Influence 3

"Gaara! Your alright!" I said, and I gave him a long hug. He smiled and held onto me tightly.
"Why wouldn't I be alright? You healed me, but internally and emotionally. Oh, Temari and Kankuro are coming for you. They want help with Itachi and Sasuke," he said, whispering in my ear. Behind us, Naruto was ordering three bowls of ramen. I felt all the breath in my body leave, at the mention of the Uchiha brothers' names.
"I can't stay, Gaara." I said, and Gaara opened his eyes quickly, fear and hurt in his normally steady gaze.
"What do you mean?" he said, and he held me all the tighter. I smiled, and the sand that was wrapped in my clothes easily separated us.
"The only way to live peacefully is to leave this land, and go back to my own. It is not safe for anyone I get close to. " I said, and with that, Tzipora materialized outside the ramen shop. Naruto turned around, his eyes that of the kyubi. This would probably be that last time I ever see my brother.

"You should have realized that this would happen, brother. I can't stay here, for I risk your lives, and I would never be able to deal with myself if I was the cause of either of your deaths. You both mean so much to me." I said, tears forming in my eyes.

"Brother, you need to stay here. You can't go with me. This boy, whose body you are in, he has his own life to live, things to do. Let him grow up. When he dies, then I will be glad to greet you. " I said to Naruto, and his head nodded. Then Gaara stood up, and he walked over to me.

"You do wish to sever ties, then?" HE said, and he sounded like Maaka. He seemed calm, but I could see the frailness behind his mask, the panic starting in his eyes. Tzipora stood behind me, lending me her strength.

"I have to leave. I shouldn't have ever come here. This was a mistake. My future is not here. I can't survive over here, this far away from………" I said, but I fell to my knees, lost in thought, my hands on my head. Gaara hurried forward, and he kneeled next to me. Naruto, shock plain on his face, took one step towards us, but Gaara motioned for him to stay.

"Mitsuri?" He asked quietly, in my ear. I shook my head, my eyes closing. A portal, black and large, opened behind Tzipora.

"Bonded, we must leave! Its open now, lets go!" Said Tzipora, and Gaara placed me on her back. He glanced at my exposed shoulder, and he gasped.

"Naruto! She's unstable!" He said, and he watched as the black moon took over my entire sun. Tzipora whinnied in fear as she felt my pain and fear at leaving Naruto and Gaara behind, so she nosed them forward.

"If you don't come now, she will be lost! We can't stay here, too many eyes!" she said, and everyone fell into the portal, Gaara holding me tightly. The portal closed after Naruto fell in, and it was just a wisp of smoke drifting through the air.

Everyone was falling, and then we all fell out of the end portal. Tzipora and Gaara landed on their feet, but Naruto landed on his butt. Gaara opened his eyes, and he saw my tattoo become normal. Tzipora, watching the sky, turned to a barren hut. The area they were in was like a desert, but there wasn't a lot of sand. There was no water, and there were strange mountains or hills in the background. This was…. home.

"Are you waiting for that storm to break? It looks like a deadly one.." Said Tzipora, and she continued walking towards the hut. Gaara eyed the black clouds, and he started walking towards the hut as well. Naruto slowly got up, and he walked besides Gaara. Gaara skillfully walked around all of the small stones and scruffy bushes, but Naruto seemed to stumble over everything.Gaara still had his gourd, so he was sure to keep Naruto out of trouble. The walked closer and closer to the hut, and I was more and more restless the closer we got the hut.

"This is where she lives?" said Naruto, his face disappointed. Gaara gave him his famous ' I will kill you' stare, and he walked into the hut. He walked over the bed, and he laid me down carefully.

"You wake Mitsuri, and I will find some way to extract the kyubi…. painfully." said Gaara, and he walked over to Tzipora.

"You keep calling her 'Bonded'. Why is this?" He asked politely. Tzipora glanced at him, and then she sighed.

"That is a old tale…one I don't have the patience to tell you now. You shouldn't even be here. You should have stayed in your world. " She said, then she walked past Naruto, who was watching me sleep, and she nosed open the door.

"I will be back in an hour. If she is wake, then good. If she's not awake, then there is something wrong with her." Said Tzipora, and she walked out of the door, shutting it firmly with a solid kick. Naruto and Gaara looked at each other, and they seemed to ask the same question.

"Now what?" They said at the same time. Naruto decided to explore the hut, and Gaara opened his gourd. He glanced around at the table, then at me.

"Mitsuri…are you truly from this world? You seem so more peaceful in our world…"He whispered, and he was startled by a soft touch to his hand. He looked down to see the sand caressing him, and my eyes were open.

