Hey...been a while yeah?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. Just this fic.

-22-

Opened Eyes

'Well. That explains why I didn't remember the rebirth.' The words echoed around in my clearly fucking empty head.

'Sora' leaned forward. His eyes were just…lit up with interest. And understanding. It was kinda hot. I'd have loved to stare into them for a little longer, but there was a heavy rock in my stomach, threatening to make me throw up the rations I'd eaten on the way home. He had picked up the slip and knew exactly what it meant.

"What was that, Ai-sa-ko-chan?" He practically purred as he spoke, a knowing expression on his face. He already knew what I'd said. He wanted me to explain. I looked away, futilely hoping he would just drop it.

In my efforts to not look at 'Sora', I made the mistake of looking into Gaara's eyes instead. He was looking at me and it was- Like the world suddenly made sense. It was the most expressive I'd seen him in years. Discussions we had, things people said- things his 'mother' had probably said…everything made sense to him. And wasn't that scary?

I tore my eyes away from the seafoam pools of death that were threatening to drown me with understanding and turned back to 'Sora', desperately reaching for a lie I could pull outta my arse. All I could muster was a weak laugh and a quiet "I- I…um…I meant, that's why I couldn't remember being born!"

"Oh no, Aisako-chan." 'Sora' seemed to pout disappointedly at me, "I've told you a secret…don't you think you should tell me one in return?"

Rightfully, I felt anger simmer to the surface. Who the fuck did this prick think he was?

"Oh please. It's hardly as though you're deprived of information about me. Don't think I haven't been aware, So-ra-sa-ma," I narrowed my eyes at him, mocking the tone he'd spoken my own name, "of all the eyes you've had watching. All the ears you've had listening. Don't think I've been oblivious to the fact that Machiko-chan here has been spilling my secrets to you the entire time."

Machiko had the decency to flinch. She knew I didn't like her spying on me- she knew she wasn't able to hide it. I wasn't as mad at her as I expected to be though. Maybe because I'd known she'd been doing it all along? It didn't mean she would be getting out of this Scott-free though. Oh no. I was still mad…just…

Not as mad as I was at Sora, for thinking he had any right to try and pry my secrets out.

The bastard didn't even look vaguely apologetic about it. The least he could do was put some effort in pretending to feel bad. But no. He just shrugged.

"Aisako-chan, you know it's my job to spy on everyone in this village, right? Someday it'll be your job too. I have to know what everyone is up to…especially people like you. People who don't blend in…who aren't sheep. When I see a child like you, with eyes too old for their body…well…I have to make sure you aren't a shinobi in disguise, or anything of that sort."

I wanted to laugh at that response- The tight hold I keep on my chakra slipped for the briefest moment, and in a flash it was spreading across the room to coil around the others. Just as quickly as I lost my grip, I grabbed it again and reeled the chakra back in. The last thing I needed was to kill the Kag- the 'Shadow' Kage of Suna, the Kazekage's son and my minion.

Did he really think that made it okay? He'd been watching me for how long now? Surely he knew I was just a kid- I'd literally hatched in the hospital here, you'd think that'd be enough to convince him I wasn't an enemy shinobi- but apparently 'Sora' was more of a paranoid bastard then I thought.

Before I could call him out on his poorly executed bullshittery, he continued speaking.

"I've been monitoring you since you were 'born', Aisako-chan. Eleven years and I had no clue…See? If I didn't pay such close attention to everything you did, I might have missed that little slip up…but I didn't. And Aisako-chan? If you don't want to spend more time in the depths of the Alley…I would tell me what exactly you meant by 'rebirth'."

Not the Alley. Not the Alley.

It's dark down here- we've walked beyond the light of the torches…the network of twisting tunnels weaving around one another in the depths below the village. I don't know how to get back. 'Sora' seems completely at ease, like he's walked this path ten thousand times before- he probably has. I'll have to stick with him if I want to ever find my way out-

Stop.

I don't move a muscle. 'Sora' keeps walking but I can't make my feet take another step. Someone up ahead is screaming. Not your typical 'Aaahhhh! Scary shit!' sort of scream…more the kind of scream that comes after you've torn the back of your throat to hell and heaven, and you still can't stop- but eventually, the screaming comes to a sudden, jolting stop. The silence is worse.

"Ai, I wouldn't fall behind if I were you." 'Sora' reminds me. I shudder and rush to keep up with him. I don't want to go any further, but I can't go back now…just where was 'Sora' leading me?

I jerked out of the memories. That's a pretty effective threat. Shit.

A defeated sigh slips past my lips, and I let my head drop down into my hands. How the hell was I going to explain this? I couldn't just tell him everything- that was too much to give away for nothing. I'd tell him I knew the future and shit, because why not? I didn't care if everything played out how it was supposed to…as long as things worked out for my family it was golden.

It was the personal stuff I didn't want to spill to him and the others. It wasn't their business.

But- maybe…

My lips twitched up into a grin as I played with the idea in my head. After all, hadn't 'Sora' spent all this time teaching me how to fuck with people? Half-truths and vague wording were what made the world go round, right? Or at least that's what politics seem to believe.

And 'Sora' was nothing if not a politic.

Well. He was an assassin too, but…that's beside the point. And they're kinda the same thing, right?

My eyes moved from my minion, who stared at me with wide panicked eyes, to 'Sora', who looked at me with obvious suspicion when he saw my grin, to Gaara. His eyes were focused on me, drilling into me. Something had been said in that crazy little head of his, and it was making him think. Best give him even more to think about, eh? I wonder how his 'mother' will react.

"Fine. Fine. You win, Sora-sama. I'll tell you." I waved a dismissive hand and rolled my eyes to cement the point of how little I actually cared that he'd 'won'.

