Review...Review...Review...\( ^o^)/
When Sakura woke up at the break of dawn that morning, she was in a very good mood despite the early hour. She somehow knew that it was going to be a very good day. Already it had started off to a great beginning, with her being able to at least stock up on water and eat a coconut (although it sure was hard) so she was pretty chipper.
Packing up her blanket that she had used and making sure her bag was secured on her back, she set off in the direction she felt her onee-chan's chakra the previous night with a skip in her step and a grin on her face. Today she was going to find her sister, she was completely sure of that. She was also very happy to notice that her weights didn't seem as heavy as they did before, and she could actually jog in them. It seems that three days with them on was enough for her to get used to them. Her sister would be so proud!
Her only problem was how long it would take…
Gaara was currently sitting on the bed, watching Luna get dressed after she had showered. He was wondering how her hair was so white! Never in his life had he seen hair like hers, and he was pretty amazed. So amazed, in fact, that he had spent the whole night playing with it, which was the whole reason the girl in question had woken up to the sight of a little red haired boy frowning in concentration whilst plaiting three strands. At first she had almost attacked the unsuspecting five year old, but she held back her punch just inches from his shocked face. Then she had calmly explained that no, it wasn't wise to do that to a ninja. The poor boy didn't really understand why but he had nodded like he understood at the time. Then she had bathed him (after all, he was still only five) and had proceeded to get ready herself.
Apparently, they had a very busy day ahead of them. Gaara was so happy when he had heard the yellow eyed girl say "they", meaning that he was going along with her. This would be the first time someone other than his uncle had been so kind to him, and he secretly hoped it wasn't because she wanted to hurt his feelings again. He still wasn't too sure about that yet…but he supposed that if someone was still willing to be so nice to him, he wasn't about to stop them.
"Gaara-kun," she paused, almost falling over whilst trying to put on her shoe "Are you ready?" She asked once she had regained her balance. The little boy nodded and hopped of his perch on the bed to stand next to her, and she smiled down next to him and ruffled his already messy hair.
"Good. It's around nine, so we'll go and get breakfast, go shopping and at one, I need to see your father. That may take a while but after that we can do whatever you want. Okay Gaara-kun?" She asked whilst locking the door to their room. Gaara seemed hesitant, but nodded anyway and continued on with her. As soon as they exited the doors to the inn, they were met with many hateful glares from nearby passersby, civilians and ninja alike. Poor Gaara immediately became more withdrawn and hid behind the older girl's legs. She smiled at him reassuringly and glared back at anyone who dared do it to Gaara, making them avert their gazes.
"Just ignore them, little one. You did nothing wrong. Come, we must make haste if we want to stay on schedule." She instructed and walking faster.
The morning passed quickly after that, with them too busy shopping for ninja supplies to notice and soon it was almost time for that meeting with the Kazekage. Luna couldn't stop thinking about it though, wondering how she was even going to start. She had to be careful with her wording; otherwise she could possibly insult him and then never have a chance like this again. And she knew how stubborn that man was.
Her train of thought was cut off by a familiar chakra signature entering her radar, and she smiled approvingly.
It seemed that Sakura had found Suna.
So crouching down in front of Gaara, who was currently inspecting a kunai on the rack of the weapons store, she drew his attention.
"Listen Gaara-kun, how would you like having another friend to play with?" She asked him.
Gaara panicked what if she was going to leave him like everyone else? Or what if he was being replaced by some newer and better person? He should have known that this couldn't last…she was being too kind to him. Holding back tears that were threatening to spill and looked at his feet. He didn't reply, for fear of bursting into tears right there and then. Though it seemed that the older girl had already guessed what was going through his head at that moment, and she crouched down in front of him, smiling reassuringly. She didn't say anything to him, all her words being communicated through that one smile, and then the red haired boy knew that he was wrong, and she would never replace him.
So he smiled shakily, sniffed a bit and nodded.
"Good. Then let us go to the gates, she will be arriving shortly. We'll come back later." Luna said in a compassionate voice.
Off they went, dodging both civilians and Luna discreetly avoiding kunai which were suspiciously headed in Gaara's direction. He didn't know she was doing it, thank kami but it was still sad that people hated him that much. Luna had to force down her temper in order not to launch back a kunai at them.
Soon they arrived at the two giant sand rocks that the people called walls. Luna had to admit that it was a good defense mechanism. The whole village was located inside a giant sand crater that if you were walking and didn't know where to look, could miss the whole thing. It created and illusion that if you were staring straight, would think that there was no cavity whatsoever. Not to mention that if you did somehow find it, there were these two giant sand gates that also acted as the village walls, and all the buildings were made of sand, you could also completely miss it, if not paying attention. That's why it was so easy to get lost in this giant desert if you didn't know where to look, and that was what had saved Suna from invasions many times.
