Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Given The Chance ❯ Epilogue: Glad to Finally Meet You ( Chapter 46 )

Chapter #46

Epilogue: Glad to Finally Meet You

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.

 

(Sob) This is the last chapter of my story! I started this story way back in August, and now, here is the final chapter, over half a year (and over 460 reviews) later. Some of you have been reading my story for almost as long as I've been posting!! This is the most successful story I've made, and I love all you reviewers!

 

Since this one is ending, I just have to start a new Naruto story, but I'm not sure what to write. Naturally, it will be another OC story, but which character should I manipulate! Give me inspiration here people!

Also I'm starting a series of one shots about this story. It will have all genre types, and so on, some will not relate to the sequel - if I decide I have enough time to make one - so I will be glad to take requests if you have any.

 

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000

 

 

“Who would have thought…” mumbled Cassie as she examined the fan in her hand. It was a very unusual tool, obviously used for Ninjutsu like Temari's fan, but one side was covered in some kind of mirror. It wasn't hard, it was more like some type of fabric, but it shone better than any regular mirror.

 

“It was all that was left of Yin after you took out faceless, she kind of just disappeared,” said Lee, “Good thing too. She flung one of my own kunai back at me with that mirror of hers and grazed my shoulder. It went completely numb! I couldn't move it for three weeks.”

 

The raven haired girl couldn't help but laugh, “If it had been anyone but you, it probably would have taken twice as long.”

 

“I'm just sorry I missed the whole damn thing,” Naruto pouted childishly, “Man, bushy brows and Sasuke always get the cool missions. Why couldn't I get sent to Suna so I could fight weird demonic puppet minions?”

 

Queue silence…

 

Eight months later Cassie and Gaara were in Konoha once again. Gaara was off at the Hokage's tower for an annual meeting of the local lords and Kages where they discussed everything from military matters to important budget requests. From what Cassie gathered, it was a fairly big deal, and because of that the Kage's spouses almost always attended.

 

Luckily for young Cassandra, her condition spared her from the boring meetings. Her condition being that she was nine months pregnant, which came with a multitude of, seemingly small, complications. So the exception was made, and it was only required for her to attend the opening and closing ceremonies.

 

Wondering idly around her hotel room and looked at herself in the full sized mirror on the outside of the bathroom door with a small sigh.

 

She was wearing a kimono, not unlike the one she wore for the opening ceremonies the day before. It was a good thing she was able to find kimonos to fit her new … shape.

 

`I look like I swallowed a watermelon … whole…' thought Cassie in an almost casual way. She didn't believe her stomach would expand that far, but apparently it was very possible. It was amazing the things that happened to a girl during her pregnancy. It wasn't just her stomach that expanded, but so did her breasts, and her feet, and even her face had more of a round childish glow than usual.

 

Lee proudly proclaimed it the `glow of pregnancy'. Cassie wasn't sure what she was supposed to call it.

 

`Just a couple more weeks…' the slow count down to her due date was making her a little anxious. Back home she'd rearranged the furniture four times, and in the little hotel room she just couldn't sit still.

 

Reason two for being in Konoha, traveling the long distance even in her late stages of pregnancy. Sakura had gone home after the incident months before, but insisted their still be regular check ups. And since Sakura had her regular duties at the hospital Lee and Naruto were assigned to escort Cassie everywhere, well, that and the fact that she was the pregnant wife of the Kazekage.

 

She really just could believe that part. It all seemed so unreal.

 

“Are there any strawberries left, Naruto-kun?” asked Cassie once she'd finished mulling over her bulging stomach in the mirror.

 

“No, you finished the last of them off about an hour ago, you know, after my third trip to the market to pick up a fresh batch.” Naruto responded, still just getting over his pouting about the Suna incident, “You can't still be hungry.”

 

“Now, now, Naruto-kun, she is eating for two,” Lee pointed out.

 

Naruto stared in disbelief, “Are you sure she isn't having triplets or something? Man, I don't think other pregnant women can eat three large blows of strawberries and still be hungry.”

 

“No, I've always been a strawberry freak,” Cassie smiled sheepishly, “three bowls of strawberries has never been unusual for me, but I, kind of, have a craving for some fresh sweet peas too now…”

 

“Fine, fine, say no more, I'll go pick up some more…” Naruto headed for the door without any more complaints.

