DISCLAIMER: I no own Naruto...it sucks, I know. I do own Gaeans, Riso, Amako, Kikai, and Sebraya. And Kisaike, of course.
Etna: Forgot her in the last disclaimer, didn't you?
Ryu: Oh, :P
Gaara: That reminds me, what else is going on? I mean, where am I?
Ryu: This story is pretty much from Kisaike's point of view, I suppose. I already have the next chapters more or less planned out, but I need to write them.
Kyo: Just write them tonight then.
Ryu: No can...homework... :P And in college, no less...
Gaara: So, I'm not floating around for a while?
Ryu: You're off doing whatever it is that you do for four years...until the chuunin exam.
Gaara: Alright, I can handle that...{starts packing bags}
Ryu: Where do you think you are going?
Gaara: {still packing} Vacation. If I'm not in the story, I'm not needed, right?
Ryu: You are the head muse; you will do no such thing.
Gaara: But, you said yourself, I'm not here. So, I won't be. {moves toward door}
Ryu: {grabs his collar} No you don't.
Kyo: {grabs Gaara from Ryu} If I have to stay here with: a crazy lady {points at Ryu}, a demon {points at Etna}, a sugar freak {points at Count D}, a computer who dances and wakes me up at ungodly times of the morning to exercise {pointing at Sumomo}, and the nutty genius kid and her even more nutty genius dog {Ed waves}, then so do you. YOU'RE the only one in this dysfunctional little group that makes actually SENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ryu, Etna, Count D, Sumomo, and Ed: NO HE DOESN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter: 4 – A Time to Smile...
Kisaike followed Riso as he led her through the city, trying to disappear in his shadow. She was bit worried about some of the looks she might get, even if Sebraya had reassured her that no one would know or really care. She huddled a bit closer to Riso, and looked up at him.
Kikai had to go and deal with something and Amako had training she had been planning to do, so Riso was taking her to her new home. She felt a bit guilty.
"I'm sorry, Riso-san," Kisaike said, stopping and bowing.
Riso turned, curiosity on his face. "Why are you sorry, Kisaike-chan?"
"I'm sure you had plans for the day as well, and now you are having to show me around the city and help me get settled in." She bowed a bit lower. "You don't have to help me. If there's something you'd rather do."
Riso laughed, placed a finger under her chin, and tilted her head up until her aquamarine eyes looked into his deep ocean blue ones. "Kisaike-chan, I will admit, I was supposed to go train with Ama-chan today. However," he continued at her guilty, sad look, "I asked to do this. We take care of people that we care about, right?" She nodded. "Well, I take care of my friends, and you are one of my friends."
"Are you sure this isn't troublesome?"
"Absolutely. So, let's get you to your new home, shall we?"
Kisaike smiled. "Hai!" They started walking again.
Suddenly, a ball bounced at them from the right, heading right for Kisaike. The sand protected her, and the ball fell and rolled to a stop next to her feet. She picked it up and looked in the direction it came.
"Sorry about that." A boy her own age ran up and bowed to the two of them. "I didn't mean to hit you." He smiled at Kisaike.
She looked at him with startled, happy eyes. He wasn't afraid of her! Maybe, just maybe, she could live here without people running from her in fear.
"Murasi-chan, you should be more careful. You could hurt someone," reprimanded Riso gently, with a slight hint of a grin. "Granted, it'll probably be yourself, but still..."
Murasi nodded in acceptance as Kisaike tried to hide her amusement. He took the ball that she offered, and scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed, a smile still prevalent.
"I know, Riso-san. I'm sorry."
Riso chuckled and shook his head. "Don't apologize to me. She's the one you almost hit." He nodded toward Kisaike.
Kisaike looked down at the ground, blushing slightly. "It's ok, Riso-san..."
"No, he's right." Kisaike looked up as Murasi spoke. "I could have hurt you. I am very sorry...um, I don't know your name." He looked a bit amused, but guilty at the same time.
Kisaike played with the grass with her toes. "Kisaike."
Murasi bowed. "I'm very sorry, Kisaike-san."
She blushed again. "Just Kisai."
He straightened up. "Kisai, then. I'm Murasi. Are you going to the academy?" She nodded shyly. Murasi smiled. "So am I. How old are you?"
