Sabaku no Momo
(4. Another Year Passes…)
By Anke-chan
Pairing: Gaara x OC
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only the plot and OC
Warning: There may be lots of OOCness~ If there are [ ] after a certain word or phrase, it is the definition or translation of the word or phrase :D
A/N: Please R&R! :D
It had been another year. Momoko's twelfth birthday came and passed. She was now a full-fledged chuunin, having completed the chuunin exam before the end of the previous year. Already, the girl had been on several C-ranked and a few B-ranked missions with her fellow comrades Hiashi and Haru and their cell leader, Amaya. No longer genin-ranked shinobi though, they were led by someone different every now and then. Their leader had been Izo, a jounin they met during one of their first missions, once.
The dark-haired girl's hair was longer than it had been before, trailing to her waist, although not much could be said of her height. She was still a tiny 4'9", seeming even smaller with her already slender frame. She had on a dark red top that hugged her slender torso with knee-length black tights. She scuffed her ankle-length black sandals against the dirt ground, waiting patiently for her cellmates to show up for the daily training sessions they held when they weren't on missions.
I wonder if Gaara is doing okay…? The girl thought to herself, having heard that the next chuunin exam was being held in Konohagakure and that several of the other genin cells had headed to Konohagakure, the Sand Siblings being one of them.
Before she could ponder on the thought further, a voice called out to her from the distance. "OI! Momoko-chan!"
The girl turned and returned the wave, a smile lighting up her features as she watched her two comrades come running up to her. "Haru-chan. Hiashi-kun. I was waiting for you."
Haru was out of breath but bowed repeatedly to Momoko, apologizing repeatedly as well. "We're so sorry! Sorry! SORRY! We were late! AGAIN!" She sobbed, still bowing.
Momoko laughed, catching Haru's shoulders before she could bow again. "Okay, okay! I get it! Stop bowing so much before you get dizzy. We wouldn't want that now, would we?"
"That's true! So calm down now, Haru," Hiashi added on, laughing as well.
Haru blushed, fiddling with her fingers nervously out of habit. "…S-sorry…" she muttered again, her eyes cast on her feet.
Momoko patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry about it! Come on, let's get started!" She pulled away from Haru and ran a few feet away, giving the other two some space before she stopped and turned to face them. "Okay, are you ready?"
Hiashi turned and headed off a few feet away from Haru, then stopped himself. His dark green hair almost looked black and had grown out enough that he could pull it back to tie in a small ponytail. The boy had for sure grown at least an inch and a half since they had first become a cell. "Now I am! Shall we go?"
Haru looked up, her eyes suddenly full of confidence as she nodded. Haru's own hair had grown as well, although it wasn't as long as Momoko's. Haru's golden tresses cascaded to just an inch or two past her shoulders. "I am! Shall we?" She settled back into her battle stance as her two teammates followed suit.
There was a moment of silence where they all observed the other… Then, all three disappeared in the blink of an eye, only to reappear a moment later to clash their weapons together. Momoko backed off from the clash, unsettling both Hiashi and Haru's balance before she shoved Hiashi aside and struck out at Haru. Haru dodged the blow and struck out with her fist at Momoko's stomach. The dark-haired girl parried the blow with a small twist of her body and the lightest flick of her wrist.
The green-haired boy jumped at both of the girls, although his kunai was aimed at Momoko. Momoko noticed Hiashi from the corner of her eye and took a step away from his attack range, the kunai striking down where her shoulder would have been a moment ago before she lashed out at him, swinging her fist. The boy pulled back from the attack just in the nick of time as Haru kicked out her leg at Momoko.
Ducking underneath the blond-haired girl's strike, Momoko swung her own leg around, connecting her foot with Haru's and unbalancing her completely, knocking the other girl down. Momoko then jumped up at Hiashi, feinting to the right before switching her direction and attacking him from the left instead. Hiashi foresaw the feint and caught Momoko's right wrist, stopping her kunai in its tracks. He smiled at her before grabbing her left shoulder with his right hand, attempting to flip the dark-haired girl over his shoulder.
