Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, I am simply using them to play with.
I'm sorry for how long it took me to update this story, it was giving me a lot of trouble. And my muse decided that she likes Anko better then anyone else right now.
Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, I'm not answering them right now because my internet has crashed and I'm borrowing a friends to post this, so if I go through all of your wonderful reviews it would be at least another week or more before I could get this posted.
ATTENTION READERS ON AFF!!!!!! I have enabled the update notification on all my stories so if you want to be notified when I update please make sure to review when you're logged in so that the site can do that for you.
Thank you all again for your patience, I know the chapter is shorter then normal, but I wanted to give you guys something at least.
21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21
Chapter Twenty One
As of the beginning of this chapter it has been;
16 days since Naruto found Temari, 9 days since they arrived in Konoha.
21 21
Naruto tiptoed his way through the apartment as he gathered his gear for the road. He had only managed to pack his food supplies the night before as he and Temari had ended up staying awake a lot later then he had planned too.
The sun wasn't up yet but he hadn't turned on any lights, he didn't really need them, he knew where all his equipment was. He also didn't want to wake Temari, at least not yet. Finally all he needed was a change of clothing and so he headed quietly for the bedroom. Leaving his bag just outside the door he made a be-line for the closet.
It was darker in there then the rest of the apartment so he had to rely on touch to find his way around. He wondered briefly if he was just tired or if the lack of Kyuubi's influence was effecting his eye sight, he could have sworn that even without taping into the demons night vision, he could usually see in the dark better than this.
The thought never finished as he ended up miss calculating the distance to his dresser and slammed his knee against the corner of it. He bit back a curse so as not to wake Temari, but a moment later the bedside lamp flicked on anyway.
"Naruto, what are you doing stumbling around in the dark?"
He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed his sore knee. "I didn't want to disturb you so early."
"Don't worry, I was already awake." Her voice sounded rough as she lay back down.
As his eyes fully adjusted to the light, Naruto noticed that she looked very tired. Frowning he made his way to her bedside, ignoring his still throbbing knee. "Are you okay?" He leaned over to brush her hair out of her face and feel her forehead, it didn't seem hot to him.
"I'm okay, I just had trouble sleeping, my stomach felt weird most of the night."
Naruto sat down on the edge of the bed. "Like yesterday?"
"It's a little worse, I think if I get up too fast I'll get sick."
He grimaced. "I guess it's started then huh."
"It looks like it." She momentarily closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.
"Didn't that book of yours say something about what to take for it?"
"I'm not sure, I read so much yesterday that I don't remember half of it." She made a face as she admitted that fact, causing Naruto to smile.
"Well you just stay here while I finish and then I'll check to see what I can find out." She nodded slightly as her eyes once again drifted closed.
Not wasting any time Naruto stood and headed back to his dresser. Within minutes he had all his clothing stacked neatly in two piles. He was headed out to get his bag when he decided to detour to the kitchen and turn on the kettle. Yesterday the herbal tea he had made for Temari seemed to help so he figured it couldn't hurt to try it again.
On his way back he grabbed Temari her book, he set the manuscript on the bedside table as his eyes once again scanned her face, she had turned onto her right side, her eyes still closed.
The soft light from the bedside lamp gently played over her features and made the wisps of hair framing her face glow with a soft golden light. Naruto had the strongest urge to lean down and kiss her, but he stopped himself before he was able to act on it and stomped down on the impulse. Instead he sat down on the edge of the bed so he could continue to study her face.
Temari shifted, groaning slightly before she opened her eyes, she managed a weak smile but didn't say anything. Without really thinking about it Naruto reached over and started to gently rub her back.
"I put on some water for tea and I brought your book." He nodded towards the nightstand.
"You're the best Naruto." She murmured, her eyes drooping slightly.
"I aim to please." He teased quietly.
Another soft smile curved her lips and Naruto had a hard time pulling his eyes away from her lush lips. Temari shifting more onto her stomach broke the spell he seemed to be under.
"Mmmmm, that feels good."
It took him a moment to realize she was talking about the back rub he was still unconsciously giving her. "Your back sore?"
She made a negative sound in the back of her throat. "Not really, but it still feels nice, you have great hands." Her words were slightly muffled by her pillow but Naruto found himself grinning at the compliment.
"If you want I can give you a quick massage before I get going." He offered, for what ever reason he just wanted to keep in physical contact with her for as long as he could.
