Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Sweet Sacrifice ❯ Blunt and to the Point ( Chapter 12 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Demon Lady 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Shounen | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 03.26.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 553 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Shounen | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 03.26.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 553 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with Naruto, though I wish I did.
"Good luck." Those were Arashi's parting words as he seemingly disappeared into thin air. Nobody who knew the silver-eyed seer would put it passed him. Naruto almost panicked at his brothers apparent abandonment before his common sense took over. Arashi desperately needed to meditate to find his inner balance and regain some energy. It was now very clear to the blond Jinchuuriki that his white-haired brother had really needed to leave before he lost control of himself. Besides, the rest of the Clan was still in the room with him and his mate probably wouldn't leave even if he did ask.
Naruto moved to sit in his mate's lap because there was no way in hell that he was going to go through what was sure to be an ordeal without the support and comfort provided by his gorgeous red-haired mate. The obvious surprise everyone from Konoha showed at this action startled Naruto for a moment but upon reflection it did make sense. None of them were as comfortable or as accustomed to his relationship with Gaara or the ways he and his mate showed their feelings in front of others. Naruto sitting in Gaara's lap was a common sight to Temari, Kankuro, and Arashi and the two of them seemingly always being in each other's presence was becoming a very common sight in Suna where the citizens welcomed it. Their Kazekage was finally happy, he had a wonderful spouse who was well loved in Suna, and he was generally in good mood which led to less fear and stress among the ranks of shinobi who had direct contact with him. Needless to say the people of Suna would murder anyone who hurt any member of the Sabaku Clan who generally kept the Village running smoothly, prosperous, and well protected.
Gaara feeling his blond mate's need for comfort and support let him become firmly settled in and on the red-head's lap. Wrapping a protective arm around the blond's waist Gaara used his other hand to firmly but gently pull Naruto's hood down. Small gasps of astonishment rang throughout the room. Naruto was gorgeous in every sense of the word and he looked hardly anything like the mask he wore, both in the physical and mental sense. Very few of them had seen Naruto without his genjutsu facade and those who had, had not seen his appearance since he was eleven, so his sixteen year old, toned down for humans, appearance was quite the sight to behold.
"I won't apologize for protecting my Clan and myself by not revealing myself until we had ascertained that all of you could be trusted not to say anything and that you all actually cared about my welfare. I will not jeopardize my mate, my Clan, my brothers and sister, my family for anything nor will I jeopardize Suna which is my home in a misguided hope that I will be accepted by the prejudiced people of Konoha. I am happy in Suna where I am accepted and welcomed whole-heartedly by the people. I am happy with my Clan, my brothers Arashi and Kankuro and my sister Temari. Most of all I am happy with Gaara, my mate and husband." Naruto almost hated that he had to be so blunt. Almost. They all had to hear this from his own mouth to accept it as the truth. And it was true. He had found true happiness in Suna where he gained a wonderful mate and family, neither of which he would willingly give up.
It became very obvious almost none of them were used to a blunt, intelligent, outspoken Naruto, who apparently wasn't going to soften his words. It was a refreshing and welcome change for Jiraiya who had always had a faint suspicion that Naruto had a facade. After all, the blond-haired troublemaker was just too much like his father to be the idiot he was pretending to be, and as much as he... disliked Kushina even he had to admit the bitch was far from stupid. Ignorant, vain, jealous maybe but not stupid. Not a genius by any stretch of the imagination but smart enough when she actually thought instead of blindly reacting. Actually, now that Jiraiya thought about it, it was rather surprising that Naruto had turned out so well, but with Minato for a father, even if he hadn't been able to raise his son, it was not all that surprising. Of course that was just Jiraiya's opinion on the matter. Jiraiya had always had a feeling that the Sealing had not gone exactly as Minato planned and the events after the Sealing had definitely not gone as planned. The Gama Sennin knew that there was no way in hell Minato would have let Naruto stay in Konoha, especially with the way they acted towards his son. Sarutobi was an idealistic fool when it came to Konoha and far from iron-willed enough when it came to the Council of Konoha. Some mistakes take far too long to correct, far longer than they should.
