I know I'm late. Again.
It's not my fault, actually. You have to blame the more dominant side of my personality, which is the Geek side.
If anyone here likes Pokemon, you must be well aware of the special events that have happened for the past few weeks.
Australiasia release of B&W was two weeks ago! (I.E. Instead of writing, I was playing Pokemon. I know. I'm a terrible writer.)
Oh yes, and I would've posted this up earlier, but there was this server error that took FOREVER to fix. So it's not completely my fault. I sent billions of emails, and meh. I only found out how to fix the problem by a lucky coincidence when I was reading a fanfiction. Yay!
Anyways, thank you for the feedback last chapter! It helped a lot, and I hope you all continue to give me your altruistic support!
Special thanks to:
MidnightCherryBlossoms
gigglez190
LadyAmazon
Shifuni
GaarasMyBoyzz
Coda Lys
gaara99
JessLuvsWriting
tainted-angel21
Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing!
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the Akatsuki would not be in shambles.
This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.
"Hey, do you want to go make the report with me?"
Naruto hovered by the doorway of one of the empty classrooms in the vast academy building, peering inside. Kohaku sat in one of the rows of tables, since the teacher's desk was unable to accommodate her height. She looked up from clearing up the stationery on the desk.
"No. It would be better for you to just read it to him on your own," Kohaku replied dismissively, crumpling up used paper and tossing them into the wastepaper basket.
Naruto scratched his head, hesitant of his comrade's words. Did she really have no interest in making the weekly report? He was confused; as of lately, the girl had been declining all sorts of invitations to go out for a bit; she mostly spent her time in the academy or at the apartment, and nothing else. She had even checked out a massive pile of books from the library a week before, and thus had been shut up in her room for longer periods of time than before.
Naruto wasn't the most astute when it came to human beings, but he knew something was up. Did something happen to Kohaku?
The blonde stared at the neatly stapled report in his hand, and the dictionary in the other. Naruto hated writing reports, and was glad that Kohaku usually wrote them, and presenting them was the same. Kohaku usually made them, since the blonde couldn't understand majority of the words she wrote in, but now…
xxxxx
"You know, Gaara, I've noticed something," Temari decided to comment, after her usual report about the foreign relations with other villages to Gaara was over.
"What is it, Temari?" Gaara shoved his thumb into the hollow socket of his eye, massaging the spot in an attempt to ease his mental burden. His hatred for politics had just renewed itself again, with Temari telling him about civil altercations among villagers who insisted that there was an unjust raise in the price of salt.
Really, did they have nothing better to do?
The blonde cocked a pale eyebrow, her gloved arms folded across her chest as she shifted slightly against the spot where she anchored herself against her brother's desk. Teal eyes travelled down to give the redhead a cursory glance, and a sly smirk appeared on her face.
Gaara knew what she was going to say was definitely not something pleasant.
"That kid. The new Konoha one. You know her, right?" Temari's grin intensified as Gaara's frown got deeper, "I've noticed that lately, she hasn't been coming to give her usual reports with Naruto. They always come together, right? But the past few weeks, Naruto's been going solo. Got any explanation for that?"
"I do not know what you're talking about," Gaara decided to say, "It's none of my business,"
He could at least implement a lesson that Kohaku had taught him into this. Minding his own business. Yes, that would work in getting Temari to stop asking uncomfortable questions.
"As if," Temari snorted in derision. Of course. It was Temari they were talking about. Gaara's attempt to cut her off was futile. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have that pissy look on your face right now,"
A what look?
Without thinking, Gaara immediately turned to the window behind him, trying to catch a glimpse of his reflection against the darkening backdrop. He only saw a wide-eyed redhead staring back at him. In the reflection, Gaara could see another version of Temari's vast collection of smirks on her face; this one was the one he hated the most.
It was the 'I caught you!' smirk.
Damn her.
"So, something did happen," Temari nodded knowledgeably, "I see. What happened, exactly?"
Looking away from the questioning leer his older sister was presenting him with, Gaara was relieved - and slightly nervous with anticipation - when he heard a knock on the door.
It was time for the usual Naruto-Kohaku duo weekly report.
"Don't hold your breath," came a muffled snicker from Temari as Gaara called for the person to enter.
Naruto stepped inside, bringing along nothing but a book and papers in hand. He shut the door, and started to refer to the book he had as we walked towards Gaara's desk.
Something heavy dropped in Gaara's stomach, and that same dull throbbing began in his chest, as he realized that Naruto was, once again, alone. There was no Kohaku, and it would probably continue to be that way.
"Hey, Gaara," Naruto greeted with his usual carefree grin, "Here's this week's report,"
What had he done wrong again? Oh yes, Gaara had said something by mistake, and Kohaku had taken it the wrong way. Who knew a girl like her would have reacted like that?
Somehow, Gaara felt bad, but he was mostly annoyed. She hadn't even given him a chance to rectify his error. Despite that, though, Gaara had to admit it; he missed the girl a lot.
