"Shin, Sora and... Mitsumi?" I stared at the trio in front of me that Grandma had let into my room with a tray of sweets, after she'd fully inspected Shin until he finally gave in and told her that he wasn't into girls. At all.
"That's a lovely 'hello' you got there." Sora commented sarcastically, sitting down in front of me dropping her bag onto the floor. "You haven't been hanging around lately, so we decided to pay a visit." She smiled goofily. "If you don't remember, hi, I'm Sora."
I face-palmed. "And I'm Sakura. Idiot, how i can i forget you guys? You are kind of hard to forget."
Mitsumi and Shin sat down as well, Shin clearing his throat. "Well, on account of being you friend and the information broker, who doesn't give out information on friends BTW, where have you been?"
I grinned. " I made a new friend!" I explained. "I was about to head out to go see him, until you guys cam along, I have to return something to him."
"Mitsumi whistled staring out my window. "I'd hurry if I were you. It's about to rain. Even the insects outside have become quiet. A thunderstorm is brewing outside, and it doesn't look too pretty."
Sora slapped Mitsumi on the back of the head. "Idiot! She can't, it's a full moon tonight. Do you know what that means? No one is allowed outside... or suggested not to go outside anyways. We're a different case because we have the charms." Sora said, pulling at a charm that looked like a clone of mine.
I remembered Gaara's word, they were just made to give the citizens a sense of security, only mine was real. So it was technically dangerous for them to be out there as well. At least according to them, Gaara wasn't dangerous at all, rather he was misunderstood.
"Mmm, then it's fine for me as well." I said, pulling out my charm and showing them.
Mitsumi glanced at the clock. "OH GOSH LOOK AT THE TIME! I have to leave now!" Mitsumi said, giving me an urgent look and I knew right away what she meant. Her job. She was to go out on the hunt again. My eyes grew wide and I immediately tried to tell her 'no.' When she didn't get the message, I stood up as well.
"I have to get going too."
Mitsumi gave me a questioning look. Shin looked at me weird.
"Jeez Sakura, what's got you so worked up?"
I was already halfway out the door, Gaara's jacket on. If Mitsumi was out to 'hunt' then there are bound to be even more assassins out there trying to get Gaara too. The charms had nothing to do with this! It was more about the citizens staying in, so they'd have a better chance of actually getting to Gaara.
I just want to return his jacket... and make sure he's okay. I told myself.
I locked the door behind me as I left. Shin and Sora shouldn't be getting hurt just because of me. I ran to Grandma Tsunade's room and locked her door too. By the time I made it outside, it was pouring rain. I cursed to myself, shielding my eyes from the rain. Where would Gaara be?
On full moon nights, he craves...
I climbed up a thick vine rounding a nearby tree. Ignoring the slight burning in my hands I climbed to the room of Grandma Tsunade's house. Maybe I could spot him if I could see the moon. Inhaling, I wiped my hands off on my pants, ignoring the rips that the twigs had left in them. At least Gaara's jacket was safe, right? My hands were burning, but the falling rain numbed them out. I was soaking wet, and my clothes basically clung to me along along with Gaara's jacket. Looking back, I spotted Mitsumi climbing out the window. Her eyes grew wide once she spotted me atop the house. She began to shout words I couldn't even comprehend. I had to get Gaara! Before Mitsumi did! I looked around frantically, looking for any sign of where Gaara could be, maybe my idea had been stupid after all.
I stared up at the moon, so it was full, and I hadn't gotten the dates mixed up after all. "Gaara... where could he be...?" I whispered to myself, shoving the hair out of my eyes. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I carefully ran to the edge of the roof. "GAA-RA!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I did see him... he was heading straight towards me. Despite the rain, even though I couldn't see clearly, Gaara didn't look like himself. A grin was glued to his face, his eyes were black, with what looked like golden diamonds, in the middle. It was hard to tell with the rain. He was headed straight towards me though. I felt a jerk on my arm, and the similar figure of Mitsumi moved in front of me, wielding a katana in her hands.
"What are you thinking Sakura?! You shouldn't be up here, it's dangerous! ... What are you doing with Gaara's jacket?"
I started to shout over the rain. "He's my new friend. He's the one I have to return the jacket to, he let me borrow it yesterday when I caught a cold!"
Mitsumi stiffened. "N-new friend...? S-Sakura, that's not the best idea..."
In that millisecond, I saw a side of Gaara that I thought I would never see. He pounced, his hands had claws on them and he was attacking Mitsumi. Mitsumi was distracted talking to me, so she hadn't noticed him barreling her way. The world stopped moving altogether as I remembered Mitsumi's words.
"We're best friends now, right? Best friends don't keep secrets from each other, so I have secrets of my own to tell you! Come on! Then you can trust me with your own secrets... at least that's how I think it works... that's the definition of a friend, right?"
Definition of a friend. Such a complicated word. I realized what a true friend was when in that second I pushed Mitsumi out of the way, stepping forward instead of her. I surprised even myself, my eyes wide, it's like my brain wasn't even thinking, it was just my body's natural reflexes. I didn't feel the pain in my arm as I fell to my knees, I knew there was pain, but I just kind of numbed it out. Instead I felt my eyes sting, as if the pain from my arm left any impact at all. I couldn't tell if it was rain or tears streaming down my face. I stood up, only I had been with Gaara from the begining to keep him away. Loneliness makes everything worse, and Gaara had had enough of it. In front of me, stood the demon that had taken the form of Gaara, a twisted smirk resting on his lips.
"Ah- You're that girl that's been trying to befriend me!" He mused. His mask read happiness, but his icy tone read displeasure. It wasn't him I was trying to befriend, it was Gaara. I think he couldn't have cared less if I wanted to befriend him or not. Shukaku that is.
"L-let go of Gaara!" I yelled in my best commaning voice.
I leaped forward, wrapping my arms around him, not really thinking at all. It's just like previously with Mitsumi, my brain wasn't really thinking at all, it was just my body. The demon hissed, trying to claw away at me. Only then did I realize the charm must be burning him. In that moment, it didn't take long for the demon to retreat. I heard a familiar groan escape from Gaara's lips. Despite the stinging in my eyes, I found a smile resting on my lips as I hugged Gaara close. The actual Gaara. It was burning him. My charm. Immediately, I yanked it off, throwing it off the edge of the roof, sighing in relief. I couldn't help but giggle.
"You know, Gaara? This sounds just like a cliched book or movie. Friends stepping in the middle of everything trying to save their friend, but everything backfires. Except this time I managed to save you and Mitsumi... By the way, I have you jacket here..."
