Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series or Naruto series characters, please support the original manga/anime . I own my OC's: Iridessa, Corianna, Kai-kun and Ibiki-sensei.
Beta Writer: SilverGoldsun - .Day
Yooo guys! So sorry it's been like forever I've just seriously not had the time to update, the exchange life is a busy one! :) But please keep reading and enjoy this chapter!
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After about five minutes of convincing Iridessa and Kai that she was okay, team 13 decided to move out and continue the sprint towards the tower. The sand ninjas waved them a casual goodbye and took off in another direction. Corianna couldn't help but feel slightly sad when Gaara left, although she hoped that wouldn't be the last time they saw each other. Team thirteen reached the tower faster just as the colourful skies of the evening we're starting to plague the sky. They entered the tall tower and walked into an empty sky blue tiled room. The team look around puzzled, unsure of what to do or if someone was supposto meet them there. Kai then noticed a note pinned to the cork board. The team then obeyed the note and opened both scrolls. In a poof of smoke, Kenji-sensei sensei was standing before them, his muscular and scarred arms folded and a wide grin on his mature manly face. "Congrats team! You passed this part of the exam! Not that I expected you guys to fail." Suddenly team 13 broke out in cheers and smiles as they did a victory dance, making their sensei laugh. "Alright guys, let's get you out of here." Kenji-sensei then did a couple hand signs and teleported team 13 back to the leaf village.
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The sun was just starting to set and since it was only around 6pm, Kenji-sensei decided to treat team 13 to a Konohagakure specialty, the well-known Ichiraku ramen. The team ate gratefully and told Kenji-sensei about the details of the forest of death. It was evident that he was proud of team 13, and he was even more impressed how fast the team had grown, not just as friends, but as a unit. After the team had finished their meal they headed outside into the busy night life of downtown Leaf village. It was dark, and many bars had begun to open earning the attention of the adult crowd. Kenji-sensei decided to walk his student's home, to make sure they were safe.
As they approached a bridge that would take them to Kai's district, a ninja dressed in the traditional fashion approached Kenji-sensei sensei and whispered something in his ear then disappeared into the crowd. Iridessa, Corianna and Kai looked at their Sensei questionably, as if they all wanted to know what was going on. Their sensei the pulled them all into a quick hug and laughed cheerfully. "You guys are the best!" He bellowed, "My team, my team! You guys beat the record for the forest of death, by 30 hours! Haha I'm so proud of you." The team exchanged smiles, but then another question popped into Corianna's head. "Are we the only team that has finished that part of the exam yet?" She asked curiosity evident in her voice. Kenji-sensei shook his head, still smiling, "One other team has finished as well. They finished about 10 minutes after you guys. They were the sand ninjas…oh I can't remember their names…" Kenji-sensei stood thoughtfully pondering before shrugging and giving up trying to remember the ninja's names. Kai and Iridessa looked at Corianna, mischievous grins on their faces and Corianna blushed and smiled. Before they could start to tease her, Kenji-sensei ushered them to keep moving so they could all get some rest.
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She didn't know what it was, maybe it was the strange bite that she had received earlier in the forest of death, but all that Iridessa knew was that she wasn't going to sleep any time soon. She sat up in her bed and pushed off the cream coloured sheets, trying to not make too much noise.
She walked out into the hallway and made sure Corianna was sleeping. Surely enough she heard her deep dream threaded breathing and Iridessa tip toed to the kitchen. She fixed herself a glass of milk and grabbed a cookie and made her way back to her room, closing the door softly. She opened the large window, a cool refreshing breeze found its way into her room, making the sheer dark curtains dance slowly. She finished her milk and cookie and stared out into the sky. She then bend down and looked under her bed curiously, and surely enough the deep blue violin case was tucked under there. She pulled it out and smiled, it had been some time since she played, with the chunin exams going on and what not. Memories began to flood back of her playing this instrument day after day, pouring her unhappiness and sorrow into beautiful song, although she never got the chance to play for anyone, not even her best friend because her adoptive parents considered her music annoying. She cradled the case like a baby and stepped out onto the windowsill.
