The Next Chapter is here! Only a few more to go before this baby is complete! That's right. It's coming to an end ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy one of the final chapters in Deadly Alliance! Probably a couple more to go! Review as always!
Meanwhile, Saya just got to the park and stopped to breathe some. She looked around frantically until she spotted her son and her niece and nephew. She ran up to them and came face to face with Rooks. She froze but then forced herself to relax.
"R-Rooks-chan…thanks for watching the kids. I think I'll take it from here…" she said trying to sound calm.
Rooks smiled after awhile.
"Sure Sai-senpai, I was just finishing my lunch break anyway. They're all yours," she said kindly and Saya picked up Ryuzaki and kept Hisa and Haru close to her.
Rooks smiled.
"Do you want to go to the hospital together Sai-senpai?" she asked sweetly.
Saya shook her head.
"No I'm sending the kids back with Matsuri and we are going to make a house call…" she said softly.
Rooks smiled wide.
"This is our first house call! I'm so excited!" she said and giggled.
Saya felt like she wanted to laugh. She looked at her watch and her eyes widened.
"One minute and forty five seconds…" she mumbled and Rooks crinkled her eyebrows.
"Nani…what did you say?" she asked quietly.
Saya shook her head quickly.
"We don't have time…" she said as she passed the kids to Matsuri.
"Alright Matsuri, take the children and go to the hospital. If you see Gaara…stall him for awhile…do not tell him we're here at the park," she said sternly.
Matsuri did not question but nodded and took off with the kids. Rooks looked confused.
"Sai-senpai what's going on?" she asked quickly.
Saya looked at her and frowned slightly.
"Gaara is sending his ANBU to come and arrest you in fifty seconds because he thinks that you are the spy for the Rock Village…" she said watching her friend.
Rooks eyes widened.
"W-Why would he think that?" she asked sadly.
Her whole demeanor changed. Saya closed her eyes.
"Come with me if you want any chance of getting out of Suna alive…" she said and grabbed Rooks arm, pulling her towards the exit of the park.
Rooks stared at Saya and pulled away.
"If they believe I am the spy then they must have some evidence against me. So I must stand and take the punishment…" she said softly.
Saya fought back tears.
"Shut up, you really have no idea what they'll do to you, do you? If you're the spy they are going to ask you questions and torture you and then when they are through with you they are going to kill you! I know how they work! I've seen it!" she yelled pulling her friend away from the park.
Rooks smiled slightly at her friend.
"I will take my punishments as they are handed to me—" she said and Saya cut her off.
"—you're acting like you are the spy!" she yelled and then froze.
"Sai-chan, I see it in your face that you've figured it out. I'm the spy for the Rock Village—" she was cut off again by Saya's hand covering her mouth.
"—shut up with talk like that! I'm not stupid…I know who you are…" she looked at her watch again.
"Oh no…we're out of time…" she said softly.
Just as she said that, all of Suna's ANBU ran out of the hospital and split up in all directions. Saya felt the presence of the ANBU growing stronger. She could sense her family with them. Rooks must have sensed them too because she grabbed Saya's arm and turned her around hugging her tightly.
"I want you to know that whatever happens…I wasn't going to give the information to the Tsuchikage. That's why he sent someone to make Gaara-sama sick. I did the job for many years and then met you and those years went to hell. You became my friend…my best friend. I could never hurt you guys. The man that came in mutilated, he was the other spy disguised as the real sand shinobi he killed. I got to him before he got to you and Gaara…" she said quickly.
Saya let some tears fall.
"I just wanted you to know so at least you know the truth. I couldn't take it if you hated me for the last few moments of my life…know that I will not fight back," she said tearing at the eyes.
Saya shook her head.
"I knew you couldn't go through with it. I know you'd never hurt us. You had many opportunities and never took them. But they won't believe you…you need proof…" she said quickly.
Rooks shook her head sadly.
"The proof I had was destroyed when I destroyed the evidence I had against Suna…" she said softly.
Saya nodded.