Her strangely comforting presence; the way she looked straight into his eyes whenever they spoke; her sporadic silences and loquaciousness; the way she had a constant personality, but still managed to be unpredictable…
"Gaara? Gaara? Did you get that?"
Gaara blinked, and he was brought back to his surroundings. Naruto was looking at him with a curious stare, while Temari remained quiet with her knowing smirk.
"I-I think so. What were you talking about again?" Gaara decided to leave his contemplating for later.
Naruto looked unconvinced, but he repeated his report. "So, the progress of the students' chakra control is…," he stared into the dictionary, "…good."
Temari muffled a snicker behind a gloved hand, and Naruto shot her a glare. "It's not my fault I can't understand most of the words in here!" he exclaimed hotly.
Gaara felt a cold chill run down his spine as he saw the roguish gleam in his sister's eyes. Not good.
"Why don't you have your partner read it, then?" Temari suggested, ignoring the hard look her brother was silently shooting her, "I'm pretty sure she understands them. She wrote it, didn't she?"
"Yeah, but Shishi- I mean, Kohaku's busy," Naruto trailed off, a guilty look on his face as he quietly mumbled, "I think,"
His murmurs were not lost neither Temari's nor Gaara's ears, and Temari arched her eyebrows at them, while the dull ache in Gaara's stomach intensified.
So Gaara's suspicions were right. Kohaku was avoiding him.
"Is that so?" Temari's tone was openly mocking, now, "Well, I suppose that's understandable. Gaara does like to work people hard, after all,"
Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion, and Gaara glared at his sister. "You asked her to do some extra work, Gaara?" Naruto asked, his tone was one of bewilderment.
Ignoring the leer Temari was presenting him with, Gaara coughed into his hand. "That's right. Some work concerning the library's archives. She's been interested in the archives, so I give her work to do in exchange for letting her in,"
"Did you now?" Temari decided to ask, her tone taunting Gaara.
"But she's always shut up in her room,"
"Ah, her actual work is going to start tomorrow," Gaara was surprising himself now; since when did he get this fluent in lying in such a bold-faced manner? "She's just been… preparing."
"Preparing?" Naruto echoed; he was obviously wondering what was there to prepare for work that only consisted of documents.
Temari gave Gaara a look of disbelief, while Gaara ignored his sister. "Yeah. Well, good work on your report. I look forward to more progress. You can go now."
"Right," Naruto placed the report on top of Gaara's desk and stepped back. Cerulean eyes flashed the Kazekage with one last look of doubt, before the door shut behind him.
"Preparing?" Temari shook her head, "That had to be one of the the lamest explanations I have ever heard. And that is saying something, because Kankuro comes up with a lot of those when I catch him talking to his puppets when he thinks no one's looking,"
"I don't need to hear your input, Temari," Gaara growled, massaging his temples, "Just leave me be,"
"Oh, I'll do that," Temari moved to retrieve her iron fan from its usual spot against the wall, "Just tell me something. You do know that Naruto's going to ask Kohaku about what you told him, right? The part where she's going to start some non-existent research in the archives? What are you going to do if Naruto finds out that you lied to him?"
Oh.
Gaara hadn't thought of that.
Temari sighed, shaking her head. When had Gaara become this careless? He was definitely distracted by something, and she needed to fix it if the village was going to have a clear-headed leader. "Face the truth or tell more lies; either way, it's not looking too pretty for you, is it?"
Gaara's fist tightened into a bloodless white; he was close to snapping his table into half with an ill-tempered slam of his fist. Temari noticed this, and said, "You could take this suggestion into consideration, though,"
Gaara's eyes widened in interest at this. "Suggestion?"
"Listen…"
xxxxx
Kohaku's large, owlish eyes were fixated on the tree, straight past Gaara's head. She could not bring herself to look at him.
She had been extremely surprised, despite not showing it, when Gaara had shown up at the apartment's door at six in the morning. Kohaku had to answer it, because the others were still asleep, and common etiquette required Kohaku to finally stop avoiding Gaara and face him.
"May I ask your purpose for being here at six o'clock in the morning?" Kohaku's tone was, as usual, indifferent, but she remained staring past Gaara's head, now looking at the house in the distance, "Do you need to talk to Naruto-kun?"
Gaara caught himself feeling slightly skittish, and mentally slapped himself for it. He was a leader of a prestigious and flourishing village, damn it! He would not be brought down by a few ludicrous feelings that he was unable to fathom.
"No, actually," he noticed the lack of eye contact, and his chest twisted in an unexplainable pain, "I needed to talk to you,"
Kohaku remained silent, her eyes still trained on the landscape behind Gaara. For a surreal, twilight moment, Gaara was tempted to reach out, grab Kohaku's face and force her to look at him, straight in the eyes, like she always did, but he restrained himself. He could not do that; that would just worsen the rift between them.
And not to mention the fact that Kohaku would probably rip his throat out with a kunai, but Gaara wasn't about to go there.
"I kind of told Naruto that you'd be doing some work in the archives today," Gaara wondered what her reaction would be.
