Complications

A/N
~I noticed that there is another story out right now that shares a title with mine. It doesn’t bug me but I hope it not confusing for the readers of either story.

~I really should have had a few more chapters of this story written before I started posting it. I hope that anyone who is kind enough to follow this story is prepared for long pauses between chapters. I can be a painfully slow poster and this story has me writing and rewriting the chapters several times before I’m satisfied. To be perfectly honest I’m just sick of working on this one so I’m just going to post the blasted thing so I can move on to the more interesting parts of the story.

~Now that premise of our story as been set up with Konoha as the back drop I’ve decided to switch gears a bit and focus on Gaara’s discovery of the ‘problem’. The two storylines will converge in the next chapter and we will finally get some Leaf and Sand ninja interaction.

~``~``~``


Gaara stretched lazily and debated whether it was worth it to crawl out of bed. He snuggled deeper in the covers and decided that five more minutes couldn’t possible hurt. That was unless you considered the fact that he had been saying ‘five more minutes’ for the past hour or so. If he didn’t get up soon one of his sibling were going to come drag him out of bed. He sighed and sat up. It was times like this that he wished he wasn’t the Kazekage.

He rubbed his fist against his tired eyes and chuckled dryly. Then again, he supposed that the only reason he had been allowed to sleep in the first place was because he was the Kazekage. Who besides his brother and sister were going to tell him the otherwise? He finally dragged himself out from under his covers with a groan.

Was it possible to be more tired in the morning than when you went to bed?

Gaara got dressed slowly. It was bizarre how groggy he felt in the mornings. He had been much more alert when he hadn’t slept at all. He’d also been extremely cranky and terrifyingly violent. He supposed that an hour of fuzziness was an acceptable price to pay.

The whole idea had seemed ridiculous to him at first. But without Shukaku’s constant pressure in the back of his mind he had found himself nodding off in the strangest places. It had started when he was completing his paperwork late one evening. He had been reading a report when the next thing he knew Kankuro was standing over him shaking him. The shock of seeing the Kazekage passed out and, as Kankuro had put it, ‘drooling on the paperwork’ had caused a panic in his office. Gaara had shrugged the incident of as a one time thing.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

After a few more paperwork incidents there came a day where Gaara could no longer deny he needed to sleep. Temari had found him slumped on the ground outside the village walls when he didn’t come back from his night patrols. The lecture she had given him still made his ears ring. She had insisted that he go to bed every night like a normal person or she was going to tie him there. He had to point out that he didn’t even have a bed and even if he did it was unlikely that she would be able pull it off. Temari had slammed her fist against the wall by his head and told him he shouldn’t be so sure. Gaara thought it wise not to push that particular issue.

Under the watchful eye of his sister he had purchased a bed. She hadn’t approved of his choice, a nondescript double bed, but as she wasn’t going to be the one sleeping in it. He didn’t see the need for the extra space that the king size bed occupied. Kankuro had made some comment about Gaara still being a kid and told him that someday he would find a ‘use’ for it. He ignored both of them and purchased the bed he wanted.

That night Temari had been true to her word. She had shown up in his office and ‘suggested’ that it was time for him to try out his new bed. He had given only because he was curious.

Really.

Gaara studied himself in the mirror. He supposed that the dark circles around his eyes were permanent at this point. You couldn’t undo so that many years of damage with a few hours of sleep. But even if there weren’t any outward signs of the change he felt like a new person. Had he ever thanked Temari for her intervention? Perhaps he should do something about that.

And when it came down to it he should really thank the Akatsuki if he ever ran into them again. If it hadn’t been for them, Chiyo-obaasan, and Naruto he would have never known what it was like to feel this good.

The image of Naruto came into his mind as if it had been summoned by Gaara’s thoughts. He swore he could almost feel the warmth of Naruto’s smile before he shook his head to clear it. This was getting to be a regular occurrence of late. Perhaps it was a side effect of the jutsu that had been used to save his life. It was almost as if part of Naruto had been left inside him when the transfer had finished.

Gaara finished getting ready for the day never dreaming how close his thoughts had just come to the truth.


~``~``~``


“In another five minutes I’m going up there and dragging his lazy ass out of bed.”

Temari grinned at her brother over the remains of her breakfast. “You said that five minutes ago.”

Kankuro huffed and crossed his arms. “Yeah well this time I mean it.”

“You said that too.” Temari ignored Kankuro’s glare as she started cleaning up the dishes. “It’s not like it matters much. Odds are Gaara wouldn’t have been able to join us for breakfast.”

Kankuro sent a worried look toward the stair case. “I still can’t believe that those quack doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong with him. I highly doubt that it’s just a side effect from Gaara’s sudden love affair with sleeping.”

Temari chuckled at her brother’s choice of words but couldn’t shake her own fears for Gaara’s health. The sudden bouts of nausea in the morning had caught them all by surprise. Gaara hadn’t been sick a day in his life. Perhaps they could thank Shukaku for Gaara’s previously perfect health record; or maybe it had more to do with how little contact Gaara had with people. Whatever the deciding factor had been it was apparent that Gaara’s luck had run out.

