Merry Christmas, everybody! :D Well, first of all,I want to thank HiddnLeaf for tips and for reading my story! :3 I really appreciate it! This chapter is longer then the last one, and I hope you will like it! :D
It's been almost 3 weeks since we reported for the Chunin exams. For 2 days, I will go to the Chunin exam with my friends. Only two days. Oh my God, I am so nervous. Even my friends are.. We were training very hard this past 3 weeks, so we decided to have a little break. We can relax, and be ready to kick butt on the exam. And while I was sitting there, my sister showed up. She returned from her mission a week ago, so, for now, she was staying here.
"Thinking about the Chunin exams, huh?"- said my sister. She sat next to me.
"Yeah.. And I am very nervous." – I said with a grin on my face.
"Don't be.. I was also nervous in the beginning at my Chunin exam, but when you start to kick your opponents butt, the all the anxiety will go away. Trust me. Relax these two days. Like you did on the vacation in Sunagakure." – said my sister with a smile. A vacation in Sunagakure?
"When we went on the vacation to Sunagakure?"- I asked my sister. I don't remember having any vacation these past years.
"Well, you were small.. I think you had 6 or 7 years. Anyway, when we were on that vacation, you said it was the best vacation, and that you enjoyed it. I think that you even made friends there. You said that they were cool, and I remember you crying because you were leaving them."- said my sister.
Friends? In Sunagakure? Hmm.. Maybe I remember something.
*flashback*
I was running, and looking around. Around me were huge buildings, and people were everywhere. The sun was burning so much, that I could fall asleep while standing. But I liked the felling of the sand on my feet. I looked at the sky, and it was clear blue, without a cloud. As I was walking around, I could hear someone calling my name. I turned around and saw my sister looking for me.
" I'm here, Onee-chan!"- I shouted, as I was trying to find my way through the crowd of people. After a long time of passing people (and also apologizing for disturbing), I finally found my way back to my sister.
"Where have you been, Misaki? You scared me to death!" – said my sister, while tapping her feet to ground. She was mad, I could see that.
"I was exploring! Since we are going to be here, I wanted to get as much information about this village as possible."-I said with an innocent smile.
"Well, DID you find anything, miss Investigator?"- said my sister with an evil grin. I sticked my tongue out at her. She raised her eyebrow at me, as she was going somewhere.
"Hey, Onee-chan! Wait up! Where are we going?"- I shouted as I ran after her.
"To the hotel, of course. And you will STAY there, because me, Mom and Dad have a business to discuss with some shinobis from here."
" But.." – I started, but Ayame immediately stopped me.
"No 'buts'.. " – she said, and with that we ended the conversation. I was mad. What can I do in the hotel? There are probably no kids with who I can play with, and no toys. It will be boring.
"Okay, here we are." – said Ayame, as she opened the door of our apartment. It was a nice apartment. It had three bedrooms, one small, but cute bathroom, and kitchen with living room. My room was on the left, while Ayame's room was on the right. Mine had a great view on the Kazekage's Office, and other building around it.
"Onee-chan, can I at least be on the playground near the hotel? I won't get lost, I promise!"- I said with a begging voice. This time, I made a sad puppy-eyes, so she can't resist me.
"No."-she said simply.
"PLEAAASE!"- I said with even more sadder puppy-eyes. "Please, please!" She raised her head towards me. She sighed.
"How can I resist those puppy-eyes?" She sighed.
"Do you know how to unlock the lock?"- she asked me. Then, she gave me the spare key. She put it in my pocket.
"Of course I do! Two times on left." I said with a smile.
"That's right. C'mon, off you go, before I change my mind!" she said, winking. I hug her.
"Thank you Onee-chan, you're the best!" I say to her as I run off.
"Yes! I am so out of here!" I thought to myself.
I ran of to the playground, which was a block or two away from the hotel. As I approached it, I saw two kids at the playground. A boy and a girl. They looked a year older then me. The girl had dark blonde hair, which was gathered in four ponytails. The boy next her had a brown, a little bit spiky hair. It seemed like they were playing. I approached them.
"U-um, hi there." I said. They both turned around. Blonde smiled at me, while the boy just looked at me, then turned around like I wasn't there.
"Hi! I haven't seen you around here. I'm Temari. What's your name?" the blonde asked me.
