Moon's Light, Reality's Dream

Author Note: Hey! It's Lisa. I'm very glad to post up the appearance of Gaara and Kakashi. It's going to be a really long story, so it has to start off slow like this. It'll pay off in the end, I swear. I do see that the story gets hits every day, and well, I can't complain, except to Amy, of course...But I do have to selfishly wonder if anyone enjoys the story at all.

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Moon's Light, Reality's Dream
月の光、うつつの夢
Chapter Three - 無力 (Powerless)




感覚は夢を浮上してるようで
This sensation is like a floating dream
想像上の痛みなどより
It is more than just imagined pain.


Once her eyes fell on the man in front of her, Tsunade began seriously doubting how long she could remain calm. The more she looked at Danzou and his smug, overconfident face, the more she envisioned just how satisfying it would be to slam her fist into that face. Repeatedly. This man had always held such great loathing for her grandfather, and now that feeling had shifted to an ever growing hatred for her. Perhaps it was childish, but his obvious contempt for her didn't leave her much inclined to warm, fuzzy feelings towards him. She had only the small satisfaction of knowing she did have the one thing he so desperately wanted, a specific title that left this obvious traitor without the power he sincerely thought he deserved. He already had more than enough power to make Tsunade shift uncomfortably in her seat whenever she thought about it. If Danzou should ever become Hokage, that day would spark true fear for Konohagakure. Though, as long as she remained alive and strong, there would never be a chance for him to lay claim to the title of Hokage. For that reason alone, she was determined to hold the chair until someone worthy, someone she could believe in, appeared. For all of his posturing and posing, it was impossible to believe that Danzou had Konoha's best interests in mind. The only things that interested him were the schemes and desires locked in the shriveled black thing he called a heart.

“Tsunade-Hime.” That was the name Danzou used to get away with not addressing her by the title of Hokage. His casual, short tone indicated that this chilling man was almost as thrilled to see her as she was to see him. Tsunade met his eyes with a look that would have shot daggers, if it could. “You’ve called upon me in such a haste. I wonder, is something the matter?”

“We specifically agreed that when you send out a member from Anbu Root that you would first consult me. I'm certain I'm not mistaken in this matter.” She kept her voice even, trying not to raise it unnecessarily in spite of her complete and utter dislike for him. “You sent out two operatives today without my permission. Explain yourself.”

Danzou’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest, as he'd obviously expected something like this to happen. The moment the summons to an audience with the Hokage was delivered to him, he'd almost certainly correctly guessed at the reason for it. He laughed gently, fake kindness oozing from him as he spoke. “Sunagakure has requested Anbu protection. Godaime Kazekage has been receiving many threats, as I'm sure you can imagine. I simply couldn’t deny such a request. Forgive me, Princess Tsunade. I had every intention of informing you immediately.” There seemed to be amusement glinting in his evil, dark eyes which shifted slightly to the left as he bowed his head. The movement was the smallest forward inclination, barely enough to keep him just short of outright rudeness. “I do have the letter that came requesting assistance.”

Tsunade didn’t underestimate him, nor did she believe he had the nerve to directly lie to her. Danzou was a lot of unpleasant things, but stupid wasn't one of them. The letter would read exactly what he had just said, though one and one were definitely not adding up to two, here. She took the paper from him regardless, barely restraining herself from snatching it rudely out of his hand. Suna asked for aid from Konohagakure Anbu, but from Root? Could anyone in Suna even really know much about the shadowy Anbu Root organization when so few even in Konoha did? She dropped her eyes from his to the letter and skimmed it carefully. The date on the paper was from months ago. Of course, he ‘simply couldn’t deny such a request’ months later. Tsunade let the letter fall from her fingers, and then slowly crossed her arms. She wanted his real motives, but she knew that she would fail at getting them. Direct confrontation never worked with Danzou. He was much too good at covering his tracks, using his slippery nature to hide the things he didn't want discovered. No, this was a matter that she would have to send her own Anbu to look into.

