Author's Note: I'd say sorry, but I don't think it'll make a difference. You guys would still be after my blood.
But, ah, what the hell. I'm so sorry, everyone, for being 5 months late into updating. I know, I know. I'm a horrible person for making you all wait that long. Especially since the last chapter was so heavy with drama. (Not that this chapter is any better. *Cough*) On a happier side note, I finally graduated high school! :D Anyway, I won't keep you guys much longer. I hope this chapter makes your day. You know the drill.
Enjoy and review!
Destiny of the Cursed
Chapter 46: Meaningless Victory
When they arrived at the site of the battlefield, the war was at its bloodiest state yet, with mass numbers of kunai flying, explosions erupting out of nowhere, light flashing and giant summons the height of skyscrapers visible even from a great distance. Despite the remnants of grief clinging onto his mind, alarm rose from within Gaara's system at the sound of the tremendous rumbling of the earth, along with a chorus of shouts. Narrowing his eyes as he ran, the redhead swiped his arm out in front, summoning sand to mold into a solid platform and leaping up onto it expertly.
"I'm going overhead!" Gaara announced just as his two siblings ran up to his sides, the sand still flying low enough for them to be able to hear him over the explosions. Sharply, he turned to his left where Kankuro was running, his dark eyes pinned on him patiently. "Kankuro, take a team and scout the area. Temari", he craned his head to look at his sister, whose grim expression tightened visibly by every passing second, "I want you to lead the rest and wait for my signal."
With a curt nod and a gritted jaw, Temari allowed herself to fall behind, slowing her pace to return to the army and inform them of the plan. Gaara flickered his gaze back to the other side to watch the puppeteer bellowing orders of his own to his gathered soldiers, his group already meters ahead of the Kazekage. Swallowing the tight lump growing inside his throat, Gaara willed the sand to rise up to the skies, whizzing smoothly against the harsh gusts of wind. He plowed through, despite the biting cold cutting on exposed skin and the way it made his wounds—still fresh, still painful—sting and burn. Soon, the grand overview of the battlefield was presented to him as a reward for his endurance. Looking down and squinting to see through the smoke caused by the explosions, the redhead scanned the fight, thorough and swift at the same time, trying to gather as much intel as possible in the half a minute time span he gave himself.
There was Raikage, fast and huge, his whole, hulking form radiating lightning that made it impossible to miss him. There was Tsunade, all fists and outrage and brute force; the Mizukage spewing a flood of liquid lava, Tsuchikage-sama not far behind her; Inuzuka Kiba, his sister and their dogs, along with Hyuuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, the Yamanaka girl and the round form of Akimichi Chouji and the rest. The bright green of Rock Lee's suit blaringly stood out from the background of the dark, red blood and gore, and somewhere not far from where he was, his sensei's matching uniform could be seen as well. The genius Hyuuga Neji, however, was nowhere in sight and Gaara ignored the sinking feeling of hopelessness and prayed to any deity that the shinobi was, at the very least, somehow alive.
Fifteen seconds remained.
There were white creatures, standing at a height of at least 3 meters, some even as tall as 15 meters, ugly and vicious as they tore through the shinobi army. The soldiers fought on though, and it seemed as if they were holding their ground just fine. Aquamarine eyes flickered north and at the sight, Gaara blinked twice and grimaced, unsure of what it was that he just saw. 'Is that', he hesitated, and with good reason, too, 'the Third Hokage?' The redhead had only seen him once in his lifetime, during the Chuunin Exams five years ago, but there was no way he could be wrong. It was indeed the Third Hokage, Gaara realized after a split second of watching the figure slam his hands on the ground and summon a gigantic ape. 'Edo Tensei.' The redhead concluded safely, but grimaced at the new questions that popped up inside his mind: Wasn't the Edo Tensei canceled? Had the jutsu been restored again? If so, then who did it? Which side did the undead belong to now?
The last question was quickly answered as he saw the ape summon charge with a furious roar at the group of white creatures, sending them flying away at the swing of his arm. That piece of information was at least a little relieving compared to the rest.
Eight seconds left.
The yellow form of energy he was desperately searching for suddenly appeared into view as the wind blew and cleared up the rest of the fog, and there were two of them. 'A clone?' Gaara asked himself but dismissed the thought as he remember Naruto telling him previously that, no, he couldn't create a clone in that form; it was too dangerous. Before the redhead could again rack his mind for a logical explanation for it, his interest shifted at the tiny form of blue covered in lightning, swift and deadly as it traveled in zigzags and sent enemies tumbling down onto the ground, dead. The lightning energy vanished and was replaced by a humanoid creature that Gaara was certainly not fond of, a shield of cold, black flames, of chakra-based ribs and spine. 'Susanoo…'
Four seconds was left before it had fully dawned onto him, the realization bitter and not very relieving, and it left him stunned to the point of numbness. 'That's…Uchiha Sasuke.' The young leader mused in deep thought, distractedly forming the necessary hand seals for a Kage Bunshin no jutsu. 'The avenger is back.' The sand clone was sent flying back down to where Temari and the back-up were waiting for the signal, Gaara himself taking on a different course of action. He flew down, diving swiftly like a predator charging for its target. He gathered his breath into a deep inhale, narrowed eyes tight with concentration. 'Now.'
As soon as he was near enough the battlefield, the lad raised his arms to his side and felt the telltale rush of energy surging out from within his very core, chakra burning like fuel as an enormous wave of sand roared to life, untamable and a force to be reckoned with as it rolled hastily, wiping away the white creatures in a blink of an eye and turning the tide of the battle to their side for good.
"Kazekage-sama's sand tsunami!"
"Kazekage-sama is back!"
