It's my birthday ^.^ and I spent it writing half this chapter, WOOT.
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
Warning: More people get hurt, shocker.
Thank you for the reviews Lavendor Queen, SakuMiChanNoGaara, and Serenity!
To address some of you:
SakuMiChanNoGaara: Wow, reading all 35 chapters in one day is insane! I love when new people find my story. I'm glad you enjoy my OCs. Quorra, Leda, and Mae are different branches of my personality (more on my profile).
Happy reading!
Chapter thirty-six: Chevelle
Those who painfully watched Hinata get taken away headed back to the upper floor. One of the medics brought some antiseptics and a bandage for the cuts on my face. Sakura offered to patch me up.
"They don't seem to be too deep, luckily." Sakura pressed a cotton pad dowsed with antibacterial onto my cheek. The stinging caused me to wince under the pressure of the bandage.
Through my peripherals, I saw Kiba watching me. The hurt in his eyes spoke of his guilt, how his hot-temper led to this. But, his eyes also showed signs of abhorrence. Anger stemming from the blame of my contributions towards Hinata's injuries. I was the final push for her to go up against Neji, ending her in the infirmary. The pain of Kiba's accidental wound hurt, but upsetting Kiba hurt more.
Even so, I couldn't lie to myself. "They might not be deep, but they still hurt like a bitch."
Sakura giggled at my exacerbation, placing the bandage.
"Maybe this isn't the right time to laugh," Kakashi spoke, leaning closely to his pupil.
Sakura and I didn't know what he was referring to until we looked at the screen:
Ino Yamanaka vs Sakura Haruno
Sakura gasped and quickly turned to her opponent. Ino was surprised as well, but as soon as their eyes locked, anger quickly took over. Ino headed down to the arena. Sakura was a bit more hesitant.
"You can do it," I encouraged and with a nervous nod, Sakura silently joined Ino.
"Go Sakura! You can do it! Don't lose!" Naruto cheered.
"Why out of all the people did it have to be Sakura," Shikamaru groaned.
"I'm hungry," Choji complained.
Sakura, Ino, and Hayate stood appropriately in the arena.
"I never thought I'd fight you or, at least, this soon," Ino spoke.
Sakura huffed. "Don't you think I'm going to go easy on you, Ino-pig."
Ino looked crossed and growled.
Hayate exchanged glances between the girls and knew this was going to be one giant cat fight. "Begin."
They immediately commenced a hand-to-hand battle. Ino punched while Sakura blocked. Sakura swept her leg, attempting to trip Ino, but she jumped out of the way. Sakura continued on the offense and threw a handful of kunai knives. Ino caught one in mid-air and threw it back.
"Sakura is totally blowing Ino out of the water in this battle," Naruto grinned.
"What a fool," Shikamaru mumbled.
Naruto heard the boy and was quick to react. "What did you say to me?"
Shikamaru wasn't intimated by Naruto's rashness. "You wanna make something out of it? Then go ahead, because you'll lose."
"Who do you think you are?!" Naruto shook his fists.
Naruto and Shikamaru broke out into a verbal fight. Well, it was more Shikamaru badgering and Naruto easily buying into it. Between those two and the tension in the air from Kiba and Mae, I needed to space. There was an internal itch that wasn't going to be scratched unless I did some thinking. Silently, I slithered away from the group and walked, sorely, around the perimeter of the arena.
My thoughts effortlessly wondered towards the people I cared about. Hoping that Sasuke was going to be alright, but in my gut-wrenching soul, I feared he's not. I thought of Leda and how much I missed her. My desire to hear her voice and listen to that crass, unsympathetic tone she possessed. The thoughts became an endless swirl of chaos and confusion, eating away at my mind.
I stumbled past Gaara and his siblings who were watching the battle with distaste.
"That's it? That's as good as kunoichi can get in hand-to-hand combat?" Temari spat, finding the battle pathetic.
"I rather watch paint dry while listening to Poka music," Kankuro added, agreeing with his sister. "And I hate Poka."
I focused my efforts on the battle:
"Alright, listen up, Ino. I'm not the weak, needy girl I used to be. You're not even on my radar and you're not even Sasuke's type," Sakura said.
"Sakura, you better watch your step. You have any idea who you're mouthing off to?" Ino threatened.
Gaara remained silent, not stating his opinion on the battle. His arms were firmly crossed as his heavily lined eyes scanned the kunoichi, reading into their movements rather than verbally insulting them.
