Hinata laid her head back on the couch in Gaara's office and sighed, with a baby on her chest and a small tanuki across her lap. Shukaku was frequently abusing her mothering instincts. His behavior did raise concerns. What did they do to him? What tortures did he endure in his time away from Gaara? Did he miss Gaara? He certainly missed Hinata.
Thankfully, he wasn't battling for attention against Kouki. Shukaku demanded attention, but he backed off when it was clear she had her hands full with the baby.
Gaara wasn't as content with the situation. He had many sour feelings attached to Shukaku, and though his distrust had a history to it, Hinata hoped that with time he would see the demon had become less of a threat.
Though, some of his irritation seemed to be because he, too, had to battle for attention. With her hands full of a baby and a demon constantly, did he feel like there was little room left for him? Hinata tried when she could to make more time for him, but it was hard when the baby needed to eat every few hours, and she was working.
What was he supposed to do? Gaara couldn't leave at the risk of waking the baby. But he couldn't stand here with his arm in the cradle the whole night.
Hinata slept on her side just behind him, exhausted enough she slept through the first signs of whimpering. Gaara placed his hand on the infant's stomach like he saw his wife do before, but now with two little hands wrapped around his thumb and pinky, he didn't know how to move without waking him and his wife.
Gaara slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. He could sit here till morning. Sand pooled in the cradle and stared back at him lazily, mocking him.
Shukaku drew more sand into the cradle, pooling it under Kouki, Gaara's hand, and the baby underneath was slowly lifted until he could move an arm under him. Gaara took the baby as the tanuki dissipated. He took the baby over to Hinata's chair and sat back.
Gaara wasn't sure he could get used to Shukaku helping.
Hinata woke up and rolled over, laying her hand into the cradle. In a moment of panic, she shot up and laid her other hand back to find Gaara's spot on the bed also empty.
Hinata whipped her head around to find Gaara asleep with Kouki in his lap, in an odd position.
Hinata took a breath. How did they get like that? Gaara was too afraid of Kouki's still weak neck to pick him up. He always insisted on being handed him or handing him off to be laid down.
Hinata worked herself out of bed and slipped over to them. She placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly rubbed it to wake him. He sniffed awake and looked at her, down and back up groggily.
"He wouldn't let go." Gaara defended with his thumb still in the grasp of a little hand. Her heart was warmed by his dedication to not waking the baby.
"You could have had me move over," Hinata pulled the little fist apart, freeing him.
"I didn't want to wake you," Gaara let her scoop him out of her arms.
"You picked him up?" Hinata wanted to praise his improvement.
"Shukaku handed him to me." Well, there was an improvement in another area.
"I'm glad that you, too, are getting along better." Even if they had different motivations.
Shukaku flicked his sand tall off the edge of the bed. He could get to like more than one human, he decided. If this one that he was attached to turned out to be like his mother, he could have two humans he enjoyed. He could even find interest in his former vessel, as his involvement was important to the tiny human's brain development.
Shukaku came to realize in the time he was away that he was completely fine with staying with his previous vessel if his body hadn't rejected him. He could have had worse hosts.
For once, Shukaku was looking forward to seeing what his vessel would become. It had been so long since he invested interest in humans. Generations of humans made him so bitter about their lesser development, but this time, maybe he would just watch what it was like when a child was cared for and wanted.