Chapter Text
Do you ever get that feeling where you are so happy and sad and confused all at the same time, and you physically cannot endure these emotions? That is what I’m feeling after Gaara left me inside the sand dome all by myself. With conscious effort, I ease myself down as my knees buckle under the weight of all that is happening. Stupid Gaara.
Yes, stupid Gaara.
How could he say that he loves me, even though we’ve known each other for less than a year? Sure, I have a crush on him, but he’s making this bigger than needed. We haven’t even dated (the first dinner we had doesn’t count)! And he just drops that bomb and goes off to risk his life for his village? This is why you cannot have feelings for a diplomat in the ninja world; they always put the village first.
I draw my knees into my chest in the dark, deciding that I’m going to give him a mouthful when this is over. I’m going to give him the cold shoulder for at least three days before I accept his feelings. Unless he’s badly injured. Then I’ll be a little nicer, but the three days still stand.
Several explosions sound from outside. Battles between ninjas are always surprisingly quick. In under what feels like an hour, the space becomes quiet. No one comes to release me from the sand dome for some time; I guess Gaara could be struggling to get to me if he’s injured.
I wait and I wait, and I wait. And when the sand dome finally starts to fall apart by itself, I figure that it’s Gaara’s chakra being released from the sand.
“Mayu?”
It’s not Gaara, but Temari who digs me out of the sand dome. She’s as surprised to see me as I am to see her. And behind her, one familiar face and two strangers. The familiar one is Haruno Sakura from Konohagakure. I assume the other two are from the same village as her. However, I have no interest to find out who they are now.
“Temari, where’s Gaara?” I ask while looking around us as the sand trickles back down with gravity. There’s none other than the five of us here, and it barely looks like there’s been a battle here. The village in the distance looks quiet and peaceful as always. That means Gaara must have protected the village successfully!
“I’d like to know the answer to that as well,” Temari says, a worried frown forms between her eyebrows. “Let’s return to the village in haste.”
Agreeing without a second thought, I make myself stand on shaky legs. Seeing this, Temari understands silently that I’d been through an attack. She does not ask for any details—not that I’m ready to talk about the whole kidnapping at all—and picks me up with ease. She holds me in front of her as she runs, with the other three following behind.
“Temari! I—” my face turns red at the fact that I had to be carried by a girl of the same age as me. And in front of company? How embarrassing!
“We need to hurry,” Temari stops my protest. “It’s only normal that a shinobi helps a civilian out. Besides, you’re not nearly as heavy as my fan.”
Damn, Temari is so freaking hot. And so considerate; she must have said that line about me being a civilian in front of the others so that I’d feel less embarrassed.
“Mayu-san, right? So good to see you again so soon,” Sakura sends me a friendly smile from behind me. “These two are part of my team back in Konoha. My teacher Kakashi-sensei, and the boy is Naruto.”
Naruto? I feel like I’ve heard that name before.
“Sakura, who’s that?” The boy named Naruto promptly asks.
“She’s one of Sand’s villagers, a store owner. And she’s Gaara’s—” Sakura pauses with a pink hue over her cheeks. “Friend?”
The color of my cheeks starts to mirror Sakura’s. Just a few hours ago I would have immediately confirmed our friendship, but after what Gaara said, I don’t know exactly what we are at this moment. But the golden-haired boy doesn’t seem to need a confirmation as a huge smile crack open on his face.
“Oh! Gaara has made a friend! I’m so glad!”
There’s no exaggeration or pretense in the boy’s words. He’s genuinely happy for Gaara. Oh, I remember now. I heard this boy’s name from Gaara’s mouth. The one who apparently changed Gaara from a murderous monster to the guy he is now. He does seem like a nice guy, but also looks kind of normal. I hate to admit it, but I wish I was the one who changed Gaara’s life. Not that I know what he was like before he became the Kazekage.
In truth, maybe I don’t know that much about Gaara’s past at all.
