Onchou shuddered as she tossed caught in the throes of a terrible dream.
She was inside a dark cave, a terrifying looking statue situated in the middle of the space. Around her, figures dressed in black robes with red clouds stood atop the grotesque fingers of the demonic looking carving their hands held up in various signs as they conducted their jutsu. Floating in the middle of them was Gaara his back arched, his ringed eyes open wide, low moans and gasps slipping past his lips as the power inside him was drawn out and sucked into the statue. Her hands balled into fists and tears pricked at her eyes as she glared at the scene. Her jaw clenching painfully as she sensed his chakra and life force diminishing by the minute.
"Stop it!" she yelled her voice echoing off the walls. None of the figures even glanced at her as she rushed forward. "I said stop it!" she shouted again her heart breaking as the cracks in her lover's skin deepened. "You're killing him! Enough!" she shrieked leaping at one of the two figures that were solid. She growled in frustration when she passed right through the blonde haired man and turned pulling a kunai from her sleeve intent on stabbing him through the heart. Her stomach dropped when the man opened his eyes and lowered his hands, the last of the chakra slipping from Gaara's body. "Gaara!" she cried out as his body plummeted towards the ground hitting with a sickening thud. Without thinking about the consequences she rushed to the fallen Shinobi's side her heart thundering in her chest as she felt for a pulse, her blood running cold when she found none. "No…" she whimpered. "No!" she screamed. "Open your eyes Gaara! You can't be dead. Please!" she begged as tears slipped down her cheeks. "Gaara please…"
"What are ya' cryin' for?" the blonde man said as he walked past her and sat on the body of her fallen love. "He's already dead yeah'?"
Her eyes blazed her electric chakra cracking in the air as her fury flared. "Damn you." She hissed. "I'll never forgive you for this. Get off of him!" she snarled shoving him off and cradling the Kazekage in her arms. She laid her forehead against his, her sobs shaking his body. "Gaara. I'm begging you. Open your eyes." She whimpered. "Don't leave me alone!"
"Onchou!" a voice called out cutting through her anguish. "Open your eyes Onchou!" he commanded as the world around them began to fade.
Her eyes snapped open and her vision was immediately filled with a pale face framed by red hair, soft blue green eyes studying her with concern. "Are you alright?" Gaara asked.
A sob bubbled up from her throat as she bolted upright and wrapped her arms around his neck burying her head in his shoulder. Her body shuddered as she tried to slow her breathing taking in his familiar earthy scent and the warmth of his body. "Thank goodness." She breathed tears sliding down her cheeks.
"What happened?" he asked shifting them so that she was sitting in his lap.
"A nightmare." She replied curling closer to him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
She shook her head and gripped him tighter. "Not yet. Just hold me like this for a while."
He nodded and gently rubbed his hands in comforting circles on her back. Her heart still pounded out of control as she remembered that what she had seen had been more memory than dream. Remembered that the people she'd seen really were the mercenaries that had killed her beloved years before. Her teeth clenched at the thought and she held him even tighter her fingers feathering through his red locks and running over his neck confirming the cracks that had been there in her dream were gone.
After several moments of quiet, he broke the silence. "Onchou." Gaara said softly. "If you hold me much tighter, I won't be able to breathe."
She jumped and blushed. "Sorry." She murmured forcing her arms to relax a little.
"I've never seen you like this before." He said threading his fingers through her sweat dampened hair. "What did you dream about that frightened you this much?"
She hesitantly raised her head and studied his face with her eyes before tracing it gently with her finger tips, over the places where deep cracks had existed in her mind just minutes before. "I…" she took a deep breath and closed her eyes as her throat constricted around the words. "You… You were dead." She finally choked out. "I.. I couldn't do anything to stop it."
Her eyes opened as warm, calloused fingers wiped the tears from her face. "I'm alive." He assured her, his pale eyes soft. "I'm right here."
She nodded and leaned forward pressing her lips gently against his. He returned the pressure and she felt some of her tension melting away as he gently laid her back against the futon hovering over her, his lips moving gently against hers. After several moments, he sat up and brushed the hair from her face.
"See? There's nothing to fear." He assured her. "Try to get some sleep, we still have a few hours before it's time to return to Suna." He said moving to stand.
"Wait." She protested gripping the hem of his shirt. "Don't go." She looked down and blushed. "Please stay with me." It was so irritating. Since when was she afraid of being alone?
He studied her for a moment before crawling over her and slipping into the futon behind her wrapping his arms around her waist. "As you wish." He murmured softly.
