Quake

Chapter Four

-Spar-

The morning was silent and peaceful, and the slumbering Kazekage sighed in content. Feeling the warmth beside him, he pulled his wife into his arms and held her tightly, eyes still closed. He wanted to stay like this all morning, but of course luck was never on his side. The door to their bedroom flew open and suddenly there was a weight on them, jumping up and down. Toshiro bounced around happily, trying to wake his parents, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" he yelled, landing in between them now and separating the two. Gaara had to suppress a glare. This was the only thing he did not like about his kids. They always shattered perfect moments, whether Sakura and him were cuddling or doing other activities.

"Toshiro, be careful or you'll hurt the baby." Sakura mumbled, a bit upset that her morning was being disturbed by one of her children. Again.

The boy ceased immediately, leaning over his mom and rubbing her tummy lovingly. "Sorry baby brother. I didn't mean to, but when you get out of there we can play all the time." He smiled, wrapping his arms gently around Sakura's midsection. She wasn't showing at all yet, but all three of the children could feel their brother, and they were always careful when they played with their mother.

Sakura rolled over and embraced her son lovingly. She loved the twins, but he was the apple of her eye. "I bet he can't wait to meet you." She said to her son, smiling up into Gaara's eyes.

He couldn't help the smile that was forming on his face. He loved his children so much, and surprisingly, they had calmed him down. He wasn't as angry and hateful as he used to be, and he found getting upset rather difficult. He couldn't have asked for better children, a promising son who was already showing so much potential and two beautiful girls. He couldn't imagine what the next one would be like, since all of them were extremely different. Toshiro smiled back at his parents, "I hope he comes soon. I want to have a baby brother."

It was then that the twins ran in, having heard all the commotion. "Mommy! Daddy!" they yelled together, climbing up onto the bed. Satomi wiggled next to Sakura and saw the focus of their attention as Natsumi crawled over Gaara. "Baby brother!" they both smiled happily.

Sakura smiled tenderly at her kids. She couldn't have asked for a better family. And the best part was that she got to make it with Gaara. "We should all get moving kids. You girls need a bath, and Toshiro needs to get ready for his spar with Akito." Sakura sighed, not really wanting to break the lovely moment.

Natsumi hurried off the bed with Satomi following, "Yeah Natsumi get a bath so you can look pretty for Akito," she snickered.

"I don't want to look pretty for him!" she yelled back at her sister, though the other three could see the red blush on her face. They left with Natsumi chasing her sister towards the bathroom, threatening to strangle her. Gaara looked back at Sakura and sighed,

"Should I be worried?"

"Nah. They're just kids, she'll get over it soon. Unless…no, it'll be fine." Sakura said, placing her hand over her stomach.

Toshiro jumped from the bed and landed expertly on his feet. "Well I'm going to warm up and then take a shower so I'll be all ready to fight Akito!" he shot his fist in the air and left the room in a mad dash. Once all the little ones were gone, Gaara turned back to Sakura, wrapping arm around her waist and pressing her against him once more.

"Now…where were we?" He smirked, kissing her neck, trailing kisses down to her nightgown straps.

She giggled at his antics. "I think…we were going to go take a shower." She said, a devious smile on her face.

He smiled back, dragging her out of the bed and towards the bathroom, not bothering to hide the excitement on his face. "My sweet, sweet love." He whispered to her, bringing her close and kissing her briefly before shutting the door behind them.

Toshiro stood ready, dressed in a simple attire. He was wearing a black shirt, much like Gaara had worn when he was young. He also had black pants on, one kunai holster strapped to his right thigh. "Alright! I'm ready, come on guys!" the young boy ordered the rest of his lagging family. He quickly placed his gourd on securely. It was smaller than his father's because he was only so big for the time being.

Natsumi and Satomi stared at their brother. They had decided to dress apart today. It was the same outfit, but Satomi's was mostly red and Natsumi's was mostly a pale pink. They wore simple tank tops and matching capris. "Stop bossing us around like you're the king of the world." they ordered together.

Finally their parents came from their room and headed for the door. "Come on," Gaara gestured to their family. They locked the door behind them and headed off to the training fields. Toshiro broke into a run when he saw his friend.

"Hey Akito!" he waved and stopped just before he would collide with the boy.

