It fucking hurt.
When he opened his eyes, Kankuro couldn't even focus. The lights and pristine white walls burned straight to the back of his retina. His brain felt as if it was going to implode beneath the bones of his skull and squeeze out of every facial orifice that wasn't plugged with tubing. Not only did he feel like a human pressure cooker, but his arms and legs were completely immobilized by large casts surrounded by metal rods. He moaned and tried to roll himself to a more comfortable position beneath the covers.
"Ahh! You're up?"
Too cheery. What was it, a fucking holiday? He didn't open his eyes again and only continued to try to huddle under his duvet.
"Easy, Kankuro-san. No need to hide. My work here is mostly done."
He pulled the sheets with his teeth. He had heard that voice before. He knew it was friendly, but something about this medic's tone didn't sit with him well. "Mostly?" His voice was raspy and dry. He had no clue those noises could come from HIM…Decrepit. Broken. Old.
His peered over the tips of his quilt to find none other than Sakura Haruno at his bedside. She had grown a little since he had last seen her. Her figure was more womanly and her eyes shone with intellect and compassion, her strawberry hair twisted in a ponytail high atop her head. She sat down on the corner of the bed and tapped on his leg casts with chipped fingernails. "Yup. Just have to fix up your bones. You should be able to walk and move your arms after one final treatment. But, I'll have to warn you. It'll probably hurt even though you're packed full of morphine and have a spinal block in place to keep you from moving."
Kankuro let the scowl on his face do the talking. He was on morphine and he hurt this much?!
Sakura gave him a sorry look and patted him on the side of the foot. There was only tingling and vibrations at the contact. "Might as well get this over with… Sorry in advance Kankuro-san…"
If he thought his voice sounded horrible before, it was going sound like a trash compactor after the pinkette was done with him.
"And why can't I see him," Gaara growled, arms crossed and forehead creased in confusion. He had given the Konoha medic the time that she had requested with Kankuro. There was no reason why he shouldn't be able to see his brother yet. "You said he was conscious."
"Well, erm, was is the key word there Kazekage-sama," she muttered, a hand rubbing through her hair. "There was some, er, complications to the last treatment… He should be awake and moving in a few more hours."
Gaara furrowed his brows. Complications? What had she meant?
The medic was sweating slightly, the perspiration dripping down the side of her cheek. Although Gaara no longer contained the Shukaku and was an incredible friend to Naruto, she still couldn't help but feel about intimidated with his gloomy and nearly hostile aura. Even though she had come to like Suna and the people inside its walls, memories of her first chunnin exam always lingered in the back of her mind. The blood lust. The fury. She could never forget what Gaara is actually capable of.
Gaara continued to wait as Sakura cleared her dry throat. "Well, he was in a lot of pain from the constant pressure that I put on his bones. He just kind of drifted off to sleep. He should be up soon as I've said before, Gaara-sama. Fully moving and walking just as he was before the accident." Her brow grew stern for a moment. "But remember; I'm not a miracle worker. Don't expect him to go straight back to fighting or heavy training. His internal injuries are stable, but nowhere near healed enough. Give him at least four weeks before returning him to active duty."
Gaara frowned, but sighed in compliance. Four weeks was an awfully long time for his head military general to be out of commission from the battlefield, but it would be a risk he would have to take. Baki could lead the front lines while Kankuro stood back and lead from the Kazekage's Tower. They would make do with his brother's limitations.
The double doors of the entrance creaked open, allowing a certain blonde and his companions to file through. Shikamaru and Kakashi were stoic; no talk, all business, while Naruto's sullen eyes betrayed his own mask. Sakura looked upon the group with creased eyebrows. "What did she say?"
Shikamaru, smelling of tobacco and sweat, wiped his brow. "She's a bit brash; no wonder Temari and she didn't get along. But, she didn't say much. We only asked why she did what she did and all she responded was with that she had orders to destroy the person that strove to destroy her people." His eyes lingered over to Gaara. "Seems to me that they didn't like the little sneak attack you planned on her village, Kazekage-sama."
