Chapter 2: Saved by the Sand

Kiba soon growled at the pain of his wound and I knew we would have to get out soon. "Just a bit further, Kiba. We're almost at a spot that we can get out..." He nodded and pressed closer to me with a grim set face. His condition brought me sadness and I couldn't afford that right now. As soon as we land the Sand Shinobe should have caught up by now. Its just luck that Beeta and I were passing through and ran into them. I knew Kiba could smell them. Even I could and that is not one of my skills. I hoped that Gaara wouldn't stop by us because then it would just be very awkward. Kankuro, maybe? Yeah, Kankuro would do... Crow and his Black Ant are a perfect match for those creeps...
"Kara? There's a bank, lets go." Kiba tugged me out of my thoughts and of my rhythm in the swimming, toward the bank. I realized what had happened and sped forward and climbed out, without stoping to make sure Kiba followed quickly. As soon as I had wrung out my hair I set forth into the woods and wound through the trees with the wind whispering soft tunes of fun, laughter, and love without pain into my ears. It dulled my remaing happiness into a trickle of enjoyment. I reached out a hand to a tree and let my worry flow into the understanding extension of the world. Someone walked behind me and layed a hand on my shoulder.
"K-kiba? You could keep up?" I turned to see freak numero uno standing in front of me with a whacky grin on his face. I was about to scream in shock when he covered my mouth and began laughing manically. He slid his hand from my mouth to my neck and lifted me off of the ground with amazing ease. From the height I was now in I could look down on him and smile evily.
My smile sent chills down his spine and he scowled, "Why are you smiling? You're about to die!"
"I-i'm smiling because you're an idiot. You are going to meet your death in a matter of minutes, and I won't be joining you." I coughed and smiled even more. "Because I can do this!" I closed my eyes and drifted into a trance of peaceful days of silence and felt my body becoming one with the shadows and transferring my actual self to another location. I once again saw my skin when I was sitting on a tree limb and watched my enemy swing his head from side to side and emit a loud roar of frustration. I alowed myself to be cruel and frustrate him even more by laughing and transferring myself to another place and repeating the process. Any other Shinobe would have gone mad, but this sound village ninja was tracking my laughter and trying to find me through it. Suddenly a slight flow of sand blew past my face and I knew they had arrived. Just make it to Kiba! Gaara soon formed at my side and I lay my head on his shoulder, exhausted from preventing as much damage to me as possible besides my confrontation with duo twice. Gaara took me into his arms and jumped away from the area, leaving the guy screaming in even more fury than before, when I was messing with him.
"You shouldn't exhaust yourself like that." I gazed up at his face and marveled at the change in his eyes and opened my mouth to protest and explain, but shook his head. "Kankuro stopped and is helping the dog boy. He should join up with us soon." My shoulders sank back from my stiff position at that comforting thought and I buried my face into his shirt. He seemed to understand my implied gratitude and smiled, a small smile that was barely visible, but it was still there.
This time I spoke before he could stop me, "You should smile more often." His smile spread up to his eyes and I suddenly stiffened in the realization of something extremely important. "Shikamaru! What about Shika?" His arms shifted uncomfortably and I knew he hadn't thought about that. "We should be coming up on him right about now! Let me down, Gaara. I need to help him. I said to let me down!" I struggled at his grip, but he held onto me firmly.
"No. Not while your in this state. Temari will help him. She does owe him a bit. You're coming with me." I stared at him in shock. His smile turned to a smirk. "I'm going to keep an eye on you to make sure you behave." I looked away.
"You don't trust me."
"That is not at all what I meant." He shifted me so that I was sitting up in his arms, "You just want to help everyone and don't have the power to do so, at least not alone..." A wild grin spread across my face and I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him as best as I could from the odd position I was in. A little while later we landed beside Lee and Gaara finally set me down. I stretched my arms and legs before looking at our new opponent.
"KIMIMARU? Wait, I'm fighting you? Where in the world is Jugo? The sweet guy..." I gaped at him. What has the world come to when you have to fight an old friend, mom? It has always been this way, dear. That is why you are in their world. To help balence out this monstrocity; and when you are done, your children will be the next to fulfil your mission. The earth replied calmly to me.
Kimimaru's eyes widened and he looked down. "I am not worthy to be your opponent, Daughter of Earth, but Lord Oruchimaru still seeks your joining of his side. He wishes very deeply for you to be his next vessel and has back ups for until you are ready, for I am of no more use to him as a vessel..." He fingered his bone. "If I could deliver you and Sasuke I would be at perfect peace when I depart this world. Have you forgotten who raised you?"
I hissed and spat at his feet. "Don't you dare try that on me. As soon as we could, Beeta and I left to raise ourselves. Oruchimaru did nothing but give us time to learn and leave." I ran to him and swung my fist with all of the force I could pack in it at the moment. While he stumbled from the impact I jumped into the air and prepaired for a flip and landed a kick that should've cracked his spine, but he used his Keke Genki and stopped it by shoving three bones into my leg. I screamed and fell to the ground.
"I will not fight you, dear girl."
"You bastard! You could've come with Beeta and I when we left Sir Snake and his 'super duper' hide outs! But did you? No. Baka!" I glared at as I gripped my calf. Gaara's sand swirled around me and pulled me back to his side. Lee looked at me in confusion.
"Kara, are you alright? Can I do something to help your wounds?" Lee bent down and began examining my injuries.