Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Sand in the Leaves	By : ahmenet Category: Naruto > General Views: 1273 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any money from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Monday:

“He's
awake and responding but I'm not sure what he remembers.”
Shizune explained as she handed over the chart to Tsunade.

“I'll
look in on him. Was he awake on Sakuras shift?” She asked as
she frowned at the perfectly printed pages.

“No.
I was hoping he would since she's a more familiar face but he didn't
come out of it until an hour after her shift.”

“Alright.
I'll do my evaluation and we'll call her in to talk to him if I think
he needs it.”

“Yes,
Lady Tsunade.” Shizune bowed and rushed down the hall toward
the offices.

Tsunade
looked through the window to Gaaras room. The boy was sitting up
straight in the bed, his back only lightly resting against the
pillows stuff behind it. He was staring at his hands with a single
minded intensity that didn't diminish when she opened the door.

“Gaara.”
He didn't look up from his open palm.

She
shut the door behind her and walked toward the bed. Pulling the stool
up she sat and looked at him. The hand seemed to be fine but he was
staring at it as if it were a deformed growth.

“Are
you in pain, Gaara?” Deliberately she used his name. “Is
there a problem with your hand?”

He
looked at her then, his eye still slightly glassy. No amount of
healing could work the poisons and drugs from his system quickly. He
had one more day before his body was completely clear. Until then,
his eyes would remain a little vague and glassy.

“I
thought they were bleeding. I thought my fingers were broken. Then I
remembered they weren't mine.” He explained in a hoarse,
seemingly overworked voice.

Tsunade
sat quietly mulling over what he'd just said. The thought was
incomplete and confusing. She needed him to be more specific.

“You
mean the bleeding hands weren't yours?” He nodded and she
leaned in a little closer to the bed. “Whose hands were
bleeding Gaara?”

He
looked back down at his hands and flexed them. “Kankuros.”
He stated simply in that same croaking voice.

“Gaara.
Do you know where you are?” She asked slowly in order to keep
his attention.

He
looked around the room for a moment then his eyes focused as much as
they could on her. They narrowed and he dropped the hand he'd been
examining and raised the other to his right temple. A scar cut across
his that half of his forehead near the hair line, still pink and
tender.

“I'm
in a hospital.” His voice grew strained. “In Konoha. You
are the Hokage.”

“Good.
Do you remember my name?”

“Lady
Tsunade. The last of the three legendary Sannin.” His eyes
narrowed more as he moved his touch to the left side of his scalp,
there fingering another scar.

She
flinched a little at the reminder but moved gamely forward. She
needed to know as much about the situation as possible.

“Gaara.
Do you know what happened six days ago?”

His
eyes dropped to the sheets in his lap and his face grew completely
blank.

“Gaara?
If you can remember, I need to know.”

He
didn't look up, only dropped the hand in his hair and stared at the
pair as they lay still in his lap. He swallowed several times and
took a very deep breath as if reassuring himself that he could.

“I
couldn't save them.” He said quietly. “I couldn't use the
sand. It wouldn't come to me. I couldn't fight. I wasn't strong
enough.” His voice became harsher and his head dropped another
inch. “I wasn't enough.”

He
closed down in front of her as she reached out to give his arm a
gentle squeeze he most likely didn't feel. His vacant stare told her
she'd gain no more from conversing with him so she stood and opened
the door, calling a guard to stand in the room. As the door closed on
its occupants she looked to her left at Kakashi.

“Find
Shizune. Tell her to call off Sakura.” She looked down at the
floor and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Get me Maito Gai.”

0.0.0.0

Neji
stepped into the early morning light and breathed in the crisp air.
Winter was just around the corner and everything smelled just a
little cleaner as each day turned to the next. He nodded to the
branch family members who passed him as he turned to lock the door of
his small house then made his way through the Hyuuga compound to the
main gate.

A
year ago his Uncle had asked him to move into the main house. He'd
refused. Not that he didn't appreciate the offer. He'd spent his
childhood trying to gain approval from his more austere family but he
loved his small house by the pond and no matter what happened he
wasn't ready to part with it. There were a lot of memories in it and
even sad memories could be good ones.

“Neji?”

He
turned at the soft request and smiled down at Hinata.

“Hello,
cousin.” He moved toward her.

“Are
you heading for the tea room?” She asked with a small smile.

She'd
lost her stammer a year ago, the same time her team had lost Kiba and
Akamaru. His team had suffered a similar blow with the loss of Lee.
TenTen had died a year before that. He was thankful Shino was still
there. Hinata had lost herself for a while with the loss of so many
friends and so much change. The Aburame heir had been a great asset
and a true friend.

“Yes.
Would you like to join me?” He asked politely

“No,
thank you. I'm simply meeting Shino and Ino for miso at the corner
stand and thought I might walk with you.” She looked to the
gate then back to him. “You are going to meet Gai sensei,
right?”

He
nodded and started for the gate. “And Sakura. We are having a
'team meeting'.

