A/N: Well, I think I'll stop apologizing because I really am swamped with stuff to do, and I really want to get good grades this year, so I will need to study. I hope this is a good enough update. For now, its quite peaceful. On with chapter 21!
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Hurting
Dawn rose like a blooming flower, the outside petals of maroon and orange chasing away the cold shadows of the night. Birds chirped with delight as warm colours of pink and yellow streaked through the clouds and gave colour to the village of Takigakure. Seki breathed in the fresh scent of flora and fauna surrounding her home and felt the droplets of dew hanging from her hair. She sat up, stretching the sore joints in her body until she felt the satisfying crack.
"Mm, should have slept in bed," Seki mumbled to herself. A delicious smell of pancakes wafted from below and Seki quickly descended from the roof top into her room. She tried to snatch an outfit from the cupboard, but paused as the sight of the empty box greeted her.
"Right. Today's the day."
Seki looked to her left, seeing the small backpack that carried her clothes placed beside the door. Glancing around the room, the absence of her weapons and stationary that had dotted the placed gave Seki a sense of emptiness. Even though she knew it had been a long time since she felt anything remotely emotional, the sick feeling of leaving her home again haunted her. She hurriedly picked up her backpack and plastered on a smile, skipping out of her room in the happiest way she knew how.
"Morning! I smelled pancakes!"
"Only way to wake up a lazy cat."
Seki turned towards Tomiro's voice, rolling her eyes as she watched her friend hoard the pancakes Keimyou was bringing out.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm following you guys, remember?"
"We don't need a babysitter."
"Aww, you say that, but you want me to come along, don't you?"
"Says who?"
"Admit it, you'll miss me."
"Fat chance."
"Alright, alright, settle down. No need to argue early in the morning. We have a long day ahead of us so please eat up," Keimyou entered with his last batch of pancakes that promptly served as a peace offering. Both teenagers fell silent and the only sound heard was the munching of pancakes. Keimyou joined in and observed Seki quietly, trying to find any signs of nervousness. Unfortunately, Seki had grown too good at hiding her emotions.
"You'll miss me, wouldn't you?"
Seki looked up at Tomiro. His mumblings were barely heard by Seki, let alone Keimyou. She took a wary sideways glance and whispered back fiercely, "What?"
"Admit that you would miss me."
"Not in a million years, dobe."
"After a million years?"
"Never."
"Never?"
"Ever. Now eat," Seki finished and continued chomping away as Tomiro stared at her. If Seki had been more observant, she would have noticed the sadness flashing through his purple eyes that told everything he felt about her. But Seki, oblivious to her own heart, could not notice his. Keimyou watched their banter, pretending to not hear although his own heart ached at Tomiro's pain.
"Can we go now?"
"Alright, Seki. Let's go," Keimyou stood up, collected their plates and washed them briefly, before placing them in the drawer. When he walked out, both Tomiro and Seki were already prepared with their backpacks. Keimyou looked back at the wooden house that had given them shelter for 5 years, smiled sadly before leading the other two out of Takigakure, and towards Konoha.
-
"What a crowd. I wonder what's going on?"
"Let's see then."
"You guys go ahead, I'll have to pay a visit to the Hokage."
"Alright, say hi to the dobe for me," Kankurou waved as Gaara made a hand motion his siblings assumed was a wave. Temari continued towards the thick mass of people, Kankurou following closely behind. Gaara took one last look back before he headed off towards the Hokage mansion.
"Let's welcome our next contestant, Ten Ten!"
"Hey, isn't she that girl from Lee's team?"
"Yeah, she looks kind of familiar," Temari said, mostly to herself as she walked a girl with twin buns on her hair step onto the makeshift stage. Her hands, which held scrolls the last time Temari saw her, were now handling thin sticks with ribbons at the end. At the beginning of the music, she leaped into a rhythmic dance, weaving her ribbons in between each other, connecting, disconnecting and waving them until the audience was mesmerized by her grace and style.
"Thank you, Ten Ten!" The master of ceremony bowed as Ten Ten left the stage, head held high like the proud kunoichi she was. Temari looked around and spotted a brochure in someone's hands, the headlines screaming, 'GIRLS TALENT SHOW!'. Kankurou, not very interested, tapped Temari on her shoulder, and the blond brushed him away, waving a little as the puppet master walked off to find some food. Temari was so absorbed in reading the brochure, she nearly missed the announcing of the next contestant.
"And now, for our last minute entry, we have Houseki!"
"Houseki?!" Temari's head snapped up, mouth agape as a lean girl walked up the stage, the familiar brown hair with permenant orange streaks gleaming in the sunlight. An internal conflict raged within Temari as she wondered whether to stay or to fetch her brothers. Her feet decided to stay rooted to the ground as the music played through the stereos, and the girl positioned herself. Temari realized her mouth was covered by a mask, similar to that of Naruto's ex-mentor, Kakashi.
"Damn it, is it you?" Temari muttered to herself, watching the performance until she too, was entranced by the skills of the dancer. She could not remember Seki being this proficient in the arts of dancing, in fact, she could not remember Seki being in Konoha at all!
