A/N: WOW!! I actually got reviews!! Thankies! (Some of them were super helpful)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto in anyway...well, durr!
"Kohana?" the girl managed to say, "Why are you looking? Who are you?"
Gaara looked down at the girl. He closed his eyes briefly, during which the sand receded, pulling itself back into the gourd. His green eyes once again were placed on the girl.
"I was sent to find her, and another, as requested by Kotori," Gaara answered nonchalantly.
Before Gaara could go on, the young maiden interrupted him, "What? Kotori sent you...to find her?! Well...who are you anyways?"
Gaara's eyes squinted ever so slightly at the girl. She was a curious one; he still had no clue who she was, but it did not bother him one bit. "I am Gaara of the Desert."
The dark haired girl regained her composure. Her face was cast in shadow, her dark locks falling slightly on her face. She lifted her head up to look at Gaara, her eyes still shut. Her lips formed into an innocent smile. The dark bangs seemed to sway, as she cocked her head slightly to the side.
"I'm Sada!" she said in a cheery tone. Her left hand rose, reaching out for Gaara, ever so slowly moving towards him. Her fingers brushed his white sash, and seemed to trace its fabric up to his shoulder. Her smile widened, when at last her hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Nice to meet you, Gaara."
All the while, Gaara looked at her, no real emotion on his face. Curiosity seemed to be nipping at his mind, and still the question came back to him; why does she not open her eyes? Her contact did not bother him at all. Rather, he wondered why such a minor action seemed to bring her so much joy. He began to question if this girl was even worth going through the hassle of hiring shinobis. As he had before, the reasoning for people's actions were a mystery to, especially when the person was driven to great extents, willing to take risks for someone they loved or cared for. Why do they bother? Gaara had thought to himself numerous times before.
"Sada, I must now take you back to your village," Gaara simply told the young girl straight out.
Sada just simply nodded in response. "Okay...but first let me get Rin and Jin."
Gaara's brow furrowed. This girl was very odd indeed. Sada's hand slipped off his shoulder, but quickly grasped her staff. She took a moment, and just stood there, silent. The expression on her face looked as one of concentration, as though trying to hear a sound miles away. She spun around quickly, and repeated the same trance-like stance. Gaara continued to look at her. He closed his eyes, as though trying to overcome the growing twitch of annoyance within him. His emerald eyes opened, and still the girl was in front of him, but taking cautious steps away. Her feet took small, nimble strides. His gaze scanned the surrounding forest, trying to spot what she was looking for. He crossed his arms, and looked back at Sada, who looked like a complete moron. Idiot, he thought to himself.
Silence seemed to settle, and neither Gaara nor Sada made a noise. Natural sounds filled the forest: the rustling of leaves, chirping of birds, and the occasional insect zipping by. Gaara's patience was wearing thin. What on Earth is she searching for? he wondered. Sada had her staff poised before her, reaching out almost timidly every now and then. At last, she stopped, only a couple feet from Gaara, her back facing him. She began to whistle loudly.
"Rin! Jin! Cum' on, guys!" Sada called out.
Gaara's brow cocked up slightly; he wondered what would make her take so much time, when all she had to do was call out to begin with. His verdant gaze once again scanned the woodlands. Much to his frustration, the two chipmunks he had seen earlier, bounded out of a nearby flower patch. The two little critters climbed their way up Sada's cloak, and perched themselves on her shoulders. She began to giggle, as they nipped at her hair. Gaara watched this spectacle, almost intrigued. Such insignificant creatures could bring so much happiness to this girl. Sada petted her two chipmunks, in a very awkward way. Her hand looked lost, slowly reaching for one of the chipmunks. The chipmunk stood up, reaching his nose out to her hand, as if calling it towards itself. Gaara had seen people being happy, and even then their sources of happiness were trivial.
Sada turned to face Gaara, "Okay, I'm ready now!"
Gaara was silent for moment. "Let's go."
