Disclaimer: If I owned…I'd think it'd show…somewhere on the cover…
Chapter 37: The Difference Between Jealousy and Overprotectiveness
Shin carefully navigated the late-market crowd, looking for his sister and their pink haired friend. He was not in a good mood. It had all started that morning with that tea seller. Although Shin couldn't explain why, everything about the brunet rubbed him the wrong way—her voice, her attitude, and the way she treated others—especially Kura, who she treated differently from everyone else. The thirteen-year-old was loud and talkative, seemingly expressive and outgoing…everything that Shin was not. But he wasn't jealous, despite what Karura had hinted at when she had come to pick up Kura. Shin had no reason to envy the brunet her personality; not only was he quite content with his own, but he also felt that the brunet's personality was a sham.
Whenever the girl smiled, Shin always felt as if she was actually laughing at them all and whenever she asked seemingly ordinary questions, he always got the feeling that she was snooping; and on more than one occasion Shin had caught the brunet dropping her smile the moment a person turned their back on her, as if her smile had never been genuine in the first place. Of course, Shin's logical mind was aware that there could be plenty of explanations for all of these characteristics that only he seemed to notice, however he never managed to convince his heart of that. Although the brunet had never actually done anything to him (and she even seemed to truly like Kura, unlike everyone else he had seen the brunet interacted with), Shin just couldn't bring himself to trust her. Heck, he couldn't bring himself to even marginally like her. Once again, he had no good reason to feel that way, but he did.
The fact that the foreigner had all but said she would 'protect' Kura from him didn't help his feelings any.
No, Shin did not like the young tea merchant—and his dislike had been reaffirmed just moments ago when he had run into the brunet at the market. She had been as 'friendly' as always, but something about her claim to have come this far from the inn only to bring her mother something she had forgotten sounded false to Shin's ears. Of course, he had no reason to disbelieve her—and even if it weren't true (and his gut feeling told him that it wasn't), Shin knew that the teen had just as much right to visit the market as anyone else did. He had no good reason to think that the tea seller was a liar let alone any reason to wish that the brunet was nowhere near the market's vicinity. Once again, though, he did.
Shin was thrust from his brooding thoughts when a conglomeration of shoppers pushed past him rudely and tried to pile into a clothing shop that was already bursting to the seams with people. Shin raised an eyebrow at the people's actions, not understanding how anyone could be so desperate to spend money. Shrugging, Shin moved past the store whose sign proclaimed sales up to 90% off, not even bothering to scan the crowd for his sister. Although Youko was a shopping maniac, even she would know better than to risk her neck in a crowd like that—no limited quantity brand name item was worth that—not to mention she should have Kura with her to think about as well. His beloved sister might be a shopaholic with no sense of fashion, but she was neither stupid nor uncaring. She would never drag their green eyed friend into a store where she was likely to be trampled.
The grey eyed boy had just reached the edge of the market without any sight of Youko when an unfamiliar voice caught his attention. "You! Hey, you!" Turning to look, he found a little old lady carrying a bag almost as big as her. For a moment he thought that she had called out to him because she needed help carrying her bag, but what she said next completely erased that thought from his mind. "Are you still looking for your little friend?" Before Shin could ask the granny if she was mistaking him for someone else, the old woman was wagging her finger at him as if he were a misbehaving child. "I told you, girlie—" It was in this instance that Shin realized that the old woman was mistaking him for his twin. "—I told you not to run around like a headless lizard. You'll never find your friend that way. Good thing for you Granny Miko has a head on her shoulders."
If Shin hadn't had a bad feeling he knew who the 'lost friend' was, he might have interrupted the old woman to fix her misunderstanding and perhaps even have asked where she had last seen his sister. Instead he was rooted on the spot, his face impassive as his heartbeat sped up and dread start to worm its way into his mind. Kura was lost again—and last time she had gotten lost, she had nearly been killed. The grandmother continued, unaware of his inner turmoil, "I asked around, you see, and no one's seen a girl like that around here for hours, but one kid did tell me he saw her headed towards the gate. She probably went to see the Kazekage and that useless aid of his—what was his name again? Kazu? Eh, doesn't matter—he's nothing compared to Chiyo's boy. Anyhow, since she's a foreigner, she probably went to see those other foreigners that the Kazekage went to greet. If you hurry, you might just catch her."
