Author's Notes: Thanks for all of the love and support you've given me! This story is doing much better than anticipated and I'm thrilled! The next chapters are going to focus on the actual mission to investigate and stop Takuma and his plans so there's going to be a lot of information and more action ahead. There's also going to be a little less heat (boo I know :'( ) but I will try to compensate with all of those sweet battle moments where our favorite couples protect each other and such. Also, like I said before, this mission revolves around Takuma and in particular his connection to Onchou so it might seem a little OC centric but I'll try to balance it out. I'm trying to keep in spirit with the original Naruto series vibe which means focusing on the mission and their execution of it. Anyway… I'm babbling so let's just get on with the story.
Onchou walked between Ryuu and Gaara through the sleepy streets of Suna towards the opening of the canyon that connected it to the rest of the desert. She was dressed a little differently for the mission with black capri length leggings, a royal blue three quarter sleeve top with a black corset style vest over top. She'd pulled half of her violet hair back to keep it out of her face and her sword was strapped to her back.
"Why do I have to stay behind?" Ryuu demanded a little pout on his lips.
"Where we're going is a dangerous place." Onchou replied. "Takuma will be there as well."
"Exactly!" the child exclaimed. "I want to have a go at him too!"
The violet eyed girl shook her head. "I understand but it's just too risky. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you when we get back."
The ruby eyed boy scrunched his nose clearly dissatisfied with her answer but knowing that nothing he said would change her mind. "Fine." He muttered.
She smiled and was about to speak again when a loud voice rang out through the streets. "Aria! Is that you Aria!?" a voice called out.
Onchou's eyes widened as she turned in the direction of the voice. She found it belonged to a middle aged man with chestnut brown hair and striking amethyst eyes like her own. He was tall with an athletic build and light skin wearing navy blue pants, a black shirt, and a sandy brown vest. His eyes widened in response as he looked at her and then his face fell. "I'm sorry." He said looking down. "You look like someone I know."
The violet haired girl's hands trembled as she looked at the man. She barely noticed when Gaara came up to stand beside her as the rest of the mission team watched them curiously.
"Aria." She said softly. The man nodded and her hand balled into a fist. "Aria was my mother's name."
His eyes widened and his body began to shake. "Is your mother from Heiwa?" he asked.
The girl stiffly nodded and the man's face lifted. "What is your name?" she asked.
"I'm Tamiki Buki." He replied. Onchou's heart dropped and raced simultaneously. She knew that name, she could never forget it as long as she lived. "Tell me, how is Aria?" he asked with bright eyes, the same eyes she had.
She took a deep breath. "She's dead." She replied stiffly.
The man's eyes filled with tears as he shook. "Dead?" he repeated.
"Yes. She was murdered in cold blood almost seven years ago." The violet haired girl said before launching forward and slamming her fist into the man's face knocking him back onto the ground.
"Onchou!" Gaara exclaimed reaching out to restrain her.
"Let go!" she snapped trying to wrestle out of his grip as she glared at the man with tears brimming in her eyes. "I was there! In her final moments she screamed his name and begged him to save us!" she cried. Her gaze turned on the Kazekage. "You knew! You knew he was here! Why didn't you tell me!?" she demanded her gaze piercing his pale eyes.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to wait until all of this was over to introduce you." He replied.
"Hey! What's going on?" Naruto called out jogging up to them along with the rest of team seven and Hinata.
"Nothing." Onchou replied pulling out of the sand wielder's grip. "Nothing at all." She took Ryuu by the hand and walked with him to the entrance where the team of sand shinobi including the two women she'd saved from Dolls was waiting for her.
"We'll take good care of him." The blond ninja assured her.
"Yeah. We owe you our lives. We'll do everything in our power to keep him safe." The brunette added.
"Thank you very much." Onchou said trying to shake off her shock. "He's very precious to me."
"Onchou, are you going to be ok?" Ryuu asked. "Who was that guy?"
"That man is my father." She replied simply as she knelt down and pulled the silver haired child into her arms hugging him tightly. "Stay safe and behave." She said as he hugged her back just as tightly.
"I will." He assured her. "Don't you dare die on me." He whispered.
"I won't." she promised. "I promised to protect you forever. That's little hard to do when you're dead."
"I love you Onchou." The ruby eyed child murmured.
"I love you too." She replied moving back to press a kiss to his forehead.
*#*
Gaara sighed as he watched Onchou walk away hand in hand with Ryuu towards the team he'd assigned to look after the child while they were gone. The hurt and betrayal he'd seen reflected in her eyes was more painful than he'd anticipated. He really had intended to introduce them earlier but with everything that had been happening, he didn't want to stress her further by throwing her estranged father into the mix.
"What in the heck is going on, Gaara?" Naruto demanded.
"Yeah. Onchou looks upset." Sakura said glancing at the violet haired girl.
Tamiki got to his feet and rubbed his jaw as his gaze became fixed on the violet haired girl hugging a silver haired child near the canyon passage.
"Lord Kazekage. Who is that girl?" he asked.
"Her name is Onchou." Gaara replied. "As far as we know, she's the last survivor from Heiwa. She's sixteen years old and based on her past history, I'm fairly certain that she is your daughter." Tamiki's eyes widened as he stared at her.
"My… My daughter." He murmured.
The Kazekage nodded. "She said that her mother was the daughter of the village headman and was saved by a shinobi from our village." He explained. "Her mother fell in love with her savior and they spent a night together before he left leaving a sword behind as proof of his promise to return for her. It's the sword strapped to her back now. Do you recognize it?" he asked.
