A/N
Hey! Thank you all again for reading
my story, and special thanks to all of
you wonderful people who reviewed.
Here's another chapter for you, so
enjoy. And cookies for all of you who
review!
Matthew
Chapter 11 The Journey Begins
Naruto
We set out in less than half an hour, and I was eager to get on the road. According to common knowledge, it was a week or so journey to the Village Hidden in the Sand, or to use it's proper name, Sunagakure. I was excited, because I had never been there before, and I was interested in seeing the desert. I almost laughed excitedly as the small progression left from Konoha. The two sand ninja bodyguards walked in front, Gaara behind them, and the three of us close behind him.
The sun was high in the sky, and it beat down on us, scorching the back of my neck. The dirt road extended before our small group, seeming to go on forever.
"So, is it really going to take a week to get there?" I asked, glancing again at the road.
"Yes, unless we travel at top speed, as I did to get here. But, we are not, and will not, so yes, it will take a week." Gaara said, and I nodded.
It was going to be a long trip, but still, I was with one of my best friends, a good friend, and a friend that was a little more than a friend, so it wasn't all bad. Speaking of which, I looked at Hinata, who plodded along dutifully next to Sakura. She looked bored, understandably, and yawned. Sakura, on the other hand, was probably wishing that she were at home with Lee. I grinned, thinking about it was highly amusing. I wondered how life had been with Gaara.
I sped up, coming along side the Kazekage. He looked at me, and we both smiled. I was glad to see that his eyes were no longer filled with the bloodlust that had been ensued by the sand demon that resided inside him.
"So,Gaara. How're your siblings? Kankuro, Temari? I haven't seen them in a while." I asked, hoping to strike up conversation with him.
"They are very well. If they knew that you would be accompanying me, they would wish to give you their regards, as how you saved me from the Shukaku and all. Temari is an ambassador for Sunagakure, and currently, she's in Konoha, I think she's staying with a Shikamaru Nara." He said, and I nodded.
"That's good to hear, and how's Kankuro?" I asked, and Gaara smiled.
"He's... interested in a young woman whom he met on a mission in the Land of Lightning, and things, are somewhat ..." He said, blushing ever so slightly, and I laughed.
I had never seen Gaara blush, and it was a sight to see. Also, the way he had implied the... happenings between his brother and said women.
"And now she's living with him. Temari had a fit when she found out. She threatened to break all his puppets, but softened up when she found out how she had saved his life." Gaara continued, and a smile crept onto his face.
We kept walking, chatting about how things were going in our two towns. It was fun to finally have a civilized conversation with him, one not including threats and attempts at each others lives.
A small silence ended our conversation, and we walked in silence. After a few minutes, Gaara spoke.
"You'll have to spend a day or two before you leave, so you can reintroduce yourselves to Kankuro and the other members of my staff. And there'll be a celebration, only fitting for the man who saved my life and sanity's first time in the Village Hidden in the Sand." He said, grinning at me.
I smiled back, marveling at the possibilities of a Kazekage's party. There'd be ramen, tons of it, and probably all sorts of new foods. I almost started drooling, but caught myself before I had. I almost couldn't wait to get there, but then again. I looked at Hinata, who was engaged in quiet conversation with Sakura.
"Gaara?" I asked, bringing up a question that had been on my mind since the meeting, "You don't... happen to... like Hinata do you?"
He looked a little bit taken aback, and he blushed again.
"Not really. She is very sweet and all, but I don't like her how you do." He said, looking away sheepishly.
"I don't like her!" I said, then blushed myself, turning away.
Gaara and I walked side by side for a while, the path before us winding its way into the forest that was now visible some far way off.
"So, Gaara. Learn any new jutsu?" I asked, eager to get off the topic of Hinata, all the while casting furtive glances back at the two behind us.
"Technically yes, but they are more and augmented version of my Shukaku's powers. I can make swords out of the sand that can slice through pretty much anything, which I am quite proficient at wielding now. I can wield them with my mind as well. Here." He said, uncorking the gourd of sand that he wore on his back. Sand billowed out, forming two swords, which flew into the air in front of us.
Gaara raised a hand, and they started hacking at each other with a force that would have driven any opponent into the ground. They swirled and danced with a ferocity that I had never seen in any swordsman before, and I looked at Gaara. He seemed to be controlling them with little to no effort.
"Wow, that's amazing!" I gasped, and the swords dissolved into sand, which was sucked back into Gaara's gourd.
He glanced at me, and returned the question.
"Did you learn any new jutsu?" He asked, and I nodded.
I demonstrated the Rasengan, the Odama Rasengan, and he looked impressed.
"Those are really advanced techniques." He said, and I nodded.
"The Rasengan was created by the Fourth Hokage. Apparently it took him a long time to master it. I've almost got it down." I said, trying to make it sound like I wasn't bragging.
Obviously, Gaara didn't think it was, bragging, and he was clearly impressed.
"It's kind of annoying, the fact that I have to come up with techniques myself, there being no one who can teach me how to use my Shukaku's power. Although, I'm sure that our inner demons ca-" He started, and I put a hand over his mouth.