Instead of that occurring though, the girl caught her leg against Hiashi's, stopping the throw before it happened. She then reversed the throw, pulling Hiashi around and tripping him over her leg where he then crashed to the ground.
"Darn it!" Hiashi exclaimed, although he was laughing. He stood up and dusted himself off before giving Momoko a few pats on her shoulder. "You're getting to be pretty ruthless yourself now…"
Haru dusted off her bottom, nodding in agreement with Hiashi. "Did you get that from our training with Amaya-sensei? It certainly feels like you did…" She came to stand beside Hiashi and Momoko.
Momoko smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Ah, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be so rough…" A sweat drop trailed down her cheek. "Gomen ne," she said, bowing slightly.
"No worries! We're fine! Shall we go and eat some treats together?" Haru giggled, waving Momoko's apology aside.
Hiashi nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Let's do that!"
Momoko laughed. "All right. Let's go then!"
The three friends headed back into the village, laughing and chatting happily.
A Few Hours Later…
Momoko was idly sitting in her apartment, thinking about things. Everything had seemed to change so fast… Already, she was a chuunin and had more say… That didn't mean anyone would listen to her about Gaara though… Every time she had tried to bring up the neglected boy to the other villagers, someone always changed the subject, talking about the weather or what had happened to a neighbor lately… It was all gossip and jokes. No one wanted anything to do with the failed experiment.
That irked the dark-haired girl more than anything. No one would see past the title that everyone had stamped upon the boy. No one wanted to see him as a person. All he seemed to be to them was a relic of the past, a mistake. The irritation the girl felt was nothing compared to the sadness she felt… She regretted being so unable to be strong enough to approach Gaara…
It wasn't because she was afraid that he would kill her, no. It was the fact that he would reject her… The fear that he wouldn't even want to try being friends with her. Momoko hated feeling so unsure about everything… For what had she worked so hard to get here? It was because of Gaara, wasn't it…? She didn't know what to think or expect anymore… At least, that was what she often thought of. Yet somehow, the fighting spirit in her refused to give up. She wasn't going to give in. Never.
The girl closed her eyes. Sabaku no Gaara… I have only one request from you… Only one. She opened her eyes again, staring at the wall that stood opposite of her bed.
A knock at the door disrupted her train of thought. The girl jumped up from her bed and went to open the door. She unlocked the chain and pushed open the door. "Ah… Amaya-sensei. What is it? Is something wrong?"
"We have a mission. It'll probably take us a few days, so make sure to pack enough. Understood?" Amaya stated in greeting.
Momoko nodded her head. "Ryoukai, Amaya-sensei." She shut her door as she headed back inside to pack. There wasn't time to think about her own personal matters now.
Momoko's cell was requested to help escort a man back to his village further in Sunagakure. Momoko looked over the man. He was tall with broad shoulders and a mess of graying hair. His soft and kind green eyes took in everything with a sharp look that was strange for such kind looking eyes. There was a set of wrinkles etched between his eyebrows.
"So, you young'uns are in charge now, eh?" the man asked, his smile kind.
"Yes," Momoko replied.
The man turned to Momoko. "Well, aren't you a pretty one? But what's this…?" He looked deep into the girl's eyes. "I see a sad past and troubled mind in you."
Momoko looked away, although it wasn't in embarrassment or shame. "Yes. I have had lots of things happen."
"You shouldn't let anything hold you back," the man said. "Oh, the name's Kotaro. Pleasure to make all of your acquaintances."
"My name is Machida Amaya," Amaya said.
"My, my! You're a beauty, ain't cha?" Kotaro commented, giving Amaya a wink.
Amaya giggled. "Thank you."
Kotaro turned to Hiashi and Haru. "What about you two? What are your names now?"
"Name's Hiashi," Hiashi said.
"Ahaha, sure you are," Kotaro said, laughing heartily. He turned to Haru. "How 'bout you, young'un?"
