Suki's POV
"Momma," the little boy said. "Can't I go with dad?" The woman smiled down at her son and shook her head. "No Kenshin," she said. "You must stay here with me and your sister."
"Awww, but she's still taking a nap," the boy complained. "I can't play with her…"
"I know," his mother said. "Why don't you gather some sticks for the fire? Don't go to far away, and be sure I can see you at all times!"
"Okay," the boy shouted while running off with a smile. Hinata smiled and the old lady chuckled. "Ah to be young again," she mused. "He reminds me of my grandson Sho. Now that boy gets into a heap of trouble." I watched as she slowly sat on a large rock. "He has plenty of energy," I said watching him pick up a stick and pretending it was a sword.
"Oh my," his mother said. "Does he ever! I think it would be good for the boy to be in the wide open spaces of the Land of Tea. My husband wants to buy a plantation there and we finally scraped up enough money to do it. Where are the rest of you headed?"
"My husband and I are visiting our children and grandchildren. It's been so long since we saw them," the old woman said. "They live so far away you see."
"It must be the worst time to plan a visit though," the woman said. "I've heard stories about bandits and thieves around hear."
"That doesn't scare my Sousuke and I one bit," the old woman chuckled. "We may be on in years, but the two of us have run a forge since we first met. He was my father's apprentice you see…" She chuckled again, thinking back to younger days.
"What are you two going to the Land of Tea for," the woman asked while getting some ingredients for our lunch from a wagon. Hinata looked over at me and I shrugged. "My sister and I are traveling with our husbands to make trade agreements with a merchant in the Land of Tea," I answered.
"Yes," Hinata said. "Our father was a wealthy shop keeper in our small village and he left it to our husbands when he died."
"How long have the two of you been married," asked the woman with a smile.
"Two years," I said.
"Three," Hinata said at the same time. The two of us looked at each other and almost burst into fits of laughter. We hadn't thought of discussing these sorts of details with one another since we didn't have the time. "Ume has been married to Shinji for three years, and our father had me marry Kaname two years ago," I answered.
"They were arranged marriages," the woman asked with a sad look. "I could never imagine such a thing…I married Saka out of love."
"They were arranged yes," Hinata answered as I grabbed some cooking utensils from the wagon the woman had gotten the ingredients from. "Although father made sure that my sister and I were compatible matches for our husbands."
"Ohoho," the old woman muttered. "That explains it…"
"Explains what," Hinata asked as she and I helped the other woman, whose name I found out was Kikiyo. The old woman smiled. "That red head has been looking at you with that longing look in his eye girly," she said while pointing her walking stick at me. "Reminds me of the way my husband used to look at me before he got the guts to ask me out…hohoho!"
"What do you mean, that G-er…guy has got his eye on me," I said with a prominent blush. "Shinji is devoted to my sister! He has been since the day they met!"
"That boy is smitten with you," the old woman said. "And with that look on your face I'd say you've got the hots for him too." Hinata was trying her hardest not to laugh as the woman eyed me up and down. "Look here grandma," I said while trying to look angry, although I must say it was my embarrassment that was making me so flustered since the old woman was right on the money about my feelings for Gaara. "I am happily married to my husband and would rather die than so much as touch Ume's husband!"
"You must understand," Hinata said while looking at the old woman with a serious face, although I knew that her alter ego was dying of laughter at this point. Another tally mark was going in the book about Suki and her repressed feelings I could tell you that much… "Kaname and Jun have been in love with one another since they first met. I have seen the way Shinji looks at my sister, and I know that he doesn't feel for her as much as he does me. The two have been friends since we were little and I trust them both. Jun treats Shinji as a brother, nothing more."
"I still don't think I can imagine a life without Saka," Kikiyo whispered. "We've been together through just about everything and we still love one another just as much as we did when we were dating."
"Finding true love is tough," the old woman said. "It never comes easy…you have to fight hard to keep that love in your life." I sighed slightly and looked ahead of me out into the woods. The little boy, Kenshin, was still out there playing around with his stick. I felt myself smile a little at the sight, when I saw something move in the shadows of the trees. It was a slight rustle, but against the wind and even then it took a trained eye to see it. Grabbing the knife I had been using to cut the carrots for our meal, I dashed forward without a second thought. "Jun," Hinata shouted as I boosted my speed with a bit of chakra.
