Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ A Time to Love ❯ Ice ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six: Ice

 

Yueri curled up and rested her head against her knees.

 

“Ookami says that Naruto can't be far.” Chamomile's voice drifted down towards her.

 

“Shishi said the same thing.”

 

She heard Chamomile sigh as Yueri nestled deeper into her corner.

 

“I contacted Gaara.”

 

Yueri's head snapped up to stare at Chamomile in disbelief. Her eyes widened into bright, amber disks that glimmered with tears. “Why?” she cried.

 

“I thought it was the best idea at the time!” Chamomile defended.

 

“We had a…spat if that's what you would call it.” Yueri stood up and rubbed her temples.

 

“But you two are so close, you're in so love with him,” Chamomile said, trying to reason wit her sister. “Imooto-san, can't you see? He cares so much about you and that's why you two fought over what you guys fought over. He cares so much about you, you loveable idiot.”

 

“When will he be here?”

 

“Soon.”

 

“I'll be changing.” Yueri dug a package wrapped in black silk out from the side table and disappeared into her bedroom.

 

~*~

 

Yueri closed the curtains of the windows and sat before a wooden chest pushed into a corner of her room. She unlatched the different locks as painful memories came flooding back to her. She opened the trunk and pushed back the lid.

 

She stared at the false bottom for a moment before yanking it out. The wood clamored as it fell in the middle of the room. She parted dark blue silk and found what she was looking for. She pulled out the blue silk and petted it before unfolding it. She pulled out a black, silky, sleeveless, Eastern style dress. The slits slip up past her thighs as she pulled it on after she pulled off the white skirt blouse and skirt. Yueri noticed the dust stains on the white skirt and on the sleeves of the shirt.

Beneath the next fold of blue silk was a tight pair of midnight blue pants. Yueri pulled on the pants and sighed as the silk flowed over the skin.

 

She removed the last bit of silk from the bottom of the trunk. She placed the remaining next to her. She reached into the trunk and pulled out two belts. She checked the contents before pulling out a square pouch. Yueri pulled out one kunai from the pouch and sighed. She tied the pouch around her left leg and she placed the belts criss-crossing over her hips.

 

Before she strapped her sandals onto her feet, she tied the Konoha headband around her forehead and pulled her curls into a tight bun, leaving only her bangs hiding her eyes. On her arm, the Anbu tattoo stained her moon embraced flesh.

 

Yueri opened her door and walked to the front door in almost a trance like state.

 

“Nee-san, I'm leaving. I'll be back,” she called before dashing out of the door, her feet barely touching the ground. The only sound she could hear was the rustle of silk.

 

On the doorframe, where Yueri had placed her hand, ice had formed, the crystals shimmering in the last rays of light before sunset.

 

~*~

 

Chamomile looked up as she heard the front swing open, but it never closed. She thought she had heard Yueri call to her, but she wasn't sure.

 

“Imooto-san?” Chamomile called as rushed to the front door. Her eyes first fell upon the ice. Dread ran cold through her veins. She watched the door swing partially closed and open with the breeze. “Gaara, you better get your ass here in the next few minutes, or something terrible is going to happen.”

 

“I'm already here.”

 

Chamomile turned to look at Gaara. “She's already left.”

 

“Without a plan, I'm guessing. I'll go get her,” Gaara told her, pushing himself from the wall he was leaning on.

 

“She's upset. Naruto's her only friend since…well, you know,” Chamomile warned. “And it's summer. You know how temperamental she and I get.”

 

“I know.” With a funnel of sand, Gaara disappeared.

 

I just hope they don't hurt each other.

 

It would be a fair fight, Ookami whispered.

 

But, it's my sister. I hope she's alright.

 

~*~

 

Yueri dashed among the trees. Ice expanded from her feet as she bounded off of one tree branch to the other. The silk felt cool against her skin. The sun overhead was masked by the abundance of leaves in the canopy.

 

Her breathing was shallow as she dashed quickly towards Konoha. She didn't bother covering her tracks. She was blinded by pure fear for her friend as she landed in the middle of the main street of Konoha. She ignored the shocked looks that some people gave her. Others were whispering to each other. She couldn't hear what they were saying, nor did she care.

 

~*~

 

Gaara saw the ice before he slipped on it. Most of the branch was covered with thick sheets of ice. The limb was pale blue the ice was so thick. He knelt on the part of the branch that was still brown.

 

“Yueri,” he whispered, before bounding off, following the trail of ice. Gaara watched his steps as the ice became more perilous. After a few minutes, his head snapped up. His green eyes widened in disbelief.

 

“Cat,” he muttered under his breath. He knelt on a branch and peered into the village of Konoha. Yueri stood still amongst the crowd. Her eyes were glazed as she took a step forward. He had to stop herself. Gaara jumped from his spot in the tree before disappearing in the sand and reappearing near Yueri. As he emerged from sand he threw his arms around Yueri's waist, pinning her arms to her side.

 

~*~

 

Yueri felt two arms pin her arms to her side as they slid around her waist. “What the hell are you doing?!”

 

“Stopping you from making a big mistake.” Gaara's voice drifted into her ear.

 

“Let go of me!”

 

“Not until you calm down!”

 

Yueri growled loudly and slammed the back of her head into Gaara's forehead. She heard Gaara grunt as he tightened his hold on her. She thrashed wildly for a moment before bending over and flipping Gaara off of her.

 

“Don't order me around, Kazekage.” Yueri's voice was different. Twisted, not her own in a way, angry.

 

Gaara growled loudly and lunged at Yueri, knocking her off of her feet. She groaned and tried to fight Gaara off. She locked hands with him and tired to push him off of her. Ice formed around their hands, locking them together.

