Chapter 6 -The Tower
"Guys, are you seeing what I'm seeing!?"
At the sound of their sister's voice, Kankuro and Gaara both glanced at each other before following her gaze to see a towering red and grey structure about half a mile away. Considering its rather monotone surroundings, the building stood out like a sore thumb.
"Huh, that must be our destination, and we made great time too," Kankuro mumbled, a smirk stretching across his painted face. "Has an hour even passed since this challenge began?"
"Probably, but we'll know for sure once we get there," Temari clarified as she strapped her fan onto her back. She had been carrying it in her hands ever since their encounter with the Rain shinobi, just in case they encountered any other threats. "Hmm, maybe we did get the record. . ."
"We would have taken longer if someone would have just stopped to kill a few more shinobi along the way, but NOOO! That someone chose to ignore me to follow his precious siblings' lead instead."
"Are you still complaining about that? You need to get over it Shukaku.We have a mission to accomplish, and it does not include satisfying your damn bloodlust. . . If you're so worried about the remaining numbers, then don't worry. There's plenty of ways for shinobi to die in this place. It is called the Forest of Death for a reason, after all."
"C'mon guys, let's keep moving! We're in the homestretch now!"
Gaara, with a grumbling Shukaku still berating his mind, quickly followed after his sister, leaving Kankuro to bring up the rear. The siblings traversed the last stretch of forest they needed to get through before coming to a stop right at the base of the tower's stone steps. Two Leaf shinobi stood guard at the large bronze door, but other than them, there was no one else around.
"Damn, we really are early," Kankuro mumbled as he looked around the small plain that separated the tower from the rest of the forest. "It doesn't feel like there's anyone else around here but us and the guards. . . How much time passed again?"
"Do the math Kankuro! The clock above the entrance says it's 2:37. This test started around one . . . So, how much time is that in total?"
"That's, that's 97 minutes!" said Kankuro, his eyes widening in disbelief. "That is a record!"
"Good to know, I guess . . ." said Gaara, his monotone voice tinged with annoyance. "Let's go inside already. I'm starting to get a headache."
Quieting, Kankuro and Temari immediately knew from past experience that 'I'm starting to get a headache' was code for 'Shukaku's nagging the hell out of me again'. Not wanting to earn any more of their brother's ire, they followed him up the steps, looking like bodyguards rather than siblings.
When they finally reached the door, Kankuro showed the two guardsmen his team's Heaven and Earth scrolls, allowing them to check to see if they were the real deal. With both nodding their heads in approval, the guards opened the door before stepping out of the siblings' way, paying them no mind once the job was done.
The three entered the building and walked down the long, bare hallway, which eventually opened up into a large, bright room. It was completely bare, save for a large parchment that was hanging on the middle of the wall before them, and the closed doors on the walls left and right of the trio. Other than that, there was nothing else to take note of.
"If you are reading this, congratulations, you have successfully completed the second stage," said Temari, her eyes scrolling down the parchment. "You are now allowed to open your scrolls. Please note they must be opened at the same time."
"Open at the same time?" Kankuro mumbled as he handed the Earth scroll to his sister. "We traversed one of the most dangerous places in all the kingdoms to get here with these damn things . . . Might as well see what's inside them."
Gaara and Temari nodded before turning their attention to the scrolls. With a quick glance to each other, Kankuro and Temari slowly knelt down before opening the scrolls, rolling them out along the tiled floor. Both scrolls held the kanji pattern of a jutsu the siblings instantly recognized, and knowing how far reaching it can get, they took a few steps back as the scrolls disappeared in a large puff of smoke.
What emerged was someone that none of the three expected to see.
. . . Well, not so soon that is.
"BAKI!?" Kankuro yelled. "You are what the scrolls summon!?"
"Well, the scrolls you've been carrying all this time were indeed two halves of a summoning jutsu. And yes, as your assigned mentor, I was the one you summoned," said Baki as he moved his slightly skewed turban back into place. "As you well know, the goal of this round was for each team to bring one Heaven and one Earth scroll to the tower within the five-day time limit. . . What you weren't told was that the scrolls held summoning jutsus that would bring the teams' respective senseis or mentors to the tower."