It was sheer luck that I made it to the boy in time. Just as I reached him a large mountain lion leaped out of the trees and would have gotten him had I not stepped in its way with my knife. Within moments I was on the ground with the lion on top of me, the boy behind me screaming and crying out of fear. I held the knife horizontally and the lion had the sharp end in its mouth. It let out a low growl and tightened its jaw around the blade.
"You hunted the wrong kid," I muttered to it, staring it straight in the eye. The lion showed no fear; only anger and contempt that I had intervened with her lunch. She growled louder this time and took a swipe at me with a paw. Letting go of the knife, I rolled out of the way fast, only to be grazed on the back by its thick claws. "Jun," Hinata shouted once more.
"No," Gaara yelled. I hadn't noticed him come running after me, but he was there just the same. Shino had also come running and grabbed the little boy since he was too frightened to even move. The soldiers were still trying to get to us to help, but I had a feeling they didn't even know what they would do once they reached us. The lion was about to come in for another attack, this time with both teeth and claws.
Before I knew what was happening, Gaara threw himself on top of me, trying to cover me before I was hurt. The next thing I knew, the lion stopped mid attack and ran back into the woods. "Oh God Suki," Gaara whispered in my ear. "I was so worried…don't do that again." I nodded slightly then found myself clutching Gaara's back, the adrenaline now wearing off. "Gaara," I mumbled "That lion has to belong to a ninja or something. The way it looked at me…it wasn't afraid of humans. It stopped in the middle of its attack on me when you jumped on top of me…I think it was called back by its owner."
"You might be right," Gaara whispered, pulling back a bit to look me in the eye. I nodded slightly, looking up at him. "Why is it," I mumbled. "That whenever I'm supposed to be protecting you it's hard and here you are protecting me as though it's the easiest thing in the world?" He didn't answer; instead he just looked at me. His usually stoic face and harsh eyes gave way to worry and a bit of sadness. It reminded me of the time he had held me tight in his arms when I had helped him suppress the Shukaku while everyone was trying to help him and his brother and sister save Matsuri. I felt a blush rise in my face when I remembered that he had kissed me for the third time and that was exactly what I wanted him to do now…
"Jun," I heard Hinata's voice shout out. "Shinji!" Gaara blushed a little, acting as though he had just realized he was still on top of me and he shot up like a rocket. I found myself smiling a bit at the way he reacted and slowly stood. "Shinji," Hinata said as she ran over to us. "I was so worried that…oh thank you for helping protect Jun!" Hinata threw her arms around Gaara's neck and he tentatively wrapped his arms around her waist. It was kind of ironic seeing the two shyest people I knew pretend to be husband and wife.
Gaara kissed the top of Hinata's head and made it seem as though he was whispering calming words of love and a few sweet nothings into Hinata's ear. I looked away from the two, feeling rather jealous even though I knew it was just an act the two were playing. "Jun," Shino said as I walked over to him. "I thought that animal would rip you to pieces! You have no idea how scared I was when I saw you jump in there like that!"
"I'm sorry Kaname," I said as I threw my arms around him. "I just saw that lion at the last minute and didn't think. I just rushed in there to help Kikiyo's son…"
"I know," Shino whispered before wrapping his arms around me, acting as though he was calming down. "I just don't know what I would do without you." I smiled. "I don't plan on leaving you just yet," I said with a small laugh. Pulling Shino's scarf down, I pressed my lips against his. For some reason, my mind went to Gaara watching me kiss Shino like this. I found myself making the kiss more heated, wanting to make him as jealous as I felt when he kissed Hinata's head.
"J-Jun," Shino mumbled after pulling away slowly. "N-not in front of everyone…"
"So what if everyone knows I'm in love with my husband," I asked, watching the blood rise to Shino's face. I was almost positive that he hadn't kissed a girl like that before. He had no way of arguing with me so he had to bite the bullet so to speak. Shino held me close for a moment or so before letting me go and going to speak to Gaara as Hinata walked back. "Possibly a ninja," she whispered in my ear. I nodded. "I'm almost certain," I whispered back.
I watched as Gaara and Shino spoke with the captain of the guard and he looked over at me. Hinata and I went back to work making the lunch while Kikiyo was holding her little boy close and calming him down. "So," the captain of the guard said as he walked over to Hinata and I. "I've never seen anyone run that fast before…care to explain how that happened?" Shrugging, I went on peeling the carrots while Hinata busied herself with tending to the wounds on my back. "I'm a fast runner," I said. "What can I say?"
