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Chapter 15: Promise

The barracks were alive with movement, filled to capacity with Shinobi from all over the lands that now all seemed to be blending together. Kira stood off to the side, watching a group of Ninja hurry past her with supplies. The animosity of different nations toward each other was still there, as most kept to their own people, but it was still a wonder to see them living together. No fights had broken out at least, and Kira liked to think that was a good sign.

"Got them," the voice behind her called, followed by the ruffle of cloth. Kira turned in time to see the flap of the tent she'd been standing in front of fall closed and Tenten appear from within. The weapons master held up two newly made forehead protectors, and handed the one with dark purple cloth to Kira. Looking at it, Kira felt a bit uneasy not seeing the Suna symbol on the metal, but rather the symbol for the entire war force. The Allied Shinobi. It felt kind of wrong to not be able to really represent her home, but it was a show of unity to the enemy, and Kira could understand why it was needed.

"Thanks," she muttered and began tying it to her belt like normal. She couldn't stand it on her forehead, it always made her sweat more. "For helping with my hair earlier as well."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "You already thanked me for that," she pointed out. "I really don't understand why it made much of a difference, you only wanted a few inches off. It's still likely to get in your way." She was right. Kira knew that her hair looked almost exactly the same, but it had been getting too long for her liking. As for her other comment…well, Kira knew that long hair could be dangerous in battle, even more so when it was within reach of the enemy like hers was. Yet Kira loved her hair too much, it felt like a right to be able to wear it as she did.

"When I was being trained my master wouldn't let me have long hair, he made me keep it around the same length as Sai's," she explained, tying off her headband. "The one time I tried to grow it out he cut it off with a kunai. He hadn't been pleased at my insubordination when he'd come back from his mission. My hair had been in patchy lengths for weeks. When he'd died I'd realized I could grow it out and my mother had started styling it in different ways till I found one I liked."

Tenten made a face that was somewhere between a scowl and a grimace. "Sounds like an asshole," she grumbled and Kira couldn't help but silently agree. She hadn't told Tenten who her master was, it would have made it too easy for her friend to figure out she was ANBU, and Kira wasn't sure she could let Tenten know that yet. She wanted to tell her, but for now, she knew it was best not to say anything. "I guess I can see why you'd want to wear it long then."

"Let's go find something to eat," Kira suggested, and her friend nodded. They started off, walking through the barracks. Some tempary food shops had been put up near the main building, and even though it was an odd time – two in the afternoon – they were still bustling with hungry ninja. They got in line for tempura and rice, a good five people in front of them. Kira shifted, tugging at her hair for a moment before sighing.

"What's up?" Tenten asked, tilting her head, seeming to understand the raven haired teen's fidgeting rather well. It was interesting how quickly Tenten had gotten to know Kira, even though this was only the second time they'd seen each other in person. Maybe letters did more than she realized.

"Just thinking about tomorrow," Kira muttered lowly, not wanting others to hear. Tenten frowned and nodded her head in understanding. Tomorrow was, after all, the day of reckoning. The first day of the war.

"You and Sai better be careful," she grumbled in a slightly teasing tone. "Your running head first into the fray…who knows what you'll find." As she spoke her words got more and more worried sounding rather than teasing and after a moment Kira raised a hand and put in on her friend's shoulder. She'd told Tenten about her mission of course, most people already knew about the attack force she was a part of.

"We'll be careful, we always are, it's part of what being a ninja is." It was even more so what being an ANBU was. Being careful was the only way you stayed alive. "Besides we're all going to be in danger, so take your own advice, eh?"

Tenten shook her head, smiling slightly. Kira had a feeling the girl knew she was bluffing and dropped her hand from her friend's shoulder. The line moved and as they both took a few steps forward Kira looked around at the Shinobi sitting at tables and milling about. She saw several ninja she vaguely knew, a couple from her own unit. Then she saw Neji at a table and raised an eyebrow. He was eating, but he wasn't alone, yet not with anyone she'd ever seen before. He was sitting across from a girl, and from her gear she appeared to be Hidden Cloud and had short brown hair that just barely covered the top of her ears with bags that shadowed her eyes. They were a few tables away so her details were lost, but even from this distance Kira could see the band of dark green that ran across her eyes from hairline to hairline and had fang like marks growing down her cheek bones from it. Her feet, Kira noted, were also bear.

