#future!timeline

[cunningpeach]

“It’s nice seeing you smile again."

“Is it? I hadn’t noticed that I had not been smiling.”

Living in Konoha full time wasn’t easy on her.  Momo was homesick.  A big part of her desperately wanted to go back to Kiri but at the same time, she knew she’d be completely miserable there without Chouji.  It seemed that she’d have to get used to a pang in her chest no matter where she lived so she’d rather be with the man she loved, even if it was harder to move than she’d anticipated. 

“I do like my new house.  It’s kinda empty but that will change.  Living with my sisters for all these years and Chouji with his parents, neither of us has much furniture, even with the bits from my apartment here.  I’m just... adjusting, I guess. I’ve never been separated from my family for long.  This was how it happened all the time in your day, right?  Women were sent off to foreign villages like one would send a present to marry men they’d never met.  When you think about that, I have it easy.  At least I have someone I love.  Maybe I’m being foolish.”

She leaned her chin on her hand, a deep frown once again on her face.  

“His parents don’t treat me like family.  I feel like some sort of intruder when I’m around them.  It’s lonely, seeing them all happy together and me set apart.  It never bothered before cause I always had my sisters to go home to but, I dunno, I guess I hoped I’d be more accepted now that it’s official.  But it’ll pass, right?”

[cunningpeach]

"Kaa-san, if your eggo is preggo, can I name the spawn?"

Spawn.

“I don’t think you’re ready to name it on your own but you’re welcome to give your father and I some suggestions.”

[cunningpeach]

“I can’t dance.”

“Oh come on. Are you telling me that never in your hundreds of years of life did you learn to dance?”

A pout appeared on the girl’s face.  She was so displeased. 

“Please…  Chouji and I made a compromise.  He’ll do the tiny traditional Shinto wedding ceremony for me if we can have a modern reception.  Modern receptions have to have a father daughter dance and…”

There were tears in her eyes.  It was only at times like this when she felt lonely. 

“My father’s dead. My interrogation master died last year but even he wasn’t really a father figure towards me.  You’re the only man I can count on.  Please do this for me.”

[cunningpeach]

"You look just like your mother." It was whispered, and in a loving tone--but not to Momo. It was said to their daughter, and he had only just gotten home from a mission, too late to help put the children to bed. One hand reaching into the little girl's crib, he was staring sleepily at her, occasionally murmuring apologies about being gone so often.

Ever vigilant about watching over her tiny, vulnerable baby, Momo had left the baby monitor on over night so that she could get some rest until the child woke and cried to nurse.  And when a soft noise first woke her, that was what she’d thought was happening and had started to pull herself out of bed until she realized that it was Chouji’s gentle voice coming over the monitor.

The blonde listened for a moment.  It was so sweet to hear him talking to their child but she also felt like she shouldn’t listen in when he didn’t realize she could hear.  So she finally managed to pull herself sleepily out of bed, going to the baby’s room and stopping in the doorway. 

“Chouji, come to bed.  I’m sure you’re tired and she’ll wake us up in a few hours and I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you then,” she beckoned quietly, one of his shirts calling off her shoulder.

At least the child was down to waking them up once per night.  Momo was starting to look healthy and well rested once more, at least as well as she’s ever been.  But she was still sleepy and would greatly appreciate having him rest beside her, knowing that he was home and safe. 

[cunningpeach]

“You could have caught him.”

"I thought he was going in for a hug, not a... body slam.  Are you alright?"

Momo leaned down and scooped up the child lying on top of Chouza's flattened form.  It was hard to get angry with the boy for being overly enthusiastic when seeing his grandpa for the first time in over a month.  He was just starting to be old enough to understand how dangerous missions could be and clearly he missed him. 

"You're not hurt, are you?  I can send for a medic if you need it."

She set the child down on the couch.  Later Momo would have to have a talk with him about how even though Grandpa pretends he can still do all the things he could when he was young, he's getting older and it's really not okay to try to tackle him with love.  

"I think he's seen me jump on Chouji when he comes home from his missions.  The boy means well though.  He wouldn't nearly break your back if he didn't love you so much." 

[cunningpeach]

But before Momo was a monster who had shed the title of 'man' in an age long past. He reached for a scroll and summoned Nuibari. "You are far from lovable. Yagura hoped you would die somehow when I was forced to tolerate your 'assistance'. Kirigakure does not wish for you to remain alive after all. It's interesting... this jutsu is your doing and yet you still know nothing about me."

"Oh that's right.  You died before the truth came out.  That wasn't Yagura-sama.  Some jerk from Konoha was controlling him using his demon thingy.  So I don't worry about the feelings of a traitor."

He couldn't hurt her anymore.  The damage Kushimaru had done years ago was worse than anything he could say now.

"Of course I know nothing about you.  I don't care.  I just want you to die all over again.  Nothing you say or do can change that."

[cunningpeach]

-+

Send me -+ for my muse's reaction to finding out they're pregnant with your muse's child!

A smile appeared on the woman's face as she stared down at the little plus sign on the odd little stick in her hand.  Her husband was going to be so happy.  It seemed like ever since they started trying to have a baby, it was all he could talk about it.  Not that she minded it.  Momo loved how eager he was for her to be pregnant and it was what she wanted as well. 

Her only problem now was how to hide it until Chouji returned from his current mission.  He'd want to be the first to know about the jellybean growing inside her.  It worried her about other people figuring it out though.  She was a small person and likely to show quickly, not to mention the morning sickness she'd already been dealing with for several days.  Chouza had noticed her lack of appetite when she ate dinner with Chouji's parents the other night.  And then there was Chouji's mother.  She'd been through it all before and was even better equipped to realize what was going. 

But despite her worry, Momo couldn't bring herself to be too upset.  She was going to have a perfect little baby in eight months.  Nothing could bring her mood down. 

[cunningpeach]

"I have no reason to forgive you."

"I'm not asking for forgiveness."

It was easy for her to say with Kushimaru's reanimated corpse tied up by more fuinjutsu than even she was aware of, not to mention the dozen guards fluttering about the room and the absence of her former ally's sword. 

"You were the worst blight to ever befall Kirikagure and I won't deny that I begged Yagura-sama to end your life every time I turned in a report of all the innocent people I saw you murder.  To this day I still wake up screaming at night with the sight of Nuibari impaling little children burned into my brain."

Oh it felt good to finally be able to speak her mind.  Kushimaru would be dead again soon enough but it didn't matter when it came to Momo finally being able to express her feelings.  That was the only reason she was there after all.  Almost everyone else who'd known Kushimaru well during his life was dead.  She was the person in the room who knew him best and also the one who hated him most.

"I'm pretty sure I deserve to die for what I did or failed to prevent back then, but you, you deserve so much worse.  If you felt pain I'd already have my hands inside you but I'll have to settle for seeing your head roll."

The blonde reached forward, hesitating only a moment as she waited to be sure that the fuinjutsu would hold.  She grabbed his mask, yanking it off his face, which she was seeing only for the first time. 

"A souvenir of our time together.  This is the only part I'll remember with fondness, you piece of shit."