AUTHOR'S NOTE: Promised fic #3 for Asako; a belated Christmas and New Year's present all rolled into one. This is the revised version of chapter one with mistakes in names and grammar fixed up. Thanks for helping me beta Richie.
Spoilers for Naruto manga up to chapter 238. Also, part of this story actually occurs during chapter 238 and credit goes to Naruto Chuushin for scanslating the chapter and from which I borrowed some of the dialogue.
Happy New Year's, Asako and all you other Naruto lovers out there – I hope you enjoy this!
oOoOoOo
Chapter 1: A Bow, a Smile, and a Wave
oOoOoOo
oOoOoOo
Wind blew fiercely over the dry land while, on the horizon, the dark gave way its hold on the night-colored sky in the face of dawn's early light. But the trio, one calm and expressionless in contrast to the agitation of the other two, that stood on the outskirts of the village of Sand paid no attention to the changing colors of the sky or the shifting swirls of sand and wind that blew around and on them; it was a familiar occurrence and they were inured to it, paying it no heed.
They had more important things on their minds than the scenery.
"Are you sure about this?" Kankuro asked, a hint of unease coloring his tone. "It's not too late to change your mind."
"You can talk to the Kazekage," Temari added. "We'll even go with you. Maybe-"
"No," Gaara interrupted. "I'm fine with it."
"Please, reconsider," she tried persuasively. "Missions should be conducted with more than one lone person. Especially considering what our relations with that country are like at the moment."
"I'm fine with it."
"But you've never been on one by yourself before. At least, not one with this sort of rank. The Kazekage should have assigned at least one more-"
"Are you saying that he, our leader, is wrong?" An unpleasant smirk curled Gaara's lips. "Or is it just my control that you don't trust?"
"O-of course not!"
He stared silently back while Kankuro and Temari exchanged glances. They tried to hide their discomfort, schooling their features as they'd been trained to, but Gaara was no ordinary ninja no matter how young his age was and he could practically smell unease upon them. And as they, his team and so-called comrades, tried to find ways to persuade him and detain him further, he'd had enough.
Without another word, he turned his back on them and started walking away.
"Gaara! Don't-!"
"Enough already, Temari! He's not going to listen to anything we have to say. You know that as well as I do."
"But-"
"I know. But there's nothing we can do to stop him. And he seems to have settled down a bit more lately so maybe he'll be able to make it back…without anything happening."
"That's a big 'maybe.'"
"The Kazekage has his reasons."
"We both know what those reasons are, and none of them are good!"
"There's nothing we can do about that either."
"Damn it! If something happens…if his control…"
Though the conversation was not meant to be heard, Gaara's hearing was keen. He sneered at the sentiments of his fellow Sand-nin, their voices fading with each step until no longer heard, under no illusions as to where their true concerns lay or of the scheming machinations behind the Kazekage's decision. But he had reasons of his own for accepting this mission, reasons that he had no desire to divulge to anyone or even, perhaps, admit to himself.
His journey continued to the country of Earth.
oOoOoOo
It began with a bow, a smile, and a wave.
In the rare moments when he let go enough to actually reflect upon it, that was where it all started from, the point where everything that had happened since then could be traced back to. Such an insignificant encounter, or would be if not for the fact that he could still remember it.
"See you," was the bid farewell. "Be careful going home."
Just outside the gates of Konoha, they stood. Gaara remembered him, the leader of that party they'd rescued; he thought his name was Shikamaru. He remembered because he was unusual, one of the few that had overlooked his previous deeds enough to bring himself to personally thank him and his fellow teammates for their help in rescuing the members of the Leaf-nin that had attempted to retrieve that Uchiha traitor. It had been a mission; they'd been assigned to it and succeeded, even if the Leaf-nin had failed in theirs. No thanks had been expected.
But it was given anyway.
"Yeah," he heard Kankuro comment just before they turned back to Sand.
"If anything happens again, we'll help out," Temari shot back as they walked. "Is that okay, crybaby?"
"You talk too much," retorted Shikamaru lazily. "Because of that, women are…"
Gaara tuned the rest of the words out, his steps gradually slowing until he stopped as he felt the eyes of another party upon them. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, was vaguely aware that Shikamaru's presence was gone and that his teammates had stopped with him and were regarding him with wary curiosity.