Sakura readjusted her shinobi protector, bringing it forward to her forehead. "All my life, I thought that if I tried hard enough, I could become a beautiful flower instead of a bud always waiting, but never blooming. So as kids, I set my sights on you, Ino, because you set an example for me to strive towards. That's why I'm here today, but now I don't to be you. I want to surpass you."
I listened to Sakura's declaration while watching Gaara, unknowingly. It wasn't until Gaara turned his head towards me did I realize what I was doing.
Caught off guard, my mouth hung open, hoping words stringing in a form of an apology would escape my lips. But, nothing came. Gaara glanced at my fresh bandage, making me more uncomfortable and quickly trotted onwards.
It took no time at all for me to be consumed back into my deep thoughts. They circled around Mae. The hatred in her eyes when we argued in the Forest of Death. The words clung to my skin like tar. Dark syrup that was impossible to remove. Mae was watching the battle until our eyes connected, and quickly flickered away.
We were on speaking terms, but the tension was still there. It was a feeling I never thought I would feel; that someone as close as Mae would pin me as something I wasn't. The fact that those thoughts ran through her mind, that I didn't deserve to be here and only am by the pity of others, made me want to slap and hug her at the same time.
While encircling the balcony, I avoided getting too close to the group. I couldn't look them in the eye, not with these clouded thoughts. Kakashi's glance pierced my back as I turned away for the next lap. That was Kakashi for you, always watching from afar, making sure I was safe.
My disobedient legs stumbled and I quickly grabbed the railing to prevent wiping out. Was it true? Did people only associate with me because of pity? The Hokage letting me stay in the village, Team 7 being nice to me, Kakashi assuring that I was important. Was Leda's death just another notch on the pity belt? Was that the reason why the Hokage allowed Mae and myself to stay and fight?
Words echoed into my subconscious. It took me moments to realize it was Ino's voice and was drawn back into the battle.
"This isn't how it's supposed to go. How could you be evenly matched with me?" Ino wheezed, resulting from the extended period of fighting.
"You're obsess with your looks and your hair while I've been training too hard to worry about that stuff," Sakura chastised, playing with her freshly cut hair.
Ino growled with frustration and pulled out a kunai. "I've had enough of you making fun of me!" Ino reached towards her long, blonde ponytail and cut it at the base.
Sakura was amused by the act. "You think that'll help?"
"That's it!" Ino threw her rogue hair. Long, blonde strands created a runway of webs.
Anxiety pressed into my chest, squeezing like a python around a puny rat. The Unknown thoughts, the hatred everyone had for each other, it was too much. Tightness suffocated my breaths like I was breathing in soot, overanalyzing everything. The desire to know how people perceived me was too much. These battles were too much. People dying was too much!
My vision started to tunnel, only a pinpoint remained. My ears rung and blood felt like it was bursting out of their veins, whirl pooling in my mind. Everything went black as I felt my body drop.
I woke up what felt like days later, assuming my nose was dug in the dirty linoleum, but that wasn't the case. Instead, I hovered inches above the ground. A small strip of sand caressed my chest, preventing me from eating dirt. The Sand Siblings all gave me sideway glances.
"Welcome back, Sunshine," Kankuro snickered.
Realization hit me and I scrambled to stand. Gaara helped me. But, why? I didn't even realize I was near them when I fainted.
The eerily silence in the arena dragged me back to reality, and I stumbled to peer over the railing, paying no mind that I was standing between Kankuro and Gaara.
Sakura and Ino both laid unconscious in Ino's scattered, long hair.
"What happened?" I croaked, feeling guilty that my thoughts gravitated me away from Sakura's fight.
"Blondie used her hair like a chakra rope to pin Pinkie down. Then Blondie used some kind of mind transfer shit and went into Pinkie's body." Kankuro rolled his eyes.
As vague as Kankuro was, I knew he was referring to the Mind Transfer jutsu. I recalled witnessing the move back in the Forest of Death when she used it on Kin. Ino used her hair and chakra to ensure she hit Sakura, and then took over her spirit and body. "And then?" I pressed on.
Kankuro let out an unnecessarily dramatic sigh. "Pinkie took over and pushed Blondie out of her body. Then the two charged, decked each other and passed out."
As sympathetic as Kankuro wasn't and the fact I could have gotten better information from a two-year-old, my heart still ached for Sakura. Kakashi and Asuma-sensei carried their fallen students and reunited them with the group. Everyone circled around the two girls, worried about their well-being. It felt weird watching the scene from across the arena. Like I should have been there, but a glass wall separated us.
