A/N: Thank you so much to the wonderful Ukrainian Snowstorm for being my beta!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"This isn't a place that Kiri's known for, but it has its special charm, you'll see," Shinobu said with more cheeriness than she felt.
Mei-sama had arranged mountain hiking for Gaara-sama so here they are. Sure, this is not a common place to take an important visitor but who was she to contradict a Kage? Shinobu was just the escort.
She woke Gaara-sama at first light, grabbed their packs, and went straight to the foot of the mountain. The nearest one was just a short walk from the back of the inn.
The mountain loomed before them. Its base looked thick and large. It grew smaller and smaller the higher they looked. It was like a hidden apex covered in mist. Shinobu heard that a lot of people got lost here, that was why she never hiked to reach the top herself.
"I must admit, I expected little islands and water," Gaara made a show of looking at the mountain and its surroundings. "Lots and lots of water."
Shinobu huffed out a laugh. "We certainly have that, but we have mountains too. We don't talk about it more often for security reasons."
"I understand."
And he really did. They are shinobis after all. It was not long ago that secrecy was a village's priority. Especially Kiri, Gaara knew that for a fact. Given this land's bloody history, the mountains could help hide them when there was a civil war or maybe they used it to kill their enemies one by one. Kiri was known for their assassination missions after all.
"Well," Shinobu waved Gaara forward. "This mountain won't climb itself."
"Let's go then."
This trail was nature at its finest. Most of the paths here were still undisturbed by humans. The grass was lush and green. The trees have thick trunks and their branches are filled with flowers and fruits.
The two of them didn't talk much. Shinobu discovered that Gaara enjoys silence and though Shinobu got over most of her awkwardness, she couldn't think of what to say. So besides the occasional chirping of birds, the startled sound of the few animals they encounter, and the crunch of their footsteps, they spent the first part of the hike in comfortable silence.
The sun had risen high in the sky, its bright rays' aim was strong and true as it lit their path. Shinobu and Gaara still had a long way to climb though.
Shinobu held her tongue long enough. She needs to talk or else she'll get nervous again. Mei-sama told her that she talks too much. In this instance though, Shinobu thinks it's justified.
"We made the most of our water-related attractions. But now, Mei-sama has suggested that we open the village to the public," said Shinobu. "She envisions Kirigakure to be the first in the tourism industry."
It seems that he and Mei had the same idea, Gaara thought. If it's the consequence of peacetime, so be it. They needed to adapt to survive.
"I have had it with all the secrecy around here," Shinobu slightly lowered the pitch of her voice and adopted a haughty air. "The war is over and we should progress."
"You really sound like the Mizukage, do you know that?"
"I can do another one," she stopped, pinned Gaara with her most intense glare, and growled. "Did you just say, marriage?"
the corner of his lips curved upwards. "That was disturbingly accurate."
"Hai," Shinobu smiled and tugged at her ponytail, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm always with her so I guess she rubbed off on me."
Gaara couldn't help but imagine his siblings doing impressions of him. He rubbed his arms to get rid of the sudden goosebumps. Maybe not Temari but Gaara could see Kankuro doing that.
"Are you alright?"
"Hai," he hesitated before continuing. "I couldn't help but imagine Kankuro doing an impression of me."
"Really," she giggled. "Do you think it will be accurate?"
"I hope not."
Gaara imagined Kankuro having an emotionless face and no eyebrows, he looked horrible. It was best to erase that from his mind entirely. He needs to focus now anyway.
The climb was getting harder and the terrain was slowly changing. The path became rocky, more and more twigs were on the ground and large branches littered around them. The trees they just passed were bigger and they looked older, proving that this part of the mountain was rarely visited by people.
The higher they went, the colder it got. Though the sun shone bright, the strong wind kept it from being too hot.
They only heard the chirping of birds, leaves rustling in the wind, the snapping of branches, and their footsteps. Besides that, Gaara and Shinobu heard nothing out of the ordinary.
The grass in this place was unkempt so it was not easy to make their way through it even for shinobis. Shinobu pointed out random trees or fruits and what she knows about them such as the ones used for cooking, medicine, or even poison. There were a few wild animals as well but they mostly stayed out of their way.
"I like this spot. What do you think?"
Gaara looked around. They reached a rather nice clearing. It has huge trees with deep roots and thick leaves that formed a canopy above their heads.
"Here is fine."
