Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ What it Means to be Loved ❯ A Visitor ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?  It won’t be easy especially you’re just starting out,” Anko commented as she ate the dumplings Amaya had bought the other day.

“There’s not much I can do,” Amaya shrugged, “It’s either that or watch Mori leave me behind.”

“No one can stop you, but I just want you to understand it’s not going to be easy,” Anko leaned back in the folding chair as she narrowed her gaze on Amaya, “You can die out there if you’re not careful or well-trained.”

“What if Tsunade-“

“Don’t you think she has enough on her plate than to take in another apprentice?” Anko asked with a hint of sarcasm, “I can help you if you’d like.”

The decision was made.  Amaya had gone to Tsunade’s the day before and requested to become a kunoichi.  She would begin her training with Anko soon, but it didn’t seem to settle with Amaya.  A whore becoming a ninja just didn’t seem to phase well.  Amaya sipped her tea as she turned her gaze to the village as she sat on her balcony.  Would she still be able to live in the lap of luxury if she decided to follow her sister as a kunoichi?  Well, she would certainly find out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tsunade sat in her office as she waited for a response.  The person she had called for was in the heart of Village Hidden in the Wind, so it would take some time for an answer.  She sat behind her desk as she flipped through a few books in cases special for Amaya’s case.  It wasn’t a rare case, but it didn’t exactly occur every other day.  Then, a knock at her door brought Tsunade’s gaze towards the person walking in, “I’m surprised you came this early.”

His silence echoed through the room.  It was definitely a good choice for getting him because of his connection to the famous healer in his village.  Tsunade stood up as she greeted the Kazekage that stepped into her office, “I’m sure this hasn’t come to a great inconvenience to you.”

“My village and the people are starting to get better.  This came at the right time,” Gaara responded as he approached the desk, taking a seat in front of her desk, “How crucial is this case?”

“Well,” Tsunade sat back down, “I had a test done on this woman, and it seems there is a fixed circumstance when she goes on a killing spree.  Have you been updated on her story?”

“Yes,” Gaara answered, “What of the Uchiha?”

“During her time in Orochimaru’s grasp, she was pitted against Sasuke and killed him,” Tsunade lowered her gaze, this wasn’t an easy topic she wanted to discuss heavily in, “Do you know of any healers in your village that can be of service to this?”

“A few.  I want to meet this woman before we travel back to my village,” Gaara stood up, “Where might I find her?”

“She will be training with Anko in the Forest of Death,” Tsunade stood up with Gaara, “I would say ‘becareful’, but you’ll see for yourself.  Don’t take her lightly, Lord Kazekage, she’s quite strong.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was around noon when Amaya was running for her life away from Anko’s snakes.  She had to run through trees, leap through branches, and climb a few trees as well just to get away with her life.  Amaya hid in one of the taller trees as she clung to her flute tightly.  This was more than she could handle.  She held her breath as she heard Anko and her snakes below the tree she was hiding in.  Without daring to take a look, Amaya closed her eyes tightly as she waited for them to pass beneath her.

She finally opened her eyes slightly to see that Anko had ran in another direction.  Good, finally she could take a few minutes to take a break.  Amaya slid down the base of the tree and rested on a lower branch.  This new outfit she had to wear wasn’t that bad, it was almost like her regular light kimonos.  Except it was a great deal shorter.  Like a regular kimono, it had forest green obi tied around her waist while the kimono, itself, was black.  It stopped right above her knees so she could run without anything showing.  She would’ve gotten ninja shoes, but she was used to her slip-on shoes.  So, she wore her black slip-ons to stay silent while running.  

“There you are!”

Amaya leaped into the air right before Anko’s large snake bit into the branch she had rested on.  As she remained in the air for a brief moment, Amaya put her flute to her lips as she played a slow, dark tune that slowly put the snake to sleep.  Anko was used to this type of genjutsu from Amaya, so she went after her with a kunai to make her actually fight.  Amaya landed on the ground and took a few steps back as Anko landed at the same spot, attempting to slice Amaya with her kunai.  Anko was too close for her to play a genjutsu tune.  She quickly pulled her flute apart, revealing the hidden daggers within her musical instrument.  The Jonin kunoichi smirked as she twirled her kunai, “Are you sure you want to do hand-to-hand combat?  Do you think you’re ready?”

