2. The Nightmare
Katsumi and Isamu quickly escape, Katuri in her mother's arms and her father carrying their important belongings through their daughter's bedroom window. Katuri did not know what to think. "Why are they attacking us? I thought they were our friends. Temari. Kankuro. I did not even get the chance to say bye to them... and never got to meet Gaara and become his friend..." Katuri was tightly embraced in her mother's arms and just heard the brute ninjas yelling "Give us the girl!" Katuri thought, "Are... are they chasing me? What did I do wrong...?" She would not want to ask her parents because she knew now was not the right time. Katuri has always been an insightful girl. She would even make her parents believe that she was not listening in to their conversations after any dangerous situations. But this time everything happened so quickly and sudden she was so confused as to why she was wanted and why her parents are not submitting to their commands. Now all Katuri did was blame herself because now her new friends are going to think she left them behind and her parents are in danger because of her. She let out some tears. Tears of sadness.
Katsumi noticed her young six-year old crying, amongst the chaos that has happened in the last five minutes of her adolescent life. As her and her husband follow to escape the village, Katsumi was thinking about all her regrets and sorrows for her family. She looks back at Isamu with her ice-blue eyes. "I cannot do much for you, my husband, the love of my life. You have worked so hard, Isamu. Your love for us drove you to become an even stronger, faster, and better ninja for our family." Then she looks back to her daughter's sad, blue teary-eyed face. "And you, Katuri. You are the strongest little ninja I have ever hoped you would be. I know you will grow up kind and smart and loving to everyone you come across. Your daddy believes so, too." She then shed a tear herself and had a peaceful smile on her face. "I love you."
Katuri heard her mother's tender voice. The same tone she uses whenever they were in danger and she was upset. She immediately stopped crying to show her mom that she can be brave like her. Katuri says to her mom, "Let them take me. I will be fine."
Katsumi was wide-eyed and noticed the look in her eyes. Her daughter reminded her of someone. But she could not put her tongue on it. But her immediate response was, "No! We are your parents and you are too young to face them. Let mommy and dad-" Katsumi was caught off after hearing her husband yell in pain. She turned around, blocking Katuri's vision, and saw Isamu holding his right shoulder, drenched in blood with a ninja star sticking out from his shoulder. The sight was a repeat from the incident in the Mist village in Katsumi's eyes. She screams out, "Isamu!" Without hesitation, she quickly returned an attack to the ninja that struck her husband and got him right between his eyes, causing the Sand ninja to stop his pursuit and fall.
Isamu did not care about his arm, but was more concerned for the safety and lives of his wife and little girl. He had quick flashbacks from when he met Katsumi in the Sand village. She was perfect from every step she took, to how she even pushed back her silver-colored bangs from her face. She was beautifully perfect. Then remembered the day he vowed to be in her life forever and how happy she was that she was moved to tears. The day their daughter was born was what scared him the most because oh his past with his father. But he let that be his motivator to not repeat his father's action and become the best father for his baby girl and be the best man for his wife. Realizing all of this and even seeing the sight of Katsumi protecting him proved how much love their family had for each other. But it also hurt seeing Katuri in this danger. Isamu also blames himself for bringing his family under the wing of his new enemy. So, he tells his wife the hardest thing to ever say to any loving spouse: "Go ahead of me, Katsumi. Make sure Katuri is safe. Don't look back."
Katsumi's stubbornness was getting the best of her and says "Hell no. We are family so we will stick together as a family."
"Look at our daughter... And tell me if she deserves this."
Katsumi looked at their frightened girl attempting to put on a brave face. Just by looking at her and comparing to not keeping their promise to make her daughter a loving home was like a stab in the chest. "You will come back to us, Isamu." Katsumi looks back at her daughter and remembered who her beautiful young daughter reminded her of. It was herself when she wanted to become a ninja and left her parents. Then she shed a tear with a smile on her face.
"Where is daddy going?" Asks Katuri to her mother.
"It's okay, little one..."
After the familiar voice crept up from behind her mother, Katuri immediately was released from her mother's arms and hit the ground from ten feet in the air. Katuri felt pain for a split five seconds and then slowly sat up. Adrenaline shot up Katuri's body when she remembered they were being chased by a group of ninjas. She got up and found a kunai on the ground and was in a defensive stance. Her body language was more in a defensive way, but physically she was shaking out of fear and facial expressions provoked a sense of being uneased. Her parents were nowhere to be found, neither were the other Sand ninjas and the mysterious but familiar voice.
Katuri was alone. Defenseless. Scared. And open to predators. She shed a tear.
Then she heard a young boy crying from the distance. She followed the voice while being cautious. When you are alone you will find a familiar voice to gravitate to. So in this case a young child was gravitating towards another young child's voice to avoid loneliness.
Katuri crept around a building and saw a young, red-haired boy in a tan colored over shirt. It looked like he was bowing down to an injured Sand ninja and was scared. "Was she hurt protecting the young boy?" This thought made her believe that not all of the adult Sand ninja were mean. But then something happened...
The boy then had sand gravitate up in the air and shielded himself. "What the-" An immediate explosion occurred that almost knocked Katuri into the air, but she got her balanced back and covered herself behind the building. After the dust settled she looked at the boy. She heard of this power existing in one individual. Then she remembered. "Gaara? Is that him?" Katuri then realized that this adult was trying to kill the boy with explosives. She said to herself, "He is not the killer." Before she was about to step forward and care for the boy to check for injuries. Several seconds later she just saw sand basically attack Gaara in the forehead. From her distance, he was screaming out of pain and it seemed like he forced this attack on himself. Katuri was scared for this boy. She knew he was inflicting this pain probably because he felt so much of this amount of pain throughout his young adolescent life.
K & G
Gaara's head drooped down and was panting a lot after inflicting a huge, symbolic scar on the left side of his forehead. He knew that only he can love himself. This realization became real for him after Yashimaru's confession about his parents, his uncle's fake love, and realizing that he is just a monster. Nothing else. He then looks up at a young girl.
The moon caught her white and silver hair and her ocean-blue eyes shining with the lunar light. She was wearing some tan nightgown, so she seemed like she was not supposed to be out here at this time of night. Her facial expression was out of worry than the fear he is used to in the Sand village. Gaara was more upset at the fact this young girl was not swayed at his bleeding face and angry stare. He wonders if she even noticed the altercation that happened not too long ago. "Why is SHE looking at me like that? She should be scared of a monster, not care for it!"
"You! Get out of here if you do not want to die." Gaara's statement was not out of concern for the young girl, but to warn her that he will commit murder. This meant he was done with even trying to make friends and not care for anyone.
The little girl responds back with a small smile, dropped her kunai knife, which brought a questionable expression on his face; and she spoke in a soft voice, "I want to become your friend, Lord Gaara."
