The Legendaries (Revisited): A Naruto Isekai (PART I)

by Rose1991

"Fred? Fred!" someone hissed in Winnifred's ear, poking her harshly in the shoulder. "What?" she grumbled, trying to go back to sleep. "The sun's up. And I don't think we're in Pennsylvania." Five girls from our world arrive on Konoha's doorstep with no clue how to return home. And when five dragons choose them as their masters, they begin to realize something bigger is at play.

22. Chapter 21

AN: Hello readers! Happy Memorial Day. I'm fairly certain this is the longest chapter I've written. As I'm writing this note now, it says 22,000 words, however, it's 43 pages, which is really long. Although, the chapters I posted around Christmas were probably longer. Anyway, we're winding up the final arc of Part 1, and I'm fairly certain I'm going to post each Part as its own fanfiction, going forward. This has a lot of scenes I'm really proud of. So, please remember to review!

Also, if ya'll like Gaara/OC stories, my other story Chasing the Wind is almost completed (last two chapters will be posted in a week and a half), and it'll have a sequel. I've been working on that when I get blocked on this one. It's been very helpful. So, if you like Gaara stories, go give that one some love too.

---

Chapter Twenty-One: Shotgun

Kiba was back at the hospital Wednesday morning around eleven, getting his nose checked and bandages changed by Sakura. As the pink-haired shinobi finished up, her work, she said, "It looks like things are healing properly. So that's good."

"When can I go back on missions?" he asked.

"I'd give it another week," Sakura stated. "You sense of smell will still be altered."

"You mean still smelling my own blood mostly?" he asked. It was a problem he'd noticed since the first punch. It was kind of annoying at this point.

"Yeah," Sakura sighed. "That should remain for another two or three weeks as the bruising heals. How are you feeling otherwise?"

He pursed his lips, then answered honestly, "Heartbroken." Sakura frowned, clearly confused. He set his jaw and asked, "Well, how did you feel when Sasuke ran away?"

Sakura scowled at him, then huffed, "I meant your nose."

"Oh," he grumbled. "It twinges when I sneeze. And when I touch it. But otherwise, it's fine."

"Alright then," she huffed, making a note in her clipboard. Then she ripped off a page and handed it to him, adding, "Just keep doing what you're doing. Make another appointment for Monday to remove bandages and a final check."

"Thanks, Sakura," Kiba said.

She paused before stepping out, setting her jaw before turning to Kiba as she stated, "By the way, it's kind of insulting to think how I felt when Sasuke ran away was remote comparable to what you're going through."

Kiba frowned as he got up. "How so?"

"Because I love Sasuke," Sakura stated pointedly. "And you barely know this Ronnie girl."

"I know Veronica Buchanan very well," Kiba scoffed. "And you aren't an authority on love." He walked out rolling his eyes as he muttered under his breath, "Maybe the fickleness of women, but definitely not on how people fall in love."

Sakura scowled back at him, muttering, "Fickleness of women? No wonder she dumped you."

Kiba sneered as he asked, "I'm sorry, but I vaguely remember you telling Naruto you'd fallen in love with him one time, and drugging me, Lee, and Sai so you could kill Sasuke yourself. That hardly sounds like love."

She bristled, her mouth in a thin line as she hissed, "If I didn't take an oath to not harm my patients intentionally, I'd break your nose again."

He rolled his eyes as he continued on. "You've never even been with him Sakura. What you think you love is a fantasy. You should know by now the difference between a crush and love," Kiba stated.

"Like you're one to talk," Sakura scoffed. "Not five days before meeting Ronnie, you were all over Tamaki."

"Tamaki was a girl I knew things would never work with," Kiba stated. "She was safe and attractive. But I never loved her." He set his jaw as he admitted, "Ronnie is everything I want. She's beautiful, smart, kind. We've had a lot of the same struggles. And I've opened up to her in ways I've never been able to with anyone else." He licked his lips frustratedly as he finished, "The fact she won't talk to me right now because of a stupid mistake hurts. Physically hurts."

Sakura frowned, understanding his pain. It was visible on his face as he said it. "Why don't you just tell her that?" Sakura asked.

"You think I haven't already tried?" he scoffed. "The last time she said a word to me, it was because she wanted to use me for sex." He pressed his lips in a tight line and gave a shrug, adding, "Don't get me wrong. It was incredibly hot. But as soon as I said I wanted to talk things through, she shut it down and threw me out." He sighed, running his hand through his hair as he huffed, "I don't know why I'm telling you this."

"You haven't talked to anyone about this?" Sakura asked, holding her clipboard against her chest.

"Hinata," Kiba answered. "And Shino, a bit. But Shino's clueless." Sakura gave an affable shrug at that comment. If there was one classmate they had that was difficult to see ending up with anyone, it was Shino Aburame. He just didn't know how to talk to people, especially girls. Kiba sighed. "Hinata says I should give her some space, but that doesn't feel right to me. If I give her space during a break-up, I might as well be giving her up, right? I don't want to do that."

"Try saying you're sorry," Sakura offered.

"Tried that," Kiba huffed. "Again, she won't listen."

"Sounds to me like you need to make her jealous," a new voice chimed in. They turned to see Ino fixing a basket of flowers on the counter next to them. She smiled at them as she said, "Sorry for eavesdropping. Just dropping these off for some patients and saw you guys talking."

"No, what did you say?" Kiba asked, as if the thought gave him an idea.

"Make her jealous," Ino said evenly. She held up a knowing finger as she said, "It's Dating 101. If your significant other wants to step away, show them what they'll miss." She smirked knowingly as she added, "Worked for that Roxanne girl on Shikamaru."

"That's stupid," Sakura grumbled.

"That's genius," Kiba said, walking around Sakura to Ino. "Can you give me some tips?"

"Sure," Ino offered, grabbing the flowers. "Walk with me for a bit."

As Ino started giving Kiba some pointers on how to handle Ronnie, Sakura called down the hall, "She's going to break your nose again!"

Ino stopped her lessons, holding her hand up to Kiba, then said, "Wait, she broke your nose?"

"Yeah, when she broke up with me," Kiba stated.

Ino frowned. "Then, why do you want to get back with her?"

He made a nervous expression as he looked up and admitted, "Well, to be fair, she did find out Tamaki and I didn't exactly have a clean break."

Ino scowled at him, and said, "By that you mean-?"

He let out a nervous laugh and said, "I didn't exactly break up with her?"

Ino set her jaw, nodding as she closed her eyes. "You're a moron. Take Sakura's advice and apologize. Also, come clean with Tamaki. What the hell is wrong with you?" Then Ino left promptly, muttering, "Why are men such idiots?"

Kiba looked back to Sakura who only gave him a pursed look, then turned back to her work. He grumbled, realizing maybe Sakura was right. Keep apologizing until she takes him back. He made his way to the school and leaned on the gate entrance. He didn't have to wait long for Ronnie, her sister, and her friend to step out.

Fred stepped in front of her sister, glaring at him until Ronnie spoke up, "You two go ahead. I'll catch up."

Fred licked her lips, but stepped away. Lynne's gaze flicked between them both before falling in step with Fred and heading to the training grounds.

Silence lingered between them. Interminable silence as they stared at each other. Ronnie's expression was impassable, and Kiba hated seeing that. Wasn't she hurting just as much as him? Wasn't her heart in just as much turmoil.

"What do you want, Kiba?" Ronnie finally asked. Her caramel eyes burning into his.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Kiba bit out. "I love you. And I don't want things to fall apart between us."

Ronnie's impassable glower didn't shift as she said, "To fall apart, it had to be whole to begin with."

Kiba pressed his lips in a tight line, doing his best not to show how the comment hit him in the heart. "I love you, Ronnie."

"Have you even broken up with Tamaki?" she posed, ignoring the statement.

Kiba exhaled through his nose, then said, "I haven't been with her in a month and a half."

"So, that's a no," Ronnie answered for him. She shook her head, setting her jaw. "Kiba, I'm not your fool. And I won't be your other woman. Finish your relationship with Tamaki. Give it some time. Clear your head." She walked around him shaking her head.

"Why do you have to be so difficult, Ronnie?" Kiba huffed as he turned, watching as she walked to the road. She didn't answer him, and the anger bubbled up in his gut. He licked his lips, baring his teeth as he declared. "I won't give up, Ronnie. I won't give up on us."

She looked at him one last time, then said, "There is no us, Kiba." And then left.

As he watched her go, her words found a pain-filled hole in his heart and festered. He set his jaw.

This wasn't over. He refused to let it be over.

---

Cordi had woken up early the next morning to head down to the ninja license offices, or DNL (Department of Ninja Licensing) which was part of the Sunagakure Records and Taxes Offices, or SRT, across the street. Yes, license apparently.

SRT handled everything from newborn social IDs for the Land of Wind, to Change of Address forms, and even Business licensing. Plus paying annual taxes, both regional and national. She always knew Suna was just one region or city in the Land of Wind, but she didn't realize it acted as its own private region, similar to a US state, all reporting to the Wind Daimyo, the monarch. Suna was a specialized region, as it was a city sitting within the Taninendo Region, but given it was the head of all military functions for the Wind, it was its own region. Like Washington DC is a city, while also not being considered part of a state because it's the national capitol. The Land of Wind's capital, Futen, was also considered its own region. It was odd realizing that becoming a ninja meant getting a more intimate knowledge of how the ninja world was governed.

According to Gaara and Temari, who she talked to last night over dinner about all of these things, going to SRT annually to handle taxes and licensing was exactly like going to the DMV. According to Gaara, renewal was based on birthdays, like driver's licenses or car tags. Graduation days were apparently awash with newly graduated genin, sure. And on those days, the office was a madhouse. But even an off day like today would have anywhere from ten to forty people just renewing their licenses. Anyone who went up in rank had to be issued a new ID, as well as those with birthdays in the month of August who didn't want to get benched from missions because they let their license expire.

And the expirations changed by rank. Genin had to renew annually, since most were children and going through growth spurts. So much of their information would change drastically by their next birthday. Chunin every three years. Jonin every five. It definitely provided incentive to go up in rank beyond just better pay.

Gaara remembered Temari's expired that month, and asked if she wouldn't mind going with Cordi, but Temari had handled it last week. So, Cordi was on her own.

And she still had her assistant duties that morning, so she had to go early, fill out the paperwork, and get her picture taken. At least she was the only genin getting her license today. She got up early to shower, do her hair and makeup, and get dressed. She wanted to look polished enough for work, but also like an employable ninja, since that was part of the job. She wore the combat outfit Gaara had bought her in Konoha, but she wore a skirt and her boots. She pulled her hair back in a fine ponytail, and made her way to the DNL.

As expected, living in the tower had its perks, being so close to the SRT building. She got there as soon as it opened, and was only the third person there for DNL. However, people for the other parts of SRT had shown up in full. She was waiting behind 8 people just for SRT when she showed, and after 2 minutes, five more had filed in behind her. A soon as she reached the front desk, and said Ninja Licensing, she was given a ticket and told to have a seat and wait to be called. Only one cleric was working DNL, which meant she was waiting for an hour as the first two ninjas got processed.

The paperwork was done quickly. It was basic information for the most part. Then she got her picture. She smiled brightly, trying to exude confidence around her nerves. They filed away the form as her Suna ninja ID was printed off on a card, showing an expiration date when she turned 19, since her next birthday was in two months.

At 9:30, she was finally done and headed back up to her desk in the Kazekage Tower. She saw Gaara's office door was open, and she waltzed in with a smile, holding up her new license. "It's official." He looked up and smiled as she flicked its corner with her other hand so it made a satisfying snapping sound. "I am a Suna Ninja."

Gaara looked her over with a frown, then asked, "Where's your headband and pouch?"

"Well, I was already an hour and a half late for work because apparently licensing takes forever," Cordi reasoned. Gaara nodded affably. "They gave me a ticket when I left to pick them up at the Standard Supplies office downstairs. So, I figured I'd handle that over my lunch break."

Gaara pursed his lips, then said, "I don't think that will work. The Council has scheduled a long meeting from eleven o'clock to one thirty."

"Ugh," Cordi groaned. "I'd hoped we dodged it."

"No. They decided to postpone it," he stated, "to today."

She pouted, then said, "It's our first day back at work. Couldn't they just wait until the weekly meeting on Friday?"

"Apparently not," he sighed.

She pursed her lips, then said, "Can I see your license?" He frowned at the randomness of the request. "Please?"

He made a face as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. In a clip of money were a couple cards, which he slipped out, putting on his desk. She leaned over, picking it up. She looked at the picture and smiled amusedly. He looked tired and bored in the photo. Much older than twenty. She could see the issue date was January 11, 2009, so just before his birthday. She'd seen several pictures of him at this point, and in most of them, he didn't smile.

She let out a chuckle, handing it back to him. "Don't you smile for photos?"

His brow furrowed as he put it back in his money clip. "Did you smile for yours?"

She held hers to him, and he could see her smiling brightly in her ID.

He chuckled and said, "Most ninja want to be taken seriously."

"I can be taken seriously while looking good," she reasoned. She sighed, reaching into her purse for her phone. "Come on. I need a picture of you smiling."

"Why?"

"To prove you can," she replied snarkily. She smiled gesturing to her face as she said, "Say cheese."

"Cheese," he said, devoid of any emotion.

She frowned at him. "Come on, Gaara. Smile. Think of something funny."

"Like what?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Gaara, what's red and bad for your teeth?"

He looked at her curiously, unsure about the Segway. It sounded like a joke, but he wasn't sure. "What?" he asked, clearly not following.

"What's red and bad for your teeth?"

He pressed his lips in a line, giving a small shrug.

