Chapter 10

"stop it…!" a voice said.

"you're scaring me, Gaara-kun!" she pleaded in tears, voice trembling. But where was she? He knew that terrible cry. He heard it before, three years ago. He was sure that he knew who it was. Yet all he could see… feel was the darkness. He wanted to find her, seek comfort from her. But there was the darkness still.

"Gaara-kun!"

Then there she was. Right beside him, holding on to him as if she was slinging for dear life. Kyara's beautiful face was covered in tears, as he slowly turned to her.

Those tears… they reminded him of too much pain and sorrow in the kunoichi's eyes. He saw them again after so long that he had sworn never to. But these tears were out of fear.

A strong guilt slapped Gaara as he released the now unconscious Mougin Jion. He should have controlled himself. He was always aware of his actions, even when it comes in controlling his cursed sand. Even his temper. However, seeing Kyara hurt so badly was a different matter unto itself. He had sworn to himself that if he young kunoichi got hurt, he won't take it.

Then again, he had done just that himself three years that and he was doing it now. How hypocritical of him!

"I'm so… so…" she couldn't finish her sentence as she sobbed, still semi-hugging him. 'scared' that was the word she wanted to say. The red head knew that he had intimidated the young lade so much, he couldn't help but stare at her beautiful face. Her golden orbs, so full of fear and beauty that he couldn't resist looking at them… couldn't resist wiping away the wetness from her cheeks.

Kyara on the other hand, stopped crying and pondered for the moment. Gaara had done that to her a lot of times whenever those tears fell on her.

"Gaara-kun…" she uttered with a half-hearted smile.

However, it did not last long when she suddenly fainted with her mouth foaming and her eyes rolled backward. It was fortunate enough that the young jinchuriki was there to catch her when she fell. Yet his eyes were painted with shock!

"Kankuro!" he called for his brother.

"Poison. On her leg…" the black-hooded nin said urgently.

"Get it off then." The young jounin commanded, still in shock.

"I can't just cut her leg off like that!"

"Idiot, the poison!"

"I knew that!"

As Kankuro tried to intervene, he had thought this is the first time hi saw his little brother a bit panicky. Usually, in situations like this he would just wait and stand aside until everything was finished.

Thank you…. Kyara, Kankuro mentally added. If it wasn't for her, his little brother would not be like this.

That evening, they decided to camp out with Jion tied up to a tree using Kankuro's special binding jutsu, and being semi-conscious-semi-dead, it gave the trio some time to worry about other things.

"Jeez… this guy could lose some weight!" Kankuro complained.

"Try moving;" the puppet-master warned him darkly, "and either way you will die in the most gruesome way."

On the other tree beside Jion's, Gaara gently placed Kyara on the ground. He felt her skin flushed and sweat was forming on her forehead. Their entwined hands, now hot. A sign of an upcoming fever.

"Kankuro…" The young jinchuuriki host called out nearly, so unsure of what to do next.

"I'm coming, bro. Just hang on for a second."

After a minute or so, Kankuro came out with a vial in hand and some medical essential plants he had gathered previously, per Kyara's instruction. And with his knowledge about poisons and it's antidotes he put it use, he hoped his formula would work.

"Gaara, would you please tie these bandages on the wound?" the puppet-master said with authority in his voice.

"I can't." the redhead replied coldly.

"wha-?" the older one tried to argue but when he saw their adjoined hands, he just made a long "ooooh…" with an idiotic grin.

After administering the medicine from Kyara's aid kit, the duo proceeded to their tent with much difficulty since Kyara's leg was severely injured. Gaara sat up, observing the kunoishi's condition. He saw the damaged leg, covered in thick bandages, turning sickly blue as the white straps tried to stop the poison from spreading to the young lady's system.

"Gaara-kun?" He heard Kyara called to him with croaky voice, "could you cover me please with a blanket or something? It's too cold…"

he gently covered her body with a wooly blanket but it was not so effective when she continued to shake like a leaf. He tried dampening a piece of cloth on her forehead, using one hand, to lower down her temperature.

"Kyara, we have to bring you to Konoha now."

