P2: Secrets reviled! Kusuma's deep desire.
Look, there in that corner,
The stars sparkle in innocence
"It seems hotter out here..."
"It's probably because you always have a fan on your face." I glowered at Anji but she only laughed. I turned red when I could see two of the four ahead of us stiffling their laughter. One of them turned around and let me see his face. His face was painted with a purple paint, his cheeks slightly chubby. He spoke to me with a grin plastered on his face.
"You really don't seem to belong there anyway, huh?" I puffed my cheeks out before a girl spoke from the other cloak.
"You'd think she'd be glad to leave instead of looking back, moping towards the village every five minutes." I glared up at the tall girl. She took her hood off and she smirked at me. Who did she think she was? She was the one with four pick tales! "What? Are you mad?" She snickered over to the painted boy who now took his hood off. They stood in front of me, laughing as if they owned me. I opened my mouth to say something on my behalf, but a third voice broke in.
"Drop it, you two. Let's go." The painted boy confronted.
"Aw come on, let us have some fun!" The third one stopped with the other instructor and turned around, head still lowered. I bent my head down a little, trying to see who he was.
"I said let's go." He hissed. I felt I had heard this voice before, but I just couldn't match a face with it. But one thing was for sure, he gave me goose bumps. If I had met him before, I don't think I'd want to be reaquainted anytime soon. But instead, I got just what I didn't ask for, his name.
"Gaara!" The girl called. My heart jumped up into my throat and the blood in me seemed to stop. I stood there, watching my greatest fear from only a few feet away.
"G...gaara..." I whispered. He stopped and it seemed as though time stopped with him. Slowly, he reached for his hood and let it fall onto his back. My eyes widened as I saw his red hair. No one had that hair but him. My body wouldn't move. I was mesmorized. I felt obliged to see if it was really him. He turned to face me but Anji jumped in front of me, feeling my forehead. I caught my breath once again, but Anji's voice was muffled. She started to shake me, trying to get an answer to her question, but my eyes rolled to the back of my head. Suddenly, the sun was unbearable. Knees growing weak, I fell to the ground. And though I hadn't seen his face then, I could put together the picture. Those same lonely eyes had changed into violent, insane eyes, wanting any connection to the outside world. He...was Gaara.
"...Anji-sensei..." My grip around her neck tightened as she carried me on the sand. She answered me with her hand entwined in mine. I thought, confused, how could she grab my hand when they were on my legs? I opened my eyes to see that I wasn't on Anji's back, I was on the purple paint boy. I yelped as I let go of his neck that I had found surprisingly comfy. My head landed on the sand and everyone sweat dropped. "W-what the heck?" Instead of answering my exlamation, he decided to remark something on his own...
"Hey..." The purple faced boy smirked with tinted red cheeks. "Nice bunny underwear." I froze before tearing my legs away from him and kicking him sky high. My face was flushed as I stood up. I looked over to Anji.
"Are you crazy?! You let a pervert like that carry me?!" She waved her hands up in her defense.
"I-I didn't know! Besides, he wouldn't let me carry you!" She pointed over to the red head that had started it all. I stared at him quietly, my heart in my hands. It was beating faster and faster. I couldn't look away again. I took a step up, but Anji stepped in front of me, pulling her cloak above me for privacy. I snapped out of it as she stared down at me. "Kusuma..." She whispered. I looked up at her. "Listen to what I am saying," I tried looking around her to see Gaara, but she snapped at me, which had never happened. "Kusuma!" I stopped and looked up at her, giving her my full attention. "You must not get close to Gaara-sama. I don't know why, but everytime you see him, get near him, you let out a dangerous sheild made of your crystals." I pulled my hand to my mouth. Crystals, they were part of my blood. That was our blood trait...those crystals. Like Gaara's sand, they would protect me.
