Hello, everyone.
Before you plunge into the story, please help me choose the plot I should develop next. Go to my profile and check on two "trailers" I submitted. You will find extensive summaries there, plus some random fragments. Then you can leave a comment or cast a vote in the poll in my profile.
Betareading: none. I have no luck with betareaders *sigh*
Thanks to ZelgadisGW for help with the fighting scene.
Story image by tariah23 . deviantart . com
I have her permission to use it.
© "Naruto" is created and copyrighted by Kishimoto Masashi, and owned by Shueisha Publishing Co., Ltd. and Studio Pierrot.
Enjoy.
o0o0o0o
Alive And Victorious
Chapter 14. Fights and explanations
Matsuri felt her hands sweating a bit when she paced towards the centre of the training ground. The crowd, filling the wooden stands which were built especially for that event, rippled with whispers, and the kunoichi imagined she knew perfectly well what people were talking about.
Kazekage's student. Moreover, Kazekage's girlfriend. They probably couldn't wait to see what she was capable of.
Most of the ninjas from our village are quite weak in comparison to me, she remembered Gaara's words and forced herself to inhale slowly, to blunt the apprehension which started jarring at her chest after she had been told who she would be fighting with. Because, unfortunately, the jounin she was about to face in battle wasn't amongst the 'most' Gaara had mentioned earlier.
Matsuri reached the spot where her opponent was waiting for her, and stopped. Trying not to show that she was rather scared, she nodded at him, scanning his face to read his thoughts hidden under purple lines of Kabuki paint. He nodded back at her, his hands still shoved into his pockets, and took a defensive stance, visibly relaxed. Matsuri ground her teeth and thought that Kotori should die a very slow and painful death for setting this up.
The proctor signaled the beginning of the fight, and the girl grabbed several kunai blades from her pouch, trying to decide what strategy would be the most effective to fight one of the best puppeteers in Sunagakure; or maybe even the very best after Elder Chiyo's passing. Matsuri threw the blades at him and took out a few shurikens immediately, while he easily dodged her attack, knocking her weapons off with his own kunais. He didn't even touch the scrolls on his back in which his puppets were sealed. It meant he wanted her to fight him seriously, to corner him until he had no other choice than using the puppets. On the other hand, he might be demonstrating that he considered her a weak, unworthy opponent, and it sparked anger in her. Hurling shurikens in his direction, she jumped back to extend the distance between them in case he attempted to engage her in full-contact fight. She knew she wouldn't last long if he had done it. The puppeteers usually avoided direct attacks, but there was no telling what Kankurou would do while fighting his brother's girlfriend.
Naturally, he knocked shurikens off, too. Matsuri concluded he wasn't going to attack her, at least not yet. Maybe he waited for her to get tired. Taking a neutral stance, she breathed deeply through her nose in attempt to control her anxiety and irritation. Even if Kankurou was planning to provoke her, she shouldn't let his endeavour succeed. She knew pretty well that she severely lacked skills and experience to fight him equally, so she decided that she would try to make him use at least one of his puppets. From fighting Darui, she had learnt quite a bit about puppeteers' weaknesses, but she was rather sure she wouldn't have any chance to explore them during this particular fight. Darui was aspiring to become a puppeteer, too, but he wasn't even close to Kankurou's level, actually.
There was no point in delaying the inevitable. Puppetmaster or not, she had to fight him and give her best, to make Gaara proud of her. To prove him that he was better teacher than he thought.
Matsuri took out four kunai blades and threw them in the air. They floated in front of her, connected with a thin, blue thread of her chakra. It required a lot of concentration from her, not even mentioning she could handle only four kunais at the same time. She wasn't cut to be the puppeteer, definitely. The corners of Kankurou's lips, rimmed with purple paint, curved upwards almost imperceptibly at the sight. The kunais rippled when Matsuri's focus momentarily distracted, and she reacted immediately, shooting them straight in her opponent's direction.
"Soushuujin!"
