So sorry for the long wait, my lovelies, but I'm back and there you are, reading.
Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine, as you know.
"Sasori of the Red Sand?" Baki repeated, sounding suspicious.
"Yup," I replied, looking at Gaara from the corner of my eyes. "He's not in range for me to enter his mind, though. Baki?"
"Yes, Kei?"
"Can you put me in contact with Kankuro?" I asked. Gaara sent me another sharp look, and I shrugged, whispering to him that we should fill him in on the situation. Gaara's face remained impassive for another moment before he nodded curtly. A few seconds later, the radio crackled again.
"Kei?" Kankuro's voice came through the static.
"Hey, Kankuro," I greeted.
"Where are you?" he demanded.
"With Gaara in the sky," I replied quickly. "I'm only calling to fill you in on what we know so far…" I began to explain the situation: the Akatsuki are leaving this attack, they fight in pairs of two and the two are…Deidara and Sasori.
"Sasori? As in the puppet master who defected twenty years ago?" Kankuro asked, shocked.
"The very same," I nodded, although he couldn't see me.
"Kei," Gaara's voice growled. I waved him off as I continued explaining to Kankuro. "Kei," he repeated louder.
I turned to him sharply. "What?" I asked.
He turned his head to the crack on our sand shield without saying anything. I followed his eyes, and saw a giant…clay bird-thing with a giant bottom. "Um…Kankuro…I'll radio you back in a little while," I said slowly, holding the button.
"Kei? What's wrong? Is Gaara alright?"
"No, he's fine," I replied. "Are you…by any chance, still in the village?"
"Baki and I are making sure everyone's out of the village while patrolling for Sasori," he replied. "Why? What's going on?"
"Okay, um…look up," I told him.
"Alright? Sky, Gaara's sand shield, and a clay-Holy Shit! What Is That?!"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling it'll blow up," I replied. The clay began to descend swiftly. "Gaara?" I began after Kankuro disconnected our radios. His eyes were wide, his face pained, and he was breathing heavily. After a few seconds, I realized what was goin on. I shook him gently by the shoulder. "Gaara, there are still some people in the village," I told him, slightly panicked. "You need to do something! Gaara-"
The clay let off a blinding yellow light as it began to explode. My eyes went wide, and I couldn't seem to pull my eyes away. It blew up, a yellow and orange sphere taking its place. I closed my eyes, turning my head away, a tear making its way down my cheek. "Kei," Gaara said quietly, turning my head back to the village. "Kei, look."
"What kind of sadist…?" I demanded, obeying him. My eyes widened as I stared at a mass of sand that radiated Gaara's chakra. "Gaara?" He smiled slightly, nodding. I hugged him tightly. "Gaara, you did it!" exclaimed, laughing and crying at the same time. "I've never been so scared in my life!" he chuckled quietly, patting my back comfortingly.
"It's not over yet," he replied, pushing me at arms' length. I nodded, turning back to the fight.
"You did it," I repeated quietly.
"Contact the ones who are still in the village," he commanded. "Make sure they're alright."
"Whatever you say," I replied, pressing the button on my earpiece, "Kankuro? Baki?"
After a couple of seconds, Kankuro's voice came through. "Just me," he replied. "What's up?"
"Is everyone alright?" I asked, unable to hold back my smile when I heard his voice.
"Yeah, thanks to Gaara," he answered.
I let out a laugh. "Thank Jashin," I sighed.
"Is Gaara alright?"
"Yeah, probably out a little chakra, but as long as I'm here, he won't run out," I replied, giving Gaara a thumbs up before reaching out to transfer some of my chakra to him. "You did it."
"Kei, get back," he commanded, pushing me slightly.
"Gaara-" I broke off, seeing Gaara's sand rushing towards one of Deidara's clay birds. It exploded just as Gaara's sand filled in the hole in the sphere. "You did it again," I grinned, laying both hands on him as I began transferring my chakra once again.
"No!" Gaara gasped, pushing me behind him almost immediately. I looked over his shoulder, only to see more of Deidara's clay in the shape of bugs forcing their way through Gaara's sand. "How the hell…?"
But I couldn't finish that sentence because they blew up. Gaara and I were blasted back, and I could feel the sand beneath us slowly crumble away. "Gaa…" I winced, unable to completely form his name, and I couldn't feel my body. It wasn't like when Deidara blew my leg off because I knew it was gone. My body was still there, still attached, I just couldn't feel it. It was funny, though, because I could feel my hands still on Gaara's back, on either side of his gourd.
Gaara was gasping for breath and muttered a painful-sounding, "Kei?"
I hissed, unable to form words as I clenched his shirt between my fists. Forcing my eyes open, I sent waves of chakra into Gaara, leaning my forehead against the nape of his neck. While I did that, I forced my chakra to circulate throughout my entire body. "Gaara," I gasped out. "We gotta…Kick this guy's ass…"
"Sorry…Kei," he replied, sounding breathless. I watched as he moved his giant mass of sand away from the village, slowly but surely. "I…" he winced slightly. "I don't think I'll be able to…"
"Kei!" Kankuro's voice crackled through the radio once again.
I shook my head, unable to force myself to pull my chakra away from Gaara. "You can…do it, G," I encouraged him. "If we can't beat this guy…at least we can save the others…" Gaara successfully dropped the sand back in the desert, and I felt myself smile. "You did it…"
"Yeah," Gaara huffed before he hunched over, going limp. My eyes widened, my hands were shaking.
"Gaara?" I asked, trying to give him more chakra as we plummeted from the sky although I was running out myself. "Please don't be dead..."
I pushed into his mind, finding his heart was still beating. Shukaku?
He's still alive, Kei, he replied, sounding less aggressive than he used to. Let go.
What?
I said, let go. They're after Gaara. They'll only kill you, whether you were one of them or not. So just let go. I ignored him. Let go now or I'll kill you. I continued to disregard him. If you let go now, you can fill the rescue teams in on all the data you've gathered. You can save him. But you can't now, and you can't when you're dead.
I nodded. "I'm sorry, Gaara," I whispered, releasing his shirt. I watched as Deidara's clay bird grasped Gaara's immobile body as I fell, closing my eyes against the tears.
"Gaara!" Kankuro shouted as Deidara flew away with his body.
"What's wrong with, Kei?" Baki demanded, equally loud. "She's…"
"I've got her," Kankuro replied, and a moment later, I felt him grab me before he landed on the roof, laying me down.
"Sorry," I said quietly, turning my head to the side. "I'm sorry…"
There you have it! That was hard to write. But it's done now. Not the story, just the chapter.
Thanks for reviews, my lovelies.
Loves and hugs, minions!
Yours psychotically,
Vee
