Disclaimer: All the characters except for Kaname do not belong to me.
Call It Fate: Part II
The branches swayed in the direction they moved in as the wind whistled in their ears. A red light filled the sky momentarily as it was followed by another boom.
"What the hell's going on? We didn't even get the scroll yet."
Kankuro glanced at Temari who was scowling and Gaara who held the most expressionless façade as they rushed back to the retreat area.
"Red means abort mission."
Temari kept a straight gaze on the path, worry etched on her face beside the newly made cuts on her face made by a kunai.
"Something went wrong."
Gaara followed them silently.
It didn't really matter to him whether it was mission accomplished, failed, or abort. He was just their trump card if something was to go terribly wrong.
The wind whipped at his face and he licked his chapped lips.
Vanilla.
He could still taste it.
It was blood. Very sweet blood. Somehow mixed in the scent of vanilla.
The blood was sweet, but the smell was even sweeter. He liked it.
//Hinata//
That was what the other ninja—the Demon boy had called her.
Somehow, it was familiar to him…in a strange way…like they had met before.
Those eyes, blank and mysterious.
Like he'd seen them before…but maybe she could have just simply been alike with someone he'd killed before.
He wanted to meet again.
It was irresistible.
They stopped abruptly in a shrouded area.
Their commander was seen in the middle as he motioned for them to join part of the siege group that had retreated at the same time as them.
Beside him stood a woman with short brown hair. She was a messenger to be exact, since she had not been with them originally when they had started out for Konoha.
"Regroup, meet back at the Seventh Quarter of the Lost Desert. Wait for orders from there. Go."
When the half of the original siege group had left, Temari headed for the commander.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Mission abort. Go to the Seventh Quarter, Kaname-san will explain it to you as you go."
She opened her mouth to protest but closed it promptly and nodded.
"Yes sir."
They took off immediately and Kaname wasted no time in explaining them the situation.
"The Cloud dispelled their treaty of removing their block on our food supply trade lines if we take over Konoha and retrieve the scroll for them."
"That still doesn't mean to call us off—"
Kaname ignored Kankuro's interruption and continued through him.
"They invaded us instead."
"WHAT!"
"Yes, right after our troops were dispatched and placed around Konoha for the siege. That left our village poorly defended and they took advantage of a day after the troops left. It has been four days. It took me three days to arrive here in the Leaf and locate the hiding Sand."
"So…the Sand has fallen to the Cloud?"
"Only on the inside, Kazekage-sama has escaped and is awaiting the troops at the Seventh Quarter. Most of our shinobis were used for the invasion of Konoha."
Temari stopped, causing the other three to stop, "Sand Village is useless to them…"
She stared at Kaname.
"What…what are their conditions?"
Brown hair blew in the wind as black eyes regarded the tree in front of her. Kaname hesitated before answering.
"Their conditions were…defeat of Konoha for them, death of our Kazekage-sama replaced by theirs, and…"
"And…?" Temari quirked at her hesitation of finishing it.
"…Gaara of the Sand handed over…"
Three pairs of eyes regarded the young man dressed in black in the back.
"…I see…"
"But Gaara-san, there is no need to do anything, because they had also requested the fall of Konoha—"
"To defeat Konoha, you would need to defeat him. And the only one who can really rival with him is…"
The silence ate at them as they figured either way, Gaara would be put in danger.
"They would rather sacrifice our shinobis than theirs to take over Konoha. The Cloud may be dangerous, but their forces compare nothing to Konoha's…we're merely a distraction for Konoha."
"Let's just get back there first it's still two days of travel away." Kankuro whispered.
They nodded in agreement.
~~~
The place was underground as the air was dry and dusty as more than half their altogether military was gathered.
It had a musty smell to it like a dark tomb that hadn't been explored in centuries. And be truth, the base hadn't been used in awhile. The supplies were low and many of the doors were rusted so that they refused to open. That set many shinobis who were making themselves home there for the time being to start fixing it up.
Kaname lead them into a small room, wearied, since they had made a three-day trip into a one and a half day trip, moving at top speed with no rest stops.
Behind a desk was seated the Kazekage.
"Kazekage-sama, they are here."
He nodded and dismissed her in a slight gesture of the hand. Turning to the other three, he implicated for them to sit down.
"I need you to do something…important."
They stayed silent in his presence.
"Deliver this scroll to the Hokage."
Temari stepped up to accept the scroll, "All three of us?"
He nodded, "Stay in Konoha as long as you can."
"Why, Kazekage-sama?"
"You are my ambassadors to Konoha for an alliance and for safety. Either way if this base is taken before an alliance is formed, only one-third of their conditions are fulfilled."
"Hai. I understand."
She handed Gaara the scroll as he tucked it to safety without protest.
"Leave now."
Kankuro groaned inwardly.
They had arrived at the base only half an hour ago.
~~~
"That was kinda weird, don't you think so?"
Naruto turned to his girlfriend, draping an arm over her shoulders.
She nodded in return, "But the end where Sakura and I guarded had no intrusion."
"Well, you're lucky, look what happened to me."
Hinata sighed heavily at her cast. Walking around with a crutch wasn't the fastest method of getting around town.
Ino regarded the bandaged ankle, "Must be someone really skilled to catch you off-guard."
She shrugged, "I don't know…his name was…uh…"
"Gaara."
Naruto finished for her.
"Eh? Gaara?"
Ino's attention sparked and she turned to Naruto, "The Gaara?" She still remembered when he had dealt those damages to Rock Lee in the preliminaries and then against Sasuke in the finals.
He nodded.
Still disbelieving, Ino turned back to Hinata and waved a hand over her blond hair, "With, like, red hair?"
