2 more bonus chapters after this one~

I'm not sure if this will be done by Xmas or whether I'll be ending it in the new year - either or, the end is near ! 

lol

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Sasori:
You were getting along pretty easily in the Hidden Leaf. Between your sweet disposition and your connection to Lady Tsunade you were always, at the very least, treated politely. For a while, others were skeptical about you and your slowly growing bump. But since you only ever were kind and helpful to the best of your abilities, most caved into you.

Tsunade had 3-4 jounin that would routinely visit you. Not all at once mind you, and while they had their normal missions to deal with, checking in on you and assisting you were some of their tasks. Yamato and Kakashi were two of the said Jounin, having met you previously and been the ones to bring you to the leaf. You also had Izumo and on occasion a man named Aoba.

You didn't mind either way, although you tended to stick much closer to Kakashi or Yamato.

"You sure bought a lot of things" Yamato mused carrying 3 out of the 4 bags. You wrestled one bag from him stubbornly earlier.

"Well, I need groceries...and stuff for the little one..." you added a bit embarrassed

"that's true. Are you going to be alright, doing this all on your own?" he asked gently as if tip toeing around what he really wanted to ask

"I have Tsunade-sama and Shizune who will help me if I go to them. And you and the others check on me...between those I can do it" you answered easily but after a pause, added "even if I'm really scared...I have to see this through"

Yamato glanced sideways at you but said nothing more on the topic. Instead, he helped you into your apartment. The closest apartment building to the Hokage's estate.
You hurried to put things away and take them from the wood user, although he definitely told you 3 separate times that he had nothing else to do that day and that you could take all the time you needed.

As time passed, there was quite a lot of troubling things. Pein attacked the village, although you were evacuated by a young orange haired kunoichi before you could be harmed. Then when rebuilding began, there was talk of war. Your two favourite babysitters had to bid you farewell for a time, which wasn't good for them with your response being filled with raging hormones. Then most of the ninja left for the war. You still wondered how Itachi, Konan and Kisame were...but with the 'Akatsuki started war' you assumed they would no longer be on this planet for much longer. 

Just before Tsunade left, she visited you briefly with Shizune and explained which medical staff you were to go to if you had any trouble and said staff were ordered to give you the same treatment they would to Tsunade's own daughter (if she had ever had one)

And then you waited.

Waited for your new friends to return, waited for Tsunade and Shizune to come back, and waited the birth of your and Sasori's baby.

Deidara:
After the fiasco of finding out about carrying your lover's baby and the puking out of a window thing...Tsunade set you up to be 'taken care of' by a group of rotating ninja.
You didn't mind, after a while (and that you were no threat to the leaf) they warmed right up to you. Izumo and Kotetsu were pretty funny and even when one was assigned to keep tabs on you, the other generally followed. Genma was a bit stiff for your tastes but he also had moments where he was far better suited to helping than the others and on occasion, you'd be assisted by a ninja named Iruka.

He was very kind, but wasn't a fan of your over-the-top ideas - all of which were your small way of keeping Deidara alive in your heart. You could almost see his heart drop when he'd come visit you and see you changed the wall colours yet again.

Tsunade set you up with a modest apartment nearby the Hokage estate to not only keep an eye on you but ensure you were close enough that should something happen, that you could rush straight to her.

But as the weeks and months dragged on you noticed not only how the others slowly opened to you in the village but also the growing tensions of the upcoming talk of war. You, having known an inkling of the Akatsuki's plan, had attempted to help by offering what you DID know...however your knowledge was common among those in the inner circle. So, it didn't turn out as you had hoped.

Slightly dejectedly you walked slowly with a hand resting on your bump. You had taken to doing a small lap around the area everyday. It wasn't always the same route but you only went so far, in case of danger.

"(name)...!"

you paused hearing your name called and peeked to the side. Easily seen, was Izumo waving gently and quickly catching up to you.

"Izumo~ on your own today?" you asked with a smile

"I'm actually on my way to meet Kotetsu at the BBQ joint, want to come? Our treat~" he gently teased the prospect of free food before you with a gentle slow elbow jab to the shoulder

you pouted immediately at him, but before a word could pass your lips, a growl emitted from your stomach

"aha! The child speaks...!" Izumo said dramatically with a grin "all knowing one, shall it be BBQ for dinner?"

your pout grew more across your lips but you immediately gave in when a second growl was emitted almost right away...

