Hello!
That sounded perky...oh, well I'm sticking with it.
This is my first "official" fanfic and is the result of the Naruto bug biting me. It hurt. So I wrote this to ignore the pain. Oh, and I squealed like a little girl when I finished but you don't need to know that...
What you do need to know is that I don't own Naruto. But really, even if I didn't say it I think you would have a bit of a hard time convincing the court of playgerism when it's posted on I don't thinkyou would win your case.
And then again, who really would do that anyway? I don't even legally own anything...
Anyway here's the fic. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Return
The sunlight filtered down through the leaves, a passing wind making the play of light and shadow on the packed earth of the path shake and fly frenziedly. Sakura watched her sandaled feet scuff the earth as she walked, sending small puffs of dust into the air. She sighed as she glanced wearily over at her male companions. Kakashi, their silver-haired sensei, had a bored expression on his face (or the little of it that she could see) which was occasionally punctuated with a grimace as he moved with extra care. He had been severely wounded in their last skirmish with the Akatsuki and though Sakura had been able to heal him, more or less, it still pained him greatly. Tsunade would have to take a look at him when they got back. Sai had that creepy smile plastered on his face. As if she needed another excuse to want to hit him. And Naruto…
Well, Naruto was just being…Naruto.
"Do you think they made it back alright?" Naruto asked for what felt like the millionth time since they had started heading back to Konoha. Sakura's newfound patience with Naruto was wearing thin.
So was Kakashi's, apparently. "Naruto, the more you ask that isn't going to increase their chance of safety," Kakashi drawled.
"Huh…" Naruto grunted, putting his arms behind his head. Sakura didn't miss the look of unease that flickered across his features however.
Sakura sighed again. She'd forgotten.
He's worried about them. He feels responsible for them. Anyone would if they were the one who had convinced them to leave their homes and travel while being chased by an evil secret organization. Right…
Sakura opened her mouth, about to reassure Naruto for what felt like the hundredth time when Sai beat her to it. Wait a minute…Sai?
"You shouldn't worry Naruto," Sai said, tilting his smiling face slightly towards him. "All three of them are powerful jin- demon containers and were protected by some of the most promising young ninja in Konoha. Not to mention that we just ran into some of the Akatsuki the other day and they didn't seem to have run into them or capture them. There's no need to worry over them; they probably fared better that we did."
"Sai..," Naruto said, taken aback. It was rare when Sai said anything at all, besides insults, let alone anything comforting. After a moment Naruto cracked a grin, his eyes happy slits, as his gait seemed to gain an extra bounce.
"Yeah, your right! What am I worrying about!" Naruto said, that silly grin on his face as he threw his head back and laughed loudly. Sakura smiled inwardly at this, secretly relieved. She thought that she liked the usual hyperactive, loud Naruto much better that the quiet, bipolar one that they had put up with since the Akatsuki attack.
"So are you going to stop acting like a damn woman now? Your sexuality is becoming more questionable with each passing moment."
"Grrr…SAIIIIIIIII!" Naruto yelled, his teeth and fists clenched as he glared at Sai. He should have known it was an insult in disguise!
Sakura was feeling a bit ticked off herself. Her Inner Sakura was acting up. 'Acting like a 'damn' woman, huh! Maybe one of those 'damn' women oughta hand him what's left of his ass!'
Kakashi noticed Sakura's aura of killer intent and discreetly took a step back. A big step. Such a scary kunoichi…
Sakura was about to pound Sai into the ground when she noticed that the edges of Sai's mouth were curling up more than necessary. The skin around his eyes was tightening too. She dropped her ready fist to her side as she looked at Sai with dumbfounded amazement. He was actually smiling. Not that fake thing that he normally wore, but the real thing.
She fell behind a little, her steps slowing slightly, as her mind tried to grapple with this latest development. Sai was unemotional. Literally. She had remembered Yamato mentioning something about it. Apparently, all the members of the old 'Root' organization of the ABNU underwent special training to make them into the 'perfect shinobi', draining them of all their capacity for emotion. Cold, efficient, murdering tools. And Sai had been one of them.
But…lately…she had sensed a change in him. Nothing big. He still acted pretty much the way he always did. Efficient, useful when he wanted to be, still shows he's a complete ass when he talked, and is a mystery the rest of the time. But now that she thought about it…there had been some changes. He no longer spat insults every time they tried to talk to him (well, mostly). He also seemed more considerate of his teammates, helping them more on missions and training with them when they weren't. Well, more with Naruto really than with her, but that was still a big improvement.
And, well, his promise to help them get Sasuke back had scored major points with both of them too.
Sakura inhaled and exhaled slowly, running a hand through her soft pink locks. This was so confusing…
They walked on in silence, Naruto still fuming and Sakura lagging behind, deep in thought. Finally, the walls of Konoha's gates loomed into view. Naruto promptly forgot that he was mad with Sai, as he excitedly ran ahead, yelling something at the chunin on duty. The rest of them followed more slowly.
He was still shouting at the guards when they caught up.
"Whadaya mean you 'can't let me in'! We're ninjas of Konoha too! See the hitai-ate? So let us in!"
A guard only shouted back. "We can't let you in until you show proper-"
Someone cleared their throat. The chunin looked up at that and with a startled jump snapped into a salute. "Kakashi-sensei! So sorry, we didn't see you there!"
Kakashi merely sighed. Old students. Or, rather, old wanna-be student since the only team he had ever passed was Team 7.
"Yeah, hi." Kakashi paused for a moment, trying to recall the kid's name. He failed. Oh well. If they failed his test then they shouldn't expect him to remember their name anyway. "Could you please do your job now and open the gate? I'm pretty sure we all know who we are now."
The guard looked disappointed for a moment, before he seemed to comprehend what Kakashi said and saluted sharply again, shouting orders down at the gatemen below. There was a pause, and then the painted gates slowly split and swung inward. Team 7 entered Konoha, moving quickly out of the way as the gates closed shut behind them.
The still fresh mid-morning sun tipped the trees with bright yet still soft morning light. The path broadened out from here and continued on, leading into the village proper. The cool breeze had followed them in, the soft rustling of cloth on skin briefly filling the temporary silence that fell over them.
Naruto was the one to break it. "Well, let's go report to Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto shouted, as he jumped into a nearby tree and took off towards Konoha. Sakura only groaned at Naruto's seemingly endless energy as Kakashi glanced at the sky briefly, as if to ask how he got stuck with such a student. Only Sai heard Naruto quietly mutter as they moved swiftly through the trees toward the Hokage's tower.