“You waited months to respond to Baki’s letter,” She leaned in across her desk a little, watching Danzou smug smile grow a little more. “Why?”

“Sadly, these things sometimes fall through the cracks. At the time the letter was received, I had my best operative already out on an important mission. Besides, better late than never.” The simple response made the Sannin shift uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes flashing angrily. His method might have been indirect, but to Tsunade, Danzou had basically just flat out said he was up to no good. She ended the unsettling conversation with a nod and a quick glance to Shizune. The dark haired woman took the hint and turned Danzou, bowing respectfully, even if she did dislike the man as much as her master did. They both had all the reasons they needed to fuel that intense feeling of distrust.

"Thank you, Danzou-sama.You are dismissed."

Tsunade smirked a little at the overly pleasant tone Shizune used to issue what must've felt to Danzou like a blunt slap in the face. She kept her eyes directly off of his face, watching him only peripherally, and tried not to feel the satisfaction that rose from the sour twist to his mouth as he turned to go. He didn't bother to bow, nor did he speak again, choosing instead to simply vanish through the doorway. The Sannin didn't mind that very much, as her mind was immediately drawn to wondering which Anbu she should send out after Danzou's little ferrets. With a sigh she skimmed slowly through the list of operatives, already feeling a headache starting just behind her eyes.

Shizune practically hovered over the front of Tsunade's desk with an obviously worried expression sharpening her soft features. It really didn’t look right on her. She studied the niece of her late lover closely and felt an unpleasant squeezing sensation in her chest, as if feeling a fist there, locked tightly around her heart. The look on Shizune's face was beginning to match the same intense stare that Tsunade would rather forget at the moment. That look never sat well on Dan's face, either.

“Tsunade, we have to do something about Danzou.” Tsunade almost smiled at Shizune's words. Almost. And then a sudden thought came to her.

“That much is quite clear. Tell me, is Nisei back from her last assignment?” Tsunade looked steadily at the woman whom she considered her closest friend, the only person she felt she trusted completely with any situation, no matter how sensitive. Shizune was also the only person who ever understood the clutter in Tsunade’s head, especially when she was making decisions. She knew Shizune would argue against the request for Nisei, but she would fail at that argument long before she ever won it.

“Hai, Tsunade sama.” Shizune’s stance changed, her posture becoming stiff, and withdrawn as she straightened. “She and Kouki took the team out to deliver the shipment of-“ She stopped herself, seeing Tsunade’s pointed look. She knew all of that already. “They were ambushed by Suzuki Akira and his band of rogue ninja. No one was seriously injured. The boy, Ishida, took a nasty wound to his leg, but it’ll heal without any problems. Sakura chan started working on it straight away.”

“I’m glad to hear all went well. And what of Nisei’s condition?” Tsunade's voice was sharp. She knew Shizune was dancing around the main point of the conversation, and she chose to let the other woman know of her awareness. “I know that you wish to protect Nisei’s feelings. But her tactical skills, her keen senses, and even her experiences in the past all contribute to what we need right now. Send for her, and inform Kouki that he is to pick up Nisei’s team.” She lowered her eyes back to the paperwork in front of her, wordlessly signaling that the conversation was over and she now simply expected to be obeyed. Without question.

“It’s not that I wish to protect her feelings!” Shizune’s sudden outburst caused the Hokage to raise an eyebrow. “Even though you’re looking at me like that, I'm telling you that you have my reasons all wrong. Nisei is too powerless when it comes to her emotions. I’ve seen it.” Unfortunately, 'without question' almost never worked on Shizune.

“So not only are you concerned about Nisei as a person, but you are also concerned about her feelings,” Tsunade's soft laughter seemed to echo through the room. “I know that you mean well and your heart is in the right place, but do not underestimate Nisei. There is a reason why she is an Anbu captain. I saw to it. I’ve allowed her a break, giving her these young operatives to train, but now it’s time for her to start doing some field work. She needs it.”

“But…” Shizune's voice cut off abruptly as Tsunade raised both her hand and her eyebrow, signally that the conversation was now definitely at it's end. Their eyes met, locking in frigid glares. Shizune faltered and looked away first.