Naruto is a very extroverted boy; for the rest of the way back to the village, he’s asked me all about myself. What kind of store do I own and if I’m rich. How did I meet Gaara and how we became friends. I leave out a lot of details because the start of mine and Gaara’s friendship is a little bit embarrassing. He keeps chatting with me wide-eyed until we finally reach the village gates.
The village is not as quiet and peaceful as I thought from afar. Numerous shinobi were scurrying around, on the parapet, along the walls, and some are even leaving for the country’s borders. Baki is barking orders at the front of the gates, and his face relaxes with relief once he lays eyes on Temari.
“Finally, you’re back! And with reinforcements!” Baki speaks faster than he typically does. “Hurry, go to the hospital. Your brother is there!”
A wave of relief washes over me after learning that Gaara is in the hospital. And thanks to Temari, we arrive at the hospital in no time at all. But once we’re in the triage rea, my heart sinks again.
All of the beds in the room is taken. From one end lies Kirito and his three Genin students. They look to be alive but in really bad shape, especially Yuya, the one who was poisoned. Kohana is here, too, sitting by Kirito’s side, holding back her sobs as Kirito wrapped his arms around her. His eyes linger on Yuya as he tries to comfort Kohana. On the other end lies Kankuro, the brother that Baki was referring to. He looks to be in equally bad shape as Yuya; he must be poisoned by Sasori. Yoshino stands by the wall, sobbing loudly as a medical ninja holds her arms, preventing her from getting too closed to the poisoned Kankuro.
Then, at the foot of Kankuro’s bed stands Granny Chiyo. I let out a breath that I’m holding because she’s here.
“Kankuro! What happened?!” Temari sets me down on my feet as she rushes to Kankuro’s side.
Barely able to lift his head up enough to see Temari, Kankuro strains, “Temari, it’s Akatsuki. They took Gaara.”
I gasp, and Granny Chiyo notices my presence. She immediately frowns at me, “What are you doing here?”
“Gaara was taken? How is that possible?” Temari asks Kankuro, and I ignore Granny’s question to listen to Kankuro’s response.
“Gaara left an opening for the Akatsuki guy when he’d used too much of his sand to shield the village. It’s all our fault, Temari. We couldn’t help Gaara at all—” Kankura winces in pain, even talking is aiding the spread of the poison.
“Kankuro, stop talking, let me take a look at you!” Sakura steps forward.
“Who are these people? Shinobi from the Leaf?” Granny Chiyo looks like Sakura and her team with disdain. “Pitiful of the Sand to seek help from other villages. Now the Leaf knows that we are weak, and our village is compromised—”
Granny Chiyo’s rant stops short as she watched Sakura delicately extract the poison from a wound on Kankuro’s abdomen. She holds it there in the air with her chakra and manipulates it into different forms, analyzing it for an antidote.
“Who are you?” Granny asks harshly.
“I am Haruno Sakura. My master is Lady Tsunade,” Sakura answers.
“The Slug Princess?!” Granny’s eyes widens, “It makes sense now that you might be able to save Kankuro and the kid. I am the master of poison and the only one in the world who could best me is the Slug Princess. But why? Why would the Leaf come help us after we’d attacked them during the Fourth’s reign?”
“I assure you we don’t have any ulterior motives,” says the silver-haired man named Kakashi. “Naruto here is a Jinchuriki like Gaara. They’ve formed a bond since attack that we now know as Orochimaru’s scheme.”
Jinchuriki, another word I only heard recently from Deidara’s mouth. I have no idea what it means, but it seems to be a big deal to Granny Chiyo. She does not ask any more questions about the Leaf ninjas now, and watches Sakura again. The young kunoichi finishes analyzing and now needs specific plants and flowers to create the antidote. And with a short moment of hesitation, Granny Chiyo takes a step towards Sakura.
“You may use the plants growing in my greenhouse,” Granny offers as a sign of peace. “Mayu, you come with us.”
I startle at the sudden mention of my name, and then I realize that it’s because I have the keys to the greenhouse. Plus, Granny seems to be quite unhappy that I’m here.