"She can tell us if they made it back or not…"
Konoha was the same as they left it. Bright and bustling, normal life continued here with vigor. The village never showed the signs of being host to one of the greatest shinobi forces in the world. The normal people here lived, for the most part, ignorant of the games of life and death that the shinobi of the village played everyday. Even the attempted invasion of the Sound and Sand villages a couple years back hadn't changed it much. Life went on.
Sakura always found it comforting to know that no matter how far they traveled or what happened on their missions that Konoha would always be there to welcome them back. It was one of the few constants that made the hard and difficult missions bearable: that they would always be able to return home. Sakura didn't know what she would do if there ever came a time when she couldn't.
Her team was currently making their way from rooftop to rooftop toward the Hokage tower. Sakura wanted to stop a little to get a breather and absorb the warmth that she always felt when they came back, but Naruto wasn't stopping or slowing down and Sakura wasn't about to complain. She could always welcome herself back later.
She couldn't help but stop however when they passed the Yamanaka flower shop. She paused on the roof of a business across the street, panting slightly as she covered her eyes with a hand to see if she could spot Ino through the clear glass windows of the shop. She did; Ino was behind the counter, helping an elderly couple with their pick of bouquets. She waved at her.
Ino noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye (well, she was a ninja after all) and glanced up. A look of surprise and delight crossed her pretty face. She excused herself to the couple and quickly ran outside to wave back, her gardener's apron that she wore over her ninja outfit flapping around her legs.
"Hey Sakura! Glad to see you made it back okay!" Sakura smiled warmly at her old friend. After Sasuke had left both Ino and Sakura had agreed that their stupid little feud was pointless and, after a few tentative starts, had managed to regain their old familiarity and friendship. If nothing else good had ever come out of Sasuke leaving then it had to be that. Sakura was always thankful that she had gotten her closest friend back.
"You too! Is-?"
"Yeah, he's fine too! Listen, do you wanna stop by here this evening? My dad's out on a mission and I was thinking that we could-"
"Sakura! Hurry up!" Naruto called out, his voice faint with distance, but even from there she could hear his impatience.
"Alright, just a moment!" Sakura quickly hollered back. She turned back to Ino.
"Ino, I've gotta go, but I'll come by later around…five? Is that alright?" Ino confirmed it was with a nod. "Alright then. See you then!"
Sakura launched off the roof onto the next, her feet pounding a steady beat on the roofing tiles as she ran across and leapt to the next one. "Coming!"
Ino watched as her former rival leapt across the rooftops, her arms, legs, and pink hair just a blur as she ran. Ino smiled as she watched her go. They had both come so far, especially Sakura. It was hard to believe that the shy, quiet little girl she had befriended at the Academy had grown into the strong, confident ninja that she was now. She had all the markings of becoming a legendary shinobi someday. Ino didn't doubt it.
Ino turned away reluctantly and helped the old couple finish up their shopping; they were getting the flowers for their grand-daughter who was to be married soon. She wished them well as they left, the bell ringing as the door to the Yamanaka's business shut quietly. Ino looked around, thinking. Today was a weekday and they normally didn't get much business now: most of the spring and summer festivals were by and gone and the next one wouldn't be for a month or so. Since her father was gone she could probably get away with closing up the shop early, at least for today.
Ino slipped off her apron, flipped the sign on the door to CLOSED, and walked behind the counter to count the money they had made today. As her mind went mechanically through the numbers she began to plan the rest of her day. She should probably go visit Shikamaru and Choji first and tell them that Naruto and Sakura were back. She debated for a while whether to ask them to spread the news but eventually turned the idea down. Shikamaru would only laze around all day and Choji could only be counted on to spread the news if the recipients happened to be in whatever restaurant or other food establishment he happen to wander into. Assuming, of course, that he would be able to speak through the food he would be stuffing into his mouth. No, she would have to do that herself. Maybe she should take a trip to that new bathhouse they had opened on the other side of the village afterwards…
Ino was busy absentmindedly counting change and daydreaming about a day spent in a spa when the bell above the door tinkled again, signaling someone's entry. She hurriedly put away the change and slipped out from behind the counter.
"Hey! Can't you read?" Ino yelled, hurrying to the front of the store, irritated that someone had the gall to interrupt her delicious planning. "It says CLO-" Ino abruptly closed her mouth, swallowing the half-said word, as she finally laid eyes on the newcomer. An uncharacteristic blush lightly colored her nose and cheeks.
"Hi-" Ino stumbled, trying to recover from her blunder and strange embarrassment. She was cut off when a scroll was thrust into her hands before she could finish.
"Here," he said impassively. "Um…thanks?" Ino said, slightly taken aback as she looked at the scroll. It was dark blue with white edging. It was unmarked.
She was about to open it when a hand closed over hers and stopped her. She slowly looked up. "You're not supposed to read it," the young man informed her. "It's for your father when he gets back from his mission."
"Oh…okay." Ino walked back behind the counter. She bent over, feeling the edge of the counter where it met the floor. A secret compartment opened beneath her fingertips. She reached in and grabbed the key that she knew would be there. She had to suppress a snort as she did. I mean really. Her father was a jonin, a supposed elite of the village's shinobi, and he couldn't find a better hiding place for the key to his personal draw than that. Pathetic.
She walked to the far end of the counter, inserted the key into one of the faceless locked draws and opened it. She carefully placed the scroll inside. She relocked it and returned the key to its place. She expected to get a telling off when he discovered the new item in private draw when he came back, but it just served him right. Maybe he would find a better hiding place next time.
When she poked her head back above the counter she noticed the deliverer had turned to leave. He had the door half-way open, his foot just about to fall on the paved concrete, when he felt his free arm grabbed and himself yanked back inside.
"Ino-" he said, irritation evident in his voice. Ino spun him around to face her. He cocked an eyebrow at her. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, her eyes narrowed at him.
"You know what," she said, answering his voiceless question. She folded her arms, a smug look settling on her features. He didn't like that look.
He should have known. "I finally figured out a way for you to pay me back for that favor that I did for you," Ino said lightly, her grip on his arm anything but as she dragged him to the back of the shop.
"Maybe so, but is this really necessary…?" he asked. Ino gave him her I'm not falling for that look and pulled him into one of the back rooms, never letting go of him.
