Day 3 of the second month
First year of the Great Peace
From Gaara Sunake, Fifth Kazekage of Suna
To the Council of Kumo

Please receive the requested shipment of brick for the rebuild of the village. We hope it will be restored to its former glory soon.

 ***

Sasuke stared at the small gravestone in front of him. He wasn’t sure how long he had been standing here, but the sun was already setting. The hot desert day made room for the much cooler night and a breeze ruffled his hair.

It was quiet here, a corner of the village, a little walk away from the town’s center. No one would bother him here, not even Taryn who was probably inside the house.
They had arrived in Suna three weeks ago, but it already seemed like a lifetime.
Sasuke gritted his teeth. His eyes moved towards the rock wall behind the grave. A hitai-ate with the Konoha symbol dangled from a kunai dagger, catching and reflecting the last sunbeams of the day. It was a silent reminder of his brother’s sacrifice.
He still didn’t like it much to be confined to Suna, but after three weeks of fighting, he had decided to accept it. That didn’t mean he was going to be nice. He still didn’t like Taryn. That was something that would likely never change. But her child was another matter. It was his brother’s child, his only family. It was worth it.

***

“Are you sure we have everything?”
Daro looked at the nervous girl walking beside him. He shifted the bag in his arms. “Don’t worry. I double-checked. And my mom put in some extra stuff.”
Kuro chuckled softy. “Don’t worry Casey, Sensei doesn’t really care about things like that.” He looked ahead at the two storey house down the road. The Kazekage had it build for his sister so the villagers wouldn’t run into Sasuke Uchiha all the time. It was for the best, but he didn’t like it that she was so isolated. Kuro didn’t trust Sasuke at all and neither did his friends.
“I feel kinda nervous,” Casey whispered. She only knew Taryn by reputation and not all of it was good.
“Don’t be,” Daro assured her, “Taryn-sensei is really great. You’ll like her.”
“Too bad Hiro-kun couldn’t come with us,” Casey said, “I hope he’ll be better soon.”
“The medics told him to take rest. The journey home from Lighting Country took a toll on him, but he’ll be fine, you’ll see.” He pushed against the fence around the garden and let Casey through.
He glared at the male in the garden, but Sasuke had his back towards him.
A hand fell on Daro’s shoulder. “Don’t start anything,” Kuro whispered, “he hasn’t bothered anyone since he arrived.”
“Yet,” Daro muttered.
“Hey,” Taryn’s voice greeted them, “what brings you here?”
Daro whipped around startled, almost dropping the groceries he was carrying.
Kuro chuckled softly. “What was that?”
“Shut up,” Daro muttered.
Casey bowed at Taryn. “Taryn-sama.”
Taryn nodded at her. “You must be Casey.”
Casey gave a shy nod.
“We came to drop off some groceries,” Kuro spoke.
“Yeah,” Daro agreed. His face was still a bit flustered.
“Right,” Taryn said skeptically, “well, come in then.”
The three followed her into the kitchen. “Didn’t Hiro come with you?” Taryn asked.
Daro shook his head. “No, the medics told him to get a lot of rest, so now his mother won’t let him out of the house.”
Taryn bit her lip to keep from laughing. She had met Hiro’s mother. There was no chance of him sneaking away as long as she was watching him.
“Let me do that sensei,” Kuro said when Taryn started unpacking.
“I’m pregnant,” Taryn said, “ not made of glass,”  But she allowed Kuro to take over. Together with Casey he stored everything in the cupboard.
“My mother told me to give you these,” Daro said awkwardly. He handed Taryn a bag.
Taryn curiously unpacked it. A baby blanket and some baby socks came out. “They’re vey nice,” she said, “tell your mother I said thanks.”
Daro nodded solemnly.
Taryn smiled and gave him a one armed hug. “Casey seems nice,” she said.
Daro’s cheeks turned red. “I guess,” he muttered embarrassed. He took a deep breath and looked at Taryn hesitantly. “Are you alright, sensei? I mean…”
Taryn smiled at him, but before she could say anything Sasuke entered the house. He didn’t look at anyone as he made for his room.
“Are you hungry yet?” Taryn asked him, “I’ll make some dinner.”
Sasuke didn’t respond and just walked on.
“Hey!” Daro shouted at his retreating back, “she’s talking to you!”
“Leave it Daro,” Taryn said. She was used to Sasuke’s behavior. In all the time they’d been in Suna, he’d barely spoken more than three words to her. All she received was grunting and scoffing.
Sasuke sneered at Daro and slammed the door to his room.
“Why do you let him treat you like that?” Daro glared at the door, “he should be grateful that you saved his ass. If it hadn’t been for you, he’d have been executed.”
“Leave him alone,” Taryn said. She rested a hand on the boy’s head. “so what have you been up to?”
“I’m helping my parents with the shop,” Daro answered, “it’s been real busy.”
Taryn nodded. “I’m sure it is.” She looked at Kuro. “How about you? It must be busy with all the messages going back and forth between the nations.”
Kuro nodded. “It is, Kirigakure has even asked to send some newly trained messenger birds over to them, since they know Suna has the best hawks of all shinobi villages.”
“Kuro-kun has been helping with the training,” Casey chimed in.
“Really?” Taryn asked.
Kuro looked down shyly. “My dad is teaching me.”
“That’s good Kuro. There probably won’t be any missions for a while. You’ll need something to keep you busy.”
“I know.”
“But remember to keep training. You’re Chuunin now and even though we’re at peace now, it won’t last.”
“Yes sensei… I mean… “ He looked unsure.
Taryn smiled. “Sensei is fine.”
“We have to go,” Daro said, “are you sure you’re okay? Do you need anything?”
Taryn laughed softly. “I’m alright. Thank you for checking on me.”
“We’ll be back tomorrow,” Daro said a little louder than necessary.
“If you come early,” Taryn said, ignoring the threat Daro had directed at Sasuke, “we can have lunch together.” She smiled at Casey. “Will you come too?”
Casey stared at her stunned. “I .. I would be honored, Taryn-sama.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

