Chapter twelve: Fist collides with sand
I saw Gaara make the tiger handsign but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He lowered his hands and looked at me questioningly. "Yes Rani?" he asked sounding a little impatient, I smiled warmly at him "I…" I started and felt a slight blush appear across my cheeks. "I… wanted to give you something for good luck Gaara-kun" I managed to squeak out.
Gaara turned to face me fully I saw curiosity in his eyes, "What is it?" he asked. I took a step forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. Gaara became again immobilized before kissing back making it deeper. I separated from him and he gave me a disappointed look, "Sorry Gaara-kun, I don't want to hold up the fight…" I apologized and smiled warmly again at him, but I couldn't help but think that kiss was held a little shorter then what it should have. "Just promise me you won't die," I begged him. Gaara smirked and closed his eyes before making the tiger handsign once more, "I won't now" I heard the smallest of whispers come from him and I watched his sand spin around him before having him transported to the arena.
Gaara's blissful expression soon disappeared as he said "Come on, let's fight" he called out for Rock Lee. I looked for any clues to who he could be as I searched the ninja then I saw the one that was wearing green spandex kick the air and then punch it as a practice. My eyes widened as he looked like an idiot from what I was seeing but I then noticed, he looked exactly like his sensei!
Okay, this is getting weird as I saw his sensei shout "Go get him Lee!!" then Lee screamed eagerly and jumped off the balcony. But I became impressed as he landed perfectly without a stagger and got into a fighting position opposite from Gaara.
"I knew, sooner or later we would have to meet. I am glad it is sooner," Lee stated but Gaara remained motionless and needn't speak a word. I then got a sudden jolt of electricity go through my body as I looked at Lee.
"He'll never beat Gaara, not in this lifetime" I heard Kankuro scoff and give a smug grin. I shook my head at Kankuro's comment "No, your wrong… I can sense that this guy, he has more too him then just having a bad appearance. Gaara, I know him better then anyone else in this world and I can tell…" I told Kankuro and Temari and they looked at my hidden worry. "You can tell what?" Temari asked me with a worried tone for her little brother. I looked at her with a troubled glance, "That this is the day Gaara will be injured in battle" I whispered and growled in frustration as I was hoping that deep down I was wrong and that Gaara wasn't in danger. I looked and continued to growl, it was my instinct to protect those I cared about from any danger even if it costed my life. Especially Gaara.
I felt Shadow start to take over as my eyes began to flash crimson every once in a while and my fangs and nails would sharpen. I closed my eyes 'Please let it not be true!' I cried out in my mind and tried my best to repress my pushing demon.
My fears were made a reality, thirty minutes had passed and my fears had been put to rest, as Gaara seemed to be fine for most of the battle as Shukaku's sand had been catching all of Lee's attacks that would severely hurt anyone else, I sighed and Shadow's power I had been resisting to use was finally retreating until…
I found out that Lee was wearing lightweights all along and his real speed was hidden. When Lee had gotten rid of these weights his speed was at the least doubled! "No…" I whispered as he charged at Gaara and landed a heavy punch on Gaara, sending him flying. Gaara seemed fairly stunned by Lee's new speed and Shadow's power was beginning to jab at me once more except now, Gaara was hurt, all these people and especially Lee were all in danger. I had to either save Gaara or leave as soon as possible. I shut my eyes and continued to growl and snarl like an animal, my eyes turned crimson but I wouldn't let myself change anymore, not for now.
But the more the battle went on for, the more Gaara would lose. I bit my lip which made me flinch as I felt fangs inside my mouth and now, I saw Gaara on the ground, panting, struggling to get up and sand falling from his face. This was called his 'Sand armour' and it used up most of his energy to keep it in place, it was used when the sand shield was penetrated as a last line of defence. Unfortunately this defence was weak and would break easily.
I tensed up and gasped for air as my demon was finally winning the battle of the control of my vessel known as the human body. My nails were growing and my skin was turning grey, my hair was starting to stand on end and my eyes were becoming a narrower shape. I panted and gasped 'Let it go, destroy everything… destroy everything, if you don't…your precious little Gaara could die' the cold growls rang in my mind and echoed through my thoughts. I then couldn't take it anymore and I held my head in my hands and screamed in pain "BE QUIET!!" I cried out and felt sweat drop from my grey skin. I felt a hand on my shoulder; I gasped and turned to see Kankuro.
"Rani, are you okay?" He asked in a concerned tone. 'Destroy him… destroy everyone… destroy all' the echoes of my inner demon rang in my ears. My claws flinched and so did Kankuro when he saw the murderous intent in my crimson eyes. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" I screamed and threw him away like he was nothing; the pure force in my small throw made Kankuro hit the nearest wall and made a hole in it from my strength. I held my head in my hands and looked at Gaara, he had the same look in his eyes as mine. The same eyes showing murderous intent. I smiled as maybe the tables had turned once more and I calmed down and watched.
Gaara panted heavily and slowly began to stand up and most of the sand armour had fallen off, to reveal something that would make any belly churn. Under the armour shown a twisted grin that made him look like a madman. And his eyes as I said before were the most unfamiliar; they were widened and shown his demon through just looking at them.
Gaara's smile disappeared and made the tiger handsign once again and sand immediately shot after Lee and had pure force in the attacks.
Gaara began to toy with Lee know as Lee had grown weak from his constant attacks on Gaara and now Gaara had the upper hand once more. Who would emerge victorious in this match?
The match ended when Gaara was still on the upper hand but Lee still had a trick up his sleeve when I saw him summon all of his chakra, so much that it was making his hair blow upwards. My eyes widened as Lee was now changing colour, he was turning red! I guessed this was his final attempt to win the fight, was it enough to win though?
I gulped loudly as this chakra was now so intense that I could feel it around the environment. I bit my teeth, as I could tell how intense it was now… it was enough not to just win the fight, but to kill Gaara too!
Lee then charged after Gaara and in a sudden burst of quickness shot up underneath Gaara and kicked him into the air. I clenched my fist tightly and growled horridly as I was still fighting desperately to stay in control of my body and this was taking so much energy for me to do so that I could even collapse. Lee then appeared infront of Gaara while he was still in the air and kicked him hard in the gut, I winced in pain as my vision was now going blurry and I was beginning to stagger. I desperately tried to stay awake, and I looked at Gaara, his sand armour was reacting to Lee's attacks, but Gaara looked in the same condition as me. I closed my eyes and winced as I saw Gaara's pain stricken face, then with once last kick to Gaara and then a final punch, Lee sent Gaara spiraling towards the ground and I saw Gaara was unconscious!
I gasped and my eyes widened, Gaara was going headfirst to the ground! He'll die!
"GAARA!!!!!!!" I suddenly screamed at the top of my lungs and sounded as booming as a mother dragon's cry. And at the last minute, I shut my eyes tight and waited for a smash and Gaara's heart-stopping wail… but it never came…
Gaara:
"I haven't felt this in so long... blood. I have the urge to see it, to taste it... to make it spill..."