Chapter 33: Seal Talk
"I'm sure we have much more to talk about," Baki admitted, stepping back into the conversation after Kankuro and Temari started bashing the Wind Council a little too long. "But I believe it's time for Temari and Gaara to head back. . . It's getting late, and you still need to move our stuff out of the hotel and into the palace."
"Wow, we really lost track of time," Kankuro mumbled, now noticing that the Sun's position had greatly shifted from when his siblings first arrived.
"That tends to happen when we start talking about the Council. Granted, they have their uses, but man are they a pain in the butt." Temari grumbled as she and Gaara got up from their seats. "Our escort probably didn't expect us to stay this long."
"I don't think they mind," Gaara mumbled, sneaking a look at the one guard that waited for them by the garden's exit. "As long as we're not getting attacked, they should be fine."
The four separated after that, with Temari and Gaara leaving their brother and sensei with a wave and a promise to visit them one more time before they were discharged. After picking up their stuff from the hotel and checking out, they made their way back to the palace, taking in the signs of destruction and battle as they went.
When they finally arrived, the escort disappeared as soon as the siblings stepped through the front door, leaving the two to enter the main foyer to see an elderly steward awaiting them. Dressed in a simple blue kimono, the woman looked at the two siblings with a serious, but welcoming glint in her eyes before bowing to them out of respect.
"Queen Temari, Prince Gaara, I am Hina Awase, the Head Steward. I will be escorting you to your rooms."
"Well then, lead the way, Lady Awase. . ." Temari prompted. The elder simply nodded before leading them up the staircase and into the eastern section of the palace. Leading them to a set of mahogany doors, Awase quietly opened them and allowed the two siblings to step inside before she did, giving them a moment to take it all in before speaking.
"Impressive. . ." The blonde mused as she looked around the well-furnished lounge room. It wasn't as opulent as she expected, but the simplicity that it displayed was greatly appreciated by the siblings, who preferred practically to outright gaudiness. "I'm guessing the closed doors lead to the bedrooms."
"Each with their own bathroom. The last room to the right holds a small dining room for meals," Awase added, nodding her head. "Queen Kushina will be arriving shortly to see how you both are settling in. The prince and princess will likely be here with her."
"How much time do we have before their arrival?" Temari was quick to ask as she opened the doors to the first bedroom.
"About a half hour, give or take," Awase announced as Gaara set down his gourd and took a seat on one of the chairs. "If you excuse me, I will take my leave now."
"Thank you, Awase . . ." Temari called out to her, the older woman quickly nodding in the blonde's direction before walking out the door. "I could possibly take a quick shower before they get here. Gaara, aren't you going to come and pick out a room for yourself?"
"I'm in no rush to pick one," He admitted as he leaned back in his seat, watching as his sister stepped out of the bedroom before stepping into the next one. He watched her continue the process with the other two rooms before settling with the first room she stepped into, just as footsteps could be heard approaching from down the hallway.
"So much for that shower Temari," Gaara dared to tease as the footsteps came closer. Temari walked out of her room with a scowl in her face, but quickly schooled it into a serene expression as most of the Fire Royal Family walked in.
While Shizuka and Naruto were still dressed in their ninja attire, Queen Kushina had changed into a loose light green kimono with white lily pads that dotted her sleeves and the bottom portion of her outfit. Her striking red hair covered her left shoulder, and her violet eyes quickly took in the room before settling on the siblings, greeting them with a small bow of her head, an action that Gaara and Temari reciprocated in kind.
"Good evening Queen Temari, Prince Gaara," She greeted as she clasped her hands behind her back. "I hope the rooms are to your liking."
"Oh, they are marvelous Queen Kushina," Temari said diplomatically, sneaking a look at her silent brother. "Thank you for having us."
"It is no problem. With the Showcase canceled, it only made sense to have you and your team moved into the palace," She explained as she took a seat in a nearby chair. "Speaking of your team, how is your brother and your sensei?"
"They are faring well. The doctors said that they'll be discharged in the coming days," The blonde explained as she took a seat in the chair across from her. "The visit was longer than we expected though."
"Really? How come?"
"When we arrived at the hospital, we found out that our father and his entourage's remains were in the mortuary, and we just had to see them for ourselves," Temari quietly admitted. ". . . It was an eye opener."