"A brick."

He frowned, looking away, thinking about it. Then he let out an involuntary chuckle as the bluntness of the joke hit him.

He heard the click, and she declared, "Got it." She swiped on her phone to look at it, and sighed, "You're not looking at the camera. But you are smiling. So, step in the right direction."

Behind them, they heard a knock, and they both turned. Cordi's mouth fell open at the sight in front of her. He was a handsome man, tall and stately. He looked to be about two to three inches taller than Gaara, possibly. He had chiseled features marred by two scars. One on his left jaw, and another across his throat as if it had been slashed before. He had light brown eyes and dark gray hair. But most surprisingly, he wore a green jumpsuit, much like Rock Lee, under a Suna issue Chunin flak jacket. He even had the orange leg warmers like Lee, probably also to cover weights. And he had iron bracers over his wrists.

While she hadn't seen Lee in person, she knew from the show the bodysuit clung to the body and generally hid very little. Her gaze dropped for only a second, seeing the bulge before snapping her eyes back up as the man smiled. She blushed, thinking he was smiling at her until Gaara stepped around her.

"Shira!" he cheered, offering his hand.

The man grabbed it and offered a strong shake. "Lord Gaara," he greeted.

"It's good to see you," Gaara said. He pulled back his hand and asked, "How is the Keys post treating you?"

"Very well. Thank you," he stated. The man looked momentarily at Cordi and said, "I'm sorry. I seemed to have been interrupting something."

"Oh, no," Gaara amended, turning to Cordi. "Although, forgive my manners. This is my assistant, Cordelia Turner. Cordelia this is …" He pressed his lips together to find the words, looking over the man for a second. "Well, he was my Taijutsu trainer, the premier Taijutsu Specialist of Suna really. And an old friend. Shira."

"Uhm, pleased to meet you," Cordi said awkwardly.

"Likewise, Lady Cordelia," Shira replied with a bow.

"Oh, no. That's not necessary," she said, waving him off.

Shira looked at Gaara curiously. Gaara only let out a half chuckle and gave Shira a look that said it was clearly too much to explain. Gaara cleared his throat, turning to his old mentor as he asked, "What brings you back to Suna?"

"Oh, I had a day or two of Leave time, and I wanted to talk to you about something," Shira stated. He smirked as he added, "Also to see how well you're keeping up with your taijutsu."

Gaara smiled. "We can go to the training grounds for a spar," he offered.

Cordi's eyes went wide with excitement. "Can I watch?" Both men turned to Cordi oddly, and she added a little desperately, "Please?" When Gaara made a face, she pressed. "Oh, Gaara, please! Watching you get your ass handed to you by a taijutsu specialist is like my favorite thing to watch. I have you versus Rock Lee saved on my computer—"

"Cordelia," Gaara hissed.

"— and I've watched it a thousand times. Please," she finished.

Gaara was clearly exacerbated that she'd let slip something like that. Her being from another world was supposed to be confidential, and any hint of that was a security breach. It wasn't that Shira wasn't trustworthy, but he didn't have the clearance.

Shira looked at her oddly, then asked, "You've seen Lord Gaara and Lee Sensei's fight?"

"Ehrm, yes," she chirped awkwardly. "A rendition of it," she amended.

"Can I see it?" he asked.

"No," Gaara answered for her. "Security reasons, she can't show it to you." Shira nodded his understanding. "Shall we go?" Gaara offered, gesturing out his door. Shira nodded, and stepped out, Gaara following him.

Cordi followed Gaara, begging, "Please Gaara. Let me watch. I will be super quiet."

Gaara grumbled, shaking his head. Shira let out a hearty chuckle and said, "I don't mind if she watches."

Gaara rolled his eyes under his eyelids, then said, "Come on." Cordi beamed at the invite. As they made their way to the training hall a block away, Gaara and Shira caught up. Shira told them about his parents and their farm. His sister was apparently married last year and expecting her first baby.

As they entered the hall, Gaara directed Cordi to the balcony, where she could safely observe their spar. Then they got into fighting positions across from each other. Gaara eyed up his stance first, determining Shira's best weak spot would be his knees. As soon as Shira's knee twitched, Gaara launched into his attack, Shira charging as well. Fists flew at each other, each blocked and knocked away with ease. Shira swung a high kick, causing Gaara to lean back to dodge, opening up for Shira to spin his kick around into a leg sweep, which Gaara nearly dodged with a back flip. Gaara was quick to regain his stance, and Shira his.

From above they heard Cordi cheer, "This is amazing! You both look great!"

Shira smiled, seeing Gaara blush a little.

Shira dove back in barely giving Gaara time to dodge or block, although he seemed to be a little better at it than before. Above, they heard, "Good footwork, Gaara! Bob and weave. Bob and weave!" Shira threw an elbow, which Gaara ducked, trying to deliver a kidney punch, which Shira grabbed, then pulled him down to his level.

"Have you learned nothing, Lord Gaara," Shira chuckled as Gaara stared at him wide-eyed.

Gaara moved to kick a leg out from under him, wrenching his hand away. Shira spun away, dodge the kick with grace.

"Almost had him," Cordi called out. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

"What does that mean?" Gaara huffed, getting back in stance. He didn't want to let Shira take the offense again, because without his sand, he wasn't that great at defense.

"It means keep moving. Strike only when you can land a hit, and land it hard," Cordi called down. "Remember what I told you when I taught you to dance. Fighting is rhythm. So, dance. Move to the rhythm."

Shira launched again, throwing several punches and kicks. Gaara blocked where he could, and dodged, trying to work his way around Shira to his back. "She's giving good advice," Shira commented. "My breathing technique is all about rhythm."

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see," Cordi called out.

It took Gaara a moment to realize what she meant, then he remembered the afternoon she taught him to dance. How she taught him to listen to the rhythm of the song, and move the steps accordingly. With every punch and move Shira made punctuated a rhythm like a drumbeat. Gaara had to move in time with it. He couldn't be stationary, like he'd learned from his father as a child, allowing his sand to do his work for him. He had to become the sand, floating effortlessly on the wind.

He realized what she said about learning to dance was true. It would help with his taijutsu. It would teach him finding rhythm and moving to it smoothly. And that had been Shira's first lesson. Don't be fast. Fast is sloppy. Be smooth. Smooth at first is slow, but when practiced becomes speed.

Gaara began to dance around Shira's moves. Not the samba, or any specific dance one would learn in a ballroom, but the dance of his taijutsu. Finally, he threw an uppercut that actually landed, knocking Shira back. He was shocked.

Shira straightened with a smile. It was the end of the spar. That was how it had always gone once Gaara got to a certain level. They would fight until one of them landed a punch or kick. The first one to do so won. "You have been improving," Shira commented.

"To be fair, something Cordi just said clicked," Gaara admitted, "and made me shift my approach."

"The dancing comment?" Shira chuckled.

Gaara blushed. "A bit. It was that and what you told me about being smooth our first day."

Shira nodded. "I remember." He smiled oddly, seeing Cordi had left the balcony to join them. "So, what's your relationship again?"

"She's my assistant," Gaara answered.

Shira raised an eyebrow, clearly not entirely sold. "Just an assistant?"

Gaara blushed, scratching his head as he offered, "Possibly a little more than that."

Shira smiled brightly. "Congratulations."

Gaara waved him off. "It's not exactly a public thing." Shira mimed locking his mouth, still smiling proudly. Gaara cleared his throat and asked, "So, what did you want to discuss?"

"Well, I wanted to thank you for my assignment at the Keys post," Shira stated, smiling knowingly. "And letting Yome come with me."

Gaara frowned a little. "You've been there almost four years, and now you want to thank me?" Gaara could see right through that. Something else was going on. "What is it?"

Shira smiled brightly. "Yome and I are getting married."

Gaara's eyes flew a little wide. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Shira said with a blush, scratching the back of his neck bashfully. "Since without you, this wouldn't have happened, we were hoping if you would be part of my wedding party. It would just be you and my brother-in-law."

Gaara was shocked by the offer. "Uhm, when?" he stumbled out.

"End of November," Shira answered. "November 21st to be precise. Right after Kansha-sai."

"That soon?"

Shira shrugged, "Well, in that area, it doesn't take that long to plan a wedding, so it's considered a rather long engagement there. Please say you'll join, or at least come. It would mean the world to both of us."

Before Gaara could answer, Cordi came bounding into the training room, cheering, "That was amazing! I never knew you could move like that, Gaara."

"I had a very good teacher," Gaara stated, offering a hand to Shira.

She turned to Shira excitedly. "You have to teach me a move."

Shira laughed. "Well, if you've never done taijutsu …"

"Oh, I have some…" she stated. She bobbed her head a little oddly, then said, "Well, Krav Maga, which is a type of taijutsu style, you'd call it. Something happened to my cousin a couple years back, so my mom signed my sister and I up for classes." She shrugged affably, then said, "I'm not a master by any means. But I do know how to grapple."

Shira smiled. "Another time, maybe." Shira turned to Gaara, questioningly.

"I'll have to check my schedule," Gaara answered. "But I don't see why not. It's Kansha-Sai weekend, right?"

"Yes," Shira stated.

Gaara shrugged. "I usually have that time off. So, sure. I'd be honored."

Shira beamed, and offered his hand again, which Gaara took in a firm grasp. "Thank you," Shira said, his eyes shining brightly. "I should be getting back to Yome. We're visiting her mother while we're here. And Sen. Telling them both the good news."

"It was good to see you," Gaara said.

Shira bowed, and then left. Cordi's gaze flicked between Gaara and Shira's retreating figure, and she asked, "What was that about?"

Gaara pouted happily, and answered, "He's getting married in a few months. Asked me to be part of the wedding."

Cordi smiled. "That'll be nice." She chewed on her cheek, then said, "We need to get back to work. It's almost ten."

"Right," Gaara breathed wistfully, thankful for the small break. "Let's get your headband, kunai holster, and pouch on the way back."

Cordi beamed at him as they headed back to the tower. "Am I going to be assigned a genin team?" Cordi asked, falling in step with him.

"It's customary. However, I have to see if there are any openings. You can't just join one with this semester's graduating class," Gaara answered. "You'd be waiting a month, which means you'd be short on your mission quota."

"How many missions?" she asked.

"At your rank? 10 D ranks or 2 C ranks," he answered. He smiled at her and said, "Don't worry. I'll find you a spot soon."

He led her into the lobby and over to the supplies desk, where Cordi presented her ticket. She was given a navy blue forehead protector with Suna's hourglass etched on the curved metal panel. She knew exactly how she would wear it. Like her school lanyard for her locker keys, she tied it to her front right belt loop. The pouch clipped into her waistband, and the kunai holster on her bare right thigh, which had to be set to the third largest buckle.

She blushed as she set it in place, trying not to think about how thick her thighs her. They were solid muscle, but the way her body was built, they were rather thick. No sign of the gap that most women had. That Lynne, Ronnie, and Fred had.

She set her leg down, and turned to Gaara, her hands on her hips in a superman pose. "How'd I look?" she asked.

He smiled softly. "Like a Suna ninja."

She smiled back at him brightly. That meant everything.

---

The sun beat down on the training fields in Konoha. Not a cloud in the sky to give them shade. The faintest hint of a breeze rustled the leaves of the on the trees, granting the smallest respite from the hot humidity of early August.

As the girls wheezed from the afternoon's training, Shikamaru looked up, seeing Ino standing on the edge of the field with a bouquet of flowers, and said, "Trainings dismissed for today." He jogged over to Ino, grabbing the flowers from her in a brief exchange, and then shunshining to the hospital. They all knew he was going for Rox. It was her final day in the hospital, and he'd mentioned at the beginning of their training session today that he was going to make sure he could help her back to the dorms.

Ino paused, looking at the group for a minute before walking over. "Excuse me. Which one of you is Ronnie?" she asked.

Ronnie raised an eyebrow, then raised her hand silently.

She pressed her lips together in a line, then said, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Ronnie looked to Lynne, mentally asking, What does she want?

Lynne only shrugged, tapping her temple then waving it off, as if signing she couldn't read her mind. Ronnie frowned. Maybe it was a Yamanaka thing. Lynne had mentioned the same thing about Kobe Yamanaka when they hung around Akirama's team. That trying to read his mind invariably came up with static.

Ronnie shrugged, stepping away with her, muttering, "Sure." She grabbed her water bottle to drink before conversing. When they were far enough away from prying ears, she asked, "What's up?"

Ino licked her lips, then said, "Could you be nicer to Kiba?" Ronnie's neck snapped back, her head swiveling oddly at the request. That hadn't been what she'd expected to hear from Ino. To be fair, she had no idea why Ino had requested to talk to her in the first place, but Kiba was last on the list of things she thought would be the reason. "I know he can be a bit of an ass," Ino continued, "and in this instance, it sounds like he was kind of in the wrong. But it's not fair how you're treating him, and you need to stop sending him mixed signals."

Ronnie's usual bubbly demeanor disappeared as she glared at her. Her teeth clenched behind a forced smile that she felt straining her cheekbones. "Respectfully," she spat, "you don't know what you're talking about, and you shouldn't be butting in this situation."

She tried to turn to leave, but Ino grabbed her arm as she said. "Look, Kiba's a friend. And he's really hurt about this." Ronnie scowled at her as she scoffed, "I mean you broke his nose, and he still loves you."

"If he loved me, then Tamaki would not still be in the picture," Ronnie stated pointedly. Her voice dropped to a growl as she finished, "So, again, respectfully, stay the fuck out of it."

Ronnie turned to leave as Ino called to her back, "If you didn't want to get back together with him, then why'd you fuck him after?"