"Well the way you handled yourself with that big animal was very interesting to say the least. How were you able to fend it off with just a knife? I thought only skilled assassins would be able to do something like that."
"Look," I said while looking the man in the eye. "I don't know what came over me. I saw that lion and knew it was going to go after the kid. I guess a mother's instinct kicked in and I acted on impulse. Never in my life have I done something that stupid."
"What you need a list," Hinata muttered under her breath so only I could hear. I lightly elbowed her in the side, making her understand that now was not the time, although she was right. If there was anything I was known for, it was being the smartest person making the most stupid decisions that even Naruto wouldn't consider.
"I see," the captain said as Hinata started to dab at the scratches on my back with a cotton ball. "Well I'm glad that you and the boy are alright."
"I wouldn't exactly say alright but I guess it's as good a word as any," I said with a slight hiss; the antiseptic Hinata was using stung a bit more than I thought it would. The captain gave me a small smile and nodded. "Good," he said as Hinata applied a cream that would stop the bleeding. "We reach the bridge at four and that's where we stop and make camp for the night." He walked away with his lieutenant at his heels and I sighed to try and calm myself. This day was turning out to be a little rougher than I normally liked…
"I don't know how to thank you," Kikiyo said as she walked over with her son in her arms. "If I had lost my son, I don't know what I'd do. Is there any way my husband and I can repay you for your kindness?"
"Please," I said. "Just knowing he's safe now is enough and all the repayment I need."
"You really are a wonderful person," she said while clutching her son closer. "There should be more people in the world like you."
"You know something," Hinata whispered as Kikiyo walked away. "She's right. You really are a wonderful person Suki." I smiled at my best friend and gave her a light punch on the shoulder. "Yeah," I said. "Maybe, but no one is a better friend than you Hinata."
"Well, maybe Gaara," she said with a smile. I blushed and shook my head, although…she was right. Gaara was one of the best friends I'd ever had. He always came through in a pinch and I knew he was the best person to talk to when I was feeling down. Gaara meant so much more to me than I ever thought possible, but I could never let him know. He wouldn't feel the same. He had Matsuri waiting for him to come home in one piece and it was my job to make sure he did.
Gaara's POV
I felt myself wanting to rip that guy Shino's guts out. I didn't have anything against him, far from it actually since he and I seemed to be getting along fairly well; he preferred to only say what was necessary just like I did. The problem was that right now he was lip locked with the one woman I loved. Okay, so maybe it wasn't his fault and it wasn't him who started the kiss, but did he have to kiss back so needily?
I shook my head and told myself to stop thinking about these kinds of things. I was just being stupid again. It was just that when I saw that mountain lion go after her like that…I felt so scared and thought that something horrible would happen to her. Adrenaline had made me run faster than I thought I could without the use of chakra and when I made it to her I did the only thing I thought I could do to protect her. I guess throwing myself on top of her wasn't the best idea I could have come up with but she was still safe and so was I.
A part of me sort of wished to be on top of her again…not in a perverted sense, but just holding her like that again. The way she had pulled me in so close out of fear made me want to hold her and sooth her as best I could. I even started to think back of the first time I had really held her. She had been wounded seriously trying to protect me and not only had she saved my life, I had saved hers as well. It had been the second time I had kissed her as well. I found myself blushing when I thought of how I had wanted to kiss her again when we were on the ground just now…
"This isn't good," Shino whispered to me as he walked over. "That wasn't an ordinary attack."
"I agree," I muttered, still a little angry at him. "Do you have any idea what that was about?"
"My kikai tell me that the lion was summoned by a rouge ninja. I wasn't able to do anything…I got the message just as the lion attacked the boy." He sighed. "God I hate feeling helpless…if it wasn't for Suki that boy would have been killed."
"Any idea what it was after," I asked in a low voice. I sort of understood where he was coming from as well. Suki really did have good eye sight. If she hadn't, that boy would be ripped into pieces before anyone could have saved him.
"No clue," Shino mumbled. "All I do know is that it was more or less a warning as to what's going to come. I had been hoping that there was only one group of rouge ninja's involved. Our team took them out and Kiba was able to use a jutsu and convince Tessi that he was the leader. Looks like we were wrong about it being just one group."
