Grasping at the Sky

Chapter 13: Advice

"Are you alright?" Gaara's voice startled her and she flinched, looking up again, and found concern written on his face. She knew from his hesitation to spar from the very beginning what he was worried about. He was afraid he'd hurt her. After all, it wasn't something Gaara was well practiced in, attacking without deadly intent. She gave him a tired smile.

"I'm okay," she assured him. "Just really tried and, well, annoyed, but I kind of figured I didn't stand a chance."

"Your fighting style is not well suited to go against mine," he admitted with a nod. "I did, how ever, find it challenging. You shouldn't be concerned Kira, you're nothing to take lightly."

Kira wasn't sure how to react to that, his praise. She flushed, her face heating up even more under the mud. It was a bit awkward in all honestly, and she looked away to eye her knees. It was embarrassing, but it also seemed to lift a weight off her chest she had forgotten was even there.

"Thanks...I, honestly that makes me feel a lot better, and not just about this." At his confused look at her words Kira let out a small giggle that wavered from her fried nerves. "It just...I never got tested, not like everyone else. I never had any of the exams required to go up in rank. It was just given to me along with my ANBU rank. Sometimes, it made me feel like I didn't deserve it." She remembered watching the other people she'd graduated from the academy with slowly pass those ranking test. It had always been from afar, during pauses in her job or training with Korin. It was just another way she'd been isolated, left out from the world she'd barely gotten to know.

"The training you received, while brutal and..." Gaara trailed off and Kira glanced up again. The redhead was fighting with his own words, fighting back the expression of anger that bled into his eyes. Kira wondered if he hated Korin now more that he knew her better, or if he had simply hid his feelings for her old master better the first time they'd spoken of him. "You did earn it. Never forsake your own value."

Kira gave a small nod of her head. "I'll try to remember that. Either way, I did kind of enjoy this. I think I learned a lot." Learning to deal with different enemy types was an important skill she needed to strengthen for the war to come. Who knew what kind of foes she would be dealing with? It would be far deadlier than any ANBU mission she'd had, simply because of numbers and lack of information.

"Yes," Gaara agreed, the smallest of smiles lifting his lips. "While our styles may not go against each other well, I believe that perhaps when on the same side, the effect may be different. "

Kira raised an eyebrow, taking a moment to think his words over. Truthfully, she didn't see it, not yet. Gaara seemed to have some idea though, and that interested her. Just not enough to want to go into it right now.

"...Next time?" she muttered with a smile. Gaara eyed her quietly before nodding again. After a moment Kira snorted slightly and shook her head. She didn't know when that would be; time was beginning to move faster now, and the armed shinobi forces would have to gather soon. Leaders and key players would go first, and as his bodyguard, Kira had already been informed she would be going with him. Beyond that though... "I don't wish to bring it up but," she paused, gaining his attention again before looking down at the mud once more, afraid of what her next words might do. "You haven't told me... what my role in the war is yet."