"Eight."
"Me too! Hey, when you get settled in, do you want to come and play with us? I could introduce you around and show you the city." He blushed a bit too.
Riso bit a finger to keep from laughing. This little exchange was going to be fun to relay to the others. The only two red-heads in the city seemed to have been destined to meet, as Murasi was the first person Kisai's age that she had run into at all. To odd to be coincidence. Granted, Murasi had golden-brownish red hair, while Kisaike's was the color of freshly-spilled blood, but it was still too much for Riso. Kikai and Amako would get a kick out of this.
Kisaike's eyes went even wider. "Really? You don't mind?"
Murasi shook his head. "Whenever you're ready, come on back here. We'll wait for you."
Kisaike nodded, and Murasi ran to join the other children. Riso looked down at Kisaike.
"Looks like you've made a friend." He smiled as they watched Murasi run. "Well, let's get going. The sooner you get settled, the sooner you can meet more people." She nodded and they continued off.
Soon, they came to a building three stories tall in the shade of a large oak tree. Riso went inside and led Kisaike to the top floor.
"Alright, here we are! Room number 313." He handed Kisaike the key. She took it and looked up at him. "Go ahead. This is your apartment, not mine."
She placed the key in the lock, turned it, and opened the door. Walking in, she found herself in a tidy, furnished one-bedroom apartment. There was a living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom and bedroom. Wandering through, Kisaike took note of the couch, coffee table, bathtub with shower, refrigerator, vanity, and even an already-made futon, ready for a nap. She turned wide aquamarine eyes to Riso. "Is this all mine?" she asked.
Riso chuckled. "Yes it is. There's plenty of food, and everything is taken care of." His eyes clouded briefly. "You're sure you'll be alright alone?"
She nodded and smiled. "Temari taught me how to cook...well, she taught me the basics, but I won't try any of her recipes. They can get kind of scary. But I know enough to get by."
He nodded, but his eyes didn't get any less worried. "Well, if you need anything, you know where I live. You can come over any time, day or night. If I'm not there, use the key I gave you. It's on the ring with your apartment key." He looked around one last time. "Well, I'll let you get settled, so you can get to your meeting. I might as well go check on Ama-chan and make sure she didn't call a meteor on someone's vegetable garden again." He waved, and left.
Kisaike wandered slowly back to the meeting place, taking in the sights of the city. She shifted her gourd absentmindedly, hoping that it wouldn't draw attention. But everyone seemed not to care. People were so nice in this village. People stopped to chat for a moment, and everyone said hello to everyone else. People even stopped and greeted her, smiling and asking her if she needed any assistance. Back in the Sand Village, people didn't really speak to one another very often, and if you were new there, you were generally on your own. She liked this new place, this...what had Kikai called it? Oh, yeah. Shizen no Kumi, the Village of Nature. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear the shout.
"Kisai!"
She turned, shyly. Murasi ran up to her followed by a few others about their same age. For the first time, Kisaike felt a bit uncomfortable with her gourd. She shifted it absentmindedly again.
"Guys, this is Kisaike." The four other kids smiled brightly, not even really seeming to notice her gourd. "Kisai, this is:
"Jisukyu." A girl with hair about the same length as hers and chocolate brown eyes waved.
"Chikitin." A black haired boy with hazel-gold eyes nodded.
"Tomiki." Shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes giggled.
"And Senkito." A boy with chalk-white hair to his waist, in a braid like Riso's, and grey eyes took her hand and bowed over it. Kisaike blushed.
"Senkito is extremely proper, but only when he wants to impress someone." Murasi rolled his bright green eyes and gestured. Senkito had turned a bit away from the rest of the group, but everyone could see that he was blushing fiercely. Murasi shook his shaggy red hair, and smiled at her. Kisaike couldn't help but giggle very softly.
"So, Kisai, wasn't it?" The girl named Jisukyu bounced up and smiled. Kisaike nodded. "We were all just going to get something to drink and sit by the river. We're deciding what to specialize in. Wanna come with us?"
"I...I'd like to, but I have no money." Kisaike looked down at the ground. "I have nothing but what I'm wearing."
"That's ok. I'll treat you." A soft voice made everyone look. Murasi started to chuckle as Senkito turned, still blushing like mad.
