A/N I apologize for the long wait but I had so much work at University that whatever muse I had seemed to be washed away by the daily grind. I hope you like this chapter.
Chapter 29
Tifa's First Mission
The Kazekage had called her into his office early that morning. While the last few days had been quite awkward for both of them, he still was the Kazekage and she still was his new weapon to show off. As of last night, he had come across a rather dangerous mission that required her type of expertise. She was an intimidating woman, one of a kind harsh but just leader and also an incredibly competent combatant, both with or without her arms. He admired such ability and dedication to the job. It was that same dedication that had led him on the position of Kage of this country.
He was doing paperwork when he heard the two distinct loud knocks on his door. It was her.
'Enter.'
The door opened to reveal a tall, muscular woman with a proud stature, her hazel almost golden eyes staring at him with cold blooded animosity. Her eyes drifted to the stack of papers and then back to him. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze and she knew it. He didn't even need to show it in anyway. It was just there.
She stood there for a while until he gestured to her to take a seat. She closed the door behind her and quickly found her place in front of him, on the other side of his desk. She sat at the edge of her seat, her back straight and her muscles tense, despite the calm air that she gave off. It was the type of calm that a predator at the top of the food chain would give off. She was also armed, he noted. Constant vigilance, something many of the new recruits at the academy had trouble to grasp.
While he had given her some of Suna's typical cloth ware, she preferred to go around with merely a sport's bra or with a white or gray sweatshirt with its straps down. She loved to bask in the sun while training and her healthy dark tan could make any Rock country kunoichi jealous. As a figure she was muscular, but not overly so. Her body spoke of stamina, strength and agility, the types required for swift movements and survival in the harshest of places. She had petite breast that he found to his liking. Her body was that of a well trained athlete, and for a ninja like himself, that meant she was much more trained. In the world of ninja most Kunoichi stayed away from trying to build muscle mass. This woman, however, was mostly muscle and was nothing short of physical perfection. She was not beautiful. She was handsome, in a way only a harsh, battle trained female ninja could be. She was also nothing like his wife. She was compassionate and caring towards the young, but she was also just to a fault and as harsh as the edge of a well kept kunai.
Tifa fascinated him. And as she sat there before him, patiently waiting for his orders, he knew he had to do something about his fancy. And the fact that he was going to go on a mission with her was a perfect opportunity. They were of the same caste, the two of them. Both were harsh warriors and both had many responsibilities. He had often wondered if having her as a wife would have any sort of impact. He knew that a wife would mean he had to worry less about his home life, and by extent less about Gaara's murderous urges. There was not a woman in Suna, bar Tifa, that could look the boy in the eyes, or look at him at all without fear or loathing.
Gaara and Tifa had a sort of grudging respect for each other. Even he, his own father and Kazekage, could not make that much of an impact on him. Tifa was a strange occurrence in the life of Gaara in the sense that she seemed not to fear death and even ignored him on most occasions. For some reason, she was not dead yet. Maybe it was because Gaara was currently preoccupied with the red headed girl that had taken residence along with Tifa in his home. Indeed, she eerily looked like the boy but was nothing like him. She was cheerful, if mostly shy. She knew very little of their language but was a quick learner and also kept him occasionally entertained with her musical prowess.
Speaking of music, he had to do something about this newly created Sound village. His own country needed money and the only way he could make the Daimyo to use their own ninja was to weaken their allies, namely the Fire country. He did not want to take such drastic actions but he had no choice. He had heard rumors about who was the leader of the Sound village. Most of them pointed towards Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin, Konoha traitor and an ex Akatsuki member. While he himself was no bucket of sunshine, Orochimaru was on his own level of Slimy Gitness. It was going to be super peachy. That was why he was taking Tifa with him.
Yes, the mission was going to be to visit the Sound village in order to form a diplomatic union of sorts. While Orochimaru was a very charismatic and manipulative with his words, Tifa would cut him no slack. As far as he was concerned it was going to be a pleasure to watch her bite off some one else's head for a change. The silver-haired woman was a bundle for even the most patient of people. And she liked her super discipline. The Kazekage wondered if she was even kinkier in bed.
Ahem. Off topic.
'I have a very important mission for you.'he finally started.'It will be marked as mid A-class due to the impact it will have on our village. My intelligence has informed me that a new village, going by the name of Sound has been created and I've finally received an invitation by their leader after several months of correspondation. As you know, Suna is quite pressed for money at the moment and hopefully this mission will ensure an increase of sorts to our finances.'