"We have shade but we're not completely hidden either," Shinobu said as she inspected the place. "And oh, there are more trails here. We can explore after we have our lunch."
They were sweaty, tired, and hungry. Shinobu resisted the urge to just plop down on the grass and stay there for a while. She wiped her face instead and got to work. They were hiking for a while now and she wouldn't have noticed the time if it weren't for her grumbling stomach.
Shinobu spread a blanket and she brought out their packed lunch. Due to Mei-sama's late notice, she only had time to prepare rice balls, some bread, and dried meat. Good thing she grabbed lots and lots of water though.
She didn't realize it when Mei-sama gave her this mission but it seemed to Shinobu that her cousin was setting her up with Gaara-sama. When it finally clicked in her brain last night, Shinobu had danced around in her room and she couldn't sleep and ended up spending her time smiling at her ceiling. This trip to the mountain was too much like a date. No one will be there besides the two of them.
She couldn't decide what to feel. Shinobu alternated between excitement, nervousness, happiness, and trepidation. She didn't think about it while she prepared the things they needed to bring in their hike and by morning, she had pushed all of her worries to one side.
Oh, she's going to give Mei-sama a piece of her mind the next time she sees her, Shinobu thought as she knocked on Gaara's door to wake him. Iye, iye, iye! Enough about Mei-sama, she shook her head as she waited. She'll just enjoy this trip and hopefully, Gaara-sama will too.
It wasn't easy to wake him up, Gaara-sama was a heavy sleeper. There were rumors before that he couldn't sleep because of the tailed beast inside him and Shinobu was pleasantly surprised that he could finally experience the joys of a good night's sleep.
Because of that, they left in a hurry. To Shinobu's relief, her worries dissolved while she was walking with Gaara-sama. Her stiff shoulders gradually relaxed and Shinobu even became confident enough to swing her arms while they walk. A smile settled on Shinobu's face, she was getting used to him now.
"Is this your first time here?"
"Not exactly," Shinobu said as she handed him his pack. "I've come up the mountain a few times but I didn't use this route and I was never this high up."
The two of them gave thanks and they started eating. After a few bites and a long drink, Shinobu got curious.
"How about you, is this your first time in this kind of place?"
Gaara finished chewing before he answered her. "No. I've had a few missions that involve mountainous regions."
"Really? You've traveled a lot then?"
"Hai, it's too many times to count."
"Oh, alright." her face fell but she quickly covered it with a smile.
"I could tell you the ones I remember."
Gaara wasn't certain why he said that. Maybe it's the beautiful scenery or the fresh air. It could even be the delicious food he's eating. All he was sure of was that the beaming smile Shinobu gave him was worth it.
So Gaara told her stories. The places he had been, the people that he met, and the foods he'd eaten. Shinobu listened attentively, eagerness reflected in her violet eyes. She asked a lot of questions, leaning forward in her excitement. She gave the right reactions, smiling or frowning at the right moments.
Gaara had asked her questions too. He found out that she hadn't traveled much, there were a lot of problems in Kiri so the higher-ups only sent the elite shinobis to missions outside the village. Shinobu had few friends, but they were close. She's close to the Mizukage as well.
She's interested in all kinds of foods and that's the main reason why she enjoys going to other places. To taste something new and maybe make her own recipe from it. She also helps in the inn when she doesn't have missions.
"It's funny," he mused.
"Hm?"
"We are the same in a way."
Shinobu tilted her head, gaze focusing on Gaara. "What do you mean?"
"Both of us just got the chance to enjoy life right now," he sounded thoughtful as he spoke. "We may go to some places but we never noticed their beauty until now."
"You're right, it was kind of sad," she replied, playing with a blade of grass. "That was why I treasure this peace we've fought for."
"Not everyone is in favor of keeping the peace, unfortunately."
"I know," Shinobu sighed but cast him a hopeful yet vulnerable look. "But all of us bled for this, we lost comrades too. Surely, our voices will be heard?"
"That's where the fight is at now, heated debates, dragging bureaucracy, and endless paperwork."
"Oh boy," Shinobu's gaze turned pitying now. "I don't envy you one bit."
He enjoyed their chat. They didn't notice that they spent a lot of time talking but Shinobu coughed and Gaara offered his canteen of water to help but it turned out to be empty. They exchanged glances and after a beat, Shinobu laughed while Gaara only gave a helpless shrug.
