All in Sands Time
Chapter One: The Day the Shadow Fades
"Father, where are we going?" a small girl around the age of six with short, crimson red hair sits on the seat of the carriage peering out the window. Her blazing orange eyes in awe and excitement as she notices the emerald green, enclosed forest area she grew up in changed to a vast and desolate desert.
"We are heading to the Sand Village..." He doesn't say another word as the small girl looks down at her hands as they tremble slightly as she feels a hand on top of her head making her gasp.
"This is for your own good...and the future of our village." The girl nods as she drifts off into sleep. When she awakens, it's by the bright sun shining into the carriage as her father steps out and extends his hand towards her. "Come."
She steps out using her arm to shield the suns blazing rays out of her face. "Welcome, Shinobi of the Village of Shadows." She glances around and sees nothing but adults; government officials and military to say the least. Top notch ninjas from our village and theirs. It's desolate, hot, and a bunch of sand whirling around. She pulls up her ninja mask and pulls down her goggles as she looks to her father as he starts to walk away.
A hand rests on her shoulder as she sees her sensei. A tall and muscular guy. Light brown, messy hair and purple eyes. His headband worn as a belt. "It might be awhile. Why don't you go explore. I will call for you later." "Ok Reo-Sensei."
She walks off, strolling through the town looking through shop windows as she makes her way through the steady crowd. Her stomach growls as she notices it's almost dinner time. She walks up to a food cart on the street and buys some bbq pork on a skewer. Lowering her mask, she munches away continuing on her walk.
As she throws her stick away, she stops and turns slowly to look at the top of one of the buildings behind her. She stares up there for a minute before taking off again. 'I thought I saw...' Eventually, she comes to a bridge over looking the city. The sun has finally started to set. She sat there for awhile watching the blues and orange colors fade into pinks and purples. All of a sudden she felt a presence. She turned to look behind her again as she stared blankly into those eyes.
'It's him...' Her hands trembled again as she gripped at the edges of the bridge keeping herself calm. Those green eyes that are empty with such sorrow, soft face and that maroon colored hair. How could she forget? She could feel her cheeks getting flushed.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I-I was hoping I'd find you here again."
A sudden pause. He seemed a bit shocked. "But, you know we aren't to be near each other."
She stood up as she walked up to him. "You were following me though. So, you must've wanted to see me too."
She closed the space between them. She reached a hand out to him and instantly, his sand wall went up. Her hand rested against the sand wall. She looked to him with soft tender eyes as she pushed her hand harder into the sand.
"It's ok. I'm...I'm your friend. I always have been. I'm not afraid of you." His sand fell as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
She could feel him trembling. He wasn't sure how to react and she knew it. She was about to pull back when she felt him hold onto her. She blushed a bright red. "G-Gaara..."
He released her as a small smile appeared on his lips. A rarity that she has only seen a few times before. "Thanks...Katsuki." This made her smile in return. They sat by each other conversing for awhile until the stars shined bright above them.
Kazekage's Chamber
"Do you really find it necessary to take out Gaara, Lord Kazekage?"
He sits with his hands under his chin, folded neatly. "He is a failed experiment. He has already claimed innocent lives. The only one who seems to not run in fear is that girl of yours, Chief Takeo."
"You fear that the tailed beast will take over and our villages will face exactly what the Hidden Leaf had to endure."
A silence fell between the two. The Kazekage held his eyes closed for a long while before letting out a small breath. He stood up as he descended from his seating area and paced the room, Takeo watching all the while.
"The Sand Village's strength is weak. I had hopes in reinforcing our military strength by putting the tailed beast within Gaara. Maybe I did it too soon. And this is why I am being punished. My son, nothing but a monster. A wasted weapon." He turned to look at Takeo. "I have a proposition..."
Takeo crosses his arms leaning against a wall. "I know what you're thinking."
Meanwhile...
"Look Gaara! Isn't the moon pretty?" Katsuki giggles staring up at an almost full moon.
He looks up and then looks to her staring in awe up at it. "Katsuki means 'moon' right?"
She blushes and nods. "That's right."
"So, you're pretty like the moon." he looks to her to find her mask pulled up over her face to hide her blushing but he knows. He looks to her neck and sees a gem on a necklace; ametrine. "What's this?" he lifts it with his sand.
"Oh, it's a gem rare to our village. Only assassins wear them." Katsuki wiggles it between her fingers.
"Why?"
She looked at Gaara and smilled. "It's a secret only assassin's know. I hope to find out one day. My training starts this week!"
"So that means, I won't see you again Katsuki." He clutched his shirt gently where his heart would be.
"Not for a long time. But we will see each other again one day. I promise Gaara." Katsuki looked down, knowing that if he saw her eyes he would know she was lying. She knew that his words may be true.
