Thunder Bird

I don't own Naruto

Chapter Seven

"I've heard that the akuma has returned."

"What?" The conversation between the two women caught Raiji's attention as she followed Kakashi to the meeting.

Are they talking about that little girl?

"Hey, Kakashi..." Raiji started, unsure of how to phrase her question. The man infront of her didn't answer, and made no indication that he was listening. Raiji still asked.

"Do you remember that child that came here a few years back. The one that all the parents were calling akuma?" Kakashi stopped in his tracks, and Raiji slammed right into his back.

"I do." She heard him whisper. Kakashi's back was straight, and Raiji knew that his entire body had gone rigid. "She was here with her guardian. I remember that she had been in Karasu's class for a little while."

Raiji nodded, closing her mouth at the thought of the Missing Nin.

Kaya frowned as she sat in the very back of the Shinobi meeting. Her head band, which was tied around her left thigh, showed the symbol for Suna. She growled to herself lightly, watching the rest of the Jonins wait for the meeting to begin. She looked down at herself, taking in the thought of all the black on her figure.

Shaking her head to herself, she watched as two ninjas walked into the meeting. The Hokage looked over the room, deciding that everyone was finally there before starting.

She listened as the three ninjas put their entire squads up for the Exam, and an academy teacher object to this. After, she watched as the numerous others who were putting their students up for it. Her attention turned to a young Jonin. Red eyes turned her direction, and Kaya glared back.

As the Jonin began to leave the room, Kaya walked up to the Hokage. The same Jonin was there, talking to him quietly. As the other woman turned to leave, Kaya took her place.

"How'd it go?" Naru asked, looking at her as she stepped out of the Hokage's tower. Kaya grinned, holding up two fourms.

"Go ahead and start filling yours out, I'm going for a walk. I'll meet you back at the place Baki rented?" Kaya asked, looking at her companion. Naru nodded, shivering at the thought of the Jonin.

Kaya turned away from her, pocketing her fourm. She didn't have to walk far before coming on a fairly odd scene.

Jumping up into a tree, she decided to watch the exchange, between Kankuro and some kid, from above. She heard a noise below her, looking down a few branches to find a black haired kid with...

Is that the Uchiha symbol!

Kaya watched as the kid threw a stone at Kankuro's hand fast enough to stop him from hurting the brat that he'd been holding by the neck.

She heard Gaara on the other side of the tree, looking to see him and rolling her eyes. Her hand reached up, fingering the ribbon that was still holding her hair up.

"Gaara." She called softly as the black haired boy jumped down. Green eyes turned to her, and she raised an eyebrow.

-Go home, I'll talk to you later!-

She frowned, hearing the voice echo in her mind.

-You'd better have a good explaination, Sabaku.-

With that, she jumped onto a different tree and headed on to continue her walk.

Damn that girl! Gaara jumped off the tree at the same time, making an effort to hide that she'd been there. He glared at Kankuro as they left the Konoha genins behind.

He had no idea how the telepathic link between them had been activated. Or even created for that matter. All he knew was that it was there, and he had complete access to her mind.

In fact, he had spent most of the way to Konoha probbing around in her memories.

He'd found that much of her mind was under careful lock and key. But he'd found that she was greatly concerned for something that was to be happening in a few months.

He couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen.

Kaya stood, looking up at the four Hokages that were carved into the face of the mountain.

"It's good to be back." She whispered to herself, looking down at the ribbon in her hands. Her flak jacket was unzipped, showing the top that Gaara had said he didn't want her wear.

"I shouldn't have brought my vest with me. It just raises questions that I don't want to answer..." Kaya growled to herself, looking at the sky as it began to darken.

I should get back, Naru's going to start worrying. With that, Kaya turned and ran back into the heart of the village.

By the time Kaya returned, it was late. All the lights were off, and Kaya got the impression that everyone had gone to bed.

Stumbling through the dark house, Kaya managed to find the room that she had chosen to share with Naru. She immediantly noticed the lack of Naru, and the thick dark chakra coming from the window.

"Gaara..." His eyes didn't even turn to her.

"Why do you have a Chunin vest?" Gaara's quiet voice carried through the darkness, and Kaya suddenly had the feeling that he could see through her.

The sensation that she was naked.

Gaara's eyes were on her, and Kaya shrugged off the flak jacket.

"I stole it, I needed to get in to talk to the Hokage, seeing as I'm two team members short." Gaara's question didn't have to be voiced, she could hear it in her mind. She could feel that doubting expression in her mind's eye.

-But why a Suna vest, when it would have been so easy to just steal a Konoha headband-

Kaya's eyes moved downward, and a cold finger under chin caused her to look up.

"You've been lying to all of us." Kaya swallowed, feeling the familar prick in her eyes as she closed them

She'd been so careful.

She'd been so sure that her disguise was fool-proof.

She hadn't been ready for the same calculating eyes that she had spent so much time around as a child.

"Yes, I suppose I have been." She whispered, opening her eyes and meeting Gaara's. A tear fell, and his hand was automatically there to pick it up.

To keep it from falling.

To keep her from falling.

Kaya settled her cheek into his palm, her eyes closed as she forced back a sob.

"I'm sorry, Gaa-Kun... I truely am sorry."

Just like that, her careful planning fell to the floor. And her disguise fell with it.

Leaving her naked, bare in his arms.

It didn't take a fool to realize that she'd broken the moment that she walked into the room. But Kaya was the only one who knew that Gaara was the only one who'd be able to fix this.

No matter how much she'd rather be back in Suna while he was in Konoha.