[13]
Gaara
Two days had passed.
Now Gaara stood alone on the edge of town just shy of the bathhouse and sakura garden in the Land of Tea. He'd left Utsuri Nikko only after checking each and every villager. She'd been preoccupied with setting up her stall at the time and most likely hadn't even realized the boy left.
Naruto Uzamaki was who he waited for; needing to talk to the fox holder desperately. Gaara had too much awake time to think on his actions, his decisions, his...inadequacy. If only Nikko wasn't so kind to him, he reasoned. She had spurred his infatuation until it became insurmountable.
From their encounter of the intimate kind he'd been horrified by what his hands had done. Even today as he shut his eyes in recollection he could hear her screaming, see the blood matting her backside as his madness took over.
Gaara loathed himself.
Which is why he needed to stop dreaming, stop wanting for the girl--she deserved better.
His tanuki eyes watched as Naruto approached, lazily striding over until standing before him. At once Gaara fell to the ground and hid his shameful face. "Uzamaki Naruto...! I beg of you, please watch over Utsuri Nikko."
There was a silence. A slight pause in the air before he heard a response: "Sure. You bet."
His head lifted and displayed the anguish he felt inside. Naruto's blue eyes grew serious as his blonde brows lowered. "Hey...what gives, anyway? You called me all the way out here for that? What's up, Gaara-kun?"
Gaara fisted the dirt and grimaced. "I have done something unforgivable. I...wish to atone for my crimes. She..deserves more than this beast can offer."
"Her? You mean Nikko-chan? What, did you two fight or something?"
Naruto was clueless. So utterly clueless to the awful deeds of the one tailed Jinchuriki. Gaara almost laughed out loud, wishing that was all that he'd done. Instead, he bluntly told him. "I raped her."
"W-Wha--?! No way! You're lying!" Naruto grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him up to glare Gaara in his face. "Tell me you didn't, Gaara-kun!"
"..."
"Damn you! What the hell were you thinking?" Naruto rose his fist.
He shut his eyes and welcomed the blow that never came. When nothing happened he saw sympathy in Naruto's blue eyes. His friend pulled him to his chest and said, "...I'd beat the hell out of you but I think you're doing enough of that on your own. What did Nikko-chan say?"
"She...accepted what happened."
Naruto shook his head. "If Nikko-chan forgave you then I guess I will too. But if it ever happens again, I'll beat the shit out of you!"
Gaara wanted to cry in relief. His only friend in the entire world didn't hate him. "Uzamaki Naruto..." He murmured.
They parted and stood up to collect their emotions. Naruto put his hands on his hips and looked off. "You want me to protect her? You know I'm heading back home after the race right?"
"...She will go with you back to Konohagakure."
"EH?"
Gaara dusted off his outfit and explained the situation as best as he could. When he was finished Naruto nodded repeatedly. "Hm, hm. I get it now. If Kakashi-sensei thinks it okay, then I guess I have no choice. But...you know I leave a lot. So like, what is she gonna do when I'm gone?"
"I will leave that for you to decide. So long as she's safe it doesn't really matter."
"Argh, aw man! I hate making decisions!" He then stopped and realized something. "Say, why do you want me to watch her anyway?"
That was an easy question. Gaara looked up at the sunshine above and answered: "Once, I was all alone in this world. You alone showed me a different way. If there is anyone who would protect Utsuri Nikko at all costs it is you, Uzamaki Naruto."
The nine tails Jinchuriki reddened. "G-Gee...when you put it like that I sound pretty badass! Not bad not bad, I'll take it. Alright then! I'll do it! Consider her snug as a bug in a rug!"
Gaara blinked at the phrase and went on to say, "Uchiha Sasuke...has his sights set on her."
Naruto's expression darkened. "Yeah tell me about it. He's been acting real weird here lately, even for him. Ah, whatever man! I'll make sure he doesn't lay a hand on her! Believe it!"
A loud cheer drew their attention towards the street. It was filling with people all gearing up the upcoming race, set to begin at any time. Naruto jolted and exclaimed, "Ah! I gotta go or I'll be late! I'll catch you later Gaara-kun!" He sprinted off with a trail of dust.