"That would be nice."
He was rather surprised by her easy acceptance but did his best to hide it as she got rid of her pillow and moved to lay flat on her stomach. Once she was comfortable he pulled the quilt down enough to allow him better access to her back as he shifted his own position to allow the use of both hands. Neither of them spoke again as he started working on her back muscles, it surprised him when he realized she was sleeping in one of his T-shirts again, even though he knew for a fact that she had bought pajamas. He didn't comment on it as her was quickly distracted by just how delicate her body felt beneath his large hands.
He could tell that she still needed to gain back some weight but she didn't feel as gaunt as she had been when he found her. Finding his position still a little awkward he shifted again, his hip ended up pressed slightly against her thigh but he was distracted from that fact as he had leaned forward t work her neck and shoulders and he had taken a deep breath as he did so. He frowned as he had a feeling that her scent was different. As discreetly as he could he lowered his head farther and purposely took a deep draught of her soft scent.
It confused him when he wasn't able to pinpoint what was different, she still had the same earthy scent that had taken a softer hint because of her pregnancy. He realized now that that had been the reason he had not recognized her smell when he had first come caught wind of it out in the forest where he had found her.
Unconsciously frowning in thought he racked his brain for a reason for this other change. Nothing came to him and it had him wondering if this too had something to do with the sealing of the fox. Fighting back a frustrated sigh he finally gave up trying to decipher the change, deciding that it was probably just something to do with her condition and the onset of her morning sickness.
After all Temari was the first woman he had been around this much while she was in the first stages of carrying a child, so it was logical that he didn't recognize whatever it was because he simply hadn't come across that kind of scent change before. Nodding to himself he turned his full attention back to Temari, only to discover that she had fallen asleep under his hands.
Smiling he carefully stood and brought the covers back up over her back, maybe now she could get a little more rest. Moving quietly away from the bed he went to retrieve the clothing that was still sitting on his dresser. He had a few more things he had to do before he heading out, so he decided to let her sleep.
21 21 21 21 21
Kyuubi woke with a start, his pointed snout twitching as an unfamiliar scent assaulted the sensitive appendage. His large ears perked up before swiveling slightly side to side as he tried to catch a second sample of the odor that had disturbed his slumber.
He couldn't find it, gazing out of his small box like cell he realized that Naruto was in the area of his den he called the kitchen, watching the metal container he used for heating water. Although there was no further sign of the disturbing scent the fox sat up, he didn't want to drift off again until he discovered the source.
21 21 21 21 21
Naruto Didn't want to admit it, but he was stalling. He had repacked his bag which now sat beside the door, rearranged part of his fridge and made sure both the living-room and kitchen were spotless, all while Temari's tea was steeping on the countertop.
He couldn't help it, he didn't want to leave and he also didn't want to disturb Temari, even though he had promised to wake her up before he left. And therein lay another dilemma, technically he had already woke her up, but then they hadn't really said goodbye, she had fallen asleep again during the back rub.
He was headed for the door to grab his bag, intent on repacking it yet again when his house guests soft voice stopped him.
"You should have woken me up Naruto."
Temari stood just outside of the bedroom door, she had simply wrapped the kimono she had been wearing the day before around her like a robe. Much of her golden hair had escaped the braid falling down her back and the rebellious strands framed her face as well as the exposed skin of her neck and collar bone where his overly large T-shirt sagged slightly.
To the fox vessel she looked positively ravishing, every fiber of his body went on red alert and wanted to sweep her off her feet and take her back to bed and stay there with her. An image flashed through his mind, of Temari warm and willing beneath him, and it nearly gave him a heart attack. Dragging his eyes away from her tempting figure, which happened to be wearing some of his clothing he fought down a blush even as he had to refrain from pounding his head against the nearest wall in an effort to dislodge the image.
"Your going to be late heading out if you don't go soon." Once again Temari's voice interrupted him.
He turned his attention back to her, being careful to only look her in the eyes, as he was sure he was still blushing. "I didn't want to disturb you after you fell asleep again." He cleared his throat nervously trying to come up with something else to say even as he cursed himself for allowing such explicit thoughts of Temari into his head.
He wasn't sure what had happened to bring about the sudden change in how he looked at her. It was wrong on so many levels, he was sure of it. The only upside being that his body hadn't had time to react to the direction his thoughts had unexpectedly taken.
Unnoticed by the self reproaching blond, the woman in question was a little concerned by his unusual silence and had crossed the room to stand by his side.
