Naruto 1. Ch 1: The Land Luck Forgot

**Reading the Wheel**

_**This is my first fic, so please be nice. It takes place Pre-chuunin exams. Just a little family fluff I came up with in my spare time. Oh yeah, and this is totally cannon.**_

_**I got the idea for this from another story called "Gypsy's Dance" by Herbblade. It's an awesome AU, and you should read it if you like NejiTen, NaruHina, and SasuSaku.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. If I did, this would be an episode or something not a fan fiction! Duh!The OC's Hoshi and Yue are mine though.**_

Chapter 1: The Land Luck Forgot 

Fate is a very funny thing. Sometimes it shapes us, sometimes we are the ones to shape it. It can raise up the humblest poor, and topple the mightiest kings. Yet, somehow, it remains invisible to the eyes of man. At least, it does most of the time.

Suna is a land most would say fortune has abandoned; a land of heat and sand, inhabited only by those with the will to survive. Where there is water, small towns spring up. But the towns are as harsh as the land they spring from, and as such are usually avoided by travelers.

It was into such a town, on a blisteringly hot day, that three siblings strolled. They were children, though one would never say it to their face, seeing as they could (and probably would) kick the speaker into next Tuesday. One does not mess with sand shinobi.

The oldest (as most would guess her to be seeing as she was the tallest) wore her blond hair pulled back into four ponytails. Her pale-lavender short skirt and matching top (complete with fishnet) showed off tanned skin and toned muscles. Slung across her back was an outrageously large fan. To top it all off, she had that kind of look on her face that says, "Go on, make my day."

The second shinobi, a boy who for some reason was wearing black in the middle of a desert, had painted strange designs on his face in purple. He sported a sort of hat/hood that was definitely...unique looking. He was carrying an unusual bundle wrapped in strips of cloth.

However it was the third, the youngest, who most caught the eye, and it wasn't just because of the kanji for love engraved on his forehead. He had a shock of red hair, a lean frame, and carried no weapon aside from the gourd on his back. But his eyes, his blue-green emotionless eyes, they warned those whom they looked upon, "Stay away."

The girl, Temari, was pissed. The chuunin exams were in less than a month, and she had wanted to get a little "target practice" on this mission. Of course Gaara (that would be the red-head) had taken care of all the enemies before Temari had time to twitch. And by taken care of, I mean, well... let's just say there was a lot of blood involved.

Kankuro, the boy wearing face paint, was also pissed. Why? Because Temari was pissed. And when Temari was pissed, she yelled at people. And by people, that meant Kankuro. Thank Kami her mouth had gotten too dry to yell anymore about an hour ago. Hopefully there wouldn't be any damage to his hearing.

As for Gaara, well... he really didn't care.

The avenue of packed dirt the three trod seem to be the main street of the town, despite it's emptiness. The desert heat usually drove people indoors by this time anyway. One particularly loud building, a tavern by the look of it, sported a sign advertising cold drinks. With a thirsty growl, Temari stalked towards the entrance.

Kankuro sighed. "It'll be a pain in the ass if she ends up killing someone," he grumbled, "Move it Gaara. We've got to follow her." Gaara turned to glare at his brother with cold eyes, "What did you say?" His voice was dangerously soft, sending shivers down Kankuro's spine. Pale under his desert tan, Kankuro gulped. "N-Not that I'm ordering you around," the older boy stammered, "Y-You could stay here or go somewhere else or something if you want."

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut. For Kankuro, an eternity passed before Gaara finally turned towards the tavern and started walking. Kankuro gave a sigh of relief, then felt a surge of irritation. He was older! He had been a ninja longer! Why should he have to listen to the spoiled brat? Muttering curses, Kankuro trotted to catch up with his siblings.

The tavern was a scene of anarchy. Drunks yelled cat-calls to women serving drinks, arguments turned into brawls, and shady men eyed fat purses on comatose victims. Temari had pushed her way through the throng and was placing an order with the barkeep. She pointed at an empty table. Eying the headband she wore, the man nodded and turned around to his work.