Of course. Kohaku was obviously going to use her well-trained ability to feel nothing but emptiness; it was clearly showing in her blank expression. Gaara looked down briefly, composing his turbulent emotions before looking back at her again. "Because he asked for an explanation for your strange behavior. He seems to have gotten the impression that I have something to do with it,"
"Has he now," Kohaku's seeming disinterest was starting to get on Gaara's nerves; it was taking all of his willpower to keep the lock on the turbulence of emotions within him. He hadn't had the courage to face them by himself, and he was definitely not going to let something like that out without understanding it first. Gaara decided to ask the one question he had been afraid to ask.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
xxxxx
Previously, Kohaku had been convinced that Gaara was a spineless, lily-livered peace-lover who liked nothing more than to run away from his mistakes and problems. Clearly, his question was a huge contradiction to her perceptions. As always, Gaara never failed to prove her wrong, even when he was dong it unknowingly.
"I was not eluding you," Kohaku replied, her eyes steering clear away from the seafoam orbs that threatened to expose her, "I was merely following your wish for my staying out of your sight,"
That was what Kohaku had convinced herself with, but a small part of her questioned it. Was she really only doing it because Gaara had wanted it?
"Right," came Gaara's reply. Kohaku's eyes briefly flickered over to Gaara's for a split second - they momentarily gleamed with a kind of emotion that Kohaku was unable to identify.
Silence.
"Do you still have interest in what's inside the archives?"
"Yes, I do,"
"Would you consider going in there to do some reading or something? Because I feel really bad about lying to Naruto,"
xxxxx
Kohaku's grip on the doorframe tightened, something which did not go unnoticed by Gaara's eagle-visioned eyes.
Gaara decided to lift a hand, holding it out. "May I invade your personal space for a moment?"
His question caught Kohaku off-guard; confusing her with the unorthodox question. "What would you gain from that?" Even her voice was slightly shaky from incertitude - it was evident that she was suspicious of what Gaara was asking of her.
"I'll just take that as a yes," Gaara pulled Kohaku's face towards his.
"I'm sorry."
xxxxx
Kohaku lost her composure for a split second; her eyes had widened slightly in surprise. Gaara's hands felt cool against her skin; it was probably because the morning air was still cold from the night before. They felt calloused, too, which was rather surprising considering the fact that Gaara was a well-known long-range fighter. They had been trembling slightly, but it stopped after a few seconds when Gaara had probably made sure that Kohaku wasn't going to kill him.
Her eyes were forced into a locked gaze with Gaara's, and an involuntary shiver went down her back as Gaara said those two words. Various things flooded her mind at once, but only one thought stood out among the others.
"What is this feeling?"
Kohaku always stared straight into people's eyes when she was talking to them; that was how she made people know that she was telling the truth, and she was also able to tell the person's mindset by staring into their own eyes. But now, it was completely different. Kohaku wanted to avoid looking into Gaara's eyes, because she was afraid that he would be able to tell what she was thinking, and she didn't want that.
"Why are you apologizing, Kazekage-sama?" Kohaku's voice was steady, but her thoughts were not. Various flashes of her earliest memories plagued her mind, overlapping and conflicting with the ones she had of Sunagakure; of Gaara.
xxxxx
Gaara let go of his grip on Kohaku's head, and now felt sheepish and embarrassed. It had been spur on the moment; he had been acting on instinct alone. Looking into Kohaku's blank eyes, Gaara had been able to discern what she was thinking, but he was confused.
They had been troubled, but defiant, too. And somewhat… scared.
Why was Kohaku scared?
Gaara coughed into his hand. "Sorry about that," he muttered, "That took me by surprise, actually,"
Kohaku blinked once, and took a step backwards. "I, too," she replied, casting a wary look in Gaara's direction, "As I've asked before: Why are you apologizing?"
Gaara raised his brows; did she really have to ask? "Because I offended you, Chibi," he explained, feeling the tension in the air evaporate slowly, "Kazekage or not, I still have to follow basic principles of etiquette,"
Kohaku looked away, making a strangled sound which Gaara knew was her form of a snort of derision. At least she was back to her old self, now. "I would hardly classify that as a proper act of etiquette. That was something only Naruto-kun would do, and he is not familiar with even the word 'etiquette' nor the denotation of it,"
A small smile appeared on Gaara's face. Kohaku wasn't avoiding him any more, that much was evident. "So, do you still want to take up my offer of letting you into the archives?"
FAQ Time!
They had air-conditioning?
Well, they had security cameras and a television during the Chuunin exams. I remember seeing some construction machines. They also use those voice transmitter things during missions. And they also have a cinema. Who's to blame me for thinking they might have air-conditioning?
Is Konoha a democratic village?
When I was talking about Democracy in the Land of Fire, I was talking about the country, not Konoha. And by the title, I was basing the book on the role that democracy has played in the Land of Fire. I'm just making up history - y'know, pretending that they considered democracy once in the past but then decided to put aside the idea.
Kankuro talks to his puppets?
I've lost count on how many times I've read about Kankuro doing that. I thought I might as well push it in here. It's funny (For me).
So, as always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Oh, and feel free to make any suggestions too!
Luv,
Pichuzilla