Feel free to write whatever you want in your reviews. I take constructive criticism very seriously. It helps, but then again so do good reviews and compliments! I don't mind flames. I'd also like to thank anyone who reviewed previously (and if you're one of those people that reads past reviews, no. I did not review my own story. My brother did without signing me off).
Chapter 6: Monster
Konohagakure- (three days after the terrorizing of Snookums) Inner Sanctum of the Ninja Administration (9 AM)
The war room felt stifling to Ibiki. There were too many people packed into the little circular map room. Sun shown through the windows and red curtains giving the room a dull reddish cast. The walls were covered in maps. At the far end of the room sat an empty desk, much like those used by teachers. Behind that stood a door, opening into the depths of the Hokage's office. Ibiki waited patiently in front of the desk. He mentally tallied the amount of people in the room. The most prominent stood in the front descending to the few lower jounins in attendance near the back wall. Too many people, and only two windows.
A pair of female chunins, one with striking red eyes, moved a large oval table into the center of the room. Those around got pressed into the walls. Ibiki claimed a spot next to it. On the great mahogany structure someone had drawn a detailed map of the world. Red pins marked specific places of interest. There were two, one pin on the Hidden Leaf and the other on the Hidden Sand. Ibiki noted that the distance between the two points was plotted exactly.
The air in the room went from silent to terse and silent. The Third angled for complete attention from everyone; he would wait until he knew no one's thoughts were wandering before he spoke. Not yet a technique Ibiki had mastered. When all attention focused on him the Third brought a scroll out from a draw. By the time he did this every movement could be heard. Hokage walked forward, a path cleared respectfully before him. He stopped in front of the table between Ibiki and a woman Ibiki didn't know. Sarutobi unrolled the scroll. It bore the sigil of the Hidden Sand, an hourglass, in red wax on the back. Wetting his lips Hokage began the read slowly.
To Sandaime or whom it may concern,
We have become aware of a problem that has arisen in The Country of Winds. The rate of unexplained disappearances has risen significantly in the last four years; most of these have taken place near the border of Fire Country. This is unacceptable. We humbly request that you, if this unknown culprit has to do with the leaf (whether it be anbu, genin, or S-class criminal), eliminate the problem.
If, however, the Leaf appears not to be involved we ask your help in ridding our country of this menace. For your trouble, we have something you may want.
Respectfully,
Kazekage of the Hidden Sand
Fallowing the signature were two seals, one was the Kazekage's personal crest (a cross with snake heads for points) and the other was the Sand's hourglass. The third waited a moment for the substance in the letter to sink in. You could defiantly tell when it did because chatter broke out in a wave. Ibiki frowned, deep in thought. Voices flew around him.
""Maybe they're afraid we'll take their business-,"
"What could the Sand possibly have that we-,"
"The timing of-,"
"The Kazekage must be very worried-,"
"Maybe they do have Kakashi-," That was Gai. Ibiki shook his head. Sure they hated each other.
"Didja hear? There's a chunin missing too!"
Hokage raised his hands for silence. Ibiki grunted. People listened ten times faster to the Hokage then they did to him (with the possible exception of his squad).
"It appears that the sand has an unknown enemy," Sarutobi announced. He handed the open scroll to Ibiki. "What do you make of this?" Ibiki scanned it again, this time reading between the lines. And there were many lines to read between.
"He's nervous. Almost desperate, he's being pushed by sides, I don't know how many, but we are one of those sides. This unknown force is another side," Ibiki held the scroll open on the table. "They say they have something we want. There could be several possibilities-," (note: other possibilities include information, political maneuvering, ect).
"They have Kakashi!" BANG! Anko slammed her fist down on the mahogany table, making the scroll snap shut on Ibiki's finger. Anko's cheeks flooded crimson. Everyone, everyone was staring at her. Anko looked at her sandaled feet; suddenly she wished they would disappear, taking the rest of her with them. I just wanted to say what everyone is thinking! This is it. She glanced up from her place near the far end of the table, she avoided eyes, then looked back down. He's going to ask me to leave. He's not going to let me stay with my squad. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for biting words.
"Anko, please leave the room. You will be notified when your presence is required," The Third's voice displayed no sign of emotion.
Anko gulped, her face burned with shame. She had just completely embarrassed her squad and herself. Anko glanced at Ibiki. He nodded icily. She could almost feel Gai's disappointment from next to her. Anko had no choice but to leave. Holding her head high, she stalked out of the room, not hesitating to slam the door behind her. Just because I have the courage to say what everyone else is thinking.