"Back-up from the Fifth Company!" He heard the soldiers on the ground scream out in obvious relief, the renewed hope crashing into them in full force. From a distance, his ears registered Temari's ferocious battle cry and felt the aftershocks of her violent gusts of wind. Despite the toll of exhaustion weighing down on him, Gaara felt his determination turn almost fiery hot, the flashes of memories—the girl lying on the dirt, bleeding out, broken and choking; the girl on the bed, unresponsive, cold to touch, bruised black and blue—whizzing through his mind and causing his outrage to return a hundred fold.
Narrowing his eyes as he forced the thought out, he whipped his arm around, catching a hold of several monsters all at once before proceeding to close his fist harshly. Limbs went flying and white monster blood rained on the young Kazekage, but Gaara took it all in stride, unblinking. There was a distinct growl behind him and the sound of claws slicing through sand, the noise getting nearer and nearer, until the redhead whipped around with an icy glare that had even the monster hesitate slightly in its tracks.
His foot connected with the torso of the white thing unapologetically and sent it flying away to collapse against its fellow creatures. With a flick of his wrist, the sand scattered on his command and exploded in front of the enemies, effectively pushing them at least a meter back. As soon as the dust particles settled down, however, they were onto him once again, unwilling to give him even just a short reprieve, drawn to Gaara like moths to a bright flame. Instead of the usual calmness he prided himself on, Gaara felt his temper flare up dangerously, provoking the dormant urge that resided deep inside of him to take over once again; to destroy, to break, to make something bleed.
He fought brutally, merciless and unfeeling as he tore through the enemy lines with his blizzard of sand; gripping, breaking, snapping, crushing…squeezing the life out of bodies. It scared him, the way he was, the way he felt; it was as if the old Gaara had returned, except without the unquenchable bloodlust and this time, with a rage too hard to explain. There was no blood present, the crushed bodies of his enemies turning into a disgusting white mess and scattered chakra, but Gaara kept remembering blood anyway. He remembered the putrid stench hitting his senses, so unlike the tantalizing scent he was addicted to back when he still housed the Ichibi. It made his eyes water, the thick, crimson color overwhelming his sight and the way it slid down tauntingly, out of the brunette's gasping mouth down to her chin and falling with a faint 'splat' against his cheek—
'Enough', Gaara let out an animalistic snarl as he clenched his fist into a ball and heard a series of sickening crunches, the dying wail of the creature inside his sand coffin still not enough to prevent him from recalling the sound of Katana's bones cracking as she was brought down to the cold, hard ground again and again. 'Stop it.' He recalled the way she gasped out his name, broken screams repeating a single word as the girl desperately expelled her chakra, her hands bloody and warm against his chest. Gaara, Gaara, GAARA, PLEASE—
A roar that resounded a little too loud broke Gaara from his reverie and the redhead pulled his arm back before a monster could tear it away from his body using those strong jaws, but the movement was too fast, too harsh, and the result was an electrifying pain that shot from his wrist up to his spine. With a sharp breath of barely contained agony, Gaara sent sand to shove the creature away before thick grainy ropes surrounded it, covering it layer by layer until it was buried deep into the ground. He huffed, letting out a breathless wheeze of effort, grudgingly wishing he could bury his inner turmoil the way he buried the monster alive. His thoughts were an endless torture, causing his heart to stutter, his concentration to waver, and the images behind his eyes were more painful than the burning pull of torn muscles in his limbs. The worst thing was, he couldn't do anything to stop it.
"GAARA! Over here!"
The call broke through his haze after what seemed like an eternity of him crushing body after body of enemies, and the redhead swooped down to the source of the noise, smoothly landing down in a crouch beside Naruto himself. "I'm here." He said, trying to mask the breathless wheeze of agony that came after it. There was a disturbing presence of something thick and damp seeping through his clothes and his hands were trembling from the effort earlier but he dutifully ignored it, chalking up the dampness to sweat and the trembling to the rage that still bubbled in his veins. "What's the situation?" He glanced at the other boy, narrowing his eyes at the shock he saw being reflected on Naruto's gaze. 'It must be the bloodlust in my eyes', Gaara thought numbly, still disgusted and still ashamed of the things he felt but no longer surprised, 'or the hatred.' In his defense, the redhead was trying his hardest to contain his own urge to gawk in disbelief.
While his friend had always been bright and attention-catching, Gaara certainly didn't think Naruto would actually become like this. The blonde hero was glowing—literally. He was surrounded by a haze of golden fire and every single cell of his form radiated energy. It was difficult to maintain an indifferent expression when one laid eyes on him, even for Gaara. "Naruto." He prompted in an impatient tone when the other didn't respond immediately. Jerking away as if pulled out from a trance, Naruto shook his head and hesitated before looking gravely at the Kazekage once more.
"It's kind of complicated." Naruto admitted in frustration, scratching his glowing, yellow head and clicking his tongue against his teeth as he balled his fists. "But so far, we've managed to keep the small, white monsters under control and the First Hokage is keeping Madara busy. Our only problem right now is—"
"The First Hokage?" Gaara echoed incredulously, staring at the blonde hero as if he'd grown a second head. Blinking twice in confusion, Naruto glanced back at him, his usually bright, blue eyes turned into a fiery ruby. "You don't know?" The jinchuuriki asked, and then explained shortly, "They were brought back using Edo Tensei, all the past Hokage. All of them — Wait, watch out!"
Dodging out of the way just as a fireball flew past and crashed against the mountain side from afar, Gaara gritted his jaw and casted his gaze out in the open, noticing just then the humongous creature that stood its ground at the very front. As it let out a bone-chilling shriek, the Kazekage created a sand platform again and hopped on, grabbing the blonde along with him. "They said the Edo Tensei was canceled. What happened?" Gaara demanded heatedly as they flew towards the menacing disfigured thing as Naruto had instructed him.