"Thank you very much, Houseki! And now, it is time for the judges to pick a winner. Who will be the next Ms Konoha Talent?" The audience's whispers and mumbles grew to a noisy buzz as they waited for the results to be revealed. Temari tried to push her way towards the stage, but the crowd was as thick as honey, and refused to open up for her. At last, the MC walked back onto the stage, and the audience fell into a silent hush.
"Our new Ms Konoha Talent is... Houseki!" Temari clapped along with the others, and watched as the dancer leaped onto stage. She donned a completely black outfit, a plain halter top with pants that had bright orange swirls around the left pant leg. Her long hair was tied in a loose pony tail that hung down her bare back. A weapons holster on the right calf indicated that she was a kunoichi like Temari. Men wolf whistled at her, but the mysterious kunoichi made no acknowledgement. In fact, she went right to the MC, whispered something to his ear before taking a bag from his hands and disappearing in the maze of roof tops.
"It seems, Houseki would only like the prize money. Then the next Ms Konoha Talent is... Ten Ten!" Temari didn't wait to see how Ten Ten looked, speeding right after the 'Houseki', her heart beating fast with anticipation.
Seki, is it really you?
-
"Come in!"
Hinata pushed the door slowly, peeking inside as lavender met sky blue and aquamarine. Her eyes widened and she quickly stepped into the Hokage's office, a dash of pink settling just underneath her eyes.
"Go-Good afternoon, Hokage, Kazekage. You called for me?"
"Yes, Hinata, I want you to show Gaara around the areas we are going to use for the Jounin exams."
"I'm not a baby, I can move around myself."
"Nonsense! Enjoy the chance to stretch your legs! Unlike you, I need to finish up some paperwork before I can leave."
"I can't imagine you actually agreeing to do paperwork."
"Exactly, but I need to supervise Udon to make sure he does it right."
"Like you care..."
"I'll expect you and your siblings for dinner at Ichiraku! My treat."
"Sakura's treat, rather," Gaara sighed and stood up, walking over to the door, to be escorted by Hinata. The teenaged girl smiled at this friendly banter. She knew Naruto was extremely pleased with Gaara's presence, the Kazekage rarely came down for a visit. As soon as they were out of the Hokage mansion, she giggled.
"Naruto's really happy you're here today."
"Hn. Idiot has an excuse to skip paperwork."
"Yes, but he's been looking forward to your visit ever since your letter came in last week."
"Really? What do you do here? How come you're working for that dobe now?"
"Naruto has been kind enough to give me the role of Chief Mission Supervisor. I handle all the mission reports as well as mission distribution."
"So, that baka doesn't do anything?"
"He approves of the missions, I organize them."
"This position was created..."
"When Naruto became Hokage, of course."
"That slacker," Hinata laughed a little, and gave a knowing glance towards Gaara, letting the red head know that she was aware of Naruto's hidden agenda.
"I know, but he is really nice. He knew I needed to start off somewhere, and this position has given me a chance to gain more confidence."
"Really, how?"
"For one thing, I have to come up with the teams to be sent to these missions, as well as brief them on the objectives. Also, I only handle B rank and higher missions," Hinata finished, answering Gaara's silent question of her workload. The Kazekage nodded in understanding, and drifted off in thought. Hinata smiled slightly, wondering if the teenager was actually considering setting up a similar position back in Suna.
The purple haired girl soon realized that they were nearing the stadium that was going to be used for the Jounin examinations. Turning her head, she noticed Gaara was still in the midst of his reverie and took the time to observe him instead.
The last time they met, it was last year and Hinata was on a mission that required passage through Sunagakure. She briefly discussed the plans with the Kazekage and left as soon as a decision was made. Indeed, other than that and her frightening encounter with him in the Chuunin examinations, she had never been this physically close to Gaara.
But she have heard about him, especially from Naruto. When rumours about Naruto and Sakura came about, Hinata told herself to get over the blond Hokage, but her role as Chief Mission Supervisor didn't help matters. She found herself in Naruto's company more often than she'd liked, but these meetings allowed her to learn about the mysterious sand welder she met in her young teenaged years.
Looking at his serene expression now, the way his eyes softened at the mention of Naruto, Hinata found it hard to imagine him as a sadistic killer with a lust for blood. Instead, she found him rather attractive, his pale, flawless skin contrasting against his bright, red locks. Turquoise eyes that mesmerized her, and warm hands that could cover hers completely.
Warm... hands?
Hinata felt a jerk, as she was pulled to the side, Gaara gripping her left hand tightly, his other arm wrapping itself around her waist. A carriage raced past them, dust flying from the ground and floating in the air. Coughing, both teenagers moved away from the road.
"Are you alright?"
"Ye-Yes, thank you, you saved me," Hinata expressed her gratitude softly, eyes not quite meeting his as she felt herself blush furiously. She soon realized she was still in his arms, and unconsciously felt quite comfortable in that position. Her heart hammered against her chest, so loudly she was sure that was the reason Gaara pulled away.
"Sorry, I should've seen that carriage earlier."