As expected, the puppeteer knocked them off with the same technique, launching at her twenty shurikens at least. So it finally started, Matsuri thought and formed seals, kneeling down and pressing her hands against the ground. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi!" she exclaimed and the shurikens dug into the earth wall, which appeared before her. Jumping back, she released the technique and grabbed the scroll from her pouch; the secret scroll, which even Gaara didn't know she had.
"Kuchiyose: Fuuma Shuriken!" she called and flung the weapon at her opponent, who deftly dodged it, shooting chakra threads from the tips of his fingers to connect them to the metal blades. Matsuri pulled the large shuriken back with the wire, and Kankurou nodded in approval. That type of shuriken wasn't popular amongst Suna shinobi; when Matsuri learnt that such weapon existed at all, she decided it would be worth an effort to master it.
"So you weren't hanging around with Sakura for nothing?" the puppeteer asked with a wink, and Matsuri blinked, completely surprised. With her hand steadily clinging to the giant shuriken, she watched her opponent's face critically. Kankurou was quite relaxed but she could finally see he wasn't particularly happy that he had to fight her. Both of them were unwilling to face each other, but they didn't actually have any other choice. Now she could better understand his attitude, and the anger she had felt gradually vanished. He wasn't trying to provoke her at all; he only decided he would let her take the initiative.
Kankurou sent her knowing look and she nodded lightly, before she threw the smoke bomb onto the ground. When the smoke enveloped her, she swiftly fastened the explosive note to the fuuma shuriken and threw it at her opponent. Kankurou jumped back but then he noticed the note which began to burn already. Before it exploded, he immediately shielded himself with Karasu. The explosion made the puppet fly into the air. Yes! Matsuri yelled to herself, but it was too early to celebrate, since Karasu launched a shower of senbons onto her. Actually, Matsuri developed immunity to the most common poisons, but Kankurou could use the new rare ones, most probably his very own inventions. The girl decided she couldn't let the needles hit her, and pulled the shuriken back with the wire again, rotating the weapon in her hand until it knocked all the senbons off. The puppet attacked her with more senbons and Matsuri planned to repel them with the shuriken, just as before, but the weapon was wrenched away from her hands unexpectedly. The kunoichi felt her heart leap when she noticed the active chakra thread connected to it. Throwing herself onto the ground, she made the earth wall raise again just before the needles hit her. Several ones dug into the wall, but most of them only rose higher and eventually floated above Matsuri, who just stared in awe. She knew she would never have a chance to behold advanced Soushuujin on that level, and survive it. The girl formed seals for Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu and was promptly drawn down into the ground. She moved towards the spot when Kankurou had been standing and grabbed his ankles, pulling him down. As it turned out, it was Karasu again. Matsuri cursed mentally but she had no time to react at all, before the puppet's wooden sides opened wide, and then closed around her, effectively restraining her.
Kankurou was moving back, preparing to release his prisoner from inside the puppet, when he noticed the blood dripping down Karasu's joints. The puppeteer froze in the mid-step, his palms sweating immediately. What the hell has happened? There was no way he could accidentally hurt Matsuri. All the hidden weapons rested motionless in their sheaths, so how did the blood...?