"What you looking at? Oh hey it's Neji and Reiska," Tenten said and Kira looked back to her friend.

"Who is she?" she ask perplexed. It seemed a bit odd to see the Huyga sitting with a girl alone, and the way they were leaned in gave quiet the statement. Tenten smiled, looking over to them.

"Her names Reiska Mu. She's kind of Neji's girlfriend." There was surprise in her voice and Kira raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's just that it's weird you know? Saying that. She came to the village a few months back, I think I mentioned her once in a letter… anyway she was assigned as a represented of the Stone, and Neji ended up being one of her guides. They kind of hit off…" She shrugged her shoulders at Kira surprise. "It's really cute, I've never seen him so happy before."

Kira looked back at the couple tilting her head. That was strange to think about, the idea of falling in love was something that Kira hardly thought about. She was always too busy with friends and work to even try dating, though it wasn't like she'd ever been asked either.

She was pretty sure everyone thought something was going on with her and Kankuro anyway.

She thought back through the letters Tenten had sent, trying to remember her mentioning this girl and after a few minute, slowly the few times she'd come up, resurfaced in her mind. The line moved again and they stepped forward once more. "…Didn't you say she was blind or something?" Kira asked not quite sure. Tenten nodded, a small frown on her face.

"Yeah, from what she told me, it happened during a mission. She got that tattoo to cover up the scaring." Tenten waved her hand around her eyes as she spoke. "Don't let that fool you though, she can hold her own with Neji even."

"Really?" Kira muttered curiously.

"Yeah. She uses these sensory skill she picked up from one of her senseis. She puts chakra in the ground and air around her to sense objects, and feel vibrations. She could explain it better then me though. Did you want to meet her? I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Maybe," Kira muttered ducking her head, not quite sure if she was up to meeting another person today. She was stressed as it was. "I'm kind of surprised…" she fished gaining her friend's attention again. "I kind of thought… you liked him?" At least that's what Kira had drawn her conclusion to. Tenten always spoke so highly of Neji, speaking more about him then her other teammates.

Tenten flushed looking startled but oddly not embarrassed. "Me and Neji?" she confirmed and Kira nodded. "Gods no. I mean, yeah he's nice and stuff but… " She shrugged her shoulders. "He's kind of like a brother to me. Sort of."

"Oh. Sorry," Kira muttered, embarrassed and tugged on her tail of hair once again.

"It's alright," Tenten mused, smiling. "I think a lot of people misread our group of friends, always trying to pair us all up." She snorted still smiling. "It's all kind of silly, but I guess they're not wrong completely…"

As they moved forward again, only one person ahead of them in line now, Kira tilted her head at her friend. Was there something more to what she was saying? Maybe Kira hadn't misread her friend's feeling completely, just pinpointed them on the wrong person? She was curious, but also knew this was not the time nor place to talk about such things as crushes. It wasn't like Kira could offer anything in return anyway.

"Maybe you'll tell me about it, once this is all over?" Kira asked finally and Tenten blinked, meeting her gaze for a moment before Kira looked behind her, cursing herself once more for her shyness.

"It's a deal," her friend replied with a smile and then stepped forward as the order window was freed up. Kira smiled after her, looking at her friend's back as she ordered. That conversation would be something to look forward to, perhaps the first thing she'd looked forward to in weeks.

Glancing back to Neji and the Hidden Stone girl she saw that they had just finished and were getting up to leave. Tenten's teammate smiled at the girl, taking her hand and leading her away, none the wiser to his onlookers. It took great courage to find happiness such as that in the face of so much fear and hate. Kira could only hope one day she'd know that feeling as well.

Turning back, she moved forward when Tenten waved her over to order her food. She would enjoy what little time she had left to get things in order, and then, tomorrow, it would begin.

