Disclaimer: Gwen is Narufan0001's. Naruto isn't mine, but the plot is.
Chapter 16: Numbness
"When did you all forsake yourselves?"
~Gaara~
Gwen groaned, smelling something frying, like bacon almost.
"Are you awake?" asked a quiet voice. Blue eyes slowly blinked, flinching against even the slightest light from the fire, even though most of it was being blocked by the worried Fuu.
"Yeah. What happened?" Gwen asked, slowly sitting up. "Where's Deidara?!"
"I… I don't know where your brother is. We tried to wake you yesterday, and you just wouldn't get up. When you finally did, we were ambushed. You kept on muttering something about being sorry, and that you didn't kill them. Your brother stayed behind to fight while I got us out of there. Who were the 'them' you were talking about, anyways?" Fuu asked, a slight tilt to her head the only thing signaling her curiosity.
"I don't know," Gwen answered, frowning. It all just seemed so blurred. She had faith that her brother would find them, though. "I think we should wait here for Deidara to catch up."
"Gwen, I don't think he's going to catch up," replied the orange eyed girl, who constantly look sad.
Gwen felt desperate. Nii-san will catch up!
Right?
"Can we please wait for a couple of days, at least?" Gwen asked, grasping for anything.
"Three days," Fuu stated, as she turned her back to the brunette and laid down to sleep. Gwen stared at the starry sky above her, and felt numb.
x~x~x
Three days passed quickly, and with their passing Gwen became more and more aloof. Fuu gave her an extra day, but still, the blonde didn't show up.
Gwen wanted to protest, and stay for however long was needed, but she knew that they were pushing their luck.
The forest was oddly silent around them. Usually, it was filled to the brim with the sound of various animals. Gwen wasn't the only one to notice, and now both girls held kunai in their hands.
The person who emerged from the bushes in front of them was not what the two were expecting. The man was maybe several years older than them, and wore an open blue kimono. A container was slightly hidden in his kimono, its purpose unknown to the two girls.
"Who are you?" Fuu demanded.
The man slowly blinked at them, almost bored. "My name is Utakata."
"You're not ANBU, are you?" Gwen asked.
He shook his head. "I'm not an ANBU. I don't even work for a hidden village, so you have nothing to worry about from me. Are you in trouble?"
The girls exchanged looks, and after a couple of seconds, Gwen came to a decision.
"Yes. Iwa wanted to trade me for Taki's Jinchuuriki, so my brother got me and her out of there. He stayed behind to stop them," Gwen answered, relieved in a way to get that off her chest. It made her feel slightly less numb, the pain filling her with a sense of clarity.
"Ahh. I can relate to that feeling of betrayal. My village has also betrayed me." He hesitated, and then finally stated, "I am the Jinchuuriki for the Rokubi."
With that proclamation hanging in the still air, he sat down in front of the fire, both of the girls' mouths gaping open with shock.
He glanced at them, and then serenely stated, "You'll catch flies doing that."
The surprise of that coming out of his mouth made Gwen laugh. It was all hitting her hard. Nii-san's probably dead, and I'm stuck out here with two Jinchuurikis. What the fuck?
Both the girls slowly sat down beside him, Fuu still weary. Gwen believed that he was telling the truth though, knowing that being a Jinchuuriki was something that no one joked about.
"Is it alright if I travel with you?" Utakata asked, sluggishly blowing colorful bubbles out of a pipe.
"Yeah, it's alright with me. What about you, Fuu-san?" Gwen asked politely.
The mint haired girl looked up from where she had been staring at the dancing flames. "I am fine with it."
Gwen, frowned, sensing that not all was right with the girl, but didn't comment. She knew better than most that there were some things that shouldn't be spoken of until the perfect time. This was likely one of them.
Staring at the flames, Gwen couldn't help but feel numb again. Her brother was out there somewhere, maybe even dead or hurt, and she wasn't doing anything. What kind of sister was she?
Gwen abruptly stood, causing the normally indifferent Fuu to stare at her with surprise. Utakata watched on silently, already having guessed her motive for standing.
"I'm going back to the village to find my brother," Gwen stated, her back tall and straight.
Fuu frowned. "I'm going with you."
"So am I," Utakata also said as he rose from where he had been sitting.
"Why?" Gwen blurted out. "Why the hell are you doing anything for me?"
"We don't have much in the world, us Jinchuuriki, so we hold on tightly to anyone that accepts us," the brunette boy replied, a slight smile transforming his face.
Fuu nodded, agreeing with his sentiment. She walked towards her new friends, and smirked at her. "We can't leave little Gwen alone, can we?"
Gwen puffed out her cheeks, annoyed, but didn't say anything, and watched with a slight smile as her two new friends laughed.
You're not the only ones that haven't also had any friends before…
Question: Who's your favorite character of all time?
My answer: Itachi, obviously, though I also like Severus Snape a lot too. :)