Iruka smiled at his little brother, who had finally found the happiness he so deserved. "Well, I can only safely speak for the Ibiki, Kurenai, Anko, and myself when I say that we are all very happy for you little brother," Here Iruka paused with a very familiar gleam in his chocolate eyes, one that Clan Sabaku had become familiar with in sapphire eyes. It was easy to see just who Naruto had taken after by that gleam. "Don't think for a moment that you'll get away with not introducing us to the rest of your Clan. I especially would like to meet your brother Arashi, especially if he is who I'm thinking he is."
Naruto grinned back at his older adoptive brother. " I wouldn't dare to not introduce you. Besides, I do have to introduce them to you four as well and I will as long as you lay off any of the 'talks' that you and that husband of yours think you need to have with Gaara. I have been married and mated to Gaara for over a year thank you very much."
By now there were quite a few people grinning in amusement at the banter between Iruka and Naruto; a few of the girls were even giggling. Most importantly though was that any tension in the room had been reduced to zero at the light-hearted comments and promises of introductions. Naruto's old caretakers were not the only one's happy for the blond Jinchuuriki. After the blond had left all of them had begun to delve into what they could of the blond's past. What they had found had severely shaken their faith in Konoha and its people. The depths of the abuse that Naruto had suffered had apalled all of them and it had appalled their parents, for those who weren't orphans, when they had shown them what they had found. None of them knew that the one question they all had asked their parents was a question that had turned their parents' worlds upside down. The question would haunt many of them, especially with the implications that the question carried. 'What if it had been me?'
"Your Flames of Youth are so bright Naruto! Happiness has made them even brighter." Sweatdrops could be seen on the majority of those in the office. Gai was too enthusiastic to be normal and Lee wasn't much better. But both were shinobi so normal was rather over-rated.
"We are all happy for you Naruto, as Gai so... eloquently said. It is all too apparent now that you would never find true happiness in Konoha, not with the interference of the Council. Tell of us what you will of your new life," said Tsunade who smiled slightly as Naruto began to speak animatedly about his new life.
Naruto was describing the palace of the Wind Daimyo, which he had gone to on a mission with Arashi as escorts for Temari who generally was Gaara's ambassador, when he stopped mid-sentence. Both he and Gaara, who up until them had been watching Naruto speak with an indulgent look in his eyes, turned their heads in the direction of the training grounds, training grounds seven to be exact. Gaara gave voice to their odd behavior.
"Something caused Arashi to flare his chakra. Something is causing him to become irritated and there is a source of vile, tainted chakra nearby as well as a source of weak, under-developed chakra that I would almost say was that of a civilian."
Naruto looked at Gaara with dark eyes and gave his mate a three word explanation that did indeed explain everything before following Arashi's example and disappearing in a whirl of wind from the crimson-haired shinobi's lap. "Sasuke and Sakura." The venom in the blond's voice took those who had never seen him upset aback.
Gaara abruptly stood and his siblings came to attention. "I warn you now Hokage-dono that if any of your shinobi attack that Suna will not be held accountable for any retaliation. The only reason that I have held back from breaking off any contact Suna has from Konoha is my mate who would see his few precious people in Konoha safe. I say this now as well. Any of you are welcome in Suna if you seek refuge there, especially from the Council of Konoha. Now I will have to take my leave. If even half of what my mate has said of the traitorous Uchiha and his fangirl are true then they will be going to the hospital shortly." With that said all three siblings used the their personal Shunshin to follow Naruto to Arashi's location.
Silence reigned for a few seconds before all the implications of Gaara's words sank in. Then the office became rife with activity and movement as they all scrambled to get to training grounds seven. Some to watch what was sure to be an entertaining show, others to help clean up the resulting mess, and still others who thought it might be prudent to try to put a stop to everything before Sasuke and Sakura did something they might not live to regret.
~~~~~
Arashi should have known that this trip would be anything but peaceful. That hadn't stopped him from hoping though. He should have known it was going to be a bad day when the reading of his tarot cards. The vision he had had did nothing to deter him from thinking today was going to be nothing short of horrific. So after escaping Tsunade's office while leaving Naruto with the bag so to speak, Arashi decided to find a nice place to meditate. Remembering the place Naruto had mentioned taking his genin test, Arashi decided to check it out. It might be a good place to clear his mind then put his thoughts in order.