Haru blushed and murmured shyly, "Ha-Haru. My name's Haru."
"As pretty as your name, you are," Kotaro complimented, smiling kindly at the shy girl.
Haru blushed a deeper shade of red. "T-thank you, Kotaro-san…"
"I see bright futures ahead for all of you young'uns," Kotaro said, looking around at the three youngsters. He turned his eyes to Amaya. "You've done an amazing job to prepare them all, Missy Amaya."
Amaya looked proudly at her cell. "Thank you, but they are far from having reached their potentials. All of them have so much left to learn and they still have a long way to go." Her eyes met Momoko's momentarily before she looked away.
Kotaro gave another hearty laugh, nudging Momoko. "You should laugh more, young'un! I can see that a smile suits you much more! Come on now, laugh!"
Momoko looked at the older man, unsure. But a smile tugged at her lips and soon, she was laughing, too.
"That's it! My, my! A smile definitely lights up your features!" Kotaro complimented, smiling broadly at Momoko.
"Thank you," Momoko said again, smiling this time.
It was late in the night and the fire was crackling in its pit. Momoko heard a light shift of cloth and she sat bolt upright. She noticed that it was just Kotaro sitting up himself. "Kotaro-san?"
"Ah. You can't sleep either, young'un?" Kotaro asked.
Momoko shrugged slightly. "I guess so…" She looked at the older man questioningly. "Why can't you sleep, Kotaro-san?"
"I have many things on my mind that keep me from sleeping," Kotaro said, his voice mournful. He turned his eyes to look at Momoko. "I've seen it in your eyes as well. There are things that even you regret, aren't there, young'un?"
Momoko lowered her eyes. "There's a boy in our village that no one acknowledges… Ever since I was six years old, I've wanted to be friends with this boy… But everyone kept telling me to stay away from him because he was dangerous, unstable… It wasn't the fear that I would die if I tried approaching this person. Death is nothing compared to this…" The girl turned away. "I feared that he would never want to be friends with me."
"That's where, you're wrong, Momoko," Kotaro murmured. "Maybe he needs you more than you realize right now. You hold yourself back because you fear he won't be willing to be friends with you… But what if that isn't true and you're lying to yourself to keep from getting hurt? To keep yourself from being hurt if you were to lose him?"
The older man's words hit a string in Momoko's heart and an image of her parents' picture flashed into her mind. She gritted her teeth, then murmured, "Maybe it's because I lost people I barely knew… People I was supposed to call 'mother' and 'father'… I'm ashamed that I was never able to even call them that because they were dead days after I was born..."
Kotaro stood up and went over to Momoko, who he gently pulled into his arms and hugged. "Losing one's parents is one of the hardest things that a person can go through, it is. But you can't let this fact hold you back from living your life and making connections, young'un. Understand?" He continued to hug Momoko as she began to cry soundless cries.
In the morning, Momoko woke up and found Amaya poking some cooking meat that had been placed over a make-shift grill. Amaya looked up and smiled weakly at Momoko. "Ohayou, Momoko," she greeted.
From the look in Amaya's eyes, Momoko knew that she had overheard the conversation that had taken place the night before. "You heard, didn't you, Amaya-sensei?" she asked.
Amaya nodded once, not even bothering to lie. "I did. I'm sorry for your loss, Momoko. I won't say I understand how you feel because I've never gone through what you have… But I do want you to know that I will always be here for you as your teacher and friend." The woman smiled kindly at the girl.
Momoko stared at her teacher in amazement. Slowly, she, too, smiled in return. "Thank you, Amaya-sensei. I really appreciate that."
"Yes," Amaya said. She then turned to her other students and said in a loud voice, "How long do you two plan to sleep in!"
Momoko laughed as her other two cellmates sat up, startled by the sudden loud shout. She greeted them with, "Ohayou, you two."
Haru turned, blinking sleepily as she looked at Momoko. "Ah, ohayou, Momoko-chan… Ara?" The girl rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at Momoko again. "Y-you're smiling…!"
