Naruto: Sound Sisters by SBgirl04
Summary: About a year after the 4th ninja war, an unknown family settled down in the outskirts of the beautiful village of Konoha. Although they try to live a normal life, they soon encounter a secret that will devastate the wonderful friends they make along the way.

N:SS banner resize

Categories: OC-centric, Het Romance > Fluff, Het Romance > Angst, General Fiction > Naruto Shippuuden Characters: All, Naruto Uzumaki, OC, Pair OCGaa, Pair OCKiba
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, General, Romance
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 17 Completed: Yes Word count: 31836 Read: 32276 Published: 17/09/08 Updated: 01/02/17
Story Notes:
This story takes place in the month of August, 17 1/2 years after the Kyuubi attack on Konoha. Most of the main canon characters are 18, Naruto is 17.

*Cannon Characters may be OOC (Out of character) **The Naruto and Naruto Shippuden logos, the Naruto & Naruto Shippuden anime and manga, and all of it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

1. Chapter 1 - A new home by SBgirl04

2. Chapter 2 - You're not Imao! by SBgirl04

3. Chapter 3 - Completely Different by SBgirl04

4. Chapter 4.1 - Emerald Art by SBgirl04

5. Chapter 4.2 - Imai's New Pet by SBgirl04

6. ~Ruri's Story~ by SBgirl04

7. Halloween Special by SBgirl04

8. Chapter 5 - The boy with Love on his face by SBgirl04

9. Chapter 6.1 – Happiness and Strength by SBgirl04

10. Chapter 6.2 - Decisions of Love by SBgirl04

11. Chapter 7 - First Pain by SBgirl04

12. Chapter 8 - Wasted Tears by SBgirl04

13. Chapter 9 - Mission: Sand Mystery by SBgirl04

14. Chapter 10.1 - Here comes the... unknown truth by SBgirl04

15. Chapter 10.2 - Unlocked Abomination by SBgirl04

16. Chapter 11 - Disconnected Hearts by SBgirl04

17. Chapter 12 - The embers that remain by SBgirl04

Chapter 1 - A new home by SBgirl04
"Sunny day. Feels good."
She gazes up at the clear blue sky, birds flying around, chirping.
"Father?"
"Mmm?" he responds.
"How much longer 'til we arrive?" she groans.
"About an hour and a half longer," he tells her.
"Ugh... We could've been there by now if we weren’t dragging those along..." she glares at her siblings.
"Whatever! They better have a hot spring there... I feel gross."
They all kept on moving forward into a long dirt road...


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Destination:
Konoha
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"Hello. I was wondering if you know where the nearest market is?" a young woman asks a Konoha local.

"Oh, yes. Just go down this street about five blocks, make a right and go down 3 blocks and you should see some stalls and stores there." He points her into the right direction.

"Ummm... Thank you." She looks at him a little distraught.

'Well... I'm pretty good at hiding it I guess...'She shrugs it off and continues walking.
She continues to walks around aimlessly, hoping to finds somewhere to buy groceries. After walking around for about half an hour, she finds a couple of food stalls around.

"Let's see... Hmmmm... mmmmm... hmmmm...." she hums. 'Cabbages... carrots... apples...'

"Oh! Oranges!" her face gleamed in delight. And right as she reaches to get one...

*POW!*

Someone crashes right into her. She falls over and spills all of the oranges on the ground.


'Ouch...'

"Ack! Sorry!! I didn't mean to... I really wasn't watching..." the boy breathing heavily from running apologizes.

"Uh... it's okay..." she stumbles around as she tries to get up.

"Let me help you." He extends his hand.

"Hmmmm..." she begins reaching for him awkwardly. The boy looks at her funny, shrugs, grabs her arm and gets her up.

"Oh my... I think I dropped all the oranges..." she looks around confused.

"It's okay, I'll help you. It's my fault anyhow," the boy scratches the back of his head.

"Thank you." she smiles politely. She starts humming and reaches awkwardly for the oranges on the ground. The boy takes note...

"You know what! I've got a better and faster idea!" he excitedly exclaimed.
"Here goes! KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!!" 4 shadow clones appear. He and his clones begin to pick up all of the oranges very fast and pile them up into a little mountain near the other fruits.

'What just happened?' She stands there confused.

"There! All done!" he smiles.

"Umm... thank you?" she looks around, baffled by what just happened.

"You're welcome! By the way, my name's Naruto Uzumaki! What's yours?"

"Oh... well, my name's Imao Tanaka. It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto." She smiles politely.


Imao

"Likewise!" he grins.

"Well, I have to keep shopping. Please don't run into me again." she looks at him with a blank expression.

"Ummm... heh." he scratches his head.
She smirks, "I'm kidding. Just don't run around like that. It’s a bit dangerous."

"Ha ha! I knew that!" he grins.

Imao smiles and keeps looking around.


'Wow... she's pretty.' Naruto starts to admire her... brown hair, oddly faded baby blue eyes, fair skin, rosy cheeks, dressed in a simple kimono, yet it complimented her curvy physique... he blushes a little.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around here before. Are you visiting?" Naruto blurts out.

"Ummm... yeah, my family and I are just visiting for a few weeks. We just arrived a few hours ago." she keeps humming while picking fruit.

"Cool! If you want I could show you and your family around. Just let me know,” he slyly says.

"Sure. That would be very nice. Maybe after I'm done shopping." She smiles.

'Hmm... I'm surprised he hasn't noticed yet.'


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After Imao was done shopping, Naruto took her around the Konoha village, showing her from all of the places to train to all of the places he likes to go to. Especially his favorite place, Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. After stopping to treat her to some, he then helps her carry her groceries to her new little, one story home on the outskirts of Konoha.

Naruto Imao Naruto: Sound Sisters N:SS

“Wow, I didn’t think there were any houses out here.” He looks at the small, wooden house in question.

“Yeah, we just found it abandoned out here, so instead of setting up our tent, we just made it our own home.” She smiled sheepishly.

‘Hmm… must have been one of Captain Yamato’s creations.’ Naruto thought to himself.

"Well, Naruto, that was fun. Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it a lot!" Imao smiles happily.

"Awww... your welcome." He blushes while scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I'll be going in now. Thanks again!" They stop right in front of the entrance door. She then leans to his side and lightly kisses his cheek. Naruto immediately blushes and sighs as she pulls away. "Uuhh huh..." he drools a little.

"Hmmm... mmm..." Imao hums as she tries to open the door. Naruto had noticed her humming many times and became curious, as he usually does.

"Hey!" he blurts.

"Yes?" she stops opening the door.

"Why do you hum all the time? Is it a song you like?" he curiously questions her.

"Well... actually... no... it... it helps me see," she pauses and thinks to herself, "humming helps me…. because..."



"I'm blind."
End Notes:
I wanted to make the introduction to this character of mine very obscure at the begining. So I added more dialogue than narration and description.
Chapter 2 - You're not Imao! by SBgirl04
The bright rays of the golden sun shined through the room. Naruto turns away from the window, grabs the edge of his sheets and pulls them over his head. He slightly opens his eyes to notice how the light manages to shine through his covers. He groans.
YAWN. He stretches himself as he sits up on his bed, scratches his head and his exposed belly simultaneously. He looks outside, squinting from the sun’s light entering through the window.

'Damn sun. If it didn’t exist I’d sleep all day! YAWN!'

As he was eating breakfast, he begins to remember the events of the day before.

“Wow… she’s blind.” He recalls as he leans back on his chair.

Imao had explained to Naruto that she had been born that way and that humming worked like a sonar for her. It helped her “see” shapes and even outlines of objects she approached in her head – without her ability her, vision is just blank. Naruto wanted to know the experience, so he closed his eyes and started to hum as he attempted to walk… but in the process he stupidly tripped over himself. Imao giggled sensing what had happened.

“Hmmm, I wonder what she’s doing today… I think I’ll go visit her!” Naruto quickly finishes his breakfast, gets ready and dashes outside into the streets.


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As Naruto makes his way through the streets, he notices a crowd of mostly men surrounding something. As he gets close and tries to make his way to see what is at the center of this whole commotion, he could hear men commenting on what a spectacle this person was.

“Impossible!”

“No way! She must be cheating!”

“She’s bluffing!”

As he gets closer to the middle, he can make out a slim looking girl, dressed in a simple but long tan T-shirt and some long, spandex-like, black shorts standing on a box proclaiming her greatness.

“I challenge any man, any fighter, wrestler or ninja… or even if you think you’re strong, come forward and I will defy you!”

Her tone and smirk were so snotty it made everyone around agitated and annoyed. There were two men next to her who were laying on the ground in pure agony. The girl looks down at them,

“Oh! Come on! You look pathetic! I didn’t even use any of my real strength. Bunch of sissies!”
Naruto finally manages to make his way through only to find a huge surprise…


Imao!?
Naruto’s jaw drops to the floor. He immediately runs to her.

“Wow! I didn’t know you liked to spa….” he gets interrupted.

“You want to challenge me, little boy?” she stands on a box with her left arm on her hip.

“What? No. I just can’t believe…” again interrupted.

“Oh, so you’re a chicken then? Sissy.” She starts mocking his stance.

“Now wait a minute! I…” poor Naruto gets interrupted again, letting the mob of angry men speak for him.

“You go, Naruto!! Kick her ass!”

“Yeah! Teach her a lesson!”

“Wait! I don’t like to fight girls! It’s not right!” he quickly backs away from her.

“Little boy, don’t be scared. I don’t bite… I just crush. Especially wimps like you!” She laughed in his face.

“I’m sorry but no!” he turns around and starts walking away.

“You’re pathetic! But you know what, I’m glad you acknowledge my power without fighting me. Just know one thing, you’ll never amount to anything, you weakling. You’re just low class trash that will go nowhere. And…”

Naruto stops and turns around as she keeps demeaning him with harsh words. He looks at her with resentment in his eyes. He starts to proclaim,

“I guess you forgot then. I’m going to be Hokage some day! And I’ll be the stronges…” Naruto gets cut off.

“Cry me a river, loser. If you’re so great, prove it to me then!” she shouts to him.

“You’re not as nice as I thought you were, so fine! Here I come!”

Naruto charges at her while she stands there with a mocking look. And as soon as he gets within one foot away from her, Naruto suddenly flies right into a wall and cracks it with great force.

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'What happened?' Naruto starts to move around. He then feels his stomach ache and spits up blood.
'How could she do this to me and say all those horrible things to me? She was so nice yesterday.' He manages to push himself up and starts looking around. 'Where did everyone go?'

Naruto decides to go look for Imao and get a reason to why she acted in that manner. He searches for her for about an hour around the streets when he finally finds her, flirting with some guys near a shop. He then goes straight up to her with a frustrated face,

“What the hell is your problem!? How could you be so nice to me yesterday and now be a complete…” Naruto gets interrupted.

“Kid, I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’re so sour about me kicking your ass, please, go tell someone who cares.” She becomes annoyed but ignores him and keeps flirting with the guys.

“See!! How could you be this way? Did I do something to offend you? Tell me!” Naruto insisted on getting an explanation.

“Yeah, your face is offensive!” all the guys laugh along with her.

“I thought you and I were friends but you don’t even seem to care. Imao you’re a b…” the girl jump in front of Naruto.

“WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?” she looks at Naruto in pure hatred. Naruto gulps and timidly says, “I said you’re a…”

“HOW DARE YOU!?!? DON’T YOU EVER CALL ME THAT!! EVER!! YOU STUPID MORON! GET MY NAME RIGHT!!” she grabbed him by his collar and yells so loud the whole street stoped to look and see what was going on. Naruto had never been so scared of a girl before, he was even more scared than when Sakura yells at him. He could not understand why she was so angry.

“AND FOR YOUR USELESS INFORMATION, MY NAME IS IMAI!!” she notices the people staring and how she scared off the cute boys she was talking to… she takes a deep breath and calms down a little. She grits her teeth and discreetly says...

“And apparently, you met my fat, ugly twin Imao yesterday.”
End Notes:
1. I had originally thought of having both of the girls in the city walking about while naruto looked for Imao then she would leave without him noticing and he would run into the other girl and go back and forth until they both met up... but it just didn't go with how I wanted to portray Imai. So, I did this plot instead and yeah. Plus it kinda goes with Imai's personality since you'll find out in the next chapters why she's this way.

2. The reason to why Imai was able to knock out Naruto is not because she's stronger than him. She has a similar technique like Sakura where she puts chakra into her hits BUT adds a vibration to it which, if she hits anywhere on the body, will cause a bad distortion of a person's equilibrium, which knocks people out (think of it like that one sound dude from the chuunin exams that fights Lee in the forest). Hope that clears it up a bit. :P ~Btw, Naruto wasn't charging at her with an intent to hurt her. He still thought she was Imao. :P
Chapter 3 - Completely Different by SBgirl04
Ch. 3 - Completely Different
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He couldn't believe his ears.
"You're not Imao!? But you look just like her!!" he insisted on asking. His mind just didn’t comprehend what he was witnessing.

"Are you stupid? I just said my name's Imai! And Imao is my TWIN SISTER! Dumbass…" she looked at him annoyed by his ignorance.

Naruto continued to stare at her in complete awe. 'Am I dreaming?' He scratched the back of his head, trying to make sense of it all. ’If this is Imai then where…’

"HEY! Imai! Is that Naruto with you?" A shout came from behind him. Naruto turned around, realizing that it was not a lie. There were two of them. Imao quickly but carefully paced herself towards them, humming as usual, a kid tagging along beside her.

"Hey Naruto! How are you? I see you've met my sister… I hope we didn't confuse you." She steadied her breathing after the quick jog.

'Two sisters that look the same? Wait! How did Imao know I was here? Wait! Is this a genjutsu? No! Imao doesn't know how to use any jutsu!! I think...' Naruto went into a confusion spin, but regained his senses. He stared at Imao then back at Imai… 'Imao, Imai, Imao, Imai, Imao, Imao... no, Imai ,Imai... No! Imaio?' his mind became confused again.

'Poor Naruto.' Imao gave Naruto a sympathetic look, sensing what was happening to him. She stepped back, lightly bumped into the kid that was following behind her earlier and perked up.

"Oh! By the way, this is my little brother, Kiyoshi. He's very shy." Imao patted her brother at the top of his head and shook his pulled back, wavy hair. He quickly slid behind her.

"Hi there! My name's Naruto!" The boy looks at Naruto very timidly as he waves his hand slightly. Naruto could only guess that he's Imao's pet from how he clings to her. The boy wore a baggy and dirty, white long-sleeve shirt with a long sash around his waist that, from the looks of it, was used to lift his big shirt. His dark green shorts, torn and patched up, went down to his knees that had some scars and cuts. Kiyoshi noticed how Naruto stared at him curiously and blushed as he quickly hid behind Imao again. His emerald green eyes and dark reddish-brown hair complimented his cute baby face.

'A little weird for a pre-teen. Hmm… Odd kid.' Naruto shrugged but then turned to the twins as he caught words of the argument they had begun.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!?!?" Imai’s loud and annoyed voice startled Imao.

"Imai! Stop acting like an immature child! You know you must…" Imao tried to be stern but Imai's loud grunt of frustration interrupted her.

"IMAO!! I DON'T GIVE A CRAP WHAT FATHER OR YOU SAY!! ESPECIALLY WHAT YOUR FAT LIPS HAVE TO SAY!! AS LONG AS FATHER TRAINS ME, I'LL DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT!! AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME!!" Imai turned away and stormed off complaining about how stupid everything and everyone was. Imao hung her head as though she could see the ground. Naruto looked at Imao and saw how her eyes weld up with tears but were fought back into place with a tiny sigh. He realized this was something that happened all the time.

He patted her arm, "Imao!" he looked at her with concern, "Don't let her talk to you like that!! She has no right to treat you that way! You two are sisters! You nee…" Imao reached for Naruto's hands and held them within hers, pleading as though she was condemned to punishment.

"Naruto… I apologize for her attitude. It's mostly my fault. Please don't hold any grudges against her!" Naruto couldn't help but look at her funny. 'Why the heck is she apologizing?'

"It's ok. Really. You don't need to apologize, especially for other peoples actions." He smiled politely at her, remembering she could still see him somehow.

"Thank you!" she reached to hug Naruto… but tripped on her kimono and looked like she threw herself at him. Naruto blushed and gave a little awkward laugh. 'Wow, I didn't know she liked me this much!'

"Oops! Sorry about that. I tend to do that when I'm still unfamiliar with places." She pushed herself off of him while Kiyoshi held her arm so she could keep her balance. Naruto collected himself and was so amazed at how different the two girls were. He had never met a pair of similar looking siblings that could not be compared at all. Imao was so tender and caring while the demon named Imai was aggressive and a complete bitch. It was angel vs. demon… and the demon seemed to be winning it all. Naruto only hoped that he never crossed that wench's path again; after all, she did knock him out.

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All afternoon, Naruto accompanied Imao and her brother Kiyoshi around town. He kindly introduced Imao and Kiyoshi to a few of his fellow ninja comrades that they ran into. Naruto would tell everyone how intelligent and kind-hearted Imao is and rambled about how cool her unique ability, caused by her blindness, was. When he ran into Team 8, Hinata seemed a little jealous at how Naruto showed Imao off but seeing how Imao really didn't seem interested in the way Naruto was with her, she relaxed and chatted with her. Kiyoshi was exhausted from having trained earlier that day and asked Imao to take him home. Imao noticed that it was getting rather late and so, they said their goodbyes and started walking back to their house. Naruto continued to walk with them and told them about how he had thought Imai was Imao earlier that day and unfortunately got his butt kicked by her as well. Imao and Kiyoshi giggled at his misfortune but empathized with him as well. Finally they arrived at their house and Kiyoshi went in first. Imao stood in front of Naruto, while holding the door slightly open.

"Well Naruto, thanks again for escorting my brother and I to our home. I really appreciate it. It's been really fun hanging out with you." She smiled sweetly at him. Naruto blushed and smiled back then looked down shyly. She got closer to him and grabbed his hand,

"Thank you, really." Naruto’s face reddened even more as he felt his heart race. He looked straight into her eyes then down to her smile. He leaned in closer, closed his eyes and...

"What are you doing?" he opened his eyes only to see a confused Imao. "Is there something on my face?" she questioned him while touching her face, not even realizing what he was actually doing.

"Umm… no." He backed away with an embarrassed look on his face.

'Hmmm… I wonder what happened?' Imao thought to herself. "Well, thanks again! Come by whenever you like." She waved kindly at him as she went in. "Bye Naruto!" Naruto smiled weakly while he waved back, still slightly shamed of his actions, and went back into the city.
End Notes:
This chapter is just to show how both sisters interact with each other as well as introduce Kiyoshi, their younger brother. Next chapters will have more plot. I PROMICE!!
Chapter 4.1 - Emerald Art by SBgirl04
Imao and Kiyoshi leave their home and into the forest in search of a place to wash their laundry. After walking around for a while, they find a running creek near by.

