Chapter 3: The Trip Back Home. The Pain of It All...
Gaara and Rock Lee where walking side by side towards the others as Gaara had Naruto on a patch of sand so he wouldn't have to carry him at all. Lee just had Sasuke hoisted over his shoulder carrying him quite easily. "Gaara....what was all that back there? Tell me; was that really Naruto-kun? Because by him performing the seals with one hand and what else he pulled off seemed well....not him..."
The red haired sand nin stayed silent for a few more steps before he decided to speak, "When Naruto feels comfortable with speaking about today's events then he will do so, wait for him to speak his end..." Gaara seeming to walk a bit faster then Lee getting a little ahead of the Leaf nin.
"Well, would it really be so hard to speak about today? I mean, it did turn out to be a success, we got Sasuke." Rock Lee responded as he could feel Sasuke begin to move and he just simply and with out a second thought socked him right in the face getting him to stop.
"Lee...everyone has their demons..."
Lee just stoped for a moment looking at Gaara as he walked off, 'I guess he does have a point....but Naruto-kun?'
The two made their way into the forest again so they could meet up with the others. "Shouldn't we go ahead to check on the others?"
Shikamaru looked up at the blond hair kunoichi as he sat there on the ground taking a breather, "Eh...I believe that Naruto has everything covered, he wouldn't stop fighting....unless..."
Temari put her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow, "Unless what?"
"Unless he is dead...shit...this could be even more troublesome then before..." Shikamaru begging to get back up to his feet, being careful where he placed his hand as he rose to his feet.
"So, are we going to check up on him?"
"Yes, depending on his condition we should bring him back to the village." Said Shikamaru as he started around the tree to go to where Naruto went off to.
"Don't worry about getting him, we already have him." Spoke a voice from the left of them.
Shikamaru turned his head seeing both Gaara and Lee carrying the other two Leaf nins. He let out a sigh of relief for the fact that he wasn't going to have to carry Naruto back if he didn't make it in one piece. "Seems Sasuke was stopped, who was the one that brought him down?" asked Shikamaru.
"Naruto." Gaara answered.
"Really, huh I had figured he was pretty low on chakra when he got around to fighting Sasuke...hm he is full of wonders."
"Something odd though happened." Lee spoke up, the whole bit of Naruto doing what he did still didn't settle well in his mind.
Shikamaru turned his attention to Lee and asked, "Oh? What might that be?"
"Well Naruto-kun suffered a heavy wound on his side, because of an attack Sasuke did to him. He went over a waterfall but as I went down after him Naruto-kun mysteriously made his way back up to the top. Then by time I had gotten back up, his side was healed again and he was producing quit a bit of chakra...his speed was unbelievable and then...he even started performing hand seals with one hand..." Lee explained to Shikamaru wondering if he could make any sense of this.
Shikamaru stood there trying to make sense of it himself wondering how the loudmouth was capable of that. "It doesn't matter, he got Sasuke back, there are injured we have to collect them." Said Gaara as he walked ahead of the others not wanting to discuss that fight any further.
'...Gaara..." Temari was wondering what had suddenly stirred in Gaara to do that. She knows that ever sense the fight with that blond haired Leaf nin he has been changing more and more.
She then walked up to Gaara as Shikamaru and Lee stood there not wanting to go against Gaara after that outburst. "Gaara...why did you do that...? What do you know about that kid?"
"...." He didn't answer her question and just continued walking.
Temari was about to question further but then Kankuro was waiting for them, "Oi! There you are, been waiting." Spoke the sand nin with the face paint.
Kiba was there being supported with one of Kankuro's puppets because he didn't want to have to carry him himself. Lee and Shikamaru quickly caught up to the others, even as Lee was carrying Sasuke over his shoulder. Kiba caught glimpse of Sasuke and thought, 'That son of a bitch is lucky....I would had chewed his fucking throat out for what he has caused us....'
Gaara looked at Kiba for a moment and saw who he was looking at and he could see that same look of hatred that he himself received from many people, Gaara himself still received that look, but it was slowly dieing in the eyes of his siblings as well as the look of fear. During his battle with Sasuke and then Naruto from before, he believed that it was him and Sasuke that where similar had more of a likeness to one another. But after everything that took place in the final moments, him and Naruto and now today, Gaara put the pieces all together and he came to see, it was him and Naruto that where more alike then anything, as he realized that he too has a demon locked inside of him. Knowing that, Gaara knew what came with such a thing as that, the pain with all of it.