A nod, "I think so…it was kind of dark then…"
"And those weird eyes?"
She nodded vigorously, "Definitely the weird eyes with black circles."
How much she tried to forget the moment, she couldn't leave the way he looked at her before he had leaned in.
It was like he was transfixed on her own eyes as she stared at his.
The cold ice-like blue eyes guarded by a ring of black.
Somehow, all of this seemed familiar to it, as if it was on the tip of her tongue. She knew it deep down somewhere, but she just couldn't find it.
"D-Did we ever meet him before?" She tried to act nonchalant.
Two wide eyes stared at her long before answering in unison.
"You don't know?"
Truth be told, she just couldn't remember.
"Ah…know what?"
~~~
The wind breezed by in small waves, brushing his hair over a bit to the side as he stood at the tip of a large pine.
They were back at the gate.
The place he despised the most.
"Let's go, Gaara. We don't have time to waste anymore."
He gave them a quick nod and jumped down from his perch to follow them through the gate.
Immediately before they passed, a group of Leaf shinobis appeared and blocked their path. Temari quickly jumped in front of the five and held out the scroll with both hands, her head bowed to them.
"Please, we have a message to deliver to the Hokage. It is urgent."
The five glanced suspiciously at them before the captain, a young man with brown hair in a ponytail stepped up slowly to examine the scroll for hidden Jutsus.
He turned back and glanced at the four, "It's clear."
Another young man behind him with ebony eyes frowned, "Are you sure?"
The captain picked up the scroll from he hand as she looked up in confusion. Startled blue eyes met brown.
He blinked in surprise, as if he had known her before, but wiped it away quickly.
"Aa, I'll take this. You wait here." He drawled out, as he slowly made his way back to the gate, while the other four stood guard.
"Make it quick, Shikamaru."
"Aye, yea, yea, Sasuke, I'll be back soon."
And he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Temari glanced at the group in front of her.
The dark eyes.
//Sasuke…He is the one who…//
Her eyes trailed a bit over to where Gaara stood, transfixed by the gate, lost in thought. He didn't seem to notice yet.
A young woman around her age with long brown hair…
It was that girl that she had almost severely damaged during the Chuunin Exams ten years ago.
She wondered if they remembered her.
The glances they threw at her—or mostly Gaara, gave it away that they probably did remember.
The other two members of the team seemed to be a bit younger…they probably didn't have the pleasure of seeing the action that had happened, so they definitely wouldn't know her.
And the captain…Shikamaru…
The one that fought her in the semi-finals and nearly won, but then forfeited. Back then, she always called him behind his back as the old boring guy…
But somehow this 'old boring guy' turned out…pretty nice. His almond colored hair was still kept the same way, but his features had now grown more prominent.
She threw a glance back at Kankuro and Gaara.
Kankuro was leaning back in the shade of a tree while Gaara just stood staring at the gate, entranced.
Her gaze went back to the Leaf shinobis. The one named Sasuke was staring angrily at Gaara for some unknown reason. Gaara too, sensed it and turned back to meet his gaze.
She sighed. //Guys and their egotistic nature//
If this was about the fight they had ten years ago and Sasuke was still sore about it, she swear she'll have to step in and hit some sense into them both.
"…What…"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "What? So you think you can come back here with a peace offering after the damage?"
True, he grew more handsome. And she blushed at the thoughts that ran through. Maybe he was still single…
The dark hair and eyes with the contrasting paleness of his skin…was…heck, sexy.
But he seriously needed some things with his attitude.
She bit her lip, hoping Gaara would just let it be. It was no use now. They were the ones pleading for help, they shouldn't cause commotion even before it was delivered to the Hokage.
"…Don't talk…about things you don't…know…"
"Oh? And like what you did to Hinata?"
Sasuke had been helping train Hinata in the past few years. Not really out of charity, but he'd figured he'll be able to get out of sight of the other fan girls, be with the one he liked, and maybe sway her away from Naruto.
So far, he only succeeded in the last one, since somehow, the forces in heaven and hell…got Naruto and Ino together.
That left Hinata to him.
Gaara's eyes widened at the name.
"Of course, she didn't remember you, but I do."
//Remember…remember…//
So he had met her before. Gaara gazed at the young man again.
His ebony eyes were the opposite of Hinata's. More aggressive. How hers had blended in fine with her features, his eyes seem to stand out as if it was in its own dimension.
"…I do not know you…or her…"
He made eye contact and added darkly, "Maybe…you would refresh my memory?"
End Part II
As their past is being recounted for them, how will they react?! Next time on…cracks up laughing…I'm trying to imitate that one guy from DBZ at the end of every episode, no offense!
Pairings are developing! This would be of course, Gaara/Hinata, some Naruto/Ino, and then the confusing love interests of Temari, Shikamaru, Tenten, and Sasuke! = I'm not going to tell you how that one works out though! It could be Temari/Sasuke, Temari/Shikamaru, Tenten/Sasuke, or Tenten/Shikamaru! As for Sakura…lucky girl gets to choose from Neji or Lee…HAHA! I'll see which one is easier to write.
insert laugh
You'll just have to wait. Patience is the key, my friend.
Updates, I try to have one every week. But last week was HELL: I had my concert, and a whole crap load homework and projects that my teachers decided to all pile on during the week before spring break. And then after spring break…*shudders* I don't even wanna think about it. Next update would soonest be around the week of May 10th.
I'm trying to top my last Gaara/Hinata fic with this one, so it'll take more thought and time…spare me!
R & REVIEW! ~ please? As a birthday present? *hint hint* I'm officially 17 now! [as of April 20]
Ame no Megami