 

“Calm down!” Gaara yelled.

 

Yueri growled and in a blink of an eye, and almost sunk her teeth into Gaara's neck. Sand protected Gaara's sensitive skin.

 

Gaara grunted and broke his hands free of the ice quickly before pinning Yueri's hands above her head.

 

Yueri closed her eyes and relaxed. Two things ran through her head.

 

I'm pinned to the ground by Gaara in the middle of the main street of Konoha. 2. I just ingested sand. Can today get anymore embarrassing?

 

Oh, it can, and it will sweetie, Shishi purred.

 

Yueri opened her eyes and looked up at Gaara with shock in her eyes.

 

“I just went crazy, didn't I?” she asked softly. Her breathing was quick and shallow.

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Warmth spread through Yueri's body uncomfortably. She shifted awkwardly underneath Gaara's body.

 

“At least it can't anymore embarrassing,” Yueri said.

 

Oh, she was wrong.

 

“Yueri-chan!” cried a voice. Both Yueri and Gaara looked at Naruto, who was walking between Sasuke and Sakura. “What are you doing? You're not having sex with Gaara in the middle of the street, are you?”

 

“I spoke too soon,” Yueri groaned. “Just kill me now. Please, Gaara, put me out of my misery.”

 

“Don't joke about death.” Gaara's grip around Yueri's wrists tightened for a moment before loosening.

 

“Imooto-san!” Chamomile cried from not far behind. “Gaara get off of her!!”

 

Gaara rolled his eyes and fell away from Yueri, taking the only warmth she cared for away from her.

 

Yueri stood up and brushed the dust off of her dress and her pants. She had stopped grumbling and sighed.

 

“Come on you two, you're coming home with me,” Chamomile said placing her hands on her hips.

 

“Why?” Yueri asked.

 

“Because.”

 

“Because why?”

 

“I'm your older sister, Damnit!”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Naruto, you go home. I'll be sure to reach you tomorrow. Yueri needs a good night's sleep and Gaara needs a good night's …insomnia,” Chamomile shooing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura away.

 

Yueri looked up as the fading light of the sunset touched her face, illuminating with color that remained absent from her features.

 

“Let's go, Nee-san,” Yueri whispered, turning away from the sky and looping her arm through Chamomile's. “Come on Gaara. We're not leaving you behind.”

 

Gaara shook his head and walked behind the sisters of ice and winter.

 

~*~

 

Yueri was the first to step into Chamomile's apartment.

 

“It's been a while,” she whispered to herself.

 

“Imooto-san! You and Gaara are going to have to share your old bedroom,” Chamomile told them as she fixed a loose curl.

 

“Why?” Gaara asked as he leaned against a nearby wall.

 

“Because her boy toys are coming over,” Yueri told him with a smirk.

 

“They are not my boy toys!” Chamomile scowled at Yueri as the younger woman began to laugh.

 

“Sure.”

 

“Imooto-san!” Chamomile yelled, throwing a nearby shoe at Yueri. Yueri ducked as the shoe sailed out the open window.

 

“So glad that wasn't my shoe,” Yueri commented.

 

“It was Shikamaru-kun's.”

 

“Whoops.”

 

Chamomile rolled her eyes.

 

Yueri grabbed onto the arm of the nearby sofa and placed her hand against the cold metal of her headband.

 

“Too hot,” she muttered.

 

“Imooto-san, you need to cool off.”

 

“I know, I know.”

 

“Gaara, take her into her old room. Make sure she doesn't get beneath the covers. She's more sensitive to heat these past few days for some reason,” Chamomile told Gaara. She looked worriedly at Yueri before nodding to Gaara.

 

Gaara wrapped Yueri's arm around his neck and scooped her up into his arms as if she was a bride. She didn't have the energy to fight him. The heat was pouring into her veins.

 

“Ugh…” she moaned as Gaara kicked open the door. He entered a rather plain white bedroom. Too neat, way too neat. He placed her on the futon and she groaned as though she was in pain. He watched as she rolled over on her side, trying to find a cold spot on the bed that wouldn't grow warm until she eventually fell asleep when Gaara removed the headband and rested his palm against her forehead; the ice in his heart, slowly melting away.

 

 

 

~*~

 

 

 

Wings tattered and torn,

Feathers falling from the dusk colored sky.

Falling and burning,

Freezing and flying.

Droplets of scarlet fall from tattered feathers.

 

Eyes of the goddess close in exhaustion,

Geranium tears trickle down ice sheltered cheeks.

Violet waves crashing upon silver shores,

Washing away the wine on the steel sand.

 

Song of lost sisters ring out in the silence,

Wavering,

A siren's melody rings out among the lost sisters' voice,

Reaching out towards a girl dressed in sapphire,

Tattered wings hang awkwardly,

But a smile plays upon her amethyst lips.

 

Ice blankets a cluster of grapes,

Dark violet and darkening in the white.

Migrating geese stop in mid flight,

Caught within the frozen time.

 

A dictionary without words,

Open on a desk next to a mess of frozen grapes

A sharp blow of a smack in the face,

Cold and harsh against ice covered skin.

 

Azure skirts settle on the sterling sand,

Sitting near the still body,

Vermilion stained ice coats blind eyes,

Ignoring the snow that begins to fall silently onto the steel shores.

A snowflake lands on the icy nose,

Unwavering and still

Upon the statue of sand.

 

A look of resistance,

Lost in the white of the snow.

Blooming tears fading into silver marks upon an ashen face.

 

Never seeing the golden disk set behind the cerulean mountains

As the sky change from the florid robustness of vital luminescence

To the midnight violet of sleep.

The luster of stars twinkle in the skies,

Taking away the vestige of years long since disappeared.