The scrolling to nominate the next constants activated. Before the names were revealed, Gaara began to disintegrate into sand. "Stay here," he commanded before disappearing. I obediently complied, too weak to move from my spot.
Gaara reappeared in a dune of sand by the time the names have been finalized.
Gaara vs Rock Lee
"It's my turn, excellent!" Lee paraded.
"A piece of advice before you start," Guy-sensei placed a hand on his pupil's shoulder. "You see that gourd on that guy's back? There's something weird about it. Watch out."
Lee shined like that was the greatest piece of advice he has ever heard. He pulled out a notepad from a hidden compartment in his green jumpsuit. "Good advice, sir!" and proceeded to write it down.
"Don't write that down. You won't have time to read it during your match," Guy-sensei scolded.
Lee's face shined brighter. "Oh, more good advice," and jotted that down as well.
"Is that guy serious?" Kankuro asked, absurd by the scene.
"Unfortunately," I groaned, thinking back to when he made a mission to spread the youth by hugging his friends, and snapping my spine in the process. "That's Lee," but despite everything, I couldn't help by show a small smile.
Lee hopped into the area and faced Gaara. "I knew sooner or later, we would have to meet, but I'm glad it's sooner." He rose his hands up to fight. Gaara glared, unamused.
"I don't know what kind of moves that guy with the dumb haircut got, but he'll never take Gaara down. Not in this lifetime," Kankuro spoke, thinking the possibility of Lee winning ridiculous.
"Wrong," I said. I knew not anyone could take on Sasuke, but Lee did. He was strong. Kankuro gave me a questioned look, but I remained focus on the battle.
"Alright, if you're ready. Begin," Hayate announced.
Lee didn't waste a second and attacked with his Leaf Hurricane. His powerful kick would have inflicted a significant amount of damage, if Gaara's sand didn't leave its gourd and block the kick. The sand countered and Lee leapt out of way.
"A sand manipulation jutsu, huh?" Lee said, witnessing Gaara's sand for the first time. "It won't be easy getting through that. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained!" He beamed at the challenge.
Lee didn't hesitate to attack again. The sand shot out and Lee rolled out of the way with a smile still plastered on his face. Lee threw kunai and the sand instinctively blocked them. They embedded into the sand wall before dropping with a clatter. Lee ran around Gaara, striking wherever an opening presented itself. It doesn't even phase Gaara as his arms remained crossed. He doesn't even watch Lee's movements. He stared out into the arena, bored.
Lee thought Gaara was using a jutsu to manipulate the sand. Between watching Gaara in the forest and now, I knew that wasn't the case. Gaara wasn't controlling the sand. The sand was moving on its own accord.
"It's like the sand is a living thing," I spoke, still awestruck by the phenomenon.
Kankuro nodded. "It will come to Gaara's defenses without his doing. That's why Gaara has never been injured. No one has ever touched him."
From Kankuro's helpless tone, I could see how he and Temari feared their brother. With a power like that, who wouldn't be?
"Well, is that all? I hope you're not finished entertaining me. We haven't had enough… blood." Gaara spoke with hate as the sand grabbed Lee's leg and flung him. Lee recovered his balance mid-air and landed on the massive hand statue.
"He's done for," Kankuro spoke in his helpless tone again.
"Don't count him out just yet," I promised. I knew Sasuke wouldn't copy a jutsu, Lee's jutsu, if he wasn't a powerful foe.
Lee was about to leap off the statue when his sensei called out to him.
"Alright, Lee. Take them off," Guy-sensei waved.
I didn't know what he was referring to, but Lee seemed to. "But you said I could only take them off when it was last resort! If people's lives were at stake!"
Guy-sensei grinned goofily. "Right, but this is an exception," giving his pupil a thumbs up.
Lee was elated by the news and rolled his orange leg warmers up. Underneath were tan cuffs broken into segments, each containing an individual weight.
Lee unclasped both rolls of weight. "Ah, that's better. Now I can move freely." He held each out to his side.
"Come on. You think you can get through Gaara's defenses by dropping a couple pounds?" Temari asked aloud.
Lee dropped the weights and he disappeared before they hit the floor. Two large explosions occurred as if the weight were made of dynamite, taking Temari aback.