"This is n-"

Before I could begin bullshitting my way through an explanation, 'Sora's' head shot up and with one hand he motioned for me to stop talking. Seeing the way his muscles stiffened and his expression contorted from its usual confident smirk made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

I pushed chakra into my ears, trying to hear what had set him off, but all I could hear was breathing-

Looking at the other people in the room, I noticed one set of breaths didn't match up with the rise and fall of their chests. Or rather, there were five sets of lungs exhaling and inhaling…but only four people in the room.

"Perhaps...the rest of this discussion should take place somewhere a little more...private."

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'Sora' and Machiko had seemed pretty sure this was a 'safe' place. Somewhere we could trust…but clearly that wasn't the case now, was it? Why else would 'Sora' have such a look on his face? Something angry, alarmed, and annoyed. Mostly annoyed.

The wall of sand blocking the doorway fell in a slithering wave as the four of us rose to our feet. 'Sora' took the lead, looking cool as a cucumber as he climbed up the stairway into Shigeru's home. Behind me, I could feel the boring feeling of Gaara's eyes staring intently at the back of my skull. Like he was trying to dig his way into my mind to learn my secrets.

I was getting tired of this, and I hadn't even begun to explain myself. I wasn't sure how I was going to last answering their questions on top of telling them half the facts they needed to know the whole truth.

At least the walk back into the Alley, where we'd be safest to spill secrets, gave me enough time to formulate a proper story.

In the back of my mind, however, I was curious why we hadn't pulverized the spy before we left.

The upper half of the Alley, the 'public space', was exponentially better than the lower half- Let's think of Upper Alley as Diagon, and Lower Alley as something worse than Knockturn, yes? As long as I didn't think about what was happening below our feet, I could happily sip the water 'Sora' had offered us as we gathered around the living room of his property in the Alley.

He had another home on the surface…so the rest of the village continued to believe he was nothing more than a councilmember.

Nestling deeper into the armchair I had taken over, I looked at 'Sora' who sat across the coffee table from me in another armchair. Machiko sat on the floor next to my chair, staring up at me like a wide-eyed child waiting for 'story time' to begin.

Gaara had, surprisingly, sprawled out on the couch with a troubled look on his face as he stared at me. He also looked somewhat confused, like he wasn't sure why he was still with us. Trust me, I was confused about that too.

For some reason I was just more focused on how…normal…he looked. One arm across the back of the couch, the other on the armrest he partially leaned against. Feet planted flat on the floor.

It was just weird.

I sort of wished he was standing, looming by the doorway, like he usually did.

Shit.

Guys.

I think I broke Gaara?

"Right…I think we're all settled in now…Ai-chan…why don't you tell us a story?"

Yesss. Things to do. Gotta get this shit out of the way so I can go home and see my family. They're probably panicking right about now. The rumour mill will have already revealed Carl-sensei had returned to the village, and my parents were sure to have heard…only I hadn't come home right away, and several hours had passed since we walked through the gates.

I could just imagine Takeo trying to interrogate Carl-sensei- he wouldn't be hard to find, since Carl-sensei apparently frequent The Cuddly often enough- only Carl-sensei, he's got balls of diamond and there's no fucking way my wimpy ass brother would be able to worm an answer outta him.

Saki would try to kill the Kazekage- probably without even bothering to find out where I am…she just wants the fucker dead. She'd probably be in the kitchen right now, cooking up a special batch- problem with living in a village that specializes in poisons is ya gotta be creative with your ingredients, because everyone's got antidotes on them.

And Taiki?

I don't wanna know.

He might seem all sunshine and rainbows…but…

"Hm. Well, I suppose I've got a pretty good story for you." I smiled, and was greeted with the sight of 'Sora's' lips twitch into an involuntary smile.

"Do tell."

"Okidoki." He wanted a story? He'd get one.

I began to speak, using the best 'story telling' voice I was capable of making.

"Once upon a time, in another world far different from this one, I lived another life. I was a…nothing special. Less than that really. Less than average. A waste. In my world, there were no shinobi. No chakra. The Sage of the Six Paths never shared the gift of chakra and his children never roamed the land. While we may not have been able to breathe fire, and feats like walking on water were merely the stuff of legend…we had many wonders of our own. The ability to speak to one another from different sides of the planet. The ability to send images and videos to anyone anywhere. All the knowledge in the world…a few quick gestures away….and we had weapons as well. The ability to kill millions with the simple flip of a switch. Weapons that poisoned lands for years, and cursed generations with disease. We had wars, but in my lifetime…they had seemed far away…not my problem. Nothing like the World Wars, which had cast my world into chaos not once, but twice. In my lifetime, minor conflicts arose, but I was never in danger. I lived in a small town in a peaceful nation…the only conflict I saw was of my own creation."

I could see Sora's interest peak at the mention of the World Wars…I had no intention of explaining that stuff to him though. History hadn't exactly been my…favourite subject. I honestly couldn't really tell you a thing about it.

Before he could start asking questions, I plowed onwards.

"I wasn't a particularly well liked person. I wasn't bad, or even mean…not at the start. I was weird. Different. And the other children, Sheep that they were, refused to let me in, because I wasn't like them. There was only one person in my town who was like me. Growing up, I had considered him my best friend. My brother."

My lips curled into an involuntary sneer at the mention of Him. They were confused by the way I said it. Confused how I could sound so disdainful about someone I called brother. Well. Machiko and Gaara were. Sora gave no reaction. Then again, the man was a politic. He probably had a sixth sense for betrayals and bad blood.

It didn't matter. I had more important things to focus on then the lingering hatred I felt for someone I was never going to see again. Even if the prick did fucking kill me.

