Hi, Ponchoninjax3 here, avoiding my adult responsibilities like a champion! I've loved hearing from you guys and I can't wait to know what you think of this next chapter! Enjoy!
Suna looked far worse for wear than the last time Beki had laid eyes on it. What had been a few trails of smoke drifting through the air were now pillars, the entrance of the village looked like it had caved in, and she could hear people screaming from at least a mile out. Beki pulled her hood back as she approached; the last thing the villagers needed was a suspicious looking stranger speeding towards them. The guards went on alert when they laid eyes on Beki and came out to meet her.
"Sunagakure is not allowing access to outside shinobi at the moment," The oldest of the guards was staring her down. His voice was courteous but his gaze was suspicious.
Beki looked around for anyone familiar, someone who could vouch for her. She spotted Temari giving some orders to a bunch of genin with wheelbarrows and opened her mouth to call for her. Before she had a chance, a hand was clapped on her shoulder.
"It's all right. I recognize her," Baki waved the guards off and turned to Beki. "Miss Tsukimori, I'm afraid you've come to us at a bad time."
"I know, I heard," Beki gestured towards the guards. "Thanks, by the way."
Baki nodded in acknowledgement and sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised word got out so fast. We've been trying to keep it under wraps. I guess it was foolish of me to think something as big as the Kazekage being abducted could stay contained."
Beki wanted to comfort the clearly distressed man but she didn't want to give too much away. Baki was the closest thing the Sand siblings had to a parent and he was probably worried sick about Gaara. Not to mention, he was probably freaking out about how the rest of the shinobi world would react to the news of Gaara's kidnapping. It would the village look weak at best and at worst it would be vulnerable to further attack.
"I wouldn't be too concerned," Beki reassured him. "I'm stationed in Konoha where they dispatched the rescue team. I just happened to be in the vicinity when the first squad was deployed. They're keeping a tight lid on it, otherwise."
Baki cast his gaze on the ground at his feet. "That makes sense." When he raised his eyes back to Beki, he asked: "Then what brings you here?"
"I want to help," Beki said automatically. "Anything I can do to lend a hand?"
Baki stood there silently, expecting more of an explanation.
"No one sent me, but once I heard about what happened I knew this is where I needed to be," Beki explained. "This Akatsuki business affects the entire shinobi world. I may not be ambassador yet, but I can safely say if my dad knew what was up he would be standing right where I am."
"If you were anyone else I would turn you away," Baki nodded. "Because I am aware of the special relationship you share with the Kazekage, however, I know he would want me to accept your aide on his behalf."
It was everything Beki had not to heave a sigh of relief. If she had come all the way out to Suna just to get turned away at the door, there was no telling what she would have done to retaliate. "So, what do you have for me?"
"The team from Konoha is at the hospital. Haruno Sakura just saved Kankuro from Sasori's poison and has been working on developing an antivenom," Baki explained.
Beki nodded silently but a chill crawled down her spine. Gaara had been captured and Kankuro was almost killed while trying to save him. Moments like this reminded Beki she was in the big leagues now, no one was going to take it easy on her because she was a teenager. Baki waved over a genin. "Escort Miss Tsukimori to the rescue squad from Konoha," He turned his attention back to Beki. "Good luck, and be careful." He gestured to her headband. "Getsu technically has no business in this. You may want to conceal that."
"That may be true but there was no way I could sit this one out," Beki touched the headband self-consciously. "I'm not going to hide from the consequences, either."
Baki nodded and gave her a pat on the shoulder. As the genin waved for her to follow, Baki walked off to attend to other matters. The genin eagerly led Beki through the path the Suna shinobi had carved around the cave in. Beki lost herself to wondering how the conversation would go with Team 7. Naruto and Sakura probably wouldn't care so much that Beki had tagged along, but Kakashi would probably have something to say about it. He seemed a stickler-for-the-rules type. Beki considered what sorts of excuses she could give but ultimately decided to deliver the same speech she gave Baki. As the hospital came into view, it struck Beki how much smaller it was than the one in Konoha. A quick double take disproved that initial impression. The Sunagakure hospital wasn't necessarily smaller, it was just spread out as individual buildings instead of one multistory structure.
"They were just here," The genin said, looking around. "This is Lord Kankuro's room. They should be back here any minute."
"Thanks," Beki gave the kid a small bow and watched him hurry away. She waited patiently for a few minutes outside the door while soft groans drifted through the cracks. Doctors and nurses hurried past her, casting wary glances in Beki's direction. Her answer of "I'm waiting for someone," hardly seemed enough to waylay their fears. Knowing a visit from security would happen in the near future, Beki knocked on Kankuro's door.
"Come in," the voice was weak and Beki barely recognized it as Kankuro's. She stepped in slowly and made a point of talking before he could fully see her.
"I heard you got messed up pretty bad," Beki said with a friendly smile. "How are you feeling?"
