A MUST READ FOR ALL AKINA FANS!
I have posted a picture of Akina on my devianart account. If you have my account already, go there if you want to see her. If you do not have my account, please mail me saying so, and I will send it to you. In other news…
Um…
I don't really have any other news so…so…
JUST READ!
Michiru yawned as he trudged along the rugged path that laid before him, in his search of his father, the Kazekage Gaara. He'd left his precious friends to find the sand ninja.
He'd just discovered that Gaara and his wife Hinata were his parents, and no he was beginning to doubt everything about himself…
As he was a walking, he spotted a cart on the side of the road with a man at it, and some fruit for sale. He remembered how low he was running on supplies, and hurried over to the man.
"Hello their youngling," Said the man, turning to face him, "You need some food then?" he tapped the cart.
"Yes please," said Michiru, pulling his money sack out of his bag.
That man knelt down to gather up some fruit, "Ain't you a little young to be out here in the wilderness all alone like this? Where're you parents?"
"Truthfully…" he sighed, "I have no clue."
The man looked at him.
"I'm looking for my dad now," Michiru told him, "I kind of um…got lost from him…" For like twelve years, he added mentally.
"Oh, sorry 'bout that lad," said the man, passing him some fruit, "Actually, I might be able to help you!"
Michiru looked up.
"Yeah, I herd some rumors from the eastern forest INN owner," he explained, "That a red-haired man with green eyes and no eyebrows is staying at the INN, says he's looking for his son."
"Really?" Michiru looked east. The eastern forest is where they'd stayed that one time before that black haired ninja came looking for them! Now Gaara was there! He was getting close-
"But the man said he's only gonna stay there till the rain stopped," The man added sadly.
Michiru looked up at the sky to see that the clouds were still thickly lined over the sky. It was going to start raining again real soon. "That's good," he murmured in relief.
The man smiled, "Better get going young fellow. Bet that man won't stay for long now…"
"Thank you!" said Michiru, stuffing the food and the remainder of his money back into his bag. He threw it over his back and broke into a run toward the eastern forest, his eyes brimming with mixed emotions.
To think he was this close…
Yet so far away…
He sighed and slowed his step as it begun to rain. He'd have plenty of time; he didn't need to be running like the leader of Akatsuki was chasing him. He blinked and looked over his shoulder just to be sure.
At seeing nothing, he sighed in relief and resumed walking, a bit quickly, but slower then running.
The cold morning air stung his skin as he walked.
He brushed his bangs away from his eyes and stared out at the horizon, frowning. He'd been going over what to say in his head for days now, but he still wasn't sure if he'd get the words out right.
Knowing himself better then anyone, he'd probably start to stutter.
This made him think of Hinata-san, and how she always stuttered. And how she was his mother…
He couldn't help but chuckle. Guess that was one thing he got from her.
But from Gaara…he knew looks and all, Lee had even mistaken Michiru for the Kazekage, but what personality traits did he gain from his…father?
He sighed.
He'd find Gaara, and confront him about all these years of not knowing who his parents were…
Even if he got seriously hurt, or even died in the process, he just wanted to know…
And he'd race to the ends of the earth to find out.
Gaara frowned as he stared out the window of his room in the INN. His red hair and green eyes outshone the dull colored room, though he barely noticed.
In his mind, he was calculating his next move.
Kabuto was back, and if he knew anything about that sly fox of a man, he figured that Kabuto had some part in this war, along with the Mizukage and leader of the cloud village, Buke.
He sighed and turned away from the window, and sat down on the bed, pulling out some documents from his bag.
A large scroll was in there as well. He pulled it out and rolled it open.
Strange writing was on it, probably in a different language, but that wasn't what he was concerned about.
In between the off letters, were the symbols for different hand signs. All twelve, taken from the Chinese zodiac.
He frowned as his eyes scanned the scroll.
He put his hands together, making the signs.
Horse, boar, snake, dog….A bright light flashed. Red and gold lights circled around the middle ring on the scroll, and then were sucked into the black ink, leaving silence in its wake.
Gaara blinked, his eyes wide. A loud ringing was left in his ears from whatever had just happened with the scroll. He bent over and wrote down the combination on another sheet of paper.
Looking back at the scroll, he put his hands together again.
Tiger, hare, bore, rat…
This time nothing happened.
He frowned and scribbled something down. Even if he was out of the village searching for Michiru, he was still the Kazekage and had to research these forbidden scrolls and send them back to the village. He looked up from what he was doing and frowned.
How much he wanted to go home, and be with Hinata. According to Temari, she was getting closer and closer to having the baby, and here he was, out in the land of fire…
But once he found Michiru, he'd hurry back to the village, hopefully in time to…he sighed.
Like Shikamaru would say, this was very troublesome.
Putting the scroll back in his back, he grabbed some reports and sat them in his lap, eyes already scanning them.
One was how Sasuke and Paku had still not returned to the village from their mission. He frowned, wondering what was taking them so long.
According to Kankuro's report, Kakeru had already returned to the village, along with Michiru's friend Hiraku, and was safe and sound in the ANBU quarters, with very little injuries.