So far, my story had been truthful. Now…now it was time for some editing of the facts. A few extra words here, a few less there.

"We, like billions of others in my world-" I was cut off by sharp intakes of breath. Billions of people. That was a big number for this world, after all, "-spent our days observing the happenings in other worlds. More exciting worlds…where Children of Prophesy are born. Where pirates search for treasure and fight corrupt governments. Where Shinigami protect pure souls from their twisted counterparts. Worlds where children can be raised by dragons and spirits can be summoned with nothing more than a key. Worlds where evil wizards try to take over and are defeated by mere children time and time again… and like most people…my friend and I had a favourite world."

And the look of dawning on 'Sora's' face was one I wished I could photograph.

"This world, was one where a Moon Goddess took something that wasn't her own, and passed it on to her sons. One son shared it with the rest of the world, but rather than cherish the gift he gave them, they turned it on one another. Chakra. The son had children of his own- both flesh and those he raised as his own, constructed of chakra-"

Gaara jolted violently, and he stared at me with wide, wide seafoam eyes.

"And we watched as time skipped by, to show the descendants of that same son fighting to the death in a terrible war- two children, reincarnated…found one another and built a dream. A dream where the fighting stopped, and there was peace. Where families could grow and love one another. And so…in a place where trees grew high, they build their dream. A Hidden Village among the Leaves."

Machiko giggled and clapped her hands, as though she found this to be a well-executed plot-twist of some sort, and was congratulating me on a job well done.

"One by one more Hidden Villages rose. All was not well among the Leaves, and the reborn brothers began to fight. One brother stole the will from Kurama, the nine-tailed fox, and set him loose on the village. The other brother was forced to seal the beast inside his wife- and so the first Host was made. Once again, others followed suit, and one by one, the Tailed Beasts, children of the Sage were captured and sealed within human hosts."

'Sora' and Machiko turned to stare at Gaara. Gaara, in turn, was staring at me still, and I could feel Shukaku gazing out at me from within Gaara.

I tried not to trouble myself over what the mutated sandcastle was thinking. Instead I focused on how well I had distracted 'Sora' from what he wanted to know. Rather than explain my first life, or how I came to be here, he was more focused on what he was learning.

"But the children used as Hosts are not well treated. They should be hailed as heroes, and loved by all for the burdens they carry…and instead…the weak and foolish masses feared them. The Sheep hoped to crush the will of the 'demons'…not realizing that the Host's will was one of the key things keeping the 'monsters' at bay. Time passes, on and on. Three great and terrible wars rage, and at the end of the Third, a boy is born. From the moment he comes into this world, his fate is sealed…As is the fate of the Village that 'owned' him."

For a brief moment, in the back of my mind, I wonder which boy I was talking about. Gaara, or Naruto? Did it really matter? I wasn't about to spill Konoha's secret over who the current Host was…

"But…that is only the past, isn't it? From what we watched, there is much, much more to come. So many horrible things that must happen- but such wonderful things to come as well. "

That got 'Sora's' attention, as I knew it would.

"The future? You've seen the future-" He let out an annoyed groan, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "You've seen the future of our world, and you didn't think it fit to maybe notify someone of this?!"

I scoffed, "Fuck that. If I told anyone that, I'd either get thrown in the funny farm, or kidnapped and taken deeper into the Alley."

He blinked, mulled it over in his head and then shrugged, "Yes…that does sound pretty accurate."

"And it was pointless, because we didn't really bother watching Suna."

Machiko snickered, but I continued to focus on 'Sora', watching as confusion danced across his features. It was so clear that 'Sora' was completely out of his element. He'd never had a conversation about reincarnation, let alone one that turned to discussing knowledge of things to come.

The confused look was so cute. If I'd known he'd make faces like this, I would have told him years ago. Maybe.

"Why?"

"It's boring as fuck here. Why would we sit there and watch a bunch of people playing in the desert, starving? If we wanted to do that we could pay attention to our own world…but in this world? Konoha is where it's at. The center of your universe."

Irritation danced across 'Sora's' face, "So you know nothing about what's going to happen here?"

I snickered, "I know a thing or two…the next Kazekage will be good."

"Good? The next- when does Rasa step down?"

Ah. I wasn't going to tell him about Snake-pedo…Not yet anyways. Maybe closer to the Chuunin exams.

Besides, if I told him about Rasa getting killed, 'Sora' would probably feel like he had to save him, which would mean Gaara wouldn't become Kazekage, and then Leaf and Sand would get into slap fights all the time, and when the Fourth War came along, it wouldn't be against tObitobi; it'd be between Suna and Konoha…and I really didn't want to deal with a bunch of treehuggers getting all roar against our weak-ass fighting forces.

Plus Rasa was a fucking bitch who deserved to get dead.

"Very good. Peace throughout the lands- besties with a future Hokage."

"Who- When-"

"Sora-sensei…could we drop the whole 'Ai-chan knows the future' thing?"

The look he gave me made it clear what he thought of the idea, but I got the feeling that 'Sora', Mr. 50-Steps-Ahead-of-the-Plebs, was completely and utterly off kilter. I'd fucked his world view to hell and back, and he hadn't had a chance to adjust to the idea. He wasn't really going to fight me changing the subject…even if he wanted to know more.

"There are things that must happen, and the more I tell you, the more likely something will change…and if things change too much, I won't be able to help when the horrible things happen, yes?"

Brown eyes blinked at me slowly before he let out another groan and rubbed the bridge of his nose again, "I'm not ready to deal with this shit- this is why 'Carl' is an alcoholic. You know that right? You pull this sort of thing out of nowhere and- You were supposed to be talking about the whole 'reborn' thing…sure. Let's pretend you don't know the future right now."

