Sorry if it seems a bit weird or choppy. Not sure, which.
With a mighty punch you end another attacker, watch their body slam meters away into a part of the cave wall. Shikamaru finished off his as well, though not as brutal as you, it was still done. That was the third wave of attack sent upon you both, no doubt the others faced the same if not more. The line of defense was wearing thin from what you saw. Anything that crossed paths was meet with devastating end. A single punch either ruptured their insides, created a gapping cavity in their torso or went flying to end of the tunnel. If you managed to physically grab them ended with them being slammed hard into make-shift grave. That nearly shook the whole place with your rage. If not for Shikamaru to keep you grounded you'd just loose it.
You scan around for anymore, but all that came where laid out defeated. Good. "Come on." Shikamaru tells you. Sprinting off, you fly after nearly passing him. He had to grab you by the wrist lightly to keep you from going off. "Breathe." He tells you.
Taking in a breath do your best to keep steady, but it was hard when you mind was just...going crazy. Though you remained focused as best you could it wasn't good enough. The many thoughts of what could be happening or what might have happened frighten you. With no word from Ino, how where you suppose to remain calm? You tired location your children your own way, but something was hindering you from doing so. All you knew and what somewhat gave you a piece of mind was the fact that Hikari was found. That was it, Yoshi or the girls haven't been mention and if they were found, how did you know?
Where were you children!? Slam a fist shattering a massive part of the cave. Drop to your knees, Shikamaru stops and hurries back to you. "May, May come on," he kneels down by you. "May listen to me. Listen okay?"
His words? Where they getting through to his distraught sister? He couldn't imagine the pain she was feeling right now, the anguish that was tearing her apart inside. Trembled throughout her body. Her cries echoed through out, he wondered if Gaara heard them, he wondered if everyone did. His sister was...she breaking with each passing moment, the horrid thoughts slowly crept upon her focused mind that he saw they had started to consume her little by little. How much longer did she have to wait? What more did she have to lose?
Fear spread across its way across her face, that he wasn't sure how to get it off. But, he had too. It was his job as a brother to it. Wrapping comforting arms around your shivering body pulls you close to his heart. Takes a deep breath.
"May, come on," he speaks softly that it could have easily been mistaken as hum. "nothings going to happen. I promise you, we'll find them. I know we're close. You just gotta get up. Okay?"
You said nothing.
He tries again. "May, you've got to pull-"
"It's my fault," your voice falls with regret, a small smile tugged on your lips. Shikamaru wasn't sure what was going on in that mind of yours, but by the your face somberly fell and slowly grew warm with shame, with eyes the filled a final resolve. Told him enough.
He knew that look in your eyes, he remembered it clear as day. During the war, that moment when you flew across the dark sky lighting it up with your blazing energy, like a blazing bird in memory of Neji. It was all a full blown attack on the Ten Tails, that resolve in your eyes the same you had right now. It burned just like you did that day.
But, there was a difference with it, one that he wished you'd reconsider. That he could prevent you from doing, but it was clear your mind was already made up. Still, he his mind began to work. For a way.
Standing shedding your sorrows focus back on locating your children and the mission at hand. "It might be my fault, but, I will fix all this. Once and for all." You swear darkly.
A hand rest on your shoulder. "We will. I promise. Come on." You both continue further unaware of the figure that melted from the shadows and striking from behind.
With a mighty swing of her fan Temari blows and slices away the last of them she and her brothers faced. Though to make sure she does once more, this time with more aggression behind it. Cutting up the walls and ceiling of the cave. Gaara covered them with his sand. While Kankuro used his puppets to survey the area. There was no one. Good.
"That seems to be last of them," Temari states. Eyeing the bodies, well clones, either way they where done. "Wait a minute," she noticed something on one of them. Bending down rolls them over, there was something greenish-blue dripping from one. That color it was...could it be? Grabbing a fist full of their robe rips it off revealing what she thoughts summed. Her eyes narrow with rage. "I knew it." She snarls.
Her brothers come over to look, Gaara's face darkens with fury beyond words. For a moment Kankuro saw his murderous self emerge. Remembering May's words she asked of him, he calms his brother. "Relax, Gaara, don't worry. It won't happened."
Hearing his brother's words, Gaara slowly calms down. "Which way now?" Kankuro asked looking around. It was clear going back there was nothing, only moving forward was the only option. The other question was which way to go, either left or right. One of them lead to the location of either all of one of children.
