Disclaimer: It could get old saying this, but I do not own Naruto. Just my OC.
A/N: Yes!! Chapter Ten is out! –Dances- I hope you enjoy. I'll try hard to quit doing so many flashbacks from now on, arigato for putting up with me… ;
This chapter is dedicated to invisible-gurl; thanks for reviewing and Favoriting; also to kina1234, thanks for Alerting!
Wanderer of the Sand
Chapter X
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It had been two years since Yashamaru's betrayal.
For two whole years I had watched, mentally counting up the bodies that continued to appear. Sometimes days went by with the streets smelling of nothing but dried blood, browning in the desert sun, covering patches of the ground like a gruesome shadow. How many attempts had the Kazekage now made to assassinate his own son? I got to thirty, then stopped counting. It was just too depressing.
Sensei was having a very difficult time keeping me focused on training. My mind wandered constantly; it was a miracle I survived my lessons with all of my limbs intact.
To this day I'm not positive why I did what I did. Maybe after all those long hours outside, the sun had finally fried my brain. Maybe day after day of watching my friend suffer and slowly lose himself ignited a fuse to the giant stick of dynamite that was my temper. I didn't even think I had a temper, until that day.
I had been training nonstop for weeks and weeks. I had a feeling that when it got down to it, the leader of Sand Village was just not going to listen. And when that happened….
I felt almost feverish. Sick with worry and apprehension over what I was going to do. Somewhere, the sole intelligent section of my brain was telling me that I was the biggest idiot in the history of idiots. Really. What could an eight-year-old do to hurt the greatest ninja in Suna? Probably nothing. The odds of me even getting in a scratch were below zero. So far below, a name hadn't even been thought up for the number. But I had had it. I was sick of my family, sick of the Kazekage's unfairness, sick of watching Gaara be hurt. I'd miss him, and I'd miss Sensei. But after tonight, I would be out of everyone's hair.
I just wanted to be released from this mess. To find my own way.
I guess my motives were pretty selfish, looking back.
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The guard Jonin let me in. What threat was an eight-year-old kid?
The Kazekage sat at his desk, shuffling wearily through a pile of papers. He looked up, and I started quivering with excitement. Why was I excited?! I had lost my mind at last.
"Yes?" he asked impatiently.
"K-Kazekage-sama," I gulped. "I-I want to ask you for a-a favor." "Favor?" He raised a skeptical brown eyebrow. "What would that be?"
"It's about your son," I said, forcing my voice to stop shaking. I felt sick. The Kazekage scowled. "What do you want with the Shuka-with Gaara?" I froze. The Shukaku?!
Anger replaced my agitation. "I want-" My voice was too hard. "I want you to stop trying to kill him." His eyes narrowed.
Silence. It felt like hours before he broke it. "Why should you care what happens to him? What I choose to do with my son is none of your concern, child." Harsh, sharp, and uncaring. "Why should I care?!" I yelped furiously. "Why should I care?! Because Gaara-sama is my friend, and he is a person, a human being! He deserves to be treated like one!" "That brat has never been a human being!" the Kazekage yelled back. "He never will be, and that is the point! I am the Kazekage of Sunagakure, and my first duty always is to put my people first! The Shukaku is dangerous; it's only a matter of time before he breaks through and kills us all!" "But he's your son!" I shrieked, my throat almost ripping as it made the horrible sound.
He fixed me with a cold, hard glare. "The demon is no son of mine. I want nothing to do with him ever again, and unless you have a suggestion for ways to destroy him, I want you out of here. Now."
The way he stayed so calm as he spoke of ending his child's life.
That was what pushed me over the edge.
"GYAHHHHHHH!!" I screeched so loudly my own ears hurt. I launched myself across the desk, unsheathing my katana. I swung it fiercely, landing a direct hit. Or so it seemed.
"Stupid girl," a voice growled dangerously in my ear. I whipped around, realizing way too late that the only thing I'd slashed was a Shadow Clone.
He hit me so hard I thought my jaw would come off its hinges. I smashed against the wall, eyes tearing up as pain slowly consumed my body.
"Ignore the pain, and counterattack."
That was what Sensei had said. I reached down-my katana! Where-
Oh, crap! The Kazekage had thrown it at me. I couldn't dodge. It all but skewered my arm, and I heard myself scream.
I looked up into pitiless eyes. "You…stupid…girl," he said slowly. "Did you honestly think that would work?" He leaned forward and yanked the sword roughly out of my arm and the wall. Another hideous, shameful scream from me.
I started to cry, angry with myself for doing so but unable to stop. I really didn't want to die. What had I been thinking? That he wouldn't kill a child?
Yeah right. Perhaps the fact had slipped my mind that this was the man who was trying to assassinate his own son.
I bowed my head, trying and failing to stop the sobs. Waiting for the end.
The katana was offered to me, sharp end first.
I looked up again, wiping my eyes in confusion. "Wh-why are you…?"
He scowled. "Do you think I enjoy killing children? My son is a special case, obviously. I try not to kill any more than necessary." There was a shock.
"Don't think for an instant that you will just waltz out of here," he warned. "I'll have one of my medic-nin heal your arm-or at least mostly. I'll give you some food and water, and then you're through here. Gone. Banished. I don't care where you go; just know that if I ever see your face in the Sand Village again, I will kill you on sight. Do you understand?"
I almost started crying again.
But I knew that this was the best I could hope for. I took my katana, ignoring the blood, pushed my dark brown hair out of the way and cut a symbol deep into my forehead. The symbol for Sunagakure, so that I would never forget where my home truly was.
I nodded at the Kazekage, ending swiftly my old life and beginning a new one.
As Shara, a rogue ninja.
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"……..I think she's asleep, Temari." "Idiot. You can't sleep with your eyes open." "Well, she's doing it. She hasn't moved in almost thirty minutes. And her eyes are all glazed over, look."
I snapped back to reality. Kankuro jumped back. "She awakens," Temari commented sarcastically. "So I suppose you're not going to answer?" Answer…? Oh. Right. Why I'd left Suna. "I-um-had some trouble with the Kazekage-sama, is all." She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, is that all."
Thankfully, the uncomfortable conversation was terminated by the arrival of Sensei.
"I have spoken to the Hokage; everything's good. He seemed to think that there wouldn't be any trouble with an extra contestant. Your escapades amused him."
I reddened. I had acted like such an amateur, blowing my cover like that. "Escapades?" Kankuro inquired, glancing at me curiously. "Shara here has been following you three since the end of the first test. Now she is a temporary member of our team. Got it?"
"Following-?!" Kankuro began, but was cut off with an elbow to the ribs by Temari. I almost grinned. "Fine, Baki-sensei," she said coolly, shooting him a look that said clearly, You owe us one heck of an explanation later.
I glanced sideways at Gaara to see what his reaction was.
He was staring at the ground still, expressionless. And I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
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Two days. Or maybe three.
That was how long we stood around there, just me, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro, with Baki-sensei coming and going. It was the most boring few days of my life.
At long last, the rest of the teams began to enter, one at a time. Naruto's team had made it, as had Tenten's team. I saw Rock Lee look at me in surprise, nudge Tenten, and point. Tenten looked at me in disbelief. I realized I was going to be getting a lot of those looks; besides not having a forehead protector, I was the fourth member of a team. We were going to be given hell for that, as I'm sure everyone else considered it cheating.
But it didn't happen. A large group of Jonin, including Ibiki and Anko, along with the Hokage himself had entered.
The third test of the Chunin Exams was about to start.
I told myself that I was ready until I believed it.
To Be Continued…..
A/N: So now you know. What do you think? -SS