["necessitas etiam timidos fortes facit"- need makes even the timid become brave]
After the invasion, it took a while for Konoha to begin recovering. They'd suffered many losses in this fight, including their beloved Hokage.
It had seemed like everyone went to the funeral, all the people of this village emerging from the ruins of their homes to give one last show of respect for the man who had given so much of his life to this place.
It made Tadashi feel... Well, he wasn't sure how to quite describe it. There was sadness, yes, but also a sense of pride for how strong these people were, to keep standing, keep fighting, keep loving after so many tragedies had tried to strike them down.
That was why he thought of Konohagakure as the strongest village— not because of their (admittedly very impressive) military might, but because of their resilience.
And it was a good thing, too, because Tadashi was not feeling very resilient at the moment.
Kabuto's betrayal had shaken him, and harshly at that. Tadashi couldn't help but wonder if there was anything he could have done, anything he could have changed—
If he'd only been a better teammate, a better friend—
And had Kabuto already been a traitor, even back then? Had Tadashi ever told him anything important, ever aided him in spying on their village—
He knew that there was no reason to dwell on these thoughts. Whatever Kabuto may or may not have done was now moot, seeing as he had fled the village with the rest of the enemy forces. But Tadashi couldn't help it. He kept obsessing over the all of the things that he could have done, should have, would have if only he'd known— even when he knew that it was worthless, that it was unhealthy.
He and Kabuto may not have been all that close, but to find out something like this about someone he had considered a valued comrade at the very least?
...It hurt.
It hurt, knowing that Kabuto could betray their home like this, that he cared about their lives so little—
The scar on his stomach, still stretched painfully across the skin, twinged at the thought. It hadn't been a kill shot, even when Kabuto clearly could have made it one. Tadashi didn't know what his intentions were, but it didn't matter. Kabuto was a traitor now, and his personal feelings couldn't affect this situation.
Tadashi huffed, turning onto his back and clutching his pillow just that little bit tighter. He'd been excused from most of the rebuilding efforts because of his injury, but he'd rather have been out working than in here sulking.
His mind drifted hazily as he stared at the ceiling, trying to think of something to do. Perhaps...
Yes. He'd been meaning to do that for a while anyways, this would be the perfect opportunity.
(|||)
Tadashi pulled the door open without knocking, calling out "It's just me!" as he entered.
"Oh, Tadashi!" Yoshino said, looking up from her book with a startled expression. "Are you supposed to be out of bed yet? How's your stomach?"
"It's well enough," Tadashi shrugged, ignoring the flare of pain that came along with the movement. "Is Shikamaru around? I need to talk to him about something."
"It's about his soulmate, right?" she said knowingly, putting her book down with a sigh. "That stubborn boy... He asked for a band to cover his wrist, but he won't tell us anything else. Do you know who it is?"
"I... believe so," Tadashi said slowly, measuring his words carefully to make sure that he didn't give anything away that Shikamaru didn't want him to. "With the revelations that have come about recently—" namely, that the Kage of Suna had been replaced by an imposter, and thus the whole reason behind the attack in the first place had become suspect, "—I think that it could potentially turn out well. It depends on the two of them, of course, but the odds aren't quite so against them anymore."
Yoshino noticeably softened, gifting him with a wry smile. "Well, I suppose that's the best you can ask for, sometimes."
She stood up, coming over and embracing Tadashi gently. He stood there, stiff and unsure for a moment, and then relaxed, returning the affection.
"Thank you for always looking after my son," she whispered, and Tadashi felt her lips press against the side of his head. "You're the best brother he could have ever asked for."
Tadashi pulled away, awkwardly clearing his throat as he blinked rapidly.
"Uh, thanks," he said lamely, trying to hide how much that statement had affected him. "So, uh, is he around? I figured that now would be as good a time as any."
"I'm afraid not," Yoshino shook her head. "He left a few hours ago on an urgent mission with a bunch of other genin."
Tadashi frowned, instincts prickling at the back of his mind. "Urgent mission? I thought anyone chūnin or below weren't taking any missions right now, so that they could concentrate on the rebuilding?"
"Uchiha-kun was kidnapped," Yoshino said gravely, nodding in agreement when Tadashi let out a sharp breath. That was bad. "They suspect that it's the remnants of Orochimaru's forces. Uzumaki-kun insisted that they go after him, and Shikamaru offered to lead."
