Chapter 3: Who's that girl?

Gaara could see Naruto was distracted when he handed Temari the documents and Gaara the package Shikamaru had given him. Gaara mutely exchanged them and noted how Temari subtly left the room, not taking her eyes off of the package. I'm not sure what I should do about this, if anything. What would Mom and Dad have done? Filing his worries for his sister away for now, Gaara turned to Naruto.

"What's the matter Naruto?"

Naruto sighed and looked up, "do you remember that castle I mentioned before?"

Gaara nodded. He'd actually looked into the matter a bit for his friend but he figured that that information could wait. Naruto looked like he needed to take a load off.

"I went by there and knocked on the door to see who lived there."

Gaara nodded for him to go on.

"This girl answered the door, she seemed so scared. I mean I only saw her for a second and then this other lady showed up and told me to beat it. They both seemed to be servants. The angry one said that "her Lady" lived there and…" Naruto trailed off, downhearted.

Gaara shared his information, "I actually found some things out about that castle. A 'Lady Yone' lives there. Her husband used to be an ambassador for the Land of Rivers. I tried to find out how an ambassador can afford to build a castle but there was nothing…official about how he earned his fortune. His wife lives there with some servants I imagine."

Gaara attempted changing the subject and making small talk. It wasn't something he was good at but he had to try something to cheer his friend up.

"You know Naruto, there's a new ramen stand in town-" Gaara began.

"I'm tired," Naruto said suddenly getting up. "If you don't mind, I'm going to head to bed."

Gaara stood as well, masking his concern. "Another time then," Gaara said, watching his friend leave. This is serious.

Naruto went to bed in his usual guest quarters in the Kazekage tower. He couldn't get that girl out of his mind. She seemed to be in trouble and he had just left. He rolled over, punched his pillow, and laid back down.

The next morning Naruto left the Sand. He was surprised Temari hadn't given him something or other to take back with him.

The genin was just crossing the border into the Land of Rivers when a mini-sandstorm appeared before him. A message from Gaara?

The sand shaped itself into characters: I have just received a request from "The Lady Yone" to dispatch of a disobedient servant. I refused of course but that doesn't mean she hasn't made the same request to others. Hurry.

Naruto leapt into overdrive. Who was that Lady Yone to think that she could kill someone just like that? And I suppose she thinks it keeps the blood off of her hands if none of her own people do the deed. I mean, we're ninja, but we don't kill people for no good reason! Right? … I'll consider the morality of our profession later.

After what seemed like an eternity, the river came into view and the castle with it. Naruto paused at the riverbank, considering his options. I could go to the castle and pretend to be taking the job. I could wait to see who takes the job and get the girl then. I could…

His plans were interrupted when he noticed a boat that had been beached on the island. Was someone already there?

Earlier

The short woman slammed the door. "Stupid ninja, always butting in," Kagura muttered to herself.

Hinata lay where she'd been thrown, afraid to get up but afraid of being in the way. Kagura kicked Hinata in the stomach, "get up you stupid girl!"

Hinata gasped at the pain but rose to her feet. The wind had been knocked out of her and her eyes had teared up as a result. Her face was smudged from the dirt she'd landed in. She would have worried about her clothes being dirty too but they were rags as it was.

"What's wrong with your face?" Kagura snapped. "Go wash your face you disgusting thing." As Hinata hurried away Kagura screeched after her, "and get back to scrubbing the stairs. I'll be in my Lady's room dusting. And don't you ever answer the door again. What if it was someone important?!"

Hinata preferred to scrub the stairs. The more difficult the task the less likely she'd be reprimanded for doing it. Trying to anticipate what the others wanted was less harmful than waiting for a command. One is less likely to be whipped if one is proactive. Answering the door had been a gamble and she'd lost. It happens. It was worth it, seeing an outsider. Who was that boy?

Hinata spent the rest of the morning scrubbing the stairs. This is my whole world, she thought. She couldn't help but think of the boy she'd seen. What was his life like?

She was not allowed outside of the walls. The one time she had asked why, she was told it was because she came with the castle and should never leave. She had never asked again but she always wondered more and more about the world outside the fortress as she got older.

That evening Kagura went to her Lady Yone. Yone was sitting on her polished stool, looking in her gold-framed mirror. She kept pushing the skin back on her face and viewing the effect. The grand lady scowled and then she touched the edge of the mirror, dust came away on her finger. "My room needs dusting again, what has that Hinata girl been doing all day?"

"I told her to dust this afternoon my Lady," Kagura said. "But she insisted on scrubbing the stairs even though I knew dusting your room was more important."

"Then why didn't you dust my room?" Yone asked, irritated.

Kagura faltered for a moment but then said, "I was tired from scrubbing the stairs. She just wanted to re-do my job so she wouldn't have to work as hard."

"That's it!" Yone stood. "I can't fathom why my husband insisted on keeping that girl around but it's the last straw! Send messenger hawks to all the neighboring towns and ninja villages, I want her disposed of. Tell them to take her a way off; I don't want this coming back to me."

Kagura grinned, "With pleasure my Lady."