I go quietly with them to the greenhouse. My only part is opening the lock so that Sakura can find what she needs. Upon seeing the enormous greenhouse, Sakura is thoroughly impressed and immediately goes to work. Granny stays behind with me, and I know it’s time for my questioning.
“Why are you involved in this again?” she asks, not as angry as before.
“I didn’t want to be!” I say indignantly. “I was kidnapped by those Akatsuki people and they used me to draw Gaara out of the village! He as able to save me, but now he’s the one in trouble!”
Granny looks at me in shock. “You met these Akatsuki members? Then you must tell us whatever intel you have on them!”
Intel? Oh, come on, I was scared out of my mind the whole time!
“Uh, I don’t know. There’s one guy that uses clay bombs and has a mouth on his hand, named Deidara. There’s another one named Sasori, who uses the poison—”
“Sasori?!” Granny’s eyes look like they’re about to pop. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, he also seems to know about you,” my brows furrow at Granny’s reaction. “And now it looks like you know him. Who is he?”
Granny’s gaze lowers to the ground, but it looks like her mind is off in the distance. “Sasori is my grandson.”
It’s my eyes’ turn to pop. My Granny has a grandson. My Granny has a grandson, who is Sasori. I have lived my whole life not knowing that I technically have a brother. A brother who is a criminal. A criminal brother who tried to kill me and Gaara and possibly Granny too. Why? I have so many questions, but I don’t know where to start. There’s so much that I don’t know about Granny Chiyo and what her life was like before adopting me. And I never cared to ask. A wave of guilt washes over me, but Granny seems to have something else on her mind.
“Come with me, Mayu,” Granny grabs my hand and leads me out of the greenhouse. She brings me back to our home, which is not very far from the greenhouse. She hurries past Grandpa Ebizo without saying a word and takes me down to the basement. I don’t come down to the basement often, because it is where Granny keeps her puppets.
She stops in front of two very well-made puppets, a man and a woman. I’ve always thought they were her best puppets. They are so life-like, as if they could be real.
“These are Sasori’s parents,” Granny looks at the puppets, but really is looking at her memories through them. “He made these puppets with his own hands, after they died when he was a child.”
I don’t know exactly how to respond to Granny, or if she’s expecting one. I do feel slightly bad for Sasori; the grief of losing both parents at such a young age could be the reason why he’s evil now. Such a shame; he’s such a great puppeteer.
“Do you understand now, Mayu? If it is truly Sasori whom we are up against, then we are in trouble. He is the only person from this village whose skills are equal to mine. And if that was years ago, who knows how powerful he is now?” Granny says gravely.
“But we have allies from the Leaf!” I remind her optimistically.
“And there are other members of the Akatsuki,” Granny retorts. “I have never pushed you to hone your skills as a descendent of the Fushigawa clan, but we might need your help now.”
“Fushigawa clan…” I have not heard that name mentioned to me in many years. Granny told me when she adopted me that I am the last survivor of this clan, but I was never interested in the topic. “Isn’t that just my family name? What can I do to help?”
“The Sand is known for the art of puppet-making, but before the fall of the Fushigawa clan, there had been a weapon more powerful than our puppets,” Granny explains. “The Fushigawa clan’s Bloodline Limit is a technique of Lightning nature. A puppet charged up with a Fushigawa clan’s power can move on its own without strings. They called their special puppets—androids.”
My ancestors made… robots?
“One Fushigawa shinobi can make his or her own army. They are not limited by what they can control with their fingers. This is ultimately why the clan perished, leaving you. The androids disobeyed the orders and slaughtered their own makers.”
Oh, I know this story. They made a movie about this. Of course, this is why you shouldn’t mess around with robots.
“And you think that I should use my power to help fight Sasori?” I ask. “Isn’t that dangerous? Won’t the android kill me?”
“One or two of them should not pose a threat to you. The other shinobis here will help,” says Granny Chiyo, studying me up and down. “Though it would be a miracle if you could create just one android, since you have not trained your entire life.”