“Okay Kiyoshi, I think this is a good spot.” Imao sensed the creek in front of her. She sat down slowly but close to the side of the creek and opened up a big bag.

“Kiyoshi, you can run along now. But don’t go too far ‘cause I’ll need your help carrying some of this back and I can’t have you tired.” She politely told her brother.

“I’m fine, sis. I’ll stay around here. Anyways, I don’t like being far away. I have to protect you from bad people anyways.” He tells her looking around suspiciously.

“Oh! Give it a rest! Have fun! It’s a beautiful day to waste. Go search around… but don’t stay TOO far now, though I’m sure you’ll be able to hear me if I should need you. I’ll be fine.” She begins to take out a piece of dirty clothing from the big bag and puts it in the creek meanwhile she scrubs soap on it.

“but…” Kiyoshi gets interrupted.

“GO!! Go now or else!” Imao demands. “Or else…. I’ll make you wash Imai’s clothes.” She teases.

“Ok! Bye!” Kiyoshi runs so fast he’s almost inaudible.

“Hee hee hee… ah, that kid…” Imao smiles to herself and keeps washing clothes.

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Sigh… Kiyoshi walks along side the creek, which was starting to connect to a large lake. He admired the scenery around him and smiled as he saw birds chase each other among the trees. He had walked for a few minutes and, as he looked back, started wondering if he should go back and make sure Imao was ok, but then remembering the consequence she gave him made him cringe and he continued to walk beside the creek. ‘Well, there’s nothing to do now… except…’ he lightly smiled to himself… and started running up the end of the creek and into the river. The water jumped all around him until he sunk all the way into the lake. He came up for air and giggled to himself. He started swimming around and splashed water all around him. But as he did, he noticed a figure near the edge of the lake. He sank down, only leaving the top part of his head out so he could breathe, but hoped that whatever was at the edge of the lake hadn’t seen him. But then he saw the figure waving at him… it was a guy.

“Hey there!! Are you alright!?” the guy at the edge of the lake yelled out.

“…” Kiyoshi stayed quiet out of his embarrassment.

“Do you need help!?” the guy yelled out to him but Kiyoshi still wouldn’t respond.

“I’m going in.” the guy yelled out again as he started taking off his equipment and setting it down on the ground. Kiyoshi was alarmed and quickly swam closer to the guy and managed to tell him,

“I’m fine!” and kept swimming till he got toward the edge. As Kiyoshi gets out of the water, his hair becomes lose as his hair tie falls off. He blushes as he sees the guy smiling at him in such a weird way.

“Hi. My name’s Sai. Sorry to have bothered your swim. I just saw you move around a lot; I thought you might have been drowning.” He kept smiling at Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi just blushed and looked down. Sai then sits down, grabs the canvas he had set down, places it on his crossed legs and takes out some paint and paint brushes from his carrying bag. He begins to paint the scenery before him. Kiyoshi looks at him amazed and watches every stroke he made. He stands closer to him but still kept his distance.

“You can sit down and watch if you’d like. I don’t mind.” Sai politely said, not being distracted by the curious but cautious boy. Kiyoshi blushed lightly and sat down. Kiyoshi kept watching and admired the precision of Sai’s painting skills.

Ruri Kiyoshi Naruto: Sound Sisters N:SS,Sai

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but… what’s a girl doing wearing boy clothes?” he quickly eyed her without moving his face; he tried to figure her out. Kiyoshi looked at him in disbelief.

‘How could he tell!?’ she quietly told him as she looked down, away from him.

“I see. Well, we all have our reasons for making our decisions.” He smiled at her then continued to paint the scenery in front of him.

“…” she looked down shyly. There had never been anyone that had noticed it before. She was always able to hide it very well. Sai kept painting on, capturing all the colors in front of him, from the blue sky to colorful rainbow of flowers, not being phased by anything.

‘Maybe I should… no… I guess I should… but…’ she kept debating with herself but after a few minutes of thinking, she looked over at Sai’s painting and she smiled to herself, because in the painting was her. Sai painted her in a pretty lilac dress while she is shin deep in the lake. She smiled at how pretty he made her look. She had always wanted to look pretty. But because she had to hide her true gender for so long, she never had the chance too. Finally, she decided to speak.

“My… my name is… Ruri.” She quickly glanced at him a couple times as she blushed.

“That’s a pretty name.” Sai politely smiled back at her. She blushed again and looked down at her hands as she clenched the edge of her wet shirt.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Sai questioned as he kept painting.

“No…” she said very timidly.

“Well, if you ever need help finding a place in Konoha, I’ll show ya around.” He smiles his awkward smile again. She looks at him timidly but then lightly smiles and blushes.

“You were named after your eyes.” He says to her.

“…” she looks at him surprised.

“They’re very green. Like the color of a glimmering emerald.” He smiles as he paints in her eyes. She blushes again. But then remembering memories of her past changed her face. She looked down, sadly, remembering her life changing incident. Sai noticed how her mood changed.

“I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong? I apologize if I said something that bothered you.” He stopped painting and looked at her. Ruri perked up,

“Oh! No, I’m fine. You said nothing wrong.” She told him reassuringly. She smiled politely and looked at his painting again. She looked at it happily, noticing the detail he put into everything in the painting.

“You paint beautifully.” She said admiringly.

“Thank you. It’s my passion.” He continued finishing the painting with a smile.

“When I was little…” Ruri paused for a second, wondering if she should continue. He stopped painting again and looked at her, as though telling her to continue.

“When I was little… I loved drawing… but I was never good at it.” She scoffed at herself.

“It’s not whether you’re good or not. What matters is that you show your inspirations and feelings how ever you can... I can teach you if you’d like. Anyone can learn to draw; it just takes practice.” Sai smiled at her then continued painting. She smiled lightly and nodded shyly. Sai then continued to ask Ruri about her family. She smiled to herself and told him about her sisters and her father. She felt at liberty to ask him the same in which he answered that he had a brother once, but now he only has good friends and smiles to himself.

“That’s nice. Friends… are like family she says.” She smiled as she looked up at the sky, reminiscing. She then gets her hair tie and pulls her hair back into a ponytail.

“Well, I must go now. My sister’s waiting for me.” She looked at him curiously, waiting to see what he would do or say.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Ruri. Please, come back and watch me paint again someday. You brought inspiration in me today.” she blushes hard as he smiles politely at her. She then smiles back, nods back at him and gets up.

“… Bye Sai.” She starts walking away.

“See ya later, Ruri.” He waves at her then keeps finishing the scenery in the painting.

________________________________________________

Kiyoshi arrives where he had left Imao washing clothes. She was done putting the washed clothes in the bag.

“So, anything interesting happen to you today?” Imao asked curiously. Kiyoshi smiles to himself as he helps Imao up. He picks up the bag of clothes and begins walking with Imao back to their house.

“Sorta. Today… I saw… a beautiful scenery.”
End Notes:
Sorry it took so long. I was writing back and forth between this one chapter and the next one and the one after that plus some dialogue for future chapters. So yeah. :P Enjoy!
Chapter 4.2 - Imai's New Pet by SBgirl04
It’s mid-day and the sun shines bright in the sky.

Sigh… “I am soooo bored!! We’ve been here ONE WEEK! It feels like we’ve done nothing!! What’s there to do here?” Imai said frustrated and paced around the kitchen/dining room.

“Father, I need to get outta here! Could I PLEASE just go out by myself!?” She pleaded.

“… Take Imao and Kiyoshi with you.” He said not caring.
She grit her teeth and let out a huge grunt,

“Ugh!! Why!? They’re not even here! I don’t want to wait for them!! By the time they get here, it’ll be night time!” Imai tried hard to contain her frustration and hoped to convince her father.

“Fine. Do as you wish. But do not get into any problems with anyone. You know the consequences.” Her father warned her. She gleemed with joy and trotted out,

“Thank you father!! See you later!” and she dashed out of the house and towards Konoha.



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“Hmmm, hmmm…” she hummed a little tune to herself as she walked happily, with her hands behind her head, in search of new places to claim her own.

“Oooh! That looks like a nice place to train.” Imai found a small open area with trees that covered around it so she could train without anyone bothering. She began doing flips and attacking the trees to the degree where she could break them but stopped herself right before she did. She played around with her kunai and shuriken in her hands and finally got rid of them by nonchalantly throwing them in random directions, which each hit the middle of the trunk of the trees around.

“Hmph! Still got it.” YAWN! “I think I’ll take a snooze now.” She looked around for any comfortable spot when she spotted a shaggy white rug near a tree.
“That looks like a good spot.” She gets right in front of the fluffy rug, turns around and plops herself right on top of it.

YELP!!

“What in the wo…!?!?” Imai jumps up and quickly backs away and prepares to attack what she sat on. But she then realizes that what she thought was a fluffy rug was just a big dog lying down. The dog stands ready to attack and growls at her,

“Figures… Well, sorry to have disrupted your slumber there pal.” She says, trying to make peace with the dog. The dog stops growling and happily whines as though accepting the apology.

“Wow, you understood me.” Imai smiled, “You’re one smart dog. I like smart animals.” She goes toward him extending her hand to his nose. The dog smells her, then licks her hand. Imai giggles and start petting it. She then begins to play catch with it, throwing sticks as fast as she can, which the dog would catch all of them. Eventually she would throw a bunch of sticks in different directions and the dog still managed to catch them all.

“You must be some dog, huh!?” The dog wagged its tail happily as it retrieved every single stick in its mouth. Imai giggled but then stopped. She felt someone was coming towards her direction.

“Well, doggy, it’s now or never. You wanna come home with me?” The dog whined and looked sad.

“You don’t want to come with me? But I thought you liked me?” The dog whined again and sits down.

“Fine. You’re loss dog…” she tells it in a sharp tone and starts walking away but stops and turns around. She looks at the whinning dog sympathetically but then smiles.

“Come’re!” she extends her arms open as the dog runs to her and knocks her down. He licks her face as she giggles. After a minute she gets up and pets the dog one last time. She feels that the presence she felt earlier was nearer.

“Well, time to go doggy. Thanks for playing with me! Hope you find your home.” She smiled and started walking away but not even half a minute passed before the person she felt earlier arrived.

“Hey!” He called out.

“Hey to you.” She turned around, swinging her hip as her hand landed on to the side of it.

“I met you before, right? Isn’t your name Imao?” he questioned her. She glared heavily at him… but because she wanted to make a good impression she politely corrected him.

“ Uh… no… it’s Imai. Imao is my ugg… (grits her teeth) she’s my sister. We’re twins.”

“Really? That’s cool.” The guy responds.

“Yeah… sure.” She rolls her eyes and looks at the ground. The guy observes her slim, athletic physique. She surely wasn’t Imao. Plus, she could clearly see him.

“Well, my name’s Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka.” He proudly announces to her.

“That’s nice.” She says blankly, making him think as though she didn’t care. Kiba looked at the dog, smiled and winked, and the dog “smiled” back. He starts walking towards the dog.

“So, what brings you around here? You train?” he curiously asks.

“Yeah, I was training. I’m not a ninja or anything but I love being able to move like one. I like taking on challenges. So, if you ever want, try me.” She smirked slyly. Kiba smirked and quickly said,

“Nah, I only fight and train when I have to. Otherwise, I like having time to relax. Me and Akamaru usually come here for that.” He looks and smiles at Akamaru.

BARK! Akamaru wags his tail. Imai stars walking towards them and stops in front of Akamaru.

Naruto: Sound Sisters Imai Akamaru

“So! You’re name’s Akamaru? That’s an awesome name. I wish I had a dog like you. Cute but tough!” She pets him on his head as he sat down and then scratched him behind his ear. Akamaru barks and keeps wagging his tail. Kiba notices how well Imai treats Akamaru. He had never seen Akamaru become so friendly with a stranger so quickly. ‘Well, she is cute.’ He smirked. Imai giggles as Akamaru licks her cheek. She looks back at Kiba and notices he had been checking her out. She smirks and Kiba quickly looks away while he slightly blushed. Afterwards, Kiba starts asking her more questions about herself and they commence a small conversation.

_________________________________________

Time passed and the sun was setting.

“Well, Akamaru, I think it’s time to go. Come on.” Akamaru whines a little but gets up from lying down and walks towards Kiba. “Well, umm… I guess I’ll see ya around then.” Kiba looks at her from the side.

“I guess. See ya.” She turns around and starts walking in the opposite direction. ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1…’

“Wait! Umm….” Kiba stopped himself before he said something stupid. Imai smirked, quickly wiped her smirk off and turned around with a questioning face, as though she didn’t know what was going to happen.

“Well, umm… I’m gonna be coming here to train tomorrow.” He declares.

“And…?” she keeps looking at him in question.

“I… We could use a sparing partner. You should come train… if you want.” Akamaru barks and looks happily at Kiba.

“Umm… we’ll see.” Imai turns around and smiles to herself.

Kiba smirks, “Let’s go Akamaru.” They both walk towards where they came from and disappear.

‘I hope… she comes to train again.’
End Notes:
A little boring but I promise the good stuff will come!!! :D
~Ruri's Story~ by SBgirl04
Author's Notes:
=Flashback=
The clouds were very dark and the rain fell like needles. The thunder rumbled across the sky and a chilling wind blew through their coats. The Tanaka family kept walking, not letting anything get in there way. The father kept ahead as the 3 sisters huddled closer together to gain more warmth. They had been travelling for days, without any proper rest. They were tired, cold and hungry.

“Father! Can we stop somewhere!?” shouted Yasuko as the wind took her words in another direction. The father stopped and turned towards them.

“We’ll stop at the next village. It isn’t that far from here.” He turned around and kept walking in the direction he was going.


---

After a few minutes, the rain calmed down and they arrived at a broken arc – the entrance to the village. The girls stopped and looked in horror. Imao could sense the tragedy that was before her. The village was completely devastated; there was not one single building standing. Corpses lay everywhere in the rubble and from the looks of them it was about a week or so when the disaster happened.

“Let’s keep going.” The father continued walking, not being fazed by what surrounded him. The young twins hung to Yasuko scared and upset.

“Can’t we go around?” Yasuko pleaded. Her father ignored her and continued walking through the remains of the village. The girls unwillingly followed, hoping to pass through the horrible place as soon as they could.

After a few minutes of walking through, Imai let go of Yasuko and became curious and started looking around. Imao still held on to Yasuko’s hand and avoided trying to sense her surroundings. As Imai kept looking around in the rubble, she noticed something move. She saw a small little child sitting down next to a wrecked house, hugging her knees, shaking from the ice cold rain hitting her skin and from the unknown tragic event that had occurred in the village. Imai looked at the kid shamefully. Imao also felt the presence of the child, as she felt her sister being so curious. She let go of Yasuko and stumbled towards that direction with help in mind but the little child noticed her and began to move away from her. The piercing emerald green eyes stared in fear at Imao, but because of her lack of vision she didn’t realize she was scaring the little kid.
Ruri Kiyoshi Naruto: Sound Sisters N:SS
But even so she managed to get close and wrapped a blanket she had worn outside of her coat around the weak, drenched, little body. The child’s wide fearful eyes slowly became sad and sorrowful. Imao could feel this change of emotion and she hugged the little kid.

“Take care of yourself,” and she got up from her knees and started to make her way through the destruction. As she walked away, she felt a pull on her hand.

“Don’t go.” A quiet, little voice said. “Please…”

Imao ‘looked’ in the direction of the child and felt compassion for the helpless kid. She just couldn’t leave the child in the cold rain all alone after losing everything the kid had …

“What’s your name?” Imao hoped she’d get a response.

“… Ruri.” Imao figured out that this child was a girl and felt disheartened at the news. She knew her father would not accept another female child in his family, especially one that wasn’t of blood relation.

“From now on... You’re name’s Kiyoshi. Father will take you in that way. You’ll be the brother we never had.” The girl looked down sadly and finally up at Imao and nodded. This was the only way she could survive. By living a lie… but it was worth it. Someone actually stopped and noticed her, cared enough to offer her a home - to start a new life. But all she really wanted… was to have a family again. Imao quickly paced herself towards the direction of her father, carefully making her way over and through debris from the building wreckage.

“Father!” she yelled out.

“…?” he stopped and looked towards where she was.

“Father, I found a little child in the wreckage. The child needs a home. May we please bring’em along with us?” she pleaded almost breathlessly.

“We don’t need another mouth to feed.” He turned away from and started walking again.

“But he’s all alone and has nothing left here.” She begged.

“He…?” he paused and gave a little interest.

“Yes. His name is Kiyoshi.” She smiled weakly, even as the cold rain starting falling as hard as hail.

“… Do as you wish. But you will be responsible for his care.” Her father then began walking away again. Imai followed behind but without first giving Imao an awkward look. Yasuko, on the other hand, smiled kindly at Imao and waited for her and the new member of their family. Imao gleamed with happiness,

“Thank you, father!” and then quickly went back to the little girl, almost tripping on some fallen rubble. She got to the little girl, and put her hand over Ruri’s shoulder.

“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll protect you; you’ll be my little brother.” Imao smiled and took ‘Kiyoshi’ by the hand. Ruri smiled and felt a sense of belonging. She found her new home… but would never forget her old one.

Ruri Kiyoshi Naruto: Sound Sisters N:SS
End Notes:
A little history on Kiyoshi/Ruri. Hope it clears up chapter 4.2. :)
Halloween Special by SBgirl04
Author's Notes:
I forgot to add this chapter when I uploaded to other sites, sorry!
The Bewitching ___________________________________________________________

"Aaah! Open the door!" A cowardly voice seeped through the cracks of the wooden door as multiple pounds against it quickened in rhythm.

*squeak* The door opened slowly but was then pushed completely open as Naruto rushed inside and closed the door, leaning against it as he caught his breath. A petrified but familiar orange-red head sat in front of him - he had been knocked down in the process of Naruto's panic.

"Heh, hi. Sorry about that. Here." Naruto smiled nervously as he extended his hand to help Kiyoshi up.

"It's ok. I'll get my sister." He jumped to his feet quickly and glanced awkwardly at the nerve wrecked blonde before leaving the kitchen/dining room. Naruto tried to collect himself while he paced around, unable to make sense of what had just happened to him.

"Hey, Naruto!" His good friend popped outta of the hallway entrance. He jumped and stiffened as the words were spoken too loud and excitable to his liking. He smiled weakly at her, turned pale and collapsed on the floor.

-------------------

A few minutes passed when he finally woke up, sitting on a chair in front of the small, rectangular dining table. Kiyoshi had been fanning him while Imao cooked dinner and readied some tea. Naruto groaned as a pounding sensation emitted from his head.

"You hit your head pretty hard." Imao went over to him and placed a cup of tea in his hands. She gestured Kiyoshi to stop fanning and help her serve food. The two siblings filled three plates with the delicious smelling meal the girl had prepared. Kiyoshi took two of the plates to the table as Imao took the other to Naruto.

"Alright, here is the meal I promised. You're lucky my father is working late this evening, otherwise you'd starve." She playfully poked his arm. Naruto fumbled the chopsticks around; still shaky from the previous event. Imao sat down next to him and sensed his trembling movements.

