A/n: Thank you again for reviews and now is another chapter! Yay!
Gaara: She's high.
Yuki: Yep.
T.O.P.H: Yuki I brought you into this story and I can take you right out. Anyway…I don't own Naruto, but I own these bags of chips! Crap, Kankuro stole them… (Italics mean flashback or dream)
Chapter 3 Maybe… (Normal POV)
Yuki was staring, with gray eyes enlarged ten times, at the mountains of papers in Gaara's office as if a miracle took place in that very room. One stack was teetering and slightly swaying back and forth, threatening to topple over. "G-Gaara-sama, don't tell me these are the papers…"
"Not all of them are for today. Some were supposed to be sent but no one picked them up yet."
"And…what do you want me to do?"
"Sort them out."
'Holy sugar honey iced tea with waffle toasted fudge (WTF. I made that up.)…' Yuki looked at one stack, which isn't so big, and started sorting the papers by date. The only noises in the room are from Gaara writing out more papers, Yuki moving papers, and Kuro's barking for attention. Three finished stacks of paper later, the kunoichi decided to see if Gaara can spare some words to help her in figuring out the Machi story from yesterday.
"So…um Gaara-sama, do you have any friends from here?"
He stopped writing and looked at her then back at the paper in front of him. "Not really."
"How come?"
"Social problems."
'Maybe people didn't like him because of Shukaku?' When he mentioned that, Yuki thought of something. People saying bad things about him are probably from the fact he is different. She faced similar things back in Kirigakure before, but she had Haku to help her with those people and to make her stronger. Did Gaara have anyone to do the same?
"Well, I think it's sad. No one should be alone like that." No words were said in response to that. "Temari and Kankuro seem nice. They help you out, right?"
"Hn. Now they do."
When she heard that, another idea popped up in her head. 'He never had support?' "Did you ever have help from anyone?"
"My uncle…and that didn't last long. He was the same."
Yuki had a sad look on her face from that answer. She never met anyone like Gaara. "Okay then!" She stood up and almost knocked over a stack of papers she almost finished and tried to keep it standing. "All of that is going to change, okay? I'm going to help and do my best. You might think I'm weird for saying that…"
'She's right.' Gaara thought.
"…but if that is what weird is, then that's just fine."
Gaara just looked at her as if she was crazy. "What do you have that makes you as happy as you usually are?"
She had a dumb look on her face, and then she shrugged. "Everything I have, except for the teeth since I sometimes bite my lip by accident." She gave a weak laugh and stopped when she felt the air around them gave off an awkward felling, causing her to sweat drop.
The conversation ended and then the silence came back. While Gaara was sorting the papers he couldn't help but look at the ruby dangling from Yuki's neck. For some reason, he has a familiar feeling from it. That feeling seemed nostalgic and longing. "Where did you get that?" Gaara felt like slapping his mouth. He didn't mean to say that out loud.
Yuki looked up and realized that he was talking about her necklace. "Oh, well, I got it from a friend a few years ago when I visited this village to see my relatives. He found it and gave it to me. But…I can't remember who he was…all I remember is that he seemed very quiet, kind of like you." That memory is the one Yuki could never exactly see clearly. The identity of the friend is the only thing missing and ever since she's been determined to remember. "The mist thing is some of Rin's chakra that I can use for emergency. On its own it can protect me…like that time with you."
Gaara understood that she meant the time when he tried to steal the ruby from her. After hearing about that gem, he felt a little remorse for that, and because of that feeling he felt angry at that feeling. The boy felt angrier when he felt like he wanted to say sorry for trying to take it.
"Nii-san you can do that too?"
"What do you mean? You can?"
"Uh-huh. But I never told momma and papa because I don't know what they'll say."
"Let's go ask!" The little girl looked scared and she ran after her older brother, who is already in front of their mother showing the water moving in his hands. "Look mother! This looks so cool!"
Haku looks happy, but their mother looks horrified. "Don't you do that Haku! Why do you have to do this?" The mother started scolding the boy and then Haku gets hit on the face by a slap.
"Momma, is it really that bad?" Yuki got closer to her mother and looks straight into her eyes. "How come you don't like it? Me and Haku nii-san promise not to do it again if it makes you sad…"
Their mother kneeled down and hugged both her children. "I'm sorry. It's just that other people don't like that. It scares them and gets them mad. Now promise me this: Don't tell your father this, okay?"
"Okay.
"Let's go inside. Your father will be home soon for dinner."
