Disclaimer: Characters and Naruto do not belong to me, but to Masashi Kishimoto. I am responsible for creating the situation, and the storyline only. Please do not take and use or post elsewhere without my express permission. Thank you.
Polychromatic
Chapter 1
The Kazekage's Peril
Rating: T (to be safe)
Word Count: 3006
Warning: Multiple pairings, possibly a couple of threesomes. Language, violence, multi-chapter. Ignores Canon GNW4, but substitutes with my own (because I kind of dislike what Kishimoto's doing with it).
xXx
"Hold on! Gaara, you need to-!"
xXx
There is breath on his cheek, fingers running through his hair. So tender, so loving. "I'm so sorry..."
xXx
"Don't you dare die on me, you sunovabitch!" Tears slid down his cheek; they were not his.
xXx
"Gaara... Gaara? I love you. I love you." He's warm, and he's safe, and he's in her arms. She's crying for him. Crying, crying...
xXx
Pounding footsteps drew nearer and nearer. "Don't let them here! Protect them! Protect the Kazekage!"
xXx
"What is love?"
But he should know that, shouldn't he? Her fingertips are cold as they caress his cheek. "Oh, Gaara... What has he done to you?"
xXx
The ground was rocking beneath him. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of explosions, of fighting. And hovering over him, a woman with her eyes closed, bottom lip drawn between her teeth. She released it, exhaled. "Please... please..."
xXx
He tilts his head to the side in innocent confusion, staring up at her green eyes. "Who are you?"
She smiles. "I am Karura. I am your okaasan." Her smile turns bitter. "Gaara... sweetheart... you can't die yet. You can't come here yet. You can't see me yet."
xXx
"-ra-chan? Sakura-chan, you need to stop... You can't keep this up-"
"SHUT UP!" a hoarse voice interrupted, the sound a scratchy shriek. "I WILL NOT SURRENDER!"
xXx
"But... okaasan... I want to be with you!" the child him protests.
She's hugging him again, then. "No, no, sweetheart. Not today. You still have Destiny ahead. You have people to save, to lead, to serve. That is something your father never truly understood. It is your fate to protect that village."
He sobs against her shoulder, hugging her back. He's standing, he's taller than her now, arms easily wrapping around her shoulders. "Okay, okaasan. Just wait... a little longer..."
"I will, Gaara."
xXx
When his eyes opened again, it was dark and eerily quiet. He felt numb, drained, his eyes staring up at the ceiling of a tent. He was alone.
He lifted a shaky hand; weak fingers stumbled over his almost-bare chest. It was covered with thick bandages, soaked in dried blood. His brow furrowed. "Ssss..."
He couldn't talk. His throat was all but dry, his tongue felt thick. "Sss...uuhh..." Someone...
The world was too quiet. Gaara couldn't stand this quiet. He couldn't breathe in it. Someone... please... He didn't want to be alone. "Sssuuuhhnn..."
There was sudden sound and movement to the left, the door of the tent being shoved aside as someone ducked in. A familiar face, and a relieved smile. "Gaara!"
The blond was at his side in second, dropping to his knees and reaching out for a jug of water nearby. "Oh thank the gods, you're awake!"
He propped the redhead up with pillows, helped him drink - gods, it tasted so good - and then urged him to relax. He grimaced at the state of Gaara's bandages. "I'll have to find someone that can handle those... it looks like they need to be changed... Damn." Blue eyes lifted, and Naruto gave him a slightly helpless smile. "We didn't think you were going to make it."
Gaara swallowed, relishing the feeling of the wet, and managed to speak. "There was..." Another swallow; it hurt a bit. "What... happened?"
Drawing a slow breath, Naruto released it again quickly. "Well, I don't know a lot... Apparently, you were in some sort of... caravan?" He gave his friend a questioning look.
The redhead hesitated, thinking back. Yes, they had been in a caravan. Once every six months or so, he made it a point to check up on his "allies" and see if he couldn't at least keep up the pretense of their alliances. He had been on his way back from... Ame? He nodded slowly. "Yeah."
