*IMPORTANT NOTICE!* As of 1/31/15, this chapter has been EDITED (a little) to abide the FFN guidelines. To view the entire, unedited and much better version, links are available on my profile.
I am abiding by FFN ratings and removing-anything overtly dark or violent, and the scenes of complete and unrepentant smut that are considered MA, from this site. I do this in order to protect reviews linked to my stories and account that I want to keep from anyone with an email account, hate for my stories, and want my account banned for whatever their weak excuses may be.
Warnings: Contains adult language, themes, and suggestions. It is not suitable for anyone below the age of 16 per FFN guidelines. The accuracy of the information of this chapter might not be accurate. I've never been pregnant so I can only read what other people have gone through and assimilate the information to Sasuke's situation.
September third, the seventeenth week
"Ow! Iruka-sensei!" Naruto whined as the teacher dragged him out of the house it was one Iruka and Kakashi were looking at to move into, just across the street from Naruto and Sasuke's home. "I said I was sorry for not telling you sooner!"
"He's already through his first trimester, Naruto! And you didn't even tell me, Sasuke showed me when he brought Kyoko to the academy!" Iruka growled. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes at the scene but didn't say anything. It had been awkward enough explaining to their old teacher that essentially, Naruto had knocked him up. After that, the teacher had pitched a fit and Sasuke couldn't placate the full grown adult until he told him that he could move into the compound when Sakura did. This had been the first time Naruto had been unable to duck their old teacher since.
"Let it go, Iruka-sensei, they couldn't tell anyone. We didn't even know about it until after the chuunin exam debacle." Sakura sighed, her arms crossed over her chest in irritation. Yamato, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Kyoko were all watching the two men, the redheaded girl the only one who watched in shock at the sight.
"You let Sasuke attempt the exam in his condition?" Iruka cried out indignantly. He twisted the ear in his grip even harder, watching how the blonde bowed down, head tilted towards Iruka's ear.
"Ow! Owow! Iruka!" The blonde continued to whine.
"I guess this is a good time to tell you, the AFP test came back negative, which is a good thing." Sakura added when she saw the Uchiha's eyes narrow. Naruto looked over to them with a brief smile, having heard what their teammate had said before a look of pain crossed his face. Iruka had twisted his ear again and Sasuke stepped up at that point, setting his hand on their old teacher's shoulder.
"I don't want a chunk of his ear missing." The Uchiha calmly told the older male. Iruka didn't move a muscle for a moment before he sighed and let Naruto's ear go. "And it was ultimately my decision to participate in the exam, he wouldn't have been able to stop me." Iruka looked to him, concern flashing in his eyes.
"We better get going soon, we're late enough as it is." Yamato called out. Kakashi sighed and stepped up to the teacher, raising his hand to brush Iruka's cheek tenderly.
"You can move my stuff in if you want. I already gave my key to the landlord." The white haired man leaned in to kiss the other male and Iruka accepted it, blushing at the tenderness. Of course, Sasuke thought to himself, since Iruka was moving into the compound, the white haired jonin would move in with him.
"Ew, enough of the lovey dovey crap, I'm outta here." Naruto grumbled and stepped away from the two, rubbing his damaged ear. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and watched the blonde scramble for his heavy laid pack. His, along with Kakashi's and Kyoko's were sitting in a pile a few feet from the group and Sasuke followed him.
"You're just as bad they are, Naruto. I don't see why you're complaining." Sakura called out, turning her attention towards the younger lovebirds. The blonde had pulled his pack onto his shoulder and turned around only to have Sasuke grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a searing kiss. "See what I mean?" The pinkette called out.
"Well, should we follow everyone else's lead?" Yamato asked jokingly. Sasuke pulled away from his kiss to see Sakura pushing the older male away, smiling. Kyoko was nervously shifting her gaze around the group, unsure of what to make of the strange situation and Kakashi was steadily deepening his kiss, his hands creeping closer to Iruka's hips.
"Don't even think about it." Sakura rolled her eyes. She sighed and stepped forward, grabbing Kakashi's green vest and pulled him away from Iruka forcefully. "Come on, Kakashi. Time for you to take a hike." Sakura dragged Kakashi to the packs and looked to the only other female pointedly. Kyoko didn't need to be told, she grabbed her pack and hefted it onto her back with a small grunt.
"I left a few clones for you to help Iruka and Sakura move furniture, they're all at the police station waiting for you." Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear before he pulled away, grinning at their third teammate stepped back from the Uchiha when she glared at him.
"Apricot, lead the way." Kakashi waved his hand at the redhead, his eyes straying back to Iruka.
