Disclaimer: Galaxya and I do not own Naruto, but our original characters are ours.
A.N. – Sorry this chapter took us so long to get out (assuming any of you were waiting for an addition to this story). We're hoping to get a chapter out every week. Sometimes that may be every week and a half though, depending on our schedules. With that said, enjoy chapter two, and please post a review if you can. It would be nice to hear some feedback from you guys if at all possible.
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Previously – The young unnamed thief caught by Kankurou and Temari willingly followed them back to the mansion where she is to meet Gaara under what could be, not so pleasant circumstances.
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Chapter 2 – "A Deal Made"
The journey back to the mansion seemed to take forever. The young thief sighed and continued to run along side Temari. Kankurou followed closely behind, keeping an eye on the girl. Looking straight ahead, the thief watched as the distance between the mansion and her shrunk. A feeling of pending doom, on the other hand, made its presence known in the pit of her stomach, and continued to grow the closer they got to the elegant building.
After a few minutes, the trio finally arrived at the mansion gates. Temari nodded at the guard on duty, who opened the gates. Kankurou, Temari, and the girl walked into the quiet courtyard and up to the large double doors, while the guard closed the large gates behind them. The girl blinked unwittingly as the gates closed and locked. Temari and Kankurou entered the large house, thief in tow.
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Kankurou sighed as the entered the mansion. The only sound present was the sound of the trio's footsteps on the polished, black marble floor beneath their feet. He scanned the large hall, looking for signs of life. Temari spoke up. "I wonder where everybody is. It's awfully quiet in here."
Kankurou nodded. "They must've gone home. Probably didn't want to get in Gaara's way," he said. He glanced at the girl behind him. "I suggest that you cooperate without hesitation. Gaara's probably not in a very good mood, thanks to you and your friends." He shoved his hands in his pockets, turned, and started walking towards a large stairway. "Let's go Temari."
Temari put a hand on the girl's shoulder, guiding her towards the stairs. The girl glared at Kankurou. "They weren't my friends," she muttered under her breath.
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A few minutes later, the girl found herself standing in a large circular office. Other than Kankurou, Temari, and herself, nobody else was in the room. Temari led the girl over to a large couch, and directed her to sit down. The girl complied, and sunk into the thick cushions, with a sigh.
The office was simple in design, but at the same time, elegant. Medium sized circular windows lined one section of the wall, allowing light from the harsh desert sun to enter the room, without the same intensity or heat. A large oak desk stood in front of the windows, its surface neat and orderly. A dark brown leather chair, matching the couch, rested empty behind the desk. A couple of potted trees stood against the wall near the windows on either side of the desk, their dark green leaves greedily absorbing the sun's nutrient light and warmth. Soft, thick carpet covered the office floor; its maroon coloring giving the room a warmer feel.
Kankurou turned to Temari. "Keep an eye on her," he said. "I'm going to go find Gaara. I'll be back shortly." Temari nodded, watching as Kankurou left the room. After he was gone, she took a seat on the couch, next to the girl, sighing quietly. She dropped her head into her hands and rubbed her eyes, tiredly. "Don't even think of trying anything funny," she said, her voice somewhat muffled. The girl sighed and dropped her own head into her hands. "Don't worry," she responded. "I wasn't planning to."
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"I wouldn't exactly constitute that as keeping an eye on her, Temari," said a mildly irritated voice. The thief jumped, startled. Temari glanced up at her brother and rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Kankurou," she said. She glanced around the room. "Where's Gaara?" she asked. Kankurou nodded over his shoulder, and walked over to the couch, sitting on one of the arms.
Gaara entered the office shortly after his brother. Silently, he walked over to the desk and sat down in his chair, turning to face the windows. His siblings watched him curiously. The girl swallowed nervously.
Several minutes of silence passed. The girl swallowed again. Her heart beat heavily in her chest. She stared at the back of the occupied chair intently, waiting for its occupant to move. Temari and Kankurou sat quietly on either side of her. She was sure they could hear her heart beating.
