This is mostly a filler chapter but I hope you enjoy!
"Are you alright, Nari? You look as though you're in pain." I glanced back and stared at Kankuro, who was walking towards me with Temari and Gaara in tow.
"I'm fine," I reassured him with a smile. "I just can't believe I fell asleep twice in the same day. I mean, it's happened before but…"
"Not since you're chakra levels have increased."
"Right." I can't believe she fell back asleep either, Temari thought. Of course, she didn't seem well rested when I woke her up this morning. I jumped down from my tree and joined them as we started on our journey. Kankuro asked if the road was clear and I responded with a yes. No one said anything until we reached the first road sign.
"So, Nari," the eldest sibling started with the intentions of testing my math. "The trip from Konoha to Aburan is roughly eighty miles. This sign says we still have fifty miles to go. How many miles have we traveled?" I closed my eyes and thought about it but the answer, preceded by strange symbols, popped into her head much faster.
"Thirty miles?" I mumbled to myself. I saw thirty dots in my head and added fifty to them. Then I counted the dots out. Yes, it was eighty miles. But how did she do it so fast? "Thirty miles," I said a little louder. She nodded, pleased, and we continued on.
What was that all about? Kankuro wondered. Gaara said nothing but I felt the left cuff on my wrist constrict. He knew I could steal the answers from Temari's head. "I figured it out on my own," I mouthed to him, a little hotly. He needed to realize that he wasn't a figure of authority to me. He needed to back off. I especially disapproved of the redhead's appearance in my slumber.
A few hours later, we came to another sign. "Alright, Nari. How fast would we have to go to make the same time on the left one if we went five miles per hour on the right one?" I stared at the two signs, not recognizing the symbols next to the letters. Temari did and the answer popped up in her head quite easily. Ten miles per hour, she deemed. My eyebrows furrowed together. I was about to admit my incompetence when I saw the meager thought of sending me to the academy slip through her brain.
"Ten miles per hour," I answered confidently. Even Kankuro had come up with that answer. "But why does it matter? Shouldn't we take the left route anyway?"
"That's the Land of Rivers," the kunoichi explained. "They're not very fond of us there. We'll just take the long way around." I shrugged, finding no reason to dispute it. We kept on chugging along. Just as the sun was about to set, we reached the village in which they had agreed to spend the night. They didn't order a room for Gaara and I. We wouldn't be sleeping so there was no need. The desk clerk found this a little strange but said nothing.
We went upstairs and I put my staff and scroll pouch near the door. Gaara and I were about to slip out of the window when Temari called to me. "Nari, would you mind if I tested you a little bit more? So far, it just seems like you don't know the technical terms for mathematical equations but you know how to do real world problems. Can I test that theory further?"
"Um… I guess," I muttered, rubbing the back of my head. In truth, I wasn't very fond of the idea. I sat down next to her as she pulled out a piece of paper and a brush and ink. She put those dreadful, unfamiliar scribbles on the paper. Apparently, the problem was literally right in front of me. I couldn't even read it. I bit my lip and stared at them until I finally gave up. In Temari's head, I saw the answer so I did my best to copy it from her mind onto the page. Just as I was halfway done writing it, the cuff on my right wrist squeezed tightly. I dropped the brush and glared at Gaara.
"You should tell them," he stated stoically.
"You shouldn't tell me what to do," I retorted, a glare marring my features. I didn't like my restraints, nor the control he usurped over me.
"You're lying to Temari."
"It's not lying." Kankuro and Temari glanced between us, worried about the fragile relationship we held.
"What does the paper read, Nari? And try not to think about it, Kankuro, Temari." They, despite being confused, complied and thought of other things. I glanced down at the paper. Technically speaking, I could dig through Temari or Kankuro's minds to find the answer but I refrained. I bit my lip and turned away.
"I don't know," I spat. The eldest sibling glanced at me, betrayal evident in her eyes. Before she could utter a single syllable, I said, "I have the ability to read minds. This is why I was giving the position as ambassador. I am also a spy." I didn't bother to mention that I'd also have a hand in picking the next Kazekage. "The only question I could figure out on my own was the first you gave me. The other answers I drew from your minds."
