Chapter 4: A Trying Journey
I am having so much fun with this story! Plus knowing there are people who also like it and are willing to join me for the ride makes my day! Seriously, the best way to encourage me to update is to leave a like/follow/review, it makes me want to keep churning out chapters! Without further ado… Welcome to Suna.
Oh, and no I didn't gain any new rights since Monday.
By the way, I am finding that I will be making up a lot of characters and names since Naruto-pedia is being so unhelpful. If you come up with a character name/description/role, drop in in the comments and I'll do my best to include him/her.
Chapter 5 will be out next weekend unless we hit… 15 new reviews? Yeah, let's go with that.
.oOo.
"Let's go!" Kiba shouted as the three nins prepared for their third day of travel. "Come on, Hinata-chan! We gotta get you there in time to rest before the wedding!"
"Kiba, maybe you could try being a little less… loud?" Shino asked quietly, shouldering his pack alongside Hinata's.
"Kiba, Shino, you really don't need to take my bags again, I can carry them today," Hinata's weak protest went unacknowledged by the two shinobi. She sighed and gave Akamaru a pat as they heading toward Suna. Maybe she could get a pet in Suna, some sort of companion. You'll have your husband for that, a tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind. Hinata loosed a breath, not wanting to get her hopes up that she would get a happily ever after with her intended. As far as she knew, the most emotion he showed was when his sand was killing an enemy. At least he isn't the same twisted boy from the first Chunin Exams, she thought wryly.
"Hey Hinata! You okay?"
She looked up, surprised Kiba had noticed her small shudder as she remembered how terrified the four of them were, hiding in the bushes knowing they were in over their heads with the sand genin.
"Just thinking."
"About your future husband?" Came Shino's calm voice.
Hinata bowed her head, "about the first Chunin Exams."
"Damn, I tried my best to forget about that! I can't believe you're marrying that psychopath." Kiba shuddered and Akamaru let out a whine.
"He isn't that person anymore. Besides, he's friends with Naruto. That has to mean something?" Hinata knew her voice sounded unsure, especially when she saw the looks on her teammates faces. "I-I'm just saying, I don't think I…" Her voice trailed off at Akamaru's warning growl.
"Hostiles," Kiba muttered, sharing a look with his huge dog. Akamaru let out a quiet series of yips before Kiba turned to his teammates, "he says they have weak chakra signatures, he can't sense any shinobi among them but there are a lot."
"They're border villagers," Shino spoke quietly, a bug sitting on his cheek.
Both men and the dog settled into attack stances, preparing to take on the villagers.
"Stop."
They turned to face Hinata. She took a deep breath before continuing, "please, let us try to get past them without a fight. I am supposed to help bring them peace, how can I do that if I leave them bloody and bruised on my travel to Suna?"
"Hinata, they are very agitated," Kiba tried, "their smell is radiating killing intent. How do you expect us to get by without fighting?"
"If they attack we will defend ourselves, but no more than necessary, please."
"Let's get this over with. The sooner we're in Suna, the better."
Hinata smiled at Shino, grateful for his support. The three shinobi and large dog took to the trees to try and avoid conflict, hopeful they could sneak past without trouble.
"GET DOWN!" came Kiba's warning shout right before several kunai with exploding tags hit the trees they were crouched in. Kiba and Akamaru managed to avoid injury but the bag Shino was carrying snagged on a branch, making it impossible to jump as he normally would.
"Shino!" Hinata screamed as she fell, concern for her teammate and underestimating her enemies making her clumsy. She landed hard, the air knocked out of her lungs, eyes watering as she watched the tree explode.
Subtlety gone, Kiba and Akamaru ran toward the small group of villagers barring the way. "Beast Mimicry Ninja Art! All-Four Jutsu!" Kiba's nails sharped into claws and it soon became clear that the common people were outmatched against Kiba and Akamaru's reflexes and strength. As more villagers ran over to help their struggling comrades, Hinata finally pushed herself off the ground, fighting to breathe normally. She saw Shino a few feet away struggling to his feet and raced toward him, "Shino!"
"I'm fine. The kikaichu chewed their way through the strap before the tags went off."
"Oh Shino, this is my fault, I should be the one carrying… mrph!" Hinata was cut off as Shino put his hand over her mouth.
"Talk later, right now you need to figure out how to stop Kiba and Akamaru from tearing the villagers up with their Fang Passing Fang attack."