Shin bowed, thanking the woman much more politely than the old woman's earlier encounter with Youko had led her to expect, and then he was gone. Finding Youko was no longer his main concern. Strangely enough, though, it was Youko who he found first, now that he was no longer looking for her.
His twin was crouched behind a large boulder, her back to him as she glanced around the edge as if she were playing hide-and-seek. However, Shin knew that was not the case—his sister had sworn off the children's game when they were ten because Yashamaru, bored out of his mind and aggravated at being forced to play anyhow, had purposefully made the game a living hell for her. If Youko hadn't been injured by one of the pitfalls Yashamaru had set up for her, Shin would have found the situation funny. Instead he, Youko, and Karura had all given the sandy-haired boy the silent treatment until he finally broke down and apologized a week later. After that, they had all agreed that playing hide-and-seek with a to-be ninja was not the best of ideas.
It was impossible that his sister was playing hide-and-seek, and so, Shin decided, she must be spying on someone. The fact that she wasn't still freaking out about a certain missing green eyed girl told Shin who it was she was most likely spying on; however, it didn't explain why. "Sis," Shin began softly as he started towards his sister. He didn't get to say anything more because Youko whipped around, grabbed him, and pulled him down beside her, one hand over his mouth.
"Shh!" Youko hissed, "They'll hear you!" And with that, Youko released him and turned back to the edge of the boulder. Glancing over his twin's shoulder, Shin saw who 'they' were. Far in the distance Shin could easily make out two figures—one with pink hair and one with red—and they were hugging. This time Shin could not deny that the fire igniting in his core was jealousy—he knew his emotions too well, and the sight of his crush hugging some stranger made him want to run up to them and tear her from the other boy's arms. If Shin had been like Youko, who let emotions rule her logic, he would have already been halfway to the pair. But he wasn't like his sister. Although his emotions raged in him to go and do something, his logical mind held him back as he tried to understand the situation. From the minuet shaking he could observe in Kura's shoulders, Shin could tell that the pink haired girl was crying, and from the ridged way the red head was standing—not returning the hug but not pushing her away, his arms held awkwardly in midair as if he were unsure of what to do with them—Shin could surmise that the boy, whoever he was, had not been expecting a hug.
Shin had just come to this realization when his sister whispered excitedly to him, her eyes never leaving the pair, "I knew those two would look good together!" With that statement, everything suddenly fell into place in Shin's mind. There was only one person his sister ever tried to pair their green eyed friend up with. Kura was hugging the boy she called Aniki, the boy he knew—though his sister clearly did not—that Kura only viewed as a big brother and not as crush material. The flame of jealousy that had been thriving before flickered out of existence, leaving behind only a tiny ember of envy. Although he still wished the two weren't hugging in such an intimate fashion, Shin no longer felt the need to break them apart.
The grey eyed boy didn't know if this Aniki person had any romantic feelings for Kura, but if he did, then he was pitiable. Shin would never want to change places with the red head, even if he could hug Kura every day by doing so, because it would mean that he would be viewed only as a brother. It was bad enough that Kura was clearly oblivious to his feelings and viewed him only as a good friend—but at least he had that much. Her view of himself would bother him much more if he wasn't aware that, despite the fact that the pink haired girl was smart beyond her years, she was emotionally still a child. It could be years before she had her first crush. But at least he had a chance…something Aniki, stuck in the position of 'family' did not have.
Youko's voice broke Shin out of his thoughts, "Oh, I wish we could hear what they were saying!" It took the boy a moment to understand her statement, but once he did, he realized that, while he had been busy thinking, the two had shifted a bit so that, although Kura still had her arms wrapped around her brother-figure, it could no longer be considered a true hug. As his sister had pointed out, it now looked as if the two were talking—well, the red head was talking; Kura, on the other hand, appeared to still be crying (if her shaking shoulders were any indication), so even if she was speaking, it probably wasn't very conversational. From the way the red head seemed to be becoming even more ridged (if that was even possible), whatever Kura was saying was not fulfilling its purpose.
