Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Joukei Hitoshirenu ❯ Sight Unseen ( Chapter 1 )

Sight Unseen

Disclaimer: I don't own naruto.

After having been dropped off in the middle of the market, a mildly pretty young girl wearing a green headscarf and a set of plain clothes looked about her in awe. This was her first visit to a hidden village, and hopefully her last, considering she intended to stay here. She'd managed to sneak in by pretending to be her transport's daughter, and now she was on her own in a place she knew nothing about. The first thing to do would be to get a job. And a place to stay, but in order to do that, she need money, which meant job first.

She wanted to do something other than what she had run away from.

Walking slowly through the village was like a dream, so many different things to look at, and do. Turning down one street, she nearly bumped into a young man carrying a large gourd strapped to his back and the hitai-ate of the village wrapped around the straps. Softly muttering an apology, she paused momentarily to blink at the rusty color of his short hair and pale green eyes with the black and red of his clothes before moving on. The young man nodded at her and stepped to the side, letting her pass him into the narrow street.

Up in the cul-de-sac of the street she was on, set back a bit from the light was a small book and scroll shop. The interior was brightly lit and a small sign in the window read “help wanted”. Pushing the door open she breathed in her favorite smell and sighed. Books! She loved books, and read anything she could get her hands on. Passing through the book shelves and scroll compartments, she let her fingers brush over each and every title she recognized. Sheer bliss.

Making her way to the back, where the counter was, she finally spotted the proprietor of the shop. He was an older man, graying at the temples, with heavily tanned skin and a few scars running across his face. When he shifted she noticed that he walked with a distinct limp. So he was probably a former ninja, then.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes, yes, I'll be with you in a moment,” he called as he shuffled into the back room. Stuck waiting, she looked about her, hoping she could land the job offered here. This was her kind of place, quiet, kind of sleepy, but with an undertone of “so many, many things to do”. This place had a … slow kind of energy to it.

That was always how she judged a place, by the energy she felt in it. The whole village had that whole “sleeping but watchful” thing going on for it, but she dismissed that as being part and parcel of being a Hidden Village. The town she'd grown up in was a bustling prosperous place, being a seaport, but underneath that happy, sunny, cheerful place, was the thread of danger and fear, produced by a populace that only continued existing through the generosity of the crime lords, who were backed by the ninja of Hidden Mist. It was creepy.

She could get to like this place. She felt safe here.

“Ok, girl, what can I do for you?”

Jumping, she turned and gave the proprietor of the of the store wide eyes. “Sorry, you startled me. I was wondering about the job. Is it still available?”

“Sure is. You ever worked in bookstore before?” he replied with a smile as he gave her a long assessing look.

Fidgeting slightly, she shook her head. “No. But I've always loved reading and writing. I used to have my own library back where I came from.”

“Hmm. Well, work like this isn't too hard, and I'll be taking care of most of the ordering, so what I really need is someone to run the register, shelve new books and keep the place clean. I'll give you a two week trial, and if it works out, the job's yours. You can start tomorrow. So, do you have a name, or should I just call you `girl'?” he asked as he pulled a small box out from under the counter.

Flushing sheepishly, she brushed herself off self-consciously and nodded. “My name is Sora, Namimaru Sora.”

“Well, then, Welcome Shiburi Books and Scrolls, Sora. I'm Shiburi Watari, owner and fellow book nut.” He grinned at her. “Have you been in Suna long?”

She chuckled and gave him a wry smile. “Actually, I just arrived here today. I don't even have a place to stay yet. Not to mention that I took off with only what you see on me.”

Picking up his metal box, he came out from behind the counter. “Why don't you come with me and we can get that fixed right now. I was just about to close up for lunch. I can show you around a bit too.” Leading her out of the shop, he continued. “I know a man who owns an apartment complex; he's got some rooms available. You'll get a decent rate too.”

The pair wandered around the village for over an hour, as Watari showed Sora around and helped her get a place to live. That night in her new one-room apartment, she decided that this would be a nice place to live, and resolved to not let anything drive her away.

MNMNMNMNMNM

Sora was three steps up a ladder shelving some new books when the doorbell sent its merry jingle throughout the shop. “I'll be with you in a minute!” she called as she struggled to put away the last book. Its twin sat just beyond to reach of her fingertips and she couldn't move the ladder any further. “What I wouldn't give to have a longer reach,” she muttered to herself. Leaning over, and leaving only one foot left on the top rung of the ladder, she managed to slip the book into its proper place and placed her foot back on the ladder with a relieved sigh.