The Hokage never loses the argument.


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Hitori leaped quickly up the high, rocky promontory followed like a mirror image by Yomi. The odd looking pair crouched side by side as they surveyed the miles of desert in front of them. Less than ten minutes before, a brief, but ferocious sandstorm had hit suddenly, barely leaving them enough time to shelter in a cave at the base of the rocks they were currently perched upon. Sunagakure wasn’t very far off, not if they kept moving at the speed they'd been traveling with previously. The miles seemed like practically nothing after the years of missions across all sorts of terrain on foot. This journey wasn’t anywhere near as tiring as some they'd been on. The two days travel had been easily trimmed by at least twelve hours. As she leapt back down into the sand, Hitori was thankful that Yomi was able to talk and keep up, even as his sandals sank and slid in the deep grains at every push against the soft surface.

“You’re in quite a rush,” He finally huffed out several miles later, still following closely next to her, and sounding only barely fatigued. If nothing else, Yomi was definitely a trooper. “When you arrive, are you just going to pull out Danzou’s letter and wave it around, or will you actually have the nerve to hand it to the Sand’s Kazekage yourself? I heard that he’s pretty intimidating in person.”

Hitori spared him a glance, but never slackened her pace. “I have never met such a person.”

A leering image of Danzou flitted through Yomi's mind, but he pushed it away in irritation.“You will, even if you are Anbu. Sure, you’ll be able to hide it, but you won’t be able to deny feeling it. It’s a specific aura that the person gives off. It’s the look in their eyes,” Yomi’s arms moved to better elaborate, caught up in his own words. “You’ve faced a lot of scary bastards in your days, but it’ll be different when you feel it.” 'Trust me on this one,' he added silently, swallowing hard against the lump that formed in his throat when he thought about what now lay ahead of his friend.

She didn’t feel obligated to answer since she'd never personally experienced such a thing. Her mind was trained to be unemotional, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even begin to imagine what intimidation felt like. Yomi kept his eyes on the terrain before them, but she could tell how tense he was by the lack of his usual grace of movement. For once, she actually wished she could think of something to say. As much as Hitori wanted to enhance her conversational skills, she felt completely incapable of doing so at the moment. The miles were slowly slipping by, and soon Yomi would be forced to turn back and leave her on her own. She couldn’t help but feel something that must be a lot like apprehension. Yomi knew all about her lack of personality, and had obviously tried to help her overcome her 'failings.' Not that it was her job to appeal to the Kazekage’s liking, but some things were expected, even from a Konoha Anbu. It was true that not many trusted the Anbu ninja from Root, mainly because of who the head of the organization was. It had never been a secret that they all functioned as Danzou's eyes, ears, and hands. Hitori knew she couldn’t use that excuse to be distant, though. Doing so would accomplish nothing more than giving them another reason to distrust her, and her mission was looking difficult enough already.

“Ready?” Yomi asked, looking at Hitori for a long moment. Of course she was ready, and the look she shot him in return said as much. It was a stupid question to ask. No one in Anbu cared if you were ready or not. She gave a silent nod, and without looking back, continued on further towards the rocky outcropping just before the village itself.

Yomi crouched half-concealed behind a large rock, one hand resting lightly on the ground as he watched the guards stop Hitori at the entrance to Sunagakure. She retrieved the letter from within her sleeve and casually handed it over, making no sudden or threatening movements. He studied the looks on their faces, releasing his held breath in relief when they relaxed their posture a little, their less suspicious gazes following her as they stepped out of her way. A sigh tried to rise within him, but he choked it off. There was no reason to start feeling all melancholy now. Sure, their room would be empty when he returned to it, but even while Hitori was there, the room still sometimes felt just as empty and quiet. Though, he knew he would miss being able to run his mouth to someone who would listen and never interrupt him. At least he knew she was really listening, which was more than he could say of the walls. With one last glance back at his partner's diminishing figure, Yomi turned and ran hard, heading back towards Konoha.