"Naruto is something bothering you?" She placed a hand on his arm as she spokeand was surprised when he started at the contact.
"I just feel bad for leaving you when I promised I wouldn't." He wasn't lying he told himself, it was true, it just wasn't what was REALLY bothering him at that moment.
Temari smiles gently. "I'll be fine, thanks to you I have everything I need. So don't worry about me okay."
"But you're not feeling well." He protested quietly, worry wrinkling his brow.
Temari shrugged. "From what I read yesterday, that's to be expected." The grip on his arm tightened momentarily as she tried to reassure him. "Besides, its not as bad now that I'm upright."
Reluctantly Naruto Nodded, He knew he was being a little overly dramatic, but for some reason all of his reactions seemed to be going overboard when it came to the woman standing next to him. "Well I guess I better go then, if you need anything don't' hesitate to ask Iruka or Hinata for a hand."
She nodded at the reminder. "And you'll probably be gone by the time I get back." He shifted uncomfortably as the words left his mouth. "So… ah…. Just leave the key to the apartment with Tsunade."
Temari nodded again. "I'll take care of it."
For the hundredth time Naruto dearly wished that he wasn't going anywhere. Before he could think of anything else to say to prolong his stalling Temari stepped into him, burrowing hr face into his chest as her arms wrapped around his waist.
"Be careful Naruto."
The big shinobi was so stunned by both her words and her actions that it took him a moment to respond to her embrace. "I will, I promise." He whispered as he gathered her closer, taking a moment to memorize how she felt in his arms. He knew that once she went home they wouldn't have this closeness between them again.
They stood silent and still, just enjoying the moment, until Naruto's sensitive nose once again detected the slight difference in her scent. He wasn't sure why but he felt a sudden tightening in his gut, the kind that said something wasn't quite right.
Pulling back from their embrace slightly he raised a hand to gently move several locks of hair back behind her ear. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
Temari nodded. "My stomach seems to have settled down now."
Despite her words he just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. "I hate to sound like a nag, but will you promise me something?"
Temari raised a questioning brow, the worry in his voice had not escaped her notice.
"If you start to feel worse again, even a little bit, will you promise to go get checked over?"
He face fell at his words. "Do you think something might be wrong?" Her teeth started worrying her lower lip as her eyes searched his.
Naruto could have kicked himself for upsetting her just because he was paranoid. Quickly he tried to back track as he once again pulled her close. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I'm just a worrier and I want to make sure you'll be careful being here alone."
Only feeling slightly reassured Temari gave him her promise to be cautious then stood on her toes to place a light kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for everything Naruto, I don't know what I would have done without you."
Naruto's eyes closed briefly, as he fought the urge to hold her tighter and say screw the mission. For some reason it felt like he was never going to see her again.
Doing his best to hide his unease he forced a smile as the finally pulled apart. "Glad I could help."
He flashed his trademark grin even though it was the last thing he felt like doing. "I guess I better get going." He mumbled, turning to gather his pack and slip it onto his back before checking his weapons pouches and vest pockets one last time.
For some reason when he moved towards the door her got the strongest feeling of foreboding, she squashed the feeling as best he could. Telling himself that he was over reacting he pulled open his door. Turning back to Temari he once again offered the best smile he was able to, even it was even more forced then the previous ones had been.
"You take care of yourself now."
The Sand kunoichi's answering smile was just as forced. "The same goes for you Naruto, be safe."
Before he could give into the urge to hug her again Naruto walked out the door, closing it quietly but firmly behind him. He stood there for a couple moments, taking several deep breaths before he forced himself down the hall and out of the building.
21 21 21 21
Kyuubi was livid.
He slammed all nine of his tails, all of them glowing brightly with his power into the cracked wall of his newly acquired prison, in an effort to at least get his hosts attention. It was his third attempt, but none of them seemed to be having the desired effect. The new seal holding him being a lot stronger then he had first thought.
Naruto had seemed to pick up on his unrest for a few moments, but had dismissed it and left the female anyway.
The kitsune knew something was wrong, the female didn't smell right. He didn't know exactly was the problem was, as it seemed that his new cell was actually blocking some of his finer senses, so he couldn't pin point it.
All to soon his host had left the village and was traveling quickly through the woods, so the demon gave up trying to gain his attention, it didn't seem to be working anyway.
