Beta-reading: Katakiari (katakiari . deviantart . com)
© "Naruto" is created and copyrighted by Kishimoto Masashi and owned by Shueisha Publishing Co., Ltd. and Studio Pierrot.
Enjoy.
Alive And Victorious
Chapter 6. The troublesome student
"Let's call it a day," Gaara said to his student. Matsuri nodded and glanced aside where a long-haired girl had been standing in a distance, obviously waiting for them to finish. The redhead tried to recall her name. It was Sari, if his memory was correct; she was Matsuri's best friend.
The girl had apparently realized they just finished because she slowly stepped towards them. Matsuri waited for her patiently, oblivious to the fact she was being observed. Gaara was looking at her from the corner of his eye, watching how her breathing grew steady. The sweatdrops were still breaking out of her skin and trickling down. One of them went down Matsuri's neck and disappeared behind her shirt, just between her breasts.
The redhead averted his eyes.
Sari reached them and smiled.
"Hello, Gaara-san," she greeted him and it seemed there was a hidden message in her voice. Matsuri rolled her eyes.
"Hi, Matsuri," Sari said to her friend, pouting a bit. Matsuri's chin shivered like she was suppressing her laughter.
"Gaara-sensei," his student only said. "I'm going to get my shurikens."
The redhead nodded, watching her go away and gather the metal stars, stuck in the sand. He realized Sari had asked him something in a timid voice and he gazed at her questioningly.
"Nah, forget it," she said quickly, glancing at him with her eyes narrowed. He nodded, his attention snatched by his student once more. Matsuri was getting closer to the furthest shuriken and Gaara focused, letting his consciousness expand and weave his chakra through the countless grains shifting beneath his feet. The shuriken floated up, carried by a ribbon of sand, and Matsuri turned back and grinned thankfully at him. She deftly caught the weapon and stuck it into her pouch, then ran towards them while the sand dispersed in the air.
"Thank you, sensei," the girl said, smiling, and the redhead nodded wordlessly. "So what are we going to do? Maybe eat something?" Matsuri asked her friend. Sari looked happy and shot a glance in his direction. "Gaara-sensei, would you like to come with us?" his student uttered, surprising him completely. He didn't answer at once, musing over her proposition. "Oh c'mon," Matsuri recited, smiling invitingly. "You won't have to treat us, I promise. You can have something spicy, just the way you like it."
Sari was eyeing them curiously and Matsuri laughed, obviously embarrassed, and scratched the back of her head.
"Um, you know, sensei let me try what he had been eating in the canteen once. You would never believe how savoury it was. I had been thirsty for the entire day after that." Matsuri wrinkled her nose and Sari giggled. Gaara watched both girls intently. They seemed to be so close to each other, best friends indeed. His siblings were also acting that way sometimes, teasing and bantering, but never with him. As if the remnants of the old fear still resided within them.
Only Matsuri was unafraid. Absolutely, completely unafraid.
"I drank so much water that I didn't have enough left to wash my clothes," the girl finished her story, glaring at her friend who was still giggling. After a minute Matsuri laughed as well and gazed at Gaara. "Sensei, will you go with us?"
"Yes," he nodded and Sari made a face of a shinobi who had just completed an A-rank mission perfectly. They left the training ground and headed towards the shopping district. The girls continued their friendly chattering and from time to time Matsuri was attempting to draw him into the conversation, but to no avail. Actually, he had always thought he preferred solitude and silence to an empty jabbering but, to his bewilderment, he kind of liked listening to two girls going by his side. The trio, just walking down Sunagakure's narrow streets, was arousing great curiosity in the villagers. Everyone was used to seeing Gaara walking alone. Sometimes his siblings were with him but no one else, and now all of a sudden two pretty girls were accompanying him.
The redhead was used to people staring at him and pretending they weren't staring at all, so he just ignored the stares. Sari seemed to feel slightly uncomfortable, while Matsuri was getting more and more annoyed.
"It's very impolite to gape at people!" she exclaimed for the tenth time, rebuking a group of girls her age. The girls glared at her and turned away but they were continuously glancing over their shoulders and Matsuri sighed, shaking her head.