'What is my position in this mission?' Tifa spoke, using her professional tone.
The Kazekage smirked. On duty already, he liked that.
'Your job will be to be my guard. I'm taking you in order to show you off. That and you are an excellent fighter. Your prowess will only benefit me.'
She nodded but did not react in any other way.
'Tomorrow morning I will expect you to be up by 5 am. We will be leaving at 6 am the latest. Prepare several sets of Sunan clothing. It is up to you what arsenal you will bring. Dismissed.'
Tifa stood up abruptly, saluted him in the way she would salute her commander and left to prepare for the mission.
The Kazekage gazed upon her retreating form, sighed and continued with his paperwork. He would see her in a few hours for lunch.
In the mean time Charlie was sleeping after being awake for most of the night. While she had wanted to play her violin to pass the time, she knew she couldn't because she was going to wake up the others. She did not know about the Sunan family they lived with, but Tifa was a very cranky woman when woken up out of line. So, instead of playing the violin, she settled on starting a journal of sorts to keep her thoughts in check. Being in another universe all together was a big shock, no matter who you were. She was not able to speak with Tifa all the time as she coped by training. Charlie wondered how the others were taking things. Were the others even here? These were daily thoughts that haunted her, especially in the dead of the night when it was only her and her inner demons , not counting the Tanuki person inside her head.
She had bought a small notebook from a nearby store with the help of Tifa. And last night, she had been staring at the empty pages, wondering how to start. If it was up to Fia she would smile brightly and wisely tell her to start at the beginning. Hannah would look at the book with only a minimum of interest and then she would shrug and tell her it was her journal. MJ would sit next to her and write a few paragraphs and then give her the pen to continue. All of her friends were like that. At least that's what she thought of them. They would always help, and always lend a shoulder, for better or worse. She missed them. At least she was not alone and she had Tifa. It would've been horrible to be all alone. She felt a tear fall down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. Hatorri would have hugged her and whispered her soothing words and would have made her smile again. He was like the ultimate big brother she never had. With the thoughts of her friends, she started writing on the first pages, as if writing them letters. She knew that somehow they were going to find a way back home and that in someway writing letters was a perfect way to counter the depression she was feeling at night.
Dear Fiffie,
You probably wonder where I flew off to. So do I, in fact! Well, believe it or not, I am in Suna, living in the same house as Gaara! The Kazekage is also here and to be honest the Sunan bunch are not the friendliest of people. I don't blame them. Have you seen the weather here? It's always sunny, with the occasional horrid sand storm. Life is harsh here but I like it. It is always lively here and Temari is occasionally okay enough to hang out with. She somewhat reminds me of Tifa but she only pretends to be hard core. Besides, no one is hard core as Tifa, as you put it!
My time here so far is quite interesting. I am also a Jinchuuriki, did you know? I have this Tanuki girl ( She says hi, by the way). It is kind of strange and I believe it has something to do with why Tifa and I are here. Tifa is also immortal and her guns shoot mini rasengans. It's really scary when she practices. There is always so much light and sound. While I've seen her train the normal way, the ninja were really freaked out. It made me feel quite warm inside I have her here with me. She's always so protective, that she reminds me of a mom sometimes. The way Mrs. Keats is with you.
You know how I like Gaara, right? Well, he is being horrid but I hardly blame him. I wonder if we will get to Konoha soon. So Naruto could Fix him. I'm trying my best to be nice but it's hard when he tries to kill you. He always glares at me and mutters. I don't know what he says but it's really frightening. I have powers like his and I think he is jealous. My Tanuki friend throws off most of his attacks but he always causes commotion. Sometimes I get the feeling I can feel what is inside of him. A few of the times he attacked me I felt incredible hate and malice. They were not my own. Do you think that when our sands collide we share a sort of link because of the Bijuu's? It's all so strange and new to me and I'm trying to cope with it. Tifa, for one, trains almost non stop or spends her time with me when there are sand storms. She also makes me my favourite soldier sandwiches. You know, the ones with everything in them. You like them too, since you invented them.
I suspect Tifa blows off her steam by training. She doesn't show how tired she is before bed but I can sense it, you know. I've known her almost as long as I've known you and I can see when she is tired.
