A/N: Kinda feels to me like you guys aren't super into this fic anymore, and that's okay. I'll finish it for you anyways, but I'm sorry I couldn't quite hold your attention. I did my best. Regardless, tell me what you thought of this chapter in a review once you finish :)
Time for chapter 26
Enjoy!
Of all the places Gaara had expected to be ambushed, in the middle of a somewhat populous township had felt like the most unlikely. In broad daylight, no less. In many ways, it had been her own fault. Opting to take a pointless walk was likely not the wisest of decisions in their current situation, but the redhead had done so nonetheless. The walk had started out quite pleasantly. The people were generally quite friendly, with an old woman even referring to Gaara as 'the cutest thing' she'd ever seen at one point, but it had become anything but tranquil fairly quickly. Any ninja of any value was capable of detecting pending danger, sensor type or not.
It always started a subtle feeling of unease. A nagging sense that something was wrong. It then tended to progress into genuine nervousness, which would quickly evolve into a sharpened focus. It was a process. One that a person needed to master should they hope to survive in a world filled with danger. Gaara's focus did indeed sharpen, but not enough to avoid the worst possible start to the fight to come. That poor start began with a kunai whizzing past her face and slicing open her cheek.
Unflappable as always, the redhead simply narrowed her eyes and glanced around her as the civilians of the township looked on in a panicked silence. They had clearly never seen real combat before. Not in person. Their reaction actually served Gaara well, as it made her task of sorting out who was and wasn't threatening significantly easier. Within moments, Gaara had picked out eight individuals whose posture and demeanor did not fit those around them. With the identification process out of the way, Gaara began to ponder what she planned to do.
'Naruto is at the opposite edge of town, and he isn't a sensor. I'm likely on my own. So be it then. I have the freedom to end this as I please.' she thought to herself as the eight people she had silently picked out all moved in unison. She had guessed correctly, which was good, but she was also being surrounded, which was decidedly not good. Deciding to clear the area, Gaara allowed her sand to explode from her gourd in all directions. The massive cloud of sand hovered and twisted around her like a specter, sending the crowd around her into a fearful retreat.
All that remained after a moment were the people that had been surrounding her. Taking a glance at each of them individually, Gaara cleared her throat.
"Is there really any point in keeping up appearances now that we're this deep in? Your henges are meaningless." she asked, folding her arms across her chest as she spoke. Though she received no verbal response, the figures around her changed in appearance. They now resembled the Anbu of Konoha, though with slight differences. Their masks were much the same, but their attire was darker in color with less uniformity.
'I figured we'd have more time. We changed trajectory four days ago, and quite sharply. Perhaps they predicted this.' the redhead thought to herself. The arrival of the Hunters certainly complicated things. Depending on how difficult a task they turned out to be, they would slow down her and Naruto's rush for the coast, and the battle itself would likely start rumours throughout the region they were currently in.
"You'd be wise to tell us where Naruto Uzumaki is as of now. Reveal that information, and we may let you live." a Hunter to her left said. The redhead shifted her eyes towards the man who had spoken.
"Aren't you supposed to retrieve us? That's what I thought Hunters were for." she asked, a hint of sarcasm dripping into her voice. The Hunters then drew kunai as a collective group.
"We have very specific orders regarding the two of you. Naruto is to be left alive and retrieved no matter what, but you're considered an expendable commodity. We can do without you." the same Hunter explained. Gaara laughed to herself and allowed a smirk to spread across her face.
"Then what I'm about to do to you could be considered self defense." she said before sending her sand outward in an omnidirectional wave. The Hunters all jumped straight upwards to avoid being crushed. They then sent a rain of kunai and shuriken down towards the stationary Jinchuuriki. A portion of her sand instantly returned to her vicinity and deflected them, completely shielding her from harm. Once the Hunters touched down on the ground once more, they all charged in with longer blades drawn.
Despite attacking her from nearly every direction, they still found no success. They simply could not penetrate her barrier. At this realization, Gaara sighed and gave them a bored look.
"Come now. A genin gave me more trouble than this less than two weeks ago. Your pride is on the line." she goaded them. The sound of a chuckle then alerted her senses.
"We know that. We also know how he did it." one of the Hunters said. A burst of flames then crashed into Gaara from behind and sent her to her knees. The sediment surrounding her instantly repelled the Hunters straining against it in response. Though the redhead was not down for long, the pain in her back remained. The flames had burned away the back of her tunic and seared her skin. Even with the assistance of her Tailed-Beast, it would take several hours to heal.
'Blindsiding tactics. Only seven of them charged at me. I should've paid better attention.' she lamented as she grit her teeth in response to the pain. She then came to a silent decision.