Gaara looked on. "I didn't seek to destroy; only to simply take back what is rightfully ours."
Kakashi took his turn and leaned against an open door frame. "She made it seem as if she was defending herself and her people. Maybe things didn't go the way that you thought they did, Gaara-dono. Maybe the facts you know aren't facts at all."
The Kazekage took a defensive stance. "Are you saying that my informants are untrustworthy, Kakashi-san?"
"I'm saying you should look at the situation for yourself, Gaara-sama; do your own sleuthing instead of taking other people's words. Anyone could be influenced by outside sources." He paused for a moment, whipping out his newest copy of Icha Icha from seemingly nowhere. "At least, do so before torturing your prisoners for days on end in a cold cell, hanging from a ceiling by their wrists." His eye crinkled in a smile, but his words held venom beneath their vowels.
Sakura blanched at the last comment. Could Suna be so positively medieval? She quickly shook the image from her mind of a body, hanging, swaying from a ceiling with their carpals nearly detached and their legs hanging flaccid beneath a torso.
A crucifixion. The most painful and embarrassing of punishments suited for the highest ranking crimes, including the likes of attempted destruction of a hidden village and the near murder of the Kazekage's brother. That Akemi woman must be petrified and appalled at her situation. Who knows what those interrogators and guards did to that young girl.
The medic eyed her blond teammate. Naruto had his lips uncharacteristically sealed tight, his fists balled into themselves. She could tell his teeth were gritted against his cheeks, the cogs in his brain skittering against once another like an ancient clock given motion for the first time in a millennium. "What about you, Naruto? You're a pretty good judge of character on most occasions. What did you see in Akemi-san?"
He stayed silent for a moment before looking her directly in her emerald orbs. "She spoke about something that has been on my mind for quite some time: the difficulty of loyalty. Something she said just kind of hit home with me. She was only doing this as an order; to protect her people under the direct order of a superior. Isn't that just what we as ninja do? We listen to our Kage and don't ask any questions, no rebuttal. I mean, we're high ranking now, Sakura-chan. How many missions have we been sent on that involves killing a person we don't even know? Why do we have to do it? WHY do we have to have their blood on our hands when they've done nothing to anger US?"
He went silent for a moment, unclenching is fists and letting out a gust of air from his chest. Sakura remained silent. She didn't have an answer for her friend's outburst. Dull pools of azure turned to the Kazekage. "I mean, what makes her any different from any of us, Gaara? What makes her any more wrong than you or I? Than any of our brethren? You're a Kage now, and I'm going to be one day. If I can see it, I'm sure you can." He took a step closer to his friend, resting a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Did you really have to do all of that to her? She was only doing her job."
Gaara's face was like stone, his lips set in a line. Akemi Nakahara acted on orders. Orders from her own father to destroy the man that had given his own "orders" of tearing her home apart plank by plank. If Gaara had his way right now, he absolutely WOULD for the pain that they had put family through, especially Kankuro. Even if it wasn't his original intentions, he might take the new accusations into motion. After all, it is just what they expected; the full dismantling of their civilization. He would take Akemi, bring her home, and crush her in front of her bastard father if he could; let her blood run in rivulets in the sand. He would cause her family the pain that they had caused his. The entire core of their little rogue city would crumble at the loss of their heir.
But of course, that was not equivalent exchange. After all, Kankuro HAD lived.
Maybe he would just return her as broken and marred has his brother had.
"I did what Kankuro would have done when the time presented itself, Naruto."
Naruto opened his mouth again, but quickly closed it. He understood. Gaara had slipped. He let his emotions run free at the thought of his brother, who he had just got back in his life, leaving his side forever. He was afraid. He was angry at the woman who left him feeling that way. He took his aggression out on Akemi for his own sake; for his own protection as for his people.