"Any chance Tessi saw threw the ruse," I asked. Shino shook his head. "Kiba was perfect in every aspect. The last time we contacted him he thought we would attack the wagons at four near the bridge." I nodded trying to think of something else. It wouldn't make sense for Tessi to hire more than one rouge ninja group…the groups would argue with one another about who would get what and all sorts of things like that. The only other thing that was really off about this trip was the ones that were guarding us. They didn't look like regular guards except for the captain and his lieutenant.
"Have any of the guards left there posts," I asked.
"Not that I noticed," Shino said. "We could ask the girls later in case either of us missed something." I nodded in agreement. If Shino and I had missed something then the girls would have noticed it for sure. You'd have to be pretty shady to be able to not be noticed by four watchful ninja around you, that much I knew.
Lunch was pretty uneventful; mostly praises for Suki and her bravery for saving the little boy, but we kept an eye out just in case. Shino and I weren't even able to get a moment or two alone with our 'wives' until after packing up and moving out. "Did you notice anything back there," I asked Hinata. She shook her head.
"I used my byakugan but not for too long. I was almost caught by one of the soldiers but I did see that mountain lion rush off towards the south west end of the forest. Other than that I don't have much else. I didn't even see the guy that had summoned it in the first place…all I know is that they are strong and looking for ninja that might be working undercover here."
"I see," I whispered while walking along side her. "You've been very helpful Hinata. Thank you." Hinata blushed and looked down at her feet. "No wonder Suki thinks so highly of you," she whispered in an almost inaudible voice. "You're so kind." I felt a small blush come to my face as I looked at her and she smiled a little. "What makes you say that," I asked.
"Well," Hinata mumbled. "I hardly know you and yet you praise me for work that I would have done on any mission, even thought the work I'm doing here isn't nearly as much as on a regular mission since we have to stay undercover. Yet here you are complimenting me and thanking me for doing such minimal work."
"Perhaps I should work you harder then," I said as a joke. Hinata smiled at me again. "Better be careful or I'll tell Naruto that you've been flirting with his girlfriend."
"Pretty fast for the repartee, eh," I asked with a smile. "Naruto rub off on you?"
"Not as much as Suki," Hinata whispered. "After being friends with her for so long, you learn a thing or two. Probably not one of the best things to do with someone you're just getting to know."
"Not exactly," I mumbled. "Although I don't mind it….perhaps I've been hanging out with Suki too much as well."
"She rubs off on you doesn't she?"
"A lot more than I thought she ever would," I whispered, knowing she wouldn't hear. Hinata's smile fell as she thought something over. "What is it," I asked as she looked down at her feet.
"I was just thinking," she mumbled. "Do you really think that an attack might happen when we reach the bridge?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "I hope not, but the way things are going now there might be. Why? What is it you're so worried about?"
"It's just that everyone else from our old team along with a few others are waiting at the bridge just in case and I'd hate to think that Naruto might get injured…" I nodded in understanding. It hurt to have someone you cared about get injured, especially when you loved that someone. It practically killed me to see Suki get hurt earlier, although she seemed completely fine now.
"Don't worry," I said. "Naruto is strong; he'll be fine."
"Who's Naruto," asked a small voice. Hinata and I looked over to see the little three year old girl walking next to us, holding her older brothers hand. "He's my wife's cat," I said, looking at her with a small smile. The girl grinned as she looked up at me. "You have a kitty," she asked with awe.
"Yes," Hinata answered while thinking of Naruto. "He's an orange kitty with black stripes and blue eyes."
"Awww," the girl said. "I love kitties…"
"I don't," her brother said with a shiver. I could tell he was thinking back to that mountain lion. "Not every animal is bad," I said in a low voice. "It just depends on who trains them." The boy looked up at me and nodded. "That's what my dad always says," he said. "But that was a wild animal…what if it comes back again?!"
"It won't," I reassured him, although I knew better. It wouldn't be good if he was frightened by me. "Yeah but what if it comes back to get me cause I got away," the boy cried, his grip tightening on his sisters hand.
"Even if it did," I said to him. "There are people here to protect you."
"Yeah but that old lady said that that girl moved with the speed of a ninja," he said. "Dad says ninja's are bad and kill people…what if she sent the lion after me?"
"Why would she do that," Hinata asked in a soothing voice. "She wouldn't have saved you if she had sent that lion after you."