Ronnie froze mid-step as Fred and Lynne looked up. "What she say?" Fred barked

Ronnie turned, glaring at her. "Excuse me?"

"Don't bother denying it now," Ino scoffed. "Everyone knows you two fucked last week before he was arrested."

"Ino!" Hinata coughed, blushing that the blonde would be so forthright about such a topic.

"So what is it?" Ino continued, ignoring her old school friend. "Do you actually love him back? Or are you just a whore playing with his feelings?"

Rain started falling from the heavens, even though the sun shone brightly with minimal clouds in the sky. "He is not that innocent!" Ronnie howled at her. "And how dare you judge me, Pig!"

Ino's eyes shot wide at the insult, and flicked her hair back as she howled, "Oh, you wanna' go, Bitch!?"

Ronnie started consolidating the rain into a torrent as Ino shifted into a battle stance. Lynne and Fred stepped up behind Ronnie, both glaring at the blonde. Hinata shunshined between them, holding her hands up in a halting manner and huffed, "That's enough!"

Rain still pelted down as Ronnie glared at Ino who straightened. "You're not worth the effort," Ino spat, then turned to leave. Hinata stayed between them with her arms raised, watching Ino leave the field.

Fred straightened and grumbled, "Sheez. The nerve of that girl," before snatching up her purse.

Hinata cleared her throat, then said, "Girls, can I have a word alone with Ronnie?"

"Depends," Fred scoffed. "What are you going to say?" Lynne grabbed her shoulder, and shook her head, as if to say Hinata wasn't going to insult her sister. Fred sighed, then walked away with Lynne trailing after her.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," Ronnie finally said after a moment of silence.

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Hinata said softly. "I know Kiba had his own hand in this mess. And Ino shouldn't have said anything." Ronnie blinked, looking to the ground with pursed lips apologetically. "But she is right that he still loves you."

Ronnie opened her mouth to refute that, and Hinata held up a calming hand to stop her.

"I'm not saying you should take him back," Hinata said quickly. "That's not my place. And I understand what happened last week, too. I'm just telling you, he's confused and hurt." She licked her lips, and added, "He's my old teammate, and like a brother to me. So it hurts me to see him like this. And being your teacher, I've tried to stay out of it. But I can't let you fight my friends over it."

Ronnie shook her head. "She came at me."

"I know," Hinata cut her off. "And I'll talk with her too. Just … don't escalate."

"I didn't," Ronnie huffed. "I told her to butt out." She set her jaw, then said, "How did she even know about last week? I know my friends aren't talking about it."

Hinata frowned, looking away. Ronnie's eyes narrowed on the Hyuga heiress. "He's been asking everyone's advice," Hinata finally said.

"And blabbing in the process," Ronnie hissed.

"He really wants you back," Hinata reasoned.

Ronnie set her jaw as she scoffed, "Wants me back. If he's telling everyone when we have sex, then he has a funny way of showing it." She licked her lips angrily, turning to leave, only to stop, holding up a finger. "Tell him if he's so desperate to have me back, he needs to grow the fuck up. Stop kissing and telling. Figure out what the hell he wants. And give me space."

"Ronnie," Hinata tried, but Ronnie stormed off, a drizzle starting up again and following her off the training grounds.

---

As Cordi and Gaara arrived in the Council Chambers, early in comparison to their usual arrivals, they were surprised to see Kankuro standing there next to his usual chair, leaning against the table as he looked up at the Kazekage statues. At their father. He had his full face of makeup and wore his Council robe over his regular ninja gear. Gaara dropped his folder at his place, then walked over to him quickly, Cordi matching his stride.

"Kankuro," Gaara said as they got close, finally garnering his brother's attention. "When did you get back?"

Kankuro looked at him a little nervously, then looked back up at their father's statue and answered, "Ten minutes ago." He sucked in air through his nose sharply, then said, "I just came here to think about things."

Gaara nodded somberly, looking up at their father's statue as well. "Have you made a decision about Matsuri?" Gaara asked boredly, but Cordi caught the bitterness in his tone as dread pitted in her stomach. Why was Gaara asking Kankuro about Matsuri? Did he know she'd been two-timing them? Did Kankuro? Suddenly, her and Gaara's weekend was cast into a new light to her, and Cordi wasn't sure if she was alright.

Kankuro gulped, but nodded as he pressed his lips into a thin line. "If the Council can keep their distance, I'll claim the baby," he answered.

Cordi's heart plummeted. "Baby?"

Kankuro looked at her sadly amused as he asked, "Gaara didn't tell you?"

"I didn't think it was my place," Gaara stated.

Kankuro nodded somberly, then said plainly, "Matsuri's pregnant." He bitterly turned back up to his father's statue, setting his jaw before adding, "And I'm the father."

Cordi's eyes went wide. Oh my God. Was that how Gaara found out? He'd made it sound like their break-up was amicable. Sure he said Matsuri accused him of not being intimate, but he insinuated that was because he wasn't as into Matsuri as he was Cordi. That they'd both realized the relationship wasn't going as it should, and both of them agreed to end it. But he didn't say that he'd finally found out about Kankuro, or that his brother had impregnated his girlfriend. Right before he kissed her. That changed everything. Cordi took a shuddering breath as she looked down, clutching her notebook to her chest tightly, trying to calm her mind from panicking, wondering exactly how wrong did she read things. She thought she'd given her virginity to a man who felt the same things as she did. Who was not only attracted to her, but cared deeply about her. But they weren't even on the same page. Hell, they might not even be in the same book.

Kankuro shook his head and smiled at his brother. "How about you two? Baki said you were caught necking in your office." He said it so coolly, clearly prying for details.

"Nothing's going on between us," she snapped, ignoring the frowns from the brothers her declaration earned. "Congrats on the baby, Kankuro," she huffed before turning on her heel and stomping over to her usual chair next to Gaara's.

Gaara watched her, blinking curiously as Kankuro asked, "What's up her ass?"

"Excuse me," Gaara breathed, following her to her chair. He stood next to her, eyeing her closely as she pulled out her notebook and pencils, doing her best to ignore him. "Are you alright?" he asked. Something in her eyes reminded him of Sunday evening, when he caught her looking at the night sky, and it made him worry.

"Why didn't you tell me about Matsuri?" she hissed quietly.

He blinked, a little taken aback by her accusatory tone. "It wasn't my place-"

"Bullshit," she hissed. Shakily she placed her hand over her mouth, looking to the center of the Council table as she whispered, "She was your girlfriend. That is totally your business. Especially when it changes the context of everything!" She gulped, turning away from him.

"What context?" Gaara asked, his brow furrowing deeply.

He could hear she was taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but he didn't understand why. "You kissed me because you found out Matsuri had been cheating on you," she said, her tone accusatory and a little hurt.

Gaara pursed his lips, then answered, "Yes."

She blinked several times, her hand curling into a fist at her lips as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. He hadn't kissed her just because he wanted to kiss her. He'd kissed her because she was there. She felt her chin trembling from the ache, and knew she needed to cry, but the Council members were already filing in, and she didn't have time to escape.

"It's not like you to be quiet," Gaara said, sitting in his chair.

She gulped back the pain, and asked, "Did you actually want to kiss me on Friday, or was I just convenient?"

Gaara licked his lips as he looked forward, opening his folder. "A bit of both," he finally answered, his tone a little uncertain. He realized his answer wasn't entirely accurate, so he clarified, "Mostly convenient."

He heard her take in a shuddering gasp. He chanced a look at her, seeing her eyes squeeze shut before the shine of a tear made itself known in the corner of her eye. He felt a pit forming in his stomach, and instinctually, he filled it with chakra as he whispered, "What's wrong?"

She pinched her eyebrow before wiping the tear away as if it were nothing more than residual sleep then rubbing the tip of her nose before grabbing her pencil, looking down at her notebook, her hair falling in a curtain over her face, shielding her face from him as she whispered. "Nothing. I made a mistake."

Gaara wanted to reach for her, to ask her what she meant, but across the chamber, Ebiso tapped his gavel on the table and announced, "Alright. Everyone is here. This Council Session is now in order." He looked up, seeing all the Council seats were filled, and the members looking at him expectantly. He looked back to Cordi, who refused to look up or meet his eye, but tapped the edge of her pencil on her notebook, making small dots on the mostly blank page. The pit hardened in his stomach as he realized he'd said something wrong.

Baki stood, clearing his throat as he began listing off missions carried out over the weekend in Gaara's absence, most of which were minor C and D ranks. Except the last one. "Finally," Baki led into it, "Lord Kankuro's team assisted The Wind Guardian team and the Young Daimyo raise thirty-five million dollars for Ao Nami relief, meaning the payment delay we've been experiencing on our ninja's contributions to rebuilding the city and sheltering it's civilians should be resolved shortly."

"They'll pay the twenty-eight million and rising in full soon?" Gaara asked, making a note.

"The majority of it," Kankuro stated. "The prince said twenty million would be directly paid off of the debt incurred, while the rest of the raised funds will be for the supplies used to rebuild. He also stated the Daimyo has plans for further fundraising efforts once the dikes are built, so investors can see what they're paying for." He licked his lips before he stated, "As the only Council member who's been to Ao Nami since the hurricane, I have to say, the city was essentially wiped off the map. Rebuilding is coming along, but the big cost is the new engineering designs for the new system of dikes, which should prevent another tragedy like this decimating the Sidewinder Delta."

Kankuro cleared his throat as he added, "The prince also mentioned the Daimyo is investing in an early warning system, since the death toll was so high from the flooding. The count now is around seven hundred fifty civilians and a hundred thirty-two shinobi."

"Sounds like New Orleans with Katrina," Cordi muttered as she wrote something down. The comment earned some confused expressions, like most comments she made like that. They were often gibberish to this world's natives. She lifted her pencil then said, "There's an idea. My world, when they were improving the hurricane warning system, they found people were more likely to take the storms seriously and evacuating when the broadcasters started naming the serious storms when they reached Tropical Storm status."

Fuka scoffed. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. 'Oh, we have a bit of lightning. Let's name this storm Tiger.'"

Cordi scowled at him, then said, "People are more likely to remember specific details about something like a storm if it has a name. For example, if you've got three hurricanes in the Gulf going to make landfall, would you remember if it was hurricane one that was a CAT4, or was it hurricane three? You wouldn't even be sure which one was landing on you. But if you have three hurricanes named Billy, Chris, and Steve, you going to remember Billy was the CAT4 headed directly for you while Chris was being demoted to a tropical storm, and Steve is the CAT2 that's going to swing wide." She licked her lips annoyedly and set her jaw, shaking her head as she huffed, picking up her pencil, grumbling, "Not to mention, the CAT5 Hurricane Katrina decimating New Orleans four years ago was one of the biggest tragedies of the last decade in my world resulting in over a hundred billion dollars of damages plus eighteen hundred fatalities, and you just had a little chuckle about it, like an asshole."

"My child, your world is not ours," Fuka rebuked.

"Eighteen hundred fatalities still makes you an asshole," she remarked.

Gaara wrote down, "Name storms?" as he cleared his throat and said, "Let's move on."

Fuka clearly didn't like being insulted in front of the other Council members, especially as he heard Haruko snickering behind her fan. He shot the Councilwoman a scathing glare before sneering at Cordelia as he asked, "Lord Gaara, I hope you got your rebound out of your system this weekend." He gestured to Cordelia so his insinuation was plainly understood as he leaned forward on the table with his hands steepled.

Cordi stiffened and her color drained.

"Ehrm," Gaara grumbled, not having an articulate answer ready for that.

"There's nothing going on between us," Cordi snapped, scowling at the older Councilmember. Fuka looked intrigued by her adamant tone.

Off to the side next to Kankuro, Baki cleared his throat. Gaara's gaze flicked over to his old mentor who looked at Gaara as if he were urging Gaara to fess up to something. Gaara blinked, looking forward, then skirting his gaze to Cordi. He said he was going to follow her lead when it came to handling the public image of their relationship. Denying it altogether seemed wrong, but if that was how she wanted to handle it, he'd trust her. He cleared his throat, and said, "She's right. Nothing happened."

"What about Friday morning?" Toska huffed.

"Momentary lapse in judgement," Cordi stated. Gaara tried to not let the sting of that statement show past a small twitch of his brow. "Can we move on?"

"It hardly matters now, anyway," Haruko piped up, smiling impishly. "Surely some of you are already aware, but for those who aren't, Lord Kankuro is already providing a Kazekage clan heir." Baki's gaze shifted on her narrowly as the rest of the Council minus Cordi, the siblings, and Keiko began tittering amongst themselves about such news.

The first to find his voice was Fuka who loudly proclaimed, "How's that possible? Lord Kankuro isn't married!"

Haruko smiled wide, chuckling as she turned to him and asked, "I wonder, Lord Fuka, did you ask the same question when your sister had her bastard?"

Fuka's face went bright red as he hissed, "You foul-mouthed snake! I oughtta' take out your tongue for spouting such lies!" She only laughed.

Ebiso began banging his gavel again, shouting, "Quiet! Quiet!"

Haruko turned from Fuka's rageful glare back to Kankuro who stared at her with nervous trepidation. "So, Lord Kankuro. Are there any plans on marrying this young lady, Matsuri?"

Kankuro's eyes narrowed on the middle-aged woman as he said, "I'm more curious about how you know about this."