I know how you like gossip, so here are a few gusts of local spice. I think the Kage has a thing for Tifa. It kind of makes sense with the way Temari and Kankuro are at dinner everytime Tifa and Kazekage-sama talk. There is fluff in a very Spartan kind of way. It's hilarious.
Kankuro is awesome! No two opinions about it. Well, Tifa thinks he is a sissie and Temari heartily agrees, but when he is in the mood, he shows me how to work with puppets! I don't understand what he is saying but I kind of get the concept of it, I think.
Knowing you, you would have had his whole experience down in one hour. You're a knowledge spunge!
Well, that is it from me for now! Sleep finally decided to catch up and I never say no to that offer. I hope I dream of you guys tonight. I miss you deeply.
Yours truly and with lots of love,
Charlie
LINELINELINELINE
Dear MJ,
I am certain Fia showed you my letter so this next one is for you.
This morning Tifa woke me up, which is kind of unusual since I rarely get to sleep. I did manage to get 3 hours of Z's though. Since she woke me up, I knew something important was going on. It turned out she was given her first mission. I cannot help but feel afraid and anxious. I know she is tough and really dangerous but this entire world is tough and really dangerous. And there is more! She is going with the Kazekage to Sound! And that nasty Snake is going to be there! I hope they would be fine. As far as I remember, the Kazekage was killed on his way to Konoha, so maybe there won't be any problems... still, you know how Tifa is. Orochimaru will have his hands full with her. The only person Tifa stands with any kind of attitude is Fia, simply because she knows it's all a farce. You know what I mean. She can be serious when she wants to. You only have to prod her to the right path.
Tifa is packing for the mission. I'll go help her now.
I'll write later more.
Lots of love,
Charlie.
LINELINELINELINE
Charlie opened the door to Tifa's room and saw her eyeing the Bazooka with a very considerable expression. Despite being so into it, she motioned to Charlie to come closer and help her choose something Suna-ish to wear. The petite red head started folding clothes and piling them neatly into a back pack. She did not know how long she would be gone so she hoped that the three sets of clothing would be enough. She also snuck in a small picture of all of the Inner Circle, hoping that Tifa would appreciate the gesture later on. It was a small photo she always kept in her wallet, one where they were not in their cosplay, but at the Louvre where they all met. It was as if fate had them all to meet there. It was a few days after she had escaped her home and she had yet to find out about her parents. She was happily tagging along with the slightly plumb blonde girl who was also with her reddish-auburn haired friend Leo, her cousin Hatorri and her friend MJ, who she at the time thought she looked like she was being haunted. It was one of her more precious memories. And so they had gone to the Louvre with this 17 year old teen, with long deep dark red hair and the prettiest stormy gray eyes she had ever seen. There they were merged with a small tour group where MJ recognized three kids- Hannah, Helen and Simon and there was also Tifa, and Malena and the two Australian dudes that seemed rather suspicious at the time ( the Sasori cosplayer and that creepy partner of his had been there to try and feel the place before robbing it). There was also that Serbian dude that took the picture and that later on invited them in Serbia to taste real alcohol, even though they were still mostly kids. That same dude was cosplaying Jiraya and the resemblance was rather uncanny with his anime counterpart. It was the same guy that Fia and MJ had visited during their several months long Great European trip, in which they even had Interpol tracking them, though Fia did not specify why that was so, and MJ downright refused to explain. They were all there. It was fate. She was sure of it.
Charlie smiled at Tifa once she was done and hugged the woman in an attempt to show her all she felt she needed to tell her. And she wanted her to be safe, to have a nice trip, to keep from trouble and possibly bring her souvenirs.
Tifa had returned the hug and then pulled away and placed one palm on the petite girls head.
'Keep good care of the runts for me, will you, puppet? I know I can count on you.'Tifa smiled warmly, in a rare show of affection and knelt next to her. This time the hug was initiated from her.
Despite being rough and all around hard core, Tifa was not a heartless woman. It was just the life style she had chosen. All her life she knew she was going to be a soldier and even now, at the Age of 28, she had yet to find it in her to settle down and start looking for a suitable man to start a family with. Still, seeing the red headed Jinchuuriki trying her best not to show her worry and also showing such blatant affection made her feel warm inside. The little girl, for that's what she was in the soldier's eyes, may not have been her kin or blood. But she was family. She was the closest family she ever had. They were too different. But maybe that was what was needed.