Sari waved her hand as if she spotted someone familiar in the crowd. Gaara followed her gaze and noticed the boy named Yakku, the one hopelessly fallen for Matsuri, according to Kankurou's words. The brown-haired genin slowed down his pace when he realized who was accompanying his friends. He looked like he had been positively scared and about to run away.
"Heeeey!" Sari screamed and there was no way for the poor guy to sneak away unnoticed. "We're going to eat something, wanna go with us?"
Gaara watched the boy drawing himself nearer and nearer. Finally, Yakku came to a halt right before them and Matsuri beamed a bright smile at him.
"Gaara-sensei, this is my friend Yakku," the girl said. "Yakku, this is Gaara-sensei, whom I told you so much about."
This statement surprised Gaara but what was even more surprising was the pride in Matsuri's voice. The redhead glanced at her briefly and looked at Yakku, who nodded at him with a rather unfriendly expression. Since Gaara's usual expression was not the friendliest one either, to put it mildly, he only had to send the other boy the long look to make him shift uncomfortably and avert his eyes.
"Gaara-sensei," Matsuri whispered, nudging him gently at the elbow. "Do not look at him like you want to hurt him!"
Gaara peeked at her and their eyes met. Matsuri nodded seriously to emphasize her words and turned to Yakku who explained he was going to get a new pouch. Looking like he was truly relieved, the boy excused himself, but Matsuri quickly offered to go with him and, before Gaara could realize what was happening, he had been left only with Sari in the middle of Suna's shopping district.
o0o0o0o
Matsuri stopped in front of Sari's house and knocked at the door. Her friend opened it and grinned at her sight, putting her finger on her lips and pulling Matsuri inside. She led her friend into her room and when the door was closed behind them Sari started to giggle uncontrollably. Matsuri waited with a big grin plastered on her face until her friend was calm at last. It was obvious that the date with Gaara made Sari extremely happy. Not that he knew it was a date, anyway.
"And?" Matsuri asked, impatient and curious.
"Great," Sari answered dreamily. "Fantastic. Matsuri, he's so handsome! Of course, he wasn't talking much, only observed everything with those eyes... Tell me, how can you look into those eyes and not fall for him?"
Matsuri felt slightly abashed, not sure if it was proper to listen to such things about her own teacher. Besides, she really didn't want to ponder over her own feelings towards him. Even if she would be unlucky enough to fall for him, she doubted she could ever make friends with him, let alone be his girlfriend.
"He is my teacher," she said sternly.
"Oh, come on," Sari waved her hand with disregard. "If only I had such a teacher, I—" she broke off and furrowed her brows. "Matsuri, maybe you could ask him to teach me, too?"
"Uh... what?" Matsuri stuttered, astounded. "And how are you going to explain this to Temari-san?"
Sari looked perplexed. "I don't know... I'll think of something!" she shot. "I really have to get closer to him!"
Matsuri watched her friend, astonished. It seemed Sari really had a soft spot for Gaara.
"Remember what I told you," Matsuri remarked and Sari waved her hand.
"I know, I know. I carried out all of your instructions. No joking, no winking, no flirting. I've been dead serious. I piqued his interest only when I touched upon the subject of the Academy." Suddenly Sari jumped to her feet and stood in front of Matsuri. "Hey, Matsuri... are you sure you are not jealous?" she asked coyly.
Matsuri rolled her eyes but couldn't help the soft blush surfacing her cheeks.
"I told you already you can have him if you want," she said with a huff and Sari smiled, floating into her own dreamland again. For the rest of the evening Matsuri had to tell her friend stories about Gaara until she decided it was late and she had to go home. Quite relieved, she left Sari's house and headed towards her home. The sun had set already and the streets were lit only by dim light of the street lamps; the first quarter moon was not giving any distinctive light either. Matsuri quickened her pace when from behind the nearest corner two ninjas appeared, or rather stumbled. They were wearing chuunin flak jackets and looked positively drunk. Matsuri tried to go around them while they were clinging to each other, searching for support. Blinking, they focused their eyes on her. One of them pointed at her with his finger and sputtered some words that made her blood boil.
o0o0o0o
Matsuri opened her eyes. She was lying on a narrow, hard bed in a small place without windows. In the wall just above the door there was a shallow cavity where a lamp had been placed behind the thick sheet of plexiglass. No other equipment was there.