Haruko smirked. "My Lord, I am not in charge of most of the Wind's free publications for nothing. I have ears everywhere." She opened the folder in front of her, which was clearly Matsuri's record as she began reading off, "According to this, again for those who don't know, Matsuri came here as a refugee from the Land of Birds during the Land of Stone and Land of Storms conflict. Orphaned in the process." She licked her thumb and turned the page. "She became a Suna ninja after being Lord Gaara's first student before he became Kazekage, gaining proficiency with the johyo and wind release. She became Chunin several years ago, and also fought in the Fourth Division of the Fourth Ninja War under Lady Temari." She shrugged as she added, "Long considered part of the Kazekage family's inner circle," closing the file. She made an offering gesture to the Council finishing, "All of which makes the match somewhat ideal for the Council."

She turned again to Kankuro and asked, "So, when is the wedding date?"

Kankuro blinked at Haruko, then stated frustratedly, "I haven't asked her yet." Haruko sucked on her teeth like an admonishing nosy aunt. Kankuro only shot her with a deadly scowl.

"It should be handled soon," Mai stated pointedly. "If not, she'll be showing before their marriage is announced, meaning people might question the child's legitimacy." She turned to Haruko and asked, "How far along is she?"

"Almost six weeks," Keiko answered.

"Are we even completely certain the child is his?" Reo pointed out. "As Fuka said, they're not married."

"All parties involved are completely certain the child is Kankuro's," Gaara answered for his brother stiffly.

"Then the marriage needs to happen within the month, so its legitimacy will not questioned," Mai stated, her tone business-like. The other Council members nodded along, mumbling their agreements.

Kankuro scoffed. "This is rich." He pointed a finger at his sister as he huffed, "When Temari was engaged, all you did was stall and demand delays. But now that it's me with a pregnant not-even-girlfriend, you want a marriage immediately."

"It's not called a shotgun wedding for nothing," Cordi commented, chuckling a little at her own joke. Again, the Council looked at her oddly. She pursed her lips, jutting a thumb over her shoulder as she said, "Weddings caused by pregnancy were called Shotgun Weddings … back home. That was because they happened faster than the father of the bride could pull the trigger of his shotgun to kill the man who knocked up his daughter." She pursed her lips awkwardly as the Council members stared her down.

Kankuro was the first to speak, clearing his throat before he said, "Cordelia, your world is really fascinating sometimes." His sarcasm was evident in his tone.

"Kankuro and Matsuri will be married by the end of the month," Temari assured the Council with an even, pursed smile. She looked to her brother, stating, "They can just go to the local Daimyo's office and get the paperwork done."

"Absolutely not."

"Not through the Courthouse."

"You can't do that."

All complaints were voice simultaneously by Mai, Bunta, and Fuka. Haruko nodded with them, her hands clasped over Matsuri's record folder. "Lord Kankuro is the oldest son of the Kazekage Clan, the previous Kazekage, and will be the first of you three to be married," Haruko pointed out. "It won't do to have this marriage swept under the rug behind closed doors. You each are public figures, meaning the ceremony needs to be publicly seen. By the end of the month, while also not appearing as if it's rushed. It needs to appear as if it's been in the works for a while. That way Matsuri's condition will be better hidden until she hits the twenty-week mark, when the pregnancy can be revealed publicly. That way, no one will question the legitimacy."

Kankuro, Gaara and Temari shared a look, clearly a little nervous about such a task until Cordelia piped up next to them, "Consider it done," in the tone of a Jonin accepting a C rank mission. Bored, done it a thousand times. The siblings turned to her aghast she'd agree to it so easily. She looked up to them blankly, then asked, "What? I've helped plan a wedding before." She held up a finger, then asked the Council, "Do ya'll also want an engagement party?"

Mai and Haruko shared a look, then nodded, saying, "It'd sell that this has been in the works longer than a few weeks."

"Cool," Cordi said, writing it down, then twirled her pencil between her fingers as she asked, "Then can we just use the Council room for that? That way we're not paying for two separate venues, or struggling on availability."

The Council members looked at each other affably, then Ebiso said, "I don't see why not."

"Cool," she said again, writing it down. "We'll get back with you on the dates by Friday."

The Council looked to Gaara and his siblings as Cordi made her notes. Gaara cleared his throat, then said, "We'll have it Friday." He looked around as he asked, "Anything else needing to be discuss?" The Council members talked amongst themselves, then shaking their heads affably. "Then dismissed," Gaara stated. Temari looked to her brothers, and jutted her head to a corner, clearly asking for an aside. Gaara nodded, and followed her over to the feet of the statues with Kankuro joining them, his head hanging low. Cordi walked over to them, standing off to the side so as to not look as if she were intruding. She saw Baki at his spot at the Council table, looking through his notes, also trying to seem inconspicuous as the Council members began vacating the room.

"Before we get into Kankuro," Temari started, turning to her youngest brother, "Is there anything going on between you and Cordelia? The comments we heard from Friday …"

Cordi saw Baki look up at her, a knowing glimmer in his gaze, his lips pressed together as if he were assessing her. She rolled her eyes, interjecting with the group, "If I may explain." Gaara and Temari turned to give her space in their huddle as Cordi said, "It's stupid really. See Friday morning, I challenged Gaara to a game of Chicken, but he didn't exactly get the game."

The siblings' brows furrowed, especially Gaara. "What's Chicken?" Temari asked.

"You know," Cordi stated with a shrug. "When you take turns touching each other more and more intimately until one of you gets uncomfortable. Whoever gets so uncomfortable they either blush or have to step away loses." The siblings were still confused, and she sighed. "Example, if Temari and I were playing Chicken, and I grabbed your boob-"

"I'd slap you," Temari said plainly.

"And you would lose," Cordi stated.

Kankuro tilted his head, looking at her as if she were demented. "That's ludicrous."

"Not the weirdest game she's told me about," Gaara stated plainly, deciding to roll with the story. "You should tell them about the one where you shout 'penis'."

Both Temari and Kankuro looked to Gaara as if he'd lost his mind as Cordi nodded. "The Penis game is a lot of fun. Especially in a crowded area, so older people start looking at you and your friends like you've gone legit insane."

"This is just a game you and your friends made up?" Temari asked incredulously.

"No, our whole school used to play it," Cordi stated. "Sometimes got the teachers to play too if you were on the right hallway." Temari looked aghast while Kankuro mouthed "What the fuck?" She rolled her eyes frustratedly, "See, it started in the Family Life, or Sex Education classes, and the teachers were trying to figure out how to get kids comfortable enough with the terminology so they wouldn't start giggling every five seconds and disrupt the class. So, first day of class, first chapter in the book is on male genitalia. So the Penis Game was introduced. Get the giggles out of our systems so they could continue with the lesson."

The siblings all gave varying looks of discomfort at the explanation. "Then … then is there a game yelling … lady bits?" Kankuro asked. Temari slapped the back of his head. "What?" he hissed.

"No," Cordi stated.

"Well, that hardly seems fair," Kankuro stated.

Cordi shrugged, "Well, penises are inherently funnier than vaginas." As soon as she said the medical terminology, Gaara winced and Kankuro visibly shuddered. Temari pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. Baki cleared his throat and walked out, which Cordi remarked with a wave to their old teacher, calling out, "Nice talking to you." Baki ignored her.

Kankuro rolled his eyes and scratched his eyebrow. "So, you and Cordi necking Friday morning was just a game?" he asked, still sounding very confused.

"Again, he didn't get the rules," Cordi stated.

"You didn't explain them to me until yesterday," Gaara said with a knowing smirk. She flashed a sneer at him, and he realized quickly something was off.

"Yeah, Gaara didn't realize he was starting another game when he kissed me," she stated with a bitter, forced smile. "So, in short, no, there's nothing going on between us."

Temari blinked at both Gaara and Cordi, then looking to Kankuro who only shrugged. "Alright then."

Cordi sighed, opening her notebook. "Now that that's out of the way, we need to start getting the wedding together. I need a date," she said.

"We've noticed," Kankuro joked.

Cordi scowled at him, then huffed, "For your wedding day! I need to talk to vendors immediately."

"I don't know! I haven't even asked her yet!" Kankuro sniped back.

"Then, you better ask her tonight," Cordi huffed. "Keep in mind, Saturdays are high in demand for events. Friday evening will be easier to book." She pulled out her phone and looked up the calendar and said, "Today's the twelfth, which is mid-August, so month's end might be out. And we've got to factor in rsvp return … Are you inviting anyone from Konoha?" she winced as she added, "Or further?"

Kankuro frowned, then murmured, "Possibly."

She set her jaw, then turned to Temari, "I'm going to need your help with this."

"Wherever you need me," Temari stated, accepting Cordi's leadership easily. It was clear in Cordi's tone earlier that she'd definitely had experience in this arena. While Temari had some experience, they never got around to booking anything thanks to the Council's stalling.

Cordi tongued her cheek as she looked at calendar, then said, "I think the sweet spot for us timing wise will be either September eleventh or twelfth. But obviously, the eleventh's out, so."

Kankuro frowned. "What's on the eleventh?"

She pursed her lips, then scratched her brow confused. "Right. Didn't happen here." She cleared her throat, frowning. "Matsuri will only be ten weeks, so still in first trimester, so it'll be easier to hide. Which gives us four and a half weeks." She turned to Gaara then asked, "What's our budget or sky's the limit?"

Gaara and Kankuro shared a look, then Gaara said, "One or two thousand shouldn't be an issue."

Temari and Cordi looked at him with wide eyes, then both broke out into peals of laughter. "Oh, brother, you are so funny sometimes," Temari chuckled as she wiped a tear from her eye. She turned to Cordi and said, "Men are really clueless when it comes to these things."

"Yeah, that's universal," Cordi chuckled. "So, Temari. Realistically, what's my budget?"

"Thirty to thirty-five," Temari stated. The men frowned at that answer as Temari stated, "Some vendors might try to high-ball you given the short turn-around."

"I'll make cuts where I can," Cordi stated. "Again, my Mom helped two of my aunts plan three of my cousins weddings the past 4 years. And that was the first thing I learned. Cut where you can by doing the work yourself. I can't count how many props I inventoried, invites I put together, or programs I folded, centerpieces I placed. And I only ushered two of those weddings."

"I can hear the experience," Temari stated. Kankuro nodded.

Gaara frowned at them, then said, "Thirty-five what? Ryo?"

Temari sighed at her brother, then said, "Thirty-five thousand."

"Thirty-five thousand?" Gaara balked. "That's absurd." That was three months total of Gaara's net pay, dropped in a month? Of course they had savings and inheritance from their father's estate to bridge any gaps, but still with the monthly penthouse payments, monthly estate taxes, and general living expenses they were going to be struggling.

"What's absurd is you're already saving ten thousand by having me plan this and an engagement party pro-bono," Cordi stated plainly. "In a month nonetheless." Temari nodded sagely with her statement. "So," Cordi chirped, "You do everything I say to the letter, and we can pull this off. Kankuro, you tell Matsuri to meet me here tomorrow morning, so we can meet with venues and caterers."

"What if she says no?" Kankuro asked. Cordi tilted her head at him, staring at him with an oddly psychotic smile. He shuddered as he mumbled, "Tomorrow morning. Got it."

"You also need to move out," Temari stated. "Find a house immediately."

Kankuro balked at his sister's addition. "What?"

"The Penthouse belongs to the Kazekage, which is Gaara, not you," Temari stated. "Matsuri already made it clear she wasn't comfortable moving in with all of us there."

"Well, tough shit," Kankuro scoffed.

"I second that," Gaara said. Kankuro looked at Gaara with an expression that Cordi could only describe with the line, "Et tu, Brute?" Gaara cleared his throat, then said, "You'll be newlyweds with a new child on the way. You should be in your own place."

"Exactly," Temari stated. "And you can't raise your child in Matsuri's dorm. I saw it this weekend. It's much too small." Kankuro made a face that agreed with that assessment. Gaara suppressed an eyeroll he hadn't seen Matsuri's duplicitousness sooner. Temari continued, "And with her going on maternity, it goes away anyway at the end of the month. Can't stay in the dorms if you aren't an active ninja."

Kankuro closed his eyes, dropping his head. He'd forgotten that part of the rule. "That's a stupid rule," he grumbled.

"Well, usually, a woman is married and living with her husband before she gets pregnant," Temari reasoned. "Ie, not living in the dorms anyway."

Gaara cleared his throat to stop the bickering before it got out of hand. "You could use Yashamaru's old house. It's entailed in the Kazekage estate. Just needs some cleaning, maybe new furnishing."

Kankuro and Temari nodded their agreement. "That could work," Temari sighed. "Gaara, you should take him to the house to check it out this afternoon, after he buys a ring. I'll hire some cleaners to get it ready to move in ready by next week," She chewed her cheek, turning to Cordi, "As for the wedding, I'll handle the guest list, invites, seating arrangement, and get the officiant."

"Right," Cordi said. The threw her hands up in a tilted "T" and said, "Pause." They frowned at her as she huffed, "I just realized. What exactly do your ceremonies look like?" Their expressions fell as she looked at each of them expectantly. "In our world, this comic is from Japan, which has two popular wedding ceremonies. There is their traditional Shinto wedding, which has the kimonos and the couple goes to a temple and drinks sake. I don't know that one. The other one, is the Christian wedding, which is the one I do know, since it's what's done where I'm from." She winced as she said, "They never showed a wedding on the show, so I'm completely in the dark."

The siblings blinked at each other. "Well, kimonos and the temple thing with the sake," Temari piped up, "that sounds like the Land of Fire, Konoha style wedding. Our weddings, woman wears a white dress and a veil while the men wear either suits or dress-coats. Unlike in Konoha where the ceremony is only visible to the bridal party, we stand in front of the hall with the officiant in front of the guests. Trade vows, trade rings. The officiant does binding wrap, and the couple drinks blessed wine instead of sake. Then they kiss and leave for the reception."

