Forced Hand

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


Forced Hand
By 11


Chapter 06


Ino had not exaggerated in the slightest. Kodoku was hot.

Burning hot. Super and abnormally hot. They may have turned to burnt crisps if they stepped outside kind of hot. Naruto groaned at the heat that seemed to seep right through the caravan compartment covering, as if it weren’t even there.

Neji had mentioned in the morning when they set out that since desert is actually best to be traveled in at night that they might want to stop at the capitol to replete their water supply which would be used up by then. He also pointed out that it would provide a respite from the oppressive sun for a time until they could set out and traverse the rest of the desert in the comfortable cool of the night; that much Naruto was looking forward to.

“Hey there it is!”

Looking over towards the horizon a glimmering of tall gray and brown buildings rose above the tan and gold sands, the gleaming capitol of the kingdom of Kodoku.

“Yes! Finally! It’s pretty far away, but you can tell it’s huge!” Sakura exclaimed raising a hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the sun as she leaned out the paladin to look toward their destination.

“We still have a while before we get there, but it shouldn’t be much longer now,” Hinata concurred with a shyly made smile agreeing with the two hyperactive girls. Looking over Naruto noted where Sasuke was that the youth also looked… somewhat relieved anyway, that they were getting closer to the city. They hadn’t spoken since the baths though… and because of that their lessons hadn’t continued either.

If it had never happened everything could have stayed the way it was. He didn’t like that Sasuke wasn’t speaking with him. Naruto frowned, he knew he felt guilty but it really wasn’t his fault, to some degree sure but it was more Sasuke’s than his. But he still felt like he should apologize… when they got to Kodoku’s capitol… he’d try talking to him, to get back whatever friendly relations remained.

However the party abruptly stopped their journey when the sands shifted beneath the horses feet startling the animals, and the few members of the entourage who went on foot. A multitude of sound from the horses was unable to be immediately quelled and the sand shifted again, then again, with less of a timed interval in between.

“Hey, what’s going on? Does anyone know what that was?” Ino asked as everyone continued to look around, as if their surrounding would tell them why the sand was moving beneath them.

Instantaneously the paladin the girls were traveling on was ripped apart from beneath, a giant beast, flat and shaped like an arrowhead dove up shattering the carrier sending the girls flying, igniting screams not only from the girls, but the horses and other people standing close enough.

The beast the color of charred wood fell back to the sand but instead of hitting solid ground the creature sunk beneath the sand easily disappearing beneath the surface as other’s of the same specie dove up shattering the other carriers. All pandemonium had broke loose, and the attackers could not be predicted with this kind of terrain and creatures.

Red eyes out of a furry face scanned the area as the fox raced around the sand avoiding the attacks as best he could. However it wasn’t long before one of the creatures rose right above him. The Kyuubi’s eyes narrowed and surrounding himself with his life force jumped, quite literally, through the brown beast. His life force drilling a hole through the creature, which collapsed sinking into the sand in death, behind which the red fur ball landed and raced on.

He should have stayed in the girl’s paladin, but no he had to go trotting over by the food supply trying to test his skills by pilfering another filet from the supplies. It wasn’t helping just to race around either in the confusion either, taking a moment of concentration attempting to block out the screams of the people and horses as they attempted to flee to a ‘safe’ dune of sand, Kyuubi concentrated on feeling out with his minds for his keeper.

It took longer than it should have, but given the circumstances that was forgivable. Opening his eyes again the fox started off again, he knew where the boy was, but where he was… was no good. He had to get there quickly…

`

Falling to the side to avoid being crushed, Lee made sure his blade sliced down on the belly of the beast, however the wound wasn’t able to go very deep. Despite it being their underbelly the beasts were incredibly well armored in that area. Looking back up the youth’s eyes settled on one of the few girls, he hadn’t seen Ino, Sakura, Hinata, or Naruko since the paladin was broken, and he cried out to her, “Tenten!”

The girl turned quickly hearing his cries, brown eyes wide with the same confusion that no doubt everyone was feeling as the onslaught of brown beasts continued around them. Racing towards her Lee crossed before one of the brown beasts tore past knocking a few of the other warriors of their grounding.

A shadow fell over the girl and she looked up, lunging forward towards where Lee was to avoid being crushed beneath the behemoth, she just barely managed to get her body out of the way. But as she fell back to the sandy ground a sharp slice of pain bit through her leg. Looking down, her eyes widened at the deep gash now staining her leg red with blood, the sides of the beast had whipped by and cut open the skin on her leg.

“Tenten!” Lee cried again as he stopped by her, his eyes reflecting her distress at the wound on her leg’s side. “We have to get you somewhere safe.”

He stated matter-of-factly, tearing some gauze from his pack and quickly winding it around the first part, the second part would have to wait since another one of the beasts had found and decided to try to squish them. Taking the brunette into his arms Lee carried her quickly away from the current area, attempting to find a less dangerous dune side to seek shelter in.

`

Black blue blood spattered onto the ground and Ino fell to her knees, it took too much to possess these things and destroy them internally. Her life energy was getting low, she couldn’t keep this up, it would probably be better to try and find shelter and if she found Naruko, Hinata or Sakura, or anyone who couldn’t fight long like her to take them and head to high ground or whatever.

“We have to stop screaming! Otherwise they’ll know where we are! That’s how they work!”

Ino looked up, it was Sakura, “These are sand rays, they find their prey by ear, so we have to be quiet!” Sakura stopped after a moment, it was obvious no one was listening and how could they. But if they did all only stay quiet, the rays would become confused and probably even leave.

“Sakura!” the blonde called out to her friend, struggling to get back to her feet.

“Ino!” she called back, standing upright and looking toward her friend Ino suddenly regretted calling out to the girl, one of the beasts now towering over the light-haired girl.

“Sakura! Run!” Ino called out to her. But by the time Sakura was turning it was too late, with a grimace Ino’s hands flew quickly to form the mind stealing seal, focusing on the beast in her mind. As all the other’s it was empty of all thoughts but food and carnage.

It filled the girl with cold as she could see the monster’s thoughts, memories of all the people it killed and ate, and of what it was planning to do to Sakura… she had to have enough, just enough. Enough to save her! Wiping the creature’s mind blank she assumed control momentarily of the body willing her, or rather the beasts, heart rate to increase rapidly and to an extreme measure until it burst inside the being.

Ino’s whole body felt drained, but she was still standing, her mind in a fuzzy haze as she drew out and noted that again the ground was stained with the blue and black blood of the beast. But the most terrifying thing that woke her out of the haze was that Sakura lay on the ground as well. Her body was intact and least, but she was motionless with her hair skin and clothes stained with the beasts blood.

“Sakura…” Ino breathed starting toward her quickly dropping by her friend and checking quickly for a pulse and breath, it was there, but her breathing was shallow and her pulse was erratic, whose wouldn’t be. She had to get her out of this, with the last of her remaining strength Ino shifted her arms beneath the girl’s body and stood carrying her, the weight was uneasy on her already tiring muscles, but she could do it.

Staggering over to a clean dune she dropped behind it, putting Sakura in the small amount of relative shade the dune provided from the sun. If they stayed quiet now Sakura might be okay. As she was now there was not much else that the blonde could do for her, and her own weakness frustrated her, but she had no energy to waste on self directed irritation, and so she watched her friends breathing, waiting for it improve.

A high pitched scream in the racous bloodfield above drew the girl’s attention, and Ino was just in time to see Hinata’s frail form being thrown up in the air and batted towards another area by one of the sand ray’s tails before it would probably follow. Hinata’s cry ceased halfway through the air, and Ino’s eyes went wide, if Hinata went unconscious… when she hit the ground she couldn’t even run after that.

Someone has to help her! Ino thought frantically, but her own body could barely move, and Sakura… if she left her here it would be too dangerous. She spotted Neji nearby his blade carving a path down the beasts face and underbody as it flew over him, the wound penetrating deeply since he started the cut at the soft tip of the beasts face.

“Neji! They took Hinata that way!!” the called out to him, the youth glanced over at her and Ino pointed to where she had seen the girl disappear, and with a quick nod the youth started off in the direction. Ino lifted Sakura’s body urging her legs again to move to relocate, since that place would be targeted soon because of the noise she made.

`

It was really quite an anomaly that these particular demons bled blue black blood. Sand rays; he vaguely recalled reading a small amount on the largest threat as far as beasts in the desert realms, unfortunately most of the information wasn’t helpful now. Such as that they located their prey by ear and that they usually hunted in hordes or packs, one such as this current onslaught. The only helpful thing he remembered was that the weakest part was the head. That being so he was sure to cut there first before raking the steel blade through the rest of the beasts body.

The dark liquid fell to the ground coloring the sand darkly for a moment, but it would burn away from the sun soon. “Troublesome…” the brunette youth muttered to himself. It truly was a pain, looking around the falling apart caravan, the only people he saw were other soldiers trying to fight back the onslaught, some in groups others wandering around killing the beasts randomly as they could on their own. Those were usually the more advanced warriors though.

The youth frowned, it wasn’t really that good that that was all he saw. He hadn’t seen what happened to the any of the girl’s since their carrier’s destruction, and that was not a good thing. He couldn’t immediately spot the princes Neji or Sasuke either… that also was not good. None of it was good, but the universe really couldn’t cut him a break and make this a ‘fairly’ uncomplicated assignment now could it?

“Shikamaru.”

“Shino.” He greeted, finally someone he knew! He had seen Lee and Kiba around the beginning of the battle but then they’d just disappeared into the confusion around them. “Have you seen princesses Naruko, Hinata, or the princes Sasuke and Neji?”

“No I haven’t.” Shino shook his head sadly. Of course right then a beast decided to attack, both striking on either side of the beasts face and dragging the swords back across the ray’s body length they carved two deep dual canals that gushed blood.

“We need to locate them first, then we can try and make sure everyone else is safe,” Shikamaru reasoned. Shino nodded following after the brunette who started off towards some of the farther dunes, if someone had managed to get away that would be where they would hide. However one of the rays seemed to notice their voices, yet again, and attacked. There were so many of them and they were so dumb…

This time Shino’s sword alone covered for the two of them, slicing a deep wound through the eye and stabbing straight through the skull to the brain before yanking the steel blade back out. “It’s a horde we’re up against here. This whole battle idea will be pointless soon.”

“True,” Shikamaru agreed, “but for now we can try.”

