If I Go Crazy

"This has gone on long enough." Gaara raised his hand but stopped, his eyes wide in horror and shock as the dust cleared. His heart nearly stopped from the sight. He felt blood roar in his ears and his heart pounded. His whole world seemed to stop for that moment and that moment alone. Black boots reached half way up to the knee. Black shorts and a black tank top covered by a sleeveless long red coat. A single blonde braid reached to mid thigh. Black ninja gloves snug on the hands. A leather black hat pulled down to cover one eye. The visible green eyes had black around it, similar to Gaara. An upper lip painted black against alabaster skin. On the upper right arm was a leaf forehead protector with a single slash through it.

"Been a long time, Gaara-kun."

"Robin." Gaara gasped, shock written across his face. Robin stood up straight and let her hands fly through a series of seals, summoning her naginata. With ease she twirled the weapon above her head before swing at him, causing Gaara to jump away. "Robin . . . please tell me what is going on." Robin bent down and kicked her leg out, intending upon sweeping Gaara's feet out from under him. Gaara did a back flip and avoided her kick only to dodge another punch aimed for his head.

"This is a fight! Do not hold back!" Robin used her naginata to take another swing at him. Gaara jumped away from her, but in the process a few strands of his hair was cut off. Gaara watched in horror as Robin launched herself at him again. He narrowed his eyes in confusion and jumped up to met her in the air. Instead of using her naginata she kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back onto the ground. Gaara rolled out of the way in time as Robin slammed her naginata into the spot his head once occupied, burring it halfway up the blade.

"Hey brat! We take him alive. The demon is of no use to us if he's dead." Kyo's shout was answered by Robin looking at him over her shoulder with her uncovered eye.

"You are not up to this. Stay out of it." She looked back and saw Gaara standing. Robin used the naginata as support to hold herself up while she kicked him in the chest. Gaara was sent rolling back as Robin landed with a light thump. She yanked the naginata out of the ground and glared at Gaara as he forced himself up, coughing out blood.

"Robin . . . why?" Robin walked towards him slowly and then kicked his head, sending him backwards, causing him to land on his back. She twirled her naginata expertly before pointing it at him.

"You have lost." Sand shot forward at her, making the young woman jump back and spin the naginata to block the sand. Gaara stood up with a fierce glare in his eyes.

"I will not let anything happen to the Hidden Sand!" Her eyes narrowed before she let her hands fly through familiar seals. Lightening showered down upon the village.

"For a Kage . . . you're pretty weak." She turned around and spun the naginata again, blocking the sand that was coming up from behind her.

". . . you traitor!" Gaara snapped, rage filling his eyes. Robin smirked as she ignored his remark. It didn't matter to her anymore. Not after all she had been through.

"Gaara-kun . . . you forget . . . I know all you weaknesses." She dashed forward and jumped into the air, spinning around and giving him a kick to the head. "You sand doesn't defend you anymore if there isn't malice behind the attack. And I am the Emotionless Executioner. I feel no malice in my attacks. Making me a perfect opponent for you." Robin pulled a kunai out of her coat and threw it towards him, grazing his cheek as he dodged.

"I loved you once, so I will give you one last chance to stop." Robin stared at him with unwavering eyes.

"No, you didn't. Otherwise . . . . ." She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She almost said 'You would have stayed with me. You wouldn't have abandoned me like everyone else.' But she stopped herself from saying it. He had no need to know her reasoning. It wasn't her job to care for him. He moved on. So had she. "But that's beside the point. Me stopping? That won't happen." She ducked under the stream of sand sent towards her head and charged forward. Gaara blocked her punch and sent a punch of his own towards her head. Robin caught his fist and pulled him forward, kneeing him in the stomach. "Give up." She punched him in the face, letting him stumble back and fall down. Gaara struggle to stand up. "I excel at hand to hand fighting. Your taijutsu lacks the ability to stand up against mine." She disappeared in a blur and reappeared behind him, kicking him from behind. He was thrown forward and laid on the ground. "You allow your emotions to cloud your mind. Love? It does not exist. You are weak to think it does." She raised up her hand to land a finishing blow but at the last moment jumped high up into the air to avoid an attack from a puppet. Robin landed and stared at Kankuro and Temari as they rushed to Gaara's side.

"Robin! What's happening!" Temari asked, surprised. Robin merely stared at her before looking to Gaara who was collecting sand all around him.

"So . . . you would transform near the village?" Gaara glared at his former love, hatred burning in his eyes.

"I will protect this village!"

"And betray those you love, putting the village first." She mumbled to herself, too low for him to hear.

"Robin." Kyo muttered, throwing Robin her cloak which she caught with ease. "We were to capture him before he began to transform. He's already started to so we leave." She put on her cloak and turned to leave. Robin paused, looking over her shoulder at Gaara as he coughed out blood.