"Misaki. Misaki Maeda. I'm from Konoha, I came with my family on vacation. Nice to meet you." I said with a smile on my face. I looked at the boy. He wasn't going to introduce himself, I could tell that.
"And what's your name?" I asked the boy. He didn't answered.
"Kankuro, be polite, and answer the girl."- said Temari. So, his name is Kankuro.
"Hey, Kankuro! I'm talking to you here!" -said Temari, becoming very impatient.
"And I don't care." he said. He shouldn't said that, because Temari hit him in the head. I bursted in laugh. His face was so funny.
"Temari! What was that for?" Kankuro yelled at her. She grinned at him.
"That was because you ignored me." she said.
Then she hit him again. He was really pissed off. I couldn't control myself, and I burst into another laugh. This time I was trying to stay on my feet.
"And that one is because you were rude to our new friend, Misaki!" finished Temari.
I smiled at her. She called me friend. That's nice of her. Kankuro looked at me like I was a mad man or something.
"Why are you staring at me? It's not like I've done anything to you. Kankuro." I said as I was looking at him, with a smile on my face.
"Well, my day was pretty much perfect until YOU came here. Because of you, now I've got two bumps on my head. You, What-Ever-Your-Name-Is." said Kankuro.
"It's Misaki. And is it my fault you were rude to me and your friend?" I asked him. He grinned.
"She's my sister, so I can ignore her when ever I want. As for you, I don't know you, so I can be rude to you, at least until I know you better."he said as he turned around and walked away.
Well, that explains Temari hitting him in the head. I would do that too,if he was MY brother. And suddenly I've got an idea. This will be a small revenge for being mean to me, Kankuro. I started to run after him and jumped on his back (he didn't even notice that I was chasing after him). He didn't expected me jumping on his back, so I literally knocked him down on the ground.
"Why the hell did you do that?" he asked, while he was trying to get me of his back.
"Because you were rude to me, and your sister!" I said, as I hit him in the head. "Now, instead of two, you will have THREE bumps on your head. A reminder, that next time you should think twice before being rude." I said, with a grin on my face. Temari was literally lying on the ground, laughing.
"Well, Kankuro, you got beat up by a girl. That's new." said Temari, trying not to laugh again.
"Shut up!" he growled. "And you, get of my back!" he said, as he was again trying to get me of his back. No use.
"Not until you apologize to me and Temari!" I said, with no intention to get of.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry! Will you get of me now?" he asked with annoyed voice. I got up from him. He glared at me, while he was rubbing the place where I was sitting.
"You are one nasty piece of work.. But I kinda like it." He said, grinning at me.
"Well, thank you!" I said with a big smile on my lips. I helped him to get up. When he stood next to me he was taller then me for 3-4 centimeters.
"I'm sorry I was rude to you. Shall we 'meet' again, properly this time?" asked Kankuro with a smile on his face. "I will start. Hi. The name's Kankuro."
"Hi. I'm Misaki! Nice to meet you!" I answered. I was really glad because I 'meet' Kankuro 'again'. I spent the rest of my time playing with them, until my sister came to take me to apartment.
"You made some new friends?" asked Ayame, while we were returning to the hotel.
"Yeah. They were really nice. I really like them." I said with a smile on my face.
"Well, I'm glad you made friends. Will you meet again?" Ayame asked me. I nodded: "Yeah, we will. They said that they will be on the playground tomorrow." I smiled to myself. I think that I really made friends. True friends.
When I woke up, I could hear my mother and father talking.
"Time to get up!" I thought. I changed into my regular clothes, and went to kitchen. My mom and dad were talking.
".. the puppeteers here are highly talented, especially Chiyo-baasama." My father was talking to my mother. Then he noticed me. "Oh, hi sweetie! You woke up early!" my dad greeted me.
I smiled, and I sat down next to him.
"Good morning!" I answered them.
My mother got up and give me some breakfast. While I was eating, they continued their conversation about shinobis from Suna. I found out a lot. The Sand shinobis are best at puppetry and wind release. And they mentioned the word 'jinchuriki'.
"What's a 'jinchuriki'? I asked.
They looked at me. It seems that the word 'jinchuriki' is a touchy subject. At first, they were quiet for a moment, but then my mother decided to tell me.
"Well, sweetie, the jinchuriki is a man or a women who has a tailed beast sealed inside them." my mother told me.