And
since his home is close to the main street and the tea ceremony takes
an hour, he decided we could forgo training today.”

She
fell into step beside him with a giggle and they passed through the
gates into the streets of the village. Carts rolled past them on
their way in and out of Konoha. Business as usual for the prosperous
shinobi village. A young farm girl on the seat of a cart with her
father caught sight of the two and waved shyly as she called hello to
Neji. He ignored her. Hinata shook her head as the cart and the
disappointed girl drew past.

“You
really should take the time to say hello. At least acknowledge their
existence. It's rude and gives us ninja a bad name.” She
lectured though she was still smiling.

“After
seven years you'd think they'd take the hint. I'm not interested.”

The
streets gave way to a small quiet patch of trees. The road well worn
but no signs of life other than the occasional cart or deer. They
moved in companionable silence, every now and then making note of the
colors of the leaves.

“Is
it true? About the Kazekage?” She asked quietly. The wind blew
softly around them for a moment then settled down.

“You
need to call him Gaara. Suna has a new Kazekage.” He replied
just as softly.

Hinata
was quiet for a few moments more, seemingly gathering courage for the
next question.

“His
brother and sister?”

“Kankuro
is missing. Temari is dead.” Before she could ask he continued.
“I don't know the details. He only woke yesterday. He was in a
coma for a week. The medics aren't sure just how much he remembers.”

Hinata
quickened her pace to get ahead and face him.

“Then
how do you know about...”

He
cut her off with a look.

“Sakura
is his secondary medic. That's all she's told me so it's all I can
tell you.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “But I have
found out we are offering him asylum.”

Hinata's
eyes widened. “We're keeping him?”

“I
believe so, yes.”

The
path came to an end at a cross roads. Neji turned toward the village
proper but stopped when Hinata didn't follow.

“Hinata?”

She
smiled and twisted her fingers together as Neji narrowed his eyes on
her.

“I
lied. I'm not meeting Shino and Ino. But I am visiting a friend.”
She looked back down the other path and Neji followed her gaze, then
smiled.

“Naruto?”

“Got
it in one.” She grinned and gave him a thumbs up. “You
are a good shinobi.”

He
chuckled and shook his head before turning toward his destination.

“Tell
the knucklehead hello for me.” He called over his shoulder.

“I
will.” She called back then disappeared down the slope.

He
signed and moved once again into the stream of carts and vendors now
laced with shinobi and villagers as they conducted the days business.
He'd forgotten today was Tuesday. She always visited Naruto on
Tuesdays. He wondered what else he had forgotten today. He really
hated it when memories made him loose track of time.

0.0.0.0

“Gai
sensei? Are you feeling well?”

The
great green beast of Konoha looked up at one of the members of his
team. Sakura was without a doubt an excellent ninja and medic but
nothing took the place of his former students and teammates. He'd
been thinking about them a lot since yesterday. It was amazing how
much life could change in a matter of moments. Neji hadn't taken to
Sakura as well as he would have liked. Now they would have a new
teammate. One Neji would no doubt like even less. He wondered how
many sleepless nights he would spend for the next month, nursing
Nejis feelings. Or if this could be just what the young man needed.

“I'm
fine, Sakura. Don't trouble yourself.”

The
screen slid open on the far right and Neji walked, smiling, into the
room.

“Well,
someone's happy?” Sakura commented dryly. “Glad someones
world is rolling on the right axis.”

Neji
didn't comment as he bowed and took his place at the table. A woman
in her late thirties came into the room with a bow and carried a tray
to the table by the corner. Gai turned to her with a smile.

“Chiharu,
could you leave us for a few minutes. I need to speak with Sakura and
Neji in private.”

“Of
course. I will be waiting in the garden.” She bowed once more
and with a kind smile stepped from the room, closing the door behind
her.

“Is
there something wrong?” Neji asked with a small frown.

Sakura
frowned as well but didn't comment. No doubt she'd been told of at
least part of the Hokages plans. There was only one part of the plan
these two needed to know, but it wasn't exactly the easy part.

“I
will assume that you, Neji, know about the former Suna Kazekage,
Gaara, being in our village.” He began.

“Yes.”

“And
I will assume that by now you have both heard he was forcibly removed
from Suna and is now being harbored by the Leaf.”

“Yes,
sensei.” Both Neji and Sakura replied at once.

“I
won't drag this out. I have spoken with the Hokage. As of Friday,
Gaara will be assigned as the newest member of our team.”

Sakura
looked surprised but nodded her understanding. Nejis face shut down.
A cool calm came over the Hyuuga but he nodded his understanding as
well.

“He
is still not in top shape and there seems to be an issue with his use
of sand at the moment but he is still a Jounin and will be given
respect. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”
Neji replied coolly.

“Yes,
Gai sensei.” Sakura repeated.

Silence
fell over the group as they all mulled over the impact of the Hokages
decision. Suddenly Gai reached over and threw an arm over Neji's
shoulder. The younger mans eyes widened in mild shock then narrowed
as Gai pulled him close to his side in an intimate and crushing
embrace.