"Gaara . . . love does not exist for anything like us." Gaara felt his world stop at her words. "We are murders without souls. Who could love such hideous creatures like us?" She watched him with unchanging eyes. "We found comfort with each other merely because we did not fear each other. We could not. Because we are too alike." She cut her thumb on her naginata and then used the blood to summon a dragon. She stepped onto it while Kyo disappeared with a small explosion. "I have excepted that we are not meant for love. This village, your siblings . . . they hate and fear you." The dragon flapped its wings, lifting her up into the sky. "Gaara, use the very thing that cursed you to curse them. Hate the world. Rely on yourself alone. No one can love us. There will always be darkness in us, I have finally chosen to accept that fact." The dragon flew off with her words ringing in his ears.

Setsuko looked down at Naruto. He was looking up into the tree she was sitting in and waiting. For what she did not know.

"Naruto-kun . . ."

"Setsuko . . . could Gaara have been wrong?" She closed her eyes as understanding washed over her. It had been three days since Gaara sent word to Konoha. Robin had joined the Akatsuki.

". . . ." She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't know what to do. It was too much for her.

"This is Robin . . . she wouldn't . . ." Setsuko bit her lip in through before she responded.

"Robin has decided to walk a path different from our own. She has joined Akatsuki. Now it is our job to stop her." Naruto looked down at the ground as he sat down with his back to the tree.

"But she's Robin." Setsuko felt those words stab at her heart. She understood what he meant. She was Uzumaki Robin. She had been there all along, fighting for Konoha. It didn't make sense. Finally, she told Naruto the only thing she could.

"I know. Which is why we have to stop her. To try and save what's left of her soul."

"Janghoon." Janghoon, her old student, looked up to see Setsuko land in front of him. He had been walking around, not really going anywhere. It was a surprise to see his old sensei. After all, they both were busy with their duties. Not only that, but with the Uzumaki family problems, Setsuko had almost no spare time.

"Setsuko-san?" Setsuko smiled softly. He had traveled the world with her, causing the two to become close. He was a good friend to her. Yet he was still respectful towards her.

"Go get your sister. We should visit the fourth member of team 28." Janghoon nodded. His sister and he now lived together but rarely saw each other. Both were happy to get away from their cold parents. The same parents and had disapproved of their career and scorned them.

Robin brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She sat on a simple bed, her hair let loose and her long coat thrown over a chair with her black hat. She had kicked off her boots once she entered the room. It was bare and plain, seeing as she didn't ask for much. Robin stood up and made her way to the small window. Sliding it own, she stepped through it onto a balcony.

"You've gotten good." She looked over to see Itachi as he complimented her. She looked away in annoyance.

"I've been training nonstop. I should hope I've gotten good." Itachi smirked and pulled Robin back into a tight embrace. He tilted her head up and kissed her gently. After a minute he pulled away. Robin leaned against him.

"I heard what you said."

". . . . when I fought Gaara?"

"Hai."

"Kyo has a big mouth." Robin sneered at the thought of her partner. "Why can't you be my partner?" She pouted slightly, looking up at him. Itachi gave her a pointed look.

"I already have one." Robin sighed and nodded.

"Fine." Silence hung over the two as Itachi held Robin close. She began to lose herself in through, nearly dozing off in his arms before his voice brought her back to reality.

". . . . you weren't suppose to try and kill him." She felt her temper rise at the mention of Gaara.

"It was a fight." She bit out, anger laced into her words. Itachi's eyes narrowed in annoyance at her excuse.

"That is a poor excuse." She glared into space, anger flaring.

"Beating Gaara is difficult. In order to do that I must not hold back." Robin hissed, her emotions getting the better of her as she argued. She didn't want to admit that Gaara had caused her so much pain. She supposed that revenge got the best of her. She could never forgive him. Not after the loneliness he instilled in her. She could not admit that he had caused her to have a weakness. Her pride would not allow her. Not only that, but the sheer amount of pain he had caused her when he left . . . . when another person she cared for left her behind . . . . it was too much.

"Still, we need him alive. If he dies, the demon dies. It is the same as your cousin." Robin broke out of Itachi's embrace and stared at him with calm eyes.

"I know that. I did not try to murder him, merely render him helpless, which I almost did." She sighed. "If it weren't for his siblings I would have captured him." Itachi sighed in annoyance.

"Robin, you would have easily been able to defeat them."

"They gave him enough time to gather sand!" She snapped, having her anger flood her system. "I would have continued to fight but Kyo said no! He is the senior Akatsuki member so the mission was under his command. I did as ordered!" Itachi closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, glaring at her.

"Calm yourself. You will get another chance to fight Gaara. In two weeks we will attack again."

"Two weeks?" Robin roared, angry with Itachi. "Why two weeks!"

"Because that is when the stars will be in our favor."

Please review. I need to know any problems there are with my story.