"Orochimaru was the one who did the Edo Tensei—Don't worry though", the blonde added hastily when the Kazekage rounded on him with a look of alarm, "he's on our side. I don't understand why, but he is. And so is Sasuke!" He said with an incredulous grin slipping into his expression and ignored the way Gaara grimaced deeply. "Can you believe tha— Aah! Fireball!" Naruto's coherent statement was reduced once more into alarmed yells that rang inside the shell of Gaara's ear painfully. "Left! Swerve left! LEFT!"
Gritting his teeth as he made their ride dive a sharp left, the fireball whizzed past and missed them by an inch or so, leaving both lads breathless and with their hearts racing. "Gaara", his blonde friend, the supposedly fearless hero, croaked out weakly from beside him, "as much fun as this was, let's not do it again." Though he gave no response to that, Gaara struggled with righting his breath and completely agreed internally. The pain in his body was back, the burn on both his side and his back returning with a vengeance. The redhead sucked a deep breath and let it out shakily, vision swimming as he concentrated on keeping the two of them both airborne.
'I must've opened my stitches earlier', he thought with a frustrated clench of his jaw, 'dammit, not now. Not now.'
The young Kazekage was vaguely aware of the ridiculous amount of chakra that left his system, but he couldn't bring himself to put a stop to it, much less figure out how to restrain it. He felt weak and wobbly, as if his bones were made of liquid lead and the bullets of cold sweat that began to drip from his forehead were absolutely not helping. 'Focus', he told himself sternly, ignoring the wet sensation growing on his back. 'Blood.' His brain supplied and the redhead shuddered at the thought, but he brushed it off just as quickly, swallowing hard and bracing himself as they closed in on the Juubi.
The beast was a horrific sight, all claws and teeth and violently swaying tails, looking as freakish and unnatural as a monster could be. When it roared, the sound shook the whole plain and rocks erupted up from the ground, cracks and fissures appearing out of nowhere. Looking down, Gaara noticed with increasing alarm that the white creatures that wreaked havoc on the battlefield were the same ones that the Juubi produced from its own flesh and energy, popping them out of its system like larvae. Despite the searing agony on his back, Gaara raised his arms and stifled a pained groan, the noise of the sand bursting forth from his gourd roaring in his ears. With shaking limbs, he formed the particles into tight spheres and waved his hands down, sending a barrage of comet-like sand to rain down on the crowd of charging monsters. He sent wave after wave of sand tsunami after the sand hail, buying enough time for the shinobi army to regroup themselves back into organization.
"Thank you, Kazekage-sama!"
He heard the soldiers call out from a distance, their voices blurry and scrambled together into incoherent noises inside his pounding head. With a broken inhale, Gaara struggled on, getting closer and closer to the wretched Ten Tails. Behind him, Naruto let out a noise of approval, clapping a hand down on Gaara's back and it was all the redhead can do not to stagger onto his knees in pain. He could register the blonde's voice, loud and heavy as Naruto spoke, but the words were no more than a garbled mess that his aching head could not wish to decipher.
"...don't know how, but we've gotta do it. Gaara, we've gotta—Hey, are you listening? Gaara! Hey, I— Gaara. Gaara, oh shit, Gaara, you're bleeding!"
The redhead was jolted out of his daze as soon as a hand pressed against a blood-soaked spot and a sharp searing pain radiated throughout his body. Releasing a choked groan, Gaara almost fell out of the sand platform, if not for Naruto catching his torso immediately. The sand did a gut-wrenching turn as it spun out of control for about a split second before the redhead used what remained of his fleeting concentration to right it once more. "Naruto—"
"Why are you bleeding?!" Came Naruto's immediate demand as he turned Gaara to face him, the shinobi's ruby red eyes wide in a mixture of worry and alarm. "You weren't bleeding earlier. What happened? Did you—"
"I think I", Gaara interrupted with a choked groan of pain when the blonde pressed too hard on the wound, "o-opened my stitches while fighting. Stop that." He added in a hiss, pressing his eyes close and feeling the rush of relief when Naruto finally retracted his hand away from the wound and placed it on the redhead's shoulder instead. "Okay." Naruto nodded in understanding, looking more alarmed by the second as warm, red liquid continued to soak through Gaara's vest, the two large bloodstains by his back and his side spreading and joining to create a single wide wet spot. "I've got you, Gaara. I've got you, I've got you." He reassured the latter in an incoherent stream of babble, panic evident in his gaze. "Go down, I'll be taking you to the medical team."
"No." Gaara said through gritted teeth, trying his best to maintain his control on the sand. "Plan." He gripped at Naruto's arm, digging his blunt nails into the flesh beneath his hand to block out the insistent throb of pain coming from his back wound. Gaara shook his head, stubbornly swallowing down the painful lump growing inside his throat. "What's your plan?" He asked, already in the process of pulling himself upright despite the nausea threatening to overwhelm him.
"My pla—What? Are you crazy?" Naruto stared at him, slack-jawed. "You're bleeding and you're asking me what my plan of attack is—"
Naruto's statement was interrupted by a streak of blue that suddenly swooped down and landed with a faint 'thump' on the sand platform. Despite his predicament, the redhead whipped his head up and swung his arm, swiftly catching the intruder inside the thick ropes of his sand. "Easy." He registered the cool voice before his gaze could fully focus on the face of the newcomer that joined them on his sand platform. With a grimace, Gaara reluctantly lowered his hands, dropping the sand that held the stranger. "Uchiha." He grunted in acknowledgment, voice devoid of any other emotion except uncertainty. From where he held Gaara, Naruto gave the dark-haired boy a relieved grin. "Teme! You finally made it!"
"Tch, of course I did." Sasuke snapped back at the blonde as he stood stiffly and clutched a bleeding arm. One of his temples spurted out blood from a head wound but the Uchiha paid it no attention and instead focused on the redhead, nodding back and returning the curt greeting. "Kazekage. You're bleeding." At the badly timed statement, Gaara narrowed his eyes in barely concealed irritation, the latter's dry sarcasm not at all helping his pain. "I'm aware." He bit out waspishly, pushing himself away from Naruto's supporting hands and ignoring the worried protest that came with it. Grimacing at the Uchiha, Gaara gave him a half-hearted once-over, his expression laced with blatant distrust. "What are you doing here?"
