Chapter 3- Setting Roots
Lirit scrunched her face in defense of the small grains tickling her skin. Raising her hands to her face she rubbed her eyes and moved hair from the line of sight. Seeing a very close and very angry Sakura leaning in inches from her person. Temari, not far from her was giving Gaara an almost replicated look in annoyance. "Just what in the hell were you thinking?!" Sakura yelled, straightening up and crossing her arms over her chest. Lirit stumbled back putting arms in front of her. Gaara walked over to Temari as she hissed with her own fit in regards to the absence of his presents from the arena. "I leave for thirty minutes and come back to your room completely MELTED, including the hospital equipment! How? And where the heck did you go? I have you listed as bedridden; you're on the verge o-"
"Sakura." Kakashi's voice boomed from the doorway. All eyes were on him as he walked to Sakura's side resting his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. The girl's practically terrified of you now." He smoothly gestured his free hand to the adolescent girl holding herself, the wall she backed up to, now forming cracks and crumbling. She slipped out a small sigh and stepped back realizing that Lirit was not only a teenager, but one that possibly had mental health issues. Kakashi took a few steps forward, extending his hand to the small-framed girl.
"Hello, I'm Kakashi Hatake. I'm sure you know me as the-"
"The Sixth Hokage." Lirit interrupted bringing her arms down and bowing slightly with a small sway. The wall behind her, stringing with thick chakra, stained with soot and rust. Kakashi stares quietly before turning to Sakura, raising an eyebrow, tilting his head towards the teen.
Sighing she rubs her temple "Look I'm sorry I bit your head off. That was insensitive of me, especially for someone with how frail you are in this current state." Sakura said, shifting to stand on her hip next to Temari and Gaara.
"I'm sorry I fucked up your arena." Lirit said, slouching with her hands crossed over her belly. "Language." Temari said bluntly. Lirit straightened up nodding her head.
"You need medical attention and sustenance." Sakura began. "I can't keep going back and forth from the two wings to keep an eye on you. So, I'm going to have you transferred to Konoha's ward." She finished while writing down a few notations onto the clipboard papers.
"I just need to eat and take my food pills. I can heal up my atrophy tonight before I go to sleep." The teal haired teen piped up messing with her braid anxiously. Sakura raised an eyebrow skeptical of her response.
"You know shosen jutsus?" Sakura relayed; a bit harsh with her tone. Lirit nodded, softly looking at her feet. Temari on the other hand nudged Gaara gathering his attention mouthing 'where were you.' giving him an angry face. Gaara stared blankly before nodding.
"I apologize for the destruction of the room. In a high anxiety state her clan's kekkei genkai seems to act out of control. I should have transported her to a safe location sooner than I had when realizing what was happening." Gaara noted. Everyone turned in question but was drawn back to a very loud grumble of Lirit's stomach, causing her to shrink even smaller now having a scarlet tint on her cheeks. Kakashi rested his hand on his chin before turning to Sakura, gesturing for the medical chart to be handed over.
"You need food." Gaara said dryly. Lirit nodded, placing both hands on her stomach.
"Sakura isn't there a small booth in the arena for ramen that stays open late?" Kakashi questioned walking back to the door, charts in hand with eyes now scanning the written text. Sakura placed a finger on her lip contemplating.
"I think there's a temp booth of Ichiruka Ramen's shop for the duration of the exams." She stated. "I'm not too sure though I'd honestly have to ask Naruto about it. Why?"
"She said she needs food and rest, so let's take her out for some ramen and use that opportunity to explore her shosen jutsu understanding? Play a game of 'ketchup' if you will." Kakashi suggested, smiling under his mask with a gleeful eye crease.
"We've never met before." Lirit chimed in confused.
"So there will be more to talk about then. Hm?" Kakashi spoke in a whimsical tone. Lirit glanced over to Gaara only to see him speaking softly with Temari. 'I guess that settles it.' She thought to herself as she returned to look down at her clothes fixing her coat and layers underneath.
Rolling her eyes, Sakura rested her hands on her hips tilting her head as she faced Lirit "What kinda ramen do you like?" she asked in a bland tone. Lirit shrugged her shoulders before pulling out a small red turtle coin purse. Opening it to rummage through it. "We'll be paying for you Miss Higanbana. You are a Suna kunoichi after all." Tamari expressed in a cheery tone. Lirit perked up, giving a soft smile.
