Naoko stirred. She awakened, yawning and sitting up clumsily. It was still dark. She glanced at the slumbering form beside her. Her lover, her best friend. Her reason to fight. Moonlight streamed through the window, drenching his pale body with an ethereal glow. A sleepy smile traced its way along Naoko's lips. He looked so peaceful, so innocent. He was fast asleep, and once Gaara was asleep, that was it- he was out cold until morning. He was near impossible to wake. An occasional snore escaped from him softly. Naoko allowed a quiet little chuckle to emerge in the back of her throat. She glanced at the clock, its face illuminated by lunar rays. She squinted to decipher the time. It was just past 3:30 in the morning. Everything was completely silent. The absolute absence of sound pounded her ears so heavily it was almost audible. The only noise was the very occasional snore from the sleeping redhead beside her. She shuffled to the edge of the bed and draped her feet over the side until they found the floor. She slipped out from beneath the covers and stood up, stretching. With light steps she made her way across the room, grabbing a couple of random items of clothing to cover her naked form. She pulled the results of her garment lottery over her body. A pair of her sweatpants and a t-shirt of Gaara's. The cold air was refreshing against her body and it was nice to get out of bed and stretch a bit.
She yawned again and reached up high, working out the sleep-induced rigidity from her arms and shoulders. Damn, it felt good. She stretched forward and flexed her fingers in front of her. They looked strange in the silver-laced darkness. Everything looked strange. Things just…seemed different somehow. She shrugged off her unfounded, surreal caution. She turned to walk back to the bed, but froze, mid-step. She had seen something move in the dark.
She broke out in a sweat. Her pulse thudded deafeningly in her temples. Her lips silently mouthed the half-formed words: Please, no. Again and again, please no, please no, please no. She gulped and slowly turned to the figure beside her.
A mirror. It was her own reflection. She exhaled, for once relieved by her stupidity. The small hours were playing sinister mind games with her. She gazed at the ghostly girl in the glass. Her eyes were still dazed and hazy from sleep. The girl in the mirror smirked darkly. It frightened Naoko, until she realised she was smirking too. It was weird. She began to wonder which Naoko was the reflection. The girl raised her hand as Naoko raised hers. A shiver coursed through her body sharply. Cut it out, Naoko, she thought to herself. It's just a reflection.
She slowly came to the realisation that there was a faint tapping noise coming from outside on the balcony. It sounded vaguely like the pecking of a bird or some other creature. Naoko walked across to the door that led outside. She peered through the glass but couldn't see any birds. She turned to look back at the mirror to make sure the other girl wasn't still there. She had the creepiest feeling that she was being watched. The tapping noise continued, although it was fainter now. Her curiosity nagged at her and she eventually surrendered, opening the door and sticking her head outside. The tapping had stopped. She stepped out onto the balcony, bare foot. There was nothing here. She grimaced, a little puzzled. She was sure she'd heard it…maybe it was just her imagination. She took a few more steps, taking her further away from the open door behind her. She shivered in the freezing night air and bundled Gaara's loose t-shirt tightly around her body. She smiled. There was nothing out here, nothing suspicious at all.
Then she heard a frightening sound. The sound of the door closing behind her. She froze solid, too terrified to turn around. Then she heard the voice.
"Infinite darkness jutsu"
Naoko was plunged into darkness. Complete darkness. She was enveloped by thick black. She couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face. She panicked. Genjutsu. She tried to find her voice to scream, to wake Gaara, but she felt something cover her mouth tightly. Some kind of material forced its way hard into her mouth, gagging her, until she felt as if her jaw was being pried apart. She screamed full force, but the only audible sound was a muffled whimper. She felt hands roughly tying the gag at the back of her head, wrenching out her hair painfully.
"Now now, we wouldn't want you waking your boyfriend, would we? That would just spoil our fun…" a hoarse voice whispered.
Naoko couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. At first it sounded as if it was coming from her left, then her right. She still couldn't see a thing. She began to weep. A strong arm grabbed her hair, wrenching her head up.
"Allow me to introduce myself…I am Tokugawa Saito" he laughed cruelly. "You weep just like your pitiful mother did before she died."