She sighed and covered his hands with her own as she shifted closer to him. Her heart pounded as she laid in his embrace, thankful that he was alive and well. Her mind wandered and she found herself remembering a scene she'd seen in his memories. It was during the Fourth Shinobi War. He had been appointed commander of the allied forces and was moving forward to take on the past Kage. His father had confronted him on the battlefield. Her mouth turned up into a little smirk as she remembered part of their conversation a little giggle escaping her lips.
"What is it?" Gaara asked seemingly intrigued by the sound.
"Sorry. I was just thinking about something I saw in your memories." She explained.
"What exactly?" he probed.
"When you fought your father during the war and he was so shocked to find out that you had friends." She replied turning towards her lover. "When he said, 'Wait, you're telling me that you have friends!?' I honestly thought 'Rude! Seriously. What a jerk!'" she smiled and stroked his face. "Then I was thinking about what he'd say if he knew you had a lover today."
Gaara's lips turned up into a little smile his eyes closing as he chuckled softly. "I doubt he'd believe it." He replied bumping his forehead against hers. "There are moments that I have trouble believing it myself. How could someone as beautiful and kind as you love someone with hands as tainted as mine?"
Onchou's eyes softened as she reached for his hands and brought them to her lips caressing the calloused knuckles, working her way to the tips and pressing a kiss to each palms. "These hands of yours are not tainted." She said bringing one up to cup her cheek as she looked into his eyes. "They're strong yet gentle. Mine are far more stained than yours."
Her heart skipped a beat as she saw warmth, tenderness, and a spark of heat in his pale blue green eyes as he moved his hands to thread through her hair. "Not true." He breathed as he gently pulled her head back, leaned forward and captured her lips with his own.
Onchou sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck shifting when he nudged her so that she was on her back his mouth moving softly against hers. She responded eagerly her hands running over his back as she reassured herself that he was alive and with her. His tongue touched her lips requesting entrance and she granted it a delicious shiver running down her spine when he slid his hand down her back to her hip encouraging her to arch against him. Her leg shifted at the motion and he ran his hand along her newly exposed, smooth skin, his breath hitching at the contact. His mouth left hers to explore her neck tasting and nipping at the column of flesh.
She felt heat building in her core as his mouth worked its way over her collar bone, his body pressing against hers while his fingers glided over the sensitive skin on the back of her knee.
"Gaara." She breathed arching against him her hands sliding into his hair. "I love you. I love you so much."
He raised his head and looked down at her his eyes filled with emotion as he stroked his fingers through her hair. "Thank you. Those words mean more to me than you will ever know." He admitted. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. "As much as I'd like to continue, we really should rest." He said shifting off of her.
Onchou sighed and turned towards him. "I understand." She said.
"There is also another reason." He said as she snuggled against his chest.
"Oh? What's that?" she asked.
"I've decided that I want the first time I make love to you to be in my bed." He whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened and her core throbbed as she blushed a shiver running through her body. He smirked at her reaction a low chuckle leaving his lips. "Good night Onchou." He said pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Yeah. Goodnight Gaara." She said closing her eyes and finally receiving the gift of a dreamless sleep.
#$#
Gaara was awoken the next morning by the pleasant, yet unfamiliar, sensation of warmth against his body coupled with the frantic voice of his brother and two attendants.
"Gaara! Where are you!?" the eldest of the sand brothers exclaimed.
The redhead's eyes fluttered open and then widened as he found his vision filled mostly with a mass of violet hair his arms instinctively shifting only to find them wrapped around the sleeping form of the woman in front of him. Heat rose to his cheeks as he realized that in the night their legs had become entwined and that the neckline of her shirt had shifted as leaving more of her exposed as it slipped off her shoulder.
"Gaara!" Kankuro exclaimed again throwing open the door to the bedroom his face unpainted, sweat beading on his forehead.
The Kazekage raise himself up on his elbow to meet his brother's eyes. The puppet master froze his eyes widening as he studied the scene. Onchou moaned softly and shifted at the noise as well sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Is it morning already?" she murmured softly.
Kankuro's eyes widened as he looked at her rumpled appearance and Gaara could tell from the look in his brother's eyes that he was getting the wrong idea. With a sigh he sat up completely and raked his fingers through his hair.
"Is there something you needed brother?" he said softly.
The sand shinobi blinked and then shook his head. "Uh, yeah. We were just wondering where you went." He said quickly. "We still have a couple of hours before we have to depart so I can leave you two to-"
Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly cutting his brother off. "It's fine. We're already awake. Let's just get ready to leave now." He said standing up. He moved towards the door reaching down to stroke Onchou's face affectionately as he walked past her. "I'll see you in a few minutes." He assured her.
