Author's Note: I give this chapter to you as a peace offering and a sign of my good will. Now please don't kill me.

So hey, guys! How's it going? I'm doing great, if ever you're wondering and...yeah, enough talking huh? Okay then.

Anyway, I'm uploading two chapters, a Part 1 and a Part 2 again, because this baby's a loooooong one. 22 pages, 11,620 words to be exact and I'm not even kidding. It's hard work and I hope you like it.

Enjoy and Review, People~!

Destiny of the Cursed

Chapter 44: Till death do us part

Screaming.

It was all that the girl could hear and it was all that surrounded her. Terrible screams of panic and wails of despair rang inside her ears, reverberating inside her aching skull. The sounds were relentless and so utterly horrifying that it threatened to snap her sanity in half.

It made her sick; made her guts somersault against her will and made goose bumps appear along her limbs. Amidst the chaotic chorus of shrieks and bone-chilling cries, one voice stood out of the many, strong, loud and clear despite the anxiety it held. It bellowed a single name and it trembled with emotion.

"KATANA!"

The voice—deep, angry, scared and so, so familiar—shook her down to the core.

Gaara…She thought, as the image of horrified aquamarine eyes burned itself in her mind. Katana staggered back when the flames of Susanoo roared uncontrollably around her blazing form. Her brave façade was no more and her thoughts were reduced to a jumbled mess of internal panic and terror. Her legs felt like lead; stiff and disobedient, yet shaky, unstable and treacherous at the same time.

Just a few meters in front, Uchiha Madara stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest, an aura of ease and icy calmness surrounding him despite being trapped inside Susanoo's inferno. His dead eyes studied her shuddering form, looking so frail and small from where she was hunched over.

"You look afraid, girl." The voice traveled slowly inside the cocoon of fire—or perhaps, that was just her ringing ears refusing to acknowledge anything besides the hellish noises in the background.

"Shut up." Katana hissed under her breath as she gnashed her teeth together and swallowed tightly, fighting back the screams of frustration welling up deep within her. Thoughts that made no sense raced through her mind and desperately, she tried to sort them out, tried to rack her brain for a useful idea. With her sword propped up shakily in front for defense, she weakly glowered at Madara's unfazed form as anxiety radiated off her.

Power circulated throughout her form, but she was not as naïve as to think for even a moment that it was enough to go against the Uchiha Madara. No, it was far from enough.

What to do? Come on, think! Think of something, dammit!

"Was that the best you could do?"

Eyes with flecks of gold darted towards the man and Katana fixed her glare at his forehead, unable to look at him directly in the eyes for fear of getting caught in a genjutsu. Crisp silence dawned between them as the girl failed to voice out an answer.

As seconds ticked away, the great Uchiha released a silent breath of what seemed like disappointment. He untangled his arms and balled his fists loosely by his sides, taking a brash step forward. As a result, Katana's eyes widened in alarm and she took a clumsy step back, nearly tripping over a rock in her haste.

"So this is it. We're back to playing cat and mouse again. How pitiful…" Madara took another taunting step forward, his cold gaze watching the brunette's every move. Though she trembled with silent apprehension, Katana focused her eyes down at the shinobi's feet and hardened her resolve, refusing to move from where she currently stood. She watched with growing tension as the man continued on his way, taking one firm step at a time.

"Where was the courage you had so boldly displayed earlier? Shame that it's gone so fast, I was beginning to like it…"

He was mocking her, Katana noted, a flare of rage coursing through her veins. Calm down. The brunette adjusted her grip on her weapon, her fingers begging for relief from being curled around the metal handle for too long. He's just trying to get a rise out of you. It's all words. Just calm down.

"Well?" Uchiha Madara asked once more and his eyes—black and red and so undeniably cruel—glinted with a sliver of sick delight when Katana flinched back and coiled tighter like a threatened kitten. "Any last words?" Hating the feeling of cold dread gnawing at the base of her pounding heart and the unpredictability of the situation she was put in, Katana narrowed her swirling eyes into dangerous slits and forced out the thick anxiety circulating inside her system, saying the only thing she deemed proper at the given moment.