Aw. Poor 'Sora' was so confused. Just wanted to give the poor bastard a hug~!

"Good…..so….anything you guys wanna know?"

"OH! Pick Machiko! Machiko had many questions!" My blond minion was practically jumping as she waved a hand in the air. Like a very eager teacher's pet.

"Ask away, 'Chiko-chan."

"How old is Aisako-sama?"

"Hm…well…mentally I'd say I'm like…late-twenties to thirty-something?"

'Sora's' brow furrowed, "Thirty…something?"

I pouted and avoided eye contact, "well…before I died I kinda stopped giving a flying fuck about things like age, because it's just another way for society to dictate how I acted…and I dropped out of school so it wasn't like I was really aware of what day of the year it was most of the time? So…I was late teens…I think? Died. Got reborn eleven years ago…and 'boom'. Eleven plus however old I was before I was killed…late-twenties to thirty-something."

He shifted uncomfortably. Now 'Sora' was definitely thinking about all the times he'd caught me staring at his ass, but managed to convince himself that I wasn't.

"And yes, Sora. It's a very nice butt."

Machiko and Gaara looked equally confused, but after a moment, Gaara's expression shifted towards a scowl, which he directed at 'Sora'. 'Sora', on his part, continued to stare at me, looking slightly disturbed and a little embarrassed. I wanted so badly to coo at him, but I was sure he was getting tired of my shit.

"Next," I said.

And of course, Machiko was quick to ask, "What did Aisako-sama look like? Did Aisako-sama have eyes of fire?"

I blinked. Huh.

What…did I look like? I closed my eyes and tried to remember. Digging deep, deep into mundane memories, trying to find just a glimpse of-

The sun blistered the pale skin on my arms after only 30 minutes out of the house. I knew it was sure to freckle-

When I cried, my eyes were like emeralds against the bloodshot white-

"At least you're rocking the tall dark and handsome thing. I've got shit coloured-

"My…eyes were green. Like pine needles. And…I was a brunette…I think."

"Can't remember again?" 'Sora' asked. Was it just me, or was he trying to cope by picking on me? It seemed like it. Prick.

"Stopped bothering with mirrors ages ago. The body is just a meat suit for the awesome within."

"Body…meat suit…awesome within." Machiko muttered the sentence quietly, like she was trying to memorize it, "Machiko has new lessons for Loved Ones!"

Ah.

Seeming to have pushed aside his confusion for the time being, 'Sora' decided it was his turn to question me, "Who were you before?"

I rolled my eyes, "Honestly, Sora. You'd think you'd have paid a little more attention during story time…I was average ol' me. Nothing special. Not even fully grown. Lived in a tiny town in a northern country where it's cold as hell half the year, and the southern half is sweltering the other six months. Spent more time watching other worlds than my own…ignored politics like the plague. Had one close friend. Got dead."

He looked disappointed, "Alright then…what's being dead like?"

Fuck, he was asking the big questions, didn't he? Both of them actually…kept asking me things I wasn't sure how to answer. I could barely remember what I looked like, my name…my age was a great big old question mark at this point.

And being dead?

"It was…I don't know. Sometimes I don't remember it at all. Like I was asleep the entire time. Other times…I felt cold inside…sometimes…I could hear laughter." By this point, I was no longer looking at 'Sora', and just stared blankly at the wall ahead of me as I got dragged into the memories, "Someone laughing away- there's light everywhere bright and burning, like staring into the sun. And it's hot- compared to the cold that came before, and will come after…it burnt. But then…when the light and laughter was gone, suddenly you miss the heat and remember it as a safe, warm place-"

I blinked out of it, and realize they were all staring at me. So I gave the three a cocky little smirk, "Being dead is confusing and far from peaceful. I wouldn't suggest trying it, personally."

Machiko descended into a fit of giggles and 'Sora' let out another tired sigh.

He didn't stop asking questions though, "How did you die?"

I know the question was innocent enough, considering it was 'Sora' who was asking…he wasn't trying to dredge up misery…but the question did just that.

Without really thinking about it, my arms wrapped around myself as I tried desperately not to think about the nightmare…Tried not to think of how I really died. I tried to lie to myself and remember the instant death…the one I remembered first. The easier one. Wasn't it easier to think that I died quickly, quietly, and alone, when the alternative was that I lost my mind, tried to kill my 'brother's' girlfriend, crashed and suffered up until the moment said 'brother' 'accidentally' killed me?

A hand landed on my shoulder and I jerked violently out of the memories of glass in my eyes and metal in my chest. My eyes snapped open and I look up, staring into 'Sora's' perfect face.

There's that expression again. The one all three of them keep putting on. Like they suddenly understand the universe.

The walk out of the Alley was nearly silent as I traveled through the narrow, dark tunnels. My mind was replaying the conversation that had taken place in 'Sora's' apartment, over and over. Louder and louder, just like the pounding of my heart in my chest.

Never before had I lied to 'Sora' quite as much in one sitting as I had not half an hour before. The man had taught me how to lie, after all- though not as well as either of us had hoped. The man knew all of my tells.

The conversation had continued after he'd (insensitively) asked me how I'd died. It had dragged on and on. Every chance I'd gotten, I'd been vague about the world I'd lived in. Making it seem like there was a reason for my rebirth- like we had the ability to choose- like I had some clue as to what the fuck had happened to make me wake up in this shithole.

I told them that in my world, our people walked upon the moon. That we harnessed the sun for power- our wagons didn't need horses to move, and we could write words across the sky. I told them we had a separate Plain of existence, called the Internet, where you could be anyone- do anything. Connect to millions of people and influence their lives.