Stepping down lightly from the ladder, she moved to the next aisle to help the customer.

“Alright, I'm sorry that took so long. What can I do for you, sir?” she asked the handsome, young man in the shop. To her surprise he turned and looked at her, and she realized that it was the same young man she'd nearly run into her first day here.

He only shook his head and continued to just look around.

From the next aisle over, someone else spoke up. “Don't worry about him, he'll find what he wants on his own. I need to place an order with Watari for new scrolls, though.” The voice was definitely female, and though she hesitated to leave the other, Sora walked up to the counter and slid behind it.

“I am afraid Watari-san isn't here at the moment. I am allowed to take orders though. If you would tell me what you want, I can make sure they come in the next batch of new stuff.”

The girl popped her head around the corner of the shelf. Sora blinked at the four short, spiky, blonde pigtails the girl sported. “Sure no problem. Hey, you're new, aren't you? What's your name?”

“Shiburi-san gave me a job here just three weeks ago. I'm Namimaru Sora, pleased to meet you,” she chirped cheerfully.

“Temari,” the older girl replied. “You're not from around here, are you? Your accent is a little off.” she asked a little more suspiciously. Slowly she let herself look the girl over. Not tall, not short, medium length brown hair with a bit of red in it. Slender, maybe a hundred and ten pounds. Good figure, as good as hers. Honest-seeming violet eyes in a round, high-cheek boned face. Full lips on a small mouth. Pretty, she supposed.

Shaking her head, Sora turned around to pick up the special order form she would need to fill out. “No. I'm originally from Water country. Things were a mess there when I left. I have no idea what it's like now. I've been gone for a year and a half.” She shrugged. “I'll never go back to that hell hole. Besides, the … fate that awaited me there … well, let's just say I'd rather die than go back.” Though she sounded calm, Temari frowned at the slight tremble in the stranger girl's hands and voice.

“Water, huh?” Temari wasn't pleased with that information. Water was in chaos, and there was always the possibility of spies. Still, Watari was a former ninja, he would have noticed something. Letting the matter drop, she watched as the new girl wrote down what was wanted and tucked it inside the order book.

“There, Shiburi-san will be sending that order out tomorrow. It should be here in two weeks or so. Is there anything else I can do …” the door banged open and three children about ten years old charged in, screaming at the top of their lungs. Sora moved to stop them and wound up with them running in a circle around her.

“Shizuka-chan is a cry-baby,” jeered one boy.

“Yeah, Shizuka-chan is a cry-baby!” agreed the other boy.

The third, a girl, just screamed in fury as she chased the other two around.

Standing in the center row, Sora laughed as they chased each other around her. “Okay, kids, that's enough now,” she said.

“I bet she wets the bed still, too,” sneered the first boy.

“Maybe she shouldn't even be in the academy!”

“That is it!” the girl finally exclaimed, coming to a stop. Raising her hands she shaped a few seals. “Fuuton: Senpuu!”

A roaring wind filled the shop, exploding out from the girl, sending tables and chairs into the shelves, blowing her carefully shelved books from their shelves and ripping a few apart, scattering the pages like a kind of snow.

Temari growled to herself. This was unacceptable. “Enough!” she roared.

The three children started guiltily, turning to stare at the young woman who seemed teen feet tall at the moment. Without the attention of it creator, the sudden wind died out immediately. Oops, they thought, the Kazekage's sister was pissed at them. Looking at the floor while Temari chewed them out for their recklessness, they knew they were in deep trouble.

Meanwhile, Sora was attempting to pick up at least a little so Shiburi wasn't shocked when he returned. She never noticed how the chair she'd just pulled away from the nearest bookshelf was actually holding the entire thing upright.

A creaking groan was all she heard before … something rose up around her.

Off to the side Temari and the three children watched in horror as the heavy bookshelf toppled over on top of her.

Then, like a miracle (to Temari anyway), sand erupted from underneath the bookshelf. “Shit!” she exclaimed in relief. “It's a good thing my brother is quick on his feet.”

Reaching down, she picked up one corner of the shelf and lifted it, exposing the dome of sand. “Come on, kids, give me a hand.” With the addition of more hands, she managed to get the thing back on its bottom. Once it was righted, the dome of sand slowly slid away.

Of course, Sora was more than a bit surprised to feel arms around her in the darkness, one around her waist and the other holding her head down, with the weight of a larger body pressing in on her from above. She gasped.

