Captive Brethren
Chapter Five
Sakura stared at Itachi, her eyes filled with detestation. You're one whose caused most of my friend's distress especially Sasuke's. She reminded herself. But though outside the cave before, she'd felt an Uchiha presence nearby earlier. It wasn't Raidon or Itachi's, but Sasuke's presence she had sensed. There was no doubt about it. She even saw him for her own eyes behind a pillar staring at her, maybe studying her. But whenever the reason it couldn't be good.
Kankuro and Hinata seemed to be doing fine against Itachi, but Sakura wanted to help them. She performed some hand seals and four clones of herself appeared next to her. Itachi merely looked at her with a vacant expression and then smiled.
"So, this is Sasuke's little girlfriend." Sakura glared at him. The way he said that was like venom leaking out of his mouth or like how Naruto talked about the Kyuubi.
Kankuro glanced between them in curious. He could sense history between these two. Okay I can't look at him in the eyes at all. Sakura thought reminding herself beforehand. Her clone's and he's fists ablaze luminosity jade. They went running at him and hit him in the stomach. He frowned awhile she smirked. She avoided his eyes and punched him in the face. With that much force that sent him into the wall. He coughed up blood and glared at her.
If after all that healing, Sakura was able to clash against the eldest Uchiha member well. He was able to create two more clones of himself. Hinata put on her Byakugan. "Sakura, he's the one on the left!"
She nodded and her two clones wiped out the middle and right one without any pain. She ran at him, but he was fast and suddenly appeared right infront of her. Sakura's eyes still didn't meet his and hit his chest. But she missed and he drew a sword. She gasped and jumped away to avoid the blade. The medic Nin almost caught his eye sight.
"So, Tsunade's trained you up to be her student. Impressive I must admit." He confessed quietly. Itachi held his sword close to his face. "But those skills won't help."
"Please," Sakura mocked back. Her voice filled with coolness. "You've got no idea what I've learned."
He suddenly disappeared from she felt someone behind her. Itachi's blade was at her throat now. He had her stuck in a head lock and his arms were around her shoulders. It was a very tight grip and Itachi chuckled in her ear. Kankuro saw this and was paralyzed by this.
"Let her go!" Kankuro cried out. He sent the black aunt puppet at his black, but a clone deflected it back. The Itachi clone cut his charka strings.
Itachi turned back to Sakura. He held her against him. Sakura put her hands under the blade trying her hardest to remove it from her neck. After a little bit she finally stopped and felt the Akatsuki Uchiha's breathings in her ear. His voice was rather soothing. "Well, Sakura Haruno you've still got feelings for little Sasuke. But you've still told others that you don't."
Her head slumped close to the edge of the blade. How could he possibly know that? I didn't think it showed well. She wondered with a frown. She gazed to where her comrades were. Gaara was close by Naruto and Shikamaru, the sand was protecting them both from harm. Kankuro and Hinata stood helpless away from them. Sakura then felt Sasuke nearby again. Her green eyes moved to the right little enough so Itachi couldn't see. Over in the shadows sharingan eyes bore into her own hers. They blinked and she blinked.
Sakura kicked Itachi in the leg and she was able to break free of his powerful grip. But before Itachi could launch another strike, another sword blocked it swinging it into the ground. Sakura grinned. Sasuke stepped half way out of the shadows and glared at Itachi with his bloodline limit. Sakura now stood between the brothers. She started to move towards her comrades when an Itachi clone moved infront of her grasping both her wrists. The female medic nin tried to pry her wrists out of his hands, but his grip was sturdy. Her hands began to glow light emerald and he gaped at it.
His clone was destroyed easily. She then ran back at her comrades and slid next to Kankuro. He was bleeding badly from the right side. Sakura pressed her hand against it and he winced painfully. Her healing justu started and the rapid bleeding stopped and the hole there began to close. He smiled at her thoughtfully and she blushed lightly. Turning was how she hid it, seeing Sasuke and Itachi clashing their swords together. Be careful Sasuke. She thought with a small smile.
Sasuke preformed some hand seals and he held in his breath. "Fire style: Dragon eternal inferno justu!"
Wait, Sakura realized. That's like Raidon's Phoenix eternal inferno justu. But their both equal in fire power. A huge wave of fire in the shape of a dragon hit Itachi. The fire burned him a bit, but he'd survive just fine. Sakura also performed hand seals jumping behind Itachi, three clones popped out and they punched him into the ground. They'd left a huge crack in the earth as soon as Itachi was hit.
