Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ A Mate ❯ A False Beginning ( Chapter 2 )

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“Blah”- Shukaku speaking

 

Chapter 2

Hotaru Akiatsu glared at her reflection as she ran a brush through her light brown hair. Busily she tied it back and secured her forehead protector of the Dune ninja around her left arm. Another day in this little town and then the fun would really start. They were about to escort the Honorable Daimyo's military councilor through enemy territory to the capitol.

 

She shuddered in excitement, finally a good mission. They were going to pass a day's march away from Suna, the fabled Sand Village. Their only concern was shinobi from the enemy lands. However, the councilor - Lord Sunobu - had expressed immense concern that the Sand ninja might attempt an assassination. Why would he think that? He's the one who puts the pen in the hand of the Honorable Daimyo to sign their checks.

 

“Taru, if you stare at the mirror like that too long you'll break it!” Akiko Ashioka giggled.

 

Hotaru turned on her teammate with a slight smile. “We have a mission today.”

 

“Come on, this one's a total no-brainer, get Lord Snob into the capitol and go home.”

 

“If it's such a no-brainer then why did the Yusakage send two teams out?” came a new voice.

 

Akiko groaned. “Not you too, Maya!”

 

Amaya Shisei rolled her eyes. “He sent us - the only team with any female members - with another team. Sort of makes you wonder if he really trusts us to get the job done.”

 

Hotaru turned away and let her teammates argue. She was not hard pressed to admit that though her companions got on her nerves, they were a good and efficient group. Her cousin Akiko was the stereotypical beach blonde with big clear blue eyes and soft golden curls that always threw the opponents off, especially since Kiko was the best Genjutsu user in their village. She could make you think that you were stabbing your mother while you were running into a tree. Her aim with kunai was always dead on and she had a killer smile. Amaya was a stealth expert who preferred ambushes to head on matches. She had boyishly short black hair that had finally grown out just enough for a ponytail; her black-brown eyes were deceptively soft and sweet. While Akiko was tall, Maya resembled a child who had wandered away from the playground. There were very few in the village that could match her taijutsu, which she really didn't use too much. Hotaru was neither tall nor short, her light brown hair had honey gold streaks that Kiko was always arguing over (“At least, put your hair up! Those highlights are really cute!”) and her blue eyes were faded and dusty looking. She was the undisputed leader of her team and had her own skills.

 

Finally, after several kunai had been thrown and insults had been hurled, Maya won the argument and Hotaru led them out of their borrowed second story room and joined their teammates, three boys who were sprawled on the stairs. Yokiro Mikoku was a short, sturdy bordering on fat, teen with brown hair and weird gold eyes. He was very well known for his taijutsu. Shiro Rui sat on the bottom most steps, carrot orange hair tangled and brown eyes closed. His specialty was the sword strapped to his waist. Kyo Ashioka, Kiko's older brother, stood up as they came down the steps, his handsome blond hair and cute blue eyes glowing. “Ready you guys?”

 

“Yeah,” Hotaru said briskly. “Where's Lord Sunobu?”

 

“Here,” said the pompous voice as the councilor appeared from the hallway. “Are we leaving?”

 

“Yes, My Lord,” Hotaru said courteously.

 

 

As the young ninja escorted the man - who refused to stop whining about the heat, the pace, the sun, the sand and everything about anything - Hotaru stopped sharply. She turned and motioned for Kyo to come closer.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Do you remember that hiding jutsu that the Yusakage taught us?”

 

“Yes…”

 

She turned and pointed to the south and hissed, “Don't look at me, pretend to look at those clouds.”

 

Immediately the boy looked at the harsh sky and the sparse scattering of clouds. “What is it?”

 

“It looks like dangerous land clouds are coming from the west, they don't want to spotted. They've stopped.”

 

“Should we hide Sunobu? They might be friendly,” he looked rather annoyed to have not noticed the approaching people before his cousin.

 

“They have to be ninja, they're on foot and no civilian runs like that. If they were friendly ninja, they would pass us.”

 

 

Kyo inwardly seethed at being upstaged by his younger teammate - and a girl at that. He was beginning to understand the Yusakage's cryptic orders. The man was right, these upstarts had to be put down. He smiled at his cousin, “Of course, the boys and I will hide the councilor and join you.”