I told him of figures in the past being able to come back from the dead- Jesus, Osiris, Dionysus and his mother Persephone, Odin…

Anything I could to make it sound like my rebirth was a normal thing for my people.

And…I wasn't entirely sure…but…

I think it might have worked?

By the end of it all, 'Sora' sent me home, having decided he needed to get nice and drunk so he could come to terms with what he'd learned.

Even if 'Sora' didn't completely believe my bullshit, I could hope that Gaara and Machiko believed it.

Judging by the looks of awe Machiko kept sending me, she believed I was a goddess now more than ever. Gaara…

Well.

The sound of sand whispering through the tunnels behind me made my hair stand on end. Even in the pitch black, I could feel his eyes on the back of my skull. He hadn't said a word, but I could feel the questions bouncing around in his head- both his own, and the questions of the Beast inside him.

After all…I knew things about the Sage and the Demons. Things the humans didn't. Shouldn't.

They had questions…and I was worried for when they decided they wanted answers.

Now would be a great time to 'ask'.

'Sora' had kept Machiko behind, saying he had to show her her new apartment in the Alley, now that she was an official Shinobi and could no longer stay in the orphanage. It was more likely he needed to tell Machiko what she was allowed to repeat to the Loved Ones.

So, without my minion present, I was alone with Gaara in a dark, narrow space, with him blocking one of the two directions I could run in.

Sounds fun, right?

The walk through the tunnels seemed to last forever. In the dark, winding halls below the village, there was nothing to distract me save for the sound of my own breath sand whispering as it traced the walls like curious fingers.

He can probably navigate the tunnels perfectly. It would make sense. His sand was spread out all around us, searching very corner of the catacombs and the Alley below us. He had always seemed somewhat aware of it…like a sixth sense…Like I could feel my chakra travel through my veins and tears and sweat. Was he aware of what the tunnels looked like? Like a map, or sorts?

I wondered if he could see-

Unbidden, the words tumbled from my mouth, "Can you do the eye-thing yet?"

The instant they were said, I found myself frozen. Neither of us moved, both too surprised to really react. Internally, I was screaming at myself. Why the bloody hell was I engaging Gaara in conversation!?

The last thing I wanted was for him to think I actually wanted to talk to him- Well.

I…did. Sort of. Want to talk to him. Kinda.

But not yet. I wasn't…neither of us- I was being irrational about it. It had been years. But I still wasn't ready to just…let it go. Not yet. I couldn't. Wouldn't. Not until…Not until we had a nice, long therapy with Naruto.

I wasn't going to open up to him again until I was sure it was Gaara…my Gaara. Not Shukaku's little Mama's Boy. I had already given him one chance. He'd been my closest and only friend…and even though id given him the option to walk away…I had never expected him to actually do so.

-And then Shukaku's influence grew inside him when I was too busy wallowing-

I don't think I'd be able to handle it again if I started to trust him again, just for him to side with Shukaku.

Maybe after the chuunin exams…maybe then it'd be okay.

I could at least try to be civil with him, if not friends?

Civil? He just declared he was going to kill me, but was waiting because he wanted to watch me squirm.

Oh hush. I know that was probably some round-about way for him to say he wants to prot-

Let's save being civil for people who aren't convinced a sand tanuki is their mother, yes?

Fine.

There was a long, piercing silence before Gaara answered the question. I didn't need to turn around to know that his blank expression would have the faintest hints of confusion. Why was I talking to him, he'd be wondering. And then Shukaku would say something derogatory about myself or my virtues or some shite-

"Eye-thing?"

"The thing you do with the weird floaty eye made of sand? And you can see through it somehow?"

"…Somewhat."

Ah. A work in progress. He still had a big of time before the exams. We were a year early, after all.

I started walking again.

This did beg the question of when exactly he trained. You'd think people would be more…panicky whenever Gaara was playing with the sand…Unless he was doing it waaay out in the desert. Which was kinda unlikely, because I could hardly imagine Rasa letting Gaara wander off into the desert. The sandcastle sealed inside him was much too valuable.

Maybe it was just raw instinct? Or Shukaku just doing his thing?

But…

Wasn't the sand being all protective because of something to do with his mom?

Not actually his will? Or was it just…not his will all the time?

There was also the whole…Rasa's fairy-du- I mean gold dust…thing. It was a blood limit thing, right?

"Do you…actually…you know...train?"

"Yes."

"Ah."

And once again, silence fell.

This time I didn't break it again.

"Mother says you were lying."

I stopped walking once again. Despite not being able to see a thing, I glanced over my shoulder at him- or where I assumed he was. I could perfectly imagine those creepy eyes of his staring blankly at me, waiting for some kind of response.

I was torn between trying to convince him that I was not the one lying to him (after all, the Sand Castle wasn't telling Gaara to stop calling him 'Mother'), and just continuing on down the tunnel until I reached the exit. Having a general idea of where we were, it'd only take another 7 minutes to get there. Heck…I might even make it out alive if I booked it and he tried to kill me.

Maybe.

Buuut.

Well. I think by now we all know I just can't seem to resist pissing off the Sand Castle. I don't really know why. Maybe because it was so damn fun to piss him off? Clearly it's just another thing to add to Aisako's Crazy List, yes? Is that what we're gonna call it? Meh. Fuck it. I'll rename it later. If I remember it.

I rolled my eyes and started walking again, pretending that I wasn't ready to run like hell. "Your mother don't know shite."

There was no response, but I didn't hear sand shifting, so I figured the Sand Castle wasn't feeling bitchy enough.

"Besides. If I was lying, how would I know his name? Right, Shukaku-kun? I already showed you on the mission that I know your name, and the names of aaaalllllll your siblings."

"Mother says you can't be reborn."