"Are you sure, Senkito-san? I don't want to be a burden." Kisaike said quietly.
Senkito's head snapped up. "You wouldn't be a burden. I insist." He smiled shyly and looked back down again.
Kisaike nodded. "Alright. I'd like that."
"Alright! Let's get going." Jisuku jumped up in the air and led the way.
Within 20 minutes, they had gotten their drinks, and a snack, and sat on a soft grassy patch near the river.
"So, what're people thinking about specializing in?" Jisukyu asked.
Murasi turned to Kisaike. "Do you know what the nine specialties are?"
Kisai nodded. "Sand, Lightning, Star, Wind, Water, Ice, Fire, Rock and Earth. Kikai told me about them."
"Good." Murasi turned to the others. "Well, let's go around. I'll start. I'm thinking either Fire or Earth. Fire because it's useful in so many ways, but Earth is a bit better just because, well, everywhere you go, there's earth."
Jisukyu nodded. "That's true, but I'm not very good at that kind of thing. I'm deciding between Water or Rock. I can't decide. It's really difficult."
"I'm thinking Wind. I love the wind, and being able to control it would be perfect for me. That's what I'm going for. Well, that or Fire." Tomiki giggled. "I suppose I can't decide either."
"I don't think anyone will be decided right now. I'm thinking Ice or Star. Either will work for me." Chikitin shrugged.
"What about you, Senkito-san?" asked Kisai softly.
"Lightning." There was no hesitation or second guessing. His answer was immediate.
"Yeah, that'll change, I'm sure. What about you, Kisai? I mean, I know you just got here, but the deciding is in a week." Murasi smiled.
"Oh, mine's easy. Sand."
Luckily, Kisai had paid attention when Riso, Kikai and Amako were going on about Sand Gaeans, so she was prepared for the reaction she got. At first, everyone just stared. Tomiki started the giggling. Everyone, with the exception of Senkito, joined in.
"What's the point?" Tomiki, still giggling, asked. "There's nothing that you can do with sand that you couldn't do better with something else."
"Plus," Murasi added, "There's no tweaking you can do with it. You learn the three basics and that's it."
Kisai just crossed her arms and smiled. "Really?"
The others eyed her suspiciously.
"Here, I'll show you what an affinity for sand can get you. Murasi, you and Tomiki go behind that big tree. Decide on a number and hold it up behind the tree so I can't see it."
The two of them agreed and hurried behind the tree. A few seconds later, a voice cried out, "Ready!"
Kisai smiled, and performed a series of hand seals. She placed two fingers of her left hand over her left eye and placed her right hand face-up. Sand flowed out of the gourd and formed an eye in her palm. The eye began to move towards the tree and behind it, above where Kisai assumed her friends' heads would be. Murasi was holding up eight fingers.
"Your number is eight, and Murasi is holding it up," Kisai shouted. Seeing the bewildered look on their faces, she laughed. "Look up."
They looked up and gaped. That caused Kisai to laugh harder and break the jutsu. The sand eye deformed and regular sand flowed back to her gourd, followed by a stupefied Murasi and Tomiki.
"How...how do you know how to do that already?" asked Chikitin.
Kisai opened her mouth, then hesitated. What would they do if they knew the truth? Would they hate her? Then, she caught sight of Senkito's eyes. It was as if he could read her thoughts. His eyes shone with compassion and curiosity. She steeled her eyes, and told them. She told them everything, starting from her birth up to the present day. When she finally finished, she noticed that they were looking at her with odd expressions. A voice rang out in the air. Tomiki looked towards the voice, and turned back.
"Sorry guys, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow at school!" She waved and ran off. Jisukyu stood as well.
"I'd better be going too."
Slowly, the five children wandered off, leaving Kisai alone. She stood and moved upriver a bit until she found a small waterfall. She laid on her back on one of the rocks that surrounded it and dipped her fingers into the water. Sitting up, she began to sing one of the songs she learned from the caravan. After finishing the song, she stood and began to wander towards the city. She was startled when a voice called out from behind her.
"Kisai-kun...er...san!" She turned and stood facing Senkito. He was blushing. "Would you like to come to my house for dinner? I know it's your first night here, and you probably haven't gotten to get food yet, so...I thought that...maybe..." He blushed deeper.