"Shit," Tadashi mumbled, mind running through the hundreds of circumstances where this could go wrong. "Any idea of who else was going?"
"I know that they were planning on asking Kiba-kun, Hyuga-kun, and Choji," she reported, expression echoing the concern that Tadashi was feeling. "I don't know who else might have gone."
"No, that's enough," Tadashi said distractedly, thinking of all the people he should start rounding up. "Thank you. I'll bring some medics, see if they need help."
He went for the door, breaking out into a run as he got outside.
"Be careful!" Yoshino yelled after him. "Don't make your injuries worse!"
Well, hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
Tadashi popped by the hospital, only to find that a team was already waiting.
"I knew that you would get here as soon as you heard that your little cousin had wandered off," Hana said confidently, hands on her hips as she grinned at him. "So I went to the liberty of grabbing some medics. We've just been waiting on you. Let's get moving!"
"I—" Tadashi trailed off, biting his lip at her unexpected appearance. He hadn't spoken to Hana in days, not since he'd had to tell her about Kabuto's betrayal. It hadn't ended well, and the both of them had left that meeting with a bitter ache in their hearts.
Hana softened somewhat, approaching him and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Come on. We're teammates, aren't we? Let's show them what we're made of."
Tadashi could only grin helplessly, suddenly overcome with just how grateful he was for people like Inuzuka Hana.
(|||)
They came across Choji first, and Tadashi winced at the state the kid was in. To be forced to use his family's special pills... He must have been facing a very tough opponent indeed. They left two healers to attend to him, and they would hopefully be bringing him back to the village once he was stabilized.
Neji was next, and he was almost in a worse state than Choji!
Just what kind of monsters have these kids been facing? Tadashi thought with growing dread. The top genin this year were all from founding clans, and none of them were weaklings.
He and Hana exchanged an anxious glance, worry for their brats rising with every second.
The most experienced medic was the one to stay behind with Neji, having deemed herself the one best able to deal with all the strange puncture wounds he had.
They could only hope that none of the other kids had such critical injuries, or they would be in trouble. They'd only brought seven medics with them, and though Hana could assist them in a pinch, that still left them with only five healers. There was still three kids left, in unknown conditions.
Tadashi could only hope that this day wasn't going to end in tragedy.
Suddenly, the terrain changed drastically. A whole bunch of the trees in front of them had been torn completely out of the ground, even down to the roots.
And ahead of them, Tadashi heard someone speaking. He perked up, moving faster. He'd know the sound of that complaining anywhere!
"Shikamaru!" Tadashi called out, only to stop short when he saw who was standing beside his cousin.
Temari lifted her head stubbornly, refusing to be intimidated by their abrupt appearance. "Hey. I just saved your clanmate's ass. You're welcome."
Hana let out an incredulous laugh, and Tadashi merely stood there, completely bewildered.
"I like you!" Hana said cheerily, before punching Tadashi in the shoulder to snap him out of his daze.
"Oh, yes," Tadashi stammered, and took a breath to regain his composure. He put his professional face back on, scanning the two kids for any injuries. "Are you guys hurt?"
"I think I broke my finger, but that's it," Shikamaru muttered. He looked utterly exhausted, and Tadashi could definitely sympathize.
Temari shook her head, shifting to place a hand on her giant fan. "Nothing for me."
"Alright, then I'll have to ask you—"
"What about Choji?" Shikamaru interrupted desperately, and Tadashi was caught off guard by the uncharacteristic action. "You guys must have passed him on the way here. Is he alright? Is he alive?"
Tadashi exchanged a glance with his teammate, unsure of how much they should tell the distraught teen.
"He's alive," Hana said finally. "You two should head back, meet up with the medics and help wherever you can, okay?"
Shikamaru bit his lip, but nodded regardless. Temari studied them all for a moment, and then grunted her assent.
When they turned to leave, Shikamaru called after them for a moment.
"I don't know where Kiba ended up, but I do know that Naruto was headed for the Valley of the End!"
"Alright!" Tadashi replied, giving his cousin a reassuring wave. "We'll find them! Just concentrate on what you can do to help the others!"
Their group bounded through the trees, following the three Haimaru brothers. They ended up at a riverbed, with another surprise guest.
"Who the hell are you?" Hana snarled, stalking over to the boy who was hovering over her younger brother.
He jumped, startled. Tadashi blinked at the vivid face-paint he was wearing, a little caught off-guard.
