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Koiuta, V.2	By : dragonslover1 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1338 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: 'Naruto' is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I am not profiting from this fanfiction.

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Koiuta, Love Song V.2

　

A Step Towards Freedom

　

　

This was the luckiest thing to ever happen to her, following on the heels of the unluckiest thing to ever happen to her. The very knowledge Tasha had learned—
was given, by the Kazekage no less—
stung worse than any blade could. She�d known her cousin was pregnant, but she and her team had been on reconnaissance for weeks. And now she recalled the morning of the attack, how a crow had stopped to deliver a message.

Her sensei had seemed unconcerned by it, reading the note before sending the bird back. The day had simply progressed, neither better nor worse than any other. They were just packing up to return home when the attack had sprung, her teacher and fellow students surprising her.

She�d felt hands grasp her head and had reacted, barely avoiding having her neck snapped. Then, now on the defensive, they�d had to up their attacks. That�s when the blades had been thrown. The entire fight lasted a mere seven seconds before reaching its bloody end.

All because her cousin had birthed a child with more potential than she held. It stung, burned, tore and ate away at her pride. Considering how the clan saw its members, she doubted anyone had tried to defend her. She was just happy her forehead protector had fallen off in the melee, because she might have forgotten to take it off herself in the following numbness.

Now, despite being essentially a missing nin, she had the loyalty of Sunagakure and its Kage. She hadn�t expected that. Hadn�t hoped for it. For whatever reason, though, the Kazekage refused to hand her back to her own village to face judgement and death. Instead, he was helping her to run away. Helping her to survive. It filled her with a warmth she had never known before, a mixture of disbelief, joy and gratitude.

She wished he would let her become a Sand nin in return, but she understood the reason why she was being sent away: she was just too close to her home country, too easy to be found. For her own safety, she needed distance—
and protection of ninja greater than herself. She wouldn�t find it out west, she knew, so she would have to venture east. The Kazekage had set up all of it without question, just giving her this chance. Someday she vowed to return the favor: a life for a life.

Until then, she had traveling to do. And it wouldn�t be easy. A mere three days of recovery had passed, after a full day of seeping wounds and a mind barely capable of hanging onto consciousness. Her chakra jewel was at the heart of that, she knew. No one should have been able to remain standing, let alone walking, with the injuries she�d been given. Her jewel had helped her until safety had been located.

It was ironic, in a way. The thing her clan was willing to kill her to retrieve was the same thing that had kept her alive while on the brink of death.

Well, her jewel wanted her to live, so live she would. She would just have to be careful not to aggravate her wounds along the way.

Easier said than done.

About five hours passed since the Kazekage had left, and she spent the entire time testing her range of motion, her limits, how fast she could move without causing her stitches too much strain. All of her possessions were with her already, her blades the last thing returned to her before she left. She�d even managed enough dexterity to tie her hair up, the knee-length strands twisted up until four individual strands hung down to her waist, not a hair out of place.

When a team arrived later, her escort team, she recognized the sensei but none of the others. Must not have noticed them, she realized. One of the women, however, caught Tasha�s gaze for a nice, long moment.

The blonde chuckled at her stare. �Hello, my brunette twin,� she teased.

Tasha�s mouth opened and closed. �. . .Good evening?� she returned, still in shock. If Tasha was a princess, she mused, then the blonde before her was a goddess. Tan skin, thick, flowing golden hair, warm red-orange eyes. It was like looking into the face of a child of sunlight.

And killer curves, Tasha added to herself, eyes traveling down the blonde�s form. She tried not to feel jealous, but oh how gifted the other woman was! Breasts too big to close her Chunnin vest were displayed, her hips wide and waist trim, legs long and lithe. In every way, Tasha felt one-upped. The blonde�s lips were even a warmer shade of red than Tasha�s had ever been.

She wanted to pout. How unfair.

The sensei introduced the team as Suzaki, Airou, Minami and himself, Masumata. In return, Tasha gave her name with a bow of thanks.

�You and your Kage are too kind,� she told them, unused to receiving aid making her clumsy with words. �I owe you all a debt I could never repay.� She tried to bow deeper, but her wounds flared up at the stretch. She winced, straightening up.

Masumata waved his hand in dismissal. �Nevermind that. We have a few days of travel—
� he paused there, looked Tasha over. �. . .Maybe a few weeks,� he amended, taking in her injured state. �Regardless, we should begin.� He gestured her. �Come along.�

So began the trek.