Something hard hit her in the face and she heard her cheek bone crack gruesomely. The pain seared through her skull unbearably. Another blow, this time to her stomach. She doubled up in agony and fell to the floor. She crawled pathetically, trying to get away, but she didn't know which direction she was going. She tried desperately to cry out, but the sound was muffled. It was hopeless. She knew Gaara couldn't hear her. She knew he wouldn't be coming to save her.
An anonymous kick slammed into her body, knocking her flat. Shooting pains sliced up her spine. She heard that terrifying voice again, this time it was right beside her left ear.
"And now, Imamura, you join your wretched family"
She curled up and waited for the deathblow.
It never came. Instead, she heard a thud and a yelp. The genjutsu instantly wore off. She looked up from her place on the floor and gasped. On the ground in front of her face there was a boot. She whined in fear. Her eyes traveled from the boot and up a leg. She could make out the shape of a man with a large object on his back. The moon returned from behind a cloud, lending some light to the view. Her eyes found a flash of red hair. It was Gaara.
She crawled closer, trying to speak before remembering the gag. She tugged at his leg weakly. He looked down at her and pulled her up, quickly untying the gag. She winced in pain as he touched her face and he withdrew his hand. It was covered in blood. Naoko gasped. She hadn't realised she was bleeding. Gaara looked at her with fierce concern.
"Stay down" he ordered.
She quickly returned to the floor. A crumpled figure across the balcony rose to his feet. The man stepped forward, laughing ominously.
"So, Gaara…you are here" he sneered.
"I know who you are Tokugawa. If you value your life you will run" came Gaara's sinister reply.
Naoko looked up at Gaara. He stood firm and confident. The gourd was strapped to his bare back- he'd had no time to put on a shirt. His arms were folded arrogantly across his bare chest. His eyes were narrowed in a death-like glare. He looked terrifying. There was a cold and dangerous fire in his feral eyes that cast a clear warning: do not challenge me. His aura was simply dripping with animalistic violence, justifying his fearsome reputation.
Three dark figures emerged from the shadows. That made four attackers. Gaara was both outnumbered and surrounded. Naoko feared for his safety. She gauged his response to the situation. He was completely unfazed.
In one sudden movement two of the Kumogakure ninja ran at Gaara simultaneously. Naoko gasped as Gaara calmly raised one hand. He growled a command.
"Sand Coffin"
A huge volume of sand swept towards the attackers, completely engulfing them. Gaara clenched his fist. Naoko heard the sound of agonised screams being swallowed by brutal crushing. Blood and sand rained down on her.
Gaara kept his menacing eyes locked on Tokugawa the whole time. He was showcasing his effortless power, daring the Saito clan leader to continue.
Tokugawa stood still, obviously taken back by Gaara's unashamed brutality. It was one thing to read about the Kazekage's jutsu, but to see it up close in real life added a new and terrifying dimension. The Saito clan leader looked deep in thought, his small eyes squinted and darted around as he planned his next move. He gave a sharp nod to the remaining dark figure who then launched a maelstrom of kunai knives. Gaara waited patiently for his sand to defend him, before realising that the knives weren't headed for him…they were slicing straight towards Naoko.
He flung out his arm and the sand formed a hard wall around her just in time. A blade ricocheted off the hardened sand and sliced through the flesh of Gaara's right arm. He winced and let out a ferocious growl. He hadn't yet had time to set his sand armour in place. Hot blood trickled freely from the wound.
"Gaara!" Naoko screamed. He turned to her.
"Run Naoko…find Temari and Kankuro" he ordered in a course snarl.
She stumbled to her feet and set off running towards the far end of the balcony. Temari's room was still a long way off. Gaara quickly established his sand armour, pending his fight with Tokugawa. The other ninja slipped back into the shadows.
Naoko ran as fast as her trembling legs could take her. The pain in her body was unrelenting and she panicked, not knowing the extent of the damage inflicted upon her. She was still about a hundred meters away from Temari's room. Heavy footsteps from behind coursed rapidly towards her. She swerved as a hand grabbed her leg and pulled her backwards. She tumbled to the ground as the Kumogakure ninja dragged her by her leg. Naoko focused her strength and sent a powerful current of electricity through her body. The ninja screamed in pain and let go, clasping his burnt hand.
