Chapter Sixteen: Morning Of A Ninja To Be
"I see you're ready," Gaara said as he descended the stairs in his pyjamas, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Ayumi was practically waiting outside the front door for him, fully dressed and clearly full of energy too.
"It's 6:58..." he commented, "did you have breakfast?"
"No, actually I waited for you. I made something to eat."
"Oh," he remarked while his eyes travelled to the kitchen. She was getting exceedingly confident in that area. "French toasts, nice."
Actually he preferred something more savory, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
"Do you like it?" Ayumi asked after eating in silence for ten minutes.
"Yeah, it's good," he replied calmly. Ayumi replied smiling down on her own food, content she pulled it off.
"You know, I couldn't sleep last night..." she started.
"Are you nervous? It's normal."
"I guess I am, it's all moving so fast. So... what's on the agenda? You said you needed to take me somewhere first?"
"A medical examination," he replied, and stood up to make an espresso. "You want coffee too?" he asked over his shoulder. Her face spelled she hated the foresight of having a medical examination. As always an open book. Her shoulders drooped.
"I'll make it a double espresso," Gaara said blinking when she didn't reply him. When he placed the cup in front of her and seated himself, he felt he needed to say something to comfort her. He wished Temari or Kankuro were there, they were more tactical on that front.
"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen, we'll just do some experiments-"
"Experiments!" Ayumi exclaimed aghast.
"It's nothing big, at most they'll need to draw some blood."
"You mean with a needle? O hell no, hell would have to freeze over, for real," she blurted shaking her head. She had enough of syringes for a life time.
'Oh damn, I'm only making her more nervous,' Gaara thought mentally slapping himself. He recalled that a laboratory had been her home for many months. He could see her fretting over it.
"Ayumi," he started, his deep velvety voice laced with concern. She snapped out of her brooding thoughts and tilted her head towards his face.
"You don't have to worry. The aim of the examination is to find out your chakra type and to see what are your natural strengths and weaknesses. Standard procedures. I'll be there with you all the way."
She nodded feeling relieved and at the same time a bit pathetic, "I'm sorry stressing over it. I shouldn't have. I'm up for this."
"Good," he replied.
A while later they were inside the hospital at the research department. A nurse came up to meet Gaara and Ayumi.
"Kazekage-same, Ayumi-san, lets start first with taking a blood sample, as the lab tests will take the longest time."
Ayumi gulped, but let the woman guide her to a chair where she was told to make a fist as a strap was placed around her upper arm. The sting of the syringe startled her, but wasn't all that bad, though the terrifying familiarity of it made her slightly nauseous. It was likely Ayumi would never get over her fear for syringes.
"That's that," the woman said reassuringly. "Can you follow me please?"
Although she knew about the girl's blindness, it was bizarre to witness a blind person walk without help. She didn't move with absolute confidence, but she could have been fooled. The only obvious clue to her blindness was that she would never look you straight in the eye, although Ayumi had to turn her face to people who talked to her as much as possible.
"Stand here," the woman said. Ayumi was inside a cubicle of glass.
"With this machine we can test your compatibility with certain types of techniques."
Gaara was standing beside the nurse as she operated the computer. The air inside the cubicle started whizzing. Her hair picked up and danced around.
"The energy in this cubicle creates friction with your own life energy, and that gives us the results."
A few minutes passed without anyone speaking.
"Well, this doesn't qualify," the nurse mumbled obviously unimpressed, "not an ounce of talent for ninjutsu and little reserve for chakra. She's worse off than a common civilian. Her chakra waypoints are underdeveloped."
Gaara nodded in silence with arms crossed. The minimum requirements to become a Suna ninja were tough. They were forced in the past to uptake drastic measures. Because the Wind Lord had once favored the cheaper Konoha militia and funds for Sunagakure were cut off, there was no other choice to go for quality over quantity. Only the children with most potential made it into the academy, exposed to rigid training regimes from the age of six and up. This culture still continued today. Someone of Ayumi's age would normally not be allowed entrance into the ninja academy anymore, unless their skill was beyond question. It was expect a Suna ninja excelled all-round. Of course very few were such prodigies to master all the ninja arts, for example, Gaara himself lacked skill in taijutsu, not that it mattered much with his ultimate defense. But ninjutsu belonged to the basics of every ninja, very few ever made it to the top without it.