The kunoichi pulled herself to a sitting position and groaned, touching the back of her head. She could feel a huge bump there and her head was spinning and aching. Plus, she was very thirsty. Her hand instinctively sneaked into her pouch and after she sensed the sharp edges of the metal blades hidden there, she already knew she must have been taken into custody since they didn't take her weapons.
Her heart hammered at the thought and she jumped high when the door lock clashed. Matsuri timidly turned her gaze in that direction, watching the door being set ajar and revealing one jounin standing there. The man waved at her wordlessly and Matsuri gulped, lifting herself and walking towards him with her knees buckling. Her calf ached slightly and she also realized the sleeve of her shirt had been cut open. Through the hole she could see the neat, long cut from a kunai blade but it wasn't bleeding anymore. The jounin peered at her assessingly with grave expression and led her out. They went down the long corridor, went upstairs and finally entered a sparsely furnished room. There was a table standing in the middle with two wooden chairs on both sides. There were also a few chairs next to the door and a small cabinet hanging on the wall.
The jounin showed the girl to sit down. She settled herself into the chair facing the wall, opposite to the door, and soon her neck began to ache because she was forcing herself not to turn away and look at the entrance. She started to inhale deeply and tried to concentrate on the wall when someone approached the table and sat down in the chair in front of her, at the opposite side of the table. Matsuri held her breath. It was impossible not to recognize that face, partly covered with a white sheet hanging down from the turban and marked with Kaze no Yaiba tattoo. Matsuri's heart was about to leap out of her chest.
Baki-sama.
She knew she hadn't been in such deep shit since the Shitenshounin incident.
The jounin's expression was extremely stern and his only eye was sparkling dangerously. Matsuri broke out in a cold sweat, her lips going dry immediately. When Baki cleared his throat, the girl jumped to the ceiling. He leaned backwards and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Matsuri," he uttered in a deep, menacing voice which sounded in the poor girl's ears like a funeral bell. "Yesterday evening you attacked two chuunins. One of them is concussed; the other has his testicles nearly crushed. I'm waiting for your explanation."
Matsuri's face went red all over and she pursed her lips, disobediently averting her gaze. Baki's eyes narrowed.
"Answer now, shinobi!" he ordered and Matsuri flinched. She wanted to stay silent, she wanted to forget about it, she wanted to pretend that nothing had happened... but she couldn't ignore the jounin's command.
"...were calling me names," she growled quietly.
"I can't hear you!" Baki roared.
"They were calling me names!" she repeated louder and bit her lip. Baki looked like he was about to roll his eyes.
"Calling you names?" he echoed in a sneer. "And what names were they calling you that you decided to severely hurt them and cause their prolonged inability to go on missions?"
The girl swallowed and closed her eyes. Let them punish her, let them trample and humiliate her but may it be the end at last...
"Answer me!" the jounin raged, suddenly leaning forward. Matsuri shivered, raising her hand as if she wanted to block the hit.
"They were calling me names!" she repeated defensively. "They...They said..." she gulped. "Isn't that the little pussy who managed to tame the beast?" she mimicked the chuunins' disgusting, lustful voices. Her blood boiled at the very remembrance and her body trembled all over, her fists clenching until her nails dug in her flesh. "I wonder how did she manage to do that, huh? Come here, monster's plaything!"
The jounin's chest rumbled threateningly. He glanced at the door and hit the tabletop with his fist.
"Gaara, where are you going?" he yelled and Matsuri turned around immediately, shocked to the core. Her teacher was standing in the doorway, his back facing them. Finally he glanced at Baki over his shoulder.
"I'm going to find them," the redhead drawled in a low, ominous voice. Matsuri felt her cheeks burning when she realized he had heard the worst part of the story, or maybe even more. The girl sank into her chair, miserably watching Baki who stood up and glared at his former student.
"She punished them quite appropriately already," the jounin said.
"You want me to pretend that nothing has happened?" Gaara answered in the same voice as before, giving Matsuri chills.
Baki snarled impatiently and squeezed the bridge of his nose with two fingers.
