Chapter 2 - On the Move
"Hmm, that was quite an interesting little talk,"Shukaku mumbled, his voice sounding vaguely interested as Gaara continued to travel through the palace hallways within his cloud of sand. "It seems things got a little testy between you two at the end of that conversation."
"Say what you want Shukaku. I'm too irritated togive a fuck at the moment," the young prince grumbled as they came to a stop in front of a large set of ornate bronze doors. "Right now, I just need to focus on preparing for my mission, just like the damn king ordered."
"Oh, you and your daddy issues. Sometimes it's just plain sad. Other times, it's quite entertaining to watch."
Gaara ignored the remark as he opened the door and stepped into the quiet refuge that was his bedroom. It was fit for a prince, large in size and furnished with the best furniture available. The two floor-to-ceiling windows on the room's far wall gave the redhead an amazing view of the village. However, he preferred the view he would get from the palace's roof; the roof just gave the encompassing view he liked that the windows just didn't. Bypassing the king-sized bed he never used - for obvious reasons - Gaara sat down in his lounge chair, his arms crossed over his chest as his thoughts slowly went back to the discussion he had with his father earlier.
"Sealing a tailed beast within a member of the royal family is how we maintain our power . . . You were the one deemed the most compatible with Shukaku's chakra. That compatibility made you the prime candidate for the sealing."
"Father has three children, and yet I was the one lucky enough to be born with chakra that was compatible to Shukaku's own," the redhead grumbled to himself. "I had to be born with the short end of the stick . . ."
"Don't blame me for that one! Your father could have easily sealed me away in someone else that was compatible with my chakra, maybe into the child of a trusted advisor or general but no, he didn't. He didn't want to risk that power going to someone else, someone who would betray him in the long run.Your father decided to adhere to tradition and chose to consolidate the family's power after all, and he did it with you, ensuring that you had a fate that only a rare few are privy to . . . The love is strong in your family, don't you think?"
"Only with my siblings, I guess. Love is toostrong a word to describe the relationship I have with my father," Gaara slowly stated, looking at nothing in particular. "Our relationship is tolerable at best."
"Oh, trust me, I've witnessed quite a lot between you two. You don't have to tell me twice,"Shukaku cackled as the redhead leaned back into his seat. "You can cut the tension in the air with a kunai whenever you two are in the same room together. It's so obvious that I wouldn't be surprised that your relationship with him is a favored topic in the gossip circles."
"With what he's done to this family already, especially to me, I guess you can say that my feelings toward him can't be helped," he grumbled as a knocking sound erupted from the door. "Who is it?"
"It's only me!" came his sister's reply. "Just wanted to let you know that we're gathering in the main foyer at dawn, so don't be late!"
"I wouldn't dream of it," Gaara quietly murmured as he listened to his sister's footsteps grow quieter as she walked away. "Well, at least there will be something good that comes out of this mission."
"And what would that be hmm? That you'll get to beat the frustration you have toward your father out on your unsuspecting competition?"
"I meant that I won't have to see my father's face fora while, but in a way, what you said isn't untrue either."
"Of course it's fucking not! I have been watching you fight ever since you were a little tyke with a teddy bear. You may not want to admit it to yourself, but you can't hide it from me,"Shukaku said, his drunkenly teasing voice starting to border on grating. "I know how you think in a fight Gaara. I've seen how your mind works in the midst of battle."
"And how exactly does my mind work from your perspective Shukaku?"
"You try to hide it, but it's obvious once you look between the lines. You enjoy venting out your anger on others sometimes, as if they're convenient little punching bags ready to use at your disposal. Even with your 'stationary' style of fighting, the way you fling around your opponents with your sand is quite fun to watch."
"You make it sound like I'm actually proud of inflicting pain on others."
"You should be! Personally, I'd be annoyed if you didn't. I tend to take pride in my kills. I expect my jinchuriki to do the same!"
