~Gerilynn's POV~
Damn... I didn't think...
'No, you didn't think,' Gia's deep mental voice resounded in my head.
'Brother, I feel bad enough as it is... Just let me fume for a while...
'You know, I kinda forgot to mention that...she's claustrophobic....and scared of the dark...' Shane added meekly.
I felt my eye twitch, then settled back into my misery.
'That's kind of important to know, Shane... It could affect how I use her on the battlefield. Next time, please tell me. Okay?'
'Yeah... Sorry...'
I sighed, then picked up my bow from my pack and stalked out of the ring of firelight.
I didn't mean to scare her that badly... I just wanted her to shut up... But, I guess I could have been more tactful... But then again, Sound ninja are trained to detect...well...sound, and that screeching was carrying for miles... But...Ringer did say they were far ahead... But... ARGH!!!
I kicked at a rock at the edge of the road, sending it flying across a field, and then flopped down on the grass, cradling my head in my hands.
I really hate this... Why does everything have to be so confusing? Either I'm an overly sentimental moron or a friggin' ice queen... I can be a great captain and a stuck-up brat, or a great friend and a hopeless kunoichi....
I glared at the ground for a moment, mumbling profanities. Then I ground the heels of my palms into my eyes, scrubbing away the tiredness; despite handing off the watch yesterday, I hadn't slept a wink.
"Alright... I guess there's only one thing for it..." I grumbled to myself.
"Yeah, pretty much," Gia agreed, sitting down beside me. "You're going to have to make it up to her."
"I know..." I trailed off. "I'm sure it's going to take a while, though..."
"Probably..." He tugged on my shoulder so that I was facing him. "It wasn't entirely your fault, you know... You were just doing what you felt needed to be done to keep everyone safe. How could you have known she was so panicky?"
I sighed, touching his shoulder lightly as I got to my feet. "Yeah..."
"You're not a bad person, sis..."
"I... I hope not..." I mumbled, trudging back to the camp.
Kakashi had sidled over to the unconscious girl with her guardian, and her arms were now wrapped snugly around his waist, her face buried in his stomach. The sight pained me slightly.
I took the remainder of the food from the pot hanging beside the fire, placing it in a bowl to carry over to the dragon and her charge.
My steps slowed as I approached cautiously.
"Have you thought over your actions and decided to apologize?" she rumbled quietly, but firmly, like a mother scolding a child.
Swallowing my pride, I nodded.
"She still out of it?"
"Obviously... There is no telling when she will wake, though she seems to have quieted quite a bit now..." Shira informed me, her tone mildly accusatory.
"Right... Well, I don't know for sure, but... I may be able to do something for her, if you'll allow it," I offered cautiously.
She hesitated, thinking it over.
"Go ahead, if you are confident in your abilities, but I warn you: the consequences will be severe should you hurt her." Her eyes flashed dangerously as she finished, but she settled back on her haunches and allowed me to come near the sleeping pair.
I carefully knelt beside her head, pillowed on Kakashi's lap, and laid one hand on her forehead tenderly.
The shinobi woke with a start, one hand knocking mine away from her while the other shoved against my shoulder defensively. He relaxed visibly when he saw my face.
"I'm trying to help her... Just relax and stay still," I explained, my voice dull and my eyes averted.
He nodded, moving his hands aside.
Replacing my own hand on the older woman's forehead, I closed my eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. Concentrating fiercely, I shoved at the boundaries around my consciousness, extending a tendril of thought along my arm to brush against her mind.
I recolied slightly at the darkness that roiled there, terror and pain rolling off of her being in waves.
Focusing harder, I thought of warm, golden fields, calm mountain lakes, and the seashore all in quick succession, pushing the images into her mind, only to have them all rejected. Momentarily stymied, I thought hard for a moment.
What does she like...? Oh...Of course...
I picture the garden at the Hokage's manor the last time I had seen it, walking alongside the old man in the peaceful, familiar silence. The soft wind that had blown the scent of the blossoms into my nose and the smell of freshly turned earth and the gentle coolness under the spreading limbs of a maple as he lectured me about leading strategically, but also with compassion...
The darkness slowly receded, giving way to a soft greenish glow as her aura re-awakened... Chasing the last shreds of fear from her mind, I withdrew.
Still out of it, I thought over all of the bits and shreds of scences and memories that'd flashed into my consciousness, empathy rising within me as the images awakened not-so-old memories in my own mind. Memories of being shunned and beaten and pushed to breaking...
I took a deep, shuddering breath, coming back to my senses. Gazing down at the now peaceful expression on the older kunoichi's face, I felt a shred of respect blossoming in my stomach like the flowers she so adored.
Maybe you're not so bad... After all, how could I blame you for giving up your identity to survive when I gave up my entire life?
