Sand and Snow

~ Part II ~

Chapter 12
Half Blood

The winds were brisk with heat that day, a sign that summer had reached its peak.

Trapped in a cycle of a never-ending bathe of warmth, the lands that were coated in the pale sands of eternity were seldom subject to the cold winds to the north or the changing seasons of the east. Not even the cool winds from the seas to the south offered clarity. The only mercy in the desert was the night, a time where the land turned blue from the moonlight that danced upon the dunes, caressed by the dropping temperatures and its cool winds. It would be several more hours until dusk, and the heat scorched everything in its wake. The Land of Wind was a most unforgiving place.

As the winds swayed his messy crimson hair that day, he stood calm upon the village cliffs overlooking the horizon of yellow wastes. It was the same place he confided in Kankuro his dream of becoming Kazekage, he remembered, when he returned from Konoha a changed boy no longer ruled by the darkness that fed into his fractured heart. It seemed so long ago to him now. The name 'Gaara of the Sand Waterfall' soon faded into the sands of time, the rumors of his bloodlust falling flat on the winds before they could reach a traveler's ear. Just as the elders wanted, the Kazekage clan once again laid claim to the village authority through a descendant, but this time fate had it include a jinchuriki. The decision was tumultuous at best due to the elders who shunned him for being the feared jinchuriki of Shukaku, but they desired a powerful heir from the Kazekage clan bloodline above all else.

Gaara was the only plausible option.

Becoming a powerful and feared shinobi across the lands in his youth, he quickly rose throughout the ranks of his village, earning the nomination for Kazekage at the mere age of fifteen – a young man, albeit still a teenager. Nevertheless, he decided upon himself to reign with a wise and progressive outlook for his village and its citizens. Surprising himself, it was as though his mere nomination gained him respect from his peers as if overnight. Nearing sixteen, Gaara stood no longer a boy but a young man. His patience and prowess was etched into the stoic glint of his seafoam eyes, looking off into the desert as the winds blew past, swaying his red hair and ruffling the folds of his burgundy shirt. With a silent breath, he closed his ringed-eyes and entered his mind.

Towering over him was the tanuki, the legendary and feared sand-spirit of Suna.

Its jagged concave jaw appeared as if it were mocking the ant-sized human its shadow covered, permanently grinning at any mortal in its sights. A creature of condescension and short-temperedness, Gaara thought to himself. For the first time in years, Shukaku stood before him without the barriers that chained it to the water-covered floor of his psyche. Strange enough, there was a subtle glint of calm within the beast's black and yellow eyes.

"I must say…" Shukaku began. "For a brat, you've certainly grown more trusting of me. Too trusting, if I should say so myself."

"And you're as rowdy as ever, especially since I lifted the final seal." Gaara answered, his tone crisp and cool. "You should know that I have no choice but to trust you. We are bound together, you and me – whether we like it or not." Shukaku answered back in silence, its glance fixated on the young jinchuriki who stood before it. Only the sound of its swaying tail filled the echoing chamber. Averting his eyes from the beast, Gaara looked down at the water below. "I have to admit, harnessing your chakra certainly took more effort than I anticipated."

"Heh!" Shukaku scoffed, amused. "I figured stealing your sleep makes it an even trade… now that you've grown resistant to my madness." Cracking the sand riddling its expression, its forged grin spread across its jaw. "Or have you…? I wonder… do you still itch at the sight of a full moon?"

Rising his gaze to meet the creature's expression, the beast's sputtering laughter that escaped from its grin did not move him one bit. "I only itch to silence you, nothing more."

A bellowing laugh echoed from the tanuki, rumbling the rippling water beneath them. "You're an amusing runt, I'd give you that!" Shukaku scoffed. "Your bastard of a gold-dust father is probably rolling in his grave, knowing how far you've come! Being a jinchuriki is a greater curse than any, you should be grateful that I let you use my chakra at will!"