"Little Bitch!" he cried.
She set off running again, getting closer to her destination. With a quick flick of her head she turned to look behind her. The ninja had disappeared. Naoko halted and cautiously backed into the shadows, not knowing where her enemy was. She peered into the darkness either side of her, but he wasn't there. Suddenly a hand sprang out from behind her and clamped firmly over her mouth. She tried to scream.
"Sshh, Naoko. It's ok. It's me" Temari's voice said in a comforting tone.
"Temari! They're here…" Naoko sobbed.
"I know, Kankuro's gone for back up"
"Gaara…"
"It's ok, Naoko. Gaara can handle this" Temari interrupted. "We need to get you out of here"
At that moment, the Kumogakure ninja swooped down from his hiding place. His hand released a shuriken at incredible speed. However, Temari was just as fast. With one swift almost undetectable movement, she deflected the shuriken with a flick of her fan.
"Wind scythe jutsu!" she screamed.
A torrent of cutting airwaves swept towards the attacker. With a series of backflips he avoided the jutsu. Naoko blinked. He was gone. Disappeared.
Temari paced forward, pulling Naoko closely behind her. She glanced around frantically.
"Where the hell did he go?!" Temari screeched.
Below them, right beneath their feet, the ninja waited. He used his chakra to secure his feet to the underside of the balcony. When he sensed the time was right, he resumed his attack.
Naoko screamed as the ninja launched himself up over the edge of the balcony and straight towards her. Something in his hand gleamed. A kunai knife. The blade pierced Naoko's upper thigh. The white-hot pain seared her nerves and she wretched, almost passing out.
Temari sprang to action. She flicked her fan again, and this time it worked. The ninja didn't dodge quickly enough, and he was swept up in the violent whirlwind. Cuts and gashes ripped through his body and he tumbled off the edge of the balcony. There was a sickening crack as his limp body hit the ground far below.
"Gotcha!" Temari whooped victoriously.
She turned to help Naoko to her feet. The deep wound in her leg was bleeding heavily.
"Where the fuck is Kankuro?!" Temari snapped.
She pulled Naoko towards the door that led into the building. It was roughly 50 meters away. Naoko tried to walk, but her leg refused to function and she fell to the floor again.
Meanwhile, Gaara battled the Saito clan leader. To start with, Gaara had no trouble shielding himself from Tokugawa's attacks, but as the fight continued, Tokugawa began to display an incredible speed almost equal to that of Rock Lee. The Saito clan leader was too quick for Gaara's sand and evaded any attack that Gaara threw at him. This wasn't good. Gaara knew that his greatest weakness was speed.
He pummeled the sand at Tokugawa systematically, trying to force him into a corner. Once Tokugawa was trapped, Gaara launched a hardened mass of sand straight towards him. But sure enough, with one deft movement, the Saito clan leader somehow managed to dodge it and suddenly appeared behind Gaara. Tokugawa flung a mass of shuriken at Gaara's back, but the sand accumulated around the Kazekage and blocked them, before shape-shifting into a sand clone and launching the shuriken straight back at Tokugawa. Tokugawa received only a minor flesh wound. He stalled briefly and snarled, panting heavily. His chakra was beginning to run low. It took a lot of stamina to keep at this speed.
His eyes met with the Kazekage's. Gaara's eyes remained cold and intimidating, full of daunting intent. He was fighting to save something so precious to him, and this only intensified his determination. He would free Naoko from the fate she had been chained to. He would kill Tokugawa by any means necessary.
"Why is it that you seek to destroy Naoko?" Gaara asked calmly.
"Why is it that you seek to protect her?" Tokugawa contested bitterly.
Gaara thought for a moment.
"Because she saved me from my pit of loneliness. She is…important to me. I care more about her than I do myself. And I WILL kill you to save her." Gaara answered, unconsciously uttering the words of a certain blonde Konoha shinobi.
Tokugawa laughed in amused disgust. "So you fight for love…how sad…I fight for REVENGE!" he shrieked, hurtling towards Gaara at an inhuman speed.