"What do you want little girl?" A guard asked gruffly as they approached the gates. Luna was already in a very bad mood and did not appreciate being called 'Little girl'. Standing up to her full height, she glared at him angrily, making him falter slightly. The white haired girl scoffed, look who was scared of this 'little girl' now.
"Listen here you uncivilized barbarian, I am in no mood to deal with your demeaning comments at the moment, so this is what you are going to do-"
"You are going to let her through the gates and do as she pleases. Do not insult a high ranking figure and embarrass Suna more than you already have." A sharp voice interrupted. The guard immediately looked like he was about to shit himself and turn an unhealthy shade of white.
"K-K-Kazekage-sama! A thousand apologies! I did not know! Please Miss, I had no idea!" He begged, terrified. Luna was shocked to find the Kazekage suddenly standing next to her, and Gaara was silently shaking, his hand barely staying still inside her own.
"Do not do it again." And with that, the Kage had clearly dismissed him. The man nodded and quickly moved aside to let them pass.
"K-Kazekage-sama! It is dangerous to go outside without any ANBU at your side!" A man exclaimed running up to them. Luna saw from the corner of her eyes the red haired man roll his own and frown.
"Guro, I think I, as your Kage, am strong enough to go outside my village without guards." He said bluntly.
"B-but still!" The man protested.
"Go and finish my paperwork. I am taking a break. Do not follow me; do not send anyone after me. Or else…" And then he turned around and walked away. Both Gaara and the yellow eyed girl hurried after him, but made sure to stay two feet behind.
"Greetings, honorable Kazekage." Luna saluted softly when they had exited the gates.
"Luna. Gaara, do you not greet your father?" He asked his shaking son.
"My apologies. G-good afternoon father." Gaara stammered out. It seemed that the red haired Kage was relatively satisfied and just replied with a grunt. Gaara visibly slouched in relief and calmed down a bit.
They were now walking up the sandy hill in order to mount the top of the crater, and the white haired girl was silently peeved to see that both father and son had no problem climbing a hill of constantly shifting and sliding sand. How they did it, she did not know but they walked as if it was a paved road. After almost falling back many times, finally they made it to the top and once again Luna was greeted with the sight of an almost seeming endless desert and the sun beating down her back.
She hated Wind Country.
"Kazekage-sama, may I ask a question?" She asked finally, after many silent minuets of silently pondering her answer.
"I was at the gates because I was following you around the village," he stated. A bit shocked and disturbed that one; he already knew her question and two, and he openly admitted to stalking them as if it was no big deal. She supposed it wasn't, considering the fact that he had every right to do so, but it still disturbed her. Did he know everything they had done?
"I see. Well I was leaving because my little sister is due to arrive in-" She paused, scanning for chakra until she found a little green one moving closer towards them, "about thirty minutes." She finished.
"You have a little sister?" He asked, surprising both she and Gaara by sitting down crossed-legged on the ground. Was a Kage supposed to do that? Couldn't he control sand to make a chair of something…?
Inwardly shrugging, something she would never do in public, she decided to sit down as well, albeit at a respective distance.
"We are not related by blood. I found her crying and beaten in an alley three months ago and since she had great potential, decide to take her as my weapon. I am currently training her and have come to take her as a little sister." The Kazekage stared at her closely then asked the most unexpected thing in the world.
"How old are you?" He inquired. It seemed that he was full of surprises to day. Perhaps he was in a good mood.
"I will be eleven in December." She answered.
"Hn. Learn how to answer questions properly. I asked you how old you were and you did not answer me properly. Foolish mistakes like that could be used against you." He stated bluntly.
"I understand sir," was her obedient reply.
He asked after a few minutes, "You are but a child yourself, yet you act older than your years. Why is that?"
"I have been told that many times, and my reply has always been the same. Ignorance, naivety and stupidity are the three most deadly killers in the ninja world. I have learned the hard way." She replied absentmindedly, watching Gaara form different animals with the sand.
"I see. My son should be more like you then." Was the Kage's response.
"No he shouldn't," she said.
The brown eyed man did not reply to that and instead change the subject. "What was it you wanted to discuss?"
"Is this the safest place to talk about it?" She asked surprised. To her disbelief, he smirked.
"It is much safer than my own office, I can assure you of that," he stated. She had a feeling that he wasn't joking.
"…I see. Well then, I have come to Suna as an ambassador. There is war on the horizon," she said seriously. The smirk was wiped off his face and he was giving her all his attention.