Growling in frustration the nine-tails paced in several circles before laying down. He decided to try again once Naruto fell asleep that night, the demon hoped that maybe in his dreams he could get through.
21 21 21 21
Kakashi waved cheerfully to Shizune as he entered the reception area of the Hokage Tower. The brown haired woman blinked at him in surprise before taking an ill concealed glance at the clock hanging on the wall to her left.
"For someone on leave you're here offly early." She commented as he came to a stop in front of her desk.
"Not willingly I assure you." Kakashi informed her, although his voice, which was as cheerful as his wave had been, contradicted his statement.
Shizune was sure that she hadn't seen the Copy-nin inside the Hokage tower at seven in the morning in all the years she had been there.
"So to what do we owe the honor of seeing you at this time in the morning?" She propped her chin on her hands grinning, she couldn't help it, she had always wondered what it would be like to tease the masked man. And if he was planning on talking to Tsunade at this time of the morning so soon after the drinking incident she had a feeling that she might never get another chance. Tsunade was likely to rip him into pieces, and then pound the bits into dust.
The Godaime didn't take kindly to waking up with a major hangover, and she was also very un-inclined to admit that any of it was her own fault.
Kakashi raised a brow when he saw the sparkle enter Shizune's eyes, the quiet brunette had never been very open around him and he got the sudden impression that she was either teasing him or about to flirt with him.
Deciding to play along no matter which it was her crossed his arms and leaned a hip on her desk. "Well I'm actually just following orders." He informed her, his voice serious.
Her brow left brow lifted. "You are, are you?" And whose orders are those?"
"Why the Hokage's of course, she insisted that I inform her of my every move while I'm on leave." He gave her and innocent smile through his mask.
The right brow rose to join the left. "She did?"
He only nodded.
Shizune had to think about that for a moment, he was so serious that she had no double that Tsunade had originally ordered something to that effect, however the assistant still wasn't sure if it was wise to let him see her at this point in time.
"Well if you give me the details of where you're going and for how long I can pass them along for you." She offered, still undecided.
"Is the Hokage not in yet?" Kakashi asked instead.
"Well yes, she just got here. But I'm sure you're in a hurry, so I would be more then happy to be the go between." The brunet was desperately trying to stall. Tsunade wasn't a morning person and judging by her mood since she woke up with a hang over the other day she would be less forgiving then she usually was.
"Then there's no need to trouble you, I'll just tell her and be on my way." Before Shizune could protest Kakashi had pushed away from her desk and was through the Hokage's door. The assistant cringed, waiting for the body of a certain copy-nin to come flying back through the door without the benefit of it being opened first.
21 21
Kakashi smirked under his mask as he pulled the door closed quietly behind him. If Shizune's reaction to his presence was any indication there was a good chance that his leader would be less then thrilled to see him. He wasn't sure why, but he had a suspicion.
"Good morning Tsunade." He greeted cheerfully, startling the blond woman whose back was turned to him as she searched a file drawer.
"What are you doing here?" She growled, her chocolate eyes narrowing at the sight of him.
"I just wanted to let you know I would be gone for a few days, as per your orders." He informed her, hooking his thumbs into his pockets as he tried to look completely relaxed even as he was waiting for her to throw something at him, even though he wasn't sure why she would WANT to throw something at him.
His reply caught her attention instantly. "You're leaving Konoha?"
He nodded. "Yes, Ikura has been bugging me to go on this trip with him, and since I have some time off, I thought I would indulge him."
Tsunade's glare disappeared as she slowly sat down at her desk. "And how long do you expect to be gone?" She folded her hands carefully and deliberately on the surface of her desk.
"Two, three days tops. Iruka has to start organizing the invitations for the next chunin exams when we get back, so it won't be long at all. And we're only going a few villages away so you can find us easily if we're needed." That being said he stepped up to her desk and handed her a paper containing the directions to where he and Iruka would be staying.
"Thank you for letting me know Kakashi, you may go." Tsunade waved him away after accepting the note.
With a two fingered salute Kakashi turned on his heel and left as quietly as he had come. After the door had closed the Godaime slumped down in her chair. She shook her head at herself, obviously Shizune was wrong about her theory of the Copy–nin and the teacher not being an item, the two of them were going on vacation together.
Shaking her head again Tsunade had to ask herself why she even cared.
