Disclaimer: If I owned, I really doubt I would have as many issues with updating due to a dead computer.
Chapter 12: Yashamaru's Thoughts and Worries
Yashamaru hurried down the path that led to the park, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He could only hope that Gaara hadn't done anything disastrous. When Temari had come running into his workroom he knew something was off. Temari wasn't usually as discourteous as to barge in without knocking, but this time she did and it wasn't hard to guess why. When she said that Gaara's sand was rampaging in the park, he hadn't waited to hear any more. If they were lucky, Gaara would get control of his emotions before anyone stumbled upon him. He didn't want to think of what could happen if it were otherwise.
When Yashamaru finally reached the park, it was still. There was no wind, no sand, and most frighteningly, no Gaara. Coming to a halt near the swing set, Yashamaru's mind raced. Where would Gaara have gone? Perhaps he should have waited for Temari to tell him why Gaara had lost control before he left. Oh well, too late now. Yashamaru looked around at the horizons, but nowhere did he see Gaara's tell-tale cloud of sand. Had luck really been with them? Had Gaara regained control of his sand without intervention? Or was it just that the sand wasn't kicking up a storm? He had to find out.
Glancing around the park, Yashamaru caught sight of small fresh footprints heading out of the park. Those had to be Gaara's. Turning in the direction they were heading, Yashamaru again pondered where Gaara could be going. If only he knew what had angered Gaara he could anticipate where he would go and what he would do. But as it was, the cause of his anger was—Yashamaru's eyes widened as a thought hit him. What if it wasn't anger that had set him off but something else, something like fear…but what did he have to fear? Yashamaru could only think of one thing. Gaara could protect himself from just about everything, but as Yashamaru had already seen for himself, Gaara couldn't always protect Sakura…and that frightened Shukaku's host. Would it be enough to set him off? The answer was obvious.
Yashamaru had seen what Gaara had done when he found out Sakura was in the hospital. He hadn't just been angry at what had been done to her, he was frightened for her as well. Both things had worked together to cause Gaara to go on his killing spree. Yashamaru had thought, hoped, that that would be an isolated case. He hadn't wanted to think that Sakura posed a threat to Suna, but now that something similar had happened again because of her, he had to wonder. He would never blame Sakura for Gaara's actions, but might Suna be safer if Sakura wasn't there? He would hate to have to send her away; it would break Youko's heart to lose her niece, but if that made Gaara less likely attack with his sand… Yashamaru shook his head, now was not the time for the past and future, he had to figure out the present.
Now that he knew Sakura had likely started everything, Yashamaru studied the footprints once more. Now he knew where they would be heading. They pointed in the direction of the hospital. Had Sakura been injured? No, there was no signs of a child being injured recently anywhere in the park. Had Gaara thought she was injured? Why would he? Temari hadn't said anything about Sakura being injured…Temari hadn't said anything about Sakura being there at all…and the fact that a second glance around showed no signs of recent footprints smaller than Gaara's proved this fact. The memory of this morning's goodbye session with the Konoha ninja flashed through Yashamaru's head and suddenly everything fell into place.
Gaara had lost control because of Sakura. Not because of anything she had done but rather what she hadn't. She hadn't come. She hadn't come because she was late to school and had to serve detention. She hadn't come, and Gaara had thought that somehow she had ended up in the hospital. But she wouldn't be there. What would he do when he didn't find her? Search elsewhere. Where? He didn't know where all the boy would look, but he could guess where he would find her.
Turning on his heels, Yashamaru started in a different direction than the footprints, heading for where Sakura would be: school. Searching blindly for Gaara wouldn't do him any good; he'd likely never find him unless Gaara's sand gave away his position. Yashamaru knew he would be more likely to…no, he would be assured to find Gaara if he went to the school. He would also be able to find Sakura, hopefully before Gaara did, so that he could protect the girl if Gaara was so far gone he attacked her. Yashamaru started running.
