Chapter Nine
In the morning, the sun shining through the broken shades of the window forced me to open my eyes and take in the new day. As I scanned the room, I noticed that Shikamaru was lying next to me, his quiet, steady breathing indicating that he was still asleep. I smiled and ran my index finger lightly over his pink lips, only to feel his lips move from the small pressure from my touch. Shika's eyelids fluttered, and I quickly drew back my finger, only to hear Shika mouth a single word- "Naruto." My name never sounded so good…not even when Sasuke used to say it.
Without warning, a loud knock sounded on the door, and I found myself falling off of the bed, cursing- "Kuso!" Who the hell was this so early in the morning?
My heartbeat attempted to regulate itself again, I bounded towards the door, swung it open, and found a small ninja child with red hair and freckles standing in the hallway. My face must have revealed my annoyance, as the little boy jumped. "Uh…uh…uh, Naruto-kun?"
I stared at him, half asleep still. "Hai?"
The young boy held out a scroll to me, which I accepted. "Lord Kazekage will be waiting for you in the common dinner hall, where he's feeding you breakfast and preparing you for your mission. So, uh…get there as fast as you can." And with that, the little guy darted off, tripping once, then picking himself back up and disappearing around a sharp corner.
I stared at the scroll in my hand, casually wondering what it was. But I knew what it was- it was the information on Akatsuki that we had been seeking. Opening it, I found that it was blank, meaning that the message would only appear once we did something specific. Although I knew how dangerous the Akatsuki were, I found myself surprised at the huge precautions that the Sand Village was taking. But who could blame them? Gaara had, over a year ago, been taken from the village despite all of his attempts to stop the intruders. While he managed to protect his home and the people who lived there, he suffered grave consequences, including having the Raccoon demon extracted from him and experiencing death. While he managed to have his life granted back to him, the people of the Sand probably did not want to take any further risk of harm.
"Shikamaru, get up you lazy idiot," I said unenthusiastically, as I began slowly pulling my pants over my boxers. My legs and bottom throbbed sharply, and I cursed the fact that great sex came with a price. Glancing over at Shika, I realized that he hadn't moved an inch, despite his excellent hearing and my rude awakening. I walked carefully to the side of the bed and stared down at my beautiful lover. Shikamaru lay on his back, one arm propped behind his head, his other resting softly on his stomach. Even in his sleep, he wore a creased forehead, and his lips appeared soft and welcoming. I inched closer, bending over him, and was about to plant a lovely kiss on his lips, when I realized something. "Shikamaru…you're awake, aren't you?" Shika's eyes instantly snapped open, and he stared at me, annoyance dotting his face.
He yawned, scratching his head. "So what if I am? You don't need two people to answer the door."
"Maybe not, but why do I always gotta do it?"
Shikamaru yawned again, wearing an expression that said he wasn't getting up anytime soon. " Well, because you like people better, and they like you. Plus, I'm tired from last night."
I laughed bitterly. "Yah, you're tired, and I just can't walk straight."
Finally, Shikamaru smiled. "You know I did all the work. Don't I deserve a good rest?"
I nodded. "Then just let me do the work once in awhile." I leaned down, planting a light kiss on Shika's lips.
When I broke away, I leaned on Shika's stomach, staring into his eyes. He grimaced. "Alright, I guess that is the best wake-up call a guy can ask for."
"Arigatou," I said, giving him a final kiss on that creased forehead, and standing up as straight as I could in order to put my shirt on. Shikamaru laughed, and I glared at him angrily, but he didn't seem the slightest bit scared of me. I guess exposing my big, baby blue eyes and soft blonde hair are not exactly the easiest way to scare a person.
Once dressed, Shikamaru and I exited the room, and made our way down the hall. Sai was walking ahead of us, and when he heard us he turned around, giving us a fake smile with a twinkle in his eye. "And how are the love birds doing this morning?" His smile faded abruptly to a look of shock, until he covered his mouth, giggling. "Oh, Naruto-kun, are you having trouble walking?"
My face grew so hot that I turned away. I knew I was hobbling, but how was I going to hide it? I just had to get to the breakfast table and…
Before I could come up with a plan to hide my embarrassment, Shikamaru had scooped me up in his strong arms and was carrying me down the hall. He walked alongside Sai. "Naruto just had a long day. Remember his hurt ankle? That's all it is. So just shut up about it."
Sai raised an eyebrow. "Hai, whatever you say, leader. Gomen, Naruto."
I nodded, wishing that they would both just stop talking about it and that Shikamaru would put me down. But, despite my shifting around, Shika didn't let me go until we had entered the great hall and were next to my seat. Placing me down, Shika noticed that Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were watching us. "Naruto is just a little worn out from yesterday. He'll be fine, though."