Sada ran quickly over to Gaara, before he could take a step away. She grasped his upper arm, with her free hand, holding onto his shirt. Her other hand held onto her little chipmunks. One managed to squeeze out of her grasp, and ran onto the top of her head. Before she could grab hold of him, he already fled onto Gaara's shoulder. Gaara ignored the fact that Sada was holding onto his arm, but he could not ignore the chipmunk that was now sitting on his shoulder. A look of disgust came to his face. The sand did not attack the chipmunk, obviously no threat lied in its little fuzzy body.
"I am so sorry!" Sada suddenly blurted out. The second chipmunk also got loose, and began to make a nuisance of himself. As though following the lead of his brother, Jin also ran onto Gaara. Sada immediately reached out, to grab her pets. However, this time she did not employ the same caution in her movements as before, but acted more on impulse. Her hand shot right for Gaara's face, unintentional of course. A thin wall of sand blocked her hand from hitting Gaara. The chipmunks were frightened, and immediately left Gaara's shoulder. The two brothers found refuge on their owner's head.
"What is that?" Sada asked, as she lowered her hand away from the sand.
The sand was sucked back into the gourd. Gaara continued on. "My sand."
=============
Gaara returned the girl back to the village. It turned out this was not her home village, just a temporary abode. Gaara had found this out on their journey back to the little cattle village. Their trip back was quite interesting:
'Is Kotori at this village you are taking me to?' Sada had asked Gaara.
'Yes. She will be there,' Gaara had replied.
'...She is more concerned about the well-being of Kohana...she always cared about her more...' Gaara looked at Sada, who for the time she had spent with him, she actually looked very sad. He wondered why she would care if someone liked her or not. For him, the only thing that concerned him, was himself. Or at least, that was his philosophy for the longest time. Naruto and Lee had changed him, not drastically, but enough to make him understand more the meaning of having someone to care for. Such a relationship was frivolous to him.
Sometime during this short journey, he had managed to question her about her little chipmunks. Just as he had asked Naruto and Lee, he asked her why:
'Why do those little creatures give you so much joy?' Gaara had asked the girl.
'Well, they are my friends,' Sada had replied, as she cuddled her little chipmunks, 'And my beloved pets.'
'It's useless...and childish.'
She had looked hurt by this comment. 'Childish?! I am not a child. I happen to be 15 years old! Probably more mature than you, who is...how old are you?'
'...17...'
Besides the sentimental actions of Sada, her eyes also perplexed him. Well, rather the fact that she always kept her eyes closed. Yes, it may have seemed obvious, but he wanted to ask her:
'Why do you not open your eyes?' Gaara had asked her in an apathetic tone.
Sada had froze slightly at the question, but quickly went back to her cheerful demeanor. She simply smiled. '...I do not need to show my eyes, if I cannot see anything. Even if my eyes were open, I would still see darkness...it would not be necessary.'
'You're blind.'
She only smiled again. 'Yep, but it's not too bad. I mean I'm getting use to it.' She was silent for a moment, 'I'm more confident now...after all, I had 3 months to get use to it!'
Gaara led the girl through the small market place. She held onto his arm, lightly, but not clingy. They neared a larger house, after passing through the bustle of their livestock area. A woman stood on the small porch, with a young man standing attentively at her side. A look of disappointment came to the woman's face the moment she saw Sada. Gaara noticed her say something into the other's ear. He had also noticed the look on her face. From what he understood, he figured she would be joyful, but she seemed indifferent.
"Sada. Where is Kohana?" the woman asked in a tense tone. It was almost as though she were holding back anger.
Sada took a step forward. "She left me. I don't know...which way she went...I'm sorry, Kotori"
"You are dismissed. I wish to speak to Gaara," Kotori told Sada, "Gaara? Please follow me."
Kotori went around the corner. Gaara simply looked at Sada, and pulled away from her grasp. She stood their a bit lost, but found her way to the pillar of the porch roof. Gaara turned and followed Kotori. He wondered if Temari and Kankuro had any luck. After seeing Kotori's reaction to the sight of Sada, it was obvious that Kohana was not found.
Author's note: okay, well I hope I did not confuse you with those little flashbacks. I tried to make them look different by not spacing it like the normal paragraphs, and by using past tense. I hope you guys caught on Once again, please give me some suggestions! See I tried to lengthen it!!