"So, while we did all the work getting our asses here, you just waited somewhere quaint until it was time for us to summon you?" Temari asked, agitation crossing her face. Baki simply nodded in the affirmative. ". . . Talk about a freeloader."
"What I want to know is how exactly could this summoning even possible?" Kankuro mumbled as Baki actually scowled at Temari for her last comment. "The scrolls were randomized, weren't they!? How exactly were our scrolls able to summon you specifically?"
"It's pretty simple really. You'll find your answer if you just look up toward the ceiling."
"Cameras . . ." Gaara mumbled, not bothering to look up like his siblings did, their eyes widening as they spotted a camera in each corner of the room. "Let me guess: You and the other senseis stayed in an area with monitors connected to the cameras in this room, and when you finally saw us appear on screen, you reversed summon yourself here as soon as we opened the scrolls."
"You are absolutely correct Gaara." said Baki, allowing himself the smallest of smirks. "To be honest, I was a little surprised that I had to reverse summon myself so soon. I thought it would take you a few more hours to get here, not a little over 90 minutes . . . You broke the course record."
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about the Forest of Death anymore," the puppeteer mumbled as he scratched the back of his neck. "Now what?"
"So, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that we got here in record time. The bad news is that we have quite a wait on our hands," Temari announced. "Proctor Mitarashi gave us five days to get here, and we didn't even use up a tenth of that time."
"You can use this to your advantage," Baki advised, crossing his arms over his chest. "You'll have more time to observe and gauge the strengths and weaknesses of all the teams that make it through this round."
"If they make it through this round that is. . ." Shukaku couldn't help but add in, his tone still sounding quite annoyed due to the lack of deaths Gaara had a hand in back in the woods.
". . . Looks like you won't have to wait long to start analyzing either," Baki added as he looked behind them. "The next team has just arrived."
At the sound of incoming footsteps, the siblings turned to see that the team coming in included another royal. Princess Shizuka walked into the room first, followed by her teammates, the brunette Haruka and the lavender haired Nanami, soon after. All three took a quick look around at their surroundings before looking to see that the siblings and Baki were staring right back at them, as if they were daring them to do so.
"Huh, looks like we're not the first ones after all," said Shizuka as she turned to the brunette. "You know what that means Haruka."
"I take my winnings in crisp 10-yen bills Haruka." Nanami added, a small smirk gracing her face as her glasses poorly hid the amusement dancing in her eyes. The brunette could only scowl back at her, too annoyed to really say anything.
"The Fire Princess and her team huh? I doubt the rest of the teams will get here just as fast," Temari mumbled as the four watched the three as they walked up to the wall where the next set of instructions were posted. "Maybe the Fire Prince and his squad, but other than them; I just don't see it happening."
". . . At least we won't be completely alone here for the next five days."
Temari could only nod as she continued to observe the other team with Gaara and Baki. They watched as the girls opened their scrolls before jumping back, just as a cloud poofed into reality.
When the smoke faded, a tall, slender woman with pale skin and long pale blue hair tied into a loose ponytail stood in its place. She wore the standard Leaf shinobi flak jacket over a black short-sleeved shirt and matching shorts that stopped just above her knees. White bandages were wrapped around her arms until it went an inch past her elbows, while a black bandanna was tied around her head, a steel plate with the engraved Leaf insignia stitched across its front.
"Aw man! Their sensei's a babe!" Kankuro quietly whined, a small blush crossing his face. It disappeared once Temari slapped the back of his head. "What!? She's hot! Is saying that a crime?!"
"Keep your opinions to yourself Kankuro! We don't need you advertising to the whole world that you're crushing on another team's sensei!" Temari complained, obvious with her disapproval. "Besides, she's way out of your league anyway."
"Pfft! Really sis? She's out of my league?" the puppeteer asked as he pointed to said woman in question. "I'm the highest ranked prince of the Wind Kingdom! In truth, I'm probably out of her league!"
"You're out of her league Kankuro."
Baki's admission was matter of fact and blunt, very, very blunt. It shocked Kankuro, but amused Temari to the point of hiding her chuckling behind her hand. Gaara didn't bother with a reaction, his face both blank and unreadable.