"but it's… so early…"

"I don't care. You're getting worse…"

"But-"

"that's not a request I'm asking. We're taking you now."

He called for his brother for the umpteenth time that night. And Kankuro, with a startled gasped, woke up surprised and guilty as if he never meant to fall asleep. "Fix up," Gaara told him, "we're leaving for Leaf."

They were waiting for Kankuro to finish from cleaning the camp out. Kyara's condition was worsening. She felt so heavy and weak, her legs were like jelly under her own weight. She also felt so cold that even Gaara's coat did little to keep her from shivering.

"let's go guys!" Kankuro announced, tying Jion securely.

"time to go Kyara," the redhead whispered gently. Even with her condition, she could not help but feel awkward with him breathing down on her forehead. He was just too close.

Unexpectedly—even Kankuro was shocked out of his wits—Gaara attempted o put his arms under her legs to carry her. What did her have in mind since there hands were fused together?

"H-hey! What a-are you doing?" she asked, surprised.

"you can't even walk let alone stand properly with you leg injured," he answered.

"no. I just—wait! You can't carry me," she protested.

"why not?"

"well, can't you see clearly it's impossible?" the little elves in Kyara's brain were having a hell of a good time with there firecrackers and marching band.

Gaara breathed in and out very slowly, only admitting to himself, and only to himself, that what he was attempting to accomplish was ridiculous! If he wanted to carry Kyara he might have just broken her arm instead to do that… just ridiculous.

"uuuuhhh… actually," Kankuro interjected, looking guilty, "actually you can let go of Kyara now Gaara."

"…what?" the sand jounin asked slowly.

"you can just, uh, let go now… of her hand. I mean."

Slowly, Gaara loosened his grip and felt the blood rushing back to his slightly numbed hand. But as he let his hand slip out of Kyara's own, he strangely wished he hadn't. as much as he wanted to kick his brother's ass for messing around like this, he somehow wanted to thank him too for getting him close to Kyara.

"I ended my binding jutsu sometime yesterday morning. You guys could have just, well, gone separately…"

"what!" Kyara's voice was almost back to normal with her indignation, "you mean all this time you… we… that we were just…"

"holding hands," Kankuro finished for her, looking very sly all of a sudden, "but hey, it wasn't so bad after all, Kya-chan. I think it done you a lot of good actually. It brought you two closer together."

"you…" if only Kyara could reach him with her fist without her toppling over face first before she could make a hit on his cheeky face.

"now, now, Kya-chan-"

"let's not waste time idly chatting," the redhead shinobi cut off, "we're leaving. Now." He scooped up Kyara without a second thought, making the situation far too awkward.

"I won't go if your arms will encase those darling legs like such brute!"

that was Jion, awakened as soon as Gaara carried the only woman in the vicinity. "my strong arms should encase those delicious legs," he said with all malice and perversion.

"SHUT UP YOU PERVERTED BUSHY-EYED UGLY GUY!" the puppeteer yelled in his is hear, making him flinch back.

Kyara was just annoyed. Those two were too loud and already getting in her fevered nerves. That struck her with an idea.

"Jion…" she said all too tenderly, "you know what will happen to me if you won't come? I'll truly fail my mission. You don't want that to happen to me do you?"

the bushy-browed maniac's eyes sparkled as Kyara continued her sweet tirade.

"this is my first mission in after three years as an independent jounin. I want to succeed. Won't you help me Jion?" she tried her hardest to emulate a weakened begging teary-eyed damsel, though deep inside her wanted to die then and there.

Without hesitation—his mouth hanging open and drooling—Jion nodded vigorously and willingly followed. Idiot.

They left for Konoha with Gaara carrying Kyara in his arms. He didn't care much when he was tired or felt almost sick of exhaustion just as long as he was protecting Kyara, as what he had promised her. He thought, that it was the right time to fulfill everything that he had missed and that promised to the kunoichi.

But for the young lady's part, she couldn't help but replay the memories that had happened three years ago. Feeling Gaara's arms around her… it was such a long and distant yet so familiar feeling.

She remembered him carrying her like this. It was that night so long ago. He was kissing her with so much love and passion that she could not help but respond to him. She felt scared but she trusted him. She had never felt anything like that before… complete love.