"So who all is going to eat with us then?" Sakura questioned with a small laugh in her throat. Leaning over to see Gaara under Temari's arm insinuating they both joined as well as invited Kankuro. Kakashi, on the other hand, slipped out of the room, leaving the chart on the stand by the door.
—
It didn't take long for the group of patrons to form around the offered meal made by Kakashi. Lirit walked close by Sakura and Temari listening to their gossip about current affairs, including tips they learned as new parents within the Konoha village. Gaara on the other hand trailed a good distance behind the girls with Kankuro, watching Lirit's braid sway and peek under her coat tails. 'I need to address these feelings this girl raises. It'd be best to do away with them soon before something regretful occurs.' He scolded himself. The short journey held loud cackles that came from the berry and ivory blondes leading the way, both men were ripped from their thoughts and slid worrisome glances to each other every time. Unsure what mischief they might have to endure.
Upon arriving at the shop it was mostly desolate sparing for a slender blonde finishing another bowl. Next to him on the opposite side of a mountain of dishes was a paler man with coal black hair covering most of his face. The blonde wore a simple tan long sleeve top with pants to match and the brunette wore a mix of black top and gray pants. "Naruto! Sasuke! I didn't expect you both to be here for an early dinner." Sakura exclaimed, walking over to patting the blonde on the back, before resting a kiss on the head of the brunette. Temari gave a gentle wave before taking a seat on the table just behind the pair. Kankuro and Gaara followed suit and greeted the two before seating themselves.
"I can understand Naruto being here but I'm a bit puzzled with finding you here, Sasuke." Kankuro questioned playfully. Lirit stood a few feet away unsure of where to seat herself within the group. 'What am I even doing here? They're all old and I don't even know who half of them are. I don't know anyone well enough to be buddy-buddy like that.' Lirit thought to herself, taking a step back, regretting her decision. "Well he dragged me down here from lodging. I would have been fine staying at my post." Sasuke explained in a coarse tone. The blonde smiled a toothy grin in response.
'I'm a fish out of water here. Why did I say yes to this.' She continued, giving her nerves a rustling as she looked on and watched the adults enjoy old friends' company.
"Kakashi made me the Ambassador for the Leaf village. I was starving all day so of course I was going to visit Ichiruka's when the resident logs were completed." Naruto raved between mouthfuls of food. Lirit reached for her stomach as it started to knot as she watched the group interact before her. Anxiety started to take fruit as her realization came to a peak. The two at the bar leaned over to catch an eye full of the girl while Sasuke analyzed her with his Sharingan. She froze in her place, but knew that her bright hair didn't really help in her not bringing unwanted attention to herself.
"Ms. Higanbana. Please come join us for dinner. Sit wherever you'd like." Gaara started pulling her attention. Temari looked up from the menu and towards Lirit, patting the seat between the siblings. "Yes. Come sit here. I can tell you about your lodging arrangements since you've had a chaotic day." Temari continued while looking back at the menu with Kankuro over her shoulder reading as well. Lirit's stomach began to flip as she understood that she would be inches from him again. "Lirit." Gaara's stern voice resonated while sand swirled behind the girl's form. It gave the teen a gentle nudge towards the table, coaxing her to come sit. Her heart raced when their eyes met. Gaara's gaze filled her core with a hot jolt of lightning that started between her thighs and ran up her spine. His intense, almost hungry stare made it even harder for her to hide her tinted cheeks, but she did as she was told and approached the table quietly. Removing her coat and resting it on the back of her chair before taking her seat.
A small whimper puffed from her as Gaara's sand pushed in her chair unexpectedly. "Temari already took care of your room for the most part. You were moved to the east wing by the elevators. It's by the medic wing entry point and a few doors down from the offices the Kages will use for paperwork when needed while we are here." Gaara began, having all remnants of sand gone from sight." As for your status with the exams, you are not disqualified, but have been placed on medical leave. Until your condition is to Sakura's satisfaction, you are not to compete this year. However, if this trial of examination is successful, you will be given the opportunity to participate in the next one, 2 years from now." He continued setting down his menu and placing one in front of her seat. Sasuke and Naruto rose from their bar seats and joined the group at the other end of the tables.
