In the desert, there is a voice ringing out that no one can get used to.
After traveling nonstop over the past three hours, Sakura spotted an oasis and decided to take a short break. She had been trying to get the sand out of her boots when the sound of crunching footsteps disturbed the stillness of the desert air.
Next came the noise of someone clearing his throat. "Excuse me. Are you heading west?"
Standing at the very edge of the small clearing was a male. From this distance, Sakura immediately noticed the way he held himself - deceptively casual, with no obvious openings. There were no visible weapons on his person but her sharp gaze caught the telltale signs of a blade hidden in the folds of his clothing. Definitely a shinobi, or someone with shinobi training.
About eight feet of loose sand separated them; if he rushed her, she'd have to jump behind the rock formation she was sitting on to keep from getting cornered. It wasn't often she fought enemies on this kind of terrain, but she could adapt.
"Yes. I'm going to Sunagakure," Sakura answered eventually.
"In that case, I would like to accompany you. Do you mind?"
The man took slow steps closer, as if not to alarm her, and Sakura finally got a better look at his appearance. Unlike herself, he was properly dressed for the desert climate. He had messy red hair, dark-ringed eyes, and surprisingly young - if stern - features. Actually, Sakura had believed he was an older man from the sound of his voice. But seeing him close up, she guessed they were more or less the same age.
"I don't mind. Uh. Are you lost?"
"Yes. I can't seem to find my way through the desert."
"That's awful!"
Sakura wasn't being sarcastic. Unlike Kakashi-sensei who claimed to get lost on the road of life, Sakura herself didn't have a great sense of direction. It took her at least a month and a half to get used to a new place, and it was a pain in the neck every single time.
The man grunted in agreement, taking a seat on a different stone at an acceptable distance. "It has been eight years since I last spoke to a traveler."
It took four seconds for her brain to register the man's nonchalant remark.
"...Eight years?!" Sakura spluttered.
His jade colored gaze slid towards her. "Indeed. It seems strange, but I haven't been able to leave in all that time."
The Misadventures of Zodiac and Cub
Episode 1: "The Voice that Calls From the Cage"
"So you're a local?" Sakura asked Gaara after they'd gone through their introductions. It was almost noon, and they were now journeying side by side through the desert, with Sakura taking the lead. Her attention was split between talking to her new companion and keeping track of their surroundings. "It's not like you can't tell where the sun is. How do you keep getting lost?"
Gaara remained outwardly stoic, but out of the corner of her eye she saw him clench his fist slightly. "I don't understand it, either."
"Don't worry! Now that you're with me, you'll be in Suna in no time at all!"
"Thank you."
They climbed over a tall dune, and Sakura's smile dropped when she saw a familiar oasis in the distance instead of the walls of Suna that she'd been expecting.
Somehow, even though they'd been walking along the route she'd drawn up, the pair had ended up right back where they had first met!
...No, wait. That's crazy.
There had to be more than one oasis in this desert, and she was absolutely sure she had been following the correct route the entire time. She'd most likely just miscalculated the distance. The heat was getting to her, so she got confused.
Sakura sighed and wiped her brow with her shirt sleeve. When they reached the new oasis, she took out her compass and her map to double check her position. Meanwhile Gaara had quietly taken a seat near the water's edge. "Why are you going to Suna, Sakura-san?" He rasped.
"Huh? Um. I'm looking for something, and my search brought me out here." Sakura scratched her temple with the flat end of the pencil. "It's related to my work."
"And what is your occupation?"
"I'm what you'd call a zodiac!" Sakura said proudly.
"A zodiac." Gaara repeated the word to himself a couple more times. "Unfortunately, I do not know what a zodiac is."
"Oh. Err- I study the stars, the planets and other heavenly bodies," she clarified. "I also study their influences on human behavior."
"So you're an astrologist?"
"I guess? All zodiacs are astrologists, but not all astrologists are zodiacs. The difference between the two is, one of them attempts to directly manipulate the effects of the stars' influence."
As they chatted with each other, Sakura finally finished looking over her map and hurriedly began putting away her tools. "Okay, so we just need to keep moving west from here, and we should be at Sunagakure before dark!"
When Gaara remained silent, she turned to look at him. He was staring at the water, his body completely still. His brow was furrowed.
Come to think of it, for a man who claims to have been lost in the desert for years, his skin was pretty pale. Weird.
"Gaara, um. Is something the matter?"
Gaara rose to his feet. "...No, there is nothing wrong. Shall we go?"
This desert was bigger than Sakura had anticipated, but the route wasn't any different from before. She had simply recalculated her arrival time at Suna and the distance she needed to cover. Even with her temporary tag-along, her travel speed didn't drop in the slightest.
So after nearly thirty minutes of walking, Sakura had to admit that there was something afoot.
The first time it had happened, she'd brushed it aside as a coincidence, or a trick of the desert heat. But after passing the exact same oasis four more times, Sakura was beginning to panic.
