Chapter 9: Blind Sight
Ayumi shot up from her position panting. When her eyes started to water she suppressed the tears from falling.
'It's just a dream... a bad dream, that's all,' she told herself out of breath while brushing a hand through her hair.
'Kami, I could use something to drink now.'
Calming herself, she sat still to listen around her. The ninja hadn't stirred when she woke up. Everything was quiet apart from the wind softly blowing and the water running further away. Careful not to make too much noise she slid out of Gaara's sleeping bag.
'How will I get to that river? I can't see a damn thing,' she sighed to herself. 'I guess I'll rely on my senses and luck. I don't want to wake anyone up.'
While biting on the tip of her tongue out of concentration she uncertainly placed her first steps. The ground under her bare feet was dry and the grass brittle. It stung a little as she walked. In her mind's eye she envisioned the area around her. She imagined the clearing where they had positioned themselves, the sleeping forms of the Suna ninja, and the path that lay before her. Slowly she proceeded, completely oblivious to the fact she wasn't the only one who was awake.
Gaara looked at her with mild curiosity. Where did she think she was heading? He would follow her to make sure she wouldn't get away or be put in harm's way. As soft as a shadow, like only ninja could be, he walked after her at a safe distance. Amazed he saw how she turned right just before colliding with a tree, how she seemed to know to keep left to evade the three brambles. Nearly stumbling every time she miraculously avoided hitting something. In all his life Gaara had only met a few blind people, but he never witnessed they had skills like this. With his astonishment aroused he continued to track her movements, understanding now what she was heading for. Around the river the vegetation was thicker than in the clearing where they made camp. Here grew a few mighty oaks, their great arms looming over the water, branching into many fingers reaching out to touch the cool liquid. Gaara decided those thick branches would make an excellent outlook point from where he could both keep an eye on the camp and on Ayumi.
'The water is close,' Ayumi told herself only a few yards removed from the river's bank. She walked forward and suddenly yelped. Gaara stood up tensed and looked if she was hurt. Ayumi held up her left foot.
"Damn you, rock," he heard her complain. So she wasn't a mute. It seemed she was recovering during their trip to Sunagakure. When she neared the edge of the river her feet left prints in the clay ground. Ayumi kneeled forward with her face hovering above the water's surface. Gaara could see her faint reflection from this close distance. Her shoulders began to shake and her frail form cringed.
'She's crying,' he realized, and caught himself pitying the girl.
Ayumi sniffled a last time and wiped the tears with the back of her hand. She cupped water and began splashing it in her face and drinking some afterwards.
'This is just what I needed, some refreshing water to cool my thoughts.' The night was serene. She began to relax, even letting a small smile play on her lips. Her senses broadened, a feeling she was only subconsciously aware of. She let her feet slide into the river and began to lazily kick them back and forth.
'I wonder what we'll have for breakfast in the morning. I hope not those tasteless bars again. Maybe they'll get a fire going and cook something up! But did they take anything with them? Oh wait... I could... If I could catch some fish.'
Ayumi smiled at herself for having such a daring idea. As if she could catch something with her condition. But at least she could have some fun trying?
She pulled her feet out of the water and crouched down. At first Ayumi only felt the water's cool radiating in her face. But then... she became aware of something odd. She could see in a strange fashion. She felt the flow of water, so to speak. Making out different shapes that dwelled in the stream which blocked the normal current. These shapes had their own circuits within them, by which she could separate their distinct forms from the river water. She stretched out her arms to reach one, her fingers strangely defined by her own blood circuiting through her body. Led by an urge to make wavy motions with her fingers, she found she could manipulate the flow. It whirled around without direction. Excited by this discovery she decided to push it further. Biting the tip of her tongue, Ayumi envisioned that she could stretch out this new extension of herself around the fish-shape, forming a ball. The fish noticed something was off and started swimming. Ayumi yelped and hastened the movements with her hands to follow the fish around. Gaara's eyes widened. Something splashed out of the river's surface. An oval-shaped ball of water with a frantic carp trapped inside it. The bubble's shape changed irregularly as Ayumi's hands danced around. The carp gave it his all and burst out of the bubble, diving back into the river, leaving Ayumi dumfounded.
"That was crazy!" she spoke out loud and laughed in marvel. She shook her hands to get rid of excess water. "Though...just how did I do that?"
Gaara jumped down from the tree branch and landed close to her, taking Ayumi by surprise.
"You!" she exclaimed before realizing she didn't actually know who was out there, although she had a hunch. "You – w-who are you?"
