Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stains of the Heart ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four

 

“I still don't know how you managed it,” she frowned.

 

“Managed what?” Naruto asked, blinking in confusion.

 

“To get the Kazekage to come with us,” she said. “All I did was say I have no money.” She frowned, her eyes narrowing in thought. “At least, I have no money anymore, not since I lost it.”

 

“You lost it?”

 

“Yes, I've traveled a lot since I was kicked out of my Clan.” She smiled, tilting her head back to see the sky. “Temari decided to help me because I fainted in their path as they were coming to Konohagakure, you know. Before then, I'd gotten into a little mishap with some other shinobi, I believe they were from this Otogakure place, but perhaps they were not, it was quite dark out. I am never one to stop simply because I have gotten blood on my clothes, so I did not notice that I was covered, nor did I really care afterward. I was looking for a stream to clean up at when I sensed their presence and stepped onto the path, and then, I woke up and Temari was standing next to me.”

 

The voice in her head snickered. “Lair, lair, lair. Such a good little lair you are, girl. Perhaps you should next tell him that you enjoyed ripping their bodies to pieces, and that you know jutsus that are called forbidden for a reason.”

 

“I see,” Naruto smiled. “But, Gaara's my friend. Besides, I want ramen, and you've never had ramen! We need ramen!”

 

Her lips tilted slightly, “You sound obsessed.”

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“Hm, strange.” Her eyes clouded over. Her voice lowered, “I am obsessed, too.”

 

Naruto blinked, “Huh?”

 

“Oh, nothing!” Kagome smiled, before turning her eyes toward the person walking slightly to her right. “Now, Gaara-sama, why are you so silent?”

 

He turned toward her, his eyes bored. Inside was a different story. He was amused with the fact that she was trying to engage him in conversation, but another part of him was thinking of something else. She had just said she was obsessed, even if Naruto hadn't been paying attention. What was she obsessed with? He would not admit it, but he did remember her mumbled `blood' in her sleep the night he'd watched her, having nothing else to do. Was she obsessed with blood? Or was she obsessed with something else?

 

You just seem to become more and more intriguing with each moment, don't you, woman? Gaara thought, continuing to stare at her. Her expression was confused, though he could see the slight color staining her cheeks, and knew that she was slightly nervous and perhaps embarrassed by his intense stare. It was surprising that she had not looked away, though, for most would have by now—especially women. Yet, she continued to hold his gaze, her eyes hiding something that he couldn't quite find, and he wondered what it was.

 

He'd gotten very good at reading people's eyes when he was younger. He could tell hers without even having to try. Her eyes were guarded, trying to block him out, yet he saw through the cracks that she gave away. He saw the conflict, and he saw hidden lust, but he saw a determination to show others something important. Beneath that there was more, the eyes of someone who'd seen too much in their life for one person to handle without losing a piece of sanity. There was a strong fire that burned, and all these things seemed to melt together into one. It was strange, like she was two or three different people in one body, yet she was not. Those eyes, though, told a different story.

 

“You know, it gets kind of weird with you two staring at each other like that after a while,” Naruto grumbled. “You sure you haven't met before, cause you've both got the silent act down to an art?”

 

Kagome shook her head, her eyes having been staring at Gaara's hair. Her heart was pounding, though she doubted either of them could hear it, no matter how loudly it pounded against her chest. Blood… blood… She shook her head once more, her breathing coming out faster. “Did you say something, Naruto?” she asked, standing straighter. She tried to make her voice sound normal, but she knew there was a slightly dark strain behind it, the strain that always entered her voice whenever her mind went down that path.

 

The voice inside her head turned smug, the image of red eyes once more flashing in her mind. “No matter how much you try, you'll never get away from it, little girl.” Blinking it away, she caught sight of a row of fangs, and wondered why she continued to see these things? Why she saw things, when the voice was nothing more than a voice? Then again, she'd always found herself saying one moment that it was simply a voice, and then the next saying it was apart of her. Maybe she'd truly lost it? “I am apart of you, and sooner or later you'll lose control. Then, I'll be in control and they will all die.”

 

Naruto frowned. “You two are weird,” he stated.

