Fandom Naruto the sands skip a beat. (by enzer and believing heart)

[enzerubebii]

kiri slowly looked about when she woke and saw lan crying and she tried to give him a smile "Thank you...for helping me and i should be sorry.." She said looking down.. "I never opened up about my past much...Ill admit i was just expecting a playful spar and the captian to stop....but once you hit me with that fatal kick.. for a moment i would be disowned as an entertainer.. I mean.." she began crying a little "Whats the point of having one that cant heal herself ya know...?" She then noticed the tart and smiled "Oh a fruit tart? My favorite." She began to eat and sighs sadly "Guess im a disappointment to Sora now... I bet my gardening secrets that he wont let me go on the mission now.."

 

[MJ ._.]

Lan wiped his face quickly with his sleeve as heard Kiri. “No, please don’t make me more embarrassed than I am.” It was hard for him to look at her directly because he was too ashamed of himself. “I know I’m guilty. That kick…I’m an idiot…I should have known better. You were taking it easy while I…I’m sorry…but I must confess that I was scared. I’m the weakest in my squad and so when it comes to taijutsu my only chance is one hit. I can’t count on my speed or strength so all I’ve got is being precise. That’s why when I thought that you are way too stronger than me…I automatically aimed at the weak point of your leg. I meant no harm…I thought but also…I was cocky about my healing skills. I thought I can heal my opponent no matter what happens…but when you screamed…I understood my mistake. I cause you a hell of pain to the point that you fainted…that was just too cruel…I don’t want to be a heartless monster like that…I just…am an idiot who forgot about the pain I could cause…I’m sorry…I deserve to be punished…” Lan confessed and was about to cry again but bit his lower lip and help his tears back. He noticed that she was almost crying too so changed the subject. “Tani brought you the tart. Shin was here too. They were worried about you but couldn’t stay.” He said then was quiet for a minute before he spoke again. “You don’t need to worry about healing yourself. What do you think healers train for? As long as you are in the same squad as me I’ll be healing you. Even now… the doctor said you are going to be as healthy as before in a short time as if nothing has happened. You can trust us on that field.” He assured her. “You really want to be part of that mission, don’t you? Sensei won’t be disappointed with you. Actually, it’s his way. You may find it hard to take but for each mission, he hammers you hard until you take the shape that he needs for his proceeding plan. It might be painful and harsh sometimes…” He cringed as remembered some bitter memories of his former practices. “…but he’ll never do something like putting you aside, leaving you behind, or giving up on you. He just keeps pushing until you pass or flee!” He laughed quietly.

 

[enzerubebii]

Kiri chuckled as she ate. "Just like mother..." She said calmly and saw his curiosity.. "My mother...Is a Moon assassin.. She groomed and trained me in artistic assassination. She taught me that fighting is like a dance. The main objective is to always have control..if you feel like someone is gaining control, do whatever it took to gain it back. Despite the fact im delicate i have to be delicate, polite in my manners, and swift in my tactics.. I was even gonna teach you that moment too.." She then looked at him. "How about when i am healed up we dance again and i wont let you go till you get me on the ground properly as in no fractures...I will admit what you did was the right way to get me down ...and piss off susami... but i still wanna teach you and your friends how to dance under the moons light." She began eating another piece "To be honest...if i didnt hld back you would have a broken bone too but i was in a good mood and wanted to make friends..." she then sense a twin vibe and got nervous. "Oh no... he felt it...." she then nervously looked at lan "Lan...c-can i ask how many...hours...it takes for someone to travel...to Suna...if possibly...arriving by boat.." She had a look of pure fear... if her twin knew...mother would know and if mother knows OOOH BOY....

 

[MJ ._.]

