Alliances 01
-
The samurai paid her no heed as she exited the stony fortress on the mountain. Her eyes searched the snowy landscape, falling flakes melting against her cheek. She brushed it away carelessly and when she glanced up, she noted a smudge against the landscape. The blizzard surrounding them had begun to wane. Like a snow globe settling, his image sharpened against the gray sky. She wrapped her cloak a little tighter, pressed one step forward and allowed it to sink into the powder. Each step drew her closer to the red hair wagging like flame.
The divide between them was not so great and yet he made no notice of her presence. He faced elsewhere, his body frozen like a statue carved and forgotten. Had she not known him to be human she would have imagined him a spirit, a creature stepping off the page of a children's story.
Mei approached with caution. The wind stirred her hair about her face and she tucked it back over her eye carefully. His guards had rushed up to greet her, observing her carefully until they were certain she was who she said she was. Her eyes were on the Kazekage even as she greeted them.
She smiled when she realized she was taller than him even without her heels on. Even if she let her hair down and stood with her feet pressed straight to the ground she was certain he wouldn't even reach her brow. He was still a boy by any means and yet her body hummed, her senses tingled with a sense of danger when his green eyes sidled in her direction.
Chojuro materialized at her shoulder and offered to hold her few belongings. He offered to get her a drink, an umbrella, or whatever else might make her comfortable. The admiration in his eyes was plain and she smiled at him with a feigned sweetness that never failed to bring a flush to his cheeks. She watched the Kazekage for his reaction, but there was none. In her experience there were two types of men in this world and she had expected judgment or jealousy. He exhibited neither.
She sent him on a fool's errand to keep him from interrupting. He jogged quickly through the snow, back to the iron mountain stronghold and when he was gone, Mei turned all her charm on the Kazekage.
In the early meetings there had been no time to assess her allies, but here, facing him like one on a battlefield, there was no denying that he was equal to the rest of them. She lowered her gaze and her long lashes to greet him and he repeated the bow with the same level of politeness.
"May I have a word with you, Kazekage?" She smiled in a way that set his female guard on edge. Neither guard seemed pleased but they made no objection when the Kazekage quietly sent them away with a nod of his red curls. When they were far enough away he turned his attention to her. His cool green eyes were as emotionless as his porcelain doll face. It was almost a surprise to hear the caution in his voice.
"Hatake Kakashi is still wary about his position, but Konoha has accepted him and he will aid our efforts. The jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto is not as easy to convince."
She detected a sort of frustration in his voice, but she could not tell who it was for.
"You trust him then," she sidled up closer, lowering her voice to justify the proximity.
"With my life," a cold edge seeped into his gaze. His green eyes searched the snowy country and she had no doubt that he meant it.
"Where do we proceed from here?" She watched him, wondering if he would turn his head to bring their faces closer.
His nose nearly bumped hers as he turned, his face blank while his eyes roamed and noted how close she stood. His skin was pale, flawless even, with not a single scar nor mark save the harsh strokes of the blood red tattoo over his left eye.
"For one, you will stop acting like you are trying to make my sister jealous." The Kazekage's response pulled her short. She glanced over at the female guard who glared at her with barely concealed distrust. "Second, wait for my word. I need more time with Uzumaki. If Hatake doesn't convince him, I will."
The snow crunched beneath his feet. There was something less polite, more dismissive in his bow and he quietly turned and began walking toward his guards.
Chojuro jogged to her side with a steaming cup in one hand. He huffed audibly at the Kazekage's retreating backside. "He's not very polite, is he?" Chojuro commented.
The Mizukage watched as he and his guard vanished into the forest. "Mmm," she murmured, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling.
-.-
He learned quickly that the day was coldest just before the snow fell. The wind picked up, bringing a chill that made Gaara wish he had worn an extra layer. His hair stirred in the rising breeze, a single snow flake landing against his cheek. Uzumaki's hands were bare, his jacket thin and yet Gaara imagined it was something else that drove his body to shiver. The Konohan looked up as Gaara approached, rising to his feet with a startled expression. His eyes darted between them, settling on Gaara's briefly before flitting away nervously.
Little seemed to have changed since their last meeting.
"We need to speak to your hokage," Temari said, batting away a few flakes of early snow.
Uzumaki's expression dimmed. "Yeah, okay. He's with Yamato," he said. He ruffled his blond hair, still free of the hitaite he normally wore to signal his shinobi status. Gaara wondered if he had removed it to draw less attention to himself. He wondered if he did so under his superior's orders.