"Bye, Sasuke." Kyoko called out softly. She turned before he would have had a chance to say anything back and started to jog down the street. Yamato followed behind her but kept his pace at a walk. Naruto started to walk backwards, blowing the Uchiha a kiss with a wide grin and then watched as Sakura practically threw Kakashi after them.
"So what's on the agenda for today, Sasuke?" Sakura asked. She turned to the Uchiha and smiled. "Viewing some houses? Picking out furniture?" Sasuke turned to her and slipped his hands in his pockets as he thought about the question briefly.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled down the street, everyone else had turned the corner but Naruto had stopped, cupping his hands around his mouth to yell. "I love you!" The blonde dropped his hands and darted down the intersecting street as if the Uchiha would throw a kunai at him.
"Getting your keys to the compound." He stated simply after a few moments. He ignored the way his face started to heat up and the way Sakura and Iruka were smiling at him.
He had seen Hatake Kakashi, Iruka Umino and Sakura Haruno go into the compound and now watched the white haired jonin leave with a man named Yamato, Naruto Uzumaki and Kyoko Suzuki. Anger and fear trickled down his spine; he hadn't seen the brunette male enter the compound. Had he missed others going in and out? How would he explain this to the elders? Of course, he had found the orders that the four were going to Suna, the prerogative of the mission classified to all but the Hokage. The elders had found the information interesting but his mission hardly changed. He was still required to get into the compound and find the reason the Uchiha was being reclusive, to find what they were hiding.
There would be a chance though, someone would slip up and leave the gate open long enough for him to get in and out. It wasn't today though, he watched as the male container resealed the barrier and the group walked away, the men talking amiably in quiet tones as the female container trailed closely after them, tense and nervous. The Uchiha would slip up eventually, leave the barrier open long enough for him to get in and get out. That would be his chance to prove to Mitokado-sama and Utatane-sama that he was worthy. He wouldn't fail them. He couldn't even begin to imagine what the elders would do to him if he failed, what they would condemn him to.
He shifted in his position, feeling his skin brush uncomfortably against his anbu uniform. Sitting in the same position for days on end in the same clothes was starting to get to him. To be able to take a shower and change clothes would be a comfort he could afford to take now that both the containers were not going to be in the compound for a few weeks. He'd allow himself one night to sleep in his own bed and change clothes. His hair was growing appalling under his mask and hood as the sun had beat down on him day after day. The skin of his hands was covered in dirt and bits of bird shit, he'd killed a few of them before they'd flown off for good. Then he could change out the bottles that had been piling up around him, filled with his bodily fluids.
It would all be worth it though, by proving that he could do this, that they could rely on him, would all be worth it. Konoha was his home and he would protect it from traitorous bastards like the Uchiha and the Kyuubi container.
"You okay? You're awfully quiet." Yamato asked the blonde. They had just reached the gate and were waiting for it to open and Naruto had gone silent the moment they resealed the barrier.
"'M fine. I don't like leaving Sasuke here." Naruto shrugged his shoulders and smiled tentatively.
"He'll be fine." Kakashi let his visible eye wander over to them and blinked as one of the gate's doors opened slowly. "You worry too much."
"Nah, I've got a feeling," The blonde paused when the door stopped moving and the rest of his group moved forward. "That something's going to happen while I'm gone."
"You think it's the-" Naruto and Kakashi both glared at the redhead when she spoke. Kyoko immediately closed her mouth, her posture going stiff when she realized she had almost slipped. "Well, do you?" She asked. Her face was beet red and she glanced up at the blonde in shame. They had passed through the gate and they could hear it closing behind them.
"No." Naruto turned his head, watching the giant gate swing shut with an echoing thud. "I'm not sure what it is."
"That's enlightening." Kakashi muttered.
"I can't explain it! It's just a feeling in my gut." The blonde pointed at his stomach, looking to his companions who watched him back. Kyoko looked confused, Yamato was smiling with closed eyes, choosing to ignore whatever he thought he should say and Kakashi was walking ahead of them, not looking back.
"Because that's never steered you wrong before." Kakashi responded again in the same manner as before. Naruto groaned before sticking out his tongue at his old teacher's back.
"Shall we start?" Yamato spoke up. Naruto smiled at him and pulled at the straps of his pack. Kakashi was the first to jump to the trees as the redhead started to ask a question but the blonde didn't hear much after her mouth opened. He'd jumped onto the tree right after his old teacher, following him up into the foliage. Jumping to the tree in front of him, Naruto turned and looked back to Kakashi and Yamato who had joined him on the branch while they both looked down to see Kyoko following after them up the tree. Kakashi and Yamato moved to jump to his branch but Naruto didn't move, blinking as memories from his clone slipped back to him.