Arriving at training grounds seven took little time. Looking around Arashi carefully took in his surroundings. The training grounds didn't look as if they had been used as all recently, or at all in the last few weeks or even months. It looked to be a rather good spot for meditation, not the best, but more than good enough for the rather desperate Arashi. So settling down in the shade of one of the numerous trees in the area Arashi began to meditate and remove himself from the physical world. By no means was he defenseless or unaware in this state. Being a Jinchurriki and growing up as they did made them way too paranoid. To let his guard down so much in what was practically enemy territory was suicidal to Arashi, especially without another Clan member to watch his back.
Just as Arashi had begun to dwell on the implications of what he had Seen in his vision, two chakra sources began to approach. One was clearly a male, a weak shinobi male, one with the some of the vilest tainted chakra Arashi had ever had the displeasure of feeling. Angst just seemed to roll off this chakra souce. The other source was definitely female, a weak civilian female that just reeked of lust and if Arashi wasn't mistaken had Multiple Personality Disorder. Not that Arashi had anything anything against those with Multiple Personality Disorder, but this female was clearly just weak-minded and had not gone through the mental torture that the Jinchuuriki who had developed it had. Not all Jinchuuriki had Multiple Personality Disorder, but most had different mind-sets or mecurial moods. In Arashi's opinion all Jinchuuriki were driven at least a little insane because of the childhoods they had to suffer through. They were almost entitled to it. Quite a few agreed with him and even more said that shinobi life drove shinobi crazy as well.
Not liking the interruption of his much needed meditation Arashi opened his eyes to see who was daring to disturb him. Arashi already rather regretted opening his eyes. The sight that had met his silver orbs was not what he wanted to see, ever. It was not at all difficult to recognize Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. How his beautiful little brother had ever been stuck on a team with these ugly losers was a mystery to Arashi. There were very ugly on the inside and only those who were blind would be attracted to the two.
Sasuke was wearing clothing that transvestites would turn their noses up at as disgraceful to their life-style. There was nothing wrong with crossdressing in Arashi's opinion; he had done so himself for missions before, though never for a lover. He had even with Temari's assistance helped Naruto pick out several outfits, such a maid's uniform, that were sure to please Gaara, in more ways than one. It was apparent that the boy, because that was what he was, payed either too much or too little attention to his hair. Who in their right mind lets their hair take a shape that looks like a duck's ass? Sasuke apparently. It was also obvious that he had been coached, taught, and had his body altered to be very flexible. Yes, the old pedophile liked his little boy-toys very flexible so that he could manipulate them in any way he wanted. The lack of power the little spoiled brat displayed proved that the pedophilic snake had kept Sasuke firmly under his thumb and had probably controlled every aspect of Sasuke's life in Otogakure.
Arashi wouldn't be surprised if Itachi's stupid younger brother ended up kidnapped by Oto-nin and woke up tied down in Orochimaru's bed waiting for punishment.
Sakura was wearing clothing that looked positively whorish on her and she was wearing them in public. She might be a kunoichi, but even they had standards of what was decent. Anlo's clothes might be scandalous but you weren't seeing a lot of bare flesh, you are getting the impression of seeing a lot of bare flesh. Kurenai would be skinning quite a few people alive if they had actually seen her precious Anko's bare flesh; only she was allowed that privilege. It was obvious from the lack of chakra and muscle development that the pink-haired girl, because that was what she was, had not bothered to train. There was also a lack of other development. Sakura was as flat as a board and half as appealing. That monsterous forehead just couldn't be a part of a human's body.
The sight of Sakura made Arashi thankful that he preferred males and the sight of Sasuke made Arashi thankful that he was very picky in who he took to his bed, much less the ones he took as lovers. The lusty look in their eyes did not reassure Arashi at all. Apparently Sakura's fangirl tendencies were coming out full force in the presence of the gorgeous silver-eyed male who would surely fall all over himself for her and Sasuke's need for dominance had come out. The old snake had probably took all forms of control away from the spoiled Uchiha and now his ego was demanding he take back his control with the silver-eyed male who would definitely succumb to him.
Both of them were very delusion, especially if they think Arashi found either of them the least bit attractive in any way. He wasn't blind, deaf, and dumb enough for that. It really was too bad for both of them that Arashi could tell exactly what they were thinking; they might not have ended up as they had if he couldn't.
