Quake
Chapter Seven
-Calamity-
"Okay kids, your father and I have an important meeting with Naruto and Hinata, so try not to get into any trouble while we're gone." Sakura said, strapping her kunai holster around her waist.
"Can we go play with Minako?!" Natsumi asked.
"Of course. She has training with Neji this morning, so we'll just drop you off at the Hyuuga Mansion. I'm sure he'll let her off early. Do you want to go too Toshiro?" she asked, turning to her son.
"Not…really." He frowned. He didn't want to hang out with three girls all day, especially if two of them were his sisters. "I'll just find something else to do." He shrugged.
"Well you can't go play with Akito!" Natsumi said, sticking her tongue out at her brother.
"Why not?"
She laughed and crossed her arms, "Cause' I already asked and he's training. And besides, if he got off from training early he'd want to play with me and not you."
"Oh really?" Toshiro arched a brow, poking his sister in the forehead. "I doubt that, you're small and annoying. Akito would want to hang out with me so we could actually do cool stuff. He doesn't want to babysit a little girl like you."
Natsumi's jaw dropped, but before she could attack her brother Gaara cleared his throat. "Come on girls. Let's go."
"Stay out of trouble sweetie." Sakura said, kissing her son on the forehead before following her husband out the door.
"Yes, ma'am." He agreed, crossing his arms with a huff.
They left their hotel and walked towards the Hyuuga estate. Stopping in front of the gates, Sakura turned to the guards. "We're here to see Neji and Tenten. I believe they're training Minako right now?" she said.
"Wait here." The guards replied, one of them walking into the compound.
"Wow mommy, this place is huge." Natsumi said, looking up at the walls in awe.
Satomi nodded, agreeing with her sister. "Yeah, it's even bigger than our house!"
Sakura laughed. "'Well that's because the entire clan lives here, not just one family."
The guard came back then, and opened the gate to allow them through. "They are back in the garden."
They walked back to the house. Entering that garden, Sakura grabbed Gaara's arm. "Do you remember the last time we were here?" she asked, a nostalgic smile on her face. "It was when I almost beat you in croquet."
A small smile came to the man's face as he leaned down, kissing his wife on the temple. "And how Tenten won? And we got our first marriage advice?" he placed his arm around her waist and looked forward. Neji was standing in front of the smaller half-Hyuuga, showing her how her hands were supposed to be positioned.
"And then," the older man said, twirling around quickly, a sphere of chakra surrounding him in his speed. When he halted the ground was warped in the same direction he had spun. "And that's it." Neji shrugged and then glanced behind him to see the four that had joined them. "Hey Gaara, Sakura." He gave them both a welcoming smile.
"Oh my gosh! Are those your twins?!" a loud yell came from across the garden. Tenten ran over and hovered above the girls. "Wow Sakura they are absolutely adorable. Awww, they got Gaara's eyes! Your children are so cute. Your son is so handsome, I can't believe how attractive all your children are." She smiled, looking at her two friends now. "How are you guys? I hear you got another one in the oven Sakura."
She placed a hand over her stomach and smiled at her friend. "Yes we do. We can't wait for him to arrive so that the kids can have a little brother." She told her friend. Then she looked over at Minako and Neji. "Is he teaching her Rotation already?" she asked in awe.
"Oh yes," Tenten smiled a bit sadly, "He wants to make sure that Minako doesn't disappoint the Hyuuga Clan…since unfortunately I haven't been able to get pregnant." She looked down, placing her hand on her stomach. Sakura could see how much her friend wanted a child, "But it's alright. I love having Minako over, and Neji has something to do other than play mahjong and drink tea."
"You know Tenten, I could help you if you want…I know a few medical techniques that might be able to help you conceive." Sakura said, wanting to help in any way possible, so that her friend would know the joys of having her own child.
The brunette simply smiled, "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you Sakura, and I know you have a lot to do while you're in Konoha. After all you're a Kage's wife," she laughed, watching the twins run off to see Minako and Neji then. "I can't even imagine how you do it. Minako is such a handful sometimes, but you have three and have to deal with your village's well-being."
She shrugged. "It's not too hard once you get used to it. Plus, Gaara and I work as a team, so things are easier to do. And it won't take more than an hour, so no inconvenience. Besides, I'd do anything for a friend."
"If you wouldn't mind. I'd be very happy if you could try, I just don't know what's wrong." The brunette sighed, and then led them over to the others. Neji had stopped Minako's training to meet the twins, who were excited to meet someone their father actually liked from Konoha.