"Dummy," his sister said with a laugh.
"Shut up stupid," the boy said while letting go of her hand and ran ahead. The girl started to sniff and then bawled her eyes out. I had no idea a child could cry so easily and so loudly either…I felt like covering my ears since I had no idea how to make her stop, while Hinata scooped the child up into her arms and tried to sooth her while taking the girl back to her mother. The girl's mother thanked Hinata and was able to calm the child and I breathed a sigh of relief.
It would have been really bad if the girl had cried for the next three hours like that. We were in dangerous territory and it would be bad news if we had been found. The girl could have alerted any rouge ninja, thieves, and bandits within what seemed like a ten mile radius. Jeez I never knew a kid could be so loud…don't get me wrong, I like kids. I even wanted to have one or two when I was older but that child seemed overwhelming at best.
"She's a cute little girl," Hinata whispered when she caught up to me. I nodded although I couldn't really agree with her at the moment. My ears were still ringing and I wanted it to stop. Hinata and I walked in silence again, not that it was an uncomfortable one. Far from it; we both enjoyed solitude even though she wasn't exactly a loner. She and I seemed to have a mutual understanding with one another.
Not another word was spoken as the two of us walked on. It seemed to take a lot longer than I thought it would to reach the bridge. Clouds started to gather around the sun and the guard captain halted us again. "Looks like we won't be reaching the bridge today," he shouted back to everyone. "We can't risk going across a slippery rickety bridge with precious cargo. We're going to camp here for the night. I want all able bodied men to gather round me and volunteer for guard duty." Hinata nodded at me as I walked over to the guard captain with Shino.
"How is she," I asked him as the guard captain handed out pieces of paper with times on it. Shino sighed a little and shook his head. "What can I say," he said solemnly. "Jun is Jun. She acts like she's not in pain and yet I know she is. I offered to carry her on my back once or twice but she refused."
"I see," I said while looking over at Suki and Hinata. Hinata was applying a cream to Suki's back now and I found myself wanting to be near her, to comfort her in any way I could. "Sir," said a voice. I looked back at the guard captain and took a piece of paper. It said that I was going to have the midnight to two watch.
"Now that everyone has a paper," the guard captain said after he finished passing them out. "I should explain that one other person has the same time you do. You will be partnered with that person while on the watch. I'll call you up by times. First is the eight to ten watch; raise your hand if you have it. You'll be paired with me." Shino raised his hand and the guard captain nodded, and then called out the next watch. A guard and the old man raised their hands. Mine was called next and as I raised my hand, so did the lieutenant. I glared at the man, remembering that he was the one that hit on Suki when I let her go looking for Hinata and Shino. He smirked at me and then walked away.
"Are you feeling any better Jun," asked Shino as we sat down to eat underneath a tree. It had started to rain a little and everyone had set up their tents in a circle inside the protection of the wagons; which encircled the group, making a sort of barrier. "I'm fine Kaname," Suki answered with a smile. "Don't worry about me so much."
"I put on more medicine so it should help," Hinata said. "I'm just worried that it might get infected."
"Once we get to our destination we can see a proper doctor," I said. "I'd hate to think you needed stitches."
"Will you all stop worrying about me," Suki said sternly. "I'm fine! It's not that deep of a wound and Ume already put on an antiseptic. It's not like I'm on my death bed ya know!" I smiled a little and finished my rice. Suki would be stubborn at a time like this. I was worried that if an attack did happen they might use that injury against her, although that worry might all be for nothing since she never goes down without a fight.
"We just don't want anything to happen to you Jun," Hinata said while laying her head on Suki's shoulder. Suki smiled and placed her head on top of Hinata's. "I know," she whispered. "I just hate having to act like a weakling when I'm not."
"Such a tomboy," Shino said with a snort of laughter.
"Got a problem with it," Suki said with a smirk. "I thought you liked your girls that way." Shino blushed and shrugged. "All that matters to me is that they don't mind insects," Shino muttered. "Not that I'd find a girl that wouldn't. Besides the only two I've ever found tolerable have a guy."
"You'll find one," Suki said. "You'll see. One day you'll be walking along and bam! There she is." Shino smiled at Suki and I felt my heart sink just a bit. What she said was true, although I hadn't realized it back then. How was I supposed to know the girl of my dreams was right in front of me that fateful night? I never thought someone would be this important to me, nor did I know it would be her…someone like Suki rarely comes along in a person's life. I guess she was like Naruto in that sense; he always seemed to touch every person's life without even knowing it. Perhaps it's the water the people in the Hidden Leaf Village drink.