They decided to move after that to get down before nightfall. So Gaara helped her put away everything and they explored.
"Oh, I'm so excited," Shinobu smiled wide, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she pumped her fist in the air. "This is going to be fun!"
Gaara's smile was small yet true as they followed one of the unused trails near the clearing. Shinobu-san was fun to watch, her changing emotions were reflected in her bright eyes. He noticed that she often tries to contain herself by keeping her head down or puffing up her cheeks when she's determined to say something. She's like a more outspoken version of Naruto's wife, Hinata-san. He'll introduce them someday.
The trail had twists and turns but Shinobu and Gaara eventually found their way through it. The path was rocky but they stumbled into a fruitful part of the mountain.
"These are wild berries, right?" Gaara asked as he pointed at the little patches of black fruits scattered on the ground.
"Hai, Blackberries," Shinobu's eyes sparkled in pleased surprise. "Wow, there are fields of them."
"Do you want to pick some?"
"That's a great idea," Shinobu said as she tried one. "Maybe I'll bake a pie or a cake out of them."
"How many do you need?"
"Hm, a basket should be enough," Shinobu said while she walks a bit further away to inspect the other trails. "I'll just look around over here. Arigato Gaara-sama!"
Gaara watch her go and shook his head. She really couldn't resist the call of food, he thought. But he still picked as many berries as he could. Then, he started to follow her voice.
"This is one of the unused paths here," Shinobu was pointing at the trail before them. "I don't know if it's true but there have been rumors that it's faster if you take this route to go down the mountain."
The path looked short but extremely narrow. Sharp rocks peppered it and thick branches made it impossible to see what came after.
"I don't think..." Gaara started to say but Shinobu was already making her way in.
"I'll just s-"
Gaara heard Shinobu scream. He sensed her falling and Gaara immediately sent his sand cloud to catch her. His heartbeat slowed in time with Shinobu's ascent.
When she got back, she looked pale but unharmed. He waited until she caught her breath.
"Are you alright?"
"It's certainly fast. A fast way to die that is!"
"Are you sure you're not hurt?"
"Hai," she said giving him a small yet grateful smile. "Arigato gozaimasu for saving me."
Gaara just nodded. Shinobu gave the place one last glare and they moved on.
Gaara and Shinobu chose a different trail from this morning going down so they could see the other sights on the mountain. The trek down was easier than when they were going up. But they still had to watch their steps, some of the rocks were loose and if they were not careful, there was a very good chance that they'll fall and Shinobu wasn't keen to repeat the experience.
All their hard work was worth it when the two of them stumbled on a hidden spring. Though it was small, the water was clear as glass as it drizzled down. He and Shinobu sat on one of the rocks near it. They washed their faces and drank from it as well. The water tasted sweet and it was cool on their skin.
"Ah, how refreshing," Shinobu leaned back and let out a content sigh. "Let's sit here for a bit more."
"Are you tired?"
"Iye. It's just nice to look at the view."
"You also need to recover from your fall earlier, I imagine."
Shinobu looked away, her ears burning. "Maybe?"
"This mountain certainly has a lot of surprises," said Gaara. "Both pleasant and unpleasant."
"One of its redeeming qualities is the wonderful view."
Gaara gazed at what captured her attention. The sun is slowly on its way to the horizon and the merging colors of the sky were reflected on the clear water.
"You're right, it is breathtaking."
"This is nice, we rarely had the time to enjoy something like this before. There's always something to do, someone to kill," she said after they drank. Shinobu removed her boots and stockings to submerge her feet. "But now, I can finally enjoy this as much as I want and I love it."
Gaara just nodded at that. She's right, it was a luxury for them before. But now, it can be a part of their lives. That's what peace gave to all of them.
The two of them stayed longer than necessary. They watched the shifting colors on the spring and filled their bottles with fresh water.
"It's going to be dark soon. I can create a sand cloud so we can get down faster," Gaara offered when he saw the darkening sky.
Shinobu shook her head and stood. "Actually, I'd rather we hike down. Going slowly and being tired is part of the experience you know,"
"It's fine with me either way."
"Alright, let's go then."
The humidity was already gathering around them while they trek down the mountain. They couldn't rush though. They might be using a safer trail but a slippery path was still dangerous. Shinobu could already smell the approaching storm. They heard scattered thunders and occasional lightning lit up the sky. With careful steps and Shinobu's limited knowledge, they finally reached the foot of the mountain. It took less time to go down than up though. But they were too late.