Ibiki sighed inwardly. There was something in Anko's favor. She is loyal. At age 19 the spiky haired girl had already been through hell. She was strong. Strong enough for the legendary Orochimaru to notice her. She had been sucked up, chewed and spat back out by him a few years ago. People still had trouble trusting her. Ibiki ground his teeth.
Anko had been sent out because of that. Her big mouth just gave Sarutobi an excuse to please the general population. They wouldn't trust Anko to listen to the discussion. Oddly enough Ibiki would trust her with his life and that of his squad as well. At least they knew she was loyal. In his 23 years he had never met anyone who was more of a walking disaster then Anko.
The babble of talk continued as soon as Anko exited. This time it held a more relaxed tone. Gai caught Genma's eye from where hey stood near the left wall. Genma rolled his eyes.
"There's Anko for you," he mouthed. Another jounin, a woman named Dev held up the scroll. Her bland face filled with purpose.
"How many of you believe the Sand is holding Kakashi?" Gai slowly raised a green gloved hand, nearly the entire room fallowed suit.
The Hokage sighed. He pressed his fingers so hard against the table they turned white. Then he looked at the captains, both Anbu and jounin. I hoped it wouldn't go this far...
"Tell your squads to get ready. We're going to get our boy back. This must be a small force, but a powerful one. We have two possible enemies, the Sand's nameless fear, and the sand themselves. You leave tonight under cover of darkness,"
The captains began to work out logistics. They loudly debated the amount of people needed, the estimated strength of the sand, the death rate in wind country (statistics showed the sand were not lying when they said they needed help), food needed, and other things.
Meanwhile Anko seethed outside. How could they throw me out like that!? You've got to keep your mouth shut. Screw you! I'm you, you idiot. Arguing with herself accomplished nothing. Anko had closed the door behind her and walked straight into a chunin.
"What are you doing?!"
"Please don't tell them I was out here!" the red-eyed woman whispered frantically.
"I won't…" Anko suddenly smiled. "What's your name?"
"Yuuhi Kurenai. I work the administration, but I was curious,"
"No problem. Just as long as I get to listen with you,"
"You got kicked out, didn't you? Big mouth I bet," the older girl teased.
"You were listening. Now move over," the two of them pressed their ears to the heavy wooden door, jockeying for the keyhole position. Anko won the keyhole, Kurenai was regulated to the crack under the door. Anko decided she liked the older chunin. Maybe they could spar together when everyone else was off getting Kakashi back. How depressing.
The meeting wound down after a good two hours of arguing. Finally Sarutobi dismissed the participants after hearing their plans in full (about four times) and adding his own ideas. They were about to file out.
"Morino," Ibiki stopped dead on his way, to the door. "I would speak with you," The Anbu made his way across the crowded room and fallowed Hokage through a door behind the desk into a private study. The worsened in there. It looked like a mini version of the room they just came from. A map hung on the wall behind a wooden desk with pens and papers strewn across the top. In front of the desk rested a single whicker chair.
"Sit," Sarutobi gestured to the chair. He walked around the desk to flop down in his own. Ibiki sat as well, but with a more reserved air. "How are your hands?" Ibiki twisted black gloved fingers. They hadn't burned in years. Ibiki couldn't even remember what it felt like to have fingernails. But that was beside the point. Idle conversation? He thought not.
"They're fine at least. And my headaches are not from injury. But you didn't call me in here to ask about the state of my hands," The Hokage smiled wryly.
"You know me too well, Ibiki I'm putting you in charge of this mission. You'll have squads at your disposal and enough fire power to pack a punch if need be, but you know all that," Ibiki nodded. "You've been a captain the longest. I trust you,"" Ibiki almost took his leadership for granted. It was just something he did.
"You could have told me that in public," In public, even with Anko.
"Once again you are right, but my request I cannot voice in public," Request?
"Hey! What the heck are you two doing!"
"Nothing, honest!"
"Somebody go get the Hokage!" Loud voices carried from outside.
The two men chuckled. Anko had been listening. The door must have opened on her. When the angry voices subsided the Hokage continued, smiling fondly.
"Anko," Ibiki said. Sarutobi frowned.
Don't try to read my thoughts buddy. That's just scary,"
"Well, what do you want me to do? Leave her behind? She'll won't listen." Ibiki sat back.