But after some time, he broke it off with and said it was nothing to him.

Kyara's eyes stung at the memory. To hide her tears, she just closed her eyes, pretending to sleep until fatigue took her over.

"what happened to her?"

the blonde leaf ninja asked as he led them to Konoha's main hospital.

As soon as they arrived in the village, they saw Naruto passing by to go have his breakfast. But when he saw Kyara's condition, he forgot all about ramen and was replaced by concern over a dear friend.

"Poison…" Kankuro replied curtly, out of breathe as he dragged Jion along with other Konoha ninja's for temporary imprisonment.

Sakura was suddenly there, almost eerily appearing out of nowhere, and took care of Kyara.

"you have to go and report Gaara-kun. Don't worry about her," Sakura said firmly, almost commanding the young man, who was not about to let go of Kyara.

"but it's—"

"I'll be informing you as soon as she's fine. Now go."

He didn't want to leave her. It was his fault, he knew it. Kyara was poisoned because of him. Because he couldn't protect her. He couldn't forgive himself if anything worse happens to her.

"we have to go Gaara. Entrust everything to Sakura-chan," Naruto assured the other jinchuuriki with a squeeze of a shoulder. "Kyara will be all right, believe it."

Still doubting, even with the blond nin's words, he left for the Hokage's office to report and deal with Mougin Jion's custody.

"Kyara-san?"

a familiar voice called her. She tried to get up, but her body felt so heavy. It was like a 5 ton elephant was placed on top of her; she couldn't move a muscle.

"easy there Kyara-chan. Don't force yourself," the soft voice said again.

"S-Sakura-chan…" she responded, voice so rough.

"yes. It's me, Kya-chan…" the rosette-haired said as she helped her slowly up.

Slowly, the kunoichi opened her dry eyes and rubbed them, a bit of tears bloomed to wash away the sleep. She smiled as she saw Sakura by her side smiling too. Kyara looked at her surroundings as if looking for something that's missing in her room.

"are you looking for something, Kya-chan?" the rosette asked.

"… no, Sakura-chan," she answered quietly, "it's just a bit nostalgic.

They smiled at each other. Sakura gave her a very tight hug, which made Kyara wince in slight pain. "Sorry," Sakura said, "couldn't help myself. I missed you terribly."

"I missed you too, Saku-chan… how are you? And how's Sasuke?"

"oh, I'm fine. I've been training again for another year. You know, working out and everything. And Sasuke-kun… well, nothing's change about him. He's still not allowed to go on missions," she sighed, sitting back down again. "what about you Kya-chan? How are you feeling right now?"

"fine, I guess," the brown-haired kunoichi answered, "I got stuck up an unexpected mission, but at least I had one. And classified A too! But I missed everything that happened this morning… so I can't tell really what happened." She chuckled, scratching her head.

"well, you were unconscious. But that's because of the poison that nearly killed you."

They were at the middle of the conversation when a noisy blonde whiskered face ninja came bursting in the room, yelling the kunoichi's name."

"Kya-chan! How are you? Oh… I brought you some-"

"Naruto, you twit!" Sakura yelled, "why did you bring fresh flower's inside?"

"w-what? I brought-"

"Naruto don't you read the signs? The last time somebody brought flowers ten people almost died here because of allergic reactions. You know the hospital know prohibits flowers inside and how did you get pass security anyway?"

"uhhh… ninja?" Naruto pointed to himself as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which pretty much answers the whole dilemma. Sakura flushed at the short not-intended-to-be-cocky answer. He had a point and that what triggered her anger.

Kyara smiled at he sight of her friends, bickering childishly in front of her. It had only been a month since the last time she saw them. But with their care and concern, anybody would find it impossible not to miss this set of friends.

"that's alright, Sakura-chan!" she defended Naruto, who was looking to helpless and pale as the rosette continued to scold him. "I'm not really allergic to flowers. I don't have an open wound anymore. So I think I can take the pretty flowers now. Thank you Naruto for the thought."

