Disclaimer: I do not and will never own Naruto or the characters that belong to the line. The story however is my own concoction.
You Wouldn't Dare: Sound the Surrender
Gaara's shaken state wasn't take lightly in the village. Bad enough that they were fending for the very livelihood of their beloved village (they weren't) after the near end of the world, but now it appeared that the violent and merciless being was woken from the grave. It wasn't a secret to be kept that the Kazekage was the holder of the one tailed demon; it was clear with the aura that was shed off of the lithe red head when he had thrown everything around his office furniture and shinobi alike. Gaara didn't wish to be hurting his own but he was terrified. So terrified of the predicament that he'd woke to with not just the return of his 'tenant' but also the necklace of what he now understood was his fallen brother.
The chaos was brought on by nothing other than fear and grief. The red head was so drunk on his own emotions that he'd allowed for the demon to take hold, to shield himself from what was whispered as further harm. Gaara delirious as he was, believed the strangely comforting words that were whispered by Shukaku. In a world that had turned into his own oblivion he knew the demon. The demon was familiar; safe. Shukaku would keep him safe. Surrendering his mind and body was his first mistake of many.
To say the least, his office was completely destroyed. Valuable shinobi was harmed both physically and mentally from the unsuspecting attack from their own Kage. There was however a bright side to this – no casualties. The demon had the reigns, yet no one was harmed beyond repair, for that matter gravely injured.
Shukaku, the demon of such murderous intent didn't take a single life.
It wasn't from his own will power, nor was it because of a blonde scolding him of his doings. The demon had restraint. For in that moment the people around him were nothing but a threat to his sensitive state, the demon sensing this was held with a ferocious protective intent. He'd been separated from his host before, having to suffer worst things than that of being inside of the small red head in his time with the statue and Akatsuki. That and the new seal that was burned into the pale skin didn't allow for the demon to interfere with the life of the Kage as he had before.
The raven may be cruel, but he wasn't stupid as to have loose cannon out in the world. Gaara wouldn't be controlled by blood lust. He would be controlled by – other things. Weapon was far from what he intended to do with the red head.
If only the residents of Suna were aware of that.
Gaara lay in a hospital bed bound at the wrists, legs, and even neck with chakra restraints. It'd taken many shinobi to subdue the panicking Kage. When he woke in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar bed his instinct was to fight for his life. The sun shining in through the window to his left along with the lack of stone around was enough for him to know that he was not in the underground hideout of the Uchiha. A wave of relief overtook him, though it was short lasted. The events hours ago came flooding in with the sight of a terrified medical nin standing just outside his door.
He lost control.
It had been years since he reacted so violently at innocence. Shame overtook the relief. As Kazekage he was responsible for the safety of not just his village, but of his people. He completely jeopardized that safety. Gaara couldn't bring himself to be upset with the situation that he was in – he deserved to be restrained to the bed like a psych patient.
In that moment all he wanted was his siblings.
Kankuro. Kankuro was dead.
Another pang rushed throughout his chest. Sasuke was relentless, so much as taking his brother away from him to assure that there wasn't any problems with inserting the beast within. Why – why would Kankuro have to be taken out of all people? He just saw his brother! Did that mean that when he was asleep inside the Uchiha's bed his brother was being murdered? What was he going to tell Temari? His village? Surely they noticed that the puppeteer was missing along with their Kage.
Had Kankuro suffered? The idiot would have gone down without a fight despite the odds. Did the brunette even know what was coming? Gaara hoped that he didn't see it coming making it quick and painless. If Sasuke had his necklace what made of his body? Was it left out carelessly like trash or was he in so many pieces that they couldn't place who or what it was originally? The familiar prick in his eyes returned. What became of his brother?
Gaara begun to call out then, for the guards he knew stood outside of the door, a nurse, anyone who would answer his call. Formalities be damned, he needed his sister. They needed to bury his brother! They needed to do justice by their family - the family that Gaara had worked so hard to trust him after years of..
Shukaku.
And here he was, about to expose them all to the same horrors of their origins. The more that he thrashed the more that his body ached as if there were a thousand pins and needles being pressed deeply into his spine. The more he cried out, the longer he went ignored. Was there truly no one for him to rely on? He was the Kazekage for kami's sake! He could be mortally wounded and there wasn't a soul daring to peek their nose in his direction.
In that moment Sasuke's voice was playing throughout his mind.
"Would they do the same for you?"
At the time the question was asked Gaara needn't hesitate to throw out the question like dust to the wind. At the time that didn't matter. But now, laying here in this bed - this prison - Gaara felt the underlying loneliness of the past swallow him whole.
