The ellipses in the beginning of this chapter are there to help show that Nari is fading in and out of consciousness.
Something dragged me out of my dark spot. I felt light hit my eye lids and whimpered a little as heat hit my body. Concern seemed to seep from whatever was moving me. I wasn't sure why or what it was. It was just very concerned.
"Nari, can you hear me?" I pushed away from the voice, eyes still closed. I wanted to go back to my dark spot. I wanted to wait for my moon…
Whatever had me must have lifted me off the ground. I felt my body shape itself to the arms of my captor, my head elevated above everything else while my tails hung limp to the side. I opened my eyes a little but closed them again from the dizziness of moving. It hurt to try to stay awake…
"What happened to her?" a female voice demanded. Whoever it was, was also deeply concerned. This time I managed to keep my eyes open. Two green orbs stared back into mine. I recognized them almost immediately as Temari's. "She needs water and a doctor," the kunoichi ordered. "Has she responded at all?"
"No." The voice came from my captor and it was flat. It sounded like Gaara and the arms holding me smelt like Gaara, but that was impossible. Gaara was with the moon and the moon was certainly not here. That meant these arms couldn't be real. Maybe if I bit them I could tell whether or not this was Gaara. Blood filled my mouth and I felt as one of the arms beneath me jerked away for a split-second but soon returned. Whoever it was, they sure had nice tasting blood…
"Nari, I need you to let go of Gaara now, okay? You need to let go of him so you can drink some water." I stared into Temari's eyes. That was funny. When had Temari gotten here? And what was she talking about Gaara for? Gaara was with the moon. Suddenly, a bowl of clear fluid was forced into my face. I saw my reflection but behind that reflection, I saw a head of red hair and two blue eyes.
I went to turn fully towards the bowl, to reach Gaara inside, but my teeth were blocked by some sort of fleshy substance. I pulled them out, unsure of how they got there. Then I turned back towards the bowl and plunged my face in, wanting to swim to the bottom where Gaara and the moon awaited. My head was pulled abruptly from the water. "She's completely delusional, isn't she?" a male voice asked. I glanced over the puppet master. Where had he come from? I guessed it didn't matter.
"I think so," Temari responded. Oh, yeah. She's here too. Wait a second. Where am I? Did I make it to the moon? Are we all with the moon? "Nari, drink the water. Don't swim in it." She held a bowl of water to my face again and I suddenly remembered my parched throat. I drank deeply, thankful for the water. Afterwards, I laid back in my captor's arms and wondered silently to where I was…
"I can't do anything for her unless I take her back to my office," an unfamiliar voice said. "I'm not sure if I can even help her there. If all this blood is hers then it's amazing she's still alive. With how small she is, she shouldn't even be able to produce this much blood, let alone lose it." I opened my eyes and studied a woman in medical garb. Perhaps she was a doctor of some sort? I wonder whom she's treating.
"You may take her." This sentence had come from my captor. For the first time, I turned my head to peer up at his face. I was shocked by what I saw. Gaara stared coolly back down at me. So I had made it to the moon after all. I couldn't have been happier. When I felt hands trying to drag me out of his arms, I'd bet the lives of my teammates that it wasn't going to happen. Without thinking, I dug my teeth into the flesh closest to my mouth. I saw Gaara wince. "Nari, stop biting me." The simple sentence was a command as cold and sharp as an icicle. I didn't withdraw my teeth.
"I don't think she wants to let you go," Kankuro commented. Kankuro? Where did he come from? "She probably thought she had lost you. You have to wonder why it is she's here in the first place. I doubt it was the closest place she could find."
"She needs medical attention," the youngest sibling stated calmly.
"Gaara, I think Kankuro's right. Nothing we say or do is going to make her let go of you, at least, not for a while," Temari agreed.
"Then how am I supposed to treat her?" the doctor-person demanded. Huh. She's here to treat me. I felt four pairs of eyes staring at me…
Warm water rinsed over my body, followed by gentle fingers. The sensation was soothing and I slowly felt awareness seeping through my body. I could feel the areas where fur was being tugged out of dried blood as carefully as possible. I noted which spots were tenderer than others and flinched away when the fingers reached them. "I think she's staring to come to again," an unfamiliar voice whispered.
"I was hoping we wouldn't wake her. I'd rather she have her panic attack after we finish cleaning her up." That voice was familiar. It had to be Temari's. Well, if she didn't want me to be awake…
I smelt strips of raw meat in front of my nose while I felt someone trying to pry my mouth open. Whatever I was already biting began to move. I released it, hunger making me happy to accept the raw meat instead. Small pieces were given to me one at a time. I swallowed them whole, not needing to chew on them. They were good, very good, and soon I was full…
►§◄
I yawned, waking slowly. I blinked against the light rapidly and then rubbed my face against my paws. I felt two rough bracelets hit my face. I smiled down at my cuffs, oddly happy to see them. Perhaps it had all been a dream and I was sleeping comfortably in my small apartment in Konoha.
"You're awake," a calm voice pointed out. That's when I realized I was laying on someone's lap. How unusual, I thought silently. Suddenly, a new voice intruded my head.