Then the red head's hand suddenly came down heavily on the girls head and Shin feared that Kura had made the boy angry. He was about ready to jump out and protect the pink haired girl when the red head forced Kura to look up at him as he bent down—Youko was cheering out under her breath 'Kiss, kiss, kiss' and for a moment the ember in his gut stirred—but then all the red head did was speak. Although they couldn't hear anything from their vantage point, from the way Kura jumped, whatever he had said had either been shocking or loud (or both). After that Kura started speaking more animatedly, to the point where it almost looked like she and the red head were having an argument. Well, at least she wasn't crying anymore.
Shin was debating with himself whether to announce his and his sister's presence to the two they were spying on, or if it would be better to drag Youko away and act as if they hadn't seen anything when his sister tried to scuttle towards another large rock nearer to the two. Shin followed without thinking, his mind still on the dilemma at hand. They had only just reached their new hiding spot when suddenly a loud voice was heard.
"Quit hiding in the shadows and come out." The bored sounding order had been issued by the red head.
Deciding that this was a clear sign that spying time was over, Shin began to move around the rock, only to be stopped by his sister grabbing him by the shirt and mouthing for him to stay silent. Under most circumstances, he would have done as Youko asked, however this time he saw no point in continuing to hide when it was clear that they had already been discovered. He opened his mouth to explain this to his sister only to have a hand slapped over his mouth. "Shh!" Youko hissed in his ear—probably louder than she had meant to—and then added so quietly that even he could barely hear her, "He's only guessing. You'll give us away—"
Shin hadn't even fully removed his sister's hand from his mouth when he began to sigh, "Sis…" Before he could say anymore, he felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed him by the shirt and given a hard tug. Both he and his sister lurched out from their hiding place—Youko shrieking in surprise while Shin stared at the red head who, from his stance, was clearly the cause of the invisible hand. As they stumbled nearer the red head—the hold on their shirts disappearing and Youko stammering excuses—Shin started to feel dread building within him. No one had told him that Kura's 'Aniki' was a ninja—and even worse—now that Shin could see the red head up close, he knew the boy was none other than Sasori—a boy who even someone like Shin, who avoided gossip, knew was dangerous.
For the second time that day, Shin felt the urge to tear his crush away from the red head; the only difference was that this time, he didn't feel bad about it. He might have acted on his feelings if Kura's voice hadn't sounded loud and clear over Youko's.
"It's the blue stringy-thingy again!" Shin's confused eyes snapped to his smiling crush, who was clapping and giggling as she looked at the boy she only knew as Aniki with almost awe inspired eyes. A shared glance with Youko informed Shin that she was as clueless as he as to what Kura was talking about. From the sigh that escaped the frowning red head's mouth, though, Shin knew that Sasori understood his pink haired friend. For some reason, that didn't settle well with Shin. The fact that Sasori was now glaring at the girl as if he wanted to kill her didn't settle well with him either. Although he hated to admit it, Shin felt a chill settle into his bones that had nothing to do with jealousy or hatred. It was fear—fear of this easily annoyed and powerful shinobi who could kill them all with the flick of a wrist.
Kura suddenly stopped clapping and giggling when she noticed the look the red head was sending her. Instead of reacting in fear—as Shin, who wasn't even under the full power of that gaze did—the pink haired girl cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips as if she were confused. A moment later, she inexplicably smiled as her hands came together in a gesture of sudden understanding. "Oh, right!" the girl explained, her voice sounding chipper once again, "Sorry, it's the blue Chakra-stringy-thingy again! I forgot that you said it was Chakra last time—er, well, a month ago—but that's not the point! That was cool! Can you do it again?"
Shin was frozen in place by the cold aura emanating from the blank-faced chunin. Shin desperately wished he could move—that he could stop Kura's flow of words before she made the notorious Sasori snap—but his legs wouldn't work and neither would his voice. His world was tunneled. All he could see was Kura obliviously digging herself a grave and Sasori preparing to end her obliviousness permanently.