"If she manages to make a basic clone, her chakra reserve won't allow the creation of more than three in a row," the nurse continued. She looked up at her Kazekage, wondering how he would react. Wasn't it clear the girl was unfit? But he gave her no satisfaction of a response. His face was as unreadable as ever.
"Proceed," he commanded monotone. Ayumi, having overheard the nurse, felt worried. If there was no problem, wouldn't Gaara have said something? She disliked feeling she wasn't good enough. Afterall, she was his responsibility, and she understood he stuck his neck out for her to give her this opportunity. She didn't want to fail him.
Next up was a condition test, which she passed with below average results. Not to her surprise. One look at Ayumi could tell anyone she was not much of an athlete. Afterwards the nurse pressed some kunai in her hands and told her to throw it at a few targets. It seemed a rather ridiculous task to demand of a blind girl, but she tried her best to discern them. She bit the tip of her tongue and aimed as if throwing a dart.
'Here it goes,' she thought uncertainly. Thud, thud, clang, thud, thud.
Four of the five kunai hit their mark. She did it! She had never thrown a knife at a target before, and if her senses were correct she hit the marks around their center too. Ayumi burst into a smile and turned towards the nurse triumphantly.
"You hit your ally in the heart area," she noted dryly.
"Huh?" Ayumi huffed.
"Some of the targets are marked as allies. This test was to see if you had a straight enough aim to avoid hurting your comrades," the nurse sighed, "actually, you did better than I expected. Four out of five kunai hitting their mark... that's good. A shame you are unable to discern friend from foe."
"Owh," Ayumi grimaced. The nurse made a good observation. If caught in the chaos of battle, how would she understand which of the moving bodies of water she sensed were her comrades. In such a case it didn't even matter if she was a fierce weapon master. She'd have to fight alone to be sure she was only hitting enemies, and that was an unrealistic prospect. She turned her head in Gaara's direction. He still wasn't saying much. She had two more tests to make. It made her stomach turn.
"Next is the genjutsu test. Let's see how you fare," the nurse told her, guiding her to the next device. The nurse twisted a few controllers and pushed a button.
"Feel anything?" she asked Ayumi. Ayumi didn't know what to expect and blinked her eyes.
"No, nothing."
The nurse adjusted the configures and asked again, but nothing felt changed. Gaara stepped in and to the nurse's surprise took control over the station. She made room for him and saw his hand move to the intensity controller. It was already set at the maximum expected to bear.
"Kazekage-sama?" she asked, watching him slowly turn the volume up.
"Tell me what you feel Ayumi," he said coolly, ignoring the nurse. He watched her closely, sitting on the wooden stool behind the glass of the machine. The energy inside the room was getting high. Her hair was fluttering madly, slapping into her face. Her hands, feet and lips started to tingle, as if electricity ran through them. Her heartbeat picked up, but not higher than someone taking a jog. It was not the reaction Gaara or the nurse expected. Any normal person would be lying in shock on the ground by now, clawing at the windows of the cubicle, begging the agony to stop. He left the machine running full force for a few more seconds before he lowered the volume to the normal level. It was as he expected. Ayumi's blindness made her immune to visual genjutsu. But that was not the only genjutsu type out there. She lost her sight, but not her hearing. How would she respond to sound? He typed in a few codes. The vibrations within the cubicle changed. Suddenly a ringing noise overwhelmed her.
'What the-' she thought, 'this sound, it's unbearable.'
She clutched her ears automatically and bended over, with her elbows on her knees. The rhythm of the sound brought upon flashes of emotion. Ghosts came to life within her mind. Was it the purpose of this technique to bring upon her the memory of such traumas? To immobilize her with pain? It must be, and it sure as hell was effective.
'Aki,' she thought, hearing her little brother's voice calling her name from a distant fog. 'Mom, dad, uncle Hisao...' She smelled the lotus perfume her mother always wore. Felt the tatami mat of her house under her naked feet. The taste of blood as she was hit. Although the music made her relive being cut open, drowned in strange liquid, injected with icy substances, she felt a spark of happiness. The shock of the experience made her remember details of her relatives. They were so close, it was as if she would stretch her arm, she could caress their faces. Remember... fully. Almost. If only she would stand the pain a little longer.
