Authors Notes: Hi everyone sorry about not up dating sooner, but no one was reviewing and then I had my school musical "Pipedreams" to do and my director was working us to the bone and I almost died because of it. Want to hear something funny? On our second performance our drummer went and got himself piss drank and someone had to stand behind him in all the songs tapping him on the back to keep him in time with everyone else. But enough about my rough week I give you chapter 3.
Oh look, I rambling again (I really should stop doing that every time I start a chapter) . . . . hehe . . . . on with the story.
Disclaimor: I don't own Naruto, but I do own the characters Kohana, Chikaho and Umi Yasuo
"Characters © copyright hahahhaha . . . . ."
"Thoughts"
"Shukaku"
"Normal"
Since Then, Until Forever
By RikuOfTheDesert
Chapter 3: Two Souls That Were Broken
"WHY AM I STILL HERE?!" screamed Kohana in her head as she sat next to the two arguing sand siblings as they walked down the busy market streets.
Kohana had been in Suna, the village hidden in the sand for a month now, living in the Kazekage's house with his children. Temari and Kankuro had taken it upon themselves to never let Kohana out of their sight after her fight with a half transformed Gaara. However their effects were in vain, somehow Kohana would disappear just to be found in another fight with Gaara, thankfully not a dangerous as the last.
Kohana also went to see Chikaho in the hospital every day for an hour as the old medic tried to teach her to talk. Kohana politely sat and listened, but never made a sound.
"I kind of feel guilty for doing this to Chikaho-san. She has been nothing, but nice to me," thought Kohana sadly.
"It's a bad idea, I tell you," hissed Kankuro in what he thought was a quick voice, "He'll kill her before she can even defend herself."
"I know, but it also might stop them from trying to kill each other too," hissed Temari back, as if they thought Kohana could not hear them.
"Or they could end up really killing each other this time," hissed Kankuro as the arguing continued.
"I know they say siblings always fight, but they are taking it to a whole new level in sister/brother squabbling." Thought Kohana throwing a unnoticed glare at them. "If it was not so wrong I would have to say that they have a love hate relationship, like how little kids pick on the one they have a crush on. . . . . . . . Eewwwwwww!! Get that thought out of my head right now. Yuck! Eewwww! Gross! I'm going to have nightmares over this i just know it."
"We have to at lest try," snapped Temari turning away from Kankuro, however he just grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Fine, be like that, but would you just for one moment think of what he might do to us," hissed Kankuro a panic look on his face as horrific image of what might await him.
"Is that you think about? Your well being," growled Temari, glaring.
"And yours,"
"You are unbelievable."
"But . . . . ,"
Temari cut him off, "You know this might be good for Gaara. We have never been there for him – ,"
"his never really wanted us to," interjected Kankuro, Temari just ignored him.
" – and his never had anyone care for him – ," continued Temari.
"because he kills anyone how looks at him the wrong way, oww," muttered Kankuro, before Temari hit him on the head.
" – and she could be just the thing to help him," finished Temari clasping her hands together and holding them to her heart a far away look in her eye as if she was picturing a fairy tale love story about a cruel heart prince being saved by a king hearted beauty.
"If you want to help him that much, why don't you try talking to him then instead on sending her?" asked Kankuro as the far away look snapped straight off her face and a nervous one replaced it.
"Err, . . . well, . . . you see, . . . . it like this," stuttered Temari eyes darting around the street looking for an escape root.
"I get it you would rather save your skin by send her then do it your self. Now who;s he unbelievable one?" asked Kankuro mockingly.
"That's not true, I – ,"
"What ever god that is up there I ask WHY HAVE YOU NOT ANSWERED MY PREYERS YET?" screamed Kohana angrily in her head. "Then again I should ask myself why am i still here? I should have left weeks ago,"
Looking up at the sky at the hot beating sun, a shape of red caught her eyes. Kohana eyes traveled to the roof top of the shop building to see Gaara sitting there eyes cast down on the street below him as people went about their day, not knowing that they were being watched by dark hate filled eyes.
"It's because of him," released Kohana as a sense of loneliness washed over her. Images of the eyes she had seen back when she had first awoken in the hospital flashed in her mind. Not the eyes that hind a great hate for everything living, and a thrust to kill all of human kind at fist sight, but it was a look of sadness and loneliness that was hidden under all that anger and hate.
It was the sense of hurt and emotional pain that had something in Kohana wanting to reach out to him, the scared and afraid little boy that cry to be held and protected by another, to feel connected and bound to another human being, to know that he was wanted and loved. That was why she stayed. . . . . . . for him.