While looking into the beast's eyes, he was reminded of his friend. The knucklehead ninja from Konohagakure of the far eastern lands, Uzumaki Naruto. It had been two years of bitter work but thanks to his resolve from their battle, Gaara stood before his tailed-beast a changed shinobi and a changed jinchuriki. The silent bond of the unspoken friendship he held for Naruto only solidified his end goals further, pushing him past the shadow of what he once was. It warmed him to see how far he came since then.

"Shukaku, until now I've always considered you unpleasant," Gaara called, his voice calm. When the beast looked down to its jinchuriki, it swore it saw the faint line of a smile on his lips. "It was because I was a jinchuriki that I was able to meet Naruto… So, there's one thing I'm grateful to you for now."

"Ah, that fox brat!" Shukaku jeered, whipping its tail behind it. "You did become difficult to control after that encounter, I must say…" Leaning closer with a rumbling echo to its movement, it rested its paws before him, its monstrous head glaring into the calm human. "Since you've met that strange-eyed wolf-girl, you lost all interest in being the killer you were destined to be… why?"

Hearing Shukaku mention her struck him for a moment.

It had been nearly a year since they last spoke, seeing her depart from the village along with his sister as her squad's captain. Being in the normal troops as a young jonin was the ideal path to reach his goal of Kazekage, but it kept him further away from forming more bonds with his peers – like Nomasaki. When he saw her last, she was too short and scrawny of a girl for her Suna flak jacket and he remembered how she told him she was excited to leave Suna on a mission for the first time since the Chunin Exams. Her strange eyes were full of hope, but he could still see a faint glimmer of fear within them. Whether that was from his chakra or from being a shinobi, he was unsure. As he watched her leave with Temari and their teammates that morning, memories of the wounds he inflicted upon her suddenly came rushing back. In his mind, her cheek was sliced and bleeding, and the shoulder of her white tunic was wet with crimson. Keeping his distance from the others not only let him learn how to control the chakra of his tailed-beast better, but it also strengthened his resolve to never again allow hurt to come to her – or anyone.

He was going to protect them instead.

"Forming bonds is more precious than living a selfish existence." He answered. "Naruto taught me that… and so did she."

Lifting up its head, Shukaku let out a booming laugh. Underneath, the water shook and rumbled as if a fair sea. Unmoving, Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly towards the creature, confused by its response to his words. Once it was finished, the beast gave him a vile glance of dismay. "Don't tell me you still think of her…" It groaned, pointing to him. "You know I can read your thoughts! A day hasn't gone by in the past year when you haven't thought of that mutt! You're still shaken by the wounds you gave her, aren't you?"

"That's none of your concern, Shukaku."

Remembering her friendly face, his thoughts grew saddened at the memories of her wounds. The blood. How his tailed-beast twisted and writhed at the feel of her nearby, his own psyche being pulled in the process. Even after the exams, he remembered how she would be the one to approach him during assignments when no one else would, how she would offer her bento to him on missions together, and he even watched her defend his name from afar with his Third Eye jutsu from her disgruntled teammate. She was surprisingly kind and warm towards him – and she called him her friend.

A friend.

For the first time since he made amends with his siblings, he had the friendship of another offered to him through her friendly and timid glance. As he remembered the strange color of her eyes, he realized there was something more than hope and fear within them. Bravery was there as well. He had to admire her for that. Averting his eyes from his tailed-beast, he pushed himself to see past the wounds burned forever into his memory.

"I… hurt her, yet she forgives me and calls me her friend… It's perplexing." He said, looking up to the tanuki's dismayed scowl. "She's unlike the others."

"Knowing you won't listen – I'll tell you anyways," Shukaku growled, lowering its monstrous head closer. "You've let a wolf come to your door… That much I'm willing to burst forth and kill her myself!"

Standing calm and still, Gaara was unmoved. "Do you feel threatened?"