"Orochimaru is a snake, through and through, but assassinating a monarch is a new one, even for him," Kushina conceded as Naruto and Shizuka sat down. "I'm sure you have your share of questions for us. . ."
"We do, but I think they can be saved for when I speak with your husband, Your Grace," Temari admitted, her tone serious. "For now, I was hoping that we could discuss my brother's current issue."
"Yes, Shizuka has made me quite aware of Shukaku on the way here," Kushina mumbled as she snuck a look at her daughter. "How long has Shukaku been sealed inside you Prince Gaara?"
"Since before I was born."
"That's possible?!" Naruto practically exclaimed as his mother looked at her fellow redhead with a stoic gaze. Shizuka and Temari watched Gaara quietly, not speaking a word as they took in the conversation.
"It is, but it's not recommended," Kushina quietly announced, shaking her head in slight disgust. "Officially, you are not the first person to have a tailed beast sealed inside them before they left their mother's womb Gaara. . . There has been one documented instance before you."
"Really?!" Temari asked, slightly startled. "Who?"
"The current Water King, of course."
"You mean, the same king currently overseeing a civil war within his kingdom because of his paranoia over kekkei genkais?!" Temari exclaimed, absolutely in disbelief as she brought a hand to her face.
"The very same one. . ." Kushina answered, her tone calm. "The Water Kingdom may be the most closed off of the Big Five, but we still have ways of gathering information. . . King Yagura's uncle, the previous Water King, decided to make him the next jinchuuriki when his mother was only seven months pregnant with him. Apparently, his council vehemently advised against it, but their calls were unheeded."
"And look at their kingdom now . . ." Gaara mumbled, shaking his head. "Could his tailed beast be the one that has caused Yagura to go nuts?"
"I doubt it. . . Ryuna has said that Isobu happens to be one of the most reserved of her siblings. Even if he's sealed away, he'd rather just keep to himself." Shizuka mumbled.
"Kurama can back that claim up," Naruto added. "Apparently Isobu won't hurt a fly unless he's actually threatened. He'd rather talk things out then battle."
"You two talk to your tailed beasts regularly?" Temari was quick to ask, looking between the twins.
"Mom encourages it," Shizuka admitted. "She said that if we wanted to better understand the beings sealed inside us and wanted to use their power in the future, we had to start building a relationship with them."
"Hey, if it helped me get - somewhat - along with Kurama, then it could certainly help with you two, and look! I was right." Kushina practically gloated, grinning from ear to ear as her children shot her a look.
"Wait, rewind for one second," Temari ordered, her eyes widening again. "You just said that it helped me get along with Kurama . . . Queen Kushina, you're a jinchuuriki?"
"I was one," The queen clarified, her face darkening slightly. "Officially, I was the nine tails jinchuuriki before Naruto here."
"Was?! But how is that even possible?" Temari asked. "No jinchuuriki has ever survived having a tailed beast leave or be extracted from their body! How are you even alive right now!?"
"It's a long story," Kushina admitted as she gestured to herself. "I'm sure you are both curious to know what exactly happened, but that's a story best saved for another day . . . We're supposed to be focused on Gaara and Shukaku after all, not me."
"Yes, of course. . ." Temari mumbled. "So, is it possible for the tailed beast itself in general to cause their host to go nuts?"
"The tailed beasts are able to influence their hosts if they want, and some have done it more than others, but most tend to keep to themselves while in captivity," Kushina explained. "And then there are the instances where the seals do more of the influencing than the tailed beasts themselves."
"You mean the seals can be . . . faulty," Gaara concluded.
"Fuinjutsu is known as one of the most difficult ninja arts for a reason. Not everyone can do it, and certain seals should only be used by seal masters, not rookies," Kushina advised as she shook her head again. "Seals designed to hold a tailed beast have to be used with the utmost care. One mistake can negatively impact the beast, his holder, or both. . . If I'm going to tell you more, I'm going to need to see the seal myself."
"I see. . ." Gaara mumbled as Temari looked on encouragingly. He then looked down at himself and the jumpsuit that he wore, knowing that with his seal being on his stomach, he was going to have to change. "Can you give me a minute?"
"Take all the time you need."
Gaara quickly got out of his seat and made his way into one of the bedrooms before shutting the door behind him. Taking out the scroll that held all his sealed clothes, he quickly discarded his jumpsuit and changed into a pair of pants that he unsealed.
"Gaara, are you decent in there?!" Temari called out to him as she knocked on the door.