"No," The Third leaned over his desk, fixing his gaze on the black cloaked Anbu. Ibiki didn't even flinch, the Hokage shook his head. When anyone else would have quailed under the gaze, Ibiki's nerves were nonexistent. A cool head makes a good leader. Hokage continued. "I want you to keep her with you,"
"What?"
"You heard me. Keep her with you," Ibiki recovered all composure as if he never lost it.
"Why?"
"There is a gigantic force stirring in the west. I suspect-,"
"Orochimaru,"
"Didn't I tell you not to do that?"
"Do what, Hokage-sama?" Ibiki asked in all innocence. The Third almost believed him.
"Continuing," he said dryly. "Anko could be targeted, used as bait... Well, anyone could be, but especially Anko. She's good, but not that good,"
"Why put her with me then, there are stronger Anbu in my own squad. What about Maito Gai?" Or Kakashi, if he was here. Damn him.
"She'd probably kill him, that's just the disaster we're trying to avoid," Hokage deadpanned. Ibiki raised an eyebrow. "But there is a more serious reason. She knows Orochimaru well. With her knowledge and your um, creativity you should be able to make something-,"
"So I'm both protection and a military device. I do that anyway,"
"That and... Oh, just watch her, Ibiki, I don't want her out of your sight," The Hokage emphasized the last sentence.
What're you trying to? Kill me? As if I don't see enough of Anko. Ibiki visibly cringed. He's afraid she'll run off. The Hokage gave him an appraising look.
"You're dismissed,"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," The Anbu rose and headed for the door. It swung open to reveal Anko awaiting punishment outside.
"Ibiki, I would watch out for the missing chunin. I have a hunch he's not just collateral damage,"
"Yeah, sure"
How does one go about explaining this to Anko?
Evening-WindCountry-Village of the Hidden Sand
Yashamaru burst into the Ninja Administration blowing like a winded horse. He had just heard some very disturbing news and wondered how to present it. At the door of the study the Medical nin collected himself. Over the door hung some small decorative pieces that he hadn't noticed the last time he came, three days ago. Pieces of glass hung in short strands glittering like pearls when the fading light hit them. In between the diamond shaped pieces of glass trailed thin red beads. These swung when breezes from the open window touched them. Yashamaru shook his head; these trinkets were odd, even for Kazekage.
Standing up, he pushed the door open and marched in completely unprepared for the sight that met his eyes. The Kazekage sat at his desk in full formal robes. As if this weren't odd enough he even wore the triangular hat he complained so much about. His mouth twisted up into a sort of grimace as he drummed his fingers on the desk. The major difference, though, was that Kazekage could be seen over the mountains of paper.
Suddenly wrapped hands clamped onto his shoulders. He locked his knees. Where had Baki come from?
"Sit," the Anbu commanded. When Yashamaru didn't a chair slammed into the backs of his knees. They buckled easily.
"Baki, that was unnecessary," Kazekage leaned forward in his chair over the desk. "Oh, Baki? You can let go,"
The Sand shinobi didn't like taking his hands off Yashamaru. Yashamaru was neither a man he liked, or trusted. He always seemed to be ready to plead mercy, like a child. Baki was not interested in mercy.
"Now, Yashamaru, you're here to tell us this girl has disappeared," Yashamaru faltered.
"How did you-?"
"We felt a massive chakra appear out of nowhere. It began to dwindle, smaller and smaller, seeming to head east," said Baki grumpily. He crossed his arms (still standing behind Yashamaru). "All we had to do after that was wait for you to come running,"
"What?!"
"When we realized how likely it was that your girl is really a chakra monster we decided to actually hold out end of the bargain," Baki explained with elaborate slowness. They hadn't really believed him before? At least they do now, thought Yashamaru. He didn't know whether to feel flattered or insulted. "We figured you'd find out if this girl is the one that left and come tell us," Baki continued. Yashamaru drew a deep steadying breath. From here on out things might get sticky.
"Alright. So we've established that I'm truthful. What does that tell us?"
"Yes, you were right. Now look," Kazekage gestured to one of the large maps pegged on the left wall. "Where could she be headed? She went east. Tell us what you know,"
"I don't really know much," Yashamaru stuttered. He found himself pegged under death glares. "But, there are some things. Small things. She's been threatening to leave ever since she got here. I- I think she has a score to settle with someone," He studied the world map. A minute yellow peg marked Konohagakure. "It's looks as if she's going towards Fire Country,"
"I don't think so," What is this? They bring me in here, ask me what I think and then argue with me? Yashamaru bristled.