The leaf ninja became a force of nature. A blur of green was all we saw of him. It wasn't like he disappeared/ reappeared through a jutsu such as Kakashi commonly performed or Gaara did with his sand just moments ago. There weren't any tricks. He was just fast.
When Lee laid a punch or a kick, the sand barely had enough time to react, surprising him. Gaara's eyes widened as his hair ruffled by a glancing blow. Gaara tried to follow Lee's movements, but he was too quick. Lee leapt into the air and did a multiple aerial flip which ended with a kick to Gaara's head snapped downwards.
Temari and Kankuro gaped like they just witnessed the impossible. "Gaara got hurt," Temari babbled.
"That's impossible," Kankuro's jaw was practically to the ground. "He's never been hurt."
"Yes, Lee! Let the power of youth explode!" Guy-sensei yelled. Fire engulfed his eyes, fully reeved.
Gaara's mouth hung open too, but he remained standing. A small cut, barely bleeding, was the result to Lee's speed. Slowly, sand poured out of his gourd. His opened mouth manifested into a sneer and then into pure bliss. A scary grin plastered onto his face. His breaths turned into wheezing, but it wasn't from asthma, it was from excitement.
The thought creeped through my bones. Gaara was happy to have a worthy opponent, someone who would be a challenge to kill. Like this was all a game to him. How could a guy like Gaara save me from passing out onto the floor?
"Kankuro," I whispered. "There's something I have to ask you."
"Huh?" He rose an irritated brow.
"Why would you and Temari stand up for Mae and I to stay in the Chunin exams?" I didn't ask about their reasoning for bringing back Leda's body. I'm not ready to hear that one.
"Because Gaara told us to," Kankuro replied with a look of disgust, like he didn't particularly want to.
I couldn't hide my shock. "Why would he do that?"
"How should I know?" he responded, irritated. "If Gaara tells you to do it, you do it." I knew with his finality tone, I wasn't going to get more information out of him. With more questions than answers, I continued watching the fight.
Lee antagonized Gaara, yelling how he was here, but quickly ran somewhere else. Lee was the annoying fly that no matter how hard you tried, couldn't catch.
"What are you waiting for?" Gaara said, annoyed.
"Alright, here I come," Lee said, skidding underneath Gaara and kicking him into the air.
Now both in the air, Lee unraveled the bandages on his arms and wrapped them around Gaara and his gourd. Together, they spun around into a downward facing inferno.
"Now take this, primary lotus," Lee yelled, driving Gaara into the ground. An enormous crater formed, causing an aftershock that tried to blow everyone on the top level away.
Once the gust lifted, Naruto and the others cheered at the sight of Gaara at the bottom of the crater, motionless. Lee huffed, placing his hands on his knees and hunching over, but he was happy it was over. He won.
Hayate walked over to Gaara to assess the damage. In the crater was Gaara, filled with cracks like a shattered porcelain doll. The cracks grew too big and caved into a hollow, sand shelled, Gaara.
"What?" Lee gasped. Laughing sounded from behind him and he whipped around to see Gaara rising from the ground. Sand cascading down his face as he laughed manically.
Kankuro was uncomfortable by the scene. "Things are getting bad." I looked at him, not understanding. "I haven't seen that look on his face in a long time."
"I knew it. I sensed him getting more and more unstable as the Chunin progressed. The demon inside has awakened." Temari's face was ghostly white, washed from all its color.
I didn't understand what Temari meant by that, but I did realize Gaara's sand protects him like armor as well and that's what was in pieces in the bottom of the crater. "So did those kicks Lee inflicted really hit him?"
"No, it just hit his sand armor," Kankuro explained.
I stared with disbelief. For Lee to fight so strong and run so fast. All of it for nothing.
"Are there any weaknesses?" I asked in desperation.
Kankuro didn't face me when he said, "It's one giant weak spot."
Gaara preformed hand signs and sand shot out. Lee's last jutsu took a heavy toll and left him lethargic as tidal waves of sand repeatedly slammed him into the wall. Lee threw his arms up in defense.
"What good do you think that will do?" Gaara pitied, striking him again with sand, mercilessly.
"I pity for the kid. Gaara will toy with him until he begs for mercy," Kankuro frowned.
"Well then, Gaara is in for a long match because that will never happen. Lee doesn't know when to give up." I should have been proud when speaking that, but the fact was, I was worried. Really worried Lee would happily fight to the death if that's what it took.
Suddenly, Lee started to pick up speed again, dashing away from the sand. "There are gates along the chakra network located where the highest concentration of chakra are. Before, I opened the first gate, the primary lotus."