"Anji-sensei, what should I do? We have to stay with them until we get to Kohona..." I whispered. She nodded and whispered a plan to me. I nodded in understanding as she lowered her cloak. I closed my eyes and felt a warm sensation flowing through me. Spreading my arms out and pulling my knees to my chest, my hands balled into fist, and I thrust them in. They brought thick crystals around me as I floated. I slowly opened my eyes as the crystal legs were completed. A sphere of crystals went around me and allowed me rest. It connected with the crystal legs and I stopped floating, dropping to the bottom of the sphere. I looked over at Anji and nodded with a small smile. The crystals thickened and my view of the outside world disapeared.
There was a knock...a second knock...a third...
I woke inside the sphere with a yawn. It was time to come out. My brain was activated right away, wondering if Gaara was there. There was another knock and I let down my crystal globe. I sighed when I saw it was Anji. She smiled and moved out of my way so that I could see the village.
"Welcome to Kohona village."
I smiled a wide smile as I stepped down and the crystals sank back into my skin. I opened my eyes again when they were all in. Smiling up at Anji, I asked,
"So, what are we going to do first?" She blinked and looked down at me. Her eyebrows lowered.
"Kusuma..." I blinked as she looked away. "I have to get back..." My smile fell quickly. Panic struck me. She was just going to leave me here in this new world? What a traitor!
"Anji-sensei! you can't just leave me here! I don't know where to go!" Tears brimmed my eyes and I clung to her shirt. Still, she looked away. I took my hands off her shirt and looked down. "First you put me in the exam...then you take me away from my father..." I started to shake from anger, "And now your leaving me in a town I don't know?!" I didn't wait for an answer. I took off the nearest street. A left, a right, straight, I didn't look at where I was going. I just ran. And ran, and ran--
"Watch out!" Crystals flew out and formed a fast barrier around my body. They pressed against a similar substance and I saw nothing but sand through my crystals. My blood ran cold again. How many times was fate going to play with me?
"G...Gaara...san..." I whispered. I couldn't move. The sand was sinking quickly. I had to get away. But how? I couldn't even move! I grabbed a kunai and threw it at him, causing the sand to jump back up. I turned to run but he was faster. By the time I looked up, he was standing there. My lips felt cold. "H...how..." I wondered. The crystals started to shake from behind me, and they stuck themselves in my body, half in, half out. It was the original protection method for my clan. I took a step back, but he approached. "Please...get away..." I whispered, pushing my arms in front of me as an X.
"You..." I blinked once before looking up at him. He had those lonely eyes again. They weren't blood thirsty or anything...just...lonely. "you're that girl...aren't you?" The crystals sunk into my skin, showing my fear. Even my crystals were shaking inside of me. I looked behind me to see nothing that could stop me. Turning, I tried to run. His sand stopped me and I slowly turned to face him. The lonely look in his eyes went away. It was replaced by a look of lust. I shook my head slowly from side to side before screaming. And as if a god had answered my call, Anji jumped in front of me. Gaara's eyes widened for a moment, confusion filling them. They returned to normal size, though, and he spoke. "Get out of the way."
"Gaara-sama," Anji smiled. "I will not." My eyes shook with such a feeling that not even I could comprehend. Gaara's eyes narrowed more.
"Why not?"
"Because...she is important to me." Gaara's eyes widened again. "And I couldn't bear to see her dead." I felt tears strolling down my cheeks. I covered my face as I slowly shook it from side to side.
I'm so glad... "Anji-sensei...I thought you were going to leave me..." She smiled as she petted my head.
"You're taking it all the wrong way..." I blinked as I looked up at her. Taking it the wrong way? What other way was there? "Kusuma, the reason why I couldn't say yes to stay with you is..." Her cheeks turned red as she looked down at me. "I'm a guy." Her voice changed to a deeper tone and I felt my cheeks turning red. Sure, she...I mean, he, had always been flat chested...but a guy? I never would have guessed. "But..." He returned his attention to Gaara. "I'm not going anywhere, now." I slowly smiled with a sigh. It was great to hear those words from...him...
I sighed again.
"Anji-sensei...it's going to be hard as thinking of you as a guy..." I said, shaking my head. The sand wall behind me fell and we both looked at Gaara. He had a painful look in his eyes. It hurt me just by looking. I hid behind Anji and he stuck his hand to his side to cover me.