The children are in a corner playing while their mother is chopping vegetables to prepare dinner. And their father hasn't come yet. Among the family they usually expect him to be home and doing some work on the house outside. And they haven't heard from him since he left in the morning.
"I'm gonna get Bunny." Yuki got up and walked to her room to find her stuffed white rabbit. She picked it up and heard the door open, which could mean her father is home. She skipped through the hall, holding the rabbit by the arm and enters the kitchen where her father should be now. "Hi papa!" But then she froze in her tracks at the sight of the room.
The father wasn't the only one in the room. There were a few other men armed with pitchforks, kamas, etc. while Haku was up against the wall staring right at them. Yuki looks for her mother, wondering what is going on and finally sees her on the ground in a puddle of red blood.
"M-mom?" Then one of the men grabs Yuki and threw her on the ground next to Haku and held the points of the pitchfork inches away from her face. "Papa what's going on?"
He didn't answer and the man with the pitchfork pulled it away a little, but only to lunge it right at the child. But Yuki ducked and rolled away and tried to find water to see if she can help her brother out and they can run away. However, before she could do anything, the house was pierced with ice coming from the ceiling, windows, and walls…
Kuro kept licking Yuki's face and Yuki woke up in the office surrounded by neatly stacked papers. "Huh? What the heck happened?"
"You fell asleep. And you were talking in your sleep." Gaara said from his desk, staring at her at the same time.
'I haven't had that dream in years. And…I talked?' The grey-eyed girl definitely felt embarrassed and stupid right now. Yuki has talked in her sleep once in a blue moon, but never in front of anyone. "What did I say?"
He shrugged as if the situation was uninteresting and he said, "Something about a brother and mother."
'He…doesn't feel curious about it?' She felt relieved at the fact he didn't ask about it; Yuki didn't feel like talking about her family to him. "Oh. Well, sorry about the sleep talking thing…is everything done?"
"Yes. You can go now."
"Okay, Gaara-sama."
But just as she was about to leave through the open door, sand blocked her path and Yuki had a dumbfounded expression on her face. She looked at Gaara and saw his hand raised, apparently controlling the sand. "On one condition: Stop calling me that."
"What?"
"You don't have to be so formal."
It took a second for her to understand and she nodded her head. "Okay Gaara. I'll be downstairs." The wall of sand lowered and she left the room with Kuro tagging behind her ankles. Gaara sat back at his desk, looking at the dry, rocky landscape of Suna and the bright blue sky spanning over it.
"She didn't even explain why she sleep talked."
'Well you didn't want to force it out of her wimp. And what's with "You don't have to be so formal" crap? Don't tell me you're getting soft on me man…'
'I'm not. Shut up.'
'Oh my freaking ninja shoes you're lying! Man I can't wait to tell Rin…if she doesn't try to bite my neck off first.'
'I won't allow it.'
'Come on man! One day you'll sleep and I can do whatever the hell I want. You keep bringing me down.'
'Didn't I tell you to shut up?'
'Yeah…and maybe if I do and that chick's still here, we can pay her a visit.'
"Shut up!" That statement came out loud and Kankuro peeked in the room to see what's going on. "I'm fine." He shrugged and went past the doorway with a puppet over his shoulders.
--------------Someplace else---------------
The cave is dark and dreary and people are seated on rocks and surrounding a man, the bounty hunter leader (from Chapter 1 if no one remembers), who was on his knees with some injuries on him. It's as if he never got treated after the explosion stunt he pulled.
"You failed us and bothered coming here? Idiot."
"Wait! You did not tell me that one of them had the Hyoton kekkei genkai and we were unprepared because of that!"
"Don't raise your voices at us. Your résumé said you and your men killed targets of strong caliber, worthy of being ANBU, and you couldn't take care of a Jonin."
"A Jonin with a damn demon possessing her!"
"Enough. Your very presence disgusts us and now you have the audacity to talk back? Very well then…Kisame spend some quality time with him and take your time."
The man was grabbed by the shark-looking Akatsuki member by the arm and his struggles didn't help him in escaping the grip. A young man with blonde hair stretched his arms and sighed when the man finally left. "He was annoying. Why couldn't I take those two here instead of hiring low life bounty hunters Leader?"
"You were the one who said you wanted a break Deidara."
"Oh shut up Itachi. I wasn't talking to you."
"Deidara stop. And Itachi was right. However, I have thought of something. You can go to Suna and find away to drive the two Jinchuriki apart. It will be less troublesome since one will be taken out and then the other will be left for the taking. You wouldn't want to face the two of them, do you? And besides, you bringing back two Jinchuriki in such short time can help you gain more respect among your fellow members."