The girl reached up to wipe a small bead of sweat from her forehead. The room temperature was comfortable, but the intensity radiating off its occupants was not. She hated situations like this … being stuck between a rock and a hard place. They made her feel trapped, and she hated feeling trapped. Up until Gaara had walked into the room, she had felt fine, but now she was feeling anxious and nervous, and she wasn't sure why either. She quickly wiped another bead of sweat from her head, before it rolled into her eyes, being careful not to draw any attention to herself.
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"What is your name?"
The girl blinked a few times – dragged from her thoughts, back into reality. She shook her head quickly, refocusing her eyes on the back of the chair. The chair moved. She swallowed again.
"I asked, what is your name?" The voice was cool and calm, but commanded attention and authority. The girl opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Kankurou glanced over at her, lazily. "He asked you a question, you know. You better answer it," he said.
She blinked a couple of times then nodded. "V…Vasha," she stuttered. Gaara turned to face the girl. "What land are you from?" he asked. Vasha shook her head slowly. "I…I don't belong to any land," she said quietly. Gaara frowned. Temari sat up, now interested. "You mean you're a missing nin?" she asked suddenly.
The girl's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. "No. My mom was a rogue. She left her country before I was born."
"And where is your mother now?" Kankurou asked, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Dead," the girl responded quickly, shoulders slumping. Kankurou's eyes widened and he turned away, embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he muttered. Temari shot him a glare.
"Where did they take it?"
The three turned their attention back to Gaara. Gaara focused his attention on the girl. She shivered uncomfortably. "Where did they take the scroll?" he asked again. His voice remained calm, and his face neutral, but his patience was wearing thin. Noticing this, Temari looked at the girl. "Please answer him, Vasha," she said softly. "You'll only make this difficult on yourself, if you don't."
Vasha nodded. "They're headed to Konoha," she said quietly. "Konoha?" Gaara questioned. The girl nodded again, staring at her hands. "They're going to try to steal their scroll, just like they stole yours," she continued.
Gaara leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "When do they plan to steal it?" he asked. Vasha shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "I overheard them talking about their plans one night, by accident," she said. "I didn't listen for long though. If they had caught me, they would have probably killed me."
Gaara shifted slightly, taking in the information he just received. He glanced over at Kankurou after a minute or so. "Take her to a holding cell," he said quietly. "I'll deal with her later." Kankurou stood up, grabbing Vasha by the arm, and headed towards the door.
"Wait!" Vasha said suddenly.
Kankurou stopped. Gaara and Temari looked at the girl. "What?" Gaara asked, mildly annoyed. Vasha looked down at her hands for a few seconds, before answering. Gaara raised an eyebrow at her. "Well?" he asked.
"I…I want to help you get the scroll back," she whispered. Temari leaned forward on the couch. "You want to do what?" Temari asked, shocked. The girl glanced over at Temari. "I want to help you get the scroll back," she repeated, this time with more confidence.
Gaara placed his hands on his desk and stood up. Vasha watched as Gaara walked to the center of the room, facing her. She quickly looked back down at her hands. He stood eye to eye with her, and that made her nervous. She wanted to remain composed.
"Why would you want to do that?" he asked, curiosity present in his voice.
"Because," she started, "…because they betrayed me and left me for dead."
Vasha furrowed her brows in anger. She glanced at Kankurou.
"They didn't care that this guy here caught me, and threatened to kill me if they didn't hand over the scroll. In fact they joked about it. Then they left, leaving me behind. I never did like them, but I didn't think they'd abandon me." She quickly wiped a small tear from her eye, and looked up at Gaara. "Because of that, I want to help you get back what is rightfully yours. I shouldn't have helped them, and I'm sorry I did. I accept whatever punishment you deem necessary for this crime. Just please, let me help you."
Her eyes met Gaara's. She didn't turn away.
Gaara glanced over at Kankurou, looking for some sort of confirmation concerning Vasha's story. Kankurou nodded slowly.
Gaara turned back to the girl. "You can help," he said, quietly.
Gaara turned towards Temari. "Take her to a guest room, and make sure she is taken care of. Post two jounin outside her room to make sure she doesn't leave." Temari nodded and stood up. Gaara turned back to Vasha. "Don't betray my trust. If you do, you'll regret it."
With that, he turned and walked back over to his chair, and sat down, facing the windows.