"Well, you're not as defenseless as you acted so let's see what you got. Help me in defending you. We need to get you out of Suna…" she said quickly.
Rooks nodded but then turned to see the ANBU coming right at her.
"We're too late Sai-senpai…" she murmured but Saya wasn't ready to give up.
She stood in front of Rooks and let chakra flow to her hands. Rooks eyes widened and she stared at her friend.
"Sai…why are you doing this?" she murmured.
"Because I know what it's like having to follow orders you do not wish to carry out. Gaara should know that more than anyone," she replied in a whisper.
Saya saw her family coming closer and her eyes widened.
"That jerk…he put Temari, Shikamaru, and Kankuro to come after you too," she murmured angrily.
She turned around quickly.
"Alright new plan…run!" she yelled and the two females took off running in the other direction.
They ran until they got to the front of the gates and just had a few more steps until they were out of Suna. Then Rooks would be safe for the while. Saya was about to run through the gate when she saw a figure standing there. Her eyes widened when she realized it was Gaara. She came to a stop and Rooks bumped into her. Gaara looked calm but she knew him to well. He was pissed off. He had his arms folded as the ANBU surrounded them all. Temari stopped and stared at Saya.
"Good job Sai-chan, we have her now! We caught the spy!" she said smiling.
Gaara stepped forward.
"Rooks-san…you are under arrest and must come with us willingly or you will be forced. That will be the last choice you make…" he said still looking calm.
Saya answered before Rooks could.
"Oh come on Gaara! We're already at the gate! Just let her go. She isn't going to harm us…" she said softly and Gaara glared at her.
"You Konoha shinobi are too trusting. That's your flaw. She's playing you…just step aside and let me do my job…" he said never taking his eyes off of her.
Saya closed her eyes. His words upset her terribly and she knew he meant them. When she opened her eyes one of the ANBU was coming closer to Rooks. Saya tapped her chakra fist onto the floor sending the ANBU back but not hurting him.
"Please keep your distance…" she said calmly.
Gaara furrowed his eyes.
"Step aside Saya…" he growled and took a step forward.
Saya grabbed onto Rooks and pulled her close. She needed a plan, any plan. One came to her and she knew it was going to hit low.
"No, she never gave them the information and she didn't make you sick! And you're lucky I'm too trusting! If I wasn't we would never have gotten together," she said trying to reason with him first.
He was so stubborn though.
"Step…aside Saya…" he repeated again in a deadlier voice.
Saya closed her eyes.
"She was there when Ryuzaki was born! When Haru and Hisa were born! She had so many chances to kill anyone of us and she never did! She was there for me every time you got hurt or died! She's saved lives with me! She burned the evidence she collected against us! She's my friend…she's like my sister, so no, I will not step aside," she yelled as tears fell down her cheeks.
Gaara began to walk forward and Saya's next words stopped him.
"If you come any closer I'll leave…" she said and Gaara's eyes widened.
"What are you saying?" he asked a little shocked.
Saya swallowed hard.
"I-If you do anything to Rooks…I'm leaving Suna…and I will never come back because I will never forgive you. She's not a bad person! Listen to reason! Have you ever followed orders you really didn't want too?" she said.
She had to make him see that Rooks, though not completely innocent, still deserved a chance. Gaara's eyes widened.
"You don't mean that. You're just angry…" he said softly.
Saya shook her head.
"No I'm so serious. I'll leave and I'll make sure you never see me again…and I'll take Ryuzaki and if you fight me on it then you'll have to kill me because I won't leave without my son. Then you'll have to deal with Konoha for killing one of their most prestigious shinobi," she said feeling her heart grow heavy with each word.
Gaara looked away from her angrily.
"Arrest the spy…" he said sternly and Saya's eyes grew wide.
He didn't care? She grabbed onto Rooks tightly and whirled around smacking an ANBU with her chakra induced hand. It sent him back some and everyone gasped. She looked up and saw Ren flying high in the sky. She looked at Gaara. He was heading towards them, his sand was out and ready. Saya turned to Rooks.