"Of course not," he said. "But you will speak with them when you've calmed down, do you understand me? In your case it will be more than enough!"
Matsuri grabbed the edge of the tabletop until her knuckles turned white. If only she could crawl under this table and not show herself for another year!
"Please, don't make it worse!" Baki roared, obviously furious with having to deal with the unruly teacher and student at once.
The quiet footsteps announced that Gaara decided to go back, making Baki sigh with irritation and also relief. The jounin turned to the girl.
"Matsuri, your punishment is three months on the border post," he commanded and the kunoichi gasped, forgetting her previous embarrassment. Her eyes widened and her lips trembled. Gaara stepped closer until he stood next to her.
"Border post?" he asked, surprised. "But she is only a genin."
Baki pursed his lips as if he wanted to show that even Gaara shouldn't question his orders.
"The border with Hi no Kuni," he drawled at last. "Do you still have any doubts?"
Gaara didn't say anything and Matsuri screwed her eyes shut. The tears were forming in the corners of her eyes and even biting her lip didn't help. She lowered her head, sniffing.
"And now talk some sense into your student!" Baki commanded and left the room. The sound of his footsteps faded away and the only sound audible was Matsuri's stifled weeping.
"Gaara-sensei..." she stuttered. "'m sorry... I'm sorry! I only brought you shame—"
The gentle pat on the shoulder made her shudder. She straightened in her seat but before she could look at Gaara she felt the comforting squeeze on her shoulder. The redhead leaned forward and murmured into her ear: "Don't worry, Matsuri. If I were you I would do exactly the same thing."
o0o0o0o
Matsuri gasped, seeking for more air and frantically looking around. She couldn't concentrate on the place she had been in, she didn't know what happened. The heat had become overwhelming and she threw away her covers, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
There was a dream... yes, she definitely had a dream. A dream like none other. There were so many strange things in the dream. It was full of mists, mysterious voices and awkward heat which overwhelmed her entire body and finally accumulated down her abdomen, forming an exotic sensation of wetness down there.
The girl rolled onto her stomach and moaned into the pillow. The sensation had been so unfamiliar yet so wonderful. There was someone in her dream who had been responsible for inducing the heat. Someone had been touching her in all places like she had never experienced before. Her heart pounded under the touch and her breathing turned uneven. The tension had wound up inside her, leaving her frustrated after the sudden awakening. She wanted the dream to go on so she could... she could what?
Her hand shyly rested over her stomach before it uncertainly sneaked under her clothes, heading towards the spot she identified as the source of the tension. When her fingers brushed it, the sensation wasn't as great as it had been in the dream but it still elicited a gasp from her, inevitably drawing her to continuation. She let her fingertips find their own rhythm, and she writhed on the bed, whimpering into the pillow, until the wonderful ecstasy she had only heard of before hit her. Then the dream returned to her mind and in one shocking glimpse she could clearly remember the face of the mysterious person she had been dreaming of.
Matsuri jumped from her bed and ran out from her room. She had been sleeping in her usual ninja outfit, which was a normal thing on the border posts where there could be no time to change if the enemy suddenly decided to attack. She darted towards the bathroom, passing by a shinobi who just came back from his night guard duty, and locked the door. After stripping off her clothes, she turned on the cold water and let it flood over her body, squeaking in a high-pitched voice when the cold had become unbearable. She quickly dried herself with the towel and got dressed, not letting the remnants of the dream haunt her.
The other ninjas already began to move around the place. The cook had started to prepare the morning meal, and many ninjas were training on the training ground. Matsuri was the only girl here so she got her own room, and now thanked the gods for it.
Since the profound training would nicely serve her goal to push away the unwelcome thoughts for as long as she could, she approached one of the wooden poles and began to punch it. All of her efforts were in vain and the memory of the dream slowly resurfaced in her mind, the face she knew so well haunting her beyond all imagination.
Gaara. Her teacher. Her teacher! Sometimes she enjoyed the thought they could be friends, but this?
Matsuri went to the room, serving as a kitchen, where other ninjas were already waiting for the meal. She talked to somebody but she barely knew who it was and what they were talking about. Her thoughts could focus on only one thing: the dream that stirred up such turmoil within her.