The ex-rogue raised an eyebrow at the straightforward question, but aside from that, Sasuke gave no other reaction to the suspicion in Gaara's tone. "I'm here to help." The avenger stated simply, his expression as guarded and unreadable as always, failing to reassure Gaara in any way. But time was essential and they were running out of it quickly, placing the redhead in a position he wasn't comfortable with yet had no choice except to work with it. Pressing his mouth into a thin line, Gaara jerked his head once in a curt nod. "Very well." The Kage kept a firm hand pressed against his sore side and outstretched his free arm, willing the platform to go as fast as it can get. "We're getting close." He told both shinobi, looking back to send a quick glare when Sasuke gave a faint snort at the sound of his pained exhale. Beside the sharingan wielder, Naruto released a strained sound and elbowed the other boy, only aiming to make him stop provoking the temperamental redhead but accidentally hitting his injured arm and therefore causing Sasuke to hiss at the sting of his wounds and glower in turn at Naruto.
Gaara resisted the urge to drop both of them out of his sand when the first few noises of a heated argument made its way to his ringing ears. "Stop fighting." He reprimanded instead, forcing himself to take a deep, calming breath and ignore the blood that kept seeping through his clothes from out of the wound. When they didn't seem to have heard him from over their loudening voices, Gaara added in his most threatening tone, "Or I'll have no choice but to allow the three of us to plunge to our deaths at this height. Flying's hard enough when I'm bleeding from my back. I don't need both of you to add to my list of distractions, too." That promptly shut them up. It seemed that when the three most powerful shinobi combined to work as a single unit, they came out as laughably pathetic. "Naruto. Your plan?"
"Oh! Right." Quickly ending the childish squabble between him and Sasuke, Naruto came up to Gaara's side, pointing a finger to where the Juubi's thrashing head was located in the distance. "See that? We need to go directly above the Ten tails. The fake Madara is the one controlling the beast, so I'll handle him. I need you to drop me off on his back. Meanwhile, you and Sasuke" He stopped, giving both his friends a pointed look that clearly told them to play nice, "and Shikamaru and whoever he tagged along will pull out the other bijuus from the Ten tails." At the mention of the chakra beasts, a grimace pulled at the Kazekage's features unconsciously, deep enough to catch Naruto's attention.
"Gaara." The voice interrupted the redhead's thoughts without warning, causing Gaara to sharply turn and see scarlet eyes looking at him with concern. "You gonna be okay?" Naruto asked, the understanding look in his eyes enough to make Gaara realize that the blonde wasn't just asking him about his bleeding wounds. "Yes." He exhaled in answer and nodded gratefully at his friend, not catching the wary glance that Sasuke sent his way. Swallowing the tight lump in his throat, the young Kage turned his attention back down to the monster below. "You're sure?" Naruto prompted again in a whisper, nudging him gently to grab his attention. "You don't have to do this. I'm sure Shikamaru brought enough people to—"
"I'm fine, Naruto." Gaara turned, fixing his aquamarine gaze on the blonde's scarlet eyes. He held the latter's hesitant look until Naruto had no choice but to drop his head in defeat and sigh. "Alright, alright. If you say so." Shaking his head, Naruto glanced at Gaara helplessly. "Man, if Katana-chan discovers that I let you fight in that condition, she's gonna skin me alive." The blonde even shuddered, though if it was to add effect to his statement or a real shudder, Gaara didn't know. The brunette's name unknowingly made the redhead's breath hitch and he swallowed again, the dryness of his throat pestering him as it seemed to close up. Dreadfully glancing at the blonde by his side, Gaara felt guilt consume him at the cluelessness that he found in the latter's eyes.
"Speaking of Katana-chan", Naruto continued, oblivious to the inner turmoil of the redhead, "I haven't seen her since Madara last attacked and Tsunade-baa-chan ordered a retreat. Where is she anyway?"
"Medical camp." The redhead answered tersely, hoping his friend would notice his discomfort and drop the subject. But instead of accepting the answer without question, the blonde rounded on him worriedly, his eyebrows drawing tight. "Med camp?" Naruto repeated in disbelief, unconsciously earning the attention of the Uchiha that stood less than a meter away, "Is she okay?"
"She's—" Breaking off his sentence as courage abandoned him altogether, Gaara balled his hands and ignored the shame that washed over him, making his guts churn sickeningly. "She's fine." He said, drowning out the little voice inside his head that accused him of being a coward. The redhead forced himself to relax, shoulders squaring back despite the disgusting squelch of blood as his clothes rubbed against the injury. The stoic mask settled easily onto his face, all emotion draining away from his aquamarine eyes.
"Brace yourselves." He warned them and swooped down, the sand platform diving and somersaulting dangerously as they flew over the Juubi's head in order to avoid the lightning fast whips of the beast's tails. Turning his head to the side, Gaara glanced at Naruto and silently jerked his head down. "Thanks, Gaara. Now get yourselves into position and wait for my signal!" The blonde sent him a reckless grin and leapt off the sand platform without hesitation, his enthusiastic yell of "Take this, sucker!" as he pounced on the fake Madara leaving Gaara suppressing a good-natured snort and Sasuke scoffing under his breath.