"Is everything ok, Naruto? You're acting rather strange. Did something happen on your way here?" She reached out to his arm closest to her and patted him softly.

"You won't believe me. It was..." Naruto shuddered, "...disturbing." He started to pick at his food since he could barely pick any of it up.

"Try me." Imao smiled kindly at her bewildered friend.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." Naruto sighed uncomfortably and began his story.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

On the route to the Tanaka household, Naruto was happily making his way to the dinner he was promised by Imao.

'Oh! I can't wait! Finally a proper house meal and with a wonderful person... Wait, is it a date? Am I underdressed!? Crap!' He stopped to check his outfit and shrugged.

"Oh well, no time to change." He continued to make his way to the special dinner. 'I wonder how it is that she cooks without burning herself... Or the food.'

The sun had been setting when he left Konoha and the forest around him got dark faster than usual. Naruto was only minutes away when he suddenly heard an out of place and eerie sound. 'What the...?' He came to a halt as it continued. His curiosity got the best of him and he veered off from the dirt path and into the woods.

The strange melody continued to echo around but became clearer as he got closer to the source. He jumped onto a tree branch and hopped to others stealth-fully until he saw a familiar being.

'Imao?... Wait... Ugh...' He realized his thought was wrong and came to the conclusion that it was the annoyingly aggravating twin. He watched as she continued to do odd taijutsu moves in rhythm to her peculiar vocalizations.

Though Naruto tried to observe in silence, his weight on the branch, which he crouched on, was a little too much and made the branch crack loudly and break off.

"Aah!" The blonde boy dropped ungracefully and pummeled his face onto the ground.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" An angry girl stood before him, glaring down at him with crossed arms.

"Uhh..." Naruto tried to collect his thoughts as he jumped up in a nervous hurry.

"You know what, nevermind. Just get out of here. You're disrupting my training. Pest." She turned herself away and went back to where she was originally standing at.

"Well, I heard weird noises and thought to investigate. And what do I find? You... in the middle of the forest... being strange." He tried to justify himself, but she continued to ignore him meanwhile restarting her soft vocalization and moves. Naruto looked around and noted the dark and uncomfortable surroundings. "Hey! It's kinda late, aren't you going to eat with your family? I don't know if you knew but, I got invited and I don't mind walking you home, seeing how creepy this area is... Could use some company-"

"How about you shut up and leave by yourself before I kick your ass again?" Imai was extremely concentrated on her moves that her words were too relaxed for the threat she meant. Naruto glared at her and turned bright red in anger.

"I was only trying to be nice! But... that reminds me! I want an explanation as to how you even knocked me out in one move that one day. And it was an uncalled for move at that! Tell me!" His annoyance showed in his speech as well as the faces he made at her.

"I'm not telling you squat. Now, please leave and remind me to kick your orange-black butt later for bothering me." Imai still maintained her composure while continuing her slow taijutsu stances, though the annoyance she pushed away was starting to get to her.

"No! I want to know what you did!" His stubbornness made him plop down onto the ground and sit cross-legged with arms crossed. He huffed as he stared intently at the unfazed twin.

"If you don't leave... You're gonna be sorry you didn't listen..." 'Or, well, did listen.' She smirked devilishly as she took a quick glance at the ignorant blonde. She stood still in a meditative pose.

'10... 9.... 8....' She started to hum a different tune.

"What are you doing!? Stop ignoring me and making empty threats!" Naruto jumped onto his feet and continued to complain. As he let out an exasperated grunt, he turned away just long enough for her to finish what she had planned.

'3... 2... 1.' A small giggle escaped Imai's mouth.

"Look you-" Naruto turned around with a pointed finger only to find that he was pointing at no one.

"Imai?" He looked around the area, puzzled by her disappearance. He scratched his head while turning 360 degrees at the center of the small open area. His lips pouted as he convinced himself that she was hiding or possibly had abandoned the area. 'She's so annoying!' A weird and wavering sound came from a few of the trees as their leaves russled in a cold breeze, making a light ring last in his ears for a few seconds and then made a shiver run up his spine. 'Maybe I should get out of here...'

Suddenly, a bush started to quiver and caught his attention.

"I knew it! You can't trick me. Come out right now." His voice demanded but yet was full of uncertainty. To his unfortunate assumption, a foot sized bright green frog jumped out of the bush and croaked. The naive blonde got closer to the small creature and examined it. 'Imai?' He shook his head.

"Sorry there little guy. Didn't mean to disturb you. But I'm looking for a girl that was just here. You haven't seen her, have you?" The slick skinned frog blankly stared at the human before him, showing no brain activity. 'Why am I talking to a non-summoned animal?' Naruto questioned his stupidity.

The frog croaked again but with a rather strange vocal distortion. Naruto got close again to inspect it, but it jumped onto his face. His balance was thrown off and he fell on the ground rolling around, hands slipping off the animal as he tried to remove it. After a few seconds of struggle and mild suffocation, he was able to get a grip on the slimy frog and peeled it off of him. Naruto gasped for air and scooted away from the creature.

"Hey! What's your problem you crazy frog!?" Naruto retorted at the amphibian but to his surprise, the small frog began to twitch and contort in very abnormal ways. It began to expand in size and in the process oozed out dark purple blood as some of its spiky bones began to pierce and protrude its slippery dark green, wart and spine infested skin. Horns came out at the top of its head while its eyes turned a dark red as the blood seeped out of all the corners of its eyes. And for some unexplainable reason, sharp pointed teeth suddenly came out of its bloody gums.

The once plain and small frog was now a full grown seven-foot monster. Its croak echoed and shook the area. Naruto, though unnerved by what he had just witnessed, readied himself to fight the abomination but to his unfortunate luck, any ninjutsu he tried to use was disabled. He tried to communicate with Kurama, but there was no response within him. 'What the heck!'

"Screw it!" He took out a kunai and decided to fight with his body. He launched himself at the large amphibian and tried to strike with a kick. His foot slipped on the oozy skin which sent him flying into the direction of a nearby tree. He recoiled off of the tree with his legs and pounced onto the back of the frog, landing in between its spines. The kunai he held was then jammed in a soft spot, but to his surprise the puncture caused a wart to spray out a yellow liquid onto his face. A burning sensation overwhelmed his skin, making him fumble and fall onto the ground, his back hitting first.

Naruto screamed in agony as he could feel some of his skin start to peel off. The dangerous abomination leaped and turned itself towards the yelling human. The rumble the monster's landing made startled the jutsu disabled kid. His eye twitched nervously and painfully as he backed away from the ugly looking creature, unable to think of what to do. It opened its mouth wide and let its long, saliva-dripping tongue shoot out in front of it. His blue eyes flinched as the tongue missed just inches above him and got stuck on a tall bush behind him. Naruto got up to his feet as quickly as he could and began to run away. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he raced in panic and pain between the trees. He could feel every hop the monstrous amphibian took behind him and feared the shortening distance.

"Aah!" He screamed as the long tongue shot and struck inches from his side, breaking apart the soil from the ground it hit. The freaked out boy sprinted as fast as he could while screaming his lungs out. Another slight ringing in his ears came and left as he finally got to the road to get to the Tanaka's home and continued to run and yell in panic. It only took him a couple minutes to reach his destination.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

"That thing is still out there! And I don't even know what happened to your sister!" His voice still frantic from remembering his ordeal. Imao giggled lightly and got close enough to Naruto to touch his face. His cheeks flushed at the unexpected physical contact.

"Naruto... You don't really believe any of that happened? I mean your face feels fine." She waved it off and thought to herself for a few seconds. "I think, and I'm surprised you would fall for this, my sister may have done... what's it called again... Mmmmm... it's like a spell..." Imao contemplated for a bit trying to find the correct words.

"Witchcraft!! Oh god! She's a witch!" Naruto proclaimed and worried for the siblings.

"No, you goofball! She's not a witch. All she did was use that... the ummm..." Imai still couldn't figure out the name of the technique.

"Genjutsu." Kiyoshi blurted out, slightly impatient at his older sister's ignorance for the ninja arts. "She uses these unique vocalizations to put people into her genjutsu... which is very... unpleasant." Kiyoshi looked away in discomfort as he gripped the seam of his long sleeve and tugged at it. Imao sensed her little brother's distress, turned to him and gently rubbed his back.

"She has a way of making the things and people you love and enjoy turn against you. Thankfully, I've never been caught in it because, well, I can't see. The shape outlines don't mean anything to me. She's trying to work on that, though." Imao gave a misplaced reassuring smile to her listeners.

Both Kiyoshi and Naruto exchanged a worried look to one another.

"I should've known. My ears rung a few times, but I didn't associate it with a genjutsu. I didn't know she was capable of that." Naruto crossed his arms in a huff.

"Well, there's nothing you can do about it now. She isn't here and probably won't come home until after you leave. Let's just eat in peace for once." The kind twin tried to cheer up her dinner companions. Kiyoshi smiled and nodded happily at her and continued eating.

"I still think she's a witch." Naruto pouted at his misfortune but was content that he could finally savor his first bite of the now cold meal. The two Tanaka siblings giggled to each other.

Kiyoshi gobbled up more of his meal but not before answering their guest,

"I completely agree!" The small group laughed and continued their dinner happily and undisturbed.

Chapter 5 - The boy with Love on his face by SBgirl04
“Feels like a good day… the sun makes it feel nice to be outside.” Imao proclaimed to herself. She was off to look for a place to wash her family’s clothing again. Imao walked around carrying a bag with a full load of clothes in front of her as she hummed, hoping to find a stream of water around; possibly the creek she and Kiyoshi found the week before. After a few long minutes of wandering around aimlessly, she decides to stop and listen. Her humming wasn’t her only interesting technique she inherited because of her blindness. She also had other heightened senses, and her best one was her hearing. She stood there and listened for a while. Finally she could hear it, the trickling of water. She smiled to herself and began walking in the direction of the sound.

_____________________________________

After another few minutes Imao arrives near a small stream. The sun shined openly on it and made the small open area very warm and quaint. She sat down in front of the side of the stream and placed her bag of laundry next to her. She began to hum a tune to herself as well as to detect anything around her. She had the whole place to herself, and she began washing the clothes.

---

‘I wonder how all of this will go.’ The young man wondered to himself. He kept wandering around, questioning the thoughts in his head.

‘Can I really go through with it?

‘Will it do any good to my village?’

As the young man kept wandering around the woods, lost in his thoughts, he hears something…

‘Humming?... Hmmm…’ He stopped behind a tree and looked towards the direction of the humming. He could see a figure of a girl sitting in front of a creek. The rays of the sun shined down around her and made everything glow around her. He kept looking, as though in a trance by the way everything looked. He felt at peace… not only by what he saw but mostly by what he heard. The girl’s humming seemed to have calmed his thinking and put him at ease. He stayed there watching her…

Naruto Imao Naruto: Sound Sisters N:SS,Gaara

---

“You know, you can get a better look at me if you weren’t so far away.” Imao taunted, realizing someone was watching her. He looked surprised as she said this. He didn’t know whether to approach her or to just leave her be. So, he decided to leave her alone and started walking away.

“I didn’t mean to scare you off. I just didn’t know whether you were a threat or not.” She replied to her feeling a decrease in the presence. He stopped and looked back.

“If you’d like I could leave and you can have this area to yourself. Anyways, I’m pretty much done washing clothes.” She starts gathering her things when she feels the person walking towards her. She stays alert just incase the person tries something but keeps her cool and continues putting her stuff away. He then stops a few feet away from her side and looks down at her. She stops and readies herself.

“That’s not necessary.” He says to her in a calm but distant voice. “You don’t have to leave.” He sits down close to the creek and looks at her from the side. Imao didn’t know what to do. He seemed too calm but yet… she felt she could trust him.

“Well, thank you.” She said as she looked in his direction then continued packing her laundry in the bag. He was really quiet, as he stared at the creek for a few minutes, and Imao felt awkward not befriending him so she tried starting a conversation.

“So, do you come here often?” she questioned with a smile.

“No.” he responded listlessly and kept looking at the creek.

“Oh… so, you’re just passing by? Resting for the moment?” she asked.

“Sort of.” He replied.

“Oh.” She couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t talk. He didn’t seem bothered but just uninterested. So she tried to give it one more try, and this time she asked something she believed he couldn’t reply a small and simple answer.

“So, what brings you to this area?” She had a hope he’d finally talk.

“Confidential matters.” He responded.

“Oh… I see.” ‘Darn! Bad question… oh well, I tried.’ Imao looked disappointed but shrugged it off and started humming so she could finish putting her things together. He then perked up and looked at her. He had noticed how she hummed.

“You’re blind, aren’t you?” he questioned her. Imao had a surprised face as she looked his way.

“How did you know?” she said confused. She couldn’t believe how quickly this young man had found out. ‘Has he been spying on me longer than I noticed?’

“I noticed how you grab things around you.” He looked at her hands.

“Oh… I didn’t think it was obvious. A lot of people don’t realize it that fast.” She said apprehensively. Imao kept putting her laundry away and hummed as usual.

“Interesting.” He replied vaguely.

“I guess.” She began to wonder whether or not she should stay any longer. ‘I don’t really have a reason to stay… It’s not like he wants to talk to me... I wonder why he’s here though…’ Imao shrugged and decided it was time to leave. She finished collecting her laundry and placed it all in her bag. ‘Well, I guess that’s it…’ Imao got up carefully, with the handles of her bag in her hand, managing to keep her balance. The young man notices.

“Can I ask you something?” he looked out at the creek again.

“Sure. Go ahead.” Imao looks at him curiously. He thinks for a bit and finally asks,

“Is it possible to fall in love with someone you know nothing about?” he looks at her concerned. She puts her bag down, still holding on to the handles, and thinks for a bit. The question caught her off guard but finally thinks up an answer.

“Hmmm… I believe you’re thinking about ‘Love at first sight’… whether I believe it myself, I’m not sure. I supposed it happens to some but personally, I feel a bond must be created first between two people, which in turn a bond takes time to develop.” She looks down towards the stream, sadly. ‘Hmm… I wonder what that’s like… to fall in love…’ Her thoughts are then interrupted.

“Could two beings live in harmony without first learning who they are?” he asks concerned as he sees two birds arrive on the shallow part of the creek and acknowledge each others’ presence without any conflict.

“It’s possible.” She looks in the direction of the creek. The young man looks at her as though surprised by her answer but lets her continue,

“Like a roommate. You don’t have to talk to them if you don’t want and just go on with life in peace with them, even though you don’t bother to learn anything about them. But even still… there are people you cannot avoid getting to know and eventually you learn more about them than you wanted to.” She looks towards him, sure of herself.

“To be honest, I have a little brother… but he isn’t my real brother. I took him in when I found him one day, not knowing who he was. Even though he knew nothing about me, he immediately confided in me, put his whole trust in me; eventually we bonded and now live peacefully ever since. So… yes, two beings can live in harmony without knowing each other from the start. But then there are those who, even if you try to stay away from, will never let you live in peace. My sister is a good example of that. I’ve tried so hard to befriend her, to learn who she is… but she hates me. She can’t even stand listening to one single word that comes out of my mouth. I don’t understand why… so, I try to just leave her be… but even so, she always manages to put me and my little brother down for her own entertainment. I guess you could say that she’s one person that would answer no to your question. But really, there are so many people in this world that it’s hard to know what will happen. Everyone’s different and therefore, you’ll get different experiences with whom ever you meet.” She smiles to herself and picks up her bag again. The young man looks up at her, pleased with her answers. He stands up and walks closer to her. Imao perks up.

“Thank you. You’re words are very insightful.” He smiles politely at her. She feels his satisfaction and smiles back.

“Would you like help?” he asks as he looks at her swaying a little off balance from the weight of the bag of still wet laundry.

“Oh. I don’t mind but I wouldn’t want to bother you…” she stops as he takes the bag out of her hands.

“Let’s go. I’ll follow you.” He waits on her patiently. Imao looks at him surprised but then shrugs it off and smiles.

“Are you sure you want to carry that? You seem to be already carrying something heavy.” She senses an object on his back.

“I have it with me all the time.” He carries the laundry bag in front of him with ease. “I’ll be fine.” She smiles at him with gratitude and they commence walking and keep conversing.

---

The young man and Imao arrive close by her house, but because her father doesn’t like anyone that isn’t family being near there, she explained, they had to stop at a distance where some trees covered them.

“Well, thank you for your company as well as your help.” She turned towards him, with a polite smile, and extended her hands, as thought asking for her bag back. He took her hands softly in his and carefully slid the handles in them. She looked at him surprised and blushed.

“Got it?” he let go of the bag and stepped back.

“Uhh… yes… thank you.” She looked slightly down and smiled timidly.

“Take care of yourself.” He started on his way.

“Wait.” She stopped and thought to herself a second.

“Umm… before you leave, I was wondering, would it be alright with you if I touched your face? Although I can see some outlines of shapes because of my humming, I still can’t see anything and using my hands helps me to have a better image. But if you’re not comfortable, I’ll understand.” She looks at him with a polite smile on her face.

“It’s fine. You can.” He got closer to her and lowered his face a little. She put her hands lightly over his cheeks and started to feel his face. Her fingers outlined his lips, then his eyes. She felt his ears and ran her fingers through his hair. He shivered a little at the sensation of having someone touch him but continued to stay still for her. Then one of her hands felt his forehead. She lightly traces her finger over a mark he has.

“Love…” she said quietly. He then grabs her wrist delicately and steps away from her. She looked at him a bit startled at his reaction.

“Did I do something wrong?” she looked at him concerned.

“No.” he said coldly. She rubbed her wristed as she thought to herself.

“Is it a battle scar?” she asked concerned.

“… It’s nothing.” He turned his face away from her, feeling bothered by her action.

“I see… farewell.” She gripped the handles of her bag and looked down sadly. She turned towards her house but then stopped and remembered she didn’t know his name.

“… My name’s Imao. Imao Tanaka. It was nice talking to you… ummm…” she stammered a bit in hopes that maybe he would give her his name.

“Gaara. My name’s Gaara and the feeling is mutual.” He smiled politely even though he knew she couldn’t see him. She nodded back with a smile knowing there were no hard feelings from the small incident.

“Well… goodbye. Maybe we could meet again someday soon.” She walks slowly toward her house, smiling curiously to herself as their distance grew larger.