“Wow… so you must understand sensei better than us.” Lan said with amazement as she told him about her mother. “Thanks. We would love to learn new skills. I’m sure this will help us to sync.” He said thankfully as looked at her with a warm smile. “I wish we had spoken about our expectations before sparing…” He added regretfully. “Making friends you say? I hope we can be friends…but I think comrades are closer than friends, don’t you think so? After all, we trust our lives and success in each other’s hands.” He replied eagerly. He noticed her sudden nervousness and asked: “Is everything okay? Do you still feel pain?” It made him confused as she asked him about traveling on boats. “It depends on where they are coming from. If you are asking about your island…let me see; more than three weeks on the boat and a month on the land if they use common methods…which means if they ride a boat from Moon island today, they’ll arrive at the village almost in two months.” He answered as precisely as he could. “Would you please tell me who is coming?” He asked worryingly.

 

[enzerubebii]

"My...twin..brother..." kiri said nervously "Hes younger than me by 10 minutes cause as mom said he was sleeping but...bigger cause he hogged the height genes...and we have this twin thing where if im in pain...he knows and he gets very very protective soo.. if it two months that means if i recover fast enough it will calm him down a little... we can still do the assignment...but i have to be back in time to stop him from making an eternal winter and letters wont fix the situation now... he has to 100% make sure im safe. And people say IM the volatile twin." She takes a breath and calms down "Its fine...its fine... knowing lunny she will calm him down enough to make him see some reason...she was the logical one while Yumi was the rational one..." She then smiled at Lan. "Can you tell everyone im fine and im sorry to scare them?And also can you get me some envelopes and paper?The captain asked me to do somthing before we headed out."

 

[MJ ._.]

“That doesn’t sound good…and it’s my fault.” Lan shook his head. “You are going to be fine soon. But if he comes after you each time you get injured…is it even possible? I mean; you’re going to risk a lot if you want to sneak after Sasuri. He alone is a monster and that Akatzuki group that he has joined is a den of demons.” He told her nervously. “Anyway…I’m not helping you by staying here. I’m going to bring you a pen, paper, and an envelope. I’ll tell others that you have woken up if I see them. See you later.” Lan smiled faintly before leaving Kiri alone. But Kiri wasn’t alone for long since another guy knocked on the door a few minutes later. “Kirisuto san, I heard that you’ve woken up. I’m coming in.” Gaara said from the other side of the door. He hesitated before entering to give her time to get ready to meet him or reject his visit if she couldn’t do so. So, after a minute, he entered the room and looked at Kirisuto. “I’m glad that you’re fine. I heard everything from them. I didn’t expect something like this happens on the first day. You were really skillful last night so how could a normal chuunin send you to the hospital?” He asked curiously as stood near her bed.

 

[enzerubebii]

Kiri blushed red flattered that Gaara was her 1st visitor and slook it off 'like hell gaara would show interest in someone like me' she thought and susami heard that and smirked "YOU LIKE HIM OHHHH I BET SHU SHU KNOWS TOOO!" "Not tthe TIME for your shipping games susu!" kiri thought annoyed and shook it off when he entered. "Hey..." she said weakly looking at him. “I’m glad that you’re fine. I heard everything from them. I didn’t expect something like this happens on the first day. You were really skillful last night so how could a normal chuunin send you to the hospital?” When he asked that Kiri blushed red at him complimenting her skills but shook it off and sighed "Oh dont get mad at the kiddo.. he just panicked..i was going easy on him he freaked out a bit and used what he knew in anatomy to find a weak point and hit there..Lan already feels terrible and told me he wanted to be punished but..." "But someone showed mercy on him when I WANTED TO PUNISH HIM!" "susu....no..Your version of a punishment is making him my mannequin for kimonos and yukatas for a week. And we dont have time for that.." "Well we can do it after this assignment..but im surprised shu shu didnt freak out..." Kiri then looked up at Gaara "I am kinda surprised that you are my 1st visitor besides Lan. it makes me really happy though. And kinda embaressed...I bet you heard the inner banshee in me..."

 

[MJ ._.]