"Why not? It's as good as any guess,"
"I sent scouts out behind her. They lost her trail quickly when their own scouts were found dead. They fallowed long enough to know she's not going to Fire country. Not directly, at least," While Baki explained this Kazekage shuffled through a veritable sea of papers. He nearly buried himself before emerging victorious, holding a scroll that looked almost brand new. He began pushing stacks off his desk, like an overzealous child digging through his toy box. Papers flew to floor in tidal waves.
"Look here," He called both men over. Yes, no more prisoner of Baki. They spread the new scroll out on the now empty desk. Kazekage held one side of the scroll with his right hand; the other held a huge green mug of cold espresso. As it turned out, the scroll was not old, only unused. "Here are the statistics. Look at Wind Country. The unexplained death and disappearance rate is three times as high as that of Fire Country. This leads me to believe that Jezzy cannot be a criminal from fire country; otherwise the death rates there would have risen as well. Arg! She's got nothing to do with the leaf... (Note: he just has a feeling about this. He's trying to find a way to justify it). So they wouldn't want her, or have anything to do with her,"
"Then that note you sent-?" interrupted Baki.
"Might tick them off a bit, but it's not enough to start a war. We'll have to send another one, apologizing for the trouble,"
Yashamaru did his best to keep up.
"Wait, so, if Jezzy seems to have no connection to the Leaf, where is she going?" he asked. Kazekage handed Baki the scroll, drained the expresso and marched over to the yellowing map of Wind Country. He fingered a few red pegs in the green coffee can mounted on the wall (he seemed to have a lot of these).
"Baki, read me the location of all unexplained deaths and disappearances in the past year," ordered the man. Baki, catching on, began to read.
SandVillage
30 mins later (9:10 pm)
The map was now covered in dull red pegs. They were layered quite thickly around Sand Village, but dispersed farther away. The area in the northwest stood out farther the anything else. In the northwest corner of Wind Country a great circle of red pegs over lapped each other like a sun, getting less and less concentrated, until they were scarce. In the middle though, there rested the problem. The middle of the circle did not hold one peg, but around it there were many, gradually thinning out until the rate was back to normal.
Two of the three nins studied the map. The third sprawled out in his chair. His head tilted back, mouth open. The man had suffered a complete, after-several-hundred-shots-of-espresso-in-a-week, crash. Yashamaru and Baki left him alone.
"Well, we've got our location," said Baki. Kazekage's idea worked better than anticipated.
"That empty circle," Yashamaru shivered involuntarily. "It's like a dragon's den,"
"I suggest we start looking there," Baki pushed a dull yellow peg into the center of the circle. Yashamaru shook his head. In his mind sat a rather disturbing image which suddenly refused to leave. The map had a yellowish cast to it, with a red circle and in the circle's center sat an ugly yellow peg. Yashamaru's lips curled, it looked like a festering wound.
"We? I work at the hospital, Baki. Even you know that,"
"Yes, we," Baki said rolled his eyes. "I don't know this girl. You do. It'll be much easier to deal with the situation if we don't do it blindly. That's if you come,"
When I come? Talked? We? Oh Sh-it.
"What about the children-,"
"I'm sure Kazekage can watch his own kids for a few days,"
"He has work to do... And sleep to catch up on," Yashamaru stalked towards the door. Kazekage let out a particularly loud snore. Baki caught Yashamaru's arm before he had taken three steps. Yashamaru glared, trying to wrench free.
"Yashamaru, you're coming. Get over it," Baki released him. To his credit, Yashamaru didn't let momentum throw him backwards. "Be there in three hours, ready to go,"
Yashamaru squared his shoulders and left the room. The door clicked shut behind him; Yashamaru turned and graced it with a mocking bow. Mid bow something caught his eye. He hadn't noticed before how much the glass beads framing the door looked like teeth. Teeth and Gums, teeth and blood, gums and sticky ropes of saliva. Oh My God.... Yashamaru took a deep breath, he turned away. I am still sane. When I turn back around they'll be gone. I'm still sane.
The medical nin was right. Just beads and candlelight. Perfectly normal.
"It is known that a year later Yashamaru took a suicidal mission from the Kazekage. One person changed much in a year. The Yashamaru I knew was hardly vengeful. What made him change?"