"What is it now?" Kakashi asked. His visible eye blinked and he crossed his arms over his chest, looking bored.
"Sasuke dispelled one of my clones." Naruto answered nonchalantly. Iruka's outburst was replaying in his head and he had to stop himself from grinning like an idiot.
"Already?" Kakashi asked. "We just left." They all watched the redheaded girl pull herself up by her hands and swinging feet, grunting loudly while she tried not to fall.
"What can I say, the bastard was never much for a romantic." He shrugged his shoulders and saw the Uchiha's obsidian eyes melt into smoldering orbs in his clone's memory. Naruto started first this time, jumping from one branch to another until he'd picked up a frenzied pace. It felt good to go all out again, his team following behind him. Yamato and Kakashi could keep up but when the blonde looked back, Apricot was falling behind.
"How long are we going to keep going at a pace like this?" Kyoko called out. Her voice was just loud enough to hear her over the wind and he slowed down a fraction to turn around, jumping backwards as he faced her.
"All night!" Naruto yelled back to her. He turned around again, grinning as he picked up his pace again. It did feel good to be out and running again, he couldn't exactly go all out with Sasuke anymore but he didn't blame his lover. Naruto had been the one who enacted the seal and gotten him pregnant in the first place. For the time being though, it was refreshing to stretch his legs.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Sakura asked him. She was healing her thumb with her pointer and middle finger, a green glow coming from them. Sasuke waved his hand at her as he watched Iruka cut his own thumb and kneeled down, letting a drop of it fall into the circular hole in the ground.
"It's fine." Sasuke pulled the bloodied tissues from his nostrils and sniffed in distain. There was dried blood in his nostrils and he raised his hand up to wipe at it, Sakura grabbed his wrist and stopped him. "Better than puking." Iruka stood up, looking at Sasuke with understanding eyes.
"Has it stopped then?" The pinkette let go of Sasuke's wrist and placed two fingers over Iruka's cut thumb, healing it with her green chakra.
"Mostly. There are still bad days." Sasuke resisted the urge to blow his nose and have another nosebleed on his hands. "Make sure you relock the gate when you leave or comeback, there are still things I need to do before we take down the barrier completely." Both Sakura and Iruka nodded.
"Oi! Are you guys coming to get furniture or what?" Naruto's voice broke their relaxed conversation. Sakura whipped her head around so quickly in surprise, the Uchiha could hear the pop of bones cracking.
"Naruto! I thought you guys had left already?" The girl cried out in surprise. She stepped forward, towards the blonde with a raised fist. Immediately the clone started to back out of the room in fear.
"Ah! I'm a clone, don't hit me!" Naruto cried out. He raised his hands to cover his face, peeking out from behind them to see if Sakura was still advancing on him.
"Why'd you leave a clone?" Sakura dropped her fists but continued to glare at the blonde. She watched him drop his arms and tentatively step closer to them.
"I left a few clones to help you with moving furniture from the police station if there's anything you want. Sasuke shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting anymore." The blonde shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
"Actually, he shouldn't be doing any strenuous activity anymore." Sakura dropped her glare to look over to the Uchiha. "No more excessive training, Sasuke. I'm limiting you to mostly meditating and target practice, while standing still." Instead of responding, Sasuke blinked at her and looked to Naruto's clone. "Sasuke." The pink haired girl said his name as a warning.
"I've been limiting myself to that already." The Uchiha answered grudgingly. Sakura smiled and happily stepped closer to the blonde, watching the clone flinch as she walked past him.
"Good. Well, come on then." Sakura turned back to the silent Iruka and quietly stewing Sasuke. "I need a few pieces of furniture for my new place."
"You haven't even picked a place out yet!" Naruto frowned and looked over to Iruka and Sasuke. "At least he and Kakashi have picked out a place." The blonde muttered in afterthought.
"Well they need furniture too, I'll peruse and see what I like." Sakura called back. The clone rolled his eyes and stared at Sasuke as he and Iruka came closer to him, walking out of the courtyard. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and intertwined their fingers as they walked.
"Come on, you two. I don't know where you stashed it all." Sakura was waiting for them, leaning against the wall. The blonde stuck his tongue out at her and then walked past her in the direction of the police station. Iruka, who had been quiet for most of the time, fell in step with Sakura behind the other two.
"So you're Sasuke's doctor for his pregnancy?" Iruka tried to ask quietly. Sasuke could hear him though and his upper lip quirked upwards.