"I want to help him," thought Kohana, eyes not moving for the haunt figure of the red hair on the roof. "To be the one that he would look at without the hate and distrust, but shine with contentment. To wipe away the hurt and emotional pain and fill him with the joy of being cared for and liked . . . . . and maybe loved. To reach out to him and hold and protected the little boy in him that is lost and crying from the cruel place that is this world,"
Gaara's eyes suddenly look her straight in the eye. Kohna suck in air as the sense of doom fell on her. Then suddenly a planket of sand rapped around him and he was gone, leaving nothing, but a little pile of sand that blows away in the desert wind.
"I'll just talk to her about it and it'll be all up to her if she wants too," said Temari, closing the matter. Whatever that was.
"and if she is smart she won't do it," murmured Kankuro under his breath, but Temari heard him and sent my a glare that promised the pain from hell if he said anything else.
"Hey, kid," said Temari calling to Kohana how she had not relised had stopped walking and was looking into space.
At the sound of Temari, Kohana pulled out of her thoughts of a handsome evil red head and back to the world of the market square.
"Kankuro and I have been thinking," said Temari slipping an arm around Kohana.
"You were think it, owww," said Kankuo, before a fit ht him on the head.
"and we think it is not healthy that you and Gaara fight as much as you do – ,"
"You have got to be kidding me. My and Gaara fight to much? Look at you and your brother. I have not been able to stand next to you with out you two having a go at each other," thought a shocked Kohana, showing none of her thoughts on her face. "Sure your not trying to kill each other, but it is really starting to hurt my ears, and really I'm not trying to kill Gaara, I'm fight in self-defense. Gaara's the one trying to kill me,"
"and we think it is a good idea if you sat down and tried to get along. I don't know maybe you two could talk about yourselves or something, just try to build a bridge over the chasm that is between you." Finished Temari, thought Kohana could not remember what it was she had said somewhere in the middle of her little speech.
"I can't believe you," thought Kohana angrily. "Getting me to do your dirty work for you? If you want to help your brother that much you go talk to him, and don't you remember I'm a mute."
"Ah, . . . . Temari, I just thought of something," said Kankuro.
"You think that's a bad thing," sniggered Temari, Knakuro just glared at her before continuing.
"How are they suppose to talk when she can't cause she's mute and Gaara dose like to talk at all?" asked Kankuro, confused look on his face.
"Thank you," screamed Kohana in her head, "The idiot is the one that relies the problem and that sad because his not really the smart to begin with."
"Oh crap. I didn't think about that, opps," laughed Temari trying to cover up her little mistake. "Guess I'm so use to her I forgot she can't talk,"
Kohana just gave them a blank look.
"Look could you just think about trying to get along with him. For us?" asked Temari, trying for a puppy-dog eyed look that just make Kohana want to laugh out loud, but thought better of it.
Think about the lone figure that had sat on the roof top, Kohana released something. "He was watching everyone from up there because no one would see him." Looking around her Kohana saw many people done their shopping, little children running around and happy families enjoying their day together. "He was just looking at something he never had. Something he secretly yearns for deep in his heart. Maybe what Temari said isn't so bad after all. For all I know this could be what I have been stay here all this time for?"
Turning back to Temari, Kohana nodded her head in agreement that she would try to get Gaara to open up to her, but Temari should not hold her breath.
The silence of the dark night left an eerie feel in the atmosphere. A small figure silently slipped though the shadows, jumping up to the second story of the Kazekage's house, pausing as they quickly picked the lock before disappearing though the window.
The room they found themselves in was shadowed in the same darkness as outside. It held a bed and a table and nothing more; the room appeared to be empty. A rushing noise made the intruder stiffen as a tentacle of sand lash out of the darkness, smacking the figure against the wall, holding them there.
"I told you I'd kill you if you came into my room," hissed the angry voice of Gaara as he appeared to melt out of the dark shadows of the room, glaring coldly at the small, crashed form of Kohana under her jail of sand.
Cold jade eyes clashed with determined onyx ones as a silent war past between them. In the end it was Kohana who broke the fight with a sigh as she closed her eyes. "Kill, kill her now! You know you want too. You want to feel her blood running though your fingers. You want to hear her to scream her last breath as we take her life. You want to prove your existence!" screamed than excited Shukaku, loudly in the Gaara's head.
"Yes i must kill," said Gaara to the demon as a sinister sneer appeared on his face.
"I just wanted to talk to you," said Kohana calmly as if she was not pinned to the wall by sand that could crash her to death any minute.