I've heard about tailed beasts before. The Nine Tailed Demon Fox attacked our village when I was only a baby. My sister said that she saw the attack, and that numerous shinobis from our village where slaughtered. Among them was our grandfather.
"But, why are people sealing tailed beasts inside other people?" I asked.
"Well, that is done to prevent the Nine-Tails to continue his slaughter. But the jinchurikis pay a great price. People often start to avoid them, because often think that they are the beast itself. But they are not. They are ordinary humans, like you and me. So there is no need to be afraid of them." said my mother with a smile.
"Does our village have a jinchuriki?" I asked. I just wanted to know.
"Yes. Naruto is a jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed-Demon Fox." said my father.
I gasped. That was the reason why people hate Naruto so much. When I play with my friends, he is just sitting on swing with a sad face.
"But, Naruto haven't done anything wrong! Why was he chosen? If it wasn't for that Fox in his body, he would be happy now! He wouldn't be in such pain.." I almost started to yell.
I was really mad. "People need to realize that he is not a monster!"
"Sweetie, we know that it is not Naruto's fault. And we know that he's not a monster. But people just see him like that. But you can help him to overcome his pain." said my mother.|
"How?" I asked, enthusiastic.
"By being his friend. Even if it's only one, a friend will be there to support you. And that is what Naruto needs most right now." said my mother, while she stroke my cheek.
I smiled. I will be Naruto's friend. I will help him to overcome his pain.
later that day.. ~
Sunagakure is indeed a beautiful place. I really enjoy it. Especially because of my two new friends. Kankuro and Temari. I was going on the playground to meet them. I was really looking forward to the time I will spent with them. As I was approaching the playground, some kids where running away from it, like it was haunted or something.
They passed me, and they told me something like 'go away' and 'Gaara of the Desert'. I wonder who he is. I ignored them, and continued to walk towards the playground. I looked around, and nobody was there. But then I spotted a boy near swings. He was sitting on swing, holding a teddy bear. He had brick red hair, and aqua-green eyes, who were surrounded with black eye rings. He had the same face as Naruto. Sad and lonely. I decided to approach him.
"Hello there! Are you here alone?" I asked him with a smile on my face.
At first, the boy looked at me like I was a ghost, or something, but then he continued to look in the distance, with same sad face.
"Can I sit next you?" I asked him.
He nodded his head, but still,he was watching me like I was a ghost. I sat on the empty swing next to him. We were sitting quietly for a couple of moments, and then I decided to break the silence.
"So.. Are you waiting for someone?" I asked him.
He shook his head. Poor boy. He must have been alone.
"Do you have any friends?" I asked.
It seems that I took the role of the questioner in this conversation. He shook his head again. He doesn't have any friends? Is he a jinchuriki like Naruto?
"Well, I can be your friend, if you want to." I suggested, with a smile. He looked at me, and I think I saw a little smile on his face. I was glad that I made someone happy.
"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Misaki!" I said, smilling even more.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"I'm Gaara." he answered.
So he is the Gaara of the Desert. He doesn't seem scary at all. He is cute,even.
"Gaara is a pretty name. So, do you have a family?" I asked him.
And we started to talk about many things. I found out that he has two more siblings, and that his mother died while he was little. His father is a Kazekage. How cool is that? We spent a half a hour talking. Gaara was sometimes so confused, like I was the first person he ever talked to.
And while we were talking, I could hear someones footsteps on playground. I looked around, and I saw Kankuro and Temari, approaching the playground.
"Gaara, I have to go. But I promise I would play with you again tomorrow!" I told him, as I was running towards Kankuro and Temari.
But, then I realized that I forget to give something to Gaara. I turned around, and headed towards him.
"I forgot to give you something." I said, while I putted my arms around his neck. I just wanted him to know that I was his friend.
"Bye, Gaara! See you tomorrow!" I said, while I was heading towards Kankuro and Temari. They were standing there waiting for me. But, as I approached them, I realized there was something wrong.
"Hi, guys! What's wrong, what happened?" I asked them, as I was studying their faces. They were full of fear and worry.
"Misaki, have you gone mad?" asked Kankuro, almost yelling at me. I blinked. What's wrong with him?
"Why?" I asked.
"Do you know who you were talking to right now?" asked Temari.
