Hidden Truths

A package was dropped on their doorstep in the middle of the night. The full moon shined brightly in the sky, casting a soft light on Sunagakure. Aiya grabbed the package and validated its content with a feverish hand. One, two scrolls. With a series of hand signs, she confirmed that they weren't duplicates. Tears formed in her eyes. She hadn't seen her mother's scrolls in almost three long years.

"We're good," she told her brother. Her voice was trembling, but he didn't comment on it. She carefully put the scrolls back into her bag. "They've fulfilled their part of the agreement."

He nodded. "Let's go."

From the kitchen's window, they dropped into the silent streets. They were traveling lightly, with a single bag each. Like they originally came. Aiya casted a last look at their apartment, a part of her already missing the chaotic atmosphere of its colorful rooms. She had a thought for the letter she'd left for Himari, held on the fridge by a magnet. The guilt crushed her throat until she could barely breathe. It was easier that way. She wouldn't be brave enough to face her friend.

Suddenly, a loud explosion disturbed the silence of the night. Aiya froze in the street; the Kazekage's tower had just exploded. Her heart was pounding in her chest while her eyes couldn't believe what they'd just beholden. Seconds later, an alarm blared. The village started to wake up in the middle of the night, house lights turning on like a chain reaction. Panicked screams echoed into the streets.

"It wasn't part of the plan," she muttered absently.

A second explosion was heard. The streetlights flickered. Her feet couldn't move. A child's cry pierced into the night, strident. There wasn't supposed to be any casualties. If there was any deaths, it'd be their fault. My fault.

"We can't linger here."

"Why aren't you reacting, brother?" she snapped as she felt the panic heavily filling her chest. "It wasn't supposed to turn out like this!"

"Are you really surprised, sister?"

His face wasn't reflecting any emotions, as if he'd already detached himself from the situation. They'd signed up for this. No matter the cost. He had his hands nonchalantly stuffed into his jacket's pockets as he waited for her answer. Guilt choked her. Trembling, she buried her hands in her hair. No, no, no. It couldn't be. Had she been so blind? So gullible? After all these years of intel that they'd gathered… She'd deeply convinced herself that it only concerned the stolen parchments. Now, she doubted that there were any parchments to begin with.

"Come on."

Her brother's voice snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts. They didn't have time to ponder about the rightness of their choices. As they were passing by Suna's hospital, Aiya caught a shadow in the corner of her eyes. The man had climbed on the top of the hospital, carrying a bunch of explosive tags. Her eyes widened. Without thinking, she clasped her hands together. Chakra flowed through her veins as she formed signs, and the old vines on the hospital's roof started to move. One vine grabbed the man's ankle before throwing him down the building. His neck broke in a sickening crack.

Before she could change her mind, Aiya jumped on the rooftop to get a better view of the situation. Daisuke silently followed her. Suna's nins had started to deploy in the village. She could hear the sound of blades clashing in the distance. Orders were yelled. For a moment, Aiya briefly sought the presence of Kankuro's puppets in the darkness of the night. Instead, she caught a sight of the Kazekage's sand protecting the villagers from the blast of a third explosion. At least, they'd never stand a chance against Gaara's power. The idea comforted her.

"If we end up in prison, we'll never be able to see our mother again," her brother reminded her. "Now that we have the scrolls, nothing is holding us back anymore. We're free to go."

She could feel the restless energy of the scrolls in her bag, yearning to see the light of day once again. They were the only thing she'd ever wanted for years – the opportunity of seeing their mother again. One last time. To finally fix everything. To understand. Still, she hesitated. A fourth explosion destroyed the roof of the Kazekage's tower. Aiya's heart stopped beating for a brief second. Little Karura must be so scared, right now. Then, a fifth explosion occurred, and the whole building shook under their feet. Her eyes widened.

"It exploded near the pediatric aisle," she realized. She had a lot of her patients in the children's wing of the hospital. "We can't leave now."

"We can't stay either."

"We'll leave shortly after," she insisted. "I just need to make sure that no one's hurt. It's the right thing to do."