 

“Understood.”

 

 

Hotaru shot her teammates a look and they quickly closed in around her. “Showtime.”

 

Akiko fiddled with the forehead protector tied around her neck and swiftly relaxed into a defensive position. Amaya took a step back and vanished into the shadows. Hotaru felt the comforting presence of the rocks and sand around her; she spread out her chakra to them and felt them over mentally.

 

“There are three of them,” she said, feeling the vibrations that closed in around them. “Get ready.”

 

Suddenly a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere and the sand they were standing on went soft and sucked on their feet like mud. Quickly, the young girl dropped to her knees and slammed her palms on the sand; she could feel the chakra that flowed through it. With a whispered syllable, she hammered down on the chakra with her own and condensed the sand, feeling it harden into stone. “Go!”

 

Before the ninja sprang up out of the haze of sand to confront her, she caught sight of his teammates: a girl with golden hair held up in artistic ponytails, a huge fan in one hand, and a young man dressed in the oddest choice of clothes she had ever seen with two large lumps strapped to his back. The girl faced Amaya and the boy faced Akiko. Hotaru looked at her opponent, a tall, slender young man with a shock of red hair stood before her, his mouth a straight line and black-rimmed pale blue eyes impassive. A Sand shinobi by the look of the forehead protector that was tied to the strap that kept an enormous gourd still on his back.

 

He looked her over silently. Probably, hasn't seen many female ninja besides that teammate of his. He crossed his arms over his chest, still saying nothing.

 

“Well, if you're not going to make a move I will,” she said flatly, pulling out a handful of shuriken. Leaping up like she had been trained, she discharged them gracefully.

 

They never reached him as a thick shield of sand leapt up to protect him. Swiftly, she hurled two waves of kunai, only to have them stopped by the sand again. The thick cork popped out of the gourd and a river of sand snaked out around the man like a living thing. The sand struck at her, reminding her of a viper.

 

Hotaru immediately stretched her chakra out to the sand and struck the chakra he used to control it with her own. His energy recoiled and she sped along, hardening the sand into stone. It fell like as though it had been struck dead by some god.

 

For a moment she thought she saw some emotion flash in those icy eyes but was quickly distracted by the sudden hand signals he performed. A tidal wave of sand flowed, creating such noise she couldn't hear the name of his jutsu. The Dune ninja back flipped out of the way, sending in chakra to harden the dangerous sand. With a powerful flex of chakra, a stone cliff replaced the surge. Now, the other ninja definitely looked rather annoyed.

 

 

Gaara glared with irritation at the young ninja who faced him. Undoubtedly, she was holding up very well under his attacks, in fact, she was the only one to ever find a way to fully stop his attack. Even if he wasn't completely thrilled with this turn of events, he had to admit that he was - if not impressed - curious. She seemed to change the structure of the sand with chakra. It was really too bad he had to kill her, he would like to learn about this new type of jutsu.

 

With a small flex of his power, he sent a stream underground to create extra sand.

 

The girl threw another wave of kunai and charged in behind them. With a blindingly fast leap, she leapt over his shield and crashed down in front of him. She hurled another kunai at him which was promptly caught by the sand, but not before the exploding tag on the hilt detonated. He flew backward into a cushion of sand and heard the sickening thud as his opponent hit the hard earth.

 

She rolled to her knees and came up in a defensive position, kunai at the ready. Her long brown-gold hair hung messily in her eyes. Not bad, hissed an annoying voice in the back of his skull.

 

Now! A wave of sand from the underground stream he had sent in before crashed up from the ground. Before she could do her troublesome technique, he fiercely bound her legs to the ground and caught her hands in sand. She leapt up as he made the sign for the Desert Coffin, ripping her legs and her right hand out of the prison just before the pressure came on. Her gasp of pain was drowned out by several screams and a yell he recognized as Kankuro. What the…

 

“Akiko!” she yelled, turning toward the origin of the shriek. “Sorry handsome,” she said with a glance at him. “I'll have to cut our playtime short!”

 

There was a gigantic explosion and she was gone. With a creative curse, he sprang after her.