Author's Note (2020/07/10): I was meaning to post this chapter much sooner but my computer decided to crash on me (rip)
Luckily my hard drive was backed up so I didn't lose everything... but I still lost most of my things (sigh) Regardless, thanks for all the support! I appreciate it, I really do. This ~300k story only has two chapters left so I have to commend anyone who has read through this entire thing. This story is almost as long as a Clash of Kings by GRRM for christ's sake... oof!
The last two chapters will be posted before the end of the month. I have a lot going on in my life right now during this quarantine so I will try to have this story completed before the summer is over. I originally planned to have 50 chapters max and here we are at 72... that's what happens when you don't plan ahead!
That being said, I hope you keep reading and enjoying this until the very end - stay safe out there!
(...and back up everything - EVERYTHING!)
Chapter 72
The Gift
Heat sweltered against the gold sands.
As summer grew with the dry season, the winds called its name with every strong and powerful breath. Only weeks ago had the elders of the Sunagakure council heard of the upcoming marriage, and the eve of the wedding was to take place in three days' time. It was to be on the last full moon of the summer. Although a private affair, that did not stop the whispers amongst the streets that weaved around the reconstructed Kazekage estate. It appeared as though the attack by Tenbu was only a bad dream, the scars of the past painted over with new walls of stucco and clay.
Far off in the southern reaches of the desert lands, the oasis was a meek and bustling place. Travellers from all over had stopped to rest for water and beds, and gamblers and drinkers flocked to the casinos and sake bars dotted all around. The ruined temple that had been reborn into a resort was especially guarded. Men equipped with spears stood outside its sculpted entrances with their faces masked by dark veils. Further within the suites on the fifth floor, shinobi guards wearing the headbands of Suna and Yama were seen standing before the doors to the grand suite at the hall's end. Seated across from the chieftain inside the lavish suite, the Kazekage watched as his future father-in-law settled himself upon his cushion while his cane rested beside him.
"I must say, Gaara-sama… It's nice of you to join me here today." Kyo sighed with a smile through his grown beard of white. "I know the wedding is in less than three days, but I feel a tad bit nostalgic for this place. I used to come here in my youth when I was a chunin. Tell me, have you ever been to this oasis?"
Lightly, Gaara smiled back. "Only once for a mission. I didn't take in the sights."
"Ah, I see… I take it this meeting isn't political in nature, so what seems to be on your mind that you've asked to meet in private outside of Suna?"
The moment arrived.
Appearing calm-faced, the Kazekage remembered what he rehearsed in his mind. The wedding. Meeting with Kyo was nothing to be nervous about, but it was the very nature of it that beckoned for nervousness. Not only was he speaking with his future father-in-law, but he had to remember he was the chieftain of Yamagakure as well. And patience was not his strong suit. Nomasaki was nowhere near to dissipate the tension with her charm, so he was all he had. Not even Kankuro was around. Out of all times, he thought.
"It's nothing of huge concern," Gaara answered, averting his eyes at first. "But it is something… confidential. I don't want Nomasaki to hear -,"
"How is my daughter doing?" Kyo awed, not realizing he was interrupting. "She sent me a hawk recently, but I haven't had time to read her message due to my recent travels to the Land of Earth and the Land of Claws."
"Oh, well… she's in Sunagakure right now…-,"
Striking a nerve, Kyo raised a brow in suspicion. "You're not… having cold-feet. Are you, Kazekage-sama?"
His words irked him. "N-No no, nothing like that." He said, searching for the right answer. "It's just…-,"
A bellow erupted from the chieftain's bearded face, leaving the young leader puzzled. "I'm only joking, Kazekage-sama! No need for that panicked look in your eyes."
Breaking the laughter, an attendant delicately entered the room with a tray of glistening sake and a dish of sashimi. Resting the silver tray on the table between them, she attendant gave a brief bow.
"Kyo-sama, here is the sake you requested."
Bowing his greying head back, he smiled gratefully. "Ah, thank you! I heard this is the finest place in the Land of Wind for alcohol, so needless to say I'm looking forward to it."
Once the attendant left, the chieftain opened the bottle of sake and poured himself a drink. After pouring the second cup for his guest, he held it out for the Kazekage to take. Hesitantly, Gaara mulled over his decision. Politely, he shook his red-head and declined.
"Thank you, Kyo-sama. But I don't drink."
Kyo scoffed. "You're telling me the Kazekage of the most powerful village in the land is scared of alcohol? Drink."
Not wanting to get off on the wrong foot, Gaara reluctantly gave in.
