Forgotten
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto (Shippuden). This is a story inspired by the original made up for entertainment purposes only. - Krystal
Chapter 34: Trust
Lead by Gaara and his two siblings, Yuki entered the Sand village under doubtful eyes. She wasn't too affected by those glaring eyes as she was expecting them. However, whether one expects such reactions or not, he or she cannot fully be indifferent about it. Yuki was no exception. She felt slightly uncomfortable.
"Don't let it bother you. They give everyone this look if they're not from the village." Gaara whispered into her ear.
She was really thankful for those warm words. She also did not expect it from Gaara. As they walked towards the Kazekage office, they were greeted by a man who Yuki recognized as Gaara's sensei, Baki. He looked at her without evil intention, but suspicion. She didn't blame him.
"We found her wandering in the Land of Wind. She's an ANBU from Konoha." Kankuro told him.
"So, she's the help that Tsunade-sama sent?" asked Baki, relaxing his face now.
"Not exactly. She's not telling us why she trespassed into the territory." Temari replied.
"Trespassed? I don't think you can call this trespassing as our two countries are at peace. It's not like I sneaked in and got caught either. I've told you multiple times now. I'm not currently on duty. I'm simply travelling around." Yuki said, offended by Temari's answer.
"And that's what she's been telling us." Temari told Baki, sighing.
"As long as she doesn't want to harm us, she's the welcomed since she is from Konohagakure." said Baki. "However, I would prefer for our interrogation team to question you before you stay any longer here in the village."
"I will willingly be questioned." Yuki answered confidently.
Yuki was well versed in interrogation techniques. She was trained by the famous Morino Ibiki. There were no better interrogator in this world. He taught her everything he knew. At this point, she was confident that nothing could make her talk. In all honesty, the only thing that could make her spill would be the effects of the Sharingan. As far as she knew, the only person that could make her confess would be, therefore, Itachi. Furthermore, because she knew so much about the village, she developed multiple locking mechanisms in her mind to prevent people from accessing any information. She was confident that even Inoichi Yamanaka, despite his clan's advanced mind reading technique, would have a hard time accessing intelligence coming from Yuki. Danzo also placed a cursed seal to prevent her from talking about him. Although it would reveal that she was hiding something, at least, she wouldn't talk.
Her confidence pleased Baki. She seemed to have gained his trust. He told her to follow him. He brought her to this room where a single man was sitting in there. Politely, he asked her to sit down. She did as instructed. She sat down calmly.
"Yuki-san, if you don't mind, I'll be asking you a few questions as you are attached onto this lie detector."
"Please do. I have nothing to hide."
"Thank you."
He installed the wires onto her and checked a few things before beginning the interrogation:
"How long have you been in the Land of Wind for now?"
"Just a day, then I ran into Gaara, Temari and Kankuro."
"Where were you before?"
"I was in the Land of River, your neighbor."
"Why did you come here?"
"I'm just travelling the world. I was granted permission to do so."
"Who granted you permission?"
"Tsunade-sama put me off duty. I'm sure you can send a hawk to ask her to confirm this information."
Although she didn't bid farewell to the Hokage, she did write in her letter that night that she would be travelling the world as an excuse for spying on the other villages. Whether Tsunade agreed to Danzo's ways or not, Yuki was certain that the Hokage would protect her under any circumstances. The interrogator did as Yuki said. He asked Baki to send out a hawk to Konohagakure asking about this fact. The lie detector did not show any lies coming from Yuki either.
"Anything else you would like to ask?" Yuki asked gently.
As she said that, the door of the interrogation room swung open.
"I have one!"
It was Kankuro.
"Go ahead." said Yuki.
"Are you a friend or a foe?"
Yuki chuckled. It was such a childish question.
"I think that question itself is the answer. In this kind of situation, would anyone reply that he is a foe? Is this your first time interrogating someone?"
"So, you are telling me that someone attached to a lie detector would lie despite knowing that it would be revealed?"
"I'm just reminding you that this is a machine and that the human's mind is much stronger than that."
"Are you confessing to having been lying all this time?"
"I'm just saying that questions that allow itself to be answered without an answer aren't worth asking."
Kankuro walked over to her and grabbed her by the collar:
"Let's say we trust you for now."
"You don't, obviously."
"Gaara does."
"Is this about him, then?"
"He trusts you. He's been telling us that. It angers me that he wants to trust someone like you, an outsider. I can't afford for him to trust someone undeserving. He never trusts anyone right away, not even his siblings."
"You are telling me that after all these years, you actually care about him now? Maybe that's why it took him so long to trust you."
"Why, you..." Kankuro started, his eyes filled with anger and hate now.