She sent her own worried glance at the staircase. The whole Gaara retrieval mission had driven a rather important fact into the hearts of the villagers. Their Kazekage was not invulnerable. If the very fact that he had been kidnapped and essentially killed hadn’t made them understand this, Gaara behavior afterward certainly had. The day that Gaara had been discovered outside Sunagakure’s protective wall sleeping like a baby seven of the village’s highest ranking shinobi had approach Temari and Kankuro with requests to be assigned as Gaara’s personal guard, a position that really should have been filled the day he took office. Perhaps they had put a little too much faith in Gaara’ automatic defenses. Temari had gratefully accepted the offers and now Gaara didn’t go anywhere unless he was accompanied by herself, Kankuro, and/or some of Gaara’s new ‘shadows’.

“I see you finally decided to stop waiting for me to eat.”

Temari and Kankuro jumped a bit at the sound of their little brother’s voice. He had the tendency to sneak into a room when no one was paying attention and startle the occupants when they finally noticed him. It was one of the behaviors that hadn’t changed since the three of them had been children. In some small way they were almost relieved to have something about Gaara that was still ‘normal’.

Kankuro stood up and put his arm around Gaara’s shoulders. He playfully tightened his arm around Gaara’s neck as he teased, “We were sick of watching you run to the bathroom every time you came down the stairs. It makes it kinda hard to enjoy breakfast, you know?”

Temari smacked Kankuro upside the head and gave him a look until he released his hold. With one last threatening glance in Kankuro’s direction she took one of Gaara’s hands in her own and gave it a comforting squeeze. “That’s Kankuro thickheaded way of telling you he cares but I’m sure you knew that already. Just let us know when things go back to normal, Gaara, and we’ll set you a place again.”

Gaara felt the warmth of his siblings’ affection spreading through his body. He hoped he never forgot what it was like to have people truly care about him like this. “I don’t think things are ever going to go back to what I consider normal.”

Kankuro poked Gaara’s forehead. “Are you try to tell me that you’d go back to the way you were if you had a chance?”

Gaara silently shook his head.

Kankuro grinned at him. “I didn’t think you’d be giving up all the things you gained just because of a little nausea and a bit of fatigue.”

Gaara felt a half smile forming on his face and forced it back into place. “Considering my new found, what was it you called it, ‘love affair with sleeping’? I think my fatigue would be a plus rather than a minus.”

Kankuro blushed at having his own words thrown back at him. He hadn’t wanted Gaara to hear that. “With as much as you’ve been indulging lately I don’t think it can still be considered a plus. In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if you’re not pregnant. If Temari had the same symptoms you’ve got I would be in Konoha right now beating the shit out of that Nara bastard.”

Temari just rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not sleeping with Shikamaru. Even if I was don’t you think that we’d be smart enough to use protection?”

“Even geniuses can make mistakes Temari. Don’t you know the only 100% effective method of birth control is abstinence?”

“Which is exactly the method we’re using! Just because I spend a little time with a guy does not mean I’m jumping into his bed. He just happens to be unusually intelligent for a male so I actually enjoy talking with him.”

Gaara had long since tuned out the familiar fight. They had it so often that Gaara had taken it upon himself to contact Shikamaru directly and insist that he treat his sister with respect no matter what kind of relationship they shared. Shikamaru hadn’t sent a response. Perhaps Gaara should contact the man directly the next time he was forced to visit Konoha.

All thoughts of Temari’s possible boyfriend left his mind as he felt a familiar tightening in his stomach. He quickly sat down and took a few deep breaths to try and avoid losing what was left of last night’s dinner. This was really starting to get annoying. If the medical ninja in charge of his care didn’t find a cause for this soon he was going to have to contact Tsunade. He didn’t like to leave Sunagakure unless he absolutely had to, so a little stomach trouble did not seem important enough to make the journey to Konoha. It certainly wouldn’t be enough to persuade the Hokage to leave her village unattended.

He felt his stomach settling down about the time his siblings noticed his discomfort. He quickly shook his head so that they wouldn’t call for that poor excuse for a medical ninja again. “It’s fine now. I should be alright for the meeting as long as you two go and remove anything from the room that looks remotely like food. I’m sure the council members will agree that suffering through a meeting with only water is preferable to suspending it again.”

Kankuro looked torn between following Gaara’s orders and overruling his little brother. Gaara’s health was more important than listening to a bunch a stuffed shirts bitch about trivial things. But then again they had already called off three meetings this week and there were some rather important matters on today’s agenda that had waited long enough for the Kazekage’s decision. He sighed deeply as he gestured to Temari. “Let’s go sis. I’m sure between the two of us we can intimidate anyone who tries to protest.”

Temari snorted. “I don’t think that will be necessary. I think if we mention that it’s by order of the Kazekage the council members will trip over themselves to help.” Her gaze turned soft as she approached Gaara. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

Gaara nodded and sent a small smile her way. “I’ll be fine.”