"Okay…I have a plan and it's going to get you out of here. If you come back and fuck with this village again…I'll kill you myself…got that?" she asked and Rooks nodded quickly.
Saya whistled and Ren flew down making everyone back away.
"Ren, take her to the outskirts of the village. Keep her safe but get her out of here!" she yelled and Ren flew up into the sky with Rooks on her back.
Gaara's sand flew up after them but was interrupted by Saya tackling him to the ground. Gaara hit the floor with Saya falling on top of him. She looked up seeing Rooks escape safely. Saya met with Gaara's eyes. He looked angry and betrayed.
"Get off of me…" he seethed and practically pushed her off.
Saya rolled off of him and stood up. She knew he was pissed. He went to walk away but stopped and turned around coming to face her.
"I-I—how could you—you betrayed me!" he yelled at her and people backed away.
She stood silent.
"This was not the first time you betrayed me either! You…you are so out of line!" he roared angrily.
Saya flinched slightly. What he said next seemed to affect him the most.
"You used—you used my love for you…against me. Who does that to someone they love?" he asked in shock.
The two had forgotten that half of Suna was watching their public fight.
"I didn't use anything against you! You ignored everything I said and I was making sense for once! You were still going to arrest her and then you were going to kill her! My friend! My sister and I never betrayed you, you son of a bitch! If you want to take my sister's coming back to life and me considering being with them a betrayal then fine but it was truly a moment of weakness! Sorry, I forgot I wasn't allowed to have one of those! I should have just obliterated them! Oh wait, I did!" she yelled angrily.
Gaara was fuming.
"I can't even look at you right now…" he seethed.
Saya fought back tears.
"Fine, then that's that…" she murmured and Gaara stopped walking.
"What?" he asked angrily.
Saya took a shaky breath.
"You wouldn't even hear me out. You dismissed me like I was one of your shinobi rather then your wife…and you're dismissing me now. You were going to kill one of my best friends and you didn't even care how I felt about it. You were looking out for your village when it didn't need to be looked after. I was always fine coming second, but now I want to come first…put me first this time…please…" she begged him.
He gritted his teeth and walked up to her quickly. He grabbed her face and held it to his. His eyes held confliction.
"I-I love you…and you know that…you were always first," he started.
"You knew that and you used my love for you…against me…and I cannot forgive that right now…I never thought I would ever have to forgive you for something…I didn't think I had the right…but you helped an enemy escape…an enemy that had information that could start a war in which we lose. I am your husband and you chose the other side. I let myself get sick in order to prove to you that she was the spy and you still chose her over me. Why would you…I could never do that…to…you…" he said as his vision became blurry and his knees buckled.
Saya noticed his change right away.
"Gaara…" she said quietly.
"I-I could never…do that…to someone I love…" he said as he collapsed to the floor.
Saya kneeled down and checked his pulse. It was slow but still beating. His fever had returned and when he got riled up it got worse.
"Gaara…Gaara can you hear me? This is not how you get the last word in!" she yelled at him.
His shinobi gathered around and she called to Kankuro and Shikamaru. They pushed through.
"Get him to the hospital. He's getting worse and his fever is extremely high. We need to get him into an ice bath and quick!" she yelled and they did not argue.
They scooped him up and everyone raced to the hospital. When they got there she raced in past them and into a small room that held a bath. She turned on the cold water and let it run. She flew out of the room and into another coming back with towels and a student shinobi. She dragged the young man into the room with the bath and pointed to it. The young shinobi walked towards the bath and dipped his hand in. The cold water suddenly started to freeze. Saya touched the water and shivered.
"That's good enough thank you…" she said and the student took his leave.
She walked out and beckoned Shikamaru and Kankuro to come in. Temari followed them, concerned for her younger brother. Saya pulled at his vest and tore it off. Temari realized what she was doing and pulled at his boots, taking them off quickly. When they had stripped him to his boxers Saya took a deep breath and climbed into the bath. The freezing water touched her skin and she gasped.
"Holy shit…holy shit…it's freaking cold…" she gasped and signaled them to hand him over.
