Note: Yurusu, after tradition, is her last name. It means to forgive. Fuhennori means eternal truth, and Fu refers to a musical note or score (music without words).

Misty Sunsets

Iyakon Sobek

Chapter 1- Surprising Smile

He didn’t understand. It was completely incomprehensible.

A girl, younger than himself by at least two years and who blatantly wore the Konoha headband, was just standing there, smiling at him apologetically, holding out a set of papers to him that he’d dropped. She’d picked a fight with a few of the Sand Chuunin, it seemed, though obviously she herself was still only Genin level, and she’d reeled back into him after a staggering punch by a man at least twice her size.

“Gomen ne, Kazekage-sama. I suppose I should be more careful where I pick my fights,” she said calmly, laughing a little at her rookie mistake. He took the papers she offered him cautiously. The three Chuunin that she’d taken on stared at him, mortified, as though he would strike them dead for hitting her. And undoubtedly he might, but for that moment, his attention was focused completely on the girl before him. He hadn’t seen a look like that… since… since Yashamaru, before that night he attempted assassination. It was kind and sweet, yet… somehow more open then that of his mother’s brother. It was completely incomprehensible how she showed no signs of fear. Surely she knew who and what he was…? He was almost disappointed when her face fell, and her eyes looked up at him so innocently, a strange, pale red; not pink, but as though the red had faded, leaving her eyes smoky, hazy, in a sense, like a sunset seen through mists. “Kazekage-sama? Have I done something wrong?”

He startled back to reality. “No.”

The smile she showed him was brilliant, and it was as though she genuinely meant it. No one… no one had ever smiled at him like that. He’d seen others exchange those smiles, but never had one been given to him.

“Good. I’d hate to think I was misbehaving on my first trip to the Sand. After all, I’m supposed to be a good student, not a troublemaker,” she commented lightly, turning and casting a sly glance at the older boys to throw out a playful comment. “Behave your mean selves; don’t make me come back here, you hear?”

They stared at her in disbelief, and Gaara soon joined them as she grabbed his hand, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and tugged him towards a nearby ramen stand, laughing a little and saying something about payback for being so rude and bumping into him. She sat him down, and asked congenially what he would like, then ordered for him and herself. She spoke calmly, as if they were old friends getting reacquainted, though he himself said little. It was a novelty, one that he’d never had the pleasure of experiencing.

“What is your name, may I ask?” he suddenly found himself saying, interrupting her in the middle of a sentence mentioning something about the Chuunin exams. She looked up at him, surprised, and the look was curious; why should she be surprised about his asking her name?

“May you ask? Why shouldn’t you be able to ask? That’s a silly question,” she said, resting the palm of her hand on the back of the barstool and propping herself on it, cocking her head backwards congenially and smiling that disarmingly beautiful smile. “But it’s Yurusu. Yurusu Fuhennori. Call me Fu if you like; that’s what my brother calls me. He says it’s cause I got Mama’s pretty voice, but I doubt that’s really what he means.”

She laughed at the little jibe, amused, apparently, with her brother’s words. Gaara was tempted to smile, himself, but was almost unsure as to how. This girl was so strange…

The sunlight flashed blindingly across her pale blond hair, as if a golden flame from the sun had come to shine before his eyes. He started to take in her appearance a little more, and noticed her skin was well-tanned and scarred in many places. A particularly bad one seemed to run from her hairline at a diagonal… over her left eye, her lips, and down her chin… stopping and picking up again at the base of her throat and disappearing beneath the collar of her shirt. It seemed the perfect cut of a blade, but he was sure it was made by some ninjutsu, since despite the straight cut the edges were jagged. Those eyes… seemingly so innocent… they looked at him guilelessly and full of trust.

“Nani? Is the joke that unbelievable?” she queried sincerely. He shook his head quickly.

“Not at all.”

“Good. Because I wasn’t fibbing, he really does say that.”

He smirked just a little bit, and again she laughed, glad that she’d evoked a smile from him at last. When the impromptu lunch was finished and they left the small stand, he expected her to go her way, but she didn’t, to his surprise. Instead, she walked with him, though without holding his hand this time, and commented on the various buildings she could see and questioned about the marketplace. Strangely, it seemed all her questions were yes or no…

“Ne, Kazekage-sama? You’re only 16, right?”

He nodded.

“Gee, you’re probably the youngest Kage there ever was…” she murmured, slightly wondering. He was about to respond, but was stopped when a sudden cry rang through the air.

“Fu! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Are you insane?”