The puppeteer blinked, confused. If anything would happen to his brother's precious girlfriend, Gaara would simply kill him. No, he would do much more than only kill him. He would make him beg for mercy for hours. The thought made Kankurou's skin tingle unpleasantly, since he had heard already Gaara's victims begging for mercy, and he knew he would do anything to avoid such fate. Immediately activating chakra threads connected to his puppet's bulgy trunk, he made the wooden lids move aside swiftly, and... his brother jumped from the inside, sprinkling the drops of blood. The spectators let out an astounded cry, and Kankurou faltered in a momentary shock, either, before he glanced at the stands and caught a glimpse of Gaara's white and blue robe and hat. The girl used Henge no Jutsu, obviously, even if it was certain it wouldn't distract her opponent for too long. The puppeteer scrutinized the figure standing before him, as he briefly marveled at the flawlessness of the technique. This fight is becoming more and more interesting, he thought to himself, when suddenly the fistful of sand obscured his view, and the grains got into his eyes, making him squint. Damn, he shouldn't let his guard down even for a moment. He was fighting his brother's student, after all. True that many Suna shinobi could manage manipulating a little bit of sand by weaving their chakra into it, but to think Matsuri would use the complex trick like that, successfully confusing him... He had to admit that he was rather impressed. Naturally, she didn't have enough chakra to maintain two techniques for too long, and when he finally got rid of the sand from his eyes, he couldn't see his opponent anywhere. Good he had connected chakra threads to her belt earlier. Gently moving his fingers, he located her hideout and pondered what to do. She was bleeding, and he had to determine first if she needed immediate treatment or not. The bleeding seemed to be quite profuse, actually, even if Matsuri didn't cut any artery. On the other hand, he had just started enjoying the fight, plus the girl didn't give up still.
She chose to attack before he came to any conclusion. She emerged from under the ground, and Kankurou moved his fingers, confused a bit, since the chakra threads he had connected to his opponent earlier didn't move at all. He concluded she must have made a clone, so he ignored the fake Matsuri standing in front of him and looked around, just in time to spot her in a distance. Obviously, she realized he had connected chakra threads to her, and she cut them.
The girl hurled the smoke bomb onto the ground again, and flung the jouhyou at Karasu, attempting to immobilise him. Kankurou pretended he had fallen for the trick, and the puppet collapsed onto the ground, before its arms disconnected and swiftly jabbed at the motionless clone with poisoned blades. The clone disappeared with a puff, and Kankurou scrutinized his opponent, since the smoke had already dispersed.
He noticed at once the blood trickling down her fingers. Most likely, the girl cut her own palm in order to distract him. She must have guessed he would be trying not to injure her by any means. Annoyed that she had managed to trick him, he shot chakra threads from his fingertips, making them as thin as he could manage. They successfully connected, and Kankurou jerked his fingers. Matsuri lost her footing, dangling limply in the midair. She gave only one surprised cry, struggling against chakra thread connected to her belt, before she commenced Soushuujin again. What a shame she was able to shot only four kunais at the same time. Kankurou repelled them rather easily, while the girl cut the chakra thread and collapsed onto the ground, quickly raising to a standing position. The puppeteer smirked to himself. Matsuri's idea to use distractions was quite smart, but the outcome of their fight was obvious from the very beginning. Now the girl was short on chakra, tired and bleeding, but still unwilling to give up, apparently.
"Doton: Doryuusou!" she yelled, forming seals, and Kankurou jumped high, getting his next scroll and releasing the second puppet.
"Karakuri Engeki: Sanshōuo!" he exclaimed before the sharp rock spikes could pierce through him. The wooden salamander fell down with a thump and the puppeteer landed on it, reactivating Karasu at the same time. Matsuri stepped back, carefully measuring her chances. She managed to go further than she thought she was able to, since she made Kankurou use two puppets already. She wished she could have gone further, but it was rather impossible. Resigned, the girl watched her opponent indifferently, aware that if he decided to attack it would be the definite end of their fight. Kankurou didn't attack though. He eyed her carefully, then turned to the proctor and nodded.
The fight was over.
o0o0o0o
Gaara watched the ninjas, who passed the exam, approaching Baki and taking flak jackets and pouches from jounin's hands. Matsuri was also there, looking tired and displeased a bit. Her injuries, which were mostly minor except for the cut on her left hand, were already dressed, and Gaara slightly pursed his lips at his girlfriend's recklessness. Her determined yet reckless actions reminded him of Naruto and he didn't know if he found it endearing or rather annoying. Matsuri wasn't skilled enough yet to follow in Naruto's footsteps, so the redhead decided he was going to lecture his girlfriend on the matter later.
All the equipments were already dispensed and the festivities were about to begin. The Kazekage congratulated the happy ninjas who just got the chuunin rank and finally approached his girlfriend. She nodded at him while he meaningfully glanced at her left hand.