Tifa was anxious and afraid. Not for her life or herself. She was afraid for the mission and the conflicts that might arise. She was afraid of what Gaara might do with both her and the Kazekage gone. This was not her routine mission. It was a diplomatic one, requiring her as a guard to the Kage. She knew what this entitled. It was a test of sorts. Both for her and Charlie. It was time to seriously earn her bread.
She had kissed the girl's forehead and left her to go back to sleep while she still could. She then turned her attention back at her trusty Bazooka. She would take it. If only for safety reasons. It wasn't as if it would work for anyone else but her. She looked at the night stand next to her bed and swiftly went over there to take out the Hitai-ate she had been given by the Fourth. The soldier stared at it for a while, contemplating its value and then slid it on her belt, to hang there. She did not need it for protection, but as a token.
She turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She noticed how her hair was falling around her face, framing it. She needed a hair cut. With that thought, she headed out to the nearest barber shop.
LINELINELINELINE
Lunch was soon upon the household as Temari and Kankuro made their way to the dining room. Lunch was currently being served by none other but the petite redhead. It smelt delicious and it came as a surprise that she was a good cook. It was Fia- influence, really. The food was all foreign to them but it smelt great. The Suna siblings sat on their usual spots and chatted idly while waiting for their father. Charlie had indicated she wanted to serve the food. She seemed to be overly cheerful for some reason, and Temari was certain it was because of Tifa and her first mission. She was in fact hiding her worry. The blonde smiled a bit at the girl's antics. She was too sweet for the harsh ninja world. She did however had good aim with Kunai and Shuriken, and showed signs of potential as a puppet user, according to Kankuro.
Everything was served just as the Kazekage came home. The scent of delicious but foreign food entered his nostrils and he headed for the dining room. A simple but rich table met his gaze as he saw fish and vegetables cooked in a different way that what he was used to.
He sat on his usual seat as well and looked around to notice that Tifa was not there yet. He also noticed Charlie who had been putting up the finishing touches on the dining table. He noticed her attitude and shared a knowing glance with Temari.
This was not, however, the greatest surprise yet. Tifa came home with a decidedly new look, her almost shoulder length hair cut off in the favor of a definably male hair cut. Shaved neatly on the back and sides with only a spiky semi-Mohawk on the top. Her expression was slightly smug, proud of her decision to cut her hair.
The Kazekage stared slightly disapprovingly, at such tom-boyishness. No matter how tomboyish, a woman never looked or try to look like a man as much as she did. She was scandalous in such terms. And offending for the female population. She did not care even one bit. He liked that about her. The way she seemed able to shrug off problems.
The man did not comment her decision concerning her haircut. It suited her, no matter how much any local woman would freak out at her disrespect towards her own sex.
Charlie smiled at her and when the tan woman took her usual seat next to the Kazekage, they started dining. It was quiet and comfortable and lunch went by soon enough. While the food was different, it was of no lower quality than his usual diet.
During the afternoon, Tifa and Charlie spent their time sparring, or more like Tifa teaching Charlie self defense moves on the front yard. It was sweet, really. The petite girl's attempts to imitate Tifa were cute, while Tifa showed great potential in the Sensei field. She was, however, on probation (at least officially) and it was probably going to take years for her to be approved near a team of newly graduated.
The Kazekage was watching from his office how the two of them interacted. It was their way of saying goodbye, he guessed. Neither seemed to be concerned with the mission, but both seemed to want to spend their time doing something special. Tifa seemed to be more gentle than usual.
Unbeknownst to them, Gaara was also watching. He was always watching the petite red head. She was like him. That much he knew. And the Kazekage had no idea. That meant she was there for a different reason. Mother did not want her blood as much now. She wanted to know where the heck did she come from. Was she afraid of this weakling? No. It was something else. Something she did not deem him worthy of knowing. That meant he had to please Mother until she decided to tell him.
The mission was a nice opportunity for him to try and get close to the girl. So far Tifa had been more than a handful for him and the two had several near-encounters so far. Charlie was a whole different thing. She was frightened of him. Somehow, whenever he attacked, something blocked his sand. Like an invisible shield. He was stalled enough for the blasted marks-woman to show up and force him into retreat. His so called father had given him orders not to bother them. While he could pull off killing the girl (eventually) with out evidence, the silver-haired banshee was not as simple. She was fast and cunning. He loathed her. She always dodged.