“Hmm…” Gaara looked at Kiri thoughtfully then looked out of the window at the direction of the training field. He had felt an unknown emotion when she told him that she was happy to see him as her first visitor. From a rational point of view, it was natural since he was kazekage and Kiri probably was honored to have his special attention. But, he couldn’t understand why he felt happy for a moment as if it was a personal thing. “I felt that massive change of energy. Susami was almost hidden since morning but suddenly she was out there with a powerful presence. Shukaku was in the mood to show up too but he knows better than that…” He left the topic temporarily and looked at Kiri again. “The one responsible for the field was Sora, not Lan. I can pass punishment on Sora and if he believes that Lan is guilty it’s up to him to punish his subordinate. These training teams have this kind of hierarchy.” Gaara explained. “Do you really want to punish him? It’s your right to have your revenge.” He asked her casually but in fact, that question was a test for her. Gaara wanted to learn more about her personality and know if she had a forgiving heart.

 

[enzerubebii]

kiri blinked and shook her head in a panic "NONONONONO! I dont want to hurt him or anything! Maybe later on after the mission ask him to help me look for a good location for my tea and cakes shop that will also double as your info booth cause from my experience you can hear a lot from gossiping hens and I would still be your entertainer of course its just somthing i wanna do on the side.." "As forr susu.. she didnt mean to come out and scare everyone... we..were just scared..we never met someone with such precision before... and it caught us off guard.So No i dont wanna punish him like my father punished me and my brother however, if I have to...after the mission...he has to find the perfect spot for me to hear information on the streets and he has to work there till hes more confident in himself. Thats my punishment." she looked Gaara in the eyes. "I know my so called punishment is werid but, i was oringally sent here by my mom to help expand her teahouses worth and make good alliances and leylines on information. And no thanks to my twinlephaphy....my brother will be visiting in 2 months...3 if luna holds him back a bit.." She makes a nervous giggle. "Oh the woes of being the baby of the family..even when youre the twin.."

 

[MJ ._.]

MY entertainer?! Gaara mulled over her direct announcement. He had not taken what her father had offered at first seriously and only considered her as an informant and a fellow jinchuuriki. He had never asked for a girl to entertain him. “I see. Sounds like a good choice. Seems like you are very focused on your goal which is appreciative.” He told her after she explained her view of the accident. “Actually, I was wondering…You can beat me in taijutsu when my sand doesn’t protect me. So, if a chuunin who isn’t even a taijutsu expert can defeat you then my rank in taijutsu must be too low. That’s not very promising. So I think I need to practice more and without sand of course. Do you understand what I mean?” He asked her meaningfully but before hearing her answer, he had another question to ask. “You speak of your brother in a way that convinces me that he is a disaster!” That could be a joke but he didn’t even smile. “What about him coming here makes you worried? Is he out of control or something of that sort?”

 

[enzerubebii]

She smiled at his request and said "Its a date." Then she blushed red at her words and heard susami laughing "I-i-mean a training date! not an actual date!" she took a moment to compose herself and when he said the comment about her brother she then looked at him "Do you have siblings that kinda coddled you as a kid cause of who you are...? Not cause they fear you...more like they want to protect you no matter the cost and refusing you to get hurt? Thats my twin brother..And no hes not a complete disaster... He just over assumes things the moment im in pain and wont calm down till he knows im okay...and im worried...about him making assumptions that arent true. And knowing my father he made a big lie my mother and brother didnt buy the moment he felt me in pain so he might assume it was you that did it.. so to calm him down and assure him im happy and still following moms orders.. im gonna have to ask you for a big favor the moment he arrives." She took a breath and looked at him seriously. "We can either tell him the truth and he hurts Lan and i dont want relations going sour cause of my stupid brothers temper, or you pretend to be my boyfriend to divert his rage and we can cool him down enough to tell him what happened. I know its a crazy favor but my brother has killed people that have hurt me cause i...refused things..." she shivered at the memories.. "Its only for a day...if he ever arrives..."

 

[MJ ._.]

Kiri talking about a date then blushing and acting cute…Gaara was surprised but reminded himself that there shouldn’t be any special meaning behind it and she was behaving according to her habits. Kiri’s career as a geisha had made it hard for him to take her emotions seriously which was helpful in some ways since he might have stayed away from the girl if was sure that she loved him. He smiled bitterly as remembered his relationship with his siblings during his childhood. “My siblings couldn’t literarily cuddle me. That could risk their lives. But I can’t deny their emotional support.” He corrected her image of him. “But I guess I would become a disaster if I see them hurt badly…” He mused over it as his brain refused to let Kiri’s request enter the processing area. But he couldn’t ignore that forever. “You’re right, it is crazy.” He answered. The more he thought about it the darker the grim shadow over his face became. “When your brother arrives, he will see you sound and well. Why would he mad then? Also, I don’t understand how pretending a be a couple is going to help. Why don’t you explain it more clearly?” He asked.