Gaara paused in his movement towards Kohana, in the dark on one would have seen it, but Kohana had been studying him ever since their first fight had noticed it for what it was. She had caught him by surprise and had knocked him off balance from the situation for a moment before he was back in control.
"You have been able to speak all this time," stated Gaara, to Kohana it seemed more like a demanded. "Smart girl, isn't want that stupid sensei to question you so you did say anything from the beginning. Ye, she is a worthy opponent," echoed the Shukaku.
"Yes,"
"Why?"
Silence followed this question as Kohana stared back at Gaara as a silent message past though them. If he let her down and didn't kill her . . . . . . yet, Kohana would tell him whatever he asked.
"Kill her, just kill her, what dose it matter if she has been talking, we need blood," snapped the Shukaku, as he raged around in Gaara's head. Gaara didn't know why, but for some reason he wanted to know about her, what made her hold such sadness in her eyes, so Gaara ignored the demon.
Slowly the prism of sand fell to the floor as Kohana gracefully landed on her feet.
"Speak,"
With that final statement Gaara turned and sat on the bed, waiting foe Kohana to continue. Sighing Kohana ran a hand though her short kunai-cut raven hair as she moved to sit on the other end of the bed.
"What is it you need to know?" asked Kohana looking him in the eye for any type of reaction.
Gaara sat quietly, unmoving, unblinking, watching Kohana as the shadows drifted around them, forming scary shape across the walls and floor.
"Who are you?"
Kohana blinked. "That's his first question? I thought it would have been why I was in the clearing of the dead?" looking closely at Gaara's cold uncaring eyes Kohana rethought that observation. "No, he doesn't care for the village, so any questions about me and the clearing will be asked because he wants to know and not because of the Kazekage,"
Thoughts of the documents and scrolls hidden inside the Kazekage tower and how Gaara had to grow up flashed though Kohana's mind. "He doesn't trust anyone. He's just a lost little boy on the inside; maybe he and I are not so different,"
"Kohana,"
"Huh?"
"My name's Kohana,"
"Kohana . . . . . . ?"
"Just Kohana,"
"Hn,"
". . . . . . ?"
Silence fell upon them as they sat facing each other, unblinking. "Well this is going GREAT!!" though Kohana sighing out loud. That seemed to trigger Gaara's next question.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"Yes, where so we can go and kill the one that has so much power to teach her. Just think, to kill two people with so much power and to have them fall to us, the demon of Suna," laughed Shukaku evilly.
Blinking in surprise at the sudden start of conversation again, Kohana answered, "Nowhere, I learnt to fight on my own,"
It was Gaara's turned to blink in surprise though it did not show on his face. "What, there not possible. How could she do this to us. What dose she mean there no one else worthy of us killing? That's we're going to make her death slowly and painful," ranted Shukaku angrily.
Kohana sighed and turned to look out the window at the stars that dotted the night sky. "I broke into the Kazekage tower after our fight to find out just what you were."
Gaara's face showed no sigh of a reaction, but his shoulders stiffened a little. "This girl must not be as smart as we thought. To know just what we are and still she broke into our room. Is she just fool heartedly brave or just stupid?" asked Shukaku sniggering.
"I know about what your father did to you and how the village treated you and you know . . . . . . ," said Kohana as sadness shone in her eyes. "I really can not judge you for what you believe and how you think. The pain you would have felt and the all consuming loneliness you would have felt."
"Who the hell dose she think she is to say that she knows us, we don't need anyone, but ourselves and we love no one, but ourselves, we will kill her for her said," hissed the Shukaku.
You know nothing of what I felt like," hissed Gaara.
"No?" said Kohana turning to look him dead in the eye. Gaara sucked in some air in to his lungs quickly, when he saw the look of sadness she had in her eyes like when he was in the hospital. Her mistrust gone and the need to distance her self had vanished too. Now all that was left was her sense of loneliness as she seemed to reach out to him, just like that time. Her eyes soft with understanding.
"I think I know what you have been going though all your life. You have never known what a loving family was like or what it is like to be accepted by other is like. I to have not felt that." whispered Kohana, but Gaara still heard every word.
"Your father order for the demon Shukaku to be sealed with in you, while the head of my clan order for my family and me to be lock away from the rest of the clan because of who my father married. They thought her to be a disgrace to the clan and would have never let my parents married if my mother had not been pregnant with me."
"Why are you still sitting her? Kill her now," growled the Shukakua to Gaara, but he just ignored him.
"My fathers status in the clan was the only thing keeping us save until the head found out that I was just as much a prodigy as his eldest son, he had my assigned as his younger son's playmate. We were the same age and it was decided that we would be teamed together as genin, that with both our skills we would be a great and powerful symbol of our clan."