"What?! I'm back again?!" She wailed after climbing over yet another tall dune and catching sight of the exact. Same. Oasis. For the fifth time. Behind her, Gaara was sweating just as much as she was, and was slowly making his way up to where she stood. "What's going on? My compass isn't broken, and my map is accurate! My sense of direction isn't that bad!"
"Let's rest for awhile," Gaara suggested softly once he'd reached her side. "The sun is at its zenith; we need to take shelter."
Sakura sighed, but she followed the redhead back to the oasis without complaint.
Under the shade of a tree, Sakura stared at the clear blue sky. It never lied to her in the past, and she was banking on that fact.
...-Right there. It was tiny, but it was definitely the planet Venus, almost as bright as a star. And just above the horizon was Mercury.
Not a lot of enemy shinobi thought of the sky when constructing a genjutsu. So searching the sky and the placement of heavenly bodies was one of several methods Sakura used to determine whether or not she was in an illusion without tipping off the enemy. And as far as she could tell, with the planets and the lack of foreign chakra saturating the air, this strange phenomenon wasn't a genjutsu of any sort.
Which confused her even further.
Sakura shoved her fingers through her hair. "We started going out west. But the route took a turn, and another turn... and even more turns. We've gone in a complete circle!"
Gaara gestured to the spot next to her. When she nodded, he sat down under the shade as well, making sure there was ample space between them. "That's right. I became unable to go in the direction I wanted to go. Unable to leave."
Sakura winced. She couldn't wrap her mind around getting stuck in the desert for eight years like he'd claimed. How would she survive? How would she stay sane?
"What is going on...?" Sakura groaned, dropping her face into her hands. "Don't tell me I'm stuck here, too!"
"Since it's come to this, you can live here with us."
"Don't. Even. Joke about that."
It didn't matter if he was polite, and happened to be good-looking in a kinda fierce, yet kinda delicate way. Sakura was in a hurry to get to Suna, otherwise the trail she was following would grow even colder!
Sakura jerked her head up and stared at him.
"-Wait. There are more of you?"
Gaara nodded. "A young couple lived here from the start. And I've been-"
Suddenly, a third voice intruded into the conversation. "Gaara! There you are! I've been looking for you, it's lunchtime!" A smiling older woman with short brown hair had entered the oasis from the other side of the pool, and was making her way towards them. Unlike Gaara, she did not appear to have trained in the shinobi arts. She wasn't using chakra to walk over the sand, and her movements were decidedly too awkward for one.
Gaara rose to his feet and met the older woman halfway, automatically reaching out to help her. "Sakura-san. This is my mother, Karura. My grandmother is already dead, so the two of us have been living together in the desert."
"Oh, a traveler! That's quite rare," Karura exclaimed. "Sakura-san was it? I'm pleased to meet you."
Sakura bowed and returned the sentiments. "Then I shall be off. Gaara-san, Karura-san. I don't want to intrude on your lunch."
"Sakura-san, I'm sorry for imposing on you." Gaara stepped forward. "I'll be heading home now. You are welcome to stay for a little while, if you like."
"Thanks for offering, but I'm going to try a few different methods." She seriously couldn't stay any longer than necessary. Sakura wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet.
"What a shame. I haven't spoken to anyone besides Gaara for so long." Karura's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Won't you reconsider? It isn't everyday my son invites a lady to our home!"
Sakura's face flushed with embarrassment. "Um," she protested descriptively. She never knew how to deal with adults who teased her, and she wasn't about to start now. "I'm sorry," Sakura repeated weakly.
"I see." Gaara held out his arm to his mother, letting Karura hold onto him for support. "Then... have a good time."
Sakura watched the mother-son pair walk away from the clearing, and frowned.
Have a good time? What a weird thing to say.
Something wasn't quite right here, but time was of the essence. All Sakura could do was continue trying to find Sunagakure. Hopefully, she'd break out of this- this- whatever it was, and soon.
Sakura was prepared for failure. She was prepared for the worst case scenario.
She was not prepared to see the great walls of Suna just beyond the next tall sand dune she climbed over, only five minutes later.
"I made it out...? Yes, I made it out! YES!" She cheered at the top of her lungs, running straight for the village entrance. "Shodai's balls! I'm so glad it's over!"
The village gate guards were confused by Sakura's tears of relief, but she ignored their whispers and marched straight into Suna after getting her passport checked. Never again!
And it was just her luck that she was still twenty minutes early for her meeting with her contact! True, Sakura wouldn't be able to do some sightseeing like she'd originally planned, but it was the perfect chance to relax at one of Suna's famous outdoor restaurants for a quick bite. Now that she'd safely made it out of the desert, the tension in her body had eased away, and her hunger had become apparent.
It was only when she'd drank two cups of water and eaten half of the food on her plate when she'd noticed the two old women staring straight at her and whispering to each other. They were both employees of the restaurant.
Sakura shifted self-consciously in her seat. "Um. Can I help you?"
The two old ladies exchanged another uneasy glance before one of them asked, "Did you cross the desert to reach Suna?"