"Yeah. Ok." She replied with a sleepy smile that somehow made his throat tight and his mouth water. Before he could do the things Kankuro suspected them of doing, he left the room and returned to his own quickly and quietly assuring his attendants that he was unharmed. Then he quickly pulled his shirt over his head and replaced it with a fresh one, donning his signature rust colored clothing.
"So, you snuck into Onchou's room last night?" Kankuro said with a smirk as he too went to work changing his clothes.
Gaara sighed as he picked up his gourd of sand and attached it to his hip. "You make it sound so indecent." He muttered. "She had a terrible nightmare last night. I went to check on her and she asked me to stay. I'd only intended to stay until she fell asleep but somehow I fell asleep too."
The older brother's eyes widened before he barked a loud laugh making the Kazekage blush. "That's the cutest thing I've ever heard!" Kankuro laughed. "And here I was thinking you'd climbed the ladder to adulthood."
Gaara sighed and moved out of the room nearly running into Onchou as he did so.
"Opps! Sorry." She said quickly taking a step back.
"It's fine." He assured her extending a hand to steady her. "Did you get enough sleep? As far as I know, the situation regarding the council is still the same so we'll be relying on your hearing." He said tucking a section of hair behind one of her pointed ears.
She nodded and smiled. "I'll be just fine." She assured him. He was a little surprised when she blushed and stepped towards him lowering her head so that it bumped against his chest. "Thank you for last night." She said softly.
He smiled gently and circled one arm around her shoulder resting his hand on the back of her head, the other hand grabbed hers lacing their fingers together. He bowed his head and pressed a kiss to her hair that was pulled back into a half pony tail. "It was my pleasure." He assured her.
"What a pretty picture that makes." Yoshino the matriarch of the family said as she observed the pair from the end of the hallway.
They jumped apart blushing and she smiled at them. "No need to be embarrassed." She assured them. "I thought I sensed something between you. It turns out I was right. Come to breakfast. I heard you want to head out a little ahead of schedule."
Gaara nodded and walked towards her with Onchou close behind. They took seats near one another and after thanking their host, began to eat. Within an hour they had finished, thanked their hosts and were now at the gates of The Leaf Village, a small knot of people including their friends and the Hokage around them.
"Are you sure you don't want a team of our ninja to escort you to the boarder?" Kakashi asked the group of sand shinobi.
"We'll be fine." Gaara assured the Hokage. "Thank you for everything."
"Come back and visit again soon!" Naruto said waving enthusiastically.
"We will." Kankuro assured them. "We'll be here for the chunin exams in a few months remember?"
"Let us go." Gaara said giving his first and most trusted friend a smile before giving the signal to move out.
He watched as the markings on Onchou's ears glowed brilliant silver as they entered the tree tops. It was still so fascinating even after seeing the process several times.
"They're such a lively bunch of people." She commented after a few minutes.
"Indeed." Gaara agreed. "Can you hear them from here?" She smirked and nodded before her cheeks turned pink.
"Are they discussing anything interesting?" Kankuro asked a knowing gleam in his eye.
The violet haired girl coughed. "They're placing bets."
"On what?" the puppeteer asked cocking a brow his lips curling into a smirk.
"It doesn't matter." The girl replied quickly turning an even deeper shade of pink.
"Let's rest here for the night." Gaara said as they landed in a small village in the land of fire. "It's not on the direct course to Suna and only the top officials know our planned route home. We should be safe here."
"Good. I'm beat." Kankuro admitted.
The sand wielder nodded and then turned to Onchou who stood beside him. He could sense through her posture that she was tired as well though she was doing her best to hide it. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked.
She turned and nodded. "I'm fine." She assured him. "I'll keep my ears going until we get to the Inn." She assured him.
"You don't need to push yourself so hard." He said gently reaching out to clasp her hand.
She shook her head. "That's not true. Temari and Naruto are both counting on me to get you home safely. Ryuu is waiting for me too, there's no way I can let them down by being lazy of all things."
Kankuro chuckled. "You've lost this round brother." He said with a smirk.
Gaara sighed as they entered a small but cozy looking Inn. The old man at the counter smiled at the shinobi as they entered the establishment and quickly studied each of them his eyes lingering on Onchou for a few more moments than the Kazekage thought was necessary.
"Travelers from The Land of Wind." He said studying their attire. "Ninja even, what brings you to The Land of Fire?"
Gaara tensed for a moment a little wary of the situation and was surprised when Onchou quickly spoke up.
"We just went to my boyfriend's sister's wedding!" She said wrapping her arm around Gaara and leaning against him a bubbly sounding giggle falling from her lips. "Her new husband is actually one of the famous Konaha 12 from the Hidden Leaf. She was a little worried about us returning home safely so her hubby asked these sand ninja to escort us to our village." She explained without skipping a beat.
