Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Combined Elements ❯ Daily Routine ( Chapter 9 )

Combined Elements

 

Chapter 9: Daily routine

Gaara was startled when he heard Saara's voice. He had watch duty every night, since he couldn't sleep anyway, and the only sound so far had been the crackle of the fire and the wind in the trees. Naruto would sometimes emit a grumble in his sleep and toss around under the heavy blankets, but that was normal.

His eyes travelled from one cot to the other, checking on all the sleepers. Saara's was last in the circle, and as he watched, she tossed and turned. Gaara jumped down from the tree he was resting in with a soft thud. His boots sunk into the layer of snow. Slowly, he walked over and watched more closely.

It was obvious that Saara was having a nightmare. Her face was covered in sweat, and a scared frown could be seen. Gaara wasn't sure whether to wake her up. Some people could be vicious if you woke them, especially when they were in a nightmare. He remembered all too well how it felt to be stuck in the ice, and he didn't feel like risking it.

At that point he was shocked out of his thoughts by her voice. “I… I am not… I am not a tool… no…” Gaara took a step back in surprise. He knew what she was dreaming about. That moment, when Orochimaru had called her and all Jinchuuriki a tool, was all too fresh in his memory. He felt rage boiling inside him as his enemies face appeared before his mind's eye. `You Jinchuuriki make great tools, honestly.'

Gaara shook his head as if throwing out the image. He gently placed a hand on Saara's forehead, and whispered. “We are not tools.” With this, Saara seemed calm down, and the frown disappeared. She was sleeping peacefully again when Gaara leapt back in his tree.

 

****

 

The group spent two more days in the forest, waiting for Saara's arm to completely heal and for her stomach to settle down. On the second day, she was able to walk without clutching her belly in pain. No more questions were asked, since nobody expected any answers.

Saara borrowed a coat and an extra pair of boots from Sakura, although the Jinchuuriki was almost a head taller. She told the others that she only fought in the clothes they saw, because at her strongest point, the water rips away anything else.

The others noticed she was rather shy and didn't talk unless spoken to. Naruto had by now forgiven her for freezing his mouth shut during the fight, and he could often be seen next to her. He never stopped talking, telling her about everything he could think of. Whenever he asked her a question or asked for her opinion, he just continued on without a pause. Saara only answered a few times, but she didn't seem to mind his babbling.

Kakashi, Gaara and Sakura were more reserved. They didn't trust her as quickly as Naruto, but Naruto was just a special case altogether. Sakura stayed close to the girl to make sure her stomach didn't act up again, and Kakashi and Gaara mostly avoided her.

Since Saara's first day with the group was spent on her cot, she took the task of cooking. It turned out she was quite good at it, even with the poor ingredients. Everybody ate it greedily and even Gaara asked for seconds.

In the evening, Saara stood up and explained that she would like to take a walk. Sakura inspected her carefully, deciding whether she should permit it or not. From her investigations, she knew Saara's stomach was extremely weak. It was probably the inconvenience that came with the Bijou. Gaara was unable to sleep for fear of having his Bijou taking control, and Naruto had whisker-like markings, large canines, and trouble controlling chakra.

But at the moment, Saara looked stable, and Sakura nodded. As an extra precaution, she decided to have somebody go with the water girl. “Gaara, could you accompany her please? Orochimaru could still be trying to get her back and her stomach might act up again.” Gaara nodded and stood up. He followed a small distance behind Saara as she walked through the woods. They stayed in complete silence, which they both preferred. At one point, Saara sat down at the base of a tree to rest. Some snow at her side melted and shot towards her hand. Her fingers moved gracefully back and forth, playing the water. Gaara settled down on a branch above her.

He watched her movements. They were incredibly similar to the way he controlled sand, which he already knew, but now that he looked closely, there were also some differences. He concluded it probably depended on the element that was being controlled.

Earth was a stable element. You needed to have a strong will to control it, or it would just stay where it was. The more complicated his attacks got, the more Gaara had to concentrate. Chakra helped, but most of his moves still depended on will.

Water was more of an unstable element. It flowed on its own, never really staying in the same place. Water always chose the easiest way to flow, which in this case, was wherever Saara willed it to go. It was easier for Saara to control water, than for Gaara to control sand, and for this reason he guessed, her movements were graceful, whereas his movements were clumsy in comparison.

The next day passed in basically the same routine. Saara cooked, since she had to rest some more, and after dinner, she took a walk, with Gaara following her to make sure nothing happened.

The day after, they started moving again. Now that another person was travelling with them, they would have to get more supplies. Using the map Sakura had made, the odd group headed back to the village they started from. Another week passed and everyday, after travelling few miles, Saara cooked dinner. And everyday after dinner, she went out for a walk. Sometimes Naruto would go with her instead of Gaara, but Saara preferred a comfortable silence over Naruto's endless voice, so she was glad that Sakura mostly sent Gaara.

The whole way back to the village, they were watched, and they knew that Orochimaru would soon make a move again. Until then, they decided to simply get more supplies and continue searching for the village. Saara decided to join them in their search. She hated Orochimaru with a passion, and her skills were handy in the environment they travelled. There was nowhere else for her to go anyway.

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this FanFic except Saara Mizu and some of the minor enemies. The rest belong to Masashi Kishimoto.