“I think I have to be if you’re going to lunge at me anyways,” Amaya took one step back as she slightly leaned to the left side, bending her knees gently as she prepared for combat.

Just like she said, Anko lunged at her with her kunai at Amaya’s chest.  Amaya blocked herself with her right arm, pushing Anko back as her left hand went into stab Anko’s side.  Anko easily saw the attack and leaped back.  Amaya ran forward, Anko leaped above her and landed right behind her.  She was just about to successfully stab Amaya’s back until, when she made the initial hit, Amaya disappeared in a cloud of think smoke.  Anko stood motionless as she waited to see any sign of Amaya.  Then, she heard a loud, high pitched screeching noise that made her clasp her hands to her ears.  The sound traveled throughout her body as she felt her inner organs begin to tremor as the wretched sound echoed through her.  It was about a full minute before the sound died down.  Anko slowly removed her hands from her ears, but was shocked.  On the palms of her hands, dripping down the side of her head, was blood.  Then, she lurched forward as she vomited whatever had been in her stomach.

A cold, sharp dagger was pressed against her throat from behind as the other dagger was pressed against her back.  Anko smirked slightly as she realized she had been beat, “Well, it seems you won for the first time.  Congratulation.”

Amaya put her flute back together before helping Anko up, “It’s about time.  This training has been exhausting.  It’s not good to be working hard like this every day.  If I was still working, all of my customers would be complaining that I was just too tired.”

“Your customers would still pay to fuck you even if you were sleeping,” Anko wiped the spittle from her lips as she stood up straight, “Let’s call it a day.  As a reward, I’ll buy the dumplings this time.”

As distasteful as that sounded, Amaya gave in.  No use being rude to the only kunoichi willing to train her free of charge.  Amaya followed Anko out of the Forest of Death back to the village as she felt every muscle in her body ache.  Ever since their first initial talk about her becoming a kunoichi, Anko had been pressing the matter of how fast she would have to train to catch up to Mori if not be better than her.  At her age of fifteen, she should be a Chunin.  However, she was just slightly better then a usual Genin.  Amaya walked next to Anko in silence as she thought of the underlying connection they had.  Neither had brought it up, but each knew Orochimaru had trained the other in some way.

They reached the best dumpling restaurant a little before early evening.  Anko kept her promise and paid for the dumplings, eating her fair share and some of Amaya’s.  Amaya sat in silence as she picked at the remaining dumpling.  She glanced up at Anko to see the Jonin looking around, “Are you ok, Anko?”

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Anko sat besides Amaya, “Do you have a mark anywhere on you?”

“A mark..?” Amaya raised a brow at the question, “What are you talking about?”

“You know,” Anko motioned to the one slightly visible on her, “A mark.”

“Oh..no,” Amaya answered in a hushed whisper, “Why do you ask?”

Anko sighed, it sounded more of relief, then shrugged, “Don’t worry about.  It’s better if you don’t have one.”

The conversation was changed after Anko had asked her question.  Afterwards, Amaya made her way home.  Hopefully Mori was home this time.  Her sister had been spending more and more time with Sakura after the two women had bumped heads.  It was then she felt as if she were being watched.  Meditating with Anko and training with her had Amaya’s senses sharpened immensely.  She was almost home when she stopped in the barren streets, glancing around to see who might’ve been watching her.  In case if it was Anko testing her, she didn’t want to go to home where it would be trashed by another training combat scenario.  

Amaya glanced over her shoulder.  She held her breath at the person that caught her eye.  He was the one watching her.  The Kazekage of the Sunagakure.  She had heard of him, but she had no idea she would actually see him in person.  He was the same age as her and was the Kazekage of his own village.  Impressive for someone his age.  Amaya released her breath as she noticed him approaching her.  Was he really the one who was watching her?  Were the stories still true that he harbored a monster?  Would he kill her for being captured?  Or would he kill her for what she had done while captured?  Her heart raced as he approached her.

