Sorry it took so long. I just finished with the last day of the exams... gawd! I hate physics!...I was only able to cram-study a few minutes before the exam... i hope I didn't fail!!... anyway, as promised, here's the next chappie for the story.. sorry about updating two days late... I had a few things to take care of... I'll do my best to update on a strict schedule... maybe at least once a week?... anyway, enough babbling, let's get on with the story... enjoy :3...
Disclaimer:... I told you how many times! I don't own Naruto!... I only own Akari and Akki
Akari's POV
"Strawberry or chocolate... What should I pick?..." I thought quietly as I looked through the glass case. Behind the case was an array of chocolates, sweets, cookies and other treats.
Among all of them, I was trying to decide what flavor of pocky I was going to buy...
Strawberry... chocolate... strawberry... chocolate... hmmm...
"One box of chocolate pocky please..." I said to the shop keeper. She smiled and took out a white box of pocky, handing it to me.
"Alright... that'll be 80 yen..."
Takeshi payed for the pocky before we went out of the store.
Takeshi had free time that morning and decided that the two of us would go for a little walk... it'd been a while beacause he had gotten kinda busy 'cause of his duties as a high-ranked jounin, so he wanted to spend a little time with me... as in to really get to talk... not just dropping off like when he brought me to the playground... that was yesterday...
Gran didn't let the opportunity slip by her. She decided that Takeshi and I could pick up a couple of things while we were out.
We were just talking while we were on the way back to the bakeshop... nothing much really...
until... that is...
"So... I forgot to ask you how it went yesterday..." He said casually, looking at me and smiling.
"What about yesterday?..." I asked, hoping that he wasn't going to ask about the playground.
"Don't be silly Kari-chan... you know what I mean... How'd it go at the playground? Did you make any new friends?"
"Uhmmm... well..." I was trying to recall what I told gran and gramps last night. It would be a bit wierd if the stories didn't match...
"Mmmmm?..." Takeshi prodded on patiently, waiting for my answer.
"Well... I did make friends..." I said... scratching the back of my head... what was I supposed to say next?...
"I think I need to be more open... I can be kinda shy if I don't know anyone..." I said, looking down, taking a sudden interest in my feet.
"That's nothing to be ashamed of Kari-chan... I'm sure that you'll get over being shy once you get to know more about them..."
"Yeah... I guess you're right..." I said quietly...
Normal POV
Takeshi was wondering why Akari seemed so tense...
She seemed so happy when she got back with Suki-chan(A/N:Takeshi's younger sister) from the playground yesterday...
'Should I ask her what's wrong?...' Takeshi pondered...
"Hey Kari..." Takeshi started after a few moments of silence...
Akari could tell that Takeshi was serious... if he wasn't, he wouldn't have dropped the "-chan" suffix...
"Hmm?..." she said, looking up at him, slightly worried...
"You're not having any problems, are you? You seem pretty tense... You sure that the other kids aren't giving you any trouble or anything like that now... are they?..."
"No..." she said...
"Then what's wrong?..." He said, his voice slightly stern.
"Well... it's just that... the truth is... uhmmmm..."
"Mmmm?" Takeshi prodded again...
They had stopped walking now, and Takeshi was looking at Akari, worried...
"Well... my friends aren't really a "them"... It's more of... it's more of a he..." Akari said, stopping for a moment to look at Takeshi's expression.
"I made only one friend..." she finished...
& silence &
The silence was broken by Takeshi's laughter...
"Hey!... It's not funny, Takeshi-san!..." Akari said, her cheeks tinted a faint pink.
"Sorry... I couldn't help myself..." he apologized, wiping his eye.
"Hmph..." Akari said, acting childish, turning around, and folding her arms.
"You know..." he said, stooping down to Akari's height, setting down the bag of gran's orders beside him.
"...it's only natural that you make one friend on the first day... it happens..."
"Yeah... I know..." Akari replied softly...
"You don't have to worry about it..." Takeshi finished in a sympathetic tone, patting Akari's head...
"Come on then..." he said, gesturing to his back.
"If we don't get back soon, 'kaasan (mother) is going to be mad..." He smiled, waiting for the girl to get on.
Akari smiled and as she climbed on, Takeshi adjusted the bag of goods that now hung on his arm.
"Hold on tight, alright..." he said, getting ready.
"Right..." Akari responded, grasping Takeshi's broad shoulders tighlty. She felt relieved that Takeshi didn't push the subject or get suspicious about her being tense...
'I can't tell him...' she thought as Takeshi took off. He ran swiftly, jumping up onto the rooftops of Suna.
'...at least... not yet, maybe...' Akari decided, shaking off the thought and just enjoying the ride. Since it was almost noon, it was pretty hot, so Akari enjoyed the feel of the cool wind on her face as she looked at the rooftops of the village.
'Takeshi-san... you might be telling me not to worry now... but I'm sure you would if you found out... that that one friend...' she thought, her grip on Takeshi's shoulder's tensing slightly...
'...was Sabaku no Gaara...'
Akari's POV
We had lunch at the bakery before Takeshi had to leave again, but not before dropping me off at the playground. This time, I brought Akki with me.
I ran towards the swings, excited. I also brought the box of chocolate pocky that I bought that morning...
Wondering why pocky?... well I'll tell ya...
I just remembered seeing a lot of fanfics and fanarts saying that Gaara liked pocky... so now, I was either going to prove or disprove that statement...
There were a couple of kids playing a game of soccer again... they were looking at me strangely...
'Just ignore them...' I thought, continuing on my way to the swings... Akki was bouncing along behind me, the bell on his collar jingling all the way...
When I got there... the swings were empty... he wasn't there yet...
Anyway, I was a bit early... he'd probably be here in half an hour or so...
While waiting, I decided to just sit... Akki jumped onto my lap, his bell giving a soft ring as I moved slowly back and forth...
I just closed my eyes... remembering...
...Shiro... he was the one who chose that bell...
My grandfather gave it to me the day after the funeral, when I just moved in with him...
He said that it was special because Shiro himself handpicked it...
Ever since the time he gave it to me all those years ago, I always let Akki wear it...
Even when the collar got tight, I still kept the bell for him...
Normal POV
The kids who were playing soccer were talking about Akari... They had stopped their game and were watching her suspiciously... their stares filled with curiosity...
"Hey... isn't that the same kid we saw yesterday..."
"Yeah..."
"She was the one playing with the sand demon..."
"I wonder why anyone would like to play with that monster..."
"Maybe she doesn't know..."
"Yeah...or maybe she's like him..."
"Right!... we better not get near her. She might be a monster too..."
"Just great... another freak in our playground..."
All of them groaned at the last statement... The thought of another monster made their stomachs flip... just talking about it left a bitter taste in their mouths...
"I've had it with the freaks!..." the oldest of them declared. He was probably nine or ten years old...
"What do you want to do?..."
"Why don't we have a little fun with her... the real monster's not here yet, so we'll be safe..."
The others smirked at the idea...
It sounded like they could have some fun... in addition to the chance that it would make the second monster keep away from their playground...
OMG! OMG! OMG!... what do you think their gonna do to little Akari?... Will Gaara be able to come in time to stop them?... The story's getting good again... well... that's what I'm hoping... so please send in your reviews. I need to know what you guys think about the story so far...
Until then, I'll probably update the story again next weekend...
Moonstone signing off... :3