“Don't
worry, Neji! No one will ever replace Lee in our eyes! And Gaara will
never be as pretty as you! So there is no competition!”

Sakura
burst out laughing and fell backwards off the pillow. Neji punched
Gai a few times then folded his arms over his chest in full pout
mode. Gai rubbed his now lumpy head but smiled gamely at the two
younger shinobi at the table before him. None of them laughed often
enough anymore. He sighed.

“And
now, for the reason you are here.” He straightened himself and
leaned back onto his heels. Sakura resumed her seat but both she and
Neji looked confused.

“I
thought you called us here to tell us Gaara would be our new team
member?” Sakura asked.

“We
are not just his new team. We are his guard and we are his healers.”

Neji
looked confused but Sakura looked stricken.

“What
am I missing?” Neji asked.

“I
asked Lady Tsunade about it but... it was really bad wasn't it?”
Sakura said in a soft voice, remembering the days she'd sat next to
Gaaras bed and dried tears from his face he had no idea he'd cried.

“I
invited you here today instead of training, to discuss with you what
will be expected of us, what to expect from our new teammate... and
what we know happened in Suna.” He looked over both ninja not
really wanting to crush what little innocence remained to them but
knowing this was necessary. “Once we're done, I think the tea
ceremony will give us enough peace to finish our day.”

0.0.0.0

Shikamaru
looked up from his bowl as the mini blond came barreling into the
store front. With more energy than should be health for any human
being the boy wrestled his way onto the stool next to the shadow-nin
with a wide grin.

“Can
I have some?” The boy asked.

Shikamaru
looked down into his bowl of ramen and smiled.

“Only
a little. You don't want to spoil your dinner.”

The
little blond yipped and transferred himself rather expertly into the
elders lap. He lifted the chopsticks, one in each small hand, and
began extracting individual pieces of meat and vegetable from the
bowl.

“Where's
your father?” He asked as the child chewed a particularly large
egg.

The
boy swallowed and lifted a noodle. “At home. Mommy let me go
out as long as I watched Hiro.” He looked back around
Shikamarus shoulder and pointed.

There
sitting on a bench with a wrap on one ankle tethered to the front leg
sat a dark haired boy with his hands placed neatly in his lap.

“Why
is he tied up?” He asked in mild alarm only to have the boy tsk
him and finish up the noodle.

“He
was boring and didn't want to play so I told him to sit down and he
did and I thought that he might decide to get up and go back home and
I might get in trouble if he did that because I'm suppose to be
watching him and so I thought if I tied him to the bench I couldn't
lose him and then I could play and wouldn't get in trouble.”

Shikamaru
gave himself a moment. Once his head had stopped spinning, he tossed
money on the counter and lifted the small boy in his arms.

“Well,
I take it you're done playing.”

“I
am now!” The boy grinned.

“Well,
in that case I'll walk you and your brother home. Then you won't get
into trouble for being in the street.”

Apparently
the boy hadn't considered this and blushed as he nodded his
agreement, but as they untied little Hiro and started for home he
yanked on Shikamarus vest and frowned.

“Why
do you look so sad, Uncle Shika?”

He
thought about that. Thought about how you explain death to a four
year old. You couldn't really. But Naruto was known for not giving up
until his questions were answered to his satisfaction.

“A
very good friend of mine passed away a few days ago. She lived in
another village and I didn't get to see her much so I'm sad that I
never got to tell her goodbye.”

The
boy considered this.

“Didn't
you get to tell her goodbye the last time you saw her?” He
asked.

Shikamaru
smiled. Trust a child to consider the simple answers others forgot.

“I
suppose you're right. But I'm still sad that I won't see her again.”

Little
Naruto nodded. Then narrowed his eyes and raised his head at the
neck.

“Did
she have red hair?” He asked almost suspiciously.

Shikamaru
frowned.

“No.
Her hair was blond. But her brothers hair is red.” He bounced
the boy to resettle him on his hip.

“Oooooh.
Daddy told me that there was this red haired boy and his sister had
died and that if I saw him I shouldn't mention it.”

“That's
very smart of your father. But why would you be seeing him?” He
knew Gaara would be staying in the Leaf indefinitely but that didn't
mean he'd be making the rounds of the village any time soon.

They
reached the bench on the other side of the street. The dark haired
boy, Hiro, sat quietly as Shikamaru losened the knot on his ankle.
Naruto stood a few steps away bouncing on his toes and following the
people in the street with wide eyes,

“Daddy
says he'll come to us.” The boy turned back to his with a smile
then squealed as Hiro bounded from the bench and pinched his leg.

Shikamaru
watched the little blond give chase toward the gates of their home.
Following until their mother picked them up and carried them inside
with a wave of her hand and a friendly smile. He waved back and
turned toward home, pushing the odd comment out of his mind though he
wandered why Gaara would come to see Sasuke.

...
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Sand in the Leaves