"You shouldn't do that, Matsuri," he disapproved, and she snorted quietly, pouting.
"I won't do that again," she said with a shrug, and he sighed inwardly since he could say with the absolute certainty that, opposed to her words, she would have done it again without a second thought.
"Kankurou might me confused but someone else wouldn't be," Gaara remarked, getting into the teaching mode again.
"But I was fighting him not someone else, wasn't I?" Matsuri said and the certain suspicion sprouted in Kazekage's mind.
"You knew?" he asked to confirm his assumption.
The girl slanted a glance at him and Gaara nodded to himself. Of course she knew. He should have learnt it long time ago that she was quite sharp when it came to reading people. She spotted pretty fast that Kankurou was holding back, trying not to injure her but in the same time make the fight look serious.
"Well done," he praised at last and Matsuri grinned but the expression of joy quickly faded away from her face.
"He went soft on me," she accused.
"Of course he did," Gaara answered, surprised. She wouldn't seriously think about fighting Kankurou without any handicap, would she?
Matsuri growled almost inaudibly at his words but didn't argue, only her shoulders sagged. The redhead watched her, astonished. She had just got the chuunin rank yet she didn't look happy at all.
"You made him get serious with your determination," the redhead added, wondering if her attitude was about the exam or something else.
Matsuri shook her head miserably. "I decided to give it my all but then I realized I couldn't stop holding back. I tried to stop but I succeeded only in part," she admitted, looking away, and the Kazekage pondered over her words silently. The fight must have been difficult for both parties involved. Kankurou didn't want to hurt Matsuri because she was his brother's girlfriend. Matsuri didn't want to hurt Kankurou because he was her boyfriend's brother. Naturally, ninjas shouldn't let such feelings disturb them. Ninjas should rule their emotions with iron fist of their willpower, and cut their feelings out ruthlessly. But Gaara had learnt long ago that trying to kill one's feelings resulted only in anguish and solitude, so he decided not to reproach Matsuri nor Kankurou for what had turned out to be their serious weakness. They must have been pretty much aware of it nonetheless.
"Don't worry about that," he answered, and the girl blinked at him, bewildered. "I mean you did great," he explained at her confused expression, and her features softened immediately, her eyes searching his for acknowledgement.
"Hello, lovebirds!" the voice uttered from behind their back. The redhead looked back calmly while Matsuri cringed and blushed madly, recognizing Temari's voice.
"Hello, Temari-sama," the girl said shyly and glimpsed at the older kunoichi as if she was afraid. Temari grinned at her and turned to the Kazekage.
"Gaara, the herbalists requested your approval on the supplies. If you could go to the greenhouse before the twilight falls, I would set off to Konoha tomorrow morning."
"I will go there immediately," the redhead answered. "Is Sekka waiting there?"
Temari nodded and walked away without a word, and Matsuri gave an inaudible sigh of relief. To be honest, she wasn't good at dealing with Gaara's siblings' sarcastic, flippant ways. Fortunately, they weren't talking to her too often, but she could say they were watching her carefully.
"Let's go," Gaara uttered and they headed for the greenhouse, while Matsuri's thoughts drifted to the wretched village.
"Why is Akatsuki doing this?" she inquired. "Hokage's in coma... The village's destroyed... Why? What for?"
Gaara didn't reply at all and Matsuri glanced at him suspiciously.
"Did they attack Konoha for the same reason they had assaulted our village?" she guessed with a frown. "Were they... looking for someone?"
Still no reply.
"For Naruto-san?" she prompted, and Gaara frowned lightly.
"You're too smart for your own good," he commented. "It's a secret, Matsuri. You're not supposed to know."
The compliment made her glad, but the 'secret' part got her slightly irked.
"It was hard to miss his determination to save you," she said in a defensive tone. "Plus, Kankurou-sama had said you two had much in common and each one of you would have ran across the entire world to save the other. Naruto-san... He had done it... together with her-" Matsuri ceased speaking and bit her lip. They were reaching their destination already, and what she needed the least was crying in front of the medics in the greenhouse. They could have thought that the Kazekage had an argument with his girlfriend, and even made her cry.