It was raining by the time everyone went to sleep and I felt a little jealous that Shino was able to take such an early watch, not to mention I knew he was sleeping next to Suki for the night. As I lay next to Hinata, I found myself unable to sleep. I couldn't exactly explain why either… perhaps it was because I was so used to sleeping next to Suki?
Strange; now that I thought about it, I barely slept at all before she had asked to sleep next to me when we watched that horror movie together. Suki was able to relax me and it made me feel complete when I held her in my arms. With her, I only dreamed good dreams, not the nightmares of skin, blood, and bone. It was so much easier to sleep with Suki by my side.
"Hey," said a gruff voice at the opening flap of the tent. "You're turn to watch Shinji." I nodded at the old man and crawled out of the tent, trying not to disturb Hinata. "Here," the old man said, handing me a lantern and a blanket. "You should cover up a bit."
"Thank you," I said while wrapping the blanket around my neck and pulling up one end to use as a hood. It was pouring out by the time I started to walk the perimeter of the encampment. If anyone would attack us now it would be the worst time. I wouldn't be able to use my ninjutsu since the soil was soaking wet, but it wasn't good weather to attack in now. Still, you could never be too careful; sometimes a storm is the perfect cover for a sneak attack.
I stopped underneath a tree for a bit to try and dry off a little when I heard something up above me. Reacting quickly, I threw a kunai into the tree and heard it hit a branch. "Gaara," said a hushed voice. "Relax, it's just me." Suki jumped down from above me and gave me a small smile. "Prove it," I whispered in a low voice. "What was it that you gave me the second time I left your village?"
"I gave you my address," she whispered back with a smirk. "I also gave you a present. What was the present?"
"A snow globe," I answered in a very low voice. "Which still happens to be on my desk by the way."
"Gathering dust no doubt," Suki mumbled. I smiled at her and shook my head. "What are you doing up," I asked, keeping my voice as low as possible. "You should be asleep by now." Suki seemed to blush as she looked away. "Couldn't," she whispered. "The scratches from the lion really make it hard to lie on my back. Not only that, but Shino snores." I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. Suki smiled back at me and I shook my head. "Are you really a light sleeper," I asked.
"No," she whispered. "Shikamaru would snore pretty badly too, as did Neji, but I'm so used to it being quite when I sleep now." A part of me was wondering if Suki was trying to say that she missed sleeping next to me, but I quickly pushed that thought away. I just nodded again as a large gust of wind blew out the lantern. Before I could relight it, I heard Suki take a step closer, but trip over something.
"Ahh," she cried. Dropping the lantern, I grabbed her in my arms before she hit the cold, wet ground. "G-Gaara," she murmured. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized her lips were close to mine. I felt myself blush a bit as I looked into her eyes. "You…I…" she whispered. I don't know what she was trying to say, but I didn't let her go. Instead, I pulled her closer and was about to kiss her when a light shone on both of us.
Immediately Suki and I pulled away from each other. I picked up the lantern that had fallen and looked back up to see the lieutenant looking at the two of us with a smirk. "Well, well," Lieutenant Fujikaku said. "Mrs. Mora, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with your husband?"
"I couldn't sleep because of the scratches," Suki said. "It hurts to lay on them so I decided to go for a walk. I noticed Shinji was out here so I decided to talk to him."
"You do realize Mrs. Mora that your brother-in-law is on guard duty and that someone could slip in unawares if he is distracted?"
"I'm sorry," Suki said. "I didn't think that…"
"You should go back to bed Jun," I said. "Ume and Kaname would be angry with me if I allowed you to catch cold." Suki looked at me and nodded before walking back to her tent. Lieutenant Fujikaku's eyes followed her the whole time as he licked his lips. "So," he said while looking back at me. "You meet with your wife's sister often?"
"It's not what you think," I said angrily as he relit my lantern. His smirk widened as he handed back the lamp. "Sure," he said. "And the way your eyes follow her every movement must be an illusion."
"Exactly," I said while grabbing the lamp.
"Then why was it that you protected her when that lion came and her husband was the one that brought the child back to his mother?"
