Don't bitch at me about this chapter. Labour can be anything from half an hour to a few days. So yh. Kaien's in for a tough time.

- - -

I was now thirty four weeks pregnant, and several things plagued my mind. Foremost was the difficulty I now had with walking, while smaller things such as taking care with everything I did and needing to prepare for the baby's arrival niggled in the back of my mind.

Perhaps most worrying, however, was the fact that I still hadn't told Gaara.

I was so heavily pregnant that I was about to drop, and the Father of my child still had no idea of it's existence.

I had spoken to him many times through letters, but each time I came close to writing out the words I got frustrated and scribbled it out because it didn't look right. I'd cross it out so many times that the page would be filled with black ink, and I'd give up and write something else. Gaara had mentioned in his replies that my masses of scribbling greatly confused him.

I was missing him like crazy. The last time I saw him was several months ago and I had played off my slightly distended stomach as me eating a bit too much ramen, which he had believed, thankfully. But other than that I hadn't seen him in person in way too long... I really needed to get him to come to Konoha. I couldn't exactly travel through the desert in my condition. But I didn't want to burden him- Suna needed it's Kazekage.

I kept telling myself "I'll tell him soon, I'll tell him soon" but then it was too late.

"Naruto-no-baka! You dent that crib and I'll dent your face!" I yelled, "Don't you want your niece or nephew to have a nice bed to sleep in?!"

"I am being careful! Jeez!" he grumbled, sweating profusely as he lugged the heavy wooden crib into my bedroom.

"Well be more careful!" I snapped back, then groaned, "Aaagh, my back is killing meee.."

"Go sit down, then. You're doing no good there, anyway." Sasuke said, and I glared at him. He stiffened and quickly rose his hands defensively. He still had a few bruises leftover from the last time I beat him up.

"Are you saying I'm useless?!" I demanded, and then, randomly, my eyes filled with tears, "I only want my kid to have nice things! Am I the only one that wants that?!"

"A-ah, don't cry!" Sasuke flapped uselessly, panicked. I heard a crash, and Naruto charged through, also looking shocked.

"Kaien! Why are you crying?!" I just wailed uselessly as they hissed at each other, conferring what to do. "What did you say to her?!"

"I didn't say anything, just that she should go sit down!" Sasuke replied, voice rising in pitch in his distress, "Then she yelled and started crying!"

"Well make her stop!"

"You, she's your sister!"

"You're the one that made her cry!"

The two of them continued to bicker, and I hiccupped a few times, "You two are useless with crying girls..." I sniffled, and they shifted awkwardly.

"Kaien, it's okay... your pregnancy will be over soon and your baby will be born." Naruto said.

"Then you'll be a Mum." Sasuke patted my head awkwardly. "I'm sure you'll be great, too."

I sniffed a few more times, "I need a hug..."

"Aw, c'mere." Naruto said, wrapping me in his arms. I headbutted his chest lightly,

"I miss Gaara." I mumbled as Naruto pulled Sasuke to join the hug too. It was warm.

"I know, I know." Naruto murmured softly.

"I need to tell him about the baby..." I said despairingly, "But I don't know how."

"We'll help you." My brother said firmly. Sasuke and I both pulled back in surprise.

"You will?" I asked, blinking.

"We will?" Sasuke said at the same time, shocked.

"Yup." Naruto nodded firmly, smiling. "We'll write a letter so damn persuasive that Gaara will tell his council to fuck off and he'll rush here straight away, 'ttebayo!"

Naruto must have been excited; usually nowadays he made a conscious effort to avoid his catchphrase to seem more adult- and because I'd chewed his ear off about how I would really bitch him out if my kid adopted the verbal tic.

I smiled broadly and hugged him, "Thank you, Naruto!"

I felt the baby kick, and the blonde chuckled. "I can feel my niece or nephew trying to kick me. I think he or she is going to be a jealous one."

We all laughed a moment, until something caused us to freeze.

"Er, Kaien... did you just pee on me?" Naruto asked, and I looked down.

"I really hope so..." I said slowly, eyes wide. This shouldn't be happening yet. I'm not due for another two weeks!

"No, I'm pretty sure your water just broke, Kaien." Sasuke said, and I swore. Naruto smiled.

"Guess the baby's getting impatient." he swiftly picked me up- his expression, despite the smile, was nervous and tense. He was trying to keep a brave face to avoid worrying me. "Come on, I think it's time for a trip to the hospital."

- - -

It had been a pretty mellow day so far in Suna. Gaara had finished all of his paperwork, and so was re-reading the last letter from Kaien in his spare time before he retired from his office. The sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon, hidden behind the walls of Suna, and cast an orange glow over the sand city. He paused in his reading to glance outside, then continued.

Reading these letters made him feel a mixture of sadness and longing. He wanted to be with her- no, he wanted her here with him, so that he could have all of the things he loved together. It had been too long since he had seen her, but she had been strangely- how to say- quiet in her recent letters. She hadn't really said anything that would make him think something was wrong, but the tenor of her words did. She'd also outright avoided any topics even remotely related to either of them making the trip to see the other.

He was also feeling impatient. It had been over a week since he had sent his last letter, and still no reply. What was taking her so long? Had she forgotten? Or perhaps it never got delivered?