The room was hot and steamy, drastically different from the room they had just left. The abrupt change left him breathless. Plants of every shape, mix, and color filled every breathing space, adding to the room's already suffocating effect.
Ino moved forward, seemingly unaffected, still pulling him along by the hand as he tried to figure out the correct way to breath in this atmosphere. When it became apparent that she was moving to the center of the heat and humidity he stopped, refusing to move.
"Hey! What's the hold up?"
"I…am not…going in there," he managed, trying to disguise the fact that he was panting for air. He tried taking deep breaths, but quickly reverted when he realized that he was taking in more water vapor than oxygen. He continued his quickened breathing. "You go ahead. I'll wait here."
"Uh huh. You're just going to run out if I do." He didn't answer to that.
"Oh come on! You're acting even more squeamish than Choji on a diet."
She tried to pull him along, but he refused to budge. She sighed, exasperated. "Fine. But you're not going anywhere." She released him. Before he could react her hands meet together and rapidly flew through some hand signs, her hands moving with the speed and precision of familiarity. As she completed the jutsu his mind suddenly felt thrust back. For a moment he thought he was having an out-of-body experience. Except his point of view never changed. He was still in his body, still staring at Ino as she held the last hand sign for a couple of moments longer. He tried to speak, to tell Ino to forget it, but found his mouth wouldn't make the words. He tried to move his limbs, to push Ino away or just get out of here, but his arms and legs wouldn't respond. He tried to blink. Nothing happened. Suddenly he understood what had happened and he glared at Ino or tried to, since he couldn't be sure if he had succeeded or not. It was one of Ino's mind tricks.
He was trapped in his own paralyzed body.
"There," she said, stepping back to look at him, a satisfied and smug look on her face. "Now you wait there while I get it, okay?" she asked him mockingly, her lips curved in a playfully devious smile, as she brushed past the plants and disappeared from view.
He waited. At least this jutsu allowed him to breathe. Strangely, the claustrophobic feeling and difficult breathing had pasted. He wondered if it had something to do with Ino's mind control. She certainly didn't look bothered.
Resigned, (it wasn't like he had a choice) he studied what he could see while he waited for Ino to reappear. Now that he had time to look around (at what was in front of him) he noticed that none of these plants were flowering plants. At least, not the type you would sell to ordinary civilians. He spotted foxglove, larkspur, lily-of-the-valley, monkshood, and nightshade among others that he couldn't readily identify. He even thought he could see cosmos flower roots strung up on the nearest wall. There were enough plants in here to line every garden path in Konoha. All of them were deadly poisonous. It struck him as strange since the Yamanaka clan was known for their use of mind-control jutsus; not poison tactics.
As he remained frozen though, a different solution to this puzzle began to work its way through his brain. When he had first come to Konoha he had been surprised at the open distribution of weaponry, especially poisons. Where he came from you had to make a special contract with distributors in order to get the necessary equipment for the shinobi occupation. And it wasn't made easy for the ninja. Normally you had to fulfill a certain requirement or perform a special, difficult service for them before they would cater to you. And that was just for the normal stuff like kunai or scrolls. They weren't even allowed to sell poisons. The village's leaders considered the practice too dangerous; to sell lethal poisons to experienced shinobi. But here, they didn't hesitate. They were almost totally trusting of their shinobi. Oh, they weren't naïve. They kept careful records of who bought what and other measures to protect against misuse, but he knew it was dramatically different from other villages, his included. But he had noticed that they never mentioned where they procured the poisons. He had assumed it was classified information so hadn't questioned it. But it looked like he had been thrust into the main provider's room. He wondered if Ino appreciated that fact. That here he was, practically still a foreign ninja, being shown the main stash of poison for probably the entire village. He dismissed the notion. Not even Ino was that thick. But there was only one other reason that he could think of for her to allow him to see this…
She must trust him.
As that somehow disturbing notion crossed his mind, Ino finally reappeared, a small pouch in one hand.
"Got it!" she stated cheerfully, her hands folding into the jutsu's release sign. Again, he felt that mental jerk and immediately regained control. He almost fell over with the abrupt return of motor skills. Almost. He slowly regained his perfect sense of balance as Ino moved past him and pushed open the door. He quickly followed.
The door closed shut behind him as he took a deep breath of the fresh, dry air. That was too close.
Ino turned around to face him. She smiled and held up the pouch.
"I want you to deliver this to Yamato," she said as she handed it over to him.
He turned it over in his hands, noting the stitching of the fire symbol on the front, then opened it and dumped its contents into the palm of his hand. Three shriveled looking pods rolled into his hand. He analyzed them carefully, not discovering anything special about them, and glanced at Ino.
"And what would he want these for…?" he drawled. Ino just shrugged. "Hell, if I know. All I know was that he asked for those seeds by special request and to be brought to him as soon as we had them. Paid quite a bit for that guarantee too."
She sighed as she flicked a stray strand of white blonde hair out of her eyes. "With all our sources we could only manage to get a hold of one. Some sort of rare plant from the Water country. I had to spend a month growing one so that we could get the number of seeds he wanted. He said that it was very important that he have at least three, and not to deliver them until we had them."
"Hn," he hummed quietly. Probably for one of his wood jutsus…
"So if I deliver this…you'll stop bugging me?" he asked as he replaced the seeds in the bag and closed it, drawing the draw-strings tight. He tied it to his belt, next to his ninja pouch.
"Well…can't count on that, but you won't owe me anymore," Ino said with a wink. He would have snorted if he was the type of person to do that. He wasn't though.
"So… please deliver that as soon as you can, preferably immediately. I've got some…things I need to take care of today," she said, walking over to a stand of tulips on display to rearrange their pots.
He imperceptibly nodded and turned around to leave. His hand was on the doorknob as he heard Ino suddenly call out behind him.
"One more thing…"
"Yeah…?" he said, not bothering to turn around.
"They're back." He tensed.
He slowly turned back around so that he was half facing her. "Who?"
Ino fiddled with a tulip pot for a moment then looked his way again, a small smile on her face.
"Who do you think? Team 7. Naruto."
They had finally reached the Hokage tower. Kakashi led the way in as Naruto, Sakura, and Sai followed. Only Naruto and Sakura were out of breath.