Guessing how the conversation went, Kankuro started pushing his way towards the indicated table. Gaara had no such problem. The tavern-goers almost instinctively mover to clear a path for the shinobi. The two sat down at the splintering round, their chairs creaking threateningly.

With a grunt, Temari shoved her way out of the mob. "Baki better get here soon," she growled, taking a seat, "This place is a dump.

Baki was their teacher, their sensei. He had stayed behind to negotiate for supplies. Since Gaara had made the townsfolk slightly, uh, nervous, Baki had instructed his students to go on ahead.

"We wouldn't even _have_ to wait here if _someone_ had just restrained themselves a little," Kankuro grumbled bitterly, ignoring the scantily clad girl setting down their drinks. Gaara, who ignored this statement, continued to stare blankly at the table. "Oh get off your freakin' soapbox," Temari snapped as she took a swig from her tabbard, grimaced, and swallowed, "Like your puppet would have been any less creepy." With an internal sigh, Kankuro raised his hands in surrender. _Soapbox?_ he thought, sipping his drink. He nearly spat the liquid out. Forcing himself to swallow, he gasped, "That is terrible! And he's not _that_ creepy."

"_HE?!?_ It's a freakin' puppet! How can it have a gender?!? Next you'll be telling me you named the stupid thing."

"..."

"_You actually named it?!?_"

"Ahem," a voice interjected softly. The three siblings stared at eh girl who had interrupted their argument. She was young, about a year younger than Gaara. She dressed in the style of the desert nomads: a full-length, off-white, hooded robe tied about the waist with a sash of royal blue. Her hood was down, revealing a sharp chin, delicate nose, and pronounced cheek bones on her tanned, thin face. Curly black locks had been cut short, ending just below the chin. Clear grey eyes, underscored by cascading lines tattooed across her cheekbones and down her jaw, danced with hidden mirth. The girl bowed.

"Pardon my interruption siblings of the sand," she intoned politely, "My master wishes to tell your fortunes."

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_**So, how was that? My spelling is probably wrong in a couple of places since I'm typing this on WordPad and it doesn't have spell check. I know I use unusual turns of phrase, so tell me if you can't understand it. Actually, just review period please. I promise the next chapter is more exciting.**_


	2. Ch 2: The Servant of Fate

**Reading the Wheel**

_**A huge thanks to those who got alerts on this story! You are teh bomb! I'll do my best to make this fic as good as I can.**_

_**I know this chapter begins kinda awkwardly. Please just bear with me.**_

_**Disclaimer: If I actually owned Naruto, why would I be on a fanfiction site? And writing in english for that matter?**_

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_Last time on __Reading the Wheel__..._

_The three siblings stared at the girl who had interupted their argument. She bowed. "Pardon my interruption siblings of the sand," she intoned politely, "My master wishes to tell your fortunes." The girl indicated another table occupied only by a young woman._

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Chapter 2: The Servant of Fate

The woman who the girl indicated's dress was nearly identical to the girl who stood before the three shinobi, the only differences being the the color of her sash (midnight blue embroidered with silver), and the fact she wore her hood up, hiding her face. However what really set the woman apart was the subtle air of calm and mystery she wore like a cloak. The corner she graced was an island in the sea of chaos.

"We'll pass," Temari said, waving off the offer, "We're waiting for someone." Kankuro smirked. "Sorry kid," he told the girl, "We don't have money to waste on party tricks."