"your kid's spoken, let's go meet up with Kotetsu~"
Izumo carefully locked arms with you and lead you to the restaurant.

All of your assigned babysitters knew that you stuck around the same area of the village and rarely strayed from it. So when you had to go elsewhere, all of them tended to be very patient leading you to and fro.

"I-I can pay for my share" you tried to protest

"nah, nonsense" Izumo waved it off straight away "we don't have anyone to blow our money on and you'll have that kid soon...so save your money. Plus, Kotetsu will totally pout for three whole days if you say no"

you nodded agreeing.

You did, in fact, know Kotetsu had a habit of taking your attempts at fairness to his pride. The two seemed to genuinely like helping you out much more than the others and on occasion would show up with a gift or pay for a meal, something of that sort.

One time, Izumo went with you for an ultrasound and Kotetsu was so upset about it that he was depressed for a good week later.
You learned quickly that you couldn't leave the one out and not the other.

"hey~ you brought my favourite~"

Kotetsu's teasing voice alerted you to where he was in the restaurant as the two of you made your way to him and sat in the booth.

"Hi Kotetsu" you greeted

"good idea bringing mama with you" Kotetsu grinned to his best friend

"I knew when I saw her walking around that she'd have more fun with us" Izumo mirrored his expression.

and while you sat with the two all you could do was roll your eyes playfully and think to yourself.

'Deidara, please know we're doing well here'

Hidan:
With a war right before you, you can't say you weren't stressed. But you spent most of your time with Shizune or sitting in with Shikaku and the sensory ninjas. Both fathers of grown children, Inoichi and Shikaku, seemed to enjoy your company for the most part and would, between important messages, ask you how you were holding up and questions about your baby that were of no real consequence.

But as things got more intense, Shizune decided to move you out of the command centre. Not only did your two new companions need to focus, but Tsunade was heading to the field herself. So there was nobody to keep tabs on you other than Shizune.

Once you were relocated, there wasn't much else for you to do than wait for it to be over. And with nobody else but a leaf ninja or two for protection, the days passed until the war ended. And with it, did your living with Tsunade, for as soon as you entered the leaf village, Shizune started looking for a nearby apartment for you. Nearby the Hokage estate that is.

You spent most of your time with Tsunade as she recovered though. And with a new Hokage being named, you were very concerned that you would be labeled as an enemy once more. Tsunade having been your only real protection. But after an invite to the estate and a brief chat over cookies...you were told by the copy ninja himself that Tsunade's decision and word would stand. And that he went even as far as eliminating paperwork that had to do with the Akatsuki where your name was involved to ensure nobody would go after you or your unborn child.

To say you were grateful and surprised, was an understatement. In fact, you bawled your eyes out and the poor recently appointed Hokage panicked trying to hush you.
But with that, you easily saw the man as a friend and would visit him just like you did Tsunade. He still had a ninja checking in on you every so many weeks, but Aoba seemed more like he was making sure you had all that your needed more than anything else. You also were visited by a young man named Shikamaru. He told you once that he had fought your lover before, but that he would spare you the gritty details. Much to your relief.

"He was always going a bit overboard with his rituals in the base...I can only assume how elaborate they got outside of it" you shuddered softly

"I don't understand....so you never saw him fight?" Shikamaru asked confusion written all over him

"I saw him fight a few times but he usually told me to scram before he got to his ritual phase" you smiled "he was a loudmouth but he was kind to me"

"wow...never would have expected that"

you nodded agreeing with Shikamaru

"I'm sorry, you must miss him terribly" he said after a loud silence

you shook your head softly

"I do...I miss him all the time. But I'm not really sure how he would have been as a father. Sometimes I feel I've lucked out in some weird way...but there is a lot I would be willing to do to get him back"

Shikamaru eyed you cautiously

"what if you ever met the person that killed him? would you be able to forgive that person?"

you blinked a few times and sat forward thinking carefully.

"You know...I don't know...The Akatsuki was a villainous organization to the world, regardless if it was or wasn't. Hidan was like a paper bomb waiting for a moment to go off...and most people don't kill without reason."

