Chapter Twelve: Crime and Punishment
A/N: Here we go! Chapter Twelve out finally! Sorry for the wait!
Sachiko: About time! I thought you forgot about me!
When Sachiko woke up she found herself in a strange room she had never been in before. The damp darkness seemed to feast at her flesh and bite at her shivering body. She felt so cold and so alone. As her eyes opened, they searched desperately for light and had found none. This left a sharp pain in her heart. Although she had called herself a creature of the night many a time, she had found herself to be afraid of such darkness. She was frightened of the dark itself and what may lurk ravenously within it; no, she was afraid of the gut feeling she received like a bomb of sheer loneliness had submerged itself in her stomach and tick-tocked down to its detonation.
A small whimper escaped from the deepest cavern of her throat as a blinding light shone on her and gave her a migraine. With a head holding her pounding head, Sachiko breathed out heavily, struggling to remember anything that could tell her where she was. Her attempted thoughts were disrupted by a fearsome voice.
"Sachiko of Cloud," said a voice, thick with accusation, "You have murdered five Sand Village Citizens, three being minors… What do you have to say in your defense?"
"I… I didn't kill anyone… It was Naren… She did it and made it look like I did… I swear it!" The blackness that surrounded Sachiko began to materialize into many tiny grey pixels, trying to form an image.
"I caught you… red-handed," said the voice she knew to be Gaara's in a sibilant manner. She could picture him cracking a nasty smile or maybe she was really seeing him smirk because the grey fuzzy pixels had made her surroundings vivid again.
"No," she pressed on, "I… I'm not a monster… I'm not…"
"You are the container of the two tailed demon," said the Kazekage as he came into her view, "The vessel of Nibi Chihoko… Of course you are a monster. I cannot punish you as severely as you should be punished due to the circumstances we are under… but you will be under close watch by Kankuro… You are not to leave his sight… understand?"
"Hai," said she before blacking out again.
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Gaara sat on the roof in his usual solitude. The Cloud girl had passed out and it had been two days since then. He wasn't worried about her, that wouldn't be the correct way of putting it. He was just curious as to why she had lied. Why deny it if you know you are a monster? He never denied because he knew he was a monster, he just knew.
"Why would she blame that other girl…? Why would she talk to her as she killed…"
"She's crazy, kid… Like us… It's probably that stupid cat… I've always hated that arrogant, two tailed cat. She thinks she's so much better than everyone… No wonder we wanted to kill her so much…"
"Yes… she has a demon of her own… It must be the reason why… I crave her blood."
"Remember boy, you said you would kill whoever was threatening your purpose of existence… You swore to kill her… Twice."
"Hn… In due time Shukaku… In due time."
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This time waking up had been a bit easier for Sachiko. She no longer had her headache and found that breakfast was made for her. She felt safer knowing she still got to keep her room and began to wonder if perhaps she had imagined everything.
All doubts of what had occurred that night dispersed into her own mental wastebasket as Kankuro appeared into the room with a grim look on his face.
"Hey Sachiko-san," he breathed as he sat next to her.
"Hello Kankuro-kun," she murmured almost inaudibly.
Silence hit the room like a hammer on a nail and stayed so until the nail was completely into the wall and a picture could sustain stableness to hang. Kankuro looked up at the Cloud girl, over come with sympathy instead of the fear he should have been overwhelmed with.
"So… uh… want to talk about anything," he asked her softly, gazing into her eyes with genuine concern. She hadn't felt so much compassion from another human being since her grandmother had been around.
"No… maybe later," she whispered as she closed her eyes and drifted to the blissful escape of sleep.
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"Why would Naren do that to me…? She was my only friend…"
"…"
"Please Chihoko… answer me… don't tell me you've left me too… I need… someone… even if it is you…"
"Naren… Forget about her… You will never see her again."
"What do you mean forget?! She's my best friend! She can't just leave me again… She won't… She—"
"—Shut up! She doesn't exist you fool! She's all in your head… I am Naren! It was me the entire time… I made you hallucinate… You skipped a night… You didn't do your Inazuma Strike one full moon and I got enough power to make her appear again… Then she kept you from performing it… I grew more power and was finally able to kill… to satisfy my bloodlust…"
"You're lying… You're always lying to me…"
"Don't be foolish… I'm telling the truth… Think of Naren as a sort of alter ego… It was you the whole time… killing… It was you…"
"I… I…"
Sachiko couldn't finish the statement, the tongue was paralyzed, the saliva ran dry, the throat parched, the brain stopped. Sachiko wasn't even sure of what she had wanted to say and neither was Chihoko.
