Hello everyone! Thank you for choosing to read my piece!
It is my second here on , as well as my second altogether. It's just a project right now; I don't really know where I'm going with it. The idea just caught my fancy a couple weeks ago. I hope you enjoy it, even though this first part is a little dull!
The Diving Bell and the Turtle Dove
Chapter One - Revelation
The moon was scarcely more than a sliver of ethereal light in the velvet sky that night. There were thousands upon thousands of stars were glittering like precious jewels. Some were so distant that you weren't really sure if you were actually seeing them, while some were so close that you might be able to reach a hand up and pluck them from their stations. Nights such as this were not uncommon in the Sand Village, a place where seasons were indistinguishable and weather rarely changed. It could be counted on that no matter how blistering hot the day had been, how the sand had scorched your bare feet, and ravished whatever skin you had left bare, the coming of night in its cool shroud would bring reprieve.
Although for most, the coming of night meant slipping into your cool sheets and perhaps looking out your window, searching for a falling star to wish upon. It meant drifting off into the world of dreams, to a land of familiarity and calmness, of humor, of romance, perhaps even a world of memory. But for the Kazekage of the Sand Village, night did not mean any of those things. For Gaara, the dark of night brought time for quiet contemplation, freedom from the hustle and bustle of the office during the day, a time for silence, with nothing but starlight and the whispering zephyrs for company. Silence had been his only friend for so many years, and despite how things had changed, it was somehow pleasant to spend time in its company every so often.
That night though, Gaara was not focused on clearing his head or stargazing. His pale face, jaundiced by the yellow light of the desk lamp was marred by the slightest of frowns. To the outside observer, it would appear that the young Kazekage was simply deep in thought, and that the expression on his face was one of concentration. But if one were to observe more carefully, perhaps even peer into his mind, it would become apparent that although he indeed was deep in thought, the frown was not due to concentration, but worry, frustration, even.
With the position of Kazekage, came many responsibilities. The Sand Village was not in good shape when Gaara came to office. The people were impoverished, poor, dissatisfied and angry at how things were run. With the help of Kankuro and Temari, and the grudgingly offered expertise of the village's council, things had slowly changed. Once the alliance with the Leaf Village had been made, and the feudal lord Kuranosuke once again began offering missions to the Sand Village, things began to flourish once again. Funding was restored, and with the Leaf Village as an ally, much more trade had gone on. Substantially better as things had become, there were still every day challenges to deal with. There were none as grating, however, as the one that was picking at his mind then.
The Sand Village itself was, in general, well-protected. To the West, there was an endless expanse of impassable, vicious desert, bordered by a range of saw-toothed mountains. It would be complete idiocy to attempt a siege of the village from that direction. In the South, there was another expanse of desert, although it was much more hospitable than the western region. It was more of a scrubland, with cacti and other vegetation growing in most parts. This wasn't exactly an area of worry though, as the southern part of the Wind Country was dotted by smaller, allied villages. The Sand Village would know all about an impending attack almost before an enemy had thought it out. And the East was out of the question for anybody with a brain in their head. The Sand and Leaf Villages were closer than they had ever been, and Gaara was completely confidant in the Leaf Villages ability to cover them from that direction. But alas, there was the factor of the north.
The northern border of the Land of Wind was a sorely open spot. There was only a minute stretch of arid desert, a day's journey on foot to protect the Sand Village. After that, the sand's grip relinquished and gave way to a fertile valley of lush green forests and clear lakes. Further on, the expansive boreal forests of the Land of Earth took over, and thus, created a barrier-less passage directly into the Sand Village. Gaara had complete confidence in his arsenal of capable shinobi. But they had been caught by complete surprise once before, by the two wily Akatsuki members Sasori and Deidara. Gaara suppressed a shudder as he remembered the past events involving the two late vigilante ninja. Death was a cold, cold thing, and he would be happy if he never had to knock on its door, never mind enter its lair ever again.
Gaara had been stolidly trying to think of a fix for his worries for days, and was so far drawing blanks. The Land of Earth was a secluded country, shrouded in mystery and self-sufficient enough that they barely had to make their presence known to the other villages. He had long since deemed them out of the question, as they were unlikely to any treaty the Sand Village could offer. Treaties only worked when there were benefits to both parties, and in all honesty, there was nothing that the Sand Village could offer to the Land of Earth that they didn't already have. A new alliance with the Land of Rain was useless; there was nothing that would get through the country's totalitarian border control. Gaara hadn't even considered negotiations with the shinobi-less Land of Birds, as there was nothing the peaceful country could do to halt an attack. After considering what he thought was all the possibilities, Gaara was at a complete loss.