"You don't scare me."

Stunned silence met her declaration and Madara seemed stupefied for a quick moment, but before the brunette could even think of getting away, the ancient undead regained his composure. He straightened up slightly, rolling his shoulders back.

"Very well then."

His words were the only warning she received before Madara vanished from her line of sight and a blur tackled her front, sending her skidding away, her feet painfully digging deep into the ground in an attempt to stay upright. Agony made itself known to her once more as her aching arms and shaky hands protested about the searing pain. Gritting her teeth and glaring down at the red breastplate of the man clashing weapons against her, Katana's ears perked up as another jibe came out of the Uchiha's mouth. "You amuse me to no end, girl."

"Enjoy it while you still can", Katana snarled in aggravation, masking the anxious beating of her heart with rage and burning determination, "You're not going to like it very much when we send you back to hell." She shoved the man back with all her might and reveled in the short stagger she had caused him to do, a spark of hope erupting inside her system. But just as she was planning to take a more offensive approach, the man recovered and brought down his red gunbai on her and Katana was pushed back mercilessly on a defensive stance.

"I doubt it."

Strings of curses escaped her as the man in the red armor forced her down, her slighter build standing no chance against Uchiha Madara's undoubtedly larger frame. Adrenaline pumped through her veins in an agonizingly swift pace and her insides twisted and lurched rebelliously at the quick rise of events.

"You cannot win against me." Madara stated as a matter-of-factly, bearing most of his weight down on the kunoichi, his weapon—a large fan made out of an impossibly durable wood and shaped like an eight—dragging noisily against the blade of her sword. "I don't understand what you are fighting for…This is worthless." The man said shortly, unfazed by the pained expression of the younger shinobi at the receiving end of his wrath. "It would be easier on both our parts if you give up now."

I don't understand what you are fighting for...This is worthless.

The words that had been so carelessly uttered drifted to her mind and it sent an electrifying jolt through the brunette's system, a mixture of disbelief, insult and indescribable fury filling her, pushing her blood to boil.

Distractedly, as she struggled to hold the undead at bay, Katana remembered the piles of corpses burned during the sickening clean-up; she remembered fighting alongside shinobi and watching as they were struck one by one, their pained cries the last thing they release before they succumb to oblivion; she remembered the painful sting of guilt that clouded her heart, remembered feeling a strong sense of helplessness like never before.

Her comrades died because of this war, died because they weren't lucky enough to be spared another day. And yet, despite the hopelessness of the case, the remaining soldiers still trudged on and fought battle after battle without a care, even when the shadow of Death hung heavily on each and every single one of them.

For someone to insult the dead so easily felt like a blow to the gut and an unforgivable even Uchiha Madara had the right to label such a brave feat as worthless because it simply wasn't true. How dare he, Katana thought decidedly with a harsh grit of her teeth, her aching knuckles and cold fingers adjusting themselves on a stronger hold on her weapon as newfound courage flared inside her.

A sardonic snort sounded somewhere from the depths of her mind and Katana immediately recognized the familiar voice whose usually dry tone was laced with a hint of pride, "You were never good at following the path that fate destined for you." The statement was followed by a burst of renewed power surging through her veins and the girl's passive aura suddenly lit ablaze with an intensity that made the Uchiha look at her and frown in displeasure.

Narrowing his eyes on her form, the Sharingan wielder sent an effortless shove against the girl and his brows furrowed when instead of toppling over, the young kunoichi merely grunted as a short protest of pain and remained standing rigidly on the ground."Give up."Repeated Madara in a clipped tone, his patience wearing thin.

Black and gold orbs snapped up, containing a silent promise of agony and impending bloodshed. "Never." Katana snarled out. The answer was barely registered by the man's brain when Katana suddenly leapt a step back—breaking their clashed weapons in the process—and then lunged forward in a speed that neither of them knew she possessed.

The repulsive sound of metal ripping through flesh echoed between them as the girl speared her sword through the chink on his armor, the blade piercing through the undead's body and coming out at the back. Despite the putrid smell of decaying flesh wafting to her face, hope flooded Katana's system and crashed into her like a violent wave of ice cold water. With her heart ramming in an obsessive manner inside her chest, Katana gripped the hilt of her sword hard and forced it to the side, almost successfully cutting the undead in half had Madara not jumped away in time.