They walked down the main hallway and stepped into one of the open elevators at the end. Kakashi punched the number for the top floor and the elevator doors closed behind them. The elevator jerked into motion, that small familiar drop in the pit of her stomach reminding Sakura of all the times in the past three years she had taken this very same elevator up everyday to receive training from the legendary sannin, Tsunade. Remembering that time, Sakura felt like it had been an age ago. A lot had happened since then. Whenever Naruto was around things happened quite a lot. While the last three years hadn't been exactly peaceful (how could it be when a woman with a tendency for massive PMS mood swings and a punch that could take out a tall building was your teacher?) in comparison with her first year as a ninja and the time since Naruto had come back her tutelage under Tsunade looked dull. Naruto had that effect she supposed.
It was quiet in the elevator, though the classic elevator music was playing in the background. An awkward silence fell over them as they waited to be let out. Naruto glared at the slowly rising illuminated numbers above them, a foot tapping impatiently. Sai was leaning against the wall, an unreadable expression on his face. Kakashi, typically, had pulled out one of Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise novels, and was reading it with a hand stuffed in his pocket. Sakura momentarily considered punching him, (those books were banned in the Hokage tower, one of the first rules that Tsunade had established as Hokage) but, frankly, she didn't have the energy, dirty book or not. She just wanted to finish this. As soon as this was over with she was going to take a leaf out of Tsunade's book and take a good long nap.
Sakura had to stifle a yawn as the elevator doors finally slid open to the Hokage's floor. They slipped out and approached the front desk at the end of the main hallway. Huge double doors loomed behind the desk, leading to the Hokage's office. Two ABNU framed the huge doorway, guarding the entrance. Behind the handsome mahogany desk, sitting in a big comfy chair, was Tsunade's loyal assistant, Shizune. Half-lens reading glasses were perched on her nose as she looked to be reading some reports neatly stacked on her desk. She glanced up as she heard them approach, smiling when she recognized them.
"Shizune!" Naruto exclaimed, running forward and hugging her across the desk. Shizune, startled, hesitantly patted him on the back. She was a practical, but shy woman and she never knew how to react to Naruto's…friendliness. "Glad to see you too, Naruto."
Naruto pulled back, and Sakura greeted her with a warm smile that she returned slightly. She had learned to like Shizune over the years that she had been Tsunade's apprentice and had been saved from Tsunade's displeasure more than once by Shizune's quick thinking. A tentative bond had grown between the two women, fueled by their mutual duty to put up with their mentor day after day.
"So, how's the old hag?" Naruto asked loudly. Shizune winced. If her employer had heard that…
Shizune nearly jumped out of her skin when the double doors behind her slammed open with a bang, bouncing off the walls, the jonin having scrambled out of the way just in time.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, BRAT?" Apparently she had.
Naruto, of course, had no sense of his impending death. "You heard me. Or is your hearing going along with your looks?"
Kakashi wondered idly which shop he should rent his suit from for the funeral. Assuming there would be enough left of him to put in the ground of course…
"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Tsunade, Fifth Hokage, Legendary Sannin, reached across the desk and proceeded to strangle Naruto, Shizune cowering beside her.
"Tsu-…san-…," Naruto sputtered between Tsunade's squeezing grip, frantically trying to squirm out of her grasp. You don't want to stay in Tsunade's strangling hold for long. Even if she wasn't planning on killing you. He had heard about other people who had almost been 'accidentally' strangled by Tsunade before. He couldn't die an honorable death until after he had become Hokage.
Naruto was beginning to turn a queasy color of blue, when a voice cut through the air. A cool, collected yet faintly dangerous voice that spoke of desert winds and raging sand. A voice that promised immediate action of probably a violent nature if it wasn't headed. A familiar voice.
"Madam Hokage, whatever the insult to your person I don't believe I can let you strangle one of my good friends. Please release him before I am forced to resort to less…diplomatic means of removal."
Tsunade turned her head to glare at her red-haired guest and his presumptuous declaration. Though, to Naruto's eternal gratification, she did loosen her grip on his neck. Gaara and his siblings, Kankuro and Temari, walked out of Tsunade's office where they had obviously had been holding council before Team 7 had arrived. Gaara stared at her with his empty gaze, his expression unnerving.
"Hmph. It takes a lot of huts to say that to me Lord Kazekage. How did you plan to carry out that…warning?"There was a strange glint in her eye when she said that, and to all those present they recognized the challenge in her voice. They all took a healthy step back, Naruto (who had managed to escape her grip unnoticed) included.
Gaara looked back at her flatly. "Using whatever means necessary," he stated impassively.
Silence reigned for a few tense moments. Then Tsunade let out a shout of laughter, making everyone jump. The laughter continued, the tension lessening somewhat as they felt the danger from a violent Tsunade at least diminish. The young Kazekage, however, looked annoyed.
"I fail to see the humor in what I said," Gaara finally snapped, annoyance and the beginnings of anger clouding his fair features.
Tsunade settled down at his words, wiping a few tears of mirth from her bronze eyes, as she gazed at the Kazekage, a genuine smile on her lips.
"Pardon my rudeness Gaara-sama. It's just that all the reports, the records, and the eyewitness accounts that I've received about you seemed so boringly similar that I had begun to wonder if it was such a wise idea to let you visit Konoha, let alone meet you in person. You see, you have a track record a good three miles long, which I can testify to." She held up a hand and began ticking off fingers. "Destruction of property. Cruelty. Homicide. Disobeying orders. Mass homicide-"
"I don't see your point," Gaara almost growled at Tsunade, cutting her off. The guarding jonin edged closer to Tsunade.
"My point is…that I should never have listened to those old farts. I should have listened more closely to what Naruto had to say about you than judge you based on papers and lifeless old men."
Gaara blinked. He looked like he was in shock. It was possible. Sakura thought that Naruto was probably the only other one in Gaara's whole life who had actually told Gaara that they didn't think of him as the monster who had first come to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Exams, but as Kazekage, leader and protector of his people. Even Sakura had hesitated when she had heard about Gaara's kidnapping, thinking that perhaps it would be for the best, for him and his village. She deeply regretted that now.
"Besides that," Tsunade chuckled, "the way you tried to 'intervene' between me and Naruto gave you away too. Even though there wasn't any real danger."
"Speak for yourself!" Naruto croaked, rubbing his neck. Sakura caught a glimpse of finger-sized bruises covering his neck. Gaara looked skeptical.