"That is so enlightening. It really is, but sorry, I do not take pride in my kills like you do with yours. When I fight, it's mainly out of self-preservation, not because I want to feel superior."
"You disappoint me."
"This wouldn't be the first time I've heard that line said to me," said the redhead as he walked over to one of the windows. Shukaku indeed wasn't the first person to say those three words to him before. His father was quite a repeat offender in that regard, though it had lessened in recent years. "The Shinobi Showcase . . .What do you make of it?"
"I see it as a prime opportunity for you to crush your opponents underneath your sandals. The wimps you'll face will witness the power of our sand, and their blood will spill at our feet."Shukaku growled in excitement as the redhead sat down on the windowsill.
"Does that include the ones that hold your siblings? The Fire Prince and his sister could be jinchuriki, but then again, they could not. It's not a certainty Shukaku."
"I'll know for certain once we reach the Fire Kingdom's main village. Trust me, just get me within the vicinity of the royal family, and once we're close, I'll know who the jinchurikis are."
"You sound very confident on this Shukaku," said Gaara, speaking out loud instead of in his head for once. "Huh, I never thought you were one for family reunions."
"My feelings are mixed when it comes to my family. On one hand, I hate Kurama with an absolute passion, but on the other hand, Ryuna happens to be the most tolerable of my siblings."
"Why exactly do you hate Kurama?"
"He holds on to this stupid belief that the more tails a tailed beast has, the more power he or she possesses. Which means to him, I'm the weakest in the family!He can't help but remind me of this "fact" whenever we see each other, even though he isn't the strongest one himself! Fucking piece of shit . . ."
"I'm not intending to be a devil's advocate here, but honestly, is he wrong to believe in such a thing?"
"The only one that believes in that stupid idea of his is Kurama himself! No other beast believes that fallacy. I just happen to be the only one that voices it! However, with the kind of power he possesses, it's hard to refute his claim if you do try to challenge him . . .Being the beast with the second most tails has really done a number on his ego over the years. It's quite sickening if you ask me."
"And what about Ryuna?"
"Ryuna is no Kurama, thank the heavens for that . . ! While Kurama acts like the boastful prick that he is, my eldest sister is more of the 'silent observer' type. She doesn't speak much, preferring to watch the action unfold before speaking her piece, and yes, when she speaks, the rest of us listen. It's kind of the rule in the family since she's the eldest and commands the most respect after all . . ."
"I can understand that . . . Continue."
"Yeah, I was going to flesh bag, so don't interrupt!" the tanuki grumbled, a little annoyed at the interference. "Anyway, she usually minds her own business and willingly isolates herself most of the time. . . Now that I think about it, it would explain why she has always managed to be better at hiding from you shinobi than the rest of us put together. She avoids your villages like they're the plague."
"Well, she may have been the best at hiding, but her hiding streak didn't last forever, or else she would still be hiding instead of being in the Fire Kingdom's possession." said Gaara as he shook his head. Shukaku simply growled at him for his statement, but the redhead ignored him in favor of looking out his window.
He remained there till dawn was near. Gaara quickly gathered what he needed, which was minimal at best, and sealed them away in a few scrolls before putting them away in his ninja pack. After quickly changing into a new set of clothes, he walked over to one of his bedside dressers to retrieve the lone item inside: a single beige and gray scroll. He opened it and unlocked the seal inside, unleashing a large plume of smoke that dissipated to reveal a large gourd of sand now standing in front of him.
Gaara quickly grabbed it by the strap and hiked it over his shoulder before disappearing in a cloud of sand. The sand traveled through the palace, weaving itself through the hallways until it stopped in the large foyer where he was supposed to meet the rest of his team.
"Alright, I'm here," said the redhead as he emerged from his sand cloud. "Now I just have to wait for the others. They better not take too long."
"You don't have to worry about me, but Kankuro and Baki may be a different story." said Temari as she emerged from behind a nearby pillar.
"What do you mean by that?" said Gaara as his cloud of sand disappeared into his gourd. "And how long have you been there?"
