Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku

My Child

"Personally I'm far more concerned with Gaara tangling with that thing." Rasa watched the look on Baki's face as the air was knocked out, and knew full well that Baki could still easily bring his wind blade to bear upon the forth Kazekage. The flicker of horror on the other Shinobi's face told him that the reason the man balked had to do with what Rasa just said. The forth Kazekage swiftly backed off slightly, and used the time Baki hesitated to place the other into a restraining jutsu.

When this was done, he found himself hurrying towards the direction he knew Gaara was in. When he arrived at the tunnels he found himself stopping short upon seeing a Shinobi coming out. Rasa quickly grabbed the front of the man's uniform. "Gaara. Why did you leave Gaara behind?"

"Lord Kazekage..." The man swallowed, and a flicker of fear flashed across his eyes. "Lord Gaara gave me the order to get Lord Baki. He's our only chance, as Lord Gaara can't, shouldn't use his abilities."

Rasa continued to glower at the man, but released the front letting him crumple to the ground. He moved quickly through the tunnel fully knowing what lay on the other side. Upon getting to the other side he saw the whirling sandstorm lashing out at the beast, and knew that Gaara was using his powers despite the fact doing so would prove detrimental. "That foolish child! He's always acted like a fool!"

The thought however stung, labeling Gaara in such a manner. Rasa's finger thumbed the top of his container holding his Gold Dust, and with a dept movement he brought the Gold Dust to bear upon the beast. The man was sure he heard a strangled cry left Gaara's mouth as the attack only his father used appeared in front of him, but Rasa ignored him. He pushed forward with is strong leg, and moved forward to grab Gaara around the waist. With another movement he moved back to the tunnel, and headed inside, pulling his sand back so that the effects were minimal.

Gaara at first didn't struggle against Rasa's attempt to pull him back through, but when his father arrived in the lighted area the boy looked up at him. The forth Kazekage clearly saw the fear in the boy's eyes, and he quickly realized his grip on Gaara wasn't as strong as it should have been, allowing the boy to move his arm to bring his sand against his own father before bolting down the tunnel. Rasa's hand moved to his Gold Sand, expecting to use the tool, but the sand quickly fell away.

The man moved into the tunnel Gaara headed down, and could hear the echoing of the boy's pants. The smell of vomit made Rasa's nose, and the man knew the effects of using the magnet abilities were getting worse. With a swift movement he wrapped his arm around the boy's waist, firmer then it was before. This time around Gaara struggled against Rasa's grip, and somehow the boy even managed to knock one of Rasa's legs out from underneath him. The man crashed down onto his son's small body, and felt like cursing the young Shinobi out.

Somehow Rasa managed to bite back his tongue as he told the boy to knock it off, and he pulled Gaara from the tunnel. He heard the voice of Baki call out at that point. "Lord Rasa!"

He sensed Baki moving forward just as Gaara began to struggle some more, and felt the man also reach out to help pull the young Shinobi out of the tunnel. Rasa looked at the man out of the corner of his eye. "How did you get out of the sealing jutsu I put you under?"

"The Shinobi that was sent back under Lord Gaara's orders released the jutsu."

The two men pulled the young Shinobi out of the tunnel, and Rasa could see Gaara's entire body trembling. The young teen no longer fought against the man's grip, and Rasa could see saliva dripping from Gaara's mouth. Rasa lifted the boy up in an attempt to take him back to the place where the medicine was, but this action made Gaara begin to struggle again. Somehow Rasa managed to make eye contact with the boy.

Gaara instantly froze, his body going limp in Rasa's arms, and the look of fear appeared in the teens eyes. The trembling didn't stop, and a smell other then vomit hit the forth Kazekage's nose. Rasa felt his facial features twitch, and again he found himself thinking of Gaara as, "that foolish child."

Baki cleared his voice. "Lord Rasa, please let me take Lord Gaara."

Rasa's grip tightened, but the sight of the Shinobi that Gaara ordered to get Baki made him think twice of being stubborn. He allowed the other Shinobi to take the boy from him, and then he reached up to pull the kunai from his arm before handing the item to the other Shinobi which came with Baki. "Let me make my orders clear. The two of you will come back with me to our base of operations with Gaara."