…

He found Kira in the room she'd been sharing with Temari, sharpening the hidden blades on her Tonfas. She didn't seem to see him there, her head cocked down, concentrating on moving the slim blade across the whetstone. The constant, even sound of the metal scrapping across it was like a calm heartbeat; something Gaara was sure wasn't the case for the girl herself. She was good at hiding it though, the trained mask that she'd been forced to create under Scorpion Section's leader, though, now that Gaara thought about it, maybe that could be said for every ninja, not just the ANBU.

"You're lurking again," she muttered, the sound of the blade pausing as she looked up. Gaara blinked, realizing he should have known she knew he was there. He doubted she felt she could put her guard down when she was alone here. She gave him a small smile, her hand releasing its grip on the pressure plat that kept the blade out. She twirled it around in her hand as she tilted her head, eyes shifting off of him to look slightly behind them. "What's up?" she asked evenly before her eyes caught sight of something on him and her smile grew just a bit shy. "Oh! You found it… do you like it?"

Her question was directed at Gaara's gear, or rather, at the strap that held his weapon to his back. It was part of the reason Gaara had come to find her. When he'd gone to his room this morning to retrieve his gear he'd found the strap attached to his gourd had been replaced. The gold and burgundy design was made of over a dozen flat leather strings, weaved together in an ornate design that Gaara had found was rather strong despite it's complexity.

It had nearly screamed Kira in every way.

The redhead had been surprised to say the least, running a hand over it and memorizing the pattern. He couldn't remember the last time someone had given him something beside his siblings. He didn't wish to make a big deal out of it – after all the fact that she had simply put it on there and not given it to him directly meant she didn't want to call attention to it either – but Gaara still found himself wanting to thank her.

"Yes," he said easily, because it was true. She had even remembered the color he had said was his favorite – though really he wasn't sure it was, he just hadn't wanted to say nothing – and the red seemed rather close to his own hair color. She'd taken her time with it, that much was easy to see. "I am… curious to know why though." It seemed a rather odd time to be giving gifts, with war on their doorsteps.

Kira shifted in her seat, looking down and fiddling with her weapons. "I damaged your last one," she explained. "When we spared, I weakened it. I was worried, that it might become a liability in battle. That it might break."

Gaara remembered that day, but found it odd that she had been worried about it for so long. The strap hadn't been that damaged, but apparently her worry had gotten the better of her. She always seemed to think about his – and everyone else's, but especially his – safety first.

"I figured...better safe than sorry," she continued, sounding worried then, and Gaara realized he hadn't said anything to reassure her. He raised a pale brow and then nodded his head.

"I appreciate it. Thank you, Kira."

"Of course. Besides I had said I would make you something a while back, so I was just… making good on that." She tugged at her hair a bit glancing up at him again. Gaara just nodded his head, remembering that from one of their talks together. He supposed he hadn't really thought she would do it. "Was that why you came to see me?" She spoke again, tilting her head slightly, and Gaara had to mentally shake himself from his thoughts.

No. That hadn't been the only reason, but it had been a good excuse to come find her.

Gaara took the steps needed to join her near the window seat and paused, really taking in her gear for the first time that day. She was dressed for battle – same as him – her blue shirt all but covered by the mandatory Suna styled vest armor. Her hand wraps had been replaced with fingerless gloves, metal arm guards attached to the back of them. Her legs were much the same, metal shin guards covering part of her ninja shoes and black pants. She was wearing her travel belt, which held five small pouches with supplies in them, as well as her tonfa holster on her upper leg.

"Your team will be leaving soon," He said offhand shifting slightly. "I wanted to see you before you left." He almost hadn't, thinking it might have been best to not break her focus, but then he'd found something, and wanted to give it to her. Honestly, he wasn't very good at this, and now he was avoiding mentioning it all together. She looked to him again and smiled wider this time, as if something were funny.

"I was about to come find you, make sure the strap was okay… guess you beat me to it." She placed her weapons back in her leg holster and stood up. Gaara waited for her to continue, but she didn't. Instead she checked her belt and her gloves in a robotic motion. Was that really all she had planned to say to him?