The swordsman moved a little closer waiting for the girl to stand again. She flipped her hair briefly revealing the sheathed weapon. "I know that sword." Tamiki murmured his body trembling. "I forged it myself." His hands covered his face. "It's true then. Aria is dead and that girl, Onchou was it?" The Kazekage nodded. "She is my daughter."
"No way!" Naruto exclaimed.
Tamiki moved his hands and watched her as tears slid down his cheeks. "Can I talk to her please?" he asked.
"I don't think that's the best idea given the circumstances." Saskue said. "We need to get going."
Gaara nodded. "My thoughts exactly." He said. "Now is not a good time. She's leaving with us on a mission." He replied.
"Can I come with you?" the middle aged man asked. "Please."
The Kazekage shook his head. "Our enemy is incredibly strong. In addition I fear your presence would only trouble Onchou. The man we're pursuing held her captive for years. This mission is going to be hard enough on her as it is."
Tamiki's eyes reflected pain and regret as he watched Onchou walk up to Temari who reached out to touch the girl on her shoulder.
"Please Lord Kazkage." The older man said dropping to his knees. "I'm begging you. I want to make things right with her. I need to find out what happened to Aria. I won't be a burden I promise. If she truly is going to face the man that held her captive for years, the least I can do as a father is try to protect her."
Gaara's eyes widened as he remember his own father expressing regret at how he'd treated him as a child and his mother's love and protection. A sigh of defeat left his lips. "We're leaving now. Are you ready for such a journey?" Tamiki nodded. "Fine." He said walking towards the rest of the party. "Just keep your distance from her for now." He glanced at the rest of the ninja. "Are you ready to go?"
They nodded in unison. "Just waiting for your command little brother." Temari said with an easy smile.
"Very well." He replied. "Let's head out."
"Raccoon eyes!" Ryuu yelled. When the sand wielder glanced at him his eyes narrowed. "You better take care of Onchou! If she dies, I'll kill you!"
"Ryuu!" Onchou scolded but Gaara held up a hand to stop her.
"If she dies, my life is yours." He replied. "I promise that I will protect her." The ruby eyed child nodded satisfied with his response and Gaara turned towards the stone corridor. "Let's go." He said taking off down the corridor. His team consisting of Temari, Kankuro, Onchou and Tamiki followed and the three teams from Kohona lead by the legendary team seven took off across the desert towards the abandoned village of Heiwa intent on stopping a mad man's plot to take over the world.
$0$
The group headed across the desert and towards the village of Heiwa that was two days away. Just before evening fell, they stopped and prepared to sleep in tents. A bonfire was lit and the group began to settle down for the night.
Sakura sat down next to Sasuke and leaned her head on his shoulder as the stars began to wink to life in the sky. He gently laid his own on hers before straightening again.
"How are you doing?" he asked. "Are you staying hydrated?"
The pink haired girl snickered. "Who do you think you're talking to?" she asked. "I'm one of the greatest medical ninjas in the world. Of course I am. How about yourself?" He nodded and she sighed and snuggled closer to him. She watched as Onchou walked away from Tamiki for at least the third time that night and walked over to sit by herself.
"She seems to be having a rough time." Sasuke noted watching the same scene.
"Yeah." Sakura agreed. "I can't even imagine what she must be feeling right now."
The Uchiha nodded and slipped an arm around her shoulder. "Are you ready for tomorrow?" he asked.
The pink haired medic nodded. "I think so. There's only so much you can prepare for."
The raven haired man nodded and then sighed. "We should probably get ready to go to bed." He said as he noticed Sai and Ino saying their goodnights in front of the girl's tent.
"Yeah." She replied with a reluctant sigh. Her eyes widened and then she giggled.
"What?" The Uchiha questioned.
"Well, I just realized that this is the first night we'll be sleeping in different places since you returned." She said her cheeks coloring. "It's strange to think that we'll be sleeping apart." She admitted.
He blinked in surprise. "That's true. I guess I never really thought about it before now."
They rose and walked to the girl's tent and Sakura slipped her arms around him hugging him tightly, even more so than usual.
"Is something wrong?" he asked wrapping his own arms around her.
She pressed her face to his chest. "I don't know." She admitted. "I just have this awful feeling in my chest. The thought of being separated from you just…" it was fear she was feeling. It hit her like one of her own sucker punches. She was terrified that she'd wake up in the morning and he'd be gone. His fingers slipped under her chin and tipped her face up towards his forcing her to meet his gaze. Her eyes we captured by his mismatched gaze and he frowned a little and leaned down kissing her hard.
"I'm not going anywhere." He said cupping her face in his hands. "I promise you."
She nodded still unsure but there was nothing that could be done. All she could do was wait until morning and have faith that he'd still be there.
"Good night Sakura." He said tapping her in the middle of her forehead. "I'll see you in the morning. I promise."
"Ok. Goodnight Sasuke." She said softly. "I love you. I'll see you in the morning."
He smiled down at her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before he released her and walked to the boy's tent.
Naruto sighed as he listened to the Kazekage next to him toss and turn. "Look, if you're that worried about her just get up and make sure she's alright." He whispered.
The Kazekage sighed. "She doesn't want to speak with me."
The blonde shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Of course she's pissed off at you for not telling her about her dad sooner but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to talk to you. She probably wants to talk to you more than ever but she's too confused and hurt to say it." The red head sighed and sat up quickly pulling on his sandals and slipped out of the tent without another word. "That guy, I swear…" he muttered. He noticed another man moving out of the tent and recognized it as Tamiki. With a heavy sigh he slipped out of the tent and followed him. The man stopped just outside of camp and Naruto came up beside him following his gaze to see what he was looking at. He pulled the man back a few feet. "Shh! Let's leave them alone for now." He said pulling the man down to sit beside him.