Gulping back the sake, he grimaced from the taste. It was more pleasant than the sake of Yama but the harshness of the alcohol still managed to coat his throat on the way down. Coughing the rest down, he looked to the giggling man across from him. Smiling widely and downing another cup, he suddenly realized the resemblance between the chieftain and his bride. They were both at the mercy of their sake, no doubt. The apple did not fall too far from the tree, if it were any indication. With any luck, he would leave before the drunkenness could begin.
"Now then," Kyo started, folding his arms against his chest. "What was it you were trying to tell me, Kazekage-sama? You said it had nothing to do with cold-feet, so what is it?"
His chance had arrived.
"Kyo-sama," Gaara spoke, looking him firmly in the eyes. "Speaking as one man to another, rather than between leaders… I hope you know I have no intention of cold feet. What I've come here to discuss with you was what we agreed upon recently. The… gift."
Kyo's hand paused on the sake bottle as he reached to it, his eyes wide from the words that reached his ear. Meeting the calm and stern glance of the Kazekage, the chieftain let out a hearty red-faced laugh, leaving Gaara confused in the end.
"Ah, so that's it! I understand now. No wonder you didn't bring my daughter with you!" Pouring himself another drink, he smiled. "Just as we negotiated, the manse should be completed by tonight. Yama pitched in our finest carpenters and artisans to construct it, and the builders from Suna were a great help, too. You should see it for yourself! It's a quaint little manse, perfect for a getaway from the goings-on of that sauna of a village."
"Thank you. As we agreed, my shinobi will embark for Yamagakure at the end of the summer for the training sessions at the Yama Academy."
"Don't you forget my dowry,"
"Dowry -?"
Giving a sake-filled laugh, Kyo could not help but be amused at his bewildered expression. The more Gaara watched the chieftain laugh, the more he realized how alike the man was to his daughter - and their fondness of alcohol. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, he thought to himself.
"There is no dowry, I'm only joking!" With a sigh, he placed the empty bottle back onto the table with a clang. "And that's excellent, much appreciated. I'm sure the new shared curriculum would improve our ranks and impress our daimyo."
Standing up, the chieftain started for the balcony at his side. Looking out towards the setting sun against the orange painted sands through the swaying silks, the water of the oasis and its flowing river appeared as if a sapphire fissure upon the smooth surface of gold. His hazel eyes gleaming, his heart warmed with pride.
"So, it's finally happening… I knew this day would come, eventually." As he heard footsteps come to a pause beside him, he turned to Gaara with a soft smile. "You seem surprised, Kazekage-sama. You did tell me you called off the arranged marriage because of her. I was the surprised one, believe me." Directing his gaze back towards the immortal desert, he sighed. "Nomasaki is strong-willed and kind… like her mother was, and… she is also a wolf."
His aged eyes saddened, remembering his lost love of the north. It had been twenty years since he left in the cover of night, saying his bitter goodbyes to his bride and their rosy-cheek child swaddled in warm blankets against a night of falling snow. It seemed an eternity to him, the memory of his soft-faced lover being farther from his reach than it had ever been. He told her he would return to her someday – and he did. Visiting her gravesite every snowfall, he told her he kept his promise – and that he was protecting their home. His heart still ached for her every moment, but the comfort of her memory was enough to soothe his sorrows.
He fought back tears with a proud smile. "When I married Mikomi after the Third Shinobi War, my comrades told me I betrayed them… that I married a 'wild' woman… They didn't realize that I loved her. She was… everything to me. When Nomasaki was born and I returned to Suna, they said I defied the village and dirtied the village's blood… all because Mikomi was from the lands of the snow and not of the sand. My years spent in exile after my return never changed my mind, and I know to this day that what they said was wrong. A thousand years in the desert wouldn't change my mind for a second. Love trumps hate, as well as selfish pride. Being with Mikomi taught me that."
Turning to Gaara, Kyo met his tanuki-like eyes with a calm face and firm expression.
"Nomasaki is of the sand and snow. I trust you understand what this means, and that you'll love her no matter the circumstance."
Following the chieftain's gaze towards the desert, he nodded. "Always. I never let old-age thinking change my mind before, it's certainly not changing my mind now. I love her."
Humbled, Kyo looked down with a warmed smile. Folding his hands behind his back, he stepped back into the room towards the sleeping chambers. "In the meantime, consider the beachside manse my gift to you for the wedding."
Lightly, Gaara gave a bow of his head. "Thank you, Kyo-sama."
"Kyo." Pausing, the chieftain gave an endearing glance of gratitude. "Remember, you're like a son to me now."