Maybe the dream had been vague and quite unclear but Gaara was definitely a part of it. She only needed to close her eyes to vividly remember his face from the dream. He was there and reached for her as if she belonged to him...
Matsuri felt her cheeks heating. She had dreamed about him before just as she dreamed about her other friends but never in such manner. Where did the dream come from just now, when she hadn't seen the redhead for almost three months?
She couldn't think of seeing him again. She wouldn't be able to look him in the eye.
Someone patted her on the shoulder. Matsuri raised her face, dazedly staring at the older jounin who was smiling at her kindly.
"Matsuri-chan, are you ready to train after breakfast?" he asked and the kunoichi nodded with contentment. At least she would be able to disperse the unwelcome thoughts while having to concentrate on practicing ninja techniques. She hastily ate her meal and followed the man out of the place.
The jounin's name was Yue and he had admitted once he liked her a lot because she'd been reminding him of his granddaughter. When he found out Matsuri's chakra type was doton he had been even happier since he was a doton user and not one of his children and grandchildren inherited his chakra type. Since that moment they had often been training together and Matsuri came to like the cheerful, good-tempered jounin. He taught her a few doton techniques and gave her theory basics on a few others she hadn't been able to perform yet with her current level of chakra.
There were many younger ninjas at the post but none of them had been trying to make friends with her. Not that she was eager to befriend them but she wondered sometimes if the gossips about monster's plaything reached even there. The thought itself was very irritating and sometimes Matsuri wished someone would mention it so she could correct their opinions but it never happened.
Matsuri had been practicing with Yue for a couple of hours when a chuunin came to call everyone back to the post since there were important news brought from Sunagakure. When all ninjas gathered in front of their captain, forming a line, he rubbed his chin and uttered with a loud voice:
"The messenger from Sunagakure visited this morning, bringing the following news: the new Kazekage had been elected!"
All the ninjas began to whisper in hushed voices, obviously surprised, but it was nothing in comparison to the next shot. The captain raised his hand and added calmly: "Gaara-sama is the new Kazekage."
Matsuri froze. The shocked, disbelieving voices reverberated in the air but they seemed to be so far, far away until they eventually vanished, leaving her staring at the captain with her eyes widened, unable to hear anything.
They made Gaara-sensei Kazekage? The thought itself was too huge, impossible to embrace, even if she had been repeating the word numerous times. Kazekage... Kazekage...
Yes, there were rumours. Of course there were but who could have believed them? The shinobi who turned fifteen two months ago had been chosen to lead the Village Hidden in the Sand. It was just... nonsense, even if Gaara was indeed the most powerful shinobi in the village.
She vaguely remembered the previous Kazekage, with his long white and blue robe and hat. She had been trying to picture Gaara wearing that outfit but the images from the dream were interfering, and Matsuri felt the shame raising its head again.
It doesn't mean anything, the kunoichi scolded herself. It was just a regular dream. Well, maybe not very regular but we can't control what dreams are showing to us. It's not our fault.
It's not my fault.
o0o0o0o
Matsuri couldn't stop herself. A few jumps and she reached the top of the cliff. Standing on the hard, stone surface she took in the view with tears blurring her sight.
Round ochre buildings, no plants and rivers and the sand floating everywhere. She was home! After three months of exile, without her friends and everything she held dear, she could finally come back. Her punishment had its advantages, too. She had been paid regularly, so she was able to save some money, and she learnt a few doton techniques, but it was not enough to ease her home-sickness.
Her soul wanted to sing.
Going down, she headed towards her home, looking around curiously to check if anything had changed. It seemed the building where the Academy was supposed to be had been intensely worked on, plus the jounin's office seemed to be busy, apparently making preparations for the next chuunin exam which was supposed to take place in two months. Matsuri sipped some water from her canteen, wondering when they would let her take the exam. Unfortunately, she had started to train when she was fourteen already, not even mentioning her last misdeed which could have a negative influence on her ninja career.
Three people appeared from behind the corner, interrupting her musings.
"Matsuri!" Sari squealed with joy and threw her arms around her friend's neck. "I missed you so much!"
Matsuri pressed her face against Sari's shoulder, feeling the stinging in her eyes again. Now she could definitely feel she was home.