"Well, it starts when the bride walks in," Kankuro stated. "Usually to 'Here Comes the Bride,' which you probably don't know."

Cordelia's ears perked up at that like a dog that a whistle before she put her phone in her pocket and pulled out her musical device from her purse. "Hold on," she murmured as she scrolled through it, then asked, "Do you mean this song?"

An old organ sounded out the familiar chords of "Here Comes the Bride" sounding out, and the siblings looked at her shocked. "Yeah!" Temari said. "Wait, do you have that in your world."

"Yup," Cordi chirped, then scrolled again and asked, "And you leave to this one?" Again, they were shocked to hear the familiar chords of the regular processional, "The Wedding March."

"That's it exactly," Temari stated looking at her curiously.

"That's so weird, because ya'll don't even have Shakespeare," Cordi grumbled to herself.

That caused the siblings to frown. "What?" Kankuro asked.

"Ya'll don't have Shakespeare," Cordi said clarifyingly. It didn't clarify anything for them as they looked at each other confused. She held up the device as it continued to play, "This is Mendelssohn's Wedding March, which he wrote to score the final scene of Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream." She licked her lips, her eyebrows raising frustratedly, "But ya'll don't have Shakespeare, or Mendelssohn, so I'm just confused why ya'll use this piece? Why are those two songs interdimensional? They're complete shit and cliches." She ran her hands through her hair as she groaned, "Oh, I'm getting a headache."

The siblings looked at each other confused, then said, "Well, we don't have a … Shake-spear?" Temari more asked than said, blinking her own confusion away before continuing, "But the song was written for an old folk-tale, The Tanuki's Bride, about a Tanuki yokai who goes around tricking people in this village into getting married, so he can drink at the receptions, until they get angered and task a woman to seduce him. Authored by a man name Sheik Yari back five hundred years ago. They play only the beginning of the song whenever a couple gets tricked, and then when the Tanuki marries, it's played in full. Does that help?"

"Nope!" Cordi huffed as she turned off her device and dropped it in her purse, rubbing her head.

"But do you know what the ceremony is?" Kankuro asked a little more worriedly.

"Oh yeah," Cordi chirped, nodding her head. "It's the standard Christian ceremony, minus the scriptural reading, because ya'll don't have bibles here either, and the main religion is Ninshu. Which is also headache inducing, because ya'll don't have Christianity here, so why do you follow a Christian wedding?" She turned, grabbing Kankuro's Council chair, huffing, "I just need to sit down. I have so many questions now with no possible way to answer them. My head is hurting and my mind is blown." They silently stared at her struggling through a mental breakdown, seeing her fingers and hands shaking as she held her head and stared at the ground. "D-does the whole church - or hall – drink the wine?"

"Just the couple," Gaara answered.

She licked her lips, nodding a little manically. "So, not a full Communion. Got it."

"Communion?" Kankuro asked confused, eying her oddly. He looked to Temari and Gaara for clarification. Temari shrugged.

Gaara watched her carefully as she reached back into her purse and fished out a large white cannister which she popped open, pouring out two pills before knocking them back. "Are you alright?" he asked as she swallowed them wholly, dry.

"Only headache medicine," she murmured. "Just realizing my reality isn't real."

"Yeah, we have that whenever we talk to you," Kankuro stated annoyedly. "Or your friends." Cordi just scowled back at him, and he smirked.

"Kankuro, go get Matsuri's rings, and meet me back here as soon as you're done," Gaara directed. "I have some things I have to catch up on before I can take you to Yashamaru's." Then, Gaara turned to his sister, and said, "Go ahead and get the lists prepared. That way we can order invites tomorrow and have them prepped and sent out this weekend. And the cleaners." His siblings nodded, and left.

Gaara turned to Cordi, eyeing her a little worriedly as she let out a deep, heaving sigh. He stepped over to her and reached for her hand, which she snatched away. He frowned, hurt a little by it. "We should get to work," she sighed, getting up.

"Hey," he whispered as he reached for her wrist again.

And again she pulled away, her hand tightening into a fist as she hissed, "Don't."

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding as uncertain as a child. "It's just us. You can drop the façade."

"Façade!?" she scoffed bitterly. "There is no façade. I made a mistake. You told me half a story, so I gave my body to a lie. And since nobody else knows about it, we're going to pretend it never happened."

The aching pit in his gut deepened, starting to reach to his heart. He crossed his arms to hold himself together and stem the growing pain. "What are you saying?" When she didn't answer, he spat, "What happened to romantically playing for keeps?"

"Oh, what the Hell did I know!?" she snapped back at him bitterly. "Certainly not what you were feeling. You always keep that pretty tightly under wraps." He tried to hide his wincing at her accusatory tone. She licked her lips and looked away. She took a shuddering breath, then declared, "You didn't understand what I was asking of you relationship-wise, so I won't hold you to your word."

He flinched as his heart seized, realizing she was breaking up with him. Everything he'd worried about Sunday night. Every feeling hit him full force. He had finally found the key to intimacy, to everything he thought broken about himself, and she was leaving him. He stiffened his shoulders and looked down, having difficulty not showing the hurt and confusion in his gaze. He squeezed himself tighter as he hissed, "What about everything we did in Konoha?"

"What about Konoha?" she snipped back. "Nothing happened. Right?" The cold glare she leveled on him was hollowing.

He set jaw, gulping back the ache in throat. "If you call making love 'Nothing,' then yes. Nothing happened sixteen times," he sneered.

A tear slipped down her cheek, as she closed her eyes tightly. She took another stabilizing gasp before she said, "It will be so much easier on both of us if you'd just forget it ever happened."

He flinched at the coldness of her tone. "I don't want to," he said. "Cordi—"

"I'm not your rebound, Gaara!" she snarled at him, the glaring fire in her eyes feral and volatile. "I'm nobody's rebound. I deserve better than that," she finally stated, looking away, crossing her arms in a similar way he was. He saw then she was just trying to hold herself together like he was, and he didn't understand why she was hurting them both like this. She took another shuddering gasp as she painfully said, "If you'd been honest with me. If you'd told me exactly why you and Matsuri had broken up, and that was why you'd kissed me." She turned to him, her lips trembling and eyes shining with tears. "I never would have done it. I shouldn't have done it."

A tear slipped past Gaara's defenses before he declared. "Why not? I'm glad we did it. It was … amazing."

"Because it was just a cheap hook-up!" she howled, her tears flowing freely. "I was nothing more than a body for you to lie with. If I'd known, I would have never offered myself like that!" She covered her mouth as she took a sobbing gasp as she stepped back. He reached for her again, and she hissed, "Don't! Don't touch me!" She hissed at him, "You will never touch me again!" He pulled back, gulping down the pain he was feeling. Why did this hurt so much? She shook her head, pointing at him accusatorily and said, "I thought you were different than other guys, but you are just the same." She let out another sob, reaching for her mouth as she turned on her heel and fled. His sand reached for her, but her lightning sparked around her, causing his sand to fall.

As Gaara watched her leave the Council Room, it felt as if his heart stopped beating from the pain. Shakily, he reached for his chair and sat down. He leaned over the table, one hand in his hair holding his head up as his other hand clutched at his pained heart. Why did this hurt? It hurt so much more than Matsuri. What had he done wrong? What mis-step did he make between the spar with Shira and now? What did he miss? He didn't know how to defend himself against her accusations because they'd been true. He had used her. He'd thought they'd used each other. So why did hearing her say it hurt so much?

His heart panged, feeling as if she'd reached into his chest and pulled it out, still beating. He tightened his fist over his chest as he felt his eyes begin to burn with tears. "Damnit," he cursed out a sob as he let himself cry in the privacy of the Council Room.

---

The paperwork had been arduous, and Sakura had sent Rox home with a lot of medicine to help her heal. But she was going home. And Shikamaru was with her through all of it. She held onto the crook of his elbow as they made their way through Konoha in the late afternoon. He could hardly contain his smile at feeling her hand on his bicep. He hoped she didn't notice him flexing a little under her fingertips.

He helped her all the way up to her dorm. "I'm not an invalid, Shikamaru," Rox chuckled.

"No, but you are weaker than usual," he amended. "Watch your step," he added as they reached the landing.

"Shikamaru," she half admonished, half laughed.

"I know. I know," he grumbled. "Sorry."

She sighed as they got to the top, and Shikamaru straightened nervously. "Are you alright?" he asked, placing a comforting hand on her back.

As she caught her breath, she nodded and said, "Just … breathing … hurts my ribs."

Shikamaru pressed his lips into a nervous line, then said, "We need to get you back to bed and resting. I'll make you some dinner."

"You don't have to," Rox said.

"Troublesome woman, why are you fighting me?" he huffed, earning a giddy giggle from Rox. The sound made him smile. "You're my girlfriend, Rox, and I love you," Shikamaru pointed out. "I want to do this. So let me dote on you. Ok?" He kissed her forehead, and she blushed

They got into her dorm, and Shikamaru placed the flowers on her dresser, and then led her to the bed, easing her down. He kissed her softly on the lips. Just a little brush before he stood. "Now let me get these into some water, and let's see what you have to eat."

Rox blushed hard. "Oh, I really don't have that much," she said as he looked in the cabinets and found no vases. He settled on a cup, and used a kunai to cut the stems so they'd fit.

Shikamaru then perused her kitchenette for food, opening all of the cabinets as he muttered, "You know. I think this is my first time being in your dorm." As he finally found the cabinet she used for her pantry, he saw cans of soup, instant ramen, cheese crackers, cookies, chips, bread, and peanut butter, and noodles that looked as if they'd been opened once. He frowned, then looked in the fridge and noted just how desolate it looked. She had hot dogs and roast beef meat wise. Cheese slices with milk and butter. Strawberries and grapes. Baby carrots, broccoli florets and a jar of olives. The freezer had ice-cream and ice. "You have nothing that goes together," he stated with a frown.

"To be fair, I hardly have a kitchen to cook," she grumbled.

"Still," he sighed. "How on Earth do you live? You don't even have rice."

She pouted. "I've never been that good at making rice."

He frowned. "How? It's the easiest thing to make. You take some rice and some water, stick it in the rice cooker until it dings." As he looked around her kitchen, he frowned even more as he asked, "Where's your rice cooker?"

"Never had one?" Rox replied. She shrugged, fingering the edge of her blanket as she said, "I've seen rice cookers on Asian shows, but they aren't really an American staple in the kitchen."

"Weird," he murmured, scratching the back of his head as he tried to think of what he could do. "Well, tomorrow, I'm getting you a rice cooker and some rice. You need some basics in here." He pursed his lips thinking, then said, "I guess I can make you Poor Man's Ramen."

"So, instant ramen?" she filled in.

He shrugged as he grabbed the packs. "With some alterations." He grabbed the roast beef, carrots and broccoli and got to work. As the water boiled, Shikamaru cut up the carrots and broccoli, then the roast beef before pouring the water into each bowl over the noodles. Then he grabbed a skillet with a little oil, cooking the veggies first, and then searing the meat. He added the seasoning the water, stirring it in, then adding the cooked veggies. "Usually, I use edamame beans and spring onion. But since the only green veggie you had was broccoli, I figured I'd make do."

As he brought the bowls over, Rox was blushing hard, taking the bowl from him. "I can cook," she said. "I just don't have access to a lot of the ingredients I usually use. And with the kitchenette, well, it's a lot harder to cook the meals I used to. Not to mention just for myself."

"Like what?" Shikamaru asked as he dug in. It wasn't his best, but it wasn't bad. It was edible.

"Well, my Mom's from the South, so she taught us a lot of southern foods. Chicken and dumplings. Fried chicken. Cornbread. Grits. Biscuits. Gumbo, although I've never been a big fan. My grandaddy's green bean casserole. Collard greens. Pork tenderloin. Chili. Blackbean soup. French fries."

Shikamaru made a face and said, "I've heard of some of those foods."

She pursed her lips as she added, "All super fattening foods, but really good. And you need a full kitchen to do them." She shrugged as she added, "I also do a lot of baking. Cakes and pies. Cordi, Dad and I would have a cookie bake off around Christmas every year."

He raised a brow curiously at her. "Christmas?"

"Yeah. Pretty much all of December is the Christmas season, or Advent for us Christians," she explained. "Christmas day is December 25, celebrating the birth of Jesus, the son of God, mostly, but also the winter solstice. It's when 'Santa' brings presents for the kids, and everyone exchanges gifts, eats cookies, drinks hot cocoa, and listens to Christmas carols."

He made an odd face, then said, "That sounds like Rinne."

"Rinay?" Rox asked.

"Rinne," he corrected. "Originally it was a holiday remembering those who passed, but over the last couple hundred years, you give gifts to loved ones. Happens on the last full moon of the year. And there was a legend about a sage named Shorihito who gave every child in his village a present on Rinne. So, in honor of him, people dress up as him and give presents to children."

"Does Shorihito wear red and have flying reindeer?" Rox asked quickly.

Shikamaru tilted his head oddly. "Yeah. And sprites for toymakers?"

"We call them elves," Rox grinned. She beamed at him excitedly, then said, "I can't believe you have Christmas here. It was always my favorite holiday."

"Rinne was always one of mine too," he said happily. He chewed his cheek as he rested his chopsticks on the edge of his bowl. "I wonder what other holidays we kind of share."

Rox listed off the main seven or eight celebrated across the globe of their home world. Through their discussions, they found that only four coincided. Christmas and Rinne. New Years. Easter and the Sakura festival. And Thanksgiving and Kansha-Sai. "Cordi is going to be upset when she learns there's no Halloween," Rox commented before she took her last sips of the broth. "That was always her favorite."