"Well?" Kakashi prompted, guardedly hopeful.
"She'll be fine. She'll probably be up in a minute. This is for her," I pushed the bowl forward, then rose shakily, my cramped muscles protesting.
I started to walk away, but was stopped by a large tail. I turned my head up, staring at the dragoness before me.
"Thank you." Her gaze softened, and she bowed her head to me in respect. "There is something different about you... What you just did..."
;It was no jutsu.; Her voice reverberated in the confines of my skull.
'...I'm afraid I can't elaborate. But I can tell you this: I am no threat to any of you, nor are my brothers. We're the peacekeepers.'
She smiled a dragon's smile and gave a satisfied snort before turning back to her friend.
I nodded, then took my seat beside the fire, staring up at the stars. My gaze lingered on the giant figure of Orion.
~Whisper's POV~
What...?
I...was dreaming of them... and then... flowers? ...How?
I groaned quietly, my head pounding. I snuggled into my pillow... my really warm pillow... my BREATHING pillow.........
I shot up straight, coming face to face with Kakashi. "Oh. It was you?" I muttered more to myself, my voice scratchy and quiet.
My eyebrows furrowed slightly, my brain trying to catch up.
"How'd you do that?" I asked, staring up at him curiously.
"I didn't, I'm sorry to say. I don't have the skills necessary to do something like that," Kakashi explained slowly, allowing me to process the information.
It was then I realized my arms were wrapped around his waist, and I snapped them back, blushing lightly... "Who did?" my voice was annoyingly scratchy. I rubbed at my throat.
He tilted his head in the direction of the fire, where a certain kunoichi sat gazing up at the stars.
No way...
The shinobi pressed a warm bowl into my hands, a spoon already sloshing around in it.
"She brought you this, as well," he enlightened me.
I stared down at the bowl, and then looked at Gerilynn, a small smile on my lips.
"I'll have to thank her," I murmured, and started sipping at my stew, soothing my parched throat.
"Mmm. I don't think she'll accept it, but you should probably try all the same," he rumbled, watching me eat with a strangely soft expression in his eye.
I already know what I'm going to do... I'll just need a little information from Shane..
"She will..." I smiled, nodding my head aprovingly at my idea.
"Well, if anyone can annoy her into accepting a thank you, it's probably you," he teased, chuckling softly.
"I'll only have to do that if she doesn't fall for the kitten eyes," I commented, and quickly went back to my food.
He laughed, then glanced up at something behind me.
She cleared her throat quietly, calling my attention.
I turned to face her. "Yes?"
The kunoichi swallowed hard, then met my gaze, a fiercely determined look in her eyes.
"Look. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't realize you were claustrophobic, and I didn't know you were scared of the dark, or I wouldn't have used that technique. I've been acting like a stuck-up princess since we met, and I-"
I held up a hand and stopped her. "One, if anyone here is a stuck-up princess, it's Aniko. Two, How could you? We never really talked anyways. Three, I accept your apology, but only if you'll accept my thanks tomorrow."
Her mouth opened and closed several times, and she blinked owlishly, taking in my words.
"...Oh.... Why tomorrow?"
"Because I need a little bit of information so that I can thank you properly."
"...We'll see. I hope you don't have anything too big cooked up in that brain of yours..."
"Nope, sweet and simple, just how you like it!" I cut in.
"Hm. Good," she remarked tiredly, swaying slightly.
"You alright?" I asked, concerned.
"Yeah... Bringing you back took a lot more out of me than I thought. I'll be fine once I've had some food and a little rest. Don't concern yourself." She nodded to me and then to Kakashi, then turned and headed back to her place by the fire.
I set my bowl down and stretched contentedly out on the ground, smiling as Shira peered down at me.
"Are you fine now?" she queried, her tone that of a concerned mother.
I nodded, my eyes drooping soon after. "Im... just gonna... sleep..." I murmured, yawning.
I felt myself lifted up and set carefully into a lap. I smiled and snuggled into the warmth, drifting off to the sound of his deep breathing.
Okay. I wrote the better half of this section. I am quite proud of it... And, if my characters at all interest you, you may want to check out World's Apart on my profile or my ff.net page; penname OrionsProdigy. Sorry I'm promoting here, but hey... I'm a writer. What do you want?
Lolz. Anyway, let me know what you think. I'm curious. Seriously. No fingers crossed. -Prodigious ^.^
IT's true, Prodigious did write the better half of this one. I didn't want to mess up any of her characters so... yeah... she had fun... For the last part though, we did take turns writing scentences. It was kinda amusing... passin the laptop back and forth, my cat watching us... Anyways, give us some feedback (YO!-P ^.^(I will allow it, THIS time... -S ;P)) and vote, pwease! Kakashi DEMANDS it!! Thnx for reading! -Saphy ;P