 

Kagome snorted, turning her head away. “Makes one wonder why we're associated with you. If we're weird, then you're way off the scale, pervert,” she growled.

 

Naruto huffed, “Stop calling me that!”

 

“Well, its true, pervert.”

 

“WHAT!?!” Naruto whined. “I'm nothing like Ero-Sennin!”

 

Turning her head so that she was staring down the path, villagers lining the entire way, she decided to ignore him. The voice in her head became irritated almost each time Naruto spoke, it wanted her to stab him in the back, rather than allow him to live a moment longer. The voice in her head began to whisper at her once more, softly influencing her actions, though she tried to stop it. Her gaze caught sight of red, and once more her eyes drifted up to Gaara's hair, noticing that it was just the right color. Her hand unconsciously came up and started playing with the strand of her own blood red locks, and smirked at the thought.

 

Memories of the past began to flood her mind, her body beginning to walk with more confidence as she thought about it. Blood flew across her vision, her eyes turning arrogant as she went through each memory. The red liquid flew into the air, as she once again experienced herself ripping her weapon through the shoulder of one of her Clan members. Her fingers twisted harder on her hair, her hands wishing to once again make the seals, to see the shock on their faces as they realized she was going to kill them, all of them. Her eyes hardened, drifting away from the hair of the Kazekage, even though he was staring right at her, and sought out anyone that could be her prey for the moment. Anyone that could satisfy the feeling once again bubbling underneath her flesh, though she had been sure she'd satisfied it before.

 

“Hey,” Naruto said, once again waving his hand in front of her face. “Are you going to pay attention to me, or what?”

 

“What?” she snapped.

 

Naruto flinched, “You don't have to yell, you know.”

 

“Well, then don't get in my face,” she snarled. Her eyes hardened more, her hand pulling at her hair in order to stop herself from lashing out at the man beside her. She shot him a glare, and then turned back to the road in front of her, beginning to walk. “Annoying brat.”

 

Naruto blinked in confusion, turning to look at Gaara, as the Kazekage stared after Kagome. “What's her problem? Did I say something wrong, or what?” he asked, knowing that Gaara would have most likely caught whatever it was that he did wrong. He knew that though Gaara might have seemed like he was bored and uninterested that he was paying attention most of the time.

 

He heard a chuckle inside his head, and huffed at the fact that now Kyuubi wanted to pay attention to anything that was happening. The fox had become silent since a few days ago, saying something about a bloodlust filling the air, coming toward the village and that he should be ready. Now, the fox merely laughed at him whenever he tried to say anything, mentioning dogs and forests far away. He was seriously starting to think that Kyuubi had finally cracked.

 

“Hm.”

 

Naruto frowned, “That's not helpful, Gaara.”

 

Gaara shook his head. “You're supposed to be following her, Naruto. Perhaps you should try doing your job, instead of allowing her to do whatever she wishes. Her weapons might have been taken from her, but she could still be dangerous.”

 

“But she seemed so nice earlier,” Naruto said, watching as Gaara began walking after her. He jogged toward him in order to catch up, watching the woman as she continued forward, looking back and forth.

 

“People are not always as they seem,” Gaara reminded him.

 

“I know that,” Naruto argued. “But she seemed sincere. She looked as if she was actually telling the truth, and now, she's like this. Why… I don't understand?”

 

Gaara shook his head, watching her as she continued forward. She'd pulled out the water bottle that Tsunade had given to her, saying that it was one of the only items she was going to receive until she proved herself. She opened it and tilted her head back, allowing the red liquid to enter her mouth, and he narrowed his eyes at the strange smell. Whatever it was, it was meant to quench some type of need, it was so strong—he had to assume that it was made to be stronger than whatever it was that she really wanted, and thus quenched her thirst for a short time.

 

She turned toward them, frowned, and then crossed her arms waiting for them. Wondering why she had suddenly stopped, he noticed that she'd also relaxed some. His eyes narrowed, thinking that perhaps whenever her need came upon her she changed. Much like he used to whenever he needed to kill a powerful opponent. She changed, but when her need was quenched, she'd revert to a somewhat kind person who'd easily fit in with others. Yes, she was more dangerous than she truly seemed, and she'd need to be watched.