"E-eh? Is it weird?" Momoko asked, blushing, feeling a little bit self-conscious.
Haru clapped her hands happily. "Ahaha, not at all! It looks wonderful! Don't ever stop smiling!" She glomped Momoko, barely able to contain her happiness.
Momoko's smile returned as she returned the hug.
"What's going on?" Hiashi asked as he noticed his cellmates embracing.
The two girls laughed, noticing Hiashi's messy bed hair.
"Maybe it's about time you get a haircut," Momoko laughed.
Haru agreed. "How true! Maybe you should, Hiashi-kun!"
It was then that Hiashi noticed Momoko's smile. He couldn't help himself but smile then laugh as well. "Maybe," he said through his laughter.
Amaya admired her happy students as Kotaro got up himself, awakened by the laughter of the three youngsters. She cast him a glance, "Thank you, Kotaro-san. Sometimes, I think they were made to grow up much too fast."
Kotaro looked at the laughing children himself and nodded. "In the shinobi world, that's what happens, Amaya-san." He turned his eyes to Amaya. "Would you and your cell mind staying in our village for a few days? I think it would do well for the young'uns to rest up a bit before y'all head back the Sunagakure."
Amaya gave a light laugh. "That would be wonderful, Kotaro-san."
The cell finally arrived in the older man's home village. They looked around at the small town and noticed either the frightened or curious looks of pass-byers. Kotaro led the cell to his home, where he introduced them to his wife and children. He put an arm around his fair-haired wife, whose hazel eyes danced as they looked at the cell.
"This is my wife, Miki," Kotaro said, his smile warm and broad as he pecked the woman's cheek affectionately.
Miki's smile was motherly as she looked at the three young shinobi. "My, my, hello there. You three are awfully young to be shinobi." She pulled away from her husband's side and went closer to the three. She leaned down until she was eye-level with them before she reached out and brushed Momoko's dark hair back. "Welcome to our home. You're much younger than I would have anticipated."
Momoko was unsure of what to say, but managed to stutter, "Y-yes. Thank you for having us, Miki-san…"
Miki giggled, the laugh lines more prominent as she smiled. "It's no trouble at all. Kotaro and I always welcome the weary traveler. Please, come on in." She headed inside.
Kotaro flashed the cell a smile. "I'll introduce you to my kids and grandkids when they come back. They're all out right now. Please do feel free to come in though." He gestured for the group to come in.
Amaya nodded. "Let's go in then. We shouldn't be rude and keep them waiting."
"Yes, Amaya-sensei," her three students said in unison.
It was late into the night when everyone was seated around in the sitting room, having had their fill of a delicious dinner. The shinobi were also able to meet Kotaro's oldest son as well as the son's two children as well as Kotaro's youngest daughter and her daughter. Kotaro later explained during dinner to the group that his eldest daughter had moved to another village that wasn't too far away while his other two younger sons had gone and built their own homes in the village, dropping by every now and then.
"How was the trip here?" Miki inquired as everyone got comfortable.
"It's wonderful," Amaya replied.
Miki cast Amaya a warm glance. "I'm glad that you are happy with the accommodations, Amaya-sensei."
"Thank you for dinner," Haru murmured.
Miki laughed heartily, tossing back her head before she calmed herself and said, "It was no trouble! Especially since all of you insisted on helping me cook. I should be thanking you as well."
As the conversations continued, eventually spinning off to a different topic, Momoko became lost in her thoughts. She had never felt this way before… This feeling that was new and strange… Was it the feeling that she… Belonged? She didn't know what to really think about the whole thing.
Momoko stood up. "Excuse me. I'm going to go outside for some fresh air, if that's all right?"
"Of course! It's no problem," Kotaro said, waving a hand.