'What are you thinking?' Gaara hissed through the soul link. 'Don't give away so much personal information!'
'Just wait.' She assured him.
The man's eyes widened. "The Konaha 12 huh?" he grinned at Gaara as he pushed a key towards him. "Your sister's a lucky lady. Those kids are highly sought after celebrities in these parts."
Gaara blinked in surprise and nodded. "Yes. Her husband is a wonderful man."
"Alright then. You kids have a good night. My wife will bring around dinner in about an hour or so. Enjoy your stay!" he said pointing to their room on a map.
"Thank you so much!" Onchou said with a smile.
"No problem little lady." The man replied with a grin. "Why don't you try your luck with one of those war hero's?" he asked with a waggle of his brows.
Gaara tensed but Onchou merely laughed. "No thanks. They're great and all but I have a thing for Sand shinobi instead." She said with a wink.
The man blinked his eyes studying Gaara for a moment before he laughed as well. "Fair enough." He said with a grin.
The group made their way down the hall to a large room and stepped inside. Once the door was closed Gaara's gaze narrowed as he studied Onchou. "What was that all about?" he demanded.
The violet haired girl sighed. "Give me two minutes." She replied her eyes drifting closed. The air around her suddenly twitched her silver tinged chakra becoming visible as the tattoos on her ears suddenly turned brilliant gold. It stayed that way for a minute and a half minute before she sighed the tattoos shifting back to silver, and then black as her chakra retracted and she fell to her knees.
"Onchou! What's wrong?" Gaara exclaimed reaching out to steady her with his arms.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." She replied. "There aren't any enemies within fifty square miles of this place that I can hear."
"What did I say about pushing yourself?" The Kazekage said with a sigh.
"It's for my own peace of mind." She assured him. "Anyway, when we first walked in, that guy didn't like you guys." She explained. "Your attire clearly screams outsider and although the village hidden in the Leaves has a good relationship with the village hidden in the Sand, The lands of Wind and Fire themselves don't trust each other much. So, by bringing up the wedding, which wasn't a lie because lies are hard to remember later, it led to the impression that we have nothing to hide since we were so open with him up front. Additionally, Naruto and his core group of friends are well known and respected in these parts. I was passing through The Land of Fire on my way to The Land of Wind looking for Suna after all. That's why I met Naruto and the others in the first place. I know just how much weight their positions carry. Even though names weren't mentioned I'm sure word has spread that the war heroes are beginning to marry and move on with their lives post war. That automatically earned us not only brownie points from the man, but it gave us a measure of protection. No common person in this land would knowingly touch a friend of that elite group of ninja." She took a deep breath and raked a hand through her hair. "Finally, mentioning that I have a thing for Sand ninja, also did two things. It proved to him I was loyal and alerted him to the fact that though you weren't marked as blatantly as the others that you were also a sand shinobi which led him to assume that all of us are likely ninja. That means more protection for us and him so even if he was suspicious in the beginning, he isn't now."
Gaara studied her with his eyes wide. She was incredible. To quickly analyze the situation and react in such a way that made it easier on both parties was truly impressive.
"Damn." Kankuro muttered. "That brain of yours is scary."
"Not as scary as Shikimaru's." Yaoki remarked as he laid out the bags in the large room.
"That man's brain is something else." Gaara admitted sitting down at the table. He glanced over at Onchou who was seated near the window her eyes focused on the darkening sky.
"Is anything wrong?" he asked her.
She shook her head quickly. "Not at all. Just thinking." She replied.
Kankuro stretched and glanced out the window as well. "So what do you guys think Temari and Shikimaru are up to right now?" he asked. "I bet all sorts of fun things with that big brain of his and her stamina."
Gaara and Onchou both turned a shade of scarlet while Yaoki and Korobi gaped at the puppet master.
"Lord Kankuro!" Korobi gasped. "What are you saying?"
Gaara cleared his throat and touched the bridge of his nose. "Don't encourage him." He muttered as his older brother laughed heartily.
The meal was delivered not long after everyone had bathed and the group sat together chatting pleasantly. The Kazekage however, noticed that Onchou wasn't as lively as he expected her to be and reached out touching her gently on the hand. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm not sure." She admitted. 'I don't want to talk about it right here and now.' She said through the soul link.
He nodded. 'Shall we meet up later and talk?'
She nodded. 'Tonight at midnight?' she suggested.
He nodded again and they turned their attention back to Kankuro who was telling a story about his battle with Sasori and Deidera during the war.