"You have just confirmed my worst fears. Suna is in no condition to fight at the moment…" He replied seriously.
"I know this. And this is why I have come. We are willing to offer our services to your village in exchange for an ally. We know you are already hesitant to trust anyone, and we also know that you have been in contact with Orochimaru." Luna didn't have time to blink before a kunai was at her neck. In less than twenty-four hours, she was put in a position that if she were to swallow she would die. And it was still the same person.
"Who told you that?" He demanded, eerily calm. The white haired girl had to calm, her heartbeat by taking a deep breath before she could reply.
"Our spies have been following Orochimaru and saw him enter Suna," she explained to him carefully. "We entered the infiltrated the village and saw you two talking. I swear on my birthright that we were not looking to harm the village, it was just to track and eliminate the snake sannin."
He searched her eyes for any hint that she was lying and inwardly even though she could die at any moment, she couldn't help but gain an ego boost from being taken seriously by a Kage. Seemingly satisfied, he only slightly eased the pressure on her neck, and she could swallow again. The weapon was still there, just not screaming its presence in her face.
"What is your point?" He asked, impatient for her to carry on.
"Orochimaru is using you. He is bad news. Trust us when we tell you this. And this is why we are willing to help you. Who knows when war is going to break out and your village will be weak ad unprepared. If you become our ally, we can become trade partners. Considering the fact that we do not need anything as we produce it ourselves, you will be gaining more out of this agreement than we are..." she paused, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves and to see his reaction. He was listening to her, and thinking about what she was saying.
Satisfied that she was getting across to him, the young girl continued.
"All we want is an ally. Someone we can count on." She finished. He remained quiet and she slowly moved back and stood up. He let her.
"It seems that Sakura has arrived. Thank you for your time, Kazekage-sama," she said. The red haired man stared at her for a while, then disappeared in a swirl of golden sand.
Gaara's attention was back on her when he heard the telltale 'swoosh' and he looked at her questioningly. She smiled and shook her head, silently telling him that it was nothing important.
Not even five minutes later, a pink blob appeared in the distance moving towards them. It drew both their attention and they turned to it. Gaara looked at her mystified, the question in his eyes. The young boy was never big on talking, and always preferred to communicate silently, if communicate at all.
"Yes, it is her. It she looks pink because that's the color of her hair. Come on, stand up now. She's almost here." The turquoise eyed boy did as told and got up and shuffled over to stand next to the white haired girl. Well it was more like hide behind but it didn't really matter.
It seemed that Sakura had finally spotted them because all of a sudden, the blob was moving faster and a shout of "Onee-chan!" rang throughout the area.
Luna smiled and braced herself for the oncoming collision that was inevitable. Soon, a solid and very heavy wall knocked the breath out of her and the cries on a child rang in her ears. If she was a lesser person, she would have been knocked on the ground, dazed. Gaara, on the other hand, wasn't sure what to do, as he had quickly scrambled away in fear of being trampled upon by this pink haired rhino. Now he was awkwardly standing off to the side watching Luna-chan comfort a crying pink haired girl. Said pink haired girl was crying and sniffling on HIS Luna-chan.
Pink. The little boy couldn't get over the fact that she had pink hair. He thought he had seen it all when Luna-chan had arrived with her paper white hair but no…It seemed there was more.
"Sakura, stop crying now. I told you that if you couldn't keep up you would be left behind. But I now you are here because I knew you could find me again. Now, you are here and that's enough. I want you to meet someone." Luna said seriously, pushing the pink haired girl off her, firmly but gently. The pink haired girl sniffled a bit but stopped crying.
"Sakura, say hi to Gaara. Gaara, this is Sakura. I want you guys to be friends." She instructed. It was amusing to watch, two children who looked almost exactly alike standing five feet away from each other and shuffling from foot to foot, quite nervous. Both of them were naturally shy and withdrawn, but she was sure that if one of them could gain the courage to talk, they would be like twins joined at the hip.
After five minutes of awkward silence Sakura slowly and timidly shuffled forward.
"H-hello, my name is Sakura, and I am five years old…I think your eyes are really pretty!" She blurted out, and Gaara's head snapped up to look at her making her take a step back, startled.
Gaara on the other hand was staring at her in wonder. Never in his life had someone ever said that his eyes were pretty! Ever!
"R-really? I think your hair is also really n-nice…A-and I'm five years old too!" He added at the end. Luna smiled softly, they were so cute and were already getting along.
"Alright. How about we go back to the inn and let Sakura-chan get cleaned up, alright? Then we can go get lunch and maybe get ice cream." The snowy haired offered.
