The Death Of Gaara:
As soon as Naruto rushed inside the surprise of seeing Gaara's unmoving body lying there on the ground working as a cushion for the blonde haired male's ass he started to let his anger get the better of him. "You!" Naruto snarled his demonic side getting the better of him. The whiskers on his face darkened the angrier he got. "You're dead meat!"
"That would be the male Jinchuriki." the larger one's voice was deep, the tone of his voice echoed off the walls sending shivers down Sakura's spine. She's never seen him like this before.
"Looks like it. The girl over there must be the other one." The blonde one smirked. "Obviously." the other one retorted annoyed.
Naruto growled loudly trying to hold himself back from attacking. "Gaara! Why are you just lying there?! Get up!" Sakura looked over towards Naruto shocked, he must know? Surely he must, Gaara wouldn't willingly let someone sit on him. "Hey Gaara! What are you deaf?!"
"Naruto, stop…" Kakashi glanced at how calm sister was acting. Staring at the pool of water beneath her feet. He didn't trust her, he didn't trust how calm she was. Something bad was going to happen he was sure. "You know fully well…" Kakashi couldn't finish the sentence.
Deidara chuckled to himself at his idiocy. "Indeed. I should think you'd know that he's already dead, hmmm?" The look on Naruto's face showed he was about ready to kill him on the spot. He was seconds away from attacking. "Give him back." Naruto warned shooting forward "Give me Gaara! You stinking…" Naruto ended up running into a wall of water making him bounce back surprised.
All eyes shot towards Kira's outstretched hand. "Kira?! Why'd you stop me! Gaara's supposed to be your boyfriend! Why aren't you doing anything!" Naruto demanded. He was hurt seeing her protect those evil bastards. He thought she would be just as angry as he was.
"He's mine." Her sickly sweet voice echoed through Naruto's ears. Her crimson red eyes were glowing with anticipation, she wasn't looking away from the blonde male. Naruto felt the chills run down his back at how calm she sounded, she almost sounded chipper. This wasn't good at all. Two tears had been falling down her face as she laughed "Naru, don't even think about attacking without a plan. Besides you're not going to kill anyone." she called sweetly.
Kakashi reached over resting his hand on her shoulder, immediately he felt an intense heat flare through his palm "What did we talk about? You know as well as I do that…" Kakashi warned her in a low voice trying to calm her down. Sakura thought she looked absolutely terrifying at that point.
"I know Kashi," She finally snapped glaring up at her older brother. All she wanted to do right now was curl in a ball and cry. Cry her heart out that her Gaara was dead. She wanted revenge. She wanted to feel the bastards blood gush in her mouth and watch the life drain from his eyes. She wanted every single one of those monsters to feel how she feels. How Gaara felt.
It was getting harder to just sit back and watch those two just talk as if nothing was going on. Her skull throbbed as she looked back at the blonde sitting on her Gaara. Kakashi grit his teeth as the heat intensified. He could feel skin under his glove start to bubble. "I know this is difficult to see but…"
"We're fine…"Kira snapped snarling annoyed. After all her training, after quickly passing the Chunin exam and becoming a Jonin he still didn't trust her. She proved time and time again that she didn't need to rely on her demon. That she was strong on her own. "I'm thinking clearly. I'm thinking I'm going to rip this bastards head off."
The crunch of metal hit Sakura's ears when Kira clenched her fists. "You worry too much Kakashi, she's stronger than you think." Sakura spoke softly though even she didn't know what would happen next. Both Naruto and Kira looked about ready to snap again.
Deidara frowned annoyed by the scene in front of him. It seemed that both Jinchuriki were losing control, not thinking things through like the older male wanted. He had an idea but Sasori would not like it at all. "I'll hold onto the body, since it appears the Jinchuriki hosts are burning for it." Kakashi frowned staring at the two "Sasori I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I'll handle the Jinchuriki's. Hmm?"
Sasori glanced over at the male annoyed this was not apart of the plan. "Listen, our quota is one apeice. If I were you, Deidara I wouldn't push my luck." Sasori snapped his rough voice sending chills down Sakura's spine.
"An artist must always seek even greater stimulation lest his senses turn dull. These Jinchuriki hosts of the Nine-Tailed Fox and The Water Spirit are fairly strong. Hmmm?"
Sasori scoffed at Deidara's form of art. "Why? Those pyrotechnics of yours, art? Art is a work of beauty, captured and left for posterity. It is the beauty of eternity."
"Quite so, Sasori, as a fellow artist I certainly respect your perspective. But, in my opinion, art is transient beauty that fades after just a moment. Hmm."
Sakura stared at the two confused. Naruto was still pissed Kira had stopped him from attacking those two bastards. "Whats with them?" Sakura murmured. Kakashi's grip was starting to weaken the longer he held on, this wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.