"Turn it off," Gaara told the nurse. The pain vanished as fast as it came. Gaara lightly furrowed his brow. Something had changed, the marvel on Ayumi's face made it plain. Something she was actually glad about, and it was not because the genjustu stopped.
"I'm sorry you had to experience that, Ayumi," he said, helping her step out of the glass cubicle by holding her hand. She shook her head.
"You did what was necessary. I hope I passed."
He nodded, glad that she realized the use of these tests. He had been a bit worried since this morning when she had panicked. The nurse clearly thought Gaara had gone overboard turning up the volume of the test, but it was something he needed to verify. Ayumi's level was below adequate for the council to be convinced of her use. He needed to understand absolutely what her strengths and weaknesses are. She was under his protection. Her survival was best served if he understood her thoroughly. That way he can assess how best to help her become what she needed to become: a Suna ninja.
For the final test the nurse gave her a square piece of paper. After throwing kunai and experiencing the torture of genjutsu she expected something more intimidating. It felt almost like they were pulling a prank on her. Ayumi rubbed the paper between her fingers with her eyebrows arched. What trick was there to this test?
"It's chakra infused paper," Gaara explained, "try to imagine letting energy flow from your stomach area through your fingers into the paper. Your thoughts should guide the chakra to their destination." Or so he hoped. Ayumi got what he wanted, but wasn't sure what results she needed to expect.
'Even the slightest bit of chakra should give a reaction,' Gaara knew. He and the nurse watched the paper intently. Ayumi was focusing so bad. She pressed the paper between her fingers so hard that her hand started to shake. But nothing happened. The nurse pulled a derp face and wanted to take the paper back. Gaara stopped her arm.
"Hold onto that paper today, Ayumi. We'll try again later."
He thought he had a pretty good idea where to begin her training. The focus of her training would be to develop her already existing strengths. Her ability with water reminded him in a way of his own control of chakra infused sand. If her chakra waypoints and reserve could be developed to the point she could cast a water type ninjutsu, that would enable her to fight even in the absence of water, such as in the desert. It would take a long time before getting there however. Taijutsu would be her best bet to compromise the lack of being able to release counterjutsu. She needed to evade all attacks if she was to survive on all terrains. For that she needed at least the ability to attach herself to every type of material, so she could benefit from three-dimensional manoeuvre tactics, instead of being limited to horizontal steady surfaces. Their primary goal would therefore be to teach her how to mold chakra for that purpose. Hopefully at the end of the day it would be enough to figure out her chakra type too.
"Follow me please, Ayumi," he said. They left the nurse and the hospital behind and walked through the streets towards the training grounds.
"Oh Gaara, look! Isn't that stall selling dango?" Ayumi cheered, suddenly pulling his arm and pointing somewhere. People were sitting on picnic benches in front of the shop under a canopy.
"It smells delicious. Would it be okay to have lunch here?" she said, but she had already moved in line without waiting his answer. He thought that food played a pretty major role in her life. She liked to cook and was always concerned with the Sand Sibling's opinion, and she liked to eat out and try new things.
"You like the ones with chestnut paste?" she called over her shoulder, pulling a purse from her pocket.
"Nikudango," he replied, which were a type of meatballs covered with soy sauce. He watched her pay for the skewers.
"Sit down, I got this," she said, and focused her senses on where Gaara would seat himself. The people were aware of the Kazekage, fervently hoping he would join their table. Those who shared his table were starstruck when they saw him swoop his coat behind him to sit down hesitantly.
"Dango coming up," Ayumi said, and balanced two plates in one hand while carrying a pot of green tea in the other. She seemed so natural at serving, that the thought arrived she must've worked in the catering branch before. As the lavender head sat down before him, he remembered the couple at the inn in the Land of Rivers. They were missing a daughter of her age, could she...? He shook the thought from his mind. The mother and father had clearly stated Ayumi didn't resemble their missing daughter. But had they given them the name of the girl...? He didn't remember. All he knew was that both the daimyo and the parents claimed not to know her.
"Kazekage-sama, I didn't realize you were honoring my shop with your patronage," the chubby shoplady said delighted, wiping the syrup on her finger on her apron. She bowed before him.
"If you let me know, I would've put extra attention on my cooking. Oh, look at me, my apron all dirty. Please excuse me!" she chirped full of embarrassment, nervously tucking the hair that had sprung from her bun behind her ears.