Shikamaru took her bowl, and she muttered a small, "Thank you." She watched as he washed them, setting them on the small drying rack she'd bought her first day there.

He made his way back to the bed, sitting on it and looking her over. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Good," Rox chirped. "You've taken good care of me."

He smiled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear as he murmured, "Such a troublesome woman." Her heart skipped as he said it, her cheeks blushing hard. He leaned in and kissed her, starting slowly. His kiss was tender and loving. Soft and warm. He licked at her for entrance, and she let him in, deepening the kiss instantly. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

He shifted on the bed, finding a better position to sit so he could kiss her properly. She pulled him with her, letting him maneuver himself until he was propped over her, kissing her more and more desperately. She loved losing herself in his sensations. She felt him against her all the way up. His legs nudge her knees apart so he could nestle more comfortably against her hips. She gasped as he ground his hips against her. He sat up, pulling off his chunin vest before slamming his lips back on hers. Her hands clutched at his back as his fingers applied pressure to her hips before sliding under her shirt.

She shivered at his touch, feeling goosebumps rise along his finger's paths. She wasn't cold. His touch was bewitching and her skin came alive under his fingertips. "Shikamaru," she gasped against his lips.

"Yes, Rox," he groaned, nibbling on her lower lip.

"Am I troublesome?"

He licked his lips as he pulled away to look her deep in the eye. The way she looked at him, he got the distinct impression she derived some excitement out of it. He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers as he said, "Very troublesome." He lifted his hand to her face, his thumb running along her lower lip as he said, "Especially this lip. It's very plump and pouty. Very troublesome." He collapsed his lips on hers again, and inched his hand up.

She's wanted this for so long. Her fingers dove into his hair at the base of his skull. His hair was a little wirey, but soft. He reached up, untying his hair and letting it fall in a curtain around them. His fingers traveled back to their position on her ribs before traveling to her breast, palming it over her bra. "Padded?" he asked with a smile, nibling her lips as his hand traveled back and unhooked her bra.

She blushed as she muttered, "They're not that big." She sounded apologetic about the fact.

They worked together to pull it off her, and he palmed her bare breast completely under her shirt. Her breath hitched at the sensation, and she felt pleasure clenching in her core behind her bellybutton. He hummed against her lips as he squeezed the pound of flesh, his thumb rolling over her nipple as they hardened.

He kissed down her cheek, then her jawline. Then he pushed her shirt all the way up, exposing her chest, and she blushed. There wasn't much she was self-conscious about. But she'd grown up with Cordi, who had double D breasts and an hourglass figure, while Rox had inherited their mother's pear-shaped frame. She was petit and had a size zero waist, yes. But she knew her legs and ass were probably her best physical feature. Not her B cup breasts.

She knew Cordi was self-conscious about her weight and figure, but she never understood why. Rox was just as insecure when they'd go clothes shopping, and she and Cordi would share the changing room and discuss their sizes.

Momentarily, she thought Shikamaru would be disappointed, seeing them just sitting there. Instead, her nuzzled his face between them, kissing the mounds as he murmured against her skin, "They're beautiful." He pushed one breast up before bowing down and licking her nipple.

"Oh!" she gasped, feeling the sensation shoot through her body and find its home between her legs. Instinctually, she rolled her hips against his. She could feel his member through his pants, and it felt intoxicating.

As his mouth made love to her breast, his hand drifted down, reaching to her pants, fingering her elastic waistband. Her breath hitched as she felt her pants give, and his hand dove in. Then her panties did the same. He spread her lower lips easily with his thumb and middle finger, letting his index finger pet her dripping pussy all the way to the bud she didn't even realize existed. "Ah?" she gasped, somewhere between aroused, confused, and surprised as wind whipped up, tousling their hair.

His fingers were experienced lovers as he pet the path between the bud and her opening. She felt the clenching, harder than ever before. Her brain felt as if it was besieged by the sensations. "Stop!" she cried out, overwhelmed by all of it. He stopped, looking up at her. "Too much," she gasped. "Too much."

He pulled his hand out of her pants, then righted her t-shirt. "Alright," he breathed. "You need rest."

He stood up awkwardly, and she saw the odd bulge in his pants. He tracked her gaze, then muttered, "Excuse me."

He grabbed his chunin vest, and stepped into the bathroom. He was only in there a few seconds, so she figured he didn't relieve himself in there. He stepped out, his hair back up as he shrugged his vest back on, then made his way back to Rox, leaning over her and kissing her deeply. "I'll come back tomorrow. With groceries and stuff," he promised against her lips. He kissed her again, then left.

Rox practically melted in her bed as she tried to process the sensations Shikamaru had built in her. She blushed, putting her face in her hands at her embarrassment. Shikamaru was a gentleman, through and through. But she felt bad kicking him out when she did. But she knew if she didn't, things would go way past what she was ready for.

---

The sun had started to set over Konoha. The sun's dying light painting the sky in pastel hues of pink and orange. Ronnie headed home with take-home dinner in a brown paper bag. Fred was at work, and Lynne had developed one of her debilitating migraines. Apparently when Ronnie summoned rain like she did, fluctuating with the barometric pressure, Lynne's headaches would kick in, and she'd be down. Ronnie had gotten her a soup, hoping warm liquid would help her feel better. And it came with wontons, which were like crackers.

As she made her way to the final turn to the dorms, under a streetlamp, she saw him standing there, his hands in his pockets. She frowned, setting her jaw as everything that happened with Ino, and then Hinata, that afternoon. His face was the last thing she wanted to see, knowing he'd been talking about how they had slept together behind her back.

"Ronnie," he said, picking himself up. "I don't want to fight."

"Funny, because that looks exactly like what you want," she scoffed. She posted up on one leg as she huffed, "So what? Are you stalking me now?" She rolled her eyes as she tried to walk on, and Kiba fell in step with her. She didn't want to hurt him again. Kakashi had been clear the first time she assaulted him. Her friends would face punishment again. It wouldn't just be her.

Their shadows stretched in the setting sun as he said, "Ronnie, I'm not going to give up. I love you. If you want me to talk to Tamaki, I will. But just talk to me."

"I'm curious, Kiba," Ronnie spat, not even turning to him. "How many people did you tell about our one-night stand?"

He scoffed. "What one-night stand? Ronnie, if it was a one-night stand, it would have been one night. Not a month." He let out a bitter bark of a laugh. "Ronnie. I can't keep up with you. One moment you want me, and everything is wonderful. The next you hate me. The next you want me in your bed. Then you hate me again. Just be clear with me. Do you want me or not? Do you love me or not?"

"I want you to leave me alone," Ronnie said.

"But do you love me?" Kiba pressed.

"Kiba," she sighed frustratedly.

"Do you love me?"

When she didn't answer, he grabbed her forearm and spun her to face him. She only looked at him for a split second, and he could see it in her eyes. She knew he could see it. She did love him. He slammed his lips onto hers.

The kiss was passion and electric. His tongue pressed in against hers. Instinctually, hers pressed back. His kiss was everything in that moment. The only thing she could sense. He was the air she breathed. The world she resided in. The beat of her heart. The warmth of his lips pressed against hers was lifegiving and wonderful. His hand caressed her cheek as he held her there, and she couldn't help raising her free hand to his head, letting him kiss her deeper. His kiss was intoxicating.

It took her a minute to realize what was happening. To remember that despite his kiss, she was angry with him. The dinner she'd bought for Lynne grounded her back into reality as she gripped the bag with a fist.

Gaining her sanity back, she shoved him off her. They stared at each other for a moment, daring the other to move with their eyes focused on each other.

Then she slapped him.

He blinked in surprise. Wordlessly, she turned to leave, gripping the dinner she got for Lynne as she walked away.

---

Kankuro and Gaara stood outside the house Gaara grew up in. It was moderately sized. Two stories with a rounded front stoop and a walled off back patio. It sat on the corner of Twelfth Street and Futen Boulevard. It wasn't far from the ninja Academy, being only five or six blocks away. It was also fairly close to the hospital, being only five blocks away. Of course they were in opposite directions, the hospital being back down Twelfth back into town three blocks and then west two blocks on Second Ring Street, while the school was East on Futen Boulevard five blocks until turning in just before First Street.

The Northern end of Suna was steeper and built more into the cliff-face. So, while the house was just outside the second ring, it was still rather high on the hill, giving a good view down back into the town center.

Gaara stepped forward, pulling out his keys as he said, "Temari said the cleaning crew will come tomorrow, just to make sure it's kept in good shape." He unlocked the door, and they stepped in. Gaara couldn't help but feel as if the house had shrunk some since he'd last walked through that door. Otherwise it hadn't changed. This house had been entailed in the Kazekage Estate for decades, even though it had been completely unused for the past seven years, Gaara had held on to it. Unable to let everything from his past go, he reasoned.

As soon as they walked in, to the right were the stairs and a hallway to the living room where Yashamaru had taught Gaara about pain the evening he died. Just ahead, he saw the dining room where Yashamaru had eaten many meals with him. All the furniture was covered with white sheets to preserve them. Temari had helped with that when Gaara had moved out.

After Yashamaru died, Baki had assisted in making food, but he didn't usually eat with Gaara. Gaara looked to the corner of the dining room past the archway where Baki used to stand guard. It wasn't until Baki's fourth year in the position did he actually start to eat with Gaara, sharing some of his tastes with Gaara. Gaara's eyes flinched a little, seeing another forgotten memory as he looked around, and then another, and another. This house was just full of ghosts for him.

As Kankuro stepped up behind him, he sighed, "A bit small, huh?" breaking Gaara out of his reverie.

Gaara blinked hard, clearing the memories away, then said, "The dining room is through here. Of course you can keep all the furniture. The kitchen has two entries." He said as he led Kankuro through the dining room back to the kitchen. As they stepped into the small galley kitchen, he remembered a moment where Yashamaru had perched him next to the sink as Yashamaru peeled potatoes for soup. He also remembered a day when he was older. Baki was off that evening, since Gaara was considered "low risk" at the moment because it was a new moon, and Shukaku usually slept on new moons. So, he'd made himself microwave cheese dip with some chips. He'd been so impossibly lonely that night, and bored, he'd played with the idea of going out and scaring some villagers to teach his father that he was never "low risk," and especially not because it was a new moon. But he knew doing that would only draw more of his father's assassins. So he turned on the tv in his bedroom, and watched low-budget action movies with poor special effects and cheesy catch phrases where the best characters were the villains, or daytime television reruns.

Suna didn't get that many channels. There was the news channel, the children's programing channel, the action movie channel, the soap opera channel, the reality channel, the sitcom channel, and the shopping channel. He didn't watch the news, because his father was on it a lot. Baki liked soap operas, but Gaara didn't understand them at all. Most of them had decades of plot twists in their backbone Gaara did not have the time or patience to catch up with. Some sitcoms he was uncomfortable watching, so he avoided the comedy channel. He did like the reality channel in his younger, darker years. There was something about seeing people destroy their lives in a public fashion that made humanity disgusting to him. Nothing quite matched the depravity of humanity at its worst.

Gaara quickly cleared his throat as he pointed out, "Sink, stove, pantry. The fridge should still be in order." He pointed out the other kitchen entrance and stated, "To the left is the patio. To the right is the downstairs toilet and living room."

Kankuro walked around, nodding as he took it all in. He wiped his finger along the counter, picking up some dust with it. He then opened the fridge door as Gaara repeated, "Again, cleaning crew will be here tomorrow. And I'll get the power turned back on."

Kankuro walked out checking the backdoor closet, which held a broom, mop and a duster. On the shelf were jigsaw puzzles he used to put together with Yashamaru, and on the rack was Yashamaru's old apron. His old gardening clogs discarded underneath. Yashamaru liked to plant medicinal herbs, and when he was potting a new plant, he'd wear them to spare getting his shinobi sandals dirty. Gaara had forgotten they were there.

Kankuro'd brow furrowed looking at them, then he wordlessly shut the door. He only peeked at the back garden, which was full of dried-up plants Gaara could see. Although, the palm tree was doing well. Kankuro pursed his lips, then said, "Needs a fire pit and a few chairs," before turning back to the living room, which had two cutout windows into the hallway. Yashamaru used to hand him afternoon snacks through those windows while Gaara played in there with toy soldiers or his stuffed animals. The room was circular, with windows looking south into the village with a nice view of the horizon, and a circular window in the ceiling. He remembered Yashamaru calling it a Moon-door, even though currently it was streaming in sunlight. The rectangular purple rug still sat in the middle, and the only seating was the blue sofa under the cutout windows, now under a white sheet. There were several bookshelves, and on one near the southern side sat a small television. There was also an ancient marble game popular in the Land of Wind, where one jumped marbles to remove them from the board, in the hopes of removing all but one. Gaara remembered pulling it out sometimes when he was bored and trying to play down to one marble, only managing it a few times.

"Just the one sofa?" Kankuro asked.

"Yeah," Gaara breathed.

Kankuro nodded, then walked out. Gaara followed after him, seeing him quickly check the downstairs bathroom, then make his way upstairs. He went through each of the doors upstairs. It was technically a three-bedroom house, but the first bedroom was so small, Yashamaru used it for his study. Kankuro opened it first, looking around quickly, then declared, "I guess this will be my workshop."

Gaara frowned. "Workshop?"

"I have to tend my puppets somewhere," Kankuro reasoned. He pursed his lips in mild distaste as he added, "Although, it is a bit small."

Gaara gave a small eyeroll. "It'll do."

Kankuro shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like Salamander would take up the whole room. And that's only one …" Kankuro trailed off as his gaze found Gaara's annoyed expression, then said, "Eh. It'll do."