Her brother sighed loudly, and Aiya knew she'd won the argument. She could hear the nurses on the night shift yelling a bunch of orders. A woman's voice was coming out of the intercom, muffled by the closed windows.

"I'll cover the lower floors," declared Daisuke.

"I'll take the upper floors."

"Once Suna's nins get there, we disappear."

"Alright," she agreed. They had a solid plan. "Let's go."

…

Fortunately, the explosion had hit an empty wing of the hospital, only used for research purpose. Nobody worked in that sector at night. Taking the emergency staircases, she went down to the fourth floor. The nurses were already attending to the patients, trying to keep the situation under control. Before she could ask if there were any casualties, a scream echoed into the hospital's west corridor.

"Fire!" yelled a male nurse as he ran towards them, out of breath. He crashed against the fourth floor's main counter. "There's a fire coming. I haven't been able to put it out with the extinguisher."

The west wing mainly contained the reserves of medical supplies and the maintenance's material. Aiya quickly shut down the pair of thick doors in order to isolate their part of the floor. They were fire-rated mineral core wood doors. It'd give them the time to evacuate. She caught a glimpse of the progressing fire, and her eyes widened. They weren't natural flames, but a creature consuming everything in its path. Kaiden's fire jutsu. Once the creature spotted a sign a life, it lunged aggressively at the reinforced doors.

He came. Her vision blurred for a second, her mind filled with memories of a man she'd rather forget, and a drop of sweat ran down her spine. He's here. He's here. He's here. The doors creaked, weakening against the repeated attacks. She snapped out of it.

"We need to move the patients to the south end of the hospital," she shouted. "Everybody, step back from the doors!"

The nurses were already on the move, emptying the rooms. The patients who could move around without difficulty helped them. In a hurry, they were rolling the massive hospital's beds towards the elevator, along with every machine plugged to the patients. Ironically, they were in the burn center. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of patients on this floor. Once the last patients were secured into the elevator, Aiya set off the sprinklers. A rain of smelly water poured over her head, wetting the whole floor. But it wasn't enough to make the creature back off.

"The hospital's safety is compromised." She pushed the elevator's down button. "Spread the word."

"You aren't coming?" asked one of the nurses.

"I'll take care of the fire," Aiya replied. The elevator's doors started to close. She locked her eyes on the nurses. "Keep the patients safe."

The oldest of the nurses solemnly nodded. "We will."

One of the corridor's doors went flying like a champagne cork that pops off under the effect of pressure. It flew through an external wall, creating a massive hole. The night's chilly air started to pour in. Opaque smoke crawled up the ceiling, blackening the tiles. Aiya crouched down. The heat that emanated from the flames was suffocating her. Still, she opted to keep her shirt with long-sleeves, hoping it'd offer a bit of protection against the unnatural fire. She needed to stop that thing. Fire jutsus had one well-known enemy: water jutsus. And unfortunately, she'd always sucked at it.

The creature spotted her, and it started to rapidly crawl towards her position. I need a source of water. Sweating profusely, Aiya hurried into one of the patient's rooms. She jumped into the shower stall. Behind her, the creature crashed into the wall. Flames began to spread through the room, licking the furniture.

Without waiting a second, she opened the valves to their maximum. Water spread out of the shower head, but it still wasn't enough. Forming a fist, she punched through the ceramic wall. The pipes burst. Trying to remember the hand signs for the jutsu she needed, Aiya swore loudly. She hadn't used an offensive jutsu in a while. The creature hesitated as it touched the puddle of water that lay at its feet. The unnatural flames were beginning to reduce the water to mere vapor, and the creature grew bolder.

Feeling her head starting to spin because of the room's dense fumes, Aiya finally got the hand signs right. Chakra flew through her veins, and she barely had the time to step aside before a monster of water emerged from the wall, lunging at the fire creature. Whitin a minute, the creature suffocated under the kraken's embrace. Slowly, the flames died out. Aiya slid down the shower's wall, completely drenched. Checking on the scrolls, she sighed in relief when she saw that they hadn't been damaged.

