Chapter Ten
An Unhealing Wound
It had been three months. Three months of preparation, research and speculation. Shukaku had forgotten just how much time could slow down to a brutal crawl. H just wanted to get whatever his son was after so that this headache could be done with. He was suspicious about it, and he knew that he probably wasn't going to approve of whatever it was that Gaara was after, but at least it would be out in the open, and he could deal with it. He rubbed his temples miserably. It was all such a headache.
Shukaku shouldered his pack as he prepared to depart. To make matters worse, they all had to go on foot since Zetsu, Kisame, Hinata, Kyuubi and Naruto couldn't fly. Ridiculous, why did they have to take so many? Just what was his son so worried about, and what did Hinata have to do with anything? He hissed irritably at a maid who hadn't scuttled out of his way fast enough. If he wanted, he could be just as savage as his son, and right now he was in a foul mood. All this work for a toy and a few trinkets, yeah, right, something was up. What was his son up to? He had been a trying child ever since he was in the womb, adorable yes, and a treasure, but trying all the same.
Shukaku strode to Karura's room. She had insisted that he come up to meet with her after he had handled everything in his court. He wondered what could be so pressing. She had been living with him for two years now, and she was as lovely as ever. He had Bound her to him within the first year of moving her to the palace, and things had been very good. She was a strong, yet gentle, woman who was best possible companion for him. She knew if he had a rough day, or if he had a good one, and was always there to drag a smile or a laugh out of him. He couldn't remember ever being so happy.
When he pushed open the door, she rose from her chair and came to him. She guided him to the bed. Although she slept in his chambers, she had her own room, more as a retreat that she could use if she didn't want to be bothered.
"It's best if you are sitting when I tell you this, dearest Shuky."
"I'm never going to be rid of that name, am I? What is it that you want to tell me, Karura?"
"Of course you're never going to be rid of that name, because I happen to like it. It suits you."
"You're avoiding the question, princess." She sighed in exasperation, trying futilely to disguise her nervousness.
"You're right, I am. Well, the thing is, I'm not really sure how to tell you this, but, well, I'm just going to say it. I'm pregnant, Shuky." She gazed into his eyes hopefully.
"P-pregnant? Are you sure?" She nodded.
"I've missed my cycle for three months now, so I had one of the healers test me, three times. I was positive each time. They used the special water that turned red, and it was red three times. I'm pregnant, Shuky." She exhaled a shaky breath. He looked at her in awe.
"Just how red was it?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"A lot, Karura. How red was it? Was it thin?"
"No, it was so dark and thick that it was like liquid garnet, almost black in the center. Come to think of it, the healers were alarmed at this. Why?"
"The color determines the strength and species of the child. Brown for humans, a variety of other colors for the other demons, and red is for my species. The darker it is, the stronger that child will be. If the child is a hybrid, the color will be watered down."
"So that means…"
"Yes, Karura, our child will be very powerful. The color seems to be even darker than mine was. The child may even reign as emperor some day." He kissed her passionately, his joy expressed in that kiss.
Shukaku touched the vial at his chest, and walked out of the door.
Gaara snarled at the blond woman in front of him.
"You're late! I told you to be here an hour ago! Where have you been?!" he stalked toward her, his wings bristling. The terrified girl took a step back.
"M-milord, please, I-I-I-"
"Shut up! Your useless babbling is irritating! Get over here!" He didn't give her a chance to comply; he seized her arm in a painful rip and pulled her over to the table. He raked a claw down her throat, and tasted her blood. His face darkened in fury, and he threw her into the wall. She crashed into the stone, and tumbled down to land in a stunned heap.
"You whore! I told you not to go and fuck someone until I was through with you!"
"M-milord, I didn't, please-"
"Your blood doesn't lie! Did you think that I wouldn't find out?! Well?! Did you?! You've been with no less than five in the past month! Traitorous slut! You're of no use to me now, and the other is still too weak to use!" he strode over to her, and looked down at her, contempt and fury in his eyes.
"You will pay the price to me in blood, worm. With interest."
"Milord, I didn't realize that it was necessary-"
"Ha!" he let out a scornful laugh. "Did you think I was saving you for myself?! How naive! I only needed you for your damn blood! Virgin blood for my spell! You stupid bitch, don't realize I've bedded and cast aside girls that are much better looking than you?! You're not even mediocre on that scale! You stupid, moronic, vain little whore!" Gaara yanked her to her feet, and then threw her through the window. She screamed almost all the way down, but she ran out of air to scream with. Gaara ran his claws through his hair. He was going to have to trust it all to luck, because he couldn't bleed the other cow until they got to Tanzaku, simply because she didn't have enough blood in her. Not only that, he had to make sure that she, at least, stayed pure.
Gaara snarled viciously, and summoned the servants to clean up the mess, and to fix the window. He hated playing babysitter.
Zetsu helped Hinata to her feet and hefted her pack. She had stumbled on the sand dune, mostly due to exhaustion. He had appointed himself as the girl's bodyguard, and he took his job seriously. Shukaku ranged ahead, while Gaara circled on the thermals above them, scaring off any potential robbers. Kyuubi and Naruto flanked them, and Kisame brought up the rear. Hinata desperately needed a break, after all, humans didn't have good stamina, but Gaara showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Shukaku paused, and then began to stride back to them. He waited until everyone was caught up to speak. Zetsu wondered what he was up to, but, at length, decided that it didn't really matter.