"What...do you fight for?" Anji and I looked at him with confused looks. Before he could continue, his instructor fell from a tree.
"We have no time to fight each other." He scowled. "Gaara, your siblings are causing trouble. Go get them and come to head quarters." Gaara stood up straight and jumped away. Their instructor looked at us and then jumped away. We both sighed before looking at each other. I blushed as he did and we looked away.
"A-ano...Anji-sensei...what now?"
"...we have to find our house, I guess." I blinked as I looked up at him. He smiled lightly as he petted my head.
"Ours...I like the sound of that..." I whispered. He blinked and bent down to my height.
"What?" I turned red and shook my head.
"Nothing, Anji-sensei." I looked after Gaara, remembering his lonely eyes. Anji called me, but I felt I had to follow Gaara. "Anji-sensei," He blinked and looked towards me. "See you at home! I'll be back before dark!" I called before jumping into the trees. He sweat dropped and sighed.
"How does she get away with these things?"
"Hey kid, watch it." I stopped when I heard the voice. It was that face paint guy. I grinned challengingly as I saw the two facing two leaf ninjas and three kids. I got to the edge of the tree, and then jumped, landing on top of the purple faced boy.
"Kankoru!" The girl gasped. I laughed with my hand facing upwards by my mouth. My laugh sounded like the 'oh ho ho I'm smarter than you' kind of laugh.
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you standing there?" He mummbled his reply:
"Get your bunny underwear off me..." I growled and stood up, hopped on his back once, and then got off.
"Kankoru-san, you don't look so good, maybe you should go back to the head quarters. Gaara is looking for you." The two looked up at me in alarm. I smiled friendly over at the two ninjas and the kids. "I'm sorry, we're here for the chunin exam," I glared over at the two, "and they seem to have forgotten that the fights take place in the arena..." Suddenly, a rock hit my forehead protector and I yelped. Looking up, I saw a boy with black hair holding a rock, tossing it up and down. I growled. "What the heck was that for!" I yelled. He smirked and I could hear the blonde behind me gasping in delight. Rolling my eyes, I looked back to the boy.
"What are you doing, sand ninjas?" He asked. "This isn't your village, you shouldn't try to pick a fight." I imagened myself choking the dork in the tree. I smiled a little but then I realized:
"What the heck?! I wasn't starting anything!" I confronted. "I was stopping it!"He looked down at the pink haired leaf ninja and she nodded with a sweat drop. The blonde one beside her was laughing while pointing up at him. I looked down at the three kids and saw them shaking when they looked behind me. I turned to see Kankuro making scary faces. I growled and turned around, pushing him to the ground. The blonde girl helped him back up and I spit at him. "Why don't you go? Gaara-sama's gonna be here soon enough."
"And so I am..." I froze when I heard his scratchy voice. I wasn't the only one, Kankoru and the blonde, ah, Temari was her name, were frozen as well. We all looked up to the tree opposite of the black haired boy. There he stood, or rather, hung. Gaara was upside down! I fell back in alarm. He noticed me and narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here? Weren't you just with the crossdresser?" He dropped down to the ground, as did the black haired boy. I glared over at Gaara.
"It's none of your concern on weather he's a cross dresser or not! Anji is Anji!" Temari and Kankoru started to laugh until Gaara glared at them.
"And you two...head quarters...now." They straightened themselves and nodded nervously before jumping away. Gaara turned to leave and I stretched out my arm. What was I doing? I stopped myself, but the black haired boy called out.
"Hey, you," Gaara turned to see me with my arm stretched out, and I turned red, putting it behind my back. He looked up from me and I too turned to face the leaf ninja. "What's your name?" Gaara narrowed his eyes.
"My name is Gaara, I too am interested in you. What is your name?" The two stared at each other for a moment.
"Sasuke Uchiha." Gaara nodded lightly before turning.
"Hey hey! I bet you want to know my name too!" The blonde yelled out. I sweat dropped as Gaara looked at him.