"What is it Gaara?" Kankuro asked. "What are you looking at?"
There.
A presence, weak and hardly worth noticing, was standing outside the walls of Konoha, partially hidden by the shadows created by one of the gate's large wooden doors. Upon realizing just where his regard was focused on, the figure stiffened, indecision flitting across tense features before settling into a strange mixed resolve and the shadows were left behind in favor of stepping into full view.
A jolt of shock shuddered through him, though nothing in his demeanor betrayed him. However, the same could not said of his companions.
Temari's voice sounded surprised. "That's…"
"I remember her. Vaguely," Kankuro remarked. "She was part of that Uchiha's team during the Chuunin exams, wasn't she?"
"That's not all. You weren't there when Gaara…when she…"
Gaara felt more than saw the uneasy glance cast in his direction. He ignored it; it was nothing new and there was a more interesting question preoccupying his mind.
"Why is she here?" Temari asked, a bit desperately. "She can't possibly think to take revenge for what happened before."
"Not even she could be that stupid," Kankuro snorted. "Relations between Sand and Leaf are still tenuous; she wouldn't risk it. And we saw that match of hers in the exam. She's weak. Trying to attack when there's three of us and only one of her is suicide."
"Then why is she here?" she asked again.
It was what he wanted to know as well.
Her looks were striking, the unusual coloring setting her apart from other people with petal pink hair and leaf green eyes. Like a human flower, she was – and flowers were fragile and weak. As a ninja, she was unremarkable with little to recommend her in either technique or power. He did not know her name, didn't think she was worth the effort. If not for her two teammates who were both famous in their own rights, he would never have spared her a second glance or thought.
Except for that one time. That one time when she had defended the Uchiha, made him hesitate, made him unwillingly remember old memories of –
He abruptly cut off that train of thought. Carefully blanking his mind, he concentrated on regulating his breathing that had, all too suddenly, started to quicken.
Calm, he had to be calm. Control the anger.
The rage.
Damn it, he'd trained too hard for this!
Beneath the armor of sand that coated him in a skin-hugging shield, a thin layer of sweat broke out unnoticed by all except him as he carefully focused himself on not remembering anything at all. It wasn't until pink-haired figure moved that he was shaken from his inner struggle and realized that he'd never taken his eyes off of her.
Though the distance that separated them was far enough that she couldn't have heard the conversation that had taken place amongst them, it was not so far that he couldn't catch the inward battle that she seemed to be undergoing herself. Her emotions were so clearly visible, one expression chasing after another across her features in a constant back and forth shift so different from his own demeanor that it almost gave him a headache to watch. His senses were above the norm and, even across the wide gap between them, he could both see and smell her anxiety and fear. So strong were those negative emotions she was radiating that it was a surprise when her figure suddenly straightened and a strong unwavering determination cast itself upon her features and fired the sparks in her eyes as she took a few steps forward and –
Bowed sharply from the waist.
Any conversation immediately halted amongst the trio as they stared with varying degrees of shock at the pink hair that was all they could see of the bowed head. Another shock when she rose, back straight once more with a completely different expression on her face that he'd never seen directed at him before.
She was smiling. An honest smile.
She mouthed something, smiling, and waved.
Then she was gone.
Temari's voice was bemused. "She said 'thank you.'"
Without a word, Gaara turned his back on Konoha and resumed the journey back to Sand, uncaring if his teammates decided to trail after him or not. He concentrated on his breathing, on not thinking about a girl whose name he did not know and the memories she stirred. By the time the trio had reached Sand, he'd put her out of his mind and forgotten all about her existence.
But when the Kazekage requested a courier to Konoha, Gaara took the position.
oOoOoOo
On a cliff, he stood.
Though the drop was deep, he paid it no heed for physical dangers were those that he had little to worry over. It was the other kind that would have made him lose sleep if not for the fact that he'd conditioned himself to never fall into that type of unconsciousness helplessness in the first place.
But that was a matter he did not want to think about. And so he did not, instead continuing his reconnaissance of the surroundings of the distant village, the destination of his mission. When he was satisfied that he had catalogued all possible escape routes and possible directions of attack, he headed in a straight path deeper into the country of Earth.