"Hey Toshiro! Are you ready?!" Akito asked excitedly. He had trained a little earlier that morning, and his father told him that he would do well, which was something his dad hardly ever told him.

"I was born ready," he smirked, his confidence rising. He looked just like his dad right then. Toshiro took out some black gloves. His mother had taught him he always needed to protect his hands when he was fighting.

"Hi Akito!" Natsumi bubbled, popping up behind her brother, giving the Uchiha a brilliant smile.

"Hey." He said, wrapping his hands in cloth. If Toshiro was going to use any of his mom's strength and stuff, then he might need to revert to taijutsu, and he wanted his knuckles to be protected. Then he activated his sharingan, his eyes bleeding to red, with two tomoe in it.

The girl huffed and gave a small glare at the two. Boys and their training. She rolled her eyes, not understanding what was so awesome about it. She made her way back to Satomi's side, crossing her arms angrily. "So," the older twin looked over, smirking. "Ignored you. Huh?"

"Shut up Satomi."

Satomi giggled and watched her brother and the other boy. It wasn't long before Naruto, Hinata, and Minako came into the training area. Gaara waved his hand, deciding to be nice, for once, and used his sand to create chairs for everyone. Naruto sat down, with Gaara and Sasuke on either side. Sakura was beside her husband and Hinata took a seat by the pink haired woman. The girls sat down on the ground in front of their parents.

Toshiro smiled and held his hand out to Akito. "Good luck my friend." He said truthfully.

"You too." Akito said, shaking his friend's hand. Then they walked onto the field. Stopping about ten feet apart, they turned and faced the other, Akito sliding into a taijutsu stance.

Toshiro did the same, his stance a bit different though. "Please Akito…don't hold back."

The dark haired boy nodded, and with a silent 'Go!' the two lurched forward. Akito had a kunai already drawn and sand was pouring out from Toshiro's gourd. The deathly earth shot forward, grazing the boy's cheek, but thanks to his sharingan he had narrowly avoided the blow.

Akito then threw the kunai, testing the sand. He wasn't disappointed when it moved to block the weapon, it actually made him happy. It meant that this would be more of a challenge. He flipped away when his kunai was deflected, not wanting to get hit by the sand surrounding the redhead.

Toshiro followed the movement with his eyes, which were far from friendly now. He was now his father's son. He was different when he fought. He needed to be flawless or else it would bring shame to his father and his father's reputation. He was not allowed to fail. Toshiro slid to a stop, his hands moving quickly to form signs, the sand rushing after the evasive Uchiha. Once Akito touched down, sand wrapped around his ankle, holding him in place. When he was trapped Toshiro ran forward, pulling back a fist.

Akito's eyes widened slightly. With the sharingan he could predict where Toshiro would go, but not his sand. He quickly formed the hand seals for the fire jutsu that the Uchiha were famous for, sending it towards the redhead. At this distance it would be sure to hit, unless the sand got in the way.

True to its nature, the sand rose defensively, protecting its smaller master. But not a moment too soon. Toshiro smirked, he could feel the heat through that one. Pumping chakra into his feet and keeping his sand up as a cover, the redhead jumped high into the air and aimed a kicked right for Akito's face.

Gaara watched intently, smirking. His son was doing perfect, just like he thought. Satomi seemed un-amused by the fight and found interest in braiding Minako's hair. Natsumi stared wide eyed at the two. Toshiro was going to hurt Akito if that kick connected. She could feel her own sand creeping forward, "Natsumi." Her father's threatening voice made her wince. She lowered her head in shame and gripped tightly onto the grass.

When the kick connected, Akito disappeared in a puff of smoke. As Toshiro landed his ankle was grabbed. He was swung around suddenly, and thrown across the field.

Sasuke simply watched the spar in silence. He had taught his son well, and the fact that Kakashi also tutored him was a bonus. Akito knew what he needed to do, it was second nature to him. Sasuke just hoped that he wasn't disappointed again. He was already taking note of everything his son was doing wrong and what he needed to improve on.