Sari giggled and let her go, rubbing her eyes with her fist and sniffling. Darui gave Matsuri a quick hug and Yakku nodded at her, grinning widely.
"I thought you were supposed to meet me at the gates," Matsuri pretended to pout.
"We would have come earlier if it wasn't for a certain person whose name I'll omit in silence," Sari snarled, glancing meaningfully at Darui. The boy scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. Matsuri's smile was so broad her cheeks started to ache. Those familiar, dear faces, the dry, hot atmosphere, the sand dust in the air... She didn't realize earlier how much used to all of it she had become for those two years since she had come here to train as a ninja. To think she was going to turn sixteen in a month!
"Come on, tell me everything!" she pressed when they were going towards her home. "Any news?"
Her friends exchanged meaningful glances.
"Well, you probably know the biggest news already..." Sari said with hesitation.
Matsuri nodded, gazing at the Kazekage Tower. Gaara had been leading the village for ten days. How was he coping with the many problems he had surely met?
"Yeah," she admitted, nodding. "I still can't believe it."
"There are many who can't either," Yakku commented dryly. "After all the things he had done the council made him Kazekage."
They were walking in silence for a time and Matsuri pondered over Yakku's words. For the first time the thought that Yakku had to have a personal reason to bear such a grudge against Gaara entered her mind, but what could it have been?
"They apparently had their reasons," Darui placated. "After all he's the strongest ninja in our village."
Yakku snorted under his nose and didn't say anything.
"You know Darui has a girlfriend?" Sari interjected, obviously attempting to change the topic.
"Really?" Matsuri was surprised and honestly happy for her friend. "Who?"
"Sana," Sari answered, grinning. Darui sighed, slightly embarrassed.
"Sana? Lucky one!" Matsuri giggled, remembering the short, plump genin, always watching Darui with dreamy eyes. "And you two?"
Sari exhaled miserably and her shoulders slumped.
"Well... you know... when you left I didn't have any chance to approach him... Not even mentioning what happened later..."
They went into the building where Matsuri's apartment was located. Climbing upstairs, they reached the last floor and Matsuri took out her key. She unlocked the door and ran inside, turning around like she was dancing, and laughed wholeheartedly.
"I'm finally home!" she exclaimed.
Darui put on the table the basket he had been carrying. Sari poured water into the mugs. Matsuri looked around, noticing the room had been nicely cleaned. Obviously Sari used her spare key and came here earlier.
"This is from my mom so you won't have to make dinner today," Sari announced, pointing to the basket. Matsuri flushed, nonplussed.
"Sari, thank you... You didn't have to—"
"Come on," Sari interrupted. "I owed you a favour, remember?"
Their eyes met and Matsuri smiled softly, remembering Sari's efforts to pick up Gaara. Suddenly unwelcome echoes of a certain dream erupted in her mind and her cheeks burned. Laughing nervously, she took a mug from the table, drank the water and threw herself on her bed.
"I already forgot how comfortable it was!" she cried enthusiastically with her heartbeat growing faster. Before any of her friends had a chance to ask what was wrong, Matsuri continued the previous topic. "So you couldn't meet him again?"
Sari nodded.
"He was always with his siblings. I think they were making preparations already, at least such rumours were running rampant, but who would believe them? Even after I saw him in the robe and the hat I couldn't believe it."
Matsuri got lost in her thoughts. She completely understood Sari's reaction since it was unheard of that the person, despised and hated in the village, suddenly took the position of the village's leader. Did Gaara ever think he would be chosen as Kazekage someday? Or maybe he had been planning it from the very beginning, slowly working on people to accept him, easing their fear and breaking the barriers between him and others... and Matsuri had greatly helped him to achieve that goal.
Her heart throbbed painfully when the thought that she had been used surfaced her mind. No, she was wrong. She knew her sensei. She genuinely wanted to support his efforts even if she didn't have the tiniest idea it would end this way. Gaara must have realized it earlier and maybe was even happy she trusted him that much but he would never take advantage of her trust.
"And now I have no chance at all," Sari uttered, interrupting Matsuri's thoughts. "They will surely make him marry a heiress of an oh-so-very-important-clan, that's all."