Inhaling heavily, Gaara raised them up to the horizon once more and concentrated, channeling his chakra down onto the sand and fighting the strong urge to vomit at the same time. It took a few seconds longer than he would've liked, but finally the floating platform gave in and broke in half, separating him from the Uchiha. Gaara released a ragged sigh as he stopped the flow of energy, leaving his arms heavy and his throat dry. Distractedly, he turned to the side and spared his earlier companion a glance, only to pause once he registered the dark-haired boy's unusual stiffness and the cautious glare directed at him. "You don't need to worry." He told the latter in his best reassuring tone despite his obvious reluctance and gave the boy an unimpressed look when Sasuke flinched at his voice. "I'm not going to drop you, Uchiha."
"Hn." Sasuke grunted testily, his tone going well with prominent scowl fixed on his face but even then, the doubt didn't leave his eyes. He looked around and scanned the ground below, all the while keeping a firm hand braced against the particles keeping him airborne. "Where's Nara? I thought the dobe said they'd be here."
"I don't know." Gaara replied with a frown, following Sasuke's lead and searching the battlefield beneath them for any sign of the Konoha genius. "They must have encountered a problem." No sooner than when the words left his mouth, there was a shout coming from below them, calling out the redhead's name. "Kazekage-sama!" The Kazekage looked down to see his second-in-command staring up at him, the Nara's complexion unusually sickly pale and yet his grim expression was surprisingly determined, unlike the lazy look he always donned. "Care to give us a ride up?" The shinobi gestured to the soldiers he had waiting behind him, consisting of several familiar faces of what Gaara believed were the Konoha Eleven. Studying the small group, Gaara noticed with a small rush of relief that even the previously missing Hyuuga Neji was present, looking worse for wear but still stubbornly standing on his own two feet.
Silently assessing his chakra level, Gaara gave a subtle nod and wordlessly commanded the sand beneath their feet to break away from the ground, cold sweat pouring out from his face as he concentrated on raising the group into the air. Normally, carrying a small number of people on his sand wouldn't even make him blink but the circumstances were different, more ill-fated, if the blood escaping him was anything to go by. "Did Naruto relay his plan to you?" He asked Shikamaru, grateful when the genius nodded in a confident manner, his brown eyes flashing as the plans and tactics he had prepared beforehand were reconsidered inside his mind.
"Yes." Shikamaru voiced out reassuringly and told Gaara every intel he had gathered and without any regards to formality and rank of any kind, instructed the Kazekage on what to do. "Look down." He said and the redhead did, his gaze widening as he took in the endless rows of shinobi gathering around the Ten Tails, the circle they formed just wide enough that no one was in peril of getting crushed under the beast's lashing tails. "We've spread the word and everyone's up to speed with the plan. They're all going to help in this, but according to Naruto, we need to have people who'll serve as a tunnel in order for the bijuu chakra to flow through the line properly. We need several separate platforms, all placed strategically to hover around the Juubi. We'll need to group ourselves into duos, in order to do this as efficient as possible. Remember, the tailed beasts are not to be underestimated. They're primal creatures and they've brought down even some of the strongest shinobi in history. They'll use your thoughts against you and they'll feed on your fear. Don't let them consume you." Sending a quick glance at his audience to see if what he said registered into their minds, Shikamaru rattled off names, pairing them together. "Tenten, you're with Neji. Lee with Hinata, Shino with Kiba, and Ino with Chouji. Sakura", he spared the pink-haired medic a quick look, "you'll be partnered with Sasuke. I'll be with Gaara-sama. We'll wait and pull out the bijuus' chakra at Naruto's signal and then pass it down onto the awaiting army below us." Surprise reflected off Sakura's face at Shikamaru's decision but she nodded nonetheless, until Sasuke opened his mouth to speak.
"I don't want Sakura as my partner." He said, earning incredulous looks from each shinobi and a hurt glare from the pink-haired medic. "Sakura should be paired off with the Kazekage instead of me."
"And why shouldn't I be paired with you?" Sakura demanded, her mouth forming a troubled frown and her green eyes glowering at the Uchiha prodigy. "Do you still think I'm not good enough? I've improved in more ways that you think." She spat angrily, ignoring the uncomfortable tension brewing around them. "We once belonged in the same team. You know my fighting style and technique better than anyone here and I know yours in the same way. You can easily back me up if any unplanned trouble ensues. It's the logical decision, if you think about it—"
"—If you think about it in a technical sense, yes. But right now, we're in a situation wherein usual battle tactics cannot be applied." Sasuke interrupted, matching her tight expression with a no-nonsense look of his own. "I don't think you're not good enough." He confessed easily and just like that, the anger melted away from the kunoichi's face. "On the contrary, I've seen how much you've grown. I'll be an idiot to underestimate you. But Sabaku's chakra is readily decreasing and I don't need to be a genius to know that the blood seeping through his clothes means bad news to all of us. He needs medical attention and you're our best shot at patching him up right now." Sasuke looked around sharply, daring anyone else to question him. Finally, he fixed his dark eyes on Shikamaru, who frowned in contemplation before closing his eyes and sighing.
"As much as I hate to say it", the genius muttered glumly, grimacing as he just then noticed the dark blood stains on Gaara's uniform, "Sasuke has a point. Sakura, stick to Gaara-sama instead. Uchiha, you're with me. Now let's stop wasting time. Everyone get to their positions." As soon as the command was said, all of them jumped off with their respective partners and onto the platforms that Gaara had formed for them. Inhaling sharply once he felt the presence of another person joining him on his own ride, Gaara did his best to force down the reflexive urge to flinch away when Sakura laid a hand on his back.
"Sorry." He heard the girl say offhandedly, her voice sounding a tad melancholy as healing chakra began to pool out of her palms and seep into his skin. Sakura sucked in a sharp, stuttering breath that made the redhead in front fist his hands tightly, feeling a heavy weight settle upon his shoulders at the mental image of the girl behind him tearing up. Despite the discomfort that crept up on him, Gaara felt the cool, physical relief sweep over him as his wounds closed up properly and finally stopped bleeding. His chakra level rose up, the stiffness of his limbs vanished, along with his migraine, and with a clearer head to use for thinking, the Kage blinked the blurriness of his eyes away and held the platforms firmer, feeling the sand solidify better under his renewed control.