The group continued their journey through the forest, no one was really speaking to one another, just some glares shot in Sasuke's direction though he was unconscious, and they felt it necessary to express their anger in some way. They had finally come to Neji, who was a bloody mess, he was slipping in and out of consciousness from the blood loss, and they propped him over Kankuro's puppet's shoulder to carry him home as he was in no condition to walk, though he didn't even have the strength and energy to stay on his own feet. They traveled further and then they found the last member to their group, "Chouji!" Yelled Shikamaru as he ran over to his good friend and knelt down infront of him.
"Ch...Chouji?" He looked at him; it looked as if he was barely breathing.
Shikamaru even reached to his pouch at his back and pulled out a small bag of chips and slightly shook it to his ear, still nothing. The look of worry and concern grew more on his face, but he forced a smile, "Don't worry buddy we will get you home safely, and treat you to some barbeque." He hoped that would gage a response but still nothing.
A hand was set upon his shoulder and a voice spoke, "Don't worry too much we aren't to far off from the village and he is still breathing, that's what's important right?"
Shikamaru looked over his shoulder to see it was Temari who tried giving him the words of encouragement. He smiled slightly as he then moved a bit and placed Chouji's left arm over his shoulder and got him up to his feet, and then to his surprise Temari was on the right side helping him out. 'Hm seems I have more to thank her for.' Shikamaru thought letting his smile grow slightly more.
"LET....ME.....GO!!" Yelled the now conscious Sasuke as he kicked Lee in the lower back and jumped away from the group finding him self against a tree.
"Why? Why are you pansy ass shit heads doing this? Do I have to kill each and every one of you, just so I can further my strength?" Sasuke growled angrily at everyone, shooting them all a hateful glare like they had done something wrong.
Gaara stood there, he was feeling a lot of anger flow through him as Sasuke opened his mouth more and more, "You still haven't learned....you still are blind to gaining true strength."
"SHUT UP! YOU have a demon in you! You have all the power you need! I DON'T!" Yelled Sasuke pointing straight at Gaara who still had his back to him.
But Gaara for some reason he couldn't help himself, he had to say something for once, everyone knows that actions speak louder then words. But actions sometimes seem to never get the point across. Gaara then turned to Sasuke and quickly from below the Uchiha sand latched onto him and slammed him into the tree pinning him right there. He then walked up to Sasuke and pulled his arm back and slammed it right into his face, "Do you think I want to have a demon living inside me? Do you think that I asked to have this kind of power? NO!" At the end Gaara yelled out at Sasuke.
Everyone just looked on in shock as to what was now taking place, what Gaara was doing and saying. "Please Gaara, I saw your power for my own eyes, who are you trying to fool! All that power, but yet you where defeated by the idiot over there." The look in Sasuke's eye's showed that he was craving nothing but power at the moment.
Gaara's eye twitched slightly, "Naruto beat me because he was trying to protect that pink haired girl the people in his village and....sadly enough you!"
"Hmph, why would he do that for me?" Sasuke questioned obviously not taking a hint; the power had gone to his head.
"Because Sasuke, to him, you are an important and precious person. For him...you and your friend have become family to him...he couldn't even fight you properly because he didn't have the heart to..."
"You see, I did think that you and I where the same, because we seeked power...but I was wrong about that, wrong about it all. Naruto and I seek the same thing, somebody to fill the voids in our lives because of what is in us." Gaara clenched his fists tightly, all of this seeming to pour out of him, it was completely out of character for him. But he was sick of being the one to just shoot others glares; he was done being the silent one.
Sasuke was unable to form any words as he just allowed himself to be placed against the tree, as Gaara then moved close to him, "Look at everyone...do you see the hatefulness in their eyes?" Sasuke looked over everyone and then nodded, "This is the first time you have seen such eyes laid upon you...huh?"
Sasuke simply nodded and looked down, "Sasuke...Naruto and I have had to deal with those stares all our lives, people wishing we would disappear from life, just die away. They would gladly do it take our lives with out a second thought; because we where given something that once threatened their lives and they are so scared that we will turn around and do the same. All because they fear us, think that we are nothing but the demon locked inside us." Gaara closed his eyes clenched his fists tightly looking down now.
Sasuke looked up finally and looked at Gaara and finally decided to open his mouth, "Why didn't Naruto say anything then? Why hide that from us, if he thinks of us as his friends or family?"