But now... Now the little Angel would be all his for the kill. The Kazekage would not be able to stop him and Mother will have her blood. He would be alive again. He would exist. He needed a few more hours of patience and that was it. He would wait for the opportune moment. He would wait.
LINELINELINELINE
Charlie had prepared dinner as well and also played the violin a bit. The Kazekage was slightly disconcerned with Gaara's absence but there was nothing he could do about the Demon of the Sands. His attitude towards the red-haired girl was the main problem about his relationship with Tifa. He had to do something about it if he wanted to even see the woman close to his bed but right now things were pretty much out of his hands. The same could be said about the whole situation at the village and the man forced himself to strangle that small accusing voice in the back of his head. He was not the most competent Kage, but he had been the only viable choice at the time. He was no Namikaze Minato, nor the Third Kazekage, both of which were legendary ninja.
That night he went to sleep wondering what the morrow would bring. He felt slight anticipation at the prospect of having Tifa all for himself for the next few days. He tried to imagine traveling with the woman, wondering who would set the pace to their destination, seeing as both were quite the dominant characters.
While everyone else was asleep, the mute girl spent her waking hours thinking about home and her other friends. She also thought about her Uncle. He was a nice man even if their interests rarely overlapped. She wondered about how he was feeling about her absence. Many a thing passed her mind until it was already brightening up from the upcoming dawn. It was chilly and sleep had yet to visit her. Looking at the clock she found out it was closing in on 5 am. She knew Tifa would be leaving soon for the mission and she decided to prepare some breakfast for her and the Kazekage. Maybe she would make some onigiri, like the ones Temari had tried to teach her. She smiled at the image of the Kazekage looking at her onigiri. The man almost always found her taste in food down right weird.
At least he hadn't seen the soldier sandwiches. They were something that normal people would not look at twice. A soldier sandwich contained a bit of everything from the fridge, minced up together into a fine paste and then put between two pieces of bread, the product then being put into the waffle maker to be cooked and compressed into the form of a hot pocket.
Fia had made them in a moment of food craving, not exactly knowing what she wanted. Charlie had liked them. Tifa found them nutritional and space saving. The petite girl smiled at the memory and decided to also prepare some of them for Tifa. She would like the gesture and the intent behind them.
LINELINELINELINE
Tifa was on her way down when she caught the scent of soldier sandwiches. She stopped where she stood, halfway down the stairs, to relish the moment and to smile slightly at the thought behind the soldier pockets. They brought fond memories forward about those lazy days when most of them had gone to yet another Anime Con and none of them, par herself, Fia and Charlie by extension, were brave enough to eat another culinary invention by the wacky genius of a blonde bimbo. Sure. She was a great cook, but she also had a horrible taste. The soldier pockets were OK as far as she was concerned, even though the taste of pickles was a bit weird with the taste of chocolate and peanut butter and jelly. Somehow the ham and cheese were OK with the final combination and no taste truly prevailed, leaving the taster wondering about the suspicious contents. There may have been potato chips at some point... Tifa snorted slightly.
'Ahem'. The Kazekage was standing behind her, waiting for the soldier to come back from memory lane. He caught that smirk on her face, and the mischievous glint in her eyes before they disappeared behind her usual cool demeanor. That small glimpse into that different, more free her made something within him steer. What was she thinking about when she was almost smiling? Why wasn't she smiling like that all the time? Who was that special someone who would've made her laugh and smile like any other person, when she was such a stonehearted bitch almost all of the time?
The mixed scent in the air caught up to him as well and he followed the woman into the kitchen to see her wolfing down a hot pocket with some sort of unrecognizable goo in it.
'Soldier sandwich.'she elaborated for him after a few bites. 'Eat at your own risk.'
For a moment she smirked again and finished the soldier sandwich before packing the rest into her backpack.
The only sign of his confusion was the microscopic creasing of his eyebrows. She had just made a joke. She was in what seemed to be a good mood. The goo in the hot pockets was still unrecognizable but he could see several conflicting ingredients placed on the counter where the red head was making them.
He eyed the hot pockets suspiciously but decided against risking it. The last thing he needed was diarrhea in the middle of the desert with her laughing and taunting all the way. Wooing that woman with success was going to be his sweetest victory yet.
Temari and Kankuro were still asleep and he would not say goodbye. He didn't need to. They knew what his job required. Gaara...now he was not a person he had expected to see that morning.