"So you're Minako's uncle?" Satomi asked, peering up at the Hyuuga.
"Yes, I am."
"You have pretty hair." Natsumi said, looking at his brown locks in awe.
"Um…" Neji said, staring at the little girl in surprise.
Gaara simply laughed, coming up behind the group. "Girls, be nice."
"I am being nice daddy." Natsumi said, still staring intently at Neji's long hair.
"We're just saying it's pretty." Satomi continued. They both nodded and looked over at Minako, "So are we allowed to stay here?"
"Sure thing," Tenten said before Neji could get in a word. "Minako, I'll make you and your friends some lunch."
The redhead looked over at his friend and sighed, "Sorry Neji, we have some important business with Naruto and I don't trust my twins alone."
The head of the Hyuuga shrugged, "It's fine. We can watch them, I'm sure they'll be okay."
"Thanks Neji. If they get to be too much trouble feel free to punish them." Sakura said, wrapping her arm around Gaara's waist.
With another goodbye, Gaara and Sakura left the Hyuuga prefecture and headed towards the Hokage tower. Upon arrival, they saw Naruto and Hinata waiting for them at the front door. "Hey guys! Ready to go for our walk?" Naruto asked, striding over to them.
"Not really, but these things need to be discussed." The Kazekage sighed. They started walking towards the gate, which was when a smaller redhead halted in his search for the training grounds. He had been running along the roofs when he saw his parents and the new Hokage. That was odd, they weren't having their meeting in the Hokage Tower?
Curiosity overwhelmed him, so he dropped his search and followed the group from a safe distance. He wanted to know what was so secretive that they couldn't even meet in the village. He had to be cautious though, because if his father even picked up a hint of his sand he would be caught and get in a huge amount of trouble.
Once they entered the forest, Naruto diverged off the path, wanting to be sure that everything they discussed was kept secret. "So Sakura-chan, do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" he asked.
"A boy. Toshiro is really excited to have a brother, and the girls just love babies." She said with a fond smile. Her children were one of the most important things in her life, and she was so grateful that she had them.
"That's cool. It'd be great if Minako had a sibling, that way she wouldn't be alone sometimes. We usually have her play with Akito, but when he's grounded or training, the only other option is to hang out with Neji and train. It's not that we aren't grateful or anything, but it would be nice if we didn't have to worry about her feeling lonely." Naruto said, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders.
"Gaara doesn't believe in ever leaving our children alone." Sakura rolled her eyes, but she smiled at his agitated face.
"I told you why Sakura," he said simply.
"I know, I know." She waved him off.
Naruto nudged his friend playfully, "Haha what Gaara? You were so tortured as a kid you won't even let your children be alone?"
The glare the redhead sent to the blonde was icy, "Yes Naruto. I will not allow any of my children ever feel lonely or unloved."
Naruto sobered instantly. "I understand buddy, believe me. When she joins the Academy it won't be so bad, because then she'll be able to make more friends than just Akito, and Hinata-chan will be done with the clan by then."
Sakura raised a brow and looked at her friend. "I thought Neji was taking over as the Clan Leader."
"He is, but because he has been married for ten years and still doesn't have an heir, the Elders have been showing an increasing interest in Minako. I must be present for all of their meetings in order to make sure that they don't decide anything rash. My daughter will not grow up to meet the expectations of the Clan, the way I had to." She said with conviction. Naruto gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
It didn't take the group long after they took to the trees and sped towards a secluded area. It was the same waterfall that they had visited when Naruto had tried to make a fun day for the new couple. They landed gracefully by the water and then looked at each other.
Toshiro had barely been able to keep up with them, unfortunately he had to stop so he wouldn't be found by the adults. He was too far away to hear what they were saying, but he could see their faces and their mouths moving. His father had become very serious.
Gaara sighed, "I don't know if this is going to work. Toshiro doesn't seem very interested."
"He's just a kid. He probably won't even start to notice girls until he's around twelve or so." Naruto said, remembering that that was around the time he had gotten his crush on Sakura.
"I still don't know," he crossed his arms and looked off. "What if this is a bad idea? What if they don't like each other later? I mean, we're making them get married once Toshiro is twenty-one. What if it doesn't work?"
"Well, if we meet every summer or so for a while, the kids can get together. That way they can continue to get to know each other and stuff. So that when they do get married, they aren't complete strangers." Naruto suggested with a shrug.