 

Naruto huffed, glaring at the ground. He wasn't sure he wanted to do this job anymore; especially not now that Kyuubi was silently mocking him from his prison. Besides, Gaara seemed interested enough, which was quite something, so he could do it if he really wanted to. And Gaara was the silent type; he'd easily be able to follow her around without her knowing he was. Plus, his eyes lost a bit of their normal glow; she'd sounded somewhat like Sakura when she'd snapped at him, calling him a `brat'. Sakura…

 

“Hey, dobe.”

 

Naruto lifted his head, coming to a stop, and turned to look at the man who'd suddenly appeared beside him. His eyes filled a little with happiness, glad to see his friend. “Sasuke-teme,” he greeted, smiling once more, though there was a slight growl in his voice.

 

Sasuke scowled, “What are you doing? You're making enough noise to tell everyone in the village that you're in need of attention.”

 

Naruto growled fully. “I'm not in need of attention, Sasuke-teme.”

 

“Yeah, then what would you call it then?” Sasuke smirked.

 

“Whatever,” Naruto said darkly. “Besides, I don't have time for you, I'm on a mission!”

 

“A mission?” Sasuke frowned. “You're doing a lousy job then.”

 

“Am not!”

 

Sasuke shook his head. “What is this mission, anyway?”

 

Naruto grabbed him by the sleeve, and pointed toward where Gaara had walked off. The Kazekage had finally stopped and the standing next to Kagome, while the woman stared up at him, being shorter in size. Her eyes darkened and he wondered what exactly she was thinking about while she stared at his friend. “See that woman with Gaara?”

 

“What about her?” Sasuke lifted an eyebrow, his eyes taking on a suspicious gleam at the fact that the woman stood so casually next to the Kazekage. Gaara seemed to be talking to her, though his lips did not move much, as she spoke. He almost wished he could hear what they were talking about, since it wasn't everyday that Gaara spent time around a woman, especially not one that seemed to like to talk. And especially not when most of the women simply wanted him for his looks or the fact that he was high in power. They were pitiful, even if they didn't know it, but she acted differently than those women. He didn't even need the Sharingan to notice that from the distance.

 

“She's my mission,” Naruto smirked. “Gaara and his siblings brought her here because she fainted in front of them or something like that, and she was covered in blood. Tsunade-baa-chan wants me to watch her until she can prove that she's not going to harm the village.”

 

“So,” Sasuke frowned, “you get to watch over a woman?”

 

“Yup,” Naruto replied.

 

“Hm. Tell me when she slits your throat, ok?” Sasuke said, his lips tilting slightly as his friend bristled.

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” Naruto nearly yelled.

 

“I want to see how long it takes before she decides she can't stand you anymore. Really, Tsunade-sama must be really losing it if she wants you to watch over a possibly dangerous woman.” Sasuke's lips turned downward, mentally shaking himself at the fact that he was thinking of that again. Once again thinking of it and blaming himself for being the reason why Naruto no longer had the woman he loved by his side.

 

Naruto turned away from him, thinking about stomping away from his old friend. “Yeah, well, you just watch, Sasuke-teme. I'll do the mission, survive, and then rub it in your face that I got to spend my time with a pretty woman who doesn't throw herself at me at every chance she can get,” he smirked. He loved to tease Sasuke about the fact that the women of the village still did that, and was right to say so when the Uchiha shuddered a little. “Besides, I also got Tsunade-baa-chan to agree to allow Kakashi-sensei to watch over my apartment until the mission is over.”

 

“He gets to watch over that dump?”

 

“Yup,” Naruto grinned. “Clean it, too.”

 

Sasuke snorted, “Fun.”

 

OoO

 

“Who is that?” she asked.

 

Gaara remained silent, turning his eyes to look at where she was looking. Apparently Naruto was speaking to Sasuke, once again ignoring the fact that he had a mission to do. Frowning at that fact, wondering if he was going to be able to get any information on this strange woman without following her himself, he asked himself why he didn't allow Tsunade to allow Sasuke to watch Kagome. At least the Uchiha would have been able to do his job and stick to it, instead of getting distracted by things around him.