“Stay calm,” came a deep, rough voice from over her shoulder.

Expanding his senses the young man with Temari waited until he felt the weight of the bookshelf was lifted off his sand. Letting the sand-dome recede, he slowly let himself move away from the girl.

Turning on the three miscreants, he frowned hard at them. “That was entirely too reckless,” he told them.

Gulping nervously, all three realized just who was talking to them as the young man stood up. The red hair and green eyes were a familiar sight in the village and everyone knew that this was the Kazekage. Sabaku no Gaara.

“In recompense for the damage here, all three of you have a choice, you can either work here for free until such time as all damage is repaid, as per the opinion of the proprietor, or your families will have to pay for the destruction you have caused. Shizuka-san, you in particular should know better than to unleash a wind jutsu in a bookshop. What would your family say about such rashness?” The girl had the grace to look ashamed. He held out a hand to Sora.

Looking between the three children and her two customers, Sora got the impression that something beyond disciplining a few children was going on.

“Further, all three of you will report to the Academy every weekend for extra discipline training for two months. Baki will be your instructor.”

Hanging their heads, they nodded in unison. “Yes, Kazekage-sama.”

Kaze …. Kage …. Sama?

Sora looked up at the (young!) man holding out a hand to her. This was the famous Kazekage? She'd heard much about him from Shiburi, who obviously had a high opinion of him. Reaching up she took the offered hand and was lifted to her feet.

“Lastly, your foolishness has endangered this young woman's life. Had an adult not been present, that bookshelf may have killed her. I am uncertain how to punish you for this.”

“Ano … It's okay,” interrupted Sora with a smile. “I'm not hurt, so it's ok, really. I'd be happy if they just helped clean this mess up. And paid for the damaged books of course. Shiburi-san does run a business, you know.”

Gaara frowned down at her, not sure she really meant it. “This was a serious breach of their training, Miss. At this age they should already know not to use jutsu indoors.” He sighed and looked back at the three children. Running a hand through his short hair, he finally smiled a bit. Gulping Sora was struck by the thought that he was actually quite handsome when he smiled.

“I guess. Well, this mess needs to be cleaned up, so I need to get to work. Please excuse me,” Sora said as she escorted the pair of ninja to the door, a sudden blush working its way across her face.

After they had been rather hastily shown outside, Temari gave her brother a smug look. “Well … that was … interesting. Maybe you should ask her out.”

“Don't be foolish.”

MNMNMNMNMN

It was two months since Sora had come to live in Suna. And the weather was killing her. It was hot and still during the day and absolutely frigid at night. She wasn't used to such drastic changes in the temperature. So while she adjusted, Shiburi had suggested that she do most of her shopping and looking around in the early morning and evening. Most of the shops ran on a strange schedule, being open in the morning and closing down completely for a few hours during lunch. They would open back up late in the afternoon and remain open late into the evening.

It was somewhere around seven in the evening when Sora decided to take a walk around the village to look for something for dinner. Shiburi had suggested a few food stands that made stuff to take away and she was attempting to find them. But with all the alleyways and back streets it was proving a more difficult task than she had originally anticipated. Still, it was a nice evening, and she didn't mind doing some sight-seeing while she looked for dinner.

She still wasn't really sure what she thought about the architecture of buildings, since they all looked like beehives or domes. Rounded corners everywhere. Not at all what she was used to.

Even so, it wasn't so bad. Everything seemed almost natural in the way it flowed.

Turning a corner, Sora spied a small food stand. Walking forward and perusing the menu, she noted with a smile that they sold all sorts of quick-fix food. Barbeque, ramen, and deep fried stuff mostly. Pushing aside the door flaps, she looked around for an empty seat. It looked to be a rather popular spot for the ninja of the village; she could see the symbol of the village everywhere. Finally she saw one empty chair and took it quickly, snatching the menu from the holder in front of her. Looking it over, she decided on the gyoza for a starter and maybe the chicken barbeque for the main. Flagging down the waiter, she asked him for a glass of juice and the gyoza appetizer before letting move on to the next customer. A few moments later the seat to her right was vacated only to be filled a few seconds later. As she lay the menu down, another hand gently snatched it out of her grasp. Blinking, she turned to see who had sat down next to her.

The Kazekage.

“Good evening,” she greeted him. “Have the three miscreants learned their lesson, yet?” she asked amusedly.

“One hopes so.” As soon as he put the menu down, the man behind the counter moved over and bowed.

“What can I get for you tonight, Kazekage-sama?”