"that's...not really an answer" he chuckled softly

"did...did Hidan hurt you...?" you asked softly

Shikamaru stiffened having not expected your question.

you turned your head to look at the younger male and smiled softly at him

"he did, didn't he...?" you sighed deeply "I'm not sure who he hurt or took...but I'm very sorry he did. I hope you can take some solace that when he died, he would've known he wasn't coming back to me and while I didn't die. I know that would've hurt him deeply"

Shikamaru seemed as though he was stuck buffering...ready to speak but unable to get the words vocalized

"he didn't know about this baby either. So, you don't need to even pull them into the equation"

he just nodded in response and seeing his wordless reply, you reached out and patted his hand

"if it hurts you to see me, you don't need to come back. I wont mind"

Shikamaru then surprised you, pulling you into a quick hug with teary eyes.

"I'm sorry"

"sorry?" you scoffed softly patting his shoulder as he no doubt was trying to hide his tears "there's no need. I know that you've done your best to get through this and you'll come out the other side stronger. And you don't need to be sorry for stopping your visits, you might act grown up...but its okay to be childish sometimes. I won't be mad, and we don't have to tell your Hokage either" you grinned at him in hopes to cheer the boy up.

but something just told you that he wasn't saying sorry about possibly not visiting anymore...

Kakuzu:
Even before things got heated with this war, you kept in contact with Gaara and his siblings. Writing them back and forth, including informing them on how your child was progressing. Sometimes you wondered just how much The Kazekage knew about you and your time with the Akatsuki...but he never once brought it up. Perhaps it didn't matter.

One day your letter had been dropped before you onto your table and upon looking up, had found Kankuro grinning above you.

Apparently, the war had enabled the trio to be in person with Lady Tsunade and in extension you.

"There you are, know how long I've been hunting you down for?"

you mirrored his grin with one of your own

"Kankuro!" you cheered quickly sitting up and yanking the man in black into a hug "where's your siblings???" you asked right away looking around him

"Temari is ensuring the Lord Kazekage is safe while I snuck off to find you" he explained humorously

"well, are we going to see them or am I being kept to yourself?" you asked teasingly

Kankuro huffed with a tinge of embarrassment but nodded to the door

"grab your snacks, we're heading out. Although, Gaara might still be in his meeting when we get back to him"

"oh that's fine, I don't mind waiting. I haven't seen you guys in...like, forever!" you rushed out quickly snatching your bag of seaweed chips

"should you be eating something so salty??"

"should you be imposing your opinions when you're not carrying the child?"

you and Kankuro stared at one another for a moment before he sighed and opened the door

"point taken. Shall we go?"

you grinned and followed the sand ninja immediately

the two of you talked about mundane things that weren't included in the letters over time. Such as how the war was affecting you, if you had started working on a nursery, if you planned on staying in the Leaf to raise your child, if you were sleeping well, if you ever had contact with any family of yours, etc.

Sooner than you realized, you were waiting at the door to the room Gaara was finishing his meeting in. Although you didn't wait long, and only a few minutes later was a ninja all but shoved from the room Via Temari.

"(name), sweetie~" Temari cooed happily looking you over then right away she rushed in for a hug "good to see Kankuro kept you in one piece"

"how hard do you think it is to walk a pregnant woman here?"

"what, no cuffs???" Temari teased holding your wrists up for her brother to see

"THAT WAS DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND YOU KNOW THAT...!"

"Kankuro, Temari...you mustn't fight in front of (name). Its bad for her and the baby's health" Gaara's voice called from inside the room and you could see him practically laying across his desk trying to peek at the three of you "why don't you come inside???"

"coming~" Kankuro and Temari called out in sequence quickly tugging you along into the room with them

you smiled sheepishly at the Kazekage while he smiled contently

"I think it has been some time since we last spoke like this...you have grown" he spoke softly looking over your form in awe

"well, yeah...when you have a baby you get bigger for a while first..."

Gaara chuckled at your embarrassed reply.

"It is nice to speak with you again"

you would spend the next several days leading up to the war visiting the sand siblings before you were evacuated elsewhere until it was over. All three, each, promising to make it back and see your baby in your arms.

Itachi:
After that lunch date with Kakashi, you happened to bump into the white-haired ninja quite often. Tsunade also liked assigning him to keeping tabs on you - which he never complained about seeing as you were extremely easy to look after. Especially compared to the children he had been team leader to and still had to deal with in their teen years.

As threats of war came into view, however, other ninja subbed in for Kakashi. Much to your displeasure. Kakashi understood what you liked to do and how your routine worked...whereas these other ninja had no clue and weren't as caring either. Not that they were ever rude per se.