He then walked over across from the stairwell to the last three doors. "Which is…?" he asked, wagging a finger at the three doors.

"The first … was Yashamaru's. The one on the end was mine. The middle is the bathroom," Gaara answered.

Kankuro nodded, lips pursed as he considered each of the doors. "I guess let's check the bathroom," he grumbled walking to the middle door. He opened it to see a moderately sized bathroom. It had one sink with a mirror. Next to that was the toilet, then a simple shower and a bathtub at the end of the. There were old, dusty cream-colored candles half-used sitting on a shelf above the bath, just under the window-sill. Kankuro turned to Gaara with an amused expression. "Didn't take you for a candle-lit bubble-bath kind of guy."

"There's nothing better after killing a few assassins," Gaara replied sardonically. When Kankuro didn't say anything, only look at the bathtub nervously as if looking for blood-stains, Gaara clarified, "That was a joke. Yashamaru used to get migraines during monsoon season." He pointed to a sliding closet door opposite the shower, and added, "Linen closet and laundry in there."

Kankuro opened it up, seeing the stacked machines next to an old dusty shelf of towels that hadn't been used in years. "Nice," he said blandly. He let out a long huff of air as he closed the laundry closet, and looked around the bathroom one more time. Like the rest of the house, and similar to the penthouse, the walls were the sandy stucco color while the floor was polished concrete, even upstairs. Under the lights, it had a grey bronze look, and Kankuro mentally noted Matsuri would probably want more rugs.

He stepped out, going to Gaara's old room, saying, "And I guess this will be the nursery." He was clearly uncomfortable with the suggestion, but still opened the door seeing a good-sized bedroom with a closet. It was probably the only room without furniture, and Kankuro surmised it was because Gaara took his furniture to the penthouse those seven years ago.

As Kankuro stepped in, Gaara followed him, an odd feeling entering his heart as he looked at the empty space. It was slightly smaller than his room in the penthouse, but was definitely sizeable for a child. He remembered thinking it was huge when he was really young. Now he could see it was the perfect size for a child or two to grow up in. The large window in the corner had a balustrade fence over it, giving it the façade of a balcony. He remembered sneaking out that way when he wanted to escape to the roof. It was just a short, dangerous jump from the balustrade to Yashamaru's balcony which had a ladder up to the top where the air conditioning and ventilation was housed. It was where Gaara used to go when he didn't want to be found. Where Yashamaru had attacked him under his father's orders all those years ago. That night, when he'd released the Shukaku, all the other homes around it were destroyed, but Shukaku had left it untouched. Maybe because Shukaku knew it was his home, and preferred living in a house with his jinchuriki host rather than the dungeon they held the previous host. Gaara wasn't sure.

It was odd to think this room was going to his niece or nephew.

Kankuro nodded, and said, "This will work," before walking out to hallway. Gaara followed him out, unsettled as Kankuro rubbed his hands together saying, "Now for where the magic happens." Kankuro took a steadying breath before swinging open Yashamaru's room, which would now be Kankuro and Matsuri's room, Gaara corrected. Kankuro immediately sighed, "Oh, yes."

The room was much bigger than Gaara's old room, fitting a large bed, nightstands, a dresser with a tv across from them, and sitting area. There was a wide closet behind the door, and a balcony overlooking the back garden. There were several windows with thin curtains, lightening up the room significantly. Kankuro sat on the bed for a moment, taking in the splendor of the room, then frowned, commenting, "Gonna' need a new mattress. And the bed squeaks a little. But otherwise, it's perfect." He jumped up, stating, "I'll start moving in this weekend, and then we'll get Matsuri moved in the week after."

"Alright then," Gaara said. He pressed his lips together, then reached for the key and handed it to Kankuro as he said, "I guess this is your key now."

Kankuro gripped it tightly in his fist, and said, "Yup. I have a house," sounding oddly upbeat. He blinked for a second, then said, "Makes me feel a bit more like an adult."

Gaara looked at him askance as he asked, "Not becoming a father, though."

Kankuro winced a little as if to say not really. He then laughed as if it was of little importance. "Honestly, I'm mostly just excited to have sex in a Queen size bed," he explained. "I've only got a Full, but most of the women I've been with have only had Twins. Ugh."

Gaara pursed his lips, unsure exactly how to address that. He blinked his confusion away, deciding it was best to pose the question, "Can you even have sex while your wife is pregnant?"

Kankuro's smile fell. "Shit, I don't know." He grimaced as he said, "Oh that would make this so much more worse." Gaara raised an eyebrow at him, not really following. "Sex was going to be the only good part about us being married. If that's off the table for a year…" his grimace deepened to pure discomfort. "Oh, we'll be screwed. We have nothing in common other than being ninjas and having sex."

Gaara pressed his lips into a tight line, unsure how to comfort his brother. Kankuro had really gotten himself in a bad situation. There was nothing to do except face it.

Then Kankuro turned, his eyes falling on a clock and frowned. "Is that the time?" Gaara turned to see the clock read 4:00. It was a digital clock, so he wasn't sure. Kankuro reached into his pouch, pulling out a watch, then cursed. "If I'm going to propose tonight, I need to get over to Matsuri's dorm." His breath hitched as he turned to Gaara and asked, "Is it possible to have that cleaning crew come in this week? She'll probably want to see it."

Gaara nodded. "I'll have Cordelia get on it immediately."

"Thanks, bro," Kankuro said, before practically running out of the house. Kankuro tried to remember exactly where Matsuri had said where her dorm was. He'd only been the one time, when he'd taken her virginity four months ago. He remembered she was on the back side of the dorms at the corner of Tenth street and Second Ring. He passed three houses and the new apartments being built at the corner of Twelfth and Second Ring and turned towards the hospital. He didn't want to sprint and arrive breathless, so he walked along Second Ring, past the houses and offices.

He was well past the hospital, half-way down the market square's side along Second Ring, not two blocks away from her dorm when he saw her. "Matsuri?" he asked.

She looked up, blinking in surprise as she called back, "Kankuro," walking up to him. "What are you doing over here?"

Kankuro's breath caught in his throat for a second, not quite understanding his nerves. She wasn't dressed in anything outstanding and her hair was down as normal. She was wearing her usual pink dress with a beige poncho over her shoulders and thigh-high stockings with her Suna sandals, although these were a light brown, almost orange color. He licked his lips, then sputtered, "I was coming to see if you'd like to get dinner with me."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "It's only 4:15," she stated.

Kankuro smiled awkwardly, then said, "Well, I was going to make a reservation." He pursed his lips, then asked, "It looks like you're headed out though. So, if you've got plans –"

"Not for dinner," she said quickly, interrupting him.

"Oh," he said sheepishly, mentally berating himself for doing this last minute. "Well, if you're available tomor—"

"No," she chuckled at his error, "I'm just headed to the doctor right now. I can do dinner."

"Doctor?" Kankuro asked, his heart seizing with momentary fear. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, waving off his concern as if it were inconsequential. "Just going for my ultrasound now."

He frowned, confused. "I thought you said it was Friday."

"Oh, it was. But there was a scheduling conflict for the machine. They asked if I wouldn't mind rescheduling for 4:30," she explained, "Which I'm already running late for."

Kankuro huffed, looking to the ground momentarily, annoyed. "So, you were just going to go without me?"

Matsuri made a face, her lips tightening to a pinpoint, then scrunching her nose before she said, "I know you said you would go. Then Temari told me how you handled the news after I left—"

"Temari doesn't know shit," Kankuro huffed. "I promised I would be there."

Matsuri looked away, then said, "I only want you there if you want to be there. I don't want you to feel pressured."

Kankuro laughed as if what she said had no bearing on the situation. "I said I was going to go because I don't want you going through this alone."

"But I can if I have to," Matsuri stated.

Kankuro rolled his eyes, not wanting to argue. "You said you're running late. So let's go."

Matsuri closed her eyes and sighed frustratedly, "Look Kankuro."

He swept her bridal style into his arms, taking her by surprise as he shunshined back from where he'd come toward the hospital and the many medical buildings around it. General physicians offices and then some specialists offices. "Which one is the doctor's office?"

"Jari's practice is in that one," she pointed to a building attached to the back wing of the hospital. There was a bridge from the upper floor of the building to a middle floor in the hospital. "It's attached to the Labor and Delivery Ward."

Kankuro nodded landing swiftly in front of the building. "Made it in time," he announced.

He let her down, and she let out a begrudging, "Thanks," and dusted herself off.

He grit his teeth awkwardly, before saying, "Well, let's head in."

Matsuri looked askance at him, then walked in. She made her way to the elevator, hitting the up button and waiting. Kankuro stood next to her, noticing her grimace. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's just hot today." She placed her right hand over her womb and fanned with her left. "Sometimes it brings on the swirlies."

"You can lean on me if you need to," Kankuro offered.

She took a deep breath, and said, "I'll be fine."

The elevator dinged and opened. They stepped inside, Matsuri jabbing the button for the third floor. The elevator whisked them up then deposited them in a hallway with only two glass doors that said, "Sunagakure Women's Health Center: Obstetrics, Gynecology and Midwifery Specialists" listing the doctor's underneath, with Jari listed on top.

Matsuri walked in first, Kankuro walking closely behind her as she made her way to the front desk. "Matsuri for Jari. I have a 4:30."

The woman nodded, then handed Matsuri a sticker tag and a cup, stating, "Write your name on the slip, and give the lab a sample. Then return back here to fill out some paperwork."

Matsuri grabbed a pen, writing her name quickly on the slip, then deposited the pen in its holder and made her way to a door in the back. Kankuro followed her almost all the way there when she stopped, turning to him and asked, "Where are you going?"

He made a face, then said, "Following you to the lab?"

She shot him an awkward pursed smile, then whispered, "It's a urine sample. I'm going to the bathroom."

Kankuro blanched momentarily, then jutted his thumb over his shoulder and said, "I'll just find us a seat." They went their separate ways and Kankuro found two chairs available next to a rack of brochures. He looked around the office, seeing four women waiting, two of them with men. One of the alone women looked healthy and svelt. He decided she was in there for a check-up, not pregnant. The other alone woman was decidedly pregnant, her belly swollen to the clearly last couple months of her term. She was reading a book titled, "He's Gone, Now What? Tips and Tricks for Single-Motherhood." She looked up, her gaze meeting his just before he looked away, musing about the existence of such a book.

He looked at the brochure rack, snagging a brochure with the picture of a uterus on it. The title on it read, "Understanding Endometriosis" and as Kankuro read the brochure with growing disgust, he realized he did not want to "understand endometriosis." He folded it back up and put it back on the brochure rack as the woman across from him stood, taking her paperwork to the front desk. Her partner leaned toward Kankuro and said, "Reading from the brochures here is a rookie mistake. Bring your own reading material next time."

"Noted," Kankuro grumbled. He pointed to the woman turning in her paperwork, and asked, "Your wife also pregnant?"

The man laughed. "No, quite the opposite." Kankuro frowned, and the man said in a hushed voice, "She delivered our second two months ago."

"Congratulations," Kankuro offered, feeling a little awkward.

"Thanks," the man said, shrugging it off.

Kankuro made a face, then asked, "But doesn't that mean she'd be done with her visits?"

The man nodded awkwardly, as if deciding on something. "She had to have an episiotomy or something during delivery, so she's getting her stitches checked." Kankuro grimaced, not sure what an episiotomy was, but also fairly certain he didn't want to know. The man smirked, adding, "Essentially, we're just here to get the go ahead to return to Pound-town, because it has been too long." Kankuro was a little uncomfortable with so much information thrown at him, but the man only winked at him in a friendly manner, adding, "You'll understand in a year."

Kankuro nodded blandly, then said, "That's what I'm afraid of."

A nurse came out and called a name Kankuro didn't recognize, to which the woman raised her hand, then waved at her husband to join her. As the man got up, Kankuro found himself saying, "Good luck."

The man nodded, replying, "Yeah, you too."

Kankuro, deciding not to pick up another brochure or people watch, resorted to picking his nails as he waited for Matsuri. She returned shortly after, sitting next to Kankuro with a clipboard full of paperwork. Silently, she began filling out her paperwork, occasionally muttering to herself the answers as she wrote them down. There was a page of only pregnancy symptoms, each scaled one to five. One being non-existent, and five being unbearable. As Kankuro looked over, he noticed quite a bit of fours, which meant bad but manageable. Morning Sickness. Cravings. Fatigue. Breast Sensitivity. Increased Urination. Cramping. Headaches. Dizziness. Nasal Congestion.

Most of those just sounded like the flu. "Being pregnant does not sound fun," Kankuro remarked under his breath.

Matsuri looked at him pointedly, then said, "No shit." She flipped to the next page, and frowned. "Father's medical history."

"None. I'm perfectly healthy," he stated.

She rolled her eyes as she began filling out what she knew, like his name and age. "Blood type?" She asked.

"B negative," he answered.

She made a face, then said, "That explains some things," before marking it down.

He frowned at her, then huffed, "Ketsueki-gata is bullshit pseudoscience. I suppose next you're going to say my being born May fifteenth affects my personality, too."

Matsuri shrugged as she wrote down May 15, 1987, for his birthdate. "Tauruses are known to be extravagant and social beings. And very quick to anger. Does that not describe you?"

Kankuro scowled at her, not wanting to play into her argument, which would only prove her point.

She tapped her pen to her chin as she added, "Also, given the year, you're a rabbit, meaning you're gentle, sensitive, compassionate, and merciful. But you also communicate with others through jokes or humor." She looked at him pointedly, but he only looked away. She shrugged, adding, "Since I'm an Aries and a ram, compatibility wise, our sex-life will be great, but our general communication will be shit if we can't build trust."