"I told you, dobe," a deeper voice entered the room as Sakura tried to arrange the flowers on the table. "she'll go berserk if you brought those to Kyara."

"Sasuke-kun!" it was Kyara who greeted him first. Undeniably, the raven-haired shinobi became more handsome than she had thought. She could not even hide the blush on her face as soon as the Uchiha nin came inside the room.

"yo," was the only response from Sasuke.

"so… how are you Kya-chan? I heard your mission was an A-clas," the blonde would-be Hokage asked, encircling his arms around the girl's shoulders. The kunoichi on the other hand, made a not so obvious flinch. Naruto was weighing down his weight on her.

"yeah…. But as you can see, I end up here at the hospital. Again," she said sheepishly.

"nah, that's all right. You and me always end up here after training right? But after that we become much stronger. Right?" Naruto said with the usual warm smile on his face that always made Kyara feel all right.

"uhuh," she agreed, "and I think I have to thank you for that. You helped me a lot."

The way she said it made the blonde man flush and fidget, making an idiotic laugh, scratching the back of his head.

"and you Sasuke-kun," Kyara turned her attention on the sharingan bearer, "have you hurt Sakura-chan?" she asked leering at him.

"of coarse not, idiot. Why would i?"

"he tried to sneak in the Hokage's private library, Kya-chan..." she heard Sakura whispering beside her. She pretended to whisper, that is. Everybody in the room heard what she said.

"I did no such thing." Sasuke quickly defended himself, a little angry at his girlfriend.

"what the hell was he doing in the Hokage's library?'

Redness bloomed on Sakura's cheeks, "you figure it out."

"huh?' both came from Kyara and Naruto, who had never heard of that incident from both best friends.

The conversation went idly from there and until it went to another topic then another. Naruto and Sakura pretty much dominated the chatter. Though more like, Naruto chattered while Sakura might scream at him from time to time and Sasuke would simply add a few insults or two in between.

"hey, Kyara-chan," Naruto suddenly started.

"yeah?"

"where's Gaara? I haven't seen him all day."

By that question, Sakura and Sasuke became weary of Kyara's reaction. Her expression drastically dropped. Would she stop and linger? Or maybe cry?

Naruto got a knock on the head from Sasuke for being so tacky and smart. Idiot.

As far as they have known, the brunette kunoichi hated that man for breaking her heart. All they have known, according to Kyara, he dumped her because some superficial reason that he did not love her anymore.

They stared at their friend for a moment and surprisingly Kyara's reaction was not what they have expected. "I was also wondering where he had gone too. I thought he was with you guys the whole time." And she was smiling the entire time.

"Well... he was for a little while," Sakura told her, "but after we brought you in, he went straight to the Hokage's Tower. I never heard from him since then."

"oh..." she had a strange look about her self that none of them could discern. Like she was trying not to really think about the matter and just leave the fact that Gaara never once came to see if she was alright.

But in all honesty, deep down Kyara's heart, she found herself missing the man she had been holding hands with for the past few days. She had been treating him nicely and even smiled at him for denying the fact that he too had smiled. She even remembered crying in front of him, pleading him to stop and snap out of his monstrous intent to kill. It hurt to know that even if he did bring her to Konoha to be saved, he did not bother to check if she was indeed okay and alive.

"hey..." the rosette sliced the strange silence, "why don't you go and buy us some ramen, Naruto? I'm pretty sure Kyara-chan's hungry. She'll need all her energy now, right Kya-chan?"

The other kunoichi broke into a sweet smile. "that's right, Sakura-chan. Let's celebrate this reunion!"

Night time came and team seven left for Kyara to rest. But no sooner a pale young man with raven lack hair came in with another bunch of flowers in hand.

"I've read from a book that it is almost necessary to bring flowers to a sick person. It said it's a sign of compassion."

"if it isn't the gay-lord..." Kyara greeted the man.

"hello, weirdo," the man returned, laying the flowers on the table.

"Sai, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not weird. I'm gorgeous!"

"Right. You're always to busy being gorgeous that you always end up being too weird." And Sai told this with his ever fake smile.

"whatever! I'm still too gorgeous for you anyway!" Kyara sneered.