Warmed, Gaara smiled. Only months ago in the snowy lands of Yamagakure, he was welcomed into the family, and now he had gained a father-in-law through the chieftain before him.
In three days, their bond of family would be solidified.
The night was a calming cool from the desert's merciless summer winds that evening.
Examining the scroll carefully as Meiyumi and waiting Suna shinobi were close by, Nomasaki hesitantly grasped its fold as the sets of eyes watched. The dango stall they sat at was packed with rowdy villagers and celebratory jeering, a stark contrast to the two young women who sat near the back of the business. Calmed-faced, she directed her attention to the idle ninja who stood before their shared table. "A black hawk you say?" She asked. "Are you sure?"
Diligently, the man nodded. "Yes, m'lady. It came with this scroll you hold in you hand, it's addressed to you."
Curious, she turned back to the scroll before her on the table's worn surface. Amongst the clatter of empty plates and bowls, she spread out the scroll slowly and read it with cautious violet eyes. The scroll was as black as the bird that was said to have delivered it, the parchment worn from a long and unknown journey. The moment she saw the name inscribed upon the parchment, a surprised and relieved glint coated her eyes.
Meiyumi leaned over the table in alert curiosity, her brown eyes weary. "What is it?"
"It's... from Hakuto-sama." She smiled, rolling up the scroll in her hands. "She says she wishes us a happy marriage."
A sigh of amazed relief washed over the medic's face, allowing her to sink back into her chair and relax. "Ah, that's nice of her!"
"It is," Meeting her friend's face, Nomasaki could not help but laugh to herself at her thoughts and the irony. "It's funny, actually. She was almost where I am now and I would've been the one sending the letter. If Gaara didn't object to that arranged marriage, that is."
As Meiyumi saw the empty dishes left upon the table, she grimaced in dismay. Looking back to her across the table, she could see the tired gloss that painted her eyes. It was not even an hour past sunset and her friend was already prepared for sleep. It had been Meiyumi's insistance they spend time together before the wedding, but it was Nomasaki's insistance that they leave after dinner. No sake had been drunk that night either, a strange thing for the two of them.
"Are you sure you want to turn in this early?" Meiyumi pressed, concerned. "It's not like you to be so tired at this hour, you're a night-owl for crying out loud!"
Nomasaki let out a light yawn into her palm, smiling timidly. "I've been very busy these last few days, so I've hardly had any time to sleep. I've had missions that were less exhausting than this, believe me."
"You certainly ate a lot... Are you sure you're feeling okay, Nomasaki?" Meiyumi rose a brow, a smirk on her lips. "Don't try to hide it from a medic! I've got my eye on you!"
"I'm fine, really." Nomasaki assured. "This wedding-planning is just taking a toll on me, that's all."
The sound of running against the sands caught their attention, dissipating the pleasant night that was around them.
Two masked ANBU paused before them on the street side, their guard drawn and backs to the two women inside. The appearance of the ANBU surprised her, the flickering of their chakra striking a memory. Some of them felt familiar to her. Since the destruction of Tenbu in the Land of Claws, those remaining of the Suna Tracking Unit had merged forces with the ANBU, forming a single-cohesive force in the arts of tracking, stealth, and espionage. The situation around them may be dangerous, she realized, her gut feeling telling her to tread lightly. Curious, Nomasaki and Meiyumi both turned to see the messenger shinobi direct his face to them.
It was stern and urgent all at once.
"M'lady, we're to escort you to the estate immediately!" He said firmly. "We must depart at once."
Drawing their alert, the Suna shinobi stood by with a stern look as he stiffened his stance, reaching for the kunai in his holster as he turned his back to them. Facing the streets, the guard peered suspiciously as if searching for an unknown threat. Perplexed, Nomasaki followed his gaze. Her senses did not detect any chakra out of the ordinary, clouded by the grogginess of the night and the familiar chakra around her. It was unlike her to be such a way, but she overworked herself and expected nothing less.
She had her wits about her.
"What for?" She questioned, narrowing her lilac eyes in shared suspicion. "Has the Kazekage returned to the village?"
"No, m'lady - an unknown shinobi has entered the village. The scouts who detected them said they may be of the resistance." He answered, prepared to strike at the threat. "Times may be at peace, but the resistance still hangs on by a thread... They're like roaches, they never stay dead for long until more answer the call. Being that you're to be the wife of our Kazekage, you may be a target of theirs as well."
Masking her surprise, she calmed herself with a sigh as she stood from the table. "I see." She smiled lightly. "In that case, I'll face them."
"Nomasaki -," Meiyumi stood, alarmed. "You didn't sense them?"