21 21 21 21 21 21
Temari finally gave up pretending that Naruto would be coming back soon, she wasn't sure why but the apartment had a completely different feel to it now that she knew she had it all to herself. The rooms felt big and empty and she finally couldn't take it anymore, so she slipped on her foot wear and headed for the door, hoping a walk would lessen the sudden feeling of loneliness.
She wandered the streets rather aimlessly, not wanting to go to the training grounds she headed for the shopping district. Not that she was much of a shopper by any means, but she felt drawn to the area, perhaps it was the people, although she didn't really think so. Since her capture she had even less of an inclination to mingle then before, and in Suna she was considered to be very anti-social outside of work.
After an hour or so of aimless window shopping and nodding greetings to the few people who greeted her, she was surprised to hear her name being called by a now familiar voice. Turning she saw Hinata waving at her and heading in her direction.
Temari smiled as the white eyed woman turned to speak to a group of four or five people who seemed to be following her. As the former Hyuga resumed her approach alone, the Sand kunoichi noted that she and those she left behind were wearing rather large packs on their backs.
"How are you doing today Temari?" Hinata inquired, her eyes doing a full sweep of the blondes frame.
"Much better thank you. Where are you off too?"
Hinata sighed. "I'm taking another group of medics to a village three days south of here. There has been a bad epidemic there and the first team isn't sure what's causing it, so reinforcements are being sent in."
Temari frowned at the information, being in charge of that kind of thing in Suna she knew that it had to be bad to take more then one group of medic-nin's to contain an epidemic. "Is it safe for you to be going into that kind of a situation?" Since the white eyed woman had children of her own the blond assumed that she wouldn't be sent on this kind of mission.
"I'll be fine, we are all protected as best as we can be." Hinata offered a small reassuring smile. "We're hoping that just maybe, my byakugan can help pinpoint the problem and the cause."
Temari knew that there was no use in talking about it anymore, here in Konoha she was little more than a guest. She also realized that she was keeping Hinata from leaving and knew that time was critical for that village. But before the former Hyuga left, Temari wanted to thank her.
"I shouldn't keep you, but I wanted to thank you for the other day. And for the books, I think they'll come on handy." She couldn't help but grin when Hinata looked momentarily stunned.
"You mean….?"
Temari nodded. "Thank you for helping me decide, I couldn't have done it without you and Naruto helping me look at it from all angles."
Hinata's smile was a little wobbly and the Sand kunoichi was sure she saw the other woman blink away moister from her pearl colored eyes.
"I…..I'm glad, happy for you, if you need anything at all please don't hesitate to ask." Hinata didn't seem to notice that she was on the verge of babbling.
Temari chuckled. "I won't, but right now I better let you get on with your mission, there are people out there that need you more then I do."
Hinata nodded. "I'll probably be gone at least a week or two, but when I get back I want a whole explanation. If your still here of course." She amended at the end.
"Deal."
"Take care of yourself Temari." Hinata surprised the blond by stepping forward and giving her a quick hug.
"Same goes for you." Temari awkwardly hugged the other woman back, she really wasn't used to displays of affection or emotion of any kind.
With a rather giddy wave of her hand Hinata turned and hurried back to her group. Temari remained where she was until her friend was out of sight. With a glance at the sky she realized that it was barely past noon, heaving a sigh she decided to go find someplace to eat, she just wasn't ready to go back to the empty apartment. She kind of hoped that her brothers would show up and take her home, even though she wasn't sure if she was ready to face them yet.
Bringing her fingers up to massage her temples the blond turned and headed towards the restaurant section of town. She had a sudden craving for ramen and didn't want to think of herself anymore at that moment in time.
21 21 21 21 21 21
Kankuro was about ready to start throwing people out the window of the Kazekage tower. In fact, the next person who walked through the door and announced that there was still no sign of Gaara, after almost a day and a half of looking was in danger of doing just that. The Puppet Master might have more patience then anyone else in his family but that patience had now run out. He was tired of dealing with whining, incompetent idiots.
He was also very worried about his younger brother, Gaara should have been back by now. Scrubbing his hands over his face for the hundredth time that day he sat back down behind his brothers desk. A good sized stack of scrolls was now stacked on it, the storm letting up had caused a number of messengers to arrive all at the same time with requests for Suna ninja. The messenger from Konoha, who had brought news of Temari's whereabouts was currently sitting quietly in one corner of the office, waiting to carry a reply home.
A knock sounded on the door, but Kankuro refused to get his hopes up again, it was probably just another idiot coming to report absolutely nothing to him. "Come."
