Aki's P.O.V.
I sighed.
Gaara was giving me the silent treatment.
His head was turned away slightly and his chin was angled higher than usual, as if turning his nose up.
His eyes were also closed.
To an outsider, his expression is the same blank and intimidating mask.
But to me, his mannerisms screamed that he was sulking.
He'd even folded his arms.
"Gaara," I said calmly, for the second time.
He was sat on that carp statue again, hugging his knee to his chest and letting the other hang lazily off the side.
I was glowing softly, amplifying the moonlight so that I didn't have a repeat of the cave incident, Gaara hadn't complained about the brightness yet.
In fact, he hadn't said anything as he continued to turn his nose up in the air.
I leant on the carp's head, staring into his face, but he still didn't react.
"Gaaaaaaaaaara,~" I drawled,
"I'm sorry you got knocked out."
His eyebrow twitched slightly, but he did nothing else.
I was stood on the carp's lips so my face was level with his, an idea wormed into my head and a sly grin grew on my face.
I slowly reached a hand to his face, he didn't even flinch since his eyes were closed to the danger.
I pinched his nose tightly between my fingers, laughing lightly as Gaara's arms flew to my arm and his eyes snapped open in shock.
I let go and he glared with a bright red nose as he clung to my arm.
"What was that for?!"
I grinned cheekily,
"It got you talking, didn't it?"
He stopped glaring and averted his eyes, he still hadn't let go of my arm.
I sighed bitterly,
"How are you feeling about your fight with Sasuke?"
He narrowed his eyes, his grip subconsciously tightening.
But he didn't say anything.
I breathed deeply, closing my eyes and trying to dispel this anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Gaara," I said urgently, my voice sharp,
"Whenever I mention the third exam, you tense up. It's like you're hiding something...
Why can't you just speak to me?
I... I-I miss you..."
This seemed to make him snap and he grabbed my shoulders roughly, staring into my face.
"Why didn't you speak to me?! Huh?!
I missed you!!"
He blushed faintly and blinked, surprised at his own outburst and let me go, averting his eyes once more.
I blushed as well, slightly heavier than Gaara,
"Oooooooooooooh..." I said quietly, the revelation causing my face to burn slightly more.
"But... I told you that was... I-I was... that mission changed me, Gaara! I couldn't help it! I n-needed time... I just needed time..."
He nodded his head,
"I know, forget I said anything...
But, I feel like you're hiding something.
And I'm not talking about the mask, I don't know what's the deal with those marks or whatever but something else happened on that mission that you've not told us."
I gulped nervously, we were at a stalemate.
"If you can tell me what you're hiding, I'll tell you what I may or may not be hiding..."
Sweat poured off me in buckets, pooling at the small of my back as I clung to the cliff for dear life.
'Why the hell did Kakashi decide to train up here?!'
I reached my hand up to the next ledge, hoisting myself up a few feet higher with my aching muscles.
I was already apprehensive about what I was about to do and having to work so hard was only putting me off even more.
Even with chakra concentrated in my fingers I was beginning to lose my grip on the cliff.
Stretching my arm up to the next ledge, I choked on my breath as the rock came away in my hands and crumbled to dust.
After that it was a chain reaction with my balance lost and my grip already weak.
I fell.
'Well.... shit.'
I didn't even scream as the wind whipped past my ears and my sash flew wildly in my wake, preparing to catch myself with my wood release, but I caught a glimpse of a dark blur that sped towards me and immediately cut off the chakra.
I relaxed my body so that no damage was done when he met my speed and caught me, bouncing off rocks to slow our momentum.
We landed gently and I sighed, annoyed that I didn't just climb up with my wood release.
"And where have you been?" I said casually, wondering why he still hadn't put me down.
"Training," was his blunt reply.
Typical Sasuke.
"Thank you for catching me, but you do know that my legs indeed work," I said calmly.
He muttered something about an 'ungrateful' something or other whilst dropping me unceremoniously.
I landed with a thud and a groan of pain.
"Geez, what was the need?! I could have saved myself but I decided to let you have your moment of chivalry since you can't seem to function without your daily dose of superiority."
He glared, gaining irk marks across his forehead,
"What do you want!?" He barked.
"I'm looking for Kaka-sensei, I sensed him around here..." I mumbled, gazing behind Sasuke.
"Yo," came a calm voice.
He was sat on a high rock, looking down at the both of us with a small wave of his hand.
"You wanted me?" He said.
"Ummmm...."
I looked warily at Sasuke.
"Mind if we talk alone?"
Sasuke's aura turned dark and he crossed his arms,
"Ohohohohoho, I'm not going anywhere."
I turned my nose up with a huff,
"Then I'm not saying anything."
We glared at each other, sparks flying between our gazes.
Kakashi sighed heavily,
"Is it important," he said wearily.
I broke our glare and stared at the ground, my brows furrowing in concern.
"It's about the tsuki temple mission," I said quietly.
Sasuke tilted his head but Kakashi remained still, eye unblinking.
"Surely you should talk to the leader of the mission, then?"
"I respect Izumi-San, but she is not my sensei..."
'She's my captain,' I added silently in my head.
"I understand," Kaka-Sensei nodded.
Sasuke had had enough,
"Just who the hell is 'Izumi'?! And what's this about tsuki temples?!! What the hell is going on!?"
I chuckled,
"Whilst you were sat on your butt in hospital, I went and did a huge service for the village.~
And Izumi-San was the top class ninja that the Hokage himself chose to assist me~~"
He snorted,
"Huge service my ass, you were probably just doing dumb errands."
"Actually," Kakashi intervened,
"He filled in for a higher level ninja who was occupied elsewhere and discovered many priceless artefacts that will greatly benefit Konoha."
Sasuke rose an eyebrow sceptically but I ignored him.
"D-do you know the details of... what happened...?" I said nervously.
Kaka-sensei dropped off the rock silently and landed lightly.
"As your sensei, Ms Iwa felt I had a right to know what happened to my student..."
I clenched my fists tightly,
"So you know... everything that Izumi-san knows?"
He nodded.
I met his intense stare,
"I'm going to kill that woman."
Kakashi didn't say a word.
"What?" Sasuke breathed,
"Who??"
I didn't spare him a glance, still staring Kakashi down.
"She broke a gen jutsu that I was particularly fond of... and she also said something to me that I didn't tell Izumi-san...
The leaf village is in danger---"
"You mean the yōsei satsugai-sha?" He interrupted,
"I wouldn't call them a threat, they're but few in number and--"
"No," I interrupted as well,
"Ryuu has been recruiting rogue ninja and building his ranks for years, there has never been a gathering where all members where in the same place so Sadao or Kano can't accurately say just who and how many there are...
They have the incentive and probable means to pose a threat... we must be cautious."
"Again, why tell me? Wouldn't this better to be reported to the Hokage?" Kaka-sensei said calmly.
I pursed my lips nervously and glanced at Sasuke, who, had he been Naruto, would probably have had steam pouring from his ears in information overload.
'I really don't want to say this in front of him...'
Kakashi read my expression, turning his attention to the moody ninja.
"Sasuke, I want you to practice your new technique, try and do it as many times as you can and tell me the number once you've done."
"But!---"
"Ab-bap-AP!!
No excuses, go, do it now.
And no eaves-dropping!!"
Sasuke stalked off dejectedly and I waited until I could no longer sense him before sighing in relief and thanking Kaka-sensei.
'I won't tell him about kanzen hitei... but...'
I untied the sash around my face and let it drop silently to the ground.
"Sensei, I have a problem... and just over a month to solve it..."