"Yes." The Uchiha answered for Sakura. He turned his head back to them with his lopsided smirk and turned around again. Naruto tightened his grip on his hand but Sasuke just leaned closer to him, tilting his head upward a fraction. The blonde knew exactly what to do and brushed his lips against the Uchiha's pale cheek.
"Tsunade's been having me train in the maternity ward at the hospital for a few months now." Sakura started to answer the older male's question. "I've read everything there is to know about chakra uterus pregnancies and if I have any questions, Tsunade-sama and Shizune said they would be able to help."
"I see." Sasuke could hear Iruka's voice, tense and thoughtful. The urge to rub his stomach came up on the dark haired male and the hand in Naruto's grasp twitched. He saw Naruto glance at him from the corner of his eye.
"You're worried, Iruka-sensei?" The Naruto clone looked back with wide eyes as Sasuke felt his throat constrict. He had known people would judge him when they found out about the pregnancy and he didn't care about them. Iruka was different though; the man had always cared for him and practically raised Naruto since he was a baby. The man had cared for them and if he didn't approve of them trying to have a baby, Sasuke didn't want to think about it.
"Of course I am!" Iruka cried out. Sasuke tensed and could feel the blonde's hand grip his so hard he must have been just as afraid as he was. "I've taken care of you since you were a baby, Naruto, and you, Sasuke since you started at the academy." Sasuke felt the blonde turn around and he found himself doing the same, meeting their teacher's eyes apprehensively.
"Iruka-sensei." Naruto tried to call out only to have it come out in a cracked whisper.
"No, Naruto." Iruka stepped forward, his face set in a scowl Sasuke hadn't seen since he was in the academy. "I know you've already been berated by the Hokage and Sakura but both of you are my students, my boys." The teacher stopped, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I don't want to yell at you. I know why you did it, and I understand why you didn't tell anyone. You decided to have a baby and I support that decision."
"You do?" The blonde asked. Naruto stepped towards him, extending his arm so he could continue to hold Sasuke's hand. "Iruka, we are sorry we didn't tell you." Naruto tried to apologize but the teacher opened his eyes and held up his hand to stop him.
"Stop, Naruto. It's not that I was mad, I'm worried that you two tried to do this by yourselves. You're both so young, just barely adults and a baby is a big responsibility. I don't even know how you thought you could do this on your own." Iruka dropped his hand and sighed, his shoulders dropping. "Not to mention that once it gets out that you're pregnant, people will come after you and will try to hurt you or even worse, try to kill your baby." The teacher gave them a concerned look and Sasuke's heart lifted. Iruka didn't disapprove of the baby, it was a relief the Uchiha hadn't been expecting but he was glad for it.
"We knew that was a possibility before we started trying, sensei." Sasuke relaxed his body as Iruka looked to him now. "We're prepared for anything that happens." He glanced to the clone that was nodding vigorously.
"I don't want to see either of you get hurt." Their teacher amended.
"They won't, Iruka. You and I are here, Yamato and Kakashi are with Naruto, the real Naruto and Apricot. We aren't going to let anyone get close to them." Sakura butted in. She gave Iruka a reassuring smile and then smiled at the two ahead of them.
"Right!" Naruto proclaimed. "We've got each other too." He looked back to the Uchiha with a wild grin on his face and stepped closer to him, hands still intertwined. Sasuke dropped the growing smile and gave the clone of his blonde a cold stare. Naruto wasn't dissuaded; he stepped closer to him and lifted their hands to kiss Sasuke's fingers.
"Don't even think about it, Dobe." Sasuke warned the clone. He could feel a lump in his throat and that damned prickly feeling behind his eyes but Naruto winked at him and pressed his lips to pale knuckles. As soon as he did, the disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the Uchiha dropped his foot from where he had kicked the clone in the crotch. He felt grateful to his lover for giving him something to focus on instead of the tears that were threatening to well up in his eyes.
"That was a bit uncalled for." Sakura raised her eyebrows at her teammate and stepped up to the dark haired male, Iruka following on the Uchiha's other side.
"He was asking for it." Sasuke started walking again and his companions falling in step with him. "The idiot knew he was pushing my buttons."
"Oi, you bastard! I was just teasing!" Naruto's voice came from a distance and Sasuke glanced to Sakura who rolled her eyes. They watched a few clones come around the corner, some angry and some were smiling at them. "Come on! We're getting antsy!" One of the Naruto's called out.
"Hold you're horses, Naruto!" Sakura called back to him as they came closer. "Geez, how do you deal with him when he's this hyperactive?" Sakura muttered good-naturedly.