"Listen, you don't have to be in my home with me. You don't want to be here and I realize checking on me is a big hassle. So why don't you chill outside, entertain yourself and then report to Tsunade-sama that I'm as boring as ever?" you grouched as you put away supplies. You began stock piling as you were growing ever closer to your date.

"Well, and here I thought you would have missed me. Oh, how my heart aches" Kakashi's dramatic tone caught you by surprise.

with a grin you jumped up and spun to meet the very jounin standing in your living room

"I even brought a peace offering of okonomiyaki for leaving you hanging...I guess I'll take the snack and go~"

"no!"

Kakashi instantly grinned under his mask

"oh? but you told me to get lost"

you huffed at him blushing

"first, you know how badly I crave that...second, I didn't know it was you."

Kakashi raised his brow at you confused for a moment

"ah so my replacement wasn't that kind, was he?"

"replacements. IE, anyone available at the time" you grumbled

Kakashi sighed softly but sat the treat at your table before going to your cabinet and producing 2 sets of placements. One for you and another for himself. You followed suit and grabbed 2 drinks and sat down.

"Shame, although with what's going on I can't blame Tsunade" he grumbled opening the package and splitting the meal

"yeah well, sometimes I do" you grumbled "thanks for the treat"

Kakashi snorted softly at you, of course you'd be more excited about the food over him

"so, any big changes?" he asked taking a forkful

You shrugged not bothering to look off your plate. You had long since told Kakashi if he didn't want you to see his face then you wouldn't look. The jounin was surprised but happy over your compliance.

"They kick now, its rather annoying when I'm trying to sleep"

"yeah that sounds annoying. My sensei's wife went through a time where her baby always kicked her bladder at the wrong moment"

you shuddered

"please, no"

After yet another meal sitting together and enjoying small conversation, Kakashi asked you if there was anything you needed done around your home before he took off. Thankfully there wasn't much that needed doing and even less that you couldn't do. Although he did find a slight problem and swore he was dragging an old pal over who 'had a thing for woodwork' that would fix it as a favour to him. 

This time when you said bye to the team 7 leader, you crushed him in a hug. He was pretty surprised but gently patted your back in return

"war should be over before you know it. Just stay here in the Leaf and worry about the little one coming along. I'll come visit you right away when I return...but I'm sure lady Tsunade will beat me to you"

you couldn't help but laugh at the words and bade him goodbye for what might be the last time.

Or so you felt.

Kisame:
Thankfully with everything going on, you had constant support via Iruka. Sometimes he seemed more like this was his kid and not yours. All of which just added to your amusement. Although there was a short time that he had to take care of a short mission before returning back to you. He seemed quite upset after that. He didn't want to talk about it though, and instead refocused on helping you prepare.

"When do we find out what it is?" Iruka asked excitedly.

you looked up from the instruction sheet of the crib you were both making to give him a look

"I think I told you last week it's going to be another couple months or so...you're more the nervous parent than I am" you joked

Iruka's face burned in embarrassment. Although he refocused on screwing the leg on the frame...

"I-its just..."

"you don't have to explain yourself" you waved him off "really, I don't mind. I wish he would have been even half as excited as you are now for this baby" you smiled happily

"I-I'm sure he would have been" he mumbled out

"sometimes I think he would've...others...ehhh...I feel like he would have gone into a spiral of self loathing for making me carry something that was part him and that would look freakish" you shrugged "which case I would've spent hours comforting him over and then eventually getting annoyed then getting Itachi to talk sense into him"

"..." he seemed like he wanted to say something back, but whatever it was he chose not to. Perhaps it was a question about Kisame? or asking about your closeness with Itachi too? you'd never know...

"I'm getting used to it, being on my own" you offered softly

"well, you're not on your own. I make sure to see you as much as I can" Iruka pointed out grabbing the last leg "this one is put on like the rest, right?"

"'cause Tsunade makes you-" you looked over the instructions briefly "yeah same way"

"no she doesn't. Just because my mission is to keep an eye on you doesn't mean I have to be here all the time" he argued

"I mean I guess, but still" you shrugged

"I like coming over to see you. I could easily do Tsunade's request by peeking in once a week and making sure you were visibly alright. But I enjoy visiting and helping you. Truly I do"

you suddenly felt shy about his words

"w-well...then if that's how you feel" you mumbled out

"it is" he pressed

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Hope you enjoyed~

XoxO