"Only a few minutes . . . And as for Kankuro, he's still trying to figure out which puppet to bring with him," Temari grumbled as she adjusted the position of the iron fan strapped to her back. "He does this practically every time he's sent on a mission, but he always ends up picking the same two puppets every time. . . Every fucking damn time!"
"Can't a guy be picky with his puppets and not be criticized for it!?" exclaimed Kankuro as he walked up from down the hallway. "Also, watch the language sis! You're the heir, the Crown Princess. You're not supposed to be using that kind of language missy!"
"Don't try to reprimand me little brother!" Temari replied back as she shot him an agitated look. "I don't need you to nitpick what I say. The elders and court ladies do that enough already. . . Besides, I rarely curse, and when I do, I do it with good reason."
"Me having a tendency to take the time to pick out my puppets before a mission is not a good reason for you to curse me out." Kankuro flatly stated, his face a full on deadpan as he glared at his sister.
"But like Temari said, you do tend to pick the same two puppets every time," said Gaara, entering the conversation. "So what's the damn point in your whole puppet picking process anyway? It's a waste of time that could be better spent on other stuff."
"Gaara, you are so not helping here," grumbled the puppeteer prince as Temari shot him a superior grin. "Why couldn't you have just stayed silent and kept yourself out of the conversation like you usually do?"
Gaara refrained from answering his brother's question, his eyes paying more attention to what was coming down the main hallway than his sibling. Noticing how the redhead was looking past him instead of at him, Kankuro followed his gaze to see Baki and their father walking toward them, the latter still in the clothes he wore when they saw him in his office earlier in the night.
"Huh, looks like Dad's has decided to send us off in person after all," Temari mumbled, not looking very impressed at the moment. "That's something I haven't seen in a long while."
"He must have slept in those clothes, or didn't sleep at all. He looks tired as hell." Kankuro muttered as he shook his head. Unlike his two siblings, Gaara remained silent, his eyes conveying how annoyed he was as his father and their mentor finally reached the three.
"Good, you all appear ready to go," said the king as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you all certain that you have gathered what you need for this mission to be successful?"
"I believe we have everything covered," said Temari, sharing a look with her brothers before turning to her father. "So, any other parting words you'd like to share before we go Dad?"
"C'mon sis, don't be too hard on the old man," Kankuro admonished as he shot his older sibling a quick smirk. "Let him have his moment to try to act like a father instead of acting like a king for once. We can at least give him that much."
"Can you two stop with the foolish antagonizing for just one minute?" asked Baki as a stoic look remained on the king's face. He was showing no emotion, but the siblings had a feeling their words were leaving their mark. "Your father came down here to give some last minute remarks to you three before we head off. You can remain quiet for just a little longer can you?"
"That depends . . . You're going to give us the usual spiel of how despite being on a mission, we still need to act in accordance of our station in this family aren't you?" Temari mumbled, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
"Why would I tell you something that has been ingrained into your heads since you learned how to talk?" their father bluntly replied back as he looked at his only daughter, answering her challenge with ease. Temari resisted the urge to scowl even more, choosing to look at some of the tapestry on the walls instead of her father's face. "Anyway, I came down here to say one last thing to you before you leave: Watch out for the teams from the Sound Kingdom."
"The teams from Otogakure?" Kankuro asked, curiosity lining his face. "What trouble have they been causing?"
"They haven't done anything notable yet. However, there have been rumors swirling around that the Sound Kingdom may try something during the Showcase. We've been trying to validate these claims, but all the leads have been coming up empty so far," explained Baki as he slightly shook his head. "The Sound has always been one of the best when it comes to keeping their secrets, well, secret, and when one of their secrets do come out, it's very hard to determine if there's any truth behind it."
"Great, as if we have enough things to worry about," grumbled Kankuro as he placed a hand on his hip. "So what? Should we avoid any teams from the Sound unless we can't help it?"