`

He hadn’t seen the blow coming, it truly couldn’t be blamed on one who had never even heard of such beasts as these before. Kiba had thought that when he dodged the creature’s main lunge from the sands that he was fine after that, but this one was trickier. It’s tail had whipped around behind it stabbing through Kiba’s side, lashing back out just as quickly, tearing at the skin as the creature’s form then slid away beneath the sands.

The boy staggered, and hurried away, muttering a curse under his breath as he sought momentary refuge beneath a particular dune. However even hiding did not deter the beast, it was the same one, he came to know it quickly as it seemed to be hunting him in particular, dark half circles around it’s small flat eyes and the reddish brown area that formed a splattered blotch across it’s underbelly. He moved again, and though anticipating the blow of the tail he could not prevent from it striking him. It did not contact with his chest this time thankfully however the appendage did succeed in piercing straight through the youth’s leg.

The boy fell where he had run, his eyes shut tightly, he already knew the extent of damage to his leg, he could feel it; he wasn’t going to survive this time around. If this had been a fight humans he would most certainly have been able to deal with it… but these demons were entirely new. He was already bleeding heavily and still had no idea how to avoid the beasts let alone combat them and win.

The beasts shadow rose above him once more, fear seized him, he couldn’t move with his leg, he looked up at the towering creature. I am going to die…

Oh gods! I’m going to die! Kiba thought, but he still couldn’t move his leg would not allow him. It was already too late by this time even if he could run. He shut his eyes tightly again, in a few more seconds there would be no more though, and the panic was already great enough waiting for an inevitable death.

It might have been a far kinder fate to all of those who journeyed in the group if it could simply be said that they all died in the assault by a horde of desert rays. Undoubtedly it would be kinder for it to be able to be said that no one was made to marry anyone, and that there was no further weirdness on the matter having been disclosed with mass bloodshed. However as wonderful a prospect as that is, it is also sadly not the case.

Two flurries of shadow against the sun above the ray descended quickly ripping in through the eyes and spinning down through the body ripping it apart as it fell. The cool blood that flecked against Kiba’s face startled him enough to look up realizing the shadow was gone, and he was in fact still alive. The two aforementioned shadow figures landed on the ground before him, humanoid in form their bodies were made of metals and hard woods pieced together to make joints and movable appendages.

Wooden dolls? Kiba thought surprised at his two artificial saviors, that had to mean there was their master or manipulator nearby.

“What do you think of my puppets?”

The brunette looked past the dolls as a person came forward stepping between the two dolls. The youth was scary looking to say the least, clad from head to toe in black, with purple marks all across his face, Kiba wondered how some people could criticize the two single red marks on his when this freak had overdone it with the paint. So this guy was the puppet master? Kiba might have replied but, one he didn’t feel like it and two, he was fast losing blood and just staying awake was going to be a problem in another minute or so.

“Looks like that thing hit you pretty bad in a couple places, your leg looks the worst though, won’t be able to walk with that.” The youth noted crouching down to examine the wound more closely. Gee, ya think? Kiba asked sarcastically in his mind. The youth gestured to his dolls, which took out some gauze from their packs and handed it to him. He lifted Kiba’s leg and had one of the dolls hold onto it while he pried away the already ripped open cloth still attempting to cover the leg. He wrapped the cloth around the injured area of the leg before he made the doll set the leg back on the ground.

Kiba inwardly grumbled to himself about the circumstance. Then the youth shifted closer, taking the edge of his shirt and pulling upward. Kiba didn’t have much energy to really move from where he was, but he sure had enough to yell at that.

“That the hell do you think you’re doing!”

“What’s it look like, you’re bleeding there too,” the youth pointed out the blood staining from the wound in his side. “Or do you think it’s fine if that continues to bleed?”

How exactly do you say you don’t want a freakish person even near you and having him bandage Kiba’s leg was bad enough as far as he was concerned. The youth knocked Kiba’s hand away during the pause and attempted to continue with the chosen task, but for Kiba’s interference, again. “Hey stop that!! I’m fine!!”

The youth’s hand lilted biting into the wound when Kiba jerked his middle away, trying to knock away the other’s hand by his arm. It didn’t work so well, and he let out a yelp of pain when the wound was further aggravated.

He heard the youth chuckled and once the pain had subsided he managed what might have been effective glare except for his obvious vulnerability at the moment. “With all that blood loss, you’re pretty dang weak. To allow yourself into this position is pretty embarrassing too though,” the youth said giving the brunette a superior look that came out like a sneer, thinking on it for a few more minutes Kiba figured that that was because it probably was. Stupid blood loss!

“We’ll have to take care of the wound in your side in a bit.” The youth said as he relented his efforts and stood up again. “It’s not too immediate a threat, and for the moment we need to help your friends.”

He offered Kiba his hand to try and help him to a stand. The boy took the offered hand and it helped to pull himself upright again, but he soon regretted that decision with his leg. The result was stumbling forward so that he almost fell back onto the sand, that would have been embarrassing, but what was even more so was that the boy caught him to keep him from hitting the ground. Though now in order to even stand he had to lean on the other boy for support. Peachy, this was pathetic… damn it, he should never have left Konoha…

He heard the boy snicker at his limping, and pulled Kiba’s arm over to his opposite shoulder so he could carry him better. Thankfully he did not mock him further.

“Who are you, anyway?” Kiba asked watching the puppets for the moment before they took off into the battlefield at their master’s command.

“Kankuro.”

`

When the hit the ground pain wracked all through her. She was so weak right now, and all over she ached, she was shaking, and her muscles had seized up all over. So far her wounds were mostly superficial, but as she was now unable to move anyway it didn’t matter if she was wounded or not. She had always been incredibly fearful of things and unsure of what to do in conflictive situations. Even when Naruto had tried to save her that one time, she had resisted because of her fears, even now for her own life she couldn’t do anything. She was too afraid.

She felt her eyes water, and it wasn’t all because of her body’s pain. A familiar shapes shadow fell over her and she curled her body tighter, there was no reason to look, she knew what it was and what was going to happen. But she couldn’t do anything to prevent it, why was she so weak? Was there really no way to change it?

And in that last instant when she could feel the large bulk closing in on her her lungs started working again and she let loose a terrible scream, something to leave behind to project all her last thoughts, regrets and feelings in that instant before she died.

However the scream was never heard, just as the girl’s end never came. A biting wind whipped by shredding the brownish body to bits even blowing away the splattering blood so it landed on the dunes farther away. Hinata’s eyes opened wide with surprise, and hesitantly she turned to look up to where such a ferocious wind came from, the silhouette of a person with a large fan stood on the dune. The fan’s steel plates slid together as the wielder closed the weapon up and put it across their back and stepped closer to the shaking girl.

A hand was extended to her, and she took it, looking into the other’s face for once seeing the features clearly, she wasn’t as shocked as she might’ve been to discover her savior was a girl. Her skin was soft and warm, and her eyes were both bright and dark orbs set into a soft-featured face, her sandy blonde hair pulled back into a series of pony tails that fell down her neck and ended at her nape.

Maybe she truly had died and this was just a step from the afterlife… or if she had lived, then this girl was… “an angel?” she whispered. The girl’s eyes sparked lightly with confusion before she grinned.

“You’re so sweet, but I’m no angel,” she told the girl helping to pull her to her feet. Hinata gasped slightly as she realized her knees weren’t functioning quite right yet, and she stumbled forward into the girl, the rest of her was warm too, just like the chuckle that she let loose after seeing Hinata’s cheeks pinken with embarrassment.

“Cute,” she teased lightly, poking a finger lightly against the pale girl’s cheek, “sorry to corrupt you like that,” she said glancing briefly over at the carcasses she had destroyed while about to take the girl’s life. “Come on,” she said, Hinata having found her legs allright. The girl still held onto her hand but took a step back towards the rest of the battle area, “let’s go see if we can find your friends.”

“Thank you,” Hinata said following after her, “I’m Hinata… um…” she trailed off, she’d meant to ask the girl her name, but was that okay, right now?

“My name’s Temari,” she answered the unasked question easily as she continued to lead her on. Temari, Hinata thought tracing the name with her lips though not actually speaking it. It was a nice name, her hand tightened on the girl’s, and she couldn’t seem to help her whole mind from sinking into a haze of lightheadedness. But perhaps it was just left over from the adrenaline of fear.

`

Slowly cucumber eyes opened gazing around her at the dunes of sand, she was laying down, but there were warm strong arms around her, supporting her where she felt weak. “Sasuke…?” she whispered in question turning her head to look up at the person who held her.

A sigh before the spoken words, “Sorry to disappoint you,” Ino said looking down at her friend with melancholic blue eyes, “but it’s just me.”

“Ino?” Sakura asked noticing the sadness in her friend; she raised her hand to her cheek brushing her fingertips lightly across the girl’s heated skin. “Why do you look so sad?”

The girl started at the words before turning away with a small smirk, “probably because now that you’re talking we have to relocate before the sand rays come for us. The battle is still going on,” she said standing bringing Sakura’s body with her, and the pink-haired girl clutched the blonde’s arms with sudden insecurities about falling from the girl’s arms. “I think we’re losing too…”

“Ino!” Sakura started her eyes going wide in fear as the telltale shadow of the ray fell over them. Ino cursed lightly under her breath and ran forward as quickly as she could.

“Get down!” Sakura cried, and the blonde allowed her body to tumble forward on the sand flat to the ground as a furious gust whipped over them, the wind itself ripping away the body and blood of the ray, an amazing sight, like a clear explosion that eliminated everything. Ino couldn’t help but gaping, there was no way that was just some natural phenomenon.

“Ino! Sakura! Are you all right?” Hinata’s voice cried as the wind died. Looking back up to where the cry had originated she noted the two people standing there.

“Hinata! You’re safe!” Ino said happily, the girl next to the short-haired girl was undoubtedly the one that caused the cutting wind given the large steel plated fan she held in hand.

“Ino… can you get off me now?” Sakura asked. Looking back down at her friend Ino noted she was laying over her, her arms pinning the green-eyed girl to the sand, her legs on either side of the other girl’s waist. A vein in her forehead twitched and she backed off immediately, chuckling slightly while apologizing for the way they fell.

Now if only she could get into a position like that somewhere comfortable and then she could…

Derailing that train of thought or it won’t just be the sun that would burn her cheeks. Ino knew it and stood up with her friend running over to the girl and Hinata. At least the two of them were safe for the moment.