The blonde thought about what Pein just said. Respect, even from Itachi, or staying alive were his choices and he kept going back and forth, and decided to go for the obvious choice. "Fine I'll do it." Okay maybe it wasn't obvious.
"Good. Remember, don't kill them."
(Yuki POV)
I'm barely awake and for that I went downstairs to make something to eat and get my energy up. I couldn't sleep a wink last night because of that story. There shouldn't be anything to be so scared about. And if I ever see the ass who told me that crap will pay. 'Everything's just fine…just fine…' I heard footsteps and Kankuro walked in the kitchen to get something out the fridge.
"What's up?"
"Nothing…just cooking…"
"You didn't get any sleep?"
I shook my head and got back to chopping peppers. "I need coffee…" Then out of no where a bucket of water colder that a glacier is dumped on me and I'm wide awake. "What the hell?" I turn to see if the face painted ninja dumped the water on me, however it wasn't him, but his younger, red-headed brother. "Gaara!"
"You need to be awake for your next assignment. I won't have you sleep on the job."
'THAT…FREAKING…JERK!' I tried to tame my anger and took deep breaths. "Okay I'll do that, but I have-" I completely forgot that I had a sharp knife in my hands for chopping and I accidentally cut my finger. A wound running halfway down my pinkie finger started oozing red and I sweared under my breath. "Um are there any band-aids?" I asked the boys, and I was concerned for Gaara because he looked like he was fidgeting and plus he was staring at the red from my cut.
"I…I'll get it." Gaara left and meanwhile I bandaged my finger with napkins while Kankuro just stood there staring at something.
"What?" It took a second to realize where Kankuro was staring and I shot him a terrifying glare I learned from Kakashi and Sakura. He automatically stopped and left the room, after bumping his head on a wall. He's lucky my good slapping hand is wrapped up and bleeding or he would have another mark on his painted face.
Gaara came in with a band-aid and gave it to me without looking at me. "Thank you." I wrapped the band-aid around my finger and cleaned up everything just in case. "What was it you wanted me to do?"
"Actually, I lied about that. I dumped the water just to keep you awake."
'WHAT?' I got my finger cut…for that! "Okay then, fine. I'll try to work on the food now Gaara." He left and when he was gone, I banged the countertop without thinking of my injured finger. Temari came in and said she was going to help.
"Why are you soaked?"
"Ask Gaara."
Temari's lips mouthed "Oh" and she started working with the food. "I never knew he would do something like that. That explains why Kankuro was acting like a bigger blubbering idiot. So why did he do that?"
"To keep me awake. I couldn't sleep."
"Then you should go back to sleep."
I raised my hand to object to that and I put the vegetables in a pot full of water. "I did take a nap. But it was in front of Gaara and I talked in my sleep."
Suddenly Temari closed all the doors and put all the cooking items and the food away on the farthest side on the countertop. "Did you say anything embarrassing?" I shook my head and tried to speak, but she interrupted me. "Did you confess any feelings of love to anyone you know?"
"No I-"
"Said words of hate about anyone?"
"I talked about my family."
She came to a complete halt and pointed a chair for me to sit on, I think. I sat down and she sat on a chair right in front of me and propped her elbow up on the table, resting her head on her hand. "What do you mean? Your aunt and uncle?"
I shook my head, feeling as if something heavy is on my shoulders trying to take me down. I never, ever, talked about mom and Haku to anyone unless I've known them long enough to trust. I've only known Temari for a couple of days. Then again, she is starting to become the sister I never had. "Don't tell anyone else, okay?"
"Scout's honor."
"……It was about my mother and older brother, Haku. I lived with them, and my father, in Kiri for a few years before I went to Konoha. My mom passed down Hyoton, but it wasn't a great place to have a kekkei genkai. My dad found out about us and killed my mom with a mob. Haku did something to the house by accident and couldn't find me in the house, so I was under rubble unconscious…"
(Flashback)
"Hey, you awake?" Yuki slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a bright hospital room with a window overlooking the snowing village. Right at her side is a teenager with tied black hair and onyx eyes. It looks like he has some sort of marks under his eyes, which sort of make him look older than he is. "Are you alright? You had a huge bump on the head."
"Who are you?"
"Uchiha Itachi. I found you under rubble and brought you here."
She sat up looking around the room for her mother, father and Haku in the room. "Where's momma, papa, and Nii-san?"