"Yeah, you can come in," Gaara called out, and it didn't take long for Temari to do just that, soon followed by Queen Kushina and the twins. When Gaara saw that Shizuka had walked into the room, he found himself suddenly self-conscious, especially since he was still shirtless.
Noticing that her brother had stilled slightly, Temari quickly followed his gaze until he saw that his eyes moved away from the princess, her grin obvious as she turned back around with her arms crossed over her chest. Naruto had noticed this as well, and simply looked on with a smirk on his face.
Queen Kushina was completely expressionless, and besides her eyes widening slightly, Shizuka didn't have that much of a reaction to the redhead's shirtless state, on the outside that is.
. . . It was an entirely different story on the inside.
"Okay, first things first, Gaara, I need you to lie down on the bed," Kushina ordered, pointing to the mattress. The redhead simply nodded before doing what he was told, lying back first on the bed, his eyes taking in the ornate ceiling.
"So, how exactly is this going to work?" Temari was quick to ask as she followed the older woman to Gaara's bedside.
"I need to see what seal was put on your brother," Kushina started off as her hand glowed with blue chakra. She brought it close to Gaara's stomach, waving it over his torso until the seal itself became plain to see.
It didn't take long for the scowl to show on her face.
"Yep; this seal was definitely not created correctly," She announced as she looked down at the ink. "Seals like this require a deft hand and a complete attention to detail, but this was almost haphazardly put together . . . I wonder if something happened to interrupt the process."
"You could say something like that, possibly," Temari mumbled, realization dawning on her face as she brought a hand to her chin.
"What do you mean Temari?" Shizuka asked, turning to her fellow blonde.
"The official story around Gaara's birth was that our mother died after giving birth to him, but the specifics have been kept confidential," She explained, shaking her head. "Not many were allowed in the birthing chamber that morning. Just a couple of nurses, our father, Ma, and Lady Chiyo, one of the senior elders on the Council."
"I've heard of Lady Chiyo. She's one of the most accomplished kunoichi your kingdom has ever produced, and a pioneer in the puppet arts," Shizuka mumbled as the chakra dissipated from her mother's hand.
"She's also skilled in the sealing arts, but I wouldn't call her a complete master in the subject," Kushina added. "Tailed beast sealing is something that royal families would trust to only people that are well versed in the subject, usually someone that's high ranking too."
"How high ranking are we talking here?"
"Usually to those with enough experience that it would earn them a spot in their kingdom's main council. . ." Kushina was quick to say. "Is there anyone on the Wind Council with adequate sealing experience that could have been trusted with this?"
"Only . . ." Temari started to say, her eyes narrowing as realization dawned on her. "Only Lady Chiyo . . . We really need to talk to her when we get back."
"You think?" Gaara mumbled as he looked up at her. "So, can my seal be fixed?"
"It can be reworked, but it's going to take me a bit of time," Kushina admitted. "Most of the work can be improved on, but some kanjis will have to be redone while others will have to be added . . . This process will also need a bit of work on your part Gaara."
"How so?" He asked, not liking where this was heading.
"How is your current relationship with Shukaku?" She asked in return. "Are you friends? Cordial? Or are things tense enough that the tanuki wouldn't hesitate to break out of his seal if given the first opportunity?"
"A combination of the last two," Gaara mumbled, shaking his head. "Will Shukaku try to break free while you're working on the seal?"
"Will he not?"
"Fair point," Gaara mumbled as he slowly sat up, just as the sound of footsteps could be heard in the other room. "Someone's out there."
"It's likely one of my husband's personal guards," Kushina mumbled, just as said guard appeared at the door. "I'm guessing Minato is ready for them now?"
"Indeed, he is Your Grace," The man announced as Gaara quickly got a shirt out of his scroll. "He's waiting for them in his office."
"Tell him that I'll lead them over," She ordered, and the guard quietly nodded before making his exit. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have to explain your seal issue to Minato."
"It's okay. If you're going to help us, the king must be made aware of it," Temari mumbled. "I'm just bracing for when the Wind Council is made aware of this. . . They're not going to be happy."
"Councils are never happy when they see their monarch make a decision that they don't or will not collectively approve of," Kushina mumbled. "You just have to be firm with your convictions, or else you let them run roughshod over you . . . Now then, let's get a move on, shall we?"
A/N: Please review!