`

He had been rushing in this direction for some time now, and yet he had somehow managed to get driven off his derived course, he had to find Hinata, but he was terribly off in his path and it was all these accursed creature’s faults. Turning as yet another’s shadow rose over him, there were certainly a lot of these things weren’t there?

With a single well placed slash his sword severed the creature down the middle, what a pain. “Hinata!” he tried again trying to right his path, but it had been so long since Ino had given him the warning, he might already be too late, but he doubted that. If his sister had died he would know, his eyes would have told him, just as he knew she was still just missing after she had disappeared, his eyes had not told him. They had told him of other deaths in the Hyuuga royal family but he had yet to be informed of his sister’s, and so somehow she was still alive somewhere around here.

The telltale sound of shifting sound alerted him of the demons’ approach long before their shadows fell over him, what was surprising however was the number this time around. Perhaps they had thinned out the numbers enough back by the wreck that now going after individuals with plenty of friends was a better strategy. He rushed out of the way leaping to the side to avoid the three larger rays that sunk into the ground in a wide radius near where he had stood. The brunette frowned, with this many he wouldn’t be able to pick them off and kill separately it would become quickly too difficult. He felt the sands shift again, there were more?

The next wave was not as simple to avoid; he had to lunge to make the last stretch to the dune beyond the perimeter of their attack. There were three more now, in total nine sand rays. A low growl started in his throat in irritation, but he squelched it, being angry and annoyed would not help his situation in fact it would hinder it. Right now he had to at least stay alive, standing up again he started running again, if he kept moving it was possible that the rays would have a harder time trapping him in their wave attacks.

He stopped when he felt the sand shift again, and clear eyes widened slightly as the six rays rose from nearly all sides, he couldn’t get out of this one, he had to pick one to target and kill it quickly to make a break through their ring. Dashing forward quickly he dashed his sword against the nose ripping the blade clear through the beast down the soft spongy center of the creature’s spine and fleeing out beyond it. But the sands were already shifting again, this would become very difficult, especially if they kept drawing larger numbers. Pausing again as another group of rays rose from the sand around him. He was about to attempt to cut another path but stopped when the sand too rose from the ground encasing the rays like sheets of cloth wrapping tightly around the beasts and squeezing tightly, as if to wring out water.

Neji could hear the slight cracking noise as the beasts’ bones were crushed by the sand. Then the pillars which crushed the creatures blew away with the wind, leaving no indication of what had happened there only seconds before. The sands did not shift again but a darker aura imposed itself wrapping its tendrils of energy around the brunette male, but this time he did not shiver against the energy. He was past that now, he hadn’t felt the energy for so long and somehow it felt less foreign than all the other times.

There was after all only one person he knew with that same energy. Turning he glanced up to the dune where a figure stood cloaked with thick brown cloth. Their eyes met and they both stared for a few moments, the silence only broken by the wind and then Neji’s soft whisper of acknowledgement. “Gaara…”

`

“Does it feel any better now?”

“Some,” she nodded, brushing her long brown hair out of her face. The girl’s leg was now cased in off-white gauze, and the bleeding had stopped a while ago, though a dull ache still made her wonder if she could stand and walk without stumbling some. “It’s quieter now, wonder what happened…”

Silence fell between the two of them again. “I’m sorry Lee, I’m trying I really am,” she whispered in deject, shaking her head slightly, her hair falling to one again cover her face.

“What?” Lee asked surprised, “Oh… you mean about the engagement.” He said again in realization after a moment of considering her words.

“It’s not that I don’t care for you, I do,” she tried again, “We’ve been good friends for so long… but still… the idea of marriage…”

“It’s all right.” He said when her voice trailed off. “It’s a scary concept, even for me. For now friends will work, and you know I won’t ever make you do anything you don’t want to.”

“I know… and I’m trying…” Tenten nodded, refusing to look at him just yet. “Arranged marriages… they aren’t made for love in particular, it’s for our family’s gain, and it’s a duty to us but still…”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it, it’ll be all right. I will take care of you, and anything to make it easier I will,” he swore, brushing her long brown hair back behind her shoulder. “We’ll try and work through this together right? We won’t even be actually married for another four months. It’ll be all right somehow, I promise, okay? So don’t worry.”

Slowly a grateful smile crossed her face and she looked over at him, “Thanks Lee… It’s just…” she shook her head, and he nodded. He knew, Tenten had always been very poised and in control of herself. This was perhaps one of the few times she felt insecure, and for her he knew it was difficult, usually when she tried new things but afterwards she became better and braver at this. This time it was different and he understood that. At least she was able to confide in him rather than him having to read her face and her actions as indications of what she was feeling. She was getting better at expressing herself at any rate.

“Hey! Lee, you alive! Oh look it’s Tenten too! Good job there!”

Looking up Lee grinned happily, “Shikamaru, Shino, you’re alive!”

“Yeah, looks like we were seen coming from Kodoku’s capitol and there’s a rescue team, come on all the rays’ have been either killed or driven off.” Shikamaru called them up. Lee helped Tenten to her feet and they started back to the group.

It was a large group, actually quite a few of the Somuhorm, Falcon and Konoha escort remained, their numbers had really only been reduced by about a fourth, it seemed far worse in the actual battle. Ino and Sakura stood nearby, Kiba sat by a boy with two wooden dolls, and Hinata stood with her brother near to a girl with a large fan strapped to her back. At the center was a boy whose aura radiated cold and dark, short cropped red hair and green eyes rimmed with black.

“Lee, Tenten, this is Gaara, the heir of Kodoku and his siblings, brother Kankuro and sister Temari.” Shikamaru introduced them.

“It looks like all who is missing now is Sasuke and Naruko,” Neji noted frowning slightly. “Gaara, you’d know more about these beasts than I would, what would they have done with them?”

The unspoken words of, they can’t be dead, resonating almost at once in everyone’s mind.

“There’s a broken like of sand,” Gaara noted pointing to the ground, nearby to where the first caravan had been attacked, “They either consumed them at the instant of death or it took them before the surface to save for later, or eat now.”

“Well how can we get below the sand then,” Neji asked looking at the ground. It had so easily swallowed the sand rays but beneath human feet it was next to impossible to sink farther than a few centimeters and that wasn’t because there wasn’t much ground beneath them.

Gaara didn’t answer him, the brownish tan raccoon at his heels he walked towards the line of sand and around him the sand rose around him and covered him in the same cocoon that had previously been able to kill the sand rays, and then flattened against the sand.

“He’ll be back, don’t worry about him,” Temari assured Neji, “Our Gaara knows how to handle himself. He’s gotten better with this sand stuff in the past few years, like you wouldn’t believe.” Neji only nodded.

Then after a moment, which was obviously too long for someone so obnoxious, Kiba decided to ask the obvious and make a total fool out of himself while he did so.

“So Neji knows you guys?” He asked suddenly drawing everyone’s attention. “…What?”

A short hit to the top of the head was all her got for the words and of course an insult from the jerky person who the obnoxious Kiba now unappreciatively was indebted to for saving his measly life. “Dolt.”

`

He woke to the sound of sands shifting, opening dark eyes he scanned the darkness before him. There wasn’t any light really but his eyes were always unusually acute in the dark and he could at least make out vague shapes. Based on the shapes and the fact that nothing was moving he figured for the moment at least he was alone. It seemed to be a cave of sorts beneath the surface of Kodoku’s nearly endless desert.

Naruko wasn’t with him. He had lunged at the carriage to try and find her after it had shattered, but he had only glimpsed her before he was taken by surprise and pulled under. He hadn’t thought he’d wake up when his world went dark. But he obviously was, and somehow he didn’t believe that Naruko was dead yet, forcing his sore muscles to move he stood. He didn’t get far onto his feet before he put his hand against the wall and felt a trembling flow through it, it was different from an earthquake, he knew this kind of trembling energy, it was a life force, an incredibly powerful one at that. He could think of only one person, and he followed the trembling in the wall seeking out the epicenter.

It didn’t take long to find it, he was able to travel quickly the majority of the cave was smooth from years of sand grain against it. As he got closer there was light, a power bright enough to give of light as well as energy enough to make the underground cave tremble on it’s axis. Standing at the cove branch off of the cave he gazed within to see the glowing red being. Sasuke already knew who it was before he reached this place, but then it wasn’t truly Naruko. It wasn’t that fox demon he had met before either. It was an odd mixture of both. Short ragged blonde hair and wild red eyes, the lines on the cheeks prominently outlines and the teeth grown sharper and more jagged. It was feral and animalistic, so strong and powerful, and the sand rays could sense it.

The being let loose a fierce growl and lunged at the rays. It hit one of the demon’s bellies but the claws tore right through the flesh that even steel swords could not before cut. Whirling in a frenzy of uncontrolled bloodlust, the demons were no match for the burning fury. The creature tore through the next like it was made of water before turning on the rest. With a growl claws split open the belly of one, and slicing the next in half asymmetrically.

The ground now bathed in blue black blood the creature paused the creature was slowly killing both entities that formed it the longer the stayed in that form. As the light and energy faded away almost completely the creature split into two identical human beings falling side by side before one reverted to a smaller fluffy animal with red fur.

The whole ordeal had taken far longer than either had expected, both knew, as the fell, they wouldn’t be awake much longer. They could only hope there weren’t any more demons in the immediate area… or else they might not wake up again.

Naruto’s blue eyes slid closed and from somewhere in the dark of the cave a shadowed figure rushed forward and caught the blonde as he fell. Idly in the fading haze of the youth’s mind he pondered. The angel of death? He questioned vaguely, noting the warm and firm arms that gripped and lifted him so he now lay in the shadow’s lap. He suddenly became aware that his clothes were now shredded from the burning energy when a warm cloak of sorts was wrapped around his body. The fabric somewhat stung at his open wounds where blood flowed, but then death would probably hurt.

A solid warmth was placed onto his belly and he noted that is was Kyuubi. So they were both dying then… it would figure. Being what they both were… they could both undoubtedly be sent to pay for such a crime in the afterlife. In such a hazy state of mind though Naruto found he really didn’t care too much right now. Oh well… at least the angel’s arms weren’t cold or skeletal, he kind of liked the warmth, and the chest his head was allowed to rest against. With those fading thought the blonde’s world of senses left him.

`

The presence of the newcomer did not go unnoticed by Sasuke when he looked up, onyx eyes locking in the short-haired boy, a raccoon following closely at his heels. In the dark-haired youth’s arms, Gaara noted, he carried a person, boy or girl he really couldn’t tell at the moment, but he could smell the blood from them, they were hurt pretty bad and their life energy store was so low.