"What?" The powerful man released a bellow of disbelief, rage taking over his previously emotionless expression as he glared down at the disintegrated part of his torso, the injury already patching up in a rapid pace. "You…" Madara began, his voice shaking with barely contained fury. "You are a fool for fighting against me, girl! If you had only given up when I offered you an out, then—"

"Shut up!" Katana roared as another upsurge of hatred flooded her system, her eyes gaining a glassy tint of bloodlust. "How dare you imply that I'll even consider giving up just to save my own skin! You know nothing." She bared her teeth in a snarl, showing off abnormally long canines, and glowered at the Uchiha with a vicious longing, her whole form quaking in frenzy as she wished nothing more than to rip the man into pieces and burn what remained of his insides.

Suddenly, the earlier fear she felt vanished completely, her hunger for vengeance overpowering it, and for the first time since she transformed into her horrifying appearance, Katana truly felt like a monster: A monster whose guilt-ridden heart was searching for a way to release the darkness residing inside of it.

"You don't know anything about what's happened. After all, how could you? You died and rotted as worm food a long time ago." The brunette spat again as she twirled her weapon inside her hand and gripped it tight, her glazed orbs narrowing in contempt. She met his eyes fearlessly, long since forgetting the fact that she could be caught in a genjutsu.

Recklessly, Katana pushed herself off the ground and charged for the undead, eyes blinded in a haze of bloodlust despite being intently focused on Madara and Madara only. You don't know how many people died trying to fight this war, the girl thought grudgingly as her sword collided against Madara's forearm guard with an earsplitting screech, you have no idea how much blood was spilled already!

You know nothing! The shrieking of metal against metal echoed throughout the battle field and explosions sounded off deafeningly whenever fists or bodies would collide none-too-gently into boulders or high cliffs surrounding the area. Breaking away for a quick moment to sheathe her sword back into its case, Katana's hands wove together, forming seals in an impossibly swift pace as she trained all her anger and agony in the dark chakra gathering in her hands. You can't possibly understand this pain inside me…

"Denduo Tora!" The roar of a beast followed right after and Katana lunged for Madara once more, swiping the chakra-infused hand at the man in hopes of catching him and hitting him for good. You can't possibly feel what I've felt when I saw that sea of corpses…

Every counterattack, every sidestep and dodge that the latter made and every single time he avoided her attacks only fueled the brunette's fiery temper even more. With a growl of frustration under her breath, Katana brushed away the chakra lingering in her hand and slammed both down on the ground, watching coldly as the Uchiha expertly leapt and evaded the glinting black metal bars that sprung up from below.

You can't understand…you can't feel because you're heartless and dead and cruel and you simply don't care! I will never forgive you for calling their deaths worthless!

When the powerful man neared her unconsciously as he dodged the sharp rods shooting up from the earth, Katana pulled out her sword and took a sharp intake of breath, her scattered chakra in the area already darkening in frenzy around her form. This is it! Pulling back her arm, the girl struck the minute the Uchiha turned around, her blade piercing through Madara's metal armor and out of his back.

The sound of ripping flesh was sickening, but it made the girl's hope rise up to impossible heights. I've got him. Narrowing her eyes in triumph, Katana gave into temptation and looked up in order to glare into those merciless eyes, yet instantly regretted the decision. No sooner than when her furious gaze met his leveled stare, every muscle in Katana's body froze against her will and her eyes widened at the realization.

Genjutsu. No. No, no, no—

"You are indeed…a very foolish girl." Uchiha Madara breathed out from above her, his grimace deep as he slid out from where he was impaled by the sword, the wound immediately regenerating and healing itself. He stood barely a meter away as he crossed his arms over his chest and regarded the kunoichi with a disappointed stare before stooping down and picking up his discarded gunbai, not once leaving his eyes off hers.