Sand surrounded the redhead, shock all over his face. He hadn't expected that, but he was seriously impressed. Flipping back and landing on his feet, sliding back a bit, he pressed his palms against the earth, the sand covering the entire area and breaking up the earth to create more of the grainy substance. It was now his terrain and he would use it to his advantage. Slowly mounds began to rise from the particles, creating life-like clones. They all attacked at once, not giving Akito a chance to escape.

Akito quickly made the hand signs for clones of his own, making enough to fight all the sand ones. Each version of Akito drew a kunai, reciprocating the attacks that the sand clones were directing at them. The real Akito quickly performed some more hand signs and, drawing some of the water from the small pond next to the field they were in, sent a water dragon after the redhead, knowing that water would make the sand heavier and harder to control.

He needed to finish the spar soon, because even though he was a prodigy in his own right, he was still a kid, and didn't have the chakra required to keep up these moves for much longer.

All the sand in the field surged towards the redhead, creating a thick shield so the water would be absorbed into the earth. Toshiro dashed to the side and ran at Akito. It was time to end this fight, Sabaku no Sakura style. He pulled a fist back and aimed it right for Akito's face. Deciding this was going to be his last chance to get something on the older boy, Akito lifted his leg into a round house kick. Just as Toshiro's fist made contact with the Uchiha's jaw, Akito's leg smacked right against Toshiro's head. They both fell to the ground, a sick crack coming from Akito's face.

Toshiro hit the ground with a hard thump, but was up again, blood dripping from the side of his head. He was breathing hard now, "Wow." He was truly amazed. He had never been wounded before.

Akito just lay on the ground panting. He didn't think he would be able to stand without falling over, his head hurt so bad. But, more than that he was afraid. He had lost, and now his father would punish him.

Seeing that the spar was obviously over, Sakura walked out onto the field. She knelt down next to Akito and healed his head. "You should be fine now." She told the boy with a smile. Then she got up and healed her son's nose. "You did wonderful sweetie." She told him, a proud smile on her face.

"Thanks mom!" Toshiro smiled, running over to Akito and leaning over him. "Wow great job!" he said happily, offering his hand down to his friend. "I can't believe you actually hit me! I've never been hit before!"

Akito took it and shook his head, testing to see if it really was ok. When he didn't feel any pain or dizziness, he smiled. It was really cool how Toshiro's mom could heal like that. Before he could go congratulate his friend, his father was at his side. "Akito." He said, voice low in anger.

He looked up into his dad's onyx eyes, his having reverted back to their deep green. "Yes father?" he asked tentatively.

"I am disappointed in you. Clearly I have been too lenient with your training lately. Starting tomorrow we will double your exercises to ensure that you do not fight as sloppily as you did today. Am I making myself clear?" he asked, scowling down at his son.

Akito's face turned red in embarrassment and shame. If he were one for crying, he would be by now. "Yes father, I understand. I will do better next time." He said, looking to the ground in shame.

"See that you do. I will be at the house." Sasuke said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Everyone else just stared at the young Uchiha, various emotions played on their faces. Surprisingly, Gaara dismissed himself from the group saying he needed to take care of something. His sand swept him away without another word. Minako moved to get up, in order to make sure Akito was alright, but Natsumi was already running towards him. "Akito! Akito!" she yelled, stopping in front of him and staring up into his face. "Are you alright Akito?"

He looked up at her, and then away, ashamed at having lost in front of her. He felt like he had let her down for some reason. "Yeah, I'm fine." Then he turned to Toshiro, "Congratulations. I've never lost before." He said, a small smile on his face. He decided then and there that Toshiro would be his rival on the battlefield. He would train hard every day, so that one day, he could defeat the redhead.

Toshiro gave him a thumbs up and made his way over to Minako and Naruto. Natsumi grabbed onto his shirt, her eyes watering. She knew he was lying to her and she hated it. "Akito…"

He looked down at her, a tender expression in his eyes then. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Don't waste your tears on me squirt. I'll be fine. Now let's go see what's up." He said, giving her a small smile and holding his hand out to her.

She looked down at his hand and gasped, "Oh yeah…I think now would be a good time." She said, sticking her hand in her pocket and pulling out an intricately woven friendship bracelet. It had three different pinks in it and a small crystal charm that matched the one Minako now wore around her neck. "Here," she offered, a small blush settling on her face. "I…made it for you…" she looked down, too embarrassed to meet his eyes now. "Since you know…you seem sad sometimes and…I want you to have something that could maybe make you happy and…feel loved always."