Gaara looked up quickly and had the sand tighten around him, "You idiot, why do you think?"
Now, Sasuke was feeling like the dunce as he hung his head low as the sand returned to its original pressure. Before Gaara spoke again a sudden pressure was placed around his neck, he wondered why his sand didn't stop who ever it was, but why? Because the who ever it was did not give off the emotion of hate or the intent to kill, but what was this? It was the feeling that Gaara sought for so long though he did not show it, the feeling of love, compassion, forgiveness. Then another bit of pressure was set upon his right shoulder, he wondered who would be doing this and he looked over his right shoulder. Temari was the one who had her arms wrapped around him and Kankuro had his hand placed on Gaara's shoulder, he looked at his siblings with wide eyes unsure of what to think.
Temari could see the questioning look in Gaara's eyes, "Gaara no matter what to us you are and will always be our brother."
Kankuro removed his hand from his shoulder, "She's right Gaara, and we are a family even though we never showed it."
He just looked at his two siblings, and wanted so much to show his happiness, but after so long of keeping repressed and hidden. The only kind of smile he knew was a sadistic and crazy one when he was going to kill someone for enjoyment. Temari finally released Gaara from the hug and he just stood there for a moment and then walked around her and said, "Let's go."
He was back to his old self it seemed, Temari just watched as he walked off with Naruto on the patch of sand. Sasuke watched the whole thing and he remembered the good things of his relationship with Itachi, the good times they had before he went and did what he did. How great he felt when he got to spend time with his older brother and everything he did learn from him. The Uchiha looked at Naruto and began to feel sorry for him, never knowing what it was to feel love from a family, he just knew the hatred from the villagers. His thought was then interrupted as he then dropped to the ground but was still wrapped in sand, "Come on Sasuke time to go home." Said Lee as he picked him and put him back over his shoulder and started to fallow with the others.
The sand had staid around Sasuke like a cocoon on a caterpillar before it turned into a butterfly but Sasuke's head was uncovered so he could breath. Temari went back to Shikamaru and helped him with carrying Chouji and the group all headed back to Konoha as their mission was a success and Sasuke was going to be returning, some just wondered for how long and they kept a close eye on him while they traveled back home as he just staid in silence for the rest of the trip.
Gaara and Rock Lee where walking side by side towards the others as Gaara had Naruto on a patch of sand so he wouldn't have to carry him at all. Lee just had Sasuke hoisted over his shoulder carrying him quite easily. "Gaara....what was all that back there? Tell me; was that really Naruto-kun? Because by him performing the seals with one hand and what else he pulled off seemed well....not him..."
The red haired sand nin stayed silent for a few more steps before he decided to speak, "When Naruto feels comfortable with speaking about today's events then he will do so, wait for him to speak his end..." Gaara seeming to walk a bit faster then Lee getting a little ahead of the Leaf nin.
"Well, would it really be so hard to speak about today? I mean, it did turn out to be a success, we got Sasuke." Rock Lee responded as he could feel Sasuke begin to move and he just simply and with out a second thought socked him right in the face getting him to stop.
"Lee...everyone has their demons..."
Lee just stoped for a moment looking at Gaara as he walked off, 'I guess he does have a point....but Naruto-kun?'
The two made their way into the forest again so they could meet up with the others. "Shouldn't we go ahead to check on the others?"
Shikamaru looked up at the blond hair kunoichi as he sat there on the ground taking a breather, "Eh...I believe that Naruto has everything covered, he wouldn't stop fighting....unless..."
Temari put her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow, "Unless what?"
"Unless he is dead...shit...this could be even more troublesome then before..." Shikamaru begging to get back up to his feet, being careful where he placed his hand as he rose to his feet.
"So, are we going to check up on him?"
"Yes, depending on his condition we should bring him back to the village." Said Shikamaru as he started around the tree to go to where Naruto went off to.
"Don't worry about getting him, we already have him." Spoke a voice from the left of them.
Shikamaru turned his head seeing both Gaara and Lee carrying the other two Leaf nins. He let out a sigh of relief for the fact that he wasn't going to have to carry Naruto back if he didn't make it in one piece. "Seems Sasuke was stopped, who was the one that brought him down?" asked Shikamaru.
"Naruto." Gaara answered.
"Really, huh I had figured he was pretty low on chakra when he got around to fighting Sasuke...hm he is full of wonders."