Gaara would go and look for the Uchiha and Paku himself, if he wasn't heading after Michiru.
Besides, Sasuke would probably chew him out or something.
He hated it when anyone else tried to help him. That guy…was way to full of himself for Gaara's liking.
His attention was pricked when he felt a familiar chakra.
"You're looking for the Kazekage?" He herd the INN keeper woman say, downstairs at the door, "never seen 'im before."
"Please ma'am, we've herd that he was here…Tsunade-sama sent us to see if he can give him some assistance…"
Gaara blinked. He opened the door and walked downstairs slowly.
At the door was Izumo and Kotetsu, two leaf chunnin that Gaara knew from the chunnin exams, and his often visits to the leaf village.
"Kazekage-sama!" Said Izumo, spotting him.
The woman looked around and stared at him, "You, young man? You're the Kazekage?"
He nodded, "Please excuse us."
"Uh yes! Of course!" She hurried out of the room.
"Tsunade-sama sent us," said Kotetsu, looking around at Gaara.
"Yes, I herd…" Gaara frowned, "Aren't you guys a little low on man power for her to be sending out so many shinobi?"
Izumo shook his head, "No sir. Akamichi Choji's team has returned, and Rock Lee has come back to the village from his mission as well. The only shinobi currently out of the village are myself, Kotetsu, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura."
"Naruto and Sakura are safe in my village," he told them, "But we are unsure of where Sasuke is. He was last with one of my own ninja, Paku." He frowned, "If we can't find him, then it might be best if you two went to find those two, instead of accompanying me."
"B-but…" Kotetsu frowned.
"You won't be disobeying orders," He reassured them, "Tsunade-san may be your Hokage, but I am the Kazekage. If she snaps, just tell her I revised your instructions. If she has a problem with that, she can consult me.
"Besides," he added calmly, "Michiru is originally from my village. Sasuke is not. I think it'd be best if you looked for him instead."
They both fell silent.
"Very well, Kazekage-sama," Said Izumo, nodding slowly, "but please…if Tsunade-sama kills us…"
"It will be my entire fault," Said Gaara nodding.
They both bowed and left the INN, shutting the door behind them.
"The Kazekage…" He herd the INN woman murmur, staring out at him with wide eyes.
He shook his head and walked back up the stairs.
Sasuke flinched as something wet touched his forehead. He forced his eyes open only to have a trickle of water fall into them. He winced, then eased them open again.
He was in an unfamiliar room, with a wet washcloth on his forehead. His body ached, and his lips were searing, like they had been burned. He felt soft hands brush away his wet bangs...
"You awake?"
He turned his head slowly to see Paku sitting in a chair beside him, her blue eyes slightly wider then they normally were.
"…Where are we?" He inquired.
"I found a small hospital along the way back to Suna," she told him, "Remember? You rescued me from the cloud ninja, then you sort of passed out…" She smiled.
It all came back to him and he sighed, "Yeah…now I remember."
"You were beaten up pretty badly," She explained, "So I figured you needed some medical help. We're back in the land of fire at the moment, near the land of wind border."
He nodded slowly.
"Do your lips hurt?" She mumbled, looking at her hands.
He didn't answer.
"I thought so," She said, picking up a small container, "Hold still." She opened it and scooped some white gel onto her finger. Being as gentle as she could, she placed her finger on his lips and ran the gel across them.
Sasuke could feel the awkwardness in the air.
She finished, and rolled the container shut, her face a slight shade of pink, though it was not visible due to her tan skin.
"I'm no medical ninja," She murmured, "but that should help.
"Yeah, thanks…"
"We need to be getting back to one village or another soon," She said, rewetting the wash cloth and putting it back on his head, "Gaara-sama or Tsunade-sama will be wondering where we-"
"Your not injured, are you?"
She blinked and looked down at Sasuke, "Eh?"
"Are you hurt?" He asked again, "if you are, tend your own injuries instead of mine. You look red…"
"E-eh….OH! No no no no! I'm fine, just fine! I knew how to keep them away in that prison, I'm c-completely fine! I-" She cut herself of as he grabbed her hand. Her face turned scarlet.
"Calm down, will you?" He murmured, still holding her hand, "I just asked you if you alright. A simple NO, would of sufficed."
"…Y-yeah…"
He sat up, wincing slightly as he did so, "Now…" He leaned in closer to her, till their noses were almost touching.
Paku couldn't breath. She felt like she was going to faint! Was he going to…?
Two fingers poked her in the forehead, "Try to keep quiet so I can sleep, got it?" he said, releasing her hand.
Paku blinked.
"G'night…" He muttered, laying back down and drawing the covers over his black hair.
"Y-you bastard! Why'd you do that? OY! SASUKE! Are you listening to me you dumbass?"
Hawhaw, bad Sasuke. –slaps-
Hehe, that part was fun to do. Next chapter is gonna be fun to, I know yall r gonna like it…and I know how some of you complain about my cliff hangers, so I must say this…
How often in the manga and show do they have cliff hangers? LIKE EVERY FRICKIN EPISODE! ….zank you…-huggles-