The Sand Meets the Light (A Naruto fanfiction)

Chapter 11: A Rest

        Time had passed until it reached evening. After several hours, they managed to clear most of the paths. Kei checked his pocket watch for the time, while Yukari looked at the map. Makoto was just hanging around, sharpening her weapons as she leaned against the rocks while Gaara and his siblings wait nearby. Kei and Yukari walked over to them.

"There should be two more after your drop off point. But the way there will a bit of a walk," Yukari told them, putting the map away. Gaara and the others nodded.

"Maybe we can take a break for a bit. It's been a long day after all," Temari told her.

"There's a place not too far from here, a cavern with a pool. We can rest there," Kei said.

They continued on for another few minutes until they reached a big cavern area. It was different than the rest of the tunnels, aesthetic wise. The area was a large cave, and lit by the light chakra balls and there were some at the bottom of the pool as well, which gave the water a lovely glow. It seemed like a great place to be alone with your thoughts.

"What is this place?" Kankuro asked, looking around in awe.

"This is our water supply. We created a pipe system that goes directly to the village," Kei explained. "Used to be the villagers had to travel all the way here for water. You can imagine how difficult life was back then."

"Yeah, sounds kind of rough," Temari remarked, exhaling as she imagined the situation in her mind. "I guess we can settle down here for a while."

"You know, it will be night time soon," Yukari told them. "You sure you guys don't want to stay at the village for one more night?"

"Yuka, you cheeky girl," Makoto commented mischievously as she nudged her, which made Yukari scowl at her in irritation.

"I'm just trying to be courteous," Yuka responded before Makoto could continue making fun of her. "By the time we're done, it would already be late."

"That's very kind of you," Gaara responded. "But I think it's better if we go back before anyone at home worries about us. We're supposed to report back in two days. And I can't leave the village alone for too long." There was a hint of disappointment in Yukari's face, but she nodded in understanding.

"Okay," Yukari replied. "Well then, let's take a break." She walked off to a spot, with Makoto and Kei following right after. Temari turned to Gaara with a cunning look in her eyes.

"You know, Gaara... You could just send me and Kankuro off first and stay here for a night if you want to," Temari almost sang her words out, but Gaara wasn't amused.

"Sh... Shut up," he walked off in a hurry, leaving Kankuro to look puzzled as he turned to Temari.

"Oi, oi, what's that about?" He asked. Temari said nothing, but winked and glanced at both Gaara and Yukari. After a few seconds, Kankuro leaned back and mouthed an "oh" and nodded with a sheepish smile.

Kankuro and Temari joined Kei and Makoto and sat together with them. Kei made some tea and Makoto took out something from the bag she was carrying, which was revealed to be a big container of food. They were proper handmade food too, like rice balls, baked bread, and cooked meat. She shoved them towards the Siblings on the ground, as if forcing them to eat.

"You guys must be starving," Makoto told them nonchalantly.

"Th-Thank you," Temari thanked nervously, as she hesitantly grabbed a rice ball and took a bite. It was actually good, and a relief as they hadn't eaten anything at all that day.

"Didn't know a wild person like you could be a homemaker," Kankuro teased as he chewed on her food.

"Just because I like cooking, doesn't mean I am one," Makoto responded. "I can't eat them anyway." Temari and Kankuro looked at each other with confusion, instantly regretting their decision to eat her food.

At the same time, Yukari was cross-legged on a rock which is an adequate size for sitting. She was staring out the water, calming her mind. Gaara was nearby, crouching down and washing his face to cool himself after a whole day of working the repairs in the tunnels. He stood up and noticed Yukari by herself. After a few seconds of deliberating in his mind, he decided to approach her.

"It's a nice place here," Gaara said as he took a seat next to her on the rock while Yukari just stared at him, as if waiting for him to elaborate. He wondered whether he should have said something more interesting and groaned in silence, turning away in embarrassment.

"I don't come to this place that often when we're on patrol, but I like it here. It's peaceful and nice," Yukari said, turning her attention back to the water. Gaara followed her eye direction, noticing the pool's aesthetics, and did realize that the sight was pleasing to see.

"It is beautiful," Gaara remarked. "There's not a lot of places like this where I come from."

"What's your village like?" Yukari asked with a sense of curiosity. Gaara stared back at her, wondering how to describe it.

"A lot of sand and wind. Hot during the day, cold at night," he explained the best he could, but Yukari still seemed interested, looking at him with wide eyes. "I could show you around if you ever come by and visit," he subconsciously offered, and immediately felt embarrassed. Yukari was surprised, and then smiled warmly.

"That sounds nice," Yukari told him quietly. Gaara felt comforted by her response and looked down to the ground with a smile.

"Yuka, here," Makoto came from behind and gave a container of food to Yukari. "Share some with Mister "Love" over there would you?" Makoto nudged her head towards Gaara. Yukari was startled and looked at what Makoto handed to her, grabbing it slowly.

"Thanks," Yukari said with almost a sarcastic tone, but she masked it well.

"You got some dirt on your hair," Makoto remarked as she brushed off her head and took off some debris and dust. Yukari pouted and tried to smack Makoto's hand away.

"Stop," she grumbled, but in a way a child would to their parents or older siblings. Makoto just laughed, humoured by her reaction and walked away casually.

"I'm gonna lie down," she said with a bored tone to her voice. Yukari frowned for a moment and then opened the pack of food and pushed it to Gaara, who took some bread and looked at it quizzically.

"Thanks," he said, taking a bite and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. "She does act like your mother a lot."

"Ranking wise, she is still under my supervision, which is annoying whenever she does that," Yukari remarked with a grunt. She sighed, as she was eating her food. "I suppose I should be thankful for it, since I never had a mother," she added with a small smile. But the look in her eyes turned dark, and she stared down to the ground. "But it wasn't like that the first time."

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked, curious but slightly nervous upon hearing that.