Leaving the park behind, the concerned medic sped down the streets, dodging people left and right as they went about their day. They didn't seem agitated in any way, meaning Gaara hadn't come this way yet. Turning a corner quickly, the man barely avoided a collision. If not for the striking color combinations, Yashamaru might have not given them a second glance as he hurried on to the school. As it was, it was good that he did a double take, for the silver, red, and pink belonged to none other than the people he had been looking for.
There was no flying sand, no screams of fear, no signs that Gaara had lost control at all. In fact, he looked so complacent as he walked hand in hand with Youko's pink haired niece that, had Temari not told him so, he would never have guessed that he had lost control anytime recently. But he had, and Yashamaru knew it. Gaara had been losing control so often that Yashamaru was starting to wonder if the Kazekage wasn't right in thinking that he might be causing more trouble than he was worth. The fact that Gaara's actions in response to Sakura's presence might cause her to leave, possibly taking Youko with her, made him think about it even more. If Gaara couldn't be controlled…might it be better for everyone to—
"Oh, goodness," Yashamaru was so deep in thought that he almost missed what was being said to him by the silver haired woman. "I didn't mean to run into you…" Sakura's mother trailed off as she looked at him. "I think I know you. From the hospital, yes?" Yashamaru nodded, trying to appear relaxed despite the adrenalin still pumping through his body.
Before either adult could mention his name, Sakura jumped into the conversation happily. "Hi Yashamaru!" The brown haired medic smiled at the little girl, but his eyes were quickly drawn to Gaara's as he moved closer to Sakura. Studying the red-head, Yashamaru reevaluated his previous thoughts about never guessing that Gaara had lost control. It's true the boy was now calm, but he was obviously still on high alert. Would he go off again if something went wrong? If so, what would it take? How would he be stopped? Even if they had gotten lucky this time, Gaara probably wouldn't regain control on his own a second time…
Yashamaru nearly gasped when a thought hit him and his gaze flew back to the children's intertwined hands. Could it be that Gaara hadn't stopped on his own but rather—he didn't get to finish the thought because Sakura started speaking again, "Are you all right, Yashamaru? You're breathing hard?" As soon as he assured her that he was fine she asked, "Then are you here to take Gaara somewhere?" In front of Yashamaru's eyes, but not in front of Sakura's or her mother's, he noted, complacent Gaara disappeared. The boy stiffened, his eyes narrowing into a glare that someday would make one's blood freeze. As it was, it almost made the older man take a step back. Gaara's message was clear to him. He would not be leaving Sakura's side.
Thankfully, before the sand started moving or anything else disastrous happened, Sakura continued, "If he has to go, I guess he has to go, but we only just met up. We haven't gotten to play yet today." The pink haired girl started pouting cutely, as he'd seen Temari do on occasion when she was trying to get something she wanted. "Please say he can stay and play!"
Yashamaru leaned against a tree as he watched the children and Haruka play tag. Temari, who had apparently reached the park just before them, was currently It. Yashamaru followed her movements, but knew what she was going to do long before she did it. In fact, he had already caught onto a pattern in their play. Gaara was closest to Temari but she avoided him and headed straight for Sakura. Once she was It, Sakura went after anyone and everyone, but it was Gaara she eventually got. Gaara ignored Temari all together as he went after Sakura and her mother. It was Sakura he caught and who then went on to catch Temari who then caught Sakura's mother whom, he noted, allowed herself to be caught.
As the silver haired woman chased after her daughter Yashamaru couldn't help but frown. It was obvious that there was tension between Temari and Gaara and he wasn't sure whether or not he liked the pattern that was emerging in the face of it. The game was almost entirely predictable and not because there were only four people playing. Gaara would only choose Sakura as It, though he would chase Sakura's mother too. Temari he ignored, and in return she did everything in her power to not get near him, even when she was It. This meant that, unless Haruka let herself be caught, it would be Sakura who would become It again. Sakura was most likely then to catch Gaara which would start the entire thing over again.
The pattern was clear: Sakura had become the middleman. Temari was evidently still afraid that Gaara would snap and Gaara was angry with her, perhaps because he noticed her fear. The one thing they had in common was Sakura, who, though completely oblivious to her position, seemed to love being It all the time and thus wasn't doing anything to mend their relationship. As Yashamaru continued to watch the plotted game of tag his thoughts returned to the dilemma at hand.
