A week later, Matsuri stood at the far end of the training ground opposite the posts and spun the rope.
I just know I'll make it this time!
She flung the rope at the middle post and it ricocheted off. Her arm raised as if it was bound to fly in her face.
It landed with a thud in the hardened, sandy ground a few feet from her.
A look of fear took over her usually shy expression.
Suddenly a memory flashed behind her eyes of a sword rushing past her and slicing through a tree. It stuck in the thick bark, vibrating from the force of the impact.
The outlines of her parents in the brilliant light fell like dominoes, blood dripping from fatal wounds.
Footsteps and the sound of the metal weight being picked up brought her out of her memories, and she looked up.
"Matsuri? Are you ok?"
"Um... Gaara-sensei. I didn't see you there."
Gaara straightened, handed the weight to her with the sharp point facing away from her body, and forced himself not to shudder at the unexpected chill from their fingers brushing against each-other. He wasn't used to physical contact, but he was strangely determined to show this girl that he was somewhat normal.
"I only just got here. You look troubled. What's wrong?"
There was no point in lying to him; he was bound to find out eventually.
"A few years ago, I stood by helplessly as my parents were attacked and murdered." Tears gathered at the edge of her eyelids and threatened to spill over. "It's just so hard now... using the same kind of thing that killed them... I still have bad dreams about it..."
"I'm sorry about your loss." His heart ached to comfort her, but it would just make her cry more, and tears wouldn't do anything to help her situation. "It must be difficult to live alone."
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I've tried to be strong, tried to tell myself that surely I'll avenge their death someday, but... I don't know that I'll ever be brave enough to use something that took away the most precious people in my life."
"I remember..." He thought for a moment. "When I took the chuunin exam a year ago, I met a young boy who was the reason I failed the last test. When I fought him, I remember asking him about the other two shinobi present that he was trying so desperately to protect. He told me they were his friends, and that if I ever lifted so much as a finger against them, that he'd finish me off right then and there. His name is Naruto Uzumaki."
She frowned in confusion. "Huh? What has that got to do with my problem?"
"You'll figure it out eventually. If I told you, I wouldn't make a very good sensei. I'll come back in a while to check your progress."
He smiled as reassuringly as he could and left the grounds.
(A few hours later)
As he was walking around the village, he ran into his brother and sister kneeling beside a wounded shinobi. "What happened?"
"I was attacked while I stood on guard duty at the wall. There were four of them. They called themselves the Four Celestials. This scroll was left in my hands to be given to you, Gaara-sama."
He bent and took the scroll. It read:
We do hereby issue a challenge to the one called Sabaku no Gaara.
Come find us and test your strength against our strongest shinobi.
If you do not answer this challenge, we will take someone as a hostage.
Someone very close to you.
We may have already taken someone by the time you receive this scroll.
We will take one person a day until there is no one left.
Come and find us before it's too late.
~The Four Celestials of the Village of Artisans~
He thought for a moment.
Someone very close to him. Well, they hadn't taken his siblings... or at least hadn't succeeded in doing so...
Who else would they think of?
There was a scream from the Academy, and the voice was decidedly female.
"Gaara-sensei!"
...
"Matsuri!"
His hands balled into fists.
"Damn it... I shouldn't have left her alone!"
"Go after her. We'll handle things here, and catch up." Kankurou lifted the wounded shinobi into his arms.
"Alright. I'll leave it to you, then."
Damn it all! I hope they haven't taken her yet!
(Minutes later)
They raced over the rooftops of Suna, having regrouped a few minutes afterward.
"I don't hear anything from the Academy."
"That's a bad sign..."
They dropped to the ground and kept running.
"What's that over there?"
"It's rope, with a metal weight on one end."
"Oh, no..."
They reached the other end of the training courtyard, and found Matsuri's rope javelin lying in a perfect arrow.
"What's this doing here?" Temari knelt to examine the rope.
"Where's Matsuri?" Gaara's eyes flickered around the courtyard frantically.
"There are fresh footprints all around here. It looks like there was a battle in the courtyard."
His whole body shook with sudden anger as he realized where she was.
"We were too late! They've taken her!"
"Don't worry, Gaara. They won't kill her. Their real target is you. They need to keep her alive in order to bait you."
"I know that. But still..." He growled under his breath. "She has become precious to me in the short time I've known her, and if I lose her now, I'll...!"
He trailed off sadly, but regained his composure momentarily.
"No. This is no time to get upset. The weight points northeast. They left this on purpose as a sign. Come on, let's report it now that we have proof."