"Gaara!" the door slammed open, pulling him from his thoughts. A confused and stressed looking Kankuro stood in the doorway.

"Would you all please stop slamming that door?" Gaara frowned, "What is it, Kankuro?"

"It's... It's Kaien..." the elder of the two panted, "I'm not too sure... but I think... she's in labour!"

Gaara frowned. "Labour?"

The brunette sighed in exasperation at his brother's naivety, "You know, as in pregnancy type labour?!"

Gaara shot out of his chair, "What?! That's impossible, she's not even pregnant!"

"Well all I know is that that Uchiha guy is at the gate and he's not exactly one to pull pranks!"

"Shit!" Gaara exclaimed, not usually one to swear- but the situation kind of excused it. "Kankuro, look after things while I'm gone!"

"Wha-?!" Kankuro just managed to catch the Kage hat and robes as they were tossed at him, moving them out of his face in time to see Gaara sprinting down the hall in only his fishnet undershirt and black full length pants.

"What the hell, Uchiha?!" Gaara demanded the moment he reached the gate, ignoring the gate guards that bowed to him, "Why didn't I know about this?!"

"She didn't know how to tell you." Sasuke said, voice calm but urgent. "And anyway, we really need to go. She needs you."

"That's what all the scribbling was..." Gaara realised, as they set off at a fast but easily maintained pace.

They traveled the whole journey almost without stopping (Sasuke forced Gaara to at least stop for ten minutes to recover at the border between the Lands of Fire and Wind- Gaara would be no use to Kaien if he was dead) and entered the hospital of Konohagakure looking a rumpled, dirty mess. But they didn't care.

"This way." Sasuke said, the two of them ignoring the stares from nurses and patients alike that traveled the halls and lingered in the reception area. Evidently Kaien's labour was big news among them because none of them stopped the two to ask where they were going.

When they reached the right room, everything was strangely quiet, and Sasuke signalled to Gaara to be quiet, and they entered.

A half asleep Kaien leaned heavily into her pillows, looking a complete mess. Naruto sat beside her in the chair, holding a bundle of blankets. Both looked up at the sound of the door opening.

"Gaara!" Kaien smiled weakly, and the Kazekage rushed straight to her side, clasping her hands, "You finally came...."

"I would have been here sooner if I'd known about you being pregnant." he said slightly sternly, and Kaien laughed nervously.

"Sorry about that." she said, and he just shook his head and kissed her forehead. Kaien grinned, looking the happiest he had ever seen her, "Gaara, look over there. Your baby girl."

Gaara turned slowly, moving slightly closer to Naruto to get a look at the sleeping face of the newborn. He just stared at her, blankly, for a long moment, then smiled.

"She's beautiful." he said, and Naruto grinned.

"Hey, you want to hold her, Gaara? I'm loving this but my butt's kinda gone numb and Kaien won't let me stand up." he said, and Gaara flinched back,

"N-no!" He exclaimed, looking panicked, "I think she's safest where she is!"

"Gaara, you'll be fine." Kaien said, squeezing the hand that still held his. "I've been in labour for three days and I don't trust Naruto to look after her while I sleep. I'm only still awake because I wanted to see your face when you saw her." sensing that he was still unsure, she smiled, "Gaara, you'll have to hold her some time."

He glanced at her again, swallowed, then nodded, allowing Naruto to place the baby in his waiting arms and arrange his arms in the correct position to hold her. Never had he thought that he'd be taught anything by Naruto. But in that moment, he could see just how much the blonde had matured since becoming Hokage.

But more pressing was the tiny, warm life that was now curled up in his arms. Gaara couldn't help but smile. This baby, and Kaien, were his family. He had a family, people to love and to be loved by in return, and a child to be a parent to to wear away the lingering hurt from his youth.

"She's.... light." he murmured, and they smiled.

"I think you're all forgetting something." Sasuke said, making them jump because he'd been quiet since coming in. "You can't just call her 'baby' forever."

Gaara didn't say anything, just looking to Kaien. They exchanged lools for a moment, until Kaien scratched her cheek. "Actually, I had a few ideas for girl names..."

They discussed names for a moment, Sasuke and Naruto pitching in, the conversation getting quite heated. Gaara sat down on the end of the bed, and Naruto began to exclaim loudly (he was hell-bent on the name Akira, even though Kaien insisted it was too manly). The noise caused the baby to awaken, her turquoise eyes sleepy.

The Kazekage stared at her a moment as she did the same, then wriggled, yawned, and went back to sleep, snuggling into his chest. He smiled, "Nanase."

"Eh? What was that, Gaara?" Kaien asked, not having heard him over the sound of Naruto being strangled.

"I think we should call her Nanase." he said, and Kaien frowned.

"Nanase... Nanase. Nanase Uzumaki. I like it." Kaien smiled, "Baby Nanase."

"Hehe, Nana-chan!" Naruto giggled, causing both Gaara and Kaien to glare at him.

"It's Nanase." they said stiffly, but then couldn't help but smile.

- - -

I put Nanase's surname as Uzumaki because Gaara doesn't actually have one XS plus they aren't actually married yet. Nanase is pronounced Na-na-say. Welp, vote and comment.