There was one small detail that had been bothering him since the previous night, however. As accustomed to not sleeping as Gaara was, since the extraction of Shukaku, he had taken to sleeping, such a foreign word, a few hours a night. For the past two nights, however, he had been unable to will his eyes to stay shut and had spent the calming hours of darkness in his office, poring over maps and history files. The reason for his newly reawakened insomnia was the discovery of the small country, if it even was a country, covering the majority of the Land of Wind's northwest border. He hadn't been able to find a name for it on any of the maps, and there was little, if any information on it other than the geography was dominated by windswept steppes and that the western part of it was shot through with lofty mountains. Gaara had searched through any documents he could find, searching for information. But it seemed hopeless; there was no recorded information about the place.
Gaara sighed then, his vertebrae cracking in protest as he straightened his posture and rested his head on the back of his chair. He allowed his gaze to wander to the window and the inky black sky, unpolluted by the stray lights of a bigger village. It wasn't until his eyes drifted closed that he realized how exhausted, mentally and physically, he actually was. "Only a few moments," he murmured to himself, moving his hands so that they rested in his lap and letting his head loll to the side. Within seconds of those words, Gaara of the Desert was sleeping like the dead.
(break)
Morning and Temari found Gaara is a rather different position than he had been in when he'd first fallen asleep. She couldn't suppress her smile at the sight of her youngest brother bent over his desk, cheek resting on a far outdated map of the Land of Wind and the surrounding countries. His face was peaceful for once, completely relaxed and looking the part of the teenager that, despite his title, he really was. Moving silently so as not to wake him, Temari made her way behind the desk and peered over Gaara's shoulder. There was a hastily penned red circle around an unnamed country to the northwest of the Land of Wind. Temari found, that after she looked over the other documents and files scattered over the redwood desk, that the subject of each was that same unnamed country her brother had circled for reasons completely unbeknownst to her.
Temari frowned and leaned in closer to the documents. To be honest, although she spent limitless amounts of time reviewing maps and various books in preparation for missions, she had never heard, or read about the little country Gaara was presumably interested in. Vaguely, she wondered what on earth her brother could be up to, and why he had taken a sudden interest in the unnamed piece of land. With a dismissive internal shrug, she straightened and took a step back, debating whether or not to wake the slumbering Kazekage.
The decision was made for her however, when Gaara stirred and his pale eyes fluttered open. Only mildly startled, a smile quickly made its was to Temari's face; it made her happy to know that her brother was becoming accustomed to being a regular person, even if the step was sleeping for had most likely been a few hours. "Good morning, Gaara," she said warmly, making her way to the front of the desk as Gaara sat up in his chair, rubbing his eyes with one hand. Gaara was silent for a few moments before replying with a soft, "Good morning."
Never one to beat around the bush, Temari plucked one of the documents from the desk and looked over it quickly. "What's gotten you so interested in this place, Gaara?" She questioned casually, though she was genuinely curious; Gaara rarely did anything without reason. He was silent for a few moments, still waking up, she presumed but eventually spoke up. "I've been thinking," he began, looking toward the window, which faced west, "That we are protected on the East by the Leaf Village, in the west by the desert, the south by the smaller villages, but completely open to attack from the north." It was very true, Temari noted, but what on earth had caused him to think of such a thing? As far as she knew, the Sand Village was in no imminent danger of being attacked. But she supposed that when the two Akatsuki members had infiltrated the village, they hadn't exactly been expected. Gaara was devoted to doing whatever it took to protect the village and its people, so Temari supposed that his caution was understandable.
"And since the Land of Rain is already impregnable, the Land of Earth unreachable, and the Land of Birds useless to us in the defense department," Temari, who was more than smart enough to put two and two together said matter-of-factly, "You were trying to find any information about that place that you could, hoping that you might be able to find something to work with." Temari was pleased to catch a glimpse, however fleeting, of a smile flicker across Gaara's face. "I haven't been able to find out a single relevant thing though," he answered, frowning slightly, "Some vague information about geography, but nothing about residents, politics, or government."