"Good luck." Those were Arashi's parting words as he seemingly disappeared into thin air. Nobody who knew the silver-eyed seer would put it passed him. Naruto almost panicked at his brothers apparent abandonment before his common sense took over. Arashi desperately needed to meditate to find his inner balance and regain some energy. It was now very clear to the blond Jinchuuriki that his white-haired brother had really needed to leave before he lost control of himself. Besides, the rest of the Clan was still in the room with him and his mate probably wouldn't leave even if he did ask.
Naruto moved to sit in his mate's lap because there was no way in hell that he was going to go through what was sure to be an ordeal without the support and comfort provided by his gorgeous red-haired mate. The obvious surprise everyone from Konoha showed at this action startled Naruto for a moment but upon reflection it did make sense. None of them were as comfortable or as accustomed to his relationship with Gaara or the ways he and his mate showed their feelings in front of others. Naruto sitting in Gaara's lap was a common sight to Temari, Kankuro, and Arashi and the two of them seemingly always being in each other's presence was becoming a very common sight in Suna where the citizens welcomed it. Their Kazekage was finally happy, he had a wonderful spouse who was well loved in Suna, and he was generally in good mood which led to less fear and stress among the ranks of shinobi who had direct contact with him. Needless to say the people of Suna would murder anyone who hurt any member of the Sabaku Clan who generally kept the Village running smoothly, prosperous, and well protected.
Gaara feeling his blond mate's need for comfort and support let him become firmly settled in and on the red-head's lap. Wrapping a protective arm around the blond's waist Gaara used his other hand to firmly but gently pull Naruto's hood down. Small gasps of astonishment rang throughout the room. Naruto was gorgeous in every sense of the word and he looked hardly anything like the mask he wore, both in the physical and mental sense. Very few of them had seen Naruto without his genjutsu facade and those who had, had not seen his appearance since he was eleven, so his sixteen year old, toned down for humans, appearance was quite the sight to behold.
"I won't apologize for protecting my Clan and myself by not revealing myself until we had ascertained that all of you could be trusted not to say anything and that you all actually cared about my welfare. I will not jeopardize my mate, my Clan, my brothers and sister, my family for anything nor will I jeopardize Suna which is my home in a misguided hope that I will be accepted by the prejudiced people of Konoha. I am happy in Suna where I am accepted and welcomed whole-heartedly by the people. I am happy with my Clan, my brothers Arashi and Kankuro and my sister Temari. Most of all I am happy with Gaara, my mate and husband." Naruto almost hated that he had to be so blunt. Almost. They all had to hear this from his own mouth to accept it as the truth. And it was true. He had found true happiness in Suna where he gained a wonderful mate and family, neither of which he would willingly give up.
It became very obvious almost none of them were used to a blunt, intelligent, outspoken Naruto, who apparently wasn't going to soften his words. It was a refreshing and welcome change for Jiraiya who had always had a faint suspicion that Naruto had a facade. After all, the blond-haired troublemaker was just too much like his father to be the idiot he was pretending to be, and as much as he... disliked Kushina even he had to admit the bitch was far from stupid. Ignorant, vain, jealous maybe but not stupid. Not a genius by any stretch of the imagination but smart enough when she actually thought instead of blindly reacting. Actually, now that Jiraiya thought about it, it was rather surprising that Naruto had turned out so well, but with Minato for a father, even if he hadn't been able to raise his son, it was not all that surprising. Of course that was just Jiraiya's opinion on the matter. Jiraiya had always had a feeling that the Sealing had not gone exactly as Minato planned and the events after the Sealing had definitely not gone as planned. The Gama Sennin knew that there was no way in hell Minato would have let Naruto stay in Konoha, especially with the way they acted towards his son. Sarutobi was an idealistic fool when it came to Konoha and far from iron-willed enough when it came to the Council of Konoha. Some mistakes take far too long to correct, far longer than they should.