"Keh – what do you take me for?! Some scared mutt with my tail between my legs!?" Shukaku was not pleased. Whipping its embellished tail with its infinite mosaic of purple markings, the strength between them suddenly became noticeable as the beast's chakra filled the chamber. Wind struck the chamber from its jagged jaw, blowing against the jinchuriki with an unimaginable force. Standing firm, Gaara blocked the winds with his arms folded before him, the fabric of his burgundy jacket whipping behind as he stood on the disturbed water. "I'm the mighty Shukaku – Ultimate Defense is my pride!" The beast wailed. "All I know is that while tanuki and fox are rivals, wolves are our true enemy! They have eyes that see everything… their presence lurking amongst the winds like ghosts. Them and their intrusive eyes… curse them all!"

As the winds calmed, Gaara looked upon his tailed-beast with a subtle smug. "I never took you to be the fearful type, Shukaku." Seeing the beast taken aback by his retort, he calmed his expression, the familiar stoic and stern demeanor returning to his pale face. "I'm afraid your concerns aren't needed here. There's only one wolf in Suna, and she is the last. Rest assured, I doubt she'll injure your pride."

"The girl can't be trusted." Shukaku finished, its words heavy with contempt. "Mark my words – wolves are bad news… and you know it!"

Feeling the warm breeze sway by, Gaara opened his eyes to his reality.

For a conversation that felt as if it lasted hours, it was only a second in the world around him. The hot air of morning weighed heavy on the winds, the desert sun still blinding in the pale blue skies. Since lifting the final seal on Shukaku, he became not only accustomed to using the beast's chakra but also paying mind to its want for internal chatter. Things were still far from amicable, but the beast's bloodlust was at least calmed for the time being. With a sigh, Gaara closed his eyes. The words Shukaku spoke to him fought against each other in his thoughts, pulling at each other until there was nothing left. As he suspected, the beast was fixated on her as well.

Strange, he thought to himself – but why?

Perhaps the beast was being tumultuous – just as its hatred of the nine-tails and foxes. Tanuki were truly strange and antagonizing creatures – and definitely short of temper and patience.

"Gaara-sama," As the sound of the wooden door creaked upon the rooftop, a Suna shinobi entered and knelt behind him while the winds rose with the sands. Opening his eyes, Gaara's focus remained on the village horizon below, his expression stoic and calm. "The Suna Council has requested an audience with you, discussing your imminent appointment as Fifth Kazekage."

Glancing towards the shinobi, he gave a subtle nod. "Very well."

Seated where his father once sat years before, Gaara found himself before his council. Towering behind him were the stone-carved statues of the past Kazekage, keeping a watchful and silent eye on the council chambers through their slate expressions of might and strength. Considered a holy place by some of the elders, to enter the room uninvited was an act of high disrespect. Surrounding the young leader at the grand table were his advisors, the elders, and the senior councilmen – each of them with a unique focus and area of expertise. Much to the chagrin of the elders, a senior advisor was noticeably absent from the important meeting. Kenzō, who normally sat at the left of the Kazekage had missed the meeting due to a 'prior engagement'. The council voiced it as arrogance. Thankfully, a familiar face sat upon the council beside him. Clothed in his council garbs, Baki sat sternly at the right-hand of his former student, carefully overlooking the forms laid out before him. While the young Kazekage stood to give the opening address, a senior advisor began the discussions as Gaara returned to his seat calm and collected before his councilmen.

"First order of business," The senior advisor – Zarō started, glancing towards the young Kazekage. "We must assign you an assistant, someone we can trust with abilities that are useful. They will be aiding in your day-to-day tasks and be a devoted confidant."

Another councilman nodded. "I agree. Being that Kankuro-sama and Temari-sama are already bodyguard and ambassador, respectively, it should be someone from outside the Kazekage clan. It should be a jonin of Sunagakure, and someone who understands the laws and customs of the village. Preferably a shinobi with great expertise."

Baki turned to Gaara, who sat silently as his ringed-eyes pondered the thoughts in his mind. "What say you, Kazekage-sama?" He asked, examining his expression from a distance. "Do you have anyone in mind for the position?"

"Yes," An elder councilman nodded from across the Kazekage, entertaining the idea. "If you have someone selected, that would save us the trouble of scouring the village for a suitable candidate. Our numbers are still quite low… so unfortunately we're low on options."