Gaara stood with a resigned sigh, wind whipping his shawl wildly. His part in Utsuri Nikko's life was over for now. It was time.
Time to return to Sunagakure.
Nikko
"Idate-kun, are you excited?"
Morino Idate was fit as a fiddle again and grinned cheekily at Nikko's question. He had been spending the entirety of his two days training to improve his already inhuman speed. Nikko hadn't had much time to speak with him, let alone be by herself to do so. She was busy readying her stall. All around her was the townsfolk also putting out their goods to sell. The Fukashima tea shop was relying on what Nikko could advertise. As such, her boss Shizuka had given the girl the best tea, best blends, best cups, and best kimono.
Her usual purple kimono was put away in lieu of leaving for Sunagakure. Instead of that, she boasted a red kimono with bright water lilies graduating down the sleeves and bottom. It ended at her mid thigh and exposed Nikko's slim, creamy legs.
"I'm going to make Jirocho-san proud!" Idate exclaimed eagerly. His chocolate eyes shone with one who'd arose to face a challenge.
"You'll win Idate-kun. I believe in you." Nikko smiled and put her hand over his, which rest on the stalls registry counter. Idate softened and leaned forward to move a stray green lock from her forehead. "Nikko-chan...when this is all over...let's meet. Alone. By the docks."
Her heart sped up at those words but the girl nodded shyly. "Yes! T-Tonight, then. After everyone's gone to bed."
They shared a secretive grin.
A bright orange jumpsuit caught her attention amongst the throng of people; Uzamaki Naruto was walking over with a thoughtful expression. He stopped at the stall and gave Nikko a look she couldn't decipher. Then the boy spoke to his mission objective: "Hey shouldn't you be up there or something? They're gonna start soon."
Idate clucked his tongue. "They won't begin without me. Anyway, I'll catch you later beautiful." He winked at Nikko playfully and parted ways.
The girl put a hand to her chest, thinking. Idate-kun, I love you so much but...Gaara...
"So how are things? Looks like you've been pretty busy," Naruto interrupted.
Nikko gestured around her stall laid out with goods. "Yup! I can't wait to make Shizuka-san famous!"
The teen looked over Nikko's various mixtures with a scrunched nose. "Never seen so many kinds of tea before. Jeez, what are all these? Hmm...this ones says passionflower." He read the names of every satchal before finishing with, "So anyway...you and Gaara-kun..."
"E-Eh? W-Why are we talking a-about him?"
"Meh, I dunno. Seems like you two are pretty close now." Naruto watched her face carefully.
Nikko's eyes dropped sadly to the dirt. Gaara hadn't been around much since that night, since taking her virginity. It wasn't that Nikko was okay with what happened, really. She just understood that he hadn't been himself. That was all. The Jinchuriki had kept a safe distance from her as if she carried a plague. It hurt her heart to know he was blaming himself. Even at night the boy kept watch from the balcony, never entering her room again.
The girl sighed and busied herself with arranging fancy tea cups on their matching saucers. The task did little to relieve her worries. Though she was no longer a virgin the girl didn't very much care about that--she would prefer Gaara to be his usual, kind self. He'd barely spoken to her and even then only when questioned. As such, Nikko felt a mixture of frustration and sadness. "I...thought we were getting to know one another. But I guess there's so much that I don't know.."
Naruto didn't get a chance to reply because Sakura appeared and shouted: "Hey! Get your sorry butt up here! Did you forget our mission?!" She grabbed his arm and drug him away.
***
The hours passed by in a blur of activity and business. Nikko did her best to showcase what Fukashima had to offer, always using her skills to do so. As a result she'd attracted a number of adults who were there for the tea race. "My, how beautiful! She's like an angel," one lady had said. Nikko poured her a cup of oolong tea and smiled. "You're too kind. This is our finest oolong. I hope you enjoy!"
More and more customers flocked over to see the beautiful Utsuri Nikko and her elegant mannerisms. The girl was growing flustered from all the attention but did her best to keep up. Fukashima Tea Shop would be booming for sure, she hoped.