Kankuro looked like death warmed over. His skin was ashen and pale. Deep dark circles ringed his eyes so much they rivaled Gaara's trademark patches. The way he was sunken into his pillows and bedding gave the look of extreme weakness and frailty. Without his makeup and his all black get up, Kankuro looked downright normal. One could even argue that he was forgettable. He had a mop of messy brown hair and beady brown eyes. His height was average, his build was average. It was clear that his siblings had soaked up all the good looks between them. That, and Kankuro's somewhat sour personality left something to be desired. At the sight of Beki, he inhaled in surprise, which set him off on a fit of coughing.
"Hey, hey," Beki ran over to his bedside to pour him a cup of water. "Take it easy!"
Kankuro snatched the cup and drank it down in one shot. After a few moments to catch his breath, he looked up at her almost scowling. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
"I heard about what happened to Gaara," Beki explained. "I had to come."
Kankuro put his hands over his eyes and sighed. "You're crazy."
Her patience was thin and his reaction to her good intentions set her off. Beki cried: "And you apparently suck as a solider!" She clapped the yellow plastic pitcher on the bedside table, splashing water everywhere. "Sasori is a puppet user. You got your ass kicked at your own game!"
"He cheated!" Kankuro swung at her blindly and started coughing again.
Beki grumbled and poured him another cup, which he drank grudgingly. "They were way the hell out of my league. I figured that out within seconds but I couldn't just let them take Gaara without a fight," He looked up at Beki. "Don't even try to take them on, kid. They'll chew you up and spit you out. You're better off warming the bench with me till the Konoha crew sorts it out."
"I came in here to pay you a nice visit and I am feeling so attacked right now," Beki folded her arms. "I'll have you know I'm a full-fledged shinobi with a chunin rank I earned fair and square and a kekke genkai scary enough to make grown men cry like babies-"
"And I'm a jounin with some of the goriest kills this village has ever seen under my belt," Kankuro interrupted. "They put me down in minutes. They put Gaara down in less than an hour."
Beki sat there listening to him, trying to balance out her pride with the value of the advice he was giving her. Kankuro had gone off halfcocked against these guys and it had almost cost him his life.
"I know your heart is in the right place on this, but let the pros handle it, Tsukimori," Kankuro sighed. "I can probably guilt-trip Temari into letting you help out with the relief effort."
"So, you don't think I can help Team 7 get your brother back?" Beki asked.
"I think you've been cooped up being a playmate to an heiress for the last two years, the chunin exams excluded," Kankuro explained. "Then again, their structured nature disqualifies them as any real shinobi work, truth be told."
"So, no, you don't think I can handle it," Beki poured another cup of water. Kankuro reached out for it but Beki downed it and tossed the empty cup on the bed beside him.
"No, and so help me God, if Gaara gets back and you got hurt I'll never hear the end of it," Kankuro sighed, tossing the empty cup on the table.
"I think," Beki folded her arms, "That you're jealous that everyone gets to go off and fight and you're stuck here in a hospital bed. I think you're lonely and you're trying to talk me out of going because you want someone to hang around and be your nanny goat."
"I don't need to tell you how baked your ass is for what you're doing," Kankuro said. "You know better than to involve yourself in other villages' business. I won't have to kick your ass, because I've seen Tsukimori Seiichiro and I know he will do that for me. Hell, this might even get you yanked out of the warm, comforting embrace of the Leaflings. Make you live like a real shinobi for a while."
He is purposely trying to piss me off, Beki thought, narrowing her eyes. But why?
The footsteps coming down the hallway were instantly familiar to Beki.
"You son of a bitch," Beki socked Kankuro's shoulder, only pulling the force enough to keep from really hurting him.
"Sorry," Kankuro gave her a weak smile. "I can't let you get hurt."
"You're letting Temari loose on me?!" Beki looked around the room, desperate for an escape.
"No hard feelings," Kankuro gave her a small shrug. "Sometimes being a big brother means being the bad guy to keep everybody safe."
There was no choice but to face this head on. Beki pulled up her hood, dipped her head, and stepped out into the hall. Temari nearly collided with her, to which Beki mumbled a quick apology, and headed out into the city.
Shit, Beki thought. Kankuro's going to blow the whistle on me. Once Temari knows I'm here, she'll hunt me down and probably hold me in a jail cell till this all gets sorted out. Beki looked around and spotted the genin that had escorted her earlier. "Hey, have you seen the Konoha shinobi? They never showed at the hospital."
The genin looked up at her and nodded. "I guess Konoha sent another squad to help. Both squads headed out after the bad guys together a little while ago."
Great, Beki thought. I'm behind again. "Thanks," Beki ruffled his hair. "Stay safe."
He grumbled something after her but Beki was already on her way to the entrance. No one paid her much mind on the way out. Baki had moved on to something more important, and the villagers had made a lot of headway clearing the entrance. It wasn't much for Beki to squeeze out amidst the workers. Not wanting to bother anybody, Beki looked for tracks heading out into the desert. Shinobi of different villages all wore specialized shoes, so all Beki had to do was pick out the familiar Konoha tread amidst all the cubed Suna tracks. Beki was already discombobulated from being passed around from Baki to Kankuro to having to engage in the chase after the Konoha ninja. What little sleep she had been catching had been poor and wrought with nightmares. All she could do was pray that once she caught up that she would be a help and not a hindrance.