Just as they were heading out, his youngest decided to pointedly enter the house, walking past them as they made their way out. For a millisecond Gaara and Tifa shared a glare full of promises of painful deaths and suffering. They left, leaving Gaara and Charlie, who was cleaning up the kitchen, all alone.
LINELINELINELINE
'I don't see you protesting leaving the two of them alone like that.' The Kazekage finally spoke, as they walked past the village gates and into the open desert.
'He would try and he would fail. While I am not pleased with the arrangements, I do believe he wouldn't dare touch her with me breathing down his neck.'
'What if he knows of the mission?'
'He wouldn't dare.'
'Why are you so sure?' he really wanted to know.
'Remember how I told you that the two of us, Gaara and I, are not that different?'
'Yes.'
'He is like me. And if I am anything like him, then he would be too intrigued by her to seriously try to kill her.'
'You know something.' he eyed her suspiciously, one hand fingering a Kunai just in case.
'I see myself through his eyes. You don't know my life and I don't care about his. But I will tell you this. I've seen things that will make you wish you never went into the butcher business. The day you see a child burst into a thousand pieces by the crossfire will be the day you break.'
He did not answer but he watched her intently. She was going to say something important, a form of trust he hoped.
'I've been broken three times in my life, Kazekage-sama. The first time was when my father shot down our dog for peeing on the carpet when I was five. The second time was when that child ran into the cross fire to save her rag-doll only to get herself ripped into pieces. The third time was when only I returned from our mission, if only to deliver the data my team had gathered. The rest had stayed to hold of the bloody bastards.'
Her tone was calm, but at the end she drew a sharp breath, as if to calm herself down.
'I have seen death. I have become death. I am not afraid of death. That boy of yours has seen death. He has become death. He is freaked out of his mind from dying. He only has his life. I only have my friends. If I die, only I die. If I win, they all win.'
The rest of the day was quiet, with occasional comments about their direction. The Kazekage had plenty of time to think about what she had told him in the morning. Where had that woman come from? The way she referred to their job...butchers. She sounded as if she hated everything that had to do with violence. To some extend, he realized that he had barely scraped the surface of her complex persona. That woman had years of experience behind her back, probably more so than himself. While he understood she was in some form of military, her discipline seemed to amaze him every day in a new way. That explained in a way her attitude. She was harsh because she had no reason not to be. She cherished Char-Lee because it was her only true treasure. She did not fear death. Something in that statement made him think. However there was nothing more than the slight nagging feeling that something was off about it. That and the slight feeling she knew more than she was letting on. Or maybe that was just his paranoia. He wasn't sure, not yet at least.
The first day across the desert passed rather dully. Tifa enjoyed their trek across the large sand mass and even had her Sunan outer cloth taken off to get a bit of tan. He wondered how much more darker her skin would get before the woman was satisfied. Most women in Suna tried to steer away from the extreme sun but she reveled in it. A true woman of the desert was his most prominent thought on the matter. She was so exotic with her white hair, almost golden eyes with the way the sun rays were reflected in them and her dark tan. She was bound to make an impression of a perfect Sunan ninja to the Sound-nin. Even if she had been a ninja for around a month or so. He mentally shook his head at the opportunity to show her off. She was like a prized possession that was not truly his. One that he enjoyed battling with even if it was tiring. It was nice having some one of your level around, even if only for the chalenge. And she was probably even more a Kage than himself with her attitude than he could even imagine. He had seen her train, but he had never seen her in true battle. The prospect of having her kill enemy nin with her extreme efficiency sent pleasant shivers down his spine.
At night fall they stopped by a small oasis with a spring in it. Apparently Wind country was full of such hidden sources of water, which was a given for the Sunan nin. The spring formed a small pond in the sandy ground, around which several palms grew. Tifa did not miss the moment to dip herself into it. She took almost all of her clothes, leaving her only with her underwear panties, of gray cotton, and her gray sports bra top. She slowly dipped herself and let a relaxed expression show on her face.
The Kazekage did not comment on her familiarity, considering the fact normal women would never show so much of themselves. Not in this part of the world. She figured she was used to male company and was not bothered being nearly nude before him. Night fell and he started a campfire. He then bunked himself against a palm tree and occasionally took glimpses from the bathing woman. She enjoyed bathing in the spring almost as much as sun-bathing. She was slowly pouring water on herself, as if bathing in a spring was some type of ritual. Once she was done, she got out and spread her outer cloak next to him near the campfire. She waited until her underwear was dry and then dressed herself properly again.