"The woman you're talking about is Akame Ishida of Konoha's Ishida Clan. Their Reflection Jutsu has led the Ishidas to become one of the oldest, most respected, and most feared clans in all the kingdoms. Their status is on par with the royal families, including your own. . . Besides, I doubt she would waste her time with someone as hard-headed as you. You're taijutsu still needs work, your genjutsu could be improved on, and there's also the obvious fact that you're too young for her."
Kankuro was downright annoyed by Baki's sudden, and harsh, critique of him, showing his disapproval by glaring at the older man as Temari tried in vain to hold back her chuckling. Gaara was barely paying attention to the dispute, his eyes more focused on his fellow jinchuriki as she watched her teammates argue over something trivial.
"Careful Gaara. You don't want the girl to catch you looking at her do you!? She may think that you're a creep or something, and do you really want to leave that kind of impression on her?"
"Shut it Shukaku! Besides, I've been called worse and you know it." Gaara reminded him as he averted his gaze before Shizuka could notice him. It was in the nick of time too, because as soon as the redhead turned away, the blonde princess turned hers in his direction, something that didn't go unnoticed by Gaara and Shukaku alike.
"She almost caught you. . ."
"You think I don't know that Shukaku? You don't have to rub it in." Gaara retorted as he noticed that the girls' mentor was pointing in his team's direction. The group didn't linger for long, quickly disappearing behind the door on their right. "Where does that door lead to?"
"The door to the right leads to where all the beds are. Since this is a five-day challenge, the organizers thought it was best to have sleeping and eating arrangements prepared for the teams that arrived before time was up . . . The room to our left holds the cafeteria."
"Good to know, because I'm starving!" Kankuro exclaimed as he started making his way to the cafeteria. Temari and Baki followed after him, leaving Gaara behind as he continued to watch the door the girls' disappeared through. "Gaara, you coming!?"
Gaara turned his head to see his siblings and mentor standing by the door, waiting on him. The redhead silently walked over, sneaking one last look at the other door before following them into the cafeteria, hoping to whatever deity was up in the skies that his siblings and senseis wouldn't ask about it.
A ~ x ~ R ~ x ~ T
Later, in the middle of the night
"You're going to go find a freaking window so you can look at the moon again aren't you?"
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. It's my decision to make, and you just have to deal with it."
Gaara was currently sitting on his bed - one of many in the tower's large dormitory - thinking over what happened throughout the day, which wasn't much. His siblings and Princess Shizuka's team were the only ones that made it to the tower on the first day, and the teams never interacted throughout the afternoon. They were separated even in sleep, with Shizuka's team sleeping in the beds located in the middle of the room while the Sand Siblings made the far right corner of the room their base.
"If you go look at the moon again, you're just going to prolong my boredom. You're better off just going out into the woods, killing the competition as soon as they get here rather than wait for them for the next four days . . . At least it would be more entertaining."
"I guess we have very different ideas on the concept of entertainment. I'm not going to kill just because you need a bit of excitement in your existence." Gaara bit back as he looked at his team, both asleep in their respective beds. "I rathernot talk about this, period."
"Fine . . . What do you suggest we talk about then?"
"I want to talk about what happened earlier today, when your sister talked to us through your link with her. Do you have a similar link with all of your siblings?"
"Pretty much, but I don't use them unless I really want to speak to them, and that's barely,"Shukaku explained, sounding quite annoyed at the prospect. "What happened today with Ryuna was probably just a fluke. She's more of a 'one-and-done' kind of creature. . . It won't happen again."
"Why do I have the feeling that you're the least liked sibling in your family?"
"Don't. Even. Go. There. Fleshbag.I will forcibly take this body over if you say something like that again!Whether you like it or not! Don't try me!"
Gaara let the smallest of smirks show on his face, pleased with himself for managing to get under the tanuki's skin once again. Before he could try his luck with another witty reply, he noticed sudden movement from the corner of his eye.
He slowly turned his head to see Shizuka sitting up in bed, her face looking quite disgruntled as the hair that wasn't tied back into her loose ponytail stuck out in different directions. If it wasn't for the scowl on her face, Gaara would have thought she looked kind of cute in an awkward kind of way.