"I beat the shit out of him." The Uchiha smirked in response. Iruka huffed at their conversation but didn't say anything. They all knew Sasuke would never really hurt the blonde. One of the clones ran towards them as the rest disappeared around the corner, heading back to the police station.
"Well that's going to be hard to do when I order you to bed rest." His pink haired teammate teased him with the threat. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glanced over to her. "It's going to happen whether you want it to or not, Sasuke. Your body wasn't meant to carry a baby."
"I can think of other ways to keep me occupied while the Teme is forced to stay in bed." The clone of Naruto winked as he stopped in front of the three and bowed to them with a smile.
"Naruto!" Iruka called out indignantly. Sasuke glanced to him now, seeing the blush spread across the male's dark skin. The blonde laughed and pressed himself against Sasuke, his hands going straight to his distended stomach.
"Well, how do you think Sasuke ended up so beautiful and pregnant in the first place?" The clone rubbed Sasuke's stomach soothingly and the Uchiha let him for a moment, watching how their teacher grew flustered and looked away.
"I told you not to call me beautiful." Sasuke whispered into the blonde's ear and then punched him in the gut, dispelling the wide-eyed blonde without a second thought.
"Teme!" Several of Naruto's voices echoed down the street Sakura, Iruka and Sasuke turned onto and the Uchiha didn't bother hiding the smirk he had on his face.
September 6th, still the seventeenth week
He'd been asleep when it happened, the first time it had woken him up from the lighter part of his sleeping cycle and he'd been dozing off when it happened again. The second time had made him open his eyes wide in surprise and he was out of bed and stalking out of his house in the light of early morning. Sakura had taken up residence with Iruka in the house across the street from his while Kakashi and the rest of them were away. She had been debating about sharing a house with Yamato next to Iruka's so that she would be close by for Sasuke. What she really wanted was a small apartment closer to the shops but the dark haired male was glad she hadn't found one she liked yet. He needed her to check him, to check the baby.
"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled. He burst through the front door and looked around the still barren house. "Sakura!" The Uchiha cried out again. He stepped further into the house and listened to the sound of someone yanking their door open and the thudding of bare feet against old wooden floors. He looked to the stairwell for a light to turn on but it was the downstairs hallway light that illuminated the entrance way in the barely dawn light.
"Sasuke! What's wrong?" Sakura came bursting from doorway of the first floor in her sleepwear, pink hair askew. Sasuke had never seen her in anything but her normal ninja gear; he found it strange to see her in gray sweat pants and a pale pink short-sleeved shirt. Her bright green eyes immediately darted from his bare shoulder to the Uchiha's stomach and he realized he had been clutching his bare stomach tightly. "The seal's still in place, so what is it?" Sasuke turned his head to look at his shoulder, having only worn a pair of drawstring pants to bed and he looked back to Sakura who was looking at him with narrowed eyes.
"It, no…he, she. The baby." Sasuke tried to keep the breathlessness from escaping but it slipped and Sakura stared at him, her eyes expressing the confusion as to what he was saying. The lights from upstairs turned on and they could hear Iruka coming down the steps. "It's a bubbling feeling, my stomach feels like it's popping." The Uchiha tried to keep the fear out of his voice but he knew he wasn't successful.
"Oh, that's all?" Sakura leaned against the wall as the tension left her body and she smiled softly at the Uchiha. "The baby's moving, no need to get hysterical." Sasuke didn't drop his hand from his stomach but glared at the pink haired woman once her words sunk in. Iruka came down the stairs, looking to Sakura and then to Sasuke, confused. His hair was falling into his face, his ponytail missing atop his head.
"What's going on?" Iruka asked. His protective nature kicking in when he saw Sasuke standing in the entryway and he came down the steps in his overly large shirt and black boxers. Sasuke hadn't dropped his hand from his stomach as he watched his old teacher look to him assessing his physical health critically.
"The books said I wouldn't feel the baby until the twentieth week." He explained. Iruka blinked in surprise before smiling as he realized what they were talking about.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. It's different for everyone and you're situation is, let's be honest, unusual. Having a chakra uterus and being a male on top of that." Sakura stepped forward and raised her hand tentatively, looking up at Sasuke's face for confirmation. When he nodded, the female ninja set her hand on the Uchiha's stomach. "Men weren't made to carry children, that's why you felt the baby move so early. From here on out, you're going to get big, bigger than you're expecting to get."
"I know that." Sasuke rubbed his hand over his stomach, frowning. "I had thought, Naruto would be here when it happened." The Uchiha couldn't keep his face straight, the sadness of the thought slipping through his voice.
"They're probably in Suna already." Iruka said wistfully. "It's so quiet without Naruto and Kakashi." Sakura nodded her head in agreement and watched as the Uchiha gasped and shifted his weight from one foot to another.