'Hate it all you want, Naruto. I'm solving this problem right now.' she vowed. A tendril of sand then shot out and seized one of the Hunters by the throat. Before the others could realize what was about to happen, a snapping sound echoed throughout the empty street. The Hunter she had selected then dropped to the ground. He was dead.
At this, the group redoubled their efforts to strike her down. Unfortunately for them, Gaara was now entirely focused on the task at hand, which was to comprehensively eliminate each and every one of them. Two were killed instantly in identical fashion to the first, as their necks were broken in short order. The five that remained reacted by gathering together in front of her, seemingly preparing to drive a hole through her defenses with blunt force.
"I wouldn't put too much stock into the idea that linear blitzes are the answer to your endless list of problems, but I can indulge you if you'd like." Gaara sneered. The Hunters then took her invitation. They made a charge for her front, only scattering at the last moment.
'Predictable.' Gaara thought to herself confidently as she restrained each of them individually. With her enemies momentarily right in front of her, Gaara drew a kunai and slashed it across her field of vision. What resulted was a spray of blood that painted her face. She had cut two of their throats in one fell swoop.
"W-what the hell are you?!" one of the three remaining Hunters sputtered as he was fully encased in sand with one of his comrades. The redhead gave him a falsely sweet smile and raised up one of her hands, causing the mass of sand they were trapped within to rise.
"That depends on your perspective. To most, I'm an outcast. To very few, I'm just a socially awkward little girl. To you, I'm an executioner." she said darkly. She then closed her hand into a fist. The mass of sand then collapsed in on the two unfortunate Hunters, crushing them utterly. All that remained was a single Hunter.
"Would you prefer to die quickly or slowly?" she asked the man as he dangled before her. Just as the Hunter began to respond, however, a new voice reverberated across the area.
"What the hell is going on?!"
The redhead looked back over her shoulder, spotting Naruto standing at the edge of the block with a kunai drawn. He looked both shocked and angry. Ironically, it was difficult to tell who these emotions were directed towards. Unfortunately, his arrival had weakened Gaara's focus. Her sand's grip around the Hunter softened just enough for him to kick Gaara off balance and cause her to drop him. The final Hunter then made a charge towards Naruto, much to the shock of both rogue genin.
A scream of panic escaped Gaara's throat just as the Hunter swung his blade down towards Naruto's neck. Just before the metal could touch the blonde's throat, though, the Hunter stopped. Gaara's eyes widened. Slowly but surely, the man slumped to the ground at Naruto's feet. A quick glance at the former leaf genin's hands told the entire story. The kunai he had come with was no longer there. He had stabbed the Hunter as he had entered. Once it was clear that the man was dead, Gaara heaved a sigh of relief.
'Thank God…' she thought to herself. Sadly, Naruto's reaction was far less positive. He stumbled back away from the body of the man he had just impaled and fell to his rear end with his eyes practically popping out of his skull. His mouth hung open, his hands were shaking, and his breathing was rapid. It took Gaara little time to realize what was happening. She immediately rushed over to him, easily hopping over the body to do so.
"Are you okay?" she asked urgently. Naruto stared right through her. He was in shock. Deducing that words were useless at the moment, Gaara reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. After a time, she let him go and studied him.
"Talk to me, Naruto." she gently pressed. He attempted to do as he was told, but fumbled over his words numerous times before finally squeaking out a sentence.
"I killed him...I really killed him…" he whispered hoarsely. He was struggling badly to cope with the reality that he had taken a life. Gaara gripped his shoulders firmly and steered him away from the body.
"You did what you had to do. He was moving to kill you. It was self defense." she assured him. Naruto shook his head rapidly and shuddered.
"I didn't have to k-kill him. I could've just knocked him out. B-but I panicked and I...I…" he stuttered. The redhead bit her lip and cupped his face. It was utterly heartbreaking to listen to.
"He would have killed you, Naruto. Letting him live would have made things harder in the future. The Hunters would have come back." she reasoned carefully. Tears then started falling from the blonde's eyes.
"He might have had a family. I m-might have just killed somebody's d-dad." he said tearfully. Gaara gingerly turned his head upwards to make him meet her eyes.
"Maybe, but he was also about to take you away from the people who love you. I don't know what I'd do with myself if you died, and I'm sure your teacher and teammates would be heartbroken. It works both ways, Naruto." she said. Her fellow Jinchuuriki's bottom lip quivered as he gazed at her, seemingly bothered by something. Within moments, Gaara realized what the issue was.
"My face matching my hair isn't helping you, is it?" she asked with a sigh. Naruto shook his head and turned away from her. Much to his discomfort, Gaara pulled his face back in front of hers.
"Why? Why do people die wherever you go?" he asked brittly. The redhead gave him an apologetic smile and shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm a monster. Simple as that. A monster that loves you, and a monster that's going to protect you. I know you're scared of me, and that's okay. I just need you to understand that you're always safe. I cross my heart." she said sincerely. The blonde then fully broke down into tears, wailing and sobbing as Gaara held him tightly against her chest. Eventually, he calmed down slightly and pulled a few inches away from her.
