his hands, which he would scrub many times over, have a nightmare about, and have to live with paranoia for the rest of his life.
It was so worth it.
"Hatsu, Kenkyona, Hokori, and Tobai." Matsuri named. She felt sad and happy. Happy that the pups all looked healthy, yet their mother was….
"What will we do with them? They're too young to move immediately." Gaara said, wanting to comfort her somehow, but it was going to be hard with the gross fluid on his hands. The pups were already becoming confused over their dead mothers body. The milk wasn't flowing for them and the warmth their mother promised to them was fading.
"She gave her life for theirs," Matsuri said, touching the post-labor swell of the elder mother's flank. "The least we can do is nurse these pups and take them someplace warm until we figure out our next move."
"I doubt the inn will allow the dogs." Gaara said softly.
"They aren't dogs, they're newly born preciouses." Matsuri corrected, looking kindly down at the 4 pups. Kenkyona and Tobai were whining and Hokori was padding desperately at her mothers cold belly.
"Fine, but they'll want to be with their mother, whatever's left of her." Gaara said, sympathy and understanding for the pups swirling in his heart. He knew what it was like to be apart of your mothers' death. He looked at his hands again, shivering mentally at what he had done and would never to do again. He was the freaking Kazekage, not a veterinarian!
The slime on his hands caught Matsuri's attention. Getting a plan she yanked his hands and held them towards the pups. Their little puppy noses worked when their eyes couldn't and they wobbled around towards Gaara.
It took the red haired Sand nin a moment to realize what was going on.
Gaara had become the puppy's new mommy.
And thus his manly pride became a woman.
OK, I am done writing now. I feel unbelievably bad about putting this up so late. I think I'm going to write a chapter for Gaara and Matsuri again, and perhaps we can get out of Korakuen Town and to Konoha sometime soon.
GLOSSARY! – Airi: Beloved Jasmine – Akari: Brightness, Light – Sugureta: Superior – Placenta: what do I look like, a science teacher? It's the feeding thingy – Hatsu: First – Kenkyona: Humble (like Wilbur in Charlotte's Web) – Hokori: Pride – Tobai: random name I made up from picking out ai for love and then tob because I can and making Tobai – Gaara's Manly Pride: sorry, cant tell you because it turned into a woman, a very pretty woman, somewhere in between a Jennifer Aniston and Michelle Rodriguez from Avatar, 'member her, the one when I first saw her I was like, 'Man, I bet she's going to die.' 5 hours later: 'Yep, bye Trudy.' Sad face. Read and Review! – Keomi~Sage
Boy what are you doing dragging a piano
And I say shut up its my art