“Maybe.” He turned his face towards her with the tiniest smirk on his face and finally walked away, down the road to the Konoha Village.
End Notes:
A little note... Naruto is the only exception to the Tanaka family rules. I don't really have a solid reason why but I'll just say that the father sees no threat in Naruto and lets him visit Imao whenever. Naruto is VERY lucky... lol.
Chapter 6.1 – Happiness and Strength by SBgirl04
Author's Notes:
Just wanted to note a couple things. First, I’ve come to realize that there are some discrepancies in the story (meaning my writing doesn’t always concord with itself, and it’s mostly because I “forget” that Imao is blind and she can’t necessarily ‘notice’ or ‘see’ something or someone) and I wanted to apologize for that in case I have made mistakes in any of the chapters and created any confusion. (BTW, I’m still looking for a Beat Reader) In all honesty, it’s kinda hard for me since I have no story writing experience as well as not writing so often. Another thing, there have been a lot of family issues lately that have been affecting me quite seriously in many ways for the last few months. But I’m hoping that this new year brings peace and happiness in my home and hopefully everything gets better. And so, here is my new chapter. Enjoy! (P.S. - It’s kinda long. Lol!)
“It’s another beautiful day!” Imao smiled to herself. She continued walking among the trees as she hummed a nice little melody. She arrived at the little creek from the day before. She stood still, closed her eyes and looked up. She felt the sun rays warm her face. ‘If only I could see it…’ She smiled and continued walking around. ‘I wonder if…’ She curiously began to search around her. ‘Hmmm… I guess he’s not here.’ She looked a little saddened but shrugged it off and continued her walk. She began to remember the conversation she had with him. He seemed to be troubled but talking with him brought a sense of satisfaction for both of them. Imao hadn’t had an intellectual conversation with anyone in a long time. She smiled to herself and continued to reminisce a little more as she walked along the creek.

---

After walking around for about an hour, Imao sat down against a tree to rest. She leaned her head back against the big tree and closed her eyes. With every deep breath she took, she felt more and more relaxed…

“So, you’re here.” She woke up startled as a voice next to her echoed in her right ear. She was so surprised that she didn’t feel him sit next to her against the tree meanwhile she was resting. She turned towards him.

“Gaara?” She asked not remembering too well the voice she had just heard.

“Hmm?” He side-looked at her kinda funny.

“Oh… I didn’t think you would come back here. You scared me – I didn’t feel your presence.” She felt a little embarrassed as she could feel that he expected her to be more aware of her surroundings, like she was the day before. He lightly smiled.

“So what brings you back here?” She asked as she recalled that he wasn’t from the village.

“I will be staying in Konoha for the next 2 weeks… Unfortunately, there are some issues I must tend to here but I’m hoping all will go well.” He looked at her to see how she would react to the news. Imao just gave a simple smiled,

“Well, you should make the best out of your stay then.” He looked at her happy expression and tried to analyze it. He wasn’t sure if it meant anything but he was curious… maybe a little too curious.

“You don’t seem glad.” He blurted out then quickly thought, ‘Why did I say that?’ Imao had a baffled expression on her face.

“Should I be glad?” She clearly didn’t understand the question and Gaara just shrugged it off.

“Never mind. I was just thinking it would be nice to chat with you again, if you don’t mind.” He eyed her from the side and waited for a response.

“Well, I apologize but I have errands today. Maybe you could come along and we could talk on the way to the city…” She sensed some aggravation as he interrupted.

“It’s fine.” He said coldly. Gaara stood up and started walking off.

“W-w-wait!” Imao got up quickly and stumbled in his direction. He stopped and turned around towards her, looking at her as if she was wasting his valuable time.

“Maybe tomorrow in the morning we could converse again. Is that ok?” She looked up at him with a weak smile, hoping he'd agree.

“I don’t think so.” He said so bluntly Imao almost whimpered.

“Oh… ok. I guess… I’ll see you around… maybe…” she hung her head, saddened that her new friend was being so harsh. Gaara turned around and continued walking slowly with a slight grin.

“How about tomorrow in the afternoon?” he said strongly without shouting. Imao turned around, pleased she had not upset her friend.

“Okay! Well, meet here tomorrow afternoon!” She spoke loudly in his direction. She smiled to herself and sighed. Gaara continued to walk into the forest meanwhile Imao went in the direction of the city.

---

After finishing her errands in the city, Imao makes her way home. She kept thinking to herself of what tomorrow was to bring. As she comes near her house she can sense someone waving wildly at her.

“Hey Imao!! Where were you!?” Naruto shouted loudly.

“Uhh… well, I w…” She was caught totally off guard and blushed.

“Wow, I’ve never seen you like that before. So, what? Were you thinking about someone?” Naruto teased. Imao tried to think of something else to say but instead just nervously smiled. Naruto looked at her suspiciously, Imao had never acted like that before.
“Ummm... Let’s go take a walk, shall we?” Imao came closer to him, grabbed his arm and pulled him into the other direction.

“Uh, ok…” Naruto looked at her funny but shrugged it off.

After a minute of walking away from her house, Imao couldn’t hold it in anymore. She released his arm and took a deep breath.

“Naruto… have you ever met someone from the opposite sex and felt a special connection with them?” She looked in Naruto’s direction and looked curiously at him as they kept walking. Naruto blushed and looked at her nervously.

“Umm… I… well, uh… yeah…” He turned his face away for her.

“Is it normal to feel like that? ... To feel really fond of someone?” She asked unsure of herself.

“Of course it is! It happens to everyone.” He smiled and saw a place where they could sit and talk more relaxed. He grabbed Imao’s arm and took her to sit down on a rock meanwhile he sat on the ground next to her. She looked at him a little surprised but grateful.

“Well, I’ve just recently started talking to this guy but… I’ve never gotten along with someone so well. It feels so strange.” Imao begins to ponder about these new feelings she’s never had before.

“Well... maybe you should tell him…” Naruto blushed and turned away again.

“Really? You think so? He doesn’t seem the type to share thoughts about his emotions.” She looked at Naruto surprised. Some how he managed to figure out that the minor description she gave didn’t sound like him.

“Who are you talking about?” Naruto looked up at her confused.

“Well, I don’t know if you know him but… his name’s Gaara. I met him in the forest yesterday.” She looked ahead of herself and smiled to herself. Naruto’s jaw dropped.

“WHAT!?! You like Gaara!?!?” He looked at her baffled and then kind of disappointed at the fact it wasn’t him she was talking about.

“’Like’? What do you mean by ‘like’?” She looked down at him curiously again.

“You know, when you like someone.” She still looked at him confused.

“As in you like them as more than a friend, like… a boyfriend.” He concluded meanwhile he crossed his arms together in a grumpy pose.

“A… boyfriend…?... N-no… I, I don’t think so…” Imao blushed but shrugged it off. She then realized that Naruto knew him.

“So… I supposed you know him then?” She asked even though she knew the answer.

“Yeah…” Naruto responded dissatisfied.

“So, what do you think about him?” Imao looked at Naruto curiously, hoping to possibly learn something new about Gaara.

“Actually, I don’t think much of him... although he is the kaz...” He blurted out but then was interrupted.

“Really? Has he done something to you? Has he done something wrong?” Imao’s eyes widened as she questioned him a bit concerned – realizing she could’ve been in danger any of the times she was around Gaara.

“Well… no. I mean, he’s a good guy but he’s kinda… odd, I guess.” Naruto tried to figure out his thoughts about him.

“Oh. Well, that’s good. I’m glad he’s not too mysterious… though I do find him quite… interesting.” She smiled to herself.

“REALLY!?!? You really think he’s interesting!?” He looked at her in complete awe.

“Well, I mean… it’s nice to have an intellectual conversation with someone once in a while.” Naruto looked at her as though being accused of being an idiot, and then changed to a disgruntled pout. Imao sensed his irritation and quickly corrected herself.

“Don’t get me wrong! I mean you’re a fun person to hang out with… but I do need to be able to express my thoughts and feelings with someone with a larger intellec… knowle…. Vocabulary!” She smiled at Naruto nervously. Naruto glared back at her - she could feel his grouchiness.

“I’m probably smarter than him…” Naruto mumbled under his breath.

“I think we should go back now.” She said smiling weakly. They both got up and started back to her home. Naruto kept pouting as they walked back to Imao’s home. Imao and Naruto said their goodbyes and Imao went into her home, greeted her family and went into the kitchen - which was also used as the dining room - to start preparing dinner.

“Sooooo… where were you?” Imai came up behind Imao as she added ingredients to a large pot.

“Oh, I went for a walk with Naruto.” She smiled and began stirring the pot. Imai then got close to her sisters ear and grinned deviously.

“… Liar… You went to meet with another guy.” Imai whispered. Imao’s eyes widened and her smile died. She stood there petrified.

“I overheard you telling Naruto about him.” She walked around the kitchen with an investigative look on her face. Imao let go of the ladle and looked at Imai with anger.

“How dare you listen to a private conversa…” Imai then interrupted her.

“What do you think father would do if he just, oh I don’t know, HAPPENED to find out that you go out just to meet with a boy?” Imai placed her elbows on the table as she supported her grinning face on the knuckles of her fists.

“Please don’t!” Imao turned and pleaded.

“Do my chores for the next month and I’ll keep it a secret… 'til then that is.” Imai demanded knowing she had the upper hand. Imao’s face went from worried to sad as she realize that more chores would mean less personal time that she could use to go out more often.

“Fine.” She looked down sadly at the cooking pot and continued stirring. Imai snickered as she walked out of the kitchen.
___________________________________

The next day came – the sun had been out for about an hour and Imai decided to leave to Konoha. She goes in search of the so-called Gaara so she can catch him before he meets with Imao to maybe cause a little stir in her twin sister’s life. After a few minutes of running toward Konoha, she sees an odd looking guy walking out of Konoha. He was completely not her type but after secretly following him for a few minutes she figures out it must be him. She positions herself facing him as though she had come from the direction of her house.

“Hi there! How are you?” She walked towards him, smiling. Gaara looked at her a little surprised. She was right; it was the guy Imao was meeting.

“So, what are you up to?” she looked at him pretending to be curious.

“Nothing.” He eyed her and started walking in the direction of the creek. Imai follows closely behind him.

“Well, let’s go do something fun then.” Imai wraps her arms around him and pulls him towards the other direction. Gaara looks down at her with extreme discomfort.

“Let go.” His pushed the words out of his gritting teeth. Imai almost pushed herself off of him from being startle by his expression. Gaara kept looking at her bothered by her action.

“Imao doesn’t do such things to me. Plus, I know you were following me since earlier. What do you want?” Gaara unwrinkled his clothes as he waited for an answer.

“Hmph… well, I tried. I just thought it would’ve be fun to play around with you. But you’re not dumb like that Naruto guy.” Imai said obnoxiously. Gaara starts walking away.

“Hey! Imao’s just a lame nobody. There’s nothing to her. She’s doesn’t train or anything, she’s weak. If she was more like me she’d be more useful.” She followed behind him. She noted by the way he was dressed that he must be a ninja from another country.

“You’re a ninja and you need a woman that’s strong and can fend for herself. She can’t even see! Eventually she’s just gonna get killed becau…” Imai’s obnoxious rant was cut off.

“Although I don’t have to give you any explanations, I will tell you that I have no interest in your sister as more than a friend and it’s true that if you can’t fend for yourself and find yourself in a predicament, it can be fatal.” Gaara paused and turned around. Imai stopped right in front of him ready to give more rants but right then Gaara slightly smirked and finished his response.

“ But... strength without knowledge isn’t any use to anyone.” Gaara turned around and walked away. Imai glared at him and gave a loud angry grunt of frustration. She clearly understood that he had just called her a useless idiot.

“UGH!! He speaks just like her!!!” Imai then continued to go on her way to Konoha to forget the incident she had just had.

---

A few hours later, Imao and Gaara meet again. They spend all afternoon talking – going from their likes and dislikes (the small incident Gaara had with Imai) to their thoughts about how life is perceived. By the time it was sundown, they still hadn’t finished talking but Imao realized it was time for her to get back home. Gaara accompanied her until they got within a good enough distance where he couldn’t be seen and bid her farewell. She smiled and went into her house

---

As Imao enters, she senses Imai stomping around the kitchen. Imao giggles to herself and goes straight to preparing dinner. Imai sees notices Imao entering quiet but happily and she figured it was because of the guy she has been hanging out with. She felt a little too pissed and had to take it out on her sister some how. So, she began to rant about the incident she had in an obnoxious way.

“You know, your little boyfriend tried hitting on me.” Imai said taunting Imao. Imao smiled and scoffed.

“He tried to grab me and kiss me.” Imao became a little irritated knowing that her sister was clearly lying and exaggerating.

“Honestly, if I didn’t train, who knows what would have happened. Maybe he could’ve taken me hostage or even rap…” Imao aggravation increased and snapped in a second - realizing how unfair Imai was being.

“Imai! What is your problem? Why must you try to make things so difficult for me and the people I befriend!? Don’t you have anything else better to do?” Imao had just about enough of her sister’s lies and annoyance.

“Wow, you must really like him then! Well, to tell you the truth…” Imai tried to mock her sister but was interrupted once more.

“NO! To tell YOU the truth, I’m tired of your crap!” Imai looked at Imao in awe.

“I’m tired of all the bull crap you pull. Why don’t you go train, spar or whatever else you do that keeps you away from this house? That way I don’t have to hear your mouth open until dinner time!” Imao glared at Imai for a few seconds then turned around to continue cooking. Imai stayed paralyzed, trying to process what had just happened. She didn’t know what to say. She stood there, baffled by how Imao had just completely squashed her down to size, metaphorically. Imai then became very angry and glared at Imao. Imao just kept ignoring her, as she hummed and cooked. Imai paced her way to the entrance to the hallway and gave Imai her last few thoughts before she went to her bedroom.

“You’ll get what’s coming to you… sooner or later… you’re gonna get it!” Imai grits her teeth and turned away into the hallway - she brushed Kiyoshi as she turned and almost knocked him down. Kiyoshi turned to see how Imai huffed and puffed into her bedroom and slammed her bedroom door. Kiyoshi shrugged and continued into the kitchen to help Imao with dinner.
Chapter 6.2 - Decisions of Love by SBgirl04
Author's Notes:
Sorry it took so long!! But it's finally done!! PHEW!! I'll put images soon, fix up grammar and spelling and I apologize for the length! :P Enjoy!!!

Ch. 6.2 – Decisions of Love

As the days pass, Gaara and Imao continue to meet for their daily intellectual conversations; their bond grows closer and stronger. They find that they have many things in common as well as enjoy some of the same hobbies. Imao had never thought that she would ever meet anyone that could connect with her in so many levels… especially a guy. All of the traveling that her family had done since she was a child never allowed her to make friends but it seemed as though fate has allowed her to enjoy this new experience for once in her life.

One afternoon, as they were going on their daily 'walk-n-talk' Gaara decides to convince her into taking a new path where it would take them to a place that would please her senses. Imao was a little skeptical at first but agreed to let him guide her. After a few minutes of walking around aimlessly- but following Gaara close behind- Imao began to wonder where exactly he was taking her.

'Is it a food stall?... or maybe a incense shop?...' Imao pondered.

But to her surprise it wasn't what she expected. Gaara had taken her to a beautiful meadow full of every kind of flower from the forest. As Imao took a breath in, she could smell all the different fragrances all around her. She closed her eyes and only imagined what it must all look like. She smiled as her nose filled with alluring fragrances and her skin warmed in the bright sun. Imao became entranced as she focused on one particular scent and began to follow it. She then stopped near a plant with many pretty little flowers and took in a big sniff.

"It smells so beautiful and so strong! Like Vanilla…" she looked over at Gaara's direction and smiled.

"Maybe it'll rain. As the saying says, 'Flowers are more fragrant before rain.'" Gaara lightly smiled.

"Very funny… as if there are rain clouds up in the sky." Imao looked up as she sensed no humidity and the bright sun continued to shine on down on her skin. She sat down next to the plant and continued to enjoy the pleasant smells that were around her. Gaara smiled to himself as he looked around him, seeing all the bright and saturated colors of all the flowers. He'd never felt so relaxed before… he felt at peace. He then sat across from Imao, still keeping some distance but close enough to talk to each other.

"How did you find this place?" Imao questioned as she kept sniffing at ever flower around her.

"I was walking around one day and just stumbled upon it." Gaara chuckled as he watched Imao act like a kid in a candy store. Imao's face gleamed with satisfaction.

"Thank you. I really appreciate this." Imao smiled happily at Gaara.

"No problem… I just thought you might like it… I mean, I don't usually do these things for people." Gaara tried not to sound like he actually meant to find a place just for Imao. He looked off to the side.

"I understand… especially when you don't have any friends, what's the point in doing anything nice? Right? Sometimes I wish I could be like that… have the ability to not care for others when I don't want to… But… I guess, for me, it's just not in my nature." Imao seemed to have hit the nail on the head. Gaara shuffled a bit and stared out into the valley.

"It's hard to find someone you can really trust now-a-days." He lay back against a tree that was behind him and crossed his arms infront of his chest.

"Maybe you just need to look harder until you do find someone." Imao brightly smiled at him.

"I… I think I have… you know… To be honest, when I meet with you, I forget about my duties and responsibilities. You help me to feel less… stressed or worried. And the most interesting part of this is that I've never been able to share any of my true thoughts about anything with anyone... until I met you." Gaara gazed up at the sky, took a deep breath in and smiled at his own realization.

Imao blushed lightly but felt very happy after hearing what he had just said, but just as she was about to reply to his comment, a rumble of thunder startled her. Imao looked up wondering. A single drop splashed on her face and after a few seconds of silence and waiting, it began to pour all around them.

"Oh no! We have to get out of here!" Imao alerted Gaara. He then gets up and grabs Imao by the wrist and yanks her up. They both start running, Gaara almost dragging Imao, in search for a place to keep them dry. The thunder rumbled loudly, as though telling the rain to fall harder and increase in amount. Imao could've sworn they could've drown with so much water falling from the sky. After a few minutes of searching, Gaara sees a small cave in which they could wait out the rain. Gaara helped Imao cross over some rocks, where a small creek was forming, in order to reach the cave. They finally get inside the cave and they both giggle as they realize how utterly ironic the whole situation was. Gaara then looked around and noted how cold and dark the cave was. Imao managed to sit down on the dusty ground and tried her best to wring her rain-soaked clothes in order to dry herself, meanwhile Gaara looked for some dry brush and pieces of wood to make a small fire so they can both keep warm. Gaara was able to find some good essentials and starts a small fire close by Imao.

"The closer you are the warmer you'll get, right?" Gaara politely asks and sits down close by her. Imao slightly blushes but nods with a smile, agreeing to his analogy.

As he positions himself better, his right pinky finger lightly lands on top of Imao's left pinky. He pulls his hand back and looks at her, hoping she hadn't felt that. But unfortunately for him, Imao was looking straight into his eyes startled and embarrassed as well. Whether she meant to or not, Gaara was caught in her gaze and at that moment he realized that there was no better time than to admit to what he was feeling. He then places his hand over hers and wraps his fingers delicately into her palm. Imao blushes and can sense Gaara's demeanor change. She could feel him… but she herself also felt the same. She smiled at him shyly.

"Imao…" Gaara waited for her response.

"Hmm?" Although she couldn't clearly see him, Imao immediately averted her face from his trance-like gaze in hopes that he wouldn't figure out what she was thinking from her facial expressions.