Momoko gave a smile before she went out through the front door. Once she was outside, she let out an exhale. Was this what it was like to feel relaxed? To feel at peace? To not worry that something bad may soon happen? The girl turned her dark eyes to look up into the sky. She took a few steps to her left, her eyes never leaving the midnight blackness above her before she leaned back against the wooden wall behind her.
The young kunoichi soon lowered her gaze to the ground, her thoughts drifting back to the thought that had been interrupted when they were still back in Sunagakure. Her thoughts about Gaara… She winced as a sharp pain jabbed her in her heart, her hand going and clenching her shirt front. Why does…my heart always hurt when I think of Sabaku no Gaara? What is it about him…that makes me feel this way? Never in my life… Have I ever felt this way towards anybody except him… I don't… Understand this feeling I have. The girl took a calming breath, letting her thoughts flow.
I need to do this… I must ask him! The girl looked up at the sky, a determined light glowing in her brown eyes. I won't hold back this time.
She turned and was just about to open the door when it opened by itself. A figure stood in the doorway. "Momoko-chan?"
"Ah, Haru-chan?" Momoko asked, slightly surprised.
Haru took a step outside and closed the door behind her. "I was worried about you… Are you okay, Momoko-chan?" The shadows cast a dark look over Haru, making it slightly difficult for Momoko to see the other girl's expression.
Momoko gave a small smile. "I was just thinking about some things…"
"Things? Like what?" Haru inquired.
Momoko hadn't taken the chance to tell Haru things such as this before… She remembered the other girl's reaction when she had mentioned Gaara. The dark-haired girl rubbed the back of her head as she murmured, "Um… Well… It was about… Gaara."
Haru couldn't help but instinctively shudder as Momoko said his name. "O-oh? Is that right?" She steadied her voice. "I'm sorry if I sound frightened… It's just that… It has become a natural thing for me… I don't want to seem like I'm disrespecting you, Momoko…"
"It's understandable," Momoko replied.
"N-no! It isn't! I'm sure that this time, I know why you're thinking of Sabaku no Gaara…! You want to be friends with him, right? I've noticed how you've been trying to talk about him to the other villagers," Haru exclaimed. She lowered her eyes. "You're trying to change their views…and well… I think it's wonderful that you're doing that, Momoko-chan."
The dark haired girl was slight taken aback with surprise. "E-eh? You really think so, Haru-chan?"
Haru looked at Momoko and nodded eagerly. "Of course! You're always so strong! You have no idea how much I've always admired you for that!" The blond girl blushed. "A-ah…" She lowered her eyes again, her cheeks reddening. "I didn't think I would ever tell you that… I was always so shy and unsure of myself, unsure of my own strength…"
Momoko smiled. "No. You've always been strong, Haru-chan. You just didn't take the time to see it. I'm happy that you are able to now though." She reached a hand forward and patted her friend's shoulder.
Haru looked up again, smiling happily. "As I was saying earlier though… you're strong. You want people to acknowledge him because he's been shunned all his life. You want to change the villagers' opinions of him. You fight for it. You fight for him, don't you, Momoko-chan?"
It was Momoko's turn to blush as she murmured, "Yeah. I can't help myself but fight for him… He's someone with whom I've wanted to be friends with for so long… I wish I could do more for him, Haru-chan… I really do." The dark-haired girl felt the stinging tears of frustration prick at the corners of her eyes.
The blond-haired girl noticed the tears and reached forward, her fingers wiping away the tears. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to become friends with him one day," Haru whispered consolingly.
Momoko smiled and hugged the other girl. "I hope so, too."
"Girls? Where are you?" Amaya opened the front door. "It's a little chilly out tonight. Come on in before you catch a cold. That would be bad now."
The two girls laughed a little as they returned back inside.
A week later…
Momoko had decided to go out and buy groceries when she noticed that a large crowd had gathered around the village gates. What's going on? The girl thought to herself before she went over to see what was happening.
"Please, step back! We're trying to get through!" It was a womanly voice. Momoko recognized that voice! It had to be… The crowd parted and Momoko's guess was confirmed when she saw Temari coming along, followed by Gaara, who had an arm around Kankuro's shoulders.