Iruka smiled at his little brother, who had finally found the happiness he so deserved. "Well, I can only safely speak for the Ibiki, Kurenai, Anko, and myself when I say that we are all very happy for you little brother," Here Iruka paused with a very familiar gleam in his chocolate eyes, one that Clan Sabaku had become familiar with in sapphire eyes. It was easy to see just who Naruto had taken after by that gleam. "Don't think for a moment that you'll get away with not introducing us to the rest of your Clan. I especially would like to meet your brother Arashi, especially if he is who I'm thinking he is."
Naruto grinned back at his older adoptive brother. " I wouldn't dare to not introduce you. Besides, I do have to introduce them to you four as well and I will as long as you lay off any of the 'talks' that you and that husband of yours think you need to have with Gaara. I have been married and mated to Gaara for over a year thank you very much."
By now there were quite a few people grinning in amusement at the banter between Iruka and Naruto; a few of the girls were even giggling. Most importantly though was that any tension in the room had been reduced to zero at the light-hearted comments and promises of introductions. Naruto's old caretakers were not the only one's happy for the blond Jinchuuriki. After the blond had left all of them had begun to delve into what they could of the blond's past. What they had found had severely shaken their faith in Konoha and its people. The depths of the abuse that Naruto had suffered had apalled all of them and it had appalled their parents, for those who weren't orphans, when they had shown them what they had found. None of them knew that the one question they all had asked their parents was a question that had turned their parents' worlds upside down. The question would haunt many of them, especially with the implications that the question carried. 'What if it had been me?'
"Your Flames of Youth are so bright Naruto! Happiness has made them even brighter." Sweatdrops could be seen on the majority of those in the office. Gai was too enthusiastic to be normal and Lee wasn't much better. But both were shinobi so normal was rather over-rated.
"We are all happy for you Naruto, as Gai so... eloquently said. It is all too apparent now that you would never find true happiness in Konoha, not with the interference of the Council. Tell of us what you will of your new life," said Tsunade who smiled slightly as Naruto began to speak animatedly about his new life.
Naruto was describing the palace of the Wind Daimyo, which he had gone to on a mission with Arashi as escorts for Temari who generally was Gaara's ambassador, when he stopped mid-sentence. Both he and Gaara, who up until them had been watching Naruto speak with an indulgent look in his eyes, turned their heads in the direction of the training grounds, training grounds seven to be exact. Gaara gave voice to their odd behavior.
"Something caused Arashi to flare his chakra. Something is causing him to become irritated and there is a source of vile, tainted chakra nearby as well as a source of weak, under-developed chakra that I would almost say was that of a civilian."
Naruto looked at Gaara with dark eyes and gave his mate a three word explanation that did indeed explain everything before following Arashi's example and disappearing in a whirl of wind from the crimson-haired shinobi's lap. "Sasuke and Sakura." The venom in the blond's voice took those who had never seen him upset aback.
Gaara abruptly stood and his siblings came to attention. "I warn you now Hokage-dono that if any of your shinobi attack that Suna will not be held accountable for any retaliation. The only reason that I have held back from breaking off any contact Suna has from Konoha is my mate who would see his few precious people in Konoha safe. I say this now as well. Any of you are welcome in Suna if you seek refuge there, especially from the Council of Konoha. Now I will have to take my leave. If even half of what my mate has said of the traitorous Uchiha and his fangirl are true then they will be going to the hospital shortly." With that said all three siblings used the their personal Shunshin to follow Naruto to Arashi's location.
Silence reigned for a few seconds before all the implications of Gaara's words sank in. Then the office became rife with activity and movement as they all scrambled to get to training grounds seven. Some to watch what was sure to be an entertaining show, others to help clean up the resulting mess, and still others who thought it might be prudent to try to put a stop to everything before Sasuke and Sakura did something they might not live to regret.
~~~~~
Arashi should have known that this trip would be anything but peaceful. That hadn't stopped him from hoping though. He should have known it was going to be a bad day when the reading of his tarot cards. The vision he had had did nothing to deter him from thinking today was going to be nothing short of horrific. So after escaping Tsunade's office while leaving Naruto with the bag so to speak, Arashi decided to find a nice place to meditate. Remembering the place Naruto had mentioned taking his genin test, Arashi decided to check it out. It might be a good place to clear his mind then put his thoughts in order.