Onchou sat with her legs pulled tightly to her chest her head resting on her knees as she remembered the night her mother died. The older woman was on her knees pleading for her life when she noticed her in the doorway.
"Onchou! Run!" she cried.
"Ah, so she's awake. Too bad, if you'd been a little quieter she never would've had to witness this." Takuma said grabbing her mother by the throat. "Well, no matter. It's her fault I'm doing this anyway." He said looking at the young girl.
"No! Please don't!" Her mother screamed tears sliding down her dark skin as her golden eyes widened with fear. "Tamiki! Please save us!" she screamed.
"Tamiki? The shinobi from The Village Hidden in the Sand. I should've known. All well. He won't come to your rescue this time." He said pulling out a kunai. "Good bye my beautiful Aria. Don't worry, I'll take good care of your daughter."
Onchou's own eyes widened as she realized his intentions and ran forward her hand outstretched. "Mother! No!" she screamed even as he slid the knife across her throat. She'd stopped midstride when her mother's warm blood splattered across her face and dropped to her knees.
"Onchou, Tamiki, forgive me." Her mother rasped. "Onchou, look at me."
She'd obeyed and her mother smile even as her blood seeped onto the floor. "I was able to see his eyes one more time. Your father's eyes." She whispered before her own eyes clouded and her soul song left her body.
"Onchou." The young woman jumped her hand going instinctively for a kunai but stopped when she recognized the person standing beside her.
"Oh, Lord Kazekage." She said softly. "I didn't realize it was you. Please excuse my impolite behavior."
"You aren't being impolite at all." He replied. "In fact it's quite the opposite which means you're upset."
She blinked in surprise at his perceptiveness and then laid her head on her knees. "I apologize. I'm just a bit overwhelmed with everything. You can go back if you want. I won't run away or anything." She assured him.
"I'd actually like to stay if it's all the same to you." He said sitting on the ground next to her. When she didn't protest he moved a little closer. "I didn't tell you because I was trying to avoid this exact situation." he said.
The violet haired girl nodded. "I know that. I'm sorry it's just… mother was right. I do have his eyes." She said touching the corner of one.
"Is that a bad thing?" he asked.
The amethyst eyed girl nodded. "It was my eyes that literally drove my mother insane." She said softly.
"What do you mean?" Gaara asked.
The dark skinned girl sighed. "I told you before that my mother ran away from home after learning that she was pregnant and gave birth to me alone right?" he nodded. "Well, my grandparents tracked her down less than an hour after she gave birth to me. She was all alone in The Land of Rivers covered in blood and dirt. My grandmother figured out what had happened and asked where the baby was." She tightened her grip on her legs. "My mother told her that it had his eyes. Its father's eyes and that she'd buried her heart and his eyes in the ground so they wouldn't torment her anymore."
The red head's eyes widened. "I heard you mention it but still…"
Onchou chuckled a little as she raked a hand through her hair. "It's pathetic isn't it?" she said her voice shaking. "My own mother didn't want me, my father was never around, and I was nothing but a burden to my grandparents. I'm only useful as a weapon anyway." she pressed her face to her knees. "Sometimes I wish that my grandmother had never unburied me. Maybe then they'd all still be alive." She said softly.
She was shocked when she felt arms wrap around her. "Please don't say things like that." He said softly. "I understand how you feel. I truly do. But you're existence, your life has infinite value. Look at Ryuu and all of your friends. You matter to them. Even your father, he begged me to come because he wants to make things right. He probably didn't even know you existed until today."
Her heart pounded in her chest, did he really know how she felt? How could he? She shook in his arms. "I… I…" she stammered.
"You don't have to say anything." He assured her. "I know you don't believe me so I'll keep telling you until you do. You are important, your life has meaning. I promise you."
Unable to contain herself anymore, she turned in his arms and wrapped her own around him sobbing into his chest as she let years of pain stream down her cheeks. It was so warm and so comforting to be in someone's arms. To be protected and cared for. It felt so much different from when Ryuu hugged her. No one's embrace had made her feel so safe and she bathed in its warmth, his warmth. He said nothing and just held her until she fell asleep with tears still streaming down her cheeks completely exhausted in every way. With infinite gentleness, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the girl's tent and lightly tapped on the door. Shuffling followed and Sakura appeared rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Gaara?" she murmured. Her eyes widened when she saw the limp body in his arms. "Onchou! Is she alright?" she exclaimed.
He nodded. "She just fell asleep." He replied. "Would it be alright if I laid her down?"
"Sure." The pink haired medic replied stepping away from the entrance so he could duck inside. "She's sleeping on the end." She said motioning to the two empty sleeping spots.
He laid her down gently and pulled blankets over her. He brushed her hair away from her face and let his fingers linger for a moment on her cheek before he rose and walked back to the tent entrance.
"Sorry for the intrusion." He said softly.
"It's fine." Sakura assured him walking with him back to the entrance. "Lord Gaara, I was wondering, how do you feel about Onchou?" She asked.
He stopped for a moment and then took a deep breath. "I admire her strength, courage, and beauty." He glanced back at her sleeping form. "I also want to protect her more than anyone else even though she won't let me."
The pink haired medic eyes widened. "Lord Gaara, it sounds like you love her." She said softly.
His eyes widened and then softened slightly. "Love her?" he repeated. "You might be right about that." He said before he slipped out into the night.
Naruto sat beside Tamiki watching as Gaara and Onchou talked a few yards away. He glanced at the older man who stared at the violet haired girl. After a few moments, he spoke. "How well do you know her?" he asked.
The Uzamaki shrugged. "I'm her friend but we haven't known each other for very long. That kid Ryuu has known her the longest but he is just a kid."
"Will you tell me about her?" he asked.