Tsunade frowned. "Naruto, come here." Naruto didn't move. "I said COME HERE!" Naruto slowly walked over to her, sulking and dragging his feet. He stopped when he was a few feet away.
Tsunade impatiently closed the gap. Before he could react she placed both her hands on the sides of his neck, fingers widely splayed, her thumbs and forefingers cradling his head. Naruto automatically flinched. Tsunade's expression softened.
"Don't move," she ordered him softly, as she pressed her jeweled forehead against his, closing her eyes in concentration. Naruto's brilliant blue eyes widened in surprise as out of the corner of his eye he saw her hands begin to glow. The glow steadily increased, becoming brighter and brighter until it was easily noticeable to everyone. Then it suddenly winked out, leaving the sharp tang of used chakra in the air. Tsunade stepped away.
Naruto slowly felt his neck, Sakura noting that all the bruises Tsunade had imprinted on his tanned skin were gone. He rotated his neck, took both hands and twisted his head, heard it crink, (Sakura winced) and shook it, like a wet dog. When he looked back up, he was grinning.
"Thanks Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto said, a note of respect now in the insult. Tsunade grunted, a disgruntled look on her face at Naruto's use of the honorary, though thankfully she didn't comment.
Silence momentarily fell. Kakashi was the one to break it this time. He cleared his throat and walked forward, bowing respectfully to his Kage.
"Lady Tsunade, our original purpose for coming here was to report to you in person, as you requested, regarding the unclassified mission you sent us on," Tsunade quickly motioned the two jonin guards out, giving them a knowing look. The two elite ninja nodded and saluted, leaving the room. "We are ready to report."
"Alright then. Step inside my office and I'll hear it."
She led them inside, passing the Sand siblings and settled behind her red cherry wood desk, shifting massive piles of paper so that she could see them. Gaara bowed and made a motion to leave, his siblings following suit, but Tsunade brushed it away and beckoned him in.
"You'll probably want to hear this too," she said as Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari complied, puzzled looks on their faces. They settled themselves down in the comfy chairs lining Tsunade's office, leaving only Team 7 standing. Shizune quietly closed the doors behind them.
"Now then, tell me everything that happened since you left Konoha. Don't leave anything out."
"Before we do Tsunade-baa-chan," Naruto said, moving forward until he was standing right in front of her desk. "Tell us if they made it back okay!"
"Yes, they all made it back just fine Naruto," Tsunade answered, irked once again at his lack of manners. A flood of relief crashed through his features, surprising them. Though Sakura could tell that he had been worried she was still surprised at the magnitude of emotion that had crossed his face. Despite all the symptoms, she hadn't really thought that Naruto was as worried as he was. It just didn't seem like him. He was never worried about anything.
A grin split his face as Naruto quickly babbled, jumping up and down ecstatically, the scene reminiscent of his more hyperactive 12-year-old self that Sakura had first met.
"Really? That's great! Where are they staying? What have they been doing? Have they seen all of Konoha yet? I'm gonna take them out for ramen at Ichiraku's and show them my garden and my special spots and…," Naruto blathered on at top speed, seeming to grow more excited with every word. He was almost ready to bounce off the walls when Tsunade decided that she had had enough and quickly brought him back to earth.
"SETTLE DOWN!" she yelled, grabbing one of his ears and bringing him up short. She let go when she was sure she had his full attention again.
"That's all well and good Naruto, but you can't see them." That wiped the grin off Naruto's face.
"At least, not today," she added. Naruto looked both angry and confused.
"But, why not?" Naruto asked, his wide blue eyes betraying a hint of hurt, as if Tsunade had promised something important to him, but at the last moment denied him it.
"I have my reasons." Naruto opened his mouth, an outraged look replacing the bewilderment. Tsunade cut him off before he could protest.
"I have, however, set up a meeting with them tomorrow that I am expecting you and the young Kazekage to attend. Is that alright with both of you?" Naruto nodded quickly (after he had rehinged his jaw) and Gaara once slowly, his black ringed eyes narrowed in thought.
"Good. Now, Kakashi…," she said, turning back to the jonin.
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Where…and when…are we supposed to meet them?"
"I'll disclose that information once you have finished your report," Tsunade replied stiffly. Naruto looked ready to protest again, but stopped when Tsunade shot him a glare that clearly said: Interrupt me again and I'll twist your head off. It was accented by the throbbing vein in her right temple. Naruto decided that wasn't a good sign and didn't press the issue.
"Now, if there are no more interruptions," Tsunade glowered at the room's occupants. No one said anything. "Then, Kakashi you start…"
Kakashi quickly related their travels and adventures in the Rock, Cloud, and Rain countries; Sakura, Naruto, and occasionally Sai, interjecting and adding to his narrative. He finished with the run-in with the Akatsuki spies.
"…we managed to defeat the plant-like man, Zetsu, and once he went down the other retreated with him, covering his tracks well so we couldn't follow." Kakashi decided not to add his suspicions about the other man, the one called Tobi…and what he had thought he had seen in the eyehole of the mask he wore. He had probably been hallucinating; he had been fatally injured after all. What he thought he saw…well it couldn't be…and until he confirmed what it was he wasn't going to bother Tsunade with his old memories.
This was not the time to bring up ghosts of the past.
"Hmmm…" Tsunade nodded, her fingers drumming on her desk as she digested this new information. "What you've told me reconfirms what the others said. The Akatsuki attack… You say that they were spies?"
Kakashi nodded. "It appeared so. They had been following us. They were extremely good trackmen too. We would have never realized they were on our trail if Naruto hadn't accidentally dropped that paper bomb exactly where he had. If it wasn't for that stroke of dumb luck they would have probably followed us straight back to the jinchuriki." Or probably worse.
"I understand that you were injured?" Kakashi nodded, shifting his weight gingerly at the reminder.
"I'll take a look at you afterwards." Tsunade glanced around at the assembled people, her gaze coming to rest on Naruto. She smiled.
"Well, since Naruto has been so patient," he tensed expectantly, "I guess its time to tell you where you'll be meeting your kinsmen. I've asked Yamato, he's been assigned as their sensei, to tell them to be at Ichiraku's-" "YES!" Naruto yelled, dancing in a circle. Gaara looked amused at his reaction. "-at two o'clock the next afternoon. And Naruto?" Naruto quit his dance of ramen-joy. "You are not to go looking for them in the meantime, understand?"