Arriving at training grounds seven took little time. Looking around Arashi carefully took in his surroundings. The training grounds didn't look as if they had been used as all recently, or at all in the last few weeks or even months. It looked to be a rather good spot for meditation, not the best, but more than good enough for the rather desperate Arashi. So settling down in the shade of one of the numerous trees in the area Arashi began to meditate and remove himself from the physical world. By no means was he defenseless or unaware in this state. Being a Jinchurriki and growing up as they did made them way too paranoid. To let his guard down so much in what was practically enemy territory was suicidal to Arashi, especially without another Clan member to watch his back.
Just as Arashi had begun to dwell on the implications of what he had Seen in his vision, two chakra sources began to approach. One was clearly a male, a weak shinobi male, one with the some of the vilest tainted chakra Arashi had ever had the displeasure of feeling. Angst just seemed to roll off this chakra souce. The other source was definitely female, a weak civilian female that just reeked of lust and if Arashi wasn't mistaken had Multiple Personality Disorder. Not that Arashi had anything anything against those with Multiple Personality Disorder, but this female was clearly just weak-minded and had not gone through the mental torture that the Jinchuuriki who had developed it had. Not all Jinchuuriki had Multiple Personality Disorder, but most had different mind-sets or mecurial moods. In Arashi's opinion all Jinchuuriki were driven at least a little insane because of the childhoods they had to suffer through. They were almost entitled to it. Quite a few agreed with him and even more said that shinobi life drove shinobi crazy as well.
Not liking the interruption of his much needed meditation Arashi opened his eyes to see who was daring to disturb him. Arashi already rather regretted opening his eyes. The sight that had met his silver orbs was not what he wanted to see, ever. It was not at all difficult to recognize Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. How his beautiful little brother had ever been stuck on a team with these ugly losers was a mystery to Arashi. There were very ugly on the inside and only those who were blind would be attracted to the two.
Sasuke was wearing clothing that transvestites would turn their noses up at as disgraceful to their life-style. There was nothing wrong with crossdressing in Arashi's opinion; he had done so himself for missions before, though never for a lover. He had even with Temari's assistance helped Naruto pick out several outfits, such a maid's uniform, that were sure to please Gaara, in more ways than one. It was apparent that the boy, because that was what he was, payed either too much or too little attention to his hair. Who in their right mind lets their hair take a shape that looks like a duck's ass? Sasuke apparently. It was also obvious that he had been coached, taught, and had his body altered to be very flexible. Yes, the old pedophile liked his little boy-toys very flexible so that he could manipulate them in any way he wanted. The lack of power the little spoiled brat displayed proved that the pedophilic snake had kept Sasuke firmly under his thumb and had probably controlled every aspect of Sasuke's life in Otogakure.
Arashi wouldn't be surprised if Itachi's stupid younger brother ended up kidnapped by Oto-nin and woke up tied down in Orochimaru's bed waiting for punishment.
Sakura was wearing clothing that looked positively whorish on her and she was wearing them in public. She might be a kunoichi, but even they had standards of what was decent. Anlo's clothes might be scandalous but you weren't seeing a lot of bare flesh, you are getting the impression of seeing a lot of bare flesh. Kurenai would be skinning quite a few people alive if they had actually seen her precious Anko's bare flesh; only she was allowed that privilege. It was obvious from the lack of chakra and muscle development that the pink-haired girl, because that was what she was, had not bothered to train. There was also a lack of other development. Sakura was as flat as a board and half as appealing. That monsterous forehead just couldn't be a part of a human's body.
The sight of Sakura made Arashi thankful that he preferred males and the sight of Sasuke made Arashi thankful that he was very picky in who he took to his bed, much less the ones he took as lovers. The lusty look in their eyes did not reassure Arashi at all. Apparently Sakura's fangirl tendencies were coming out full force in the presence of the gorgeous silver-eyed male who would surely fall all over himself for her and Sasuke's need for dominance had come out. The old snake had probably took all forms of control away from the spoiled Uchiha and now his ego was demanding he take back his control with the silver-eyed male who would definitely succumb to him.
Both of them were very delusion, especially if they think Arashi found either of them the least bit attractive in any way. He wasn't blind, deaf, and dumb enough for that. It really was too bad for both of them that Arashi could tell exactly what they were thinking; they might not have ended up as they had if he couldn't.