Gaara was only meant to serve his people. Once that usefullness was taken away he was nothing more than a burdern to his village. He could see that now. He could see what Sasuke was trying to provoke him with, and he hated him for it.
Gaara was only meant to serve his people. Once that usefullness was taken away he was nothing more than a burdern to his village. He could see that now. He could see what Sasuke was trying to provoke him with, and he hated him for it.
...
Gaara's life was becoming a pattern. If and when he slept, he woke in a panic. Disoriented for the first few moments, erratic breathing, realization, guilt, hollowness. Without any window to indicate if it was dawn or dusk Gaara was left senseless. He wasn't ever awake to see anyone enter or leave the room. As far as he could tell the room remained undisturbed save for the blanket that was half hanging off of the bed from a particularly bad fit. The restraints proved futile to get past on his own. Even if his chakra wasn't cut off the red head was too weak to do more than to move his head to ease the strain of his neck. Days he decided. It had to have been days since he was deemed a danger to society. If the blotches of black in his blurred vision was enough to go by or the way his head spun if he looked around the room too fast, both his blood sugar and iron levels were at a sluggish low.
Were they going to starve him out? Were they going to ever come into the room? Would they return only to plundge a stake through his heart as if he were a vampire?
Logic and reasoning has sense been beyond the mush for brains. Under different circumstanced Gaara may be calm enough to preserve what little energy he had, to collect himself to be a civilized human for the world to see. Funny how the Uchiha always had a way of turning the shinobi world upside down with a bat of an eyelash.
What of the Uchiha? Was he going to summon Gaara once more - even more important than that - would he be able to summon the Kage? It was possible. Was it likely however? It seemed every time that Gaara escaped the darkness of the raven's shadow he was being dragged in by his ankles a moment later. He was a tool to the Uchiha. There was no reason why he wouldn't be called upon at some point or another. Buf if the Uchiha couldn't find him in his tower, would his village be harmed? Yes, even in a time like now, he worried for the safety of his village. With Gaara out of the picture there wasn't anything that would even be considered close to stand in Sasuke's path.
A part of him suspected that was the reason that Sasuke put the tailed beast back into his body. It was meant to have him spiral from the carefully built control, allowing for the village to remain defenseless.
Another theory?
Perhaps Sasuke was bored. The raven had already killed off three other Kage purely for sport. He needed something that could be a challenge, even if only a little.
Gaara suspected many things, each of which would be answered by that voice. He listened to the raccoon once before and it nearly destroyed him.
Of all things he was expecting to happen it was never a fresh blood genin to walk into his room. Small, the boy was so small for his age only his eyes gave away the true nature of the fierce determination that furied within. Gaara remembered signing off on his papers for team building. Dare he say the boy reminded him of a whiskered friend not all far away.
"Are you calm?" Oh the irony! Coming from the boy who was practically shaking within his sandals.
Unable to make any sudden movement (or even to sit up properly) he licked over his lips hastily. "Yes." He rasped, shocked that he even had a voice to give.
The boy said nothing more. He didn't spare a pitying glance or words of comfort. As quick as he entered he was out of the room. Gaara didn't blame him. This time he wasn't waiting for contact with someone else for long. One of the guards (from his tower no less) entered the room. Despite the clear restraints in place the man stood with his back to the door, hand on the knob to allow him exit in a pinch.
"May I speak to Temari?" Pleading, he was pleading so desperately!
A pregnant pause waifed through. "Where do you think you are right now?" Flat as he spoke, Gaara could see the flicker of fear through dark eyes.
At first when he went to answer he was unable, coughing from the dry scratch of his throat. Again, he was offered no comfort over the matter. Once the fit was settled Gaara's voice quivered with his response. "The basement of the hospital?"
"Do you understand why?"
"I was crazed."
"You disappeared to attack your people in return."
Gaara couldn't help the pang that grew in his chest. How did he explain that he didn't mean for his disappearance? 'I was kidnapped by the remaining Uchiha and a demon was placed into my body, the same one that nearly destroyed our village' didn't sound like something that needed to be put out on the table.
"I need to speak to my sister." Gaara repeat this time with more base that he could muster. "It's imperative, it's about Kankuro."
This had forced the nin to freeze entirely.
Did he know?
Those eyes grew defensive. "You aren't to set foot near Temari's wing."
A/N: I'm a horrible sack of shit for ending it so short and on such a low note, I'm well aware. However I wanted to give you guys something after my little run away there. Please understand, I just finished college and am starting a new job. While I intend to see this story through, it may be in shorter increments than originally planned. But don't fear! I of course will make up for it in time. Please, enjoy!