Arc 2 Chapter 7: Precarious Situation
Kankuro sat on the roof of a four storey building quietly, watching the streets of his village below. The night was quiet, with the slight eerie sound of the wind blowing through the place that he was used to. Kankurou's mission to tail the apothecary closely began three days ago at the request of the Kazekage. The red-haired leader was tormented by this decision, but Kankurou knew it was the correct one to make. Miharu was a mystery, and she is still an outsider at the end of the day.
Miharu emerged from the conservatory just past mid-night. Late work? Possibly. Kankurou followed her to an alley. It was dark but he could make out another figure in the alley. The figure said something to Miharu, but Kankurou could not make out the words. He heard Miharu say no, and then the figure lashed out.
"Then, you are useless to me. Die." With that, the man in the shadow grabbed the apothecary with lightning speed.
Kankurou sprang into action, but before Kankurou could bring out his puppets, he heard Miharu cry out. Blue flame radiated from her body, the heat was so intense Kankurou couldn't get near. The man from the darkness burned, his scream cut short as he disintegrated into dust. The blue flame gradually disappeared, leaving Miharu slumped on the ground. The Sand ninja stopped from moving nearer, he knew that flame – Aosagibi, the blue spirit from three years ago. He was aware that a tiny part of the Aosagibi's chakra has been mingled into Miharu's own, and that nearly killed her. He was not aware however that it could manifest itself like this. Did Gaara know about this?
Temari crossed her arms, her brows frowning with concern. Kankurou had filled her in on what had happened. The ANBU squad were crawling all over to find out who the disintegrated man was. No answers yet, and as Miharu began to awaken in the room, she prepared herself to deal with the apothecary.
"What happened?" Temari questioned the apothecary. The dark haired girl got up from the bed she was laid upon in the room and stared at Temari, then at Kankurou.
"I… don't know."
"Stop lying!" Kankurou said harshly.
"I have no choice!" The apothecary cried. "It's not what you think…"
"Then pray tell us what is going on." Temari said, "It seems that also that you have the Aosagibi's chakra do kill people."
"I can't help it!" Miharu said "Believe me, I can't control it fully. I knew I can have a little of the blue flame to my use… but I've never killed anyone like this."
"Who was he?"
Miharu shook her head "I don't know. He appeared in the alley… he said that my life would be spared if I help him kill the Earth delegates. I refused and he tried to kill me… then that happened
Gaara entered the windowless room, his serious face immediately softened when he saw Miharu. He went to her, "Are you hurt?" Miharu shook her head. The Kazekage then turned to his siblings. Temari indicated that they should talk outside. Once they were outside and alone, Kankurou filled in the Kazekage on what had happened.
"We knew she could do something like that in the future, having survived being a vessel for the Aosagibi, even if it was just a little while." Temari reflected.
"Yes, but you didn't see what I saw… she could be dangerous, especially if she cannot control the chakra." Kankurou replied. "Gaara, this is serious. If word gets out that she can kill like that, it is like having a uncontrollable weapon…"
Uncontrollable weapon. Gaara's felt his heart twinge. That was what he was before, and how painful it was to be wanted dead.
"…And there is also the issue of her being used to assassinate Atsuko and her people here." Kankurou continued.
Gaara suddenly felt so very tired, as if a great weight has been added on to his shoulders. "Find out who he was, then report back to me only." He instructed his older brother, as he turned to re-enter the interrogation room.
"What about her?" Temari asked the Kazekage. "You cannot overlook this, and certainly cannot let her leave and move freely."
"I'll deal with her." Gaara replied.
Gaara sat on his sofa in his apartment, thinking of what to do next. What could he do? He knew that the internal security team and some of the council members would have known by now. They would demand a swift action against a threat like Miharu. Would they let her live? In the midst of all this, Gaara also felt the guilt that he could not protect her.
A ring of the doorbell brought Gaara out of his brooding. He opened the door and saw a tall blonde woman.
"Atsuko," Gaara greeted.
"I need to speak with you." Atsuko said, "But it seems that I may be here at the wrong time."
Gaara knew what she meant, as they both could hear the running tap in the bathroom.
"I will make this quick then." Atsuko continued. "My sources have told me of a potential threat of assassination. The Tsuchikage has ordered us to return by next week, forsaking any negotiations if nothing comes out of it by then. I trust by then not only action will be taken against any threats, that you are also willing for at least some terms we are still negotiating to succeed, even if it is not the alliance that we had sought. Do not think that the Earth would not see the Sand as hostile in the future."
Atsuko turned to leave, but stopped when the Kazekage said, "Are you fine with that, Atsuko?"
"For the sake of our villages, I am willing to do anything. I am but a pawn, but if I can protect my village with an alliance, I would have done my duty. You of all people should know that, Kazekage-sama. You may have known the former Tsuchikage, but the new one – my father, would not do favours for the Sand. . . "
Gaara rummaged through Miharu's rucksack. All her belongings had been taken to Gaara's apartment. There was nothing out of the ordinary: money, books, cooking implements, her tanto knife that she used so often in the conservatory, her short bow, the tessen fan Temari gave her, her clothes…
The Kazekage sat on the floor with all of the apothecary's things. He picked up a silver bowl. He remembered she always used this bowl when she made those remedies.