 

“Are you going to answer me or stand there all day?” she asked, returning her eyes to him. She watched as once again his eyes narrowed a bit, but she knew it was only in annoyance. Scowling a little, she turned her head so that she was staring off into the distance. “So…” she frowned, “where's Temari been lately?”

 

“It hasn't been more than a day,” he stated.

 

“So? It's a simple question, can't you find an answer to it?”

 

“Temari is most likely with Kankurou,” he said. “Or with one of the village kunoichi that might have drug her off somewhere.”

 

“I see,” she said. Friends.

 

“Yes, girl. Friends; something you no longer have.” Once again the voice in her head laughed. “You killed them, remember?”

 

They weren't my friends, she responded. They did not even have the right to be called such. I have no friends and I have no need of such.

 

“Yet you want something, don't you? You seem to be getting along quite well with the former vessel of Shukaku. Perhaps you're finally thinking more of your human bodily needs. Mating, I believe,” it replied.

 

You're obviously delusional. She wasn't surprised when she did not get a response. The voice seemed to have decided to ignore her and she was happy for that. She was beginning to once again regain control over her obsession, stopping herself from going out of control and killing a lot of innocent people. She had nearly lost control when she'd started ignoring Naruto, thinking of things that she needed to lock up. Allowing those things to wander around inside her head meant that she'd do something she didn't want to do, at least not until she knew she needed it once more.

 

“You seem upset with that,” he said.

 

She shook her head, once again returning to her pleasant state. “No, not at all. I merely wished to know where the one who actually was and most likely still is concerned with my health was, nothing more. I am used to moving constantly, remaining unattached to anything and everything around me.”

 

Gaara nodded slightly. He understood that. If a person was not attached to anything, then they had no reason to be guilty when they left; nor did they have a reason to stay. He'd often thought that it was best to remain unattached to everything, to simply trust in himself and nothing else, but then he'd become friends with Naruto. The man had taught him the reason as to why it was good to have friends, but he still thought sometimes that it would have been better if he had never become friends with him, or any of them.

 

OoO

 

“So, where do we get this `ramen' you spoke so fondly of?”

 

“Oh, you're talking to me now, are you?” Naruto asked.

 

She blushed a little, “I'm sorry I snapped at you, I'm just not used to having others bring me out of memories, that's all.” She turned her attention toward the Kazekage at her other side, and then continued. “I'm not used to having many people around me, either. I guess that along with the noise probably caused my rise in temper.”

 

Naruto stuck his nose into the air, “That doesn't change the fact that you yelled at me.”

 

“I didn't raise my voice,” she frowned. “If you believe I did, then perhaps you need your ears checked.” Her frown quickly turned into a small smirk, her blush fading from her cheeks. “Especially before you go on another important mission, since I believe you might get yourself killed with hearing like yours.”

 

“Why's that?”

 

“You might mistake your own allies for your opponents, and then,” her eyes took on a darker glaze, “you'll have their blood on their hands.”

 

Once again he turned his attention toward her, wondering what it was about her that sparked his interest. She spoke so softly whenever she spoke of death and blood and things that most wished to avoid speaking of. She spoke as if it was something natural in her life and she needed to embrace it in order to move forward on her chosen path. Gaara frowned, turning his head away as he thought about it. This was certainly not like him. He'd only agreed to loan Naruto money and join them simply because of her, but he couldn't figure out why he'd done that. She was just a woman, possibly an insane woman, but a woman nonetheless.

 

His frown deepened, wondering why she was so intriguing. He'd wanted to ignore her completely when she'd stumbled upon them, yet after that night of watching her, wondering at the reason why she gave him that strange uneasy feeling; something had become interested in her. Perhaps it was due to the demon influence he'd had until Shukaku was extracted from him, or perhaps it was because he spent too much time around Naruto, giving him a sense of curiosity. Whatever the reason, it was beginning to become annoying, even if it was pushed down each time something new was presented by her.

 

Naruto scowled, “I wouldn't do that.”

