Hey, thanks for the reviews and support. In this chapter you will see more of Shukaku's personality. You'll also see Suna again, finally. If you guys hate Gaara, well, I did warn you. However, please at least wait until you see his story before you stop reading. Please? Hinata isn't going to be completely alone; Shukaku is going to like her! I promise that the story of Gaara and Shukaku will eventually come out, it's just going to take a while. I also posted pint-sized finally, and the chapters are a lot shorter in that story than my other two. I don't really know why, though, it just seems to flow that way. To make up for it, I posted six chaps at once, so there was still a chunk to read. Okay, chapter three of DD!
Chapter Three
Fly Away on the Wings of Despair
She wasn't sure if it was a good idea, running away from him. In fact, it seemed incredibly stupid. But she didn't want to leave without something special to her. Winter was just ending, so they would still be dormant, and it was safe to dig them up. They would die without her care, and she hoped to persuade Shukaku to let her plant them. He seemed more approachable than Gaara.
They hadn't introduced themselves; the only way she even had a clue to their names was from the conversations she had heard. Gaara was the evil one, that seemed to own her know. She was not happy about that; it seemed that she had never been able to control her life. But she couldn't just leave and let that monster destroy all those people. She had every intention of returning she just needed her treasures to help her cope.
She had managed to sneak her way into the gardens at her former clan's home. She had never been a true member of the family anyway, they had made that fact very clear to her from the outset. The only one who had ever really cared about her had been her mother, but she died a long time ago. The only thing she had left where the lilies that they had planted together. They were her most prized possessions, and she was digging through the ground with her bare hands. Slivers of ice, stone, and wood tore at her hands, but she kept going. Soon she found them, and she began to place them on her tattered scarf, wrapping the bulbs carefully. She needed to keep them safe.
When she turned around, she was in for an unsettling surprise. Not ten feet from her was Shukaku. His golden eyes glinted in the darkness, and his wings rustled as he shifted them. She backed away warily.
"I was wondering what you were doing. At first I thought you were running away, but instead I find you gathering up those things. You were intending to return, weren't you? I can tell by the look in your eyes." He stepped forward, forcing her to back into the fence. She began to tremble, clutching her little package all the tighter to her.
"You should give that to me, Gaara is very angry with you, little girl, and I wouldn't put it pat him to destroy those out of spite. I will explain things to him: that you were only gathering some momentos to take with you. That may calm him a little, but I make no guarantees. My son has a temperament like quicksilver, and he holds grudges for a very long time. It would be most wise for you to remember that. Come with me, now." He turned and began to walk back to where his son awaited him, Hinata in tow.
Gaara tapped his foot impatiently. He should've been long gone by now; but instead he was waiting for his father to drag back that little bitch. He growled in his throat. He should've just chained her to a tree or a post. When he got his claws on her, he would thrash her good. He would've gone after her himself, but his father had intervened, saying that they ought to at least get the girl home before he killed her.
He clenched his fists, feeling his black claws dig into his flesh. It didn't matter, because wounds could heal in a matter of moments for him. He leaped into a tree, perching there like some sort of raptor. The stench of humanity clung to him, and it would take hours to be rid of it. He worried that he might have to burn his clothes, especially after bearing that smelly thing all the way back home. He should've taken one of those damn trinkets instead of that useless wretch; then at least he could've been well on his way home. He should know better than to let his damn curiosity get the better of him!
At long last he heard a rustle and the sound of labored breathing. He looked over and saw his father holding a small, dirty bundle, and being closely followed by the girl. In a flash Gaara had her by her throat, slamming her into a tree. She gagged and clutched at his hands.
"Did you honestly think I would let you go?! You're lucky that I let my father go after you instead, because if I had, you would be lying in the gutter! You had better learn to obey your new master, because I will make anything that your father did to you seem like a cakewalk!"
"Now now, my son, she had only gone to get some momentos. She followed me back without trouble, and had every intention of coming back. She's been very good for me, so give her a chance, yes?" he rested a hand on his arm. Gaara looked at him, thought it over, and ultimately decided to drop her. She coughed and gasped, clutching at her throbbing throat. Tears slid down her cheeks.
"Oh, stop your sniveling, you got off lucky." He wrenched her painfully to her feet, and, clutching her tightly, launched into the air, his father at his side. Shukaku tucked the little package into his robes. He pitied his son's Chosen, it appeared that he was not going to be a kind guardian. His son may not realize it yet, but Shukaku would speak to him about it in private. Things would only get worse for the girl. He missed his Chosen, missed her so much that it still hurt. That girl back in the village had looked exactly like his precious Karura, and she had brought back dozens of memories, some good, and others that twisted his soul.
He looked at his son. Gaara was terribly stubborn, and he wouldn't know what he had until it was gone.
Hinata did her best to ignore the bruising intensity of Gaara's grip on her wrists. She didn't like flying, not at all. It was bitterly cold, and the one carrying her would probably drop her just for kicks at any given moment. The air had become drier, and she could see the ground below her. It was odd, and sad. There was little vegetation, and she couldn't see so much as a puddle. Every now and then she saw a strange creature, but they fled as soon as Gaara drew close. Even his subjects feared him, it seemed, and that did not bode well.
In the distance she could see some sort of dark, forbidding mass on the ground. As they drew closer, she could see that it was a canyon, and there was an even more ominous sight in its center; a massive dark tower or castle or whatever the demons called it. Here there were more strange beings, and these bowed in homage to Gaara as he swept by overhead. She continued to shiver miserably, trying to ignore his disgusted snarl
They flew to the massive building, and Gaara landed on the battlements, dropping her to the ground, not caring that she landed hard, or bothering to help her up. Shukaku landed behind him, flapping his wings a few times before folding them. Gaara cleared his throat and glared pointedly at the girl.
"Oh Gaara, give her a break. She's freezing from the trip, and she's scared and hurt. Besides, it's not like she has anywhere to run."
"All the more reason for her to hurry up. She's not here five minutes and she's already a pest." Hinata scrambled to her feet and meekly tried her best to follow him inside, shivering miserably. Shukaku shook his head in dismay. Their relationship wasn't exactly starting on the right foot. And Gaara was only going to get worse. His hatred of humans ran too deep for him to readily accept the girl, and she was far too meek and fearful of him to tackle that problem. However, that same submissiveness may save her life.
The only thing that he could do was to try and make sure that her life wasn't completely hellish. He gave an exasperated sigh. He was too old to be doing this.
Gaara led Hinata to a little room that was sort of closed off from the rest of the tower. It was plain, possessing only a small bed and dresser. It had a small window that was up really high; she would need a stool just to be able to peek outside
"You are allowed this room, and the bathroom down the hall. All other rooms are forbidden unless you have a proper escort. My chambers are off-limits even if someone brings you there. If I catch you anywhere near there, I will kill you, do you understand?" she gave a meek nod. "Good. The library has several sections that are closed off, those are restricted, you are not to so much as look at one of the books or scrolls in those sections, do you understand?" another nod. "You are not to leave the tower or the grounds that surround it, if you do, I will hunt you down and peel the flesh from your bones. It would be wise to stay out of my way, worm, and to never disobey me." With that he swept out of the room. Shukaku watched him leave, then he knelt down to her level.
"It is best for you to try to get some rest. I will see you tomorrow to show you around, alright?" she looked at him dully. He handed her the little scarf-wrapped bulbs, and gave her a pat on her head before he left for his chambers.
She looked at the window in dismay, then went to her bed. It was hard and cold, and the only reason she was able to sleep at all was because she was so exhausted. She had flown here on wings of despair, and now they had transformed into a cage. What could she do now?