Kura, completely unaware of the heavy aura surrounding her continued her slew of questions. "Can you show me how to do it? Is it a Jutsu? Do you just push Chakra out of your fingertips?" with this she glanced down briefly at her upturned palms, and narrowed her eyes as if she were concentrating, but then quickly returned her gaze to the stone faced shinobi and continued, "How does it work? Are there any hand signs that I need to—"
"I am not," interrupted the red head darkly, stressing his words without emotion, "going to teach you."
For reasons that Shin could not even begin to comprehend, Kura tilted her head to the side cutely and asked as if the shinobi wasn't threatening her indirectly, "Why?" Shin had to wonder how his friend and crush could not notice how much danger she was in. How did she not notice the way the red head's eyes were boring into her or the way the guy looked like he could strike out at her at any moment. Did she have no sense of self-preservation? No, from what he had been told about her run-in with the murderer, she had had more sense of self-preservation that Keiko—more than enough to escape a murderer. With that being the case, she must surely realize that Sasori was dangerous. But then, why was she blinking her wide—currently blue—eyes up at the obviously irritated young ninja as if he posed no threat to her? How was it that Kura could entirely avoid the heavy curtain of fear that he couldn't even begin to fight off, not even to protect her?
Shin had no idea how he expected Sasori to respond to Kura's prodding, but it certainly wasn't the heavy sigh that escaped the red head as he then answered reasonably—civilly, even, "…you aren't a Suna citizen."
As if not realizing that this statement was only one of many reasons why no one—not just Sasori—would ever teach the girl one of Suna's trademark Jutsu, Kura asked slowly, though clearly undeterred, "So…if I become a Suna citizen in the future you'll teach me?"
This time the red headed chunin put a hand to his face as if he were dealing with a headache. And yet when he answered, it was in that same, chilly-but-civil tone.
"Look, brat, Jutsu like that are only taught to Suna shinobi. You are neither a ninja nor from Suna."
"So, if I become a ninja you'll teach me?"
The red head's response was instantaneous, as if he had already planned on her saying something like that. "Hoshi don't become ninja."
Kura pouted cutely at the deadly entity before her as she crossed her arms over her chest and stated, "That's what everyone keeps telling me, but I want to anyhow!" If Shin hadn't already been frozen, this statement would have made his jaw drop. His mind started whirling as he tried to comprehend his friend's desire when everything he knew about her—from her personality to her weak constitution—said that she would never and should never be a ninja. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he missed some of Kura's mumbled protests about no one being willing to teach her and something about books. He was brought out of his thoughts only when Sakura's long trail of words came to an abrupt end. Sasori was glaring at her, but her only response this time was to rub her head guiltily before apologizing.
A few moments after that apology, Kura was at it again, "So, if I become a Suna citizen and a ninja, you'll teach me, right?" And then Kura extended her hand towards the chunin, her pinky finger stretched out as she continued without waiting for the boy's answer, "Well, then, it's a promise!" Did she seriously think this uptight prodigy would do something as childish as a pinky promise—especially about something that he clearly had no desire to do? As Shin expected, Sasori didn't move to take the offered finger, but he didn't ignore it, either. Instead, he just looked at the proffered digit as if it were an anomaly he had never encountered before.
Perhaps the same thought occurred to Kura as well, because her smile grew wide as she reached out and took the shinobi's hand and gently pried his pinky out so that she could wrap hers around his. "Like this…" she explained softly as she shook their hands up and down in what looked like a pinky-handshake. "I promise that I'll be a Suna ninja in the future, and you promise to teach me about the Chakra-stringy-thingy when I am!"
The red head's eyes narrowed as he disentangled his hand from Kura's. When he spoke, it was in a very bland, emotionless voice that matched his stone face perfectly. "That is a pointless agreement. It will never happen. I know you do not plan on remaining in an unfriendly country on the brink of war when the Hoshi you came here with leaves." Although the youth's face remained unchanged, Shin and —from the intake of breath that he heard beside him—his sister felt the heavy aura become almost suffocating. And yet, Kura looked completely unaffected as she shrugged, digging one toe in the dirt.