He stared at the bracelet. It was pink. Pink. Boys didn't wear pink. But then he thought about what she had said. This girl cared about him? Even though they had just met the day before? He took the bracelet from her and put it on his right wrist. He looked back up at her, and seeing that she was still looking away, grabbed her hand.

"Thank you…Princess." He said, kissing her hand lightly. He smirked at the startled expression on her face. Then he let go of her and began to walk towards the group. That would be the only time he ever called her that, and only because she had made him a gift. Nobody had ever done that for him before. Well, Minako made him stuff all the time, but they were mostly just pretty pictures, and he had no use for them.

She just stared after him, her face as red as her father's hair. She could feel the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. Toshiro pat Akito on the shoulder, "Hey! Good fight! I hope we can do it again!" then he looked down, noting the pink object around his wrist. "Haha…man what's that pink thing?"

"Your sister made it for me, as a present." Akito said with a shrug, not embarrassed in the least.

Minako ran up to Akito and grabbed his wrist, so she could examine the bracelet better. "Wow Akito-kun! It's really pretty!" she turned his hand in hers so she could get a better look at it.

"Natsumi made it for you?" he gave him a skeptical look. "She doesn't like boys, why would she-" the redhead was instantly covered in a mountain of sand.

"Shut up Toshiro." The pink haired girl glared at the pile, then smiled at her sister and her two friends.

Minako gasped. "Shiro-kun!" she exclaimed, moving to unbury him from the sand, even though he could've done it himself.

Naruto laughed at the kids' antics. He turned to his wife and kissed her on the cheek lightly. "It seems our plans will work out after all." He said softly.

"Damn right they will. I am never wrong when it comes to love." Sakura said, determination on her face.

"Uh, but Sakura-chan-" The blonde began, lifting up a finger.

"Naruto if you say anything about me and Gaara I will punch you so hard you'll miss your coronation." She said, raising a fist.

He lowered his hand immediately. "Yes ma'am." He said, trying to hide behind Hinata.

"Hey mommy, where did daddy go?" Satomi asked, facing her mother and her friends.

Sakura blinked and shrugged, "I don't know, he said he had to go. Now come on, let's go get some celebratory ice cream."

Angry jade met uncaring onyx. "What the hell is your problem Sasuke?"

"It seems to me that you are the one with the problem Sabaku, not me." Sasuke said, grabbing a tea pot and filling it with water, as if he couldn't care less.

Trying to control his rage, Gaara leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "How could you say something like that to your son, he did a great job."

Sasuke sat the pot on the stove and turned to face the redhead. "I only told him the truth. His performance was lacking, therefore he needs to train harder. Simple as that."

"So you couldn't spare a good word for your son?"

"Encouragement only causes them to become cocky. Cockiness leads to arrogance, and that leads to losing. As long as he believes that he needs improvement, he will continue to become stronger, and therefore, never lose." Sasuke explained, taking the now whistling pot off the stove and pouring himself some tea. He wouldn't bother offering any to the fuming redhead in his kitchen, since he had just shown up in his house after all.

Gaara just laughed darkly, "Yeah. I can't wait for that to come back and smack you in the face. Listen here Uchiha, I don't like you, but I don't want you emotionally destroying your child. For once in your irritating life, why don't you think about happiness before getting stronger." He got up from the wall and headed for the door, glancing back. "Maybe you don't recall…but I lost to you in our last fight. And who was the true victor? I'm the one who got Sakura. You lost, because you didn't put your own happiness before your sick obsession." With that Gaara left, shutting the door behind him.

Sasuke took a sip of his tea, and staring at the spot on the wall where Gaara had just been. He understood what the redhead was talking about, but he would not have his son live the life he did. He needed to train him, so that he wouldn't leave the village seeking more power. He wanted his son to be able to defend himself at all times, and if that meant he needed to devote more time to training than playing with his friends, so be it.

But, he supposed he could be a little easier on him. After all, he remembered what it was like for him growing up, always looking for his dad's approval. He wouldn't allow that to happen either. So with a nod, Sasuke decided to try and go easier on his son. Trying was better than not doing anything, after all.