The Kazekage's vision drifted towards the shuttered window of Kankuro's hospital room. What would his brother do in this situation? Most likely throttle the rogue girl; he'd use her as his personal punching bag until she bled from the mouth and was black and blue over every inch of her skin. After that? Who knows. Maybe he'd just kill her. Maybe he'd let her go in the same way that Gaara hoped he would could return her in anyway. Maybe he'd even let her live, an image of health and beauty. Gaara furrowed his forehead. Maybe he didn't quite know Kankuro as much as he thought.
He spun on his heels and headed past the Konoha shinobi to the double doors. Two of his personal ANBU dropped from their hidden positions on the hospitals rafters, much to the surprise of Naruto, who stumbled back in complete surprise and a string of curses. Gaara spoke quietly. "When Kankuro wakes, bring him to my office. As for the girl, bring her as well. Assist my friends from Konoha to the office as well. Make sure her chakra and arms are bound before she even leaves the cell." His hand ghosted on the door. "It's for her own safety."
The tension was palpable. One wrong move from the princess of the Tori no Suna, and Gaara no Sabaku would have her blood entwined with his sands in seconds.
Akemi's arms stung as she watched the black, chain like markings coil around her swollen wrists and fingers. It was a familiar feeling, a stinging similar to that of the scarification rituals that her father had performed on her as a child. He had taken a hot cylinder of metal straight from the flames of the Phoenix Nest, their sacred prayer pit, and pressed it directly to her skin with no warning. Three times, the searing heat stung under her left eye, burning the bottom portion of her eyelashes from their lid. Her father had made sure to take his time while her lip bled from biting back screams.
From then on, her father had taken her twice a year to get a new scar. Her entire body is lined with intricate mark after intricate mark; even her torso had been burned in beautiful patterns along her obliques and breasts. Her favorites, though, were two dark bands that had singed the skin so deeply at her bicep, the color had never reverted back to a pinky flesh tone; instead, they remained black, the flesh of the dermis permanently scorched. That one hadn't hurt at all. Her father made sure to fry the nerve endings in her skin before any real shock could set in.
At this moment, she felt nothing. The imprints of the ANBU's "chakra" bonds as they called them had finally set into place, leaving behind nothing but the same dull feeling as the scar on her bicep had. She huffed.
"Something wrong, prisoner," one of the men questioned.
"Nothing too serious," she responded lazily, flipping her wrists back and forth to inspect the pattern. "It's just that the design doesn't match the rest of my scars. It sticks out like a sore thumb."
The ANBU eyed her silently before slowly latching heavy gauntlets and chains atop her raw wrists. Her sore shoulders sagged beneath the weight, the atrophied muscles barely able to hold up the metal cuffs. Grunting, she struggled to lift the restraints to her waist. "Is this necessary? I mean, you already bound my 'chakra' or whatever it is you call it… Do you truly think I would ATTACK the most powerful group of ninja in your village right at this very second? I know I'm young, but I'm not stupid."
The ANBU did not respond to her inquisition and simply stared at her blankly. "Stand, prisoner. You're being taken to a meeting with the Kazekage to determine your punishment. I suggest you follow swiftly."
Akemi heaved herself off of the ground, swaying at the weight of her manacles compared to her body. They had to weigh at least a third of what she did currently, her three days of only water and no sustenance not helping in the least. The ANBU walked speedily thorough the dark halls lit only with flickering torches.
Her scabbed feet skid against the sandy ground, her sandals discarded long before she had even entered Suna's walls. Every step rocked her sore body, but she continued to trudge forward. The light from the torches slowly brightened in illumination, allowing her retina to finally readjust to the sight of light. For three days in total suffering, this in itself was probably the greatest thing to have happened to the girl her entire stay in the sandy city. A soft wave of thankfulness washed over her. At least her eyes wouldn't hurt any longer.
The chains softly tinkered behind her as they continued their climb, the concrete bricking of the halls switching to plaster and paint in little less than a door way. The ceilings were now lit by fluorescent lights, the walls a cheery shade of gold with dark purples and maroons lining different pieces of molding. She scoffed. Such ugly colors for such a beautiful piece of architecture. It would have looked much better with different greens and blues. She would need to talk to the interior designer when she overtook this pitiful village.