"Do you mean to say, you know what I'm thinking right now?" the puppet master demanded. I nodded.
"You're incredulous at my revelation but it does make sense. I always seem to know where everyone is, I never seem to pay attention after I ask questions like 'what's wrong'. My prey never eludes me; I always know what to say. My ability to predict you're moves on the practice field and my ability to avoid Rock Lee. My arrogance and inexplicable understanding of life. It makes more sense now." Kankuro swallowed; those were his thoughts exactly.
"That means you know about our plan?" Temari assumed. She was referring to wanting to make a couple out of Gaara and myself. I nodded. Gaara seemed to be expecting an explanation but he received none. "Are there limitations?"
"I can only read those within a certain distance and those farther away are harder to understand. I have to put more focus to read them. I don't have the ability to read Gaara's mind, which makes me assume that I can't read the minds of jinchuriki. I can block out other's thoughts unless they're specifically thinking of me. Then it's like their shouting at me. And I can't communicate with them. I can draw up certain memories to the surface of their mind but I can't project my own thoughts to them."
"That's… a nifty gift," she exclaimed, shocked. I shrugged.
"It's my greatest asset. I'd like to keep it secret, if I may."
"Of course," Kankuro agreed.
"In the meantime," Temari began again. "I'm going to teach you math. Let's begin." As Temari started with the lesson, Gaara went outside and Kankuro went into the bathroom. She only sat with me for a half hour but it was long enough for me. Numbers were weird. I didn't like them at all. Truthfully, the lesson was simple. I could do mathematical equations, it was the symbols that bothered me. Temari actually expected me to write them on the paper. I hadn't even learned to write normal words yet. I could read, but writing was a whole other ball field. Of course, I wasn't going to admit that to my instructor.
I rushed to the roof when she released me, looking forward to the cool, night air. I sat next to Gaara and stared at the stars. For a while, I enjoyed myself in content silence, then I decided it was time to remind the jinchuriki where he stood. He had no authority over me and he shouldn't act like he did.
"Gaara, I'm not a pet." My voice was soft, gentle. I didn't want to hurt him. He didn't respond. "Nor am I a sand ninja. I'm not even human." Again, no response. "What that means, is that you don't have any power over me. You can't boss me around or tell me what to do." I thought a smile touched his lips but I couldn't be sure. "You need to stop acting like you can."
"Nari, the only reason why you're allowed to roam free is because you're a weak demon that hasn't done any harm. Isn't it a kinder fate to be controlled by me than sealed within the body of someone else?" He was monotone, as if he was stating a common fact.
"Is that a threat," I growled. He gave me a small glance before looking at the moon again.
"It's the truth." I wanted to snap at him, but I couldn't. I turned away and glared at the shingles. But it's not right. No one should have so much power over me! Let alone a genin from a foreign village. A low sigh escaped my lips.
"I suppose you're correct." That doesn't dull the pain any, though. I shifted into beast form, a symbol that I didn't want to discuss the issue further, and laid next to Gaara. He put a hand on my head and we stared up at the sky until dawn came.
I didn't shift back to human form as we reentered the hotel room. I simply used my tails to hold me as I swung in. I went to grab my staff with my jaws but Kankuro was one step ahead of me. He held it in his hand and offered to carry it for me. I nodded in acceptance. I still wasn't in the mood to talk.
We started on our journey again soon after. "What's the matter, Nari?" Temari asked. I had refused food or drink and, to her, was walking faster than normal. I just cocked my head to the side. Was it really so obvious that I was in a bad mood? I had been trying to hide it Then again, it could've been my form change that told her.
"She doesn't like her cuffs," Gaara answered for me. No, I do not, I snapped inwardly.
"Then take them off of her." The jinchuriki shook his head. I hated that blank expression. It was so irritating. Was he enjoying my frustration or not? If I couldn't read his mind he could, at least, have an easy face to read like Naruto's. Then again, if he did, he wouldn't be such a curiosity. He was something I didn't understand, a new puzzle to decipher. That's why I liked him, after all.