Sakura looked off, thinking back on when Toshiro came to get her at the party. "What if Minako likes Akito…?"
"Nah there's no way that would happen, they've been friends since birth. Besides, if she liked him I would know. She tells me everything." Naruto said.
"Not everything Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a smile. "Besides, I can tell that she likes Toshiro, even if she doesn't know it yet."
"How?" Gaara asked, confused.
"I think I would know my daughter Gaara. She doesn't look at Akito the way she does your son. And trust me, I recognize that look, it's the one I gave Naruto-kun before we got together." She explained, smiling at her husband.
"I thought girls always went for the bad boys."
Sakura looked over at her husband and arched a brow, "And how exactly is Akito a bad boy?"
He returned her glance with a skeptical look, "Because, darling, he's all mysterious and depressed and has an oppressive father. It just screams bad boy."
"Oh, so because Sasuke is his dad that automatically makes him a bad boy?"
"Yeah," Gaara said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Well Gaara, you're pretty oppressive, so why wouldn't she go for Toshiro?" Naruto asked.
The glare returned to his face as the redhead watched Naruto. "How am I oppressive?"
"Oh please, don't even get me started on your oppressiveness." Naruto said with a roll of his eyes. "And even if Toshiro isn't as jacked up as you are, there's no way some of that moodiness of yours won't rub off on him. Even Sakura-chan's happiness can't block all of that."
"So you're saying my son is going to become a terrible person?" Gaara asked, glare intensifying.
"No! Sakura-chan will stop that before it even happens, so no worries!" Naruto said, smiling over at his childhood friend.
Without another word Gaara pulled a kunai out of Sakura's holster and threw it at the blonde's face. "At least I didn't make my child some kind of manic depressant. Minako will probably be bipolar with your idiotic tendencies and Hinata's quietness. I wouldn't be surprised if she had Turrets."
Naruto dodged the kunai, and lunged at his friend, only to be held back by Hinata, just barely. "Well you're already a manic depressant now aren't you?! My daughter will be just fine thank you very much. Your son will probably have anger management problems and will be abusive! The way you AND Sakura-chan are!" he accused.
Sakura puffed up in offense. "Excuse me?! How dare you!" she yelled, moving to hit him on the head.
"Will you all just knock it off!" Hinata yelled, stopping everyone. Seeing that they had all frozen, she cleared her throat and blushed in embarrassment.
"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, we did not come out here to insult each other and our children. We came here to discuss their futures, which I am very interested in. So if you're finished acting like children, I would like to continue the discussion." She said softly, letting go of Naruto.
Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. "Only if Gaara apologizes for what he said about my sweet little Minako."
"Yeah right." Gaara said, standing firm in his opposition. This time Sakura was by his side, her glare on Naruto as well. After all he had insulted her baby boy. "My son is the prodigy of sand, he's as clever and kind as Sakura, and as strong as me. He is perfect. So when you apologize, I might consider it."
'There's no way in hell I'm going to apologize first when you started it." Naruto said, returning his friend's glare. "Minako is the sweetest girl I have ever met. She has Hinata's brains and my strengths. She trains hard every day, and always has a kind word to say about everybody. She is perfect. So when you apologize first, then I will do the same."
Hinata decided that it was time to intervene again, before they got into another fight. "Good, since they are both perfect, then they will be perfect together."
"So true Hinata! And they are so adorable together!" Sakura said, glare turning to a smile in an instant.
"They do look nice together, and just think how much better they will look when they're older." Hinata said, smiling back at her friend. Then the girls began to talk as if their husband's weren't there.
"I know! And just think of all the adorable grandchildren we will get from those two!" Sakura squealed in glee.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! My daughter is not going to be having children until she is much older. I am too young to be thinking about grandchildren." Naruto said, cutting into the conversation.
"Then you better watch out, because it's always the silent ones who are the sexual deviants." Gaara jabbed, still looking away from the group.
Hinata blushed at this, and Naruto turned red in anger. "Don't talk about my wife that way! And there's no way Minako will be like that! She isn't as quiet as Hinata-chan is anyways!" he said, crossing his arms and glaring at his friend.
A horrified look crossed Gaara's face. He really could have lived without that kind of information. "Like mother like daughter." He said finally.
"So you're saying that our daughters will wind up like me?" Sakura asked raising a brow. "You do realize then that we'll have to keep an eye on them when they get older then, seeing as I jumped you many times before we were married. At least Hinata waited until afterwards to do such things to Naruto." She said, causing Hinata's blush to get darker.