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Swollen eyes opened slowly as if expecting to see something to remind her of the hurt. Kankuro's face was the first thing to wake to. He gave her a friendly smile but it wasn't helpful. In fact, it made her feel worse.
"Don't," she croaked like a toad, "Don't pretend to be my friend. I know you think I'm a monster… and I am…"
Kankuro sighed heavily. Sachiko felt a warm hand suddenly caress her face. She had never felt such a sensation before. What was this lovely feeling of warmth and care? What was this feeling? "Is this affection…?"
"Sachiko-san… Temari and I have learned to accept Gaara… You're not as bad as he is… not by a long shot… I don't think you are a monster… And I am your friend… I'm not pretending anything."
A hot tear burned down her face like a jumping flame. Kankuro could almost feel it as it landed from her cheek unto his hand. "Kankuro-kun… How can you say such nice things…? How can you be so kind to me after…after I killed those children… the old man… your father's advisor…?"
"Sachiko-san you are no worse than the rest of us… It wasn't your fault," he whispered to her as his thumb brushed away more hot tears, "We've all killed… It's the life of a shinobi…" He grew quiet for a while but then added to lighten the mood, "Besides Kawizawa was swindling money from the treasury… bastard deserved it if you ask me."
Sachiko laughed a bit; the joke received its desired effect. Kankuro removed his hand from her face and gave her back a small pat with it. "Get some sleep Sachiko-san," said the hooded boy, "You still need your rest… You and I will be spending a lot of time together from now on so don't worry about having to be around Gaara… okay?"
She gave a small nod and fell asleep again. She didn't feel so lonely knowing Kankuro was there watching her and she didn't feel so abandoned knowing that Naren was only Chihoko's idea of a cruel joke.
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The days had passed by so much faster like a mischievous child was forwarding the clock of time as a practical joke. If this was the case, Sachiko could admit truthfully that she had enjoyed the joke. Days were so much easier to get through when they want by quickly.
Kankuro had become a close friend as a result of being watched constantly. Sachiko enjoyed her time with him and found herself liking him more and more each day. A smile spread across her face as the door to her room opened. As if the smile was evaporating water, it vanished as a redhead poked through the door.
Her eyes grew wide with horror but she kept her mouth shut. Gaara entered the room, arms crossed, and virulent eyes glaring at her. Her mouth opened slightly, frantically wanting to ask, no demand, where Kankuro was.
"If you have something to say… Say it," Gaara hissed at her as he approached her a bit more. His feet made a dreadful sound as they touched the cold ground.
"Where… is Kankuro," she asked, her eyes unable to meet Gaara's teal vats of venom.
A disgusted scowl formed on the face of the redheaded shinobi and was still visible even as he spoke to her. "He's… on a mission… I will watch you for this week."
"Oh." It was a disappointed response from a disappointed girl.
Gaara nearly growled but held it in. He really shouldn't care that he wasn't wanted because he never was wanted. But now that Gaara had known she had a demon inside her he felt like she should at least sort of accept him.
Silence had dominated their time like totalitarianism at its best. The tyranny had become overwhelming for Sachiko one afternoon and she made the effort to get rid of the despotism.
"Gaara…"
"Hn…"
"Do you think it was bad of me to kill those people?"
Though Gaara was an expert at keeping a straight face he couldn't help but shoot her a confused glance. He even felt the urge to break into a sadistic kind of laughter. "You and I… We are alike… the same eyes…"
"What do you mean?" Sachiko was almost excited at the fact that she was actually conversing with Gaara without him giving her an insult.
"We are monsters."
The excitement left and Sachiko did consider being called a monster an insult. The breakthrough wasn't much of a breakthrough at all. Frowning to herself, she felt her body slouch to the depression.
Gaara, on the other hand, was angered. He was upset that she wouldn't admit she was a monster like he because she was. She was a bloodlusting, cold-blooded monster just like he was. He could feel the anger flowing throughout his body and to every fingertip. He couldn't control the hand that had risen up to grab her by the neck and he wasn't entirely distraught that his hand was out of control.
"Don't think you are better than I… You are a monster just like me and kill in cold-blood to feed the bloodlust… You are not so innocent… Embrace it… Embrace yourself as a monster," he howled miserably into her ear, "Accept it."