Gaara entered the village of Houseki.
oOoOoOo
A mission was a mission. And though this was beneath the skills of others he had carried out, he still successfully carried out his assigned task. In an instant it was over and, message safely in the hands of the Fifth Hokage, Gaara was free to wander. He did so aimlessly, no real destination or goal in mind, ignoring the uneasy whispers and the wary stares that the villagers of Konoha gave him. In that, it was no different than his home village; his treatment would have been the same had he remained there, so -
Just what was he doing there?
"HEY, GUYS!!!"
The loud obnoxious voice and streaking blur of orange was familiar. Gaara turned towards the source to find an excited Naruto practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of a weapons store as he pelted rapid-fire questions at the two people before him, one blond girl and the guy he recognized as Shikamaru.
"Have you seen, Sakura-chan? Did she come by here? Do you know where she went? Or which direction that she-?"
"If you hold your breath for a moment," the blond said in irritation, "then we might actually be able to give an answer."
"You know where she is?! Where? Where?"
"She went to a store that way." She pointed. "Something about dying her hair dark-"
"WHAT?! Her beautiful PINK HAIR?! Sakura-CHAAAN!!!"
Barely had the horrified, and extremely loud, wailing screech faded from hearing than he became a blur of orange once more, streaking past Gaara without even a sideways glance. Gaara gazed after the fading spot of orange in the distance until an annoying giggle from behind him caught his attention.
"That was mean, Ino," was Shikamaru's indolent comment. He gave a weary sigh. "That's not the direction that she went. And she never said anything about dying her hair."
Another giggle. "Yeah, but that was fun."
"You should have just told him where she went. If he comes screeching about how he was tricked later on, it'll be troublesome."
"Oh, lighten up," the one called Ino chided. "She asked me to help her avoid Naruto if he came around looking for her. Ever since he came back on a break from training with that pervert teacher of his, he's been pestering her even more than he had before he left! And you know how Naruto is. Wouldn't you give even your worst enemy a bit of a break?"
"Just leave me out of it." He sighed. "But she took my favorite cloud-watching spot."
"One grassy knoll is the same as another. You can find another one on the edge of Konoha. There's plenty of them. Or," her tone was teasing, "maybe you've just found yourself a cloud-watching buddy."
"Forget it. Hanging around girls is too troublesome."
"Yeah, it- Hey!"
Gaara didn't hear the rest of the ensuing argument for he was already on the move. He didn't think about where he was going or who he might see, which is why it gave him pause when he ended up coming across her once again. Only this time, she was lying casually on a grassy incline, unaware of his presence, pink hair spread about her and face tilted to the sky with eyes closed.
And her lips were moving.
Strange.
Expressions crossed her face one after another; exasperation, amusement, anger, resignation, irritation, and others that he couldn't put a name to even if he'd known enough about emotions to try. And her mouth would move, the motions starting and stopping in a way that was reminiscent of –
Suddenly tense, he swept a cautious glance around his surroundings once more but all matched with his initial impression. There was no one else in the nearby area except for the two of them.
Then who was she talking to?
Time was irrelevant so he didn't know how much of it had passed as he observed her. In fact, he hadn't even realized that sometime amidst the duration, he'd moved until his shadow fell across her prone form. Then, and only then, did she become aware of him.
Her eyes opened, flew even wider when recognition hit. He watched as she stiffened dramatically, going from relaxed to rigid in a heartbeat while her lips parted in a choked gasp. So sure he was that she'd scream that, when she didn't –
Interesting.
The fear was obvious, only to be expected after what had occurred during the Chuunin exams, he supposed. And he was well aware of just how disquieting his presence was; lesser ninjas than her had run in screaming panic upon suddenly realizing that he was upon them. Finding him suddenly looming over her prostrate form couldn't be comfortable.
It was a different experience watching the multitude of flowing emotions that overtook her, as if some internal debate was occurring deep within her. It was dangerous revealing one's thoughts to the enemy so readily; he thought they were supposed to be trained to hide them, to deceive. But perhaps the training undergone by Leaf-nin was different from that of the Sand. However, that was something he couldn't say for certain as his own training program had always differed so much from even those among his own homeland due to his…unique qualities.
"Do…do you want to join me?"
He blinked. Stared.