"Was Deidera really that childish?" Onchou asked as he finished telling them about the reanimated man's escaped attempt that was foiled by one of his old friends from the Hidden Stone village.
Kankuro snorted and nodded. "Oh yeah. Right up until the end. He scared the crap out of me." He admitted.
"How?" Yaoki asked.
"You see, when the reanimation jutsu was undone, all those who had been reanimated started glowing when their souls and host bodies began to separate." The painted shinobi explained. "Deidera had been running his mouth, threatening to blow us all up moments before it happened so it freaked me out initially. Then he yelled 'Bang' super loud and I totally jumped." He shook his head. "That jerk… You know, if he wasn't so obsessed with that 'art' of his and hadn't done what he did with Gaara, I probably wouldn't have minded the guy. He was actually kind of fun to be around. He ran his mouth a lot but he was really pretty fun to tease." He admitted.
Gaara nodded and noticed how Onchou tensed at the mention of his capture years before. He had a sinking suspicion that the dream that had frightened her so much the night before probably had something to do with that incident.
"Anyway, we should probably head to bed." He said stretching. "Morning will be here before we know it."
The group nodded and settled into their futons for the night. Kankuro laid next to Gaara closer to the door with Korobi on his opposite side. Yaoki laid opposite the Kazekage near the window. Onchou laid on the other side of the room separated from the line of men by the table.
Once the others were sound asleep, Gaara watched the time until the clock struck midnight. He shifted a little in his futon, letting Onchou know he was still awake and listened as she sat up. 'I'll be on the roof.' She said softly through their link as she stood up and slipped out the door, sliding it closed behind her but leaving it open a crack to make it easier for him. He waited for a few moments to make sure he didn't disturb his companions before rising himself and slipping out the door. He padded to the slightly opened window and then deciding it was worth the exerted chakra willed himself to become sand and drifted out the door rematerializing behind the woman who stood on the roof top. He studied her for several moments her face lifted towards the waning moon, her violet hair loose and dancing in the night wind. Her yukata was white contrasting against her bronze skin and for a moment she looked like an otherworldly being that would vanish in the blink of an eye. Unsettled by the thought, Gaara stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her pulling her back against his chest.
She jumped and glanced back at him before laying her arms over his. "You startled me." She admitted. "You must have used that sand transportation technique of yours."
"Indeed." He replied. "Now, what's been bothering you?"
Onchou took a deep breath and leaned her head against him. "I suppose I'm just a bit confused." She admitted.
"Confused about what?" he asked slipping her hair over one shoulder so that it didn't tickle his face.
"I understand that both you and Kakashi are Kage. I understand that Kage are carefully selected based on numerous factors including experience, power, influence and their ability to protect and lead. I also understand that the councils in each village exist to advise the Kage as well as to keep them from abusing their authority." She said.
"All of that is true." He confirmed. "So what are you confused about?"
"If you were selected based on that criteria, why were there so many attempts on your life ordered by the old council even after you were named Kazekage?" she asked her body tensing in his arms. "If they didn't want you to be Kazekage, why did they put you in that position? Why didn't they just appoint someone else and leave you alone?" she shook the anger and hurt evident in her posture. "Why did they hurt you then and still try to hurt you now? I don't understand. I doesn't seem like that's how it works in The Leaf Village at all."
Gaara sighed and turned his lover in his arms and brushed the tears from her face with gentle finger tips. "Suna, for a long time has been obsessed with having the most powerful Kage. Even my father was the target of many assassination attempts before and after becoming Kazekage. The people and the council seemed to feel that if their leader could be killed by their own people, that they wouldn't be able to effectively protect the village from an outside attack."
Onchou's nose wrinkled as she processed his explanation. "That's… a very warped way of thinking." She said clearly still bothered.
"I don't disagree." He replied. "Times are changing. Suna is learning to trust not only me, but those who are allied with us as well." The violet haired girl nodded though her brow was still wrinkled. "Is there anything else wrong?" he asked.
"It's just…" she took a deep breath and took a step away from him. "Gaara, I think I know where I want to be. In Suna I mean." She said.
"Oh? Where is that?" He asked. He was anxious, yet excited to hear her decision. She'd obviously given the matter a lot of thought.
She took a deep breath and knelt in front of him startling him. "Lord Kazekage, I'd like to humbly offer you my services as your personal body guard and advisor."
Gaara's eyes widened. "What are you suggesting?" he asked her a bit unsure of what she truly meant.