"I know, I talked to Gaara. Why?" I asked. They were looking at each other.
"Do you know he could kill you, if he wanted to?" continued Kankuro. What? Him? To kill me?
"That's nonsense. He is too small to do that. He could never kill anyone. Why are you talking like that about him?" I asked them bitterly.
"Because he is a monster! He's a jinchuriki!" Kankuro yelled.
He is a jinchuriki, too? No wonder why all those children were running away from the , Kankuro's statement shocked me.
"HE IS NOT A MONSTER!" I yelled at him.
They stared at me.
"If he has a tailed beast inside him, it doesn't make him the monster itself! He is a normal boy, with brother and sister and a father!" I yelled, repeating the words of my mother.
They both lowered their heads. No way.
"You two are his siblings?" I asked with my eyes widened.
They both nodded. I could feel the rage storming inside my head. His own siblings...
"HOW CAN YOU TWO BE SO CRUEL TO HIM!" I screamed at them.
"His own siblings are hatting him? You should love him, whether is monster inside him or not!"
They looked at me, obviously surprised how mad I was because of this matter.
"You should be there to support him, not to hate him. It seems that you two are more different then I thought." I said them, as I was standing there.
I didn't even noticed that tears where falling from my eyes.
Kankuro approached me, and did something that surprised me. He hugged me. I was just standing there, with my head stuck on his chest.
"Misaki, I know that you are mad at us. We are sorry, but Gaara actually never tried to communicate with us. So we just, leaved him to be like that." said Kankuro.
"But, you should try to at least talk with him, or play with him." I said with broken voice.
"We will. I promise." said Kankuro.
I looked up, and I saw Kankuro's face smiling at me. I felt a relief. Somehow, I knew that he will keep that promise.
"Are you better?" Temari asked.
I nodded my head. They both smiled even more.
"C'mon now. Let's go." said Kankuro.
"But where are we going?" I asked.
"Since we are friends now, we wanted to do something special for you." Temari smiled.
"But you need to close your eyes." said Kankuro with a grin.
"And how do you expect me to walk with my eyes closed?" I asked, while I sticked my tongue at him. He just turned around, and pointed on his back.
"Hop on." he said.
"You want to carry me on your back? The last time you tried that, you ended with your head on the ground." I said with a evil grin. Temari almost started to laugh, but she hold her thoughts for herself.
"Yeah, I know, but this time I know that you are behind me." said Kankuro.
"Oh, alright. But don't try anything suspicious." I growled while climbing his back.
"Don't worry, I will not." he said with a evil grin.
He WILL do something. I know he will. I closed my eyes, and I could feel that we started to move. We were jumping, to be precise. In my mind, I thought about this surprise. What could it be? And while I was talking to myself, somebody touched my back.
"It's me." said Temari. "You can climb down from Kankuro."
"Can I open my eyes now?" I asked while I was climbing down.
"Yeah, you can." said Kankuro.
I opened my eyes. We were on one of many walls who surrounded Sunagakure. The wind was blowing in my face, and on the west,the sun was setting down behind the sand dunes. That was the most beautiful thing I ever saw in my entire life. The entire landscape was colored in many shades of red and orange. Everything was so peaceful. I could stayed on that wall forever, just staring at the sunset and the sand around me.
"Well, do you like it?" asked Kankuro.
"It's beautiful. I never saw a sight like this in Konoha. This sight is really unique." I said with a smile at my face.
"Well, we are glad you liked it. This is really a special place for us." said Temari, looking at the sunset.
"Thank you for showing this to me. It really is beautiful." I said softly.
We spent the rest of our time, just sitting at that wall and looking at the sunset, until the sky turned dark blue, with stars all over it. I will never forget this moment. I mean, Kankuro and Temari shared their unique place with me. ME, who they only knew a day, or two. They were a friends that I knew I will remember always.
~End of flashback~
"Heey! Earth to Misaki!" said my sister, waving with her hand in front of me.
"Oh, I'm sorry Onee-chan. I just remembered something. Something very precious." I said, while smiling at myself.
"What is it?" she asked, confused.
"I remembered my true friends." I said, while I was walking away.
Well, I really enjoyed writing this chapter! ^_^ It's really nice, if I could say that. If you have any comments or critics, just review! :D
Until the next chapter! xoxoxo
VixenGirlxx563