That was something she wanted to ask herself. Turning to her, she gave a timid glance in embarrassment and shook her head. "No, they snuck through my senses somehow. Strange..." Pondering, she held her hands to her lips, becoming lost in thought as she lightly bit the tip of her finger. "It must be from my fatigue..."
A blast of fire erupted from a distant explosion, the ground quaking beneath their feet.
Panicked, the village suddenly turned silent. Voices soon danced against the cool desert winds, shouting and frantically watching the smoke billow into the darkened skies. It was a threat - and a close one at that. Firmly, the ANBU and the messenger closed in, shielding the two women with their backs. "Stay back, Nomasaki-sama! Kazekage-sama swore us to protect you!"
"No need," Nomasaki assured. Stepping through the shield of shinobi that faced the open streets, she paused and looked to her idle friend. "Meiyumi – let's pursue them."
"M'lady?!"
"Nomasaki, are you sure?" Meiyumi caught up, stunned and frantic. "You're probably their target! Are you able to fight -?"
"We should be able to have a little fun! It's our night out." Nomasaki chuckled, looking back to the fading smoke in the distance that was approaching closer. She shot Meiyumi an excited smile, fear completely absent from her expression. "Just because I'm marrying a kage in a few days doesn't mean I have to retire! It's been a while since our last mission together, so let's go after them and put them in their place before they cause any more trouble."
Speechless for a moment, Meiyumi's expression quickly changed to grinning laughter as she walked to her side. "Ah, this is the Nomasaki I've missed!" Preparing her taijutsu stance, she narrowed her brown eyes as she scanned the shadowy streets around them in the lantern light. "Can you sense them? Are they close?"
Forming a single hand-sign, Nomasaki closed her eyes and let her senses do the work. Focusing carefully, she could feel the chakra all around them. The chakra of the invader was unfamiliar to her, from a land she never knew. Then her senses turned patchy. Empty spaces filled her vision, not even her wolf-like senses could determine why. It was unlike the last time when she was pierced with ginko - but it was as if she were clouded by a new presence altogether. Not even the nature energy in her veins could tell her what was going on. Brushing that aside, she relaxed her arms and looked on to the east where the assassin lay in wait to strike.
"They're hiding from us – or they think they are." She pointed. "Over there!"
A break in the wind from a thrown kunai alerted them as it struck the ground near their feet.
A sizzle soon followed - a paper bomb.
The blast burst against the sand-ridden ground, springing the ANBU on guard to swarm to protect the villagers who panicked and flocked inside the stucco buildings that surrounded the plaza. Unscathed, the two kunoichi emerged from the smoke and debris that fell around them in ambers. Standing, Meiyumi released her earth-shield and took to Nomasaki's side.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Yeah," Standing calmly, Nomasaki watched the assassin crawl out from the shadows, hopping onto the roofing of a nearby building. "There they are!"
Turning back, the gleam of the lantern light reflected onto the man's dark clothes, his mask covering his face as he carried out his deed. Sharing eye contact, the man saw the unbent and unbroken look to her feral eyes, the purple threatening to swallow him whole. He saw a beast within her, and the beast vied for attack, Rapidly, the assassin suddenly made a run for it, bounding atop the roofs of the clay and stucco buildings towards the village's outskirts.
He was making a break for it.
"You're not getting away!"
Following him, she darted towards his path. Feeling the boil in her human blood, she felt her muscles contract and beg for the shifting from skin to fur. Her canines growing inside her jaws, she prepared her body to change in an instant. A heartbeat throbbed through her ears - her heartbeat. Catching her off-guard, she felt her boiling blood suddenly cool and her strength leave her as if in a single breath. Her knees buckled under her, her vision going dark.
Before she knew it, she was losing consciousness.
"Nomasaki!"
Meiyumi's cries seemed so distant, the call for sleep overwhelming her.
Grasping her seamlessly, the sand cushioned her before she could hit the ground. A firm and protective hold soon followed, his warm hands holding her over his crouched lap. Groggily, Nomasaki flickered her eyes to meet his face. As quickly as he appeared with his sands, she did not sense him coming at all. Not even his chakra was detectable in her strange state of mind.
"Are you hurt?" Gaara pressed, his expression gravely concerned.
"Gaara," She murmured, weakly. "When did you -?"
Her words struck him.
Widened, his ringed-eyes looked at her state frantically. "Your senses -!" Reminding himself of the nearby assassin that lurked in the shadows, he rested her onto the sands carefully as she slowly sat up. "I'll be right back." He assured, his face firm and strong as he turned to face the enemy. He glanced to the nearby medic. "Meiyumi, watch over her."