“The rest of your group it waiting for you above the surface,” he stated stepping closer and summoning the sand to surround them and take them back to the surface. All the while onyx eyes watched him pensively. When the sand fell away to reveal daylight, even then the youth did not stop watching him. The boy was beautiful, and his eyes were so bitter. Idly the redhead wondered what made his eyes that way.

Looking back to study the person in the youth’s arms he still couldn’t tell if it was a boy or girl, such a soft face, but slightly boyish frame, it could be a boy, he would bet on that much. But they had all said Princess Naruko, so then it must be a girl. She had a rather flat chest but he barely paid attention to that. Her colors were brilliant now in the desert sun, sun-kissed skin with bright golden hair, short and slightly jagged in places, but it was starting to pan out some. The blood was a deep shade of ruby red that ran thick down her arm and pooled near her neck. Even in this state of extreme injury she was the exact opposite of him, in the sun her face still looked lively, she was in short beautiful. Despite all misgivings as far as feminine figure and definitive features.

“Oh, Sasuke, you’re safe!” Sakura cried running forward to him. “We were all so worried! And you have Naruko with you…” her smile faded slightly at the state the other girl was in and she paled considerably.

“What happened to her…?” Ino asked in shock as she came up beside her friend. “Were those things… eating her…?”

Dark eyes shifted over the people as they arrived around him examining both their states, and unconsciously his grip on the person in his arms tightened, his eyes darkening at the people around them.

“She needs help, we have to go quickly,” Neji ordered the group, then turning back to the youth stepping in closer, “Sasuke, give her to me and we can start off for Kodoku’s capitol to get her treatment.”

Dark eyes hardened, and he shifted the blonde’s limp body closer against him, “No.” he said shortly. “I’ll take her there. I’m fine, and I’ll take care of her when we get there.” He said in a cold deadpanned voice. Neji’s eyes blinked slightly in surprise.

Sasuke stood taking the girl and fox with him, and turning from Neji looked at Gaara. “You are the heir of Kodoku?” he asked. Gaara nodded, “I thank you for your help with the sand rays, but now I must request a safe place for my companion to be treated, as you can see, she is wounded severely.”

Gaara nodded again and the Kodoku warriors stepped in with the transport units and the groups climbed on board, “We will arrive shortly.” He stated simply. Sasuke nodded, sitting opposite of both Gaara and Neji, still refusing to let go of the blonde. Studying her more at length Gaara noted further on the gender of the ‘Princess’, as a girl she was too boyish, but if anyone had told him it was a boy… slightly more believable but she was still too femmy to be an effective male.

Beneath the surface as he had traveled to the cave he had felt a great power surge from where he had found those two and then it had faded. Glancing back at Sasuke he wondered idly if it had been him, he had no idea that the boy carried such a power within him. Of course at his current life energy level it would be amazing to see what heights his power could reach when he was already rather strong as he simple was at current energy level. He was so dark as well, his aura didn’t radiate the same way Gaara’s did but then that was probably expected, he didn’t have a demon bond. But the darkness and the power… it was something he could relate to.

Neji introduced Gaara and his two siblings again breifly to Sasuke who only nodded vaguely. Slowly the red ball of fur on Naruko’s lap stirred then looked up and down at the raccoon… and snarled. A returned growl from Ichibi drew Gaara’s attention momentarily, and he climbed up onto the bench and then the unit banister to speak to Gaara directly so no one else could hear. Though it was obvious so far that neither the girl’s fox nor his raccon cared for each other very much.

“That fox is the same one I was telling you about a couple days ago, the one that chased me,” Ichibi hissed, “my mortal enemy, Kyuubi!”

“Is that so,” Gaara whispered back, only paying half attention to the demon’s claims. He had no real interest in his demon’s trivial rivalries with other demons, the raccoon could sort those out himself. The boy sitting across from him and the strange girl in his arms were his main interest right now. It had been so long since anyone or anything had held his interest for very long and he was sure he didn’t mind being interested in people for once.

The girl was actually quite odd. But he was curious, and if she was seriously linked to Kyuubi, who Ichibi claimed to know and was mortal enemies with then was it at all possible that this strange girl, Naruko, was even remotely like himself…?

`

Blue eyes opened to a familiar warmth… ah yes… the sun. Naruto smiled lightly to himself against the radiating warmth of light from somewhere on the other side of the room. A room? How did he get here? The grin faded slightly as he pondered about it. Looking back out the open window where the sun was coming through he could see buildings and then gleaming sands just beyond. He was still in Kodoku anyway. Parts of his body were still, and feeling his cheek he felt a tapes bandage.

Tenderly he peeled the bit of cloth away from his skin, brushing his fingers lightly over where a wound might have been before, but it was smooth now. He’d have to thank Kyuubi later, the fox he noted wasn’t in the room but he could feel his mind wandering this building somewhere nearby. How long had he been here?

Sitting up he looked around but stopped feeling a tilt to the bed. Looking down at his side, he noted the youth sitting at his side, his head laying in his arms dark hair falling forward over the white sheets. Against the white his paleness could be mistaken for regular skin tones. It was surprising somehow…

“Sasuke…” he breathed, his hand reaching unbidden to touch to the boy’s cheek forming against it, his thumb softly brushing against the skin there. He looked so sweet right now.

The latch at the door moved and Naruto withdrew his hand immediately and checked his body momentarily, he had bandages all over, but he was currently wearing a white loose kimono/gown of sorts. So at least he didn’t have to dive under the covers right away and worry about which people now knew what gender he truly was.

“Neji.” Naruko greeted noting the youth who followed in behind him.

“It’s good to see you’re awake Naruko,” Neji smiled when he saw her, “This is the capitol of Kodoku we are in the royal infirmary actually, this is Gaara, the heir, by the way, he got you and Sasuke out of the sand ray’s caves.”

“Gaara? Nice to meet you, I’m Naruko, thank you so much for your help,” she told the redhead sincerely. He looked kind of creepy, but the face didn’t raise any immediate warnings. Neji was slightly surprised at her sudden take to him, did she not sense the dark aura he always projected? Or for some reason was she immune to it? Or was she just that good at acting…?

“Gaara is an old friend of mine, since Falcon and Kodoku’s long standing trade agreement,” Neji explained, “it will take us about two days to restock here but Gaara and his siblings have agreed to allow us to stay here during our short stay. You lost a lot of energy, and don’t worry we won’t ask you to tell us what happened, Gaara told us about what sometimes happens to people who get taken to their caves, from the looks of things you actually got off pretty easy. Only one night’s rest too, we were expected at least a three day recuperation actually.”

Naruto didn’t flinch at all, she already knew it always only took her one night’s rest to recuperate from anything, given that she lived through it and wasn’t killed while she slept. “Actually it’s odd, because you had a cut there and now it’s gone,” the brunette noted.

“Yeah, I think it might’ve been a superficial one though,” Naruko answered with a small laugh. Naruto made a mental note not to remove many more bandages, take them off periodically otherwise people will get suspicious as to why they’re all healed after one night’s rest. Gaara’s eyes meanwhile hadn’t left him and it seemed for some reason like he knew something…

“You know he stayed with you the entire time you were in here,” Gaara said gesturing to Sasuke, Naruko looked down at him, he hadn’t moved since Naruto woke up. He must be terribly stiff sleeping like that… Naruto frowned slightly. Gaara continued, “he wouldn’t let go of you after you got out of the cave’s either.”

Naruko nodded to those words, was there really anything to say? Some sort of declaration of love of some kind? They were supposedly engaged but still… he didn’t feel like saying something aloud, let alone something of that nature. “So who treated me?” Naruko asked as an afterthought.

“Ino did.” Neji answered. Clear eyes met blue briefly, and Naruto could breathe easy, she wasn’t found out, by anyone; that was good. “Do you feel well enough to walk?”

“Yeah, I can probably do that much,” she nodded stepping out of the other side of the bed so as not to disturb Sasuke, she walked over to them and three walked as a group form the infirmary.

“You’re all right then?” Neji questioned further.

“Yeah, a little sore in places but I think I’m all right,” she answered brightly. “Was Sasuke all right as well… when we left the sand ray’s lair?”

“Yes,” Neji nodded, “Sasuke was fine, is wounds were very shallow and have healed easily.”

“Excuse me, but you’re needed at the meeting room.”

The three turned to the messenger whose request was evidently aimed at Gaara. The redhead excused himself from his two guests and headed off with the messenger.

Naruto frowned; that person hadn’t even addressed Gaara as the heir, he had actually seemed rather rude to him…

No, scratch that, that guy had been very rude. The way his eyes were so harsh and that his words reeked of loathing… what was that person’s problem!

No wonder Gaara didn’t seem to smile much, he had jerks like this to deal with all day long!
“Naruto.”

The blonde’s eyes snapped back towards the brunette. “Yes?” he asked, this must be something of relevance that Neji called him by his true name.

“I think I might have an idea on how to relinquish Somuhorm’s clams to Naruko… that is if you choose to take it.” The brunette started.

“What is it?” Naruto asked, his tone on par with the other boy’s.

“Another marriage contract,” he stated. Naruto waited for him to explain, “To Hinata.”

Naruto stayed still; now he really didn’t understand. “You would become a boy again and marry Hinata.” Neji stated more clearly.

“But what about a possible war? And has Hinata even agreed to this? I couldn’t do that to her.” Naruto defended immediately.

“Falcon would be your ally then, we have a massive army that together with Konoha’s Somuhorm or any other nation would never attack in their right mind, and with so much commerce coming from Falcon, who really would want to ruin their relations with us?” Neji pointed out. “I know Hinata wouldn’t mind. Maybe you haven’t noticed but she truly cares for you.” Naruto’s eyes widened slightly in shock, what was Neji talking about? Hinata was his friend, admittedly one of his best friends but… when had she ever given any indication that she liked him that way.

“It’s why she never returned all those years, she was too busy being by your side to care about anything else.” Neji said as if answering his thoughts. “She’s a shy person and would have never told you herself.”

“But then this really isn’t about her, not for the moment.” Neji reminded gently. “It’s about you, and if you are willing to take that chance and take back the gender you say you always wanted to be able to be.”

Naruto didn’t speak again, and he averted his eyes out to the side of the walkway area. It was a high breezeway, he didn’t understand the architecture of Kodoku yet but it was certainly different from either Konoha or Falcon.