"So you're giving up?" Darui asked. "It's not like you."
"Oh, come on," Sari snorted. "I won't try to pick up the Kazekage!"
"Why not?" Darui asked innocently. "He might have been chosen Kazekage but under all this elegant robes there is still a normal guy with his—"
He broke off when Sari punched him in the shoulder, her cheeks beet-red.
"You perverted idiot!" she screamed but before he could answer Matsuri left her bed and swept them both with her arms.
"You have no idea how much I missed you!" she exclaimed, embracing them tightly. Darui freed himself gently, murmuring something and smoothing his hair. Sari grinned and patted the other girl on the shoulder.
"Touchy-feely, aren't we?" she mocked lightly and Matsuri stuck out her tongue. Yakku had been watching them bantering but didn't utter a word and Matsuri turned to him.
"And you? Did you find yourself a girlfriend?"
Darui gasped quietly and Sari burst into laughter. Yakku glared at them and shrugged.
"No," he said only.
Matsuri frowned. She thought her friend had been acting strangely but she didn't want to pursue the matter. Besides, she was hungry. Opening the basket, she took out the small box and inhaled the savoury scent wafting from the inside.
"He likes a girl," Darui suddenly uttered behind her back. "But she had been, um, kind of interested in someone else."
Yakku straightened and cast a warning glance at his friend. Matsuri's eyes wandered between their faces.
"It turned out this wasn't the case but he still has no courage to tell her," Darui finished. "He believes she will push him away."
"Are you serious?" Matsuri asked, bewildered. "I think any girl would be happy if someone like you asked her out."
Sari let out a stifled giggle and Darui sent Matsuri an incomprehensible look. The kunoichi furrowed, shrugging to herself. She really didn't want to pry into Yakku's love life, especially when he seemed not to appreciate it. Taking the onigiri from the box and eating it with delight, she just decided to leave the topic.
o0o0o0o
Gaara rubbed his eyes with the pads of his fingers. He had been tired and anxious. The pile of documents on his desk was still growing higher and his schedule was completely full. Over two months have passed since he became Kazekage and he still couldn't sort out the administrative mess. He wondered sometimes if he could ever solve all problems which had arisen over the long time when the village was devoid of its leader. He dedicated almost all of his time, working, even on nights, on agreements, arrangements, deals and negotiations, signing treaties and devolving many of his duties upon a few other people he trusted.
His musings had been interrupted by his assistant. He had no other choice than to engage one and didn't feel comfortable with it since none of his predecessors needed such a person. The young woman, Kotori, turned out to be a diligent, reliable worker but, unfortunately, all of her good traits were denied by the obvious, annoying truth - she had been continuously trying to seduce him.
When it turned out he needed to employ an assistant all the councilmen had so many suggestions. All the young women they offered were their close or distant relatives and even if it irritated Gaara, he couldn't accuse the elders of promoting nepotism, not when his closest advisors and confidants were his own siblings. He had no other choice than to search through all the offers. Finally, he picked Kotori, Ryuusa's daughter. She was seven years older than him Gaara and was helping her father in his work so she had at least some experience. The Kazekage would have never thought he would have to put up with her wheedling, her meaningful sighs and dreamy glances. It had been all so vexing to him. First of all, he expected more professional behaviour from his assistant. Second, even if Kotori was 'hot', as Kankurou put it, she definitely wasn't his type. Finally, the third and most important thing, he wasn't interested in being pursued or hunted. He wanted to be the predator himself.
And he had already chosen his prey.
The end of chapter 6.
The next chapter: Old habits die hard
Kaze no Yaiba= Sword of Wind; the powerful ninjutsu Baki uses. I took a concept of his tattoo signifying the power to use this jutsu from one of the Sand sibs fanfics. Besides, in the manga Darui from Kumogakure also bears a tattoo which means he inherited special skills (namely the Black Lightning).
Hi no Kuni=the Country of Fire
Yue – one of my ooc, I named him after Katou Yue from "Angel Sanctuary" even if his personality is quite different
Kotori – my another ooc, I named her after Fuuma Kotori from "X/1999". It was fun to imagine the shy, submissive Kotori trying to seduce any guy, LOL