Parting Ways (Naruto Fanfic)

It's Over

"I'm taking Gaara with me."

Karura's words numbed Rasa to the core, the memory of the sandy-haired female standing in front of him, with their auburn-haired child clutched securely in her arms remaining steadfast in his memory despite the amount of time passing since his wife left. He also remembered how Gaara's small head rested against her shoulder, his tiny fingers entwined into her clothing. The eyes of the child remained shut, a soft snore coming from the child's mouth. Only around Karura did Gaara seem to act anything like a normal child, and yet Rasa's presence seemed to upset this balance, at least when their youngest wasn't asleep in his mother's arms.

Thus Rasa wasn't surprised that Karura simply said what she did, and didn't outright say she was leaving, or that their marriage was over. He wanted to open his mouth to protest, and yet something deep down told him not to fight her. Rasa liked to think that the marriage was over for now, but he found himself unable to say for sure that things weren't over for good. He made attempts to win Karura's heart back after putting the tailed beast into their small child, yet the answer, in the long run, didn't like in winning her heart back, but that her focus was on the small child she held in her arms.

Their ideas on how to deal with Gaara differed. Rasa's parenting style was that of a strong hand, something he learned from his own parents. Karura, however, handled anything thrown at her in a delicate manner. The auburn-haired man found no fault in this, particularly since this was one of the things which made him fall in love with her. However, her delicate nature remained in direct conflict with his rough nature, making Rasa wonder at the time why things lasted as long as they did, particularly due to his strict following of Suna's traditions. Oddly enough, Suna's traditions screamed out that Rasa should go after her, only to remember the story of the bird in the cage.

In fact, if Rasa really thought about everything, the bird in the cage wasn't one with golden feathers, but blood red. The Kazekage watched the two from above, in some ways glad things were over, as Karura managed to cut ties to his family line and Suna's elders, even if briefly. Gaara smiled up at his mother, while he toddled around stacking rocks on top of each other, not using the sand ability. The two remained in a secluded part of Suna, keeping to themselves, and remaining at peace. Watching the two, particularly the happiness of their small son managed to ease the burden of his job as Kazekage. In turn, Yashamaru cared for the other two children.

Letting out a sigh, Rasa stood up, knowing that just as things between him and Karura were over, so was his brief daily visit to watch his youngest child's odd manner of play. Separated from his wife, with her taking on the parenting of Gaara, the auburn-haired child could be himself, without a sharp tongue coming from Rasa about what the child could or could not do, yet the fear of the council of elders stepping in remained there, at the back of his mind. He arrived in his office, and sat down, waiting for the latest complaint from one of the elders, or the latest problem from one of the missions.

His calloused hand reached out to pick up his brush, to begin work on the papers on top of his stack of paperwork. The sound of feet told him that someone came to complain, but looking up, the auburn-haired man found none of the people he expected. A young man with brown hair and eyes, his oldest son, stood in front of him, frowning, but also glaring at the Kazekage. Baki followed after Kankuro, and Rasa watched the younger man make a quick bow. "I apologize Lord Kazekage, but young Lord Kankuro got away from me during his lesson. I'll take him back if you so wish."

"No. I'll take the time to speak to him." Rasa watched Baki make another bow, before disappearing out of the door. The auburn-haired man leaned forward, wondering if he ever took the time to really speak to any of his children, except to lecture them on how to properly act. He wasn't sure if this would be yet again another one of those times. "So..."

"Make mom come back."

Rasa's brown eyes widened, the frown remaining on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, make mom come back."

The auburn-haired Kazekage took a deep breath. "No. I can't."

"Yes, you can! You're the Kazekage! You can do anything."

Rasa felt his eyes narrow. "You're right. As Kazekage, I could order your mother to come back, but that is not only an abuse of power, but this would not solve the problems between your mother and I. It's over."

The words came out of his mouth, tasting bitter as they did so. Saying those words, that things were over between him and Karura, the feeling simply didn't sit well. Kankuro's eyes widened in horror. "So, it is true. You and mother, you're divorcing?"

The man stared at Kankuro, not sure what to say, particularly since divorce was, at least in Suna, unheard of. His calloused fingers set down his brush and began to tap the top of the desk, remaining silent, not at all sure how to answer the young man's question. While things were over, Karura had yet to file for divorce, possibly due to the fear of the council interfering, to prevent something which never happened before.

Kankuro's eyes widened even more, as Rasa attempted to ignore him, instead of going back to his work, thus giving the young man an answer. "You! You're the Kazekage! You can't!"

"The decision is your mother's, not mine, and I am choosing to respect her decision Kankuro. I ask that you do the same. I will not put up with you disrespecting her."

"So this is your fault! You're and Gaara's! Everyone knows she left because of him!" The brown-haired young man's voice strained, as the young puppet ninja in training attempted to find someone to blame. Rasa didn't say anything, more because he didn't know what to say, let alone how to think about the situation. As a shinobi, he needed to cut off his feelings, and yet Karura remained his weakness, even though she cut all ties with him. Deep down, while he knew why he ended up choosing her, he didn't know why she choose him, and personally doubted the reason, whatever it was, still existed.

So yes, the relationship was over. Explaining the complexities of romance to a young child, particularly in a society which believed in cutting off all feelings, and hardening the heart simply didn't seem possible either. Kankuro let out a huff upon realizing Rasa would say nothing, taking the words as an odd confirmation of his own personal thoughts, regardless of whether the two family members actually matched up in their thought process.

Things were over, and getting used to the fact things were over would take some time. Rasa didn't look forward to yet another thing to learn to understand.