"Something odd though happened." Lee spoke up, the whole bit of Naruto doing what he did still didn't settle well in his mind.
Shikamaru turned his attention to Lee and asked, "Oh? What might that be?"
"Well Naruto-kun suffered a heavy wound on his side, because of an attack Sasuke did to him. He went over a waterfall but as I went down after him Naruto-kun mysteriously made his way back up to the top. Then by time I had gotten back up, his side was healed again and he was producing quit a bit of chakra...his speed was unbelievable and then...he even started performing hand seals with one hand..." Lee explained to Shikamaru wondering if he could make any sense of this.
Shikamaru stood there trying to make sense of it himself wondering how the loudmouth was capable of that. "It doesn't matter, he got Sasuke back, there are injured we have to collect them." Said Gaara as he walked ahead of the others not wanting to discuss that fight any further.
'...Gaara..." Temari was wondering what had suddenly stirred in Gaara to do that. She knows that ever sense the fight with that blond haired Leaf nin he has been changing more and more.
She then walked up to Gaara as Shikamaru and Lee stood there not wanting to go against Gaara after that outburst. "Gaara...why did you do that...? What do you know about that kid?"
"...." He didn't answer her question and just continued walking.
Temari was about to question further but then Kankuro was waiting for them, "Oi! There you are, been waiting." Spoke the sand nin with the face paint.
Kiba was there being supported with one of Kankuro's puppets because he didn't want to have to carry him himself. Lee and Shikamaru quickly caught up to the others, even as Lee was carrying Sasuke over his shoulder. Kiba caught glimpse of Sasuke and thought, 'That son of a bitch is lucky....I would had chewed his fucking throat out for what he has caused us....'
Gaara looked at Kiba for a moment and saw who he was looking at and he could see that same look of hatred that he himself received from many people, Gaara himself still received that look, but it was slowly dieing in the eyes of his siblings as well as the look of fear. During his battle with Sasuke and then Naruto from before, he believed that it was him and Sasuke that where similar had more of a likeness to one another. But after everything that took place in the final moments, him and Naruto and now today, Gaara put the pieces all together and he came to see, it was him and Naruto that where more alike then anything, as he realized that he too has a demon locked inside of him. Knowing that, Gaara knew what came with such a thing as that, the pain with all of it.
The group continued their journey through the forest, no one was really speaking to one another, just some glares shot in Sasuke's direction though he was unconscious, and they felt it necessary to express their anger in some way. They had finally come to Neji, who was a bloody mess, he was slipping in and out of consciousness from the blood loss, and they propped him over Kankuro's puppet's shoulder to carry him home as he was in no condition to walk, though he didn't even have the strength and energy to stay on his own feet. They traveled further and then they found the last member to their group, "Chouji!" Yelled Shikamaru as he ran over to his good friend and knelt down infront of him.
"Ch...Chouji?" He looked at him; it looked as if he was barely breathing.
Shikamaru even reached to his pouch at his back and pulled out a small bag of chips and slightly shook it to his ear, still nothing. The look of worry and concern grew more on his face, but he forced a smile, "Don't worry buddy we will get you home safely, and treat you to some barbeque." He hoped that would gage a response but still nothing.
A hand was set upon his shoulder and a voice spoke, "Don't worry too much we aren't to far off from the village and he is still breathing, that's what's important right?"
Shikamaru looked over his shoulder to see it was Temari who tried giving him the words of encouragement. He smiled slightly as he then moved a bit and placed Chouji's left arm over his shoulder and got him up to his feet, and then to his surprise Temari was on the right side helping him out. 'Hm seems I have more to thank her for.' Shikamaru thought letting his smile grow slightly more.
"LET....ME.....GO!!" Yelled the now conscious Sasuke as he kicked Lee in the lower back and jumped away from the group finding him self against a tree.
"Why? Why are you pansy ass shit heads doing this? Do I have to kill each and every one of you, just so I can further my strength?" Sasuke growled angrily at everyone, shooting them all a hateful glare like they had done something wrong.
Gaara stood there, he was feeling a lot of anger flow through him as Sasuke opened his mouth more and more, "You still haven't learned....you still are blind to gaining true strength."
"SHUT UP! YOU have a demon in you! You have all the power you need! I DON'T!" Yelled Sasuke pointing straight at Gaara who still had his back to him.
