Sarafu versus Gaara Part 2

It has been five minutes since we last left off. The whole time, nothing happened-or to be more precise-nothing of real change. Gaara has been inside the flaming tornado, for this whole amount of time, in silence. Even though, I sent my Sand Demon after him, I have yet to hear from either Gaara or my demon. I'm beginning to get suspicous. I called for my Fire and Wind Demons to stop their flaming tornado. As the fire died out, I gasped. Gaara was gone! I searched around. Where could he have gone? Then, with horror, I realized his location.

Using the same trick again? But how'd he get his entire body underground? As I thought those words, sand lept up from all sides and wrapped itself around me like a cacoon. Not this again! I called for Sand to come and help me, but he never came. What happened to him? That's right! He wasn't there when Fire and Wind stopped the tornado! Now what am I going to do? Then I thought of something. Rock! Come help me! Dig me out of here! And so, after a couple of seconds, a hole appeared just beneath my feet and I fell. Inside the dark tunnel, the ground below me moved me forwards, and then up and out of the other end of the tunnel. I appeared above the ground, just a few meters awayfrom where the cacoon of sand now slowly fell back to the ground. There was a patch of ground with no grass beneath my feet, from where I had just emerged from the hole.

Where is he?

I felt a little rumble and then, sensing danger, just barely dodged the sand that shot out. But before I could land back down on the ground, another arm of sand came dashing towards me. Oh no, I won't make it! I can't dodge! But Rock had blocked the sand with his massive body. I decided that the best way to stay alive was to keep running around randomly so Gaara couldn't hit me with the sand, but each time, I just barely got away with my limbs.

I can't keep up like this! I'll eventually make a mistake and then it'll be my head. I need to start thinking offensively, but how am I supposed to attack him when I can't even find him? I need to draw him out of the ground somehow. I know!

While running at the same pace, I formed some hand seals, and then said aloud, "Mirage of the Moons!" Training with Mr. Kyo brought out this technique. Sadly enough, it's the only genjutsu I know. All went dark. From no where, it seemed, came a dim, silver light. There was a little mini moon floating in the air, just to my right. Of course, even with this light, no one could see me, for the light only shines on living beings, which also meant that my Demons could not be seen as well. As I looked down, I saw the faint, bluish light eminating from a glowing figure not too far away. "Let's stop this game of hide-and-seek, shall we?" I said to Gaara, but whether or not, he heard me, was a different matter.

So I called out to Rock. "Rock! Mini Earthquake in that direction!" I didn't see him, because my genjutsu was still in affect, but I felt the rumble as the ground split apart. I put my hands together and fed some more chakra into my genjutsu. Four other moons appeared, making the place as bright as the sun. But this time, it showed everything, but me. There was a large crack in the ground where Gaara floated just above on his sand. I saw Gaara's eyes slowly look to the left and then to the right. He couldn't see me, but maybe he could sense me. I smirked and threw a kunai knife, that was also under my invisibility spell. Without even flinching the sand leapt in the way and blocked the kunai.

No way! There's no way he could of sensed that kunai! Crap! Now he knows where I am!

I silently ran around Gaara, throwing kunais as I went, but each was flawlessly blocked by Gaara's sand. But it wasn't this that annoyed me. In fact, I would probably like it better if he was kicking my butt, the problem was that he never flinched or even blinked the whole time. It was like he commited zero brain power to this fight and it was starting to piss me off. Now, I increased the number of kunais. It didn't help.

"That's useless, Sarafu," Gaara calmly said. "No matter how many or how hard you throw those kunais at me, they will all be blocked, whether I like it or not. The Shukaku will see to that."

I paused. "Huh?"

"Sarafu, you say you want to go out with me, but...you know nothing about me!"

I stood still, shocked at Gaara's accusation. "Well, if I know nothing of you, then what makes you think you know anything about me!" I yelled.

"Exactly. We are too different. We cannot understand each other."

"You're wrong!"

"Denial?"

"No! It's for that very reason that I do want to go out with you. I want to get to know you. You're lifestyle, what makes you laugh, what makes you angry, things you hate, things you like...everything! You say that we can't understand each other, but that's wrong! We just never tried! I don't know if you want to know me, but I want to know you, and that's why..."

"..."

"...that's why...I'll win this battle even if I have to nearly kill you!"

I formed the seals I could practically do in my sleep by now. "Summoning jutsu!" Takuro appeared circling around the volcano valley with his enormous, serpentine body. He let out a roar that shook the whole mountain range. "Come on, Takuro!" I yelled. "Let's take a little dip!" Takuro nodded and spun in a circle faster and faster, until all the little droplets on his scales flund off and fell into the valley. First there was mist, then it grew heavier. Eventually, it became a pool of water in the valley almost up to my waist. Fire and Wind flew up out of the way of the Water. Rock stood there and took it, while Sand and Grass sat ontop of Rock. I swirled my hand around in it and called for my Water Demon. The water swirled itself up into the form of a giant manatee.