Two more ANBU arrived at her side the second she exited the tunnels, each one gripping hard at her shoulders. She gasped at the contact, her knees nearly buckling from the pain. Her shoulders and knees were never allowed to recover from Kankuro's swords digging into her like a human shish kabob. The senbon that were kept in her joints prevented such healing from occurring. She gritted her teeth again and took heavy, deliberate steps towards sturdy double doors. She didn't even have time to mock the disgusting pea-green color they were before she was thrown through them head first, her body bouncing off the ground and landing pitifully on her back.
Her eyes were clenched tightly and she slowed her breathing, allowing the slow fire of pain to radiate through her body before she decided to move. She knew she was in a room with people, all with very familiar presences, sans one or two. She started at her toes and slowly moved each part of her body to ensure proper attachment before opening her eyes to generically tiled ceilings and the outline of a hand.
Akemi only stared for a second, allowing the hand to grab at her shackles and haul her up to her knees. The figure knelt beside her to allow her to steady before she found out that the hand was covered by black gloves plated in silver. The long, calloused fingers inside of the material were caught around her chains, allowing them to dangle gently around the nail beds. She caught glimpses of black pants and standard black ninja sandals over wrapped ankles, but she didn't dare look farther. Her chains were tugged gently upwards and she stood, shoulders squared and head raised, towards the Kazekage and his entourage.
Gaara looked at the haggard heap of bloodied bones before him. He had thought Akemi had looked horrible in the bowels of Kuroari, but now that she was in the light after a few days in a cell, he had been sorely mistaken.
Supported by Hatake Kakashi, the Tori no Suna heir's hair was matted together with grime against her neck, her face bruised and caked in dried rivulets of blood. Her collarbones stuck out perversely from her chest and her legs shook the chains around her ankles just trying to hold the weight of the shackles to her waist. Her cheeks were sunken in and the bruise-like bags under her eyes betrayed the hard expression in her eyes and stone-set lips.
She truly was the walking dead.
He turned his eyes to see Sakura's reaction to the newcomer. Her green orbs were bulging begrudgingly towards him. She spoke first. "Has this woman had ANY medical attention in the three days she's been here, Gaara-sama?"
He waved her off. "She refused to be treated by, and I quote, 'Suna scumbags'." Akemi huffed in amusement, recalling the moment. Temari, who stood beside Gaara, glared diligently at her, manicured fingers squeezing the butt end of her fan hard enough to crack the acrylic.
Sakura gave the Kazekage a dirty look, clicking a hesitant heel towards the woman shackled in chains. Akemi turned her head abruptly towards the pinkette, the brief amusement in her violet eyes long gone. "Don't. Touch me."
"It's alright, Akemi-san," Sakura let out warily, her hands rising to her ears to show no harm. "I just want to clean you up a little while the Kazekage speaks. You've been through a lot and-"
"Don't TOUCH me!" Akemi yelled pulling at her chains and stomping at the girl before her. She didn't need this woman to heal her. She would heal as she always did; on her own with no help from anyone else. Bones will calcify and work themselves to new, operable positions. Wounds will close. Skin will return to normal color. She didn't need this woman to show her pity. Her pride didn't need it.
Sakura jumped slightly at the petite woman's display of aggression. Even battered and broken, she had the power to display her emotions in such a way that showed a certain element of threat. Taken aback, Sakura tried again. "Akemi-san. I'm really not here to hurt you. You've been abused long enough. I'm a medic from Konoha, a neutral land to you and your people. I just want to help you."
She took one more hesitant step. Akemi flung her arms at the medic, but drew them back realizing that no gold strings would be erupting from her fingers anytime soon. "I don't need your help. I don't WANT your help. Your village is friends with THEM, so I could never trust you either, pinky," she snarled, sharpened fangs bared.
There was no way of helping her; you can bring a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink. A frowning Sakura backed to her position next to Naruto, gripping her wrists tightly behind her back in defeat with a sigh. Naruto placed a small hand on her shoulder before turning back to Gaara.