“Juice and a pork ramen with everything.” He smirked slightly at his response. Apparently his answer amused him for some reason. He glanced at Sora, watching her munch happily on her gyoza. “Put her food on my bill as well.”

Staring up at him in shock, she attempted to deter him. “That's not really necessary, Kazekage-sama. I can pay for myself…” He waved off her protests.

“It's nothing. Consider it repayment for the damage the children caused to you. Is that all you are eating?”

“Ah … no. I was planning on having the chicken barbeque,” she said around the piece of gyoza in her mouth.

He gave her a slight smile. “You should try the ramen. It's not quite as good as this place in the Leaf, but if my friend is to be believed no one's is.” His green eyes stared at her with a trace of amusement in them.

She noted with a touch of nervousness that quite a number of the other patrons had looked up at the two of them in incredulity at hearing him speak to her. “Ah … okay,” she agreed hurriedly.

“Temari tells me you are from Water,” he said a little while later.

“Ah, yeah. From the coast, a big port city called Chozuki. It wasn't … isn't a very pleasant place. Either way, I'm never going back,” she replied stiffly. Finishing off her last bite of gyoza she waited for the waiter to take her plate and watched Gaara eat his ramen. “Can I have whatever he's having?” she asked, pointing at Gaara's bowl.

Spluttering for a moment, the beleaguered man nodded. It was getting to the point that his boss was going to have to find a bigger place and more help. Getting the Kazekage's patronage had boosted the stand's reputation immensely.

While waiting for her bowl of ramen she gave the young man sitting next to her a considering gaze. He wasn't really what she had been expecting of a village leader. For one, he was extremely young, about her own age. And another, she was kind of expecting him to be more … reserved. Adult, she supposed. Not this obviously somewhat friendly person sitting next to her. And he was reserved, but more like he wasn't entirely sure how to interact with other people, not because he was the leader of a village. She smiled. At least he was doing his best to make her feel welcome. Still, she'd noticed that his bland stare was a bit disturbing. There was always a hint of almost self-mocking amusement in that cool and direct gaze. It was disconcerting, that look, but she liked it. It meant he knew how to laugh at himself. That was always a good thing. While she was still young, she knew that those who didn't have that ability were generally arrogant or outright evil. The best kinds of people were those who could laugh at their own mistakes.

“Eat it before it goes cold,” his voice advised her out of nowhere.

“Eh?” Flushing, she finally noticed that her bowl of ramen had been sitting in front of her for quite some time. Hastily seizing a pair of chopsticks from the dispenser, she broke them apart and dug in. Even though it had cooled slightly, it was still very tasty. “Hey, this is pretty good!” she exclaimed.

Looking over at his dinner partner, Gaara grinned at her. Reaching out, he offered Sora a napkin. “You're dribbling,” he stated.

Blushing she took the napkin and wiped her chin. “Sorry.”

He chuckled.

After that, dinner together became a somewhat regular occurrence for them.

 

MNMNMNMNMNMNMNMN

 

The whispers began a few weeks after she and Gaara had started sitting down together for dinner. Granted it had begun completely by accident, and they just happened to like eating at the same place, but apparently it was kind of odd that he was being so friendly to her. He always claimed a seat next to her, even if he had to ask someone to move. Most of the time they talked of inconsequential things, like how their days had gone, or what missions or books had come in. He also spoke a great deal about an Uzumaki Naruto, a ninja from the Leaf that he obviously cared for and respected very much. He sounded like someone she'd like to meet.

Today, though, as she wandered around the festival, she was doing her best to ignore the rumor that had started to circulate about the two of them. She liked the quiet spoken, solemn, and reserved man, she really did, just not that much. She wanted everyone to just shut up about things they knew nothing about. It helped that the only place they were seen together was at the restaurant.

Moving off down the aisle of stands, she closed her eyes when she overheard the owner of the stand whisper to her daughter that she really hoped the Kazekage kept this one close. She was good for him.

Obviously referring to her.

Just how can someone be “good for someone” if all they do for that person is talk to them? Apparently she was missing something important about the Kazekage if everyone was already talking amongst each other about his relationship with her. She wasn't so sure what she thought about that.

Watari had been conspicuously silent on the matter. Whatever he was thinking about this he was keeping to himself, which was unusual. That was a telling point to her. Watrai liked to talk.