"She was being used as a weapon by her family, just like I am," though Gaara, surprised.
"So, let's just kill her," snapped Shukaku.
"All the other clans would have had to show respect our clan because we would have made our clan the most powerful in the village. However no matter what status I might have gotten in the clan or how much I was accepted by the clan I got my mother would always by nothing more than the clan disgrace."
Kohana stood up and walked to the window to look at the moon out side a tear ran down her face, but her voice did not tremor. "Then one day my father came back from his mission dead and my mother's protection was gone so she ran. I was still safe, the clan wanted my power, but mother could not stand to be part from me so she grabbed me and left."
Kohana turned back to face Gaara, "You have never been accepted by your village while the village my mother toke us to were religious and superstitious. Have you ever heard of the saying "when you bring something new into the house and bad luck happens its the new thing that brought it," well when mother and I started to live in this village their harvest went bad then there was a draught and I village started to run out of water. We lived there for two years before they killed my mother and then turned on me."
"Just like my village," thought Gaara, a small pain in his crest shot though him as his hand moved to grab his shirt just above the pain. "This pain. Why am I feeling it again?"
"Because of her, KILL HER!" screamed the annoyed demon, that his commands where being ignored.
Bowing her head, Kohana's arms then rose to remove her shirt and pull it over her head. Gaara start as a bare chest was shown to him. She did not wear a bra as her two small mounds of flesh that where the start of her crest were too small to even half fill an A cup. An ugly scar ran from her left should across and down thought the valley between the small mounds of flesh and across her stomach to her right hip.
"W . . wh . . what – ?" stuttered Gaara in his head eyes not moving from there place on her chest.
". . . . . ." was Shukaku's only repose.
"The butcher did that to me with his butcher knife before I killed him. I was eight when this happened and he was the first person I had ever killed. After that I had turned to the life of a thief. I just stole little amounts of food, it would have been easy to steal large amounts I suppose, but then someone might suspect and I didn't stay in one village for to long, just a week or two then high tail it out of there before the folk get use to me being there."
Kohana pulled her ratty shirt back on and sat back on the bed. She ran her finger though her hair as her story just seemed to come flowing out of her mouth. Have held it in for so long it just seem so easy to tell him now that she had started.
"A few times I came across some other older thieves that thought I would be an easy rut in the grass, and would try and rape me, and then I'd kill them too. In the end I cut me hair short to look like a boy so that the only thing they would do was try and steal any lute I had, but they too would meet the end at the tip of my blade."
An anger started to rise in Gaara's chest when she said this, "What do I feel this? Why do I feel like I want to go kill those bastards, even though she said their already dead?" Gaara mentally asked.
"Did someone say kill? Who are we going to Kill?" asked Shukaku in almost a playful puppy way.
"This is the longest I have ever staying in a village after the death of my mother," continued Kohana a small sad smile on her face, "and it's about time I was on my way."
Kohana stood up and turned to leave though the window, before Gaara's hand shot out and grab her hand. He was not so sure what was making him do this, but something told him too.
"I kill my mother at birth and for that father, hated me and my sibling always looked at me with disgust and the villagers all feared me or scorned me. My uncle was assigned to look after me and monitor the demon within me. He told me he loved me and that mother had too before she died," Gaara all, but whisper making Kohana take a step towards him so she could hear.
"then when I was six, an assassin attacked me. I could see his face, but I attack in self-defense hurt him to the point that he could not move. When I went to remove the mask covering him, the pain in my heart grow as I looked down that the face of my uncle," said Gaara as he clenched his hands into fists as the member made him anger.
"He told me that he could never love me, that it was because I was the last thing of my mother left that he looked after me, and that it was on my father's orders that he was going to kill me. He also told me that my mother had never loved me, and she died cursing this village and me with her last breath, just before he lit a exploding tag and tried to blow us up," said Gaara as his eye looked up at Kohana's face to see her looking back at him, with concern, worry and sadness as his story continued.
"After that day the last little piece of humanity dead within me and I cut the kanji "LOVE" into my very skin to remind myself that i love no one, but myself," Gaara hissed out the last part as Shukaku evilly laugh at him inside his head.
"Maybe we are not so different Gaara," said Kohana as she raised her hand to cup his left cheek.
This seemed to knock Gaara out of this little trance and he hit her hand away angrily. "We are not even close to being alike, Get out before I kill you," snarled Gaara as his sand pickup and rushed around the room threatenly.
Kohana figure flickered out existence to reappear at the window, looking back at Gaara one more time, "I meant what I said about not being about to judge you for the way you are. If I had live just as hard I life as you I would be feeling bitter too," and then she was gone.