Sakura and Temari sat across from each other, but any hope of comradery was stifled as she noticed that a majority of the men there were staring at the poor teens bones as she protruded from beneath her skin. The contours and dips of her skeletal structure became all the more apparent as she moved, even breathing looked concerning. Gaara sat by quietly in annoyance before loudly clearing his throat, catching everyone's attention. Their eyes met his seeing a foreboding glare before he spoke. "Are we ready to order?" He said darkly in a hushed voice. The others averted their eyes to the menu and reminded themselves that the girl was in fact sick.
"You were the first to compete, Higanbana was it?" Kankuro asked, absentmindedly while flagging down the waitress. A soft "ye." And a nod was all the girl mustered playing with her hair as she sat next to the sand siblings. It wasn't long of a wait after they made their orders, "the girl will have broth. And a side of rice, if you have it." Sakura began, getting a snicker from Sasuke and Lirit alike. Puffing up her cheeks Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose while her eyes narrowed to the blue haired teen. "What do you want to eat then?" she spoke with annoyance in her voice.
Without skipping a beat Lirit perked up holding the menu up getting ready to list her order. "Can I have four large yuzu shio bowls with double toppings to start, and a cup of hot water with lemon, please." Lirit started before looking at the other side of the menu. "Could I also get a seafood specialty bowl with extra scallops and go crazy with the nori on all of it." She finished, turning her attention to the chopsticks and napkins she was fiddling with moments before. The women at the table were dumbfounded, but as with everyone at the table, they were also speechless.
"You're pretty small, are you sure you could finish all of that?" Naruto said before finishing the leftover broth in his current bowl. Lirit gave a smug smirk on her face and straightened up. "When I have the money I can finish about fifteen, sixteen bowls of fish and rice with miso pretty well. So, I started small just to make sure I had just enough to keep me going." Lirit stated in a matter of fact tone flicking the small folded piece of napkin across the table with one of the chopsticks.
"So you said earlier that you know some shosen jutsu for your atrophy?" Sakura inquired, speaking into her cup before sipping hot tea.
"I only know a few techniques. The one I use for my body is a modified Vitality Restoration Technique." She began. "I can't fix a lot of the damage, but I can get back to a healthy muscle mass using it and eating a good amount of food pills after a few days." She noted poking at her boney shoulder. "But when it comes to 100%, I don't know. I would binge and heal before missions, and after them I would use that time to sleep, train, and eat calorie heavy foods till I had to do an overhaul to heal again."
"How have you survived this long with your condition, in the desert no less?" Temari asked with heavy concern in her voice. The waitress passed by placing the orders in front of everyone at the table giving a grimace to Lirit, walking away after leaving a full serving tray by her. "Food pills and isolation to rest/sleep honestly." She piped out between monstrous bites. "I only ever wanted to be a kunoichi to go on missions for money to survive and learn how to control my inherited 'gifts'." Lirit explained drinking more water pointing to her family crest under her chin hidden by the hitai-ate around her neck. Sasuke on the other hand, held a skeptical grimace on his face as Lirit flagged the waitress for another bowl and more lemons.
"So that trick you did with the fire jutsu was a part of your kekkei genkai?" Sasuke spoke sharply. Drinking some of her hot water Lirit paused before facing him.
"Yes, it was the Saku Kokoro that did the most damage to her." She finished going back to her ramen gesturing to the waitress to bring more hot water. Sakura was almost too mortified to finish her second bite as she watched the tiny teen speed eating. It was disheartening to the point that she began to lean over into Sasuke's personal space for escape. However, Sasuke shot an annoyed look at the girl as a scowl darkened his face. The teen gestured a 'what?' With a shrug in response to his glare.
"Who taught you your table manners, sheesh." Naruto blurted out in a laugh. His face rosy from finally getting his fill of food and sake for the night. Lirit stared at the blonde with a neutral blank face. Chewing yet another bite of her food. It was the silence that gave the actions of her putting stray hairs behind her ear and gracefully bringing her middle finger up in front of her face to him that caused a few snorts from the group.
"Ms. Higanbana, I do wish to remind you that you are, in fact, a guest here. I would choose my actions more wisely so as not to appear rude to our hosts." Gaara stated plainly after a sip of hot tea. Lirit's face grew pink as she drank her water as a failing attempt to hide from her scolding. Sakura and Temari giggled in their throats, feeling a parental tone in his voice. "Yes, Sir." Was what she could muster in her embarrassment in between the final bites of her food.