"Its al-alright. I'm fine," Hinata tried to smile but looked away the moment Gaara caught her eye. Heat creeping up her neck, Hinata mentally admonished herself for feeling slightly sad when the red haired teenager let go of her hand. She took a timid glance at him, and saw that he was staring off into a distance.
"Did you see something?"
"No, I'm not sure."
Gaara felt as if the few seconds before was a dream. He knew he did not miss that long brown hair with orange streaks. There was only one person in the world who had such a hair colour. But as his chest ached at the painful memories, Hinata brought him back to reality, and he focused on what he was now, then what he was then.
"Do you still want to see the stadium?"
"Yes, let's go."
-
Temari cursed herself for being too slow. She knew she slackened down the last few months, but she didn't realize she had deproved to this state where she could not even catch up to her target. She tried to convince herself that that girl had unnaturally fast reflexes and speed, and was purposely trying to lose Temari. But at the great distance between them, the blond kunoichi doubted that she even realized her presence.
They were almost out of the village, nearing the stadium where Konoha was to hold the Jounin examinations, when the girl she was chasing halted in her tracks. Not ready to reveal herself, Temari paused on a nearby roof top, staring intently at the girl's figure.
The black dressed dancer, she almost looked like an assassin in broad daylight, her body was frozen on the perch of a tree, her pony tail whipping as she looked down at the ground. Temari followed her line of sight, and nearly gasped as the image before her, stunned her speechless.
Unfortunately, that distraction was all that mystery dancer needed to vanish from Temari's sight. The blond sand kunoichi clicked her tongue in frustration, but looked back down again, as Gaara finally separated himself from the Hyuuga girl Temari had seen often during her visits to Konoha. As the liaison between her village and Konoha, she knew almost everyone from both villages, but Hinata Hyuuga had been incredibly shy when it came to meetings.
"Gaara, what is going on?" Temari asked herself quietly, but decided to leave questions for tonight. Until then, she looked into the distance where she thought the dancer had gone, memories resurfacing without her asking.
Seki Raion...
-
Tomiro sat in the middle of the room Keimyou had rented for the three of them, legs folded and arms placed delicately on his knees. He kept his eyes closed, but his sharp ears caught the sound of the water in the bowl before him, swishing gently against the glass walls. He opened his eyes slowly, and watched a pillar of water rise from the bowl, nearly reaching the height of his head. A string of clear liquid disconnected itself from the pillar and weaved in and out of itself, until a flower was presented...
"YO!"
The water flower fell, splashing back into the bowl, and droplets of water dripped down Tomiro's face. A pulsating vein at his temple showed his irritation.
"Freaking brat..."
"I got our rent money for this month. Where's Keimyou?" Seki jumped inside the room, pulling off the mask she made on the way to Konoha. Tomiro didn't understand the mask's purpose, but like everything else about Seki, he didn't ask.
"He went downstairs to get dinner. What did you do to get all this money anyway?" Tomiro fingered the leather pouch Seki had dropped, mentally estimating the value inside. He raised an eyebrow as his calculations reached a large number, and stared at the girl 4 years his junior. Seki gave him an innocent face.
"I did some things, that's all."
"What things?"
"A bit of dancing."
"Dancing?"
"Yes, dancing. You got a problem about that?"
"Nothing, I just didn't realize you were willing to showcase your skills just yet."
"It was totally amateur moves, people in Konoha saw a few simple steps and were eating out of my hands. Wait till they watch the Jounin examinations."
"You are so confident of yourself, aren't you?"
"What's not to be confident about?" Seki grinned at her friend, and leaped out of the window. Tomiro stared after her, and sighed. He knew she was back on the roof top until Keimyou came home, and leaned back against the wall.
"I wish you'd just be honest with me, Seki Raion," Tomiro whispered to himself. Even though ordinary people would be convinced that they just had a normal conversation, Tomiro could already sense the tense aura radiating from Seki, right from the moment she shocked him out fo his concentration. Even her eyes, devoid of all emotion, were hard, proving to Tomiro that Seki had seen something, or was reminded of a certain painful memory.
But all his wonderings and thoughts were unheard by the girl on the roof top. Her black outfit, slowly blending into the surroundings as the sun set and painted shades of red in the sky and roofs of the houses in Konoha. Seki observed the scenery, taking in the beautiful picture of buildings that housed families and friends, with the Hokage mansion in the centre, and the engraved cliffs as a backdrop.
As the sounds of Keimyou returning to their room were heard from below, Seki stared blankly at the darkening sky, her memory of the scene earlier this morning pasted in front of her like a movie screen. She didn't know anything about it, but somehow, her unfeeling heart moved just a little at the sight of Gaara hugging another girl.
"Idiotic," Seki said to herself, a monotonous sound reaching her ears.
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A/N: I think the most difficult was writing what Naruto said, because honestly, I'm not that happy-perky person he is. I hope he wasn't too OOC, and in case you're wondering, all characters are currently 17. Which means, everything, EVERYTHING is over. Yeah. As in, the manga storyline, so this is PURELY fiction.
I am not very satisfied with the end product of this chapter though. I hate rushing. -- I hope I can write better. Thanks to all those who reviewed! I was motivated. Haha.
-JE