Temari and Kankuro marched in the direction of the makeshift shelter constructed by Yamato. It looked odd here in the middle of the forest, tucked away into surrounding trees. Uzumaki made no attempt to follow them, watching their small party advance while he waited in the falling snow. Gaara's feet crunched against the powder, shivering against his wool lined cloak. He paused before Uzumaki, and sighed a breath that rose like smoke between them. He kept his hands at his side.
"Have you considered my words?" he asked, counting his breaths like seconds on a clock.
Uzumaki lowered his face, fingers fumbling at his side uselessly. His expression remained troubled and when the span of ten breaths was up, Gaara nodded and averted his gaze.
"I understand," he said and continued on. He ignored Uzumaki's startled expression and walked confidently toward the door Temari held open.
Just inside the wooden hut, Kakashi and Yamato pored over a scroll spread out on a table. A single gas lamp sputtered next to them, the only source of light in the otherwise dim cabin. The wind blew in a flurry of snow that swept across the bare floor and Kankuro quickly shoved the door closed behind them with a finality that echoed slightly off the walls. It was not much warmer inside, Gaara reflected. He wondered how they got on without a fire, but then again, Konoha was cold in the winters and the two men in long sleeve shirts and no jackets did not seem to mind.
Kakashi glanced up, one eye darting from Gaara to his siblings above the dark mask. He nodded tersely and went back to the scroll, trailing his fingers from one side to the next. He did not darn any of the trappings of his position, but then again, in wartime, few of them did.
"I trust you weren't followed," he said nonchalantly. He didn't seem concerned, marking a spot with his pencil. "I still don't like this Hokage business, but I'm at your service. Have the others decided what role Konoha is to play in this?"
"Raikage is uncomfortable with Kyuubi out of his sight. Especially in light of recent aggressions," Gaara began.
Kakashi straightened out and lifted one silver brow.
"Oh? He isn't suggesting that he take care of both jinchuuriki, is he? If I was informed correctly, hachibi isn't too keen on taking orders either." Gaara was quiet for a moment. The silver haired man broke into a smile and Gaara relaxed his shoulders a little. "I hope he didn't think this would be easy." He shrugged and went back to mapping a trail with his pencil.
"He is concerned that Konoha doesn't have the resources to . . ." Gaara paused.
"You can say it," Kakashi teased. "Our village is barely in the process of rebuilding," he smiled at Yamato who looked particularly annoyed. His cheeks turned red as did his ears. Kakashi chuckled a little and cleared his throat, returning to a more serious tone. "Naruto hasn't taken kindly to being locked up in the village. I find ignoring the elders will not win me any favors though it made it easier to bring him along this time. You communicated your proposal to the council?"
Gaara nodded. "The reason for your absence was accepted," he said, shifting one hand in his pocket. He extracted a scrap of paper and held it up for the Hokage to see. Yamato stepped forward and bowed politely. He accepted the document with two hands, circled the table and flattened it out between his blunt fingers on the table. Kakashi looked over his shoulder as he did so, his gaze resting on the red seal stamped at the bottom.
"Preparations must be going well," Kakashi commented.
"Are you kidding?" Kankuro interrupted. "We've been on high alert since those cloaked bastards took Gaara."
Temari placed a hand on Kankuro's forearm, calming him. He closed his mouth and stood a little bit straighter, taking an apologetic step backwards.
"It was not difficult to transition to wartime preparations," Gaara said calmly. "I simply reminded the council that Akatsuki set up their infiltration years before their attack. They will not have time to set up another one so quickly."
Kakashi looked thoughtful. "Hn," he nodded, agreeing with the logic. "None of the beasts can scale your walls and the one entrance is too narrow for most," he said. "I hate to admit it, but our defenses are down," he said. "Even with all the lives Pain returned, much of our internal infrastructure is out," Kakashi lifted his brow at Yamato.
Yamato grimaced. "I can only rebuild so much! And with Tsunade-sama still..."
Kakashi held up one hand. "You're absolutely certain about this?" Kakashi looked from Gaara to his siblings. "You take a great risk upon yourself and your village."
"Oh, we're prepared," Temari said. "We've been working hard to make sure they won't take us by surprise again." She looked at her brother knowingly.