Shifting to turn his attention toward the pink-haired kunoichi, Gaara's heart sunk at the bitter frown marring the girl's face and the sudden sympathy sprang at him out of nowhere. She was Katana's friend, after all, and with guilt and shame, Gaara knew that even Sakura didn't have a clue on where the brunette was or how she was faring. They didn't know that she was in a coma, that she was bruised and broken and barely alive and it was all his fault. "I'm sorry." Gaara apologized before his mind could even process what his mouth had blurted out. The unexpected apology in the midst of the tense silence stunned Sakura into speechlessness and steeling himself, Gaara took advantage of this and continued, "If you want, I can ask Shikamaru again to switch. Besides, I need his input on how to go on with this. Thank you for healing me."
"No, it's no trouble at all." Sakura said as soon as she found her voice again, her eyebrows furrowing in a mixture of confusion and surprise. "It's fine." She dismissed again, waving a hand in front of her and avoiding Gaara's gaze. "I don't mind being paired with you, Kazekage-sama, if that's what you think. I just—"
"He wasn't lying."
"What?"
"He wasn't lying", Gaara repeated, "when he said that he didn't think you weren't good enough." Casting his gaze out to look at the Uchiha who was situated far away, Gaara glanced at the girl again and felt a pang of sympathy when he saw that she had her own eyes pinned on the dark-haired shinobi. "I've seen his eyes; with the way he looked at you, Uchiha is either a really good actor or he meant what he said. And I don't think he's good enough an actor. At least, he's not better than Kankuro is." Clearing his throat in hesitation when Sakura turned to him with a grateful smile—he had always been terrible at comforting people; it made him fidget and forget his words and feel uncertain—Gaara forced himself to meet her jade green eyes. "So don't worry. He's not…he wasn't lying."
"Yeah, I got that." Sakura smiled tiredly, the dark shadow under her eyes somehow fading away as happiness trickled into her expression, no matter how small it was. "I just", Sakura sighed and shook her head sadly, the melancholy in her gaze returning, "I just wish he had other ways to express himself rather than this frustrating combination of avoidance, denial and passive-aggressive behavior."
"I'm sorry." Gaara offered again, for the lack of anything better to say. It seemed that he was no better off compared to the Uchiha when it came to dealing with emotional situations and women. Sakura snorted, her smile bitter and sharp for a minute, before it smoothly melted into sad gratitude. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama—"
"Gaara." He interrupted quietly, "Call me Gaara."
"—Gaara it is, then." Sakura continued without missing a beat, "Thank you, Gaara."
Nodding once and sucking in a relieved breath as the emotional tension finally came to an end, Gaara's gaze focused on the Juubi and noticed Naruto's figure coming to a stop from below them. With narrowed eyes and a quickly-forming grimace, Gaara moved their ride away, trying to get a better look. A troubled sound from beside him interrupted his concentration and he glanced at the girl. "What's happening down there?" Sakura asked worriedly, eyebrows knitted down to a disturbed furrow. She turned to him, eyes full of confusion and expectant of an answer. Gaara opened his mouth to respond, his own worry gnawing at him, but as soon as he caught a flicker of movement from below, his gaze snapped down and he gritted his jaw. "Shikamaru!" He shouted, voice loud enough to earn the Nara's attention even with the wind howling around them like a strangled hound. "The signal!"
"I saw it!" The latter yelled back and raised an arm, wordlessly ordering the rest to get ready. All of them waited with bated breaths, bodies tense with buzzing apprehension. Below them, something exploded deafeningly and Naruto's hysterically victorious scream reached them, just as tendrils of blue, tangible chakra appeared from in front of them. Shikamaru's arm jerked down sharply and as the bellowed order of 'NOW' escaped his mouth and traveled with the stinging whiplashes of the wind, everyone reached out and made a firm grab for the chakra, most of them letting out pained gasps as the white hot agony and overwhelming energy flowed through their veins. Just as Shikamaru had said, the chakra flowed downward like a waterfall and the rest of the army grabbed on and pulled, bathing the entire shinobi battalion with bright blue light.
As soon as his hands came in contact with the thick rope of bijuu chakra, Gaara's throat closed up against his will and his whole being froze. 'T-This chakra.' The energy signature still felt the same way he remembered it to be, the agony searing and cold and numbing, stabbing him from inside out like knives and needles. The fear inside him was back, paranoia and hysterical anger following closely. He'd known that this was a possibility. It was the logical way of things, after all, since the beast was most compatible with his body compared to anyone else's. But even with the thought stuck in mind, Gaara couldn't help the anxiety that clung tightly on his system, the idea of being possessed once again and being forced to do things against his will revolting and horrific. Aquamarine eyes closed rebelliously as Gaara absorbed the sensations that washed over him in waves, his eyes watering up from behind closed eyelids as nausea threatened to overcome the young Kazekage. "…Shukaku." He acknowledged quietly inside his head, shuddering when the familiar rumbling echoed inside the depths of his mind.
"Gaara…?" Even the sand beast's dark, rough voice sounded the same, save for the additional weariness in Shukaku's tone. "Is that you, brat?" Surprised at the lack of obsessive control that the One Tail was displaying, Gaara delved in deeper into his mind and opened his metaphorical eyes, inhaling sharply as he was faced with Shukaku's enormous jaws and narrowed, black eyes. "It's me." Gaara confirmed curtly, uncertain of what to make of the worn-out monster that used to be his worst nightmare.
"I thought I felt a familiar stubborn jackass's chakra." Shukaku snorted sardonically, but even his insulting jab lacked its usual bite. "So you survived the extraction after all. I'm impressed, brat."