"Enough of this!" Naruto screamed pulling out a scroll and produced a large throwing star, quickly throwing it towards the two distracted Akatsuki members he threw a large amount of his strength into the throw.
Sasori's tail had appeared out of nowhere, in a quick motion the sharp tail had made the weapon clatter to the side not even bothered that if he didn't deflect the weapon he could have died. "Deidara, you fool. Are you trying to make me angry?"
"You see there? I did say you wouldn't like it, did I not? Hmm?"
Kira grabbed her kunai's holding them at the ready in case the blonde tried anything. She wouldn't let him get away. "My art is the explosion itself, compared to your grotesque puppet show...well its' not even in the same league." As Deidera spoke he stood up off Gaara's dead body allowing the clay creature to scoop down and gobble him in its beak.
Deidara just barely jumped back to avoid being struck by Sasori's poisoned tail. He gave a quick 'See ya' and flew off. It didn't take long for Naruto to chase after Deidera screaming for him to come back. Kira shot off chasing after the male herself. There was no way she was going to let him out of her sight with Gaara in his clutches.
Kakashi faced Sakura and Chiyo "Naruto, Kira, and I will handle the guy outside. Sakura and Granny Chiyo, you deal with this creep. Just don't do anything rash, wait till team guy returns."
"Understood!"
Kakashi joined Naruto and Kira standing on top of the archway glaring up at the floating male. There was a short staredown studying the one before them. Deidera nodded "Kakashi of the Sharingan, you wanna come after me? Hmm? I'm sure I shouldn't say this but, Sasori is stronger than I...probably yeah."
"Sensei please go help Sakura. Kira and I will rescue Gaara." Naruto never blinked, never looked away.
"Hmph."
It didn't take long. Naruto shot forward intent to kill the male only to slam into the rock wall when Deidera easily avoided the attack. Deidera had sent multiple smaller clay birds, Kakashi took out three throwing stars connecting to clay birds. There was a loud explosion pushing Naruto further into the rock wall. Kira dug her Kunai into the stone pillar clinging on from the blast.
Kira shifted her hands into different seals as quick as she could. The water raised off the ground shooting towards the male. Though of course he somehow saw this coming and sent more clay birds into the trap. The water circled around the clay bird and sent water spikes into the bomb. It was strange watching the fire explode in the water sending blood smoke to dance in the cool water sphere.
Beautiful even. Though Kira would have probably taken notice if she wasn't so mad! "You're not taking Gaara!" Naruto snarled rock debris falling from his hair. His eyes glowing red the angrier he got.
"You're quite the oddball. A Jinchuriki host is supposed to be sullen and misanthropic...hmmm?" Deidera's eyes moved from Naruto to Kira snarling in a crouched position reaching to jump. "And this Gaara is no less strange. I've never seen a host so beloved as he."
"To date we've destroyed two Jinchuriki hosts, not including him, of course. But no one has ever tried to save them. Not their friends, not their neighbors, not a soul. Hmmm?" Justing hearing these words Kira felt her anger intensify. "In fact. To some their death came as a relief." It didn't help that the bastard was laughing at the thought.
"Perhaps you can't ignore one of your own kind? You feel too connected to this pathetic creature? Hmmm?"
Kira couldn't take it anymore! "The only pathetic creature I see is you!" She snapped "Kidnapping and killing them for what? Fun? Fame? Power? You're pathetic!"
Deidere snickered to himself grinning widely "Well, anyway when I removed his One-Tailed Beast, it was the end of Gaara." She couldn't take much more of this. That was her Gaara the blonde bastard was talking about. He wasn't some beast everyone made him out to be, he was human. He breathed, he ate, he learned, and he loved. Kami knows Gaara didn't deserve this. None of it. "The point is, you're all doomed all the same."
"Give him back!" Kira snapped shooting a shuriken towards the male, he easily dodged her attack and flew off. For once it wasn't Naruto who shot in without thinking of the consequences. It was Kira. Kakashi cursed chasing after not one but two hot headed teens who weren't thinking straight. This wasn't good at all.
He needed to get through to at least one of them about the possibilities on how to defeat the enemy. "Kira listen to me!" Kakashi urged sprinting faster than before till he was in step with both kids. He knew Kira would at least listen to what he had to say.
"What?" Kira snapped glaring up at the big clay bird. She couldn't stop moving, she had to keep going for Gaara, she couldn't let him stay trapped in their clutches anymore. He didn't deserve this.
"You two aren't used to fighting an opponent like this. Your both close range fighters. He excels at long range fighting...this makes him your worst enemy. There are only two ways to beat this type of foe."