Kankuro rolled his eyes and accused, "You looked us up, didn't you?" She pursed her lips, and Kankuro scoffed.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "We are having a child together," as if that alone was reason enough to check their horoscopes to see if their stars aligned. She sighed, then asked, "Any genetic issues I should list in your family?"

He shook his head. She narrowed her eyes on him, as if not really believing his answer. He shrugged, "Maybe some mental illness. But most of us die too young to share specific details."

Matsuri frowned, grumbling, "Well, that's optimistic."

The door opened, and the nurse called out, "Matsuri?"

Matsuri waved, and said, "I just have to sign this." She signed and dated the final page, and stood, dropped the clipboard at the front desk, then followed the nurse back, Kankuro walking with her. The nurse took her to a room next to what looked like a miniature laboratory. They took her weight, then blood pressure. The nurse handed her a sheet, then said, "After the ultrasound, hand this to the lab attendant, and they'll take a blood sample."

"Blood sample?" Kankuro scoffed. "You already got a urine sample."

The nurse chuckled at his cluelessness. "They measure two different hormones that are crucial for fetal development in the first trimester. Urine is for the human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG. And the blood is for the progesterone. We want to make sure both are at a good level."

Kankuro understood none of that, and let out a small, "Oh."

The nurse led them to another door and bent under the counter to retrieve a hospital gown, handing it to Matsuri. The nurse pointed to a changing room in the corner, and said, "Change in there and then sit on the table. Dr. Jari will be with you in a few moments." Then she left.

Matsuri went into the changing room, leaving Kankuro in the observation room alone. He saw the ultrasound machine in the corner. Easy to pick out because it was the only screen in the room. On the counter was a scientific model of how a full-term baby sat in a woman's womb. Kankuro looked at it with a mixture of wonder and concern. The vagina looked so small in comparison. Of course a woman's body was designed to deliver a child, but if he were a woman, he wouldn't do that more than once if at all. He placed his fingers around the baby's head to measure it, but he hadn't realized the model had removable parts, and the baby was sat precariously inside. At his slightest touch, it slipped out of the uterus and onto the floor in a clatter. "Oh shit," he cursed.

"What on Earth are you doing!?" Matsuri snapped from inside the changing room.

"Nothing," Kankuro answered, grabbing the plastic baby. "Just dropped the baby."

Matsuri let out a tired growl, then said, "Can you keep your hands to yourself for five minutes?"

He rolled his eyes at her, and tried to get the baby back in the uterus, only for it to slip back out again and clatter on the floor. "Slippery shit."

"Kankuro!" Matsuri snapped. "Just leave the baby alone!"

Kankuro sighed, and placed the baby next to the model as Matsuri walked out in nothing but her stockings and the hospital gown. She made her way to the table, sitting uncomfortably on the edge, placing the pillow behind her to cover her backside some.

Kankuro tilted his head, seeing the stirrups at the end of the table. "Are these any comfortable?" he asked.

Matsuri made a weird face, then said, "When they're in the right position."

Kankuro nodded. "Be really helpful for sex, y'know?" he said, shooting her a sly look, "Install them on the bed, so I'm not having to hold your legs up, and you don't get tired."

"We are not putting stirrups on either of our beds," she said with finality.

"We could uninstall them when we're done with them for the evening. Or hide them away under the bed slats."

"We. Are. Not. Putting stirrups. On either. Of our beds," she repeated with more finality.

Kankuro smirked at her, then said, "You're just mad you didn't think of it first."

Matsuri just rolled her eyes, hard.

Before Kankuro could make another joke, the door opened, and in walked a doctor around Kankuro's age. When Kankuro narrowed his gaze on the doctor, he realized he did recognize him. "Jari?" He knew the doctor's name was Jari, but he hadn't put together it was his old classmate from the academy.

Jari looked at Kankuro with wide-eyed surprise, and said, "Lord Kankuro," with equal recognition and disbelief. He scoffed as he said, "Wow, what a surprise. I never thought you'd settle down."

Kankuro smiled uneasily.

Jari leaned to the side to see Matsuri, and asked, "And how's Mama doing? Nurse said you've gone down kilo and a half. Morning sickness still bad?" That made Kankuro look at Matsuri worried. A full kilo and a half in a week?

Matsuri nodded. "Morning and evening. It'd be nice if it could tell time," she remarked.

Jari nodded sympathetically. "Yeah. Try keeping some crackers or light snacks next to your bed when you sleep, so when you wake up in the middle of the night, you have a little something to eat. Morning sickness is often caused by a drop in blood sugar if it's not a hormone spike. And try and relax as much as you can. Stress can make it worse."

"Mhm," Matsuri grunted, as if she'd figured that much already, but that she also knew stress wasn't something she could really avoid in the immediate future.

"Well, good news," Jari said holding his clipboard up to apprise them of what tests had been run, "We got your progesterone levels from last week. They're exemplary. You were at 17 last week at the five-week mark. Of course we still want to check this time to make sure we're still seeing that up-tick. We also typed your blood last week. You're A pos, which is good, because we don't have to worry about rh factor issues with positives. But your new paperwork today did say Daddy is B neg." He shrugged as if it were inconsequential, holding his clipboard behind his back as he said, "Which means baby might just have a slight case of jaundice when he's born. Nothing a little sunshine can't fix."

The doctor then looked between Matsuri and Kankuro with an eager smile, and asked, "You ready to see him?"

Matsuri nodded excitedly, while Kankuro chirped, "Yeah."

Jari set the clipboard down on the counter, and frowned seeing the baby outside of the womb model. He pointed at it curiously, and Kankuro coughed. "Yeah, I had a mishap measuring the head. It just slipped right out."

Jari pursed his lips, then turned to Matsuri with a clever smile twinkling in his eyes as he said, "Well, let's hope when the time comes, your delivery comes just as smoothly." Jari then pulled the machine closer, and directed Matsuri to put her feet in the stirrups. She did as told as Jari flipped a switch on the side, turning it on. He then reached under the counter for some gel or lubricant and grabbed a slightly phallus shaped wand attached to the machine by a chord.

Kankuro frowned as the doctor applied the jelly lubricant to the wand. "Ehm. Isn't this a … a belly thing?"

Jari made a face, as if considering the question, then said, "Not until fifteen weeks."

Matsuri remained silent, watching as Jari finished applying the lubricant, but reached for Kankuro's hand nervously. Kankuro continued to look confused as he asked, "So, you just stick it up there?"

Jari blinked at him. "Yes." When Kankuro continued to look confused by Jari's answer, the doctor looked to Matsuri and said, "This is going to be a little cold. Are you ready?"

Matsuri bit the insides of her lips, only giving a nod as her answer. Jari lowered the wand, and pushed it in. Matsuri squeezed Kankuro's hand at the invasion. Kankuro squeezed her hand back, very confused by everything happening in the moment.

As Jari placed a hand over Matsuri's womb, possibly to guide the wand, Kankuro continued his questioning, "I was under the impression nothing was supposed to go up there during pregnancy."

Jari laughed, and then asked, "Are you asking if it's ok to continue having sex during pregnancy?"

Kankuro pursed his lips, then decided it was best to be blunt. "Yes, I am."

"If you're both consenting adults, sex can be very healthy for pregnancy," he answered. "Sex as well as Kegels, which you should already be doing daily reps of, Matsuri, works out muscles used during delivery. It only gets tricky after fourteen weeks, because due to the bump, most positions are out, like missionary without assistance."

Kankuro tilted his head at that. "Missionary is banned after fourteen weeks."

Jari nodded. "It's unsafe for the mother to lie flat on her back, because the bump will cut off circulation to the femoral artery. I'd suggest getting a Kama Sutra at the beginning of the second trimester if you want to continue sexual activities. Most couples do, because heightened libido is a frequent symptom in the second trimester. I know there are several Kama Sutras for just pregnancy positions alone."

Kankuro nodded, looking forward to buying one now. "Thank you," he said. Kankuro leaned towards Matsuri and whispered, "We can still have sex."

Matsuri licked her lips uncomfortably before grunting, "Uh-huh."

Jari hit some buttons on the machine, and it came to life with a weird, underwater whirring sound. "We're in position now. So we should be seeing something shortly."

Jari twisted the wand around, and Matsuri winced. "You ok?" Kankuro asked.

"Just feels very weird," Matsuri stated.

Her discomfort immediately dissipated when Jari said, "Found him." They looked to the screen, seeing a black oblong shape surrounded by snow, and in the black shape was a white mass in the shape of a peanut. He used his cursor to draw a circle around the peanut, and it automatically labeled the circle, "Baby." "And there he is," Jari said.

Matsuri squeezed Kankuro's hand, her breath hitching.

Jari continued, taking some measurements with his cursor, which then calculated exact age of the fetus. "According to measurements, you're right around six weeks, which is good. That means we can do this," he said, hitting a few buttons on the machine.

Then the room filled with a sound that caused Kankuro's hand to slacken as he momentarily forgot how to breath. It was a heartbeat. His child's heartbeat. Strong and loud, pounding into the machine. And in that moment, Kankuro felt his world shift beneath him. Now nothing was so important, nor even close to as important as that little heartbeat.

Jari smiled at both parents, staring at the screen in wonder as he stopped the heartbeat sensor, and pulled the wand out, leaving the last image on the screen. "I'll go make some prints for you," he stated, leaving the parents in their wonder-filled stupor.

Kankuro and Matsuri stared at the screen in silence for a long time before Matsuri sobbed happily, "He's real."

Kankuro laughed softly in agreement. "He's real."

She squeezed his hand and looked at him, tears in her eyes, just as he felt tears stinging his eyes. She leaned up and kissed him softly. Just a gentle peck on the lips. "Thank you," she said.

This is it! the back of his mind called out. This is when you ask.

Kankuro took a deep breath, reaching to his pocket for the engagement ring he bought as he dropped to one knee. He could feel Matsuri's confusion in her stare as Kankuro started speaking. Not the words he'd been mulling over for the better part of the afternoon, or even when he decided to own up to his mistake and marry her that morning. No. The words he spoke came directly from his heart.

"Matsuri. I know everything between us leading up to this point has been rather unconventional. I mean we've never been on a real date. But I've always cared about you. Always felt a drive to protect you. I know it's not much, and I know it's not quite love. But whatever it is, it's made something wonderful. And I want to do right by my child and you." He let out a sigh, pulling the ring out as he said, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want you to marry me."

She looked at him tenderly, with a glimmer of sadness in her eye. "Ok," she answered.

Kankuro's heart skipped a beat at her answer, dismissing the look in her eye as sentimental hormones. He stood up and placed the diamond ring on her finger, then pulled her in for a kiss. A real one.

He was getting married. It wasn't going to be a perfect marriage, he knew. Sex hardly held people together long. But he'd been honest about caring for her and wanting to protect her. Maybe that was enough. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be manageable. And he could work with manageable.

---

AN: While writing this chapter, of course I did some zodiac look-up for the pairings, which was fun. For the most part, they don't apply to any of the relationships, except Matsuri's who believes in them. Because everything compatibility wise between Matsuri and Gaara was generally in the toilet. And as for sexual compatibility it read, "Unfortunately, Capricorn partner will lose their energy and the need to participate in this sort of sexual behavior by that time. This will ultimately lead to their separation, for there is nothing light or easy with these two, especially when it comes to intimate matters." Generally meaning Aries partner wants it, but Capricorn not so much, at least not with Aries unless there is serious attraction between them already, which we all know there wasn't. So, I could not explain what happened between them better, and I didn't even plan for their relationship to apply this sort of way. Especially when I picked her birthday at random when I first started rewriting, because the whole Gaara's first kiss with Cordi scene was one of the first excerpts I wrote back in 2019. Also, because it's not listed, and I just knew it needed to be around March, or things would be weird with Kankuro being 21/22 and her being not yet 18 when their FWB situation started.

Honestly, I was less worried about it with Gaara and Cordi, because legal-wise, their age is within the legal grace-period for most states. By that, I mean, 18 is still the legal age of consent, but it's not considered statutory rape if the couple is within 2-3 years in age in about half the states, with 2 states having 5 years, which seems excessive but... (shrugs). However, the other half of the states that have no acceptable age clause and just a strict age of consent cut-off are generally at either 16 or 17, with only 7 states being hard cut-offs at 18. So, generally speaking, Cordi being 17 and Gaara being 20, in 43/50 states, it's completely legal and within the age gap clause (44 if you count DC). Whereas for Kankuro being 21/22 and Matsuri being 17, would only be legal in 39/50 (40 if you count DC), but some of those it's outside the acceptable age gap, which could still be legally problematic in 23 of those 39 states, making it truly undeniably only legal in 16 states. I did not throw in Utah into most of these averages, because while their age of consent is 18, there's a 10 YEAR AGE GAP ACCEPTABILITY!? Which is a definite questionable outlier in comparison. Just EW!… The more you know. (Before I get comments saying, "Age is just a number" let me clarify. An 18 year old dating a 28 year old is fine. Might go against the social dating equation, but is still fine. But the way Utah's law is written, a 23 year old can be with a 13 year old, or a 19 year old with a 9 year old, which is so gross. But also sadly not surprising given Utah is where all the polygamy cults are in control of large areas of the state. For more information, watch Escaping Polygamy, which goes in more detail on that.)

BUT! Fun thing I learned if anyone's curious or really into zodiacs. Gaara might not be a full-blown Capricorn. He was born on a shifting day, and depending on the year and time of day, he could actually be an Aquarius. For anyone who lives their lives by the zodiacs, put that into your calculations. Maybe ask Kishimoto what time of day he was born.

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