Crow's feathers - Naruto fanfiction

Chapter 5 Love

"Today we're having our history lesson outside," Iruka told his students. The children sat at the foot of the hills with the carved out faces of the hokages.. "As you all know, these stone images depict the faces of all past and present hokages..."

Taryn strolled her way through town. Over two weeks had passed since the Chuunin prelims and she had kept to herself as much as possible. Aside from Kakashi's visit on the training grounds a few days ago, she had succeeded. Of course, she had gone to town to eat, but she hadn't talked to anyone. She knew what people thought of her. She didn't care. Once she had seen Uchiha Sasuke, who had given her suspicious glares mixed with anger. She had returned his look with a cold one of her own. She hadn't seen her siblings but from a distance. If they had seen her at all, they hadn't tried to contact her. No sight of Orochimaru or Kabuto either, but she knew they were around. She kept a look out in case they showed up. No doubt they'd be there at the Chuunin Finals.

People in the streets gave her wary glances, but let her be. The hokage had granted her free passage through the village. Taryn rounded a corner. The children from the academy were seated at the foot of the hills Iruka was giving them a history lesson. The hokage had just joined them and his grandson was staring at him with idolizing eyes.

"You only live once," she heard Sarutobi say, "you need not choose an impossible path. You may live as you like, die as you like, just..." he let his eyes wander over the group and then up until he met Taryn's gaze, "no matter what path you choose... never forget to protect those who are precious to you."

Taryn looked away and turned to leave. The hokage's words lay heavy on her heart. 'Those precious to you...' She walked back towards town. 'No matter what'.

The path to the hospital was abandoned. Taryn rather liked the park. It was always so peaceful there. She took a moment to stare at the building and narrowed her eyes at a slight movement behind one of the windows. 'Sand?' With a worried feeling she ran inside. This could mean trouble.

In Lee's room, Gaara stood across from Shikamaru and Naruto. His eyes held an eerie calm look in them. "In the process of my birth, I stole the life of the woman I was supposed to call mother. In order to create the world's strongest shinobi, my father used ninjutsu to implant an incarnation of sand within my body." He glared at the two boys. "I was born a monster." Both Naruto and Shikamaru gasped at those words. "He is known as Shokaku," Gaara continued, "the one-tailed beast."

"A type of jutsu that causes a fetus to be forcibly possessed?" Shikamaru choked out, "to go that far... that's crazy."

Naruto only stared at him. So this boy was a Jinchuuriki too. "What kind of parent does a thing like that?" Shikamaru asked, "what twisted love."

        "Love?" Gaara said, "don't judge me by your standards. Heh... family... I'll tell you what that word means to me. Mere hulls of flesh, connected by hatred and murderous intend." The emotionless tone in which he said it made the boys look at him stunned. "My mother's life was sacrificed so that I could be brought to life as the village's ultimate weapon and as the Kazekage's son. My father taught me secret shinobi skills. I was raised in isolation, spoiled and overprotected. At first I thought that was love... until the incident."

"What incident?" Shikamaru asked frightened.

        "What happened?" Naruto urged.

Gaara chuckled. His eyes turned dark and he grew an insane look. "Ever since I turned five, my father has been trying to assassinate me. I've lost count of how many attempts he's made." Shikamaru and Naruto gasped in shock.

        "But..." Shikamaru said, "you just said your father spoiled you... so ... what do you mean?"

"A presence that is too powerful is a presence that is feared," Gaara explained, "having been born through jutsu, my mind is unstable. It seems the fools of the village finally realized I had emotional issues. To my father I was the village's most powerful weapon. But at the same time I was a fearsome and dangerous object. To them, I am now a relic of the past that they wish to erase and forget."