"I will wait outside," she decided, and Gaara nodded, walking into the greenhouse, while she strolled down the path between the patches of various kinds of succulents. The tiny lizards, basking on the pavement, were escaping from under her feet, while she walked, lost in her thoughts. Eventually, Gaara joined her and she was quite astonished with his grave, focused expression.
"Any problems?" she asked softly, trying not to push him but still show that she cared. The redhead glanced at her, obviously not shaken out from his reverie, and stepped ahead. "Gaara? What is it?" Matsuri prompted, frowning. The only thing she could think of was more bad news from Konohagakure, or maybe another hidden village, and it wasn't the encouraging thought at all.
"What did you mean by 'he had done it together with her'"? Gaara asked suddenly, when they entered the maze of brooms and junipers spreading behind the greenhouse. Matsuri blinked, realizing he referred to her previous words concerning Naruto. She would rather not talk about it let alone give a detailed explanation, but he apparently waited for it so she sighed quite heavily.
"I meant that he had saved you together with her. He helped her. That's all," she said quickly. The redhead didn't look satisfied, though.
"Helped her?" he echoed, and Matsuri couldn't comprehend the reason to shock and bewilderment in his voice.
"When we arrived there—" she uttered uncertainly. I mean, when I saw you lying on the ground, with all of them standing around you... "—Elder Chiyo and Naruto were kneeling by your side—" ...she was wheezing and he trembled, his cheeks stained with tears, and then I realized... "—pressing their hands against your chest—" ...I realized that you were gone...
Matsuri felt tears welling in her eyes and blinked a couple of times, attempting to push them down. The images etched into her mind were just as vivid as if the tragedy had happened only a few days ago.
"I didn't know about that," Gaara pronounced with a flat voice. "I had no idea."
"About what?" she managed to utter, her voice breaking.
"I was certain that Naruto had talked her into using Kishō Tensei on me," the redhead explained, his voice heavy with reverence and gratitude. "Nobody told me that he gave me his chakra as well-" he broke off.
"He did," Matsuri choked out, tears threatening to freely streak down her face. "Their chakra blazed like an azure fire, and then... you opened your eyes—" Unable to speak, the girl hid her face in her hands. Gaara hugged her to his chest, and she grabbed his robe, soaking the white fabric with her tears.
"I caused so much distress to you, Matsuri. I'm very sorry for that," he said, his breath warm against her ear. She shook her head wordlessly and pressed her ear against his chest to listen to his heartbeat - the steady, continuous sound announcing that he was still with her. That he was alive.
"You're alive," she whispered as if trying to confirm it to herself. "You're alive."
He brushed the top of her head with his lips, clasping her tighter. Matsuri raised her head, beaming, and he wiped her tears with his thumb, his expression still holding some of initial bewilderment at what he had just learnt about his revival.
"For what they have done, I will be grateful forever," the girl said quietly. "I often visit Elder Chiyo's grave—"
"I know," he said with a nod. "I've seen you once," he explained at the questioning look in Matsuri's eyes. "I've kind of... followed you, but I retreated once you entered the tombs area. I didn't want to disturb you."
"You followed me? You stalker!" the girl teased, and she could swear he pouted a bit.
"I'm not a stalker," the redhead contradicted reproachingly. "I wanted to talk to you."
"You can talk to me now," she invited, smiling. Gaara gave her long, intense look, and she couldn't help but swallow under that unblinking stare. Suddenly Sari's long forgotten words How can you look into those eyes and not fall for him? emerged from her memory, and Matsuri averted her eyes, abashed.
"Matsuri?" he prompted, and she shook her head. "What is it?" he asked, the surprise clearly distinct in his tone.
"Just leave it," the girl pleaded, more and more disconcerted. "It's no big deal."
"Isn't it?" he wondered, gently trying to lift her chin to make her look at him. "It doesn't seem so."