Jezebel
LeafVillage- 7 PM- Ichiraku Ramen Bar
"What?!" Anko gaped.
"That's more or less the reaction I expected," Ibiki said dryly. He slurped up a few ramen noodles.
"Uhuh,"
"You can close your mouth now, Genma's going to close it for you," Ibiki deadpanned. Anko snapped her mouth shut just as Genma's hand whacked her chin. She swatted the offending hand away.
"Why?"
"How come you can't just be glad Hokage is allowing you to come?" Anko poked Ibiki with her chopsticks. When he didn't react she took the chance and claimed his ramen the minute he looked away.
Genma began to laugh uproariously at the comical scene. The four of them went to the Ichiraku Ramen Bar for dinner. But, like children, they vied for each others bowl of ramen. They took up four of the eight bar seats. Anko sat next to Ibiki, who bumped elbows with left-handed Genma. Then Gai, Genma scooted as far as possible from him. Other customers took those few minutes to walk inconspicuously out. .
"Oh man," the blond dabbed his eyes. "And here I thought we were goin' ta do some male bondin' or somethin',"
Anko nearly slapped him. Ibiki took the initiative, removed Anko's momentarily forgotten chopsticks chopsticks from his bowl, and continued to eat as though Anko wasn't trying to murder Genma over his head. She felt sore about being the only current female anbu (the last one had retired a few weeks before).
Gai, on the other hand, took everything almost a seriously as Ibiki.
"Really Anko, you should try to go a day without getting in trouble, it always works for me," PING!
"Trouble? Me? Never! I'm just a sweet little girl," she pouted.
"You know? This probably wouldn't be a problem if you just listened when people gave you directions," Gai advised.
"I do listen!"
"Yeah, in on meetings you're not supposed to be at," Ibiki caught a punch aimed at his head.
Genma smushed a cigarette butt into the small crystal ashtray. How in all nine hells, did I get stuck with this team? There was Gai, the self proclaimed most handsome man in Konoha. Anko, the loudest most scattered kunoichi he'd ever had the pleasure (or misfortune) to meet, himself, the lazyass voice of reason (relatively speaking), Ibiki, their creative, sadistic and oh so fearless, leader, and (Genma sighed), Kakashi, the youngest Anbu on the team, with no ability to stay on a schedule and a hard rivalry with Gai.
Genma's long blond hair was held up by a bandana, ponytail style so it wouldn't get in his food. He flagged for another bowl.
"Well," Genma added. "You should have no trouble listening in on captains meetings then,"
"I never..! How can I...? Oh," Anko blushed pink. Ibiki raised an eyebrow.
"Guys, I hate to break it to you, but Anko and I are sharing a tent, not a bedroll," Genma sighed audibly. That takes the fun out of things. He hadn't been planning to tease them, only to make things more interesting. Anko glared at him.
"Yeah!" Gai got into "nice guy" pose over his stool. "Anko would much rather share a bed with me!" He flung his arm across Genma and Ibiki towards Anko. Genma took it, daintily picked it off his shoulders and dropped away from his body.
"No she wouldn't," said Anko. Gai's face fell flat. "I mean, yes, she would. Check back in a year or ten," she muttered.
"Okay," Gai said, apparently thrilled. Knowing Gai he would hold Anko to her word ten years from now. Anko ran a hand through her spiky raven hair, thoroughly annoyed.
"Jeezus," she blustered some more accompanied by various comments from the rest of her squad, gradually building up speed. ("Whatdaya mean, I can't sit still?" "I am not ADD!" "Well, if I'm ADD then you're manic depressive!")
"Calm down, Anko," Gai broke in.
"I am calm!" she roared. Fallowing this incident the proprietor of the ramen bar felt obliged to ask the group to leave, they were scaring the remaining customers.
It's funny really, all this crap, just to cover up the fact that we're worried about Kakashi. So we act like nothing's wrong. Ibiki figured Kakashi could survive most anything; the man was more resilient than a dragon that had been poked in the eye. Ibiki just hoped Kakashi could hold up if he was tortured.
The desert- Somewhere in Wind Country- early morning, first light
"Holy shit!" Kakashi sat bolt upright in his bedroll. Just another dream. Unsurprisingly the first rays of morning sunlight greeted his eyes. He squinted. "Why does the sun rise so early out here? Jeezus, it doesn't let a guy sleep,"
Not that he wanted to go back to sleep. Today would be his third day of staying at this god forsaken piece of land in the middle of a frying pan. He hadn't slept well since meeting the watcher. Kakashi ran a calloused hand through bleach blond hair.