"That will be the way to go during your time in Konoha. You will avoid any contact with Oto shinobi unless it's absolutely necessary." the King simply stated as sunlight began to pour in through the windows.
"And if the Oto shinobi do decide to make contact?" Temari asked as the guards manning the entrance started to pull the doors open.
"Don't respond to them, and if they don't get the message, deal with them as best as you know how," came the king's response as the early morning breeze traveled into the room. Temari simply nodded before running out the palace, Kankuro following close behind her. The king turned his head just in time to see his youngest child turning away from him before running after siblings, and he couldn't help but notice the hint of disdain in the redhead's eyes just before he left. "Dammit . . ."
"You would think that those three could have at least waited till you had dismissed them before leaving." Baki grumbled as he took a step forward, his eyes watching the three receding forms in the distance.
"It can't be helped," said the king as he started the long walk back to his office. "Besides, what child actually listens to their parents at their age anyway? You're dismissed, Baki. I expect good results. Don't fail this kingdom."
"Yes sir . . ." Baki replied before following after his subordinates, running past the open palace doors, down the long clay staircase, and down the main road that led to the palace gates before. He managed to overpass the siblings just as they set foot into the village's downtown area.
"Oi Baki! Glad you could finally join us!" Kankuro practically cackled as the four made their way down the village's main avenue, bypassing still-closed and just-opening shops as they went. "I was starting to get worried that you would never catch up, old man."
"Oh be quiet you," the turban wearing shinobi ordered, not wanting to hear the mockery. "I don't need your sarcasm right now Kankuro."
"You're only acting like this because we didn't wait for father to dismiss us before leaving the palace. . . You're not going to say it for yourself, but we all know that what I just said was true." said Temari, her face smug as she pointed out the obvious.
"It really is that obvious," Kankuro added, letting out a small chuckle. Baki remained silent as the two elder siblings continued to share jabs with each other. As for Gaara, who was bringing up the rear, he remained silent as he looked around at the surroundings that they would soon be leaving.
He observed how still the village was, and how it was only now coming alive for the day. Shopkeepers along the row were busy setting up their businesses for the day ahead, their faces looking eager to make their daily profits. Village police continued to go along their patrols and normal citizens went along on their walks to who knows where. When the people noticed the royal team running by, they stopped and stared at the group, many bowing their head slightly in respect. However, the peoples' eyes quickly went the other way as soon as they looked at the redhead, and Gaara knew their reason why.
They looked away because they knew what was inside him. They knew that he was the jinchuriki for the One Tails. They knew he was cursed since birth, forced to live with the demonic entity for the rest of his life for the sake of maintaining the current political structure.
The people were either too scared or too simple-minded to separate him from the tanuki, the boy from the monster. Some people even believed that he was Shukaku in human form, rather than just his vessel. Regardless of their reasoning, people were simply scared of him, terrified even, enough to not make contact with the young boy unless absolutely necessary, which was minimal. . .
"Hmm, I just love it when people look away from us all scared and shit. I don't even need to lift a finger to make them terrified. They just look and turn their heads once they see you incoming Gaara."
"You may love it, but I don't. . ." the young redhead grumbled as the group reached the Suna Wall, a towering structure that was part of the natural barrier that wrapped around the village like a protective fence. The four ran through the main opening, which was a large, yet slim, crevice within the wall, emerging into miles and miles of desert as far as the eye could see.
"It takes about three days to get to Konoha from Suna. Let's go! This isn't a leisure trip so be on your toes!" Baki called over his shoulder. Temari and Kankuro both nodded in agreement while Gaara offered no response, the latter still thinking over the reactions he got from the people they just passed by. Baki ignored the lack of reaction from the redhead, choosing to look ahead at the mission before them.
Things would not get easier from here.
A/N: Okay, so as you can probably guess from reading above, the dynamic between Suna and Oto will be a little different in this story compared to what it was in the canon storyline. To find out more, well, you'll just have to read to find out.