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Disguised Curses	By : Raholea Category: Naruto AU/AR > General Views: 2438 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Thanks to my beta, Valencia. The help was much appreciated!!!

CH 13

Sasuke was seeing a miracle.

He knew Naruto was an affectionate person. The blonde hugged everyone... it was, in fact, something Sasuke had come to accept and expect. But not Gaara. Hell, Gaara was the closest thing to a solitary and non- touching person Sasuke could think of. And so, Sasuke considered the scene before him as something of a miracle.

Gaara was returning Naruto’s hug. Not a hesitant pat on the back, or a casual shoulder grip that sometimes passed instead of hugs between men, but genuinely hugging back the blonde. Sasuke stared in mild shock until Neji tapped his shoulder. “Things changed, Uchiha.” He spoke low, not wishing to be overheard by the pair standing a few feet away. “Lots of things changed while you were gone.” The words were shaming, even when the tone was not. Sasuke turned away. Neji was right, he’d missed out on so much because of his foolish choices as a younger teen. Just barely 16, he wasn’t yet a man, but no longer was he a stupid boy. “Kazekage.” He bowed, ever so slightly. Gaara was a Kage, and that meant he was at the top of command. Respect- even from a proud Uchiha- was expected.

“I am not in office, Uchiha, nor am I dressed for it. Just call me Gaara.” The soft voice lacked the anger it once held. Sasuke held in his amazement. Gaara had once been like him, so full of dark emotions. It was weird to see him like this. Peace and calm suited him.

“Very well, Gaara.” A pale hand extended in greeting and Sasuke shook it, a slow smirk growing. Yup, this Gaara was much better. He stood back and watched as Gaara welcomed the other three ninjas, not missing the slightest hesitation directed at Neji. It only increased the questions and concerns Sasuke had about the other. What could make Neji seem as prey to Naruto and give Gaara pause? If anyone here could guess, it’d be those two. Being jinchuuriki seemed to make them more in tune with any little adjustments that may pass unnoticed, even in a city full of ninja. He pondered this issue unsuccessfully as the group wound itself through the cliffs surrounding the hidden village.

***

Pale golden eyes watched as the small group entered the village, with Gaara leading the Leaf ninjas to a building arranged for them to stay at. Dusk crept in slowly, lighting the far west with bursts of crimson and orange, a single flame kissed cloud startlingly bright against the pale blue of the horizon sky. Muscles twitched and wings pulled close, and in the last breathe of the dying sun a mottled falcon dropped from the sky and zeroed in on its target.

***

“You each have separate rooms with a stocked kitchen. Tonight there is a welcoming dinner but during your stay here feel free to do as you wish.” Gaara turned and discreetly waved Sasuke and Naruto away. “Your Hokage informed me that you two have some rules from her that apply strictly to you two. I left two adjoining rooms at your disposal, so you can decide how you want things. I won’t bother you about her requests; I trust you can handle this on your own. I’ll let you figure it out later.” Louder he announced for them to clean up. “Supper is in an hour. Feel free to take the time to wash the sand out, but don’t waste the water, ok?” The guys nodded. Water in the desert was precious enough without wasting on frivolous activity.

As Gaara leaned back against the open door to go outside, a pitched cry tore the air. Familiar with the sounds of hawks used to carry messages between villages and occasionally teams, everyone filed out to see what would happen. None of the visiting ninja recognized the newest addition, though. A huge predatory bird perched on a low rail outside the inn. Its feathers looked like someone had thrown paintbrushes at it, dipped in at least two different shades of brown, a rich cream, and twin stripes of black on the head above the eyes. Gaara gestured towards it. “Meet Kimi- san. Another guest like yourselves.”

At the sound of her name the bird nodded, almost bowing towards each of them. Used to a higher level of intelligence in some animals due to summon beasts, the ninjas nodded back. She was much larger than almost anything seen before, nearly three feet tall, and with her perch, she was head to head with Gaara. A piercing gaze studied each of the boys. After several minutes had passed, she flexed her wings in an almost shrugging motion and did the unthinkable.

***

Neji lurked behind Sasuke and Shino, watching the falcon. She was intriguing, but vibrated that familiar ‘predator’ sensation. Not nearly as threatening as that of his companions’, he was able to ignore that threat. Gaara wouldn’t be this casual about a true danger in his town. In fact, Neji had managed to relax before her sharp eyes began to scrutinize him. Instantly his instincts kicked in; that gaze shouldn’t be able to pierce him like that, see into him. Could it tell what he was? Even Gaara, no longer host to the tailed demon, had picked up on his weakness. He felt panic setting in, irrational but deep. She was watching him, piercing him, stripping the layers with her eyes and he could see that knowledgeable look that screamed “Gotcha!”.

A cool hand brushed against his shoulder, light and casual, but pausing to grip before moving away. The touch brought Neji out of his panic. “Calm down. Pull yourself together, Hyuga.” Whispered words, but they centered him. Shikamaru’s low voice, he must have noticed the situation. “I don’t know yet what’s going on, Neji, but you’re better than this. Get yourself together.”

Neji drew a deep breath, leveling his head. There was no way some overly large bird could be a predator towards him. Right? He started to thank Shikamaru only to have his words brought short by the scene unfolding before them.

The falcon, Kimi, was expanding, swelling, growing amazingly in height and across the tops of the wings. Feathers began to scatter around her, and through the swirl of brown, skin could be seen appearing, hair flowing from the falcon’s head, wings melding back into flesh and bones. A burst of chakra sent the loose feathers scattering across the porch- like area, revealing a young woman, around their age. An unmarked headband was her only adorning clothing. That fact sent Neji blushing and Naruto into a coughing fit, trying to turn his head away. The older boy missed the others’ reactions as he dutifully stared at the floor at her feet.

“Kimi. Clothes.” Gaara’s sand had scattered a bit, creating a veil for the female before she flashed anyone else. A soft “Henge” was her only response, but as Neji looked back at the girl, she’d managed to cover the most intimate areas with the illusion of clothing. It permitted him to take a longer, closer inspection of the abrupt change.

The gold hawk eyes had darkened to a rich honey tone, set above high sharp cheekbones. Deep auburn hair, almost black, flowed halfway down her back, somehow adding to the fierce and slightly feral appearance. Her shoulders were wide for a female, throwing off the otherwise beautiful body. The nails were dark, long and tapered to a sharp point. Her skin was lightly tanned, and she stood over five and a half feet tall.

One of those taloned hands extended to Naruto in greeting, palm up, cupped, fingers slightly spread. “I am Kimi- tama of the Dyami clan. You’re like Gaara, right?” Traces of hostility rose, uncertain of her intentions, but Naruto just shrugged and took Kimi’s hand. “You could say that, I suppose.” They shook hands, and then Neji found himself staring into those honey touched orbs.

“And you are not unlike me, hatchling.”

____

A/N: Ok, so I thought of being evil and cutting the chapter right before the Neji POV, but I realized that would put the focus on our falcon and that's not my prime target to antagonize. So you guys got the whole chapter. Yes, Kimi is important. No, I'm not saying why yet. All will be revealed in time... And before someone asks about her name, I ransacked babynames.com and came up with this. "Kimi" is "She who is without equal" and "Tama" is "jewel" - I couldn't resist naming her that. "Dyami" is Native American for "eagle"... *hint hint* Yes, she's falcon, not eagle. Technically. And I'm still chewing on pairings in this story. Suggestions, anyone?
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Disguised Curses