"Okay, but…I still don't understand why…" Tsunade tensed slightly. There was a worried, anxious, unsure, and slightly fearful look in her eyes, mixing chaotically in her golden brown orbs. The whirlwind of emotion seemed at odds with the softened expression on her face. It took Sakura a minute to recognize it. It was how Tsunade looked when something bad was happening that she felt she had little control over.
"The-" She paused for a moment, wrestling with what she was going to tell them. She decided to take a half measure. "The political situation on this issue has been…touchy."
Sakura understood in a flash. The council and, most especially, Danzo, would not like the fact that three other demon containers had taken asylum in Konoha. Naruto seemed to grasp this fact as well.
"Is there anything we can do…?" Naruto asked uncertainly, concerned but determined at the same time. Sakura imagined for a moment that Tsunade's gaze flickered towards Sai, but decided that she must have been mistaken when Tsunade gazed back at Naruto and smiled softly. "I'm sorry Naruto, but really, there is nothing that you can do. I'll have to deal with them myself," she replied, the last part so quiet it was almost inaudible.
Tsunade finished gleaning details from them about the mission and finally bid them leave, suggesting that they use the time to relax and freshen up for tomorrow.
"I have a little more than a reunion planned for tomorrow and it won't work if you're too tired to be up for it," Tsunade said, a devilish glint creeping into her eye. She refused, however, to tell them what it was and only said that they would find out tomorrow.
As they were about to leave though, she called out two final requests. "Kakashi, ask Shizune to take you to the Medical Examination room to take a look at you. I'll be with you shortly. Sai…I wish to speak privately with you for a moment." The rest of them took their leave, filing out of the Hokage's office. Sai stayed behind, an indecipherable expression on his face.
As Gaara pasted by him, his shoulder accidentally brushed against Sai's. Sai unconsciously shifted slightly to give him room, but was surprised to find that he was arrested in his movement. The young Kazekage had a tight grip on his arm. A crushing grip. Sai's dark eyes darted to meet Gaara's cold, pale green ones. Gaara leaned ever so slightly towards Sai as the rest of his body continued forward, his Kage's robes hiding the contact. He never turned his head.
I'm watching you, he breathed into his ear, his one green eye boring into his with a hidden intensity. Then, just as suddenly, the contact was gone. The Kazekage continued by, his message having taken him less than two seconds to deliver. His brother and sister followed, casting uneasy looks between the pair, instinctively aware that something had happened, but unable to tell what. Sai didn't turn around to watch him leave. He knew what was at stake.
Gaara continued down the hall, returning a brief farewell from Naruto, intending to head back to the resistance that Tsunade had vacated for his use. Kankuro and Temari followed respectively behind him, sharing an unspoken glance between them. He knew what they must be thinking. They were his elite bodyguards, his protectors and closest advisors and they had grown close enough to him to enable him to tell what they were thinking most of the time. Before he had meet Naruto he had kept them at a distance, not letting them get close enough to know him, to understand him. They still didn't in some ways. Although they were siblings his life had made him, twisted him, in such a way that he still seemed somewhat alien to them. He probably always would be. But in the years following the defeat of the Sound and Sand villages he had slowly let them grow closer to him, becoming the reality of brother and sister instead of just in name. It had been difficult; more so than he had anticipated. The invisible walls that he had surrounded himself with had been firmly built. The only person who had penetrated to the interior since Yashamaru's death had been Naruto and that only by force. Even when he was willing he found it difficult to take down his defensives; to let someone else in. As a result, he was an aloof Kazekage, ruling his village from a distance. He also thought that might be why he had so many female admirers now: the aloof attitude minus the dangerously homicidal vibe. But that wasn't what he wanted.
He couldn't help thinking that Naruto wouldn't be an aloof Hokage.
He opened the door located next to the elevators, taking the stairs down (he hated the enclosed feeling he got inside an elevator; like a coffin) with Kankuro and Temari trailing behind him. Each step they took echoed flatly in the polished concrete stairway.
Gaara mused quietly as he made his unhurried way down. I'm watching you.
The political situation had been more than 'touchy' as Tsunade had so eloquently put it. In fact, Konoha's council had been up in arms about this. It had nearly turned into a full-scale revolt. Tsunade had been forced to call on whatever aid Gaara could give her to persuade them to accept the proposed arrangement, knowing that Gaara would be sympathetic to her cause. Gaara had had to leave his village, vulnerable without the powerful presence of its Kage, to come to Konoha to hammer out a compromise with the elders of Konoha himself in order for anything to be accomplished. And in the process had learned about their 'other' decisions regarding a certain jinchuriki in particular. He was a lot less sympathetic now. With the council. With Tsunade.
'How dare she let them put a spy on Naruto's team!' Gaara thought, a seething, boiling feeling growing in his stomach at the thought. 'I would have never let something like this happen in Sunagakure! How dare they even think of doing this to Naruto. He had done nothing to deserve this! He has shone them nothing but the deepest loyalty and this is how they repay him!' Gaara couldn't understand it. The people here were even blinder than the people at home. They would never accept Naruto as a person let alone Hokage.
His thoughts turned to the spy, to that Sai character if that was even his name. Naruto and the others (except possibly that sensei) might have been thick enough to miss the look Tsunade had given him, but Gaara was sharper than that. His eyes narrowed in more than thought and suspicion as he shoved open the door to the bottom floor, heading straight outside to the bright sunshine and life of Konoha.
He didn't deserve this.
"You sure you'll be okay, Kakashi-sensei?"
"I'm being looked after by two of the best medical nins in history. Three, if I count what you have already done." Sakura blushed with the unexpected praise. "It's safe to say that I'm not too worried, Sakura. You shouldn't be either."
"Kakashi-sensei? The Examination Room is this way…"
"Hm? Yeah, okay." Kakashi followed Shizune down a side hallway, Naruto and Sakura looking after them.
"Good luck Kakashi-sensei!" I hope there's nothing wrong with him that they can't fix.
"Yeah Kakashi! Don't do anything Ero-sennin wouldn't do!"
They distinctly saw Shizune trip at the end of the hallway.
Kakashi smiled, not turning around, holding a hand up in farewell. He chuckled softly as he stared at what he knew his two students couldn't see from there. The tips of Shizune's very red ears.
Sakura, meanwhile, mock punched Naruto in the head. He staggered back, clutching his head, and pretending to stumble around in pain. Sakura chuckled, walking back down the hallway toward the elevators. Her back to him, she didn't notice him stop and wince, rubbing his head. He'd have to remember not to let her do that again.