“I didn’t think you’d take the offer right away, you would probably want some time to think the idea over.” Neji said after a moment, and turned to leave looking back over his shoulder at the blonde briefly. “But at least think about it.”

Naruto nodded and Neji turned back to the front and continued walking. In moments his footsteps died away and Naruto was left with the ideas still fresh in his mind to ponder over.

`

Dark eyes opened to the light, his neck ached from staying in the same place so long. Lifting his head he stretched the muscles lightly to try and work out some of the tightened fibers. He had only just lifted his head and eyes when he realized the bed he had been laying by was vacant.

He stood quickly and headed for the door. How long had she been up? She wouldn’t have gone too far would she? Or worse, did she not leave on her own…

“Naruko…” he breathed once he exited the infirmary and saw the short-haired blonde standing a small ways away down the breeze way. Blue eyes looked up, previously he noted they had been glazed over in thought and now they were clearer focused on him.

“Good morning Sasuke,” the blonde greeted him. “How are you? You weren’t hurt from the encounter is that right?”

Sasuke didn’t answer, quickly moving forward. Naruto didn’t even have much time to realize what was happening before he found himself pulled tightly against Sasuke’s chest the boy’s arms wound around his shoulders in an embrace. Blue eyes blinked blearily a moment. It vaguely occurred to him to push the other boy away and ask what exactly it was he thought he was doing, but right now he didn’t much feel like doing that.

“I’m so…” Sasuke’s whisper started against his hair, but paused. “It’s good that you’re all right.”

Silence again, and there really wasn’t a need to say more. It was kind of nice, Sasuke’s body was warm, and he had a nice smell at the moment, something… clean but airy. Then again it could have just been the climate, either way Naruto found he didn’t really care about getting away as soon as possible.

“You too,” Naruto said after a moment. Sasuke shifted slightly so his face was turned in towards the blonde’s neck, not really the nuzzling from before and not provoking, not in the same way as a couple night’s ago in any case. Instead this proximity evoked feelings of warmth and tenderness, and Naruto’s hand lifted unbidden by his mind to wrap themselves loosely against Sasuke’s back, holding the other boy as well.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” he whispered again, unsure if Sasuke even heard him. He might not of, but right now sound and even though hardly seemed to matter. The raven-haired youth must have heard though because he gave a soft chuckle before shifting Naruto closer, and what might have been a contented sigh, except that Naruto knew better, slipped past the pale youth’s lips.

A small shard of cold stabbed painfully somewhere in Naruto’s consciousness, one he easily recognized as guilt. He probably always knew it but hadn’t wanted to admit it, Sasuke was not all bad, and he never was… he was different from himself though. Sasuke was different from Lee, Shikamaru, and even Neji. With Neji, Naruto felt he could be himself, and thinking about it analytically it was half because at the time he thought Neji was a girl and the other half was that Neji already knew he was a boy. The youth had been his friend since then, keeping his secret safe as was his promise at the time.

If Sasuke didn’t think he was a girl, they might’ve been friends. Sometimes when he wasn’t treating him like one Naruto could almost forget they weren’t just both guys and that Sasuke knew. Even when he was trying to be Naruko around him he could almost never keep the façade from slipping somehow. Thankfully Sasuke had never noticed… and that was what seemed to hurt worst of all. If Sasuke did know he would have said something and they would be friends now… and to a degree now it seemed they were. But that lie…

Unconsciously Naruto’s hands tightened on Sasuke, burying his head in turn into the dark-eyed boy’s shoulder. The blonde’s thoughts now completely devoid of the Falcon heir’s proposed plan, at least for the moment.

`

“You what…” Hinata breathed quietly as her brother finished explaining the proposition that he claimed to have just given to Naruto.

“I thought it was a very good plan, and you do like him, don’t you?” Neji questioned.

Hinata’s brows knit together with ambivalent feelings for the matter, “Yes… I like Naruto very much… but…” she started adding on the last word in such a small voice she wondered if she herself had heard her say it.

“If Naruto has any desire to get out of this marriage, and become a boy he will take the offer,” Neji explained, “It would be idiocy not to.”

“What do you mean! I may care for Naruto, at one point I even thought I loved him! But in order to be true to myself I have to let him choose! You’re forcing him into a corner! Can’t you tell already he’s under enough stress as it is? The last thing I want to be is another complication in his life! That’s why I hated the Hyuuga’s so much! No matter what! We’re always thinking about how to advance ourselves, even when it comes to people we call friend and loved ones! I will not go along with this! I’m ending this fatal cycle now, brother! Go screw yourself! I’m going to tell Naruto about this right now and tell him what I think and not to trust you anymore! You may have everyone on this god-forsaken journey fooled but not me!!”

Hinata bit her tongue, all the things she really wanted to say, she would never say. Simply because of who she was, no matter how much she wanted to, as many times as she played it out in her mind she always knew it wouldn’t do any good. If it did she would forever be shunned by everyone involved, and she was so scared, if she ever spoke her mind chances were she would be the one who ended up hurt. That was always how it went, justice never punished the wicked, only the good who tried to do what they thought was right. So if the sick perverted gods of this world wished for these atrocities to occur, by some bizarre twist of logic it must be what was just.

Even Hinata didn’t believe that, and she knew it. But what could she do? She always felt this powerless, it was always how she was. That girl though, Temari, she wouldn’t be afraid, and if the gods did punish her… she’d probably just shove her steel fan up their asses and take over instead. Hinata almost chuckled at that thought, but she felt too sick. If she had Temari’s strength or even Ino’s, Ino who was so outspoken, then she might be able to do something about her state, but as she was and who she was… it was impossible. Falcon had always called it fate, she had thought once she could change her ‘destiny’ but now once again she was roped back into the cycle and she could do nothing about it.

“So it’s decided then,” Neji asked, looking over at her for a confirmation. Slowly she nodded and stood, the sick feeling starting to permeate through her body, she felt like crying, retching and screaming all at once, and needed to get away by herself, at least for a bit.

“Sounds great,” she forced her tone to be slightly on the cheerful spectrum, and it near killed her. “I’m just going out for some air, really quick…”

Pulling back the door and stepping outside she slid it shut behind her leaning back against the panel, no she didn’t feel good at all, just… disgusted…

“Wow. I mean I was just walking by and figured I’d ask you about dinner… but…”

Clear eyes widened and she turned her head towards the voice, one she had quickly come to associate with strength and power. “Te-temari…” Hinata acknowledged. No, now she didn’t feel sick at all, now she felt cold. It was like a block of ice had settled in her stomach and was now just starting to churn.

“Well,” the blonde started a thought looking over at the smaller girl, “I guess you’re just not as innocent as I thought you were.”

Hinata watched in horror the oddly blank look on the girl’s face. After a moment though Temari just grinned at her and turning wandered off down the hall. She seemed fairly cheerful, but somehow this hurt worse than if Temari had called her a faker and shoved her.

Suddenly the door opened behind her, but Hinata didn’t need to turn to know it was her brother standing there. “Was someone listening? Who?”

Hinata was silent a moment. And she could feel Neji’s eyes on her, slightly irritated that she hadn’t answered him, “Hinata, who was it?”

“Go fuck yourself Neji.”

Silence. That was good, and her mind was screaming for her to stop, to beg forgiveness and hope he didn’t use his eyes to destroy her mind. But somehow, once the words started… she couldn’t stop them from coming out…

“What?” he asked, in a calm deadpan.

“I said go screw somebody else over. Not me, and not Naruto.” She hissed, while her mouth kept working she couldn’t seem to look at him, not that she wanted to. “I can’t believe that you would do that. I thought you were friends, and now you do this to him.”

“It was just an offer…” Neji attempted to defend, but she cut him off.

“You think that matters? You try and say look easy way out, but you get stuck with someone you may not love,” the words stung at herself as she said them. But over time she had at least come to accept them as true, no matter how much she cared about Naruto he saw her like a sister, and if she could she would one day come to love him as a sibling as well. “That was always what our family did, advancing ourselves by hurting others. I had hoped you wouldn’t be like them when we were growing up Neji. But I guess even then, you were Hyuuga.”

“I can’t do something like that to Naruto. You think you understand but you don’t understand anything. Naruto isn’t like that… and you’ve tried to force him into a corner. I won’t force him together with me. If he wants me, he’ll come to me and if he doesn’t then I’ll see that he gets with someone he does want, and that he’s happy.” She said. “You think you know me well enough to make that decision. You obviously don’t know me very well then either.”

“Falcon has that legend that everything is fate remember? That whatever happens, happens and therefore must be right? It’s a load of bull. I won’t let this cycle continue. Not with me.” She finished. When the words stopped she ran, she wasn’t sure when she was running where she was headed, but it became clearer as she thought less about the counter effects of what she said could have on her relations with Neji and on herself later.

“Naruto!” Hinata breathed once she had reached his quarters, knocking harder than she’d meant on the dry wood door. It swung open only a moment later, the young blond standing before her.

“Hinata? What is it?” he asked, stepping aside from the doorway to allow her to enter, which she did, watching the floor intently as she stepped inside. “Are you okay? You look kind of shaky…”

Hinata glanced down at her hands, they were trembling slightly, and she gripped them together behind her back struggling to take deep breaths. “I’m fine.” She said mustering a small smile, inside she quaked for fear of what the consequences of that outburst of hers might later be.

“Um… Neji talked to you earlier… right?” She started, pale eyes falling back to the ground. It had been so easy speaking before now it was more difficult to find the words. “About… marrying me… in order to relinquish Somuhorm’s claim to Naruko…?”

Naruto’s eyes seemed to slightly darken but it was gone in an instant, still smiling slightly at her his face was serious, he nodded in acknowledgement. “Well… I, that is…” she paused again feeling everything around her seeming to turn, she wasn’t sure why… she did care about Naruto but even if he didn’t care for her the same way she had decided long ago it was fine as long as he was happy. “Do you want to? To marry me to get away from your already arranged marriage?”

She waited in silence, watching the floor a moment longer before glancing up at Naruto’s face. Blue eyes had also wandered somewhere to the floor, no expression imprinted on his features. But the lasting silence was enough for her answer. He might answer her if she prodded again and waited a bit longer, but he didn’t want to answer. There was someone else already, and he didn’t want to hurt so he hesitated. She didn’t know who, for a long time she knew he cared for Sakura, but there were so many complications lately she wasn’t sure for sure who the blonde cared for the most; not anymore. Forcing him into this kind of corner wasn’t right.