"Who died and made you 'Mother' a god? If Indra and Ashura can pull this shit, I sure as hell can." Those were their names right? I couldn't remember shit like that...I wasn't even that far in the manga when I died…I just know because spoilers and shit.

It would probably be a good idea to change the subject before someone asked me something I couldn't answer. No sense trying to convince them I was all knowing and then letting them find out it was a lie in less than 24 hours. That'd just be fucking sad.

"…you don't know the future."

Oh, so I won that round? That wasn't any fun. Why wasn't he spazzing out? This was usually about as far as my conversations with Mama's Boy and the Sand Castle got before someone got pissy, or Carl-sensei interrupted. I could excuse Carl-sensei, since he was busy getting drunk, but the fuck was going on with these two?

Maybe they were sick?

Or maybe they were still thrown off by the rebirth thing? I mean, if 'Sora' could get mind blown about it, I suppose these two could too?

"I do…and trust me there's some really fucked up shit coming our way in the next five years. You think we've had it bad so far? Honey, if we aren't careful, some fuckers are gonna come and rip your Mother right out of his seal."

"WHAT." There was a horribly feral undertone to his voice, making my hair stand on end and my stomach feel like lead.

"I- I know right?" I said, suddenly a hell of a lot more nervous than I had been before. Maybe I should have gone with the smart option and kept my trap shut, "I mean, don't feel bad or anything! They get like…six of the others too!"

Thin tendrils of sand lashed out and dragged at my clothes, like he was tempted to yank me closer. The sand settled for forcing me to spin around and face Gaara. There were a pair of glowing yellow eyes in front of me. It made my blood sing and I internally began screaming at myself.

This was why we don't talk to the Crazy boy and his Demon mommy. It never ends well…

Carl wasn't here. Sora was back in the Alley with Machiko. My family was up on the surface (where on the surface I couldn't be sure).

It was sort of like back on the rooftop. Just me, Gaara and the Mutated Sandcastle.

I really didn't want to lose another limb.

"I'll fix it!"

That made the writhing sand pause.

"I'm not- I… I have to keep my family safe. I can't do that if the bad guys get away with their shit, yes? So that means I can't just sit back and let them fuck around with your shitty ass seal, just to pull the Mutated Sandcastle outta your fucked up head."

His voice was only a little better the next time he spoke, and the glowing yellow eyes still hovered slightly above my eye level, "Why would they?"

"They want to bring back Kaguya."

The sand dropped from my clothes, and Gaara let out a hiss of pain. The golden eyes snapped shut, and I could almost visualize him doubling over and gripping his head as Shukaku threw a fit of epic proportions.

And then…seeing as Gaara was nice and distracted, I spun around and ran for the exit.

I honestly didn't want to know what colour his eyes would be when they opened.

"I'm hoooooommmmme!" I yelled as I burst through the front door.

From the depths of my home, I heard a flurry of motion and two separate manly squeals.

Taiki was the first to come tearing into the entryway, scooping me up and into his arms. He spun around and around until I couldn't see straight, chattering away at a mile a minute.

"Ai-chan! You're homme! We were so worried! You were gone on your first C-rank on your second day of being a genin and that prick Rasa wouldn't tell us where you'd gone and then your sensei came back but we couldn't find you or Machiko-chan ANYWHERE in the entire village, and there were ANBU chasing us because apparently it's illegal to burst into people's houses trying to find your missing eleven-and-ten-year-old daughters and-"

I was ripped out of Taiki's arms and dropped on my feet as Saki lovingly slammed a fist into Taiki's diaphragm. He instantly stopped chattering and instead doubled over, trying to breathe.

"Hush, Taiki. We're all happy to see the brat. You can't hog her all to yourself. I helped make her."

Of course, my father wouldn't really say anything in response.

"Ai-chan!"

For the second time in the five minutes I had been home, I was picked up and swung around like I was a ragdoll. Thankfully, Takeo was slightly less enthusiastic about whipping me around, and instead settled for three quick rotations before he pulled me into a hug so tight I swear I felt a rib crack.

"If I didn't have my own genin team to worry about I swear I would have followed you and done the mission for you! My poor baby sister forced to wander the desert all on her own-"

"I wasn't alone!"

"-with a monster and a lunatic and some creepy old guy no one knows-"

"Hey don't be mean to Carl!"

"-On her first week as a genin!"

"Fuck you two are annoying." Saki growled before once again tearing me out of an unwanted embrace.

This time, instead of dropping me, she settled for handing me to Satoru, who shrugged, but didn't set me down where I would just be picked up again by Taiki or Takeo.

"How about we let her change into something comfortable and put her things away, and then we all sit down in the kitchen for dinner."

At that she gave me a sharp look, informing me that I was in trouble for nearly missing dinner…which was the most agonizing part of any day. It was, of course, the time of day where we were all expected to sit down and talk about our days and…bond and stuff.

It was awful.

Satoru took that as his dismissal, and started heading further into the house, dropping me off by my bedroom door.

A hand mercilessly ruffled my already-messy hair, "Welcome back."

"Thanks."

And with that, he headed towards his room, likely to grab a book to sneak to the table. The bastard liked to sit with a book on his lap and read when Saki wasn't paying attention. I had tried to do the same thing once or twice, but every single time, she caught me before I could even start reading.

If I wasn't so fucking nice, I'd rat him out to Saki just so he could get a double dose in his mashed potatoes too!

As quickly as I could, I tossed my dirty clothes, both those I'd worn on the mission and the clothing I'd returned home in, into the hamper in my room. I changed into a pair of shorts and loose t-shirt and then quickly went about putting away my kunai and first aid kit, as well as 'disarming' my prosthetic. The poisonous senbon were placed inside a special container, and the vials of poison I stored in my leg were carefully placed in another box on a shelf in my room.