"Hey, the only one we have to worry about is Natsumi. Satomi doesn't like people, least of all boys." Gaara said simply.
"Ok then. But you do know that she likes Akito." Sakura said, waiting to see her husband's reaction.
"No she doesn't." he said confidently. "My precious gifts from above see no man but me right now."
"Whatever. Like mother like daughter, remember?" she mocked, raising a delicate brow.
Jade eyes flashed over to his wife in a threatening glare. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing." She said, turning back towards Hinata and Naruto, who had been watching the conversation with wide eyes. "So Hinata, is the Byakugan a dominant trait?" she asked.
"Yes. Most, if not all the children Toshiro and Minako have when they are older will be carriers of it." She answered with a nod.
Gaara was silent now. He didn't want to be anywhere near any of the people in his company. The conversation was dull. He knew Toshiro and Minako would be forced to wed even if they didn't like each other. This was a political move on both Gaara and Naruto's part. Sakura had formed the alliance when she married him, but they needed something stronger with how the war was going. They needed a blood bond, and marrying off the children was the only way. That and Sakura liked playing match maker.
Despite his previous thoughts Gaara ran over to Sakura and pulled her against him tightly, shielding her whole body with his. At least twenty kunai flew from the surrounding trees and landed at their feet. The Kazekage's sand had surrounded the group by now, and then a huge explosion went off all around them.
When the smoke cleared, Gaara dissipated the sand shield, and the four jumped apart. Gaara had his sand ready, Hinata her Byakugan activated, Naruto his shadow clones formed, and Sakura her kunai drawn.
A group of hired ninjas jumped out of the trees then, and began to attack them. "Where the hell did these guys come from?!" Naruto yelled, engaging in combat with one of the ninjas.
"Heck if I know!" Sakura yelled back, punching the ground.
"Just kill them." Gaara told them, taking off forward, his sand swirling around him and grabbing onto the two nearest ninja. They were immediately covered in sand. The sand tightened and slid to the ground following its master after leaving nothing but clothing.
"Leave at least one alive for questioning!" Naruto ordered, sending a Rasengan into one of the ninja's chests.
Toshiro was wide eyed, everything had happened so quickly. There were men everywhere. His eyes focused on his father, who was dealing with most of them. Most likely because his jutsu covered more of a distance. He looked over to his mother, making sure she was alright as well. Just as always, she had multiple bodies covering the ground around her. Suna had made the medic much colder, since they rarely took prisoners.
That was when he saw the ninja who were creeping through the trees, towards his mother's blind side. There were men all around her, and he didn't think she would be able to take on that many shinobi all at once. Toshiro ran forward, dodging through the trees, trying to get a lock on his father.
But he was far off now, throwing his enemies into trees and to the ground. He had to do something to save his mother from this attack.
Gaara froze, his sand surrounding him and then knocking all his attackers away. He turned around, his eyes locking on his son, who burst through the trees, his sand surging towards the men dropping down behind Sakura. "TOSHIRO!" the redhead actually screamed, horror turning his whole face pale.
Hearing her son's named called, Sakura turned around quickly. Terror struck her face as she saw her son running towards her, and the enemy ninja that were moving to attack him. In a burst of speed she was before her son. She turned and began to fight the enemy nin. When they were all killed, she turned towards him to see if he was okay. Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through her stomach, and she screamed out in agony.
A ninja that she hadn't seen, hadn't detected, had shoved a katana through her midsection. She fell to the ground, the pain too much for her to bear. Wanting to protect her baby, she sent all of her remaining chakra to her stomach, in order to keep the him alive.
"SAKURA!" Gaara ran for her, but was cut off by another wave. "NARUTO! SAVE HER!" he cried out, his sand becoming erratic and uncontrolled. He hadn't felt like this in many years. All his focus was gone. The battlefield wasn't safe for either side now.
In a flash Naruto was next to his friend. Lifting her in his arms, he immediately went to the village so that Tsunade could heal her and save the baby. Hinata was next to Toshiro shortly after. She knelt next to the shocked boy. "Toshiro, are you alright?" she asked, searching his face.
He didn't respond, he couldn't believe what he had seen. But he could still feel the warm blood on his face. His mother's blood…his brother's blood. "It's my fault…" he whispered, almost incoherently. He couldn't hear Hinata, he couldn't hear anything but his father's angry screams. The scene was blurred from his tears, but he could see all the sand and all the blood spiraling around. It was lashing out towards them, slowly destroying everything in the area.