"Oh!" She exclaimed, turning to see two Kiba's and by their stance, she knew what was coming next. "Kiba! Retreat! NOW!" Hinata put more force on that last word than she ever had in her life, the sound of her forceful voice pulling Kiba's attention back to his teammates. With a snarl, he ran after them angry at having his fight stopped but not willing to let them get too far ahead, lest they be ambushed.
"The hell, Hinata?" Kiba snapped once they had out distance between them and the angry mob. "They attacked us! We should have finished what they started!"
"I-I'm sorry Kiba," Hinata whispered, "I know we would have been well within our rights but I still believe that violence is not the answer to their hatred."
Kiba huffed angrily, "So? How do you want to get past those bastards?"
"Smoke," Shino answered.
"You want to use my smoke grenades? How will the two of you get through? I know your bugs are awesome Shino, but they can only do so much when you can't see."
"Akumaru can help. Hinata can ride him through the smoke and I can keep a hand on the back of your jacket." Hinata nodded when Shino finished, giving the plan her support.
"Fine," Kiba growled, "but if they give us problems on our way home I handle it my way."
Hinata could only hope that they would give up once she was in Suna. As the team made their way back to the border, they saw the villagers had formed a line.
"Stop right there! You don't know what you're doing girl," an older man shouted.
"Yeah! The treaty will soon fall apart and then what? You'll be a casualty of a new war all because you're being forced into something you don't want! Your husband will kill you the first chance he gets!" A young man with shoulder-length white hair spat.
"Turn around or join us," the older man shouted, features hidden under a large straw hat.
Kiba drew a breath to speak but Hinata put her hand on his shoulder before addressing the angry people herself.
"I am sorry," she started, forcing herself to raise her quiet voice enough for them to hear, "you are mistaken. This marriage is my choice, you do not know the Kazekage like I do. Please, let us pass without harm. I just want to get to Suna to prepare for my happy day."
Kiba and Shino shared a look, knowing full well that Hinata was lying. Or at the very least, trying to convince herself as well as the villagers that she would be happy.
"Lies!" The white-haired man shouted, taking a step forward, "we would rather see a daughter of Konoha dead at our feet than married to that monster! So, what is your choice now little girl?"
"Do it Kiba"
Kiba grinned at Shino's demand, opening his pouch and throwing half a dozen smoke grenades.
"Go Akamaru!" The huge nin dog jumped forward, diving into the smoke and weaving around people with ease. Kiba wasn't so graceful, he intentionally slammed his shoulders into as many people as he could as he and Shino tore through the smoke. His normally stoic teammate let out a curse as he slammed into yet another of Kiba's targets, "just get us out of here you impulsive bastard!" Kiba grunted at Shino, although he couldn't resist a swing at the white-haired man as they passed. Finally Team 8 emerged from the smoke, meeting up in a small hollow a short way into the desert.
"Well that was more fun than I thought it would be," Kiba said with a grin before, "ow!" Kiba yelped and held his arm where Shino had punched it.
"You dragged me into every last one of those damned bastards on our way through on purpose!"
"They deserved it," Kiba whined. Akamaru let out a scolding bark. "Whose side are you on?" Kiba asked his dog with a glare; Akamaru just thumped his tail.
"I'm sorry for the trouble," Hinata's quiet voice broke through the boys posturing.
"Hey, don't you worry about it!" Kiba said, wrapping her up into a bearhug.
"He's right. This time," Shino added, drawing Hinata in for his own hug.
"Hey!"
"Let it go Kiba. Are you ready to move on, Hinata? Or would you rather rest?"
Hinata tapped her fingers together, "if you want to rest we can… but I would like to get to Suna as fast as possible."
"Then let's go!" Kiba shouted and took off into the desert.
With a sigh from Hinata and a shake of the head from Shino, the two followed Kiba and his bounding dog into the desert, knowing they wouldn't arrive in Suna until nightfall.
.oOo.
KNOCK KNOCK
A short, quick knock followed by a harder one alerted the room's occupant to who was standing on the other side of the door. Having occupied the office for almost three years, Suna's Kazekage was familiar with the knocks of his most common visitors. He sighed and ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair, bracing himself for the whirlwind that was poised to invade his quiet space.
"Come in Temari."
At his deep voice, the door was flung open and his older sister came striding in.
"How do you always know it's me?" She grumbled, flitting around his office and picking up the few scattered knick-knacks, fondling them for a moment before putting them back in the general area she found it.
"I know all," came his expressionless reply, internally cringing at her moving his things around.
"Ha! And I'm a fairy princess," Temari laughed, putting down the small statue of Shukaku she had been turning in her hands. She glanced up to see a twinkle in her brother's normally blank eyes, "you should joke more often, it suits you."