But Gaara for some reason he couldn't help himself, he had to say something for once, everyone knows that actions speak louder then words. But actions sometimes seem to never get the point across. Gaara then turned to Sasuke and quickly from below the Uchiha sand latched onto him and slammed him into the tree pinning him right there. He then walked up to Sasuke and pulled his arm back and slammed it right into his face, "Do you think I want to have a demon living inside me? Do you think that I asked to have this kind of power? NO!" At the end Gaara yelled out at Sasuke.
Everyone just looked on in shock as to what was now taking place, what Gaara was doing and saying. "Please Gaara, I saw your power for my own eyes, who are you trying to fool! All that power, but yet you where defeated by the idiot over there." The look in Sasuke's eye's showed that he was craving nothing but power at the moment.
Gaara's eye twitched slightly, "Naruto beat me because he was trying to protect that pink haired girl the people in his village and....sadly enough you!"
"Hmph, why would he do that for me?" Sasuke questioned obviously not taking a hint; the power had gone to his head.
"Because Sasuke, to him, you are an important and precious person. For him...you and your friend have become family to him...he couldn't even fight you properly because he didn't have the heart to..."
"You see, I did think that you and I where the same, because we seeked power...but I was wrong about that, wrong about it all. Naruto and I seek the same thing, somebody to fill the voids in our lives because of what is in us." Gaara clenched his fists tightly, all of this seeming to pour out of him, it was completely out of character for him. But he was sick of being the one to just shoot others glares; he was done being the silent one.
Sasuke was unable to form any words as he just allowed himself to be placed against the tree, as Gaara then moved close to him, "Look at everyone...do you see the hatefulness in their eyes?" Sasuke looked over everyone and then nodded, "This is the first time you have seen such eyes laid upon you...huh?"
Sasuke simply nodded and looked down, "Sasuke...Naruto and I have had to deal with those stares all our lives, people wishing we would disappear from life, just die away. They would gladly do it take our lives with out a second thought; because we where given something that once threatened their lives and they are so scared that we will turn around and do the same. All because they fear us, think that we are nothing but the demon locked inside us." Gaara closed his eyes clenched his fists tightly looking down now.
Sasuke looked up finally and looked at Gaara and finally decided to open his mouth, "Why didn't Naruto say anything then? Why hide that from us, if he thinks of us as his friends or family?"
Gaara looked up quickly and had the sand tighten around him, "You idiot, why do you think?"
Now, Sasuke was feeling like the dunce as he hung his head low as the sand returned to its original pressure. Before Gaara spoke again a sudden pressure was placed around his neck, he wondered why his sand didn't stop who ever it was, but why? Because the who ever it was did not give off the emotion of hate or the intent to kill, but what was this? It was the feeling that Gaara sought for so long though he did not show it, the feeling of love, compassion, forgiveness. Then another bit of pressure was set upon his right shoulder, he wondered who would be doing this and he looked over his right shoulder. Temari was the one who had her arms wrapped around him and Kankuro had his hand placed on Gaara's shoulder, he looked at his siblings with wide eyes unsure of what to think.
Temari could see the questioning look in Gaara's eyes, "Gaara no matter what to us you are and will always be our brother."
Kankuro removed his hand from his shoulder, "She's right Gaara, and we are a family even though we never showed it."
He just looked at his two siblings, and wanted so much to show his happiness, but after so long of keeping repressed and hidden. The only kind of smile he knew was a sadistic and crazy one when he was going to kill someone for enjoyment. Temari finally released Gaara from the hug and he just stood there for a moment and then walked around her and said, "Let's go."
He was back to his old self it seemed, Temari just watched as he walked off with Naruto on the patch of sand. Sasuke watched the whole thing and he remembered the good things of his relationship with Itachi, the good times they had before he went and did what he did. How great he felt when he got to spend time with his older brother and everything he did learn from him. The Uchiha looked at Naruto and began to feel sorry for him, never knowing what it was to feel love from a family, he just knew the hatred from the villagers. His thought was then interrupted as he then dropped to the ground but was still wrapped in sand, "Come on Sasuke time to go home." Said Lee as he picked him and put him back over his shoulder and started to fallow with the others.
The sand had staid around Sasuke like a cocoon on a caterpillar before it turned into a butterfly but Sasuke's head was uncovered so he could breath. Temari went back to Shikamaru and helped him with carrying Chouji and the group all headed back to Konoha as their mission was a success and Sasuke was going to be returning, some just wondered for how long and they kept a close eye on him while they traveled back home as he just staid in silence for the rest of the trip.