"Kira?" he questioned taking a step closer, which got the effect he wanted. She snapped back to attention, their eyes locking for a moment before she bit her lip, shifting her gaze from his again.

"I don't know," she started, shifting her feet. "I don't want to say good bye or good luck, but I don't know what I should say… see you soon maybe?" She struggled with her words for a moment, looking frustrated before simply sighing and shaking her head.

Maybe she was more rattled then she appeared. Gaara had thought she might be. He took another step forward, reaching into a side pouch at his waist to retrieve something smooth and cylindrical in shape. He should give it to her before he came up with another way to put it off.

"Kira?" he tried again and she looked at him a bit less jarringly, tilting her head. He lifted his hand, palm down and waited for a moment. When she simply stared at the hand he held back a sigh and said, "This is for you."

"Oh," she sounded surprised, eyebrows raising before she took the needed steps to close the distance, and moved an open palm under his waiting hand. He gave the container to her and she withdrew it, looking at his gift, one brow arching more than before.

It had bothered him, what she had said the night before they had arrived at the compound. She'd spoken of vulnerability, of fear, and of having no way to shield herself from what would occur. He had not said it, but he had wished she had been able to wear the mask. Even if he didn't approve, it might have boosted her confidence. She couldn't though, so the redhead was forced to simply try to not think about it, seeing no solution to her problem.

Until that morning when Kankurō had been getting ready.

It had been a miracle all on its own really; that a vender had still had some to sell, and maybe even fate that it had been the right color. He watched as Kira looked down at the small container looking confused at first and then startled. She met his gaze again, brows pulled together.

"Paint?" she muttered in confusion and Gaara almost smiled at the curiosity seeping into her tone. It wasn't just a random paint, it wasn't meant for walls or decor. It was a face paint, something many shinobi used to decorate their faces – like his brother – as it took days for it to fade unless a solvent was applied.

"It is the same thing Kankurō uses, just a different color," he said easily glancing at the container in her hand. "You can't wear your mask… but you can create one, with this." At his words Kira shifted her gaze back down to it, and frowned for a moment.

She seemed to think it over for a few moments, maybe trying to understand what he meant by it, before he saw a small smile replace the frown. "You didn't have to do this," she murmured, glancing to him again. She looked… not shocked, but something else. "Thank you." She unscrewed the cap and peered inside, her smile widening. "It's even my favorite color, I'm kind of surprised… you remembered."

Gaara raised a brow, but she didn't sound like she meant it as a insult. Rather, perhaps with everything going on, she'd thought something so small would slip through. "I did," he muttered, shifting a bit. She smiled and then turned, walking over to a small mirror and staring at her reflection. He wasn't sure why, but her eagerness made him happy. Accomplished.

He would need to leave soon, as would she. Kira's team would leave before everyone else, and time seemed to have a way of spinning too fast. For now, though, he cherished the last few minutes of calm they had together.

"Umm…" Kira turned back around, still gripping the open paint container. She'd hadn't done much, just a three finger wide swipe from temple to temple over her eyes and nose, and fang like marks pointing down from it, framing her face. "I don't… know what I'm doing…" Her skinned flushed, embarrassed and Gaara gave her a look.

Why did she think he knew what she should do?

Kira sighed, and sat down on the edge of one of the beds, looking at the mirror again, shoulders slumped. It was a bit amusing that something so simple would cause such a reaction.

"Sorry, I just...wanted it to look like something. Since you took the time to get it for me," she explained and Gaara understood then. Maybe she could feel the ticking of time just as heavily as he could. Maybe… she worried this was the last time they'd see each other. After all, hadn't she been saying she didn't want to say good-bye?

Gaara moved, walking over to her and standing in front of her. She looked up at him – a rare thing indeed, seeing as she was taller then him – and the worry in her eyes answered his guesses. He tilted his head, eyeing the marks she'd made, the sky blue startling against her golden eyes. He tried to remember all the different designs his brother did – Kankurō never seemed to wear it the same twice – and knew those weren't for her. What was though? He stared at her, and thought about things that made her strong, that made her smile. Then, just like that, he knew exactly what she needed.