Please read my next chapter
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto in anyway...well, durr!
"Kohana?" the girl managed to say, "Why are you looking? Who are you?"
Gaara looked down at the girl. He closed his eyes briefly, during which the sand receded, pulling itself back into the gourd. His green eyes once again were placed on the girl.
"I was sent to find her, and another, as requested by Kotori," Gaara answered nonchalantly.
Before Gaara could go on, the young maiden interrupted him, "What? Kotori sent you...to find her?! Well...who are you anyways?"
Gaara's eyes squinted ever so slightly at the girl. She was a curious one; he still had no clue who she was, but it did not bother him one bit. "I am Gaara of the Desert."
The dark haired girl regained her composure. Her face was cast in shadow, her dark locks falling slightly on her face. She lifted her head up to look at Gaara, her eyes still shut. Her lips formed into an innocent smile. The dark bangs seemed to sway, as she cocked her head slightly to the side.
"I'm Sada!" she said in a cheery tone. Her left hand rose, reaching out for Gaara, ever so slowly moving towards him. Her fingers brushed his white sash, and seemed to trace its fabric up to his shoulder. Her smile widened, when at last her hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Nice to meet you, Gaara."
All the while, Gaara looked at her, no real emotion on his face. Curiosity seemed to be nipping at his mind, and still the question came back to him; why does she not open her eyes? Her contact did not bother him at all. Rather, he wondered why such a minor action seemed to bring her so much joy. He began to question if this girl was even worth going through the hassle of hiring shinobis. As he had before, the reasoning for people's actions were a mystery to, especially when the person was driven to great extents, willing to take risks for someone they loved or cared for. Why do they bother? Gaara had thought to himself numerous times before.
"Sada, I must now take you back to your village," Gaara simply told the young girl straight out.
Sada just simply nodded in response. "Okay...but first let me get Rin and Jin."
Gaara's brow furrowed. This girl was very odd indeed. Sada's hand slipped off his shoulder, but quickly grasped her staff. She took a moment, and just stood there, silent. The expression on her face looked as one of concentration, as though trying to hear a sound miles away. She spun around quickly, and repeated the same trance-like stance. Gaara continued to look at her. He closed his eyes, as though trying to overcome the growing twitch of annoyance within him. His emerald eyes opened, and still the girl was in front of him, but taking cautious steps away. Her feet took small, nimble strides. His gaze scanned the surrounding forest, trying to spot what she was looking for. He crossed his arms, and looked back at Sada, who looked like a complete moron. Idiot, he thought to himself.
Silence seemed to settle, and neither Gaara nor Sada made a noise. Natural sounds filled the forest: the rustling of leaves, chirping of birds, and the occasional insect zipping by. Gaara's patience was wearing thin. What on Earth is she searching for? he wondered. Sada had her staff poised before her, reaching out almost timidly every now and then. At last, she stopped, only a couple feet from Gaara, her back facing him. She began to whistle loudly.
"Rin! Jin! Cum' on, guys!" Sada called out.
Gaara's brow cocked up slightly; he wondered what would make her take so much time, when all she had to do was call out to begin with. His verdant gaze once again scanned the woodlands. Much to his frustration, the two chipmunks he had seen earlier, bounded out of a nearby flower patch. The two little critters climbed their way up Sada's cloak, and perched themselves on her shoulders. She began to giggle, as they nipped at her hair. Gaara watched this spectacle, almost intrigued. Such insignificant creatures could bring so much happiness to this girl. Sada petted her two chipmunks, in a very awkward way. Her hand looked lost, slowly reaching for one of the chipmunks. The chipmunk stood up, reaching his nose out to her hand, as if calling it towards itself. Gaara had seen people being happy, and even then their sources of happiness were trivial.
Sada turned to face Gaara, "Okay, I'm ready now!"
Gaara was silent for moment. "Let's go."