"Is the baby moving again?" The pink haired ninja asked.
"It's like a mix of something popping and fluttering." Sasuke grumbled. "I don't like it."
"Try going back to bed and relaxing, that should help some." Iruka tried. Don't get stressed was implied and Sakura nodded her head in agreement. Sasuke looked to the older adult and then again to Sakura as he dropped his hand from his stomach.
"I'll try to. Thanks." The Uchiha managed. He turned to leave and then paused. "Sorry for waking you both up so early." Sasuke apologized. Sakura laughed softly and Iruka shrugged his shoulders, both silently accepting the apology. His stomach fluttered uncomfortably as he walked back to his own bed, wishing Naruto had been here to share the moment.
"Finally. I thought we'd never get here." Naruto sighed. They stopped in front of the gate, a chuunin from the village waiting for him. The sun was setting and the winds were picking up; they had been lucky a sand storm hadn't kicked up while they were making their way through the desert.
"What? We hardly stopped at all!" Kyoko gasped. When they finally stood still, she collapsed onto her knees and started coughing. Naruto and Yamato turned to look at her as Kakashi stepped forward to greet the chuunin.
"We stopped for a few hours every night, it took us an extra day to get here." Yamato spoke up. Naruto watched as Kakashi stepped forward to talk to the approaching female in Suna gear, wondering when he was going to see Gaara.
"I barely got any sleep! I'm dead on my feet here!" Kyoko was no longer gasping but she rolled onto her back, closing her eyes and inhaled deeply.
"Well now you're dead on your back." Yamato reached into his pouch and then stopped, looking up to see the Sand ninja tense and staring back at him. Kakashi raised one of his hands and turned to look back at him with his visible eye. Slowly and without hostility, the off duty anbu pulled out a kunai and held it over the redhead on the ground.
"Ah, hey! Don't do that!" Kyoko rolled over and scrambled to get back on her feet as the older man replaced his kunai in his pouch. Naruto and Yamato both looked back over to Kakashi and the other ninja who had relaxed considerably when she realized they meant no harm.
"A ninja must always be on their guard." Naruto raised his eyebrow at the girl and tried not to grin, enjoying how flustered the girl could get sometimes.
"Says the one who never pays attention to his surroundings." Kakashi called out as he walked back the short distance to them. "She'll lead us into Suna and straight to the Kazekage's tower."
"To meet with Gaara?" Naruto asked. He readjusted the pack on his back and looked over the white haired male's shoulder to look at the female ninja curiously as she came closer for the first time. Kakashi moved to turn around again and stepped to the side to allow her in the group circle.
"The Kazekage, yes." The sand ninja sent a heated stare at the blonde. Naruto ignored her look and turned his attention to Kyoko who was bending her knees and shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She had cleaned her feet every time they stopped but they had been going nonstop since they hit the desert and her feet were red, cracked, and blistered.
"Have you ever made a trip like this one was before?" Yamato asked. They all knew he was talking about her feet and she looked down to examine them.
"I trekked from the mountains to Konoha but that took a couple of weeks." The redhead frowned at her feet, seeing the dried blood and crusted skin covered in sand.
"Doesn't that hurt?" The sand ninja asked. She sounded concerned and was frowning at the younger girl.
"I lost feeling in them a couple of hours ago." Kyoko muttered and looked up to her, a cautious expression evident.
"When you stopped complaining." Kakashi muttered. Naruto knew it was a joke but when the Sand ninja looked at him with a sharp glare, he stopped himself from smiling and kept his gaze on the redhead who sheepishly smiled at Kakashi. She had gotten so used to Kakashi picking on her she no longer took the insults to heart.
"Half an hour soaking in water, they'll be fine." Kyoko readjusted the pack straps on her shoulders and inhaled deeply, a form of determination settling across her face.
"The village is this way." The woman from Suna turned, her glare lingering on Kakashi as she turned and started walking, picking up her pace into a run. The group followed her, Kakashi in the lead with the other three close behind. Trekking through the gate of the village was a little more nerve wracking than Naruto remembered. He could feel more than one presence staring at him, it made the hair on his neck stand on end and he was getting goosebumps on his arms. It got better as they quickly made their way to the Kage tower, the feeling of being watched didn't disappear but it definitely lightened. Apricot also seemed sensitive to the feeling, nervously glancing around her every other second and reaching up to her braid several times in the few minutes it took to reach their destination.