"You're… you are a very beautiful and intelligent girl. I don't think I've ever found anyone as interesting as I find you." Gaara gulped, hoping his voice wouldn't quiver out of nervousness. Imao looked down as she felt her cheeks flare up.

"I… I think you're a very strong and caring guy… I-I don't think I've ever admired someone, especially a man, as much as I admire you… I…" Gaara smiled and blushed meanwhile his hand started to intertwine with hers. Imao's heart raced as she drew circles on the ground with her right index finger. She kept wondering what else to say but she felt so nervous with what was happening that anything she would say might as well be gibberish. Cloud nine had nothing on her. They both sat there, enjoying this new feeling of euphoric affection for each other as their pulses synchronize in their entwined hands.

After a few minutes of sitting there in their quaint little utopia of a cave, the rain stops. Gaara lets go of Imao's hand and gets up. He then helps up Imao and they both blush as they keep feeling a sweet longing for one another. Gaara turns away from her nervously but acts as though he does it so he can go put out the fire he had made inside the cave. Imao follows close by him and waits for him to be done. As they both head for the cave opening, their hands act like magnets and lightly keep touching each other. Gaara steps out first and notes how the sky turned back to its bright blue color. The sun's bright rays danced around in the newly formed creek right outside the cave.

"That storm left as fast as it came in." He smiled as he kept looking for any signs of more rain.

"Must've been in a hurry." Imao joked and smiled sweetly. Gaara blushed as he found Imao's smile cute for an instance.

"Shall we take a walk out of here?" Gaara smirked, then looked away as his hand found hers and entwined once more.

"Sure…" Imao blushed happily.

As the time flies, the sun starts to set. They arrive in a small open area surrounded by trees that was near by Imao's home. As they stop, Gaara walks away from her to assess his thoughts and feelings. Imao became a little confused and walked towards him. Gaara then turns around and stoped in front of her. She looked up at him with question on her face.

"I leave tomorrow." Gaara spoke with concern. Imao looked down, saddened by this news. Gaara softly grabs Imao's arms. She looks up again as he looks off to the side blushing.

"It would be nice if… you could come with me." Imao's eyes widened as she gulped in nervousness.

"I mean… you could come as a guest… and bring your family, if you'd like." Gaara tried to play it off, trying not to sound desperate. Imao blushed as she looked around nervously. Although she couldn't clearly see her surroundings she tried to find something else to focus on in order to calm her nervousness. She could hear her heart pounding in her head.

"Umm… well…." Her eyes tried to avert his questioning gaze but as he leaned in closer to her. She was startled by his motion and had only heard of what happened in these types of situations. She closed her eyes and…

"So?" Gaara questioned her more sternly. Imao realized what she thought was going to happen didn't.

"Well, I need to think about it and…" she was interrupted.

"That's fine, I'll come back here tomorrow before I leave." Gaara responded a little rushed, realizing it was getting late.

"Ok…" Imao shrugged and looked a little confused.

"We should get going. Thank you… for… today." Gaara slightly smiled and let go of her arms. Imao felt his warm touch on her hands. She smiled back and blushed.

"Have a good night." Imao replied shyly.

"I will." Gaara walked away and disappeared into the forest. Imao then walked toward her house feeling smitten but then unsure of herself.

As Imao entered her home, she quickly made her way around the kitchen, through the small hallway and went straight into her room. Imai was sitting at the dining table in the kitchen noted how strangely Imao came in and, for her love of figuring out what causes her sister to feel and look so uncomfortable, decides to go question her heavily dismayed-looking sister. Imai barges into Imao's room and sees her sister pacing around, mumbling to herself.

"What's the matter with you? You usually come in so happy and dandy from your 'outings'." A startled Imao stares at her sister.

"Oh! I'm sorry… it's just…" Imao stops herself and notes how peculiar Imai questioned her.

"'It's just' what?" Imai curiously asked.

"Nothing… nevermind." Imao sat down on her bed and pondered to herself. Imai realized Imao was onto her and decided to just play the kindness card for once and maybe get out some juicy details.

"Look, it's pretty obvious that you have issues or something and… it's not like you to act this way. It's a little weird and I don't like seeing you like that, to be honest." Imai tried to sound not so concerned even though she was, slightly. Imao sensed her sister's demeanor change and could sense the slight concern Imai actually had. Imao thought for a minute and finally decided to explain why she was acting the way she was. As Imao told her sister of the events that took place that day, Imai became very intrigued and actually felt a bit of compassion for her sister's situation, but not before thinking about her own ambitions and needs first, of course.

"I think… you should go." Imai looked at her sister in all seriousness.

"I think you need to go and find…" Imai grit her teeth for a second, "… happiness in your life…" She tried hard to contain herself from saying the mean things she's used to telling her sister. Imao was taken aback by Imai's enthusiasm.

"But… father will never…" Imao became saddened by her realization. Imai plopped herself down on Imao's bed, sitting close by her sister but still keeping her distance as to not create more awkwardness.

"As much as I'd like to get you in trouble… I'll cover for you…" Imai bit her tongue, "I'll come up with some excuse and after that… well… you're just a runaway." Imai looked off to the side, keeping her composure.

"R-runaway?" Imao became frightened by the sound of it.

"Yup… you'll be a runaway. You know that's what you have to do… in order to be with him. There's no other way and you know it." Imai laid back on her sister's bed, supporting the back of her head with her arms crossed behind her.

"I suppose… but… what about Kiyoshi?" Imao became concerned at the thought of leaving Kiyoshi behind.

"I'll watch over him… don't worry." Imai kept staring at the ceiling, uncaringly. Imao thought to herself for a minute. She knew it would be difficult for Kiyoshi to be by himself without her help. She didn't want anyone to find out about Kiyoshi's secret… but she realized that no one had ever questioned him through out the years because they were able to hide it so well. Imao griped her hands together, and let out a sigh. Imai became bored, got up and walked out.

"I… I must go speak with him." Imao pushed herself up sadly and made her way down the hallway and stopped at Kiyoshi's room. The door was open and she peered inside; he laid stomach down on his bed, coloring on a piece of paper. Imao could sense his determination but unfortunately, she had to break it.

"Kiyoshi… We need to talk."

Chapter 7 - First Pain by SBgirl04

"What do you mean it can't be done!" his fist pounded on the table as he stood up. Gaara had never felt so determined.

"I'm sorry, Gaara… but you know it's for the benefit of our village." Kankuro tried to reassure him.

"Benefit? For the village? Explain to me how that will benefit the village, Kankuro. How?" Gaara stared down at his older brother angrily. Kankuro looked down, averting his eyes from Gaara's angry expression.

"You know that the village will… respect you more if you comply with the elders' request. You've already agreed to it and there's no turning back. I'm sorry." Kankuro stood up and walked towards Gaara. He patted his younger brother's shoulder and gave him a stern look.

"I don't understand what's gotten into you lately, but your duties of Kazekage need to be taken seriously. You're old enough to understand that now." Gaara glared at him and swatted Kankuro's hand off his shoulder. Gaara walked towards the window of the little meeting room they were in and looked down at the villagers of Konoha walking around.

"Please get your things ready. We leave in a couple hours." Kankuro moved one of the chairs into the table and walked out of the room. Gaara's facial expression changed as he heard the door shut behind him. He sighed as he realized that the next decision he made was going to change his future… He then remembered something that Imao once said in one of their meetings.

"The heart and mind can never coincide but one will eventually subdue the other… it just really depends on what you listen to the most."

Imao packed her things frantically into a small bag, so as to not make it look so obvious she was leaving. She had worry and strife written all over her face. She kept debating whether what she was doing was right. Her heart raced as she grabbed things from her drawers. She'd never felt so scared… but then she also never felt so excited. For once in her life, she was about to rebel. She was about to make a decision for her life. She and her siblings had always obeyed their father. The only one that seemed to get away with things was Imai but even so, their father was very strict about everything.

As Imao searched around, she found a picture. It was of her family; her father, Yasuko, Imai, Kiyoshi and her before Yasuko was married off. Her eyes began to water and her worry had now turned into sadness. She pressed the photograph against her chest as she sighed. She closed her eyes as the tears rolled down her face…

"What the hell are you standing there for! You gotta get moving!" Imai glanced inside Imao's room. Imao quickly wiped the tears off her face and put the picture in the small bag. She grabbed a few more things and stepped out. Imai and Kiyoshi waited for her outside of their home; they looked around making sure that their father wasn't there to witness Imao leaving.

"Ok… I'm ready." Imao came out sadly out of the small house. Her siblings came to her still being cautious of their surroundings.

"Are you sure that…" Imao tried to question her siblings.

"Look! You know that you have to go now in order for you not to get caught." Imai exclaimed. Imao hung her head down slightly, still feeling unsure of the whole situation.

"Don't worry… everything will be fine. For once, I'm on your side sis'." Imai patted her twin on the shoulder, giving her a slight smile. Imao could feel Imai's compassion; she had never heard her call her that... 'Sis'…' She smiled at Imai, holding back a tear... but then, she heard a whimper. Imao faced Kiyoshi, as she could sense that he was trying to fight his sobs. Imao couldn't hold it anymore; she went to Kiyoshi and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back as they both started to cry. It was such a bittersweet moment.

"Awww! Come on!" Imai tried to sound annoyed but slightly showed that she almost lost her own composure. After a minute of their teary embrace, they let go of each other. Imao wiped her eyes and then wiped Kiyoshi's tear-filled cheeks.

"Stay strong, alright? I promise I'll come back for you." Imao assured him with a smile.

"Please come back soon." Kiyoshi asked weakly, still feeling jittery from the hard sobbing.

"I will." She grabbed his hand and gripped it lightly then let go. Imai came over to them and patter her sister in the back.

"Time to go." She said in all seriousness. Imao nodded and gulped. She began to walk into the forest but then stopped and looked back towards her siblings. She waved at them lightly and tried to keep a smile. Imao takes in a deep breath and continues to walk straight into the forest.

Imai and Kiyoshi stand there… watching Imao's figure disappear into the forest.

Finally, Imao arrives at their usual meeting place. It took her about 15 minutes to get there, a little faster than usual. She felt a little anxious since she could not sense him around but knew he would appear soon. She went to her usual spot - underneath a big tree. It always provided her with shade and something to lean against as she sat down to wait. She began to reminisce about all the meetings they had in the past 2 weeks. It all seemed so long ago but then it felt like everything was happening soo fast. She took in a deep breath to relieve some of the stress. A small breeze blew lightly against her face. Imao smiled and began to listen to her surroundings. The creek trickled close by, the birds chirped; it was a nice day.

Hours passed and a cold chill came over Imao. She rubbed her arms for warmth as she could tell the sun was setting. She had already been debating with herself whether something had happened to Gaara or not.

'Did he forget?... Maybe he got into some trouble… should I look for him? Should I wait?...' Imao stood up and grabbed her bag and began to follow up alongside the creek. After a few steps she was startled as she heard and felt a presence appear a few feet in front of her. She then took a few more steps and smiled.

"Gaara! You're finally here. I had gotten worried and thought you might have gotten into trouble. But anyways, I wanted to let you know that I've decided…" she stopped as the tone of his voice startled her.

"Imao." Gaara looked down and grit his teeth.

"We can never… see each other… ever." Gaara turned his pained face off to the side. Imao looked at him flabbergasted.

"W-what? But why…." Imao tried to question him but Gaara interrupts her harshly.

"You're a waste of my time… and I'm a waste of yours." Gaara's blunt, cold words hit Imao. Imao's eyes glistened as the sun began to disappear from the sky. Her once happy mouth strained to keep its composure.

"Goodbye." Gaara turns away and disappears into the forest from whence he came. Imao stood there a few minutes, stupefied by what had just happened… by what had just been said.

"A waste of time?..." Imao repeated, her voice quivering. She then started to feel pressure build in her chest. She felt like something within her was being torn out against her will.

'Why… why does it hurt!' Imao gripped the seam of her kimono as her hands pressed against her chest tightly. She let out a little gasp as her tears over flooded her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She gritted her teeth as she tried hard to pull back her already suppressed wails. She had never felt so betrayed.

'He lied to me! He tricked me!' Imao fell to her knees and every breath she took was a raspy gasp. Imao sat there sobbing at this new but horrible feeling… a feeling of despair, of treason, of hurt. The tears came down on her cheeks like streams of water. She hugged her stomach as she felt a hard, wrenching feeling from within. She tried hard to contain herself but it was impossible. Imao let go and gave a long gaspy cry. She let go of her abdomen and clenched her arms around her. She tried to calm herself knowing that the expulsion of her emotions were pointless. Her body ached from the strenuous exertion of her bawling. She sat there motionless, numb and dazed.

After an hour of meaningless sitting, she manages to pick herself up, grab her bag and walk towards her home. The moon was already out.

Once Imao entered her house, she quickly paced herself to her room and shut the door. Both Imai and Kiyoshi noted her and made their way to her door from the kitchen.

"Imao? What are you doing here? What happened?" Imai knocked on Imao's door worriedly but quietly. No response. She and Kiyoshi then placed their ears against the door and heard Imao's sobbing.

"Imao we're coming in!" Imai opened the door and both entered into her room. Imao sat upon her bed, hugging her knees tightly as she muffled her painful sobs.

"Imao! Imao what's wrong!" Imai reached out to Imao, only to have her hand swatted.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" An angry Imao looked up at her. Imai looked down at her perplexed by her sister's response.

"What the hell is you problem!" Imai scolded Imao.

"YOU GOT YOUR WISH, ALRIGHT!"Imao glared at Imai.

"What are you talking about! What the hell happene…" Imai tried to finish questioning her but Imao was not finished with her rant.

"You told me that I would get what was coming to me and I did! Now leave me alone!" Imao reminded Imai of her chastising words.

"I didn't mean it! I was angry with you that day! Of course I say stupid things but I…" Kiyoshi places his hand on Imai's shoulder as he shakes his head. Imai swallows the rest of her words.

"Let's just leave her be." Kiyoshi looked at Imai sadly. He couldn't bear to hear or see Imao like that. It hurt him to have to leave her like that but both Imai and he knew there was nothing they could do at the moment. Imao had to deal with it on her own… she wanted to deal with it on her own. Imai frowned angrily at Imao and stormed out of the room. Kiyoshi walked out and sadly watched Imao sob quietly on her bed as he closed the bedroom door.

Imao sat there for minutes as she became overwhelmed with emotions that where hard for her to contain. She looked out the window, tears still gliding down her cheeks but yet she felt numb. It seemed like the night was never going to end.

End Notes:
Sorry for leaving it a bit... complicated? a little... incoherent? lol. It's intentional... but trust me, it'll ALL make sense in a few chapters. FEW!!! D8 lol.
Chapter 8 - Wasted Tears by SBgirl04
Author's Notes:
Sorry for the delay. Like many others in this world, sometimes life just comes at you with soo many things that everything just becomes overwhelming and you just need to take a long break from it all. Unfortunately, I'm still going through some tough stuff but I'm finding inspiration here and there to continue my story at the pace I can. Again, I apologize for the delay. Enjoy.
She sat there on her bed, listless; she had cried every tear she had within her. Her heart was torn to pieces; she was dead from the inside out. All she had to give was taken away from her. She had been staring at the wall since last night, as though she had the ability to, and pondered about her life. She had never met anyone that could cause her to feel so alive, feel like she was an actual human being. She was always treated like a maid (her father), or a pest (Imai), or a role model (Kiyoshi). But she had also never been hurt. She had never felt rejection or betrayal.

'I should have listened to myself. I knew not to get close to anyone. Love brings nothing but pain… pain and sorrow. It's a useless feeling… never again.'

Imao laid herself on her side and let whatever tears she had left stream out. She breathed in and out ever so slowly and began to drift into sleep.

Imai opened the door slowly, hoping to get a peek inside Imao's room. As the door's opening became larger, she could see her twin slightly curled up on her bed. There was no sobbing or crying. Imai had never felt so sorry for her sister… it was as though she could feel her broken heart. She would've never imagined in her whole life that she could feel connected to her, feel so in tune and compassionate for her. She even forgot that she was angry with her for yelling at her the night before. Imai just looked at her saddened by seeing such a different side to Imao. It didn't seem fair to her that her sister was feeling so much misery, especially misery that she didn't cause her. Imai sighed as she slowly closed the door shut and made her way to the kitchen.

As Imai looked around for something to eat, a knock on the front door startled her. She went to the door and opened it slightly, taking a peek at who was disturbing her peace.

"Hi! Is Imao in!" His face gleamed with a smile. Naruto was always happy to visit Imao. Imai opened the door a bit more and gave him a slightly annoyed look but then thought about Imao and look at the entrance of the hallway.

"Imao's… not feeling well right now." Imai tried not to look too worried but unfortunately wasn't doing a good job at it and Naruto's face change dramatically frantic.

"What! What happened! Is she ok! Does she need a medic? I can have someone come and…" Imai interrupted him.

"Just… come back in a few days or something. Don't worry about it, she'll be fine… I think it's contagious though." Imai then coughed in Naruto's direction. He stepped back and gave Imai a disgusted look.

"Alright then, tell her I came by and that I hope she feels better." Naruto's words muffled as he covered his nose and mouth with his hands.

"Sure thing…" Imai sighed as she rolled her eyes and close the door.

"Thanks!" Naruto shouted through the door before he left. Imai cringed a little and walked out of the kitchen and made her way into her room.

---

It had seemed a long time since he last saw her. He became anxious and walked quicker as he got closer and closer to her house. He held a small flower in his hand, holding it close to him so that nothing would happen to it. He couldn't wait to see how she was doing, hoping to talk to his friend again. Soon he was a few steps away from the door and as he looks at it better, he sees a folded note sticking out of one of the crevices that the wooden door had and pulls it out.

"Naruto." He read his name on the folded letter. He unfolded it and began to read.

"Dear Naruto,

I regret to inform you that I have left Konoha. My family and I have important and urgent business to attend elsewhere. I just wanted to let you know this and I would like to thank you for being such a great and wonderful friend. I thank you for everything that you have done for me and my family. I hope that someday we will meet again. Please, take good care of yourself. Goodbye.

Your friend,
Imao Tanaka

Naruto didn't understand why she hadn't told him before. He became saddened and a little angry that he didn't get to see her again.

"Oh well… hopefully I'll get to see her again someday soon." Naruto smiled at himself but then began to wonder if Gaara even knew about this. He knew that Imao and Gaara had become very close but then shrugged it off. There was nothing left for Naruto to do there; he folded the note and put it in his pocket. He placed the flower he had brought Imao into the crevice where Imao had left the note. He smiled again, turned around and walked back to Konoha.

Chapter 9 - Mission: Sand Mystery by SBgirl04
Ch. 9 – Mission: Sand Mystery
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= 2 weeks later =

“NARUTO!!! NAAAARUTO!!! OPEN UP!!”A familiar scream resonated through the door. Naruto grunted and pulled his blanket over his head to continue his sleep unbothered, though it was already past mid-day.

