Blood is Full of Empty Promises

Ayaka woke dazed and confused. She managed to barely open her eyes and she glanced around. She was lying in a large bed meant for a king and the room was a tan color, almost like the color of sand.

"Miss, are you feeling alright?" a man in black asked.

"Who are you?" Ayaka managed to ask back.

"I'm the Kazekage's personal doctor," he answered. "Are you in any pain? Are you comfortable?"

Ayaka finally remembered everything that happened. She sat up only to groan in pain. "Please Miss, don't sit up. You're ribs need a few days to finish healing. I did all that I could with my chakra, but I couldn't fully heal your wounds."

"I'll be fine," she argued and threw back the bed sheets.

"Miss!"

"God damn it! My name is Ayaka! Stop calling me Miss," she yelled and put her shoes on. "Now tell me where my bow and arrows are, Doc," she demanded looking at the doctor menacingly.

"L-Lord Gaara has them," he stuttered.

"And where can I find him?" she asked.

"In the conference room," he answered. "I'll take you to him."

The doctor nervously led Ayaka to the conference room where Gaara was standing by the window looking over his village. The doctor knocked even though the door was open and Ayaka walked in anyways.

"Where's my bow and arrows?" she demanded of the Kazekage.

Gaara almost looked as if he was trying not to smile. "I see you're finally feeling better," he stated. He then looked to the doctor and dismissed him from the room. The doctor happily left. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

Ayaka looked at him with slanted eyes. She didn't think she could trust him. "He looks pretty shady. And why is he being so nice? Who asked him anyways?" she thought to herself before plopping down into a chair.

"May I ask you what your name is?" Gaara asked as if trying not to make her angry.

"Ayaka Iniyami."

"Well Ayaka, what do you want to know about the Akatsuki?" he asked.

"Everything you know," she replied and looked down at the table. For a split second Gaara saw the pain and sadness in her face.

"Revenge?"

Ayaka snapped her eyes up and locked onto his. "My business is no concern of yours," she said angrily.

"Revenge only consumes you. It won't make you feel better. It won't help you sleep at night. It only changes you and not for the better," Gaara said and looked out the window.

"I want answers."

"Answers?"

"That's all I'm saying and depending on those answers depends on if I want revenge or not," she said and looked sadly down at her hands.

"Very well, Ayaka, I will tell you everything I know. And anything I don't know I can ask the hidden leaf village. They're the ones that rescued me from the Akatsuki."

"Rescued you?"

"The Akatsuki attacked my village and took me hostage. They took my one tails from me which killed me instantly. The leaf shinobi killed one of the Akatsuki members and killed, if not severely injured the other. I was only resurrected because of Granny Chiyo. She gave her life for mine."

"Which members?" she asked feeling a panic deep in her stomach.

Gaara notices how on edge she was after mentioning the death of an Akatsuki member. "It was Sasori of the Red Sand. Deidara was the other."

Ayaka exhaled finally and realized she had been holding her breath. "Well, I don't care about them. Any information on the other members?"

"I know about Itachi and Kisame, but that is all. The leaf shinobi may know more," he answered.

"I guess that's where I'll be heading next."

"Leaving so soon?" he asked. "You're more than welcome to stay for as long as you like. At least until you've healed completely." Gaara looked at her with a worried expression.

"I'll be fine."

"If you come across the one you're looking for, the one who has your answers and his answer means that you want revenge, how will you fight him in your condition?" he asked.

She looked at him and opened her mouth, but couldn't find a good answer because she knew that he was right. She gritted her teeth and then took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm in no condition to travel."

"I'm glad to be your host. You can stay in the room that you woke up in. Would you like me to show you where it is again?" he asked being courteous.

"Um- I think I can manage."

"My home is yours," Gaara stated and Ayaka gave him a half smile and left the room.

Gaara watched as Ayaka left the room and he felt a weird feeling in his stomach. It was as if something was flying around in there. “Maybe I’m sick,” he thought to himself and just as he was about to take a seat in one of the conference chairs Temari, his sister, entered the room.

“Ah, Temari, is there something wrong?”

“Not at all, brother,” she answered and smiled. She walked over to the window. “So what did you decide to do with the mystery shinobi?” she asked.

“She’s staying in my room,” he answered and she looked at him in shock.

“You can’t be serious!”

“Why? She has caused us no harm. We should be kind to her. It’s the least we can do after our shinobi have treated her so poorly.”

“You don’t know anything about her!”

“Not true, Temari. I know that she is not a threat to us as long as we aren’t a threat to her. She’s after the Akatsuki…well at least one member from what I can tell.”

“But you have no idea of where she’s from or what she’s done.”

“If you’re so concerned about it then ask the intelligence division if they’ve heard of an Ayaka Iniyami before. If not then she’s obviously not a criminal.”

Temari exhaled in defeat. “As you wish,” she replied and turned towards the door.

“Temari?”

She turned to look at her baby brother.

“What does it mean when your stomach feels buggy, like something is flying around in it?”

Temari’s eyes widened and she smiled to herself a little bit. “It usually happens when you like someone or you’re in love,” she answered before leaving Gaara to his thoughts.