"I don't care," Gaara complained, sending sand Lee's way.
"These gates limit the flow of chakra through the body, but the lotus forces these gates open, increasing my chakra flow by tenfold."
I didn't fully understand where Lee was going with this, but a ruckus between Kakashi and Guy drew my attention
"Guy, you didn't," I heard Kakashi yell at Guy.
Guy smirked, "Yes, Kakashi, I did." Kakashi looked bewildered. I was starting to understand Kakashi's concerns. If Lee opened the first gate before, that left his debilitated for quite an extended amount of time as Gaara tormented him. What will happen when he opened the other gates? I gripped the rails tighter. Whatever was about to go down, I fear it was going to be the final round.
Lee stopped talking and started concentrating his chakra. "Second gate, Gate of Rest." A heroic roar came from the Leaf Shinobi and a beam of light shot out. "Third gate, Gate of Life!"
"I don't know what you think you're planning right now, but this match is over for you," Gaara explained. Sand swirled around him, ready to fight and defend.
"You are right. It is over, one way or another. I am not going to be the only one to lose here." Lee manifested into something I could barely recognize. His eyes were white, no pupils to show. His skin reddened, angered by the stress the excess chakra was putting on him. Veins protruded from his arms, thick meandering rivers trying to supply oxygen and blood to the damaged body. A green aura surrounded him, making him someone to fear, even for Gaara.
"His whole body is changing," the words left my lips, but they dissipated in the air, minute compared to the energy that was being released.
"It is now or never. Gate of Pain, open!" Lee cried, running faster than he ever had before. The force of his feet gracing the ground shattered the floor below him. Chucks of rock soared through the air, one aimed directly at me which I ducked at the last second. His green suit wasn't visible as he ran, now appearing in front of Gaara, whose sand didn't stand a chance.
Lee kicked Gaara in the jaw and sent him flying. The armor displayed major faults. That many cracks from one single kick. The sand slowly followed Gaara, but it might as well have been snail speed. There was no way it could protect him.
"Hidden behind that sand armor, eh? Well, we'll see about that!" Lee concentrated harder, forcing his body to undergo more stress. His body fought back, momentarily, but quickly subdued to Lee. "Gate of Closing….open!"
Lee kicked Gaara towards each extreme side of the arena, bouncing him back and forth like a pinball in a machine. Each kick caused deeper, proliferated cracks than the last one.
"Take this!" Lee said, grabbing hold of Gaara's white sash, pulling him forwards, and smashing him into the floor.
The aftershock was catastrophic as gusts of wind and debris sailed onto everyone on the upper level. Without second thought, I clung onto Kankuro to prevent myself from being blown away. Kankuro grunted heavily, holding onto the railing for dear life for the both of us.
Once it seized and the dust dissipated, everyone stared with bugged-out eyes. We watched with anticipation whether either one of them survived this.
Out from the blast crawled Lee, his jumpsuit was destroyed and he could barely stand, but he was alive. He huffed while he grabbed his arm. One of his eyes were half closed. He was injured, but alive. I sighed with relief.
But out from the crater, larger than the last, was Gaara. He stumbled out of the hole with an empty back. Gaara's gourd turned into sand at the last ditch effort to protect him.
"How?" Lee stared with disbelief, stumbled to the ground. His muscles and skin under his shirt were ripped. Blood sept through the teared skin. Lee couldn't stand anymore. The power of opening the chakra gates left him debilitated. He was done for. Gaara's face lit up with delight as sand his gourd reformed. He licked his lips like a lion viewing a tasty zebra.
I couldn't watch this anymore. If no one stopped him, Lee would die. I couldn't stand someone else get hurt in these preliminaries.
"He'll kill you if you try to stop him," Temari said, as if reading my mind. Or it could be she was thinking the same thing as me.
Sand obediently followed Gaara's raised hand. His palm was faced flat, outwards, his fingers slightly curled. I recognized the gesture. I'd seen it when he captured the shinobi in the Forest of Death and squeezed them with his Sand Coffin until you could no longer hear their pleas.
The sand rushed towards Lee, too fast for him to stand a chance to move. Lee attempted to roll out of the way, but the sand caught hold of his left arm and leg, a bear trap from the desert.
Without a second's delay, Gaara squeezed his hand, clapping onto Lee's limbs. Lee's screams made my heart ache. It shook me to the core. I was thankful that the pain was too much and he fell into unconsciousness.