The two guys picked him up and set him in the bath of freezing water. Saya pulled him close to her body keeping him afloat. She took a towel and wrapped it around him to try to keep him a little warm. His bottom lip quivered and she held him closer. Her body began to feel numb and she hoped his fever would go down soon. Kankuro, Shikamaru, and Temari stood by them and watched. There was tension in the room.
"Did you really think she was innocent?" Temari asked not looking at her.
Saya knew they were upset.
"The Tsuchikage is an asshole but he's excellent at manipulation. Rooks did nothing to harm us. She was torn between what she thought was right for her village and her friends in this one. I knew she deserved a chance…because I've been there…with him," Saya mumbled looking down at Gaara.
Kankuro shook his head.
"He wouldn't have killed her. He isn't like that anymore and you know that. So when you of all people doubted him…I can't imagine how he felt…" he said slowly letting it sink into her head.
She kept her head down. Shikamaru sighed.
"Give it a rest you two. She's doing her best in a crappy situation. I know it seems impossible but she's not perfect…she makes mistakes. I think we can all agree that we all make mistakes sometimes…" he said staring at the two sand shinobi.
Temari and Kankuro scowled.
"She hurt him…this wasn't the first time either! We love Saya but Gaara's our brother!" Temari yelled and Kankuro nodded.
Shikamaru crinkled his eyebrows in frustration.
"Okay…but was it not you three that infiltrated Konoha as a distraction, got the third Hokage killed, and I do believe that Gaara has not been the easiest to live with either. He's just as stubborn and he's the Kazekage. It could get frustrating for her too. Gaara has made many mistakes and as far as I have seen Saya has forgiven every one of them…" he said sternly.
The two siblings stood silent.
"Yes and I do recall that you two and your brother never really got along until Naruto and Saya came into your lives…" he said quickly.
The two siblings looked down upset. All that he said was true but it still hurt to admit it. Shikamaru knew he had them.
"Are we all good or should I move on to Kat-chan's many indiscretions?" he asked and Kankuro shook his head furiously.
"No I think we both get the point!" he said and looked up at Saya slowly.
Saya looked at the two siblings sadly and they softened.
"We love you Sai-chan…sorry we've been such asses…" Temari said and Kankuro huffed.
"You're the ass, I didn't say anything…" he said and Temari hit him.
Saya chuckled slightly and looked to Shikamaru while the siblings were bickering.
"Thank you Shikamaru-kun…" she said quietly.
Shikamaru grinned.
"We may live in Suna now but never forget where we came from. I would have done the same thing. We Konoha ninja have to stick together…" he said grinning.
She grinned back at him, her lips trembling from the cold. After a while Gaara coughed softly and his eyes opened slightly. Saya felt his forehead and took a deep breath. His fever had gone down. It took Gaara a while to realize where he was and why the hell he was so cold. His eyes opened wider and he looked around blinking slightly. He saw his siblings and Shikamaru and then looked up to see Saya shivering like he was. She was in the water with him in her bra and shorts. Her lips were turning blue and her hair was pressed against her neck. Her arms were wrapped around his chest holding him up. He realized he was in his boxers only and blinked away all his thoughts. He cleared his throat and moved a little breaking free from her grasp.
He stood up in the bath and trembled feeling the cool air hit his already cold skin. His hair was soaked and slicked back from the water. He ruffled it quickly and Saya almost frowned. She had liked it like that. It made him look tame for once. She stood up and her knees gave out causing her to fall forward into the freezing cold water. Her body froze due to the shock of the temperature of the water. She flailed and felt two hands rip her out of the water roughly. She gasped and shook her head trying to get the water out of her eyes. She blinked a few times and looked up at Gaara. He stared at her, his eyes blank and void of emotion. He let her go when she was steady and walked to the edge of the bath.