Minutes later, loud voices echoed in the hallway. A group of men were surveying the damage. As they spoke into their microphone, relaying on the information, Aiya realized they were Suna's nins. Finally. The tension dissipated in her shoulders.

"Sprinkler systems appear to have extinguished the fire," concluded a man.

"There's someone in the room 407, captain," stated another nin. This time, it was a woman's voice resonating in the hallway. "It looks like a civilian."

Rising up, Aiya winced. Her gaze fell on her sleeve – the creature had taken a bite of it. It'd burned the skin. Although superficial, it still hurt like a bitch.

"Alright, I'll escort him to the south end. Continue to patrol the area."

Aiya frowned. The voice sounded strangely familiar. She heard footsteps approaching the room, and a moment later, Kankuro walked through the door frame. Aiya simply stood there, impressed by the puppeteer's stern appearance in full black gear. Karasu was strapped on his back, his long arms hanging on each side. The puppeteer was wearing his characteristic hood, ears pointed, with Suna's headband on his forehead. Their eyes met, and a small part of her felt utterly happy to see him.

"Aiya? What are you doing here? It's supposed to be your day off," he said, surprised to see her. He walked up to her, grabbing her by the left arm to examine her wound more closely. "You're hurt."

His fingers carefully grazed the contour of the burn. Grabbing her bag, the blond pulled herself together. It was time to leave. She hoped Daisuke hadn't run into too many problems on his hand. Rolling her eyes, she regained possession of her arm.

"It's superficial."

His gaze hardened. "It doesn't look superficial to me."

As she was securing her bag on her shoulder, her eyes noticed a small cut over his cheeks, hidden partly by his face paint. Her heart missed a beat and without thinking, she stepped closer to him until she'd fully invaded his personal space.

"You're one to talk," she huffed. He didn't even flinch when she lifted a hand to graze her thumb against the cut. Once she'd completely healed him, her hand rested on his shoulder as if it was the most natural of things. Her tone softened. "I'm warning you. I'm not fixing you up a second time if you get hurt again."

Because I won't be here anymore. Unable to bear the fact that she'd indirectly hurt him, her intestines tangled in her stomach.

"Are you worried about me, pixie?" he teased her.

She scoffed. "Much to my displeasure."

The words had left her mouth before she could think about it, full of hidden truths she'd have preferred to be left unsaid. Her cheeks betrayed her inner turmoil by starting to burn brightly. He froze, and his eyes slightly widened. Slowly, his fingers caught a strand of hair coming out of her ponytail, and gently placed it behind her ear. The rational part of herself was strongly advising her to step away from him, but she ignored it. Her heart began to beat irregularly, haunted by an incurable ill. This feeling she hadn't been able to completely annihilate. The one that'd lived in a part of her heart from the moment she'd crossed his path.

She wouldn't usually swoon over guys like him. He wasn't her type. Too tall. Broad shoulders on a strongly build frame. She'd normally fall for slender, blond guys. Charismatic, sly and eloquent. But over time, he'd carved out a place for himself in her thoughts like a parasite clinging to the flesh. He'd become a liability. One she hadn't been able to completely get rid of.

For a moment, they stood still as their breaths intertwined. Flames crackled at her fingertips, warm and lively. It went all the way down to curl up her toes. If she stood on her tiptoes, she'd be able to reach his lips and- I can't. She froze.

"Please," he sighed, almost against her lips. "Go to the south end. You'll be safe there. We don't know if there are still some intruders in the-"

The air got knocked out of her lungs and at the same time, she felt someone's arms wrapping themselves around her body. The explosion's sound ripped through her eardrums. Her vision blurred, and a heavy dust clouded the air. She coughed out a bit of smoke. Trying to assess the situation, the blond shook off some debris of tiles from her legs. She did a quick medical check-up on herself, and found only a few cuts. She lifted her head up, remembering the body that'd shieled her from the blow.

"Kankuro?" she called out, trying to get under control the tremors in her voice. As the cloud of dust fell back down, she anxiously looked for his form. "Are you alright? Where are-"

Her voice died. Her eyes locked onto Kankuro's form, unconscious and bruised. He'd crashed against the information's desk. She crawled up to him. With trembling hands, she examined him. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes.