"Am I a monster now? I killed somebody." he asked. Gaara shook her head and gave him a brief, unintentionally bloody kiss on the lips.
"Absolutely not. You never will be. You're the sweetest, warmest person I know. You're an angel, if anything." she said lovingly. Naruto stared into her blood-framed blue eyes for several moments.
"I think I love you." he said with uncertainty. Gaara felt her spirit soar at his words, but remained calm to ask a question.
"What makes you say that now? What changed?" she asked curiously. Naruto glanced back at the body and pursed his lips.
"I couldn't say it before because I thought it'd be wrong to love a killer, but...I guess I'm one too now." he explained ashamedly. His words hurt the redhead slightly, but she had also known of his reasoning in the back of her mind the entire time.
"I'm glad you can love me now, even if it came about through...undesirable means." Gaara said. She then helped Naruto to his feet and wiped the blood from her face.
"We should leave. I doubt we'll be welcome here after this." she suggested. The blonde nodded stiffly and took the hand Gaara had silently offered him.
"Y-Yeah, let's get going."
Gaara sighed contentedly as she leaned back in the sheets. It had been nearly two weeks since she had slept in a bed, and she had forgotten how much more comfortable it was than the ground or a cell's floor. She and Naruto had advanced on from the township after their brutal encounter with the Hunters, and using the money Gaara had discreetly looted from their bodies, they had checked into a roadside Inn. Much to the redhead's delight, they were sharing a single-bed room.
At present, Naruto was taking his first shower in many days. Gaara had allowed him to go first, as she wanted to revel in the humble luxuries of a hotel room. Namely the bed. She had rolled around on it, fallen off of it, and hidden herself under the covers, among other things. Since they had practically no luggage, the room was very open. They were also sheltered from the elements by something other than a dark shell of sand, which was a great comfort to both. In general, Gaara was overjoyed. Other than her merciless slaughter of the Hunters, it had been a brilliant day that was only bound to get better.
Though by means that were less than ideal, Naruto had finally accepted his love for her, and he seemed to be recovering well from his accidental killing. He had been in fairly high spirits upon their arrival at the inn.
'His comfort is my comfort, his happiness is my happiness. Stay this way, my love.' she thought to herself. As her eyes drifted across the room, she spotted something on the lamp table that stood in the leftmost corner. It was a small object wrapped in cloth, no larger than a notepad. It was the item Kakashi had tossed to the blonde just before their departure. With her curiosity mounting, Gaara swung her legs over the edge of the bed and made her way to the lamp table. After crossing the room, she unwrapped the cloth to reveal the identity of the item.
It was a small book with an orange cover. When subjected to further scrutiny, it also had two words printed across one of the cover sides.
"Makeout...Tactics?" Gaara muttered to herself, perplexed by the odd choice of titling. Deciding that she had little else to do, the redhead took the book back to the bed with her and slid back under the covers. She then opened the book and began to read. For the next five minutes, she carefully consumed it's contents. The more she read, the more intrigued and confused she became. Immediately, there were concepts and words she had never heard before. Luckily for the girl, answers were provided for her many questions as she flipped through the pages.
For reasons she could not fully discern, Gaara took great pleasure in reading the small orange book. It was enjoyable in a way quite unlike anything she had ever experienced. Unfortunately, her reading session was interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening. Suddenly feeling as though what she had been doing was wrong in some way, Gaara instantly hid the book under her pillow. Slowly but surely, Naruto emerged from the bathroom. Oddly enough, he was wearing a set of pajamas.
"You're not gonna believe this, but they actually have extra clothes in there. I think I saw a nightgown or two." he notified his companion. The redhead nodded and nervously removed herself from the bed.
"Good to know. I think I'll take my shower now. I'll try not to be long." she said as she passed him and made her way into the bathroom. Once inside, she shut the door behind her and looked around. As Naruto had said, there were two separate piles of extra clothes. One was clearly meant for men, as it had shirts and long pajama pants, while the other was nightgowns. Relieved that she wouldn't be forced to sleep in her bloody tunic, Gaara relaxed slightly. Her mind then wandered back to the small orange book.
'I think..I'll read the rest of it tonight. Though, that would mean I can't be as close to him as I'd like to be.' she thought to himself. She then shrugged and turned towards the shower.
'Oh well. We're booked for three nights. I'll just have to snuggle him tomorrow night instead.'
A/N: I know, I know. Incredibly stark difference in tone between the first and second scenes. One did lead to the other, so I think it works. Also, DUN DUN DUN. Gaara's learning how babies are made ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
See you next chapter! Read and Review!