For a moment, Gaara pondered to himself about the decision. His first decision and act as Kazekage. How should he choose? Someone he could trust with useful abilities, someone who would be loyal to him – someone who could be his confidant. Then, he remembered the girl he saved in the desert nearly two years earlier, the girl who could sense chakra along far distances.

The wolf.

As Shukaku tried to deter him further from her, it seemed the universe was pushing him to choose her as his candidate against all odds. The council seemed to be, anyways. Having only been in Sunagakure for hardly three years, he heard her sensory skills were the talk of the higher-ups since she ascended to chunin following those exams. Word has it that she was recently promoted to jonin-level – Temari told him herself. The more he thought of her, the more he seemed to entertain the idea of taking her on. She fit the requirements laid out by the councilman instantly. She was a jonin, she was a sensory-type, and she was trustworthy.

He made his decision.

"Nomasaki of the Yamamori clan," He answered, his eyes gazing at the council in a stern and calm nature. "It's been my recent understanding that the Suna Council promoted her to jonin about a week ago, and she's also a sensory-type shinobi. She is my first choice."

A councilman gasped, dismayed by the suggestion. "The outsider? Can we trust her?"

"Yes." Gaara nodded, serious in his decision. "She's of the village and she displayed her loyalty by choosing to accel within our shinobi ranks. She may be from an outside land, but we can trust her."

One of the councilmen stood from their seat, drawing the ire of the surrounding councillors in attendance. "But the girl knows nothing of our customs!" He shouted. "She's foreign-born, she lacks the blood of the sand –!?"

"That may be," Baki stood, sternly eyeing the disgruntled elder. "But you must remember – the girl came to us. She dons the emblem of Sunagakure on her headband and as Gaara-sama has pointed out – she has devoted her life to be a shinobi of our ranks." Facing the entirety of the council, he gave a subtle nod in agreement. "I support the young Kazekage-sama and his decision."

Somewhat startled by the support, Gaara watched Baki take his seat in silent surprise as the elder grit his teeth and reluctantly took his seat amongst them. For his first decision as the village leader, his former sensei was the first to voice his support. He felt honored, in a way. He almost wished Kankuro was back early from his mission so he could have seen it for himself.

"Alright, then. The motion is put forward." Zarō acknowledged with a nod. Turning to the rest of the council, he gave then a serious glance. "All in favor?"

Within a matter of moments, the strange-eyed foreigner from the northern lands was voted in as the Kazekage's new assistant by the council. It was a vote tense of hard stares and reluctant voicing, striking a nerve in the prejudice of generations passed. As he stood before his new council, Gaara understood then that he had a future of tough negotiations ahead of him. Surprising him, Shukaku had not dared to stir while he sat in council – not even when her name was spoken in full. He did not know if its lack of voice was a change of heart or it giving up on its warnings.

"Again!" Temari shouted, giving a coy grin as she readied her fan. "But with more force!" In the gleam of the dimming afternoon sun, the Suna ninja leapt above into the orange skies and released a forceful wind from his palms. With the swing of her heavy war-fan, Temari countered them with ease, his body awkwardly falling to the cushion of dunes below as her weapon struck the sands with a great impact.

As part of the new jonin training regimen in Sunagakure, the rookie jonin recently entering the ranks were supervised by a seasoned shinobi and tested on their reflexes in battle. Temari gladly took up the position and used her fan as she saw fit, challenging the new jonin with their ninjutsu skills and cunning. Getting a break from the responsibilities of being the Suna Ambassador to Konoha was seen as most desirable on her part, and she deeply missed the thrill of combat. With a grunt, the young man slowly lifted himself from the sands that covered him, coughing out a clump of wet grains as he tried to stand on his feet.

"You have to put your back into it!" Temari chided with a sigh. "Try it again, Kidora."

"Yes, Temari-sama!"

Watching from a safe distance alone, Nomasaki looked on at her comrades engaged in a friendly spar.