"There is no doubt in my mind that you are the man that is meant to lead the people of Suna and protect The Land of Wind. As Kazekage, you helped unite the shinobi world and led the fight against Madara and his forces during the Fourth Great Ninja War. You are a beacon of light and hope in this remarkably peaceful time. That being said, there will come times where dangerous and unpleasant situations will arise. Situations that will need a powerful, firm hand to settle but that could tarnish the hard earned reputation you have spent the past several years building. Situations like what happened with Takuma." She glanced up at him her eyes shining with passion, devotion, love, and determination. "When those situations arise, I will take care of them for you. Let me be an extension of your will working behind the scenes and abroad to protect both you and the village. The Kazekage's Kage."
His blue green eyes stared at the woman kneeling before him as his heart pounded in his chest. He'd heard that in The Leaf Village, Lady Tsunade and Master Jariya had worked in a similar way. She served as the Hokage while he slipped in and out of the shadows, doing the dirty work as it were on her orders. He'd always been worried that one day he'd be forced to take action that could potentially damage the reputation he'd worked so hard to build. He hadn't even been able to protect Onchou properly because of his desire to protect his position once. He'd also wondered what would happen if a situation arose that required someone with his level of power outside the village he was sworn to protect like the Leaf's situation with Pain. The woman kneeling before him was the only one from his own village that had managed to beat him in a sparring match. He'd seen the extent of her power when she'd fought during the conflict with Takuma. Even after knowing her for less than two hours they'd been able to combine their powers in battle to protect the people of Suna. She was linked to the village by blood but not well known inside nor outside it, she wouldn't arouse much if any suspicion while taking outside missions. If there was anyone in the village qualified for such a role, it was her. Yet it was such a dangerous position to undertake. How could he let the woman he loved do such a thing? His train of thought was interrupted by the warmth of her hands clasping his.
"Gaara, you once told me that you wanted me by your side, even if I had to remain in the shadows. We're already bound by the soul link jutsu. Receiving your orders and supplying you with information would be as simple as opening the mental link between us. " She lowered her head once more. "You've saved me and those precious to me more times than I can count. My life and my heart both belong to you. All I want now is to protect and serve you, Ryuu, and the village we all live in and love." She raised her head and gazed into his eyes. "It is the duty of the Queen to protect the King is it not?"
The sand wielder's eyes softened at that. The words that she seemed to live by. "How can I refuse when you say it like that." He murmured softly. "Even so, are you sure about this? It will take a great deal of work and dedication on your part. You'll likely have to join the ANBU and live a life of secrecy."
She nodded. "I am more than willing to make those sacrifices if I am able to be of use to you." She murmured.
Gaara reached out and touched the top of her head. "So be it then. I will do all in my power to assist you as you walk the path you have chosen for yourself."
Onchou smiled and rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you Gaara." She whispered.
"You're welcome." He replied holding her close. After a moment he moved away slightly and pressed his lips to hers. It was a sweet kiss full of feeling. He knew that the road before her was dangerous but he also trusted her to triumph in spite of that. After a few moments, they broke apart. "Come, let's go back inside. We'll inform the others of this decision tomorrow."
She nodded and they both walked to the edge of the roof. Onchou lowered herself using her hands, slid the window open with her foot and swung inside tumbling soundlessly to the floor and then rising to her feet. Gaara simply turned himself to sand and accomplished the same feat.
The violet haired girl shook her head. 'You're so smooth it's almost annoying.' She confessed through their soul link.
He merely smirked in response as the pair of them walked back to their room securing the door behind them. Onchou suddenly stopped and closed her eyes. Her hair twitched as her tattoos changed from black, to silver, to gold. Her brow furrowed in concentration.
"What are you doing?" Gaara whispered.
"Shh!" she replied. Sweat beaded on her forehead as her brow knit together. Her eyes suddenly snapped open. "Everybody up!" she shouted.
"What is it?" Gaara demanded.
"A group of four enemy ninja are approaching from the east." She explained grabbing her bag and untying her yukata letting it fall at her feet.
Gaara's eyes widened at the sight of her clad in nothing but a pair of hip hugging, silver panties with lace trim. His mouth watered at the sight a bolt of heat going straight to his groin as he took in her sculpted form and seemingly endless legs. Several scars crisscrossed her torso which intrigued him but his eyes were natural drawn to her supple breasts his hands almost aching to reach out and touch them. His brother and two additional guards began to stir shaking him free of his lust induced haze. Thinking quickly, he used his sand to create a barrier around the girl.
"What are you doing Gaara?" she demanded.
"Just get your clothes on." He muttered.
She complied and called out when she was dressed so he could drop the sand barrier as Kankuro, Yaoki and Korobi jumped to their feet.
"The enemy is coming? Who sent them?" Kankuro demanded as sand swirled back into Gaara's gourd.