"Idiot," she muttered, following the trail of blood back to his forehead. He'd hit his head pretty bad. "You're such an idiot."

She released a relieved breath when she noticed that he didn't suffer from any life-threatening injury. Without wasting any time, she proceeded to heal the broken rib that made his breath shallow. She suddenly heard a crunching sound, as if someone had stepped on a piece of glass.

"I thought that you'd be far away by now, babe."

She stilled. Her blood turned into the coldest of ice into her veins. Like a terrified doe, she snapped her head towards the source of the familiar voice. The dimmed light of the ceiling neon softly lit up his slender features. Tall and slim, he hadn't changed over those two years.

"What a surprise," he smirked. He nonchalantly put back a pale strand of hair behind his ear, out of his view. "Did you miss me, babe?"

A skeletal hand wrapped its fingers around her throat, choking her. She couldn't move. Petrified, she couldn't even utter a single word. When he took a step forward, she found the strength to actually move. She instinctively positioned herself in front of Kankuro's body. Kaiden took note of her protective gesture, and his lips twisted into an amused smile.

"The Kazekage's brother, uh?" he mocked. The ninja loomed tall, his piercing eyes radiating a deceptive cunning. "You've always been an ambitious girl, Asuka. It's a part of your charm."

"What's going on?" she asked, clenching her teeth together. "Destroying the village wasn't a part of the original plan."

"Oh, babe. You might be naïve, but you're not stupid," he retorted, smiling. "The parchments were only a small part of the plan, but you've revealed a lot of information about the Kazekage's weaknesses. The Council simply took the opportunity to strike."

Her hands turned into fists. They were shaking. She glared down at the man who'd once played with her heart as if it'd been nothing but a worthless toy.

"There wasn't supposed to be any casualties."

"Such promises weren't made."

This is all my fault. When she attempted to crouch down to reach her bag's content, her legs started to shake uncontrollably. The exhaustion slammed into her body without a warning. She collapsed to the ground, breathing sharply.

"You've been kissed by my creature, I see," he stated, as his eyes trailed over the burn on her forearm. A sly smile turned his lips upside. "It sucked away a bit of your chakra. You should lie down for a while, or you'll end up passing out."

She'd also used up a fair amount of chakra in order to quickly patch up Kankuro's injuries. In fact, the puppeteer could wake up at any time, now. She'd have to get rid of Kaiden before he regained consciousness. Kaiden cracked his knuckles. She stilled. His mastery of fire jutsu was unparalleled. She'd heard the stories about his missions, where he'd unleash waves of scorching heat that consumed his enemies, and left a trail of devastation in his wake. He was a skilled nin, one of the best of their village.

"Step aside, babe," he dictated. "We couldn't get our hands on the Kazekage's wife, or his child, but his brother might just do the trick."

At the puppeteer's mention, a fierce sense of protectiveness fired up her whole body. She reached for the blade Daisuke had slipped into her bag earlier.

"Back off, Kaiden," she snarled. "I won't let you touch him."

He gritted his teeth together. "Don't be ridiculous."

He easily dodged the blade she threw by jumping aside, but she didn't stop. Taking a deep breath, she recentered her chakra's flow until it barely fluttered. With a single hand, she formed a series of three signs. Hare, tiger, bird. Holding her breath, she lightly touched the floor.

"Dance of the Earth Maiden," she murmured. "Release."

Twin blades materialized in her hands, an extension of her own chakra flow. Over them, the lights flickered. Seeping through the large hole in the wall, the light of the moon softly lit up her opponent's slender features. His gaze hardened.

"You've made the wrong choice, babe."

Resolved, she pushed her bag towards Kankuro's laying form and then, she lunged forward. Kaiden easily dodged her first attacks. Her blade accidently sliced the wall to her left as if it'd been a lump of butter. Her reflexes were a bit rusty. Agile, Kaiden didn't miss a beat to aim at her thigh. His kunai cut through the light fabric of her pant, and stabbed the inside of her thigh. She hissed when a burning sensation throbbed through her whole leg.

