Chapter 11

The next twelve days passed in a haze. I became so lost in my anxiety about leaving the hospital that I could barely focus on what anyone around me was discussing or doing.

After things returned to normal, apparently, a sort of inspiration came over the people. Not only had my desperate search for living family members online come up empty, but almost no one in Konoha was hiring either. While that's wonderful for the economy and town, it's awful for me because it'll be much harder to find work and make money.

A knock came at the door, making Tsunade and I turn to see Maki, the pretty nurse that often assists the doctor. "Good morning! How are you two today?"

I offered her a smile as Tsunade checked my blood pressure. The nurse had a large stack of papers on her clipboard and sifted through them momentarily before speaking absently to herself, "...billing…no…Ah, here it is!"

The very blood in my veins froze over. Billing. Bills. Hospital bills. I've been here for eight months. How am I going to pay for this? I didn't even consider that! Oh, God, I'm never going to be able to pay it off, am I?

A packet of papers was handed to me as Tsunade began returning her tools to their designated spots. I looked down to see instructions on what exercises and stretches I could do after being released to continue regaining my strength and stamina.

"Also, the nurses and I got you a card. Here you go! I'm so happy for you, Matsuri!" A pretty pink envelope was handed over. Maki didn't wait for me to open it and turned to leave the room so she could tend to her other work.

"That girl's taken quite a liking to your boyfriend's brother, you know." I looked at Tsunade, who gave me a warm grin, "There was a bit of a love triangle going on with you guys, right? Maybe you should try and get them together."

My brow quirked in bewilderment. The way she was speaking…. It's like- "Ino filled me in on all the gossip over the past eight months." Ah, that makes sense.

The Yamanaka woman would see Kankuro and me being friends as a love triangle, wouldn't she? Anything to make things entertaining. In my eyes, though, there's never been anyone I can look at like that except for Gaara.

"Maybe I will," I offered anyway.

She patted my head, laughing to herself as she knew gossiping was not in her nature, before leaving the room. When her back was turned, I stared down at the items in my hands with tears in my eyes.

What am I going to do? Tomorrow's the day I'm being released, and I'm no closer to figuring things out than I was two weeks ago. Sighing, I opened the envelope, setting the papers on the bed beside me. It was a lovely card, signed by no less than ten nurses, with little notes saying to stay healthy and how proud they were of me.

My eyes drifted over to the table holding all the gifts my friends had given me, and I got up to put the card on top of the tall stack that sat there. Gaara came in, offering me a subdued and silent greeting when he looked up from his phone to see me standing. He sat on the bed's edge and seemed to finish sending a message before sliding the device into his pocket and looking at me.

"Everything's fine," I assured him.

Every time Tsunade kicks him out for a check-up or a healing session, he gets this worried expression until I reassure him that nothing horrible was discovered in his absence.

My eyes landed on the packet the nurse had given me, sitting forgotten at the foot of the bed, and I tried to act natural as I crossed the room to grab it, fold it up, and stick it in my back pocket.

A hand circled my wrist, and I was pulled in front of Gaara to stand between his legs as he kissed me softly. A happy warmth rose to my chest as I accepted his affection, my fingers interlocking with his when he slowly released my wrist.

It took more than two weeks for Gaara to kiss me again after I first woke up. In fact, all he dared to do was hold my hand because he was too concerned he'd accidentally injure me if he did anything else. I suppose his worry was warranted because, even still, I'm much too thin and a little sore. Now that he's relaxed, I'm ecstatic to receive any touches or kisses he'll let me have. It gets cold and uncomfortable when he's not in this hospital room.

"I'd say get a room, but I guess this kind of is your room, huh?"

A squeak passed my lips as I pulled away to see Kankuro and Temari coming in. Heat flooded my face, and I buried it into Gaara's shoulder, groaning loudly. That's the first time they've caught us kissing, I think.

"Did you guys hear? Okami's pregnant!" Okami is Kiba's girlfriend from Sunagakure. She's good friends with Ino and Sakura and went to high school with them.

I straightened my spine, leaning into Gaara as he loosely interlaced his fingers behind my back so I wouldn't move away, "No way! …Are they happy about it?" When you're our age, it's hard to determine if our initial response should be "Congrats!" or "Oh no!".

Kankuro laughed, flopping down on the sofa against the opposite wall, "Kiba's probably ecstatic because he landed such a babe."

Temari rolled her eyes, drifting casually to the gift table to replace the wilting flowers with fresh ones, "Okami's excited. She said she thinks he'll propose after they have the baby."

"Why not before?" Gaara asked.

Temari and I shared a brief look before she explained, "Because then it would feel like he only asked because she got pregnant and not because he actually loves her. Kiba knows it, too, I bet."

I nodded silently in agreement, blushing harder when Gaara turned me in his arms and pulled me to sit between his legs with my back to his chest, resting his chin atop my head. He's never been this affectionate in front of others, especially his siblings! What's gotten into him today?

Temari accidentally knocked the tall stack of get-well-soon cards off the corner of the table and cursed under her breath as she tossed the wilted flowers into the bin before kneeling to pick up the mess she had made.

"Your hair's long." The man behind me's chest rumbled against my back as he spoke quietly.

I lifted a hand to it, nodding in silence again. It hasn't been cut since that day in Otogakure. It was about shoulder length when we were in Suna, but now it was almost to my shoulder blades. It was hard to tell if he liked it, but I now have bigger things to worry about.

A gasp met my ears, and we all turned to see Temari standing there with a card open in her hands. I mentally slapped myself, cursing inwardly to the max. It was the card the nurses got for me. "You're getting out!"

Kankuro sat up with an excited grin, "Really? When?"