"I'm saying it's no big deal!" she stressed, dismayed by the mere thought of admitting aloud what had just come to her mind.
"You promised not to hide anything from me, right?" he said, and Matsuri shook her head indignantly.
"I only promised to come to you if I had any problems!" she protested, angry at how he was trying to use her own words against her.
"And you didn't," Gaara stated calmly, and the girl gaped at him, astounded.
"Meaning?" she inquired, furrowing her brow, her voice dripping with suspiciousness.
"Meaning you never told me that your family stopped providing for you," he explained, and Matsuri lowered her head, embarrassed beyond all imagination.
"How did you know?" she asked after a long silence.
"Temari and Kankurou had seen you in the shopping district. You were selling things. Plus, your physical strength and your weight considerably decreased. You weren't eating properly, were you?" Gaara guessed, and Matsuri stepped back, with tears of mortification and anger stinging her eyes.
"What was I supposed to do?" she spat in return. "To ask you for money? Do you think I don't have any pride?"
"I, the Kazekage of this village, won't let any ninja, who is under my command, suffer from malnutrition," Gaara replied sharply. "Why didn't you request support from our fund for orphans?"
"So it's actually a formal conversation with the Kazekage?" she scoffed hotly, clenching her trembling palms into fists.
"And what was that supposed to mean?" the redhead drawled, his eyes narrowed, and Matsuri swallowed nervously. She won't be intimidated, she just won't! "Answer me!" he demanded in the same drawl, and the girl cringed. Damn, she forgot already he could be that scary!
"G-Gaara, it's no big d-deal, really—" she stuttered weakly, her voice shaking a bit. The redhead crossed his arms on his chest.
"It's no big deal?" he repeated in a hard tone. "Your strength is no big deal?"
"Wait—"
"Your health is no big deal? Your life is no big deal?"
"You're right, okay?" she threw in quickly. "Gaara—"
"I would have brought up that matter earlier if I was fully aware of your stubbornness and stupidity!" he announced in a growl, and Matsuri flinched. The person she always wanted to impress had just called her stupid! "Tell me, Matsuri," Gaara continued mercilessly, "what would have happened if you failed the mission because you were weak and unable to fight properly? What would have happened if you failed the mission because you were short on weapons? Did you ever think - and, obviously, the answer is 'no' - how would your injury or, in the worst case, death, make your friends feel? How it would make me feel?
Matsuri didn't expect him to strike a nerve.
"Believe me, I know," she said in a teary voice, biting her trembling lip. "But we are ninjas. We can meet our fate at any time—"
"Don't you really see the difference?" he interrupted, his tone softer. Matsuri ducked her head because she did, of course. She only never thought before she was being selfish.
"I do, Gaara," she admitted at last, swallowing the tears. "And I'm sorry."
The redhead let out a long exhalation.
"I'm sorry, too," he said in a hushed tone. "I just don't want you to linger around shopping district like a second-rate merchant, and I certainly don't want you to be molested by some—" he broke off.
"Your sister really told you every little bit," Matsuri sighed. "But it happened only once, Gaara. I swear."
He only looked down at her wordlessly, and she laughed nervously.
"I know, I know," she said defensively. "Let's just leave it, okay? I am the chuunin now." She smiled at the thought. "You have no idea how long I was waiting for that," she admitted. "Sometimes I really—" she put her hand upon her mouth. Sometimes I really couldn't wait to earn more money. "I won't say it," she decided. "I don't want you to freak out again."
"I don't freak out—" Gaara started, but Matsuri put a finger upon his mouth swiftly.
"I don't want to argue anymore," she said in a pleading voice. "Let's just talk about something else, okay?"
The redhead looked into her eyes and nodded, eventually.
"You still owe me an explanation," he said after she withdrew her hand.
"Explanation?" Matsuri furrowed.
"From before," Gaara clarified. "You said I could talk to you now, and then you made such puzzling face-" he let the last sentence hang in the air.