"You were so close…so close to ending me." Madara stated slowly as he carefully observed the growing rage inside the girl's swirling black and gold orbs. "And yet, all it took was a single careless decision to shatter all that hard work." He took a step forward, closing in on her froze form and Katana could do nothing but stare.

Each step slapped against the broken pavement noisily, the sound erupting in her ears like tiny, little explosions. She could only wait, with her breath stuck in her throat, and watch through wide, anxious orbs as the legendary man—the man who was said to be the root of all evil—approached her. Try as hard as she might to focus her chakra in one place and break the genjutsu casted upon her, the girl found herself unable to concentrate. The footsteps were thoroughly distracting, each one purposely heavy and each scraped against the rough ground, agitating the girl's system further into panic and resembling a spring wound tight with tension.

Dammit, this cannot be happening!

As soon as he was in front of the girl, Madara bent down and pried the weapon out of Katana's hand without much effort, testing the blade's weight in his hand. "This is a good sword." The Uchiha commented offhandedly, caressing the blade with his fingers without as much as a glance sent to its direction.

Slowly, he raised the weapon to his side and pointed it calmly towards Katana's forehead. From where she was frozen in her place, the brunette's breathing hitched. I'm going to die. Katana thought in disbelief and utter stupor, her eyes clouding over with anxiety. He's going to kill me. I'm going to die…

"One mistake." Madara murmured, his voice so soft that Katana had a hard time deciphering his words even with the just small distance between them. "In war, one mistake can equate to a great loss. You are strong, kunoichi. Exceptional, even. But there are many things you still don't know about the real world. You rely too much on your emotions and instincts but you do not consult your mind enough. There are no second chances in the real world. That is the truth." Madara said, staring coldly down at the girl.

"And because of that mistake you made, you'll now die by your own weapon." The darkness in his eyes was unyielding and no matter how much the girl tried, Katana cannot manage to avert her gaze away from those empty, dead orbs. He pulled his arm back, the sword in his hand glinting sliver and on the inside, Katana thrashed about relentlessly.

"Goodbye—"

The man's stoic farewell was rudely interrupted by the two powerful kicks delivered to his chest that sent him spiraling a good distance away. Immediately, Katana felt her control over her body return and her eyes widened as she gasped out in pain, her vision blurring into a dim light, her form crumpling down to the ground as her body was reduced to painful spasms and her lungs clenched as they greedily took in air. Madara. The name flashed through her mind like a knife stab.

That bastard… I couldn't end him. I couldn't defeat him. Just when I finally…tch, DAMMIT!

Knees were scraped as they fell to the earth but they were the least of the girl's worries as a flash of pain coursed through her again. The power she felt running through her veins earlier died so suddenly and left her feeling hollow as she collapsed on her knees. The warmth of her personal shield vanished, along with Susanoo's destructively icy flames. From what seemed like just a few meters away, Katana heard a familiar feminine voice that was none-too gentle as the woman barked out orders.

"Rally the troops! Gather the injured and get the hell out of here!"

Coughing out dust and wheezing in between mouthfuls of much needed air, the girl heard the impending footsteps increasing in number and volume and suddenly, she was engulfed by a crowd, hundreds of shinobi racing past her kneeling form.

Hands settled on her shoulders, on her back and arms, inspecting for any fatal injuries and checking her pulse. Reflexively, she waved away the meddling hands and murmured dismissively about the various open wounds and gashes etched on her body.

"Come on, soldier." Grunted a medic as he pulled her up in a standing position. "Up you go. We've still got a war to win."Katana staggered, feeling nauseated at the new altitude, but she settled on her shaky feet nonetheless, denying any offered help from the med-nins surrounding her. "Thank you." She rasped out weakly, giving the nameless medics a grateful nod before turning her back on them and running towards where shinobi were huddled the most.

"Hey, wait! The troops are going the opposite way, girl!"

The medic's call fell on deaf ears as Katana kept her hurried pace, her earlier anger and disappointment replaced by a sudden need to look for a certain redhead. Despite the still-erratic beating of her racing heart, she could feel the physical pain gradually slip away, fading out into uncomfortable soreness.