 

The petite pregnant girl tugged childishly at Naruto's sleeve before he had a chance to leave, “But, Naruto-kun, Lee-kun, I want to go out too. I'm tired of just staying here in the hotel room.”

 

“Are you sure, Cassie-chan,” asked Lee, “Going out for a walk may not be a good idea.”

 

Cassie's tone flattened slightly, “I'm pregnant, not crippled.”

 

“She raises a valid point,” shrugged Naruto, “What could happen?”

 

True enough, not much was going to happen with both Lee and Naruto with her, so Lee couldn't really argue against it, and it was not like he didn't want his old friend to go out and have a good time while she was visiting Konoha.

 

“Alright, let us go.”

 

As fait would have it, they never did actually make it all that far. In fact, they only made it to the side walk directly in front of the building when Cassie started wincing until she stopped walking altogether. She stumbled, she would have fallen over if Lee hadn't caught her, and she had a clear look of pain on her face.

 

“Cassie-chan, are you ok, what's happening,” questioned Lee.

 

“Y-you need to get me to the hospital,” Cassie had to contain a yelp, “right now.”

 

“Is it cramps?” Even though Lee asked anyway, it was basically a rhetorical question, they all knew what was happening.

 

Naruto paled, “Hey, no way, Sakura said her due date wasn't for a few weeks!”

 

Cassandra's teeth gritted, “Well, I'm pretty sure the baby gets to decide, and he says now!”

 

When women begin going into labor their patience grows much thinner, for obvious reasons, so Cassie wasn't in the mood for Naruto to start freaking out. She was even more freaked out than he was, and it made her heart rate skyrocket.

 

Suddenly being lifted off her feet, Cassie let out a small `eep'. Lee picked her up bridal style, and tested to make sure that he had a good grip, “I am faster, I will take her to Sakura-chan. Naruto-kun, you go to the Hokage tower and get Gaara-sama. We will meet you at the hospital.”

 

“Y-ya, ya,” the jittery blonde responded as he bounded off in the direction of the Kazekage tower.

 

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 

The meeting progressed at its expected slow pace. Each order of business was proposed, it would then be debated, and then the group would decide of a course of action. It wasn't a bad system, but it would certainly go by a lot faster if every decision didn't need to be a consensus. Some issues could be agreed on and compromised easily, but others sometimes took almost an hour to work out, which explained why the meetings were always such a big deal, and why they took so agonizingly long.

 

The Hokage listed vaguely to the room as lords and officials from neighboring lands argued, and she brought input when it was needed. But mostly she just observed and answered questions on her point of view. The Kage's were just a little more than figureheads in this type of debate after all.

 

The busty blonde noticed a lot of things in her silent observations. She noticed how much men spat when they argued, she noticed that one man's fly was down, and she noticed the Kazekage was being unusually quiet, even for him.

 

`He's thinking about Cassandra, I don't really blame him, it's obvious he'd rather be with her,' she thought absently.

 

Among the clamor and arguments a voice could be heard just outside the large double doors. A very familiar - very loud - voice that was hollering obnoxiously at the ANBU guards out front, demanding entrance to an important meeting that was already well underway. Even he would have an urgent reason for interrupting something that important.

 

The door finally swung open, noisily, catching the attention of the population of the room.

 

“Man, you'd think when I say `urgent message' people would get the point,” Naruto muttered under his breath as he walked in the room, not noticing the sudden pin-drop silence his interruption had caused. He walked right over to the Kazekage - Gaara - and muttered something in his ear, no one else could catch what he said, but Tsunade had an idea which was confirmed when she saw Gaara rise abruptly from his seat.

 

`So, Cassandra-san is early, interesting,' Tsunade was grinning inwardly.

 

“K-Kazekage-sama, where are you going?” one of the dignitaries asked, also getting to his feet.

 

“Something came up,” Gaara responded quickly. He offered no other explanation, and didn't give the chance for anyone to ask any more questions.

 

“What just happened?” someone asked.

 

“Is the Kazekage allowed to just leave like that?”

 

“Shizune,” Tsunade motioned for the brunette to come closer.

 

Shizune leaned in, “Hai?”