"We both know you aren't strong enough to hold up against me," he scoffed, as if the sole idea was ridiculous. "Come on, babe. I don't want to damage your pretty face."

She barely had the time to dodge his next attack. Her breathing had shortened, heavier. Her muscles were trembling, barely able to keep holding the blades up. Exhausted, she wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. I can't fail. One of her blades suddenly faded away, vanishing into the air. She cursed. As she pushed all that was left of her chakra into the other blade, her vision momentarily blurred.

"Just give up, babe."

Babe. At first, she loved the nickname. Babe. It sounded intimate, making her feel special and appreciated. Until the nickname became a diminishment of her worth. Until she felt treated like a fragile doll, useless and incompetent. Now, every time she heard the nickname, all she wanted was to burn everything around her. To scream. She yearned to show him that he'd been wrong to toy with her. To betray her trust.

This time, she didn't suppress her emotions. The anger boiled into her veins, and she embraced the warmth. Her blood throbbed through her veins, screaming for revenge. Her mother had always insisted that she learned every step of the clan's rituals. She'd practiced for countless hours under the moon's light, until her feet were a bleeding mess, covered in blisters. You'll need to know how to protect yourself, my little bird. The men roaming this earth are consumed by greed. Trust me. Don't allow yourself to be fooled by any of them.

This time, she'd listen to her mother's advice. She relaxed her muscles, then took a first step. The blade cut through the air, lighter than a feather into her palm. Her body slowly remembered every move. She embraced the aching pain roaming deeply through her muscles as she sprung around. Then, she attacked. Again. And again. Kaiden couldn't follow her movements. The tip of her blade sliced his thigh, and she rejoiced at the sight of crimson blood pouring out of the deep wound.

Gasping, he pressed on the wound. He stumbled against the wall. It was over. She'd won. He let out a cry of pain. His neck muscles twitched as he clenched his jaw tightly.

"What did you do to me?"

"It's a little technique from my mother," she smirked. "The blades of the Earth Maiden turn everything they touch into stone. Soon, you won't even be able to bend your knee anymore."

She fed on the glint of fear that'd appeared into his eyes. She certainly wouldn't inform him that'd it revert back to normal in a few days. She coldly looked down on him, delighted. She didn't have to play the good nurse, right now.

He hissed. "You're just a worthless bitc-"

Her next punch threw him out of the building. His body made a new hole into the hospital's wall, and Aiya didn't bother to ensure if he'd survived the fall. She wanted him to suffer.

When she turned around, a pair of dark eyes was staring at her. Wiping the soot from the explosion on his cheek, Kankuro's face reflected an icy expression, colder than the night breeze blown by the desert. She froze. His voice snapped in the air, impatient.

"Explain yourself." There wasn't an ounce of warmth in his tone. If he'd heard anything from their previous conversations, the puppeteer wasn't stupid enough to not put the facts together. In her hand, the blade resorbed itself. It was too late to play the damsel in distress. "Is it true?" he continued. "Were you really an undercover spy all this time?"

She gulped down the sweet lies in her throat. It wouldn't help her. He'd see right through them. As always. So, she opted for a neutral truth. "It wasn't supposed to go that way."

His expression shifted. Sadness, pain, anger. "I don't care!" he burst. "Have you seen the state of the village? Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, people are getting hurt, the Kazekage's tower is in shambles…"

She gasped, feeling the guilt clawing at her stomach. "Is there any… casualties?"

She ignored the throbbing pain that shot up through her members as she approached him. His features hardened. He pointed the tip of his kunai towards her.

"Don't move," he snarled. "Stay back."

His eyes were cold, so cold. Devoid of any warmth. She shivered. She didn't try to push her luck by coming forward anymore. To him, she'd now become the enemy.

She set her personal feelings aside for the sake of her mental balance, and started to think as a true shinobi. It's time to go. But first, she needed to retrieve the bag laying at his feet. Aiya noticed that it'd been opened. Kankuro followed her gaze, and he scoffed.

"Are those scrolls the reason why you've betrayed us? Is that all we're worth to you?"