Kankuro helped him out and handed him a towel. Gaara took it and started wiping himself down. Saya climbed out and Shikamaru helped her. He handed her a towel and she wrapped it around herself tightly and sat down in a chair. She shook slowly and tried to get feeling back into her body. Gaara was feeling better. His fever had gone down and he wasn't feeling as sick anymore. He glanced over at her occasionally but she kept her head down. She knew he hadn't forgiven her yet. A soft knock at the door made them all look up. Baki opened the door slightly and poked his head in.
"Kazekage-sama…it's good to see you awake. Your son has been asking for the both of you…" he said and Gaara nodded for them to let him in.
Ryuzaki ran in and immediately ran to his mother.
"Mother, what happened? People are saying Rooks-chan left the village," he asked quietly while hugging her.
Saya smiled slightly.
"She went on vacation…" she lied and the boy accepted it even though he knew it was untrue.
He went to his father and smiled slightly.
"Are you feeling better father?" he asked softly.
Gaara smiled faintly and nodded.
"Hai…I'm fine now Ryuzaki…" he said and the boy nodded.
Again he knew his father was lying but he let it go. Physically he knew his dad was fine but he knew something was off. His parents weren't together like they usually were. He smiled and walked away back to the twins. Saya walked over to Gaara and sat next to him. He was drying off nicely. She looked at him and he realized she was staring.
"It's not polite to stare…" he said quietly.
Saya nodded and looked down.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to stare…" she said just to say something to him.
He looked at her and waited until she looked up again. When their eyes met he spoke.
"Let's just go home. I want this day to end…" he said in a whisper.
Saya nodded and collected her clothes. Gaara did the same and left without saying goodbye to anyone. No one dared to speak. When they got to the tower they went inside and upstairs to their room. Saya got out of her clothes and pulled on a red nightgown as Gaara walked into the bathroom. Saya walked to the bed and laid down pulling the covers over her. She cuddled into her pillow trying to get warm but something was just so cold and empty inside of her. She shivered slightly and held the covers tightly to her body. She heard the bathroom door open faintly and felt the bed shift as Gaara laid down. He was so distant from her on the bed.
She felt the hot tears stream down her face and suddenly wanted to go home to Konoha. She covered her mouth so as to not disturb the man next to her. She trembled slightly moving the bed. She tried to take a deep breath but let out a shaky breath. Gaara's eyes snapped open when he heard her try to muffle herself. He turned around in the bed to look at the back of her head. He sighed softly and slowly let his arm wrap around her waist. Saya's eyes widened when she felt his arm wrap around her waist. She turned in his grip to face him. He regarded her softly. His eyes were still void of emotion and blank. She hated when his eyes looked like that.
"Please don't look at me like that…" she begged quietly.
Gaara's eyes widened slightly and then softened some. They weren't blank anymore.
"You do not like how I look at you?" he asked quietly.
She shook her head.
"Not when you look at me like that…" she mumbled almost inaudibly.
Gaara let his hand touch her face gently. She closed her eyes and opened them to see his face closer to hers.
"I'm sorry…" he said softly but couldn't say another word as her lips connected with his.
He stiffened but then soon relaxed and returned the kiss. His hands gripped her face tightly deepening the kiss. When they pulled away they were breathing heavily and they stared at each other. She offered him a small smile and nuzzled his neck softly. He closed his eyes enjoying the attention. He was startled when she sat up in bed. He lifted himself off the bed as well and stared at her. She looked conflicted.
"What's wrong Saya?" he asked softly.
She looked at him and leaned on his shoulder.
"It bothers me that I hurt you…" she said softly and he closed his eyes.
He didn't want to think about the events of the day. He wanted to look towards tomorrow.
"There were times when I hurt you too…" he mumbled defending her.
She looked at him intently. He turned to her.
"I need to continue to work on forgiveness…" he said softly.
Saya smiled slightly.
"I forgive you…I'm not angry anymore…I don't think I ever really was…" he said quietly.
Saya smiled kindly.
"Thank you…" she said and hugged him tightly.
He buried his head in her shoulder. She giggled slightly when she felt him kiss her neck and returned the affection. He pulled away capturing her lips in his and laying her down. The rest of the night was quite pleasant.
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