Although the three nodded, I knew that they were aware that it was a lie. Me, get run down from a mission? Yah, right! That would never happen, dattebayo
Over breakfast, we talked about common things, as the guards were stationed around the walls and we needed some formal time. Hinata came in last, apologizing and sitting herself in the seat furthest away from Temari, whose overly serious demeanor scared her. Eating enthusiastically, I reached for food every couple of minutes, until Shikamaru caught my hand as I reached for my seventh piece of bacon. "Naruto, why don't you settle down a little? You're grossing me out."
I pouted, pulling my hand out of his grasp, and chomping down on my bacon. "You complain about everything, Shikamaru," I said in a hushed whisper. "Don't you try and tell me how to eat, too!"
"Whatcha talking about, lovebirds?" Sai asked rudely from across the table.
Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro all stopped eating, a piece of French toast falling off the fork that Kankuro was holding towards his face. I stood up, ready to yell, then sat back down, my legs throbbing.
"What's going on?" Gaara asked quietly. His dark eyes glanced intently toward Sai, then to Shikamaru and me.
Sai sighed, "Oh nothing. But hey, Lord Kazekage- I hear you can manipulate Sand. Even after the demon was removed from you."
I could hear everyone around the table gasp, and Shikamaru cast a warning look at Sai.
But Gaara seemed unfazed, and looked directly at Sai. "Yes, it was a miracle."
Sai smiled. "Not for Gaara of the Sand. Not for someone worthy of being the Kazekage."
Gaara continued eating, but his eyes looked back up to Sai. He hesitated, then asked, "Why so interested?"
The silence was devastating. I was becoming nervous, because I had never, ever heard Gaara talk so much, not to anyone- not even to me, one of his good friends. So why was he talking so much to Sai?
Laying down his fork, Sai looked back at Gaara, who was fixed on him with a piercing stare. "Oh, I'm just a huge fan of sand…Sand Art, that is. I'm an artist, after all."
Gaara's eyes opened a bit, but his expression did not change. "Art, huh? So what is it that you do?"
Sai smirked. "I can do anything- as long as I will it." Bringing a small notepad, ink, and a quill out of his pocket, he began sketching something quickly. Once finished, Sai gave the typical ninjutsu spell over his art, which rose from the page. An airbrush symbol, the same as the one meaning "To Love Oneself" on Gaara's forehead, floated beautifully across the table and to where Gaara sat, speechless, until it disappeared with a whoosh from Sai's hand. I hadn't even noticed that he had sent out a second symbol, one that read "Beloved," which again headed straight for Gaara. But this symbol gestated there for a few seconds, then rose to fall on Gaara's forehead, covering his marking until Sai dispelled it. Gaara's eyes remained on Sai, and every person in the room waited to see his reaction. Suddenly, Gaara's mouth broke into a small smile, which sent everybody clapping and telling Sai how impressive his juutsu was. I clapped too, but unfortunately still remembered my first encounters with Sai, where his ninjuutsu was a pain to deal with, no matter how marvelous it appeared. Shikamaru obviously remembered as well, as he didn't say anything at all.
After breakfast, I stood up as gracefully as I could, which wasn't very graceful at all. I headed over to Gaara, who met me halfway out of kindness. "So, Gaara…how do I read this scroll?"
Gaara's eyes searched mine. "The message will not appear within thirty miles of the Land of the Sand. It's only to protect my village, and it's people."
I nodded. "I know. I figured as much. I wish that I could speak with you more, but we gotta head out as soon as possible. On our trek to find Sasuke…"
Gaara blinked. "I would have beat him. You know, that time when you followed us after the Chuunin exam. I would have beaten him, maybe even killed him. And I never would have changed- nothing would have changed. It's all thanks to you, Naruto."
I laughed, and playfully punched Gaara's shoulder, only to feel my hand met by a cloud of sand. At that, Gaara smiled. "My barrier still protects me."
"Hai," I grinned, "If only it could help protect you on the inside."
"Well, I learned that's what friends and family…and the people in the village are for." Looking towards Sai, we both saw that he was staring at us, a blank expression on his face. Gaara probably thought nothing of it, but I knew that it meant something along the lines of 'Don't touch my hottie, bitch!'
"Hay Gaara…I think you should know that Sai kinda likes y…" But before I could finish my sentence, Gaara pulled me into a hug, kissing my cheek as he pulled away. "See you again soon, Naruto. I know you'll find Sasuke- I can feel it."
I grinned nervously, surprised by Gaara's farewell and feeling the dark aura's of two jealous people in love. And sure enough, as I turned around to head back over to my team, I was met with the happy face of Hinata, and the disgruntled faces of Shikamaru and Sai.