"Well…yeah…of course I'll be leaving with Kirsche." Although Shin couldn't describe how, something in the aura that held him and his sister paralyzed changed with this statement. Kura continued unawares, "I don't think I'd be allowed to stay even if I wanted to. But I'll be back—uh, in Suna—eventually. So as long as you stick around, we'll meet again! I mean…it might—uh, well...will be a while—I think Kirsche said…" Kura tapped her chin and closed her eyes, clearly thinking hard as she mumbled, "I think it was…uh…"
These disjointed mumbles continued on for thirty seconds or so before the red head stated harshly, "I'm waiting…" For a few moments, Shin worried that Sasori would do something to her, but all he did was continue on to add in an irritated manner, "…you have thirty more seconds."
Sakura's response was for her eyes to pop open and her hands to motion energetically as she asked for a few more minutes, only to be told she had twenty seconds now. And then Sakura did a strange thing, something Shin couldn't explain. She turned to face the last of the setting sun, her back to both Shin and Sasori as her hands continued to move through the air as if she were trying to diagram something in the sky that might help jump-start her memory. Fifteen seconds later she swiveled back around, a large grin on her face as she exclaimed, "That's it! Kirsche said it was fifteen to eighteen years! So after I go home we can meet again then!"
Once again the aura that held Shin captive shifted, and although he still couldn't understand why, this time he knew what the difference was. The pressure of the ninja's presence was letting up. If the chunin had looked content, that reaction might make sense, but instead he looked almost exasperated as he said, "You do realize that in fifteen years many things can change. By that time you'll likely have no desire to return, and—"
To Shin's shock, Kura interrupted Sasori fearlessly, "Oh, no, I have to be back then…actually, it's for the same reason that I can't stay here…uh…now, and—"
And then the renowned genius did the unthinkable: he interrupted Kura, a quirky smirk on his lips, "—and even if you do return in the future, war is coming now. As I said earlier, it was a pointless agreement. In fifteen years I could be dead." Somehow, Shin doubted that.
Kura's face briefly fell, but soon she was smiling again as she stated in a slightly strained voice, "But you might not be, right? So it's not pointless. A promise is a promise." And then Kura turned around to look first at one twin and then the other as she asked, "Right, Shin, Youko…?" Her face fell again as she ran up to her friends with a slight limp, asking, "What's wrong? You both look really pale? Are you sick?"
Shin tried to respond, but all he was able to manage was a slight shake of his head. Youko apparently fared better, because she was able to manage a weak, "I don't think so." To Shin, it sounded as if his sister had been about to say more, but then a sound was heard that made his insides freeze.
It was a chuckle. Of all people, it came from Sasori. Although it only lasted for a few seconds, it felt to Shin as if that one completely uncharacteristic act had turned the world upside-down and inside-out. It didn't help that in that instant all of the heavy aura that had held him down vanished, leaving Shin disoriented.
Once again Kura seemed completely unaffected as she stated—as if sudden shifts in overwhelming aura and personality were something she were entirely accustomed to— "It isn't funny, Aniki; they don't look good."
As the world started to settle back into place, Shin could have sworn Sasori's smirk looked more like a smile as his hand fell on Kura's head. If it was a smile, it wasn't discernible in the red head's voice as he stated calmly, "You are correct that it is not funny, however it is nothing serious, either. They simply don't have the Chakra or the control you do to fend off mine." Kura made a questioning sound, but instead of answering, the red head took a few steps closer to Shin and Youko, sighed, and then said with a straight face, "I should apologize. I didn't think to rein in my Chakra in the presence of you two civilians."
Youko, perhaps noticing that her brother still felt a bit ill, began to accept his apology on both of their behalf's, when the now annoyed pink haired girl stomped one foot and stated with her arms crossed over her chest, "Hey! I'm a civilian too, you know! Even if I do want to be a ninja someday, I'm still a civilian…so why are you acting like I'm not here?!"