Gaara instantly frowned, no one wants me to joke around, they just want to be protected. Out loud he continued in his monotone voice, "you should stop trying to change your Kage. The people don't expect anything else, why should you?"
"You're not my just my Kage, you're my little brother," she scoffed, walking over and thumbing through various papers scattered across his desk.
Gaara reached out and jerked a scroll out of her hand, "say what you came here to say and leave. I am very busy today."
"I'd imagine, considering you were ordered to take a week off to spend with your new bride," Temari replied cheekily.
Garra tensed but made no further comment.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Temari's teasing voice took on a serious tone.
"I am fine."
Temari sighed. It wasn't the first time she had tried to get her brother to open up about what he thought of the situation. She remembered how agitated he had been the night he told her and Kankuro about the Council's decision but the next day he was back to his stoic persona, resigned to his fate. She and Kankuro had both tried talking to him but he always brushed them off, even Kankuro's clumsy attempts at girl advice. Temari shook her head, exasperated at her baby brother's stubbornness and remembered the pounding she had given Kankuro after a dinner filled with particularly suggestive comments and lewd advice.
"I'll be here when you want to talk, Gaara, you don't need to go through this alone. And it would be nice to have my stick-up-his-ass brother back rather than the brooding ass you've been lately."
With that she spun, her black kimono twirling behind her; Gaara sighed as her spiky blonde ponytails disappeared from sight. She was wrong, he did have to face this alone. It was not just an attempt at peace and a typical arranged marriage, there was far more going on behind the scenes at the Council. He ran a hand through his auburn hair as he remembered the day Baki came to tell him about his impending wedding.
.oOo.
"I'm sorry Gaara, I did as much as I could."
Gaara remained silent, waiting for Baki to explain his sudden appearance in his office. Gaara knew that the Council was getting anxious for him to take a wife and produce an heir, each for their own selfish reasons. They didn't care what he wanted in life, they didn't care that he was terrified of turning into the kind of person his father was, and they certainly didn't care when he said he was not ready to settle down now, if ever.
"You know there are some on the Council that believe you ought to marry, if not to have someone fulfill the typical duties as wife of the Kazekage, then to produce an heir to keep the bloodline going. It has been decided in a five to three vote that you are to be wed to a kunoichi from a noble clan of Konoha to ease the border unrest and promote a more unified relationship."
Gaara blinked in surprise, relieved that it wouldn't be one of the groupies that had taken to following him around the village but worried that someone from another village could never accept him. Hell, there were more people in his own village who feared him more than liked him, they just wanted the protection he provided. A woman from another village who would likely know at least some of his past and nothing about who he was now? Fuck.
"There is more…" Baki trailed off, stern face creased with worry for his former student. "You are to be given two years to announce your wife's pregnancy to the Council."
Gaara's face darkened and he raised a hand to rub his forehead, an old habit that presented itself when he was thinking about his past. He was worried that he could never be a good father, having been raised by one of the worst.
"I argued for five years, enough time to let the two of you get to know each other considering you're being forced into marrying a stranger but they would not go that far." Baki chuckled darkly, "at least Joseki didn't get his way, he argued for three months."
Gaara stiffened at the name. Yahire Joseki was the most outspoken against his Kage-ship and always tried to undermine his authority. Everyone knew that Joseki wanted his son to be Kage and ever since Gaara had gained more votes than his son upon the Council's vote upon the fifth Kazekage, he had been determined to find a way to overthrow Gaara, albeit more subtle than Tojuro had done. Unfortunately for Gaara and his supporters, Joseki never stepped far enough over the line to be brought up for treason and enough of the village supported him that he could not be removed from the Council without a valid reason.
Baki's face fell back into its usual stern lines but Gaara knew his sensei too well for him to hide his emotions. "What else?"
Baki sighed before straightening his back and plunging on, "should you and your bride fail to connect… in that way, the marriage will be annulled."
"There is no way for a marriage to be dissolved in the Wind Country..." Gaara paused as realization set in. "They will have her killed, then."
"Not all of us agree but the others will ensure that it is done, Joseki will see to that and he'll likely make sure it can't be traced back to him. After much deliberation, it was decided that you are young enough to give you one more chance but the timeline will be much more restricted and their patience will wear thin. I fear that even some in support of you may be persuaded to rethink your place as Kage. If that were to happen, you know who would take your place. Yahire Yamiyo."
"I will not let that happen."