Onchou's eyes closed for a moment. "No name." she replied a little smirk touching her lips. "Those vultures are getting smarter."
Gaara glanced at the amethyst eyed girl noting the change in her way of speaking and demeanor. He'd noticed before but she really was like a different person when she was in battle mode.
"They're moving in from the east. About fifteen miles and closing in quickly." she turned to Gaara as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "What's our plan? Do you want us to eliminate, capture, or avoid?"
Gaara thought for a moment. "If we capture them, do you think they'd be able to lead us to the ones that hired them?"
"Debatable." Kankuro replied. "If Onchou's ears couldn't pick up a client name they're probably forking out a lot of money. They could have also used a genjutsu on them as well."
"It's your call Gaara." Yaoki said. "We should move quickly though."
"We have mostly mid and long range fighters here." Onchou reminded him. "I'm the only expert in close range combat here." She said strapping her sword to her back.
"True. Engaging them within The Land of Fire's boarders could have negative political consequences as well." Gaara agreed. "Let us avoid them for now and make haste to Suna. Send a messages to The Sand and Leaf as well."
"Right away." Korobi said pulling a pair of carrier pigeons from his pack.
As soon as the birds left with their messages, the shinobi took to the roof tops and then the trees heading at breakneck speed towards The Land of Wind in a protective diamond formation with Gaara in the middle.
The Kazekage studied the girl to his right as her ears glowed in the darkness her eyes darting from side to side as she worked to manage the additional information coming from her ears and eyes.
"Have you learned anything new?" Kankuro asked the girl.
She nodded. "Three of them are water users and one is an earth user." Her brow furrowed. "From what I've been able to catch of their conversations, they plan to trap Gaara with an earth style jutsu and then bombard him with water attacks."
"That's actually a pretty good strategy." The puppeteer noted with a frown on his face.
Onchou nodded. "Yes it is." She frowned. "They're quite fast. Faster than we are. Even with our head start, I'm not sure how long we can maintain our lead on them."
The group of ninja moved quickly and quietly through the trees for several more hours when Onchou's eyes lit up just as the sun began to rise. "What are you thinking?" Gaara asked sensing her excitement leaking through their link.
"I think we should split up." She replied.
"Split up? How does that make any sense?" Kankuro asked.
"We can't outrun them for much longer. I'm not sure how they're doing it, but they're just moving too fast for us to stay ahead of them. Also, like Gaara said, we don't want cause a commotion here in The Land of Fire or The Land of Rivers." She explained. Her gaze turned to the Kazekage. "How quickly could you return Suna using that sand transportation jutsu of yours?"
"Just a few short hours." He replied. "Though it would use a fair amount of chakra to do so." He admitted.
Her brow furrowed once again. "Hmm. We don't want to leave you vulnerable like that, but we need to get your out of harm's way…." She looked over at him again. "How do you feel about riding a dragon?"
"Are you kidding me!?" Kankuro exclaimed. "Aren't we trying to be inconspicuous here!?"
"We'd only ride them to The Land of Wind." She explained. "Once there, Gaara, Korobi, and Yaoki can immediately go to the village at top speed, while you and I hang back and move at a more normal speed. Between your puppets and my genutsu we'd easily be able to create the illusion that all of us are still together especially since the old counsel doesn't know that I'm actually a strong sensory type shinobi. Then we can either lure them into traps and apprehend them or battle it out and eliminate them completely. Since we'll be our jurisdiction by then there won't be any political backlash regardless of the outcome."
"It's a good plan." Gaara confessed.
"Yeah it is." Kankuro admitted. "Alright then. Should we stop so you can summon them?"
"No, but we'll want to head to the treetops." She replied changing her direction as she began to form seals with her hands. She leapt above the treetops and bit her thumb. "Summoning jutsu!" she exclaimed.
A bright yellow dragon with blue lightning bolt patterns running down their sides appeared under her feet and an emerald dragon with bright blue eyes appeared next to her.
"Electra, Erde, it's good to see you." She said rubbing the two dragon's heads.
"It's a pleasure to be in your presence again Lady Onchou." Erde rumbled.
"Miss Onchou! I'm glad to see you doing so well. I was worried when we left you before after that disaster with Takuma." Electra replied.
"I know this isn't the first time I've seen it, but I'm still having a hard time believing it." Kankuro admitted from where he stood next to Gaara atop the trees.
"Those are seriously scary." Yaoki confessed.
"Come on up!" Onchou called down to them. "Electra is a little smaller so I'll have one of you ride with us and the rest can ride with Erde."
"I'll take the green one." Kankuro said jumping up onto the emerald dragon's head. "Get up there lover boy." He said motioning to the yellow dragon.