Miharu…
Gaara realised that Miharu had been in the bathroom for far too long. He knocked on the door and called her, but there was no reply yet the sound of the tap was still running. Gaara's heart skipped in fear for the worst, he promptly opened the door.
She was sitting on the bathroom floor, backed against the wall next to the bathtub. Water was overflowing from the bath, soaking her as well as the floor. She had he arms tucked around her folded legs, her eyes vacantly stared at the opposite wall.
"Miharu!" Gaara turned off the tap of the bath, and taking a towel, wrapped her in it. She stared blankly ahead, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it… I can't control it…".
"I know you didn't. You were afraid."
Miharu didn't say anything else but repeated her words over and over. Gaara could do nothing but hold her head close to him, reassuring her with soft words that night.
"Kazekage," the elder sitting opposite council table at the meeting said, "What are your decisions now regarding the apothecary?"
Gaara looked at the elder, his hands clasped together under his chin. "Heizo, what is it that is on your mind?"
The elder called Heizo put up his hands in gesture "What everyone here is thinking, Kazekage. That when it comes to the apothecary, you are hesitant… you tend to risk yourself when it comes to protecting her… like how you did three years ago."
"I would gladly protect anyone of this village and who I consider friend, Heizo."
"Now then the apothecary seems to have brought trouble to us again, what is it that you supposed we do? I don't think that you do regard her as just 'friends'…"
"Enough, Heizo-sama." Temari interjected.
"Heizo-sama is right," Baki said, "Kazekage, knowing now that our security has been breached and that Miharu is the target, we cannot let her be around especially when the Tsuchikage's daughter is here. They have already resolved to pulling out of all negotiations. You must have the apothecary confined if not send away."
Another council member, Susumu, spoke up, "I agree with Baki-dono. We must confine the apothecary at a far location from here. We cannot guarantee that another incident like last night would not happen."
Seeing that two of the senior members of the council has spoken, Heizo added "There is also the question of one particular negotiation, Kazekage. Are you or are you not going to ally with the Earth by a bond of marriage? With this alliance, we no longer would have to worry about the Earth siding with Stone when their internal struggle ends."
"I will give the council that decision in due time. Right now, our focus is on the problem of the unknown assailant."
Unfortunately, not much progress was done on that part, as Kankurou reported. What was agreed at the council meeting however was the relocation of Miharu, much to Gaara's dislike, but he had to give the order.
Miharu's new place was a small 10-meter tower, guarded by ten ninjas, in the far east of the village. Gaara personally brought here there to make sure everything would be provided for. Seeing that things were to his satisfaction, the Kazekage took his leave for work. He promised to see her soon and that the confinement would be temporary.
Kankurou scratched his head vigorously in frustration. The intel on South Lightning's renegades were near to nothing. Hane Hiroto was getting clever. To add to his frustration, he and his team were scanning every security camera recording in the village. They were hoping that the mysterious person whom Miharu had burned would show up at an earlier time in the village. It was yet again late in the night. Kankurou felt very tired now since he didn't get any sleep as well. Seeing his team were as tired as he felt, he ordered them to rest. As the investigating team left the room without their leader, Gaara came in. "Any luck?" he asked his elder brother.
"No." Kankurou replied. "We have only just got to your birthday."
Gaara helped Kankurou with the recordings, but looking at so many cameras at the same time was very difficult. Soon however, Kankurou spotted something and called the Kazekage. Gaara turned to Kankurou's screen.
"Here. The camera that was at the balcony of the Kazekage's building." Kankurou pointed.
The image was a little dark, but it was clear enough to see that on the balcony Miharu stood alone in her green dress that she wore at the ball. Gaara remembered that this was before he joined her at the balcony. Miharu had her back to the camera, looking out from the balcony. Suddenly, she turned, as if someone had called her. The back of the person then came into view as he approached the apothecary.
"It is… Susumu… isn't it?" Kankurou said. Gaara nodded in agreement, as he kept watching the two in conversation. Unfortunately, the camera had no sound recording, but he could tell from Miharu's expression at the end of the conversation, it could not have been too pleasant. They kept watching the recordings throughout the night, hoping to find anything more that may help with the investigation.
"Say, Gaara." Kankurou said suddenly after more hours of watching the screens. It was already 6 in the morning. "Do you love her? Miharu, I mean."
Gaara thought for a moment. "I don't know."
It was the truth. Gaara knows that physically, he wanted her. He wanted her to lie next to him when he tries to sleep, letting him say whatever was on his mind... He liked the intimacy and the bond he has with Miharu so far, but was it love? Or was it lust and the need to satisfy his selfish desires?
"Don't know?" Kankurou echoed. "You don't strike me as that kind of guy."
Gaara frowned. "What do you mean?"
But before Kankurou could reply, there was a knock at the door and one of Kankurou's men burst in. "Kankurou-dono! This is urgent! One of the Earth delegates has been murdered!"
Author's Note:
After a long absence, I'm back writing... I hope I can still finish this story!