"It's me, Sabaku no Gaara," Gaara answered, his voice so dark and velvety, it sent a delicious shiver down her spine. Whenever he talked, and he said little, she found herself tilting her head in his direction. Being blind, somebody's voice made a big impression on her image of a person. But now was not the time to let herself be influenced by something trivial like this. He gave her a scare appearing out of nowhere, and besides that had violated her privacy by not making himself known earlier.
"You've spied on me!" she said accusingly.
"You've wandered off," he remarked dryly.
"W-well... That doesn't give you the r-right to stalk people, it's rude you know," she stammered and crossed her arms in defiance.
"If my prisoner would surrender to her role as captive and stay put I would not be forced to follow her," he replied with the smallest hint of humor. 'A prisoner is trying to make me look like a felon? What a girl.'
Ayumi said nothing but stared into the emptiness somewhere next to Gaara, a light frown playing on her forehead and lips formed into a pout. Gaara took a step into her direction and stared intently at her face.
"What were you doing just now?" he inquired.
"I-I..." she mumbled raising her eyebrows, "I'm not really sure, I... I just... I mean I don't know how I am like this. This is my first experience. I think."
"Do you have a bloodline limit?"
"A what?" she replied confused.
"A special ability shared by members of a certain family. It can include the ability to draw from your chakra without the need of seals," he explained in his usual monotone.
"Owh uhm, no? I'm pretty sure I'm just normal," she replied blinking her eyes.
"What was it like?"
"I felt... like I could see... but it's gone now." It looked as if the girl spoke the truth. Suddenly Gaara remembered something he had wondered about.
"What is your name?"
"It's Ayumi," she replied.
"I'd like to say it's nice to meet you, but you were found in difficult circumstances."
"Why? What did I do? Where are you taking me?" she fired at him worried.
Gaara sighed and looked around him before he averted his pale green eyes back on Ayumi. She seemed so clueless. He didn't think he ever met somebody who displayed all their thoughts through their facial expression like her. Perhaps because he was raised amongst professionals who never showed their true colors due to severe training. He himself might be the best at concealing his emotions from all. These type of people had something disarming. Like Naruto, so honest and driven, you had to like him at some point.
"We were exploring clues about an enemy base, that's where we found you. We're investigating a series of disappearances and attacks. You seem to be affiliated with the people we are looking for."
"Me? I swear, I don't know what I did wrong. I'm... I'm confused," she replied and the frown deepened.
"What do you know of Sumairi?" Gaara continued unaffected.
"I can't stand him. He unnerves me. I keep having these flashes, I think he kidnapped me. I have memories of being locked away in a prison of glass for a long time," she explained bitterly.
'Kidnapped? If this is true, it seems she escaped. What interest do they have in her?' Gaara wondered.
"He is your enemy," she said, suddenly serious, "and so is he mine. Let me help you. Maybe I can remember something... something about him... that will be useful. Sakura mentioned an interrogation. It's information you want, right?"
"Hm," Gaara said in thought. She spoke bravely but he could see she was shaking at the thought of being interrogated. She seemed true, but he couldn't give her his word just yet.
"You're telling me you might be a victim in this situation. I want to believe you, but your memories will reveal that once you have them back. We need to explain why you were found so close to an enemy base."
She nodded understandingly.
'I just want to be free. I'll do anything to avoid being locked away and hurt like I have been.'
"You can tell me everything you know once we are in Sunagakure," Gaara continued. His clothes rustled as he stepped closer. "Here, take my hand. I'll lead you back. You should rest more."
She lifted her own hand in search for his in the darkness, wondering why she couldn't sense the presences around her like before.
"Got you," Gaara said as he grasped her hand. She smiled. God, what a cute smile, he had to admit. He pulled her to her feet and was about to turn around back to camp, if she didn't squeeze his hand lightly. Gaara turned his face back and stared down at the girl who was almost a head shorter. He looked past her lashes at her eyes. As usual they were unfocused, and their milky blues were strange, but not ugly. They resembled Hinata's eyes in some way.
"Uhm... Gaara-san... thank you," she said softly. For a moment he was taken aback, he wasn't expecting thanks from someone he imprisoned.
"It's nothing," he replied monotonously, wondering what was there to thank for to begin with. They started walking back.
"WHAT THE- STOP!" Kankuro shouted from afar. A hiss drifted their way through the thicket.
"Get him away from Black Ant!" Rin exclaimed, "where's Kazekage-sama?"
Gaara didn't stop to think. He swooped Ayumi up in his arms and rushed forward. She wrapped her arm around his neck and felt her heart thump loudly. Something bad was going on. They broke into the clearing. A large, bulky half-reptile was leaning over Black Ant, a tail swaying behind him which deflected the kunai Matsuri shot. Kankuro had his chakra strings attached to Black Ant and they were playing tug-of-war.