"I honestly couldn't care less." He said before the sand enveloped him and he disapeared. I stared after him with a sigh. Only then did I realize that they were all staring me down. I turned to them with a nervous smile.
"Its...nice to meet you?" I said with a little laugh. They stared at me before the black haired boy started to walk away. I shrugged before I saw the kids staring at me. I smiled bent down. "Hello!" I said cheerfully. The girl and the snot nosed boy hid behind their leader. I giggled and stuck my hand out. "My name is Kusuma! Pleased to meet you Konohonoru!" He jumped, probably wondering how I knew his name. I giggled. "You're the third hokage's grandson, of course I know you!" Their tense shoulders fell and he took my hand in a firm hand shake. The two behind him smiled at each other before jumping out from behind him and asking questions. We talked for a little before the two other ninjas walked up. I noticed and I stood up.
"Naruto-onii-chan! She's so cool!" They said with wide grins. He rubbed his nose with a grin and nodded.
"I'm Naruto, nice to meet ya!" I smiled and nodded. I turned to the girl.
"I'm Sakura. Nice to meet you." I nodded friendly.
"My name is Kusuma Kinba." The kids walked up from behind me and snickered.
"It was funny when you landed on that prostitute." It took me a while to realize that they were talking about Kankoru. I tried to tranquilize my laugh but it failed misirably.
"Man, it's been a while since I've laughed that hard." I said as I sat down on the ground. Soon, though, I had to leave. The sun was setting and Anji would start to worry. Waving to my new friends, I called out, "I guess I'll see you in the exam." Winking, I put out my two fingers to make a piece sign. "Best of luck!" Naruto gave me the sign back and Sakura giggled with a nod. I turned and started to run.
"I could have sworn I went down this street..." Sighing, I let my arms drop in defeat. My stomach growled as I looked up to smell food. I yearned so dearly for a nice bowl of miso soup with a big, juicy fish on the side. I took a step forward, but heard a small crunch in my pocket. I shoved my hand in it and pulled out a closed pack of pocky, delisious, chocolate covered buscits. I opened it with glee and took one out, sucking on the chocolate until only the buscit part was left. I chomped it up and took out another one. I turned around to try to retrace my steps, only to bump into a barrier of sand once again. I stared at the pocky as it fell to the ground, spilling out on the dirty ground. I felt frustrated tears come to my eyes. "My pocky..." I whispered. I stretched out to it before a foot stomped on them, turning them into snapped twigs. I felt more tears come out before glaring up at the foot's owner. I saw none other than Gaara.
"Pathetic. Stand up." I growled. Usually, I would have run away and try to avoid him. But not now, I was hungry and worse, a hungry girl! Standing up, I glared up at him.
"Do you realize what you have done?!" He blinked lazily and looked down at his foot. He looked back up and shrugged.
"I stepped on pocky...big woop." I felt a vain pop out of my forehead and I shook my fist at him.
"You stepped on my dinner!" When he gave me a strange look, I pushed my index fingers together and explained. "I'm...kinda lost..." He only stared at me with a blank face. I stared back at him before turning. "What ever, Gaara!" I yelled. It was gettinig darker by the minute, and I had no time to play with Mr. Mime.
"Hey, wait up." He said in a monotone, walking behind me. I sped up my walk. He sped up. I started to jog. He started to jog. Finally, I split into a run.
"Leave me alone, Gaara-san! I think it's clear that I don't want to be near you!" I called, looking back at him and spitting. He pointed ahead of me and I turned, only to run into a poll. I grabbed my nose as I laid on the ground. A shadow cast over me and I cracked my eyes to see Gaara standing over me. I closed my eyes again and sighed. "Fine...you win..." He blinked. I felt my cheeks turn pink. "I won't run anymore." I sighed as I stood up in defeat. Turning around, I spoke. "Well?" He raised his eyebrow and I sighed once again. "Are you coming or not?" He walked up beside me and we looked around. But something was bothering me. This bipolar guy beside me was quiet once again. He had been violent earlier, I was sure he would hate me, but he wasn't. Oh, that Gaara! Why was he such an annoying guy?! "Ne, Gaara-san," He continued to was without looking at me. I put my hands on my hips and stopped. "Gaara-san!" When he continued to walk on, I felt my blood rise. Running up, I tried to kick him. It failed misserably but I had finally gotten his attention. As I cursed while holding my foot in pain, he turned to me.