"you still have I wide mouth."

"and you still look like death came over you."

"aren't you scared?"

"scared of what?"

"as I understand, you said I looked like I died. If I died and I'm still here that would mean I'm... a ghost of some sort... I read people are fearful of anything related to ghosts and the dead. And so that leads me to my question, 'aren't you scared?'"

Kyara burst out laughing, almost rolling out of her bed. "you're not scary Sai. You're just... you're... ew!" and she laughed out loud again.

"The book said that If a woman said something negative and or derogatory, it's has quite the opposite definition," Sai added, giving the kunoichi one of his fake simpers.

"You know..." Kyara just shook her head, admitting she gave up the cause, "you know what, why don't know come over here?" Kyara opened her arms, pulling the pale ninja into a warm hug. Sai actually blushed. "aww, you really missed me Sai, didn't you?"

"Yes." Just one word already told Kyara so much of what her friend really wanted to say, even though he did not know how to go about her hugging him—he just stood there awkwardly.

Kyara let go, patting her friends cheek. "so how are you doing lately? How's the facial expression practice, eh?"

"It's hard and... tiresome," though he answered with a big smile. Fake, as always.

"I don't see the connection why simply trying to express yourself could be that hard and tiresome. People do it everyday... yet come to think that you are not your everyday person, so I think you can be forgiven."

"It's difficult for me to have the appropriate expressions for any given situation... emotions are complicated," the former Root ANBU said solemnly.

"How come? Don't tell you forgot about everything I taught you?"

"No, Kyara-san, I would never forget those lessons. It's just that you made it... hard for me."

"huh?" Kyara scratched her head, "I thought I laid it down on you a simple and easy as possible."

"Kyara-san, you are so slow on the uptake."

"huh?"

"and you look stupid."

"WHAT?" Kyara was about to knock a vase on her friend's face but she pulled back, thinking this was Sai... he was brutally honest and he needed help with socializations. Kyara did not need to hurt him over that and unlike Sakura, Kyara had a little more self-control. Quietly she placed the vase down beside her bed. The fresh flowers still in full bloom. "What do you mean that I made it hard for you to understand then."

"I told you, I understood those lessons perfectly. You were a great help to me... but because you left... it felt..."

"It felt?" Sai? Feeling? This was something new entirely. Kyara's heart was soaring now but she needed not to burst out with elation. Not yet anyway. Sai did not need to be startled; he only needed quiet reassurances.

"It felt..." Sai was looking away, complete lost, "that something was missing... I strangely feel like my head went blank and I could not comprehend... stuff."

Kyara cocked her head to the side. "It would seem to me that you just said you suddenly became stupid after I left."

"Is that what happened to me?"

"Beats me... but Sai..." she was looking at him as if she had just discovered something sweet and genuinely lovely, "I think you're going to be okay now. Just keep up the good work."

When she first met Sai, she was reminded of her terrible past. Like him she did not know if she should be feeling sorry or contented with herself. She did not have any memories of her early childhood and had been completely lost to the world. She had been all alone before her sensei found her off the streets. Sai, on the other hand, was taught since childhood not to have emotions. He was drilled to purge himself of any feelings of sympathy, empathy and all feelings in general. What was happening to Sai was what had happened to her, he was beginning to discover himself. All he needed was time to get to use to things.

In a way, both she and Sai had a certain way of understanding each other. Sai, though only capable of giving untrue smiles, could discern falseness in others. He could easily detect if Kyara was unhappy or not. Kyara, with her natural gift to practically hear other people's thoughts, can easily read Sai's and she empathizes with him.

"And I missed you dearly too, Sai," Kyara added. Sai only nodded, awkward again to which Kyara gave him another loving hug.

Unbeknownst to the pair, another was listening just outside if the half-opened door. He heard everything that needed to be heard. He unconsciously gripped his hand, harder than was necessary and almost drawing out blood.

What made him think Kyara still cared for him the way she had all those years ago? He was a fool. It had been his fault. What did he expect? He broke her heart.

Slowly, he turned away.

"Lately... it's been getting really frustrating, Sai-kun."

"Why is that so?"