Breathless, he was staring at her as if he couldn't recognize the person in front of him. Even if she wished to remain truthful, she couldn't find any sufficient explanation. He wouldn't understand what those scrolls meant to her. They were all she'd left from her mother.

"I didn't have a choice."

"There's always a choice, Aiya. Or should I say Asuka? Is that your real name?" He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe it. "For three years. You've fooled us all. You've played your part well."

Something broke inside of her. Maybe whatever pieces were left of her heart. The glitching lights of the ceiling briefly reflected a glint of hurt in his eyes, until the anger engulfed everything. His hand tightened around the kunai. Aiya feared that he might set the bag on fire in the midst of his anger.

With his foot, he pushed the bag towards her. "Go." He couldn't meet her gaze. She felt as if she'd just been stabbed. Maybe being actually stabbed would have hurt less. "If I ever see you again, I won't hesitate to throw you in a cell."

"I-"

She couldn't find the words. She quickly picked up the bag from the ground, desperately making sure that the two scrolls hadn't budged. She walked up to the gigantic hole in the exterior wall, and paused for a second.

When he didn't add anything else, she jumped.

…

Aiya ignored the pain in her left leg as she limped through the streets of Suna. She needed to reach the meeting point. Buried under the rubble, she could hear some people yelling for help. Lost children were crying in the streets, asking for their parents. The streets smelled of pain and despair as she passed through them. It hung in the air, thick. It'd been a carnage. People were hurting. Dying. A little girl ran past her, a deep cut on her forehead. Her fingers subconsciously stretched out for the child. Anguished citizens were trying to help the injured. Asuka tightly closed her eyes. It's my fault.

Moving away from the middle of the street, she puked on the sidewalk. It left an acidic taste in her mouth. She dropped the bag on the ground, contemplating it. Lady Kiyo's words echoed into her mind. Sometimes, you can't have both. With a feverish hand, she gulped down a few military pills. She'd taken a decision.

She pulled out the Scroll of Life – the one that'd never listened to her. She gently put her hand on the scroll's seal, a delicate flower bud. A sudden sadness overcame her, raw and full of pain. Aiya didn't identify the feeling as her own, but the scroll's. It still mourned the loss of its former possessor. Droplets of salty water fell on the scroll's seal.

Aiya sniffled. "I also miss her."

The blond fell on her knees, roughly hitting the ground. She delicately put down the scroll. Her fingers grazed the seal, and she recalled the memories of her mother's teachings. Seven signs. Each of its own signification.

"Unseal," she murmured.

The bud shined of a soft light, gently opening its petals. Aiya anxiously unrolled the scroll. She grabbed a sharp rock. Following her mother's teachings, she cut her palm open. Squeezing her hand, drops of crimson blood fell on the parchment. Once the scroll recognized it as one of the clan's, the paper absorbed it until the reddish stain disappeared. The signs reorganized themselves on the parchment to form a series of new lines. Her eyes roved the lines of the parchments until it fell on the jutsu she'd been looking for. The Art of Healing. Leaning over, she studied it attentively.

Her nervousness slowly died at the back of her mind. For a moment, she felt as if her mother's hand was guiding her movements, rectifying the angle of her elbows and tilting her chin up.

"The Art of Healing: A Thousand Cranes," she called to the air, touching lightly the surface of the scroll with the tip of two fingers. "Release."

The scroll warmed up. Golden wings started to detach themselves from the paper. In the blink of an eye, a thousand cranes of gold were soaring in the sky. Like a rain of glitter, feathers were falling above the village. If you fold a thousand cranes, one's wish might come true. A cramp compressed her heart. Her body hit the ground. She couldn't feel the tip of her fingers anymore. Her vision darkened.

I'm sorry, mother. We won't be able to meet again, after all.

Author's note:

Hi everyone! This must be the longest chapter I've written so far. There's only a few chapters left to this story (at least that's what I've planned). It was originally supposed to be a short story of three to five chapters but... yeah. I messed up. The end of this story is near, and I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far. I'd also be happy for any kind of feedback about the story, it helps me a lot.

Have a nice day :)