I trotted a little ways ahead of the group. We weren't in any rush to get back to Suna so we took our time. Temari and Kankuro were badgering each other about one thing or another when I froze. I smelt intruders. Kankuro and Temari were so absorbed in their conversation that they walked right by but Gaara paused, probably sensing them too. I searched the area for human minds and found them. They attacked but before a single kunai could reach its target, a wall of sand deflected them. Finally, the elder siblings began to assess the situation.
Gaara and Nari were already aware of them. Why didn't they warn us? Temari demanded. I couldn't shift now to explain anything to them. I didn't want to reveal my true self and alert the enemy ninja that I wasn't what I appeared, just in case one of them managed to escape.
"You're a long way from home," the leader said, stepping out with her group. A team of sand ninja appeared. "We were just coming to check on you. Lord Baki wasn't very pleased when you accepted that mission without his consent."
"It's good to see you too, Rena," Kankuro greeted our guest. The leader was a girl, a jounin. Wisps of brown hair escaped from underneath her head covering. She and her companions were dressed in average Suna wear. "You didn't have to attack us, though."
"We were making sure you stay sharp." She glanced over at Gaara and I, the only two prepared for a full out fight. Gaara relaxed and drew his sand back but I held my stance. Her name wasn't Rena, it was Maylou. These three were imposters. They were dismayed that their sneak attack hadn't worked out and were planning to attack again when we rested for the night. Not going to happen, I told her silently. She watched me like a hawk and I granted her the same respect.
"Nari, relax," Temari told me, noticing that my hackles were still raised. We started walking again. I stayed close by Kankuro's side. He trusted "Rena" the most and Temari was close enough to Gaara that he could protect her if the need were to arise. I wasn't one hundred percent sure but I didn't think Gaara trusted the newcomers either.
I did my best to lower my hackles but it wasn't working. I was ready for a fight. To try and keep myself from appearing as too big of a threat, I weaved myself back and forth between Kankuro's legs, careful not to trip him. As he and "Rena" were talking, I purposely got in his way. The conversation hadn't been adding up right in his mind. He glanced down at me and I returned his gaze with an urgent look. He nodded, getting the message. So Kankuro wasn't as completely oblivious as I had assumed.
I glanced over at Temari. She, too, was beginning to become suspicious of our escort. She noticed that I had still been unable to relax and the proximity Gaara and I were keeping to the rest of the group. Compared to earlier, and our loner personalities, she easily deduced something was up. A couple hours later, we stopped for the night and set up camp. We were deep in the woods. Temari forced Gaara to help her collect fire wood. I studied their conversation from my spot next to Kankuro, who was rolling out sleeping bags.
"I want you to pretend to sleep, okay?" Temari muttered. "I don't trust these people." Gaara nodded. Then they were back in sight. I studied everyone around me as they all laid down. "Nari, are you going to keep watch?" Temari asked. I nodded. She laid down as I sat there, keeping an eye on everything. Around midnight, the imposters began to stir. I studied them as they moved about.
"Those idiots left a fox in charge of watching. What fools," the leader commented, glancing at me from across the fire. Kankuro and Temari were both awake. They knew better than to sleep with enemies at their back. "Now," she ordered her group. Again, Gaara's sand stopped their assail. Both of the elder siblings jumped to their feet and attacked back. The imposters weren't as quick as us.
The sand siblings managed to detain the two followers but Maylou was getting away. Not on my watch, I growled. I sprinted after her, slowly growing in size. I didn't need to be very large, I just needed the extra boost of speed. Before long, I was close enough to pounce. I took her down in one blow, snapping her spine between my jaws. She fell to the ground, dead. I dragged the body back to the camp and dropped it before the siblings. They were done battling now. "Good job, Nari," Kankuro told me, as we left the bodies and moved on. The rest of the journey to Suna was uneventful.
Thank you for the continual support and for reading. Please review! The next chapter is slightly comical.