"Nice one, Sakura." Sasuke said with a small smile. She nodded and then spotted out of the corner of her eyes she saw hand seals.
"Sasuke! Look out!" Sakura cried out and fire emerged behind him. He jumped high into the air til he was infront of Sakura. He didn't turn around and drew out his sword again.
"Sakura…you havta get everyone out of here." Sasuke said in a diminutive voice to her.
"Sas-Sasuke…"
He then turned to stare at her with his black eyes. They were gentle and protecting to her. "Sakura, please…I don't want to lose you or the others…you're my precious comrades."
Those words struck her hard in the heart. Her green eyes bore into his soothing black eyes. He placed his hand on her cheek; it was warm and comforting to her. They leaned forward and kissed lightly eachother.
"Sakura please move on. Find someone else for you." Sasuke whispered in her ear.
Then after a minute, Sakura leans away and runs to help her comrades. But then she turned back to him and smiled. He did as well. Once she reached them, she placed Kankuro's arm over her shoulders and signaled for Temari to take Shikamaru. Gaara, without hesitation, he created a pile of sand to hold his friend.
Gaara clutched his friend's hand tightly as he was on the sand pile. He floated into the air and they left the big cave.
-
…unnh…What…? W-Where am…I? Naruto's sapphire eyes fluttered open a little bit. His vision was clouded and it was definitely around ten at night. A cold breeze cut through his entire body, like a sharp blade. His whole body was stiffened by cold and ache. He sniffed the air and found no smell. Then he felt another cold pale hand on his own. It was smooth and reassuring to him.
Who…Who is…that…my eyes are too…blurry? Naruto stammers with his mind filled with terror. …Who…please…help…? He heard a muffed a sob and slight trembling from the hand. This person near was suffering from something. He then heard voices not from far from him.
"…those wounds on him aren't life threatening." A female's voice. He couldn't identify the source since it was too muffed up.
"I hope Lady Tsunade can heal him." Another female voice said softly. This one did see more familiar.
Then his vision was finally become clear enough to see a little bit. It was dark and he heard at least five hit tree branches. He tired to cry out, but his lungs couldn't let him speak at all. He wanted to scream or speak to these people, who were saving him or at least know who it is. His vision began to clear up the haze. It was dark and around ten pm at least. Four people were infront of him all with their backs turned on him. Those made him feel isolated and fearful. The fox demon carrier moved his other hand around feeling what helped him in the air. Smooth and it vibrated a lonely like darkness in it. Sand. He stared at it with a hint of curiosity with azure eyes.
Naruto heard his secure heart beat inside his mind. He moaned mutely so no one could hear it. But then he felt motion from the other person's hand and he gazed faintly. The boy's eyes were fixed on him intently. But he found something familiar in the boy's eyes that were held in his as well. The look of solitude and being loathed. The look with no love from no one and horror. It seemed as if he'd had that look scarred in his eyes, as if he was born with it. But then he gradually turned away with a distressed face. The way he held his hand was as if he was losing him.
Had he not seen my eyes open? Naruto wondered forlornly. He knew that boy, but he just couldn't think right now. The soreness through his body was very profound. Why…Why I am not dead? He asked himself. Then he heard a glass shattering roar in his mind and he attempted calling out again, failing. But he grunted repeatedly in a throbbing headache and saw the boy again. Naruto's body trembled in the bitter winter chill. The demon child then felt a cool, placated hand on his forehead. Naruto felt warmer than ever, but the rest of his body was freezing.
"Sakura!" The boy called out in panic. Then Sakura turned herself to his call. She and Kankuro leaped to his aid.
He removed his and Sakura placed hers' in his place. Sakura…! W-What's wrong…with me? He wanted to shout to her in a pleading voice. Her sea foam eyes widen in panic. Naruto gaped at those eyes. Someone else had those eyes…he couldn't think at this point. Then he felt something creep up his throat and when Naruto tired to breath, but the breath was then replaced by something else.
He was forced to throw up his head and hurled up blood. It trickled leisurely down his face. The boy covered his mouth with his hand in panic. Kankuro placed his hand on his shoulder in console. Then Naruto saw his eyes perfectly; sea foam green eyes surrounded by dark rings. Then he saw something leave the boy's eyes, tears. One hit Naruto's eye and he opened them fully this time. The boy held his mouth open slightly and tightened his grip on his hand holding it against his face.