The blue-black night sky had started slowly fading into the deep purple before the pink and gold explosion of dawn. It was cold in the village, but the temperature always dropped like that in the desert at this hour, she remembered somehow. Particles of sand brushed over her legs, and even they held a slight chill against her warm skin. It felt good after the long run. The almost unnatural quiet around her caused her to speed up a little, the soft soles of her shoes barely whispering through the sand under her feet. She didn’t want to linger in the streets between these thin-walled houses where anyone might be able to hear her passage. Despite making her way quickly along the sandy paths, she did take her time to study over the buildings of the community. Sunagakure slept soundly, it seemed.

The Kazekage tower was located at the center of the village, spiraling up into the sky, and quite unlike anything Hitori was used to seeing in Konoha. One foot after the other, she slowly made her way cautiously forward. No one seemed to be patrolling this building, and she felt confusion rising in her mind. That was worst move that the sand shinobi could make, if they actually wished to adequately protect their Kazekage. Then again, she had more than enough reason to believe that the villagers did not fully respect Gaara, nor want him for their Kazekage. Maybe no one truly cared at all. She opened the large door with ease, wondering if her mission was going to being even too difficult for her, after all, and was met with a long, rocky stairwell.

Both of Hitori’s hands met the door as she backed up wearing a look of grim determination and pushed off, sprinting up the staircase, conquering two at a time until she made it to the top. The quiet pre-dawn stillness only seemed to taunt her. It was always busy in Konoha, no matter what hour of the day or night. The sound of her tanto sliding free was barely a whisper as she pulled it from the sheath strapped to her back. She continued warily, with small, silent, measured steps. The first room she encountered was spacious and sparsely furnished, but obviously not the room she was looking for. She backed out into the hallway and began methodically searching, opening and softly closing each door, peeking inside and retreating again as she sought the Kage’s study. Eventually the labyrinthine corridor took her the last room, and she came to an abrupt halt before it, wondering if the sound of her heartbeat was as loud outside of her head as it was within.

Her hand closed tightly around her weapon, the familiar weight reassuring her, before she twisted the door open slowly and stepped carefully inside the room. The wind whistled in softly through the tiny window above the Kazekage’s chair as Hitori’s eyes took in the dark surroundings. In spite of the fact that it was an obscenely plain room compared to the extravagance Tsunade displayed, there was no denying that she'd finally found it. Hitori could practically see Yomi in the back of her mind, clapping and smiling in the awkward way he had when he was trying very hard not to laugh, congratulating her for thinking of the word 'extravagance.'

Another breeze wafted through, and the sand brushed like an insect's wings across her legs once more. Everything about this place had her on edge. There was something different in the room now - a feeling, or perhaps a presence. The Anbu closed her eyes and sensed the chakra, but she couldn't tell where it originated. Suddenly, she felt tight pressure around her calf and her right leg was forcefully pulled out from under her, sending her sprawling backwards. The back of her head hit the wall with a climactic ‘thunk’. Shaking it a little, and mentally swearing softly, she dug her nails into the wall to hold herself up. Her eyes roamed around the room, and still she saw no one, and nothing other than the sand that swirled lazily at her feet. A sudden thought bloomed in her mind and she narrowed her gaze at the golden grains. It was in the sand? Her jade eyes again searched for the one responsible, when the air itself seemed to flash and distort as something, someone moved towards her with incredible speed. The next thing she knew, the tanto was out of her hands and pressing against the raging pulse on the side of her neck.

“Who are you? More importantly, why are you here?” Somehow his voice was different than she expected - deeper, and softer. The tip of her stolen tanto cut into her skin, and she felt the pain like a sharp pinch. Obviously his patience was already running thin. “You made it past the doors. I want to know how.”