"Yes, I have." Normally Sakura would have taken a boat - it certainly wouldn't have been as hot a journey - but she had been coming from Iron Country, not Fire Country. Crossing the desert was just easier than crossing the ocean, and made more sense at the time.
"You didn't see a young man in the desert, did you?" The old lady pressed.
"As a matter of fact, I did."
Sakura thought back to Gaara, his sudden, seemingly harmless request to accompany her to Sunagakure, and his parting words.
Have a good time.
"...I think he played a mean trick on me," Sakura growled, brow furrowed. Now that she wasn't suffering from dehydration, and panicking over her situation, it became clear that she was only able to get to Suna because Gaara had left her side in the end. "Who was that man?"
"He was captured by a monster. You're lucky that you've escaped unscathed," the old woman whispered. Her eyes were alight with fear.
"A monster?" Sakura echoed dubiously.
"Yes! A monster! The sand spirit can shapeshift into-"
"Stop it!" Interrupted the second old woman harshly. "If you keep talking like that, you'll sully the name of our village!"
The first old woman looked torn between continuing her story and keeping her mouth shut. Eventually, she mumbled an apology to Sakura for bothering her meal and both women escaped into the back of the restaurant.
Sakura ate the rest of her meal in silent contemplation.
A monster? Surely she would have sensed anything dark or evil the moment she stepped onto the sands? But there had been nothing of the sort.
Still, she had a hunch.
If her hunch was right, she had no choice but to stay in the area for a little longer than she'd planned.
"I wonder if Sakura made it to Sunagakure alright? What do you think, Gaara?"
It has only been a day since Gaara crossed paths with the pink-haired traveler. So naturally, she was the main topic of discussion after breakfast. Karura seemed especially enamored by the idea of a wandering female astrologist.
"I wonder what she's looking for all the way out in the desert? To travel alone through foreign lands... she's such a courageous girl. I could never have done the same when I was her age. I hope she comes by again."
Gaara did not glance up from where he was sitting and sharpening his tools. Today he would be foraging for things to eat. It had been his original reason for braving the desert yesterday, but when he spotted an exotic foreigner - Sakura - lounging at one of his usual gathering spots, he'd ended up completely distracted. He'd wanted to know what happened if he tried to leave the desert while accompanied by someone he did not know.
The end result of the impromptu experiment was unsurprising. Gaara was still unable to leave of his own free will, and Sakura had been caught in the desert's snare as well simply because she had been with him. Gaara sincerely hoped that Sakura had managed to get to Suna after he left her to her own devices. Otherwise...
"If Sakura did not make it to the village even after I left her, I will bring her here," Gaara said simply. Their home - consisting entirely out of the same type of clay as the buildings of Suna, a kind of clay that absorbed heat in the day and radiated it at night - wasn't grand, but it offered ample protection from the elements. It was the least he could do.
Karura clapped her hands together. Her eyes were twinkling. "And thus, I would be able to die peacefully knowing that my son wouldn't be all alone..."
Gaara did not dignify his mother's scheming with a reply. Karura often spoke of her own death and it always irked him, even if she was only joking. She was still quite young, and had many years ahead of her. So why did Karura sometimes speak as if her end was coming much sooner?
So instead of answering her directly, he finished his preparations and quietly bid Karura goodbye, the same way he always did whenever he left their shared home for extended periods of time.
However, when he stepped out into the daylight, his mind was fraught with worry. He couldn't help but be worried about their future. Could the two of them truly continue living like this? Gaara didn't particularly mind it, but Karura was always a social person. She surely missed living in Sunagakure, didn't she? Because that place was where all of her friends and family lived.
Gaara was only half paying attention to what he was doing. That was why, when Sakura stepped into the oasis clearing, he'd startled.
"Sakura-san, you're here." He acknowledged her with a sharp nod and stood up, brushing the little pebbles away from his clothing. "You... weren't able to reach Suna?"
"I did actually, not long after we parted ways yesterday," Sakura corrected him cheerfully. "But there was something I wanted to see, so I came back. Gaara-san, I've heard a little bit about you and your mother while I was in Suna."
"Is that so?"
"And a little bit about a raccoon dog that has the ability to shape shift."
Gaara remained expressionless at Sakura's declaration. "...And if you saw the raccoon dog, what would you do with it?"
"If it has something to do with the way I make my living, I'd like to hear everything I can from you about it. It's a very rare phenomenon. It could even be the reason why you can't leave the desert."
"What if I told you to mind your own business?"
Sakura was undaunted. "Then I'll just search on my own."
Gaara crossed his arms and scrutinized Sakura much more closely than he had done the first time. Sakura stood tall, calmly returning his gaze.
After a long, long moment-
"This way."
The redhead turned around and - without making sure she was following him - began walking in the south eastern direction.
End of part 1
Characters
Sakura: A traveling zodiac. She came all the way to the desert in search of something.
Gaara: A desert dweller. He has a preference for irony and dramatic reveals.
Karura: Gaara's mother. Often talks about dying.