"Please, don't worry. The dango are excellent," he reassured. Everyone in the neighborhood was hankering to catch their conversation. Five years as Kazekage and Gaara was sometimes still surprised at the attention he'd get from the people of Suna, after having been the nightmare of the village for all his youth. Ayumi was quietly listening, sipping her tea.
'Gaara must be really amazing, everyone loves him,' she noted with a smile. It made her wish to succeed in her training even greater.
The woman was almost jumping up and down with excitement. It wasn't often the Kazekage was seen at this hour of day. Usually he devoted himself to his political and administrative work in the Kagetower. He must have a special reason. Speaking of which, he was in the company of a pretty girl she didn't recall seeing before.
"Pardon me, madam," she said respectfully, "I don't think we've ever met. You can call me Akiko. It would be a pleasure to know the name of Lord Kazekage's lunch date."
Ayumi nearly choked on her dango and on the other side of the table Gaara had uncharacteristically spilled his tea after he dropped his spoon.
'Date? Is this what it looks like to everyone?' Ayumi thought in shock. The other customers leaned even closer, smiling expectantly.
"D-d-d-date?" she stammered, "me dating Gaara- I mean Kazekage-sama? NO! No, that wouldn't happen."
'O my God, that came out too loud. I didn't mean to make it sound like I'd hate going on a date with him. It's not like that. I just meant, we don't know each other that long for us to go on a date. Oh, I spontaneously bought dango. I didn't think about how it may come across for him to been seen in public with me like this. And everyone is looking at us! Did I put Gaara in an uncomfortable situation? This is so awkward. What do I have to say to recover myself?'
"I mean I'm his g-guest and I'm buying lunch to repay him and- Oh! You asked my name," her face was getting red and she kept tripping over her own words. She was well on the way making a complete fool of herself.
'What a failure of an introduction...' she thought cringing at herself. Luckily Gaara interrupted her.
"This is my new student, Ayumi. We have commenced her training today," he explained in his usual cool, the opposite of a very flustered Ayumi.
"Oh my! We expect great things of you then Ayumi!" the lady cheered, and put a hand on her shoulder as encouragement.
"Y-yes!" she blurted dazed, painfully reminded of her bad test results "I'll do my best!"
"Well, I'll leave you two. Don't want the dango getting cold," Akiko said, bowed and disappeared. Ayumi felt so hot she was sure steam was coming from her ears.
'Ugh, get it together!' she scolded herself and stack the whole skewer of dango in her mouth at once, like a hamster. 'Good thing Gaara stopped me from making things any worse! But... he replied so coldly, could it be he really doesn't like the thought going on a date with me? I think he cares for me, but no more than a houseguest I guess. And that's only normal... I still no so little of him.'
At the same time Gaara was quietly eating. The meatballs really were delicious. But somewhere an awkward feeling crept over him. He didn't expect Ayumi to consider this a date, he did neither. But that the prospect of going on a date with him was that unattractive... He recalled her exclaiming NO! No, that wouldn't happen and caught himself feeling a bit annoyed at her outburst. But why would he...? He wasn't interested in a relationship at this time. Even if the council members kept pestering him to go to Saboten to meet a lady of nobility there. Even if he needed a special letterbox to receive love letters, because having them in the regular mail was too much work to filter. Matsuri and her club of friends were always showering him with affection. Glancing, giggling behind his back, giving compliments whenever they thought they could get away with it, 'accidentally' bumping against him. He swore he saw Matsuri slip around the corner of a building after he got pinched in the butt once. Actually, Matsuri was more than he could take, but still he had the girls for the picking as Kankuro always proclaimed jealously. How often hadn't he approached a hopefully gloating girl only to act as his brother's wingman. 'Have I gotten arrogant?' he thought surprised, 'am I hurt by Ayumi's rejection, because somewhere I've gotten used to girls liking me now that I'm Kazekage?'
He hated to think he had become that shallow. Perhaps he would talk with Temari about it sometime. Gaara pushed the feeling aside, unable to decide what to do with it. In the end it was for the better anyway if both he and Ayumi didn't develop any feelings for each other. They were housemates and in a student-teacher relationship after all. The fact they were of the same age didn't change that matter.
"Let's go Ayumi, we've got training to do," he said after they had finished eating. He ignored the sneaky stares he got, as always, and continued his walk with Ayumi to the training grounds.