Kakashi and Yamato looked totally unaffected but the blonde knew they were more aware of their surroundings than they let on. Naruto would bet on them knowing where exactly the stares were coming from. When they reached the tower, Matsuri led them inside with cold politeness and shut the door with a definitive sound. Apricot jumped while Naruto stared at the sand ninja in surprise, the welcoming committee didn't seem, very welcoming. She led them up several flights of stairs and finally down a hallway in silence before stopping in front of what must have been the Kazekage's office.
"Kazekage-sama." The female ninja knocked on the door hesitantly. "I've brought the visitors from Konoha." She slowly opened the door and walked in, leaving the four to file in after her. Naruto stepped in after Kakashi, taking in the sparsely furnished office and large, open windows that let in the setting sun. Gaara was sitting behind a desk in the Kazekage's chair, his chair, in purple undershirt and white robes as was traditional of the leader of the Suna.
"Gaara!" The blonde cried out when the redhead male stood. He pushed past the female ninja, dropped his backpack on the floor, and ran around the desk to pull the man into a hug. "It's so good to see you!" Naruto murmured.
"Hey! You can't just-" The Suna ninja started but stopped when Gaara raised his hand at her and she stopped suddenly.
"That will be all, Matsuri." The redhead male dropped his hand and watched her storm past the other three ninjas before slowly returning Naruto's hug. "I have missed you as well, Naruto." Gaara awkwardly pat Naruto's shoulder.
"Shut the door, Apricot. There are some things we need to talk about before we retire." Naruto pulled away from the hug to see Kakashi turned to the door and the female redhead moving to shut the door.
"Yes." Gaara agreed. He moved to sit back in his chair and Naruto walked back to the other side of the desk, grinning as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Tsunade told me the Kyuubi was being contained by two seals. I've been doing research but haven't found much." Naruto dropped his grin and turned around to the two men and girl, motioning to the female redhead.
"Apricot, come here." Naruto gave her a small smile as she stood next to him. The Kazekage's forehead wrinkled as if he was furrowing his non-existent eyebrows. "Gaara, this is Kyoko, Apricot, this is Gaara. He's like us." Grinning again, Naruto looked back to his friend to see the corners of his lips twitch as he tried to be friendly.
"Apricot?" Gaara asked quietly. Naruto watched as Gaara's teal green eyes met the other redhead's bright green in a cold stare of confusion.
"It's a nickname she picked up." Kakashi supplied. "Why don't we get started?" He shifted his weight from one foot to another and let his visible eye glance over all of them.
"Already? We just got here though." Apricot muttered as her face started to turn red. She looked to Kakashi and then to Yamato nervously.
"It would not hurt." Gaara murmured. "If I could see the seals." He looked to Naruto who nodded eagerly and turned his head to the other Kyuubi container.
"Come on, just show him your seal." Naruto told the girl as he unzipped his jacket and pulled up his black shirt enthusiastically. Kyoko stepped forward cautiously, dropping her backpack from her shoulders and lifting her dirtied shirt up just enough to see the seal.
Gaara stared at them for a few seconds before he pulled a long thin tube of lead from the contents of his desk along with a thin piece of paper. Kyoko looked to Naruto but the blonde ignored the look, watching how Gaara started to draw their seals on the thin paper.
"Do still have problems sleeping, Gaara?" Naruto asked softly. The black rings around his eyes had not gotten any duller than the last time he had seen his friend. He was worried for the redhead, having gone from the pariah of his village to the Kazekage in three years.
"Yes." The Kazekage answered plainly. Not even looking up, Gaara continued to draw on the sheets of paper, unwilling to look up. Naruto sighed and bit his lower lip as he watched Gaara draw. The blonde wondered if his friend had found someone to be his special person, like he had found Sasuke.
"You have problems sleeping?" Apricot asked carefully. Naruto glanced to her, immediately seeing the curious interest in her gaze. Maybe Gaara and Kyoko could become friends, the blonde thought. Naruto saw her stiffen, her widened gaze immediately shifting away from the Kazekage to the floor. Then again, maybe not, he looked to Gaara, the man's expressionless stare still on the younger girl.
"Don't be rude, Apricot. You're talking to the Kazekage." Kakashi stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. "The equivalent of the Hokage from our own village." Naruto glanced over to his white haired teacher with a raised eyebrow as the girl dropped her shirt and then clutched at the hem of it, pulling it down.
"Stop scaring her, Kakashi." Yamato spoke softly behind them. "We're all tired and need some rest." Naruto watched his teacher drop his hand from her shoulder and smile under his mask at her. Kyoko looked up to him, her green eyes still wide and she dropped her gaze again. She obviously was uncomfortable now and it would probably take her a while to get used to Gaara's quiet, demeanor.