Naruto caught up with her and they walked to the elevators together.
"Hey Sakura, want to go to Ichiraku's with me?"
"Why?" Sakura frowned. "They're not going to be there till tomorrow at two."
"No, it's not that! It's just that there wasn't a single ramen place during the whole trip and I'm starving!"
Sakura smiled at Naruto ramen fetish. "Sorry Naruto, but I'm going home for now and heading over to Ino's later. I really need a shower."
"Oh…okay then…"
Naruto looked visibly less enthusiastic as they reached the end of the hallway.
"I guess I should go home and unpack too…," Naruto said, trailing off as he pushed the elevator button.
Sai stood in front of Tsunade's desk, a pleasant smile fixed on his face, as he coolly examined her. Tsunade still sat behind it, a troubled look on her face as she tried to find the words to speak. What the young Kazekage, Gaara, had said earlier during the meeting that Naruto had so timely interrupted still niggled in her mind, eating away at her conscience.
"How could you let this happen? Your Hokage and one of the legendary sannin at that! Why did you let this go on? Why did you do nothing?"
'He's only a kid,' Tsunade thought defensively, trying to rationalize an excuse for the situation she was in. 'He doesn't realize the delicacy they have to be dealt with, the deals I've had to make to insure that Naruto has even the freedom to draw breathe without someone monitoring him. He doesn't understand that force won't fix everything, especially when it is used against the very people you have sworn to protect!'
But the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that maybe if she had acted when she could have she wouldn't be in this mess. And Naruto's right to pursue his dream to become Hokage wouldn't be in peril.
'Why did you do nothing?'
Tsunade was finally beginning to grasp the full extent of her failure to deal with the council and with Danzo. She was Hokage not queen. That had been her first mistake as Hokage, believing that she could act with total authority, without regard to the council or anyone else. Because she had ignored them initially was part of the reason that they were acting out so much now, questioning her decisions and authority as Hokage. The other part- Danzo. He had become the thorn in her side and until recently she hadn't realized how deep he had gone in. She was no Sandaime to earn his respect and grudging submission to her will. Even if she was the type to go out and earn the respect of other people she had a feeling that nothing she could ever do would persuade Danzo to accept her as Hokage. He had made the exception once; he never would again.
And that was why she was sitting in front of Danzo's spy, whose sole purpose was to monitor and report back to that usurper every movement of one of the last people on earth whom she still believed in, and felt completely powerless to stop him.
How far she had fallen from her grand-father's grace.
"Danzo wishes to see you immediately," she whispered, the words wrenching out of her painfully. Sai merely gave a shallow dip of his head, his dark gaze strangely averted, as he turned around and headed toward the door. Tsunade's head hung in shame. With every hollow echo of one of his steps on the polished floor of the Hokage's office the feeling of helpless grew in Tsunade, rising to a crescendo in her breast. The footsteps abruptly stopped. But she hadn't heard the creak of the double doors opening.
Tsunade slowly lifted her head. Sai was standing in front of her closed doors; his head turned a fraction towards her. One dark, enigmatic eye studied her emptily, half hidden by strands of his black bangs.
"I won't betray him." The statement came out with an odd, hesitant, robotic quality. But she thought she caught a flicker in his eye, an elusive glimpse of something more than the emptiness. Just as suddenly he turned away and pushed open one of the double doors, closing it quietly behind him. Tsunade sensed chakra flow and caught the scattered muttering of a jutsu. A moment later she heard the sharp retort of a transport jutsu taking effect.
His statement left her confused and with a mounting headache, but a smile slowly crept onto her face anyway as she absentmindedly felt her neckline, her fingers remembering the necklace that she had given up to Naruto after he had won her bet those years ago. She watched motes of dust shift through the sunlight pouring in through one of the windows, a small bubble of hope rising in her chest as she contemplated Sai's mysterious parting.
'Somehow,' she thought as she grabbed a clean sheet of paper and a pen out of her desk, a grin worthy of Naruto on her face as she began to write.
Somehow she didn't think he had meant Danzo.
The doors to the Hokage's tower finally opened and two familiar ninja walked out, one with a shock of yellow blonde hair, the other with short pink tresses, hanging shoulder-length. The mysterious figure hidden among the branches of a nearby tree stared down at them, his intense gaze focused on the bouncing bob of yellow, orange, and black, sparing only a short glance towards the other. He narrowed his eyes, intensifying his stare, until he could make out the three tell-tale whisker marks on each side of his target's cheeks. He let out a short breath. Ino was right: they were back.
As he watched his counter-part walk past his chosen tree, chatting animatedly with his companion, he thought for a moment, wondering if he should make his presence known. He decided against it, and within a moment had jumped into the next tree, silently stalking his quarry.
He could wait.
He had done this many times before. Many times was he given the opportunity to do his life's work: to hold a kunai at the enemy's throat; to smell their sweat, their hatred, and, most of all, the overpowering stench of their fear. And then press inward and feel the warm, almost hot, liquid spill over his fingers. Smell that bitter-sweet metallic tang of freshly spilled blood as his fingers would slip slightly on the sharp object as his victim twitched in his grasp, sometimes giving one last, strangled, gurgle as they died, sometimes with the more veteran ninja they would only crumple silently to the ground, dieing with a little mustered dignity.
He had always wondered afterwards how he would die.
It wasn't so much the death that made him feel alive. It was the moments leading up to it, the short, intense seconds in time where he revealed in the power he had over life: the right to set it free and live or the more common act of taking it away. In those moments he felt above the hatred, prejudice, and loneliness of his life. In those moments he held dominion over death itself.
And as the secret weapon of the Nakamura clan of Iwagakure he was given plenty of opportunity for his work.
Tonight was no different, he told himself. Tonight, once again would he wander the thin line between life and death, sanity and chaos, as he felt that strange exhilaration knowing that he was not only destroying his enemy but himself as well. 'The kunai's edge' as his clan leader, Ishumaru, always called it.
But, unbeknownst to him, that night it would be different.
His targets were the newly arrived leaf nins sent as ambassadors to the Hidden Rock village. Apparently, it had been a subterfuge of some sort and they had had an ulterior motive in coming here that the Kage hadn't liked. Deeply disliked. Not that he knew. Or cared. But what he did care about was that he and several other rock nins had been assigned the task of destroying them. And for him…one ninja in particular.