But Gaara still had that look in his eyes as the sand continued to swirl around Lee. Like a shark circling its prey, it was ready to strike again, and this time, for the kill.
I couldn't let that happen as I leapt over the railing. Temari called out for me, but I didn't listen. The arena was in a shape of a bowl, but it was steep enough for me to lose my balance and roll to the bottom. But that didn't stop me, only when I collapsed on top of Lee, did I stop moving.
My eyes squeezed shut, but heard the rustling of sand losing its distance between us. It was until I could no longer hear anything did I gain the strength to open my eyes. Within mere inches of my face, was the sand hovering, stopping short.
Beyond the sand was a very ticked off Sand nin. "Move," he wheezed, cold, heartless.
"Please, Gaara. He's unconscious. It's not fair," I pleaded.
"I said, move," Gaara's tone said it all. If I didn't move, he would take both of us out.
But I wasn't obeying. Between everything I have gone through in the forest and seen in the exam, I had more backbone than that. I stood up now, closing the distance between Gaara and I. "No." My voice shook, but it was enough for Gaara to hesitate even for a nanosecond. His eyes scanned mind, searchingly.
Before Gaara decided to do anything, Guy interfered. His arm stretched between Gaara and me, officially ending the match. The biggest sigh of relief escaped my lungs. The medic team rushed to the scene as Hayate announced Gaara the winner of the battle.
"Lee!" Sakura yelled as her and the others hopped off the railing and rushed to their fellow shinobi.
Gaara paid no mind to Hayate nor the others. "But, why? He failed. Why save him?" He asked Guy, grabbing his head, but whether it was from a headache or for another reason, I couldn't tell.
Guy watched the medical team do their job. "Because he's… he's my student and he is precious to me." Gaara's face scrunched by Guy's reply. It reminded me of a child who didn't understand what he was doing was wrong.
Naruto stood in front of Lee as the medic team prepared him for the stretcher. "Bushy Brows…"
A medic turned to Guy. "You're his teacher, aren't you?"
"I am."
"The boy's breathing is faint, but steady. There are bone fractures and muscle tears throughout his body and his left arm and leg, in particular, have some massive damage. He is facing a long, difficult rehabilitation, but I'm afraid that's not the worst of it. I'm sorry, but he'll never fight again. His shinobi days are over," the medic said, sadly.
"No, you're wrong. This can't be true," Naruto said.
Guy-sensei began to sob. "Lee, oh, Lee forgive me. I wanted you to achieve your goal. I wanted you to prove that all you needed was taijutsu."
Naruto was shattered. "It's not true. It can't be true. Easy for you to say it's over. What about Bushy Brow? What's he supposed to do now? I thought you said we could win. I thought you were going to show how a failure can—"
Kakashi covered his mouth from behind. "That's enough, Naruto."
Naruto removed his hand. "But sensei, it isn't fair. All he ever wanted to do was to prove himself; prove himself to Sasuke and Neji."
Kakashi patted his shoulders understandingly. "And maybe that's what led him to his demise. He was so fixated on that goal that he sacrificed his body, his future to obtain it. Now that goal is unattainable."
Naruto looked at the ground, wordless.
"But, you are wrong about one thing, Naruto," Kakashi continued. "He was thinking of you, too. He risked everything to fight you in combat. Be aware of that. Be worthy of his sacrifice."
We watched Lee get carried away. Sakura and Ino leaned onto each other, still tired from their fight. Mae clasped her hands together, trying not to cry. Kiba was next to her, trying to be comforting. Guy-sensei stood by his students in tears. By the time Lee left the arena and I turned back around, Gaara was already gone; reunited with his siblings. His expressions were back to normal, stoic.
"Come on, Guy," Kakashi gestured. "Let's go. They can't start the match with us standing here."
Guy-sensei nodded his head, sadly. "Right."
We were about to follow Kakashi's lead when he stopped me. "You should probably stay here."
I stared cross at him, not sure what he meant by that. He pointed to the screen behind me. Shocked, my heart started to pound as I slowly turned around.
My eyes widened with fear. No, it can't be. Anyone but her:
Quorra Hatake vs Mae Muruyama
Dun Dun DUN. Well it's happening, Quorra vs Mae. Did anyone guess that? How will the battle go? Who will win?
*Also, I'm not sure I explained it in my story. Quorra took Kakashi's last name because he is the legal guardian. Just making that clear!
Until next time!
xo