Kankuro grabbed Temari’s arm and dragged her toward the door. “The sooner we get the clean up duty taken care of the sooner we can get started.” Kankuro sent a wink over his shoulder as he exited the room. “It will worth it to see the look on their faces when we break it to them that they can’t have any snacks.”

~``~``~``

The meeting had gone much smoother than they had expected. The council members had been more than willing to go without any refreshments if it meant they could finally have an uninterrupted session. They probably would have gone without lunch as well but Gaara’s stomach had thankfully settled down. The normally tense meetings did not need any extra pressure and hungry people did not always make the best decisions.

After the meeting Temari had tried to convince Gaara to schedule another appointment with the medical ninja but he had turned her down. He had enough of pointless inspections and useless tests. Besides, he had his own theory as to what was causing his ‘illness’. He had detected a strange chakra flow in his body right after his revival. Since the medical ninja in charge of his care hadn’t said anything about this newfound energy he had assumed that it was normal. Gaara was beginning to wonder if he should have pushed the issue.

Climbing the stairs to his room he decided that the chakra deserved some careful analysis. He quickly made himself comfortable on his bed and fell into the meditative half dose he had used when Shukaku had been a prisoner in his body. He was glad it still came so easily considering he hadn’t used it in a long time. It hadn’t really been necessary to monitor every aspect of his body since there was no longer a raging demon housed there.

Maybe stopping the meditation had been a mistake on his part. Surely he was a better judge of what was normal for his body than some stranger? Gaara hadn’t required the services of a medical ninja more than a handful of times in his life and most of them had occurred after he had been freed of Shukaku. Maybe the doctors had been as clueless as he was about what to expect when a former Jinchuuriki was liberated from his demon counter part.

Gaara focused his thoughts on the task at hand. He studied the chakra system in his stomach and encountered that bizarre pool of energy. He had been forced to teach the chakra system during one of his teaching sessions at the Konoha Academy and this was definitely something that should not be there. He tried to break the collection of energy up so that it could flow more freely but it if anything it seemed to swirl more tightly together.

Shifting slightly on the bed beneath him he refocused his attention on studying the rogue chakra. Why had his chakra formed such an odd pocket? What purpose did the swirling mass of energy serve? Surely it had to be doing something but Gaara couldn’t figure out what the something was.

The chakra almost seemed to sense his thoughts and flared slightly. It was then that Gaara noticed something even more unusual about pool of energy. It didn‘t appear to be made up entirely of his own chakra. There was a second chakra present that seemed to be meshing with his. He probed the chakra a bit and was shocked when images of Naruto flooded his mind.

Well that answered the question of where the second chakra had come from but left Gaara with a more questions than answers. Why was Naruto’s chakra blending with his to form that bubble in the first place? Was it just a side effect of the jutsu that Chiyo-obasan used to save his life? Was it the only thing keeping him alive? If Naruto’s chakra disappeared would his second chance at life go with it? What did this really mean?

He probed the bubble a second time to try to figure out what it was doing. When it flared again the images of Naruto returned. He definitely wasn’t going to be able to solve this mystery on his own. Not if he was blinded by those sunny images of his friend every time he closely studied the odd chakra. It was time to ask an outsider to observe the bizarre chakra formation.

He dropped out of his meditation and flopped back on his bed. Asking anyone in Sunagakure was out. They simply were not prepared for dealing for the effects of a forbidden jutsu on the body of a former Jinchuuriki. He was going to have to contact the best medical ninja he knew. If Tsunade wasn’t able to decipher the muddled mess his chakra system had become than no one would be able to help him. It was not exactly a comforting thought.

Gaara glanced at the clock on his bed stand and considered waiting until morning to start the preparations for his journey. Surely if he had waited this long to contact the Hokage another day would not make that much of a difference? He gave himself a mental kick. There was no time like the present to deal with this situation and the sooner he found out what was wrong with him the sooner his life could go back to normal.

Whatever that was.


A/N
~I would like to personally thank the 380 people who read (or at least clicked on) my story. A special thanks goes out to the 8 wonderful people who took the time to give me a review.

**Dynamo**
I can’t wait to see where I take it either!

**mls**
I’m glad you liked it and I hope the wait wasn’t too long for you

**llyoung**
Don’t worry; I’m determined to finish this baby no matter how many levels of writing hell it drags me through

**FairyNiamh
~returns hug~ Thanks a bunch!

**Kami no Noshikage**
I hope that I’ve managed to hold your interest enough for you to stick around for the next chapter.

**Lady Laran**
I guess you’re still waiting to see what happens next, considering this part actually took place before the first chapter. How evil of me.

**lexjamandme**

I have the poor plot bunny on life support as we speak. We are hoping he will make a full recovery but you never know when his condition may worsen. I’m glad you are enjoying ‘my’ Kakashi and I just wanted to let you know I fully intend to torture him some more before this fic is over.

**Sneakyfox**
I’m glad you like it so far. I promise you will get you reaction soon, hopefully in the next chapter.