I didn't answer him and turned away from him. I had protected Suki simply because I loved her; there was no other reason why. She was everything to me…I doubted that this Fujikaku would understand if I told him that, not that I could anyway. "You looked like you were going to kiss her too; not that I'd blame you for wanting to," he said, continuing to antagonize me. "She is a hot piece of something, walking around the way she does with that gorgeous body. Answer me man to man, just how tight can she get?" That had done it. I whirled around and pinned Fujikaku to the tree behind us, my hand at his throat.
"You would do well not to speak of my brother's wife that way," I said while squeezing harder. "She isn't a toy…S-she's a wonderful person." Fujikaku looked at me frightened, and I glared back at him. I wanted to kill him for what he said about Suki. If I could, I would use my sand to rip this man apart. The only reason I didn't wasn't because of the mission, but because the ground was too damn wet from the rain water.
I tossed Fujikaku to the ground and he got up again. "I should tell my captain about this," he growled after standing up. I smirked at him and shook my head. "You do," I muttered. "And I won't hesitate to kill you. Hell, you even so much as look at Jun the wrong way and I'll stab you in the back. Got it?" Fujikaku just glared back at me and grabbed his lantern before walking away.
I knew he would leave Suki alone after this, but I still didn't trust him. I wasn't lying when I said I would kill him. In fact, I wanted to spill his blood all over the place right now. The only problem was that I didn't understand why I wanted to rip his throat out so badly. The Shukaku wasn't in my body anymore and he was the one that had always made me feel the way I felt now. Not only that but the way he talked about Suki, like she was a piece of meat, made my chest hurt.
I shrugged away the feelings and continued with my guard duty. It wasn't long before it was time to switch with one of the other guards, but it had finally stopped raining by then. After switching with the next person that had guard duty, I lie next to Hinata and found myself looking up at the tents top. I couldn't sleep; not without Suki next to me.
It wasn't comfortable, lying here without her in my arms. I longed to hold her, to smell her scent, to feel her warm breath against my skin. I couldn't deny that this night had been sheer hell without her, but then I started to think about what would happen when she left the Sand Village for good. She couldn't stay there forever; she had other things to take care of at home. She had a life there, family and friends that cared for her. It was selfish of me to keep her to myself like this. It was heaven to have her around, but I would soon have to let her go. I couldn't keep her by my side like I wanted to; I didn't have the guts to claim her as my own. Hell, I couldn't even tell her how I felt.
You should have just let her go the second time, I thought to myself. What made you ask her to stay? Sheer stupidity that was what. The thought of her walking out my office and back to Neji was unthinkable at the time. At the time I didn't even want him to be near her; I wanted her to myself. I wanted her to forget Neji and fill her heart with me. Perhaps that was what lead to the kisses we shared. An animalistic part of me was awakened when Suki told me that she needed me at that moment. I had thought that perhaps that was the moment to show her that she should be with me. I could mark her as my own in a sense. If Matsuri hadn't knocked, I wouldn't have become my rational self again. Thank God she had…
Dawn finally crept up over the tree line and signaled the start of the day. After eating breakfast, the entire camp packed up and moved out. Having no sleep was taking its effect on me now. "Gaara," Hinata whispered as we walked together. "Are you alright?"
"I just didn't sleep very much last night," I mumbled.
"From the looks of it Suki didn't either," Hinata murmured. "I told her that I should have changed her bandages but she insisted that she was fine…"
"She doesn't like to be a burden to anyone does she," I asked. Hinata smiled at me and gave me a slight nod. "Yes," she said. "She always thinks of others no matter what. She could be mortally injured and still act as though nothing was wrong. She hates to see others worry."
"She really does," I said while watching Suki longingly. She was walking with Shino again and she had her head on his shoulder, obviously either trying to show that the two were lovers or that she was really tired. If she hadn't gotten any sleep last night with that injury, then we were in big trouble if we got attacked. Neither of us was at our best, although I was sure that Hinata and Shino could handle themselves. All I could do was hope that nothing bad would happen today…
It wasn't long before we finally reached the bridge. Shino and Hinata looked around wondering if there was anything in the surrounding woods. "Captain," said one of the guards as we all stopped for a small rest.
"What is it," asked the captain while turning to look at the man. "Is there something wrong?"
"Yeah," the guard said with a smirk. "The men and I have decided you shouldn't be running this show anymore."