“Are you Amaya Hana?” he asked, stopping about five feet away from her.

“I am..” Amaya, just like before for countless customers, dropped her gaze to his feet and put on a meek smile, “Is there something I can-“

“You can look me in the eye like a kunoichi,” he stated, “I’m Gaara, the Kazekage of the Sand.  Have you been informed as to why I’m here.”

Amaya gazed into his teal eyes.  She had not be informed of anyone coming to see her.  Tsunade hadn’t said anything and neither has anyone else.  Amaya gently shook her head as she put her hands behind her back.  Gaara took a moment before answering, “Tsunade has called for me to take you to a healer to control your outbursts.”

She took in a sharp breath.  At that moment, she knew exactly what he was talking about.  Tsunade did tell her about how she acted when Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were taking her somewhere.  It wasn’t as if she blacked out, but it was that initial fear that made her want to attack them for what happened before.  Amaya looked away from Gaara, even if he disliked that, as she recalled that memory.  Gaara then took a step towards, “I want to discuss what has to be done in a secluded place.  Do you have your own home?”

“Yes,” Amaya turned slightly away from him, “Follow me.”

She couldn’t believe what was going on.  Wasn’t her time in Orochimaru enough?  Why did she have to go through more ‘healings’?  When she made it to her home, Amaya was relieved to see Mori was already there with Naruto.  Amaya locked her gaze with Naruto, as he was in the middle of eating his ramen with Mori.  She hadn’t spoken to him since their last meeting for ramen a week ago.  It was nice to see he was there with Mori, but under these circumstances, she wasn’t too fond of the company.  

“Gaara!  Long time no see!” Naruto got up from the couch, plopping his ramen bowl onto the coffee table.

“Lord Kazekage!” Mori stood up quickly, bowing just as fast, “It’s an honor-“

“Stop that, Mori,” Amaya walked fast to her sister, pulling her back up to stand up straight, “That’s not how a young lady bows to a superior.”

“But, Amaya-“ Mori tried to object.

“Mori,” Amaya silenced her with a sharp glance, having her sister obey her by standing up straight.

She turned back to Gaara, “This is my home.  Please, make yourself comfortable.  Would you care for tea or something to eat?”

“A cup of tea,” Gaara walked into the living, “Naruto, I would prefer you stay in here to discuss the plans.  As for your sister, I must ask for her to go elsewhere.”

“My sister will remain present,” Amaya placed a hand on Mori’s shoulder, “You must understand.”

Amaya had made herself quite clear to Gaara.  For anything, and anyone else, she would be timid and respectful.  When it came to Mori, she would not budge.  Gaara accepted her statement and allowed Mori to remain present.  Amaya made Gaara a cup of tea before sitting herself across from him as Mori sat besides her while Naruto sat at the head of the table between both Gaara and Amaya.  Gaara drank some of the tea before locking his gaze with Amaya, “During your time with Orochimaru, Tsunade seems to believe you have been brainwashed to think Naruto, Sakura, and their sensei tricked you.  Am I correct?”

Mori looked to her sister as Amaya remained hesitant.  Amaya then nodded her head slightly, hearing Naruto emit a soft groan as he looked away from her.  This, in turn, made Mori lean forward and say, “Be nice!  She has every right to believe that.  I did at one point.”

There was a moment of silence as the air seemed to be heavy with tension.  It felt as there was a kunai waiting to stab her from behind as Amaya kept her gaze lowered.  She hated to be the center of attention when there was more than one person around.  Especially when they weren’t paying her to be there.  Amaya eventually raised her gaze to meet Gaara’s, finding it harder than she thought.  Gaara sat straight as he continued, “These outbursts need to be settled or else the safety of those around you will be compromised.  Are you going to come willingly to receive help?”