 

[enzerubebii]

kiri sighed and nodded "Okay ill try to tell him.. " susami laughed "Sweetie no you cant just ask him and fake boy friend REALLY?" "I paniked susu i was a TEA entertainer luna handed the guys.. and the kazekage is my type....and trying to tell him my feelings without feeling awkward.... im just gonna apologize and keep it pro-" "Nope not happening... Jeez this is why you have me as a frriend...Do the thing kiri.... Go on....." Kiri groaned and did the small hand signals and said "Cresent moon jutsu.. Susami 15% release." Kiri made a small twitch and out came the cat.. as a small cat. "UGH FINALLY you let me out to breathe!" she said walking about the bed and licking her paws. "Remember susu i said 15% so that means.." "Ya ya i know 30 minutes..." She looked at Gaara "You i wanna talk to you alone.. its for the safety of my dumb human.." Kiri tried to lunge at susami but she was in a small cast and susami jumped out of the way fast enough "SUSU DONT YOU DARE!" "Its for your own health darling! Remember what your mother said bottling it up is bad for your health and you suck at this so let a professional help you..." Kiri blushed and stewed as susami walked out. "It will be for a moment you can have him back when im done."

 

[MJ ._.]

“Fifteen percent?!” Gaara was amused. “This jutsu is really handy. I think I need to learn it even more than jaijutsu.” He said as imagined a fist-size Shukaku then frowned. “I doubt if anyone wants to hear him but he can be useful in other ways. He will be able to spy in even rat holes or act as a communication medium…” He was counting the benefits of Kiri’s jutsu when Shukaku objected from inside. “Shut it! No way! I won’t go into any holes.” He yelled at him madly. Gaara reached out and let tiny Susami sit in his palm. “I guess I understand what you mean about buttled-up emotions. I’ll listen to you and will try to help out as much as I can.” He told the little chakra cat then went to the door and looked out cautiously. The coast was clear so he went to the next room with was empty and locked the door. “I’m listening.” He told Susami as put her on the empty bed.

 

[enzerubebii]

When alone Sussami hopped on the bed "Ugh my human is so dence with love and its your fault!" she said playfully giving a hint that it is his fault but shes not blaming him. "To start the whole 'being her boyfriend thing' was because she rejected so many suitors her father threw at her her mother and brother worried she would be an orchid. Beautiful but alone. And she would had been one till you arrived..she wont admit it.. but she sucks at hiding it So she is bottling it up. She likes likes you Kazekage... and to be honest...i can kinda see why.."She then looked down shaking her head as if confused "Out of all the types she reads about in books the 'lonely prince' type.. really!Then again taht was kinda my fault with my stories about shushu.." She then looked up at him. "Just humor her with one date sometimes so i can remind her emotions are okay...and i can convince her to teach you how to do this. Also Shushu..." She then gave a cute look "Dont you wanna manifest and sneak around the village with me? With how cute i look people give me free food..."

 

[MJ ._.]