Naruto shrugged. "Well, you were attacked. Officially, it was 'nukenin', but they lost that excuse pretty quickly. The civilians in your caravan were massacred, Gaara... the ninja... didn't fare much better." He gave his old friend a sad look. "They were already gone by the time Kankuro and his team arrived as backup... after that, we were called in..."
"Then... what?" Gaara gasped, needing to know. How am I alive?
"They thought you were dead; a corpse to bring home. You almost were." There was silence after that, as if Naruto didn't quite know how to go on, or what to say next.
Gaara licked cracked lips, trying to remember anything, but it was hopeless. He sighed. "Naruto... how...?"
A shaky hand reached out, fidgeting with the bandages gently. Naruto swallowed; it was audible. "We... caught up," he murmured. "Five man team; Yamato-taicho, Sakura-chan, Shikamaru, Sai and me." He dropped his hands into his lap. "We met up with Kankuro's squad, and under his direction, retrieved your 'corpse'. We had planned on... on giving you a proper burial. You looked dead; even the enemy assumed you were."
He started fidgeting with the hem of his shirt next. "It was Sakura-chan that realized you were alive, right after we rescued you. She took you aside, ordered us to keep the enemy at bay and... saved your life." He held up both hands, fingers splayed. "Ten hours, Gaara. She was at it for ten hours. The enemy kept attacking until a few hours after that."
The redhead closed his eyes, something inside him untensing. "So... no more attacks?"
"For now," Naruto muttered. "Shikamaru thinks we might be dealing with an official declaration of war." He sighed. "Look, I'm gonna see if Kankuro's team has a medic, or if someone on mine knows anything. Your bandages need to be changed, and Sakura-chan passed out from chakra exhaustion two hours ago. After that, I want you to get some rest, alright?"
It was almost an order, but frankly Gaara didn't have the energy to squabble little things like Kage status. He just nodded, his fears at bay. Naruto started to get up, the sound of rustling cloth sending the redhead into a brief panic. His hand snapped out with surprising speed, latching onto the blond's wrist.
"Wha-?"
"Don't leave me alone," the Kazekage snarled, teeth clenched and eyes wide with anger and terror.
Naruto's face fell into sorrow. "I promise," he murmured, sitting down again. "Can I have my hand? I'll send a clone."
A beat of silence passed, and Gaara slowly released him, watching him closely as he performed his favorite jutsu. Naruto smiled at himself. "You know what to do."
The copy snapped off a punky salute. "Yosh!" He dashed out, and Naruto settled in.
"I'm right here. Rest," he ordered, still smiling.
The redhead could only comply.
xXx
Shikamaru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. They had been in talks ever since he'd returned and the Hokage had dispatched a team to help escort the Kazekage to Suna. The topic was of course whether or not they could consider this attack against the Kazekage as a declaration of war, indirect though it may be.
One group was of the firm opinion that treaty notwithstanding, this was none of their business. Yes, they went to the Kazekage's aid, as per the terms of said treaty. Yes, their tertiary commander of the Medical Corps had provided substantial help in his rescue and resuscitation (a second time). However, none of this meant that they should go to war just because Suna might be about to.
Essentially, they were more than willing to dodge implied meanings and stick to letters unless they found loopholes and 'maybe's that suited their purposes better.
The second party was behind the intended meaning of a treaty as the Hokage herself saw it. That was to say, they were mostly inclined to bash heads and knock down doors until they had figured out just what was going on and fixed it. Or at least stopped it.
It didn't matter to them what the consequences might be; their ally had been attacked, over three dozen people slaughtered and the leader nearly lost.
The whole thing was one big troublesome headache in the end. One that Shikamaru was expected to remain neutral to, as the 'lead tactician of the Konohagakure political office'. Though, he held no real power; the title was just that. A title. It held about as much weight as 'police officer' or 'foreign delegate' to these people.
I hate politics, he thought, somehow managing not to grimace along with it.
And they were all still at it, arguing in circles without even deciding anything. The Hokage wasn't helping; she was just as stubborn as the rest of them, and a part of Shikamaru wished she would either give in or compromise. He could be doing better things with his time.