Sakura was becoming too entangled with Gaara's position as Shukaku's host. Not only could she cause and quell his outbursts, but she was already starting to become integral to those around him as a way to interact with him indirectly. It wasn't just Temari. He'd heard the girl whom he and Sakura had saved from Gaara's rampage talking to her friends about how Sakura was able to control the demon that was Gaara. Ever since, he'd been hearing whispers about Sakura and Gaara. Some felt that she would be the key to controlling him but others had noticed that Sakura was the cause of Gaara losing control. Thus, in Yashamaru's mind, it all came down to one fundamental question:
Was it possible that Sakura's presence could help more than it hurt?
Yashamaru had witnessed in the past Sakura causing Gaara to lose control of his sand, but just as often he'd seen her stop him too. What if something happened, though, something not Sakura related? Would Sakura still be able to stop Gaara? If so, his earlier thoughts about Suna being safer if Sakura was elsewhere would be deemed completely insane. But how could he find out for sure?
Yashamaru sighed, the answer was clear. He'd have to set up a situation where Gaara would lose control and only later introduce Sakura to see if she could stop him. But he'd have to be completely in control of the situation, which, with unpredictable Gaara, would be nearly impossible. There were so many variables, even excluding Gaara's instability. For instance, he would have to have a way to keep Sakura safe if she wasn't able to calm him, and he'd also have to have a plan on how he'd stop Gaara in the case of Sakura's failure. These, of course, wouldn't even come into play if he couldn't come up with a foolproof plan that would cause Gaara to lose control exactly when he wanted him to in such a way that no innocent villagers would be put in danger.
The problem with this plan of action, though, was that it would be nearly impossible to carry out. There really were too many possible outcomes to be sure of all of them. Hopefully, though, if he took his time coming up with the details he'd be able to plan for nearly everything. That would have to be enough. If anything unforeseen happened, he'd just have to wing it.
Yashamaru was thrown out of his thoughts as Sakura ran his way, Temari close on her heels. The pink haired girl tried to worm her way between him and the tree he was leaning against, likely planning on using him as a meat shield. Before Sakura made it very far, though, Temari tripped and skid along the ground. When she sat up, her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. Pushing away from the tree, Yashamaru went to her. His hand gently landed on her head as he stated calmly, "It's just skinned. You're fine."
At the same moment Sakura flung herself beside Temari, crying, "Don't cry! I'll make it better." She then proceeded to pat Temari's knee, "Pain, pain, go away! Come again no other day!" Temari wasn't the only one that got a smile out of, Yashamaru just hid his better.
Temari swiped at her face, saying gruffly, "I'm not crying…"She might have convinced Sakura had not a tear escaped her attempt to clear her face.
Sakura's response almost made Yashamrau laugh, "And if Kankuro were here, he'd call you a liar."
Temari scoffed, wiping at her face again, "No, if he were here, he'd be dancing circles around me, laughing." Standing up carefully, she added, "Thankfully, he's not."
Sakura tilted her head as she asked, "Speaking of Kankuro, where is he?"
Temari shrugged. "Earlier we ran into the guy who has been teaching him all those annoying puppet tricks. He mentioned something about Chakra and no strings and off Kankuro went. "
Yashamaru nodded, "Ah, yes, that would make sense. Akai informed me just the other day that he thought Kankuro had potential as a future puppet master—said he'd start showing him a few things even though he's got a long way to go before he's a ninja." To Yashamru's surprise, Sakura slowly raised her hand as if she were in class. The medic couldn't help but smile at the small, pink haired girl "Yes, Sakura?"
The hand was returned to her side as she asked, "What does Chakra, puppet masters, and ninja have to do with each other…and Kankuro?"