The two stared expectantly until I answered, trying to keep my calm composure intact, "Tomorrow."

The arms around my middle tightened slightly, but Temari was the one to respond, "That's kind of short notice, isn't it? Did they just tell you today?" The blood drained from my face, which seemed to be sufficient enough of an answer. She came to stand in front of me, "How long have you known, Matsuri?"

Taking a deep breath, I somehow held it together, "About two weeks."

Her eyes narrowed with a hurt expression, "Why didn't you tell us? We would've planned a party or something!"

"That's why I didn't say anything. I didn't want you guys to do something extravagant or anything." Yes, that's it: the perfect excuse.

She rolled her eyes, "Well, the joke's on you because you're gonna get a party anyway. I'm calling Ino."

The dread weighing down on my shoulders kept getting heavier, "N-No, that's okay. You don't have to do that!" The blond gave me a look that said she wouldn't listen no matter what I said before stepping out into the hallway to contact the Yamanaka woman.

My fingers nervously clutched Gaara's arm around my waist for some unconscious calming as I gave Kankuro a pleading look, "Can you stop her, please?"

He shook his head, grin widening, "Uh, no. You're on your own with this one."

I swallowed nervously, looking at the closed door again. Temari's telling them all about my release, meaning they'll expect me to be at this party wherever it ends up being held. What if someone asks where my address is so they can visit? What if Temari comes in here and asks if I have any family for her to contact with an invitation? My already-rocky-to-begin-with plan was crumbling into dust.

A warm, happy feeling washed through me from Gaara, and I tensed in between his arms when his breath hitched. Luckily, he didn't say anything but did move one arm from my waist so he could interlace his fingers with mine.

Temari returned a moment later, her phone still in her hands, as she typed quickly, "Okay, done! Unfortunately, a few are out of town now, so we'll have it this weekend, okay?" Today's Monday, meaning it'll be at least four days, maybe more, before this party occurs.

"Just a warning, Ino said she's going to buy you some clothes for it."

The Subaku woman seemed to finish whatever message she was typing, sent it, and then flopped down on the bed beside where Gaara and I were sitting, laying back with a happy smile, "I usually don't care for it, but I may tag along on that shopping trip. Ino will force you to all the time, by the way. If the rest of us can't escape it, neither can you."

She continued talking about what she expected us to do together in the coming weeks, but the words began blurring as my unease grew. Despite that, I wanted to be a part of all the everyday things people are supposed to do. A sluggish, sinking feeling dropped in my chest, making my body heavier.

I want to stay with everyone. I don't want to say goodbye to all the friends I've made while fighting for my life, but I can't possibly let them know of my situation without someone making an offer that I could never accept.

No matter the outcome, I lose. I'll be homeless, jobless, and penniless if I don't say anything. If I do say something, I'll become an even more significant burden than I already am. To add more to the months of stress and worry…it's so incredibly selfish, and I won't do it.

That's right. I love these people too much to put them in a tough spot like that. They don't deserve anything but the best in life, and if that means I need to go away, then that's what I'll do, no matter how much it breaks my heart.

"H-Hey, Matsuri, are you alright? Why're you crying? Does something hurt? Kankuro, go get a nurse!" I blinked, realizing only then that Temari was crouched in front of me with a terrified expression, and thick tears were rolling down my cheeks.

My fingers shook as I choked out an excuse, "I'm fine. I'm just so happy."

The eldest Subaku brother stopped halfway in between the door and where he'd been sitting on the sofa, giving me a hesitant look, "You don't look happy, Matsu."

Suddenly, he and Temari shared a knowing look, confusing me, before the former spoke to Gaara, "I think now might be a good time to ask, bro."

I leaned over slightly and turned my head to look at the redhead in question, wiping at my tears with both hands all the while. A pink hue dusted his face as he pointedly avoided my gaze, and his lips tugged into a firm line. He didn't say a thing, so I turned to face the others again.

"Fine, I'll do it." Kankuro crouched before me, beside his sister, and grinned widely, "Wanna move in with us?"

The tears that were slowing stopped completely as my mouth opened slightly in shock, only to pick back up to the point that I could barely see with how quickly they were coming, "N-N-No, I-I can't-"

"And why not?" Temari's green eyes were narrowed and sharp, just like her voice.

I shook my head, trying to ignore Gaara's sudden tenseness behind me, "I-I have a cousin that-"

"I know damn well you're not trying to lie right to my face. I'll kick your ass into next week, Matsuri."

My crying morphed into sobs, and I covered my face. They knew all along. I've been reeling for days, trying to hide it from them when it wasn't necessary. At some point over the past eight months, they must've tried finding family members to inform them of my condition and realized there were none. I have no one, nowhere to go.

"I-I can't ask you all to-"

"Have you heard a word that anyone's said in this room? There's been a place ready for you since day one."

I peeked past my fingers, hiccuping to catch my breath, "H-Huh?" A place….for me?

Kankuro snickered, but Temari continued to glare, "Almost everyone lives at the Uchiha compound. That means no rent. That also means you'll need an excuse other than money to turn us down."

Kankuro added, "Come on, get creative."

My brow furrowed, and I frowned as I let my hands fall, my confusion and disbelief calming my tears enough that I could speak, "Even if money's not an issue, please don't feel pressured to invite me just because you-"

"Matsuri." Gaara's voice was soft but still persistent, as though giving me an order.

My mouth stayed open as he cut me off mid-sentence. I tried to muster the resolve to tell the redhead no, but I couldn't do it even though I wasn't looking at his face. Heat rose to my face as I tried to refuse, but I ended up nodding with my eyes squeezed closed, breaking into sobs again. Kankuro and Temari both laughed, but Gaara just kissed the top of my head.