Naruto sighed. "We found her because she'd been sighted around with Ryuu taming beasts and healing the villagers from the places they attacked. We soon discovered that she was on the run from a man named Takuma who killed her family including her mother and kidnapped her. He'd been experimenting on her for years."
The man's eyes narrowed. "Did you say Takuma?" he asked.
The blonde nodded. "Yes, why?"
"I know who he is. He was born in Heiwa as well." The older man said.
Naruto's eyes widened. "No way! What else do you know?"
The amethyst eyed man clenched his hands into fists. "He was obsessed with Aria." He replied. "I met her when we were dispatched to protect the village from a raid led by rouge ninja. We found out that the one behind it was Orocimaru, a friend of Takuma's."
"That damn snake." Naruto hissed. "He's always screwing things up everywhere he goes. Why did he attack the village?"
"He wanted the ears that Aria and her clan possessed." He replied. "Takuma snuck them in because he'd made a deal with Orochimaru. He'd get them in if he'd give Aria to him."
"That sounds like Orochimaru." The blonde replied. "That sick bastard treating other humans like livestock."
Tamiki nodded. "I was the one that stopped them both by protecting the village headman and his family. They nearly got their hands on Aria but I was able to save her." He smiled a little and looked down. "I still remember to this day how she was standing there projecting a barrier to protect herself even as Orocimaru and Takuma worked to break it. She looked so beautiful and strong in spite of how close she was to being defeated. I fell in love with her at once." He sighed. "After we spent the night together. She told me that she was slated to become the next guardian since the previous guardian, was no longer strong enough to do her job. She told me she didn't want the power because she'd had terrible dreams about a strange looking woman taking the Guardian stone and using it to take over the world. I couldn't take her with me right away so I left my sword with her and promised to come back for her." His face fell. "After I returned to the village however, I was immediately sent on a top secret mission spying for The Land of Wind. It took years to finish. When I returned, the teams were being assembled to go assist Heiwa. I went with them desperate to find Aria." He shuddered. "What greeted us nothing short of horrifying. Men, women, and children strewn about dead while the rest were hunted down by beasts under the control of a man wilding the sharringan. I searched for Aria everywhere for three days. I finally found the remnants of her house and blood was smeared all over her room. I couldn't take it and ran away cursing myself for being away when she needed me most." He looked at the violet haired girl that was sobbing in the Kazekage's arms. "I had no idea that Aria was still alive and had a child let alone that it was mine."
Naruto sighed. "Well I guess that makes sense. You didn't mean to abandon her then."
Tamiki nodded. "If I'd known, I would've searched the world over for her. I would have protected both her and her mother."
The blonde nodded. "Well, you didn't know." He said simply. "Now that you do know, just try doing the best you can to make up for lost time."
"How can I?" he asked. "She won't talk to me."
"Well yeah. She's probably completely overwhelmed. During most of her life she's been alone thinking that you never cared about her. Sixteen years of that kind of thinking isn't going to disappear overnight." The young leaf shinobi laced his fingers behind his back. "My parents both died when I was an infant. They were protecting me but I still suffered because they were gone. One day, I was able to see my dad again because of some seriously complicated stuff and I did the same thing to him that she did to you." He chuckled. "I punched him as hard as I could not because I didn't love him or didn't want to see him. I was just overwhelmed. I'd suffered so much all alone because he was gone." He looked over at Tamiki. "You're not like that. You're alive. You can be there for her."
They watched as Gaara pulled the sleeping form of Onchou into his arms and carried her towards camp. Tamiki chuckled. "It seems to me that the Kazekage has that covered."
Naruto smiled. "Yeah, Gaara seems to care a lot for her. I mean, we all do but I think what he feels for her is a little different." He turned to Tamiki. "Even so, you're her dad. Just be patient and give her time. She's used to being alone, just prove to her that she's not." He yawned. "I'm going to bed now. You should too old man. Tomorrow is when the fun really begins."
#$#
Sakura sighed as she sat up in bed. The light was pale around her indicating that it was early morning. She turned to the side and noted Onchou lying next to her curled up into a ball. A little smile touched her lips as she watched her. "She sleeps like Sasuke." She murmured. "Maybe it's a side effect of watching the people you care about killed or having to sleep in enemy territory for so long."
"Gaara." The girl murmured in her sleep. "Stay with me."
The pink haired medic smiled. "Gaara, I think she loves you too." She said moving out of the tent just as TenTen began to stir. A shiver went through her as she approached the fire that had been reduced to nothing but coals during the night and tossed kindling on the fire.
"You are up early." A familiar voice said from beside her.
"Lee?" she asked glancing up at him. "Why are you awake?"
"I am always awake at this hour." He replied. "I just finished my first early morning run."
The pink haired medic lifted a brow. "You say that like you run more than once in the morning."
"I do. I run once before breakfast and again after. However I usually skip my after breakfast run while on missions." He said with a cheerful grin.
Sakura chuckled and shook her head. "You're still just as crazy as ever. How are you really?" she asked. "I know that the last time you came here was as Team Guy when we saved Gaara."
The jumpsuit wearing ninja blinked, and then blushed. "Are you concerned about me Sakura?" he asked.
"Of course I am." She replied. "You're my friend Lee."
"Thank you. It means the world to me that you care for me. I am doing ok. Guy Sensei is still just as full of youth as ever." He said with a wide grin. "I still train every day in hopes that I can someday be half the ninja Neji is surly becoming wherever he is."
Sakura smiled and touched him on the shoulder as she saw the tears welling in his eyes. "Lee, you are so strong. It's ok to break down sometimes though."
The dark haired ninja smiled. "I try to be." He said resting his hands on her shoulders as he bowed his head tears streaming down his face.