Finally the day neared and end, and with it most of the villagers. Nikko took a gander at her stall and gave a long, tired sigh. "Finally it's done. I'm beat!"
Aponi darted around her head. "Hime-sama did amazing! But what will you do now that you must leave to Sunagakure?"
Nikko sat down at her stool and laid her head down on the counter. She didn't want to leave the Land of Tea. It had been the place she'd felt most at home. Since coming there the girl had found love, perhaps even her 'one true love.' But what would become of Nikko once she left? She didn't know and that was worrisome. But maybe... "Aponi..I'm going to do it!"
"What, Hime-sama?"
"I'm going to elope!" She slammed her fist on the counter in affirmation. "It's the only way! I'll--I'll marry Idate-kun, and be done with all the curse crap!"
"But Hime-sama....what if he isn't your true love? Then it will be for nothing." Aponi said. One butterfly flit to her nose.
"You know, you never did explain how I'd know if I'd found my true love. How am I supposed to know when the curse is broken?" She asked.
"That's easy! I'll disappear forever!"
"Oh...well, that's kinda sad." Nikko frowned. "Where will you go? The after life?"
"Aponi will return to Ichikashima-no-mikoto and be at peace! Do not worry for us!"
"If you say so."
***
Nikko began to load everything up in boxes to pack back into the tea shop. The suns rays had faded, and she guessed the race had to be over by now, surely. Yet nobody, not even Gaara had shown back up. Above her the once blue sky was clouded over, rain not too far off. Most of the shop owners had already packed and left for the day as their sales tallied up. Nikko had sold most of her wares and was grateful for the opportunity to help Shizuka.
She wrapped up fine china in brown paper and carefully set them inside a separate box from the remaining tea satchels. That's when she realized that the town's noise had faded completely and that she was in fact all alone now on the street. "Creepy," she remarked. Wind picked up the hanging wind chimes and their tune echoed hauntingly. Blue moonlight speckled everything like some old horror movie with too much static.
"Hime-sama! There's someone coming!" Aponi told her.
She rose from bending and saw a figure hidden in shadow, walking along the cobblestone at a slow pace. From the looks of it whomever it was had to be an adult. A long pointed object held to their side shown under the dull light: a samurai sword.
Nikko recognized the outline to be that of a swordsman. The tap tap of his wooden sandals confirmed it. "W-Who are you? You better not be battousai the manslayer!" She greeted half jokingly.
The shadow came under the pink light above her stall and revealed a handsome man of tall design. His skin was tanned, eyes of a deep red, with jet black hair came down in waves around his face to end just under his broad shoulders. Over all he was rather handsome in Nikko's book. She took in his outfit and it very much reminded her of Himura Kenshin with it's red and navy linen. The man even bore a scar on his cheek. How cliche, she thought.
"Batttousai...? Afraid not," his voice replied. A cold and malicious tone if she'd ever heard one. Alarm bells rang in her head, no, wait, it was Aponi instead. "Oh no! Hime-sama, run for it! That man has an evil look in his eye!"
Nikko gulped as a tremor shook her body. She meekly laughed and said, "C-Can I help you sir?"
"Yes...I'm looking for Utsuri Nikko." He grinned and she could see even his smile held darkness.
"Never heard of her!"
"Is that so? From what I've been told, she had hair the same shade of yours." He casually put a hand on the hilt of his katana and tilted his head, "Funny huh."
"M-My hair w-was dyed! My real color is blonde!" She lied.
His garnet gaze narrowed reproachfully. "Is that a fact?"
Nikko took a quick glance around her and gulped again. She had to think of a way to escape before he became her bad ending. The girl sensed he wasn't there for hair tips. She glanced down at the last tea cup yet to be put in it's box. It was broken earlier when a young boy bumped into it in passing.
An idea formed.
"Yes, it's all the rage to have green hair. Isn't it..beautiful?" She asked, motioning to it so as to distract his eyes. He chuckled. "I suppose. Although I've saw enough green hair for awhile. How about we talk about something else instead. Word on the street is that you're the last of the Utsuri's..."
