A girl about four or five ran through a damp forest. She frantically looked back every few seconds, even though her eyes were useless. Habits die hard. So did she. The sounds of rustling in the bushes forced her to go even faster. Her lungs tore harder at each breath that she struggled to pull. The girl was so focused on the sounds behind her that she didn't realize that she was heading towards a cliff. By the time her directional sense had kicked in, her feet were already slipping on the mud. The ground pulled her towards the edge. She fell down off the cliff just as her pursuers reached the edge. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out.
Umiha Kotori sat up in bed with a sharp gasp. It took her a moment to realize that she was safe in her own room, not falling off a cliff. She slumped down with a sigh and wiped some sweat of her face. She looked over to the corner of the room where Kishi usually slept but she wasn't there. "Must have gone out." She shook her head and slipped out of bed.
Kotori pulled out a pair of black shorts and a purple t-shirt from her dresser. She rummaged around in her drawers till she found a black tank top with brown stripes. She took those clothes and the necessary underclothes into the bathroom.
She turned the shower on and adjusted the temperature. While she was waiting for the shower to heat up, Kotori pulled a comb out of a drawer and pulled it through her shoulder length chestnut brown hair. Steam rose out of the shower as she washed off the sweat that the nightmare had caused.
I haven't had that nightmare in so long. I wonder why it happened now. Kotori contemplated as the hairdryer's noise filled her ears. She glanced at the mirror again as she brushed her hair out. Her hazel eyes stared worriedly back out at her. She sighed and slipped on her white head band.
Walking back into her room, she picked up a long, thin, rawhide string with a silver dolphin charm on it. She pulled it over her head and tripled the sting so that the bottom layer held the charm and there were two more layers that settled easily on her skin.
Kotori headed downstairs and paused at a shrine with a picture of a woman with her eyes on it. "Ohayo, Okaa-san. I had a nightmare so I am going to work out until Kishi comes to find me and tells me that the meeting time is near. I will be careful so have a good morning. Ja ne." She left the house and took off down the street. No one saw her fast departure because she was all but invisible to the untrained eye. Not that there were many people up at six in the morning to see anything.
Three hours later finds Kotori in an open area on top of a cliff. She was dripping with sweat as she paused in her taijustu practice. A giant jaguar landed next to her. This jaguar was six feet in body length with another foot and a half in tail. It stood as high as Kotori's head at its shoulders. "Morning Kishi." Kotori greeted the giant predator calmly.
Morning. You should take a shower soon unless you plan on seeing the Kazekage smelling like a sewer.
"That boosts my confidence. I can always count on you to not mince your words for my sake." Kotori winced. "I'll go right now. Did you have any luck hunting?"
A little. Nothing to write home about.
"If you could write."
If I could write. Kishi agreed.
"Then I better feed you too before I go to see the Kazekage." Kotori prepared to sprint away but paused. "Now that I think about it. This will be my first time meeting him."
Congratulations. Let's all have a party. Can you go NOW? I'm hungry.
"Fine." She traveled back to her house at the same speed that she had come. Kishi easily followed on the rooftops. Neither on them were seen as they sped back to the large house that was called their home.
Kotori dashed upstairs at half speed and sifted through her other clothes for replacements of her normal clothes. A pair of black capris and a light brown shirt entered her view and she swiped them up as she ran into the bathroom for a second shower in the span of four hours.
She didn't bother to blow dry her hair this time. She just pushed another white headband onto her head and walked out the door. Since she had a meeting with the Kazekage, she couldn't run around like she normally did. She had to be seen, especially since she wasn't one of the many ninja of Suna.
She entered the towering brown building and brushed sand off of everywhere. You couldn't help but get sandy when you lived in a desert. Everyone eventually got used to it or moved somewhere else.
Kotori didn't mind getting dirty that much. She just preferred to be clean when it was possible. She checked in with the Kazekage's secretary to let her know that she was in time for her appointment and then sat down in a chair that was located on the wall. Someone else was in the room at the moment so she had to wait.
Kotori was a little apprehensive about seeing someone who was the most powerful ninja in the village. Her overly large imagination built her mental image of the Kazekage up to be a ferocious looking hulking giant of a man with scars everywhere and tattoos along his exposed skin. She immediately giggled to herself. This is stupid. He can't be that bad if he became the person who protects this village. Kotori settled down to wait for her turn.
An older woman exited the Kazekage's office and spotted her. She hobbled over to Kotori's seat. "Are you here all alone, child?"
"Yes. I do most of my business by myself."
"Aren't you afraid?"
"No. Why?"
"Haven't you heard the stories about the Kazekage before he was our leader?"
"I'm not native to this village so I haven't heard many of the stories from here."
The old lady cackled. "Well then, I fell it is my duty to inform you before you come face to face with him. His mother died at his birth."
"That is very sad for him." The truth of her feelings was conveyed in her eyes.
"Aye. It is very sad, but not for him. For the rest of his family. He was the one who killed her." Kotori raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He has a demon sealed inside him, girl. The demon child killed his own mother. He continued to kill as he grew up. He became a merciless killer by the age of six, threatening to kill even his own siblings. He may be the Kazekage now but a leopard doesn't change its spots." She cackled again at what she assumed to be a scared look in Kotori's eyes.