Hinata looked around and noticed that Gaara had killed all of the ninja in the surrounding area. Her Byakugan still activated, she noticed that there weren't any left, but that Gaara was still on a rampage. She pulled Toshiro to her body then, trying to shield him from the harmful sand swirling around the area.
"Gaara stop!" she yelled, squinting to protect her eyes from the grains flying around them. "They're all dead! You need to stop before you hurt Toshiro! We need to get to the hospital and check on Sakura!" she yelled, hoping to get through to him.
The sand only grew wilder, becoming denser until it suddenly stopped. When it fell to the ground, Gaara was gone. He appeared beside Hinata and grabbed her by the back of her jacket. The three were gone in a second, and nothing but destruction was left behind.
Hinata and Toshiro dropped to the floor of the hospital lobby. Gaara was off the second his feet connected to the ground. He needed to see Sakura. He needed to know she was okay. He didn't need directions, he could feel his wife and he went straight to her. He stopped at a familiar room, the same one she had been in the first time he had had to deal with his almost loss. Distraught was all over his face, he couldn't get rid of the knowing guilt that started growing in his stomach.
He had wanted nothing but to be away from her and now he couldn't be close to her. Maybe if he hadn't gone so far he would have been able to protect her. This was his fault. He had left his wife in his anger and now her life was endangered. His son's life was endangered. His eyes went wide, and he tried to remember exactly where Sakura had been stabbed. Gaara's body went numb. No, he thought, his eyes starting to water. "NO!" he screamed, holding his head in agony.
Naruto was next to him in an instant. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Don't worry Gaara. Tsunade-baa-chan and Shizune are taking care of her, she and the baby are in good hands."
Naruto's comfort did nothing to ease the empty depths. Slowly Gaara sank to his knees, unable to stand any longer. There was nothing inside him anymore. Hinata took Toshiro and had him cleaned up. When that was done, she sent word to Neji and Tenten. Shortly after her cousin and his wife arrived, the twins and Minako in tow.
"Where's mommy?!"
"Where's daddy?!"
"Where's Shiro-kun?!" The girls cried, all at once.
"Girls, calm down. Your dad is with your mom, but you can't go back there right now. Toshiro is in the waiting room, so come with me." Hinata said, picking up her daughter and cradling her to her chest, needing the comfort.
They entered the waiting room and everyone wordlessly sat with Toshiro. Hinata set Minako down in Neji's lap, and her daughter immediately clung to her uncle. "I'm going to go see how things are going." She said, walking through the doors to the ICU.
Once she got there she stood by her husband, sending Gaara a pitying glance. Then she activated her Byakugan and grabbed Naruto's hand. The baby was dying. No matter Tsunade's and Shizune's efforts, the cut was too close. And Sakura was almost out of the chakra that she had been using to keep him alive.
Realizing that it was too late, Hinata turned and began to cry into her husband's chest, ignoring his look of confusion. It wasn't her place to say anything, and maybe, just maybe, Sakura and the baby would pull through.
Gaara placed his hand on the window. He could easily break through this weak barrier. But he knew that would only compromise Sakura and the baby's health. He knew that it was pointless, he could feel his son dying slowly. His tortured face slowly fell into his emotionless façade. He had let his son die…because he wasn't a good enough father. He had let some renegade run a tainted blade through his wife because he wasn't a good enough husband. Everything was black now.
Natsumi stood at the doors leading down the hall to the ICU. Her face was unreadable and she was eerily still. "He's dying…" she said softly.
Satomi looked over towards her sister, her expression matching that of Gaara's. "I know."
Sakura lay there on the table, regulating her breathing and sending every last vestige of chakra she had to her baby. She could feel him slipping, but she was determined to keep him alive. Shizune had placed an oxygen mask over her, and she was just conscious enough to make out their faces.
Suddenly she felt the life leave her baby, and she let out an agonized scream. "NO!" she wailed, beginning to struggle on the table so that she could look at her stomach. Tsunade held her down, trying to bring the baby back.
"Shizune! Put her under before she does any damage!" Tsunade ordered.
Sakura felt a prick in her neck, and then her consciousness began to slip. Her last thoughts, as tears slid down her cheeks were that she had failed. She had failed to protect her son, failing as a mother. And she had failed to be as strong as Gaara believed her to be, failing as a wife.