Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Loveless Suna ❯ Chapter 22 ( Chapter 22 )

Beta: SilverTwilight88

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and definitely not Gaara.

Panting I let myself fall on the grass while Kou-sensei got something to drink out of his backpack.

“You're getting better.” He complemented. I was happy that after our odd start we still ended up becoming friends. We had been sparring with our kunais the entire morning, causing my legs to protest from standing so long. Kou-sensei pressed the cold drink against my forehead making me sigh in delight.

“I think that next lesson we should start working on your chakra.”

“Gaara's going to be happy to here that!” I laughed remembering his earlier worries. “He even transferred some of his chakra into me to ease his worrying.” I continued.

“I know, I can sense his chakra from you, but I guess it's a good tactic. People who recognize it aren't going to attack you without hesitating.” He nodded approvingly and I think his impression of the Kazekage had increased.

“So, the lesson is done for today and I only want you to practice throwing kunais at moving targets.” He said ending the lesson completely and I nodded as sign that I got it.

“Shizuka!” Kaeda came almost on cue from behind the academy. I noticed her nod to Kou-sensei before she dragged me to town. I could only wave helplessly to my sensei watching him turn into a little spot.

“Why are we here?” I asked eying the weapons in front of me. `Kou-sensei would kill me if I even touched something like this!' I thought to myself feeling the sharpness of some really weird sword.

“I need to pick up my reservation. Last time the Kazekage said he wasn't going to give me a mission again before I replaced my weapons.” She explained giving her recite to the guy behind the counter.

“So, how was the training?” She asked while waiting for the guy to get her order.

“Oh great, next time we're going to start working on my chakra.”

“Ah, then the Kazekage is going to be happy.” She smiled to my surprise.

“How do you know about that?” I couldn't get the feeling of paranoia out of my system.

“Oh, it just came up while we were talking.” She clearly had invented that on the spot. I couldn't help but feel uneasy with this new development.

`Most people don't have normal talks with Gaara.' I couldn't help but think.

“After he showed my mission we started talking.” She tried again seeing the doubt in my face. I nodded pretending to belief her, but I got the feeling she was hiding something from me.

“I think it's time to get back.” I said when she got her new equipment. She nodded and led me to the Kazekage tower. Only when I was inside she dared to leave her post.

-

“Gaara?” I asked after knocking and entering his office. He looked up and stretched his hand out to me. When I took hold of it he pulled me on his lap.

“Did you put bodyguards on me?” I asked while he was reading the paper in his other hand.

“Was it that obvious?” He asked, surprised that his plan failed.

“They weren't very subtle.” I explained. While signing another paper, he clearly was thinking about a way to improve his present bodyguards.

“Why don't you trust me?” I asked hurt. “I can use my kunais now, I can protect myself.” I pouted at him, but it didn't seem to make an impression. “And if I really would get in trouble you would feel it!” I used his chakra against him.

“Perhaps, but my chakra can't always keep you out of trouble.” He used the same Advantage technique.

“Then still I want to be able to protect myself! You can't look out for me forever; What if something really bad happens that will require your whole protection?” I asked. I really wanted him to keep an eye on the village instead of me.

“I'll still protect you.” He answered seriously.

“No! The village is more important. Promise me that you'll choose the village over me.” I pushed him in a corner. He clearly wasn't happy but nodded in the end. He could understand the importance of Suna and I think he actually respected my request.

“Alright, now I'm going to practice. See you later!” I gave the redhead a kiss and jumped off his lap.

“I'll protect you both.” I heard him mumble stubbornly while walking out of the office.

“Oh yeah, could you help me train tomorrow?” I asked turning around quickly. Gaara nodded as an answer, where after I made my definite departure.

-

“So, you two are my next guards?” I asked eying Kankuro and Matsuri, who were standing very innocently in front of the front door.

“Jepz and I have the whole afternoon planned for us.” Kanky's girl smiled.

“So now I'm not even allowed to plan for myself.” I said frustrated.

“Of course you are. But Kanky and I had planned a date before the Kazekage gave us this mission.”

`So he made it an Official mission? To think that Gaara would go that far.' I thought surprised.

“And since I already made dinner reservations we thought: why don't we have a date with the three of us?” Kankuro finished his girl's explanation.

“I'm third wheel.” I said monotone.

“No, no. We'll keep our visual displays to a minimum. It'll be just a dinner amongst friends.” Matsuri ensured me.

“We did ask Gaara if he would like to come so that we could have a double date, but he still has too much work.” The puppet master clearly had liked the idea of a double date.

“Fine, let's go.” I gave in. They did try their best to come up with an arrangement to make me happy with their plans.

“Great, we're going to start by showing you the must see places in town.” Kankuro linked his arms with us and started the sightseeing tour.

-

“I didn't know that there were so many temples.” I sighed flopping down on a chair.

“Which one did you like best?” Kankuro asked while he and his girlfriend joined me at the table.