Gaara stood from his seat with both of his hands crossed in front of his chest. "Do you know why you're here, Akemi Nakahara?"
She glared at him. "I'm assuming you're going to judge me of some high crime and string me up in the center square or something like that. What I've done is punishable by death I'm sure." She spat the word 'death' like a curse.
"I'm here to judge you, as are the rest of these people. Death, lucky for you, is not an option if we are to attain what we originally set out to retrieve." Her eyes narrowed at the last comment. "You are here now as a political prisoner, and although I would LOVE to deliver you to the afterlife in the way that you so described, it's out of the question." Gaara's fingers gripped against his bracers. Temari tightened her posture at the notion, her neck twisting in disdain.
"So, what are you gonna do with me then, Kazekage-sama," she mocked, her face crunching at every vowel of the honorific, a smirk plastered on her chapped lips. "Probably leave me in that damned cell to rot, huh? I mean, if you can't kill me for killing your brother, I'm sure that's just what you're going to do, you sick fuck. Leave me down there to starve while you and your bitch of a sister come and whip my limbs from my joints until you can reach an agreement with Father. Slowly. You'll take your time with your responses, taking the pleasure in knowing that you have all of the time in the world to do whatever you want with me. To make me suffer the same way he did, huh?"
Temari couldn't hold it any longer. She shot from behind the desk and back-handed Akemi so hard, the woman fell directly to her side with a sharp cry.
"You will show my brother respect, little bitch," she stabbed, jabbing a pointed finger towards the figure on the floor. Akemi ripped herself up from the ground with such ferocity, her newly scabbed shoulder bled crimson. Her face was as red as the welt developing on her cheek, but she said nothing. This was not her place, but she would not be made a fool of. It was a nation against one, but that didn't mean she didn't have pride in herself to be mistreated.
The chains held by Kakashi were drawn tightly in his fingers, his muscles straining at the pressure. He had no clue how this girl, so beaten and bruised, had the strength to cause him to strain as much as he was. She couldn't weigh more than ninety pounds at that point, was easily pulling about two hundred worth against the bonds. What a strange girl, he thought, his fingers gravitating towards his hitae-ate. He drew his hand back to its spot at his side. This girl was exploited enough. He wouldn't aid in her torture.
The tension sizzled between the two women for a moment before Temari swayed back to her brother's side. The man gave his sister a stony glare, in which the blonde simply shrugged off with a flip of her hair. She leaned back against the glass of the floor length windows, a senbon twisting in her left hand playfully.
Akemi stood fully once again, finally taking in a full view her surroundings. The entire group that had entered her cell was in the room, including a very bewildered looking blondie-bear and concerned spike-head. Standing on either side of the Kazekage was his bitch of a sister and that weird, half-curtained man with the red kabuki make-up in the flak jacket. She couldn't remember his name. She only knew he was their teacher. One presence was certainly missing from the picture. She smirked. 'Must have bit the dust. What a pity. No wonder why she snapped, huh?
"You asked what I'll do with you. You're going to remain a political prisoner as I've said before, under constant surveillance. Your chakra bonds will be in place at all times. You will be unable to use any of your energy to train. You will be a complete, compliant citizen during your time here. There will be no escape. There will be no resistance to any order given to you. If you do not follow these rules, I will be sure to have you killed. I have no problem in destroying everything that you love to take what I need after that." He stayed silent for a moment, surveying her battered form once again. "Although, I did have a request by someone willing to take guard over you to ensure you won't be any issue to this hidden village, which I have granted since I trust this person whole heartedly."
Her eyes narrowed, her hackles rising. Someone requested to watch her? To take care of her and acclimate her to this place? A place where she doesn't belong? Her eyes scanned the room. Was it curtain-man? The Kazekage himself? The sand bitch? She visibly shuddered. She could only hope and pray that it wasn't. Akemi might be able to hold her off while she's in the presence of her brother, but anywhere else without his guardianship?
The woman didn't stand a chance.