Kira snarled at Kakashi's words, she knew he was right but what choice does she have? He stole her Gaara. She needed to protect him! "You think I don't know that? I don't have any other choice but to bring him down here. He can't get away with this Kashi!" She yelled. Shooting high in the air and launching a kunai his way, it landed in the clay bird but did nothing.
"What are the options?" Naruto asked desperately. He needed to save Gaara not only because he was his friend but because he hated seeing Kira like this. She was always so calm and collected when it came to missions, she never acted rash or ignored Kakashi when it came to important matters. He only just found out that the two of them were dating, he could only imagine how she felt. The last time he really saw her was when she apparently had a crush on himself, now she
Kakashi kept his eyes forward keeping an eye trained on the enemy. "One is to force him to fight up close. The other is to beat him at his own game."
"But how?"
"Two options. You need either a long range fighter or someone who can use long range ninjutsu on your team. If you don't have one or the other there's no way you'll beat him." Kakashi was pleasantly surprised to see Naruto had matured since he was gone, he was forcing himself to be level headed even though every part of his being was telling him to dive in head first. It was great to see Naruto improving and understanding why he can't.
Kira faltered in her step glancing down at her footing, was it possible that Kakashi could do this? Even after sixteen years living together and she still didn't know all his secrets. She didn't know if she should feel hurt or excited that there was another lesson she could learn from him. Kira thought if you compared the two siblings together Kakashi was two thirds more knowledgeable than she was. She only just scratched the surface of what he could teach her.
It took Kakashi almost five minutes to be ready, Deidera started getting suspicious when both Kira and Naruto quieted down, peeking over to see if they were still following him, so that left him wondering...what were they up to?
After Kakashi was ready both teens finally understood Kakashi's secret technique, his Sharingan. He perfected a new sharingan. When Naruto stared at the Sharingan all he could see was Sasuke, he still felt the hot betrayal of his friend leaving him, he still felt the tears start to form but pushed them aside. "Kakashi...it's okay if you can't. I'll finish this off."
Kakashi smirked under his mask locking his eye up on the enemy. "Sure, if you get the chance." It was incredible to watch, after Kakashi had activated his ocular jutsu it was like watching our enemy being sucked into himself, they heard his panicked cries and watched fascinated when he lost his arm. It wasn't where Kakashi was aiming but it was still amazing to watch.
Kira and Naruto shot off in different directions she had to think quick, fire wouldn't be a good idea because the bird was made of explosive clay, water wouldn't do much damage unless it was a solid. She could use a bolder technique but she could risk hurting Kakashi, water was the safest bet, it was all around her.
Starting to form some hand signals she stopped seeing Naruto slice the head off the clay bird, quickly changing to another jutsu. "Suise no Jutsu." A large wave of water lifted from the ground catching the clay bird head into the forest off to the side safely. Naruto and his clone dug their way in to check and see if Gaara was alright.
"Kakashi are you alright?" shaking off her worry for Gaara at the moment she focused on her brother, he did not look good. He was slowing down or Shutting down completely. Of course she was terrified and wanted to get Gaara back in her arms but she knew...she knew Gaara was dead. It broke her heart to admit it to herself but Gaara was dead, and if she didn't help Kakashi he would be too.
Quickly catching her brother she got to work on performing a healing hands technique, hands shaking she fought the urge to cry and focused on her brother, she couldn't save Gaara. She couldn't protect him. She was late. Kakashi placed a hand on his sisters hands feeling her stiffen beside him. "It's okay," He whispered prying her away.
Looking up we caught sight of Naruto and his clones beating up our enemy, throwing him around like he was a rag doll, and finally holding him down as Naruto threw punch after punch slamming his fist repeatedly into my enemy till he created a hole in the man's body, only it wasn't a man it was clay.
Orange bubbles started to form above Naruto's posterior as he took in his surroundings. The clones by Gaara watched horrified as Naruto transformed further into the tailed beast. Kira cringed remembering when this happened to her.
Kakashi shot off after Naruto using his incredible speed to knock a seal on Naruto's forehead while Kira rushed off towards the clones. They were in terrible pain. "Naru it's okay, I got him!" The clones disappeared instantaneously leaving Kira alone with her dead boyfriend. Staring down at him now she felt the tears started to fall as she kneeled down, gripping his body to pull him free. He didn't need to be alone in there anymore.
Off to the side Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, and Lady Chiyo looked over to see Kira pulling Gaara into a sitting position, her left hand wiping some of the clay gunk away from his face. They all felt bad, Lady Chiyo felt her guilt eating her alive for doing this to Gaara. Or perhaps that was the poison eating away at her body after she gave away her antidote to Sakura. They both made her body rack with guilt.
Guy's team had cornered and trapped the fallen enemy after a little chase of cat and mouse, he looked like he took a small beating before shooting around his fallen clay bird and eating it! Everyone stood at a distance Kira clutching onto her love trying to protect him even in death not sure what he was up to. "Let me show you my ultimate art...ITS AN EXPLOSION!"