Rushing to her friend's side, Meiyumi nodded. "Right!"
In an instant, he was gone within a burst of sands.
Moonlight danced against the clay surfaces that painted the village.
Running tirelessly, the masked shinobi continued on their path as fast as the winds themselves. The assassin was near the edge of the village outskirts, approaching closer and closer to his escape beyond the cliffs. Reaching the end, the masked invader suddenly realized how close the cliff's edge was, the rocks falling to the towering depths before him in the dark. Sensing something behind, he whipped his head towards the force that was catching up to him. Before he could react, a burst of sands flew from the shadows - trapping him in its embrace as cold and hard as death. Stepping out from the dark, the Kazekage glared towards his struggling expression.
"End of the line." Gaara spoke, his tone crisp and stern. "Who sent you?"
A masked ANBU appeared beside him, knelt in servitude. "Kazekage-sama, I believe these men are agents of the resistance."
Gaara was unamused. "So it appears." Turning to the ANBU, he gave a brief nod. "Fine then, take them to the interrogation corps and incarcerate them. They can handle it from there. With any luck, there's probably more lurking. Send your guard to the village boundaries just in case."
"Yes, sir!"
In only moments, the other ANBU had arrived and escorted the unknown enemy away in chains. Luckily, the assassin was snagged alive - unlike the others who preferred the use of paper bombs to conceal their secrets forever in death's cold embrace. Irked and dismayed from the sudden presence of the assassin, the Kazekage was left alone to deal with his thoughts. It was only a few days before their marriage, and already an agent of the hidden resistance had crawled out from the woodwork and attempted to strike. He knew they had to tread carefully - even in peaceful times which recently graced them.
Even now they could not turn a blind-eye to possible treachery - even if the times were peaceful.
A shinobi was never safe - and that was the truth.
Worried-eyed, Meiyumi knelt at Nomasaki's side on the sands as the sounds of fighting in the distance soon quelled. "What happened?"
Holding her hand against her head, Nomasaki felt the grogginess return in a haze of fatigue and dizziness. Averting her eyes to her kimono's lap, she struggled to grasp what befell her. "I… don't know." She fumbled, her voice dry and stunned. "I suddenly felt… faint. My strength left me, and before I knew it I -?"
Startling her slightly, Meiyumi's hands became covered in her healing aura. Touching her arm lightly, the medic felt the chakra within her. "Your chakra feels disturbed, just like that time -!" Meiyumi said, shocked. Releasing her touch, the jutsu faded. "Let me take you to the hospital." She pleaded, surprising her from the suggestion. "Your chakra might be out of whack again like it was that time. You know what happens when your nature-energy gets distorted."
"Oh… okay."
"How are you feeling?"
Startling them both, Gaara appeared through his sands and started towards them. Averting her glance timidly, Nomasaki could not muster the courage to tell him how once again her senses failed. With a sigh, Meiyumi bravely faced him directly as he paused in their path. "She's going to the hospital!"
"To the hospital?" He repeated, his eyes worried and stunned. "What for?"
"My chakra," Nomasaki said, timidly smiling at him as she stood with Meiyumi's help. "It happened again, I think the lack of sleep is finally getting to me."
"Did you want me to go with you?"
She shook her head. "N-No, Gaara - really. It's okay," She assured. "I'll... be home soon."
Raising a nonexistent brow to her reply, he tried his best to shrug off any worry. Watching her stand and walk on her own, she gently wrapped her arms around him. Holding her close, he held the back of her gold head with his palm. His ringed-eyes were still as stagnant water, trying to decode what transpired. As they parted, Nomasaki gave a timid wave to the streets filled with lantern light and village hums. Hoping that her parting smile and wave would relieve his worries, it did not work in the slightest.
Regardless, he accepted her wishes and left to return home to wait for her.
Sitting in the examination room a few hours later, Nomasaki eyed the doctor nervously as they took their seat with her chart in hand.
Her hands fidgeted at her lap, her chest fluttering in anticipation. The chakra around her seemed blurry to her now, even more so after her blood was drawn. She had to be strong no matter the diagnosis - and the thought that her friend was waiting for her outside was comforting. After a quick scanning of the sheets from her blood tests, the doctor's steady hand paused, drawing her hazy curiosity. Nodding to her, they gave a warm smile and Nomasaki's heart near stopped from the words they spoke. A few moments later after the diagnosis, they parted ways and she wandered out into the waiting area stunned and in disbelief. Her heart filled with joy even still.
All she could remember from what the doctor said to her was "congratulations".
And the wedding was less than three days away...