“I’m withdrawing that offer,” Hinata said gently, and Naruto looked back up at her, slightly surprised. “It’s all right. My brother made the offer, and it was truly unfair to you. I know there must be a way to escape the engagement without marrying anyone at all.”

“Hinata…” Naruto whispered in something akin to affection; it was an emotion she recognized at once. “Thank you.” He looked up at her with a smile, and she returned it. It wasn’t so odd talking to him now, and she felt better about things. Everything but her brother… she still had no idea what she would next say to him. But she had to do this, she knew she never wanted to be the person to force her loved one’s hand. To try and force him into making a decision favorable for her.

“I hope this idea hasn’t been too stressful a consideration, so don’t worry about it anymore.” She told him heading for the door again. “I’ll see you later, Naruto.”

He nodded and she closed the door behind her. A small sigh escaped her. Besides Neji, there was one other person she wanted to talk to… Temari. She wasn’t sure what she’d say to her but she felt like she had to go say something…

Soft footsteps drew the girl’s attention and she looked up at her brother, her heart picked up a pace, they were alone, she wasn’t sure that was a good idea right now. She didn’t want to talk to him right now… not now… not this soon after the things she said.

“You must really hate me, even now,” Neji was the first to speak, but his words surprised her. “The last memories you have of me were not the ones I wanted to part with you those years ago.”

Oh so he was talking about that. Hinata frowned slightly. “I did not make that offer to Naruto trying to harm either of you. I thought you cared for him and would appreciate such an action.”

“Not when it results in pain for Naruto.” She said quietly looking away from him. Naruto’s door was shut tight and considering the softer tones they spoke in Naruto wouldn’t be able to hear them at present, still Hinata started walking down the hall, Neji followed after her a few steps behind.

“I want you to know that despite our past, before you left, in this, the present time, I do care about you sister. You are the only person whose happiness I would put before my own.” He spoke quietly from somewhere behind her.

“I don’t believe you.” Hinata told him, not daring to look back at him. “How can I?” she asked, perhaps more to herself than her brother. She could feel his eyes at her back and after a moment they lowered. If she had been facing him and watching his face she might have seen the flash of hurt that passed through the colorless orbs. Presently Hinata started walking again, she had nothing more to say to Neji. Now she needed to find Temari.

“Well sister, if you don’t want Naruto,” she heard him whisper far behind her as had started to walk away, “then I’ll take him.”

She paused at his last words and turned back to look at him, more than slightly confused by now, “What are you talking about…?” she asked quietly, not really sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

Neji looked up from the floor at her, his face did not yield any particular expression for the moment but then he smiled. It was not an unkind or malicious smile, and it didn’t fit the cold feeling that was settling in the girl’s stomach. “You’ll see.” He said simply before turning and starting back off down the hall. The message wasn’t evil or threatening, not necessarily, in fact the way his eyes looked and the way his voice sounded was almost hurt, more towards her than anything else.

Hinata frowned again, she didn’t know for sure. Neji could also be trying to trick her into thinking that, she truly didn’t know much about him other than how she had known him as a child, the way she noted the similarities between him and their father. While he seemed immaculate in every aspect now she truly had no idea what his other activities had been throughout the years she had been missing from Falcon. She just didn’t know right now, and it would never hurt to be cautious. For now, she could not afford to trust him, not yet.

And Naruto… what had Neji meant by that? She knew she had to find a way to protect him… somehow…

`

A blur of brown and black sped across the stone flooring below, momentarily drawing green eyes lined in black. The raccoon must be trying to hunt that fox, the pale boy mused lightly as he turned his attention back to the hall in front of him, where he was currently walking. Ahead of him his steps slowed slightly as a person turned a corner and started down the corridor. He recognized the girl instantly, it was difficult not to acknowledge her, if only in his mind.

“Oh, good morning Gaara,” Naruko’s voice greeted cheerfully. She had only woken up yesterday, and since their entourage was taking a few days for rest and supply it wasn’t so unusual to see his ‘guest’ walking his halls, the girl in particular seemed to love exploring. Rather irritating really, she couldn’t seem to be in the same couple of rooms for too long before she had to move along and find someplace new. Thankfully all the important places no one was allowed to go poking around in were locked doors.

Gaara didn’t particularly care for the girl, but he did nod his head in polite acknowledgement. At the least he could be civil to the girl. He didn’t really know why he disliked her. She was a friend of Neji’s, but since Neji had become the ruler of Falcon he must have had many friends.

“Um… Gaara? Mind if I walk with you, for a minute?” she asked cheerfully, changing direction and falling into step next to him. Gaara resisted the urge to shy away, and nodded slightly. Yes, he disliked the girl somewhat… but it was because… she was just so…

Glancing at the girl out of the corner of his eyes he noted the same vibrant coloring he’d seen when he first laid eyes on her and Sasuke as the dark-haired youth had carried her in his arms. When she was unconscious he could stand it, but as she was now… he felt like if he tried to get too near to her, she would somehow burn him away.

“Kodoku’s nice, but I have to ask about the architecture,” Gaara could vaguely hear her rambling. That was expected the construct of the city and palace had confounded many.

“It’s high off the ground because it’s windier up here, the lower you get the closer you are to the sand, and over the day it absorbs heat. It’s why it’s so breezy up here.” Gaara explained vaguely. Naruko nodded but he wondered if she actually understand what he was talking about as far as heat transfer.

“So are the sand rays really common?” she inquired.

“They hunt in groups, they’re fairly common I guess.” Gaara supplied, hoping to effectively cut off any further conversation.

“So are they really difficult to beat?” She asked again.

“They’re weak near the eyes and mouth, they track their prey by ear,” Gaara answered swiftly. Maybe now she’d quit asking questions, and leave him alone.

“Do you know how they can sink into the sand too then? Cause when we were walking over it, it was pretty solid. And they have a lair underneath the sand then? Is it like a cave then?” she just never stopped asking questions, huh?

“It’s a part of their mechanics as demons that allows them to move in the sand like water. They construct hollow structured lairs beneath where they take their prey to gorge themselves.” Gaara explained at length.

“Hm… that’s interesting. So, if I may ask, where are you headed right now?” she asked, taking care to be polite when asking about his self.

“Kitchen.” He answered simply.

“Okay… can I come with you?” She asked following along beside him. Gaara shrugged, if he answered in words she might decide he was talkative and continue asking questions. Of course answering wasn’t so bad, the bad thing was that he wasn’t sure of what he was doing by talking with her. Let alone what was going through her head.

Thankfully she was mostly silent through the rest of the relatively short journey to the kitchen.

The chef barely noted his entrance though he was polite enough to greet Naruko. “Welcome princess, is there anything we can get you?”

“Yes, Gaara and I were going to get some breakfast,” She informed them with a grin. The chef frowned at Gaara but the redhead refused to look at him. The chef always left at least a plate of decent food on the counter center three times a day for meals. That was if he had left his room, if not then someone would come up to check on him and ask if he wanted food, then bring it to him there.

“Really then, what would you like? Anything in particular?” the chef asked amiably.

Watching Gaara a moment pick up his food and start heading for the door, now ignoring everyone in the as well as her. “I’ll just have what Gaara’s having.” She grinned. The chef looked slightly taken aback but nonetheless nodded and took only a moment to put together the simple meal before handing it to her.

She thanked the chef graciously before following after Gaara, who had taken a seat on a bench in the breezeway currently looking out into the raised stone platform, currently serving as a semi-garden and walkway. “Hey,” she greeted coming to stand nearby, “Can I join you then?”

Gaara only shrugged again. She wasn’t really so annoying he decided, just… he wasn’t sure what anymore. He still felt like being near her was going to burn him. “A raccoon?” she voiced aloud noting the two beings that Gaara had seated himself here to watch. “Is it yours?”

The redhead nodded cautiously. Looking forward again the blonde noted that her fox was also skulking around the stone way, lurking on the opposite field of the raccoon, both predators watching each other with cold eyes. “What’s its name?” she asked again after a minute, perhaps taking the time to nibble at her food as Gaara was doing. He didn’t look to see. She probably was, it was breakfast after all. They’d be eating it sometime.

“Ichibi,” he answered. She was silent a moment more, both the beasts staying fairly still just watching each other, sizing one another up. They wouldn’t change into their human forms at present, not when there was the possibility of being watched. At least the fox wouldn’t. Ichibi might, but then he probably wouldn’t if Kyuubi didn’t.

“He’s a demon isn’t he,” she stated more than asked. Gaara paused with his food looking over at her breifly, she was watching him too. So then she could tell, somehow she could tell. “Ichibi.” She tried again making what she was referring to more specific. Gaara nodded again, setting his plate beside him. The food was never that good and after eating a certain amount he wasn’t hungry anymore.

“So is your fox, he is also a demon,” Gaara noted aloud. Naruko seemed to stiffen slightly, so then not many around her knew about the fox and that it was demonic. Perhaps that was why she had friends around her.

“You knew huh?” she managed a grin, then turning to him, “So then… you’re like me…?”

“Maybe,” Gaara pondered, “I don’t really know yet, what is your bond with the fox?”

“With Kyuubi…” she took a moment to think about it, setting her plate aside as well after a few more bites. “It’s a blood bond actually. We chare half our blood, half a heart.” Her eyes darkened slightly, “our pact is hidden more or less, so no one really knows. It seems different for you though… everyone seems… cold to you.”

Gaara didn’t flinch at that, though he was somewhat surprised she had noticed, she seemed too cheerful and oblivious to her surroundings to have noticed. “Is that the reason? They know about your demon pact, and so they treat you like you are a demon?”

“Actually… I am less of a demon than you are,” Gaara noted, “our pact wasn’t made by our blood, it was sealed by a promise made with our energies.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her pact was different and therefore she didn’t fully understand it. That was expected he didn’t really understand her and the foxes pact either. All he knew about a blood bond was that it was supposedly a mutual decision and that as an effect the demon and the human share not only their blood, and some internal organs on occasion, but also essentially their souls. But what kind of instance would make a person choose that Gaara had yet to discover.

“We were both sealed into the dark urn, our shadows were forced to join by the evil that lurked in there. Now we are in each other’s debt, more or less. Ichibi may use my body when it wished, and in turn I can draw upon his powers,” Gaara explained, choosing to leave out details about the urn, and what it in fact contained that drove himself and the demon to alliance. “The pact was made to protect Kodoku, to make a weapon to be used for our kingdom’s safety but everyone seems to have forgotten that.”