The girl stiffened. "My master asks no payment," she replied tersely. Slowly she straightened, glaring at the boy who had insulted her teacher. Kankuro felt a shiver crawl down his back as her gray eyes pierced him like daggers. "Many would give all they have for this opportunity," her words cut the air, "To refuse would be an unforgivable insult." Like a shadow, the girl's aura of power dissolved as swiftly as it appeared. Her tone light once again, she turned to Temari, "Besides, it will be more than an hour before Baki-san arrives." Kankuro and Temari exchanged looks. _When did we...?_

"Well we wouldn't want to be rude," Temari said with a nervous laugh. She and Kankuro got to their feet. Gaara remained seated. The girl bowed once again, "She especially requests your presence jinchuriki-sama." Gaara twitched. Slowly, he turned to look at the girl who had so casually named him as the keeper of a tailed beast. The older siblings froze, the same thought on their minds. _How does she...?_

The girl took Gaara's unyielding gaze without flinching. Instead, she met his stare with fearless, innocent eyes. "You seem to know who we are," Gaara finally replied, his voice level to his siblings' relief, "Courtesy dictates an introduction." The girl blinked, looking rather like someone who had just realized they left the water running. "I haven't given one?" she asked, looking at the others for confirmation. Both shook their heads.

"Ah, my apologies." The girl touched a knuckle to her forehead in the nomads' sign on greeting. "Luck be with you. I am Hoshi, born of the Kinabe clan." She glanced towards the other woman's table. "My master is waiting. Will you come?" Hoshi asked looking directly at the red-head. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Gaara nodded and got to his feet.

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Hoshi led the three through the crowd, a small smile touching her lips. Gaara stayed close, still suspicious of the girl's intentions. He served as an effective sound barrier for his siblings' frantic whispers.

"Why the hell are we going through with this?" Kankuro hissed to his sister, "Don't tell me you actually _believe_ in this fortune telling crap! That she actually has some sort of 'mystic powers?!'" Temari shot back a glare that would peel paint. "Well how the hell else would you explain it?" she snapped, "She knew about sensei."

"Brat was eavesdropping," the puppet-master rationalized, "She heard us talk about it."

"And she knew about Gaara's, er, tenant."

"Probably heard about it somewhere."  
Temari shut up. Not because her brother was right, but because Hoshi had turned to stare at them. They had reached the fortune teller's table. After a moment, she shrugged, turning to face her master, "I've brought them, Yue-sama. I apologize for making you wait." Hoshi bowed low, "I am at fault."

"You are too hard on yourself Hoshi," the woman's voice was a warm alto, her speech cultured, "I suspect they were difficult to convince." She threw back her hood, revealing a heart-shaped face, dark brown hair styled in intricate braids, and intelligent green eyes. Tattoos similar in design to the ones Hoshi sported framed her eyes, overlapping above the bridge of her nose.

Inclining her head, she introduced herself, "Luck be with you. I am called Yue, a servant of the wheel of fate. Thank you accepting my invitation." Temari returned the nod. "Temari," she replied, pointing to herself, then pointed at the other two in turn, "And my brothers, Kankuro and Gaara." Yue nodded graciously to both before turning an appraising eye back on Temari. "You keep an open mind towards this," she stated, smiling with approval, "That is good. You'll be first then." She gestured to the chair opposite of her, "Please, sit. Hoshi, my cards."

Temari took the seat indicated as Hoshi carried out her master's request. After handing a leather case to Yue, Hoshi led the brothers out of earshot. "There are many ways to See," Yue explained, unclasping the case to reveal a deck of cards slightly larger in size than a normal playing card, "I am one who reads cards."

"So you use cards to see the future?" Temari asked, leaning over the table. "In a way," Yue answered as she shuffled the deck absently, "The future is not a sure thing. It is constantly changing, shifting with every thought, action, or decision. I can only tell you what will _most likely _happen if things remain on their current course." The fortune teller cut the deck into three even stacks, "In addition, I see more than just what is to come. This method reveals you past and present self along with what is yet to occur."

Finished with her explanation, Yue placed the three stacks in the center of the table. Laying both hands flat on the table, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We begin."

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_**So how was that? I need feedback people! Are the characters ok? I always thought that Temari would be more open to this type of thing. What do you think? Any suggestions? Complaints? A bowl of ramen for all who review!**_

_**ShannonPwnsTooMuch: Thank you sooo much for reviewing! And the best is yet to come. Kankuro has a chapter all to himself in the near future.**_

_**Gaaahh! My cat won't get off my keyboard!**_


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Naruto, Family, Supernatural