Chapter 8: Attacked

After her classes, the medical ninja walked for a while, in between the stores, mildly interested in the merchandise. Myaaki wasn't paying attention for where she was going and wandered into an alley. She looked up realizing where she was, but before the kunoichi could react, three sand ninjas had blocked her only exit.

"You shouldn't be here, little flower." Threatened the middle one.

Temari had told her about some rebels in Suna.

A pattern seemed to be forming in Myaaki's mind.

Six kunais were flung at her, she dodged four, but one got buried in to her abdomen, the other on in her left shoulder. She gasped in pain and spat out blood.

'Screw them,' she thought and other things that are not PG rated.

"Your innocent, alone..weak!" said the nija that had spoke to her earlier.

'That word again!' She said, flaring up. Wrenching the kunai from her shoulder, she charged at the middle ninja.

"I am not WEAK!" she yelled, ready to slash at his evil grinning face. He grabbed her arm and twisting it behind her back, slammed her face against a wall. Myaaki cried out in pain. She felt blood trickling from her temple.

"Don't move, and this wont hurt a bit." The sand ninja said feinting care.

Whacking her over the head, she fell unconscious, her forehead protector, which she had switched to her forehead, slipped off and fell with a clunk on the ground.

On his usual place on the rooftop, Gaara's stomach clenched painfully with worry. Myaaki was gone a long time and she was supposed to be back half an hour ago.

"Damn her." He thought aloud.

He had put sand in her hair last night while she was asleep and wherever his sand was, he would be able to see it with his third eye.

Opening it, he crushed it and the sand blew into the wind, in search of its sand. Soon thought, he saw three rebels racing off in the desert with something over one of the ninjas shoulder. A flash of red. His eyes widened.

"Myaaki!" he roared, part fury and part scared for her. He disappeared with a whirl of his sand.

Downstairs, inside the house, Temari and Kankuro were playing cards when they heard the yell of frustration.

"uh oh…" whispered Temari, racing to the roof. All she saw of her little brother was the mini tornado of sand, whipping in the direction of the desert.

"We've gotta follow him!" cried out Temari to Kankuro.

"Either she's in trouble, or she's gonna be." Sighed the puppeteer, chasing after his sister.

"We gotta rest, come on! She's heavy!" whined the carrier of Myaaki.

"Fine, you wimp. We'll take a breather" the leader of the squad signaled for them to stop.

Gaara was gaining on them quickly, and saw them stop. He hid his charka, approaching quietly.

One of the ninja had noticed the chakra flow before it was masked.

"Hashi, some ones following us. I felt the chakra." He whispered to the leader.

"Hm. How many?"

"one, sir."

"Ha! This will be easy."

Grabbing the unconscious girl, he gave her some smelling salts to revive her.

Groaning in pain and confusion, the kunoichi opened her eyes slowly. Remembergin what had happened, she opened her mouth to scream, and she felt something cold and metallic against her neck.

She choked, her scream caught in her throat.

"Don't even try. Someone's here to rescue you! And im going to kill you right in front of them." He whispered in her ear. Shivers ran down Myaaki's spine, her red hair swirling around her face brushing her tears.

'Wait. Only one person would come after me.' She thought, hope rising in her chest.

"no. you're the one who's gonna die." She said, grinning.

"Ha! Like that's gonna happen." He laughed cruelly, yanking the kunai from her stomach. Myaaki yelp in anguish, fresh blood flowing on to her dress.

Suddenly, sand lashed out at the man, strangling him. Myaaki collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach.

'I don't have enough chakra left to heal this.' She thought, getting desperate.

Hearing yells, she looked up, her red hair whipping around in the fierce desert wind.

She saw her savior, her rescuer.

"Gaara, help me…"then fainted.

Kneeling down, Gaara took her by the shoulder, his right hand feeling the blood streaming from the wound. He glanced at the stomach wound also. She was awfully pale.

Temari and Kankuro came gasping over the last dune and saw Gaara holding something.

They hurried down the hill, and skidding to a stop, seeing who he was cradling.

Seeing his siblings, Gaara gasped,

"We have to get her to the hospital. NOW!"

He took off in a flash, transporting all of them to the city.

Bursting through the doors, the sand master yelled at the secretary,

"We need someone this INSTANT!"

The poor woman yelped and called for a doctor.

When the medic came, he saw the boy who needed him so badly and nearly fainted with fright. Why would the mass murderer need him?

"Whats the problem?"

"HER! CANT YOU SEE, YOU DUMBASS!

The doctor had never seen Gaara of the desert so worried, so angry and wanting to help the girl he was carrying in his arms.

Guiding them to a room, Gaara laid the red head on the bed, eyes burning with regret.

'I could have stopped this! I should have stayed with her!' he thought furiously, resisting the urge to punch the white wall with all the strength he could muster.

"That's a very serious wound." Concluded the medic, indicating the one in her stomach.

"I KNOW THAT! JUST HELP HER!" roared Gaara, feeling like killing the stupid man before him. But he was Myaaki's only hope for survival right now.

The medic hooked her up to a heart monitor. Her beat was weak and was getting weaker.

"I suggest you leave. This could get…

"No. You help her now, or I will kill you." He thundered, giving him a murderous glare.

Shaking, the doctor examined the wounds again.

" these are very deep!' he thought, 'She could have died if no one had come to retrieve her within at least an hour.'

Placing his hand on the stomach wound, the most like threatening, he pumped chakra into his hand, intent on healing his patient. 'So much blood was lost…It's a miracle shes still alive.' He wondered.

The wound seemed to stitch itself together with invisible threads. After it had sealed completely, he moved on to the cut in the shoulder.

"This one was very close to her heart! If it had been 3 inches closer, it could have killed her!" he told Gaara.

Gaara glared at him again. The medic turned back to his work.

Myaaki's heart began to beat stronger and her breathing evened out.

"There. She'll live. But shes in critical condition, so I recommend she stay here for a minimum of three days sir."

Gaara wasn't even paying attention to the old man. He rushed to the girl's bedside, sitting down in an armchair.

"Um, sir? Visiting hours were over 3 hours ago. Im afraid you'll have to leave…"

Gaara stared at him coldly, with a look that said Are-you-insane?

"I am staying" he said in a clear voice, with the intent on doing so.

The doctor trembled, nodding and shutting the door.

Outside, Temari and Kankuro waited impatiently, Kankuro's leg bouncing relentlessly on the insanely clean floor. When they saw the doctor back out of the room, Temari practically yelled at the poor man.

"Is she OK?"

"Yes, yes. She'll be fine. But she is staying for 3 days at least for recovery."

"Fine, can we go inside?" asked Kankuro.

"No. Visiting hours are over, but the red haired one…he is staying he says." And with that, the old man scurried along the corridor.

"Lets leave them." Sighed Temari, getting up and walking down the hallway.

"Ya." And the siblings left Gaara and Myaaki at the hospital.