She pushed the violin up onto the slanted tiles of the roof and she used a large blast of air to push herself up onto the roof. Then under the comfort of the moon and the twinkling stars, she broke the sleeping silence with a strong and definite stroke of the bow on the strings. She then began to play a sad yet powerful melody, the large buildings around her making the notes echo. She poured her soul into the music, letting all the stress and anger, happiness and joy flow into the violin and project almost like she was showing the world her inner self through song. She played for a few hours, when in mid song she heard a strange noise, like someone walking behind her. She stopped abruptly and stood on the roof, scanning the dark surroundings for anyone spying on her. She then looked to her right, and standing there was none other than the demon of the sand, Gaara.
Iridessa was confused, what was he doing here of all places? She hid her violin and bow behind her back and looked at him cautiously. He stared at her, his jade green eyes reflecting the moon light as he watched her cautiously, his emotionless face not hinting any emotion. "Can I help you?" Iridessa asked politely. He looked shocked at her statement and then she shook his head and replied, "I heard something beautiful, and it lead me here. What are you playing?" Iridessa looked at him and relaxed her arms. "It's called a violin; I don't think you guys have it here. And what you heard was a song I've been writing for a while; it's far from perfect though." She sat again on the roof and positioned the violin, just when she was about to start playing she turned and looked at the red-haired shinobi, "Well? Aren't you going to join me?" Gaara looked at her puzzled but then made his way over and sat a safe distance from her.
She smiled and began to play the song from the beginning, putting the same amount of emotion into each note. This was the first time she had played in front of anyone, although she felt that Gaara had already accepted and understood her music. After she finished playing she lowered the instrument and looked at Gaara, his was gazing at the moon his forehead creased in thought. "I can't even remember how many nights I've watched this moon…" He began; she stayed silent and waited for him to continue. "As you may or may not know…I have this demon inside of me, because of that I can never sleep." She nodded at him. "Also because of this demon, I have been alone all these years. All this time of pain and suffering, I have never known the emotion of 'love' that so many people speak of. It makes me curious, although I'm too afraid to find out." Iridessa sat looking at him, just imaging what he had been though, and partially surprised that he was telling her all of this. "Yeah…" Iridessa started putting the violin in its case and looking up at the sky. "I thought I knew that emotion, once." Gaara looked at her blankly and made a motion with his hand for her to continue.
Iridessa sighed and inhaled deeply. "My biological mother was murdered….by my father." She could already feel tears welling in her eyes but she continued her story. "I came home from school, and I knew for a while my parents had been struggling with money as my father was an alcoholic. I heard a loud crashing noise from upstairs so I walked up stairs and….and…." She bit her lip and let out a shaky breath. "…my father had beaten my mother so bad she was bleeding everywhere. He then turned to me and choked me until I passed out. I woke up later and the house was on fire and I heard fire engine sirens outside….I tried to wake my mother up but she was long dead. So I took her leather jacket that was hanging on the back of the door and I ran outside." Iridessa sniffed and wiped away the tears from her eyes. She hadn't told many people her story and she didn't like to recollect the memories. "I went outside and an ambulance took me away. I was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, and the police told me that my mother was dead. My father, however, was never found." She looked at Gaara trying so desperately to hold back the tears in her eyes.
He put a hand on her comfortingly. "I am sorry for you loss…" He spoke in a lone tone, "I also lost my mother. I never knew her though…she died giving birth to me." He looked down at the roof tiles then back at Iridessa. A peaceful silence had fallen between them, although it was a silence of understanding that both of them had found someone to share their pain with, someone who would understand the pain of losing someone close to you. Iridessa then remembered something and broke the silence. "Wait here a second, I have something to give you." She stood and climbed back in through her bedroom window making sure to place her violin back in her room. She then searched through her medical ninja pouch and pulled out a small vial of green liquid. She smiled and clambered back onto the roof top to where Gaara was waiting. She held out the small vial, and the moon light reflected off the glass and spoke softly, "Drink this." He looked warily at the container and took it from her hands. She could tell he was cautious about drinking it, so she smiled warmly at the young sand ninja. He opened the vial and quickly drank down the liquid. Gaara then started to feel strange, his eyes became heavy and his body felt exhausted. Suddenly he realized that Iridessa had giving him a sleeping medicine, and a powerful on at that. He mentally kicked himself for not asking what kind of liquid was in the vile, but it was too late. His last thought before he drifted into a dreamy blackness was that he hoped somehow Shukaku wouldn't be set loose, or there may not be a leaf village by the time he woke up.