“Love? How is it related?!” Gaara asked with confusion. He was even more baffled as listened to her talking of orchids and Kiri liking him because he was a lonely prince. And it didn’t help when Shukaku started shouting out that he wanted to be out in full size. “You for one should shut up! I’m trying to think.” Gaara whispered angrily in reaction to his demands. “Susami, stop encouraging him to get out. He refuses to be small…he has a very prideful ego.” He told the miniature cat then crossed his arms and frowned which meant he felt anxious and was thinking hard. “She is mistaken about the lonely prince. I’m not a prince. I’m just a jinchuriki who is using the power of his biju to protect his country and all I have is responsibility. Also, it’s a shame that I still look like a lonely person. But I’m still trying to change…I’m not planning on staying lonely forever. My way of bonding with people is through trust and care. Since the time I met Naruto Uzumaki, I decided that I want to have a family as big as my village. Well, that’s the reality about me and I’m sure Kirisuto will find it out sooner or later and her feelings towards me will change.” He explained calmly since he had solved the issue in his mind and didn’t feel puzzled anymore. “But her current negative feelings are really concerning. You said that her desires well up and turn to dark chakra, right? Both as kazekage and as a jinchuriki it’s my duty to help her maintain her balance.” He added. “Going out with a girl from a foreign country so suddenly…I can’t afford that in my position. But, if it’s for the sake of the village and keeping peace…we can go out without letting anyone find out about our intention. I can take her on a secret date only as emotional support. If you think it can help her tell me…what exactly does she expect from a date?” He agreed to help with the dating plan casually but the real issue was that he had no idea about dates. He knew it means taking a girl out to have fun in most cases but he couldn’t take her shopping or to a café like what he had seen couples do. The question was in the true meaning of date and not something that everyone could see on the surface. Gaara remembered Kiri promising him a training date and wondered if that could be counted as a date too.

 

[enzerubebii]

Susami nods and makes some cringe "Shes sheltered.. like... very sheltered...Shes a teagirl geisha yes and a talented entertainer and ninja when on an assignment but on the topic of boys that hit on her its always Luna that delt with them cause someone got to anxious and fainted the moment a guy try. she was always on teas and dancing.And yes thats why i dragged you away,she was trying to be brave and hit on you and it was just so sad to watch.. and the fact she has to keep balance with me.. " She sighs and looked at him when he asked what she expects. "She expected somthing she was hidden from. normal things.. unlike regular ninjas on the mainland geisha ninjas have NO RIGHTS to dating unless arranged by the father the moon children only have two paths.. men become the soldiers...and unless said otherwise...besides being soldiers themselves...kiris fate was to only marry and be someones factory.. now thats shes free she wants to experience things she was hidden from. Get what im explaining now? Or do i have to be as sharp as my manicure?"

 

[MJ ._.]

“Hidden things…? How am I supposed to know?! Do you think I have been dating girls in past?” Gaara was about to feel frustrated. He had spent his life fighting against enemies from outside, assassins from inside the village, his father from his family, and Shukaku from inside his heart. He always had been a lonely soldier on those battlefields and after years of putting up effort, he had succeeded to have comrades to help him in his fights for everyone and for himself. He knew two groups of girls; commoners and konoichi. The first group he had to keep away from war and the latter were his comrades and he still had to support. The same went with guys so he looked at everyone with the same eye. Now, this little lump of chakra expected him to know about what a specific girl from a faraway land might have wanted. He sighed and gave up. He had no way but to have Susami mince it for him. “Kirisuto san is different from girls who live in Sunagakure. I can’t imagine what she might have wanted that has been taken from her. You expect too much from me. Isn’t it better if I ask her directly? One or two hours hanging out shouldn’t be too complicated.” He said.

 

[enzerubebii]

After a while she was out on the road with them and humming tunes or playfully bossing Lan about when people walked passed them to ham up the act so they had an alibi and word of mouth went about that 'a famous geisha' was coming to the hot springs. she glanced at them giving a 'im sorry im just trying to sell it' look to Lan. "Servant.. you did make sure AHEAD of time that i was in the private suites correct? I dont want my kimonos stolen like last time." she said as more people passed whispering and spreading the news. She was trying so HARD not to say Lan by his name. She felt terrible calling him servant but she had to hold it in. For the mission.

 

[MJ ._.]