“NAAAAARUTO!! If you don’t open this door soon I’ll break it open!” threatened Sakura. Naruto sighed and lazily got up. He stretched and rubbed his eyes as the demands of his fellow teammate continued to shout at him. He sluggishly made his way to the door and just as he was about to touch the doorknob, the door came crashing down on him.

“NARUTO!! GET UP! WE GOTTA GO!! Tsunade-sama has summoned us for a new mission. Hurry!” Sakura stepped on top of the door and looked around.

“Hello? Naruto?” A weak grunt came from under her. She stepped aside and pulled up the door to peek under it.

“Naruto, this isn’t the time for your shinnanigans! Get up from under there and get ready. She’s waiting for us. I’ll wait for you outside.” Sakura sighed and let the door drop.

“Oof… Owww…” Naruto whinced.

---------

After a few minutes of waiting, Naruto finally came out dressed in his usual. Sakura nagged and rushed him all the way to the Hokage’s building. They made their way inside and arrived at the Hokage’s office.

“Tsunade-sama! I apologize for our tardiness.” Sakura bowed in shame. Naruto closed the door and immediately placed himself next to Sakura. Tsunade sat in her chair, arms crossed, glaring at him, assuming he was the reason they we’re late. Naruto smiled weakly as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Now then, I have gathered you all for a very sensitive mission.” Naruto and Sakura finally looked around and saw that they were not alone. Kakashi, Sai, Kiba and Akamaru had been waiting on them as well.

“You are to keep this confidential. Nobody outside this room is allowed to know for it will implicate dangerous attempts of attacks.” They all looked at each other skeptically.

“What exactly will we be doing, Hokage-sama?” Kakashi respectfully questioned. She looked down in thought for a moment and breathed in audibly.

“Your mission is to guide and protect a few travelers to Suna.” They all looked at her questioningly.

“That doesn’t sound too hard…” Naruto scoffed but then saw how serious Tsunade looked at him. He gulped and stepped back.

“You will be escorting a young woman betrothed to Kankuro. And you are to make sure she and her fellow escorts arrive safely and unscathed.” Again the group gave each other slightly concerned glances.

“Why do we have to babysit for Suna?” Kiba crossed his arms in front of him bothered by the petty task at hand. Akamaru agreed with a small bark.

“Because, we have to assure Suna that nothing will happen to the travelers while they pass through Konoha land. This will help strengthen our bond with our allies.” She stated with affirmation. She opened up a scroll on her desk; it was a map of the land of fire.

“Please pack your required necessities for this mission. You will be meeting the travelers in this general area,” she pointed somewhere in the map, halfway between Konoha and the Suna border,“It shouldn’t take more than half a day to get there but once you join them you will be moving at a slower pace. I would say a few days of food and water should suffice. You will be leaving tomorrow morning. Report to me the moment you arrive. You are all dismissed.” She closed the scroll and held it in her hand pensively.

Kakashi nodded and she nodded back. “Well, let’s get ready everyone. We’ll meet at the main gate in the morning.” The newly formed team bowed at the Hokage and started for the door.

“Kakashi, I need to speak with privately regarding one more matter.” Tsunade stood up and urged him to shut the door as the others left. Kakashi made his way back to the Hokage’s desk.

“It’s about the groom.” She gave him a hard look of concern.

“This will stay between us until further notice.” Kakashi nodded.

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The next morning everyone met up at the gate as was said and began their long journey. As the team set out to meet with the mystery group, they couldn’t help but continue to question why this had to be such a discreet mission. Once they arrived at their rendezvous, about half way to Suna, they noted that the mystery group had not arrived. They took the opportunity to take a break from the long trip and explored their surroundings for a few minutes. After what seemed like an hour of waiting and complaining, they saw a small wagon being pulled by two donkeys. As it got closer, they could see a man and young boy sitting at the front of the wagon. The man raised his hand as a sign of hello and continued to ride in their direction.

“Do you think that’s them?” Sakura glanced at Naruto with a look of disappointment.

“Clearly it isn’t. I mean, why would they transport a bride in a rickety old thing like that?” Kiba said as a matter of fact. He smiled sheepishly at Naruto and Sakura and whispered,

“Well, you never know with Kankuro. Maybe the wagon is the bride.” Sakura then took the liberty of punching Kiba in the arm. He winced as he rubbed his arm and tried to suck up a tear. Akamaru then barked excitedly a few times and whined at Kiba. Kiba looked at the wagon in awe.

“You’re kidding…” He looked sternly back at Akamaru. “Calm yourself Akamaru. You know that’s not possible...”

“Remember your orders… and mind your manners children.” Kakashi lectured as he stepped forward as the wagon stopped in front of them. Sakura couldn’t help but note the man and boy wore tattered and patched clothing under their rag like cloaks, as though they were life-long travelers. Half of their faces hid behind their hats or garments making it hard to see their eyes or mouths. It creeped her out a bit. The man on the wagon stepped off and bowed at everyone in the team. They all mirrored him but gave each other awkward glances. The man approached Kakashi.

“Hello. I am Atu. I am chauffer to the bride to be. We are grateful that you are able to join us in our journey. With me is my son Tenchi, who helps me by taking the reins when I am in need of rest,” the boy raised his hand to greet, “and inside…” the man took a pause to look at the wagon and lowered his voice as he continued, “…inside is lady Jun and her aide Akiko. I apologize for any disrespect but the maiden has been instructed not to see or speak to anyone but her aide and I until she is wed. Customs of our village.” Atu bowed again as a thank you of understanding.

Kakashi stuck out his hand to shake Atu’s, “We are honored to assist you in your journey. My name is Kakashi and with me are Sakura, Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru and Sai. They are my team and we will do everything in our will to keep you all safe.” Atu shook his hand,
“Thank you.” He smiled joyfully at Kakashi and the rest of the team. “Let us not waste time. Our journey is long.” Atu walked back to the wagon, looked inside of the curtain for few seconds and final sat back down at the front of the wagon and began to direct the donkeys forward. The team proceeded to follow, surrounding the wagon at all sides.

---------------------

Although it was a long trip to Suna, there were moments where threats where encountered but it was nothing the team couldn’t handle, a few thieves and a couple rouge ninjas. The travelers maintained conservative and private. Any stop they would make they would separate from the team for a few minutes and then joined them back afterwards. The team was well aware of this and found it a bit odd how quiet they were… maybe a little too quiet for their liking but still they proceed to be watchful and after a few days of slow trek they finally arrived at Suna.

As they entered the Suna gates, the Konoha team started to notice how strange everyone seemed to be acting. The deeper they went into the village the more they could feel the glares and stares of the citizens. Many were excited and would try to look into the wagon from afar while others looked disapprovingly at them. The team could all tell that this was going to be a big event for the Suna village. They finally made their way to the front of the Kazekage’s building.

The team was immediately confronted by two Suna guards, “We will escort the bride and her aides to their rooms on the other side of the building. The Kazekage is awaiting you in his office.” Some Suna guards pointed towards the direction of another two guards that would guide them to the Kazekage. The two first guards bowed at the travelers and motioned them to follow. Atu stepped off the small wagon and turned to the team.

“We are eternally grateful for your protection and guidance. May you be blessed with whatever your hearts’ desire.” He shook everyone’s hand and stepped onto the cart again. He waved politely at them as the team waved back. The travelers proceeded to follow the guards to the bride-to-be’s new home.

The guards opened the doors to the building and the team followed them in. After a few minutes of moving through numerous hallways and stairs, they enter the Kazekage’s office. The guards who accompanied them put themselves at the sides of the outside of the door. Two more guards were in the room, one at each side of a huge window with a clear view of the village placed behind the Kazekage’s desk. Gaara sat at his desk looking through a stack of papers while various scrolls covered his desk as well.

“Kazekage-sama. The Konoha team is here.” One of the guards informed. Gaara looked up and saw the team. He set aside the papers he held and stood up.

“Hey Gaara!!” Naruto quickly made his way to Gaara and bumped fists. Gaara smiled lightly.

“Naruto!” Sakura snapped at Naruto to go back to his place, as to not disrespect. Naruto returned to Sakura’s side, smiling nervously. Gaara looked around at the team.

“Thank you all for coming. I truly appreciate your help with this sensitive matter.” Gaara looked down at the papers and collected them together in a delicate manner.

“We are grateful that you have asked us for assistance and would trust us with such an important task. I hope that it is okay that we send a pigeon message to the Hokage in regards of our completed mission.” Kakashi requested. Gaara sat back down, looked up at him and nodded.

“Before you go, I would like to invite you to stay a few days and rest. You are also invited to attend the wedding, which will take place tomorrow in the late afternoon. Feel free to purchase formal attire at no cost; I do not expect you to have been prepared for the event.” Gaara cleared his throat and continued to arrange and separate piles of papers. The team looked at one another in surprise.

“Are you sure? We do not want to intrude. Special occasions as such are more for family members and close friends.” Kakashi looked at Gaara slightly confused.

“Well, I consider you all close friends and I would greatly appreciate your company.” He continued to look through the papers very intently.

“Great! We get to party!” Naruto exclaimed and danced around a little. Kiba gave Akamaru a thumbs up while Sai and Sakura stared at Naruto lightly ashamed of his actions.

“Gaara-sama, shouldn’t the groom and bride approve of this?” Sakura thought out loud, “I apologize, I don’t mean to question your customs or wishes.” She smiled nervously. Gaara stood up and sighed. He turned towards his window and stared out into the village.

"You are correct, Sakura... and I think you should all know the truth." He paused, turned around and looked at them seriously once again.

"Kankuro isn't getting married." Gaara paused again and looked at his desk full of papers, very unsure of himself. The team looked at one another again in confusion but Kakashi was unfazed.

"Well then, who is?" Naruto blurted out, with a questioning look. Gaara took in a breath and finally let go of the truth.

"The young woman is... She is..." Gaara couldn't get himself to say the phrase. Just the thought of it still made him uncomfortable. He grit his teeth and turned away from them, as to not show them his struggle with the reality. Which he finally pushed out with a quick breath,


"I... am getting married."
End Notes:
It's been years but I'm finally getting to finish it. Enjoy!
Chapter 10.1 - Here comes the... unknown truth by SBgirl04
Ch. 10.1 – Here comes the… unknown truth
______________________________________________________________________________


He continued to pace around the room, murmuring.

“Naruto, can you please just stop!? I’m trying to sleep in until the wedding starts!!” Kiba yelled through the blankets while covering his head. Akamaru growled quietly.

“Why do I always end up bunking with you!?” Kiba turned away from Naruto and continued to snooze away. Naruto was still unfazed by Kiba’s words and began to get dressed. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Gaara had said the evening before. Although Gaara had already explained to the team that it was to promote peace among the lands, Naruto couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“I need to go talk to him. This doesn’t feel right.” He thought out loud as he stepped out of the shared bedroom. He walked determinedly through various hallways, only to find himself lost. He turned another corner and found two Suna guards standing outside of a room.

“Uh, excuse me, could either of you please tell me how to get to Gaara’s office?” He scratched the back of his head. One guard gave him clear instructions on how to make his way to the Kazekage’s main office.

“I don’t believe he will be there. There is a small kitchen close by the office. Please feel free to grab something to eat while you wait.” One guard instructed.

“Ok. Thanks.” He looked down the long hallway feeling a little distraught. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a voice speak up from behind the door. He looked at the door surprised by the shouting. He looked up at the guards and saw that they did not respond to it. He gave it a concerned look and decided to not get involved. He turned away and set off to find the kitchen.

---------------------------------------------

~Behind the door~


“Will you just listen for ONCE!? Do something for you! Just go! Leave! Run away before it’s too late! I know you’ve gone through a rough time but this is the moment to make a change! Please! Don’t let yourself be persuaded against your beliefs!!” The bride's aide pleaded hard and could see that the bride-to-be was still unresponsive as before. She then grabbed her by the upper arms and looked hard at her even though the bride turned away from her,

“Sister! Just...!” The aide shook her a little but the bride immediately turned towards her, glaring with anger. For a split second the aide saw the bride’s eyes well up with tears but then disappeared as her face immediately changed back to her old blank expression.

“What does it matter?” she spoke for the first time in a very long time. The aide looked at her with an insistent expression of urgency.

“I… please…” the aide was interrupted,

“What does it matter?” the bride looked up at her aide with eyes devoid of any emotion. Her will was lost and her heart… gone.The aide had never seen her this way. She had never felt so upset that she couldn’t get through to her. She gave up and released her grip from the bride’s arms. The aide had a habit of always being able to persuade or to win any fight against her. But the battle that she was trying to win was one that only the bride could fight… but the will in her was no longer there. All the bride could feel was that she was nothing; she had finally given up hope and let herself feel apathy for the world and everyone in it. She had surrendered.

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Gaara was making his way to his office when he heard a loud groan coming from the kitchen.

“Ugh.. soo much food.” Naruto grunted as he sat on a stool, bellyful of breakfast. Gaara peeked into the small kitchen and spotted Naruto sitting in front of the kitchen island with many empty plates surrounding him.

“You’re up early.” He poked fun at Naruto, knowing he’s not one to be awake at that time. Naruto looked over to the kitchen opening and looked at Gaara with a face of regret.

“I… *burp*” Naruto sluggishly got on to his feet and began pacing slowly towards the Kazekage. Gaara couldn’t help but give a little smirk at how funny Naruto looked but quickly tried to hide it.
“I need to talk to you.” He went up to Gaara and patted him on the shoulder.

“Alright, let’s go into my office. You think you can make it?” He gave Naruto a playful grin. After a short but slow walk, and a few funny food remarks, they go into the Kazakage’s main office.
“So, what is it that you need to speak to me about?” Gaara makes his way behind his desk and allows for Naruto to sit across from him on another chair.

“It’s about the wedding.” Naruto gave a concern look to Gaara as they both sat down.

“I see…’ Gaara felt uncomfortable and started to look over some papers.

“I just don’t get it! So YOU’RE the one that’s getting married!? Why would you lie and tells us that Kankuro was the one getting married?” Naruto to questioned insistently. Gaara quietly and sadly sighed as he reclined back in his big chair. He then turned away from Naruto, pondering as he looked out at the bright blue sky. It then dawned on Naruto that Gaara had been hanging out with Imao in the past.

“Did you tell Imao about this?” Naruto then remembered what Imai told him a few days before he found Imao’s letter.

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“Imao… isn’t feeling well...”
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“Wait… what DID you tell her?” Naruto gave Gaara an extreme look of concern.
Gaara reluctantly answered with the tiniest expression of pain,

“I told her we could never see each other again.”

“You didn’t!!” Naruto stood up and stared down at him, shocked by the news. Gaara looked off to the side with guilt written on his face.

“YOU DID! HOW COULD YOU!?” Naruto fumed by anger slammed his hands on Gaara’s desk and continued to glare at him as he kept sitting there, unfazed.

“SHE LIKED.. NO, SHE LOVED YOU!” Naruto’s words boomed in Gaara’s head.
Naruto pounded his fist on the desk,

“SHE WAS CRAZY ABOUT YOU AND NOW SHE’S GONE! ALL BECAUSE YOU HURT HER! YOU HURT HER SO BAD SHE LEFT KONOHA AND SHE’S NEVER COMING BACK! YOU DIGUST M…” Although Naruto was hurt by the facts of what had happened, he paused. He realized he wasn’t getting through to him.

“You know what, I give up. All you care about is yourself and your own ambitions. You never cared about her; you’re just an inconsiderate jer…” Gaara stood up abruptly,

“Stop.” Naruto looked at him startled but saw that what he had said went too far.

“Do not judge me of something which you know nothing about.” Gaara didn’t need to say more, nor look at him. Just with those words Naruto understood that he didn’t want to, but had to do it. Gaara never wanted to hurt Imao. He never wanted to hurt her more than he knew he would have, if she had found out about the truth. He could never admit to her that he was in an arranged marriage before he met her. He never imagined he would fall for her as much as he did but no matter how hard he tried, the arranged marriage could not be broken. So he let her go in a way he couldn’t cause more pain than what the truth would have caused.

Gaara let out a sad sigh, his will showing the slight defeat of his emotions.

“I’m going to get ready…” he gave Naruto a nod and walked out of his office. Naruto felt the hurt Gaara hid inside of him but still felt angry that he had toyed with Imao when he knew he could not truly be with her.

‘So, that is why she left… because of him…’
Naruto sighed. He shook his head in disappointment and walked out of Gaara’s office.

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After finishing with other daily matters, Gaara arrived at his bedroom door. Before entering noises from outside the building came though a nearby window and caught his attention. He peered out slightly and could see many of the villagers making their way to the ceremony area. Although it was only for immediate family and friends, most of the villagers were gathering outside in support of their Kazekage's decision. Other's seemed to be more interested in seeing if the bride was up to par.

Gaara turned away, crossed his arms and sighed. It was hard to believe what he was about to do, especially after feeling a connection with someone else. He still recalls the first time he spoke to her and their conversation.

'I feel a bond must be created first between two people.'

Gaara cringed at the memory and walked into his bedroom. He immediately noticed his bed and looked at the formal clothes laying on it. It wasn't his choice but nothing was at this point. He began to get dressed for the biggest even of his life.

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The Konoha team made their way up to the open ceremony area, which was at the top of one of the parts of the Kazekage's building. They were all dressed in decent clothing and made sure to present themselves well on behalf of their village. Naruto kept ogling Sakura, since it was rare to see her dress up, but she would receive his advances with annoyed glares. Kakashi noted how well guarded the area was, Suna nin surroding every inch of the area. They were guided by a guard to a section close by where the officiant was and stood there. Temari and Kankuro were seen guided to stand close by the officiant but across from the Konoha team. The team bowed politely and the Suna siblings mirrored in reply.

After a few minutes, the bride’s aide and the driver's son made their way down the aisle. They were guided to stand next to the Konoha team, as they had already been familiarized. Kakashi nodded at them but noticed they seemed uneasy. Naruto made his way to them and introduced himself to the aide and patted the boy on the shoulder as a hello. They weakly greeted him as they continued to hide behind their hats and scarves.

Before Naruto could strike up a conversation with them, a young woman with a small child was guided next to the aide and boy. They hugged tenderly and commented quietly to each other. Naruto once again butted in and introduced himself to the woman and her son. Kakashi immediately stepped in and gave Naruto a grim look and then apologized to the bride's group. By this time Gaara had made his way down the aisle looking lost in thought and faced the officiant. The bride's aide lightly gasped and stared at the Kazekage. She immediately whispered into the young boy's ear. He turned to her with a shocked look. Before they could say or do anything, a small group of musicians began to play an acoustic melody.

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The driver of the bride finds himself in a secluded area. He had told the Suna nin that as a custom to their village someone needed to be in a quiet and secluded area to chant a marital mantra during the ceremony and was not to be disturbed. But as the doors closed behind him a sinister smile came across his face. He took out an hourglass, lit candles around the room and began to paint symbols on the ground. He then took out a large scroll and rolled it by the symbols he had written. He looked at his hourglass and waited until it ran out. His jutsu needed to be perfectly timed.