Most people forget their dreams as soon as they wake up. Sometimes they get especially vivid dreams, but every once in a while. Kakashi had been having those ever since meeting Watcher. The lack of sleep they caused started to get to him.
Rubbing his eyes Kakashi surveyed the campsite. The oasis was a good size, almost a mile square. Most of it was covered in scrubby grass and sandy dirt. They camped near the center, but far enough away from the spring that anything that came to drink there would not be bothered. They spread out bedrolls under several palm trees. The fire had died and Watcher's bedroll was empty, as always. Did the man ever sleep? Kakashi offered to stand watch every night, but the other man declined politely. When Kakashi insisted on it, Watcher promised to wake him up, but never did.
Surprisingly Iruka was also awake. The chunin usually slept late. Iruka pushed himself up in his bedroll, rubbing his eyes. They were rimmed in black; he hadn't had enough sleep either. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Iruka was too busy yawning to notice. Maybe they were having to same kind of dreams, thought Kakashi. What he wouldn't do to be rid of them.
Kakashi took the opportunity, pushed back his cover and got up. He stretched and went to find a place to pee.
Iruka pulled his shirt over his head. Arrogant bastard thinks he's so much better than the poor lowly chunin. Iruka had seen Kakashi staring at him. He shivered, he hadn't realized how cold the desert was at night. If I'd known where I was going, I'd have packed accordingly.
The higher the sun got the stranger everything felt, to Kakashi anyway. If he hadn't already been here for three days he would've thought he'd transferred into an alternate universe. Why was there so much tension in the air? Was he imagining it? He watched carefully as Watcher and Iruka ate their breakfast. Iruka held the coffee mug between clenched hands. They were turning white at the fingertips. The chunin was easy to read, people are easier when they're scared. Watcher, on the other hand, was quite difficult. He never showed anything you weren't supposed to see. Never gave away any hints. Nothing could penetrate his unfailing calm as far as Kakashi had seen.
Kakashi poked the fire. A thin trail of white smoke rose above the trio. Kakashi forced down a few bites of rice He wasn't nervous... just antsy.
"Something..." Iruka whispered. "Something's coming, something big," His voice rose. Watcher narrowed his eyes. Kakashi shivered involuntarily. "We should avoid it; something bad is going to happen!"
"Say that again, kid," Watcher crouched right in front of Iruka, crunching on dry twigs. The dark-haired man sat back a bit, away from Watcher's stare.
"That's something's going to happen?" Iruka forced a laugh. "I mean, you can all feel it right? Something's coming? If we brought the weakest genin in the village they could tell just from the feeling here," The air did feel thicker.
Yeah, Kakashi agreed. You'd have to be an idiot to not notice anything.
"No," Watcher's mouth twitched. "You said something else; you said something was happening now," His dark eyes shown with a fierce light. Iruka felt confused. What was Watcher talking about?
"Ah, w-well I just, I dunno, I had sort of a... a feeling. Man' I don' know," Iruka shrugged and stared hard into his purple mug. He seemed to fold in on himself. Watcher's dark eyes could cut glass.
Kakashi brought out a kunai; he began to sharpen it excessively. Best to keep busy. Evidently the kid wasn't really being paranoid because the Watcher completely focused on him.
"Boy, if you feel anything else, you tell me, ok? You tell me quick,"
"Uh, ok," Iruka wasn't one to argue with Watcher.
Kakashi would have thought the chunin was being paranoid, but the way Watcher reacted worried him. If the Watcher was tense, shouldn't they be terrified? The thought was not comforting.
The sun seemed to rise faster now, and with it, so did the tension.
Wind Country- early morning- sunrise
Jezebel left. The last Gaara could see was a figure flying across the desert dunes as if on great wings. She headed east into the rising sun. Gaara could still hear her sharp voice from where he stood. He could feel her lips on his cheek. He grinned, remembering the havoc she wrecked on his household.
When Gaara looked after Jezzy again only her foot prints were left to show her existence. Gaara noticed a few black clad figures flitted after her. What?...
Temari poked him.
"Come on, Yashamaru will be up soon, if he isn't up already," Gaara nodded. He fallowed his siblings off the village wall. They walked back in the morning dark and comforting silence. All three knew Yashamaru wouldn't be up for a while. It was Saturday.