She gulped and nodded, his hand releasing its death grip. Her own hands replaced his abrasive one and rubbed at her neck to return the circulation back into it. It was soon back to normal but she knew it was because Chihoko healed the damage and it wasn't her own tender rubbing on it that made it any better. From that moment on, Sachiko knew better than to consult with Gaara on the subject. His mind was stuck like a kunai is stuck in the gut of a rival shinobi. It was meant to remain there and forever sink into the carcass.
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Kankuro had surprised Sachiko when he finally came back from his mission. He had a small flower in his hand, a lovely orange-yellow hibiscus. She blushed slightly as he handed it to her. The flower seemed to bloom even more once it was in her hand.
"Thank you," she told him with pink tinted cheeks.
Kankuro even felt himself blush a bit. He had never had much female contact other than Temari not to say he was a loser but he just didn't have time. The life of a shinobi was a very occupied one and made little room for anything. "I thought you might like it," he murmured as he took a seat on a nearby chair.
Sachiko nodded as she dangled her legs on the side of her bed as if she where on a tall cliff, too high up to be touched. Her flower was placed carefully in her hair and though it didn't match, it gave her a unique radiance.
"I'm so glad you're back," Sachiko told him, "I never want to be left alone with Gaara again… Please… Let Temari at least watch me… I like her better than him!"
Kankuro chuckled softly. "Temari went on the mission with me like she usually does… Sorry, I'll try my best to see that someone other than Gaara takes watch over you…" His expression turned slightly sour like turned milk as a newfound idea hit him. "Why? Did Gaara say something to you?"
Sachiko bit her lip but the warning didn't stop her mouth from speaking. "I just asked him some things… He said that he and I were both monsters and that I should just accept it."
"I see," said Kankuro as he placed an agitated hand to scratch his nose, "Don't listen to Gaara… just because he thinks he's a monster… well you're just not one okay?"
"But my demon… he's right… I am a monster… and he's right about me accepting it even though I don't want to…"
"Sachiko-san," said Kankuro as he stood up from his seat. He carefully stepped toward her and placed his hand on her cheek as soon as he was close enough to. "Please… stop it… You are not a monster… You're not and I never want to hear you saying those things ever again…"
Sachiko could feel both of them leaning into each other. Sachiko could feel his breath escape his lips and greet her own. Sachiko could feel his lovely lips so close to hers for only a moment and she was certain they would have made contact with hers and then stayed there moments longer if it weren't for Gaara entering the room and interrupting them.
Kankuro's hand swiftly left Sachiko's cheek and his lips had been distanced away from hers the moment he heard steps approaching the door. Gaara's eyes held an accusing glare as if to say he had known that he had been interrupting something. Gaara felt a weird pang of an unfamiliar emotion. His lip curled slightly. Why should Kankuro, of all the shinobi, get to have someone he could hold dear? Why not Gaara? Gaara knew answers to such questions. He was a monster and perhaps Sachiko was not the same kind of monster as she was. He hated her so deeply for this and it only fed his urge and desire to have her blood.
"You… leave," he growled at his brother as a burst of sand lunged at him.
Kankuro leapt out of the way and landed in front of the door. Wordlessly, he left the room. He would go in search of the Kazekage and see exactly what was going on. Gaara's sand closed the door behind Kankuro as he left. Gaara's curled lip pulled slightly more upward as he fixed his gaze on Sachiko. She didn't know it, but Gaara had been watching the whole scene between her and Kankuro with his third eye technique.
"What were you and Kankuro talking about," he asked her without feeling any shame in the question.
"Nothing." It was a quick response and clearly a lie.
"Don't lie," he hissed, "I heard some of it…"
Sachiko cast her eyes to the ground, asking it to just swallow her whole and save her from this red headed demon boy that was demanding to know so many things from her. "He was telling me I wasn't a monster…"
Gaara scoffed at this. How ridiculous his brother was! What a fool she was! Of course she was a monster. He and her both were.
"Why was he touching you?"
"Touching me," Sachiko sputtered out, astonished, "He was not!"
"He was touching your face…"
"He was comforting me… I told him you called me a monster… He said I wasn't."
"He lied to you… Then he kissed you."
"No he almost…How do you know all this?"
"I was… watching you."
Sachiko could feel her jaw drop and she didn't bother to close it. Every ounce of energy seeped out from her body and floated to other organisms, organisms that needed it more than she did.
"Why do you keep following and watching me?"
"Hn… Because I… want to kill you…"
A/N: Mwuhahahahha. What did you guys think? Hmm?
Sachiko: I think—
Author-Sama: No! Shhh! You might give things away! We will wait patiently for the reviews!
Sachiko: Oh… okay! I will shhh… for now… REVIEW!