 

She continued to talk casually, her hands coming up to lock behind her back. “You never know.” Her eyes darkened a bit more, “People can expect you to do one thing in life and you will do another. People can want you to do something, make a fool of yourself in order to get rid of you, but then you will prove to them that you belong. People around you can do many things, but it's the things you do that determine how they react to you. Even so, you can end up making a mistake and then they'll still try to get rid of you.”

 

“Is that what happened to you?” Naruto asked. “Is that why you were kicked out of your Clan? You did something that they didn't like, even after you proved to them that you belonged with them?”

 

“You ask too many questions, Naruto,” she frowned. “Perhaps you should try to learn and control your mouth once in a while. Don't you understand that I'm not allowed to speak of them?”

 

“Yeah, I understand that, but—”

 

She glared at him, once again feeling the influence of the voice inside her head coming to life. “No, there are no buts, Naruto,” she hissed lightly. Her lip once again rose in a snarl, “Perhaps you should merely follow me like a shadow if you cannot figure out what exactly `not allowed' means. I'm sure I can find something in my free time in order to feed myself, instead of mooching off the Kazekage. No offence, Gaara-sama.”

 

“Yeah, maybe I will,” Naruto growled. He glared back at her, watching as her eyes hardened and she snorted in his face. Feeling the amusement of Kyuubi fluttering inside his mind, he growled again, wondering why the damn fox was enjoying this. He didn't think he'd ever get women, since first they were nice to him and then they were rude and then they wanted nothing to do with him, before reverting back to the first one.

 

“The fox needs to learn his place,” she heard.

 

That he does, she agreed. She didn't understand why she agreed, but she felt that in some way this `fox' had done something that caused something that she couldn't remember. Or maybe it was just the voice getting to her once again, she didn't know.

 

“Then why don't you do it, instead of standing there acting like you might?” she asked, trying to make him angry. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her all of a sudden, since she was usually nice with people until her need came upon her. There was something about the man who'd been chosen to watch her that she didn't like, though. Something that caused a silent fury to bubble underneath her body, and she pondered upon it for a little while. She knew she'd need to do something about it, unless she wanted to end up giving herself away, which meant she'd need to figure out what was wrong and right it with Naruto, or everything would go downhill.

 

Not that that wouldn't have its benefits, though. Once more she'd be able to fill herself, even if it was earlier than she would have anticipated. Still, she needed to learn how to control herself, no matter how many measures she needed to go to in order to achieve it. Which meant she might need to avoid this `fox' at any cost, and she'd do it if she had to. She, after all, was known for surprising her opponents, and she was sure she could outsmart this man.

 

He watched her interaction with Naruto, determining whether he needed to speak with Tsunade in order to have Naruto taken off the mission and someone else put in his place. He noted that she seemed to try and be polite to his friend, but she couldn't seem to keep that politeness for very long, almost instantly turning upon him, lashing out with words. There had to be a reason as to why she was acting this way, unless there was more to the slight twitching of her eyebrow and her lifted lip. Perhaps she truly was insane, or controlled in some way, and meant to try and obtain the vessel of Kyuubi for Akatsuki, or perhaps Sasuke for Orochimaru. It would certainly explain why she singled out Naruto and instantly went after him, knowing that in both cases he had been a large reason as to why their plans had failed, whether it was to capture Kyuubi or Sasuke.

 

“Fine, I'll do it then!” Naruto snapped, his glare becoming a bit harder. Turning away, he turned his head in order to once again shoot her a glare, and then leapt from the ground, taking to the roofs of the buildings, his thirst for ramen forgotten. Taking to the shadows, he decided to watch her the way that most would, not wishing to get close to their mission. He noticed, though, that Gaara only shook his head and jerked his head toward the ramen shop, leading her toward it.

 

His stomach growled, reminding him the exact moment that they walked inside that he was hungry. Pouting from his lookout, he cursed himself for allowing her words to get to him before he'd gotten his food. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his frog shaped wallet and opened it to find that though he'd wished for money, it didn't appear in his wallet. Tears filled his eyes, while he sank to a sitting position, wondering just what type of ramen they were eating at that moment. He hoped it was beef, or shrimp, or miso, because he might be able to smell it and imagine himself eating it, thus satisfying his hunger for a while. At least until he could get someone else to give him some money, or got time from his current mission to return to his apartment for his instant ramen.