"His actions... they make me so... argh!" the kunoichi slammed her fist on the bed, "it's confusing and I hate it! I mean, the fact that we're not together is... just fine but at the same time... the way he treats me now is like... I don't know..."

"Go on." Sai encouraged.

"It's confusing and that makes me angry because... I don't understand." She sighed at the end.

"So you don't like the feeling he is giving you?"

"People don't give other people feelings, Sai. They make them feel," Kyara retorted, a matter-of-factly.

"Then what does Gaara make you feel?"

"He makes me... feel... so much that that I can't begin to describe it. I know it's so wrong. He broke it off with me. I shouldn't let this happen to me now. I'm supposed to be stronger now. But he's showing kindness and care... it's so unlike, you might say him but I know him better than most people do. I know he has a good and genuine heart. I just... don't... I don't know."

"Kyara-san... you're babbling is unnecessary," the root ANBU said, deadpanned.

Kyara only sighed, "yeah... I guess I am."

"So how do you really feel about all of this now?"

"I just told you," Kyara frown.

"No you didn't. You told me too much that it missed the point."

"Alright! Alright!" Kyara cried in frustration.

"Will you tell me now?"

"Alright already! Gaara makes me feel... he makes me feel safe and secured around him. I think."

"So obviously... you're still in love with him."

Kyara paused for a very long time.

It was almost midnight at Konohagakure. Everyone was asleep with their minds at peace and some were already dreaming. Even Naruto was drooling in his sheets at the moment.

The cool wind gently blew on the streets as the night went on with peace and harmony. No sign of trouble or enemy invading the village.

However, one Sabaku no Gaara was still awake. Not that he was not sleepy, he was just used to being awake all night long.

His mind was still filled with lots of things. And almost all of those are about what he saw and heard. Why were Sai and Kyara that close? Though he knew that the girl was very amicable, the both of them were just too close together sitting on Kyara's hospital bed?

"What am I thinking...?" the redhead jinchuuriki asked himself. He did not have the answers unfortunately.

He shouldn't even bother himself about such things. He did not have the right to. For him the kunoichi deserved better—someone who could truly make her happy and most especially, someone who was brave enough to protect her.

Sitting up on the roof a random building, he remembered those days that he and Kyara sat by together. She would place her head on his shoulder and would tell him to keep smiling more often. He felt different whenever she was near; it was a good kind of different. A special heart-throbbing kind of different that he wished would last forever.

Then the time came when he got carried away by his emotions for the first time, he confessed he had deep feelings for the girl. There was the first touch. And there was the first kiss. She had trusted him without hesitation.

Gaara shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face. He was tired and drained. Maybe a few hours of just lying down would have to do then. He left his spot on the roof and landed soundlessly on the ground. Turning to walked towards the direction of the apartment he and Kankuro were currently residing, he was greeted by another. Uchiha Sasuke.

The last time they had seen each other was around five years ago, during the chuunin exams. Not a very good memory. Their fight turned out to an all-out invasion. He did want to crush him to pieces now that he met him again. He hadn't had a good fight before the chuunin exams and he really wouldn't mind if they spar.

"You know..." the Uchiha spoke whilst looking at another direction as the redhead, "I've been training with Kyara... and I'd say she's not that bad for a kunoichi."

Gaara kept silent.

"She's a really good person too."

The sand ninja was clenching his fists now. He didn't like how the Uchiha sounded as he spoke about Kyara.

"And... you let her go," the raven-head added. "word of advice: when you love someone, you should be there in every minute of the day with her, so that you can protect her. I learned that the hard way."

Still Gaara kept silent. But he was all ears for what the other was telling him.

"Of course... you were there... but you couldn't even protect Kyara, could you? That's why she's where she is right now. Hurt... because of you."

The former jinchuuriki turned to glare at the Uchiha but Sasuke was already walking away at the opposite direction. Leaving him brooding on his own.

Hey there, guys! I know, I know…it's been a while…a looong, looong, while. And I'm sorry for making you wait that long…(will you ever forgive me?). But, hey! Look at the bright side! Chapter 10 is already here. I hope you like it! Enjoy reading! God Bless everyone!