The first half hour passed in silence as the sun dipped below the horizon, the skies fading from blue to red to black. The rainbow of colors held Tasha transfixed for a time, having never seen such a sunset in all her life. She wondered if it was a desert thing.

Then the talking began. Tasha could only walk at a fast pace at present, so she had plenty of breath to offer. Suzaki was the most talkative of the group, curious but not invasive. Minami was a close second, more of a tomboy type with short, spiky hair and a permanent frown. Airou, on the other hand, cared nothing for Tasha; he was too busy keeping an eye on Suzaki. Masumata, ahead of them, led their group without interfering with the conversation.

�Seventeen,� Tasha answered absently, her mind half on the questions she was receiving and half on her possible future. What was Konoha like? Being called the Fire Country didn�t offer much promise.

�I�m nineteen,� Suzaki offered. �Tell me honestly, now: are you as impressed with our connection as I am?�

Tasha sent her an amused look, one brow arched. �If by �connection� you mean �we look alike�, then yes. I can�t say I was expecting that.�

�Now if only the two of you would mimic one another�s silence,� Minami sighed.

Suzaki sent her a scowl. �You�ve been chatting away as well,� she pointed out.

Ahead of them, there was a sigh from Masumata. It made Tasha smile a little. So this is how teams were meant to function, how they were when hatred was not a part of the group? She was honestly jealous. There was such ease between them.

Something Tasha had never had.

Minami and Suzaki bickered back and forth for a few minutes as they went, Tasha in the middle of them and somewhat comforted by their antics. Jealous, too, yes. But comforted.

�The Kazekage left before I could thank him,� she interjected, sometime later, after the bickering had faded into silence. Looking over at Suzaki, Tasha said, �Would you tell him thank you for this?�

At that, Suzaki gave a warm smile, full of indulgence. Why indulgence, Tasha wondered? Suzaki answered with a nod, �I will. We will,� she amended. �I�m certain he already knows, but it�s always nice to hear it.�

That was a relief.

The �twins from another country� chatted almost the entire way, exchanging bits of information. As Tasha no longer had any love for Iwagakure, she revealed what secrets she had garnered over her seventeen years. In return, Suzaki offered a few tales of the battles Suna had been privy to, stories which—
while famous—
had never been shared in Tasha�s hometown.

The others had looked surprised to learn that she had never known about the Jinchuriki and Akatsuki�s plots to steal them. She scowled at the knowledge; she�d known about Akatsuki, to some extent, their forces having entered Iwagakure multiple times in the past, though she�d never had to deal with them herself. Thus, she�d never known much at all about Gaara, their Kazekage—
nor his past.

She felt for him, a bit. She hadn�t exactly had a pristine childhood, either, though from the sounds of it his had been severely worse. Small wonder he�d made this decision, then. He was actually quite a compassionate person, she learned, despite his emotionless appearance.

As they spoke of him, Tasha noted, more of that indulgence and affection had flowed from Suzaki. Young and experienced Tasha might be, but she could see when a girl was that obviously in love. She opted not to ask about it, though; she didn�t want to cause any issues if Suzaki�s affection wasn�t returned.

As it turned out, Tasha managed to keep up a steady pace. Less driven than her initial trek into the country, yes, but steady. It only took them five days to make the walk, across the Land of Rivers, to the border of Fire Country. On the other side, three ninja waited for them. At the sight, Tasha faltered; she knew this team, knew she could trust them. Could she trust the others?

Two of the ninja were on the ground, one in the trees. Her eyes snagged first on a rugged male with a huge—
huge—
dog at his side. He looked both feral and sociable at the same time, his eyes narrowed with red face paint creating dual swaths down his cheeks—
which were wide with a grin.

Beside him stood a woman, long black hair and shockingly light eyes, lacking pupils. Spooky though she looked, she offered Tasha a smile that was entirely friendly, not a hint of any malice there. She was. . .cute, Tasha noted, non-confrontational once you looked beyond her (admittedly unnerving) stare.

The third was what Tasha could only assume was another male, based on his height. He stood on a branch, one hand resting against the trunk, a large white overcoat hanging to his knees, the hood up and shading his face. Whatever undershirt he wore had a large collar, keeping his nose and mouth covered. To top it off, he wore sunglasses, round lenses completing the cover so only his eyebrows were even the least bit visible.