Sweat beaded on her brow. She had been right all along; he was there to be her next bad ending.
While the man had spoken, Nikko had utilized the broken shards and cut her thumb. She quickly glanced down and saw redness. Her next action was to offer the man some tea. "Since you've came all this way for nothing, I do have some matcha tea left. Care for a sip?" She bent below the counter, pretending to rummage through her boxes a moment. While bent she swiped the blood over her eyes and said to the killer, "My mistake, we're all out! Jikan Henko no jutsu!"
Nikko did the hand signs for her kekkai genkai and pushed as much chakra into it that she could spare. She felt the affects take place and rose to see the swordsman there, frozen in time.
She thought of killing him but didn't have the guts to do it. Not only that, but she didn't have any ninja tools or knives on her person. "Aponi, what do I do? Right now I'm safe but it won't be forever! Help!"
The monarch's glittered bright blue and dusted everything with their speckling shimmer. "Run, Hime-sama! Get away first, think of the rest later!"
So she ran.
Her sandals clapped on the cobblestone as Nikko sprinted off and into the forest, heading for the Land of Lakes. Her first idea was to hide in a boat somewhere but was heavily disappointed. The docks were void of any traffic; all had already boarded their passengers heading back to neighboring towns. She cursed her bad luck and spun around, trying to catch her breath. "Shit! They're all gone! Now what do I do?"
"The tree trunk! Go to it!" Aponi suggested.
"Of course!"
Nikko took off once more, her wooden sandal snapping on a fallen limb. She kicked it off and continued on and into the darkness of the forest. The girl didn't stop despite her lungs burning with ire, legs throbbing from lack of exercise. Her shallow breaths elevated the already roaring pulse in her ears. After several minutes of running she could feel the Time Altering Jutsu wearing down. Maybe minutes left, she guessed. She would need to release it at some point.
"There! Up there, Hime-sama!"
She grabbed the top of the tree and hoisted herself up and onto it, snagging the broken trunk only barely. Nikko cursesd and swiped again, this time managing to grab hold of the trunks edge before scrambling over it, scraping her chest in the process.
She ignored everything until huddled safely as far from the entrance as possible.
One big gulp after another, Nikko tried to exist as quietly as possible. The others will look here eventually, she guessed. Maybe. Hopefully. Mostly she wondered where Gaara was; wasn't he around and saw what happened? Nikko shook her head--Gaara would come for her. He wouldn't give up until his mission was complete.
Minutes turned into an hour. She heard rain begin to fall, thunder roaring every so often. Lightning lit up the night sky outside the trunk.
"Hime-sama, don't cry! It will be okay!" Aponi said.
Nikko swiped away tears of fear and sucked up snot. "...Okay. You're right Aponi. I won't be scared! Gaara will come!"
She'd not realized how much peace of mind being near Gaara had brought. Where was he, anyway? She hadn't seen him the entirety of the race. Nikko had assumed he'd been watching from somewhere using his sand eye but couldn't swear on it.
Even more time passed until Nikko relaxed and felt normal again. She'd chosen an excellent hiding spot and would have to thank Gaara profusely for showing her to it. At least, she thought that until lightning struck and lit up the trunk. A figure shone---and looked right at her.
She screamed bloody murder, "No! Don't! G-Go away!"
The shadow squinted at her.
It was none other than Naruto Uzamaki!
Nikko cried from relief. "Uzamaki-san! Hic...I thought you were-" She broke off in a sob. "YoU hAvE n-nO iDeA.."
He dropped down onto the log. "I figured you'd be here. So, what'd I miss?"
"There was...hic...the battousai..he was here to--to--"
"The whaaa? The heck is a battousai? Anyway, I'll take whoever on! Bring it!" Naruto grinned.
His confidence was catching and eased some of her worries. He tugged her by the sleeve and out of the trunk, stopping on it's edge. "C'mon."
"How did you know where I'd be? Where is everyone else?" She asked as they descended. The rain pelting them made it hard to hear, so her voice was louder than normal.