With Hikari being found already left Yoshi and the twins. Time was of the essence, standing around trying to decide was biting Gaara's patience, every part of him wanted to just react, but then again if he did and choose the wrong way it would put him further away from his children and cause them more harm (he prayed none had come to them.) Clearly seeing the distress in her brother's eyes, Temari took over. Taking a different approach, her eyes sharply scan around, kneels down noticing something faintly. Touching it lightly, gasped. Grain?
No it wasn't grain, it was..."Move!" She pushes her brothers back and unleashes gust of wind, in mere seconds the two tunnels before them blew away. A genjutsu. Just as she thought. One tunnel remained and not just any sort of tunnel either, it was covered with...sand. A trail of sand. Not just any kind of sand either.
Gaara was at first shocked, he couldn't believe it. The shimmering gold that trailed before him. Wiping some up with a finger, both proud and amazed rubbing the particles between his fingers. Yes, it was sand. Gold sand. "Yoshi..." he whispers relived. Using his own sand, entangles it with his son's. Instantly he felt the faint presence of child. He was down this long trail no doubt hidden and afraid. Feeling tears coming, he held them back there was on time to shed any.
No not until he had his whole family. "Yoshi!" He yells to his son, there was no response. Just the echo of his voice. "Yoshi! Hold on, I'm coming!" He sprints to his child, for a moment Temari and Kankuro who follow thought Gaara was flying like his wife, to be mistaken.
With their brother's focus on his son, they remained his eyes should anything happen suddenly. So far nothing, which was good. Even so Temari got this unsettling vibe that Kankuro shared with her. Both of them grip their instruments, ready. Slowing down Gaara comes to a complete stop before he stepped on lifeless clone, with a stabbed injury through the chest. It looked like someone or something jousted it. That wasn't the only one either, he saw two others and one still held up impaled by gold spike of sand. Following it they find a against the wall a shield of gold sand protruding spikes covering it sharply. If quiet enough they could hear the exhausted and frighten whimpers of Yoshi.
The sound of his cries filled Gaara's heart. "Yoshi!" He calls to his son softly, walking over slowly. "Yoshi, son, listen. Listen to my voice." He jumps back just as one of the spike shot at him.
"Gaara!" Kankuro shouts, Temari holds him back. Sternly with her eyes telling him no. "But.." He protest.
Her eyes silence. "It will only make it worse. We don't need to spook him more. Gaara has this." She said with utmost faith in her voice. Even though her eyes worried like his, Kankuro bite his frustrations bitterly. And stood back.
Gaara again dodges timely another thrusted spike, barely dodging the one that came behind. He could easily use his sand to block, but he didn't. He wouldn't, this was his son and he was scared. He knew. As a father he knew.
Yoshi happily played in his father's office crawling across the floor to reach a toy he threw, Gaara peered at him from the document he was reading watching his happy-go-lucky son, wearing his mother's smile. He was had just turned three and yet still preferred act as if he was still two. Not sure why, he just did, his son's mind was like his wife's always up in the air.
Reaching the toy, Yoshi reaches a small hand to his toy grabbing it with his stubby fingers tightly. Though instead of holding it like a normal child puts it in his mouth like a dog and starts to bark like one. What was once a quiet room, now became a dog house. Gaara sighs and continued reading the paper. Smiling at his son, who now decided to hop like a frog while barking. With all the reading his wife does one would think his son would know the difference between animals, but he just did his own thing. Even laughing at himself.
Always finding his own humor, no matter what. Taking out a pen laying the paper down Gaara signs his approval. Stopping part way and looks up. It was quiet, too quiet, he didn't hear Yoshi's barking nor see his son before him desk. Rises instantly.
Calls for his son. "Yosh-" Stopping hearing soft whimpers, leans over the desk finding his son curled up trembling. Unsure why, Gaara walks around and picks him up gently. The second he was in his hold, Yoshi clings to him for safety. "Yoshi, what is it? What's wrong?"
Nothing but mummering whimpers came out his mouth. Followed droplets of tears fall from his eyes. Resting a hand softly on his head, Gaara gently strokes his hair. It worked till Yoshi yelped from the rough winds that hit the window. Now, Gaara understood. The winds scared him. Smiling softly, such a tender boy. His son was, like as he was years ago.
"Yoshi," Gaara softly calls to him, "can you hear me?" A small nod from Yoshi was given. "Good," he pats his back lightly. "Good, then just listen to my voice. Okay? I'm right here."
"...Okay, daddy."