Was there really a choice?  Amaya looked over at Naruto to see he returned her gaze.  She felt her throat tighten as she placed her hands on her knees, giving them a light squeeze.  Amaya nodded slightly as she lowered her gaze back to her lap.  A hand reached over and gave her wrist a comforting squeeze.  She looked back up to see the hand belonged to Naruto.  A small blush rushed onto her cheeks as she felt her eyes water up with tears.

“You can trust Gaara.  He will make sure you’ll be helped.  I’ll even go with you if it’ll make things easier,” Naruto offered a hopeful smile.

It must’ve been trying to better herself that made his demeanor change for her.  Amaya felt warmth spread through her as her gaze remained locked with Naruto’s for what seemed like hours.  She finally broke their gaze by looking back at Gaara, “When do we go?”

“I have to contact the healer and let her know we will be arriving.  For now, I suggest being ready any moment,” Gaara stood up, “If you have any questions, let Tsunade know and she’ll find me within this village for awhile.”

Mori led Gaara to the door as Amaya and Naruto went to the kitchen.  Amaya quickly dried her eyes as she made herself something to eat and tea.  When she turned to apologize, she was met with a warm kiss from Naruto.  He grasped her shoulders as she melted against his lips.  She closed her eyes as she returned his kiss.  It was more than she could ask for from him, but it was comforting.  Maybe she did blame him.  Right then, it didn’t matter too much.  

“Ahem…”

Amaya hesitantly parted from Naruto to see Mori with her arms crossed, “Sorry to ruin the moment.”

“It’s fine,” Amaya laughed slightly, then realized Naruto was still holding her, “Can I get you something, Mori?”

“Is Naruto staying the night?” Mori glanced over at him.

Amaya looked up at Naruto to see him smiling.  She nodded before looking back at Mori, “It seems that way.  Are you going to stay, Mori?”

“I’ll be in my room,” Mori shrugged as she walked off.

As soon as they were back to being alone, Amaya looked back up at Naruto.  He pulled her close to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  Naruto leaned in close to her and rested his head against his, “You’re going to be fine through this.”

“I hope you’re right,” Amaya murmured into his jacket.

It was going to be a long night.  She could tell by the way he held her and the natural music with their moans not too long afterwards that she wouldn’t sleep that night.  Neither would he.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tsunade sat in her office, yet again, as she gazed out the window.  Stacks of paper sat on her desk, but her mind was elsewhere.  The other person in her office was Gaara.  He had been informed that the mystic woman was out on a family matter, so he would be in Konoha until the healer was ready.  However, she had asked him to keep tabs on Amaya to see if she had any outbursts.  Thankfully, there hadn’t been any.  Then again, Sakura, Naruto, or Kakashi hasn’t taken her anywhere.  So the circumstances had to be in the right place first.  Tsunade sighed as she leaned back in her armchair, “So, what do you think of her?  You think this might work?”

“It doesn’t have the option,” Gaara answered as he crossed his arms, “If she’s healed, then the village is safe.  If not, then you will have a problem on your hands.”

“If she can’t be healed, there’s not much choice on my part.  I can’t have her in the village with my shinobi at risk, but I can’t just kill her either,” Tsunade commented in a hushed voice, “Got any ideas?”

“What about relocation?” Gaara suggested.

“You really think she’ll just leave her sister here?  If I send her to your village, she’ll bring her sister along with her troubles.  Trust me, that was once an option but it was quickly dismissed,” Tsunade answered as she sighed, “This is getting to be harder than I thought.”

This was starting to look like more trouble than what it was actually worth.  Tsunade poured herself a shot of sake as she contemplated the options in her head.  Before she took her sip on the sake, she turned to Gaara and asked, “Would it be any trouble to watch over her after you take her to the healer?  I mean for you to watch her progress and see if she seems calmer now.”

She watched as Gaara thought about this for a moment.  Then, he gave a brief nod as he turned back to Tsunade, “If she shows signs of a positive reaction, I’ll send her back here with an escort.”

Tsunade smirked at the subtle humor Gaara offered.  She sipped her sake as she turned her gaze back to the open window; perhaps this may turn out better after all.  


 
Converting /tmp/phpKdm3G2 to /dev/stdout