"Ah…" began the chunin as he glanced back at the puffed-up nine-year-old, that strange smirk-smile still on his face, "…it's easy to forget your legal status."
"Aniki, you Meany! What's that supposed to mean?"
The red head turned around and started walking off, but before he was out of earshot, he called back without turning around, "Next time you try to sneak up on a ninja you've never met before, and they catch you, you'll find out."
I don't know if that quite counts as a cliffhanger, but Sasori sure does know how to answer questions without answering anything.
Once again, here is a chapter written from the point of view of someone who I didn't originally plan to write from. Unlike 'Aniki' from the previous chapter, though, he didn't just write himself in. Originally I was thinking of having Karura for this scene, and only Karura, because I needed someone to objectively witness things…but then by the time I arrived at this scene, Karura was at dance lessons. Then I thought about just using Youko, but she's too clueless to be an objective witness. Yashamaru wouldn't have bothered hiding to 'spy' no matter what happened, so he was out as an option. And then there was Shin. Originally I thought he wouldn't work either, since he, too, wasn't the 'spying' sort…but then I realized that if I added Youko into the picture, he would go along with her…because that's just the kind of guy he is. Not only that, but this also allowed me to give everyone a glimpse at Shin's mind, his feelings for Sakura, and what it takes to truly make him jealous...as well as some of the irony of his situation. I hope you all liked the change in POV.
Well, I've made a recording of a segment from chapter 8, when Gaara and Sakura first meet Kirsche. I chose this portion because the most asked for quality—for those who did specify—was for the reading to include either Gaara or Kirsche, and this chapter has a bit of both. Now I just need to figure out a way to get it up on the internet where my lovely readers can get to it. If anyone has any helpful suggestions, send them my way. It has to be something easy, because I don't have access to any special programs on my computer.
I'll try to update in another two weeks (so around Friday the 13th of June). I've already got a portion of the next chapter written, but right now my boss at one of my jobs is on vacation, and so because of that I (and all of my fellow co-workers) have to take on more hours to cover the gap left behind. If I am not lucky enough to be able to update by Friday the 13th, I'll update the next week (around the 20th).
Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome to some sugar cookies fresh from the oven, because they're so sweet; flamers, on the other hand are welcome only to the pan, fresh from the oven. Now, on to the pretty list!
Thanks to: RtheAwesome (Well...for better or for worse, I have begun writing my Sakura/Sasori fic, but I won't post it until I have it finished. I'm trying to keep it short, but I think it will be three or four chapters), BriEva (Well...no one was actively trying to cut off her foot...Sakura just has that luck. The reason I used 'Aniki' for Sasori's point of view is because he is aware that that is who he is when he is with her...similarly, he is aware that 'brat' is not Sakura's name, and he clearly knows she's a Hoshi, so he could think of her as Hoshi, but he only does so when he's trying to distance himself from her. Personally, I think he enjoys being Aniki more than Sasori. As to the eclipse question and the eye-stealing question...you know, I never thought about that. For the eclipse, I would think that the Chakra would be used up to the last possible safe amount, and then they would fall unconscious until their Chakra stores returned. I suppose if someone stole a Hoshi's eye, they would have the added benefit of seeing Jutsu, and perhaps eclipses would have an effect too, but I doubt they would be able to get any other special abilities, since those are person-specific.), Arisu-kun (thanks, and I'm glad you appreciate it. I try really hard not to forget her age despite how smarth she is...and how old she currently looks), Geniusly-Unique (I'm glad you like my Sasori. I am going to end up posting a Sakura/Sasori story...once I finish writing it...so when I do, I hope you'll read that and enjoy that Sasori as well), Emilise284 (I like your enthusiasm. Also, it shouldn't be too many more chapters before Sakura is reunited with Gaara. I can't say how many exactly, though), moodymel (It's good to hear from you again. I also like hearing/writing about Sasori's thoughts and feelings too; especially since it allows me to explore why and how he might have become Akatsuki's Sasori. It's really fun to get into his psyche as a child-genius with anti-social tendencies and a weak grasp on the importance and understanding of emotion), & Hannipan (Don't worry, it will come relatively soon) for reviewing!