"You owe me an explanation, too," Matsuri remarked smartly, in an attempt to change the topic. "About Naruto-san."
Gaara's expression grew serious.
"What you're asking involves his personal safety. Besides, it's a political matter. I can't tell you, Matsuri."
The kunoichi expected such answer, so she only nodded calmly and began counting on her fingers.
"One, he had been trying to protect you from Seimei by any means. Two, he had ran from Konoha to rescue you and even decided to give you his own chakra to—" Her voice faltered a bit. "To bring you back to life," she finished after taking a deep breath. "Three, Kankurou-sama had said you two have much in common. I was surprised, to put it mildly. Naruto-san's completely different from you, even if it actually seemed you two share some unique bond. But then we have four; six months after Akatsuki's attack on our village, they destroy Konoha. So the answer is..." The girl rubbed her chin, and lowered her voice. "It's the only thing that comes to my mind, even if it's hard to embrace." She raised her head and looked Gaara in the eye. "He is the Jinchuuriki, like you, right?" she inquired uncertainly.
"Those are secrets, which could put you in a great danger, Matsuri, if some people learnt that you know them," Gaara warned in a low-pitched voice. "Do not talk about those matters with anyone except for me, understood? Even if those are only your guesses, do not share them even with your best friends."
"So I was right," Matsuri said with a shiver. "Poor Naruto-san..."
"Naruto will manage. He's more powerful you could ever think of. Besides, his master is always with him. He won't let Akatsuki do any harm to Naruto. You have to worry about yourself, Matsuri," Gaara stressed, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Promise me you won't speak to anyone about our conversation, or I might not be able to protect you."
"I won't, Gaara," she nodded seriously, looking straight into his eyes to confirm the gravity of her statement. "I promise."
He seemed to believe her since the tension faded away from his expression. He was still holding her gaze, though, and Matsuri smiled lightly, tilting her head.
"I promise," she echoed, but he didn't seem to register her words. He was giving her that look again, intense and almost possessive, and she laughed nervously, forcing herself not to stutter.
"It's your turn now," Gaara reminded darkly, and she frowned. "For an explanation," he added, and Matsuri panicked again.
"Hey, you didn't give me any explanation, actually!" she protested fervently. "I had to guess everything by myself! It just doesn't count!"
"It doesn't matter. You've got an answer to your question, and now you're going to give an answer to mine," he said indifferently, his grasp on her shoulders tightening.
"Why can't you just leave it? It's no big deal, really!" she repeated for the tenth time, her voice imploring.
"Because I'm intrigued."
"I didn't know you were so stubborn!" the kunoichi complained, pouting, and she could swear she had just seen the tiniest of smirks momentarily crossing his lips.
"And I didn't know you didn't trust me," Gaara replied, releasing her and crossing his arms. Matsuri froze with her mouth slightly open. Talk about manipulative bastards!
"Okay!" she growled, averting her gaze. "But there is someone else involved so I can only tell you it was about your eyes."
"About my eyes?" he repeated, apparently stunned. "What about them?"
They are amazing. They are... just mesmerizing, you idiot!
"I can't tell you," Matsuri insisted, her face burning. "I can't betray he-, um, someone."
The redhead watched her for what seemed to be an eternity.
"I see," he said slowly at last, and the girl swallowed, inconspicuously crossing her fingers for luck. She knew Sari would just kill her if Matsuri revealed her friend's inclinations. She tried her best to keep the secret but if Gaara pushed the matter further she would be in trouble. To think that he dared to lecture her on stubbornness!
Matsuri glanced at him to check if he was going to insist, but he obviously gave up and she suppressed the sigh of relief which threatened to escape her lips.
