A/N: I feel the need to write some Gaara. He is my boi, and I will give him screen time. Hope you all appreciate it
Time for chapter 87
Enjoy!
Dante heaved a deep breath as her eyes snapped open. Her eyes darted around, assessing her surroundings. She was in a pitch black room. As she evened her breathing, a lantern was illuminated in the corner of the room, revealing a single figure.
"You're finally awake. Good. I was starting to get bored" Togomi, who held the lantern, said through a yawn. He then stood up and made his way over to his mother, who was tied down to a chair.
"You're probably wondering where you are and why. You're being interrogated, and I'm not obligated to tell you where you are. Just know that your situation is far from enviable" he explained. Dante struggled against her restraints briefly before giving up and sinking into the uncomfortable.
"From the sounds of it, you've joined Suna. I never took you for a traitor, Togomi" she said. The Miura boy chuckled.
"No, I haven't, actually. Kron has, and Izumi likely has as well, but I have no intention of staying here. Once this war is done, I'm going back to Kumo, and I'm going to make some changes" he said. His mother raised an eyebrow.
"Am I hearing things, or are you planning on taking power?" she asked. Togomi nodded and drew his Tanto, which he used to begin filing his nails.
"That's the plan. We've been under the reign of a tyrant for far too long, and we need a new leader. If Kron hadn't defected, I would have been trying to convince him to take the title of Raikage. That kind of power would be quite appealing to the public. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed, and as such, it falls to me" he said. Dante snorted.
"You could never run a village. A leader needs ruthlessness, which you have none of" she snapped. Togomi grinned and pressed his blade to her throat.
"You produced three very different children, mother. Izumi is nothing like either you or father. She is, at heart, pure and kind. Kron was similar, but the hell you forced him to go through changed him permanently for the worse. He's a hell of a lot more like father was now. I, on the other hand, am very much like you. We both throw something away once it no longer has use to us. The difference? I'm not afraid to look in the mirror. And, from that pathetic look plastered on your face, you are" he said. Dante began to sweat nervously as her son slowly moved the tip of his blade from her throat to her cheek.
"Now, on to why you're here. I've been ordered to get information out of you. No matter what it takes. Here's how this is going to work. I'll ask you a question, and you answer it. If you lie to me, or try to change the topic, I'll carve a trench in your face. If that isn't enough to make you an honest woman, then I'll start hacking of fingers" he explained darkly. The Miura woman growled and strained against her restrictions once more, prompting Togomi to cut a line in her cheek.
"Don't make this any more troublesome than it has to be. I'd rather if this didn't last more than an hour. I have things to do. Places to be" he said as he wiped the blood from his Tanto. After the blade was sufficiently clean, Togomi returned his gaze to his mother.
"First question: what exactly were you sent into the desert for?" he asked. Dante remained silent for a moment, but spoke up when her son's blade began to near her face.
"We were sent to see if Suna's borders were being heavily guarded" she replied. The Miura boy nodded and studied his sword.
"That sounds logical. I still feel like you aren't telling me everything, though" he said dangerously. The Miura matriarch clenched her jaw shut tightly, refusing to speak. Togomi sighed and swiped his sword across her forehead, lacerating it badly.
"I'll say it again. Don't try to hide things from me. You'll be unrecognizable after we're done if you do" he said. Dante blinked plasma out of her eyes before begrudgingly speaking once more.
"We were sent to find out if Konoha's forces had arrived to aid you. A third, and more personal reason was that I wanted to retrieve Izumi. She doesn't need to be influenced by Kron and his whore of a significant other" she snapped. The Miura boy burst out laughing.
"Oh, that's just rich. You have no room to talk, mother. Yuna isn't my favorite person either, but she's an angel when weighed against you. And, from what I've heard, a monster compared to you in combat. How humiliating that must have been. The be dominated and infantilized by a girl you hate passionately" he mocked. Dante glared at him, but kept her mouth shut.
"Second question: How badly injured is the Raikage at this point?" Togomi asked. The Miura matriarch spit blood out of her mouth and sighed, realizing there was no point in lying.
"He's still in fairly bad shape. Itachi Uchiha did quite a number on him" she replied. Her son nodded and considered her words before stretching and turning around.
"Well, thank you for being cooperative. I'm going to take a snack break. I'll be back in a few minutes" he said before vanishing in a puff of smoke, leaving Dante alone. The Miura woman heaved a sigh of relief and allowed her body to go limp, causing her to lurch forward.
'I raised a group of demons'
Gaara glanced up from his book as Togomi entered the small room. The area they were confining Dante within was a small, unused cell in the prison block of the facility beneath the Kazekage building, and the room the Miura boy had just entered was a makeshift 'break room'.
"You managed to make her talk quite a bit. I'm impressed, Togomi-san" Gaara complimented. The Miura boy shrugged and sat down across from the Kazekage in a lawn chair they had dragged into the room. He rested an arm on the folding table and cracked his neck, sighing in satisfaction once he did.