As moments ticked by, stretching between them while he continued standing over her, looking down at her, the trembling smile on her lips grew more nervous as the look in her eyes turned even more uncertain. Body language didn't lie except when used by ninjas skilled in it and she was too expressive to even try; the lines of her body screamed her discomfort. Even so –
She didn't try to get away.
Or take back her offer.
What was she thinking to invite someone that she was so obviously afraid of to join her? What was he?
He wasn't.
Without knowing why, avoiding looking too deeply for the answers, he lowered himself beside her. He didn't feel comfortable enough with the strange situation to stretch out full-length beside her so he merely sat, legs partially drawn up as he leaned an arm against one.
And continued to stare at her.
She, whose glance flickered back and forth between him and the sky, shifted uncomfortably until, finally, she rose to a sitting position beside him. No doubt, she wasn't comfortable lying down beside him.
He didn't know anyone who was.
"You know, cloud watching is where you watch the clouds. Not me."
He thought there was amusement in her words. Though, able to count on one hand the number of times when anyone directed such a thing towards him, he couldn't be sure. He wasn't sure what response to make to that.
So he made none.
Instead, he asked, "Who were you talking to?"
"Eh?"
"You're lips were moving. There's no one else here."
She stared, agape. "You were…"
"Watching."
"Erm, well. That was- Umm…"
She looked away, down into her lap, her face turning an interesting shade of pink while her fingers fidgeted nervously. Whatever odd reaction she was undergoing from his observations seemed to have temporarily knocked the fear she held towards him right out of her. And just when he thought she wouldn't answer his question, she mumbled something, voice pitched so low that it would have been inaudible to normal ears.
He was not normal.
"You were talking to yourself," he repeated after her. She didn't seem the type.
She pursed her lips, shot him a defiant glare. "It's not that strange. I'm not the only one who does it."
He thought of Shuukaku and something in him closed off. "No, you're not."
Without another word, he left. She said nothing against his leaving but, all the while, he could feel her gaze burning into his back as she stared after him. What expression her features held as she watched him walk away, he didn't know, didn't look back. He didn't care; he didn't. It was time for him to be returning back to Sand anyway.
The next time the Kazekage asked for a courier, Gaara declined.
oOoOoOo
Houseki was much like any other village of ninjas. It would have reminded him of his own if not for the decided lack of sand and the abundance of green. The appearance, in fact, reminded him more of Konoha than –
Best not to think of that.
He continued his way down the dirt street, the heart of the bustling marketplace that was full to bursting with energetic activity. He passed by other pedestrians, careful to keep the hood of the worn brown cowl he wore shielding the bright red of his hair and his distinctive features. The silver emblem on his protector that denoted him as a member of Sand was tucked away safely. His mission required him to be covert and, if possible, he would do nothing that would give away his identity.
No matter the plans others had for him, Gaara had no intention of being killed.
oOoOoOo
Three months later, he was back, message delivery completed and standing on the grassy knoll in Kohona that was wholly unoccupied except for him. It had given him an odd feeling to find the spot empty when he'd come, though he could not put a name to it or cared to even try.
A glimpse of pink in his peripheral vision and the faint rustling of grass that did not owe itself to wind were the only things that made him aware that he was no longer alone. He should have felt her, the signature of her chakra, long before his other senses had been alerted to her presence. It made him tense for it went against what he knew about the weak, about her. Then again –
How could he claim to know her at all?
He did not move, remained staring straight ahead, willing to wait and see what she did. What would be her reaction on find him once again at her cloud-watching spot? Would she foolishly attempt to attack? Would she flee? Turn away and pretend that she hadn't seen him?
She did none of those things.
Instead, she approached until she was standing next to him.
"I heard the villagers mention that you came this way. I'm sorry if I'm intruding."
Few things shocked him; even so, he was good at hiding it. She'd deliberately sought him out?
"And we've never been formally introduced. It's an oversight, and I apologize for that, too."
He was listening, keeping his gaze straight ahead. As she spoke, her anxiety was clear in her tone that she could not quite rid of its tremble. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, despite her fear and to his bemused amazement, she pressed on.
"You probably remember my teammates better than me; Uchiha Sasuke," this said with a slight wince before she rushed on with a determination that was probably admirable, "and Uzumaki Naruto. He's definitely one that's hard to forget. Compared to them, I know I'm not that great so I doubt if you remember me. I'm Haruno Sakura."