She seems to be thinking clearly. She has yet to bite me. Whomever this voice belonged to, I had never heard it before. Oddly, it was familiar with me. Did it belong to the person whose lap I was laying on? I glanced up at said person and was surprised to see Gaara there. He was sitting at his desk, working over documents with an emotion-washed face. He wasn't even looking at me.
Curiosity got the best of me. I tried to plunge into Gaara's thoughts yet again. I was shocked by how easily it was accomplished. I didn't bother with his memories, feeling that that would be an unnecessary invasion of privacy, and swam through his conscious for signs of Shukaku. I found none. Was the demon gone? I decided it couldn't be helped and tossed around Gaara's most recent memories.
I couldn't help but to be slightly embarrassed about my behavior after Gaara found me bleeding out from under his desk. I had bit him several times and refused to let go. I remembered bits and pieces of it, but not much. Still, all of that was washed away when I discovered all he had gone through in the past week. From saving Suna single-handedly, to… to dying, to losing Shukaku. That was amazing and so much to take in. Finally, feeling satisfied, I shook myself from his memories and dwelled on my own thoughts over what had transpired. I was proud of Gaara, and happy that he was finally free from the burden he had carried all his life. He deserved it.
Silence ensued for some time as Gaara fulfilled his duty as Kazekage. When I was up to it, I nudged the now bandaged part of his arm where I had bit him. Part of him curious to what I wanted to do so he unwrapped it and let me have it. I licked the wound with my tongue, cleaning it again and pouring some of my chakra into it so that it'd heal faster. I hadn't meant to hurt him. After I finished, he rewrapped the bandages and we went back to our peaceful silence. I wasn't in any condition to be moving about. My aching muscles and sore skin told me that.
About three hours after I woke up, I heard Temari and Kankuro approaching the Kazekage's office at an alarming rate. "Calm down, Kankuro," Temari told her younger brother. He didn't slow down or let go of her. He was too excited to see if I was alright. I buried my face into Gaara's stomach, not looking forward to the upcoming conversation.
"Is she awake?" Kankuro demanded, barging in without knocking. He tended to stay cool and collected but the state I had been in earlier had him scared to death. Being kicked out for the rest of the workday had only made things worse. Upon six thirty's arrival, he was there to see to my wellbeing.
"Yes." Gaara didn't look up from his documents, doing his best to ignore all three of us. I pulled my head away from my moon, for I had finally come to the conclusion that that's what my delusional self had mistaken Gaara for, and twisted it around to try to peer at Temari and Kankuro. In order to see over the desk, I'd have to sit up. I tried to use my front paws as support but whimpered from the pain. They were of no use yet.
"What's wrong with her?" Temari asked. Gaara sighed and closed his eyes. He just wanted to finish the last pile of paperwork before heading home.
"She's pushing herself," he responded. "Let me finish and then you can see her." Kankuro went to protest but Temari glared at him and gestured for them to leave. Grudgingly, the puppet master obeyed. Just a half hour later, Gaara finished and was ready to greet them again. "You can't walk," he assumed. I shook my head and then tried to push myself into a sitting position. He tried to stop me but I was a persistent rat when I wanted to be. I managed to crawl my way up his arm and then wrap myself comfortably around his neck. That way his arms wouldn't be full all the time. He silently admired my ingenuity.
We managed to get to the residential part of the Kazekage building without incident. Temari, Baki, Kankuro, and the doctor from before were all waiting for us in the hall. "She looks better," Temari commented first. The doctor nodded, studying my bandages for any sign of them needing to be changed. I'd have to have a fresh set put on before I went to bed for the night.
"Can you hear us this time, Nari?" Kankuro demanded. I nodded my head, pulling two loose tails back around Gaara's throat. I wasn't holding on so tightly that I'd choke him but I didn't want to fall off. I was hurting enough as it was.
"Does Lady Hokage know your here?" Baki asked softly, always remembering his leader side first. None of the others had even thought to ask that. I shook my head. I didn't really want to think about it. I wasn't sure if my teammates had survived the explosion. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know. "I'll send her a message." I nodded, grateful. I had to keep her informed of my whereabouts. He left to get it done immediately. The rest of the night was spent with various "yes, no" questions; most of which I either couldn't answer, or didn't want to. Finally, after the doctor had an opportunity to change my bandages, Gaara sent his siblings off and went to the roof. He removed me from my perch and set me beside him, placing a hand atop my head. We stared up at the moon in contentment.
►§◄
A small knock on the door alerted us to my doctor's presence. I was laying besides Gaara's desk in his office. I had just finished ripping off the bandages on my front legs and was busy licking the wounds. They weren't as bad as the day before thanks to my focus on healing them all through the night. I should've slept but I'd have plenty of time for that today. Last night I had been unable to take human form so it seemed I was stuck as is for a while.
"Come in," Gaara told our visitor. The woman stepped in. I had made a conscious decision not to learn her name. I didn't like doctors but I had no reason to dislike her. If I learned her name when I was no longer her patient, I'd give her a fair chance.
