Miyuki.
That was the only thing in Gaara's mind. The only thing that kept him from going out of the safety of his own city. He couldn't understand why, but he could not leave her alone. As if thinking about her all the time was not bad enough. What was this girl? And how had she managed to get pass through him? He felt like he was being held in the palm of her hands. How unbecoming of a Kazekage.
He watches as Naruto catches up with him and how the creature, they were chasing was shrinking in size. What was happening now? When it disappeared from his view he flew down, his sand taking him to the ground where he stood beside Naruto. They both stared at the girls before them, each of them was, standing upright, their faces towards them and in the middle of it all was the man Miyuki had been talking about. Beside him, was Miyuki herself.
She no longer had her blindfold on, but Gaara could sense what she was feeling, and he did not like it at all. Naruto took a step forward but the girls in front moved to a defensive position. Gaara put a hand before Naruto, watching Miyuki try to hide her panic. She was telling him not to hurt them.
The next words from her mouth shocked him, but there was no time to question it because Gaara knew if Miyuki did something, she did it with a purpose. Now was the time he had to do something as well. As Kazekage.
Miyuki watched as Gaara seemed to purge out anything he could read from her silence alone. She had not thought this through, but even so. These girls always come first before anyone else. Especially herself. She watched Naruto fighting his urge to fight. With just one hand movement from Gaara, Naruto seemed to still himself. He didn't understand it all, but he was willing to put all of his trust on Gaara. Miyuki wondered how that felt like. To trust someone like that. She managed to keep her place placid, from where Gaara stood, he could not see how Eichii is holding her back. Holding her hostage. She wanted to cry out, to tell Gaara to go but her eyes flicker to the curse seal attached to each girl's back. If she did one wrong move, Eichii could kill them with a single hand movement. How did she get here? How could she have been so stupid? So careless?
She attacked herself internally, for thinking that she deserved to be free. She did not. She was a monster and deserved death more than anything. A thought occurred to her, and it gave her comfort. If she was to die, then it would be alright, if it was by Gaara's hand. She did not know why she thought this, but she had wanted to be free all her life and death…death was the answer.
She stepped forward, before uttering the words that made her feel like something heavy had fallen right down her stomach. Her voice was not her own, but it felt like a soft prayer only she could understand.
"The Kazekage will die by my own hands, no one else," she says, and she could feel Naruto's confusion and anger as his expression changed. She hated that look. She hated it when people openly stared at her with despise and anger, but she knew she deserved this now, more than any other time.
She moved to attack but Eichii had other plans.
"No," he says firmly, and Miyuki stops, turning towards him in confusion.
"No more games and no more tricks, Miyuki," he says, and he flicks his hands and one of the girls scream. Her scream pierces through Miyuki's heart as she watches one of the younger girls crumple down to the ground, a scream that meant only pain.
"Stop! Stop it! What are you doing?! She's just a child!" She screams at him as she rushes towards her. The other girls do not move.
"This is your punishment," he says carefully as Miyuki tries to remove the curse seal from the child's back, holding back her own tears. The child was now convulsing in her arms as blood seeped out of her mouth, her eyes regained their color and there was recognition on her face as she stared up at Miyuki.
"Mi..Mi…it hurts," she whispered. As Miyuki's tears fell. She hated crying. She looked more like a demon than someone who was in sorrow when she cried. All because of this curse.
"Please…Eichii, stop it," she pleads, losing her strength.
"Not until you do as you are told," he answers before the girl dies in her arms. Her anger flared, colliding with her pain and she turned towards Eichii.
"You monster," she spits and he laughs, a dark laugh.
"We both know who the real monster is, Miyuki," he says and another girl screams. This time Miyuki is frozen as Kein drops on her knees, screaming.
"No-" she barely whispers it watching her best friend suffering. Because of her. All because of her.
"Stop it!" She screams this time and Eichii turns to her.
"Only you can stop it, Miyuki," he says before he takes out a small scroll from his pocket.
"You have 3 days," he says, "or less."
"Wait-"
He opens it and they all vanish. Leaving Miyuki standing there staring at where Kei had been. Kei's screams echoed around the night that threatened to engulf her. Then her eyes turned to Gaara who looked at her with the same placid expression, but all Naruto had was sympathy and shock.
She knew what she had to do. She ignored the pain and lunged at the Kazekage.
Authors note: Ahehe. Don't hate me please for not updating. I'm really sorry? huhu Please forgive me. I promise we will get to the juicy bit in a few chapters. Please don't give up on meeeeeeeee!