"Tell me about the Saku Kokoro," Sasuke started trying for Lirit's attention. "When did you learn it? Or rather how is it activated?" He added, staring coldly at her. Lirit swallowed her food and cleared her throat, "Our chakra is tied to our emotions, and as such it takes a huge rush of emotions to activate it." Lirit started as she stacked up her empty bowls to clear some table space. "For those that can birth new life, it's when they find out that they are with child if they haven't activated it before then. For others like me and my brother, well.." Lirit trailed off. "A traumatic moment could also cause an awakening of our bloodline. Some of the best masters got theirs up and going when they just started walking as toddlers." She finished having a bit of a lighthearted tone.
"Where would you put yourself in your clan's ranking then?" Naruto questioned leaning back in his chair, getting more comfortable as he waited for the bill. Sasuke sat up as well, though it was only for another pour of sake to finish the bottle.
"I'm not as good as the elders were since I never had a teacher. The elders though, they could make trees grow from seeds in minutes, create fields of wildflowers and make them bloom in a single breath." The girl began with her voice becoming whimsical and her smile beaming. "All I can do is manipulate a few elements and cause decay, because of my anxiety I can't really get a real grip on controlling it, yet. So, I guess I'd be a year two maybe?"
"So, you're one of the surviving Higanbana heirs. I've read about the few of you that survived and was surprised to find that of the dozen that have the name, only three currently have an active kekkei genkai." Temari interjected as she rested her chin on her hand.
Lirit nodded halfheartedly "I know it was my brother, our family matriarch, and myself that didn't stay in the village that day of the accident. We were on our pilgrimage because she was finally ready to die." She said in a somber tone. "We had to take her to our shrine on the mountains to be reunited with Mother Tree. Then there were others of our clan, but they married outsiders in villages in different regions, and because of that they were barred from the teachings. So, it's only two that are official heirs to our heritage, but only one has received the full teachings from our Matriarch. The others get gravely ill and succumb to the fatigue and stress the kekkei genkai does." She explained, scratching the back of her head.
"My brother got his talents at 10 when our father got injured in a hunting accident. He went to live with the elders after that for a few years, I think. It was going to be his duty to guard and travel with the elders to and from Mother Tree before the accident." Lirit continued, searching her memories for an accurate timeline. " I was pretty young, around 3, so I had to tag along for our own matriarch's reunification."
"Not to digress, but what accident are you speaking of?" Sasuke asked with a blank stare, his voice resonating with a stern tone.
"The accident took out an entire village in a night. I heard from the patrol that they weren't sure if it was an accident or not, but there was a large fire that consumed all above ground buildings and the smoke seeped into the underground homes and suffocated everyone in their sleep." Kankuro spat out while slouching over resting his elbows on the table. The air around them began to weigh heavily with humidity, but Lirit nodded her head in silence.
"It's time to call it a night, Ms. Higanbana." Gaara spoke quietly as he stood from his seat. Tamari and Kankuro followed suit and stood from their seats as well. The weight of the conversation shifted to Temari as she flagged over the waitress for the checks. Naruto scrambled to his feet and retrieved his bill fold waving a hand to Sasuke, stopping him from retrieving his.
"May I…?" Lirit trailed off, gesturing to her body as if to explain her intentions. Temari turned to the girl giving a soft smile before nodding a 'yes'.
"Wait wait, let me help you do it this time. Maybe we can prevent you from using up excess chakra so you can stay balanced, health wise." Sakura advised in a fluffy tone. Lirit smiled and gave a nod, standing up from the table walking over to the doorway away from the others. She focused her chakra to her hands and finger times before hovering them over her core and chest. Sakura, not far away now, noting the teens' modification to the restoration jutsus that she herself uses. Taking a few moments to stretch out her arms and back. Sakura cracked her knuckles and added another set of hands and stream of chakra, expediting the work.
With the assistance and much better control from Sakura, Lirit's physique changed gradually. Muscles began to grow in size and fats began to mound up on her body, bringing back vitality and a sense of life to the color of her grayish skin, turning it a cool and earthy olive tone. What takes the average person months to a year to heal and correct was done in minutes for the teen, and the exertion of that was evident by the strain on her face and the sweat dripping off her body. "We can take a break if you need one." Sakura said, working the chakra on her back watching the tissues expand and stretch with growth. The skin on Lirit's back rippled in waves with every muscle flexing and relaxing rapidly underneath.