"Oh yeah," she challenged quietly. Her lip trembled, betraying her steady eyes. "And who would be stupid enough to do that, Gaara?"
A knock was heard at the door, which creaked opened. Heavy, unsynchronized steps reverberated behind her. She didn't bother to turn around. She could recognize that cocky energy without even batting her eyelashes.
"Me, bitch."
Kankuro strode into the room free of his casts and mostly pain free. He moved slowly into the room with a slight limp. It wasn't quite noticeable, but just enough to leave him without being able to train for a while much to his dismay. The room was echoing silence as he strode through to the center of the room, standing a body length away from the woman that nearly killed him. He struck a respectful pose to his brother. The girl next to him gawked directly in his direction, her stony royal countenance broken.
"You're putting the guy that I almost killed in charge of me? Dude, are you crazy? You permitted that? What kind of bonehead are you?" she gasped, pointing a skinny hand towards her charge.
Kankuro stood full and tall, his arms bound in military positioning. "Honestly Akemi, I wouldn't be too worried for MY safety." His shoulder twitched. Her erect arm snapped back to her side. "I still have my chakra." His mouth curled quietly under a ducked head. "Sucks for you, fucker."
Akemi bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, but her voice remained silent. What she would give to decapitate this man's head and punt if across the desert like a football right at that very second. Even if it meant she had to beg, sell her soul to the devil, sacrifice her first born; she didn't care. She would do any option in a heartbeat.
"Kankuro will be your personal keeper and guard for as long as necessary. I think it's rather proper punishment for the grief you've caused him these past few days, Akemi-san," Gaara muttered, his fingers fumbling with sheets of paper on his desk. "You'll stay within a 10 foot radius of him at all times. He will be your escort to and from various places around the village and help you to acclimate to the area while you are held here. We expect you to be kind and courteous to all civilians as any political prisoner would be." He stared at her hard. "After all, you may be from a foreign place, but you should be familiar with the way Hidden Villages deal with their POWs. I'm sure you understand the extremity of your situation, right?"
Kankuro felt the underlying threat of the last portion, peering over at the girl at his side without moving his head. The tanned woman seemed much smaller than he remembered, both in ego and actual appearance. She came only to his collarbone in height, her small frame resembling more of a pixie than an assassin who preferred deadly, giant puppets to knives and katana. A warmongering, athletic pixie, maybe, but a pixie none the less. Her face was hard, her shoulders even harder, but she only nodded in understanding to his little brother. "Fine."
Kankuro stared at her. Did she just agree? With little less than an argument? What did Gaara and his sister do to this girl to make her break so easily. He decided to press his luck. He cleared his throat towards the girl, who turned her head to stare at him icily. He gave a small nod towards his little brother and a small hand motion. He whispered under his breath, "Honorific, Akemi-chan!"
She puffed out her cheeks, her fists shaking the chains in her restraints. "Fine. Kazekage. Sama," she growled robotically between tight teeth. Kankuro grinned ear to ear. Oh. This was going to be fun. She was a whipped little puppy in this state and she knew it. She had nowhere to go, no one to turn to; she was on her own. One false move and she knew she was done fore. Akemi Nakahara was at his immediate mercy. He had the power to choose if she lived or died.
He would make her work for her life, that's for sure. Just like Sakura had to work for his.
"Then it's settled," Gaara announced. "Kankuro will guard you until we hear from your father, however long that may take. You will follow all of the rules presented to you or you will be sure to face an untimely death. I hope you enjoy your stay here, Akemi-san." He paused quietly, peering out of the window. The sands had decided to act up, leaving the winds whipping loose grains high in the air. He tried to grin. Prisoner or not, he thought he was doing her a favor. House arrest is much more doable than a dark, musty cell hanging from your wrists.
Akemi turned on her heel, her back to the Kazekage. "I might as well be back in that damned cell, Gaara no Subaku." Her brow furrowed. She bowed slightly. "Thank you for your hospitality at this time."