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As the music played the bride appeared at the end of aisle. She was covered in a bulky marital kimono and a headdress with a thick veil that covered all around her head. A very light outline of her face could be seen as the setting sun shone through it.

'Why do I feel like this...' The bride held in her sobs and tears. All she could do was keep walking. There was no longer a turning point. She had to comply with her father’s wishes. There was nothing for her anywhere else. The man she was to wed meant nothing to her but she knew that she would be a slave and had to serve him for the rest of her life. She walked down the aisle like it was a funeral. What grace did she have left when everything in her life felt like a waste?

After all the thinking, the bride found herself in front of the officiant. She gulped and closed her eyes hoping that maybe she’d wake up from this horrible dream. The officiant began to speak words of wisdom and love which neither Gaara or his bride could hear. They we’re both out of sync from the world and wished to be anywhere but there. Gaara couldn’t stop replaying every moment he spent with Imao within his mind. After the beautiful speech, the officiant asked the Kazekage and the bride to turn towards each other. The bride gripped her small bouquet and began to shake a little. Gaara’s breathing became shallow and cringed at everything memory of Imao that continued to torture his heart. He couldn’t focus on anything but the way he felt. The guilt and hurt had reached the limit of his control.

‘Why can’t I stop thinking about her… I… I…’ Right before the officiant could say anything, Gaara let his thoughts spill out of his mouth,

“I can’t do this.” Everyone gasped and began to murmur about what they had just heard. He looked up at the officiant and then at the bride, “I’m sorry.” The bride stiffened up.

‘I’m… I’m hearing things… why does the Kazekage sound like…' The bride stepped towards Gaara and lifted her veil,

“Gaara?” Her quiet words cracked. Gaara’s heart almost stopped as he stared in disbelief at his would-be bride.

“Imao?” The pain in her heart came back with great force that she took a deep sharp breath. She had thought she heard his name various times since she arrive at Suna but she believed she was hearing things. Before she could say anything else, an overwhelming weakness came over her and she collapsed into Gaara’s arms. Everyone became startled and gossiped more.

The bride’s aide, alarmed, took a few steps to get to Imao but fell face down on the floor. Naruto and Sakura went to her side and as he turned the aide upwards, her head covering slipped off of her face.

“IMAI!?” Naruto gave a startled look at Sakura and then at his fellow teammates. Nobody knew what was going on but something was clearly amiss.
Chapter 10.2 - Unlocked Abomination by SBgirl04

Ch. 10.2 – Unlocked Abomination
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“I knew it! It is her! You were right Akamaru! Our noses weren’t acting up!” Akamaru barked in agreement but then whined at the unconscious Imai. Though Kiba was happy to know he wasn’t going crazy that he smelled Imai’s scent since the beginning of the trip, he was immediately overcome with concern as he looked down at her lifeless body.

“What the heck is going on!?” Naruto shouted at everyone. Sakura checked Imai’s vital signs as a stunned Naruto looked over at Gaara confused. Although Gaara was still baffled by what had just happened, he was more worried about the unconscious Imao in his arms.

“Imao!?” He lightly shook her.

“Naruto?...” A dazed Imai could see a blurred figure with blond spiky hair. Sakura helped Imai sit up but unfortunately got thrown up on by her. She looked disgustedly at her dress, stood up and cleaned herself off immediately.

“I don’t feel right…” Imai began to fall out of consciousness but Naruto caught her before she could hit her head against the floor. At the same time Imao began to stir and stood on her feet.

“Imao… are you alright? What… what are you doing he…” Before Gaara could finish, Imao violently pushed him away and stayed slouched while she huffed. The driver’s son, who just happened to be Kiyoshi, became anxious and quickly paced himself towards Imao. He only took a few steps when Imao let out a loud and horrible roar. She looked up at Gaara, her eyes had yellowed and long fangs stuck out of her mouth. He backed away a few steps, horrified, as she continued to transform into an inhuman looking creature. She continued to roar as she grew five times her human size and arms changed into strange bat-looking wings. Her skin darkened and her hands and feet became sharp claws. Her face was unrecognizable with a snout that protruded and long wide ears that extended upward. Imao was no longer human but a terrifying creature of which had no recollection of who it once was.

Everyone in attendance was appalled. The villagers from outside could not tell what was going on but did notice how many special op ninja began to quickly appear around the Kazekage’s building. No one could understand what had happened.

Gaara, paralyzed, continued to look up at his once-bride-turned-chimera in shock. The creature bent forward and placed its clawed wings on the ground. It gripped the ground and growled lowly as it stared straight towards Gaara’s direction.

“Kazekage-sama! Get away from it!” Many of the ninja around him called out to him. Even though he could clearly hear them he was unable to move any of his muscles; the shock kept him there. He just couldn’t believe that the one person he came to trust and admire was gone.

“Gaara! Do something! We don’t know how dangerous it is!” Temari couldn’t get Gaara to respond and decided to run to him. Various ninja surrounded the bat-like monster and tried to call its attention.

At that moment, something strange began to happen. The creature began to glow very lightly. Sakura saw that the glow was traveling to it. She gasped as she finally saw where it was coming from.

“Naruto! Imai’s chakra is being sucked out!” She looked down at him horrified. The chakra flow was moving rapidly out of Imai. Sakura got down on her knees and began administering medical attention as best as she could.

“Gaara! Imai is going to die!! Do something!” Naruto shouted at him as he laid Imai on the ground and let Sakura keep her alive. Gaara finally came out of his trance and focused. He whistled at the creature and rose up to it with his sand.

“Imao! I know you’re in there! Your sister is in grave danger! Please break out of this…” The bat-like thing growled at Gaara once more before swatting a claw at him. Gaara quickly flew back and away on his sand platform while everyone began to scream and run. Suna guards escorted elders and other wedding guests away while the special ops arrived. The Konoha team surrounded the remaining Tanaka family and made sure to keep them protected.

Temari finally made her way where Gaara once stood and jumped upwards to the creature’s face. She swatted her fan with great force before landing back on the ground. The creature roared as the gust of wind made it slide backwards but it quickly dug its claws onto the ground, preventing it from falling off the building. It growled at Temari with anger as it opened up its wings and flapped them down to the floor. A powerful gust of wind blew all around, breaking apart pieces of the floor and making rubble fly off in different directions. Nearby buildings were struck and a few began to crumble slowly to the ground. Many of the remaining guests and guards either flew off along with the rubble or clung tightly to anything that could keep them from falling to their deaths. Gaara did his best to protect the spectating villagers with a barrier of sand. Kakashi’s eyes caught glimpse of the smallest Tanaka child flying off and leaped to save him before he could fall off of the building. He made his way back to the child’s mother and immediately grouped his team.

“Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru, go help the rest of the villagers to a safe sanctuary. Sai, I want you to help Gaara restrain the creature. Sakura and I will take Imai and her family away from here and find more medical help for her.” The team nods and each member hastily go to their respective duties. Once the gust died down, a few special op nins run to attack the creature.

“STOP!! DO NOT HURT HER! RESTRAIN HER!” Gaara shouted at them while flying to them. The nins immediately changed their tactics and tried their best to figure out a way to stop the creature from causing more harm.

At that moment, the Takana children’s father, Takeshi - who was disguised as the bride’s driver - covertly came up to see the commotion. He was startled to see that a gigantic bat-like creature stood before him. He looked around and watched how it had and continued to wreaked havoc in that area. He spotted the Konoha team dispersing and saw that one of his daughters lay limp in the leader’s arms as the pink haired girl kept trying to keep her alive. He flinched at his surprise from seeing Imai being carried away but then smiled at his realization.

‘Imao… so you were the vessel all along. That’s too bad… but no matter. You are still serving your purpose.’ He walked closer to his once-daughter-now-monster, and smiled evilly. Many of the Suna nins had been swatted away by the creature while the rest continued to restrain it.

Sai did his best to paint up a fast seal before getting as close as he could to the chimera but the moment he released it the creature flapped its wings again and blew his jutsu away, along with his equipment.
Kiyoshi had been watching Sai intently as he hid behind a large boulder. He became extremely worried for him as his jutsu failed and was afraid that Imao was going to hurt him. He was determined to save Sai and found the courage to confront his transformed sister.

“IMAO!” Kiyoshi waved his arms wildly above him. “IMAO!! LISTEN TO ME!!” He ran to the large creature and tried to get its attention. Sai, still shaken up by the recent wing blast, tried to steady himself but became alarmed at seeing a familiar person running towards the chimera.

“IMAO!! PLEASE! CHANGE BACK!! IT’S ME! KIYOSHI!! IT’S RURI!! PLEASE! YOU’RE HURTING PEOPLE!!” Kiyoshi tried to steer the creature away but failed as it continued to swat away other ninja. The chimera growled and became frustrated at all of the attacks. It sucked in a large breath and released a resounding and deafening shriek. Everyone within in a fifty foot radius was immediately stunned by the loud noise. Kiyoshi fell to ground, covering his ears in agony.

“IMAO!” He shouted at the tops of his lungs. Sai managed to quickly regain his equilibrium and immediately sprinted to Kiyoshi as the shout called the monster’s attention towards him. Kiyoshi looked up in horror as he watched the jaws of the creature open and drive towards him. Before the teeth could even touch his skin, Sai pulled him away and carried him in the opposite direction of it. Kiyoshi was still clenching his face in fear when he suddenly felt that he was no longer in danger. He looked through his fingers and was surprised to see Sai holding him in his arms. Tears weld up in his eyes as he hugged him in gratitude. Sai looked down at Kiyoshi and asked him if he was ok but only got a confused look. Kiyoshi tried to tell him that he couldn’t hear him well but Sai gave Kiyoshi a confused look in return. It was clear to them that they had been temporarily deafened by the horrible shriek attack. Sai decided to take him away from that area and look for the Tanaka family since there was nothing else he could do at the moment. They watched in worry as the monster continued to attack many of the stunned nins and caused more damage to the buildings around it.

Takeshi, made his way to the front of the chimera, as he laughed maniacally.

“THIS! THIS IS FOR THE SOUND! FOR LORD OROCHIMARU!! DEATH TO SUNA AND ALL WHO SUPPORT IT!” He stood there, proud of all of the destruction and dismay that had been caused. Gaara, who had been protecting and helping villagers escape, was able to slightly overhear Takeshi’s words. He rode his sand to the half collapsed building and ordered the nins to capture him. Takeshi smiled devilishly and immediately turned to his transformed daughter.

“JUN! OBEY YOUR MASTER!! FLY AND DESTROY THE REST OF THIS FILTHY VILLAGE!” He commanded the beast. The chimera roared and readied itself to fly but before it tried to lift off with great force, some of the Suna ninja were able to tie a large chain around one of its legs and onto the structure. It was only a few yards from the ground before the chain jerked the monster’s leg, which made it unbalanced and collapse on top of the building. Takeshi was crushed and killed instantly, under the weight of his summon. The creature started to glow again as its body began to suck the remaining chakra of its master.

Many villagers and ninja scattered and screamed as the creature shrieked weakly. Kakashi was able to make his way back to the battle area and try to help contain the beast. As he saw it lying on its belly, trying to regain its senses, he noticed something strange in its yellowed eyes.

‘Markings!’ He ran up to the top of the building and waved at Gaara for his attention.

“Gaara, the eyes! The seal is in its eyes!” Kakashi shouted as loud as he could. Gaara looked over to the creature and saw the symbols Kakashi had seen. He quickly made his way to him on his platform of sand.

“I have a plan. We need Naruto.” Kakashi jumped up onto the sand and continued to tell Gaara his idea meanwhile looking for Naruto. They were able to find a clone of his helping the villagers and relayed the message to the real Naruto by poofing away. Gaara and Kakashi made their way back to where the creature was still fighting for control of stability. Both of them began to collect their chakras in order to release their next jutsus at their best and without fail.

Naruto immediately conjured up more clones and sent them all to distract the bat-like beast. The chimera swatted many Naruto’s but they just kept coming. It became very confused and roared in frustration. It began flapping its wings, readying itself to leave but before it could take off another chain was wrapped around its other leg, making it unable to fly away. The monster roared with anger and began to suck in air. Gaara tightly imprisoned the chimera in sand before it could shriek. He left only its face exposed. The pressure of the sand prevented the creatures attack and was only able to roar weakly in desperation.

Kakashi had already jumped off the sand platform and continued to collect chakra into his palms and tips of his fingers as he ran up the firm sand structure. Naruto and a clone also ran up with a chain being held by both and arrive to the creature’s face. They wrapped the chain around its snout tightly, keeping it shut long enough for Kakashi to leap in and press his hands right into each of the monster’s eyes. He released a sealing jutsu and the chimera roared in agony. Naruto’s clone poofed away while he and Kakashi jumped away from the convulsing creature. The sand around it began to crumble and soften as the creature slowly began to revert back into the frail and unconscious young woman it was.

Gaara’s sand swifts over her bare body and cradled Imao down to the ground. Naruto ran over to her and tried to wake her up.

“Imao...?” He placed the tips of his fingers on her neck. The pulse was weak but he was relieved she was alive. The sand firmed around her and began to drift away from him.

“Hey! What are you doing!?” Naruto looked over at Gaara, concerned of the action that was made. Many Suna nins came to Imao and placed seals on the sand she was entrapped in. They walked alongside her, holding Kunai pointed at her, though she continued in a comatose state.

“She will be held in Suna custody until further notice.” A tired and pensive Gaara sighed and looked away from where Imao was being taken.

“Kakashi, I need to take the rest of her family into interrogation. Please bring them to me.” He looked over at two Suna nins and gestured them to go with Kakashi.

“As you wish.” Kakashi nodded and left with the two Suna guards.

“But they didn’t do anything! Imai is probably dead as well!” Naruto tried to defend the Tanaka family but Gaara ignored him as he was more intent on repairing the building as best as he could with his sand. Naruto looked around at the rubble and dead bodies under them. He was bewildered by the thought that this was deliberate. But he understood that something grave did happen… and it was the trust of his dear friends that had been broken. He finally decided to make some clones and quietly helped clean up the destruction around him.

Chapter 11 - Disconnected Hearts by SBgirl04

Ch. 11 - Disconnected Hearts
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A strange chill circled the windowless, cement covered room as the mysterious looking Suna ninja walked around the square, wooden table. Two others stood guard by the door they had all gone through. The wooden chair the young woman sat on felt rather uncomfortable. She was in mid-shiver when her little boy came to her with a toy bear, giggling at it. She smiled at him and caressed his hair. He then ran around the room, dancing with his new stuffed bear without a care.

"Let us begin." The Suna interrogator's voice was low with a sort of monotone sound. He stood, firmly, a few feet away from her and gripped his wrist behind his back.

"What is your and your son's names, ages and home location?"

"My name is Yasuko Maeda. Formerly Tanaka. My son's name is Hikori Maeda and he is four years old. I am twenty-seven years old and we currently reside in a small home on the outskirts of the Kusa village." She tried to speak strongly but found herself taken aback as her son stopped in front of the interrogator. The little boy shook the stuffed bear at the tall man and smiled innocently at him, then continued walking with his bear.

"What is your relation to Atu, Tenchi, Jun, and Akiko?" The Suna ninja looked down at Yasuko, holding back a look of disdain. She looked up at him confused.

"Or should I say...", he paused to look over some sheets of paper on the table,"Takeshi, Kiyoshi, Imao and Imai Tanaka?" He looked back at her, showing slight annoyance.

"They are my family. I am the eldest child of Takeshi Tanaka. The rest are my siblings." She gave a weak smile as though trying to confirm her words to him.

"I hope you understand that everything you say and do here will be held against you and your family. So, I want you to tell me honestly about the incident that took place during the Kazekage's wedding and anything relating to it - meaning your family's past and up to this moment." The interrogator gave her a grim look and proceeded to grab a clipboard with blank pages and a pencil.

"I understand." Yasuko nodded and looked over at her preoccupied son. She smiled weakly at him and only hoped he wouldn't catch any of what she was about to say.

"I was very young when my father and mother decided to move into a strange and small underground city- somewhere near the rice village. We lived there for several years. My mother became pregnant there. I remember feeling ecstatic at becoming an older sister to my future sibling since there weren't many children there but... after some time, I started to think that maybe having a sibling wouldn't be so great. The reason being, my mother was constantly ill because of her pregnancy. I didn't understand why." She paused and looked off sadly.

"I recall a doctor with long black hair, pale skin, and strangely yellowed eyes would tend to her during her "check-ups". Every time my mother would come out of the doctor's room she would be weak and pale. Sometimes my father would go with her to help but either way, I had to care for her as best as I could for various months. I always found it strange that instead of getting better, she would be weaker after every doctor's appointment." Yasuko paused again in order to calm herself from the slight anxious feeling of recalling past events.

"My father, at the time, was working many hours during the day and we would rarely see him. Though when we did, my parents would argue. My mother would plead to leave the underground city but, unfortunately, my father was determined to stay and so it went. On a cold winter evening, my mother gave birth, prematurely, to two little girls, which was unexpected, and, unfortunately, one was very ill while the other was full of life and thriving. My father, though disappointed that neither was a boy, named the lively one Imai and oddly enough I recall him giving the baby a strange look of pride and took her to my mother. My other sister, Imao,- named by my mother - was quickly tended to by other nurses and taken away. Unfortunately, my mother was too weak from the birthing process and passed that same night. My father then gave me the responsibility to care for my sisters as he had to work to keep food on the table. I turned ten that year." She looked up, teary eyed, and watched as the Suna interrogator wrote on the clipboard. An unwilling whimper resonated through her throat though she tried to control the overwhelming feeling of grief.

"What about your little brother? He's the only conscious sibling that would know anything about your family's true intentions." He quickly focused on prodding her about Kiyoshi. Yasuko's eyes widened and feared for her brother.

"Kiyoshi is... Kiyoshi is adopted. He experienced his own life-changing event and, I believe, has maintained himself a quiet and shy young gi- boy because of it." She stuttered a bit, almost revealing what had been hidden for so long.

"Look... My siblings and I have nothing to do with what happened. After the underground place went through a disaster, we have been moving from village to village; never staying in one place for too long. Though I only lived with them until I was married off seven years ago, my siblings have never shown a dark side. Imai was always favored by my father and would train furiously with her. She became rather egotistical because of him only caring and praising her for her physical strength. Imao and I have been the caregivers of the family - she more so now that I no longer live with them. Imao and Kiyoshi both have always had a wonderful and wholesome heart and would never wish to harm anyone. Imao is, unfortunately, blind but has managed well for herself and learned to be as independent as she could be. Now, I don't know how it came to be that Imao was somehow possessed, but I know that was involuntary. Clearly, if anyone knows about what was done to my sister, you would need to ask my father." Yasuko's voice echoed slightly in the room. She was exasperated by everything that had happened. Her son looked over to her, curiously.

"Please let me see my siblings." She tried to be demanding, but the anxiety was getting the best of her, making her words tremble.