Like backing Naruto and his team up in the fucking field, like he was supposed to be doing. But no, he had to sit here and play babysitter because a bunch of fucking bureaucrats couldn't get along with the militant force.
He watched as Tsunade jumped to her feet and almost crawled over the table to wring an elder's neck. She only got as far as one foot on the table before a panicking Shizune grabbed her around the shoulders and shouted at her. Shikamaru decided he needed to intervened.
"Recess; twenty minutes," he bit out, drawing the room's attention. "Now."
They could have ignored him completely, but that would have made their own arguments later on that much harder. So they all reluctantly forced themselves to calm down and dispersed from the room. Shikamaru got up and followed after the Hokage and her assistant, still incredibly annoyed with the whole thing.
"This is going nowhere," the blonde snarled as soon as they were alone inside her office.
Gee, you think? Shikamaru thought uncharitably.
Shizune sighed, brow furrowed with worry. "You can't blame them for not wanting to declare war..."
"I know that!" Tsunade crossed her arms over her breasts, leaning most of her weight against her desk. "You think I'm entirely happy with the thought? You think I want to go to war?"
The strategist frowned. "No one said that, Hokage-sama," he murmured, a token attempt at placation.
But she wasn't listening. "Gods, the thought terrifies me, you realize that? But what can I do? We have a fucking treaty with Suna. Their Kazekage was fucking attacked on our lands, Shizune! They might huff and puff over border disputes all they want, but it doesn't change that. Not only are we to assist them in any manner anyways, now honor has a play too- and they will play it like a fucking Koto."
She sighed and ran a hand over her face. "I'm making pre-emptive movements, really. Just beating them to the punch."
Shizune nodded reluctantly, and Shikamaru frowned but had to concede the point. She was right. They would make a big deal about that. He shoved his hands into his pockets, grimacing. "Alright, then. Let's play them first, if that's the case."
xXx
It took almost a week to transport the mostly unconscious Kazekage back to Sunagakure. By then, Sakura had recovered and taken his care back from the dubious handling of a Suna medic. The man gave in without a moment's protest, looking almost relieved to not have to care for the still heavily wounded redhead.
Sakura would have healed him more, but Naruto had made her promise not to overdo it again. According to him, Gaara was alive and would stay that way, so there was absolutely no reason for her to kill herself "helping" further. In the end, she was forced to do small check-ups and sneak healings.
She did, however, put her foot down once they reached Suna. The hidden village needed to know that its leader was well and capable of making decisions, even if Sakura thought he could do with a bit of rest. Thus followed another session; only five hours this time, because Naruto was a persistent bastard. After that, she had to wait until he woke to ask him questions. The physical injuries were healed, but she knew he'd be sore for a while.
The kunoichi must have dozed off, because before she knew it, she was startling upright at the soft sound of his voice. "You called me a 'sunovabitch'," he grumbled.
Wide green eyes blinked down at him in surprise before she turned her head, scanning the private room for his until-this-moment ever-present brother. Kankuro had vanished, so she refocused on him. "Me?" she echoed, surprised.
"Yes." His eyes were barely open, peering up at her tiredly. "You were healing me."
"I don't... remember," she admitted slowly. "I wasn't exactly memorizing the words coming out of my mouth."
He hummed noncommittally, eyes drifting closed again. "Feel better... you've healed me again..."
She reached out, hesitantly taking his hand and turning it over to check his pulse. "That's right." It was steady, strong. She sighed in relief. "Kazekage-sama? I need you to stay awake just a little longer. I have questions."
He forced his eyes open again, staring up at her dazedly. She swallowed, but gripped his hand tightly. "They should just be a few simple questions, okay? It's to make sure you'll be okay, and that your mind isn't damaged." He nodded slowly, so she drew a deep breath and forced on. "Alright, Kazekage-sama. Can you tell me your name?"
His brow furrowed, but he nodded. "Gaara," he muttered.
She smiled, fingers pressed to his pulse. "Alright, good. How old are you?"
"... twenty," he muttered tiredly.
Sakura patted his hand. "Just a few more. Who are your living relatives?" she asked, focusing on his pulse.
Gaara sighed softly. "Kankuro... Temari... Brother and sister. Older."