Neji surveyed his body watching as Deidera's body pulsed with explosive energy "EVERYONE GET OUT OF HERE!" There was an explosion all right, the explosion sent chunks everywhere. Kira shot out throwing Gaara onto her back and rushing away from the blast zone. His weight was nothing with the adrenalin rush going through her system. Only problem was they weren't going to make it!
Kira clutched Gaara to her tighter knowing that if she did die they'd be together again, but the fear of dying was there. She didn't want to live without Gaara but she didn't want to die and leave behind everything she worked hard for.
The explosion was gone. No one knew what happened, everyone but Kakashi looked around confused "Whats...Whats going on?" The explosion was being sucked inside a black hole vortex till there was nothing there. "Kakashi…" His body was going down but she stood frozen in her spot.
"What on earth did you do?" Naruto had caught Kakashi from his fall Sakura was still stunned as she rushed to his side.
"I teleported him and the explosion to another space." I felt my body exhale a breath or relief. "Never mind that, is everyone okay?" Kira's fingers clutched onto Gaara's cold hand and cringed. He was really gone. "Everyone except Gaara…"
Naruto helped wrap one of Gaara's stiff arms around his own helping to lift some of the weight off my shoulders when we all walked to a clearing. Sakura had said she'd check him over but she knew it was too late.
Sakura laided Gaara's body on the ground checking him over via pressure points and healing jutsu's but it was too late. They were too late.
"Sakura…" She shook her head frowning. Kira fell to her knees unable to take this anymore. Her Gaara, her sweet Gaara…
"I'm sorry Kira…" Sakura whispered reaching forward to hold her, she could feel the girl visibly shaking, her eyes had gone bloodshot and her lips were trembling. She was trying so hard not to cry. "We did everything we could…" She whispered to her friend kneeling down beside her.
"Why Gaara...Why is it always Gaara?" Naruto yelled clenching his fists as tears streamed down his face. This was another promise that he broke, he didn't save him for Kira. His best friend sat crying on the ground in a never blinking position, she wouldn't look away from Gaara and it was all Naruto's fault. "If he dies like this...He's Kazekage! He just became Kazekage!"
"Calm down Uzumaki Naruto…" Lady Chiyo called softly trying to ease the boy.
"SHUT UP!"
Lady Chiyo stared at Naruto stunned at Naruto's intensity. "If you sand ninja hadn't put that monster in Gaara none of this would have happened! Did you ever even consider what Gaara thought?! Did you even ask?! You call him a Jinchuriki host!? Who are you to decide that fate for someone else?!"
Everyone looked around unsure what to do. Sakura hated herself for doing this but nudged Kira over to him. At Kira's confused look Sakura silently pleaded with the girl to help him. Frowning she crawled over to his side knowing that it might look childish. Kira didn't care, she crawled over to her best friend and pulled the boy to her chest feeling him sob into her chest. She ran her fingers through his hair trying to be brave, trying to be strong. Naruto's clutch around her waist was so strong as he sobbed. "I couldn't save Sasuke...I can't save Gaara...I'm so sorry Kira." he cried feeling her hands still a moment or two.
Naruto to feel her shaking shoulders and her soft sniffles but she lifted his face giving him a kind smile because she knew he did his best. Naruto could see how hard she was holding back, he could see her smile didn't reach her eyes but he could see she didn't blame him when she should. "Don't be nice to me! You of all people should hate me!" He yelled pushing himself out of his best friends arms. "I couldn't save Gaara when I said I was." he threw his hands up in the air.
"For three years I trained like crazy but nothing changed, I'm not stronger and I broke another promise…" Kira pulled her best friend back in for a hug wrapping her arms around him and bury her head in his neck. She couldn't hold back anymore she let the tears fall "I don't blame you Naru, and I could never hate you."
Pulling away she wiped his tears off his face "But why? Why can't you hate me." he blubbered trying to get her hands to leave him alone. She smacked his hands away forcing a tough act on once more.
"Because you're my best friend. We've been friends for eleven years. I fight for you and you fight for me. And I'm going to need you now more than ever since Gaara…" She took a deep breath feeling her voice waver some. "Gaara was no match against the Akatsuki...if I'm going to be mad at anyone it's them." Venom dripped from her voice at the mention of the Akatsuki. "And since two are dead I'm closer at getting my revenge and I'm going to need your help so stop blaming yourself." she snapped the ending tears still streaming down both teens faces.
"Can you do that?"
I know it's a lot shorter than the last few chapters but this is the best I could do on my work schedule I feel bad that I can't update as frequently but I'm honestly waiting for a sickness or something to let me sit at home and be on a computer and write. Oh well I hope you like it.