M-P: I want to stick with Gaara, for one more chapter.
We walked to the top of the Kazekage tower and looked over the village. She didn't look at me, only at a group of young children playing a game with some twigs.
"Gaara, have you ever wondered how life would've turned out, if you had been loved from the beginning? Instead of lied to, secretly tormented, knowing all along that you didn't belong, but trying to forget that, because you wanted to be acknowledged?" I gasped and looked at her face. She bowed her head so that her eyes were hidden.
"Yes. In the early stages of my childhood, I was neglected and wounded emotionally because of the monster my father had implanted within me. But I met Naruto." She gasped and looked up at me. It was my turn to stare at the children.
"He banged my head with his own, and told me that it was love that made him stronger. All I wanted at first, was to be like those children. But that wasn't to be my fate."
"That wasn't your fault. You were merged with that monster before you even entered this world. You were punished for a crime that was committed by another." She whispered. I gazed at her impassively. She froze and lifted her head slowly, turning so that her gaze met mine. Her eyes were wide.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Pl - please forgive me." She whispered. I said nothing. She continued to look at me, her look full or remorse. A dry wind blew around us, ruffling her peach-orange hair. A bang fell over her face. I didn't resist. I reached out to brush it away, and froze. She was looking up at me, her face frigid with shock, her mouth forming a small, surprised 'o'. I slowly rested my hand on the railing beside me, looking back down at the children who were now just sitting on doorsteps talking to each other and shouting at each other across the street.
"Sierra, can you guess the reason I called you back from the Leaf Village, apart from the war?"
"Is is- is it something to do with the Akatsuki specifically, like you said so earlier?" She whispered. I nodded, still watching the children. One of them was arguing with another boy who had just appeared.
"I want you to let me know everything you can about the Akatsuki. Any information that we can get to defeat them would be a major help to us." I stopped speaking when I saw her eyes waver. She was hesitant to tell me.
"Sierra, what is it?"
"I don't think it will be useful, but they took care of me. Two of them. In fact, they were the ones who had . . . kidnapped you." The last part was so quiet that I only just managed to hear it, but only because the village had suddenly hushed. Without looking at her, I raised my hand and slowly drew my fingers together. A cry of protest was released from below.
"That new child who was arguing with the other children just now, was actually an intruder in disguise." She gasped, leaning over the railing to look. I felt a sort of wind blow behind me. I didn't have to look to know that she had jumped over the railing. A few seconds later, and there was total silence on the street. I peered over the railing and felt a smile tug at my lips. The culprit was lying on the ground, back in his true form. I finally figured out how to tap out Sierra's real power.
But I was going to need the help of one of those outsiders.