"Who dose she think she is, to touch as like that to believe she knows us or can save us, we need no one," hissed a pissed off Shukaku.
Gaara sat there quietly as the Shukaku continued to rant think about the last thing she had said.
"If I had lived just as hard a life as you I would be feeling bitter too,"
"But you did so why are you not?" asked Gaara out loud. "What is it that you have that I don't?"
When no answer came up Gaara's temper rose and his fist punched the wall.
"I'll find out what it is and when I do then I'll kill you," vowed a demonic Gaara as Shukaku's charka pumped though his body with the new adrenalin.
Three days after the talk between Kohana and Gaara, things were very quite, as their fight became far and in between. Kohana continued to sit next to Temari and Kankuro without a word and Gaara never made a move to tell them about her ability to speak.
That day the Siblings and Baki had been called up to see the Kazekage. When they got there they saw many others of Suna's genin teams.
"You all have been chosen to participate in the Chunin exams that are being held in Konoha. Only the best are being sent and you are the best. Do not disgrace the Sand village and be one your guard," said the Kazekage behind his kage hat and white cloth mask.
Kohana stood at the back watching as the Kazekage's eyes traveled across the room as if looking for something. Suddenly his eyes landed upon her and a great sense of dread and doom feel upon her as his eyes seem to penetrate into her very soul and the hurt, greedy look in them promised unimaginable pain.
Kohana suddenly did feel safe and her head screamed to run away as fast as possible, but her body would not let her.
"Team Baki I would like you to stay the rest, you are dismissed," order the Kazekage eyes never leave Kohana's.
There was a whooshing sound as all fellow Shinobi disappeared. Leaving just Baki, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara and Kohana, who did not know why she had not moved yet.
"Girl, you are dismissed," said the Kazekage as he seemed to leer at her, "But if you wish to wait for them you must wait out side.
Kohana using all her mental power forced her body to move as she flickered away, and stopped out side.
"Why is it that his eyes scare me so much?" murmured Kohana leaning against the wall of the Kage tower. Looking up at the window of the Kage's office where Gaara and his team still where, a sense of panic flashed though her body.
"With them out of the village, you'll know what he'll do. I just don't trust him." Thought Kohana, frowning.
"Hey," called Temari as she and her brother and Baki walked out of the tower. "We have to leave in two hours for this exam and do you think you can look after yourself for a month or so?"
Kohana just nodded, but thought, "There's something you're not telling me. Why is it you were the only team to have to talk to the Kazekage alone? Something not right here and I bet it something your father wants you to do."
"Good then we had better go pack," stated Temari as she marched the males away to pack.
Kohana watched them walk away, before turning her eyes back to the window above to looking to the eyes of the Kazekage. A shiver ran down her back his eyes flashed yellow.
Turning Kohana toke off at a run, not really knowing where she was going, "I have to get away from here, anywhere it doesn't matter, I just have to leave."
For two hours Kohana ran around the village in a mindless worry to stop at the front Gate of Suna to see Temari, Konkuro, Baki and Gaara walking off into the desert.
"That's it I'll just follow them. No one will have to know and I can get away from the crazy bastard and stay safe. Oh yeah go me," thought Kohana as she disappeared into the endless desert sand basking in yellow and orange afternoon rays.
TO BE CONTINUED
Thank you for the reviews
THAFuzz – I'm happy you like my story and I'm sorry about the typos. I have I computer that was built in the stone age and dose not understand this thing called spell check and I have to beat the key board to bits to type so I'm sorry.
Artemis J. Halk – thank you for reviewing again I'm sorry it took so long but I had a school musical to act in and the new school term to get back into, but now that it's all over the chapters will becoming up on a weekly bases. I hope.
Thank you for reviewing after my threat
Hinata-girl5 – thank you and I'm glad you like Kohana pretending to be mute and I try my best to get Gaara into character, however that may change as they get older and him more human (If that makes sense?)
Akizu Miko – thank you I'm glad you think this story is nice and I'm happy with the chapter lay out too, but it hard to think up chapter titles
Gaara The Enternal – thank you I'm glad you love this story, I do too and I'm the one writing it. And for future notice Kohana will be dealing with Temari and Kankuro a lot more in later chapters.
Animestar001 – stuff
Shadowfox19 – I'm glad you like it and I got a lot of reviews for this and I do think some people are just lazy thank
THE1 – hearing you say it one of your fav. Make me really happy
Spartan0901 – I'm glad you like it and I got a lot of reviews for this and I do think some people are just lazy thank
Thats the end of chapter 3, please review