"Good." She offered a reassuring smile. "Do you know the names of your parents?"
His fingers grasped the blanket beneath them. "Karura and Sachi," he muttered.
"Thank you, good," she said. "One more. What is the last thing you remember before waking up in this room?"
His gaze shifted to her face, tracing over it. "You." A pause. "You were telling me we were almost here."
This time her smile wasn't forced, though it was tempered with relief. "Alright. Thank you for answering my questions, Kazekage-sama. Please, rest. I'll let Kankuro-san know how you're doing."
Gaara nodded, eying her for a moment. She didn't move from his bedside, and as he drifted off, he realized she must have heard about his reaction the last time.
xXx
Shikamaru had always had the uncanny ability to predict things before they happened. It was part of what made him such a successful strategist, both on the field and in everyday life. It helped when he took a step back, and thought ahead; he could formulate patterns and plan scenarios, just by considering who he had at his disposal, as well as who he had to go through to get what he needed.
That was a lesson Shikamaru had learned earlier on; while the items of the situation were important - weapons, money, reserves, et cetera - it was the people that he needed to plan around. People were unpredictable. One couldn't fully calculate what people would do, no matter how hard they tried; if they thought they knew just how things would end, people would accommodate and change.
It was for this reason alone that Uzumaki Naruto was such an excellent fighter, if a poor tactician himself. And it was for this reason that Shikamaru felt mostly comfortable with leaving certain things up to the blond. Nothing, for instance, would happen to Gaara while in Naruto's care. Naruto would die first, and as he was nearly impossible to kill... well.
Not to mention Sakura. The woman was tenacious, as the Nara knew from experience. With the two of them in Suna - as well as Yamato and Sai - he could leave the Kazekage's defense to them.
So long as they stayed in Suna.
Which was why he now stood amongst the hawk cages in the carrier message station by the ANBU HQ. "Sshhh, shhh, shhh, that a girl, here," he murmured, offering the bird a nugget of food as he gently pet her crown. "She's got the range?"
Not far away, Genma nodded. "Yeah, she can get to Suna and back if necessary, but they should still let her rest when she gets there."
Shikamaru hummed noncommittally and held his gloved hand before the hawk's feet, and above them a bit. She tilted her head briefly, before stepping obediently up onto the offered perch, and submitting to another head scratch. "Alright then." He slipped a thin roll of paper into the strap around her ankle, tying it into place.
"Is this a good idea?"
Blinking, the Nara looked at his companion. "Huh?"
Shiranui frowned and leaned back on his heels. "Just... With the attack, and the possibility of war... I know how those elders work, Nara. And I know you. You've got some plan, because that's what is necessary. But knowing you, there are doubtless a lot of risks. So, is it a good idea?"
Sharp as ever, I see, Shikamaru thought, moving toward the window. He paused before opening it, and looked at Genma. "A good idea? Possibly not. But it's likely the least troublesome of routes we could take. I'm not sure if I should give you assurances or not, but if it helps, things will be settled on Hokage-sama, and Naruto's team."
To his surprise, Genma's shoulders relaxed. "Heh. Well if it's that guy, it should be fine," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. The toothpick between his lips shifted from one corner of his mouth to the other. "Fine. I'll leave this to you lot. It's not my place to question anyway."
Shikamaru smiled and turned open the window. "Suna," he commanded, and sent the bird flying. "When has that ever stopped you?"
His companion grinned around the sliver of wood. "Never," he admitted cheerfully. "And it never will."
"Good."
xXx
This was started... partially 'cause I was on a GaaSak kick when I started writing the chapter, and partially because I wanted to start a story that has less focus on two or three specific characters (as I Spy was meant to... though admittedly that's changed now) and more on several.
This story is kind of for me to get a bit more practice in with certain kinds of characters, as well. Meaning no, it's not going to just be GaaSak (and I might even make that GaaSakShik- I haven't decided yet). Though I don't know what other pairings will be in here yet. … that's another thing as of yet undecided... ^^;
In any case, I hope you all will enjoy it, and continue to read! Please be kind and leave a review- let me know how I'm doing!