The door opened with far too much force to be any of his people he noted, a moment before a familiar green clad shinobi walked through the opening.
"Rock Lee?" Kankuro stood instantly, wondering if something had happened to his sister. "What are you doing here?"
The Tia-jutsu specialist grinned. "I am escorting a messenger, we have a very important letter for you and Gaara."
"Has something happened to Temari?" Kankuro demanded, even as the messenger stepped around Lee's tall frame and handed the painted man a scroll.
Lee frowned at the question. "I do not believe so, I was told that she was staying with Naruto until someone arrived to pick her up." He cocked his head to the side. "But how did you know she was with us? I was under the impression that our scroll contained that news for you."
Kankuro nodded towards the corner where the first Leaf chunin had gotten to his feet. "A messenger from Konoha has already arrived. He was delayed in relaying it because of the sand storm." He raised a brow at the Leaf jonin. "Am I to assume that your Hokage thought he didn't make it here?"
Lee nodded to the chunin, relief evident on his face before he turned back to Kankuro. "You are correct, he was dispatched nine days ago, and we feared that he had fallen into an ambush."
As he opened the scroll to give it a quick perusal Kankuro gave Lee the short version of what they had found in the desert and how Gaara had reacted to it. The Tai-jutsu master shook his head in sympathy.
"So where is Gaara now? I assume he got the message already then."
"No." Kankuro sighed, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "He has not yet returned from the desert, we do not know where he is at present."
Lee's eyes widened to almost comical proportions. "That does not sound good to me Kankuro. The Hokage also wanted me to warn you of the possibility that the Akatsuki has been reborn. They or a group with similar uniforms have been spotted in Fire country. We believe it is the same group that captured Temari."
A low growl escaped the puppet masters throat upon hearing that information. The Akatsuki were the ones who had ended Gaara's life all those years ago when they had removed the demon inside of him. If it hadn't been for Chiyo-san his younger brother would have stayed dead.
"Is that why the Hokage sent a jonin to watch over a messenger?" He asked, doing his best to keep his inner turmoil from showing in his voice or facial features.
Lee nodded, causing the long braid that hung down his back to sway with the motion. "Partly, we split with Sasuke and Neji at the border, they are to continue looking for any sign of the culprits. I am to do the same while escorting the messengers."
"So it is possible that Gaara has intercepted these people as well, and that is why he has not returned." Kankuro muttered darkly as he got to his feet.
"You think Gaara might have been captured as well?" Lee looked doubtful, in his opinion the sand user was far too powerful now to allow anyone to take him against his will.
"It would not be the first time." The Puppet master pointed out as he rounded the desk and headed for the door.
"But that was over ten years ago." Lee protested, both men completely ignoring the two chunin who stood silently to the side. "Do you really think there is anyone who could take out Gaara now?"
Kankuro paused with his hand on the door knob. "Forcibly? Not very likely, however if he ran into them and he believes that they have Temari, he might be persuaded to give up if he thought it would save her."
"You really think he would go that far? As the Kazekage he is not supposed to take those kinds of chances." Lee pointed out folding his arms over his chest.
Kankuro shook his head. "Other then being the Kazekage there is nothing else Gaara cares about except Temari's safety. He is nearly fanatical about it, I have no idea why, but he is." Kankuro paused in his explanation long enough to open the door and yell for Gaara's assistant. "And something tells me that her safety comes before his or the villages."
Lee shook his head in wonder, he had known of course how dear his friends siblings were to him, they were all the redhead had. But he never would have guessed at the extents he would go to look out for them. He just didn't realize that Gaara had come that far in learning to be human again, and the Tai-jutsu master felt bad that he hadn't realized it sooner.
"It is only mid-day, if I can be of assistance in a search I am at your service. I do not believe that the Hokage would mind if we are half a day late getting back." He offered.
Kankuro nodded his thanks then turned his attention to Gaara'a assistant who had just come through the door. Lee stepped back to wait while orders were given for the search parties to regroup for a briefing. He felt bad that he would be away from Sakura and little Ayame longer then he had planned, but he realized that the Hokage had been right to send him. He had friends who needed him just as much as his family did.
21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21
Naruto woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in his sleeping bag. His body covered in sweat and his heart racing. He shook his head in an effort to dislodge the image from the nightmare that had woke him. Some unknown enemy had been after Temari and he hadn't been there to protect her.