A knock came to the door and the small eye slit was opened. The Suna guards jumped and quickly opened the door. Gaara entered the room and nodded to the interrogator.

"Come with me." He spoke half-heartedly and gestured Yasuko to follow him.

Her son ran up to Gaara and gleamed a sincere smile up at him, "Thank you for the bear." Gaara smiled kindly back and got on one knee,

"Take good care of it. He's very special." The little boy nodded and ran back to his mother, who was making her way to the door. Yasuko smiled weakly at Gaara but could only glimpse at him, feeling conflicted. She picked up her son and followed behind the Kazekage as they stepped out of the interrogation room.

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They arrived at a light blue door, after a few minutes of walking through hallways. Gaara knocked and a nurse opened the door. He entered and waved Yasuko to follow. As she entered with her son holding her hand, she looked around at the rather large room with windows on each wall. Her eyes finally landed on the body lying unconscious on a hospital bed while Kiyoshi sat on a chair beside it. Yasuko's eyes teared up as they met Kiyoshi's; it had been a day since they were separated after the unfortunate event. He sprung up and threw himself at her as they both sobbed and found comfort in one another. Hikori joined in and all giggled at their reunion.

"Are you ok? Has anyone done anything to you?" Yasuko questioned Kiyoshi worriedly.

"I'm fine. I've been here with Imai since after I was interrogated. I don't know anything, though... Father just said we needed to change our names and pretend to be other people for Imao's wedding. We didn't know why." He looked down, shamefully with tears streaming down his cheeks. Yasuko stroked his arm and hugged him once more, then made their way beside the bed.

"How is she?" Yasuko looked at her sister heartbroken by the state that she was in. Imai wore a light colored hospital gown, covered with a light blanket while she lay hooked up to a mechanism that monitored her vitals. She looked pale and gave out raspy breaths. Her short hair lay scattered on her pillow, without a hair tie. Oddly enough, she looked more like Imao than before.

"She should wake sometime soon," Gaara interjected though the question was not directed to him. "Imai will need to be questioned after she awakens." He felt very indifferent in giving Yasuko any more information.

"What about Imao? Where is she?" The eldest sibling became concerned as she didn't see her in the room. Gaara was reluctant to say anything but let himself notify the eager woman.

"She's been placed in a special containment area. No one is allowed to see her right now. She is... in a coma... And we are unsure as to what state she will wake up in if she even awakens." His tone was spewing discomfort meanwhile his body turned away from them.

"When can we see her?" Kiyoshi let his worry show through his words.

"Someone will let you know." Gaara stepped out of the room in a hurry, leaving the siblings bewildered by the little information he had given them.

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The next day, Gaara gathered all of the Konoha team members and questioned them about the incident. They were dismissed after seeing that none of them were involved and were permitted to go back to their village. Naruto was unhappy with the Tanaka family being detained, believing that they were being treated like criminals when they weren't and tried to fight for their release. Gaara explained that the twins were under observation as they were left unconscious due to the incident and that the other siblings were only staying because of that reason. Naruto was still uneasy, which lead Gaara to grant him permission to come back to visit when they were awake. The Konoha team said their farewells and returned back to their village.

That evening, Imai awoke dazed and groggy. She was greeted with an embrace from Yasuko, Kiyoshi, and Hikori. The nurses asked for them to step out while they made sure Imai was well. After about an hour, they were let back inside to be with their sibling. Yasuko and Kiyoshi updated her on everything that had happened and about being interrogated. Imai asked about Imao since she was not present and was finally informed that she being kept elsewhere and was in a coma. The now awakened twin became restless and argued with her siblings on going to see their sister.

"I'm gonna get this over with! We need to see her!" Imai quickly got up off of the bed and wobbled her way to towards the door.

"No! You are still weak! You need to rest!" Yasuko ordered her younger sister and Imai obeyed sadly. She trudged back to the hospital bed and laid back down. Imai looked away from her siblings and stared off into the window that seemed farther away than it was.

"I... I need to see her... I don't feel her." Imai's eyes began to glisten with the sunshine and slowly let tears roll down her cheeks. She had never felt so disconnected from Imao. Even though Imai had voluntarily pushed Imao away many times, they still shared a special connection. It wasn't just a twin thing, it was a sensory thing. If either was ever in trouble, the other would be able to sense her distress and know vaguely of their health status. But at that very moment, Imai couldn't tell where her sister was or if she was even alive.

Kiyoshi reached out to Imai and gave her a delicate hug.

"She's ok. I can feel it." He wiped her tears with the seam of his sleeve and smiled with reassurance. Imai smiled back weakly as she regained control of her sobbing. Yasuko was moved by Kiyoshi's response and patted his head softly. They continued conversing that evening until the healthy siblings were asked to leave to their quarters.

End Notes:
The end is nigh! ^_^
Chapter 12 - The embers that remain by SBgirl04

Ch. 12 - The embers that remain

________________________ Mood Songs: Look After You by The Fray
& Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard
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It had taken another day for Imai to finally be interrogated and discharged from Suna care. Her interrogation concorded with the rest of her siblings, only adding how her father always insisted that she train like a fierce shinobi though they never belonged to a village. Afterward, the Tanaka siblings, aside from Imao, reunited and conversated over lunch in an undisclosed area of Suna, away from the hateful stares of the villagers.

"It sucks being stuck somewhere you can't leave and are not wanted." Imai pouted meanwhile she picked at her food. A corner of Yasuko's lips slid downward while she tended to her little boy as he made more of a mess with his food than he ate of it.

"It's not so bad. Everyone must understand we were victims, Imai, but I guess they're still scared that they could be wrong." Kiyoshi tried to justify. Imai scoffed and gave him an annoyed look as she slurped some food into her mouth.

"Really Kiyo? You truly believe that a whole village would understand that a bunch of outsiders hid something without knowing? Not to mention letting this something wreak havoc on their village. I don't think so," she paused to gulp the food she had been talking through, "On another note, there is something I've been meaning to ask you." Imai put her chopsticks down and leaned back in her chair. Her eyes squinted in suspicion as she stared at Kiyoshi, which made him squirm a little in his seat,

"You have always been close to Imao and you never noticed anything strange about her? Or maybe... you both agreed to hide something from us about her! Or hid something about you! I mean, we aren't related by blood so maybe you were in on it all along-" A hard slap on the table caused Imai to stop her rant.

"Imai!" Yasuko snapped at her sister. "Don't you dare speak to him that way! He is much a part of this family as you or I. Father was the one to blame. I do not need to explain that again!" Her face flushed with anger. Her son took this opportunity to gulp down a lot of food in order to please her.

"Actually... I did hide something from you and I'm honestly surprised you never noticed." Kiyoshi stood up and untied his hair.

"My real name is Ruri and I'm a girl. Imao convinced me to live as a boy in order to join you and hopefully become a Tanaka. But that doesn't matter anymore because I don't need to be someone I'm not just to survive. Even if you don't accept me, I still see you as my sister. Just like Yasuko and Imao." Ruri was done with the lie she had to live with for so long, which gave her a great sense of ease. She turned to her eldest sibling who was gleaming with pride and acceptance. Then faced Imai - her face couldn't have been more contemplative as she held her chin with one hand and eyed her from head to toe. A shiver went through Ruri's body as she looked away from her sister's gaze.

"I knew something was strange about you... But it doesn't matter now. You're family. Always will be." Imai stood up to playfully punch Ruri's arm and gave her a coy smile. "Just forget what I said. This place just has me on edge. Especially since they haven't let us see Imao." She turned away with a displeased, pained face.

"Don't worry, we'll go ask the Kazekage again." Her eldest sister tried to be hopeful. Imai plopped down onto her seat, making it rock a little.

"Right... the Kazekage..." The twin began to show a strong dislike for him by crossing her arms and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Ruri reached over to her and patted her arm.

"He's not a bad person. You know that." Her emerald green eyes tried to show reassurance but Imai was too bothered to acknowledge them.

"Whatever."

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It had taken some time to meet with the leader of Sunagakure, but the Tanaka family was able to finally ask for permission to see their sister. Gaara thought for a good while and noted how eager the siblings were, though still receiving glowering looks from Imai. After a few minutes of pleas and arguments, he decided to let them see her.

The siblings were escorted by a Suna guard to a restricted area full of long pathways and various staircases going to different directions. It was a strange and rather unnerving place for them. They stopped at a metal door that had the words 'Danger: Unstable being.' The Tanakas looked worriedly at one another, knowing exactly what that meant but not knowing what or who to find.

A loud metal clunk echoed through the door and finally slid open. The Suna guard gestured for them to enter, trying to hide his uneasy demeanor, and waited for them outside. They entered and saw various medics and guards standing and monitoring what they surrounded. As they stepped towards the bed, the Suna caregivers made an opening for the family to place themselves into. Yasuko let out a sigh of relief, seeing that her sister was human and in one piece. Ruri looked up at her and smiled with the same relief overcoming her, letting herself hug Hikori as she had been carrying him the whole way.

Imai stepped close beside her twin and looked on worriedly, spotting chains around her sister's limbs and torso. She gazed at Imao's face which looked at peace, 'Why...why did they do this!?' It became too much for her that she began to tug at the restraints.

"Stop! Do not touch her!" a few Suna guards surrounded the family, ready to detain and fight if they needed to.

"You can't do this to her, she's not a threat! Get this crap off of her!" the conscious double kept tugging in desperation. A Suna guard tried to step behind Imai to restrain her but a medic stopped him and shook his head,

"Let her be. The restraints cannot be broken." The Suna medic quietly reassured the guard and both backed away silently. Everyone watched as the young woman let her grief overwhelm her senses and continue to try to break her comatose sibling free. Her face flushed with anger and let out a frustrated grunt. She startled everyone as she turned to face her unconscious double and leaned over her, menacingly,

"Imao!! Wake up, Imao! Wake up!!!" Imai's arms abruptly reached and held her unconscious twin by the shoulders. The overwhelming distraught began to make her shake Imao and intensified with each movement.

"Imai! Stop!" Yasuko commanded and tried to pull her sister away, releasing Imao from her grasp.

"No! Let me go!! Imao needs to wake up!" The tears streamed from Imai's eyes as she pulled away from her elder sibling's constraining arms. Imai then buried her face onto Imao's chest and let herself cry uncontrollably. It was very unlike her to show her desperate and hurt side but the disconnect she felt from the one sibling who had given her the most attention and patience, was killing her. She couldn't imagine living without her - she didn't want to live without her. As she started to calm down, she laid her ear against her sister's chest and listened. Imao's breathing was very soft and slow just like her heart beats.

'Imao... Don't leave me. Please...' Imai's sobs became controlled as she slowly pushed herself off of her comatose sister and sat down on a nearby stool. She could only stare in a stoic and empty way.

Ruri continued to hold onto Imai's hand, feeling a little hopeless as nothing seemed to wake her mentor up. A clearing of someone's throat startled the Tanaka sisters.

"I apologize but we need to ask you to leave now. We need to continue our tests." Two Suna medics came into the room with new equipment.

Yasuko let out a heavyhearted sigh as she picked her son up and made her way to the door.

"Come on girls, let's go." She gestured at her distraught sisters to follow. Ruri tugged at a now listless Imai,

"We'll come back another time. Maybe she'll awaken by then." Ruri tried to be hopeful about the situation. She looked down at Imai with a somewhat reassuring look meanwhile she rubbed her sister's back. Imai was not one to ever get depressed but not having the usual cheerfulness of her twin for her to pick on left her feeling purposeless. She gave Ruri a slight nod without looking at her, then stood up and joined her as they stepped out of the room.

Imai turned around to shut the door quietly and watched as the medics placed connections from one of the strange looking machines onto Imao's pale skin. Her brow furrowed in displeasure.

'I know you're in there.... You can't be gone.'
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It had been a week after the wedding incident when Imao finally awoke. Many Suna medics and ninjas made their way to the room and prepared for whatever was to happen. She was dazed and extremely distraught by her confusion. The medics cautiously began to ask her how she was feeling and if she remembered anything while they checked her. Imao was still too disoriented to answer with more detail.

The seal placed on her eyes was holding up though her body was still very weak and bruised from the transformation it had taken, needing more time to heal. Imao was overwhelmed with not knowing where she was or who was around her and pleaded to be with her family. A medic reassured her she would be safe in their care and that her family would be notified that she had awakened. The door of the room had been open throughout her awakening and someone stood beside it in the hallway, keeping their body in the shadows.

'I'll wait...'

---------------------------

The reunion of the Tanaka siblings had taken place the day after Imao had awakened, in which she had to endure a fierce interrogation from Suna specialists and stabilization studies from the medics.

During their reunion, she was finally informed of the horrifying events that took place during the wedding - a devastating thing for Imao to have learned. They were also notified that the twins had been a past experiment of a man named Orochimaru's and their father had been in on it. It was not clear to them how only one child was the only one to have been the bearer of a chimera transformation but they could only guess that after Imao had been taken away after birth, more experimentation was done on her seeing she was expendable for being born weak.

"Will... will I always be this way?" her eyes teared up as she could only think of the monstrosity that she had become. Ruri hugged her tightly while Imai held her twin's hand, both trying to comfort her.

"The seal within you eyes is holding well. I cannot promise you will be safe from others trying to release your chimera transformation, should they know about it." One of the lead medics tried to reassure and warn her though his eyes struggled to hide his resentment for what she had done.

"I see... Thank you... and I'm am truly sorry... for everything." Imao voice ended with a crack which was fought with a deep gulp.

"Can I please be alone for a while? I feel... weary." The broken young woman managed to stay composed in front of her siblings. Yasuko felt uneasy and could see her sister was fighting the anguish she held within,

"Are you sure? We are here for you, Ima-"

The bewildered patient raised her hand to halt their words,

"Please... Just go."

The Tanaka siblings took one concerned look at one another and unwillingly complied to her wish. Imao turned to her side and laid there with eyes closed until the door was closed and she could no longer feel anyone's presence. Her fingernails dug into the bed as she let her despair take control of her body, making her huddle her frail body into a ball and wept uncontrollably until she exhausted herself into sleep.

--------------------

It had been a long battle within his mind before he gave into the perturbing itch that wanted to go see her. He had chosen not to oversee any of the interrogation or seal strengthening, hoping his aching chest would stop overwhelming him. A throbbing at his temples drove his thumb and middle finger to rub them - an anxiety starting to bubble within him once again.

He stood outside of her room a few moments until his hand finally budged and landed on the cold door handle. His breathing quickened before he took in a deep breath and slowly slid the door open.

It was quiet and the lights had been dimmed. He walked in slowly, staring coldly at the sleeping patient on the bed but then a sigh of relief escaped his breath, knowing he didn't have to confront her just yet. But she laid there, sleeping with a slightly sad expression. The medics had notified him that she had become depressed due to learning the events of the fateful day. It had been cleared up that she had acted unwilling and unknowingly at that time but Gaara still had some questions he needed her to answer.

It was late in the day at that moment. He had been overwhelmed with various Kazekage duties. He quietly pulled a wooden stool close to the bed and sat down. His teeth grounded uncomfortably as he sat and watched her breath in and out. One of her hands was exposed over the blanket that covered her body. So many things had jumbled his mind throughout the day but his gaze caught her fingers twitching lightly which led him to one memory - the moment they shared in the cave that one rainy day. It was a sweet thing to stay on after everything that had happened and only reassured him that his heart still felt a connection. Gaara placed his crossed arms atop the bed and fought any overwhelming emotion, which caused him more exhaustion. His eyes began to close as he could feel himself drift into sleep.

'Sleep... is contagious.'

---------------

Imao's eyes opened a sliver as she awoke from her emotional exhaustion-induced slumber. Though she began to wonder if any of it was a strange dream, an unmoving presence next to her legs stole her attention.

Her heart began to race as her sense became more alert and felt the person to be very familiar. She shifted her body slowly and let her hand glide quietly to the face of the sleeping visitor. The tips of her fingers managed to touch the one area of the forehead she feared to feel. Her hand retracted back as she held her breath and tried to swallow the knot in her throat.

The young man stirred and rose up carefully, his lazy gaze catching her glistening blue eyes. It took a few seconds of tensioned silence before Imao's anxiety made her speak,

"Go away." Her body was tense but her voice fought it and remained calm. Gaara's eyes looked away before he could show her how bothered her request made him feel.

"You have no right to ask anything of me after what you did to my village." His arms immediately crossed, trying to contain the disdain boiling inside him.

Her eyes widened while her brows furrowed with anger,
"Don't accuse me of something I wasn't even aware of! I never asked to be apart of my father's traitorous convictions! It hurt so much to find out that I was used to cause pain and destruction. Never in my life would I do something like that purposefully." Imao let the anguish in her heart show, it was something she held in from everyone but for some reason wasn't able to contain from Gaara. Her eyes continued to fight the welling up of tears while she clenched her teeth from the tension.

"Are you sure about that? Or are you playing some sort of game with me?... Maybe you were using me. All those days we met, you were just getting intel on me while I opened myself up to you, grew feelings for you but... I was deceived." The Kazekage continued to beat around the bush and tried to convince himself that she had ulterior motives.

"How dare you!? You never told me you were Kazekage! So, how could I have known!? In fact, I was the one deceived by you!" she pauses as her memory flooded with the last words he said to her that fateful evening.

"We can never see each other again... You're a waste of my time and I'm a waste of yours..."

Before she could continue her rant, the aggravated red head stood up and tried to justify himself,
"You don't even realize how conflicted I feel right now. I didn't want to leave you. I wanted to bring you here with me and broaden our connection... it just wasn't possible..." he stopped as a rush of blood reddened his face. His eyes glistened with sadness at his realization.

"Because you were betrothed! You-you hid that from me and instead had your fun with my heart. No one has ever hurt my heart this much before. I never had the opportunity or time to let anyone into my heart like I did with you. And you took that for granted." Imao couldn't contain her emotions, tears streamed down her cheeks as a deep sob jerked out of her.

Gaara leaned closer to her, with a stern look,
"You were also betrothed. How do you think that makes me feel? I loved-"

"My father never mentioned it until after we left Konoha. You had hurt me so much I couldn't have cared less," Imao's deliberate interruption caught him off guard but she was not about to let him continue, "And don't you dare come to me with more lies! If you truly did feel anything for me, you would have never deceived me. I gave up all hope on love. It means nothing to me. Especially any that should supposedly come from you!" She wiped her cheeks as her quickened sobs echoed in the room.

Gaara was unable to contain his frustration any longer and grabbed Imao firmly at the side of her face, pulling her inches away from his own. She sucked in a quick breath, her eyes widened in fear of what he was going to do. He looked at her sternly but spoke tenderly,

"I want to atone for all of the hurt I caused you. And so, I apologize for what I'm about to do but... it's something I regret not doing sooner." Gaara finally gave in to his aching but exhilarated heart and gently placed his lips upon Imao's. Although it was only a few seconds, it felt to them like an eternity - all of the built up feelings they held for one another was finally expressed in one action.

This story archived at http://www.narutofic.org/viewstory.php?sid=8750