"Yay! Ice cream! Let's go!" The green eyed girl was back to her cheerful persona now that she was comfortable around Gaara.
"Ice cream?" Gaara asked confused. Luna and Sakura turned to stare at him.
"Yes Do you not like ice cream Gaara-kun?" Luna asked surprised. She wasn't really expecting that.
"W-what is 'ice cream'?" He asked timidly. The two girls were shocked to hear his question and Luna raised an eyebrow.
"You don't know what ice cream is, Gaara-kun?!" Sakura exclaimed as if it was the end of the world. The little boy blushed a shade even darker than his haired and shook his head, embarrassed.
"Well then, I think we better hurry so Gaara can have some do you not think Sakura?" Luna asked smiling and getting up from her crouched position and walking back to the village gates.
"Hai! Let's go Gaara-kun!" Sakura said grabbing his hand and rushing after her big sister.
"Oh my gosh! Look, it's a hill of sand! Onee-chan! Can we roll down! Please?!" Sakura begged. Gaara just watched her in question, wondering what she meant. Luna, who had ski'd down, nodded and moved back to give them room.
To the red haired boy's surprise, the pink haired girl flopped down on the ground, taking him with her and then gravity took its course and pulled them down, making them both roll down the hill, limbs tangled and sprawled everywhere. Sakura was laughing the whole way down whereas Gaara was terrified. This girl was crazy! It seemed he couldn't even get his bearings because it seemed that anytime he saw the sky, his face was shoved into the sand again.
To his immense relief, they finally made it to the bottom with an "omff!" from both of them. Gaara could only lay still and watch the world spin around as Sakura disentangled herself from him and stood up, stumbling and walking in a zigzag pattern before finally falling down again.
"Haha! That was so much fun! Wasn't it, Gaara-kun?" Sakura asked smiling brightly, stumbling over to him only to trip over her own feet and fall flat on top of him, laughing the whole way down. Her face was buried in his stomach and he on the other hand could not breathe.
"Okay little ones, enough of that. Sakura-chan get off him. He cannot breathe. We should go now." Luna instructed, pulling the emerald eyed girl off of him, letting the air rush out of his lungs.
"Yes, onee-chan." Sakura agreed.
"Okay Sakura, I've increased the weight by about four kilos," Luna said, adjusting the young girl's leg weights. "We'll increase the weight every three days by four kilos exactly. The block in your pack now weighs about three kilos as well. I'm happy that you got used to it so quickly. Now your training can progress faster. " Sakura was visibly slouching trying not to fall back but obviously failing.
Gaara wondered why she thought it was so heavy. According to what he had gathered, her weights only weighed nine kilos each. His own sand gourd weighed about twenty-five. And that was without sand.
Sakura had just finished bathing and had change into fresh clothes. When the white haired girl saw how easily Sakura was moving, she decided to increase the weight. Sakura had then pretended it was super heavy but Luna wasn't buying it and increased it anyway.
"We'll begin your new training regime tomorrow and we'll head outside the gates. Tell me Gaara, have you had any ninja training?" She asked him. He nodded in confirmation and she stared at him pensively.
She decided to test something. Pretending to busy with Sakura's arm weights, she discreetly took out a kunai and launched it at him at her fastest speed. None of the children had seen the kunai until Gaara's sand had blocked it and it had been trapped in it.
Just as she had thought.
Gaara just stared at her in shock and horror, shaking. Sakura was just watching her onee-san with a questioning look, wondering why she did that. Already the young five year old was forming different answers in her head and after much thought, the pink haired girl came to one conclusion. Her sister was testing Gaara for some reason.
"W-why Luna-chan?" Gaara asked hurt in his eyes. Luna just smiled at him reassuringly and patted his head making the young boy flinch slightly.
"Forgive me Gaara-kun. I was just testing something. I would never hurt you. I'm sorry for scaring you." Gaara relaxed and shuffled forward to hug her, needing reassurance. He trusted her. He still trusted his Luna-chan. Sakura on the other hand was happy to know that she was correct in her assumptions.
"Okay then, Gaara, tell me, how is your taijutsu?" She asked him once he had pulled back. Sakura saw him blush and look at the ground in embarrassment.
"Not good," Gaara explained. "No one can train me in taijutsu because every time they try, my sand blocks it. And Baku say's that I don't need it because of my Ultimate Defense."