"Won't your parents be upset? I mean, after what I just told you?"
Senkito's head snapped up. "Kisai-kun," he said, not correcting himself this time, "I'm going to tell you something. I think that you are very brave. No one could really go through what you have and come out as well. The others aren't mad at you and don't hate you. They're just surprised that you can live without those you care the most about." He grabbed her hand. "But, don't worry. Come on! My parents will love to have you over." He started to move towards the city, his hand tangled with Kisai's. She smiled and moved next to him, and they went off.
"Kisai-chan! Come sit by us!" Kisai looked up at the seats in the amphitheatre-like clearing where classes were held and saw, waving frantically at her, Jisukyu, Chikitin, Murasi, and Tomiki. Senkito hadn't arrived yet, apparently. She waved back and moved up towards them, fighting with her gourd. She hadn't gotten a chance to fix one of the straps on her gourd belt, and it was unbalancing the whole thing. Finally, she managed to get it up the hill and sat in the row right behind her friends, as things were four to a row. Jisukyu turned to her.
"Sorry about running off like that last night. We really don't hate you. Promise." She smiled a bright smile. Kisaike returned it. Suddenly, Kisai felt warmth next to her and a soft pressure in her hand. Looking down, she saw a rolled up scroll, placed in her hand by Senkito, who was sitting, blushing, next to her. She unrolled it and gasped.
It was a beautifully drawn picture of her sitting on the rock by the waterfall. She had her legs drawn up, and was looking up at the dimming sky. A butterfly flittered in the background and a breeze played with her hair and clothes. It seemed that the picture was almost alive. Surrounding the picture, written in Senkito's sweet handwriting, were the words to the song she had sung the night before. He'd been watching her the whole time! Kisaike looked up at him. His grey eyes looked directly into her aquamarine ones, and he was blushing. Kisaike smiled shyly, and he returned it. After a moment, their attention was turned toward the front of the clearing as the class had begun. Partway through the opening speech, Kisai noticed that Senkito's hand was on the ground. Gathering her courage, she shyly reached out and took it in her own. He started, and looked down, then at her. She was blushing. Then, he smiled and squeezed her hand. She smiled and gripped back.
"Mikoti Senkito! Hasurabi Murasi! Sabaku no Kisaike!" Riso stood before the class and called out the names in each cell. Senkito, Murasi and Kisai had been placed together. Riso lifted an eyebrow. A Fire Gaean, a Lightning Gaean, and the village's first Sand Gaean all on the same team. Riso grinned. This was his team after all. He couldn't wait to see how well they worked together.
"Sabaku no Kisaike! Please step forward."
A knee-length blood colored braid was swept behind her as she stood. Three years had made her taller and given her longer hair, but the eyes remained the same, Sebraya noted from her point at the center of the stadium. 11 years old, and she still refused to sleep. She kept up with her waking meditations, and was always willing to take up watch at night. It was due to her help and her experience that she was called up. Kisaike stopped in front of Sebraya, dark-rimmed aquamarine eyes bright.
"As from this day forward, every citizen in this village shall know that Sabaku no Kisaike, affectionately known to most as Kisai, has graduated to Chuunin level!" Sebraya smiled as the crowd cheered. Kisai bowed and received her new hitae. There, in front of everyone, just as so many had done before her, she took her old Genin hitae and replaced it with her Chuunin hitae. She then took her place in line with Senkito and a few others so far. None of the rest of the group had made Chuunin level yet, but that didn't stop them from cheering like mad from the stands. Kisaike heard their shouts of joy and encouragement and locked eyes with Senkito. She couldn't help herself. She smiled and realized that she finally belonged, somewhere where no one would try to kill her, where no one would run. A tear ran down her cheek, and she touched the choker.
I wish I could have saved Gaara, too, she thought.
Ryu: Well, there you are. Another chapter in the life of Kisaike.
Gaara: People are wondering where I am. When am I coming back into this?
Ryu: Not this next chapter. The one after that. Chuunin exam chapter. {grins sweetly}
Gaara: That look scares me.
Ryu: It should.
Etna: {laughs like crazy} She's learning quick. This is going to be fun.