Taking a moment to catch her uneven breath, Katana craned her neck to the sides, carefully taking in the ruined terrain and the jagged rocks littering the place. The army…it seems that they've regrouped. Ignoring the protests of stiff joints and aching muscles, the brunette resumed her jog, grey eyes searching for a familiarly stoic face amidst the horde of soldiers.

"…the injured. Make sure you take everyone with you. Keep your eyes open for any danger."

The velvet voice drifted to her ears and on instinct, Katana changed direction, hurriedly approaching the largest crowd yet. Without a care, she began to squeeze past the other shinobi, letting the angry protests of the people to fly over her head.

"Sorry. Sorry, please excuse me. Excuse me." She apologized distractedly, the need to see him gnawing on her heavy heart. Finally, the girl found herself reaching the center of the thick crowd and there stood the person she wanted to see from the very start, merely feet away from where her she stood.

"Gaara…" Blinking out of her relieved stupor, the girl managed to run as far as a few meters before Suna shinobi blocked her way for some unknown reason. "This is as far as you go." The gruff tone of the Suna jounin registered in her ears and she looked up at the tall man, her eyes flashing with hidden desperation and plea even when her features turned down into a frown.

"It's okay, I know the Kazekage personally." She argued, trying to evade the guards and failing miserably. "Please, I need to talk to him." The jounins had positioned themselves in a way that reminded her of a sturdy brick wall, stiff and unbendable.

"No can do." The Sunian soldier replied, his voice softening just a bit at the obvious misery reflecting off the younger girl's face. Clearing his throat, he shifted his weight on either feet, fidgeting uncomfortably under the brunette's pleading glare. "We're under strict orders not to let anyone get near the Kages, especially since they're injured." Frowning a little, the guard glanced back at his shoulder in order to look at his commander from afar. "Goodness knows the enemy would blend themselves within the back-up if presented the opportunity…we can't take such risks."

"But I'm not an enemy. You can damn well see that." Clenching her jaws at the boiling frustration she felt when the equally stubborn shinobi didn't reply, Katana resisted the urge to take out her weapon and get it done with. Every second she spent reasoning with the jounin was another second wasted. "Please." She tried again, this time standing on her tiptoes and looking over their broad shoulders to see the redhead still heatedly conversing with the Tsuchikage, looking upset even from a distance.

"Please, I'm his—"

"Aren't ya supposed t' evacuate with the others?" Another one of the guards piped in to cut off her statement. He pointed a finger to the gathering troops behind Katana and frowned. Looking back to follow his gaze, Katana realized that the crowd that surrounded them earlier had long since dissipated and she was left along with the two jounins. "Pretty sure the Kages ordered everyone ta' retreat." The guard explained shortly, looking at her in suspicion.

They did?

The troubling question lingered in her mind but she pushed the thought away with a shake of her head, "I'm not going until I talk to Kazekage-sama." Katana dropped her statement, giving up in her method of persuasion, and instead, shoved the guards apart with surprising force, managing to make them stumble but not enough to break them apart.

"Stop that!" Ordered the first jounin, scowling as he held her back when she tried to run from in between them.

"Ya have t' understand—" Supported the one with the accent.

"At ease, Ueno-san, Sato-san."

The Kazekage's voice caused both men to jump away and both turned their heads to see the lean redhead standing regally from behind them. Relief flooded Katana as soon as she laid eyes on his standing form and she allowed herself to scan him up and down, her gaze catching a hold of the multiple bandages wrapped around one of his arms and the awful-looking burns that marred his once smooth hands—the sleeves of his maroon shirt were charred black—before her grey eyes met his sea foam ones.

Slowly, she felt her fears disintegrate from where they were hidden deep and tormenting her heart, vanishing into nothing as if they weren't even there to begin with.

"Gaa—I-I mean, Kazekage-sama." She stuttered out uncertainly, clueless as how to act in front of his subordinates. Fumbling with her hands, she shakily raised one in a weak salute, much to the disapproval of the jounins standing behind her.

"Katana." The redhead said curtly, his gaze desolate and longing as he finished his own inspection of her broken and battered figure. It was obvious enough to anyone that the boy was positively drained of energy, not just physically or mentally—but emotionally as well, if his earlier argument with the Tsuchikage was any indication.