Kankuro pushed open the screen door, yawning, and the three of them crept back to bed.
"And so the first seeds of madness were sown. Some children are born of fire, others are born of ash. But some, some are made of both fire and ash. In the end, does it truly matter? The answer is not so simple."
Jezebel
"Go away," It came as a hiss, sending steam onto the closed window. It was cold tonight. Gaara didn't leave, instead he watched.
Jezzy turned her strange eyes on him from where she sat, staring out into the night. He liked her eyes. They were like his own, different. They were almond shaped and dark eyelashes curled out from them, but that wasn't what made them different. Dark green irises shot with yellow, the pupil was a tiny dot that expanded and contracted at the slightest change of light. It was mesmerizing to watch. These odd eyes locked on him, and with a calm beyond anything that had ever come from her mouth, she whispered. "If you won't go, then I will,"
"You always say that,"
"This time I mean it. Tomorrow morning, at dawn. Besides, me being here is scaring Kankuro and Temari, and Yashamaru," she added as an afterthought.
Gaara held Snookums, the stitches-in-neck bear out to Jezzy. She didn't even look at it.
"Snookums wants to kiss you goodnight,"
"If Snookums were real he would hate me,"'
"Snookums is real!" Gaara explained indignantly. "He cried like Temari when you tore his head off. Besides," Gaara added. "Snookums loves you,"
"Snookums loves me..." Being told that she was loved by someone who didn't know jackshit about love was not what Jezzy needed. Not while she sat there brooding. (Think: Sasuke style)
"Yashamaru loves you too," Gaara continued. Jezzy let out a sudden harsh laugh.
"Yashamaru loves me?! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! He doesn't even love you. Heck, he might not even like you!"
"But-,"
"He hates you! He hates you just like he hates me,"
"But-,"
"Temari and Kankuro don't like you either. They don't hate you, but they fear you, just like they fear me," Suddenly Gaara didn't like Jezzy's eyes anymore. They drove thin slivers of sadness into his soul. "No one loves you Gaara," Jezzy's voice rose steadily.
She grasped him by the shoulders. Sand poured into the space milliseconds before her hands connected. Gaara's eyes widened with surprise.
"Gaara, Temari told me how you were born or better... created. Gaara, Gaara of the Sand," Her voice softened. Sand floated around her fingers. It receded when her harmful intent disappeared. Jezzy knelt and pulled Gaara into her arms with his bear.
He shook his head, confused. He felt her hugging him, hating him, loving him. Loving, hating, it was so mixed up. He admired Jezzy, yet he hated her for confusing him so. His only friend, enemy. He didn't know. Too much, too fast.
Gaara closed his eyes. For the first time in his life someone held him, stroked his hair, felt his skin. The little boy pressed his forehead into her chest, feeling the warmth of human contact. He inhaled, smelling dust and sweat, so close.
"Gaara," Jezzy whispered. "Gaara, you and I, we're monsters. No one will ever love us,"
Notes: The timing of the letter sent between the two villages could not have been more perfect, no?
One of the reasons that Sandaime wants Anko with Ibiki is because he's afraid Orochimaru might bait Anko, Ibiki could rationalize her.
The scene with Gaara and Jezebel in this chapter is one of the most poignant I've ever written.
to Gaara love has a different meaning. Jezzy does not really know what love (or family or hate or grief) is, she just thinks she does. Though at times (usually the wrong times) she can be remarkably perceptive.
And so Chapter 6 comes to a close. I hope you enjoyed it, because the amount of effort put into it better balance the amount of reviews. This means many. Previously I had explained how much reviews, whether they be flames or not, mean to me. So if you could please review I would be eternally grateful.
Thank you too:
Pixii-Meakur- your review was very thoughtful. You're the first one that noticed my bits of dark humor. Thank you for noticing. I'm glad you think I write well. I truly appreciated your review.
FieryKitsune- I'm glad you liked the scene with Snookums. Yes, I was born in the year of the dragon, but unlike you, I have no muse (unless you count bishounen). Blaze sounds pretty cool. I think I would like him. The thing with Jezzy is that since she didn't grow up under human influence her dragon side took over. Thank you!
Will- I do love you, brother dear, but next time sign me off before you review. People probably think I reviewed my own story.
"Gaara, you and I, we're monsters. No one will ever love us,"