"U-uh, I'm Kankurō," he stammered, though Tadashi noticed that he didn't move from his place by Kiba's side. "I'm Temari's brother? We came here to help."
Hana didn't quite soften, but she looked less aggressive at the revelation. "Alright. What's the damage?"
Kankurō nodded, looking a bit grateful to have the killing-intent off him. "He's gonna have a lot of bruises, and a nasty stomach wound. The dog looks okay, but it's completely knocked out."
At the words 'stomach wound', two of the medics came forwards immediately, pulling off Kiba's torn jacket to get a better look.
Tadashi let out a pained hiss of sympathy at the sight, his own stomach clenching uncomfortably.
But while the medics were looking over Kiba, and Hana was checking out Akamaru, Tadashi's eyes were drawn to something else.
Kankurō's golden compass, that was pointing directly at Kiba.
"You—" he started, eyes widening in surprise.
Kankurō nodded sharply, cutting him off with a bit of a twisted expression on his face.
"I figured it out during the exams," he admittedly, pitching his voice low so that only the two of them would hear it. "But this is the first time I actually got close enough to confirm it, and to have my compass change. Besides, I didn't want to say anything before... with, y'know."
With the whole invasion thing, yes, Tadashi thought sarcastically, but he decided to be tactful for once and keep that to himself.
"Did anyone else come with you?" he said instead, changing the subject. It was really none of his business on who Kiba's soulmate was— Hana would more than happily take care of that.
"My brother," Kankurō muttered, looking almost more uncomfortable with this topic than he had before. "Gaara. The redhead."
Ah. The possessed one. But once again, he didn't say anything, keeping his expression carefully neutral. He'd never actually met Gaara, so it was best not to form any erroneous opinions before he'd even spoken to the kid.
"He went to the Valley of the End, then? That's where we're heading next."
Kankurō just nodded, gaze fixing on the sight of Kiba's pained visage as the medics worked on him, looking absolutely miserable even when unconscious.
"Go," Tadashi made a dismissing gesture, giving the boy a small smile when he looked up, startled. "We can take care of things from here."
Kankurō hesitated only a moment longer, and then raced over.
"Hana!" Tadashi called over, gesturing for the last two medics to fall in step with him. "We're going ahead, good luck!"
"Same to you!" she replied without looking up from her work, frowning in concentration as she eased Akamaru's pain.
I'll need it, Tadashi thought grimly. For some reason, his wrist was beginning to itch. It had been doing that a lot, recently.
(|||)
When the three-man squad was approaching the clearing right before the valley, they were joined by another shinobi.
"Hatake-san?" Tadashi blurted out. "Aren't you still supposed to be on bedrest?"
"What the hospital doesn't know can't hurt them," Kakashi said cheerfully, making the two medics on the team level him with a dark look. But he quickly sobered. "There's two chakra signatures ahead, but neither of them are Naruto's. Pakkun and I are going to go further and find him."
"Right, good luck," Tadashi bid him goodbye, absently noticing that the man hadn't said anything about the missing Uchiha. Had he already been taken past the borders? Had all of this trouble been for nothing?
Kakashi didn't stick around to address any of his suspicions, bolting towards the valley.
When they finally entered the clearing, Tadashi could practically feel his blood pressure rising.
"Okay, I know for a fact that you're supposed to be in the hospital!" he said, pointing at Lee accusingly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"My comrades required my assistance!" Lee said, striking a heroic pose. "It is only right that I come and fight by their sides!"
"Alright..." Tadashi relented, knowing when he just had to let something go. "Are you injured?"
"Very! My youthful body feels like it could fail me at any moment!"
Tadashi wanted to smack himself, but settled for sighing instead. Lee actually swayed for a moment, looking like he was about to collapse, but he was caught by a tendril of sand.
The medics swooped down on Lee, disregarding his protests as they began to heal his injuries, and Tadashi turned to their unlikely ally.
"Thanks for this," he said, nodding in acknowledgement. "Lee really shouldn't be out fighting right now."
Gaara remained silent, gaze fixed steadily on Tadashi's face. Tadashi ignored it, stepping forward to survey the kid for any outward injuries.
"Are you injured at all—"
Suddenly, the itching on his wrist became burning.
Tadashi cursed, pulling up his sleeve to scratch at the compass—
The compass. The golden compass, the one he hadn't even looked at in years, the one that was pointing right at—
"We are soulmates," Gaara stated bluntly, his own wrist extended to show the golden needle pointing directly at Tadashi.