The man watched as the Shinobi moved to hold the Kunai in a definite position. "Apologies Lord Rasa, but my duty is to protect Lord Gaara, even if it is from yourself."

"You don't have much choice in the matter, if you really wish to do what's best for Gaara. There isn't time to explain." Rasa looked Baki in the eye, and wondered if he would have a stare down contest with the other man.

Instead Baki responded by saying, "I will trust your judgment, but if at any point I've reason to doubt you, I will not hesitate to move."

"I fully understand that Baki." Rasa brushed past the two men, and motioned for them to follow after her. He folded his arms together, wondering why Baki and the other Shinobi were being so stubborn, but his mind wandered back to the look of fear in his own son's eyes. "I did something, but I can't remember what."

The two men followed behind him, and they arrived at the room his group had chosen as a base of operations. The look on his the faces of his men read a mix of emotions, of betrayal, fear, and some kind of hatred. The look of betrayal was levied at himself, but the fear and hatred were directed behind him, almost as if they were aimed at Gaara. The Shinobi that one of his men brought in however hung back, and on his face was a look of disgust that seemed aimed at Rasa and his entire group.

"Ichigawa..." Rasa looked over to the man he'd sent back. "Do you have it prepared?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."

The forth Kazekage motioned over to his own bedding. "Baki, could you put Gaara down here."

"Lord Rasa, I need to know what you plan on doing."

The tension cut the air, and Rasa could hear a few of his men muttering, likely talking of treason. The auburn haired man knew time was important, and simply knelt down next to the bedding. Words to explain what he planned on doing didn't come in a simple manner, and he closed his eyes. "I believe you're aware that this place is effecting Gaara. You should also be aware that this has something to do with his abilities, and that his abilities are always on. This concoction I had Ichigawa prepare is something that will shut off his powers hopefully. We have no other choice."

Baki eyes said he still didn't trust Rasa, but he set the boy down onto the bedding. The forth Kazekage looked down at Gaara, and watched as the boy's eyes darted over to look at him. The teen attempted again to move away, but Rasa quickly placed his hands onto the boy's shoulders. He turned his head to Ichigawa. "Give Baki the concoction."

Rasa watched as the man flinched, but then Baki took the medicine. "Lord Rasa, would you allow me to handle this." The look in Baki's eyes said, "you know why."

The looks Rasa's men gave Baki indicated they didn't like how candid Baki was with the forth Kazekage, and yet the auburn haired man knew he had little choice. Rasa moved away to a spot where Gaara couldn't see him. One of the men moved over, and whispered to him. "Are you sure Lord Kazekage? I'm not quite pleased with the fact Baki is trying to usurp your authority."

"He's not trying to usurp my authority, and the fact he's doing what he's doing actually means I'm able to trust him." Rasa noticed the look of confusion at the same time he noticed how Baki spoke in a soft manner to calm down Gaara. "He made a promise to my son that he would protect him, even if it meant protecting him from me."

"But Lord Rasa..." The man swallowed. The man wanted to say something, but held back.

"Baki knows things we don't know. He also feels there is a reason to protect Gaara from myself, and the fact I can't remember that reason, well, it's likely for the best."

"Yes, but he's coddling Lord Gaara. You stopped coddling the young lord a long time ago."

Rasa felt his body tense up, and for a few seconds hesitation flickered. He stepped closer to Baki, and heard the way the man spoke in a soft manner. Gaara's eyes were glued onto the man, so Rasa felt safe getting closer. Gaara's mouth opened then, and Rasa felt his eyebrows shoot up at the word which came out of the boy's mouth. "Poison..."

Baki's eyes closed. "I can see why you would think that it is a poison, in which case there is only one solution."

The forth Kazekage flinched as Baki brought the cup to his lips, and took a sip of the concoction, before giving the rest to Gaara. "Of all..."

"Lord Kazekage..."

Rasa found himself drawn away from the boy, and to his men. "Are you sure that Baki coddling Lord Gaara like this is a good idea?"

The man's minds twisted around an explanation which would satisfy the men. "We don't know how far Gaara's memories have regressed. What is important is the fact the boy trusts Baki to not harm him."

For some reason the explanation didn't feel as if it satisfy the man. To his surprise, the man responded back. "Apologies Lord Kazekage. I must remember that there are things you don't remember, so I'll leave this be."