 

“Give the Yamanaka Flower Shop a quick call, tell them to deliver some flowers to the hospital.”

 

With a smile and a nod, Shizune did as she was told.

 

000000000000000000000000000

 

Cassie's heart was pounding. She felt more than a little nervous, and a little bit scared. Everything was moving so quickly … her mind barely had time to catch up.

 

“Deep breaths, Cassie-chan,” Sakura murmured softly, “Its going to be time to push soon.”

 

`Kami … a contraction is painful enough, and now I've got to start pushing… How do some women have five or more children? This is insane…' Cassie's mom died when she was to young to know exactly like labor worked, so the responsibility of explaining the main details were left to her father. The thing was that Daichi could be squeamish when it came to things like that… `Where is Gaara?'

 

“Alright, now take one deep breath…” the pinkette instructed calmly, “and push.”

 

Doing as she was told, Cassandra pushed as hard as she could, crying out stridently in the process. Forget intense ninja battles and whatnot, if a hardened shinobi had to suffer through labor he'd be screaming too.

 

Cassie collapsed back onto the hospital bed, breathing a little hoarse, and glared at the ceiling.

 

Sakura nodded at her friend, smiling to try and reassure her, “That was good … that was very good. You're doing very well, Cassie. Just a few more pushes and it's all over, ok?”

 

`Easy for her to say…' she just needed a minute to close her eyes.

 

Someone's large, warm, hand wrapped around her clenched fists, and Cassie looked up at the one person she really needed to see. Never in her life had she been more grateful for the ninja style popping out of nowhere Gaara was so good at.

 

“I need you to push again,” Sakura notified.

 

Gaara blinked, eyes scanning over his new wife, and allowing her to take a much firmer grip on his hand as an outlet for her pain. He knew all about how labor worked of course, but he'd never actually seen it happen, so it was disconcerting to see Cassie in such obvious pain. This was one thing there was he couldn't shield her from.

 

She screamed again, just as like Gaara heard when he'd been making his way down the hall, and her grip tightened like a vice. For a small young woman, she sure had a powerful grip.

 

For the second time Cassie fell back in exhaustion, and closed her eyes to calm herself. While she was not busy she gave Gaara's hand a much gentler squeeze, like she was saying a weak `thank you for being here'.

 

“I can see the head! Come on, just one more push and it's done!”

 

“This better be the last one,” Gaara heard Cassie mutter under her breath. She screamed again, a little louder, after that, as she gave one last really hard push.

 

This time when Cassie finally relaxed again something else was crying, a baby.

 

Sakura ordered the nurses to bring her towels and other things she needed, and a less than a couple moments later the pinkette held up a small newborn wrapped in blankets. The infant continued crying, wiggling a little against the fabric wrapped around him, mussing the wisps of dark copper coloured hair on his head.

 

“Congratulations, Cassandra, Gaara-sama,” piped Sakura with a big grin, “you have a baby boy.”

 

The infant was passed on to Gaara, who felt a little awkward because he'd never held a baby before.

 

“My son,” Gaara mumbled softly as his child's crying slowly calmed itself. He carried his son over to Cassie so she could hold him too.

 

Despite having gone through hell - or at least that how Gaara thought it sounded - the raven haired young woman looked excited to be finally seeing her baby. She cradled him gently in her arms, kissed his forehead, and cuddled him. …Just like how Gaara remembered her fawning over her child in his dream … it was already apparent that she would be a good mother.

 

“I'm glad to finally meet you, Ryuu,” she cooed, “Welcome to the world my son…”

 

 

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0

00000000000000000000000000000000

 

Awwww!!! Ya, Cassie is seventeen when she had her kid, and I know it seems a little young, but don't go judging people because they're a teen mother. Besides, I always kind of figured the Naruto world is the place where dignitaries (and Kages alike) could take young wives and it would still be socially acceptable. Oh well, Cassie will be a good mother either way, she doesn't care much about her age.

Ok, the reason this chapter is kinda late is because I wanted it to be good, so I kind of rewrote three or four times… That is the most I've done that and it really bugged me. I just wanted it to be good. I still think it could be better … but it improved drastically from my first draft.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to those who read/reviewed (especially the reviewers) on my story! You're all so great!

 

Lil_Pix

 

…Oh hell, my fic is over new isn't it? Damn…