It was exactly as Luna had thought. Because his sand blocked all attacks, no one really bothered to teach it to him, saying he would never need it. That was where they were wrong though, because there was always someone faster and stronger out there and that was why you needed to hone your skills to their limits. So she thought that she would teach Gaara the basic Suna taijutsu style. She knew all five styles from each nation. They came in handy when she fought, to be able to change fighting styles in order to confuse opponents.
"Alright Gaara, then tomorrow, I'll start teaching you. You already know the basics of the Sand fighting style I gather?" She asked standing back.
The red haired boy nodded.
"Okay, then we'll continue on from your level tomorrow." Luna said and Gaara looked vaguely excited.
"Ne…when can I start learning taijutsu?" Sakura asked.
This wasn't the first time Sakura had asked the question and Luna would always reply with the same answer; "You are not ready yet Sakura." But she supposed teaching Sakura Suna's fighting style was okay.
The reason Luna didn't want to teach Sakura her fighting style yet was because you needed to be flexible in order to do it, as well as have enough muscle. Plus if you didn't have speed, it wouldn't work that well.
"You can learn with Gaara tomorrow. Okay Sakura?" She replied. The little pink haired sapling looked ecstatic to finally be able to learn.
"Thank you onee-chan!" She said smiling.
"How about we go and get lunch and that ice cream we promised Gaara-kun? And then we're going to carry on that shopping that got interrupted. There are many weapons we need, and the stock in Suna is very good."
Luna was currently standing next to Sakura in the Kazekage's office, waiting for him to finish talking to his assistant. Gaara was sitting next to his father playing with his teddy bear. Finally, finished their heated argument, the leader of The Village of the Sand turned and gave Luna his full attention.
"I have thought about your proposition," he stated, leaning back in his big chair and crossing his arms. "It interests me greatly. But I have some questions for you."
"Ask away, Kazekage-sama." Luna replied.
"Firstly, why come to Suna? Why not Konoha or Kumo, who is at the moment, the stronger of the Shinobi Villages?" The brown eyed man asked. It was a logical question. Who in their right mind would want a village as weak as Suna as an ally and be willing to offer many of their produce for nothing but an alliance in return?
"We chose Suna because it is the most stable Hidden Village at the moment." Luna stated bluntly. The Kage raised an eyebrow at that. With all that was going on, he didn't think so.
"Despite all appearances, Konoha is going through many problems," the snowy eyed girl explained. "Especially after the Kyubi attack. It is also going throw a power struggle. Albeit it's not that known, it is obvious enough to those who are willing to look closely. The village elders have too much power and despite everything the Hokage is doing, he cannot get it back."
The Kazekage scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not surprised. Hiruzen is soft, and the fact that the village elders were once his teammates makes him easily manipulated." Luna agreed wholeheartedly but kept silent.
"We didn't go to Kumo because the Raikage is arrogant and would take any offer of help as an insult," she finished. "Kiri and Iwa are out of the question." She was vaguely aware of Sakura paying rapt attention to what they were saying, and she was glad to see that the pink haired girl was taking this seriously. It could benefit her to know how to talk to high ranking figures in the future.
"I see your point," he asked staring her right in the eye. "My second question is what you will gain out of this. It hardly seems fair to give so much and gain so little."
"As I said before, war is coming," she said, smirking at him. "Who knows when? What better way to assure your survival that to have allies to help you?"
"You are all planning something," the man stated confidently.
"Even more reason to become an ally."
"…You are exactly like your father. Clever and ruthless. But that is beside the point. I accept your offer," he said smirking. "But if you betray us, you will see just how strong Suna can get."
"Expect a courier bird in a few hours with the contract," Luna told him. "My brother has already signed." He watched her closely a little bit more before nodding and motioning to her that she was dismissed.
"It was nice doing business with you, Kazekage-sama." She said just as the doors were about to close.
She was pretty sure that she heard him chuckle.
Okay then! Chapter four is up and running! And I mean running;)
Sorry for taking so long with this but time gets even the best of us.
Do you guys have something against reviewing? You're all so mean to me*cries* 100 views are great...but it would bet way better with reviews to match...;)
Anyway, I forgot to say thanks to my last(and only) two reviewers...So Thanks!...You know who you are;)
And I don't think I can ever forget about my awesome beta, she's actually the one who got me to get my ass in gear! The one and only(and awwzzum) Operaghost11235! And yes, I think Ice cream in the desert is pretty epic too;)
I'm big on winks today...Its funny how they make everything sound perverted.
But I guess we all are on the inside;)
I was listening to Katy Perry's 'This is how we do' while writing this whole chapter so I really couldn't keep still. At all. For those who have heard the song, y'all know what I'm talking 'bout;)
PLEASE REVIEW!
Winks for the world,
Bluetopianprincess;)