Hitori was finally able to raise her head up enough to look back at her captor through the eyes of her Anbu mask, and found herself unable to speak, or even to move again. The words were trapped in her throat. This could be none other than Sabaku no Gaara. His wild mass of red hair stayed mostly in his face, especially on the right side, leaving his left more exposed. She tried desperately to remember the list of features that Yomi had gone over with her. Her eyes searched frantically, finally coming to rest the tattoo marked into the pale flesh of his forehead above his left eye, clearly reading ‘love’. The dark tanuki-like rings around his dangerously narrowed, pale turquoise eyes were what caused her stare to linger. He looked absolutely furious.

Gaara moved his gaze slowly over her mask for a long moment, before his jaw clenched tightly and he found himself pulling at the bottom of the Anbu hood, then tearing the scarf away from the operative’s face. A raccoon mask. Was that supposed to be something funny, something mocking? Someone sent to kill him while wearing the mask as a joke? He was offended already, that feeling only growing stronger as Shukaku’s voice plagued his mind. It was incredibly hard to control the demon's urges, and Gaara had already slipped. The sharp, metallic tang of blood lingered in the air, even from just the tiny amount he'd spilled. His control had been improving steadily since his encounter with Naruto, but right now he wasn’t sure if he could hold back. The tips of Gaara’s fingers slid beneath his captive’s chin, tilting the Anbu’s face further up towards his, before slowly pulling up the mask.

“I…” Hitori’s voice faltered, locking up in her throat again with that narrowed gaze now focused on her, taking her in. He tossed the mask to the side with seeming carelessness, the delicate porcelain breaking upon meeting the hard ground. Gaara wasn’t amused, and apparently he was also beyond uninterested at this point.

“If you were an assassin, you would have at least tried to kill me by now. So, what is your purpose for being here?” He lowered his eyes to the floor, releasing her as he casually stood and walked over to his chair. She really hated this part, hated the powerless feeling that accompanied the act, as she knelt down on the floor and bowed respectfully at the man who had just attacked her. If a 'man' is what you would call him.

“Danzou sent me in regards to your request. I’m here to offer you my services. I will protect you with my life…” Her voice had somehow finally freed itself, but her words were rudely cut off before she could finish them, his deep, yet emotionless tone loud in the room.

“I didn’t request help, especially from the Foundation. You seem to have wasted your time, and nearly your life, by coming here.”

Hitori’s eyes widened slightly. She absolutely couldn’t be sent back to the Leaf. Danzou would regard that as a complete failure. “I have the letter right here.”

A soft ‘hum’ indicated that he was interested in seeing it. She slowly slid it out of her sleeve and handed it to him, their eyes meeting again, before his turned down to the paper. It was from Baki. Gaara could tell the moment his eyes fell upon it. His raised his gaze back to the Anbu again. He didn’t have any qualms with the operative being female, but the mask she'd showed up in, that now lay in broken shards on the floor, was another matter. A damned raccoon mask. What was intended by that? He pushed the thought from his mind.

“I suppose I have no choice then, but to welcome you to stay until you are recalled by your commander. There is a sleeping facility on the bottom level. Sunagakure, as any other village, simply enjoys it's hard earned rest. Do not be alarmed by how empty it appears. Appearances are often deceiving.” That was all that Gaara felt inclined to offer her, and probably more than she deserved. His eyes shamelessly scrutinized her. The second mask she wore made it hard to get a good look at her, but it was strange how this woman had many attributes common to the people of Suna. He couldn't help but wonder if there was another meaning behind the choice to send her here, out of all of Anbu. He leaned back in his chair, letting the questions tumble through his mind as he watched her.

Hitori let her head fall lower when she realized he wasn't going to say any more. “Thank you, Kazekage sama.”


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The Anbu captain stood in front of the Hokage’s desk in complete silence while she internally struggled with herself. The last time Tsunade had requested Nisei's presence, wasn't one of her fondest memories. That meeting had ended with her current assignment, as teacher to the three students of her team, charged with turning them into ninja fit to become Anbu. In other words, the last time she'd seen Tsunade, the woman had handed her a giant headache and several months of sleepless nights. That much deserved and longed for hot bath remained only a desire in her tired mind, since the very moment she'd stepped inside Konoha, Nisei had been ordered to report directly to the Hokage’s office. To make matters even better, when she'd first entered, it appeared the Hokage herself wasn't even there. Could the day get any better?