Temari was in shock. She actually showed respect towards her brother. A bow and a thank you. There was no honorific, but the wind master couldn't be picky. That was a battle to win at a later time. Her jaw was hanging nearly to the floor as Gaara nodded in acceptance. With an extended hand, the chains around her hands and ankles fell to the floor. Akemi let out an audible sigh, her shoulders creaking in relaxation.
"Let that be the first step to your freedom from bondage, Akemi-san," Gaara smirked, before his eyes grew dark as a long index finger jabbed itself at the rogue. "The second you do something to danger someone, they'll be back on for the rest of your stay."
Akemi gave a faint nod, spinning on her heel with a new found joviality despite her broken appearance. She waved back to Kankuro quickly, a coy smile gracing her lips. "Come on, Make-Up. 'Might as well get out of here. Your sister's just about ready to chop my head off with that fan of hers."
huffed as he moved behind his new charge, arms crossed over his chest. "You show my little brother more respect than me! Plus, It's kabuki, not make-up, you goddamned bird brain! Didn't your mother teach you any manners? Oh wait, she probably got sold to some crazy lunatic like his first wife. I wonder what happened to the first group of kids before you, huh? I wonder what happened to them…"
His banter continued, done so with a complete smirk on his face. He was enjoying every second of this. Akemi was completely at his mercy, standing there brows crossed and mouth pulled into a tight line directly in front of him. Her bloody hair was draped over her eyes, her gaze low in submission. Normally, Kankuro wouldn't tease a girl like this, especially a so called "political prisoner", but because of the shit she had put him through and the position that she was currently in, he couldn't let up the opportunity of fucking with her go. It was the LEAST he could do without getting totally physical with her and beating the shit out of her himself.
By that point, Naruto had gotten in the way and silenced him, placing himself between his charge and himself. Kankuro respected the jinchurriki as much as Gaara did, so seeing Naruto move in front of a criminal of their ally, he sputtered to a stop, his face tight at his own final comment once his verbal vomit ended. It was something about not being human. About not having compassion, or love in her heart. Akemi was still looking at him hard, her eyes glassy, but her mouth hard on her jaw. Those violet eyes glared straight into his soul, scalding him, burning him like the strongest whiskey gliding through his body, from his mouth, into his stomach. He didn't dare turn away from them. He couldn't disrespect her like that anymore.
He messed up big time. He didn't WANT to hurt her any more than Gaara had, but the words just spewed out of him like a faucet. That was punishment enough. Now, here he was, adding insult to injury, salt on an open wound. Who was he to do this to her? He got a little hurt, so what? Did he really have the right to hurt her more than he already had?
He couldn't blame his brother for the ferocious beatings the Tori no Suna woman took, but Kankuro could admit that even his bloodthirsty little brother went a little overboard. Gaara wanted someone to blame for the puppet master's near death and he HAD that person in his very grasp. The Kazekage wouldn't let a prisoner like that off of the hook so easily. No matter how innocent she looked, Akemi Nakahara was a MURDERER. Even though she looked so damn cute with that little flush cross the crests of cheeks.
Wait, what?
Naruto hadn't finished his rant, the words still deafly going through Kankuro's ears. Akemi turned on her heel and began to walk through the door, Kankuro following in suit, his limp preventing him from moving much faster than a gait. He wouldn't apologize. No, that wasn't necessary, but he needed to explain himself. He needed to make this right.
He pummeled himself through the door and sought after the steps of is charge without a word to departure to his brother, sister, or their entourage.
Naruto stared blindly at the door. What had just happened? He just tried to tell Kankuro to ease up on the girl. That she probably didn't appreciate his disrespectful tone and words. He aimed to be political, practicing his use of big words and lengthy sentences to work on his Hokage-ness. But, something had happened and Akemi darted off before he could even finish with Kankuro following quickly. By the time he tried to stop them, they wree out the door and gone.
"I… I don't get it… I thought I was doing a good job," Naruto muttered, his eyes wide with confusion. "I wasn't too hard on them, was I?"