Once most of the deadly substances in my leg were put away, I figured I'd done enough unpacking for the time being and raced out of my room to get to the table.

Saki, Taiki, Takeo and Satoru were already seated, but the two seats across from my brother and uncle-thing were empty. I took the seat across from Satoru and gestured at the empty seat, "Machiko probably won't be back for dinner. Sora-sensei called us down to his office when we finished reporting to the Kazekage, 'cause he got Machiko her own place ta live. Apparently now that she's a ninja, she doesn't have to live at that fucking orphanage anymore!"

This received a few (mostly) happy exclamations.

"Good for her! That orphanage was a terrible place for sweet little Machiko-chan!"

"It's about fucking time they let her outta that shithole."

"It is really a good idea to leave her unmonitored? What if she kidnaps Ai or something?"

"Hm. I'd have thought she'd simply move in here full time." Satoru mused, tilting his head.

"I think Sora-sensei just wants her living closer to his place so on the days he trains us hard enough for us to pass out he doesn't have to walk that far." I told them, shrugging to show that I really didn't question why 'Sora' had given Machiko her own place.

There had been times when Machiko and I had passed out from exhaustion, and my family had informed me that 'Sora' had carried us both home.

Just as a note, I did have a habit of checking myself for surgical scars after each of those practices, just to make sure 'Sora' wasn't feeling like a mad scientist. So far I had seen no evidence…but its best to be careful about these things.

"So, Brat…how was the mission?" Saki asked me as we all began to eat our meals.

Swallowing, I could feel a slight prickling feeling in my tongue, like it had fallen asleep and was slowly 'waking up' again. Only like…four times the pain. Saki must have made something new while I was away.

"Alright, I guess. Hot. Boring. The villagers were weird." I decided not to mention the bandit attacks in present company. If I did, I was sure Taiki and Takeo would start freaking out again. I would probably speak to Saki and Satoru about it at some other point…probably Satoru. Saki was fucking scary, thank you very much.

Satoru raised a dark red eyebrow, "Weird?"

"They kept trying to feed us and stuff. And they gave us the nicest room in the inn, and wanting to talk to us."

Takeo's brow furrowed, "How is that weird? That's how villagers in smaller towns usually act."

"It was just…no one tried to kick us out, or poison us, No one called me a monster- they thought I was adorable." I hissed, trying to make them see how fucking weird that was. That wasn't how people acted around me! -Unless they worshipped me, apparently…which was not the case with that place, "I think they were plotting to kill us in our sleep or something."

Saki snickered and I saw the way that Satoru's lips quirked up. Great to see they were amused by my discomfort, as per usual.

On the other hand, Takeo looked pissed and Taiki was frowning, "Ai-chan…"

An awkward pause settled over the five of us before my brother decided to shatter it with the next pressing depressing question.

"That Demon didn't try to hurt you at all, did it?"

Bloody fucking hell, he just had to ask that. Just had to fucking ask-

I live with four jonin-level shinobi. Do you have any idea how hard it is to fucking lie in this household?!

"I mean, technically…no?"

"Technically?" He growled.

"I mean, he didn't rip off another leg or anything, in case you didn't notice."

Satoru rested his elbow on the table and placed his chin in his hands, watching me with his usual neutral expression, "Then what did he do?"

"He made a rather odd declaration-"

Taiki was on his feet in an instant, "NOT 'TIL YOU'RE NINETY!"

Saki shoved her food away from herself and put her head in her arms on the table, cackling like mad.

"For fuck's sake! Not that kind of declaration! Holy fuck no!" I hissed, staring at my father in horror.

What the fuck! Ew. I was like…twenty years older than him.

Sort of.

I mean, I think my physical age did have some effect on my mental age, given that there were times I couldn't seem to act as maturely as I used to. So I mean. It was sort of less than 20 years older. But still!

I mean, in the next few years, Gaara was going to grow to become very yummy, but that's beside the point. Also, him wanting to kill me is a bit of a turn off, thank you very much.

"It's bad enough I already have to deal with that sort of shit from Shigeru-"

"Who's 'Shigeru'?" Takeo asked, looking just as upset as my father.

"I dunno, he's one of my worshippers or something, keeps holding my hands and waxing poetic and shit- Oh! Did any of you guys know about the religion based on my birth?"

Both of my parents were quiet for a long moment, giving each other confused looks before Saki blinked, "Holy fuck."

I take it that no, they didn't know about it.

"What?" Taiki furrowed his brow.

"The fucking offerings!" Saki wore a disbelieving grin.

What?

"What?"

"Right after Ai was- born…and I took her home. Someone kept leaving baskets of stuff and candles on the doorstep."

My father gave Saki an exasperated look as he whined, "Saaakiiiiii! Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"I didn't think there was a fucking religion-" my mother turned to look at me, "When the hell did you learn about this, anyways?"

"Well…the day we were assigned teams, there was this old homeless guy who told me that some people called me the 'Loved Child' and that they were my followers. And then we started feeding the homeless, which I think earned me more followers?" I said, tilting my head. The old man with the glow-in-the-dark-eyes had basically said he was converting…so there was at least one new recruit.

I wasn't going to tell them that 'Sora' had dressed me up and sent me, my minion and the boy who wanted me dead to one of my Cult's gatherings.

At least this way they were all distracted from the whole…Gaara thing.

Small victories, right?

"ANYWAYS!" I yelled, making all four 'adults' turn to look at me (Takeo might be 19, but it was really hard to think of him as an adult after being there when he went through his voice-cracking phase.) Instantly, the previous topics fell away and I was free to change the topic…preferably away from me, "What have you guys been up to?"