"Seems like it," Tadashi managed to say, feeling like a frog was caught in his throat.
He knew that he had a soulmate, he knew that— but. But he'd never actually thought of it as something real. He'd lived an entire lifetime where the concept of a soulmate was just that— a concept! It was something for romantics and dreamers, not something to be taken seriously.
And now— what was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do?
And why the hell did the universe think that he and Gaara would be the perfect match?
Gaara didn't seem to know either, because the two of them could only stand in awkward silence until one of the medics called them over.
"We've done all that we can, out here at least. We need to get all these kids back to the hospital."
Tadashi stumbled away, mind racing a mile a minute. He couldn't do this. Not now.
A moment later, when they were packing up, Kakashi emerged from the woods with Naruto in his arms— and no Uchiha in sight. Gaara didn't say another word during the whole trip back, but his eyes were fixed firmly on Tadashi, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
Okay, okay. He would— he would just have to be honest. Really, there was no way they could ever work. They were from different villages, everything was so different— and for fuck's sake, Gaara was probably twelve, maybe thirteen at most. Tadashi was sixteen, just— no. Gaara would understand.
Hopefully.
(|||)
Gaara kept his eyes firmly on the dull hospital walls, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible. The last time he had been in here, after all, had been because he was attempting assassination.
That didn't do much for people's opinion of him.
Mother had been a lot quieter, ever since they were defeated, but he didn't want to let his guard down. Especially since he had met his soulmate.
His soulmate, who had introduced himself as Nara Tadashi.
Gaara had never imagined that he would know his soulmate's name. He'd always assumed that he would have killed them, just like Yashamaru said he would. Just like Mother said he would.
And if he'd met Tadashi a month ago, maybe he would have.
But now... now he had a chance. That was more than he had ever expected.
"Hey, uh, Gaara?"
He turned, seeing Tadashi approach him with a strangely determined light to his features.
"Okay, so, I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do. We were enemies not too long ago, and we'll still be living pretty far apart. I don't even know if you want to acknowledge this at all, but if you do. Um. We could? Try writing letters? Just to, uh, get to know each other a bit more. But only if you want to, of course, I'm not trying to—"
"Letters sounds nice," Gaara interrupted the babbling, trying to ease the look of embarrassment and strain that had appeared on Tadashi's face. His voice was raspy, and he internally winced at how unwelcoming he must have sounded, but Tadashi seemed to interpret him correctly.
He smiled, relief coloring his expression, and scribbled something on a piece of paper before handing it to Gaara.
"It's my address," he explained, and Gaara carefully tucked it away.
They stood there for a moment, awkwardness threatening to consume them as Gaara wracked his brain for something to say that wouldn't make him seem like a psychopath.
"Wanna go get some ramen?" Tadashi offered, something almost shy in the tentative way he extended his hand. "I know the best place in town, and it'll be awhile before they're done working on the kids."
Gaara could only nod, not trusting his voice to convey what he truly meant. He took Tadashi's hand, allowing the older male to pull him out of his seat.
When they walked out of the hospital doors and into the bright sunlight, it finally seemed like Gaara had something to look forward to.
(|||)
Shit. Shit. That was not what he had meant to do.
Tadashi glanced at his soulmate(?), taking in the way his shoulders had relaxed, his expression becoming just a little bit less guarded. It was... nice. Tadashi was glad that he'd been able to make Gaara happy, even if for just a moment.
He still had reservations about this, he did. He still had no idea what he was going to do. But...
"Do you like ramen?" Gaara asked, suddenly.
Tadashi jolted to attention, giving him a sheepish grin. The raspy quality to his voice was going to take some getting used to— it reminded him too much of that enemy he'd faced during the invasion.
"Uh, yeah, one of my favorites," he said, trying to sound upbeat. For a moment, he wondered why Gaara would ask something like that— clearly he liked ramen if he was the one to suggest it, but he realized belatedly that the kid was probably trying to start a conversation. Shit, okay, Tadashi could do this. "Do you have a favorite? Um, food, I mean."
The way Gaara's mouth twitched wasn't quite a smile, but it looked like it could get there, someday.
Alright. Apparently, he was going to do this. Fuck. Tadashi's judgement had never been the most sensible part of him, (case in point: Kabuto) but hopefully he wouldn't end up regretting this. He was actually a little surprised to find that he wanted this.
He wanted to try.