"Gaara…" He managed to say in a whisper. Then the demon child threw up more blood and Gaara sobbed a little bit.
"Naruto…" Gaara whimpered out forlornly. His light emerald eyes staring his bright cobalt eyes. Gaara saw tears slip down his face as well.
"Gaara." Naruto whisper to him and Gaara nodded in response. His finger wiped some of Gaara's tears away. "You… shouldn't cry over me."
His eyes fluttered threatening to close. Gaara bit down on his lip and Naruto's hand was starting to fall from his clasp, but he didn't want to lose it. Sakura's hand faintly grew jade and pressed down his chest trying to make him stay alive. She cursed as her charka was running low. Gaara placed his hand on top of hers and they wordlessly glanced at each other then resumed. After a little bit some color returned to Naruto's face and his eyes closed from fatigue. Sakura was tired too and nearly fainted, but Kankuro caught her.
They were now approaching the village and they headed straight for the hospital. It was around ten-thirty when Naruto was placed into a surgery room and Tsunade was dealing with the operation. Gaara sat outside that room every few minutes glancing at the red signal above the door. In reality Gaara didn't have any internal or external injures from the fight. He was more anxious about his comrades than himself at this point. Then he felt movement in the room where Naruto was. The ex-demon carrier then heard a soft cry from inside. Then many shouts of panic and roars of pain.
A couple more cries came and a rush of footsteps backing them up. He rushed up to the door and pressed his ear against the door. Something hit against the door and caused Gaara to almost hit the ground, but he clutched onto it tight enough. Then he heard faint breathing against the door and then Gaara placed his hand against the door. The ex demon whispered his name and he felt something else on the other side freeze like a statue. He heard faint cries of agony and felt a huge spike of charka in that room. Gaara then pressed his forehead against it roughly nearly slamming it and sighed heavily. Please…save him. He pleaded within his mind.
"Gaara-kun…" A voice called him quietly in a shy voice. He parted from the wall to turn around to the small voice. Hinata Hyuga.
"Hinata, what is it?" He asked blankly.
She pressed her fingers together then placed her hands behind her before answering. "Has any news come out yet?"
He shook his head. Her light lavender eyes shifted to the ground. "Gaara-kun, I know you're worried, but Naruto-kun will survive. I believe he will, I've known about his loneliness since I first saw him. For…" She paused catching her breath. She continued. "I felt that same solitude from my family especially my cousin."
Gaara said nothing. His eyes stayed fixed upon on her the entire time she spoke. The way she talked about Naruto…was she in love with him? Gaara bit down his lip for thinking that. Then when he glanced up at the signal button wasn't red anymore. He gulped as the door slid open slowly. Tsunade then pushed through the door and saw the two standing there. Her golden eyes glanced between the two and sighed.
"He should be fine for now, but…" She paused with regret in her voice. Gaara clenched his fists. Her eyes filled with honesty yet guilt. "…I'm sorry. He might not make it. There was too much internal damage from the Kyuubi almost being extracted from him and probably half of it from when the Akatsuki attacked him."
Gaara stood there motionless from this news and Hinata looked away in silence. Tsunade saw how her fellow kage reaction to that and motioned for the Hyuga to leave. She nodded and walked away as she about to turn the corner to gazed back at Gaara, but he didn't acknowledge her. She turned and left to the two Kages alone. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he gazed into her golden eyes.
"You hold Naruto's eyes; the eyes I nearly failed to ignore at one point. But the boy's dream I never disregarded." She told him. "He needs his love ones more than ever now especially you."
"W-Why?" Gaara asked.
"You are the only one who can understand his pain, Gaara." Tsunade replied simply with a small smile. She walked down the hallway leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Then they pulled out a stretcher with Naruto on it. His eyes were closed, but his eyes were fluttering, he was experiencing painful memories of the past or of his torture. He followed them and watched them set up a room for the fallen fox demon to be in. Once they left Gaara entered quietly. His foot steps echoed as he stepped onto the tiles. Naruto wore a hospital gown over some of his clothes and there were bandages over his face and his hands. They weren't necessarily broken just a lot of blood loss there. It was just torture for Gaara to see his friend like that, dieing.
Is…Is this how he felt…he found me dead?