I remember the incident at the orphanage that attracted Granny Chiyo’s attention to me. I had made a plush toy with old scraps of fabric that the orphanage was going to throw away, and I gave it to the little girls there to play with. An older kid at the orphanage tried to take it away forcefully. In a fit of anger, I yanked the toy out of the older kid’s hand. A current rushed from my chest to my arms, and then to my hands. It was only for two seconds, but I saw a blue light surround the toy. Then, it moved on its own.
It wriggled out of my grasp and chased after the older kid, seemingly trying to hit the kid. Thinking back, my anger must have been passed onto the toy when I brought it to life. After the incident, the orphanage called Granny Chiyo, and she swept me up from them immediately.
Even so…
“There’s no way I can learn to do that in time!” I back away from Granny. I’m not about to be wrapped up in some dangerous stuff like this just because of my bloodline. I was close enough to death this time. “It was just an accident that I was able to bring that toy to life back then. There’s no way I can do the same for two full-sized puppets today, tomorrow, or next year!”
The expression on Granny’s face does not change, as if she already knew that I was going to decline. I worry about Gaara, I truly do. But I know for a fact that I cannot be of any help. It’s frustrating to rely on the powers of others, but I must accept my limits.
“Mayu, listen to me—”
“You won’t convince me!” I cover my ears and ran back up the stairs to escape. Grandpa Ebizo looks up at me this time as I try to get through the living room to my bedroom.
“You came just in time,” he says. “Someone’s knocking at the door.”
I look over at the door behind where Ebizo sits. Grandpa never liked to move from his seat if he doesn’t have to. He’s ancient, after all, just like Granny. Whatever, I might as well leave after opening the door for whoever it is.
With a bit of nervousness, I open the door. It’s the three Leaf ninjas who stand outside with backpacks on, looking ready to go. I tell them that Granny is in the basement and will come up soon enough. I push myself pass between Sakura and Naruto, muttering a good luck and goodbye. I don’t know why I’m looking down at my feet; it’s like I feel guilty about meeting their eyes.
“Wait!” Naruto calls out.
My front foot pauses by obediently, which I regret.
“I heard you have valuable information on Gaara’s abductors,” Naruto says to me even though I have not turned to face him. “Thank you for sharing the intel with the old lady! It’ll really help us!”
The guilt hits me in the chest again, and I stupidly look back at the boy. He grins at me with two rows of pearly whites. The weird lines on his cheeks curves with the width of his smile.
“Thanks for helping us save Gaara!” Naruto continues.
My cheeks burn at his genuine appreciative tone. Who is this guy to show up here as if he’s the hero? As if he’s the only friend Gaara has? As if he’s the only one who cares about Gaara enough to go save him? If I was a powerful shinobi, I would be the first one out there to chase after Gaara. After all, he’s—he’s my first love!
But I’m not a powerful shinobi. I am useless in this rescue mission. I can’t do anything, even if I want to be the first one to embrace him after he’s saved.
“Mayu,” Granny Chiyo has caught up to us, eyeing Naruto with wonder. “Has this kid convinced you to come along with us?”
“No!” I exclaim, frustrated by everyone around me. “Everyone, I’m sorry! I cannot help you even if I want to! I’m not—”
“As I was saying earlier, Mayu,” Granny Chiyo cuts me off. “I need you to understand this: the manipulation of chakra, especially kinds that infuse with nature, is not something you can accidentally do.”
My brows furrow tighter together. “What does that mean?”
“It means that even if your mind doesn’t know it, or have no memory of it, it is evident that your body has learned the technique of your clan before.”
A mind-blowing realization leaves me speechless: I had no memory of being born in this world. I had very clear memories of my childhood, because I was already an adult in the past, and my memory here started as at the orphanage. I have no memories of my actual parents. And this body of mine, what has it gone through before my soul took over?
“You are the daughter of the Fushigawa clan’s leader,” Granny announces to me, speaking each word clearly. “You are the hope of the Fushigawa clan—a prodigy that the rest of the clan desperately protected.”
Me? A prodigy?
“I believe you can perform the technique again by muscle memory, like you did in the orphanage, if you can evoke the same emotion you felt then.”