This is how the people of this village think of the person who protects them with his life? Kotori's eyes were wide. I don't understand. Is it a baby's fault for its mother dying at birth? They can't do anything about it. Kotori stood up and walked to the door, responding to the secretary's summons.
"Be careful, child." The old lady called before walking out of the room.
Despite her disbelief that the protector of the village could be like the senile old lady's story, Kotori felt much more trepidation about meeting the Kazekage than she had before.
She entered the room and found herself looking at a boy who seemed to be about her age. He had bright red hair and pale green eyes. There was a kanji for love on his forehead and he had black rings circling his eyes. This is the Kazekage? He is my age. Kotori looked into his eyes. How can people be afraid of him. I don't see or sense anything to be afraid of. He feels like he is a quiet, reserved person. Not at all a sadistic killer like that lady said.
Kotori relaxed immediately. This isn't going to be hard at all.
Gaara had heard the old woman's story from inside his office. He was a ninja after all and had more acute hearing than a normal civilian's. He sighed inwardly. Although becoming the Kazekage had gained him a respect from the people of Suna as a ninja, many people continued to fear him for what he was in the past.
This girl will be no different. He thought as the slender girl entered the room and closed the door behind her. She was slightly tense but showed no other outward signs of trepidation. She seemed to examine him with her eyes before directly meeting his own.
After staring at him for a second or two, her eyes softened and she visibly relaxed. Gaara was surprised but he didn't show it. "How may I help you?"
"I just came to get a passport signed."
Gaara shuffled through some papers. "Yes. I have it right here. Umiha Kotori, correct?" He stored the name in the back of his mind for future reference. "You are planning on traveling where?"
"To Konoha." Kotori replied tugging at a strand of hair.
"Why?"
"I am going to visit relatives."
Gaara glanced again at the passport. "Everything is filled out and I see no reason to not allow you to go. When are you planning on leaving?" Gaara signed the document and put the stamp of the Kazekage on it.
"In two days." Kotori accepted the document. She smiled a sincere smile of gratitude. "Thank you Kazekage-sama." She bowed before going out the door.
Gaara's heart jumped slightly at her smile but it was gone before he could even figure out what he had felt. He shrugged to himself and returned to his paper work.
Kotori was almost skipping with happiness as she clutched the passport to her chest. Two more days and then I get to see itoko!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two days had come and past and Kotori was standing at the gates of Suna, pack on her back, and waiting for the ninja to finish looking over her papers. "Everything's in order. You may go. Have a nice time in Konoha!" He waved her off with a slight smile as she hurried out of the gate.
Kotori kept her pace to a fast walk until she was out of sight of the Suna guards. Then Kishi popped up from behind a sand dune. Will you be requiring some assistance, my lady? She asked in mock politeness.
Kotori laughed and tossed her pack over to Kishi. "Race you till the forest." She took off at a fast run with Kishi matching pace. The two of them reached the edge of the forest at the exact same time.
Well done. Kishi praised.
Kotori wheezed out a laugh as she leaned over with her hands on her knees. "Yea right. Like you don't hold back for me. I could never keep up with you if you really decided to run."
This time you kept up with me much easier than before. This shows improvement.
"Yeah, yeah. If you say so." Kotori stood up and took her pack back.
They alternated running and walking through the forest for the rest of the day until the shadows showed that night was fast approaching. Kishi silently appeared out of the trees to Kotori's right. There is a good size clearing up ahead that will do well to camp in tonight. She said.
"Okay. Thanks. Can you show me it?" Kotori asked. Kishi jumped off and Kotori followed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Gaara." Temari greeted as she walked into the room. He nodded his head. "Tsunade sent a messenger bird requesting a meeting with you when you have the time. It sounds like she had some prisoner with information on an attack on Suna but was found on Konoha lands. So they are holding him in Konoha but want you to decide what to do with him and the impending attack."
Gaara rapidly read the letter and then looked up. "There is no important meeting in the near future."
"Correct."
"Then I do not see a reason to not go immediately."
"I was hoping that that would be the case. It is always such a bad idea to leave these attack conspiracies to the last minute. I'll get supplies ready and send a message back to Tsunade. And get a guard together."
"Just you and Kankurou should be fine."
"I don't know Gaara. The Kazekage should have more protection."
"No one will know of my departure if we do not make it widely known. I do not believe that there is a reason to believe that we will be attacked."
"There are always common thieves and ninja that wait for anyone along the road."
"Do you trust in your own skills so little that you do not believe that you can protect us from those types of attacks?" Gaara questioned her.
Temari smiled. "No. You are right. We will be just fine on our own. I won't make a fuss over the preparations then."
Gaara nodded a dismissal and returned to paperwork while his sister completed the necessary preparations for their trip to the allied nation.
As he began filing the papers that he had completed, he glanced at the copy of the passport that he had signed for the unknown girl earlier. He recalled that she was also travelling to Konoha. *It is doubtful that we will cross paths. Normal citizens take the roads that carriages can travel on.*
Before leaving his office, Gaara wondered why he had even thought of meeting her again in the first place.