"We do not always have a choice, Gaara-sama. But know this, should you fail this mission, Yamiyo will replace you and it will spell disaster for Suna and her allies."
The Kazekage's face took on a dark look, "it will take many more years to fully recover from this last war but Yamiyo will see to the immediate start of a new one."
"Hai. And who knows? Maybe you'll hit it off with your new bride eh?"
Gaara growled and turned his back on Baki, burying himself in paperwork.
.oOo.
Gaara sighed yet again, hand tugging on his ruddy hair. After his conversation with Baki, he had been a mess and his unease spilled past his normally collected exterior. Tamari and Kankuro had picked on it immediately and finally he told them of the conversation after they cornered him in his room after dinner. He had ranted and raved, feeling trapped, helpless, and above all frightened. How could the Council do this to him? How could they do this to an innocent child? He had no idea how to be a father, he just knew he would fail. Probably scar the poor thing for life, and, if for some miracle he didn't, how could he tell his progeny about the things he had done when he was younger? Still not one to get much sleep, Gaara had stayed up all night wondering what he was going to do. By morning, he had decided that he would fulfill the expectations of the Council, he would marry a strange girl, delegate to her the expected work, and before the end of the deadline, father a child with her. After the last hurdle was complete, he would leave the child to be raised by its mother and he could concentrate on his duties. After all, no one ever said he had to interact with the child and its mother after it was born.
Before he knew it, night had fallen.
Strange. The group from Konoha was due to arrive by afternoon. Perhaps I am not involved enough to be alerted to my wife's arrival. That, or she ran away. He thought wryly, standing and making his way out the door.
"Kazekage-sama! Kazekage-sama!" a winded voice could be heard shouting behind Gaara as he made the short walk to the house he shared with his siblings. Turning, he saw one of his guards running up to him, light brown hair sticking out from his head covering haphazardly.
"Kazekage-sama, the group from Konoha has arrived!" the man panted.
"And I am just being informed of this?"
"They just made it past the gate!"
"What, did she try to run?" Gaara's dry reply went right over the nin's head and he sighed, mentally scolding himself for letting Temari get in his head earlier.
"No, Kazekage-sama!" The man looked scandalized, "they were attacked crossing the border!"
Gaara's eyes narrowed, "did they all arrive unscathed?"
"Hai! There are only three of them, a little bruised up from what I could see, but they seem to be in good health. They are being escorted to the inn now."
Gaara didn't let his confusion show at the small number that arrived; he was led to believe that families liked attending weddings and that there would likely be more than 10 that arrived for the bride since it was to be a girl of such high standings. He blinked, realizing the messenger was still standing in front of him, waiting for orders.
"Very well, you are dismissed." Gaara turned to continue his walk but paused at the confused look on the other man's face. "What?"
"Apologies, Kazekage-sama! I thought you might like to have the wedding postponed from morning until evening to give them time to rest after their ordeal…" he trailed off, looking embarrassed, unsure if he was being brash as his commander liked to tell him.
"I did not make the plans and the Council was very clear in their expectations." Gaara spun, not giving the other man time to answer and stalked down the dark road, wanting one final night of peace before he was forced into living with a pampered, demanding woman as he expected of a high bred wife.
.oOo.
Ugh, fighting scenes are not my forte, I just want to get to the fluff! For those of you romantics, you'll get some in the next couple chapters, but let's be honest, Gaara is definitely not the type to give in to raw emotion and passion so easily (Credit: Milo ;). For those of you who are interested in the story more than the relationship, I've got you covered too.
Side note: the rating of this story will change at some point. I am an adult who enjoys more… adult writings when I read fics and I intend to try my hand at some later in the story.
Shout Outs
Milo- fear not, no terribly OOC Gaaras here but I am dying to get more into his character.
Bigchef- I can't wait to explore the relationships between the Hyuga's!
Grimmjawer- we'll get back to poor out of the loop Naruto later, next up: the wedding
ForgettMeNutella- it's been three chapters and I already love seeing your name pop up for a review, it makes me all warm and fuzzy :) that or it's the Nutella cravings…
Splaaash-attack- Three for three! Hold on for more future feels… I won't say when they'll hit but be prepared for them!
Tehee- OMG thank you! I don't know where my head went but I completely spaced on the big brother talk, I'll be working that in either next chapter or the following one!
Daasa-chan- your review made my heart happy! So glad to know you're enjoying it
Everyone else- thank you so much, it's getting to the point where I can't credit each and every one of you (as much as I would dearly love to) so I'm going to start picking three honorable mentions starting next chapter from the reviews. Happy reading!