He slid past Gaara's sand shield, which was too slow to counter the Saito's attack. Tokugawa landed a powerful kick to Gaara's chest and sent him flying backwards, crashing into the wall behind. Tokugawa waited for the dust and sand to clear so he could make sure that Gaara had been incapacitated.
However, the Kazekage rose to his feet calmly. The only evidence of the attack was a few minor cracks to his sand armour and a very pissed off facial expression. Tokugawa gasped. The Kazekage was practically untouchable. At this rate, this fight would drag on forever, and that would give other shinobi the chance to arrive. No, that wasn't an option. He couldn't let that happen. His chakra was already significantly diminished. He couldn't waste any more time on Gaara. He had to target Naoko NOW.
He looked across the balcony. There was no sign of the last Kumogakure ninja. Tokugawa grimaced. Naoko was heading for the inside of the building. He had to reach her before she got through the door. The Saito clan leader stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.
Gaara searched the darkness frantically. The Saito was nowhere to be seen. He looked across to Naoko. He had to reach her…there was no doubt that that was where Tokugawa was headed. He had to reach her before Tokugawa did.
A sinister voice whispered in the darkness… "Transform"…No one heard it…
Naoko had almost reached the door to the building. She turned briefly, and to her joy, she saw Gaara. He must have won, she thought. She breathed with happiness and relief. It was all over.
She hobbled towards Gaara as fast as she could, despite her painful leg injury. She held her arms out to him. He smiled.
"Gaara!" she cried.
She was getting closer and closer to him. Almost there. Then she looked over his shoulder. Her brain clouded with confusion. About fifty meters behind the Gaara in front of her, there was…another Gaara…The real one. He cried out.
"NAOKO NO!!"
But it was too late. The form in front of her transformed back into its original state. It was Tokugawa. Naoko gasped in horror.
"A transformation jutsu…" she whispered.
"That's right" Tokugawa sneered.
His eyes flashed with insanity as he pulled out a large katana. The razor sharp blade gleamed. Before anyone could intervene he slammed it forward at lightning speed. It sliced straight through Naoko's stomach and out the other side of her body. She looked down. Blood filled her mouth and her eyes grew wide and watery.
"F…ff…fuck…" she managed through the hot blood. With that, she slumped to her knees. She collapsed to the floor, motionless.
Gaara raced forward in horror. He was too late. He launched his sand in the form of a club. It missed Tokugawa and smashed into the wall beside him. Tokugawa laughed with glee, thinking he'd dodged the Kazekage's attack. But this was not the case…it was only a distraction…because at exactly the same time, Gaara used the power of his chakra to shift the sand in the cement between the bricks of the wall. The bricks above Tokugawa began to tremble.
With an almighty crash, a huge section of the wall collapsed on top of Tokugawa, trapping the lower half of his body underneath. His speed was useless now- he couldn't even move. Before he could think, a swarming mass of sand raced towards him. It was the last thing he ever saw. The sand pummeled into him with a titanic force, and his remains were splashed around the scene. He was dead.
Gaara wasted no time and rushed to Naoko's side. Temari was already there. Naoko was breathing heavily, and each breath rattled her chest. She coughed up blood. Gaara grabbed her hand tightly.
"It's ok Naoko. You're safe now. It's going to be alright" he didn't know whether these words were true, but nevertheless he tried to comfort her-and himself.
She looked up at him through clouded eyes and smiled weakly.
"We…almost made it Gaara…w…we were…almost there…" she gasped.
Kankuro suddenly appeared, along with a number of other people. There were voices and commotion. Naoko kept her eyes on Gaara. She couldn't even feel the pain anymore. Her senses were getting duller and duller. Her vision began to fade out until there was no colour left in the picture. Everything looked grey.
"Don't close your eyes, Naoko. Keep looking at me. Don't close your eyes" Gaara begged desperately.
"She's losing too much blood" came Temari's panicked voice.
"WE NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE NOW!!" Kankuro shouted.
Their voices became fainter until they didn't register in Naoko's mind at all. She could just see Gaara's face, and his lips moving, forming silent words. She tried to breathe through the blood in her throat. She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.
Darkness.