"I was revived, actually. By Chiyo-baa-sama." Gaara corrected, grimacing deeply at Shukaku's lack of interest and strange docility. The beast was almost never still, constantly vicious and twisted, always looking for a way to take over Gaara's body. His morbid and sly behavior was the very same thing that kept Gaara alert and cautious in all the years that went by. Seeing him act like this, exhausted and hollow and suddenly so ancient, disturbed the redhead more than it should. The fear that he once associated with the demon was no more and even when he tried his hardest, Gaara couldn't seem to muster up the grudging anger that he knew Shukaku deserved for all that the monster had done to ruin his life. But to his deepest wonder and confusion, the only thing left was the feeling of familiarity, Shukaku's immense presence settling within him without any discomfort and the gruff voice in his head sounded as if it never went away.
"Why are you here, Gaara?" Shukaku finally dropped his façade and rumbled a drawn out breath that remained frightening in its own right despite the Ichibi's visible exhaustion. "We both know you want nothing more to do with me."
"No, I don't." Gaara agreed readily, not wanting for even a split second for the beast to think that he wanted a demon back into his body, despite the feeling of confusion that welled inside him. "But I'm not about to let you fall under Madara's grasp, either. I'm getting you out of here."
"Why? So somebody else could keep me locked up inside their body for another eternity?" The sand demon bared its rows of teeth at him, suddenly outraged, but Gaara remained unfazed from where he stood his ground in front of the Ichibi. "You insult me too much, Sabaku no Gaara. You think I'll fall for your wily ways again? Never, I tell you. Never again—"
"That's not what I want and you know it." Gaara snapped back, narrowing his eyes on the beast and clenching his fists by his side. "I never once wanted to use your power. I never once wanted to take advantage of you. All those people who were killed by my hands, they were all you. The only mistake I ever did was to believe in your lies." Drawing to his full height and squaring back his shoulders, Gaara glowered at Shukaku, determined, "But even then, I didn't think of you as just another source of power. You've always been somebody in your own right." Meeting Shukaku's disbelieving stare with his unwavering gaze, Gaara approached the Ichibi in slow strides, the fear and doubt in his system long gone.
"Maybe it was a mistake to control you. Maybe it was a mistake to try and manipulate you into a weapon of mass destruction. But if there's one thing I know at this moment, it's that saving you from Madara would never be a mistake on my part." The redhead reached out fearlessly, staring right into Shukaku's eyes as his hand settled on the sand demon's muzzle. "I'm not dooming you into helpless oblivion under Madara. I'm pulling you out, Shukaku, and I refuse to leave you behind until I do." Stunned silence from the beast's part met his declaration but after a minute, the One-Tailed beast closed his eyes and scoffed deeply, the sound echoing all over the redhead's head.
"You talk too much, brat." Shukaku snarled weakly but Gaara could feel him giving in, his chakra binding more firmly onto the redhead's. "Must be the influence of that blonde chatterbox you called your 'friend'. Che, I liked you better when you didn't speak at all."
"Hn. I never liked you at all."
The sound of Shukaku's raucous laughter made his head ache terribly but it felt relieving to hear the savageness creep back into the Ichibi's voice as his resolve to pull away from the Juubi hardened. Aquamarine eyes snapped open just as Shukaku firmly grabbed hold of him and Gaara pulled the chakra tendril, jaw clenching and the muscles in his arms straining in effort. Down below, everyone was channeling equal efforts, pulling with all their might and gritting their teeth together as they fought against the painful strain. Manipulating his sand so that the grainy particles were wrapped around each chakra rope, Gaara inhaled a deep breath and braced himself for the inevitable agony, pulling out everything all at once.
Overwhelming pain shot through him like a bolt of lightning, as if his whole being was being torn apart, and distractedly, Gaara thought he heard himself emit a choked scream in the midst of the tailed beasts bellowing and shinobi shouting all at once. There was too much agony and at the same time, nothing at all to grasp at.
He was falling, succumbing helplessly into the pain and couldn't do anything else but hold onto his and Shukaku's shared consciousness, the monster's stern bellows of 'Don't give up on me now, brat!' the only thing that reassured him that he was still alive. He dropped his hold after what seemed like an eternity of suffering and gathered just enough of his consciousness to be able to see the Juubi die down and compress into nothingness without anything but a last, dying wail. Every single one of the freed beasts went in willingly into Naruto's body and Gaara struggled to keep his control on the sand, at least long enough to make each platform, including his, descend safely back down on the ground.
His feet staggered ungracefully when he landed on the dirt but Gaara paid it no notice, dragging himself deep into the crowd that had gathered in the center, where the Juubi was previously situated. He slid past the shinobi, letting out murmured apologies and pained grunts as he weakly shoved people away in order to reach the very middle. As he pushed the remaining bystander and arrived, Gaara took in as much of the scene as he could with his half-lidded and bloodshot eyes. The four Kage were present, occupied with bellowing orders and sorting out the army, Naruto and Sasuke standing guard as they spoke in hushed whispers. Even the revived Hokage were there, gathered into a defensive half-crescent formation around two battered forms that were both bound tightly within a coil of wood.
The one that sat in the left was somebody Gaara didn't recognize, a man with pale skin and a deep scarring on the right side of his face. Black sealing ink covered his body along with the wood that bound him and he had both the Second and the Fourth Hokage watching over him. He was compliant, at the very least, making no threatening movements, and a deep regret and melancholy dancing in his dull gaze. 'The fake Madara', Gaara thought slowly and turned his attention to the other one, something cold and cruel boiling at the pit of his stomach as his aquamarine eyes focused on the armored man. Seeing the man alive—in a sense, at least—was enough to bring it all back: the anger, the pain, the mental image of Katana hooked to machines and barely breathing. All too sudden, the exhaustion he felt seemed to vanish, a burst of adrenaline coursing through his veins alongside the heady desire for violence and bloodlust.
"Uchiha Madara."