"About a quarter of a mile ahead is a small oasis. The spring comes from deep underground, and as such, the water will be fairly cool and clean. There are also several decent trees that we can make camp under. The rocky outcropping juts up about thirty feet or so, and the top is the source of the spring. The pool at the base of the small waterfall is full of fish, but you want to drink the clean water from the fall itself. I'm going up to convince my son to stop for the day. He can go for weeks on end, it seems, but since this is the last quiet watering hole for about a week on foot, he will probably let us fill our skins and canteens, and forage for food."
They began to walk the way that Shukaku had gestured, while he launched into the air after Gaara. He seemed agreeable enough, so they all took that as a good sign. Hinata pulled her hood tighter, trying futilely to escape the vicious sun. She stumbled again, but trudged resolutely on. She didn't want to fail at this, and she was under the distinct impression that if she did fall and did not, or could not, rise again, that Gaara would leave her to rot. Sometimes she wondered if that wouldn't be a better fate, but then the idea that Gaara might just carry her himself terrified her into making sure that she, more or less, stayed on her feet and continued to trudge along with the others. One flight with him was enough to last a lifetime, and it had taken weeks for the bruises from that trip to fade.
They made it to the oasis just as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, and Hinata had never seen a more welcome sight. Shukaku took her to get her share of the water, and then leisurely splashed the cool liquid on his wings. He then fluffed them, more like a bird than anything, causing droplets to fly everywhere. Kisame dived into the water, chasing after fish while Kyuubi and Naruto gathered wood for a fire. Gaara caught a sand hare, with their long ears that were almost ridiculous, even for rabbits. He broke its neck with a sickening snap, making Hinata cringe. He skinned the hare neatly, setting the pelt aside for tanning. The trees produced a wonderful sap for preserving skins and leather. Gaara also caught a few small tortoises and carefully removed the meat from the shells, also setting them aside for preservation. They would need to camp here for the night and part of the next day, but he had a reason for this.
He wrapped his meat in some sort of long leaves, and left them at the edge of the fire to slowly cook. He found several decent pieces of wood, and began to carve them. He worked swiftly, using his claws with precision and much faster than a mere human could ever dream of. In short order he had three staffs and several small wooden animals.
"Just what are you doing, son?"
"Do you honestly think that I intend to go into the rat hole as a cat and catch the mice off-guard? No! I intend to disguise us as rats. And what is the most welcome rat in a city? A trader of course! Along the way we shall purchase a small pony and a wagon, and we will be hauling handmade things, like these. Gather some herbs and fruit, if you can. They will be useful on the journey."
"Gaara, just how-" Gaara cut off Naruto with a glare.
"Protocol still remains, Naruto, whether you like it or not, for now, at least."
"Fine, Lord Gaara, how are we going to convince them that we're human?"
"Well, the wretch already is, and you can pass for one so long as you don't do anything stupid, like, say, spontaneously punch a hole into a brick wall. All Kyuubi needs is a hat to cover his ears, and Kisame, a cloak. Zetsu, you're going to need to drink a potion, and, if we have enough, you will too, Kisame, in case anyone gets too nosey."
"What about you and Gramps?" Shukaku sniffed at the title from the kit, Naruto could be such a numbskull at times. Gaara smirked, and suddenly, his wings were simply gone. Naruto jumped back with a yelp, and Hinata cringed into Zetsu.
"You don't need to worry about us, little fox, we can take care of ourselves." Suddenly, his wings returned, and he strode away to check on his dinner, giving some of the meat to his father. Shukaku had always had a taste for tortoise meat. He offered some to Hinata, who took hers away to nibble on in privacy, while Gaara ate on the ledge.
Later on, Hinata made her way to the oasis again, and took off her cloak. Her hair was bound in a large bun, and she dampened a small towel. Unfortunately, she was not as alone as she thought.
Gaara was perched on the ledge above her, and was watching her keenly. He gazed at her as she unbound her hair, causing it to fall in a graceful cascade to her waist. It surprised him just how much it had grown, and he was forced to admit, however grudgingly, that it was an attractive thing, and quite exotic with its midnight blue color. He, however, still believed that she was still very plain, and therefore nothing special. He watched her rinse her face and arms, and then decided to have a little fun.
He gave a noisy flap of his wings, and snarled savagely. She looked up at him swiftly, freezing in place. He crouched down on his hands, and held out his wings slightly, as if in preparation to dive down at her. She bolted from the pool as fast as she could, his mocking laughter ringing in her ears.
Once at her tent she felt alongside her neck lightly. She winced anyways when her fingers brushed against the punctures on her throat. It had been over three months, yet they were still there, the same as if it had happened only yesterday. Gaara's attack had left her with an unhealing wound on her body and her soul, and she doubted that it would ever heal.
Okay, chapter ten is done! Yeah, I know, not nearly as interesting as the others, but it is important, especially if you want to understand what is going on in the later chaps. I've had a run of luck lately; I've been able to get on the computer on a fairly regular basis. Of course, that will probably change within the next few days, but still, yay for me. I'm going to update this while I still can. Read and review!