The sands were hot against the soles of her shoes as she stood with her katana pierced in the grains before her, her hands clasped over the hilt while she looked on with a light smile on her lips. Dressed in black shinobi attire and the Suna flak jacket while donning her gleaming forehead protector, she stood calm and collected and kept a watchful eye of the spar. The winds were soft against her cheeks that afternoon, her skin of winter growing more tolerant of the abnormal heat and swelter from the desert. It had been two years since Nomasaki took up the ranks of the Suna shinobi, her boyish frame and meek nature hardened by the ruthless training of her superiors. She was on her way to becoming a seasoned kunoichi, earning the trust of the comrades around her. To the surprise of the elders, the foreigner half-blood was rising through their ranks, wearing their emblem and performing their missions in their stead. The memory of how her hands burnt as she tried to learn medical-ninjutsu from Meiyumi made her look back fondly. Her chakra was too 'wild' as Meiyumi had put it, and lacked the precise control for healing hands. Similar to that was her genjutsu abilities – she had none. All her chakra was good for was for sensing the presence of others and for casting her ninjutsu. Wind and earth release techniques were her forte, but discovering her water affinity was definitely a surprise. Once again, however, her 'wild' chakra could not be tamed to bend to the will of the flowing and calm water. The rank of chunin had suited her so well that the higher-ups decided to promote her to jonin only a week prior – a move that not only surprised her but shocked the elders who protested. Hesitantly, she took on the honor, but she doubted she was ready in the first place.

She had not even made her first kill – and she was a shinobi.

"A shinobi who cannot kill is not a shinobi," she overheard some of her superiors' banter, "Those who can't be true shinobi are cowards…"

Wrenching in her gut as she walked by, she shuddered at the mere thought. Despite her following her duties for nearly three years, she was still soft at heart, choosing to make the hunt rather than make the kill. Hunting for food in the mountains was one thing – fighting to the death was another. As a shinobi, one's duty is to the mission at hand – and one must complete their mission above all else. A shinobi must not show their emotions at all costs – and a shinobi must never show weakness. Duty was the only thing that mattered. She knew all of those things, and still she persisted with a heavy heart. The village granted her freedom after losing her home.

What choice did she have?

Sensing a chakra approach, she turned towards her comrades as the presence appeared between them in the sands outside the village. Standing sternly, a bearded Suna ninja caught the attention of Temari and a panting Kidora. The man appeared to be in his forties, maybe older. A messenger, she thought to herself.

"Sorry to interrupt, Temari-sama," The Suna ninja bowed his head. "Our new Kazekage-sama has requested an audience with you."

Resting her fan under her arm, Temari raised a brow. "What seems to be the issue?"

"Not you, Temari-sama." The Suna ninja stepped closer. Gesturing towards Nomasaki, he gave a stern-faced nod in her direction. "The foreigner. Come now, at once."

Jolting her, Nomasaki thought her katana was going to slip out of her fingers. The mention of the Kazekage had certainly taken down her guard, her heart near skipping a beat in the process. "M-Me?" She stammered, shocked. "What for?"

Crunching her feet in the sands, Temari paused between them. Shooting a smug grin towards the messenger, she conveyed her tire of him with her taunting emerald eyes. "Tell my brother we're busy. She'll be at his office chambers when our training for the day is complete."

Taken aback, the bearded Suna ninja flinched, his eyes wide in dismay. "But Kazekage-sama has requested–,"

"But what?!" Temari snapped, asserting her authority. Narrowing her eyes at him, she shot him an expression as stern as it was fearful. She had no time for such annoyances. "Do not forget – I'm his eldest sister. I carry as much bloodline from the late Fourth as he does!"

"Y-Yes, m'lady!" The Suna ninja nodded, his arms straight at his sides. "I-I'll report to him at once!"

When the messenger vanished amongst the sand-ridden winds, Temari walked towards her while Kidora clumsily gathered all his discarded shuriken lost within the dunes. Seeing her approach, Nomasaki met her glance with curious and nervous eyes. "I don't understand…" She started to ask, looking down. "What would Gaara, no – Kazekage-sama want from me?"