They did not speak much. He glimpsed at her on several occasions, the woman watching the fire with an air of calmness and belonging around her. That woman belonged on the battlefield. They did not feel the need to speak that night. It was a comfortable atmosphere, one different from the one at home. Probably because her mind was on Char-Lee and on the mission. He didn't mind the lack of arguments however and soon he found himself asleep, her taking their first shift. Tomorrow they were going to cross the border with Fire country and soon enough they were going to meet with several Sound nin to take them to one of Sound's headquarters.
She had woken him up near dawn, having decided, to his dismay, to take both shifts. He scowled at her for her decision but she did not seem that tired. Appearances could be deceitful but other than scowling he did not react. They didn't speak much as he ate the delicious onigiri Char-Lee had made and she nibbled on a soldier pocket. He wondered how could she stomach that colorless goo. He really did.
Soon enough, they were off again, the now more rocky terrain allowing them for a faster pace. About lunchtime they saw the first signs of approaching some serious vegetation and several hours later they had passed the borders with fire country.
It was near sun-fall when they were approached by a group of what seemed to be Sound nin. Tifa had immediately recognized their garments, a slight scowl of superiority marring her face as she discreetly readjusted the Bazooka on her back. The weapon certainly earned her a few curious stares. She could care less. She hoped she would finally get to test it, seeing how the Kazekage had forbidden her for the time being, due to the need of proper test dummies and the need for that to happen outside the village. Something about the size of the Bazooka was telling him to prepare for big explosions and massive damage. The Light and Sound show would not be beneficial for the wellbeing of his people.
'I see that you have arrived in time.'One of the Sound nin spoke, possibly the group leader.
While the Kazekage and the aforementioned ninja did small chat, Tifa remained silent, observing their escort. The feel of them was just not right. It wasn't because she knew that most of the Sound ninja were evil, twisted or damn right insane. It was because she had dealt with such filth before. Oh, she had dealt with them all right. 3 years in a roll, Columbia, drugs, drug bosses and rebels, not to mention rescuing hostages. These type of people were ruthless in their own twisted self-righteous way. They would kill you with no remorse. She would never cut them any slack. Ever. Filth like these left her the only one standing from that mission all those years ago. She would make them afraid. Very afraid. And she would reign in their fear.
LINELINELINELINE
The Kazekage chatted idly with the group leader, but he did notice that Tifa was more than displeased with the Sound nin. He had rarely seen her glare like that. Gaara, her glares would be threatening. Him, her glares would be annoyed. Them now, her glares were that of pure loathing and hatred. He would ask about it when they were alone. It was not professional to do so in front of their escort. And he did not mind. They had no reason to trust them. And having merely one peron as escort might be warning enough for their skills.
Soon enough they went through a well hidden entrance into an underground facility. As per expected, he was welcomed by no other than Orochimaru himself.
'I trust your trip was pleasant, Kazekage-sama?'the man smiled charmingly at him, a deceivingly warm outward appearance gracefully showering them.
If it was possible, the woman glared even harder. The Kazekage was pretty sure they all had noticed her nothing less than hostile attitude and he really felt good about bringing her with him, especially when the Snake Sannin reevaluated his false attitude to something less disturbing. The Kazekage smirked under his mask. There would be several interesting days ahead. He was sure of it.
'It was. The company was good and there were no sand storms.'the Kazekage answered idly, gesturing towards Tifa, who merely gave a slight nod.
'I see. And who is this?'
'This is Tifa, she is my bodyguard for this mission.'
'Only one?'
'Quite capable, that woman is. Nothing less of what Suna can offer.'
Orochimaru smirked. The woman's eyes narrowed. She was too damn suspicious and paranoid to be to his liking but whatever floated the Kazekage's boat.
'I believe you would like to rest before we star? Please follow me. We were just about to serve dinner.'the Kazekage and Tifa followed him through the maze of tunnels.
Tifa spent the short trip trying to observe their path but found it impossible in the maze they were in. She did however note the amount of hidden traps and also studied Orochimaru as he passed by several of his ninja. While he seemed completely relaxed and all host like, she could not help but noticed how reserved he actually was. Work was going full speed in Sound and no amount of need to appear completely lax could stop that work. Among ninja she could spot several people with white coats, some Medic nin, some scientists. She felt the faint scent of a laboratory in the air. She knew that scent well. Fiona had the bad habbit of leaving some chemicals lying about. She could distinctly smell the ingredients of several chemicals, some of which were explosive, others for medical use.
