A/N: First fic! So, I've been watching since the latest episode in Naruto Shippuden, and this idea came. I decided to give it a go, lol. Please be kind and let me know what you think about it!
4SW - Fourth Shinobi War
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
++ Prologue
Impossible.
She smirked as she unsheathed her katana, Kokushibyou, from its case secured on her back. A long time has passed since he last saw the sword—too long. He didn't even think that he'll be able to see it again.
You're dead. It can't be.
"Gaara," she greeted the young Kazekage. Her tone was low and deadly, unlike the almost caring one that he used to know. She poised herself into a fighting stance and gripped her sword firmly.
Perhaps she's a clone.
His sand floated around him protectively, sensing the threat that this girl possesses. He kept an impassive look on his face, but in his head raced a million questions.
He saw her die that day. He was there. No one could have survived that attack…or did she? No. Even he received injuries that day; even a Jounin couldn't have escaped that—
You know that she was good enough to be one. A voice in his head sneered. Her kekkei genkai also enabled her to be invincible to harm.
It was true. Memories of their chuunin days surfaced in his mind but he pushed them away before they became vivid. He shook his head.
Now why is she here? Could the Elders have—he stopped the thought. No, they wouldn't dare.
He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth together. The enemy knew that she was the only one who could undo him. They knew what she mea— No! This is isn't the time for this. He couldn't lose his composure. They'd know. But this…this is so cruel. Why her?
He raised his eyes and regarded her. Deep wounds and gashes decorated the otherwise smooth skin of her bare arms and her legs that her kimono didn't reach; the crimson blood was a clashing contrast to her pale complexion. Her auburn hair, which used to be silky and well kept, was limp and tied carelessly into a bun. Her eyes were still her most striking feature, he thought. Even from the fair distance between them, he still marveled at the power her mercurial orbs held.
Power over you? The voice whispered mockingly.
No.
"Kaori," came her name by his baritone voice. Emerald met silver. "Why are you here?"
She smirked and leapt from the tree where she was perched on to where he was standing below. His sand coated him a little more, making a good barrier between them. Gaara could see her better now as she walked towards him.
She was still the same girl he came to know as his teammate; his friend. She has the same eyes, the same lean built, and the same gait.
She's not a clone, she's the real thing.
She was taller now. She was a head shorter than he when they were younger, now she almost reached his eyes. Renegade strands of her hair swayed as she came to a stop before him. Her eyes—they were cold and thirsted for blood. He knew that look all too well. He has seen it in himself when Shukaku was still in him. Those eyes weren't hers. Those eyes belonged to a killer.
But you were killers. Your three-man cell was the cream of the crop. They trained you to be weapons. You yourself… You know that you were born to be one! The voice taunted him.
She wasn't a killer. She didn't kill. He didn't let her. He won't let her.
He could feel her chakra from her proximity. It certainly got stronger than he last time remembered, but it had a darker sense to it.
Expect nothing less from—
You don't know anything! He interrupted the voice. Shut up.
The voice scoffed. Denial. Fine, but you'll see.
"I came to kill you," her eyes softened a bit. "Kazekage-sama."
"I saw," he said suddenly which made her raise a perfect brow. "I saw you die."
She shook her head, and then chuckled. "I survived, but you left me." She gave him a sad smile and untied her hair. A wind blew her long reddish-brown hair to the side, a few strands glided against her face. Her wounds were slowly healing, eventually disappearing altogether.
She's not a clone, she's the real thing.
She looked as fresh as a new doll, except her floral kimono has blood spatters, and that her shorts now had slits from the battles she must've fought earlier.
"I looked for you," he started, but she resumed to her previous stance. He prepared himself for her attack and continued. "I spent days, until I found your body."
She propelled herself forward and swung her katana at him. The sand barrier strengthened and deflected her assault. She weaved signs in a blink of an eye and thrust her jutsu on Gaara's defense. The sand stilled and fell to the ground. His eyes widened at her speed. In mere seconds, she has the tip of her blade pressed against his pulse on his neck.
"You didn't," she said in a cold voice. His face remained blank. A wind blew once again.
He changed.
She changed.
He held her hand.
She plunged in.
Kokushibyou - means Black Death
R&R!