With a sigh, Temari pondered as her hand found its way under her chin in thought. "If I had to make any guess, I'd say it would be to his guard – or assistant." Turning towards her, she gave a subtle nod. "Remember – he's Kazekage now. You're a sensory-type, so there is a certain need for your kind."

"My kind?"

"He has yet to take office yet he's bold enough to start calling council…" Temari groaned to herself jokingly. "Such a cocky brat, he is sometimes. Father did train him well, I suppose." Turning to her, she gave a light smirk. "I wonder what he has in store you for… Maybe his assistant… or a guard. With you, you could go either way."

"Not to sound rude, Temari-senpai," Nomasaki spoke, her timid-nature latching onto her voice. "But I don't know Gaara that well – aside from the odd run-in during missions." Averting her eyes in shame, she looked down towards the sands around her feet. "I was just promoted to jonin last week… I don't know what he wants from me, I don't really have anything to offer."

Startling her, Temari firmly placed her hand on the shoulder of her flak jacket. Flinching, she met Temari's smug grin beside her. "I guess you should find out, then! Just for that – I'm calling off our training so you can greet him early."

"T-Temari-senpai –?!"

She was barely able to spit out the words.

Walking off towards Kidora, Temari left her friend alone to contemplate her impending arrangement with the young Kazekage. Nomasaki could feel herself tremble as she stood on the high orange dunes watching her comrades from afar. Standing as the warm winds of the desert blew past, she gazed out towards the horizon of orange and dimming yellow. Sand coated everything as far as her eyes could see. Although used to the climate, her heart still ached for the cold of her mountains. She would return in a heartbeat if she could – but there was no home to turn back to. Somewhere in the village behind her, that estranged man lived – or once lived, she reminded herself. The mention of his existence in her thoughts saddened her and filled her with rage all at once. The more she gazed out into the sands, the more she was convinced she would find him. All she could see were mirages and sandstorms if she focused too far on the horizon, Temari would tell her time and time again, never once asking why she was staring out into the desert in the first place.

No one did, and she thought it was for the best.

Feeling a familiar chakra pause beside her from behind, she heard the wolf's paws sink upon the sand at the surface. Towering at near seven feet at the shoulder, Hanone stood at her side, his beastly yellow eyes following her blank gaze into the hazy desert lands of death. "You seem troubled," He grumbled. "What bothers you?"

"…My father," She spoke, her calm voice cutting through her teeth while her violet eyes appeared empty. "Are you sure he's still alive? That he's in these lands?"

A grunt passed through the wolf's jaws, his muzzle flaring slightly as he remembered the name of that accursed man. It was known since she was a child that Hanone hated all humans. Having been left the last of the Wolf clan for near a hundred years following the great 'hunt' during the Warring States Era, Hanone felt a vicious contempt for any non-wolf-blooded human. But in time she grew to realize there were certain humans he despised above all else – her nameless father and Gaara, the jinchuriki. Despite being a human herself, Hanone refused to acknowledge her as such. As her guardian, he looked to her more as a student – or a 'pup', as he said once before.

Once his snarl escaped, his gaze on the desert lands narrowed while he kept his anger at bay. "The last thing I want is to see that foul-eyed bastard unless his head is resting between my jaws. With any luck, his life was claimed long ago… Maybe his bones rest in these sands? Perhaps his desert gods did him a mercy on part of your mother."

Her mother.

She felt her eyes grow heavy with the sobs that she silenced from her shinobi training over the last two years. Just a single mention of her late mother was enough to provoke such a reaction, let alone the allusion to her nameless father. How broken she was. Placing her katana into his sheath on her back, she closed her eyes and took a careful breath in silence. Opening her eyes, she glanced to her wolf.

"Hanone," She spoke. "We're done training for the day. Can I return you to your scroll?"

"Keh!" The wolf scoffed, licking his curled lips. As he watched her take out the aged and damaged scroll from her pack, he gave her a foreboding glare of caution. "If you meet with that tanuki-eyed bastard, keep your wits about you. You know what he is… he's not one to be taken lightly, even for a human."

Sadly, she averted her glance from his as she knelt, placing the scroll on the dunes. "I know."