She nodded and laid her hand on his head. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him cry of course. Not even these kinds of tears, the kind borne from deep pain. None the less it hurt her seeing the confident, lively Lee in such a state. She knew that TenTen was suffering in a way that was unimaginable but she knew that Lee was hurting as well. It was probably in the same way that Sasuke or Naruto would be hurting if one of them hadn't survived their last fight and her heart ached for him.
"Damn that Rabbit Goddess." She hissed under her breath. "If she's ever stupid enough to try coming back to this world I'll destroy her for taking Neji from us."
"Thank you Sakura." Lee said after a few moments. "I feel a little better now. I still have five hundred pushups to do before breakfast. I will take my leave now."
She smiled and nodded. "Ok Lee. You know you can talk to me if you need anything."
He nodded and then walked across the camp to a flat spot where he started his pushup regiment. She smiled a little at the scene and turned her attention back to the fire. As she did, she felt a flare of electric chakra coming from near the boy's tent and turned to see it. To her surprise, Sasuke was standing there his eyes focused on her and she could tell from both the way he was standing with his arms crossed over his chest and the set of his mouth that he wasn't happy. Curious as to why he was acting that way and a little anxious to see him given how worried about him she'd been, she walked towards him.
"Sasuke, is everything alright?" she asked.
He said nothing but grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her around to the back of the tent away from the others.
"Ouch!" she muttered at how tight his grip was. "What's wrong?"
The Uchiha grabbed her pulling her flush against him and pressed his lips against hers greedy and demanding as his fingers dug into her skin and tugged at her hair. Finally he released her both of them breathless.
"Sasuke, tell me what's wrong." She repeated.
"Nothing." He replied.
"Don't lie to me!" she snapped. "How am I supposed to know what you're thinking if you don't tell me?"
"Just…" he raked his fingers through his hair. "Forget it. Let's go join the others."
Her brow furrowed in confusion but she reluctantly followed.
"Sasuke, Sakura." Shikamrau said nodding to them. "Come join the rest of us. We're going over the plan for today."
"Right." Sakura said walking over to where a large map was laid out on a table made from sand.
Onchou picked up a brush and went to work drawing out the layout of the village as best she could.
"This is what I remember." She said as she worked.
"May I help?" Tamiki said walking forward. "I was there more recently than you were."
"Sure." She said handing him the brush.
"Thank you." He said taking the brush from her.
"Wow." The violet haired girl said when he was finished. "A lot more was destroyed than I remember but then again, we managed to escape so I guess I wouldn't know the full extent of the damage." She brushed her fingers over the map and her brow furrowed. "I'm thinking out best bet will probably be to chakra board in from the north."
"I was thinking the same thing." Tamiki replied touching his hand to his chin. "It's the path he'll probably have the least amount of guards along because he doesn't need them there."
"What do you mean chakra board?" Naruto asked.
The violet haired girl blinked. "You've never ridden a chakra board?" she asked in surprise.
Tamiki chuckled. "You were raised there so you probably don't know but chakra boards are something unique to Heiwa. They were actually about the release that technology to the rest of the ninja world before the third ninja war broke out but after that they decided to keep it to themselves."
Onchou shook her head. "Well that's depressing. Chakra boarding is one of the only things I remember about that place that I really liked. Anyway, it's not something that's easily explained either so you'll just have to wait until we get there and see." she touched her chin. "That means our first order of business is going to be breaking into the north guard tower. From there I should be able to get a decent read on the situation."
"Alright. We'll head there then." Gaara said as Shikamaru took the map. "Let's go."
They broke up into groups with Shikamrau, Temari, and Onchou in the lead, and the rest Konoha 12 behind them and Gaara, Naruto, and Tamiki bringing up the rear. They arrived at the north tower within hours and stopped to study it.
"It's shorter than I remember." Onchou said glancing up at it. "Then again, that's not saying much." She glanced at Tamiki. "Do you think it's still active?"
He walked up to it studying the stone structure. "It's hard to say. If I had to guess I'd say no but we won't know until we try to get in."
"What do you mean active?" Kiba asked as Akamaru sniffed at the door to the structure.
"Each of the guard towers is rigged with a series of traps inside." Onchou explained. "Not only that but you have to make it to the top within a certain amount of time and break the stone tablet in front of the door at the top to keep the alarm from sounding."
"Why on earth would someone go to that much trouble?" The dog trainer asked glancing around. "I mean we're still ten miles from the village and all but it's nothing but desert." He said looking towards the village. "It's not worth it." He said taking a step towards the desert.
"Don't!" Onchou and Tamiki cried out simultaneously grabbing the dog trainer by his clothes and dragging him back.
"Ouch! What the hell!" he exclaimed.
Tamiki sighed. "That desert isn't safe to cross. Not by a long shot."
"What are you talking about? It just looks like sand to me." Naruto asked moving closer.
The violet haired girl sighed. "Sasuke, look at the desert with those special eyes of yours and tell me what you see."
The Uchiha raised a brow but obeyed closing his eyes and then opening them again with his sharringan activated. He nearly stumbled back. "What are those things?!" he exclaimed.
"Sentinels." Tamiki replied. "Nasty looking buggers aren't they?"
"What can you see?" Shikimaru demanded.
"There are creatures beneath the sand. All sorts of them. Giant scorpions, tarantellas, strange looking centipedes." He explained.
"What do you expect from a village famous for beast taming?" Onchou replied.
"True enough." Shino admitted. "So what do we do now?"
"Like I said, we'll have to get the chakra boards stored in this tower but we'll have to survive the traps first." She explained.
"Ok. So how do you want to do this?" Gaara asked.