Gaara digs into one of his pockets and takes out a vile. A look on his face filled with determination. He pulls out a mini vile and has his sand fill inside of it, sealing it and placing it onto her neck. She gasps as she peers into the vile, watching the sand swirl around.
"What's this for?"
"So you can remember me."
"Aww Gaara, I'll wear it always!" she tucks it into her shirt as she smiles up at him.
She was about to reach for his hand when all of a sudden his sand shielded them from a series of kunai being thrown at them. She shrieks as he pushes her behind him. A couple of cherry bombs were thrown in the mix as he managed to shield them but the impact launched them back.
"Katsuki?!" Gaara screeched as he fended off his attacker. Katsuki had taken a bad hit by the bombs. Gaara's reaction not fast enough to shield her completely.
She was unconscious. A clear blow to her head, the left side of her face covered in blood. Eventually, the attacker hit Gaara so good it sent him flying off to the roof of a nearby building. Their fight continued.
Katsuki saw through blurred eyes a familiar face. Her body numb, her mind eratic with visions and ragged breathing.
"S-Sen..sei."
"Just hold on, almost there Katsuki."
Hidden Village in Shadows: Nine Years Later
'Why am I dreaming of that...'
Katsuki opened her eyes slowly to see the colors of the setting sun as she slowly sat up. There she was atop of the highest point in the village. Her favorite spot; a waterfall that cascaded down into the river that lead through the town. The fog and mist from the waterfall hid the village well.
She rubbed her eyes as she fixed her mask on her face. She adjusted her headband that was worn around her neck. Her hair half way up in a ponytail the rest reaching the center of her rounded chest. Her hair a dark crimson color and her orange eyes as fiery as molten lava.
Her hands still shook as she looked to them. Images of blood splattered all over her and dead comrades her age laid dead before her in a path of carnage. Ever since the initiation she had been having these past trauma dreams. She knew of her accident as a child. She had struggled for years to recooperate. Going through years of intense physical and mental training. She would have moments like earlier where she would have glimpses of past memories. People and places she couldn't remember. And she would always see that boys face.
She stared blankly as she absentmindedly twisted her ametrine pendant as it fell back between her cleavage. Someone was behind her.
"What is it Reo-Sensei?" He stood behind her. Her senses for a fifteen year old were top notch. No wonder she was already a full fledged assassin.
"You have an assignment."
Katsuki sighed in exasperation. "Can't I get a break? I just came back from one a few days ago. Zabuza and Haku are already dead. Communication needs to be better before you send me on a bounty for someone who was already killed. Although, it was nice to see the beach again."
He walks over to her and hands her a scroll. She opens it and reads it. "Chuunin exams?"
"You, Nobu and Jiro will be heading to the Hidden Leaf Village and participate in the Chuunin exams. Go and submit the application. That is the first phase of this contract. We'll all be leaving immediately. It takes about two days to reach the Leaf Village."
"Why so vague on the details?" Katsuki raises an eyebrow.
"This one will be a long contract. That's all I can tell you for now."
She gives a slight nod as she lets out a small sigh as he stands behind her and places a hand on her shoulder. "Still shook from the initiation?"
She shakes her head. "It's nothing. I guess my head has just been bothering me lately. Well, let me go pack. I'll meet you guys at the gate."
She had already had a bag packed. The same one from her previous journey she never unpacked. She was there at the entrance to the village in no time where she met up with her two other comrades; Jiro and Nobu.
"Hey Suki." Jiro, he was about 5'8, medium length lavender hair with steel gray eyes. He wore his headband on his waist. Huge flirt when it came to pretty women, but skilled in combat nonetheless.
Katsuki acknowledged him with a quick wave. Nobu, about 5'10, who had short, spikey black hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore his headband across his forehead. He had more of a colder attitude. A strategist to say the least and didn't like small talk. Reo-sensei showed up shortly after and they were off.
Hidden Leaf Village
They approached the village as they casually walked through the big wooden gates. It was early morning, around 11am. Security was pretty scarce here.
"Man, security sucks around here." Jiro commented as you stifled a snicker.
'Read my mind.' Katsuki had a small smirk creep on her corner lip.
"You three head to the place to submit your applications. Explore the village and see what these Leaf Genin are like. We will rendezvous at the hotel later." Reo-Sensei disappeared in a flash.
Nobu just started walking, leading the way. Jiro jogged to catch up to him as Katsuki took a few steps and stopped in her tracks. 'Am I seeing things? Or am I day dreaming?' She started to take a few steps in the opposite direction when the sound of Jiro and Nobu calling her name called her back to reality.
"Hey c'mon. Lets get this application stuff done first. Then we can go explore."
She ran to catch up to them. 'I've got to know.'