The siblings were silent for a few moments, each contemplating what the other had said. Temari was the first to speak. "Maybe Baki would know something about it," she stated, thoughts drifting momentarily to her former sensei. "He's been around longer than some of these documents," Temari continued, releasing her grip on the paper she had been holding and letting it flutter back down to the desk. Not waiting for a reply from Gaara, she continued, "Yeah, that's a great idea. You can find him while you're out getting something to eat." With that, Temari turned heel and strolled out of the office, leaving the door open. Gaara recognized, easily, the decisive tone in her voice. She would most likely wait around a corner outside to make sure that he indeed went out and fed himself; the could be obstinately motherly sometimes, and he and Kankuro had long since learned that it was easier to just obey her than to get on her bad side.
(break)
Since Gaara had become Kazekage, the Sand Village had been improving, politically, physically, and financially. The population had increased by nearly fifteen percent, and with it, the ranks of shinobi. In the past few months, Baki had found that days off were much more commonplace than they had been in his entire career. It was a Tuesday, high noon and feverishly hot when Gaara sought him out. Baki, having had nothing else better to do, had decided to treat himself to lamb kebobs from one of the Sand Village's excellent, but lesser known eateries. Baki was not fond of crowds, and had long since discovered that the best restaurants were less poplar, with better food and a more serene atmosphere.
However, it wasn't so often that the Kazekage was seen about the village and despite Baki having a closer relationship with Gaara; it was not a common occurrence to see him out and about. And so, it was almost needless to say that Baki was confused at best on the issue of why the Kazekage had sought him out personally. Despite his confusion, Baki nodded in greeting, and Gaara took the liberty of seating himself across from the lone jounin. He looked questioningly at the Kazekage for a moment, but Gaara stayed silent, placing one hand flat on the table, and the other on top of it. With a mental sigh, Baki took it upon himself to verbally question his former student. Gaara beat him to it though. "What do you know of the northwest?" Gaara asked bluntly, fixing Baki with an intense gaze.
He was definitely not an expert on the northwest he assumed Gaara was speaking of, but it was for certain that he had more information on the mysterious land than the Sand Village's library had. Baki returned Gaara's stare for a moment, contemplating all possible reasons why the teen would want to know about that country. He relented soon though, having come up with no answers to his internal question. "A bit," Baki answered, setting the kebab he had been holding down on the plate; he had the feeling he wouldn't have the chance to eat if for a while, "What do you want to know?"
(break)
It was evening again in the Sand Village. The darkness of night had not yet taken the western sky, and the great expanse visible over the skyline of the village was the magical lavender-red color of sunset. The day's heat had not yet diminished, and so for once, the temperature was completely comfortable. Gaara was atop the office building, observing the sinking sun in complete exterior serenity. He had abandoned his Kazekage garb long before, and was soaking up the last of the sun's warmth in the black pants and shirt he wore beneath the blue and white robe. His eyes, bled colorless by the dying light that was setting the roofs of the village awash with a red glow, were fixated on the northwestern horizon.
Gaara was no longer quite so ignorant on the subject of northwest. He hadn't expected Baki to be quite so well-informed on the area, but he had been, fortunately, mistaken. In their conversation, Gaara had learned much about the land, Steppe Country, and some of its people. The Western region was dominated by the same range of jagged peaks that ran through the Land of Wind, and in the east, the lush greenery and broadleaf forest of the Land of Birds encroached. To the north, along the broad border Steppe Country shared with the Land of Earth, lay the final reaches of the great northern boreal forest, shot through with deep lakes and bare patches of rock. But the largest region of the country was dominated by the country's namesake, steppes. The whole of the interior was a fertile basin of dancing, golden grasses and stands of trembling aspens, untouched by the desert's grasp. The land was said to be so flat that one could see for miles on the horizon.
The country itself was loosely associated with the Land of Earth. They traded seasonally and once in a while, although rarely, rented out their services. The country had limited contact with the Land of Birds, but the last time anyone had bothered to check, they were at peace. There was no daimyo in the Steppe Country, as the population was fairly small, less than fifty thousand people in the entire place. Most of the population was concentrated in the northeast, near the borders of the Land of Birds and Earth, as well as the place where prairie, boreal and deciduous forest all conglomerated. The far west, and northwest were generally uninhabited, being fairly inhospitable, but there were scattered farming villages all across the central plains. The largest settlement was the Palousa Village, located in the northeast.
Baki had also informed him that most of the people were employed as farmers and merchants. There were no official shinobi in the country, only a small group of loosely organized military force, comprised of perhaps two hundred foot soldiers and fifty mounted. There really was no reason for the Steppe Country to even have a military force, they had no enemies and were far away from almost any violence. It was simply a precaution; the force had remained all but idle since the shinobi wars of old.