He stared down at the shock of yellow blonde hair beneath him. The leaf nin still couldn't figure out where he was hiding.
Growing tired of this, he leapt out of the tree, twisting around in midair so when he landed he was facing the leaf nin. The blonde idiot just stared at him. He wished he hadn't gotten a slow one.
"Why are you doing this?" the ninja asked. He was already covered with numerous cuts and bruises. There was an odd note of surprise in his voice, as if he hadn't expected this from him in particular. But why? He was a stranger. The rock nin frowned. This encounter was getting weirder… and more pathetic the longer this took.
"Because I was ordered to," he answered emotionlessly, slipping a hand into his ninja holster.
"And you always do what you're told?" the ninja asked, angry now for some reason. He rushed the leaf nin while he was still talking, the kunai he had taken out flashing in the stark moonlight. He was surprised to find that he was countered; the leaf nin had drawn his own kunai, deflecting his. He had honestly thought that the idiot would be too slow to block the strike. He almost smiled twistedly. Maybe this would be more interesting than he thought.
He jumped back and quickly rushed him again, engaging him this time in close combat. They exchanged quickly laid kicks and punches, neither of them laying a good hand on the other. Not that he was trying very hard. If he was this ninja would already be out cold; he merely wished to see how good he was. In the very back of his mind he also acknowledged the fact that he was curious as to why the Tsuchikage wanted him to go after this one in particular: he been very adamant about it which was very peculiar.
It was an odd trait of his: curiosity in dangerous situations. That should have been his first warning.
"I do what a shinobi must," he answered between blows. As his hands and feet flew through the air he was surprised by a kick to his chest, sending him flying backwards. He twisted in the air, landing on his feet a short distance away. He always landed on his feet.
His eyes narrowed when he was surprised that the leaf nin didn't take advantage of the opening and move in. Something about the way he had been fighting suddenly clicked in his head. He was only fighting defensively, not offensively. That wouldn't have been so surprising except he also seemed to be avoiding causing him as such damage as possible too. Now that he thought about it, there were a couple of times where he had probably taken his blows purposely, to avoid having to hurt him out of self defense. His suspicions were confirmed when the ninja dropped his fighting pose.
"Listen, you don't have to do this. I'm like you-" "Why aren't you attacking?" he interrupted, angry now. Did this leaf nin think he was too weak to take seriously? If so, he would soon correct him in his thinking.
"Because I don't want to hurt you! Just listen to me!"
"But I, however, wish to hurt you," he interrupted again, impassively. He knew what was going on now. This leaf nin was trying to talk his way out of this. Well, he thought as he started to circle him, a different strategy formulating in his mind, he was going to have to fight him soon because he had decided he was not going to let this one go. This façade wasn't going to work on him.
"I will surrender myself to you if you promise to hear me out." He almost stopped in shock. What was this leaf nin playing at? But he quickly resumed, never leaving an opening for long. He couldn't afford to be distracted by what this ninja was saying.
"If you wish for me to listen to you," he said, putting his drawn kunai away and focusing chakra to his feet as he spoke, "Then tell me the shinobi way. Force me to listen."
He launched into the air with a chakra-enforced kick, drew his hands back and threw some senbon that he had tucked into his wrist bands, the chakra strings attached to them making a strange whistling sound as they undulated in the air. The blonde ninja leapt quickly back, dodging the flying needles and the almost invisible chakra strings to be safe. This attack was much more effective in the pitch of a cloudy night, when the silver moonlight didn't reveal the strings, but it didn't matter. This time, it was only meant to be a distraction.
He slipped among the trees, quickly throwing more needles to distract him. He dodged them with surprising agility, shouting as he did.
"A shinobi isn't always about force!" he shouted, the chakra strings whipping around him.
"The way of the shinobi is all about force," he countered coldly. He snapped his fingers. Several strings still floating in the air suddenly changed direction, snapping towards the ninja. Surprised, he still managed to avoid most of them. Except one. It snapped around his left leg, pulling him down. Only his other knee kept him from crashing painfully face down on the ground. "The way of the shinobi is all about force, pain, destruction…" He stepped into view on a tree branch above him. "…and death."
"No," he gasped, pulling himself up, cutting the chakra string with his kunai. "The shinobi is also a protector, a guardian of his people. Not just an instrument of death."
He narrowed his eyes at that, his brow furrowed with disbelief and disgust, as he gazed at the leaf nin. "Leaf nin, you are the strangest ninja I have ever met." "I have a name you know. Naruto Uzumaki," he interrupted. The rock nin went on as if he had said nothing. "Did they make you a ninja out of charity? Or pity?"
The leaf nin growled at his comment, his blue eyes glazed with silver as he glared at him with that startling gaze. He just glared back, his icy demeanor dropping a couple of degrees in temperature.
"You have no idea," he whispered, slowly raising his hands to form a very familiar jutsu. It was time to end this game of cat and mouse. "The shinobi is bound to his village's desires. He is nothing more than a tool to fulfill his Kage's whims. That is all a shinobi is."
The leaf nin, this Naruto Uzumaki, surprised him yet again with a snort of contempt. He raised his arms and spaced his feet, drawing himself into a fighting stance.
"Like I haven't heard that one before," he retorted.
Sai knelt at the feet of his master, his head bowed, waiting for him to speak. The room that he met his master in was poorly lit, a few, stray candles in the corners providing the little amount of light. But he didn't need the light to tell what the expression on his old master's face would be. He could feel his anger in the air.
"I am disappointed in you Sai…"
Fin. So what you'd think? This is a little different from the way I normally write (aka: interesting) and I'm very pleased with the result. Normally I'm a more description based writer: dialoge doesn't come easily to me. But I think I did quite alright on this. This is not my first time writing as you can (hopefully) tell and I've got to say that I really enjoyed writing this peice.
This is supposed to be a relatively short story (for me), I'm looking at five chapters. If you want to continue reading this I suggest that you put this on your Alert. I'm pretty slow at updating (sorry).
And if you noticed the lackluster tone in my Author's notes it's because it's the early morning and I stayed up all last night reading fanfiction and finishing this. I blame sleep deprivation. And stupidity.
Please review, critique, flame, love, etc. Any feedback is good, I just need to know that people are reading this. The very worse thing you can do for a writer is to give no feedback at all.
Love (yawn) -'Eagle