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Tsunade's soft voice snapped the sarcastic comments right out of Nisei's head as she turned to regard the other woman, shaking her head a little, as if to indicate she hadn't been waiting long.

“Lady Hokage…”

“I heard about the success of your last assignment. Congratulations. And thank you for giving your Village three more well trained defenders.” Tsunade looked up at the half-masked Anbu captain and wondered what was going on inside her head. Nisei had changed a lot from the last time she'd been in this office. That's what Tsunade wanted, needed to believe, refusing to even entertain thoughts to the contrary. She continued once the strange blush on Nisei’s face finally faded to a light pink. “I’ve decided to send you to Sunagakure to spy. An Anbu from Root is there, and was sent to stick close to the Kazekage. I want you to watch this operative very carefully, and I want to be made immediately aware of any behavior that seems even slightly suspicious. Everything. You will remain there until I instruct you further.”

“Hai, Godaime Hokage…” Nisei bowed respectfully, and straightened to see the letter of approval in her face. Her small fingers took it gently. “I will go straight away.”

“Good. You are dismissed-“ Tsunade's words were abruptly cut off as the door to her office creaked open.

Shizune poked her head inside, fixing her gaze quickly past Nisei to Tsunade, “Hatake Kakashi has arrived, Lady Hokage."

Nisei immediately replaced her mask carefully over her face and shrugged deeper into her cloak. The last person she wanted to be recognized by was that man. She slipped her hood up, concealing her long black hair as she kept her golden eyes on the ground, walking as quickly from the room as was seemly. His scent was what hit her first. Clean laundry and something else, the natural earthy scent that came from someone who had been tracking around in forest pine. Nisei wanted to laugh at herself for thinking of it that way. She never looked up, sensing his heavy stare on her as she moved fluidly past him. Memories weighed heavily on her mind.

‘I’ll be your new Anbu captain.’ Nisei looked up at the man who was going to be her new sensei. The previous one had died, and apparently they'd chosen to replace him with the famous Copy Ninja. She wondered if she could ever compare to someone who was already so legendary, even with that legend himself for her teacher. Kakashi was slightly older than her, and much more mature, but he still seemed far too young to account for his enormous list of accomplishments. He was very slender and his disheveled white hair was a trait that he had inherited from his father, Konoha’s White Fang. A pair of mismatched eyes burned into hers, as Kakashi spoke confidently. “If you give me the chance. We could end this war, before it begins.”

With a swift shake of her head, Nisei dragged her thoughts back to the present and wondered what in the hell had possessed her to believe Kakashi back then. The slow walk back to her small apartment was refreshing, the slight cool breeze whispering around her comfortably. It was actually very easy to believe in someone like Kakashi, since even before he was an Anbu, there were amazing tales of the infamous ‘Sharingan Kakashi’. The harder he pushed the team, the more he drove them, the more keenly Nisei felt his direct attention on her most obvious flaws - her emotions. He patiently taught her how to use that power, how to sync it with her natural chakra and learn to control it, rather than letting it consume her.

But when the time came to help Kakashi, he…

Trying hard not to think too much, she wandered through the tiny room she lived in, hunting for and finally finding the new soaps she bought the day before, then gratefully went into the bathroom. She slowly peeled out of her dirty and damaged clothing as the hot water ran into the tub, sweetly scented steam swiftly obscuring the room. Her movements were slow and careful since her entire body already ached and she didn't wish to aggravate it any further. Muscles she didn't even know were aching seemed to gently sigh in relief as she sank into the bath. The heat penetrated thoroughly, and instantly forced the tension to leave her shoulders. With a soft sigh, Nisei let herself sink deeper into the tub, occupying her mind with her new mission. Allowing her thoughts to travel along those paths distracted her exactly as she'd hoped it would. She didn’t want her memories to claim her again today.

I could only run after you, even as you were running straight towards me...


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That's the end of this chapter, the next will be up very shortly.