"Where's Naruto?" I asked, and Gaara flinched. Overhead, a loud crash echoed through the room. I sighed, and I got up. Gaara stayed where he was. I walked up the stairs to the tiny attic, and I saw Naruto, standing by a broken mug. He saw me, and he smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuri. I hope it wasn't too important." He said, and he shrugged. I shook my head, not daring to open my mouth. My hands made that mug when I was two. It meant the world to me, and now it was gone forever. Naruto saw the brooding look on my face, and he walked downstairs quickly. I heard a quiet conversation, and a huge crack of thunder from outside. I could feel Tzipora racing towards the hut, trying to keep me here. I don't know why, but I had this sudden urge to go into the past…

Bonded, NO! Don't! Go to Gaara, he will help you. Maaka is there; he will make things all better! Got to Maaka! Called Tzipora, but I was the only one who could hear her. My common sense was gone, but I was calm. Gaara didn't even notice the dangerous mood shift I was heading towards, didn't notice the call for blood my scattered mind was creating. Tzipora was nearly screaming at me, but after years of practice, I could finally tune her out. A single tear hit the floor as a portal opened in front of me. Gaara, finally realizing I needed comfort, stood up swiftly, but by the time he was ready to act, I was in a different world, in a different time.

I stepped out into this world, my feet hitting soft sand. The portal closed quietly behind me as I walked towards the small village. Memories tried to surface, but my brain was far from sane at that time. I walked slowly, my breathing even, my heartbeat normal. The huts seemed to be deserted, and even the two dogs, normally alert, were asleep. I walked quietly to the largest hut, the one near the edge of the village as twin blades, made of moonlight, formed in my hands.

"I cannot let history repeat itself. I must die." I whispered to no one in particular as I swept into the hut. A slight breeze outside of the hut caused the smells of a working village, though now dormant, to hit my nose. A single tear coursed down my cheek as I silently ran the sleeping Torrin through. He never made a noise, and I finished off his family. They died peacefully.

I moved on, hut after hut, and no one made a single noise. There was a far off rustling in the grass as one of the dogs awoke, but he fell back to sleep by himself. No one tried to run, even if they were awake. They knew I was coming. They realized they unleashed two monsters into this world, and one of them was already taken care of. I was the last demon they wanted to see die.

The last hut, one of the smallest, made me pause. I knew that I lay inside. I was also aware that I was not asleep. I never slept for more then two hours, even in the present. Unless there was a good reason for it. This was the last hut. I warily walked to the flap, singing softly to draw myself out. A small, tearstained face, and a tiny cry, and there I was. The older version of me was bloodied, for some of the people had tried to move when I was in the middle of killing them quietly. My younger self saw the blood, and I could see the demon eyes of the nine-tailed pony emerge for one second before my younger self could take back control.

"Come away, where the sand is pale, and the love is strong, and we dance away, so come away and sing our song, we will have fun, and we can fly away, so come away, where the sand is pale, and the love is strong, and we say Shalom… Shalom." I sang quietly, and my younger version relaxed. I steadied myself for the blow when a younger version of Tzipora raced out of the grass.

"Away from my bonded, you murder!" she cried, and my younger version ran forward, suddenly frightened, and she clung to Tzipora's small mane as tears started to fall on both of our cheeks.

" I…failed…"I whispered to the wind as my blades faded away, and my form flickered, then solidified. I stood on four hooves; my ears laid back and my tails whipping in sadness. Tzipora, her expression shocked, took a step back. The younger version of myself walked forward, and she stroked my shoulder. My tails waved genteelly waved in the slight breeze, and my coat shone bronze in the moonlight. Tzipora called for my younger version, and I nodded at Tzipora.

"Tzipora….thank you…." I said, and I faded from sight, heading towards my true world and time.

I awoke in Gaara's arms. Naruto was standing behind him, a look of guilt on his face mixed with worry.

"Mitsuri…..Mitsuri……damn it, Redami, talk to me!" He said. I opened my eyes, looking into the face of Gaara with a small smile on my face. I could feel Tzipora in the back of the room. I tried to talk, but all that came out was a terrible rasp.

"Redami? What are you trying to say?" asked Gaara as he leaned closer to my mouth. I cleared my throat, and then I leaned forward.

"Thank you, Maaka…..see you soon…." I whispered in his ear, and I closed my eyes. My breathing slowed, and my heartbeat dropped. Gaara started shaking me, unsure of what to do. Naruto had a look of extreme panic on his face, and Tzipora started to fade away. Gaara was crying, tears pouring down his face, and he held my close as the sounds of the world faded away. The last thing I heard was the strong heartbeat of Gaara, and then there was silence…….

I can't really explain to you what happened after I came back from massacring my entire village. I can say that Gaara and Naruto found themselves back in their own world, and they seemed to be the only people who remembered Mitsuri ….or Redami. Every time they mentioned my name, the people could only offer them a flicker of remembrance, a faded face or muddled voice. Gaara was never the same. If you thought he was emotionless before he met me, you should have seen him afterwards. Gaara was always angry, or just sad. The sand around him kept everyone away, everyone….except Naruto. Naruto was not the same either. He was less clumsy, and he was also less of a clown. He seemed to be more serious, and he was always close to Gaara. Neither of them had good lives after I died.

I, on the other hand, was waiting for eternity until they died. With Tzipora at my side, I found that I could wait patiently, and I could find new hope everyday. Of course, I never really stayed where I should have. I was always in their world, watching over them. Most people who saw Tzipora, or me or both of us called us the Faith. Even after Gaara and Naruto died, we could all be seen walking the earth, hand in had, all of us young once more. WE had many adventures……until history repeats itself, this is Mitsuri / Redami signing out.