Gaara sighed and leapt up to land on the dragon's back behind Onchou. He slipped caught off guard by the smoothness of the scales and she reached out and caught his hand. "Sorry, I should have warned you about that. Erde's scales are rougher so getting your footings is pretty easy. Electra here has the smoothest scales of any dragon."
"Yes I do." The dragon replied a little rumble like a purr vibrating her body.
"As you can see, she's very proud." The violet haired girl said with a smile. "Alright. So come here Erde." She called out to the green dragon. "I'll explain the plan quickly. I need you both to take us to The Land of Wind as quickly as possible. Try to stay out of sight too." She glanced around. "It looks like there are plenty of clouds out today so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge."
"As you wish my lady." Erde rumbled. "Who are these humans?"
"Right. That's Kankuro, Karobi, and Yaoki." She said as they nodded in turn. "This is Gaara." She said motioning to the man behind her. Electra hissed and Erde growled at the mention of the Kazekage's name. "Calm down you two. I already explained once before that he didn't abandon me. Everything is fine now."
Erde grumbled. "If you say so."
Electra sighed as well. "Big brother is right. So shall we get going?"
"Yes. Quickly." Onchou said. "Oh, you guys should probably sit down." She called out to her companions. "They're the two fastest flyers I have."
"Don't tell Shadow about that." Electra giggled as Gaara sat down on her back. "Shall we race big brother?" she challenged gliding closer to Erde.
"We're trying to be sneaky here." Onchou reminded them.
"We know." Electra said with a sigh. "Let's go then." She said quickly weaving signs along with her brother.
"What are they doing?" Gaara asked.
"Just wait a second." Onchou replied tugging the sleeves of her shirt down to cover her more fully.
"Dragon Art. Cloud Cover Jutsu." The dragons said simultaneously. They were both suddenly enveloped in a thick mist.
Gaara's eyes widened and he nearly jumped when Onchou reached out and grabbed his hands wrapping them securely around her waist.
"It's a bit disorienting at first and she's slippery. Just hang on to me." She said. "Are you guys alright?" she called out in the direction where Erde had vanished.
"Yeah! A little freaked out but we'll deal with it!" Kankuro answered.
"Sorry about that." Onchou replied. "Hang on to the ridges on his back. It helps. Let's go guys!"
"As you wish My Lady." The dragons answered before they suddenly launched forward.
Gaara chanced a glance over the side and barely made out the land through the mist as they soared over the trees. He wished that the mist was gone so he could see properly but understood why it was there. "So we simply look like a fast moving cloud to the average person I assume?" he asked tucking Onchou's pony tail between his shoulder and hers shifting forward so he could keep it pinned there. Her hair was lovely, but it was an annoyance when it was constantly whipping him in the face.
'Yes' Onchou answered through the soul link. 'Unless a sensory type ninja is actively searching the skies, we shouldn't be detected.'
'This plan of yours is a bit risky.' He mused.
'This coming from the man that allowed his powerful, yet incredibly unpredictable friend who would bring an end to the world as we know it, fight in a war that was being waged to protect him.' She replied in a tone that heavily suggested she was probably cocking one of her violet brows at him.
'That was not my fault' he argued. 'I wasn't happy to see him there but Lady Tsunade's authority over him trumped mine. Additionally he ended up saving the world.' He sighed. 'You try to keep Naruto out of fight he feels personally responsible for.'
'I don't think there's a person alive that can do that.' She admitted.
'So why are you arguing with me?' he questioned.
'Because even though my plan is risky for everyone else, it keeps you safe by placing you furthest from any conflict.' She replied.
'I've been fighting my entire life.' He reminded her.
'Yes but you are the Kazekage. There's no reason for you to fight this fight when there are people here to fight it for you. Besides, they're after you. You are not Naruto, you don't get to serve yourself up on a silver platter to the enemy, taunt them, and nearly get killed for it before coming back basically from the dead and save the world. He was born under the star of the hero and seems to be the reincarnation of an old, powerful being. You are not.' She leaned back against him and nuzzled his cheek. 'You were born under the star of the ruler. Your role is to lead which means sometimes you have to be protected.' Her lips brushed the corner of his eye. 'Please let us protect you.'
He sighed and pulled her as close as he could given the circumstances. 'Only if you promise to return safe and sound.' He replied skimming his nose lightly across the nape of her neck.
'Yes. I promise. I will always come back to you.' She replied. 'Rest now. Electra and my ears will alert us to any danger.'
Gaara reluctantly complied leaning forward and resting his head on her shoulder. Within moments he was sleeping, dreaming of riding chakra boards across the desert sand with Onchou laughing by his side.