Hesitantly, the redhead reached forward and dipped his pointer finger and thumb into the inky paint. He rubbed the fingers together for a moment eyeing her face again. Kira looked bewitched, staring at him unblinking for a moment before she seemed to understand he was trying to help, and closed her eyes, staying still.

Gaara wasn't sure what he was doing, but that didn't stop his hand from moving to her face, his thumb touching the edge of her nose and then swiping upward, over the ridge of her nose, between her eyebrows and then stopping more than half way up her forehead. Her skin was warm, soft like he hadn't thought it would be. Also fragile, breakable, where as the will and spirit he admired, was not.

He concentrated on the image in his mind, back tracking down the line to the near center of her forehead and taking both wet appendages, touching then together on the line and then, striking them apart, in a strait line across for about an inch. He paused for a moment, uncertain again, but knowing it was to late to turn back. He wanted to finish, not just for himself, but also for her. He moved his hand down, and touched below her lips, lining up his thumb with the line on her nose and then drew down, under her chin and part back down her neck. Then at the base of the line he drew the straight line like a necklace tight around her neck and pulled his hand away.

Kira opened her eyes after a few moments, looking to him for a second and then to the mirror, and tilted her head at the new markings. After a moment, her eyes widened and she bit her lip, recognizing them.

"These… they're…" her voice caught and she cleared her throat. "This is one of my mom's designs," she muttered quietly. Gaara nodded his head.

"You showed me a few of her pieces a while back, I remembered this one," he explained. The design had been more than what he had done of course, but he'd done the bold lines on it. "It reminded me of a tree, its branches reaching up to the sky, its roots deep in the earth. It's strong, even against great odds."

He wanted to instill that feeling in her, he wanted to tell her that, but wasn't sure how. Kira looked at her reflection for a few more moments and then smiled, closing her eyes for a moment in thought. Gaara's inked fingers tingled, and he clenched his hand together. He felt jumpy suddenly, edgy and yet not distressed in a normal sense. Something about the way she smiled as she looked in the mirror left warmth spreading through him. What was this feeling? It seemed so much more different then just joy or satisfaction. He didn't know, and for once, he didn't mind not knowing.

"You know, next month, the fire flies should start showing up," Kira said suddenly, and rather randomly. Gaara raised a brow once more at her, her change of subject leaving his pondering untended to. She just smiled and stood up, standing next to him. "Do you want to catch some with me Gaara? It could be fun." She smiled at him, as if planning for something like that was normal when they were going to war. Was this another one of her ways to distract them both? Kira always tried so hard to not think about the negative parts of life, even the ones she accepted.

Gaara didn't understand, why was she acting as if everything would be fine? They were going to war, she herself had said she was scared that she might not come back, that he might not…

Oh.

His mind clicked together the answer moments after he'd had the thought. She hadn't wanted to say good-bye, or good luck. She hadn't known what to say to him, but that she had wanted to find him.

Because this very well could be the last time they saw each other alive. Anything could happen, and so Kira was making sure they had plans. That they had something to look forward to, so they would see each other once more and keep pushing forward.

A smile twitched at his lips. "I would like that," he answered and Kira smiled again and laid a hand on his shoulder, meeting his gaze. She seemed to be asking him something in that look, as if she were saying: Promise? They just looked at each other for a moment and then Gaara raised his hand and covered hers much like she had that night by the campfire, silently conveying his answer: I promise. "I expect you by my side soon, Kira," he reminded her of her order once her team was done with their task. They would fight along side each other, and win this war.

She tilted her head, and nodded slightly. "Yeah." Then, she pulled away and tucked the now closed paint container into a side pouch. She glanced at him once more, and then, hurried from the room.

Gaara stood there for a few more seconds of time, pondering her words all the while staring at his stained thumb and pointer finger. He could get it off, but oddly enough the sky blue color didn't bother him, nor did the warm tingle that still lingered there, as if he could still feel the heat of her skin.

Running his clean hand over the strap she'd made him once more the young Kazekage left the room, determination lighting his way even more then before. Losing just wasn't an option, not when he had promises to keep.

Not when he wanted to see Kira smile again, her face lit in firefly light.