 ***

From Kakashi Hatake, Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure
To Gaara Sunake, Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure 

Thank you for informing me that Taryn has arrived safe and sound in Suna.
Please continue to keep me informed about her whereabouts since I know she won’t write to me herself.

Be informed about the changes I’ve made to the council of Konoha. Homura and Koharu have been relieved from their duties and I have installed Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka as my new advisors.

The village is slowly being rebuild, but it will be a while before everything is back to normal.

Our medical staff continues to examine the criminal Juugo of Tempin. They are getting closer to the solution of his condition. I have included the results for you.

Also find a letter from Neji Hyuuga, addressed to Taryn. Please be so kind to deliver it and to wish her my best.

***

“It doesn’t look too bad,” Gai grinned. He slapped his friend on the shoulder.
Kakashi sighed. “That’s all I need, my face the size of a building on a rock wall.”
Gai wrapped an arm around Kakashi’s shoulder. “You can’t temper with tradition, Kakashi. And you’re Hokage now. A hundred years from now, they will see this face and say: ‘That was the best friend of Might Gai, the incredible.’”
Kakashi shifted his eyes towards his friend. “Yeah, that’ll happen.” He pushed Gai’s arm off and walked back inside. There was an armload of paperwork waiting for him… and Naruto.
Kakashi sighed. “Naruto, shouldn’t you be helping Yamato rebuild the Academy?”
“Yeah,” Naruto said, “but I just wanted to see if there was any news on Sasuke.”
“I already told you they arrived in Suna.”
“But that was a month ago!” Naruto complained.
Kakashi sighed. “Naruto, you were here yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that. If there was anything important, I’m sure Gaara would let us know.”
“But don’t you want to know?! How about Taryn?! Don’t you care about her?!”
Kakashi sighed. “Taryn wants to be left alone for now. I have to respect that. Ad so should you. Go back to your job, Naruto. If any news comes in, I will let you know, okay?” He sighed again when Naruto didn’t move. “Listen, look at it this way. If we don’t receive any news, then everything is okay. It means Sasuke hasn’t broken the conditions of the contract.”
Naruto looked down. “I suppose.”
Kakashi nodded. “Good. Now go back to Yamato. I promise, when I hear anything, you’ll be the first to know.”

***

She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting here, staring at the gravestone, but it had been a while. She always felt calm here.
Her arms moved around her belly. It was so round now that she could barely walk. When Sasuke had noticed, he had put a bench at the grave for her to sit on. It had made her smile. He was capable of doing nice things if he wanted to, even if he had only scoffed when she had thanked him.

Taryn sighed sadly. She still missed Itachi. He would never see his child grow up.
Her students visited every day and her siblings dropped by frequently. Whenever they were around, Sasuke locked himself in his room. It would take a lot of time before he would drop that wall around him.
Taryn sighed again and looked at the scroll beside her. Gaara had dropped it off personally, earlier this day, but she hadn’t opened it yet. She felt guilty. In all the time she had been in Suna, she hadn’t once contacted anyone in Konoha.
Hesitantly her hands unrolled the letter.

 Dear cousin,

I’m glad to hear you have arrived in Suna. I still think it was a mistake to take Sasuke with you, but I respect your decision.

Life in Konoha is lowly returning to normal. We’re all busy rebuilding the village.

Kakashi has replaced the entire council. His new advisors are Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka.
Root has been disbanded as well. Its recruits have been offered new positions.

You’ll be glad to know that Hinata has forgiven you. I have spoken with her and even though she does not understand, she knows it’s not your fault that her father died. Though I would advise you to not let her anywhere near Sasuke. I’m afraid her forgiveness doesn’t stretch that far.

Taryn let out a sigh. She was glad that Hinata didn’t hate her anymore. She had always liked the shy Hyuuga girl.
She bit her lip at the sting in her stomach. Her body had been sore all day. That was one thing she wouldn’t miss.

Taryn, I know you want some time for yourself, but I hope you will write.
Take care of yourself and make sure to keep that stupid Uchiha in check.

 Neji.

Taryn sighed and shook her head. Everyone was so set on the idea that Sasuke would harm her or start another war. If only they knew.
She rolled up the letter and turned to the gravestone again. ‘This child will know the truth someday, Itachi. I will not lie to my own child.’
She sighed and stood up. A rush of pain shot through her and something warm drizzled down her leg.
She looked down and closed her eyes.
‘Damn.’

AN Please check out my new story Clash of the Brats.It's a colab with Amaterasu and includes more Taryn and her students :) The first chapter was just posted. I would really appreciate some feedback :)