She touched her finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "I'm not strong enough to break the stone at the top but I know that Sakura is." She said glancing at the pink haired medic. "However I don't think I'll be able to keep both of us safe from the traps on my own." Her eyes fell on Sasuke. "Alright Uchiha. You're coming with me and Sakura. The three of us will clear the tower."
"Why me?" he asked moving forward.
"You have the sharringan. By default that makes you the person most likely to be able to dodge and get past the traps set in here." She said approaching he door. "The moment one of us steps over the threshold of this place we'll know if it's active or not. If it is we'll have four minutes to get to the top and stop the alarm. If it's not active we'll just go to the top and retrieve the chakra boards." She looked at Sasuke. "Our job is to clear the way for Sakura. She'll break the stone at the top."
"Understood." He said moving towards the door.
"Ok." Sakura said coming up behind them.
"Be careful in there." Tamiki warned them. "Jonin level ninja have died in that tower."
The violet haired girl chuckled. "These two are members of the new Sannin. They'll be fine." She said before she pushed the door open. "Ready Sasuke?" He nodded and the pair of them stepped past the threshold.
Sakura watched cautiously as the two ninja in front of her surveyed the dark inside of the tower in their own way the man with his devilish red eyes and the woman with her ears that glowed silver in the dark. Light suddenly sprang to life and torches lit up against the walls.
"It's active!" Onchou sputtered. "Get ready! Sakura, stick to Sasuke like glue! I'm going ahead to clear as much of it as I can."
"Right." She said as the young woman drew her sword and closed her eyes.
"Both of you listen closely. I know you have your eyesight but even people like you benefit from having a heads up. I'll call out the traps as I hear them engage." Onchou said her brow furrowing. "On your left above!" she called out.
The pair of ninja leapt out of the way of a flurry of kunai and quickly leapt up and charged up the wall.
"Under you! The wall!"
It began to shift under their feet and Sakura flipped out of the way as a sheet of stone jutted out from the wall. Onchou reached out and grabbed her by the wrist from where she was suspended above her holding on to a rope and tossed her onto the ledge above.
"Keep moving!" she instructed the medic as a blade shot out from the wall. "Our job is to get you to the top so move!"
"Right!" Sakura said charging back up the wall.
"More kunai on your right!"
She yelped as another flurry of kunai exploded from a nearby wall and her eyes widened when she heard the familiar cracking combined with the high pitched screech of a hawk as lightning appeared in front of her diverting the path of the projectiles. "Thanks Sasuke!" she called out as she regained her balance on a ledge and then went back to work charging towards the top of the tower.
Part of the way up she lost her footing and a little scream escapeing her as she began to fall.
"Hurricane gale jutsu!" Onchou called out from below her. The blast of wind chakra sent both she and Sasuke flying up towards the top and the Uchiha unsheathed his katana and plunged it into the side of the wall just feet from the top of the tower and wrapped his arms around the medic's waist supporting them both.
"You're nearly there!" Onchou called out from below them where she was dodging traps. "Just break the stone in front of the door!"
"Ok!" Sakura said as she looked for a good hand hold. "You know this reminds me of a time long ago when I saved your life, only I was the one holding you." She said as she spotted one.
"I don't remember that." Sasuke grunted as he helped her get a hold on the rock.
"Of course you don't." she replied. "You were unconscious, you idiot. That's how it normally goes you know. You won't let me help you unless you don't have a choice." She replied before charging up the wall the rest of the way. She arrived on the top floor and was surprised to see door with a large stone slab in front of it. She bowed her head and began to focus her chakra into her fist when something whizzed past her. To her surprise, a stone soldier stood in front of her wielding a sword.
"Umm… Guys a little help here!" she called out as she dodged another blow. "I can't break the rock if I'm dodging this thing!"
"What's taking you Uchiha?!" She heard Onchou call out. "My hands are full down here!"
"Give me a second!" he replied.
Sakura sighed and jumped kicking the stone soldier back. It stumbled but still kept moving focused on her.
"Break the stone!" Sasuke called out from below her. "Leave the stone guy to me."
"How can you do that from where you are?" she asked.
"Just trust me!" he replied.
Her eyes widened and her heart pounded. Trust him? That was asking for a lot. She loved him, she loved him with everything she had. Trusting him was another matter entirely. "You're overthinking this." her inner voice reminded her. She gritted her teeth and focused her chakra into her fist turning her back on the stone soldier coming after her. Her fist slammed into the stone slab at the same time the soldier swung yet all she felt on her back was the sensation of stones lightly tapping her. The slab cracked and fell with her blow and then vanished crumbling to dust revealing the door behind it. She turned to see Sasuke standing behind her with his katana in the stone soldier's chest. He electrified the blade and it broke to pieces scattering on the floor in front of her.
"Are you ok?" he asked her as his sharringan deacvated.
"Yeah. Thank you." She replied blushing a little.
"Good job." Onchou said appearing beside them. "We got that done with time to spare." She walked forward and pushed on a panel on the wall. A set of winding stairs appeared then surprising the two leaf shinobi. "Nice save there at the last second Uchiha." The violet haired girl said as she pushed the door open.
"Of course." He replied. "I'll always protect my teammates."
The medic chuckled. "That's one thing about you that hasn't changed. If you're on someone's team you'll protect them even if you hate them."
He cocked a brow at that but she just smiled as Oncho walked into the room. "So we'll need seventeen boards." She muttered her brow furrowing. "I hope there's enough." She said as she pulled a board out of the room. It was about four feet long, one foot wide and smooth with two spots marked on the other wise plain wooden surface.
"That' a chakra board?" Sakura asked looking at the object.