Kakashi had closed his book, his eye staring straight as his pupil. "It was a good first attempt, Naruto. But, you missed something rather important. Gaara-dono, could you tell me what it was?"
Gaara stared blankly. He had no idea. He had actually believed his friend had done a good job in quelling the situation. After all, Kankuro had stopped and Akemi… Well, Akemi had just done as he had requested of her before; she had been compliant to the berating and did not act aggressively. Whether it was from fear of her hide or something else, Gaara didn't know. He saw nothing wrong about the exchange. He continued to stare.
Kakashi sighed, as well as Baki at this point, a fingers gingerly moving through his tousled hair. "Oh dear… Young kids these days… Shikamaru, did you pick up on it?"
Shikamaru had taken his place beside Temari, his arms crossed with his own sigh escaping his lips. "You did fine Naruto, but you forgot one important thing." He paused, looking towards the swirling sands out the window. "Akemi's a human. She was standing right there and you didn't even refer to her as present in the room. Frankly, you didn't either, Gaara-dono, no disrespect." He backpedaled a second at the Kazekage's glare as well as the one from the dangerous woman beside him. How troublesome.
Clearing his throat, he continued cautiously. "Even though she is a prisoner and has caused you a lot of trouble, that doesn't mean you can treat her like an 'it' or like she isn't even in the room. It's just plain old, outright disrespectful. From what I know of the Tori no Suna, they take respect and pride very seriously. When one doesn't show respect to another person, usually it means that they are extremely offended by the way that they've been treated. You could be their worst enemy in battle, but when a general from their army and yours meet, you can be sure that they will be polite, as no physical foul has been committed against them to seek anger. You don't hurt them, they don't hurt you. Hammurabi's code," he ranted. "Erm, Kazekage-sama…" he drawled, nearly forgetting the honorific of Gaara. Temari smacked him over the head, his face crashing to the floor.
"You talk about honor and respect, and you disrespect my brother, you deer loving hypocrite?!"
"Totally unintentional! I got on a rant, Temari! You know how I get! Troublesome hound!"
"Call me that one more time, you pinapple-head and I swear to Kami-"
"Allllright love birds, easy does it," Sakura growled, grabbing Shikamaru by the collar of his flak jacket and flat palming Temari in the shoulder to separate them. "He forgot for a second. He corrected himself. It's alright, right Gaara-dono?" Sakura gave a pleading smile towards him.
"Aye, he's fine, Temari," Gaara drawled, a palm fisting over his tattoo. Was he really only 19? He felt as if he was eighty at this point in the day. "Point taken, Shikamaru-san. We shall all take it into consideration. Temari, that includes you. Maybe she'll be easier to deal with if she has the respect she requests."
Gaara stood from his chair. "Dismissed. Konoha, thank you for your assistance, but you will no longer be needed here. You may return home whenever you'd like."
"Actually, Gaara-dono, I was actually going to request until we stay until the end of Kankuro's healing period," she stated. "I would be much more comfortable with knowing that he is fully taken care of now than finding out later that he stressed his injuries."
"Permitted," he stated solidly. "I'll send a scroll to Tsunade-dono to let her know of your choice. Will that mean all will be staying?" He eyed Kakashi expectantly. The other three may be jonin and able to care for themselves, but he knew who the real parent of the situation was.
Kakashi nodded his head. "Our mission is to stay with Sakura. If she stays as do we." His single eye crinkled into a smile. "Of course, I'm sure you and Naruto have much to catch up on anyway, Gaara-dono. This hasn't been the quietest of times in the Kazekage mansion, now has it?"
Gaara turned towards the window. The sands had finally quieted, bright blue skies taking over. "That it hasn't, Kakashi-san. That it hasn't."
Well this chapter is a long time coming! Now we get to the fun parts! :)
I'm currently stuck at an airport in this freezing cold and have plenty of time to write! Stay warm everyone! Please be smart about the weather!
Thank you all for your incredible support! I'll have a new chapter to you soon! I hope you all had a great holiday season!
Love Always,
Epsilion