"It's raining," Gaara said as fat drops of water peppered their faces, hair, and clothes.
"Nani? It looks like it's really going to be a major downpour. There's no shelter near here."
"My sand can protect us for a while,"
"Oh no, I can live with a little dousing. Just keep this dry, please," she said and gave him her pack.
Shinobu and Gaara ran but they still didn't beat the rain. It was already pouring heavily when they found a little waiting shed. Their clothes were already wet and Shinobu's hair was clamped together and plastered on her face.
Gaara stood under it, but Shinobu didn't. She untied her ribbon and took off her gloves.
"There's nothing little with that," Gaara said as he watched Shinobu take her jacket off.
She smiled, "Don't worry about me Gaara-sama, I like the rain."
He frowned. "What's to like about it? Rain is necessary, that's all."
Shinobu just gave him another smile. She skipped to the middle of the path and turned a few times. When she was done, she spread her arms and tipped her face towards the sky, her eyes were closed. Shinobu was like a kid, sometimes she wiggled her arms and opened her mouth to catch raindrops with her tongue.
"Are our bags safe?" She asked him after a few moments.
"Hai,"
He was standing near their packs while watching her with a frown. It's very unusual for him, to see someone bask in the rain like this. In Suna, they were lucky when it rained so every drop was precious to them. No one would dare to play in it.
"Come on," she beckoned, curling her fingers in his direction. "Don't hide there."
"What are you doing, Shinobu-san?"
"I'm dancing in the rain," Shinobu replied as she twirled around.
"You'll catch a cold, don't linger."
As he said that, thunder roared and the rain poured heavier. But Shinobu just continued to dance around. She would stop from time to time to tilt her face up or she'd ask him to join her.
"With this downpour, we're going to be wet anyway," she shouted over the rain. "We should at least have fun!"
"I don't think it's a smart idea."
"Oi," Shinobu's eyes narrowed and she wagged a finger in his direction. "Watch your words, Gaara-sama."
Gaara raised his hands in surrender. "Let's just hurry."
"Iye, iye," Shinobu was there, tugging on his arm. "Come on, stand here with me."
"Iye."
"Just try it."
"I'd rather not, thank you," Gaara said as he stood his ground.
"Let's go!" Shinobu pulled hard and she finally managed to drag Gaara into the pouring rain.
"Like this?"
Gaara was standing at the center of the road, his arms were crossed and his hair was already plastered on his forehead. He felt ridiculous. He's cold and wet. What's to like about this?
Shinobu stepped away from him, but not before Gaara heard a faint hint of laughter in her voice when she instructed him on what to do. She placed herself in front of him.
"Hai. Now, spread your hands to your sides and close your eyes." And Shinobu did just that.
"Alright," Gaara couldn't keep the irritation in his voice but he still did what she told him. "Now what?"
"Stay like this for a few seconds," she said. When a few seconds passed she asked him, "How does it feel?"
"Stupid," he answered. "But mostly wet."
"Besides that, Gaara-sama!"
Gaara stretched his arms wider, took a deep breath, and concentrated as hard as he could. A few moments passed but nothing happened. He took another breath and tried again. It was hard at first, the sound of the rain and the water that pelted him was distracting.
When he still didn't feel anything, Gaara opened his eyes and just paid more attention to Shinobu. He did an exact copy of her stance.
He spread his feet wider and kept his arms relax yet straight. He persisted in what he was doing. Then, he closed his eyes again. This time, Gaara emptied his mind as well.
And then, he finally felt it. It's like the water was cleansing them. Two insignificant beings in the middle of Mother Nature's tirade.
"Like... The rain is washing everything away."
"I'm glad you finally got it." Gaara could hear the smile in Shinobu's voice.
Gaara felt her coming closer. She gently bumped their hands together. He opened his eyes again and she winked at him.
"Tomorrow, when the weather is clear and a soft mist is covering the village, you'll hear the sweet song of nature and smell the clean scent of a new beginning. Look back and tell yourself, I was there. I was a part of the old and I'm still here to welcome the new."
Gaara blinked. "That's introspective of you."
"I'm like that sometimes."
"It's nice, I like it."
"Oh… Umm, arigato."
"Your face is red again."
"Let's go!"