Just the thought of something happening to her again made his blood run cold. He was tempted to just turn around and head straight home, but he had traveled fast and hard all day so he knew that he was actually closer to his assignment then to Konoha. Taking several deep breaths he tried to decide what to do, Tsunade would kill him if he came home without a good reason. And a nightmare just wouldn't be a good enough reason, he also had to consider that just maybe it was his own subconscious simply placing Temari into some of his old nightmares.
He scrubbed his hands over his face and then through his hair as he tried to decide what to do. No matter how he tried, the feeling that something was wrong just wouldn't go away. But then he wondered if it was just all in his head, after all earlier that day he had had to come to grips with the fact that since he had sealed the Kyuubi he had apparently lost some of his abilities. He still had an extremely sensitive sense of smell and hearing, but when he had tried to decipher several scent trails earlier that day he had discovered, much to his dismay, that he had no idea what they were from.
As far as he could tell his abilities were the same but he just didn't have the knowledge to utilize them anymore. It made him suspect that even though he had not actually spoken straight to the fox in years, the demon had still been there giving him information and directions. As the voice in his head that he thought was his own inner thoughts. The revelation had made him mad. Was he incapable of using the Kyuubi's powers on his own? Or had he simply been relying on the fox so much that he had never learned to do it himself?
That last thought alone was what had made him decide to leave the seal in place; he wanted to do things on his own. To prove that he was good enough on his own to deserve the level he had risen to as a shinobi. All his life people had seen him as the demon fox rather then just a boy with the creature sealed inside of him, very few had ever seen him as Naruto first and demon vessel second.
Shaking his head at the weird direction his thoughts had taken after being disturbed by a nightmare, Naruto crawled out of his sleeping bag. He was pretty sure sleep wasn't an option even though he had only had about two hours of rest. In quick order he had his bedding packed as well as the few items he had left out for making breakfast in the morning.
Slinging his pack onto his back he stood for a moment looking in the direction of Konoha. Every fiber of his being told him to go home, to stay with Temari as he had promised to do. But then his more logical side reminded him that she was in Konoha, safe in his apartment with a large number of very skilled ninja very close at hand. He also knew that she was far from defenseless herself, and come morning she would once again have her favorite weapon at hand.
The best he could do without tempting Tsunade's wrath was to complete his mission, there was no rules saying he couldn't get this dispute solved in a day or two at most and then be headed home. With one last look at the trail leading back to Konoha he turned in the opposite direction and broke into a fast run, he knew if he kept a fast pace he could make it to his destination about sunrise.
21 21 21 21 21 21
Kyuubi was ready to chew off one of his tails, he was so frustrated with his idiot host. He didn't care if the boy was having trouble coming to grips with the fact that he had been helping him all these years. All he wanted was for the stubborn blond to turn around and get back to his female.
Obviously the dream had worked; he had been able to communicate on a subconscious level while Naruto slept. But for some reason that the demon couldn't' fathom, his host was ignoring his gut instinct. He knew that not all of the blonde's sense of misgivings was from him, Naruto was far more intuitive then that.
With a growl of annoyance the kitsune flopped down onto his stomach and placed his chin on crossed paws. There was nothing else he could do at this time, he just hoped whatever it was that was wrong with the female wasn't serious. As he closed his eyes the demon fox took comfort in knowing that at least the golden haired female was surrounded by humans who were smart enough to be able to see if she was ill.
A slight smile curled the kitsune's lips, like Naruto's former white eyed female, she was very intelligent. The demon had often thought it was a shame that she had not been destined to be with his host; he rather liked the shy creature. But now that he had seen her go through such a trial, he knew that the golden one had been destined for him and his host from the very beginning.
With thoughts of golden haired kits dancing through his head the demon curled up to get some sleep, he would have to wait until Naruto once again went to sleep before he could try to contact him again.
21 21 21 21 21 21
YES!!!!!! This chapter is finally done, it really gave me a fight, I am not very good at filler chapters, I know nothing much happened in this one but it is meant to set the stage for the next couple chapters, so please be patient.
If some of Kankuro's and Lee's conversation was confusing then stay tuned to 'Return to Sound' it will be explaining a few things about Gaara as I have decided to take the story all the way to the battle with Itachi.
Any way I look forward to any feedback, I apologize for how long it took to update, but my life is kind of insane right now. But your reviews really help to motivate me. J
Thanks again. Legilmyth