"What happened? Did it succeed?" One villager asked.
'Succeed'…? What's going on? Momoko wondered to herself, baffled at the inquiry the villager had asked Temari.
"No. It failed. It doesn't matter at this point," Temari replied coolly.
The Sand Siblings quickly disappeared from view, leaving everyone confused and asking questions. Only one girl didn't know what was going on.
"Amaya-sensei!"
The orange-haired woman looked up. "Ara? Momoko? What is it? You seem out of breath. What happened?"
The dark-haired girl looked at Amaya, unsure of what to feel. "Did you know about this!"
"About what?" Amaya inquired, her expression confused.
"About Operation: Destroy Konoha!" The girl shouted, her disbelief clear on her face.
Amaya's expression became neutral. "Operation: Destroy Konoha?" She averted her eyes. "I knew about it. Everyone knew about it."
"How come I didn't know! How come Haru-chan and Hiashi-kun didn't know!"
"I hid it from you," the woman stated matter-of-factly.
"But why!"
Amaya turned her eyes to look at Momoko. "I knew you would be against it. We've been together long enough that I know you're a pacifist, Momoko."
Momoko was taken aback slightly. She felt her building anger fade as she tucked her hair back before she looked back at her teacher. "I'm going to guess… That you also knew I would protest against it, huh?"
Amaya nodded. "I also knew you would do that and I also knew that that would have gotten you into much trouble. I couldn't let that happen to my precious student now, could I?" She fixed her chocolate brown eyes on the girl's dark ones. "I'm glad I made the three of you participate in the chuunin exams last year. If I had let you three take it this year, you would have been involved in this operation. I would not have been okay endangering your lives."
"Yet you allowed the other chuunin teams go and endanger their lives!" Momoko exclaimed.
Amaya looked at Momoko with calm eyes. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't have let that happen either. We are all from the same Hidden Village, but… The final decision was not mine to make, Momoko. Understand that."
Momoko felt hurt and didn't know what else to say. She lowered her eyes to the ground before she murmured, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. You must have been busy with work. Excuse me." She hastily left the room, leaving her teacher to sit alone.
Amaya stared at nothing for a few minutes. Then with a sigh, the woman turned back to her paperwork, although she only put in her effort half-heartedly now.
It had been approximately three days after Operation: Destroy Konoha! had failed. Sunagakure and Konohagakure had met and signed peace treaties. All seemed well and quiet once more…except for the turmoil that raged within one person.
Momoko had not smiled in the three days since she had learned about the operation. The girl was glad that there was peace again, but the shock from the entire deal of Amaya having said nothing to the cell was stronger than Momoko's relief. She let out another sigh as she turned her face upwards and looked into the deep blue sky, using her hand to shield her brown eyes from the harsh rays of the sun.
'Is it because… Amaya-sensei still considers us children that she said nothing to us…?' The girl could only ponder the question silently to herself as she swung back on the swing, turning her eyes away from the peaceful deep blue to look back at the dirt ground. 'It's been three days since I last spoke to anybody from my cell… I wonder how they're all doing right now…? I'm sure Amaya-sensei is as busy as ever with all of her work… Hiashi-kun is most likely training with Haru-chan… Yet, there's also…' The girl's thoughts flashed to Gaara. 'I wonder if he's okay…? He looked… Different when I saw him…' She stopped swinging and stood up, a determined expression taking over her sad expression. 'I should go find Gaara and take this chance to talk to him!'
Momoko turned to her left just as another person walked past her line of sight. He was garbed in dark clothes… 'W-wait… I-it couldn't be…?' Momoko thought, freezing in place as she watched the newcomer pause as they noticed her presence.
It was Sabaku no Gaara.
TBC~
A/N: Aaaah~! I'm finally finished! I'm so sorry that I've kept you all waiting! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you in the next one~! FINALLY! Gaara and Momoko's first conversation! XD I'm soo excited~!