Gaara allowed himself a small smile. "I would not have proposed such an undertaking without willing to risk the potential hazards. Madara will underestimate our strength and we will use this to our advantage." Gaara met Yamato and Kakashi's eyes respectively. Their gazes flickered, the two men deep in thought.
Kakashi leaned against the wooden table and casually crossed his ankles. He rested his palms against the wooden surface and looked at ease despite the potential significance of their actions. He looked once more at Yamato and the two men gave a small nod. "The elders don't like the plan. They want Naruto under their noses even though it means tailed beasts knocking down our doors. With Root still loyal to Danzo, and the elders fighting me on anything tactical they disagree with, one concentrated attack from Madara and Konoha is in trouble."
Gaara frowned. For as long as he had lived Konoha had been hailed as the stronger village. It was why his father conspired with Orochimaru to take them down.
"But back to the subject," Gaara snapped back to attention, "I think it understandable if a rather strong headed shinobi decided he wanted to escape his prison in search of other adventures. Don't you agree, Naruto?" Kakashi's eye crinkled into a half moon as he tilted his face up toward the corner just above Temari and Kankuro's heads.
The rest of the party startled, turning awkwardly toward the rafters. Uzumaki glowered at them upside-down, feet firmly planted to the wood. He rolled into a somersault and landed neatly beside his sister. Temari stepped away to widen the berth.
"I don't like it," he said, glancing nervously at Gaara. His blue eyes shifted away, his brow sloping as he stared down his leader. "I should be there to protect the village."
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at Yamato. "Well that's the problem, isn't it? The whole village is scrambling to protect you." Naruto's confidence visibly deflated. He frowned in a way that looked all too common for Gaara considering how little they saw one another. "Right now the Kazekage can protect you better than we can. And what's more, he can prepare you." Naruto's eyes lifted in surprise. He glanced wordlessly from Gaara to the other faces in the room.
"But I can help," he began.
"This isn't a vacation, Naruto. I smuggled you out of the village to get you to Suna. You will be under his lead until I am ready to call you back and you will help him in any way you can. You got it? If you're not helping their efforts you will be training. I'm sending Yamato with you for this reason." Yamato smiled at him somewhat ominously from the other side of the table. "He will supervise your training to ensure the village's safety." Kakashi glanced at Gaara and Gaara nodded, having been warned of Naruto's lapses in control.
"Training?" he asked, his voice thick with confusion.
"Yes. Training. Madara knows how to bait you. All your training is worth nothing if you lose your temper and let nine-tails run wild. I have asked the Kazekage to help you learn to control it."
Naruto met his eyes briefly and there was nothing pleasant about his expression.
"I know how to control it!" he scowled.
"No you don't!" Kakashi cut him short. "Remind me who stopped the seal from breaking."
Naruto's anger melted into another twisted expression. He fisted his hands and for once Gaara realized just how easy one could rile up the most dangerous of the jinchuurikis. He should have known, having once woken that sleeping beast himself.
"We cannot allow Madara to exploit this," Kakashi said with finality.
Naruto pressed his lips together tightly, a thin line that made his whiskers stand out on either cheek. The silence in the cabin felt thick; thick as the snow piled high on the frozen mountain. Gaara averted his eyes feeling like an intruder on a private moment. He lifted his eyes tentatively to his siblings, keeping his head low lest he be drawn further into the fray. He wondered if this is what Baki felt like when he and his siblings squabbled.
Kakashi sighed audibly into the room. He passed his hand over his face and judging by Yamato's concerned look, such displays were rare.
"Madara will drag you into the fight," he said with certainty. "And once he does, I know there will be no stopping you. The Kazekage has offered help you prepare for the day that Madara succeeds."
Naruto was once again silent. He didn't seemed pleased, but the earlier tension had dissipated and he was certain that Kakashi's words had gotten through. It seemed the young man Gaara had known had learned to stop blindly denying what he did not want to accept. The realization produced a pang that the Kazekage had not expected.
Naruto looked contrite as he rubbed the back of his head. "You're right," he said, meeting his leader's eyes. "If Madara tries to fight me I'm not sure I can forgive him enough to stop. Pain was different... he," Naruto shook his head. "I can't forgive Madara for all the hurt he's caused."
"Then will you come with us?" Gaara spoke up. His voice rose with a lilt of hope he had not intended on expressing.
Naruto met his eyes and for once the gaze was steady. He nodded without hesitation before turning to his leader and repeating the gesture. Gaara met his sibling's relieved looks and smiled.