“So now they hate you, because in their eyes you aren’t even human.” Naruko finished for him. Looking at her eyes now, there were traces of sadness, no pity, just sorrow and some anger, as if somehow she too had suffered such an injustice. “To be seen as less than what you are in the eyes of others.” Naruto could relate to that on some level, not as closely as Gaara, but on some level he knew the feeling. Ultimately it isolated him from others, and from the looks of things Gaara didn’t have as many friends to help him cope as he did, if the redhead had any at all. “You don’t have any friends do you?” Gaara turned away, he shouldn’t have told her all that, now suddenly she… he didn’t understand it… but he didn’t want to answer anymore questions about himself. “What about your family? Your siblings…?”

What was he supposed to say? That they hardly talk and that they only do so if they have to. That they felt pity for him and at the same time they fear me. Everyone feared him the difference between his siblings and everyone is that instead of hate it was pity they felt; and that was almost worse.

Now there was Naruko, he didn’t see pity in her eyes, but everything about her still confused him. He had to get away, not sure why but he had to. A pair of strong arms, tanned far more than his to a healthy tan, pulled him back turning the startled redhead into a warm hug. Actually, calling it ‘warm’ was an understatement. Her skin really did seem to burn against his own. But it wasn’t a painful burning, it was odd to think of it like that, burning but not painful. Like how a night creature that has just stepped into the daylight world might feel; just a bit odd, different but not necessarily unwelcome.

“Can I be your friend then?” she asked, her voice wasn’t as soft as before now, but the difference in pitch didn’t seem unnatural in fact now, she sounded more natural than she had before. “I want to be your friend.”

“You won’t, not for long,” Gaara whispered against her shoulder his hands still handing idle at his sides.

“No. I will. I will be your friend, I promise.” She said, the hand on his shoulder, stroking the fingers slightly in some affectionate gesture. Gaara had seen it before, between friends and family, but it was something he never understood, it didn’t feel unpleasant though, and he sunk deeper into her embrace. He wasn’t sure how the girl expected to keep her promise when she and her entire entourage was supposed to be leaving in a few more days, but somehow her voice was sincere and he wanted to believe her.

She really had a very flat chest, but that was okay, she was still so warm. He didn’t mind the sun, not really. He never did really, but it was something he didn’t understand, and still did not. But that was okay, he did not know why but it was.

“Why…?” he whispered in question, still not moving from the warmth.

“Because, I want to know you, and what I do know, we’re sort of the same.” She told him truthfully, then lessening her hold she leaned back to look at him, a small smirk crossing her features. “Besides, you’re kind of cute when you’re not scowling.” She teased lightly with a grin. Gaara felt his cheeks warm slightly, and looked away from her. A friend then… that would be nice.

“Gaara, Naruko,” both occupants of the bench looked up at the approaching brunette.

“Neji,” the girl greeted jovially, still not fully letting go of Gaara, though suddenly the redhead felt uncomfortable being so close to her and the other youth being so near. He never understood anything not even the way he felt and he didn’t know the reason behind this either but he didn’t feel comfortable. If Neji hadn’t been here though he knew he would have gladly allowed himself to be held by the blonde for a longer time.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked glancing at Gaara, who refused to meet the youth’s eyes.

“No.” Gaara said, standing and effectively leaving Naruko’s warmth. It was cooler now that he wasn’t so near her but he didn’t want to be held by her with Neji around, and so this was the best course of action.

“Well then,” Neji started after both Gaara and Naruko were silent for a time, “may I borrow her highness, I wish to speak with her for a moment.”

Gaara vaguely nodded and he felt Naruko watching him before she stood and went with Neji. Gaara didn’t turn to see them go, despite the fact she wasn’t here right now, there was a lingering heat in Gaara’s body, in truth he wasn’t sure what he would have done or said before Neji came.

He felt… giddy? Was that the right word, like he couldn’t stay still and should be running around laughing and grinning. No, that wouldn’t be right, but he couldn’t prevent the small smile that crossed his face now in the current solitude he was granted. Glancing back at the stone way he noted that both the fox and Ichibi had departed, heading for his room and reaching the chamber quickly Gaara was glad to see that the raccoon was there. Ichibi was currently in his human form and was attempting to bandage up a few cuts he had gotten, presumably from Naruko’s fox.

“I was talking with Naruko this morning, a little while ago,” Gaara started sitting down on his bed and watching the raccoon youth growl at the misbehaving gauze.

“I know,” Ichibi grumbled, “I saw you earlier.” The raccoon was irritable really not just because of the cuts, what was worse was that the fox had beaten him this easily and left only this much, he hadn’t even seen him worth taking the fight seriously. He toyed with him for less than five minutes before pinning him to the ground immobile. He had to figure out how he did that, but unfortunately the fox wasn’t about to hand him a step by step manual on how to beat him. Now Gaara was back and rambling about the Kyuubi’s owner, slow and unsure as ever, just like with Neji all those years before, and of course the human wasn’t going to offer him help to getting his wounds taken care of. No… couldn’t do that!

“Lovesick fool…” the raccoon grumbled to himself.

`

“So what did you have to tell me, Neji?” Naruto asked, now that they were alone. He felt kind of bad about leaving Gaara, and at the same time it was probably a good thing. Poor guy didn’t seem to know what to do when he told him he wanted to be his friend.

“Actually it’s about what I and Hinata both said to you earlier,” Neji mentioned. Naruto nodded in recognition, at least he hadn’t completely forgotten once Hinata had told him not to worry about it.

“Hinata explained to me that you weren’t completely comfortable with the idea,” Neji started, “and that perhaps there is another plan that can be arrived at so that you don’t have to go through with the whole-”

“What are you talking about?”

Naruto and Neji looked over at Sasuke; neither had even heard his approach. He was getting to be quite good at sneaking up at certain moments. This wouldn’t have been the best topic for him to overhear either…

“Good morning, Sasuke,” Naruko greeted with a small smile. Too bad he showed up now, not that she didn’t not always like being around him but she was curious as to what idea Neji had.

“Sasuke, good morning, you rested well I take it,” Neji greeted as civilly as his… dislike, for the youth would allow. The dark-eyes boy chose not to really acknowledge the other boy in favor of stepping behind Naruko and draping his arm over her shoulder’s front, giving Neji a cold look all the while. It was returned with the same expression reflected from clear pale irises.

“Morning, Naruko. Want to talk?” he asked, his face leaning awfully close to her neck and ear. Was he seriously going to try his trash in front of Neji? It was so… embarrassing! And unmanly and since Neji knew… it just wasn’t right! Besides he was already talking to Neji beforehand.

“Um… okay,” Naruto answered, pulling away and removing his arm so as to detach herself from his ‘fiance’. “About what?”

Dark eyes glanced from the girl to Neji and back, “I was kind of thinking we could talk alone,” he mentioned shooting another murderous glare at Neji. Now the polite thing to do would be to leave the two alone for a time, but Neji didn’t feel like leaving.

“What could we have to talk about that Neji couldn’t be apart of?” Naruko asked, trying to look incredulous and slightly puzzled. In truth Naruto was confused, unless Sasuke wanted to ask him something weird, and he would have said something different if he wanted to take her and go train, and if it wasn’t that then Naruto wasn’t sure he wanted to go alone with Sasuke. Especially when he started off the conversation by putting his arm around him.

Sasuke’s eyes shifted again to glare at Neji, who glared right back. Naruto watched the two a moment before wondering if he should make his escape before either parties decided to declare war on one another. Suddenly Sasuke’s hand closed on Naruto’s arm and turning he broke the glaring contest as he continued to drag the startled blonde down the hall. Neji’s fists clenched at his sides, but he couldn’t really follow them for the moment, that wouldn’t be prudent. Drat.

Turning around the corner Naruto’s mind finally decided to register that Sasuke was dragging him away to someplace and he was letting him. By now they were probably too far away from Neji, and the whole incident had really been quite rude. With an annoyed look, Naruto yanked his arm back, his legs stopping their movement as Sasuke’s hand left him. The dark-eyed boy turning to face the blonde, an equally irritated look on his face.

“What’s your problem you jerk?” Naruto asked, allowing the edge of annoyed anger into his tone, “do you have any idea how rude that was?”

“What about you, you flirt,” Sasuke growled angrily facing the blue-eyed ‘girl’.

“Flirt?!” Naruto cried in outrage, “That was NEJI for goodness sakes!! Besides that we’re ENGAGED, so you’re little prize is safe! What were you so worried about then, huh?”

“Fine, it’s not like you care what I had to say,” Sasuke growled back.

“I might’ve, but with the way you’re acting?” Naruto asked, the edge of anger still there. What had gotten Sasuke so worked up? “You could have been at least a little more polite! And modest!”

“If we’re engaged, why should anyone care of I touch you in public? It wasn’t even half as bad as what it could’ve been and what you’re making it out to be,” Sasuke explained in a hissing tone.

“Because it just wasn’t seemly!” Naruto defended, “And what does that have to do with you being at least civil around Neji? Huh? He’s Hinata’s brother, as much as you may dislike him.”

“And just what is Hinata to me, again?” Sasuke asked.

“She’s my friend.” Naruto told him pointedly.

“Whatever,” Sasuke snorted looking to the side, “I don’t care. Go talk to him! Like I care!” and with that Sasuke turned and started off down the hall again, something sulky in the way he moved.

“Jerk!” Naruto called after him before he turned to walk the opposite direction. He would never understand that guy, he sighed slightly, if it wasn’t for being a girl… then that thing with Neji wouldn’t have happened. Sasuke would obviously have not leaped to some way out of whack conclusion. Of course if he wasn’t a ‘girl’ then this whole marriage and journey wouldn’t have taken place either. He may have never even met Neji, or Gaara… or Sasuke… but still. Sasuke… ugh!

He was just so frustrated with him sometimes!

`

Ichibi hadn’t been listening, he just called him foolish and took off again to try and find Kyuubi again. He was starting to wonder if the raccoon was slightly masochistic, after all the fox had given him a thorough beating before and then the raccoon starts off to see the fox again almost right after.

Now for lack of anything better to do the redhead found himself once more wandering down the breezeways. It gave him time to think and somehow helped to zone out his surroundings. Glancing up though, it was impossible not to considering the waves of annoyance the approaching person resonated, Gaara recognized Sasuke. Wonder what got him in such a dark mood.

“You seem irritated.”