"We, um, we have to go back soon, right?" she suggested, aware that her friends would tease her to no end about how long she was gone with her boyfriend. Gaara nodded in silence, but neither of them made any move to leave. They mutely looked at each other and Matsuri felt slight tremor of nervous anticipation creeping up her spine. She couldn't deny she wanted it to happen, even if she felt anxious and flustered at the same time. She often wondered how it would feel the second time, but it was certainly different thing to dream about it in the middle of the night than to stand in front of Gaara in the bright daylight and wait for him to make the move. Actually, he looked more amazing than in any of her dreams, and his constant stare was everything he needed to make her bashfulness speed up at her, taking away all her confidence. When he stepped closer into her personal space, Matsuri's head spinned and she swallowed, her lips parting instinctively. Gaara slowly lowered his gaze until it reached her mouth. His hand followed, cupping her chin, and he brushed her lower lip with his thumb, his eyes never leaving her slightly trembling lips. The girl's heartbeat grew wild in a instant when his other hand sneaked around her waist to bring her closer. She let out a shaky sigh, and gently put her palms against his white robe, spreading her fingers against his chest. Gaara nudged at her chin with his fingers until she raised her face, looking straight into his eyes. Like in a trance, she stared into twin pools of hazy turquoise, as they seemed to draw her in, until the redhead leant forward and she could feel his breath on her lips moments before he kissed her. Then her eyelids slipped shut on their own, and her hands clenched upon his robe at the sensation of skin brushing against skin, breath mingling with breath. It was all so new to her, still; exciting yet disturbing, enticing yet awkward, and all she could do was cling to him while he held her chin, kissing her in hungrier, more unhesitating manner than the first time. It didn't take long when his hand, resting at the small of her back, left the spot and captured her wrist. Then he released her chin and grasped her other wrist, gently drawing her hands up until they locked around his neck. Matsuri's legs were already buckling, so she leant against him easily at the wordless insistence of his palm sliding down her back and pressing against it. They were so close now that she could feel every rise and fall of his chest, while he breathed rapidly, his heart pounding next to hers. Suddenly, she heard someone's footsteps, and both of them stepped back simultaneously, their heads turning in the direction from which the unknown person was coming. Matsuri inhaled deeply, pressing her trembling hands against her sides and attempting to control her knees. She wasn't looking at Gaara at all, all her efforts concentrated on making the impression that nothing has happened, and her knees didn't turn into the melted butter at all. The footsteps were nearer and nearer, and finally Kankurou emerged from behind the line of junipers, strolling leisurely towards them. He nodded at them with his hands in his pockets, and stopped in front of his brother.
"Here you are," the puppeteer said. "Sekka was—" he broke off and frowned, eyeing the couple meticulously. "Did I, uh, just interrupt something?" he inquired suspiciously, his eyes wandering from Gaara's face to Matsuri's and vice versa. Matsuri shook her head briefly, all too aware the lie was transparent, while Gaara spoke, although without responding to Kankurou's question.
"What about Sekka?" the redhead asked, absolutely calm, albeit pinky tint staining his cheekbones betrayed him. Matsuri didn't even want to think how her own face must have surely looked. Even if she could tense her muscles to stop the trembling running all over her body, she wasn't able to cool down her heated cheeks, and Kankurou wouldn't be a first-rate shinobi if he overlooked such details.
"He was looking for you," the puppeteer replied, quickly masking his smirk with the nonchalant expression.
"I've only just been in a greenhouse," Gaara said, furrowing, and Kankurou shrugged.
"You know Sekka. He might be a genius, but he's too scatter-brained for his own good. He probably forgot something important and remembered it just after you were gone."
The redhead nodded in an imperious manner, while Matsuri pursed her lips, annoyed, not letting the sigh of disappointment tumble off her mouth. To think they were disturbed just because of some guy's wool-gathering!
"I suppose we have to go back there," Gaara remarked and Matsuri nodded briefly, not looking at him. Kankurou watched them curiously but he didn't utter a word. If he only tried, Matsuri couldn't promise she would be able to stop herself from throwing some caustic remarks. Together, the trio headed back for the greenhouse, pretending that nothing has happened at all.
The end of chapter 14.
Chapter 15. Return of the old friend
Soushuujin=Manipulating Attack Blades (aka 1000 Autumn Showers or Assault Blade)