The mounted division was renowned in the Land of Earth, and a bit less so in the Land of Birds, but unheard of, like the country, to most of the world. Over generations, they had bred tough horses build for endurance and fearlessness in battle. The riders were all female, as it was imperative that the horses carry the least amount of weight possible for maximum stamina, and likewise, ninety five percent of the foot soldiers were male. The horses selected for field work were mares, as well. Stallions were not gelded and thus were too unpredictable and headstrong to make effective workers.
This flow of information had intrigued Gaara, mostly because the mystery that had been Steppe Country was now coming to light and to a lesser extent; he had never seen a horse before. After leaving Baki with his cold kebabs, Gaara had returned to the office and written up a file on Steppe Country for future reference rather than complete that day's paperwork. It was now, after the Sand Village's residents were in for the night, that Gaara would reflect on the more personal and historical details Baki had told him of.
(break)
Gaara had been shocked to find out that he had been alive the last time residents of Steppe Country visited the Land of Wind. It had been eleven years before when Gaara's father had gotten the exact same idea as he had. Steppe Country had been in the middle of a long drought, and the fourth Kazekage had capitalized on it, taking that time to propose a partnership to the higher ups of Steppe Country. They had been heavily inclined to accept the agreement, which held nothing but benefits, and a company of fifteen mounted soldiers were sent across the barren desert to the Sand Village to finalize the partnership.
The leader of the Steppe Country's party was a woman named Yamane Hatsue, one said to have been eloquent, charming, and one of the driving forces behind the acceptance of the treaty. It was near the end of the delegates' visit when Hatsue was murdered. The Kazekage was unable to provide an explanation, and the Steppe soldiers packed up vanished back into the north and obscurity. Gaara himself had been only a few months into his sixth year at the time and despite most likely having been introduced during negotiations couldn't seem to recall any details.
He had been disheartened after hearing those unfortunate details. Steppe Country's leader would probably be wary, or completely unwilling to consider any sort of treaty in remembrance of the past events. Baki must have noticed the disappointment that had crossed his face, even if Gaara himself hadn't even been aware that his expression had changed, because he'd immediately followed up by telling him that Steppe Country would probably take certain circumstances into consideration. Not only was there a new Kazekage, but the Sand Village could offer more than it had in the past due to its strengthened state.
Baki's logical, but still somewhat wishful comments had reassured Gaara more than he had visibly let on to his previous sensei. He had consciously decided that he was going to send the proposal off to the Steppe Country as soon as he'd walked away from Baki. He would take a risk and hope for the best, something he imagined Naruto would do had the blonde Leaf Village ninja been in Gaara's position. All that had been left until that moment had been the second thoughts, the reflection, and the apprehension. The majority of those three stages were over by that time of night though, and so it would soon be time for the final step, construction of the proposal.
Gaara rose without a sound and after one last glance at the yellow moon turned and padded back toward the window leading to his office. A plume of sand, dull with the absence of light extended before him, sliding open the glass pane and allowing the kazekage to slip back inside the building with relative ease. Gaara was not particularly relishing the thought of writing up the letter; he spent most days signing papers and filling out reports and was far from fond of the task. With an extended sigh, Gaara slid his body into his chair and leaned over the desk, sliding a sheet of paper in front of him and picking up a pen.
(break)
The falcon was drowsy with the darkness beneath its hood, its thoughts and instincts were muddled with sleep. It peered owlishly with its huge ink-colored eyes at Gaara, not protesting as the red-haired human fastened his small package to its left leg. It stepped onto the kazekage's offered hand without protest and allowed itself to be carried over to a window, which was promptly opened. Exposed to the sun's rays, the falcon livened immediately, clacking its beak and ruffling its feathers; it was a bird of the day, and there was no holding it captive. Gaara barely had time to tell the bird its directions before it lit from his hand and hurled itself into the sky. Soon enough, it was nothing more than a swiftly shrinking dot in the salmon-colored morning sky.
Gaara stared after the falcon until it disappeared completely; he could tell already that the next few weeks were going to crawl by.
There! Done!
I hope it wasn't terribly boring; I just wanted to explain the plot a bit and didn't want to completely rush it. The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise!
I would be very grateful if someone were to beta read for me. You would be of so much help to me!
And anyways, I won't bore you with my chatter anymore. Have a nice day! I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, depends on what sort of summer job I get and how much partying I do XD
One question though, before you press that back button. Is the bold font too much? Should I just make it basic? I only had it like that because of a personal preference.
And also, REVIEW, please!