"You may retire to your rooms, Matsuri will show you the way." Gaara spoke up quietly. He dropped he led stick onto his desk and jerked Naruto's attention to it, the two pieces of thin paper already gone from the desk.
"Thank you." Naruto smiled and bowed. He watched as Kakashi's hand grabbing Kyoko's head and pushing her to do the same. They stayed in place for a few seconds, Naruto watched with peripherals for his friend to nod at them and he raised his head with a dazzling smile.
"Tomorrow, after the sun sets." The Kazekage muttered when Kakashi started to raise his head. He let go of Apricot's head and she straightened slowly, raising her hand to run it down her braided hair. Without another word, they all turned, the redheaded girl watching before following. Yamato opened the door and stepped through, holding it open with an outstretched hand until Naruto grabbed it and did the same for Kakashi. Apricot wasn't so lucky and had to dive for the door so she didn't have to be stuck in the same room as the Kazekage alone. Matsuri had been leaning on the wall opposite from the door, watching them file out.
"This way, I've been instructed to show you to your rooms." The female gave them all a cold stare. She turned and started down the hall, leaving the group to follow. Naruto glanced to Yamato with raised eyebrows; the man shrugged his shoulders in return. The woman just didn't like them, the blonde guessed.
"What was he talking about?" Kyoko whispered. Matsuri didn't turn around as they entered an echoing stairwell. Kakashi paused, letting the green eyed girl go first after the other female ninja and placed his hand on her shoulder in warning.
"Nothing." The one eyed male said. His tone was warning and Apricot seemed to understand that this wasn't the place to talk. She didn't say another word as they descended four flights and weaved through hallways. Matsuri stopped in front of two facing doors, turned around and glanced at all of them before holding out two pairs of keys.
"These will be your rooms while you're staying here, there are two beds in each room so no one will have to share." Kakashi stepped forward to take the keys and the blonde watched the woman glare at the white haired male.
"Thank you for your help." Kakashi took the keys and palmed them, glancing down to see if there was a difference between them.
"I'll be back in the morning to show you around the village." The woman was not excited about it and the blonde started to wonder if she'd been taken off active duty to do this for them. It would certainly explain her enthusiasm.
"Ah, that won't be necessary. I know the village well enough." Yamato raised his hand to point at himself with his pointer finger, the corners of his lips quirking awkwardly. Naruto looked over to the older male and grinned, no longer flustered or uncomfortable out by his companion's lack of social skills.
"Fine. Goodnight to you." She didn't wait any longer, turned around and stalked off and Naruto blinked in surprise. He didn't give it too much thought as Kakashi handed one keys to Apricot and took the other for himself.
"Yamato, you're with Apricot." The white haired male said in his most authoritative voice. Naruto watched him put the key into the lock, jiggling it until the door opened.
"Why am I stuck with her? Have Naruto room with her." Yamato tried to save himself. This had the blonde frowning at him while Kyoko ignored all of them in favor for unlocking the door across from the one Kakashi was peering into.
"Having them in the same room together for long amounts of time would speed the process of Apricot's seal weakening." Kakashi stepped out of the room, allowing Naruto to enter past him as Kyoko opened her door and stepped in, ignoring the bickering adults.
"They're been less than fifty feet from each other for four days already, sleeping in the same room wouldn't hurt." Yamato tried again. Naruto dropped his bag on the floor and turned back to the two in the hallway.
"Yes but having them in the same room would lead to more accidental touching and that seems to be the biggest factor in the seal's weakening." Kakashi's voice had taken a lighter tone, knowing he had found his secret weapon. Naruto watched as Yamato opened his mouth but the white haired jonin stopped him. "And I have no doubt Apricot would be interested in learning more about Suna, since you've been here several times and know the village well enough."
Yamato could only stare at Kakashi with an open mouth as he closed the door to his and Naruto's room. Kakashi dropped his pack on the ground next to Naruto's and sighed loudly. "He's going to have a fun time watching Apricot heal her feet." Naruto grinned at the mental image of Yamato's queasy expression. He jumped onto the bed farthest from the door and sighed, happy to sleep on a bed again.
"How that girl runs around barefoot every day, I'll never know." Kakashi shook his head and kicked off his shoes, heading for the bathroom that was adjoined to their room. Naruto watched him go and looked up to the ceiling as he pried off his sand encrusted shoes using only his feet.
"I wonder what Sasuke is doing right now." Naruto murmured softly. His shoes flopped to the floor and he could hear the shower starting up. "Wonder if the bastard misses me as much as I miss him." The blonde sighed again and stood up, realizing that he'd have to dump all the sand off the bed he had left on it.