"What?" He asked in an irritated voice. I put my foot down and grinned before asking a rude question.
"Why are you bipolar?"
"I'm not bipolar."
"Well, you sure do act like it!"
"Who told you that?" I sweat dropped before whistling and looking up at the sky, all the while rocking back and forward.
"No one you would want to know..." I smiled innocently before he glared at me, taking a step forward with crossed arms. I sweat dropped and tried to keep a straight face. Inside, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His face was twitching in annoyance, which made me want to laugh; but on the other hand, he was getting close, and I didn't want to die. "Really, they were just joking!" When he took the last step towards me, I sprinted around him, running as fast as I could. Of course, I knew he would catch me quickly, so when he appeared in front of me, I jumped up into a tree and made a sharp turn to the right. When I looked up from the boy behind me, I ran into another body. Yelping, I fell back and down the tree. My crystals craddled me in a gentle mannor before I touched the ground. I felt my eyes growing heavy once again as my eyes slowly dropped for the last time...
"Hey, wake up." My eye lashes fluttered as they cracked open to a dim light. I looked up to see Temari leaning over me. I slowly at up as I looked at my surroundings. I saw a window and I saw nothing but the black sky. I grabbed my head as I yelled.
"Anji-sensei must be worring about me! What am I going to do now--" Temari blinked but smiled, as if trying not to laugh.
"Anji-san? Don't worry about her...him. He's in the bathroom." I sighed in relief.
"Okay...but...where am I? I remember running from Gaara-san, and then someone bumped into me in the tree...and then I fell..." The three in the room--Gaara, Temari, and Kankoru--switched looks. The two boys looked at Temari and she sighed with a nod.
"Well, some crystals popped out of no where and helped you not get as much damage," You felt the back of your head that had a deep cut on it, and she continued; "and you knocked out. Anyway, Gaara was going to just leave you there," He shot Temari a glare, "But Kankoru, feeling guilty for once, brought you here. I treated your wounds and Anji-san came here looking for you. And thus ends my explination." I was staring at my hands.
G...Gaara-san was going to leave me there I struggled to not look up at him. I felt torn inside. I couldn't believe it. There were actual heartless people out there. It made me shiver. Cold sweat ran down my face. I was grabbing my shoulders to try to stop myself from shivering when Anji turned the corner. His smile widened as he saw me awake. But it quickly disapeared when he saw me shaking. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders but I still wouldn't move. My head was starting to pound when I finally looked up at Gaara. His eyes pierced through me with just a glance. I fell onto Anji's shoulder and he grabbed me in alarm.
"Kusuma-chan, are you alright?" I nodded lightly.
"...Anji-sensei..." He bent down as I slowly lifted my head. My eyes shook with layered feelings. "I want to go home..." He sighed inwardly before scooping up my small body.
"Don't give up yet, Kusuma-chan! I believe in you." I moped as I sat in arms, but I did feel a bit better. Gaara stepped up.
"You'll never be strong." I turned to look at him. He had an icy look on his face. I shiverd again. "You don't fight for yourself. You will always be weak." I looked down before gaining my courage.
"You may not be able to be hurt on the outside, Gaara..." I looked up at him with a glare to match his own. "But I can hurt you, slowly chewing your insides and spitting them out until your a useless shell." He seemed a bit taken back by my sudden change. Anji tried to hush me and turned to leave, me still in his arms. Never had I had such a hate in my blood. It grew and grew until I had no control. I spoke loudly as we left. "The reason I became a ninja..." The three listened in silence, "was to be free of you!" Gaara looked after my struggling form as I wrestled Anji to say more. "You monster! I'll beat you!"
"I promise, I will!"