"Well....some things happened. Sasuke-kun got pretty hurt by that Aoi guy, and Sakura-chan went with him to the mansion.." he sighed, "and Kakashi-sensei left way earlier on some important mission."
"And...where is Gaara?"
"..."
"..."
The boy sighed. "Can't say, really. Probably not too far."
As they entered the familiar grounds of the town the two stopped to catch their breaths. Nikko peered through the mist and saw that her precious tea stall had been destroyed. Bits of glass laid everywhere. "No!" She ran to it and lifted box after box only to discover that those, too had been broken. "My...my tea cups!"
Naruto walked over shaking his head. "Man..what a mess. We'll get that guy, don't you worry Nikko-chan."
She nodded and stood.
Then remembered Idate. "I-Idate-kun! Uzamaki-san, he's in danger!"
"Eh?"
"W-We were going to meet by the docks! We have to hurry!" Nikko took off once more towards the docks, Naruto following and telling her to wait for him.
As she approached the wooden docks she saw a figure under an umbrella. It was Idate, and he ran over to the girl and brought her to his arms out of the pelting rain. She shivered violently. "I-Idate-kun! We have to go!" She grabbed his sleeves, "L-Let's elope!"
He pulled free. "Nikko-chan? A-Are you serious right now?"
"Yes! Let's run from here and get married!"
Idate chuckled and dropped his umbrella to embrace Nikko. He smoothed her wet locks away and said, "You're speaking like the old me. The one who was afraid to face...what I'd done. I'm a changed man Nikko-chan. Remember what I told you before? I..I'm not going to run! I'll protect you, as a man! This is our home now, remember?"
Her heart ripped. "No...! It's not like that! I-If we don't, then I'll really die, Idate-kun! You don't understand--!"
He shook his head and kissed her damp forehead. "Look where we are. This place is where I first saw you. A beautiful mermaid in the water...I...fell for you then, Nikko-chan. I never dreamed that we'd come so far."
Nikkos eyes watered. She remembered it very well, too well in fact.
Naruto appeared from nowhere with his kunai pulled, holding it in front of him defensively. He glanced to Nikko and Idate, saying, "Sorry to cut this short, but we're under attack! Stay behind me Nikko-chan! Idate-san, you take the rear!"
Idate did as ordered. Nikko found herself surrounded on the docks, Naruto's backside the only thing she could see through the rain. "Uzamaki-san, I can't use the Time Altering Jutsu right now," she told him, "I used too much chakra earlier to escape."
"Got it. Don't worry, I don't need that to beat this guy! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A line of Naruto's poofed into existence on the docks. They took off running and dispersed into the forest. The real Naruto watched and waited for any sign of the swordsman.
As expected, his clones began to fall one by one. "There!" Nikko pointed towards the left where she'd seen the gleam of a sword and Naruto threw his kunai only for it to be knocked away with a 'ssshhngg'.
"Ha HA HA HA! I love it! A good fight, finally!" The samurai shouted.
Nikko shivered again and wished that she'd had more chakra left to use. As such she could only stand and hope for the best.
Naruto growled out, "Come fight me like a man! Quit hiding already!"
"As you---WISH!"
Naruto pulled out another kunai just in time. Nikko couldn't see very well but it appeared the swordsman had his long blade drawn, Naruto pushing him back with his knife. He appeared to be struggling however. "Arrgh, Idate-san, get Nikko-chan outta here while I hold him off!" He barked.
Idate grabbed Nikko to him and jumped into the water.
The icy coldness set into Nikko's bones and she gasped at it's sudden attack. She didn't have much time to adjust before Idate was telling her to swim. "Hurry! I know a place not far from here! We've got to get to it!" He shouted.
"Okay!"
They swam as fast as possible. The fight behind them was dulling down until unheard, and Nikko could only guess that they weren't being followed. Neither one paused until reaching the destination Idate led them to. Nikko was barely able to see five feet in front of her and the water reflected the moons glow and further blinded the girl. She relied on hearing Idate's movements to keep pace.
"We're here! Here, grab my hand!" Idate swam ashore and pulled Nikko out of the freezing water.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"No time!" He took her hand and together than ran into the unknown.