"I brewed a new paralytic? The last one's gotten pretty popular so I figured it was 'bout time I made something a bit stronger for the family to use."

Over the years, my mother's notoriety had continued to grow, but so had the popularity of her poisons. Sure, plenty of people in Suna made poisons –literally everything around here was trying to kill you- but Saki was one of the best. Her stuff was some of the fastest, purest and deadliest shit in the market-

And fuck it sounds like she sells drugs.

But…um…I would NOT suggest consuming this stuff. Or even touching it, since it can be absorbed through skin. Or breathing it. Actually…just don't even look at her poisons- Try not to THINK about them. You'll probably be okay.

"Yeah, it tastes pretty…hurty. And kinda figgy. The last kind sorta had a more citrus taste to it?"

Saki cooed at me, all proud that I was picking out the flavours- I just think it was impressive my tongue could still taste given the strange tingling.

Fuck, the fact that I could still speak coherently was fucking extraordinary!

"My team's been doing pretty good…your friends Ren and Rina? They're scary when they work together. I might try to get them registered as permanent partners at some point."

I grinned, "Do they do that speaking in sync thing around you?"

"…you mean they can speak separately?"

When I finished cackling at the dumbfounded look on his face, I inquired about the Sheep on his team, "What about the Shining Prince of Gloom?"

"Akihiko?" A dark look began to crawl its way across his features, "You were right about him being a Sheep…It's going to take a lot of work to make the little bastard see reason. I don't think he realizes I'm your brother."

"I wouldn't tell the boy just yet. Earn his respect first." Satoru suggested, glancing up from the book on his lap, "It'll look better if he thinks you're an outsider to the family, but still have a positive opinion of us- although how the boy doesn't know who you are is…surprising…given the way you blather on about your 'darling little sister'."

"It's the hair." Takeo sighed, running a hand through his spikey brown hair, "You're all running around with blood red hair and I've got mud."

"OH!" my mother had a sinister grin, "The day he learns who you are, invite him over for dinner!"

"Mom, we're trying to make him like us." I said, smirking.

Amber eyes narrowed at me before she stuck out her tongue and flipped me off.

Taiki slapped her hand lightly, "No rude gestures at the table!"

"Don't be a fucking stick in the mud." She told him, gently tugging his cheek.

It was gross and affectionate.

They're disgusting.

"What about you, dad? Anything new?"

"Kazuo wants to take a week off sometime soon, and he want to try and get me some vacation time too. It's been long enough since we joined Suna that the Kazekage should be okay with me leaving the village for personal reasons…unless he's being a bastard about it."

My father had originally been seeing Kazuo for therapy, but that had changed into them being BFFs. Taiki had that effect on people.

It would be nice for my parents to be allowed to leave Suna outside of missions. I know Saki missed family from Ame, and while they likely couldn't go back there, it would be nice if they could arrange a meeting at the halfway point or something.

Of course, Rasa probably wouldn't let my father take time off, let alone leave the village. My parents were two of the only water-users in Suna, and what with the drought, they were needed to provide water for crops and the people.

Of course, that'd be the official reason. The real reason was that my parents weren't trusted. If didn't matter how hard Taiki worked to prove his loyalty to Suna, or how much poison my mother provided our shinobi- they were my parents…former missingnin, and the two people responsible for the creation of one of Suna's 'Monster Children'.

They would never be accepted by the people in power-

Or at least…not until I got my hands on some of that power.

'Sora' wanted an apprentice…and I wanted the ability to keep my family happy and safe…Once Rasa was dead, Gaara was Kazekage and 'Sora' deemed me ready…I'd be able to set them free.

Ugh. This chapter did not want to be written. I'm telling you, in between job hunting, working, computer troubles and life being stupid, I've probably rewritten this chapter five times over? It just...I'm not 100% happy with this...but I'm not going to make you guys wait even longer for the next part. The show must go on!

So. 'Sora' knows about Ai's past life, and that she has foreknowledge...but he needs a bit of time to get used to the idea that his idiot apprentice knows when Rasa's gonna get dead...along other things. Gaara's been given a bit of a warning about the Akatsuki, and Shukaku's not happy with the idea of getting ripped out just to be used by some other human. Ai's kinda-sorta willing to forgive Gaara, but would rather hold off on that until she's sure he's not gonna snap and kill her when she lets her guard down (Ai really has no clue about poor Panda-chan's feelings, and I love it) Aaaaaannnnd we got a peak at Aisako's family! Saki's got her own side business selling deadly substances, Taiki's befriended his therapist, and Takeo's kinda intimidated by 2/3 of his team and lowkey wants to kill the other 1/3?

Now. Based on a few unhappy reviews, I know a few of you are wondering where the Romance and Adventure the tags have promised you are...and I'm gonna be honest...It's going to happen! It's just going to take time. If would let us use more tags, I would. I've tagged it as Romance/Adventure because that's what it will BECOME not what it is at this moment. We're only at the beginning, and the beginning is only PART of the story. Now, this fic will always have some dark elements running around in it, but that's what you get when you have a manga/anime about child soldiers with demons sealed inside their heads XP. I've added a warning at the beginning of this fic to give people a heads up, but I'm not going to change the tags.

ANYWAYS! I posted another chapter of the oneshot collection All Seeing Eyes...it's just a few little flashbacks of the Test Drive. You don't have to read it if you don't want...but you know...

The poll stands at:

Carl's POV: The Cuddly Cactus - 29

Sora's POV: A Successful Successor - 25

Shigeru's POV: Raised in Love - 6

Satoru's POV: Gods Rising All Around - 5

Sally Anne's POV: Witnessing Grand Theft Sanity - 3

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