“Yeah I am.” Sasuke answered none too calmly. Looking across the stone way now to the second breeze way dark eyes watched Naruko walked back up to Neji, she was probably trying to apologize for his bad behavior. He frowned, beyond the apology he would have no idea what they were talking about. He didn’t want to know though. He really didn’t want to know. And them being together… it didn’t bother him. Not at all.

Green eyes followed Sasukes’ gaze and watched Neji and Naruko, the two weren’t alone for long though before two other girls, both from Konoha, one with pink hair and one with long blonde pulled up in a pony tail. They were all four talking now, though Neji looked vaguely annoyed at their presence. Looking back at Sasuke Gaara pondered who Sasuke was watching, or if he was just watching the group of them in general.

“Gaara, right?” Sasuke asked, the redhead started slightly when the boy addressed him, “You want to go somewhere?” he asked, his eyes not leaving the group of four across the way, blue eyes glanced up to meet him and at that time he looked back at Gaara. The dark-eyed youth’s offer didn’t seem insincere; not really, it was just slightly empty. He probably decided that on a whim.

It surprised him. “Okay.” He nodded. Sasuke turned and started walking, Gaara followed after him. The boy wasn’t as talkative as Naruko, and he wasn’t warm, his presence was cold. Instead of the burning that Naruko seemed to radiate Sasuke was a darkness, one that Gaara approved of as soon as he had seen the boy. He presented a worthy opponent, he sadly hadn’t been able to get much fun out of the sand rays. They were always easy to predict and after he knew how to beat them it was easy. Sasuke however, he might like to face sometime, his kind was one of a caliber that Gaara had not been privy to in years…

A small smile crossed the boy’s face as he followed after the darker youth. This could be fun.

`

Blue eyes watched the pair as they started off down the breezeway. Sasuke had said something to Gaara and they Gaara had replied and now they were walking off together…

Naruto felt a muscle in his jaw tighten. He could barely hear Ino and Sakura talking to Neji about something in the background, for some reason it didn’t seem to matter much. He was a part of the conversation just a moment ago but he dropped out of his own accord. For some reason this was irritating him. But it wasn’t so bad, it was fine if Gaara made another friend, that was really good, despite the fact Sasuke would probably be mean to him half the time…
Naruto’s eyes widened and focused closely on the boy’s hands as they had suddenly become attached… a vein twitched somewhere… and Naruto’s eyes lowered to a slight irritated grimace.

“Naruko…?” Ino’s voice intruded on his thoughts. The blonde looked up, wiping the glower from his face and replaced it quickly with a fairly efeminate expression, “You feeling okay…?”

“Oh yes!” Naruko smiled kindly to the girl. “Sorry, I zoned out there for a moment, what were we talking about?”

Sakura had started talking again on the subject, and Naruto kept his eyes firmly fixed on the speaker, even though he didn’t care and really wasn’t listening to what she was saying. What was Sasuke doing with Gaara? That constituted holding hands? Since when were they that close of a buddies? Did they somehow previously know each other…?

“Oh yeah, we should probably go tell Hinata too! Yes, I know she’d love to come see! You should drop by sometime too, Princess Naruko, Prince Neji!” the girls said before they headed off. Perfect time to leave too.

“What were they talking about?” Naruto asked.

“They just found a next of white cranes on the other side of the castle, and since they’re rare in Kodoku they thought they’d go tell everyone,” Neji answered.

“Hey, do you know if Sasuke knew Gaara before he came here?” Naruto inquired, not aware of the slight darkening in his eyes as he glanced back, Sasuke and Gaara were almost at the end of the breezeway, then he wouldn’t be able to watch them anymore.

“No they weren’t. We all met briefly when we brought you and Sasuke back, he was conscious then,” Neji told him. Naruto frowned but nodded. “I used to know Gaara though.”

“Used to?” Naruto asked, vaguely curious.

“Our father’s had a common trade agreement, and I used to come here, to Kodoku, fairly often a couple years ago.” The brunette explained, “after I turned twelve though I became the ruler and stayed in Falcon after that. We used to have a letters correspondence for a time, we still do send letters every couple of months.”

That was right. Somuhorm wasn’t allied with Kodoku, Sasuke had even stated that before they made the decision to take the detour through the desert country, therefore Sasuke couldn’t have known Gaara from before. So when did they get that… chummy…?

“Why are you curious?” Neji asked not bothering to follow Naruto’s eyes, he had a good idea of who all he was watching. Though he had half a mind to take a look, Naruto looked a little more than vaguely curious.

“No reason.” Naruto replied shaking his head turning away, he couldn’t watch them anymore anyway, and if he could he wasn’t sure he wanted to see what they were going to do next. Hugging…? Was that legal when they just met? Then again was hand holding… actually that in and of itself didn’t seem right somehow. Were they kissing by now? If Sasuke could move so fast with him, what was going to stop him from trying with Gaara? Would the redhead even let him…? Were they headed someplace private to… do things….?

Naruto was hardly aware that his arms were shaking, why was it making him so angry? The answer was simple, it wasn’t. It wasn’t making him angry at all. He wasn’t even interested, just… somewhat curious. That was all. Following after Naruto he glanced back at the now empty breezeway, but he still already knew who had been there and with who. Sasuke could not be making things easier for him.

“Forget about them,” Neji spoke, answering the conscious mind’s hidden outrage.

“I already did,” Naruto answered forcing a smile onto his face, though even to his self it felt like a bitter one. Glancing back behind his shoulder blue eyes locked with dark, Sasuke still standing just within the dark of the doorway. Naruto glowered slightly, as the dark-haired youth only seemed to smirk in the shadows cover. Turning back to the front Naruto continued walking, he wouldn’t look back again. He didn’t care. It was weird anyway, Sasuke was supposed to like girls, otherwise he wouldn’t have acted so weird around Naruto, so it wasn’t really plausible the conclusions Naruto found himself jumping to, but he was ignoring logic and listening to his gut feeling for the moment. Either way it didn’t matter if Sasuke was with Gaara, or even if the dark-eyed youth wanted to be with the redhead. It didn’t mean anything to Naruto. Nothing at all.

So why did he seem to feel a lack of sincerity?

`

“So I found you…”

“Isn’t it about time you gave up trying to beat me,” the fox smirked as it’s fangs faded slightly in the mouth of a blonde youth, crouching on the other side of the room.

“Hardly. I plan to get back at your for everything you’ve done, you know,” the raccoon persisted, “and I’m not stopping until I have that revenge.”

Lazily the fox came to a stand, watching the raccoon with a disinterested gaze, “Go ahead and try.” He stressed the last word. Ichibi darted forward aiming a clawed hand to slash through the shoulder and neck, but Kyuubi was fast and easily avoided the blow, turning to attempt an attack again Ichibi growled slightly in the back of his throat when again the fox danced just beyond his reach.

“Aren’t you tired of playing these games yet?” Kyuubi questioned lightly as he lunged forward knocking the raccoon off his feet.

“I could ask you the same thing.” The raccoon replied, as he attempted to catch is balance and swing around to try and land a blow. He attempted this first part, because the fox was on him before he got the words fully out of his mouth.

The fox’s claws dug deep into the raccoon’s wrists holding him against the ground, Ichibi hissed as he felt the slits in his skin appear from his opponents claws. “You’ll have to explain to me what you mean,” the fox told him, red eyes looking down at the raccoon from a human’s angelic featured face.

“You haven’t taken your true form for a while now, I have had no pretenses with you, trying to imitate my host,” Ichibi explained, attempting to smirk, though the effect was probably lost considering that he was pinned beneath the other demon.

Red eyes glinted slightly with amusement, but this once the Kyuubi must have decided to humor him. A shifting of energy alerted the raccoon to the other’s transformation, and long red hair fell around him from the demon’s human-like skull, pooling and mixing with his darker gold tipped locks. Deep red eyes never met with dark gold even as the other’s body changed its frame and characteristics into one the raccoon more easily recognized.

“Well you haven’t changed…” the raccoon commented almost sarcastically.

The fox only smirked at him. Studying the raccoon’s humane form for a moment. It had been a while since they had met and it had been even longer that the fox had had a chance to study the other demon. He had not grown more beautiful, that was impossible for a demon, but he always had carries with him a form of attraction. Tanned skin, with short jagged hair dark in color but a sandy gold staining the edges. Dark gold eyes translating all the emotions he kept from appearing on his face. It was never a possibility to tire of a demon, Ichibi had always held some interest for the fox, but truly now would not have been the best time to exercise his dominance of the whole.

“Stop that.” The raccoon hissed suddenly, his arms straining at the fox’s grip.

“Stop what?” the fox asked, pretending to ignore the other’s low level of comfort.

Ichibi’s jaw set stubbornly for a moment, unwilling to answer, “Stop looking at me weird.” He hissed after a moment’s consideration.

“Ah…” Kyuubi acknowledged, though he didn’t much feel like looking away, if he did that there was always the chance that the other demon would break free and perhaps if he was incredibly unlucky Ichibi could land an actual blow to him.

“Besides, I thought you had a new prey…” he growled slightly more than annoyed now.

“What are you talking about now, I wonder,” Kyuubi wondered aloud. Yes, that was one of the reasons that the raccoon hated him so thoroughly. The raccoon had always been the fox’s prey, in any field, of course Kyuubi never saw any reason to allow the raccoon dominance either, let alone over his self.

“Well isn’t that human, host, you’re new toy?” Ichibi asked, giving the fox an incredulous jerk. Kyuubi’s blood gave a surge of heated anger and his eyes blazed, one hand leaving Ichibi’s arm in favor of slamming his already made fist into the raccoon’s face. Effectively shutting up the other demon for the comment about the human.

Ichibi’s head swung to the side, and he coughed from the action, the stinging pain in his cheek resonating through his whole body and down his spine. “Wha-what…” he sputtered between breaths eventually. Damn that fox was strong, and his punch had hurt!

“Don’t talk about things you know nothing of.” He told the demon coldly. Ichibi yelped slightly when Kyuubi’s claws sunk into the place where his shoulder and neck met. No more words were exchanged as the fox inflicted again the damage as he had before. There were no sounds but the occasional yelps and whimpers from the raccoon, the fox’s cold eyes watching the raccoon with an odd mixture of disgust and amusement.

When he was done with the demon the fox didn’t take his time to stand and stalk off from the raccoon this time. It left Ichibi shocked and weak on the ground, his body sore from the abuse, old wounds bled through the gauze from having been reopened. He grimaced and turned on his side, shutting his eyes his face burning in shame, once again he was the loser of this game.

Damn Kyuubi…

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