It was a good thing that Shukaku was still ignoring him. If he had heard that last thought, the tanuki would have rubbed it in his face for days.
He watched her as she slowly looked around the room, her eyes stopping when she spotted the redhead looking straight at her.
"See something you like Prince Gaara?" she asked, her drowsy voice carrying throughout the room fairly easily.
"Not exactly . . . I'm just a little bored, that's all."
"Real smooth genius! Real smooth!"
"I see . . . Well, I guess I should apologize then," Shizuka conceded. "I'm not that entertaining when I sleep."
"If you were thinking that I've been watching you while you slept, then don't worry, I didn't do anything of the sort," Gaara calmly explained, crossing his arms over his chest. "You only got my attention because I noticed you waking up."
"Hmm, well you don't even look remotely tired, now that I think about it," the princess mumbled as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "You're an insomniac, right?"
"That's correct . . . What gave it away?"
"The dark rings of course . . . You don't seem to be the kind of person that overtly paints their face like your brother right next to you, so I figured insomnia was the next best guess. Am I wrong?"
"I love how she just figured it out while critiquing your brother in one smooth move. Don't you?"
"Well, you're not wrong," Gaara conceded.
"I've met people who've suffered from insomnia before, but the bags under their eyes do not even compare to yours. . . I'm not sure if you've heard this before, but has anyone told you that you look like a tanuki because of them?"
"So, there is someone on this planet that won't compare you to a raccoon or panda at first glance,"said Shukaku, his voice sounding strangely pleased. "I like her already."
"Well that's a change. . . You usually don't like people, including me," said Gaara as he watched the blonde swing her feet to the ground, slipping on her sandals soon afterward. "Hmm, most just compare me to pandas or raccoons. . . You're the first in a long time to make the tanuki comparison."
"Well, let's just say that I have a tendency for saying things that aren't expected and leave it at that." Shizuka suggested as she stood up and stretched. "So, what's it like?"
"What's what like?"
"The insomnia of course," she clarified, her words catching Gaara a little off-guard. "It must be frustrating, right? Never being able to get a good night's sleep while everyone else around you can . . . Must be lonely for you, in a way."
"Except for the annoying tailed beast in my head that keeps badgering me to kill people every five seconds, including you . . ." Gaara thought, his mental roommate not amused in the slightest. "Why are you asking me this?"
"Call me curious, I guess. . . Besides, it's not every day I meet someone like myself."
"Someone like yourself? How so?"
"Don't play dumb. It's not a good look on you anyway . . ." she dared to tease, her words immediately getting Shukaku to cackle. "Anyway, isn't it obvious? You're a jinchuriki, just like me."
"And how can you tell?" the redhead decided to ask as he watched her walk toward the door.
"Well, Shukaku has always been known as the tailed beast that prevents his vessels from ever sleeping. Something about threatening to take over their bodies if they fell asleep, something like that. Plus, the very noticeable rings around your eyes is a dead giveaway . . . I'm guessing you have known about me and my brother for a while now."
"My siblings and I have had our suspicions." came Gaara's reply. He would have raised an eyebrow at the realization, well, if he had any.
"I see . . . Well then, this should be an interesting Showcase after all. I've heard that all of Shukaku's jinchuuriki tend to share the same abilities, so I do have a feeling I know what to expect from you," Shizuka admitted, looking over her shoulder to address the redhead. "However, something tells me that you're different from the ones that came before you."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Gaara couldn't help but ask as the princess opened the door.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see . . ." was all she was willing to say, leaving for who knows where before Gaara could say anything further.
"Well, that was different." mumbled Gaara as he watched the door close shut. "What? Nothing to say? Cat got your tongue?"
"Don't joke with me. I have no time for your jokes," mumbled Shukaku."And as for the princess, the last bit that she said . . . I highly doubt those words were purely coming from her."
"What do you mean by that? Her tailed beast was influencing her speech?"
"It's possible . . .Just make sure you watch out for her. With Ryuna being the one sealed inside her, that girl is very much a threat. One that you should always be wary of."
"Thanks for the heads up . . ." Gaara thought, his opinions on the Fire Princess more messed up now than they were earlier that morning. "I guess I'll just have to keep your advice in mind."
A/N: Leave a comment if you like!