Wrenching his eyes away from her for a moment, he turned to the guards and sent them a slight nod of thanks. "It's alright." He reassured them and for a minute, Katana noticed his infamous stoic mask slide back into place, covering up his emotions. "I know her."

"But Kazekage-sama—"

Their protests were stopped short when the brunette closed the distance between her and the young leader, her movements fluid as she pulled the taller boy against her body, her arms wound tight around his neck and her hands clutching fistfuls of his brown vest. Any remaining thought about following protocol slipped out of her mind completely the minute she saw the all-too-dull glint in his eyes and Katana would be damned if she allowed military etiquette to get in her way now.

The guards' combined shock only increased tenfold when they saw their Kazekage melt inside the kunoichi's hold, his tense shoulders dropping down and his arms wrapping themselves around her waist—so gently, as if he was handling a fragile porcelain doll.

The once-feared redhead was downright docile and suddenly, the Sabaku no Gaara they knew and dreaded their whole lives was no more; in his place was a painfully young lad, vulnerable and weary from the heavy burden that came with being the leader of a village. One of them broke out of his stupor faster than the other could and with an embarrassed cough, the stern jounin dragged his slack-jawed partner away and left the young ones to themselves.

"Gaara", Katana muttered breathlessly when he pressed his face down on the juncture of her neck, his harsh exhales warm against her skin, "Gaara…" She whispered his name lowly, unable to find it in herself to raise her voice and disrupt the quietness surrounding them.

Shutting her weary eyes, the brunette inhaled deeply, ignoring the stabbing pain delivered to her lungs and feeling the waves of tension and fear rolling off the redhead from inside her embrace. She shuddered, the overwhelming distress that the boy caged within him suddenly bursting forth and drowning both of them in dark, negative energy. "Gaara, what happened?"

He didn't answer but his breathing hitched sharply as he tightened his hold on her, blunt nails digging on her hips in a vice-like grip. Burrowing his face further down her collar, Gaara released what sounded like a devastated sigh.

"I'm fine." He told her unconvincingly, his voice lower than a whisper and breaking at the edges. "It's nothing."

"But—your hands...you're injured, where did you—"

Before Katana could continue her question, Gaara pulled away, though the movement was reluctant. He straightened up to his full height and let loose a silent sigh, his hand coming up to wipe away a blood stain from Katana's left cheek. "We need to get going."The brunette clamped her mouth shut, albeit a little grudgingly, and nodded glumly.

"Of course."

She allowed him to lead the way back to where the army had gathered into organized blocks and gradually, Katana could feel her earlier apprehension come back full force. Scanning the majority of the soldiers as she gritted her jaws, Katana took in the sight of broken limbs, unconscious shinobi and bleeding, gaping wounds.

"Are you sure you want me to go with them?" She asked Gaara with a glance sent to his direction, after a quick once-over she sent herself. "I could still fight after all." In comparison to their injuries, Katana considered herself quite fortunate, what with only a few deep lacerations, some minor gashes and a possibly low chakra level earned even after fighting the Uchiha Madara. Much to her surprise and disappointment, the boy shook his head dismally. "No." He answered back, meeting her hardheaded gaze with a weary look. "No one is to stay behind. We five Kages can handle this on our own."

"I know that." Katana said but her deep grimace told the redhead otherwise. Silently, she took one of his burned hands in hers, stiffening guiltily when the boy flinched lightly in pain. "But you're aware that I'm the only one who could enter Susanoo or counter the flames of Amaterasu." She reminded him in a hard tone, looking up to meet his lifeless aquamarine eyes in a leveled stare."There's no doubt Madara would not hesitate to use it again, especially if it grants him such an advantage. Even Tou-sama can't—"

"We'll manage."