Kakashi looked pleased from his seat at the edge of the table not as the hokage, but as Naruto's mentor and teammate. He dipped his head in the slightest of nods and Gaara was certain that the expression beneath his mask reflected the smiles around the room.
"Now if I could ask all of you to wait outside for a minute, I have some things to discuss with the Kazekage privately."
Naruto looked disgruntled, but when Yamato walked by and grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket, he made no complaint. Gaara nodded to his siblings and they exited quietly, no doubt positioning themselves just outside the doors. A cold wind replaced them and Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and kept his arms tightly wrapped around his body.
Kakashi turned and leaned over the map, pressing one finger to iron mountain and no doubt their present location. "I've sent my dogs to scout the surrounding perimeter and I've marked the areas where Madara set traps. He's sniffing out Naruto and I'm not sure how long the bunshins back in Konoha will keep him convinced. Watch yourself on the way back."
Gaara studied the map and made note of the small x's drawn throughout the surrounding forest. He usually gave no thought to traveling. Usually he was the one being protected. He noted what a marked difference it was to be on the other side of things.
"I will not let Madara take him," Gaara said.
Kakashi huffed under his breath. "Not while you're alive anyways." Gaara flinched. "I know it's the kage duty to protect our villages and all that, but don't go sacrificing yourself if it can be avoided? You're my link to this alliance." Kakashi paused and there was no merriment in his expression. "Besides," his tone softened, "he needs a friend right now." Gaara's eyes lifted. He glanced at the closed door and imagined the ghost of a vibrant shinobi on the other side. "If anyone can restore his confidence right now, I think you can."
Gaara lowered his face to the map and concentrated on the small x's surrounding them. He traced the smooth gray marks with one finger; with the same hand that had been brushed away not a month before like something undesired. Kakashi's stare, a sense of scrutiny, prickled at his awareness.
"I will do what I can," he said.
-.-
The wind pattern had changed. Not wind, she realized when the snow fall had been disrupted, but sand. She reached with one hand and plucked the message from the air, unrolling it carefully and reading its contents. She smiled at the Kazekage's terse language. He was, as she reminded herself, just a boy afterall and not one that delighted in being toyed with. She would remember this in the future, she thought, rolling up the scroll again and placing it in the pocket sewn into her cloak.
The samurai allowed her back in without a second glance. Chojuro asked if the news was good and she smiled and nodded at him gently. She noted Ao roll his eyes and he straightened out his expression when he caught on to her glare. The rest of the walk was quiet and when she reached the meeting room, Raikage was still there as she expected. She nodded to his guards and they admitted her without question. She slipped the scroll free, unrolled it and placed it on the desk in front of him.
Raikage lifted one brow at her. He rubbed one end of his mustache as he read over the scribbles. His forehead scrunched into a series of wrinkles and his lip curled up in a growl.
He slammed the document onto the table, glowering at the messenger before him. The Mizukage kept her chin up and her position relaxed despite his scowl.
"It's a wise move on both their parts. You cannot argue with their logic." Her lips curved up in a smile she knew would goad him further. "Besides, do you really think Killer Bee would be so obliging as to train the kyuubi himself? You cannot deny that the Kazekage is gifted."
Raikage's eyes flicked to his left arm. His dark eyes turned stony, narrowing at her like he was trying to uncover some sort of treachery. "Suna is not my ideal choice, but our options are, as the Kazekage pointed out, limited. I have no choice but to trust the Kazekage with the kyuubi for now. Let him bring Madara's wrath on his own head." He clenched his jaw like his fist; muscle and bone seemed to strain beneath the skin.
"Is Hachibi?"
"He is recovering!" Raikage snapped. "But the three and four tails are contained," he calmed. "That at least can be considered a victory." His face went blank, his eyes unfocused. In a blink it was gone and the raikage roused himself as though noticing she was there for the first time. "What of you? I did not think you the type to play messenger without a reason."
The Mizukage crossed her arms over her chest, a gesture that caused most men to drop their gaze, but which did not faze the raikage in the least. She was unsurprised, noting the lack of trust evident even now after nearly a month of being allies. She smiled over at Chojuro who returned her look with a confidence that had only begun to emerge quite recently.
"The swordsmen are gathered. I will even lend Chojuro to the chase. I told you, we will take care of our own," she smiled. This at least seemed to please him.
The Raikage glanced at Chojuro as though noticing him for the first time. "We shall see," the Raikage snorted a laugh. "We shall see."