Naruto
Hidden From You
Chapter 9- What I've Been Looking For
Luna's heart beat loudly in her ears, almost enough so to block out any other sound. But that wouldn't really matter, sight had always been her strong point, and now her almost limitless vision showed her the location of the Kazekage and the little raven haired girl she'd begun to see as a little sister. Luna, accompanied by Temari, Konkuro, and Shikamaru flew through the treetops towards an underground bunker. Once at the threshold, Luna brought her fist down on the heavy iorn door, making it cave easily. The other Sand and Leaf shinobi shuddered, realizing just how physically strong the Avalon heiress was when she was angry. Once the door was off it's hinges, Luna dove into the blinding darkness, her byankugan/sharingan fuled eyes leading the way.
"Melody!" she called, not caring who heard her. The blue eyed girl knew for a fact she could handle any cowardly bandit stupid enough to stand in her way.
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"You, Melody Ditto," Gaara gasped," Are the most amazing, infuriating, beautiful, crazy, and saintly person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I love you because of that…" the redhead's words were cut short upon hearing Melody's name being called out from afar.
"Did you hear that?" Melody asked, her voice slightly above a whisper. Gaara nodded and leaned in the direction of the sound, hoping to hear it again. Several seconds past and the couple still sat in silence. But they were startled out of it by the door to the cell swinging open and a very distraught Luna running to the Sand kuniochi's side.
"Oh my Kami, Mel!" she cried. "Konkuro and Temari, get Gaara out of here and to the surface." the two siblings nodded and picked thier redheaded brother up, leading him out of the room. "Shikamaru, help me with Melody. We need to get her cleaned up and back to the village to assess the wounds." Luna looped an arm around Melody's waist and easily hoisted her up off the floor.
"Uh, Luna?" Shikamaru called, his eyes scanning over Melody. "Did I miss something or was this girl Masha?"
"I'll explain later, Shika. Right now, we need to get her back to the village for treatment." the heiress shifted Mel's weight in her arms. "And a decent meal too. You've gotten way too thin." the Ditto heiress chuckled softly, leaning her head against Luna's shoulder, breathing in the scent of starfruit and jasmine. With a soft smile gracing her porcellin features, she was lulled to sleep.
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Melody awoke the next evening to see she was back in her room at the Avalon compound. Upon sitting up, she discovered that the upper half of her body was dressed in bandages and her lower half adorned a pair of silk sapphire pajama pants. Mel guessed they were Luna's, seeing as they were a size and a half too big and the Avalon crest fashioned the lower right cuff. A genuine smile lit her pale face as her nimble fingers traced the emblem, feeling strangely serene for the first time in years.
"Seems i've finally found what i've been looking for all along." she whispered to herself.
"Good to hear." came Luna's voice. Mel's head shot up, seeing the raveness raise from a nearby chair. "The answer is no, I never left your side since we found you." she spoke smoothly, as if reading the younger girl's thoughts. "And don't worry about Gaara and the others. They're resting confortably at the hospital for the night. I managed to talk Lady Tsunade into letting you stay with me, seeing as im a proficent medical nin."
"Thanks, Luna."
"No thanks needed." Luna smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her eyes stayed downcast as the Ditto heiress continued to stare. "For the longest time, I thought 'friends' was just a fancy term for comrades. Never in my life did I think I could grow a bond with anyone that wasn't my blood...I've never had siblings. Sasuke, a cousin of mine, was the closest thing I ever had to a brother, but we never developed any kind of loving bond...But that's not the case with you...You came into my life like a whirl wind and made me smile, laugh, worry and care again. I dont feel like I have to hide anything from you. You like me for who I am and I can't thank you enough. If I were to have a sister, I wish she would be just like you." Tears constantly streamed down both girls' faces as Luna's words spurred on, but only when she stopped talking did Melody launch herself at the elder girl, wrapping her arms around Luna's waist, hugging her for everything she was worth.
"I once said that I would forever live a lie." Melody whispered, her voice heavy with sobs. "I would forever have to be someone I'm not to protect a life lie. Now I see that I don't have to lie when I have people who will love and protect me."
"Of course you do. The entire rookie team will look after you."
"I meant more specifically you and Gaara." Luna chuckled in reply.
"I knew that."
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A week had passed since Melody's secret became public knowlege and she began to see herself as a woman again. The first time she ventured out, Luna dressed her in the garnet outfit her cousin had made. To say the least, Melody was uncomfortable. Never leaving the Avalon's side for more than a few seconds at a time. Sometimes she would cover herself with her arms and hands whenever someone looked at her, forgetting that she no longer needed to put up a rouge. But as time wore on, she grew into her figure, in more ways than one. With the help of the Sand Siblings, she gained all the weight she'd lost over the past month and was finally embracing the woman she'd become. Luna had talked Gaara into letting Melody stay in Kohona until she felt well enough to travel back to Suna. But unknowingly to anyone, the redheaded Kazekage returned to the Leaf Village every weekend to check on the small raveness. Always staying hidden away in the shadows, watching Melody incase she needed him. Although Luna had noticed his presence rather quickly. When Melody's month in Kohona was almost at it's end, Luna made herself known to the sand jinchuuriki. She knew one of his favorite twilight hangouts was the top of Hokage Tower. He would lean against the railing, eyes staring intently on the Avalon compound.
"Lemme guess, you parttime as a lurker?" Luna laughed, startling the Kazekage. He turned quickly to see her coming out of the shadows.
"It's not like that at all." Gaara rasped, his ivory cheeks painted light pink. "I'm here on buisness and I came up here to clear my mind."
"Yeah, right. And Naruto isnt dense. I know you've been watching Melody for the past few weeks."
"I just wanted to make sure she was safe." Gaara's icy gaze once again locked with Luna's compound.
"You love her, don't you?" Luna's innocent question had Gaara blushing madly although he was still facing away from her. He slowly nodded his head.
Maiden- Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but Em will give you more next chapter.