"It wasn't all that hard. She's foldable, and always has been. There's a bit of blood to clean up, but other than that, the room is cleaner than I thought it would be post-interrogation. Then again, I'm not quite done with her yet, so that could change" he said. Gaara nodded and took a sip from a glass of water sitting on the table.
"You said some interesting things to her. From what I was able to hear clearly, you plan on returning to Kumogakure once this war is over, `` he said. Togomi chuckled.
"It sounds to me like you have a specific topic you want to discuss regarding my return to Kumo" he said, earning a smirk from the redhead.
"Indeed. You said that you wished to become the Raikage post-war. I believe that such a thing is entirely possible, and as such, I would like to ensure an alliance between our nations once you gain power" he said. The Miura boy smiled.
"Sounds reasonable to me. I have family here after all. I would rather not be at odds with my own kin, and Suna is quite a terrifying force at this point. Picking fights you can't win is a fool's errand" he said. Gaara nodded.
"A wise choice. Now tell me, what do you plan to do once you become Raikage?" he asked curiously. Togomi made a wide motion with his hands.
"A variety of things. First of all, we need a new council. Half of them are too old to think clearly, and the other half are as corrupt as A. Second, the academy curriculum needs to be altered significantly. Most of what they teach doesn't apply to real combat. Kron and I both ran into that problem during our early missions. Him less than me because he was a physical powerhouse, but you get the idea. And finally, public relations need to be revitalized. They, as is obvious, are wrecked right now" he explained. The Kazekage nodded and poured himself another glass of water.
"Fine goals. Achievable ones, too. I wish you luck in your quest for Kumo's redemption. Be warned, I plan on leaving Kumogakure in a pile of rubble by the time this war is done. You may have to rebuild in a very literal sense as well" he said. Togomi chuckled and stood up.
"You're a whole lot darker than you come off, aren't you?" he asked as he headed for the door to Dante's chamber. The redhead remained silent for a moment before answering his question.
"The darkness that exists within your family is a universal one. Some hide it, some revel in it. I do both" he replied. The Miura boy glanced over his shoulder and smirked.
"You and I aren't all that different. I think we could conquer this whole world if we put our minds to it" he said before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him. Gaara sighed and stood up from his chair.
'All of this torture and talk of conquest is poor for my mental health. Kurotsuchi-san, I'll be home soon'
Kurotsuchi's eyes slowly cracked open as somebody walked into the bedroom. She slowly sat up from under the covers and smiled as she recognized the entrant as her husband. The redhead slowly slid into bed next to her and sighed.
"Long day, Gaara-kun?" she asked as she gazed at his tired face. The Kazekage nodded and scratched the side of his nose absently.
"Very much so. Paperwork, angry, stressed villagers, and I had to watch Togomi Miura torture his own mother for information. Not my ideal work day, but at least I can sleep now" he said dejectedly. Kurotsuchi scooted closer to him and wrapped him up in a hug.
"You keep this village running. Even if nobody will give you the credit you deserve, I'll always appreciate what you do. I'm sorry you had to see what you saw today. That must have been difficult" she said as she squeezed him. Gaara smiled as he was embraced by his wife.
"I never got the chance to congratulate you on your role in the defeat of the Raikage. Kron-san claims that you saved his life, and Naruto says that they couldn't have had the success they had without your assistance" he said proudly. The first lady of Suna grinned as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.
"Well, I did punch him in the face quite a few times. I don't think I ever hurt him, but I pissed him off. As for Kron, he got hit with just about the hardest punch I've ever seen a human being throw, and got his arm broken. I partially healed it, and then sent him on his way. It's not like I resurrected him from the dead" she explained. The Kazekage ran a hand through her hair and smiled.
"You still fought a Kage, with assistance albeit, and survived without major injury. I feel quite lucky to be your husband, honestly" he joked. Kurotsuchi giggled and kissed his cheek.
"You say it like the chances of this happening were low. The arrangement just sped things up. I would have proposed to you if you had been too slow. We'd have ended up here eventually" she said. The Kazekage chuckled.
"Itachi-san was proposed to by Yugito-san, and he's never been the same since. Something about him was fundamentally broken by that woman. Perhaps the same thing would have happened to me if you had proposed" he wondered. Kurotsuchi snickered.
"Yugito-san is a bit much, even for me. I don't know what Itachi was thinking, honestly. She'll be the death of him" she said. Gaara sighed and shook his head.
"I get the feeling that he's counting on that" he muttered. His wife yawned and relaxed in his arms, her head still tucked beneath his chin.
"Well, I promise not to break you into too many pieces. I need you to still be useable. I have my needs, and you tend to satisfy them" she said. The Jinchuuriki sighed tiredly.
"I don't feel objectified at all" he grumbled. Kurotsuchi ignored his sarcastic complaint and began to breathe evenly, implying that sleep had claimed her. Gaara gazed at her sleeping face and smiled, closing his eyes as well.
'This is what I fight for. This is why I do the paperwork. This is why I kill. I'll always protect you, Kurotsuchi-san, even if you don't even need my guardianship at this point'
A/N: Gaara is fun, and I like his relationship more than any other I've written in this fic, so I wanted to give him a chapter.
See you next chapter! Read and Review!