Katana glowered at him. "That's not enough."She snapped, her ire only increasing when the redhead pointedly looked away. "Gaara, I can still fight. I've got enough chakra. You know I'm essential in this battle." Her gaze hardened, her words losing their gentleness as the girl reverted back to being the battle-worn soldier she was trained to be. "Not to overestimate my abilities, but both you and I know damn well that I can be of great help here." Clenching her fists when the latter refused to meet her eyes, Katana let loose an aggravated growl, fighting the urge to shove the redhead for being so overbearing, "I'm not leaving you! Sending me away would be idiotic—"

"I'm not going to let you fight in that condition."

"Don't be stupid." Katana snarled in a combination of offense and outrage. "You're practically in the same predicament!" The outburst earned them a few stares, here and there, the shinobi surrounding them stunned to the point of being speechless at the sight of a kunoichi talking back to their Commander General. Despite being the center of unwanted attention, the two only had eyes for each other, both glaring at the latter with all their might.

Not unlike her, Gaara's eyes narrowed into his infamous glare but the look didn't have its desired effect on the girl. On the contrary, it seemed to have even further riled her up. Recognizing an impending defeat, Gaara looked away and balled his fists, using his last resort. "Katana, you need to understand—"

Katana's eyes flashed. "Understand what?" She snarled, her own hands coiling into tight fists, "That this is foolish and—"

"That I'm scared." Gaara snapped back, the sudden force in his tone startling the girl into silence. "I can't concentrate when you're here." He lifted up both his hands, presenting her the fresh and sickeningly red burns that damaged his skin. "When I saw you jump into Susanoo, I lost all sense of reasoning." He confessed, his voice dropping into a shamed murmur but his stubborn gaze never wavered. "I ran, without any rational thought, and I jumped into Susanoo to try and save you."

Grimacing, he withdrew his hands back down to his sides and clenched them once more. "Temari and Naruto pulled me out just before the flames could consume me. You have to understand—as Commander General, I can't afford to be distracted with being concerned with you right now."

Tension crackled between them as Katana stared at him in a mixture of disbelief and hurt and Gaara gathered his remaining willpower in order for his resolve not to crumble at her upset expression. The rebellious moisture gathering in her eyelids were making him nauseous, knowing that he was the cause of her unshed tears.

Grey eyes trailed down and fixed themselves at the injuries again, a lump in her throat steadily growing in size. Guilt seized her heart and her gut churned, the girl feeling the urge to throw up the contents of her stomach at the knowledge that she had almost indirectly caused the redhead to die. More than that, his words were painful and biting, his statement hitting home.

I can't afford to be distracted with being concerned with you right now.

With a broken breath, Katana tore her eyes away from his hands, one of her tight fists uncurling to send the Kazekage a mocking salute. "Fine." She said in a venomous whisper, more of guilty than anything else, as she dropped her salute sharply, making the redhead wince. "As you wish, Kazekage-sama."

Never before did the title make him feel so unwanted.

Watching helplessly as the girl stiffly marched past him and towards the gathering troops, Gaara shrugged off his wounded pride and called out desperately, "Katana." His long-fingered hands caught her wrist before she could move out of his reach. Thankfully, the young woman still had the heart to look back at him, no matter how vicious the glance was. "What?" She demanded and suddenly, warmth surrounding her form, his arms wrapped around her once again and her front pressed flush against his sturdy chest. Anger drained away from her system against her will.

"Stay safe." Gaara whispered as a last minute reminder, his heart squeezing in pain. "The hourglass I gave you…hold onto it."His words reverberated endlessly inside the girl's ears and Katana noted, with a tight clench of her chest, that the redhead might have just uttered his last words.

Gritting her jaws, Katana shoved his arms away and made a rough grab for his collar, pulling him down to her level before the redhead could utter a protest. Their mouths aligned, lips crashing with intensity they'd never experience before. The kiss was desperate and demanding, with their hands clutching each other for support and reassurance and their eyes pressed close, blocking out the rest of the world.

Parting when they were reminded that breathing was a necessity, Katana gasped breathlessly and stepped away, inhaling deeply before saying her goodbye. "Stay alive." She deadpanned, her tone leaving no room for argument as she pointed a menacing finger at him before miserably turning her back on him, jogging to join the troops.

Her retreating form carved itself into his mind, forever haunting him.

It continues at the next chapter -