"What strength," Kankuro huffed through gritted teeth. Black Ant's construction started to moan under the pressure. Gaara let Ayumi down.
'I'm not taking any risks,' he thought and sternly demanded Ayumi to stay still while he threw a barrier of sand over her. Ayumi barely dared to breathe. In this quiet darkness she began to concentrate on signs of the battle outside.
"There it is!" she whispered. That same feeling. Outside of this sand shell she could sense the flow of humidity in the air and the solid forms of humans, the figure of a person trapped within a puppet, the tiny shapes of all the thousands of leafs and grass sprigs that surrounded them.
'Is it because of the water?'
Black Ant heaved and cracked.
"He's trying to get to Sumairi!" Kankuro called out.
"Take this!" Matsuri screamed as she threw a giant shiruken at him. But the lizard-man jumped up to evade the attack, forcing Kankuro's feet to slid across the ground.
"I need everything I have to stop Black Ant from breaking!" he said laboriously. Gaara's sand shot forward and got hold of the tail. He dragged Snake into the moonlight while Kankuro did his best to control Black Ant. Their opponent turned around facing them with a loud hiss as Gaara's hold on his tail tightened.
"MIYUGA!" Rin shreeked in horror. All of them fell silent flabbergasted. "Miyuga, it's you isn't it!?"
The half-breed before them which resembled Veeran indeed shared the facial features of the missing Suna shinobi. Gaara noticed as well he had the metallic plug on the base of his neck.
"Owh, Miyuga! It's me, Rin, your sister!" she continued and stepped forward with her hand clutching her heart.
Snake let out a long hiss.
"I'm Snake," he said coolly.
"Miyuga, that isn't true! I can see through this... this ugly disguise- it's-it's you!" she pleaded, "don't you think your own sister would recognize you? We shared our apartment together, don't you remember who I am?"
Snake remained silent. Gaara's sand started to creep over his tail to wrap itself his waist, but before that could happen Snake cast his tail off.
"NO!" Rin shouted in horror.
He gritted his jagged teeth and looked with yellow eyes down on the puppet which contained Sumairi. With a loud grunt and trembling arms he ripped open Black Ant and revealed Ayumi's kidnapper within. Quickly his flexible arm shot inside and pulled Sumairi out.
"Black Ant!" Kankuro exclaimed and pulled hard on the chakra strings. Having got what he came for Snake let go of the puppet and it fell back in Kankuro's hands. "I'll get you for this," Kankuro shot at him icily and grabbed his Scorpion scroll. Matsuri was readying a set of explosive kunai and Gaara was about to let his sand lurge forward. Rin ran forward in between them.
"Please, no! My little brother," she begged them on the verge of tears. Then she turned to Snake who stared at her with bewilderment.
"Miyuga..." she whispered and stepped forward reaching out for his arm. Her touch burned his skin. He hissed and smacked her. Rin flew through the air, skidded across the ground and came to a halt with her back against a tree. She groaned and remained limp. Blood trickled down the corner of her mouth.
"I'm Snake," he repeated bitterly and jumped away with Sumairi across his shoulder.
"So long suckers!" the scarred fiend called out to them.
"Shall I pursue them, Gaara?" Kankuro asked on edge.
"It's a risk," Gaara replied, "Rin needs medical attention. This was supposed to be an observatory mission, and we've already been in two fights. We'll retreat for now. We will conduct research on this tail to see who we are dealing with."
He looked at the twitching tail still covered in his sand.
'Lizards have the ability to grow back their tails, I made a mistake grabbing him there.' In that moment they heard the call of a hawk.
"It's Toma, Temari-hime's messenger!" Matsuri called out pointing at the sky. Gaara lifted the barrier shielding Ayumi and held up his right arm. The predator bird landed graciously on it. He untied the small parchment attached to its claw and threw the bird back into the air. It circled them a few times before it returned in the direction of Sunagakure. He opened the scroll.
"It's from Temari, she's coming to meet us," Gaara said.
"Thanks for that, with a prisoner and Rin unconscious we need it," Kankuro huffed, pissed off over the situation.
"Tomorrow we'll be home," Gaara said. His two other teammates nodded. Gaara let Ayumi on his back and Kankuro carried Rin. They weren't going to waste anymore time.
Just half a mile from where they had made camp the Land of River's came to an end and they suddenly entered the desert. The everchanging dunes, cast in silver moonlight, the dust prickling his eyes and nose. Gaara sighed in relief. He was home.
A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I want to apologize for my irregular updates. I've been sick for nearly five months, in and out of the hospital for tests etc. That really got me down. But I'm okay now :) I'm doing my best to keep up.
How's the story going for you? Drop me a comment if you like!
Love, Demiyah