“I’m sorry for the last time, ma’am. I made a mistake when I thought luxury inns are not crowded and always have an empty room. But this time I’ve booked a pair of rooms in advance. Only for your comfort, ma’am.” Lan replied with the flattery that maybe Kiri had only seen Sora performing in Gaara’s presence. He unexpectedly was a good actor; looking at her with humble but praising eyes. He moved the box fastened on his back like a tired porter and looked up ahead. “We are almost there. Is the facade of the teahouse to your liking, ma’am? They say it’s the traditional architecture of this area.” He announced as he saw the three-story building of the teahouse. Their entering and going up to their rooms went smoothly. Someone had booked two rooms for them. First, they went to Kiri's room and put her belongings there and then to Lan’s room to leave the other stuff. “I checked the rooms in this flat and made sure that sensei was right; these two rooms are far enough from others’ and no one can hear us here.” He told Kiri in a whisper. “I’m not familiar with this kind of task…as you already know; you have the lead. What’s your next step from here? Should I go down and reserve a time for your performance?” He asked.

 

[enzerubebii]

Kiri sighed in relief when he said it was far enough for her to talk normally and she looked at them "Okay so heres my plan.. Normally when im after targets Luna would scan the area.. and when she finds someone she would give me hints.. if they were at the bar she would give them a bit more attention at said bar or, if at a table she would circle the table twice. Just acting like she was new and making sure she was doing her job right. When i saw her circle twice or pay more attention to a customer i prey in on them and give them attention to where they want a VIP treatment and we can be alone with em... we just need to know the timeframe of when to lure the fly to the honey.."

 

[MJ ._.]

"That would be a little hard to do here. Because we are not going to interrogate one person but need to search for info about a missing person." Lan said as scratched the back of his head. "That person has been here to sell medicine so if we pretend that we need that maybe someone is going to talk about him?" He suggested. "For example...if I play sick in public..." He began pondering about his plan. "What about... you sing for them tonight? I'll put up posters and let everyone know about it and when you're performing I'm going to interrupt you with coughing then you can ask them for some immediate medicine. Do you think we can pull it?" He asked with doubt then moved closer to the window and looked out. "Oh...I see a yellow flower down there that wasn't there before. This must be Tani's sign for us. She has left a yellow flower at the root of one of the trees in front of our window. This means she knows we are here and she is hiding in the garden." He reported what he saw before turning his back at the window and facing Kiri. "I guess my plan is dumb. Who cares if a servant doesn't feel well? They probably will just kick me out of the inn...unless I'm the singer who has brought them a profit? Maybe...just maybe if you perform normally tonight and show them how they need you and then act sick tomorrow...they'll probably do whatever they can to bring you some medicine, right?" He changed his plan in a minute and asked her opinion again.

 

[enzerubebii]

kiri thought about it and nodded "I think i know a song to work this out... but i have to warn ya its a bit potent...like 'there might be a line' pottant.So im gonna have to beg you and your friends to fight it with alll your might. This song will go according to the plan yes.. it just has some SLIGHT side effects." Then susami began giggling "OOOOH YOU MEAN THAT SONG?" Susami said excited and kiri nods. "Yes susami...that one... Its time for operation succubus.." Her left eye glowed blue and both of them said at the same time "This is gonna be fun..." then she snapped out of it and smiled sweetly. "Also don't worry about sneaking out" She takes a doll and then a needle. "Stay still please.." she pricked his finger and the blood dripped onto the doll. "Now focus your chakra on the doll like your making a clone."

 

[MJ ._.]

"Potent...sorry, I don't know what it means but I trust your skills so if you say it's gonna work them I'm going to support you. Only tell me what we are going to fight against and what side effects we will face." Lan replied. He hoped that she was okay after seeing her eye changing color since he didn't remember seeing it before. He let her take his blood for the doll while still was in awe with her enthusiasm for the operation. Something was off with her that he couldn't name. "This doll is going to be my clone? What special attributes does it have?" He asked curiously as held the doll and tried to share his chakra with it.

 

[enzerubebii]

"Oh the one i dripped blood of you on is like a normal clone but it needs a small drop of blood and chakra to activate. watch.." She drips one on another and uses her chakra and makes a clone of herself and they make a small dance. then it poofed back to a normal one "I do have more...explosive dolls but...i only use those in emergency reasons." She said looking at the black silk bag. "So use that deliver the message and it will poof into a doll. Simple and easy If you know how to use a clone you will know the dolls fast." Then she pulled up her kimonos "Now what to choose..."