"Yes." Onchou replied handing it to her. "Start pushing them down the stairs."
Minutes later the three shinobi walked out with their own chakra boards in tow.
"There were exactly seventeen boards left." Ochou said as she walked out to see the others examining their own boards. "Luck is on our side today." She said with a smile.
Tamiki smiled as he stepped onto his own board where the marks were. He and the board suddenly lifted into the air and stopped so he was hovering about a foot off the ground. "Man! It's been so long!" he exclaimed. "I feel like I did when I was nineteen doing this for the first time." He said shifting his back foot. The board leapt forward at the movement and he chuckled as he maneuvered he board by shifting his weight back to the group and then jumped off.
The other ninja watched their eyes a mix of surprise, shock, excitement and apprehension.
"That is chakra boarding!?" Naruto exclaimed. "That looks like more fun than riding Sai's birds!"
"Speaking of which, why not use those instead?" Shikamaru asked.
"They'll be too easy to spot from a distance." Onchou replied.
"Ok, so how do these work?" Kankuro asked.
The violet haired girl smiled. "You place your feet where the marks are." She said stepping onto the board. "Then you focus your chakra into your feet like you would if you were going to walk on water or run up a tree." She said focusing her own chakra. As she did, the board instantly rose into the air stopping to hover about a foot off the ground like Tamiki. "To move you move your back foot." She explained. "If you shift your heel towards the back of the board you'll move forward, if you shift it towards the front you'll move backwards." She said demonstrating the movement. "The further forward or backwards you shift your foot determines your speed too. Does everybody understand?" The ninja nodded. "Perfect!" she said with a smile. "Everybody get on your boards and try it out. We'll head out once everyone gets the hang of things."
&#&
Sai stepped onto his board and channeled his chakra into his feet and felt the familiar sensation of rising from the ground. Chakra boarding felt similar to riding his own ink creations and the foot work was pretty simple. In no time he had it down and was gliding easily through the air. His eyes were drawn to his blonde girlfriend who was staring at her own board apprehensively. He maneuvered his own board towards her using his body weight to shift it in the direction he wanted to go and stopped.
"Are you having trouble Ino?" he asked.
"I'm not sure about this." She admitted. "I feel much better with my feet on the ground."
He smiled at her. "Just give it a try." He said extending his hands to hers. "I'll help you."
She nodded and stepped onto her board. A little shriek escaped her lips as the board leapt into the air and she nearly fell over. Sai reached out to her steadying her with his hands and smiled. "That wasn't so hard was it?"
She rolled her eyes. "Easy for you to say." She muttered. "You're a natural."
"I'm used to hovering like this on my birds." He explained. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't fall."
She smiled. "Thank you Sai."
Sakura stepped onto her board and focused the chakra in her feet. When the board rose, she was ready, bending her knees slightly the way she'd seen Onchou do. She smiled at the floating sensation and experimentally moved her foot back and forward as she learned to control her speed. Through trial and error she quickly learned to shift her body weight to change the direction of her board and became caught up in the sensation of it. She was surprised when another boarder crashed into her knocking both of them into the sand.
"I'm sorry." Sasuke said looking down on her from where he was straddled above her. "I think I might be trying too hard to focus my chakra. I mean it's just like walking on water but I feel like I have to use more chakra than that." He admitted.
The pink haired medic chuckled. "Well, I'm not surprised. Your chakra control has always been one of the few places you struggled."
"Shut up." He muttered a little blush coming to his cheeks.
"So are you going to ask me for advice this time or are you going to wait until Naruto does and then ask him for the advice I gave him?" she asked remembering the genin days.
He sighed. "You already know the answer to that." He muttered.
The pink haired medic laughed and got to her feet and reattached herself to the board. "Alright, then. Let's try this again." She said with a smile. "Try not to think about it too much. Just imagine you're standing on water. You really don't need to use any more chakra than that I promise you."
He nodded and stepped onto his own board. After a few attempts, he too had it down and was gliding easily across the sand.
"See! I knew you could do it." Sakura said with a smile.
He rolled his eyes. "You're still better than I am." He muttered.
The pink haired medic smiled. "Yes I am." She said. "Chakra boarding, medical ninjutsu, raw strength, and chakra control." She said counting them off on her fingers. "I mean you beat me in everything else so I can have those right?"
His eyes widened and then fell slightly. "No. You forgot caring about others, intelligence, teamwork, and a slew of other things I don't have time to name right now." He said gliding on his board to her. He reached out and touched her face lightly touching her cheek with his fingertips. "I'm sorry for all of the times I pointed out your weaknesses and threw them in your face before." He said softly. "I was just trying to convince myself you were weak so that I could blame anything bad that happened to you on your lack of power instead of my absence or inability to protect you myself. Besides, if there's anything I learned on my trip to Hell and back it's that power doesn't really matter in the end. Loving people and being loved is what's most important." He tapped her in the middle of her forehead. "You and Naruto taught me that."
Her eyes widened at his words and then she blushed. "Sasuke." She murmured.
He leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "Thank you Sakura. For loving me in spite of everything. I'd be so lost without you."
She smiled. "Of course. I'll always love you Sasuke."
*%*
Naruto stood with his hands in Hinata's as he balanced on the chakra board.
"See?" Hinata said smiling at him. "It's quiet easy once you get used to it."
He nodded as he glided forward faster pulling Hinata with him as he grinned. "I can see why Onchou liked this so much." He said. "This is a lot of fun!"
She smiled at him and then blushed when he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thanks for helping me Hinata. I would've been stuck without you."
The bluenette bowed her head. "It wasn't anything special." She replied. "I'm sure Sakura could've helped you too."