She was glad the two of them were still wearing masks. She wondered if the Sannin or his men would try anything. She also wondered if the food would be safe to even look at here. On another note, she vaguely fancied the idea of it moving. That made her smirk. It was an old joke, one that Fia often overplayed. It went something of the sort: Food would move if the ingredients were grown in a lab environment. Ridiculous but still kind of funny.
A spectacled red haired girl swiftly passed them by. She was holding several books. Tifa mentally noted her appearance. It was Karin. Well, the world was small.
Soon enough Orochimaru led them to a lounge where he more than discreetly offered to leave their luggage to the servants to send to their rooms. In other words, he wanted the Kazekage to get rid of Tifa. The soldier guessed that the Kazekage agreed to it due to the fact he wanted a private chat with the man. How he could even trust his own diplomatic status to be alone in a room with the pedo-bastard was beyond her.
Since she couldn't do anything about it, she followed two servant girls to some rooms not too far away and dumped her equipment there. She was not worried about her weapons as she had them all with her.
'Sand nin-san, we would like to request to visit our dojo's and training grounds if staying in your room all evening is not to your liking.'one of the girls spoke. Tifa eyed her interestedly. Just from the way she spoke and bowed, she guessed what the majority of the life of this girl was. She felt for her but did not show it. No one deserved to be used as a tool to fuck and clean for you. She did not seem to be older than 16 either. She was kinda cute even if she could see nothing special about her. The appearance could've been a mask for a well trained Kunoichi, though she doubted that Orochimaru was able to produce good spies from his rough brutes of a Kunoichi material.
'Please take me to one of the training grounds them, my aim needs some work out.'She spoke idly to the girl, her tone the usual cool. Not that she really needed the work out. She had to entertain herself somehow.
The girls bowed again and lead her through the maze of underground corridors. She seemed relaxed with only a scowl of Superiority and the air of a warlord about her. In fact she was ready to split some skulls within milliseconds.
The two servant girls lead her to a surprisingly vast underground cavern of a training ground where there seemed to be a class of some sorts with newly graduated Gennin. There was an older nin who was explaining something while two other nins were sparring with each other. The spar stopped along with the speech the man was giving, and all of them turned around to look at Tifa. She had to give it to them to handling her so well. She was scary and formidable and they weren't doing much to hide their interest.
While she looked over the crowd and calmly walked over to the senior ninja to request a spar, she did not notice a pair of wide eyed violate eyes staring at her in disbelief. If anyone was not looking at Tifa with interest, they would have noticed the black haired pale Kunoichi gaping at the Sand ninja with something a kin to horror and realization.
How was this possible? Were there others here? The Kunoichi had to find a way to speak with her at all costs. They had to know what was going on even if it would cost her her life. The situation was far more dangerous that even she realized, especially now that Orochimaru was preparing for a new attempt. She hoped she would find a way to get the hell out of here soon, because she did not know how long would it take for the current host to hold Orochimaru. If it wasn't long, she would be next.
A/N: I hope you like this chapter. Things are starting to pick up pace and I promise to write more soon. I really had a lot to work concerning my university, so please forgive me the long wait. There were several things which I redid in this chapter, mainly sending the Kazekage with Tifa on this so called mission. About who this person is, I think most of you would correctly guess Orochimaru. Next chapter will contain a spar between Tifa and the Sound ninja instructor guy and then a very interesting dialogue between Tifa and Sylvia Bri. That's just the obvious that I am saying though. There are just too many things I want to write down and so little time for myself.
Another pair becomes somewhat obvious, namely Tifa and the Kazekage. Sylvia will present a very interesting development to the story, bar the warning she has for Tifa. Gaara and Charlie will have an encounter in a few chapters and Itachi will also make a very awesome appearance in a chapter all by himself and Kisame. I'm contemplating on Jiraya's appearance and also whether I should put a bit more importance in Fia's family. Misoshi Romero will also turn up soon enough as the beginning of the series approaches.
Fiona, MJ and L-chan will probably take a while to appear again as I am setting the stage for the serious, adventure and suspense stuff.
Well, read and review! Tata!