Sada ran quickly over to Gaara, before he could take a step away. She grasped his upper arm, with her free hand, holding onto his shirt. Her other hand held onto her little chipmunks. One managed to squeeze out of her grasp, and ran onto the top of her head. Before she could grab hold of him, he already fled onto Gaara's shoulder. Gaara ignored the fact that Sada was holding onto his arm, but he could not ignore the chipmunk that was now sitting on his shoulder. A look of disgust came to his face. The sand did not attack the chipmunk, obviously no threat lied in its little fuzzy body.
"I am so sorry!" Sada suddenly blurted out. The second chipmunk also got loose, and began to make a nuisance of himself. As though following the lead of his brother, Jin also ran onto Gaara. Sada immediately reached out, to grab her pets. However, this time she did not employ the same caution in her movements as before, but acted more on impulse. Her hand shot right for Gaara's face, unintentional of course. A thin wall of sand blocked her hand from hitting Gaara. The chipmunks were frightened, and immediately left Gaara's shoulder. The two brothers found refuge on their owner's head.
"What is that?" Sada asked, as she lowered her hand away from the sand.
The sand was sucked back into the gourd. Gaara continued on. "My sand."
=============
Gaara returned the girl back to the village. It turned out this was not her home village, just a temporary abode. Gaara had found this out on their journey back to the little cattle village. Their trip back was quite interesting:
'Is Kotori at this village you are taking me to?' Sada had asked Gaara.
'Yes. She will be there,' Gaara had replied.
'...She is more concerned about the well-being of Kohana...she always cared about her more...' Gaara looked at Sada, who for the time she had spent with him, she actually looked very sad. He wondered why she would care if someone liked her or not. For him, the only thing that concerned him, was himself. Or at least, that was his philosophy for the longest time. Naruto and Lee had changed him, not drastically, but enough to make him understand more the meaning of having someone to care for. Such a relationship was frivolous to him.
Sometime during this short journey, he had managed to question her about her little chipmunks. Just as he had asked Naruto and Lee, he asked her why:
'Why do those little creatures give you so much joy?' Gaara had asked the girl.
'Well, they are my friends,' Sada had replied, as she cuddled her little chipmunks, 'And my beloved pets.'
'It's useless...and childish.'
She had looked hurt by this comment. 'Childish?! I am not a child. I happen to be 15 years old! Probably more mature than you, who is...how old are you?'
'...17...'
Besides the sentimental actions of Sada, her eyes also perplexed him. Well, rather the fact that she always kept her eyes closed. Yes, it may have seemed obvious, but he wanted to ask her:
'Why do you not open your eyes?' Gaara had asked her in an apathetic tone.
Sada had froze slightly at the question, but quickly went back to her cheerful demeanor. She simply smiled. '...I do not need to show my eyes, if I cannot see anything. Even if my eyes were open, I would still see darkness...it would not be necessary.'
'You're blind.'
She only smiled again. 'Yep, but it's not too bad. I mean I'm getting use to it.' She was silent for a moment, 'I'm more confident now...after all, I had 3 months to get use to it!'
Gaara led the girl through the small market place. She held onto his arm, lightly, but not clingy. They neared a larger house, after passing through the bustle of their livestock area. A woman stood on the small porch, with a young man standing attentively at her side. A look of disappointment came to the woman's face the moment she saw Sada. Gaara noticed her say something into the other's ear. He had also noticed the look on her face. From what he understood, he figured she would be joyful, but she seemed indifferent.
"Sada. Where is Kohana?" the woman asked in a tense tone. It was almost as though she were holding back anger.
Sada took a step forward. "She left me. I don't know...which way she went...I'm sorry, Kotori"
"You are dismissed. I wish to speak to Gaara," Kotori told Sada, "Gaara? Please follow me."
Kotori went around the corner. Gaara simply looked at Sada, and pulled away from her grasp. She stood their a bit lost, but found her way to the pillar of the porch roof. Gaara turned and followed Kotori. He wondered if Temari and Kankuro had any luck. After seeing Kotori's reaction to the sight of Sada, it was obvious that Kohana was not found.
Author's note: okay, well I hope I did not confuse you with those little flashbacks. I tried to make them look different by not spacing it like the normal paragraphs, and by using past tense. I hope you guys caught on Once again, please give me some suggestions! See I tried to lengthen it!!
Please read my next chapter