"I'm sorry but there wasn't anyone alive in the house. As for your brother we're not sure of his whereabouts."
The dams keeping the tears pouring from her eyes broke and Yuki cried on her knees, wetting the sheet over them. She didn't understand how that could happen and now she's alone and so is her brother.
"Listen, I can ask my team to send out a notice for your brother and maybe he'll turn up. As for the moment, do you remember any relatives and where they live?"
As hard as she tried, Yuki couldn't remember anything before the tragedy. There was a huge chunk in her memory gone and she couldn't find anything. "No."
"When was the last memory before this?"
"Um…I was five and we were outside for Haku's birthday."
"And how old are you?"
"Six."
Itachi looked out the window and started thinking about the situation. She has lost family and memory at the same time and now has no where to go. Until he finds something, or until she recovers, Yuki will have to stay somewhere, but where? "What is your name?"
"Ishii Yuki."
"Okay, how about I'll take you to Konoha and you can stay there until we find someone from your family. Maybe you can recover from this at your stay."
"Um...but where?"
"Don't worry about that."
(Flashback over)
After what I just said, Temari looked like she watched a movie full of pure drama. "You knew Itachi?"
"Yeah. He brought me to Konoha after a mission he had and I stayed with him and Sasuke some time before what he did to the family. I lived in my own apartment room which was near Kakashi's."
"There weren't any relatives around?"
"My father's side was completely against having someone with a kekkei genkai in their house. And the only relatives on my mother's side are the ones who live here. And they never had enough space for more people to live in. Even now."
Temari handed me some tea and she herself took some of her own. "What about your brother? You ever found him?"
That made me feel like crap. I felt like leaving right out the room even if it meant ramming down the doors. "He and some bastard named Momochi Zabuza died on a mission that concerned Naruto's team before they took the Chunin Exams with you. If only someone else found Haku and not that creep, he'd still be alive. Naruto told me he never mentioned me and I thought for a moment he forgot about me. But, he said he probably didn't want me involved with him and never mentioned me to Zabuza."
She looked at me and patted me on the shoulder. "It looks like you had a great brother, thinking of how you are and protecting you…Sorry for having you talk about that. How about we lighten things up and go somewhere. We can bring the boys along."
"But Gaara has work. I don't think we should bother him about it…"
"Relax! He won't mind."
I got up and felt something was spying on us. I looked everywhere, but didn't see anything. Then I saw stems from flowers in a vase slightly move and I walk to the flowers, eyeing the stems to see what there is. I search through the flowers and felt something round and a little…slimy? "The heck is this?" I grabbed whatever this thing was and saw an eye with a brown iris staring at me. "W-w-w…"
"Hey what is- Oh come on Gaara!"
"IT'S AN EYE!"
(Gaara's POV)
'Oh crud…' With the third eye…I saw Yuki scream and faint in the kitchen. I have a feeling I'm in trouble. Then Temari opened the door and had a scowl on her face. "Temari that was not my eye."
"Don't try to lie Gaara. That eye scared the hell out of her and you had no right to spy on us."
"I don't care." I walked away and sat in a separate living room where Kankuro was watching Crank Yankers. 'Dude get out of here! I don't want to watch stupid puppets!' 'Too bad.' Kankuro looked up from over his shoulder and turned around.
"What'd you do now?"
I didn't answer him and he mumbled under his breath. Yes it was wrong to spy on Yuki and Temari, but I'm only human…a demon-possessed human. How was I supposed to know it was that much of a deal? 'Then again it was rude of me to spy on them. I could have just asked her instead.' 'No way man. It was worth it. She wouldn't have told you anything if you asked.' Now I'm stuck with the angel vs. devil conscious battle. How nice…
Then Temari barged in the room and took the remote from Kankuro's hand to turn off the TV. Yuki was right at the doorway staring forward and in her own world. "Alright Gaara and Neanderthal we're going out. All of us." Kankuro complained, but after a brief argument, I stopped it and forced him to agree. I don't feel like dealing with the two bickering forever.
Yuki asked Temari where we were going and my sister started thinking. I knew she never thought her plan out. It's the same story with everything and then it takes eternity to think of something. "I got it! Arcade time!"
Kankuro was jumping for joy for that, however I hate the arcade. It's full of flashing lights, annoying sounds, fan girls chattering and ready to rip a piece of my hair off my scalp, and people acting like total idiots. Though, if I object, Temari would take votes and I would be out voted. Nothing can get me out of this, even if I used threats.