"Sorry," I said, taking it away,"It's just that Hinata doesn't know... and I don't want to make her nervous."
He nodded, and looked back at Hinata, who was still engaged in a hushed conversation with Sakura.
"Wonder if the weather will hold up, I don't want to have to walk in the rain." I said, and Gaara looked up at the sky.
"There are a large amount of clouds in the sky, so there's a good chance of rain." He said, looking at me.
I sighed, and looked around at our surroundings. We were far out from Konoha, and the forest was rapidly growing closer and closer. It loomed up on all sides, like a wave of trees and plants.
Almost as if our conversation had jinxed the weather, the sky began to darken, and the clouds to gather.
"Looks like a storm guys!" I called out, and Sakura and Hinata looked up into the sky.
"Yeah, and the sun's going down. We should set up camp once we get into the woods." Sakura called back, her voice ripped apart by the wind that now screeched through the trees.
Rain fell, slowly at first, speeding up hastily. The rain poured down, soaking us all, making the short walk into the forest miserable.
"Could this get any worse?" I heard Sakura groan, and I sighed.
"Probably not, but lets not tempt Mother Nature." I said, wiping the drenched hair from my eyes.
It was a pain, trudging through the torrential downpour. The only rectifying factor was Hinata. She walked beside me, shivering slightly, completely soaked, but then again, weren't we all. I looked again at her gentle face, smothered by the indigo hair, which was now almost black with wetness.
Gaara, up ahead, was shielded from the deluge by his sand. I half wondered why it didn't turn to mud, or if it was resilient to water.
"We should stop soon, and set up camp for the night." Sakura said again, and Gaara nodded.
Fifteen minutes later, they had a large tent set up, for the four of us, and one smaller, for the two Sand ninja bodyguards. We changed in turns, getting into dry clothing behind the curtain that Sakura had hung.
I curled up in my sleeping bag, yawning, ready to go to sleep. Gaara had changed as well, and was now lying down to my right. I yawned, letting my gaze drift to the roof of the tent, where the rain pattered against it, leaving ripples in the canvas.
I looked over at Sakura, who had just come out from behind the curtain, who lay down on the other side of Hinata, so that she was facing the wall.
"Alright, I'm going to extinguish the lantern, so everyone lie down." Gaara said, blowing the small flame that had lit the inside of the tent out, letting the darkness of the night surround and engulf us.
I rolled over, off my back, and looked at Gaara. He was, much to my surprise, fast asleep. I smiled, changing position again, looking over at Hinata and Sakura.
"Hinata?" I whispered, hoping that she wasn't asleep.
She turned over, looking at me sleepily.
"Yes Naruto?" She asked, in the same soft tone.
"Umm," I started. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to say, I just felt like talking to her. "I'm really glad that you came along."
"I'm glad you asked me Naruto." She said, and in the faint light from the moon outside, I thought I saw her blush.
"So..., how are things at your place? How's Neji?" I asked, and Hinata thought for a minute before answering.
"Things are okay, I guess. Father's a bit sterner than usual, I don't know why though. Neji's been seeing TenTen more and more, it's really funny that they don't want people to know that they're dating." She said, blushing, this time I could tell.
"Yeah, has your father found out yet?"
"Not yet, they make sure to keep it really secret, and yet everyone seems to know. Neji's a Jonin now, so he's away on missions a lot." She finished, and I laughed quietly.
Hinata giggled. I liked the noise, soft, merry, it made me feel at peace. Just being around Hinata made me feel at peace.
"So," She asked, "How are things going over on your end?"
I shrugged as best I could while lying down.
"Things are okay. Sasuke's gone, and I'm not going to be able to get him back alone, not for a while yet at least. Sakura's going out with Lee, so my chances there are gone. And then you got yourself hurt, and- Oh my god, I forgot," I exclaimed, and Hinata's eyes widened.
"What is it Naruto?" She asked, and I looked at her again.
"Was your dad mad about you being at my house... overnight?" I asked, my face getting hot, and I looked away.
Hinata giggled again, and smiled.
"I think maybe a little, but it's alright. He's happy that you saved me, in fact, I think he kinda respects you." She said, and I smiled as well.
Preview
"What is it Naruto?" Hinata asked, and Naruto shuffled in his sleeping bag.
"Was your dad mad about you being at my house... overnight?" I heard him say, and smiled slightly.
"I think maybe a little," Hinata said as she laughed softly. "It's alright, he's happy you saved me, in fact, I think he kinda respects you,"
I smiled for real this time, and I squirmed, just a little bit, in my sleeping bag.
A/N
Thank you so much for reading chapter
11 of Folded Paper. It was tons of fun writing
and I hope you have just as much fun reading.
Reviews are accepted and appreciated, and ideas,
thoughts, and comments are completely welcome.
My space bar is fixed, so my writing will be sped up
considerably. I'm thinking about convincing my parents
to get me a Youtube account now that I'm 13. That way I
can test out my new AMV making program.
Matthew