"Do you want to know why he trusts me now, despite all the risks he's taking in trusting me?"
"Enlighten me."
"I never treated him like he was monster despite knowing what resided within him. I never feared him. I reached out to him when he was isolated. You can ask him all about it if you don't believe me."
"You knew?"
"I know a lot of things people think I shouldn't know."
Kankuro let go of her. He calmed down. He leaned against the table, his face turned away from Yuki. She then placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. She felt for him. He must have felt all the pressure of being a good older brother only recently. He didn't know better. As if her hand had magical power to it, Kankuro smiled and felt a ease all of the sudden. He looked at the interrogator and said:
"I'm done. I'm guessing you are too."
"I was actually going to ask a few more questions."
"If you want to ask something about the Leaf Village, just know that I won't be able to answer any of those questions. Besides, it defeats the purpose of this interrogation session. Furthermore, if I were to report back to the Leaf Village that during my stay here, I was questioned for intel by Sunagakure's shinobis, I'm not sure of how they would react. I heard your current situation wasn't too stable. Let's not think about it, shall we?"
The interrogator bit his lip and sighed. He had no choice but to undo the wires and let her go. Kankuro couldn't help but smile at that. He realized that he learned nothing about her, but that he, somehow, trusted her. He even gained respect for her for standing her ground and maintaining her composure through this whole situation.
"I'll show you to your quarters." Kankuro then told her.
As they were walking through the village, Kankuro played the role of the tour guide, telling her where everything was, where to eat, what to do during her stay. They chatted cheerfully. Yuki grew to like Kankuro as well. Although he didn't seem like an older brother before, he certainly looked the part and played the part well now. She remembered the Kankuro that picked a fight with a kid like Konohamaru. Yet now, he would pick up a ball and play with the kids along the way.
"I'm still so awkward around Gaara." He then suddenly confessed to her. "Sometimes, I don't know what to do. I mean, I didn't interact with him for the longest time. Now that I want to, I don't know how."
"You obviously care a lot for him now. Just treat him with that care and love."
"Can you tell?"
"You obviously were afraid that I would utilize his trust to my advantage and, therefore, hurt him. If that's not caring, I don't know what is."
"I feel like I could do more for him."
"Like?"
"Like you said... Our village is in an unstable state right now. We don't have a Kazekage to lead. The obvious choice would be Gaara, but people still don't trust him. People still fear him. Many have deserted the village because they are afraid that he will become Kazekage. I want people to see him for who he is. I think he would be a brilliant one, the best one we've ever had."
"What about your father? Was he not a great Kazekage?"
"Father... He created that space between us siblings. Someone who couldn't even help his family... Gaara is different. He wants to create bonds with people. He was never taught properly. We were never shown how... But his desire is what makes me believe he would be a great Kazekage. You know, his will to bring people together."
"I also believe that Gaara would be a great Kazekage." Yuki said looking up the sky. "There's something special about him."
"You see it too."
"He's just like a star in the sky. In bright daylight, he's there, but can't show himself. People won't acknowledge his presence. However, in the darkness, like this, he will shine. He will guide people. Eventually, he'll become someone people will rely on and trust to be there for them no matter what."
"You really think so?"
"I know so. He already gained one, did he not?"
"Who?"
"You, Mr-He-Wants-To-Kill-Me."
"Hey, I never... Actually, that thought crossed my mind so many times before. I guess you are right."
"He's really lucky to have you and Temari as his siblings. He will never be alone with you both here."
"Add yourself to that. He won't ever be alone with you around either."
"I'm not always going to be around." Yuki said. "I'll eventually have to leave. I'm not from here."
"As long as you are staying here, you can call this home. Gaara said so and, now, I'm saying so to."
Home. Yuki never thought she would find another place like Konoha to call home. She was glad to hear those words from Kankuro. It was the second time today that she heard such warm words. It had been a while since she felt the warmth. Since the Third passed away, she kept calling Konoha home despite it feeling colder and colder by the day. Home. She felt it the moment she reached Sunagakure's doorstep for some reason. It kept getting confirmed but the kindness that Gaara had shown her and that now Kankuro had shown her. As she now reached her quarters, she really felt like she had come home. The window allowed her to have a splendid view of the village. Home. As Kankuro bid her a goodnight, she sat on her window frame, her feet dangling outside. She wasn't sure if she trusted the village itself just yet. However, she knew that she could trust the Sand Siblings, as they constantly reminded her to feel at ease here. As the night grew, the wind became colder and Yuki decided it was time for her to go to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a new day in this place she felt like she belonged in.
End of Chapter 34
Thank you for reading.
xox
Krystal