5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555
"Come on Gaara try out a game! Or have some cotton candy!" Kankuro, sugar high, kept talking and shoving tickets and junk food in my face. He's lucky there are witnesses here or he would be looking at the inside of this stomach. I took the junk food and tickets he had in his hands and threw them away on the floor. "That's harsh man."
Everyone else is having a good time and acting ridiculous. It doesn't matter, I don't need anyone. I'm fine by myself and I don't give a damn if anyone doesn't like it.
"Hey, Gaara why don't you do something?" I looked to my right and Yuki is standing there with a bag of tickets in her hand. She must be really good since it was bigger than a toddler. "Why are you by yourself?"
I shrugged and looked away. Why is she wasting her time coming here? She should know that I would never degrade myself here. And it would be dangerous for her talking to me considering the fan girls stalking me at different corners and planning to take her down. "Go back to your games." 'Oh shit I didn't mean to say that…'
"Not without you. This is an arcade; you're supposed to feel happy." She sits down on the bench right next to me and I see a couple of girls glaring at her. "Y'know, if you think I'm mad at you for snooping earlier, I'm not."
"What made you think that?"
"N-no don't get me wrong…it's just an idea. Did Kankuro hear too?"
I shook my head and she sat back on the wall looking at the lit up and loud arcade. Then… "GAARA-KUN!" Everyone was able to hear that even with all the noises from the games. A group of girls crowded around and paid no attention to Yuki. I wish I had a pair of ear plugs.
"Gaara-kun how about some ice cream? Can you win me a teddy bear Gaara-kun? Let's take a photo together!" And the list went on. I felt very agitated and I'm ready to snap at them and tell them to shut up. But Yuki stood up and grabbed my hand and led me out the crowd.
"I'm sorry but the Kazekage is feeling a bit under the weather. He doesn't like people crowding around him." The girls pouted and the crowd dispersed with them going their separate ways. She took me outside and checked around the place for something. "You looked like you were ready to explode. And there shouldn't be anymore of them out here. Do you want me to get Temari and Kankuro so you can leave?"
"I can leave without them." I got up and left the arcade and went through the streets. I heard fast steps and saw Yuki catching up to me. "You can go back you know."
"No, I'll go with you. Besides, I can go tomorrow and get that oversized teddy bear I'm trying to get."
As soon as we got back to the mansion I went ahead to my room to meditate since there is nothing better to do. But when I got there, the tiny black wolf jumped up as if greeting me. "Get off…" Then it made those puppy dog eyes and I felt a twinge of guilt. 'No, it's trying to make me be nice. I'm not falling for it.' However it became increasingly difficult for me to resist. The eyes reminded me of Yuki when she asked me to promise not say anything about Rin. "Fine you can stay. But don't bother me or else."
I sat on the bed and tried meditating, but the damn dog kept rubbing his head on my arm. 'Just ignore it, don't think about it…' But as the minutes went by it wouldn't stop, so I got up and left my room with the animal behind me. When I got downstairs I found Yuki watching some comedy show and she just looked at the television as if it had a hypnotizing swirl on the screen.
"Yuki, what does he eat?"
"Hm? Oh, he likes eating beef cooked or not. Let's see…" She ran into the kitchen looking for something and took out leftover steak in a plastic container. "Alright time to eat."
At that signal the tiny wolf rushed to the steak and started eating it in haste. His eating habits can give Naruto and Kankuro a run for their money. As soon as he was done it ran around the room and somehow managed to jump on top of my head. 'Heh, that's for making me watch that puppet show.'
"Sorry, he gets like this when he eats something. Hold on." She got closer and Yuki started petting Kuro on his spine. "This makes him feel sleepy so it will be easy to get him off." I didn't listen to her because I was…distracted by something else. I never noticed, but… 'Man don't even think it!' 'She's pretty cute.' 'Noooo! Por que?' 'What's your problem?' When I ignored Shukaku, it hit me that her face was pretty close to mine. Her eyes had some sort of glow in the grey pools and made her expression look sweet and peaceful.
She pulled away and had the sleeping dog in her arms. "Are you okay? Your face looks a little red."
'Dammit!' "I'm fine." I head back up to my room to try and meditate again and I heard Yuki bid me good night. When I got to my room and sat on my bed, I couldn't meditate at all. Every time I tried, something popped up in my mind. That thing is something with black and red hair and those grey eyes.
Gaara: You realize I'll kill you for this?
Yuki: Oh calm down.
TOPH: Now, look at the pretty purple button…You will press it and review…Is my hypnosis trick working?
