Chapter 11: stop him!
I stretched and awoke in the room I was given by Gaara in Sunagakure. Realizing that Kiba had most likely carried me back since I fell asleep while on watch I decided to go over to the room to apologize. Tsuyoi, Shou, and Takeshi had left to run some errands and Hinata and Shino-kun had probably gone with them. I knocked on the door to Kiba's room but there was no answer so I slowly opened the door. Kiba was sprawled out on the ground, fast asleep. He must've been tired too and I didn't want to wake him. I just laughed at how much of a child he looked like, then I shut the door.
I went up to Gaara's office and knocked on the door. There was a quiet, "come in." from the other side and I opened the door. He seemed to be working hard as Kazekage. "Oh, Azusa-san. How do you like it here?" Gaara asked very politely.
"It's really nice." I replied.
"May I ask? Are you also searching for Sasuke like Naruto?"
I laughed. "I don't really know myself."
"You guys seemed close when I visited Konoha for the chunin exams. Every time I saw you, you would always be with him." Gaara said.
"Yeah, well I guess we were a lot better friends back then than now. After all, a lot of things have changed."
"Yes, but I believe that Sasuke has not really changed that much." Gaara did not look up from his work while speaking to me. "I feel like I can compare to Sasuke, if anyone can bring him back it would be the person that can understand him the most. That would probably be you, wouldn't it Azusa-san?"
"He never listened to me anyways so it's unlikely," I replied, but it was true. Even as a child Sasuke would never listen to a word I'd say. He would always want to be the one leading me around.
"Naruto would be really happy if Sasuke came back I would imagine," Gaara said.
"The first thing Naruto would do if Sasuke came back would be giving him a good punch in the face. Then he would probably throw a party for him," I smiled.
"You want him back." Gaara told me.
I looked at him with a surprised look and nodded slowly.
"If you want him back but you say you don't want to retrieve him yourself then what's the point? You should try just as hard as Naruto is."
My eyes widened. Of course what Gaara was saying was correct. If I really wanted Sasuke to come home so badly then why didn't I fight for it? "Thank you Gaara," I said. "Now I know what I want to do." I didn't want to be going on missions like these, and even though my genin were important to me they weren't my top priority. I needed to put more effort in to looking for Sasuke, my best friend. This whole time I had been prioritizing everything else but him. Even if he kept pushing me away I would try my best.
All of a sudden a sand ninja burst through the door panting. "What's wrong?" Gaara asked calmly.
"Kazekage-sama! There has been a battle on the outskirts of Sunagakure!" The ninja cried.
"Our ninja's?" Gaara seemed completely unsurprised.
"No, another village's but it's really bad!"
"I will go first," I told Gaara immediately.
"Thank you, I will tell the other ninjas from Konoha to join you." Gaara replied and I nodded running out of the room and out in to the village.
The sand was hot and seeped in to my sandals. I burst out of the village gates and out in to the orange nothingness. "Hachidori!" I summoned biting my finger hard enough to draw blood and pulling out my scroll. The huge hummingbird exploded from dust under me and shot me in to the air. Not long after I had summoned I spotted a whole army of ninjas struck down. I flew over and jumped off looking around at all of the men. "No way, this is impossible." I whispered.
I looked beyond the terrain of men and saw him, Sasuke. Just how cold hearted had he become? Was this what he did for fun? He began to walk away not noticing me. "Sasuke!" I screamed to stop him running through the men. That was when I realized. None of them were dead, they were all alive. I ran faster still screaming out his name until he finally turned around and saw me. Orochimaru was right next to him as always. All of a sudden I felt a pair of strong arms holding me back. I looked back, it was Kiba.
"Azusa! What are you doing don't charge in so absent mindedly! Don't you see what he's done!" Kiba cried pulling back my kicking body.
"Let me go!" I cried.
"No!" Kiba shouted back.
In a flash Sasuke was not next to Orochimaru but next to Kiba and I. "I don't appreciate you grabbing her like that." Sasuke glared at Kiba slowly drawing his sword.
"Sasuke stop!" I cried before he could draw the rest of his sword. "Don't hurt him." I begged.
He stared at me for a moment then sheathed his sword again. "I see, I'm just glad that you've healed well." Sasuke told me remembering the wound he'd given me when I tried to protect Naruto.
"No thanks to you," Kiba hissed.
I grabbed Kiba's hand and squeezed it hard, begging him not to provoke Sasuke. He understood and stood down.
"I know you still don't have any intention of following me Azusa," Sasuke said. Now Kiba held tight on to my hand like he was scared I would follow Sasuke away. "So why do you call out to me every single time? It can be quite misleading." His cold dark eyes were unwavering.
"Please come home, do it for me, because we're friends. Why must killing Itachi mean so much to you Sasuke?" I begged.
"Don't make me say it again Azusa," he replied referring to the words he'd said to me three years ago. Amamiya, Uchiha scum.
"I know I'll never understand, I know I'm Uchiha scum, and I know that I might never achieve Sharingan! But whether you like it or not you're stuck with me as a friend so you might as well listen to me sometimes you idiot!" I screamed.
Kiba, and even Sasuke looked surprised by how loud I'd screamed. Then Sasuke smirked, "you've really started to grow up and become independent Azusa." He extended an arm and pushed me away from him lightly. "I don't know if I like that or not." Then he disappeared right before my eyes and reappeared next to Orochimaru again. "Sasuke!" I cried letting go of Kiba's hand and chasing after him, but he'd disappeared again. I couldn't stop him again. I collapsed to my knees and tears streamed down my face. Kiba walked over to me and crouched next to me.
"Azusa," he said sadly then he wrapped his arms around me. I cried in to his chest. Soon Hinata and Shino and Tsuyoi, Shou, and Takeshi showed up. My three genin looked down at me with sad eyes, looking at their pitiful and useless sensei who couldn't even bring her best friend back home with her.
When we finally returned to Sunagakure it was decided by Gaara that our group should not stay any longer. We were sent back to Konoha with a 'thank you' from many citizens of Sunagakure even though I had done nothing for them or myself.