The Uzamiki shook his head. "No, it had to be you Hinata." He said with a smile leaning forward to kiss her lightly on the lips
She blushed even darker and nodded. "Thank you Naruto."
Onchou glided through the small group assisting those who needed help and giving encouragement to those that were on the right track. After a few moments, she realized that she hadn't seen Gaara around and frowned. She finally spotted him on the outskirts of the group and glided to where he stood staring at the board.
"Is something wrong?" she asked as she stepped off her own board. "Is it broken or anything?"
He shook his head. "I don't think so, I was just wondering if my sand would work just as well."
She raised an eyebrow. "I guess it would but that would use up a lot more chakra than this will."
The Kazekage nodded and stepped onto the board with a sigh. It quickly rose and she noticed that he locked his knees. He immediately toppled over when the board reached its intended hover height and she covered her mouth as she giggled. The sand wielder blushed and looked away. "Yes. I'll just use my sand." He muttered.
"Wait!" Onchou exclaimed grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. "I'll help you. You're just a little too stiff. Watch me." She said stepping onto her board. As soon as her feet were in place she bent her knees. "See? I bend my knees and then focus my chakra." She said as he board rose into the air. "That way, when the board reaches its hover height, I'm better balanced."
He nodded and stepped onto the board and it moved up right away. When it hit hover height he wobbled slightly but Onchou reached out and grabbed his hands steadying him. "There." She said with a smile. "Now let's try moving."
After a few minutes, it was clear that chakra boarding was not something the red head had a natural talent for but he'd managed to at least get the basics down. He stepped off the board and sighed.
"I'm sorry that I'm not very good at this." He said hanging his head slightly.
Onchou laughed in response. "Why on earth are you apologizing?" she asked. "That's ridiculous. That would be like me apologizing for being a totally awful artist." She replied. "Everyone has things that they're good at and other things they're not." She replied. "You're easily one of the most powerful ninja in the world. You're also intelligent, open minded, kind, and honorable. You also happen to be very handsome. It just wouldn't be fair to all of the other men in the world if you were an expert at chakra boarding too." She said with a wink. "No one's perfect, not even you. Besides, in the whole scheme of things chakra boarding amounts to very little in this world so don't worry about it ok?"
He blinked at her and then gave her one of his rare smiles that made her heart nearly jump out of her chest and her cheeks blazed. "Thank you Onchou." He said simply.
"You're welcome." She replied offering him a warm smile of her own. "We should catch up to the others."
&%&
Shikamaru watched the exchange between the Kazekage and the survivor from Heiwa his own eyes widening as he saw the normally stoic faced man smile at the girl. He leaned towards Temari. "I had no idea your brother smiled at all, let alone like that." He said keeping his voice low so that the others around him wouldn't hear.
The fan wielder glanced over in the same direction and smiled. "He does smile occasionally." She replied. "But he only smiles like that around her."
"Are you ok with that?" the shadow shinobi asked. "I mean, you used to scold all of the other girls who were after your brother before."
The blonde shrugged. "What can I say? I like her." She admitted. "She's not like the others. She doesn't care that he's the Kazekage, or that he's powerful, or good looking. It's more genuine than that." She sighed. "I can't quite explain it but I think she understands him on a deeper level. Not only that but I've seen them fight together and each other. In their first fight together, they managed to fuse their techniques and power together to make a jutsu that I've never seen or heard of before."
"What was that?" Shikamaru asked.
"She combined her lightning with his sand and made a glass dragon." She replied.
The shadow shinobi's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" he murmured.
The fan wielder nodded. "It was incredible but the other thing that convinced me is even more amazing."
"What can be more amazing than creating a new fusion jutsu on the fly like that? I've only hear of one other couple doing that and they're standing over there." He said motioning to Naruto and Hinata.
"They were fighting each other in a one hit sparing match and she managed to get past his ultimate defense." She replied watching the girl help Kiba figure out how to balance both himself and Akamaru on the board.
Shikamaru's eyes widened. "No way!" he exclaimed. "That's nearly impossible!"
Temari nodded. "Exactly. Not only that but," she glanced over at her brother. "We discovered during the war that the defense wasn't something created from the tailed beast he used to carry inside of him. It was a jutsu left to him by our mother."
The shadow ninja nodded. "I see."
"I can't help but think that perhaps she was able to get through because my mother allowed her to." The blonde said as her attention drifted to her older brother who was practicing on his own board. "I mean, it wasn't like her attack got to him, she managed to get her entire body into that ball of sand with him."
"I see." Shikamaru said glancing at the girl. His attention shifted back to Temari and he leaned forward kissing her softly. "Are you ready to crack the whip or do I need to?" he asked.
"I'll get it this time." She said with a smile before she stepped forward. "If everyone has this chakra boarding thing down, shouldn't we get going?"
Gaara nodded. "Yes. Since Onchou and Tamiki know where we're going and are the most experienced, we'll have one in the front and one at the back."
"I'll go in front." Tamiki volunteered. "I've been here most recently. Onchou can take the rear."
"Sounds good to me." The amethyst eyed girl replied.
"Get into positions everyone." Naruto called out.
"On your mark Tamiki." Shikamaru said as he stepped onto his board.
"Very well." The older ninja said. "Remember, the ground beneath us is crawling with sentinels. If anyone touches the ground, we'll alert them to our presence and not only have a fight on our hands but it'll alert the enemy to our presence. Stay on your guard."
P.S. Ok, this chapter took longer than anticipated and was information packed. I apologize. Thanks for sticking with this story so far. The next chapters should be action packed with peppering's of sweet moments. Also, I apologize if someone's ship/character isn't getting as much love as they'd like. I'm trying to make it balanced but I'm also trying to keep the story going at a good pace. Thanks again!