She hesitated, wavering. Did she really want to go with them? She turned to frown at Masumata�s team, starting to think that maybe she shouldn�t head into the unknown.

Suzaki stepped forward with a kind smile. �Go on,� she urged, seeming to read into Tasha�s emotions. �You can trust them,� she promised.

�It�s not just that,� Tasha admitted (it was only mostly that). �I. . .no one has ever sacrificed anything for me,� she tried to explain. She rubbed her arm, nervous. �Now so many people are risking war to protect me, and I don�t know what to do.�

�Go with them,� Suzaki answered with a chuckle. She took another step closer when Tasha remained, still hesitating. �The decision has already been made. By now the plan is complete and going back now will only make the Kazekage look like a traitor,� she said, voice going firm.

And Suzaki would never allow that, Tasha noted. Still, she gave a wry smile. �He is a traitor,� she pointed out.

Suzaki chuckled at that. �Not that the Tsuchikage knows. And that�s what�s so important. Now,� she added, straightening and frowning down at Tasha�s inferior height, �are you going to reject our help, now of all times? After this entire trip, you�re going to go back?�

Tasha began wavering again, but this time out of fear. If she went back. . .death. She would receive death. But at the same time, guilt battled with her self preservation instincts, reminding her that if she didn�t, there could be a war over this. She could only stare at Suzaki, shamed of herself. Why couldn�t she have just let herself die?

As if sensing her desire to give up, Suzaki smiled again, reaching out to pat Tasha�s (unharmed) cheek. �You�re halfway to freedom,� she said. Her eyes went past Tasha to the other team, nodding. �They�ll take you the rest of the way.�

That did it. That one word, so valued in her home country because it was so rare, so impossible. Freedom. She smiled back at Suzaki, though hers quivered with the strength of her rising emotions. Gratitude, so much gratitude was at the forefront. �Thank you,� she breathed, a hitch to her words. Her eyes went from Suzaki to the rest of her team, standing idle, waiting. She bowed to them in respect, her wounds just healed enough to allow for a true incline.

Suzaki stepped back and bowed in return. �Now go on,� she urged. �For the last time.�

Tasha could have kissed her, she was so thankful for this. �Alright. Farewell, my twin from another country,� she said with a bit of humor.

Suzaki grinned. �Farewell.�

Tasha turned from her, knowing without looking that they had vanished as soon as her eyes were no longer on them. Her gaze snagged onto the white-eyed female across the border, she took a deep breath, and then she stepped across. The other girl stepped to the side, out of Tasha�s own path.

The boy with the dog spoke up first, saying, �My name is Kiba. This is Hinata, Shino, and Akamaru,� he introduced, gesturing the others and then his dog. Tasha�s eyes followed his gestures. �We were informed you would explain the situation when you got here.�

She had been told the same. Taking a breath, she began. �My name is Tasha Kurotaishou, from Iwagakure,� she told them. As she spoke, they began to walk, and Shino dropped down from his branch to pace alongside them. Hinata was on Tasha�s right, Kiba beside her, Akamaru trailing a bit behind. Shino dropped down on her other side, and while this might have been a defensive move, she felt intimidated.

Gods, but he was tall, easily towering over her. She avoided looking at him to avoid staring in unease at him. �My home village is out to kill me,� she went on, feeling eyes on her but staring straight ahead so she wouldn�t see anything she didn�t want to see. �In my clan, importance is placed on ability to wield to chakra, and I had been the best alive until recently. My cousin has recently given birth, and her child has stronger chakra pathways than I.�

Now for the hard part, revealing a secret she�d taken an oath to never reveal. �This gem,� she explained, touching it, �harvests my chakra and keeps it in storage. It�s been handed down in my bloodline for centuries now, gathering more with each host. They want to take it back, because it has to be bonded with a newborn to be succeed, but to take it out now would kill me.�

And they didn�t care if she died. They cared about being as efficient as possible with the gathering of the chakra.

�That�s terrible,� Hinata said from Tasha�s right.

She couldn�t help it. At the words, Tasha hung her head, a wave of despair overtaking her. Yes, it was terrible. It was tragic. And it was awkward. Silence engulfed them, laying heavy like a thick blanket. One foot in front of the other, the kunoichi trudged onwards, flanked by her temporary protectors. She�d been doing this a lot lately, she mused, just walking ahead in the hopes of escaping what was behind.

She wondered how long she would actually last like this.
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Koiuta, V.2