Now I have successfully called out all of my Demons, now it's time for some fun!

"Grass, Water, make yourselves useful! Get in there!"

Grass lept into the air and sliced it's claws-if you can call them that-in the air, planting seeds into the ground. Water glided along the air and rained down over the valley. Immeadiately, plants grew out of the ground, large plants, with all sorts of leaves and flowers. Their branches shot for Gaara, and I rose on one of the branches of, now, a massive tree growing in the middle of the valley.

Gaara stood there, with his sand blocking the trees branches. "You don't need the sword, Life. You can already make things grow."

"Yeah, and I can also destroy them!"

"Were you referring to me?"

He was beginning with the trash talk. I liked it. I was glad he was enjoying this as much as I was. I laughed and walked into the tree. No, not bump into the tree, actually walk inside of it. I was now out of Gaara's vision. I followed the branches of the tree and grabbed Gaara by the ankles. He gasped, surprised. I tripped him, and he fell off the branch of the tree. He hastily made a cushion of sand to catch his fall, but I was already a step ahead of him. "Takuro! Let him have it!"

Takuro opened his mouth and blasted large balls of water at Gaara at an incredible speed, that if it wasn't for its massive size, it wouldn't have been seen. As Gaara was hit water splashed everywhere, and even knocked me off the tree, but Wind caught me. As the Water settled down onto the ground, I saw Gaara laying on the ground. I gave a little yelp of glee.

Ye-es! I did get him! His sand wasn't fast enough to protect him this time! Huh? He's getting up! Well, well, well. I'm surprised he could even last through that atta-

I wasn't able to finish my train of thought for the image I saw. Not only was Gaara dripping water, but also sand. His face was. . .crumbling. He must have put a layer of sand around his whole body just before the battle. So this was the supposed "Armor of Sand" Lee told me about. But that wasn't the thing that appalled me the most. It was the look on his face. His eyes were large and there was this psychotic smile on his face. He had the same excited look that Hinako just had. It made me shiver. Gaara looked at me. He said something, but I couldn't hear for he was whispering. Before I knew it, I was bitch slapped by Gaara's sand. I went flying into the trunk of the tree as my blood went splashing into the air. There was a large boom, as Gaara sent me flying straight through the tree. Until I crashed into the wall of the valley. I was in a three foot deep hole, but Gaara wasn't through. His sand pummeled for another attack. I was so surprised that I didn't have enough time to react. My blood was all over his sand now.

He still wasn't finished with me. His sand grabbed me by the leg and threw me to the other side of the wall. But this time, Takuro intervened. As he lifted me onto his back with his tail, he shot more water blasts at him, but as always, he was protected by the sand.

I shook as I tried to sit up. I clutched my side from the pain. It was wet with blood. I looked around as my Demons began to disappear. Their time had run up. I used up all of their chakra. And soon, Takuro wouldn't be able to stay in this world long with the amount of chakra I had left. I tried desperatly to think of plan. I had seriously underestimated Gaara. I was hurt pretty badly, and I wasn't a medical ninja. (Although, I had learned some healing techniques in the Sky Village.) I put my hand on my side, and began to use a simple healing technique to at least close the wound. Sadly enough, I could tell I wasn't going to win this battle.

"You didn't just think you weren't going to win, now did you?" Takuro lectured me. "Don't give up yet. I'm sure it must hurt, but you need to pull yourself together. You know I won't last long here, so you need to start thinking of a plan."

"I know that! But I don't know how to counter his sand."

"Well...just do exactly what he's doing."

"What do you mean? I can't control sand."

"Not that! Was Gaara like this before? No. You triggered something in him to make him act like that. So you need to trigger something inside of you too."

"You don't mean-"

"I don't see any other way for you to beat him. Besides, you two aren't so different."

"What do you mean?"

Takuro didn't get to answer my question because I had run out of chakra for me to support him. With a poof he was gone, and that left me in mid-air. I fell to the ground, but Gaara was still seeking some blood. He shot some sand at me and knocked me clear across the valley. I let out a cry as I coughed up my own blood. Luckily, Gaara paused from some sort of pain in his head. I got up, and ran away, behind the stump of the tree. I breathed heavily and my mind raced to think of a plan, for I knew that Gaara wasn't going to stand there for long. I had used up most of my chakra healing myself, and now I was wounded, and unable to defend myself any longer. And then Gaara's sand snuck out from behind the tree and came towards me. I ran away,frantically trying to escape. Growing tired, my knees buckled and I fell to the ground. I turned around just in time to see a lethal clump of sand coming my way.

...to be continued.