He didn't move, said nothing.
A huff, determined still as she barreled on. "I should have introduced myself sooner, as well as thank you personally without a mile gap between us. I would have done it during our last encounter, but…I was kind of drowsy and suddenly seeing you like that was a shock. Completely knocked it out of my mind. You…made me nervous and I forgot."
Never admit fear to the enemy; it was a lesson any ninja knew. He couldn't believe that she had, even if it was already blatantly obvious without words.
He refused to look directly at her, saw from the corner of his eye that she had taken up a similar stance beside him, staring straight ahead. She made no real effort to engage him further in conversation, as if what she'd said had satisfied herself somehow and she was content with the results. She was still, made no overt moves to draw his attention to herself, keeping away from his direct line of vision and face-to-face confrontation. Nevertheless, he was very aware of her presence.
Or lack thereof.
What the hell did she do to her chakra?
It bothered him. He ignored the rest and told himself the missing chakra puzzle was the only reason why he opted to engage in relations with her, to open up a door to communication. There was no other reason other than to satisfy his curiosity and possibly gain knowledge to aid in a new technique that could help him become an even better hunter than he already was.
He wasted no preamble. "You don't have any chakra."
It was direct and to the point, completely irrelevant to the line of conversation that she had started. Oddly enough, the abruptness of it didn't seem to faze her any more than she already was. It was…vaguely disturbing. It was made even worse when, of all reactions she could respond with, unbelievably she-
She laughed.
Not loud and boisterous or the mean-spirited kind that he was used to. There was no maliciousness or venomous overtone to hers, no deceptive fake humoring. It was an honest laugh, good-natured, gentle and soft.
It made him feel sick.
Feeling itchy and out of place, he suddenly wanted to be someplace else but there. Anywhere. And he would have gone, would have left. He would have but-
"Of course I have chakra. Don't be silly."
Silly?
His stoic façade did not falter, but he could not completely hide his incredulity and turned his head to gaze at her directly though she, no doubt, did not recognize the action for what it was. Small relief but, at that moment, it seemed to be the only defense he had.
"I've been practicing my chakra control," she continued on as her eyes scanned the surroundings in a lazy motion. "I've been working on how to shield so that it's not as easily detected by someone else. There's still some things that need to be worked on but I've gotten much better since Tsunade-sensei took me on as her apprentice– what? I think it's been almost seven months now that I've been studying under her."
Tsunade? Wasn't that the name of the Fifth Hokage?
"It's hard. Sometimes, I feel like giving up. But it's a challenge and I like it. And Tsunade-sensei said that if I keep it up at the same pace I've been going at lately, I'll be a full-fledged medic-nin in no time!"
Medic-nin? Her?
He couldn't believe it.
It was a difficult position to uphold, requiring a different method of training than those undergone by regular ninjas but was no less harsh or demanding. It required great skill and talent and he couldn't credit how this girl, fragile and pink and weak, could be recognized by someone of the Fifth Hokage's stature. It went against what he knew, the teachings of experience, the way the harsh world of survival worked as he'd been taught.
The weak were not recognized; they were killed.
He was not weak.
He had to leave. He didn't want to be there anymore.
Without word, without warning, Gaara disappeared in a cloud of sand.
oOoOoOo
The country of Earth was known for riches its land held, its ninjas known for their earth jutsus. The gemstones mined from the depths of the earth made for competitive trade with other countries greedy for the beauty its jewels and the village of Houseki was at the center of this bartering activity. Houseki was a village containing many riches and, because riches attracted many enemies seeking wealth, it was a village that also contained many skilled fighters to protect them.
Gaara held little concern over his safety, confident he had little to fear. Precious gemstones also held little of interest to him; he was not one to obsess over his wealth, or lack of it. They were commodities that were unnecessary, not worth thinking about.
And yet he found himself standing at a gem seller's booth.
Raw gems, polished stones. Some glittered crazily with never-ending sparkle while others in crude unfinished state appeared dull and lifeless. Truly they held no interest to him. They didn't but-
The sheen of polished stone, colors mixed, caught his eye.
The gemstone merchant called it Tourmaline.