Looking around, she finally spotted what she had been looking for. A pet stand. She'd always wanted a pet of some sort, but had never been able to afford one before. Slipping around the edge of the cart-stand next to it, she began looking at the animals in the cages. With her small room, she couldn't get anything too large, so a dog was out. And while she'd nothing against reptiles, she didn't like the way they smelled so the big iguana resting in the sunshine on the roof of the shaded cart was out too. She'd always wanted a bird, really. Something that sang or talked. Watari would love it if she brought in a talking bird. He'd been a communication specialist while a ninja, and his fascination with any kind of animal that could be taught to speak was funny to see.

She could see the canaries, with their bright yellow feathers, and there were a couple of ravens and crows, more suited to ninja work than as a pet, and a few bright green parakeets, but none of them caught her eyes. Moving around to the other side she gasped in wonder at the big birds settled on a perch attached to the driver's seat of the cart. They were a veritable living rainbow of color. Six of the most beautiful birds she had ever seen.

One was totally blue from head to tail, another was brilliantly red with yellow and blue on its wings, the next pure white with a vibrant yellow crest. A fourth was gloriously sunset-colored, a shading of colors from red to orange with long blue feathers on its wings and tail. The fifth was black with yellow spots on its cheeks and yellow feathers in its tail. It was the last that she wanted though. Lightly pink with a crest that seemed to be on fire with the orange and yellow feathers that had white tips. It was so pretty.

Reaching out, she ran gentle finger through the soft pink feathers of the bird's breast. “So pretty,” she murmured to herself, not noticing the amused stare of the seller.

“Pretty, pretty! Sing for me, pretty!” the bird replied, nibbling at her fingers.

She gasped. “It talks!”

Finally the seller laughed. “Gidget has a mind of her own. I've been teaching her to talk, but she doesn't like to talk to strange people. I guess she must like you though.”

“Oh! Sorry!” Sora gasped as she spun around to face the woman.

“No bother, no bother. You like her?” the old woman asked genially. “She's kind of picky who she allows to handle her. I've yet to have anyone here interested who she didn't bite.”

Sora smiled. “She's lovely! I probably can't afford her, though. They're all such beautiful birds. Where did you get them?”

“Oh, here and there. I'll admit the black and the sunset one are probably illegal imports, but I bought them from respectable people. The boy I bought Gidget from was simply unable to care for her. Here,” she said, placing her hand under the bird's feet and lifted it off the perch to transfer it to Sora's shoulder, much to the girl's delight.

The bird cooed and nibbled on her hair. “Byebye! Byebye! Home now!”

“I think I have to sell her to you,” the old woman remarked with a laugh. “I don't think she'd like me too much if I took her with me when I leave.”

Gaping the girl shook her head. “But I couldn't possibly… I mean, I don't know anything about this kind of bird. I can't possibly afford her! She must be awfully expensive!” She tried to hold her hands up in denial but the contrary bird hopped down into her grasp and nibbled at her bottom lip, silencing her. “Home now, pretty!”

“Why don't we discuss that? I know birds, and much of the time you have to have matching personalities, just like when you date. She has been difficult to handle since the day I purchased her. Since I have finally found someone she meshes with, why don't I sell her to you for the same price I bought her for? At least I can get my money back.” She looked critically at the girl so carefully cradling the pink bird and nodded, naming a price that had Sora's eyes bugging out of her head. It couldn't be so low could it? That was just barely under what she made in a month! She was expecting something more like what she could save in a year! She'd have to cut back on going out to eat … but … suddenly realizing her mind was already made up, she grinned amusedly at herself and dug into her pocket. “I don't suppose you have birdfood for sale,” she asked sheepishly.

Chuckling, the old woman deftly reached out and wrapped a leash around the bird's foot. “Come back in the evening and I'll have a sack of what she eats ready for you. I always have extra, no charge. You take good care of Gidget. Those kinds of birds are life-long pets. They can live for a very long time; the oldest one I know of is almost eighty! Train her right and ina few years she'll be able to do all sorts of tricks.” Ringing up the sale, the old woman wrote out a receipt and handed it to Sora, giving the bird one last head scratch. Gidget cooed at her. “Home now!” she crowed, bobbing her head furiously.

Tearing up, the old woman nodded. “Yes you're home now. Run along dearie, and be happy!” Shooing them off she turned to her next customer.

A bit bewildered by the suddenness of her ownership of a large pink bird, she sighed as Gidget crawled back up to her shoulder and nuzzled her ear, then turned her attention on the people all about her new mistress.

Watari, of course, was delighted. That didn't mean Gidget liked him though. In fact she bit him every chance she got!