“Hmm, the second to last one. I found the decorations gorgeous. I almost can't believe someone has the creativity to come up with something like that.” Matsuri nodded agreeing.

“It really is a pity that the creator died before it was completely finished.”

“It must be hard knowing the moment you die that you can't see your life's work complete.” I sighed sadly. The sad atmosphere got broken by the waiter who came to get our order.

Kankuro ordered three times the same thing for us and I noticed that it was the cheapest thing on the menu, but decided not to tell Matsuri. Her Kanky probably wanted to make a good impression by taking her here, too bad I had to come along and reduce the money per person.

“Let's start with some sake.” Our gentleman continued signing at the waiter. When our food arrived we had already drunken a lot which made me a little clumsy. So, clumsy I dropped my first bite on the ground.

“Oops!” was all I could say looking stupefied at the piece.

“Don't play with your food, Shizuka-chan!” Matsuri said strictly like a mother that was lecturing her child. She bowed to pick it up already having a napkin to put it in, in her hands. I noticed the waiter was already getting his cleaning stuff and watched him walk towards us with a not so happy face.

“Aah! A rat!” Matsuri's scream got my attention back to the piece on the ground that had been relocated by the rat.

“A kangaroo rat to be exact.” Kankuro was happy to inform us.

“Do you get smarter when you're drunk or what?” I asked giving him a disbelieving look, while keeping an eye on the kangaroo rat. Maybe I wasn't freaking out like Matsuri, but I still didn't really want the beast near me.

The waiter had reached us and started to shoo the rat outside, but the animal was having trouble with his balance. Watching all of this I was again trying to pick up the next piece of food from my plate. Finally I did it, but before I could put it in my mouth Kankuro stopped me.

“Something isn't right here.” He mumbled eying the rat.

`I'm really starting to think that he gets smarter when he's drunk.' I thought eying him out of the corner of my eye and decided to follow his look. The rat started to have trouble breathing and before I registered it fell on his side, dead.

“Shit, the food is poisoned!” Kankuro yelled pulling the chopsticks out of my hand, making the second piece fall on the ground.

“Poison!” My eyes widened in shock and really scared I looked at the plate before me. Matsuri shot out of her rat shock and quickly collected the poisoned piece from the ground.

“Shizuka!” I heard Gaara's concerned voice from behind me. He quickly pulled me from my chair into his arms looking around us ready to kill someone.

“Gaara, the food is poisoned.” Kankuro informed him. The Kazekage seemed to relax a little and settled with glaring at the poisoned plate. I crawled closer in the redhead's arms feeling the first shock wear off. I heard Gaara order the people around us, but I couldn't register any of it.

`Someone is really trying to kill me!' A voice kept repeating over and over again in my head. Only when the first cold breeze hit my face I noticed that my protector had guided me outside.

“Are you alright?” The concerned voice came again.

“I don't know.” I could give a mumbling answer. “If it wasn't for that rat… I'd be dead.” His arms tightened around me while he kissed my hair soothingly.

“But you're not and I'll make sure whoever did this will be punished!” His voice became like ice at the end.

“I promised to protect you and I will!” He took hold of my face making me look him in the eyes.

“I'm not going to let anyone hurt you and if they do they'll pay with their lives.” The icy tone was back in his voice, but it did make me realize how serious he was.

He started to kiss my face allover ending with a passionate lip lock. After it I snuggled back in his chest while his arms wrapped themselves back protectively around me.

“How did you get here so fast?” I remembered that he had appeared only a couple of seconds after the poison was discovered.

“My chakra channeled your fear into me.”

“Oh…” A silence fell. “Shouldn't you get back inside?” I broke it.

“A clone is taking care of everything.” Feeling a bit more relaxed I closed my eyes pretending that only Gaara and I were alive. No attempt on my life had just happened, only Gaara and I.

“From now on I'll make sure there's always a bodyguard by your side and only eat pre-tasted food.” The Kazekage started to make plans to prevent this from happening again.

“Wait… Did you expected something like this to happen and is that why you assigned the guards in the first place?” I asked looking up. A guilty face gave me my answer.

“I knew that announcing you as my concubine would increase your enemies drastically.” He confessed.

“Why didn't I think of that?” I could hit myself on the head. The urge to make the rude nin kiss my feet had put me in a greater danger than before.

-

I didn't know how long we had stood there, but never did the redhead release me. Even when he teleported us home and we got ready to sleep he was the one that changed both of us, soothing me with kisses every change possible.

Safely sleeping in his arms I had survived the first attempt on my life, but I feared that the killer would only get more drastic.

Maybe in the end he or she would try to end me with his or her own hands. Snuggling closer to Gaara I felt a shock go through him. The clone had returned.

Stephke23: First murder attempt survived. Thank Kami for the kangaroo rat (I researched it, it's a desert animal ;)). Review my darlings!