Yashamaru patted her head. "That's a very good question. To put it simply, puppet masters are ninja who have learned how to move puppets with Chakra. As to how they relate to Kankuro, though he hasn't learned much in way of Chakra control yet, he does seem to have an affinity for puppets and Akai thinks it would be good to start teaching him early…" Yashamaru would have said more, but he noticed that Sakura's face was scrunched up with confusion. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I forget that you might not understand my explanation. I suppose I should clarify what Chakra is before I get ahead of myself. Chakra is—" Sakura was shaking her head.
Slowly, as if expecting him to get angry at any moment, Sakura said, "I know about Chakra. Kirsche said it's the balancing of energy inside you…or something like that." Pausing briefly, she moved closer to Gaara who had come to stand beside her before continuing, "I don't understand, though, why Kankuro is learning how to be a ninja. Temari said you can't go to ninja school until you're seven."
Yashamaru was taken aback, though when he thought about it, it shouldn't have been surprising that Kirsche would be teaching Sakura about Chakra since people with Kekkei Genkai, whether they're ninja or not, need to be able to properly use Chakra. Perhaps, though, the true source of his surprise was that Sakura didn't understand Kankuro's position in life. Before he could think of anything to say, Temari answered Sakura's question.
"Sakura, our dad's the Kazekage. Even if we didn't want to—we do, by the way—but even if we didn't, we've been raised to be ninja. I guess you could say it's one of those special situations I was telling you about before. We're exceptions to the rule." Yashamaru noted that she said this from the side of Sakura that Gaara wasn't on. The game might be over, but obviously the pattern was still holding strong.
Sakura, oblivious to Temari's evasive behavior, started pouting. "That's not fair!" From here, Yashamaru expected Sakura to say something about how their father being the Kazekage shouldn't dictate their plans for their future. It was the kind of statement that, though naïve, would fit Sakura's personality, so he was rather surprised with what she said next instead.
"Why can you be a ninja now and I can't? It'll be forever until I'm seven!" Temari made some remark to this, but Yashamaru didn't hear it. His mind was in upheaval. Since when had Sakura wanted to be a ninja? It didn't fit her personality at all. Not only that, but it would be too dangerous for her—not that it wasn't dangerous for everyone else, but it wasn't just the danger to her person that he was concerned for. Rather, his thoughts were first with Youko, whose heart would be broken if anything ever happened to Sakura, and then they shifted to Gaara. He wasn't even sure how his nephew would react, but he was certain it wouldn't be favorable.
Sakura's voice drifted into Yashamaru's thoughts as she disclaimed loudly, "I will too be a ninja, mommy, even if I wasn't born here!" Something clicked in Yashamaru's head at this, relaxing his fears. No matter what Sakura wanted, the likelihood of her being accepted into the ninja academy was almost nonexistent. After all, the head of the academy was well known for her dislike of foreigners—she would never allow Sakura in and it was unlikely that Sakura would obtain a private tutor like his niece and nephews had. So, unless Sakura somehow managed to pass the Genin test without proper schooling—which was practically impossible—there would be nothing to worry about.
He refused to think about what might happen if she did pass.
That's the end of this chapter from Yashamaru's POV. I hope you liked it and found it informative. There's quite a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter, much of which is even blatantly obvious, so I hope people are thinking on what path this story is going to take.
Thank you to everyone who voted. I feel that I have enough votes to now decide for sure on the path this World will take. When it gets to that point in the story, there will be a chapter that addresses the subject of the poll.
I apologize for the long wait on the update, but my computer died (and is still dead, by the way), interfering greatly with the whole writing process. I can't say when the next chapter will be written since it's looking like I won't have a computer for at least two more weeks if not more—and obviously, little public computer time means little time to type the chapter…but it will come eventually!
I love reviews and accept constructive criticism, however flames are neither liked nor accepted, so don't even try it. Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to the pretty list!
Thanks to: Lyte the Warrior, Yuuki-Hime 2097, Jasmin Liertha (thanks for catching that, it's fixed), Cindy Medeiros, Black-footed, Hullop, annarolls (You certainly are on the right path of thinking. As to Kirshe's past and possible future, you'll find out eventually), & Snow Lily RandomMuch for reviewing!