"No no." The teen forced through her clenched teeth, licking her lips and she sucked in labored breaths. " I can finish this. I have help now, it's fine." She finished with a chuckle in between short lived groans. Sakura watched the tiny frail body fill as if years of growth in muscle, fat, even bone regeneration were added before her eyes in a matter of minutes. "You do this every time you accept a mission from Gaara?" Sakura torted to herself out loud. Lirit rubbed her face against her shoulder, moving clinging strands of hair and whipping away beads of sweat from her brow. She was at the tailend of her ordeal, and she could taste the relief as the pain in her arms and legs started to dull.
Temari and the others looked on as the two medics worked. Restoring and repairing what could have been seen as years of damage in the span of 30 minutes. Lirit's wraps and clothes held clear, visible pools of sweat running down her body. Her chakra glow softened as she finally reached her limit. The threshold that was an absolute must if she was to be able to walk and function without negative repercussions. Sasuke and Naruto stared in disbelief. The once twiggy thing of a teen, who could be killed with a single punch was now full-figured.
"She doesn't even look like a kid anymore." Naruto muttered to himself as he stared, standing by Sasuke. Temari's face contoured but watched in horror, now seeing why the teen chose to stay looking sickly, imagining the pain and toll on the mind every time her healing needed to be done. 'She does this to herself almost daily, to hide the fact that she's battling for control.' Sasuke thought to himself. Realizing that if the girl can do this to herself willingly then who knows what kind of pain she could endure.
Her height stayed relatively the same but now her hips were prominent as well as her shoulders. The muscles in her arms, now clearly defined and visibly toned to match her thighs that clung to her pants due to sweat. The skeletal, rigid hourglass figure she once had was now gone, replaced with a toned almost boxed waist, overshadowed with heavy chest. The new addition in mass moving bandage wrappings exposing tattoos. Sakura patted the teens shoulder and presented her with a small bag of food pills. Lirit stared up tiredly at the medic, her breath was still rough but now slowing down. She grabbed the bag from Sakura and leaned against the wall, letting the cool stone press against her overheating body.
"You need to get a seal and a mentor for your chakra control. I'm sure if you can master it, you could start sealing it and by doing so, it wouldn't drain you, literally." Sakura said in a serious tone. Lirit gave her a faint smile and a nod. The teen opened the bag and pulled out 3 food pills before popping them in her mouth and swallowing them whole. "I know." Was all Lirit could say before returning her focus back to her breathing. Gaara stood silently, taking in the entire scene he had just witnessed. The sounds of her breathing heavily, the pain that shot across her face throughout the whole ordeal. The way her body filled out, giving her the figure of a young woman. The smell of her sweat that mixed with the metallic air as her chakra lingered.
"Incredible." Was all Gaara could mutter to himself, feeling his heart pound in his chest. The teen looked well enough now to more than handle anything that could have been thrown at her. She looked up and met the gaze of everyone staring at her. The disbelief accompanied the silence from then, but that wouldn't be a deterrent from her hiding what she felt, and how she dealt with it.
"I think it would be best to call it a night now. I'm exhausted and in need of a very good shower." Lirit said, pushing herself off the wall, walking to the table, the movement revealing more hidden tattoos under wraps around her core and waist. Sakura rejoined Sasuke's side and nudged him to finally retire for the evening. Naruto took note of this as well and started his way out alongside them.
"I'll be checking up on you tomorrow, in the morning hopefully. When I do, I'll be bringing some books for you to study so you can start training for a seal." Sakura said, pointing to the small purple seal on her forehead. Lirit nodded and gave a weak wave turning her attention to the sand siblings, after retrieving her coat off the chair. Making eye contact with Temari giving her a large toothy grin.
"Where's my room?" Lirit asked loosely. Temari straightened herself up and cleared her throat before walking to the doorway, Kankuro and Gaara in tow. "It'll be down this way, past the residency wings." She began waiting for the teen. Lirit snagged a quick drink of water from their table as the waitress began to bus the dishes and turned to start her way after the siblings.
It was at this time, walking to the entry way that a familiar face struck fear in her step. "Oh Shit…" She exclaimed before the man pointedly grabbed the attention of the Kazekage specifically.