Jumping out the way again, Gaara narrowly dodges a spike. While holding onto his left shoulder, his son managed to hit him once, it grazed him but it was enough to draw blood. A good amount. It stung, but Gaara pushed it aside. He wasn't expecting the tips to be that sharp and hard, it was like steel. The amount of chakra concreted in Yoshi's attack was amazing. It was heavy and swift a good combination, wondering how he learned this, because from the relocation of his own memory, his son hadn't shown this kind of aptitude. Pushing to the side dodging another, flips over another. Landing, pushes off again just as another one narrowly nicked his ankle. Quickly checking, he sees it was fine. Good, if that would have happened, Gaara knew he'd be at his son's mercy.
"Yoshi." He continues calling to him. "Yoshi, listen to me. Listen to my voice. Son, it's..it's me...you've got to listen. You're safe. I'm right here, just list-" Another shoots at him faster than he could finish his sentence and react. Slashes Gaara's side, the gash was deep. Nearly tumbling he holds himself up.
He wasn't going to raise his hand to his child, Kankuro having enough breaks from his sister despite her pleads to stop, and goes to Gaara's aid. "No! Kankuro!" Temari's shouts in vain.
The sound of the shout, startled and frighten Yoshi further scream and shot out spikes in all directions. Realizing his mistake Kankuro regretted instantly. Jumping back nearly stricken with one, Temari was able to fend them off with her fan, but the speed and trajectory pushed her back a bit. She had to time this right, because her nephew was creating more and Gaara couldn't take any more damage. Without May here to heal any of them or a medi-nin they were sitting ducks. Taking in a breath, pleading for May and Gaara to forgive her. Uses her Wind Scythe jutsu, slicing and blowing the incoming projectiles away adding more force that it canceled out Yoshi's sphere. Nearly blew him back, Gaara leapt to his son and forgetting about his own pain catches his son safely in his arms. Taking the impact when they hit the ground. And just like many times before, Yoshi clung to him. Crying.
"...D-Da...Daddy...I-Is that..." the terrified child cries hopefully. "I kept them good, daddy. I did."
Raising a hand Gaara rest a soft touch on him. Producing more tears from his son. ""Temari and Kankuro come over relieved to see both father and son well. Tears slowly come to Temari, her nephew was alive and safe. Taking a breath of joy. Smiles.
Unaware her smile wouldn't last, Shikamaru wakes from the surprised attack. "...May.."he calls rubbing his head. There was no response. "May? May?!" He gets up quick and looks around. Finding himself alone. Shit! "May!" His heart drops in fear.
In another part a sole figure drags a body with them, into the main room. Heads turn to them, pleased to see their catch. "Attach her there." They order them. Nodding they drag your unconscious body to the device and hook you up. Clasping the metal restrictions on your hands and feet, immobilizing you. Seeing you where secured, it begun.
Pressing a single button, machinal whirling began, lights ran on, eyes follow it all to the center. You. The second the last light lite, a surge of power shot through your body jolting you awake with an erupting a scream from your mouth, filled more than the room. It filled every hall and the ears of the others. Stopping them dead cold. Their heads whipped in the direction of your agonizing screams. It all became clear, this whole thing...
Falling to her knees, Hinata gasps in horror. "...No...May..." She wasn't the only one to feel it either, Boruto's head snaps up in the ominous direction. Jumping to higher grounds, getting a good look over the village.
Stared in shocked as a strange symbol nearly the length of the village itself appeared on the ground and vanished. A lump in his throat formed, that swallowing it was impossible. There was something in the winds, something changed, and that symbol he knew well. There was only one person that made such symbol for a seal. A symbol in honor of her fallen and late master's clan. The Hamato clan. A particular flower, resembling a kikyo. A bell shaped flower.
What does the symbol mean? Boruto asked his Aunt May, watching her curiously peering over her shoulders holding her as they remained ascended over the village. May lightly chuckles at his curiosity.
"It is for my fallen master and his clan. My family." she tells him. "Now, let me finish. Okay?" He nods and watches in amazement as she preformed the most breath taking jutsu if he could call it that ever. His father told him she doesn't use jutsu like everyone, instead had her own kind. Always wondering what it was, saw it, nearly startled when she became outlined in a thin golden light.
That craved and illuminated for a moment the kikyo symbol along the village. It glowed so bright, he felt something warm come over him. His eyes nearly popped out with an open mouth. "That was so COOL!" he shouts.
May smiles at him, never had she thought preforming protection as cool. But, it was a nice compliment none the less. "To answer your question, it means protection." She answers his question from behind. Boruto looks at her. "It is to protect the village, all villages, as long as I am providing such and I am flowing, then it shall remain."
That was what she said, as long as she was flowing. Did she mean alive? Was that what she meant, if she did, then what did it mean when it faded?