"May I take a look at her?" the woman asked, glancing at me. The Kazekage nodded. She walked over and knelt in front of me, lifting up my head to study my eyes. She forced open my jaws and examined my teeth. Then she went to checking my wounds. "You shouldn't take off your… My goodness. How did you recover so fast?" She was noting the apparent difference between my forelegs and how they looked the day before. "Did you focus your chakra to do this?"
I nodded my head and then showed her why by pushing myself into a sitting position. That small feat had been impossible the day before. "But why do you want to sit up so bad?" I sat up as straight as possible, bared my teeth, and raised the little portion of my hackles that weren't held down by bandages. I growled menacingly, looking stronger and more fearsome than I was. "You really are smart," she realized. Before, she had seen me as just another animal.
"Nari can take human form," Gaara informed the doctor. "Her ability to shape-shift into the animal you see before you is a recent gift of hers she only managed to utilize less than five years ago. She was once an ambassador here from Konoha and her council was deeply respected by the leaders of Suna. She's not just some beast."
"I'm sorry, Lord Kazekage. I didn't mean to offend you or Nari." He just nodded, not having looked up once from his papers. I relaxed and laughed. It almost sounded like a cough but both of them understood what it was supposed to be. "I'm guessing you don't have the energy to take human form," she assumed. I nodded although I was fairly sure there was a deeper reason for my inability to shift than that. She just nodded and finished her examination of me, and then tending to my bandages.
"I'm not a skilled veterinarian and I've never worked with mammals before but I advise making sure she drinks plenty of water and has three well-rounded meals a day. I can't force her to sleep but those two things should be followed."
"When should she be fully recovered?" Gaara asked, showing no sign of his agreement or disagreement to her statement.
"It's hard to say. As I've said, I'm not used to treating mammals. The condition of her internal organs is a mystery to me. Not only that, but Nari is an unusual patient to even the most experienced veterinarians. It could take her month to heal. Then again, it could take her a couple of days. If I might make a request for the duration of her recovery…" Gaara nodded. "Don't let her walk around. If she is to be transported, have her carried. She shouldn't participate in any form of physical exercise." I yipped in protest.
"Very well," the Kazekage agreed. I turned towards him, astonished. I was a machine pumping out a hell of a lot more energy than a ball of fur my size should carry. How did he expect me to remain motionless throughout the day? Not to mention bathroom breaks… I immediately let my protests be known. "You are dismissed," he told the doctor. I kept up with my yapping until he finally acknowledged me. "Silence, Nari, or I'll have Kankuro remove you from my presence." I stopped abruptly and laid back down to seethe in silence.
I shouldn't have worried about my natural needs. Gaara took me outside to relieve myself every couple of hours. It was embarrassing, sure, but necessary. Afterwards, he'd pick me up and put me on his shoulders so that I could wrap myself around his neck. This was how he carried me about, silently agreeing not to leave me. I imagined Temari and Kankuro had had some sort of talk with him but I decided not to pry into his memories. He wasn't even aware that I could read his mind yet.
"This is for you, Nari," he said as I was fading in and out of consciousness. We were sitting in his office. He had been working over some mission requests but had stopped when a hawk flew in. He had opened the letter and was reading over it when he realized that it was probably important for me to read as well. I lifted my head and looked down, reading over the scroll myself. Lady Tsunade had written it to help inform Gaara of what had occurred:
"I'm pleased to report that her teammates are alive, although all three suffered major burns." At this, I jumped in glee, causing me to fall of Gaara's shoulders and onto the ground. I moaned a little but he picked me up and situated me again so I could keep reading. "Their captain reported that they were on their way back to Konoha when they were ambushed by ninja from the Hidden Mist. As the battle began to fall out of their favor, Nari took the initiative and performed an explosive jutsu. They were unable to recover her after the jutsu and presumed her to be dead. I have already told them that the situation proved otherwise."
"Why weren't you wearing my cuffs?" he asked. I had been expecting this question. He had come to the conclusion that the explosion was actually one of my chakra explosions. He also deduced that the cause for that event had been due to the lack of his cuffs during the performance of my jutsu.
"Did you find a way to take them off?" I shook my head and gingerly licked at his cheek. It was time to give him a hint that I had access to his brain. I pulled up the memory of his death. I figured that that was why the cuffs had vanished. "Did they come off on their own accord? Were they destroyed?" I nodded. He hadn't noticed my tampering. No one ever seemed to notice. "When I…?" I nodded again so that he didn't have to finish that sentence. We sat in silence for a while.
"For someone who refuses to acknowledge their role as a pet, you are very dependent of me," he noted. That's when I realized just how oblivious Gaara was to emotions. That sentence hadn't been meant to get a rise out of me. He had no want to upset me or invoke some sort of argument. He didn't even find it to be offending. To him, it was a simple fact. I brought my teeth to his neck and nipped good-naturedly. I was too close for his sand to be able to protect him and he needed to be mindful of what he said. I'd forgive him this time but next time I'd have no such regards.
Thank you for reading and please review. This is my last post for a while due to the trip I mentioned, but I think it's a good chapter to leave off on. Anyway, have a great summer!