The undead man's head snapped up at the call of his name and his lifeless onyx eyes squinted at Gaara's form, before it traveled up to look into furious sea foam. "Young Kazekage." Madara said, disbelief coloring his tone as he stared at Gaara and slowly broke into a wide, hysterical grin. "I don't believe it." Their conversation earned the attention of everyone around them and all other voices died down, the tension in the air thickening into something almost tangible. Despite the gazes he knew were currently pinned on his form, Gaara only had eyes for the bastard that sat on the ground and was baring his teeth smugly at him, the rage in his system feeling a little too strong to contain.
"Kazekage-sama." The redhead flinched at the sound of the Raikage's voice and broke out of his daze, guilt and shame washing over him and pushing back the bloodthirsty thoughts that previously dominated his mind. He looked up and around, noticing just then that the others were staring at him in various degrees of worry and concern.
'They don't know. They don't know what happened to her.'
The voice in his head was back, taunting and painful and breaking him a little more each time.
'They don't know what he did. They don't know he broke her. But it's all my fault. What good am I if I couldn't even protect the one I love?'
"Gaara." The redhead turned, meeting Naruto's now cerulean eyes, his heart squeezing as he saw the confusion and deep worry dancing in his friend's gaze. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes." He lied, ignoring the burst of fury that flashed through him at the sound of Madara's low chuckles. Glancing back down at the self-satisfied man, Gaara balled his hands into tight fists and swallowed heavily, "I'll seal him." He volunteered, grateful at the fact that no one seemed to question or protest at this. "It's the least I can do for arriving late." He added and gathered sand under his feet, rising up to the skies. Disregarding any sensation of pain or exhaustion, the redhead grimly willed the sand to form around Madara, watching numbly as shinobi cleared a space for the humongous pyramid that his sealing jutsu would no doubt form. The structure formed slowly, due to his lack of chakra, but surely, and Gaara didn't have to wait long before both of them were in the skies and the cold wind was stinging their faces, him standing atop of his sand and Uchiha Madara's head peeking out of the pyramid.
"Well, well", The ancient Uchiha chuckled coldly, his voice loud enough that Gaara could hear him over the howling of the wind yet quiet enough that only the redhead understood what he was saying, "it seems like I underestimated you terribly. You're tougher than you look. But", Madara smiled, relishing the dangerous flash of Gaara's eyes with every word he uttered, "it would also seem that I was right about the girl. She didn't last very long, did she?"
"Shut up."
"Did I step on a nerve?" The undead shinobi sneered, his manic expression growing more and more hysterical by the second. "You are weak, Kazekage! Letting your emotions get the best of you, relying on such feeble beliefs like love…Did you think your love will last? Love is fleeting! You are foolish to believe anything otherwise." Madara's obsidian eyes flashed with frenzied anger, despite the sharp grin plastered on his decaying face. "You might think you bested me, but I know the truth. You—"
"You lost." Gaara bit out, glaring at him and raising an arm. "There's no other truth." The sand around Madara shifted, consuming him little by little. Despite this, the Uchiha still struggled, turning his head away from the sand as if it would do him any good. He released a last bark of hollow laughter, fixing his crazed eyes on Gaara. "Yes, Kazekage." He hissed lowly as the sand swirled and covered his eyes, leaving his mouth the only thing visible. "I might've lost the war, but what did you lose—" Sand covered Madara completely before he could finish his statement and with a ragged breath, the sand platform Gaara rode went down, the exhaustion and chakra depletion getting the best of him.
The sand dissipated earlier than he would've expected, the sudden leap that he was forced to do causing his unstable legs to buckle underneath him. He would've collapsed entirely, if not for Naruto catching him by the waist just in time. Staggering a little, Gaara wheezed, looking up tiredly at the blonde, who in turn stared at him in awe. "We…won." Naruto said in a stutter, his mouth slowly spreading into a smile and his blue eyes watering. The blonde shinobi chuckled hoarsely, paying no attention to the tears that fell from his eyes as he whipped his head around and grinned at people. "We won!" His declaration was all it took for everyone to burst into cheering and victorious cries, weapons dropping on the ground and people clutching at each other in overwhelming relief.
"WE WON!"
"IT'S OVER!"
"W-We can go back home!"
It was all over; the war had ended. As Gaara leaned against his friend dependently, he looked around, letting himself absorb as much as he could. Relief was most evident in every shinobi's face, followed by exhaustion and then perhaps, happiness. There were a few whose smiles were a little too wide to be genuine but despite the underlying hurt and pain and fear, there was no denying the fact that it was a day worth celebrating. Despite all the cheering that surrounded him, Gaara found himself eyeing the ground in bitter contemplation, wondering why nothing could seem to make the hollow void in his chest to go away.
"K-Kazekage-sama!"
"Kazekage-sama, you can't—"
"Gaara-sama, please listen to us!"
Gaara ignored the insistent calls of the medics that trailed behind him, too determined to give up but simply too scared to actually stop him. The ones who were gutsy enough to put their hands on him, however, were firmly pushed away to a safe distance by his sand.
The battle was over, but there was still so much left to do. As soon as the hysteria calmed down into something controllable, the Kage went to work, ordering the army to organize themselves. Tsunade had taken over the medical part of the work, immediately ordering a mass retreat for medics and wounded shinobi to go back to camp. The Tsuchikage had dealt with the organization of those that remained, the Mizukage with clean-up and scouting and the Raikage had handled the fake Madara and the unexpected guests that showed up during the last moments of battle. Orochimaru had been one of the first to disappear from the scene, despite his surprising decision to fight alongside the army instead of against it. He released the Edo Tensei on the previous Hokage before leaving and no one had seen a trace of him since.
They'd all agreed to have the Kazekage in-charge of the diplomatic meetings with the daimyos, for the sole reason that he was too injured to be doing anything else. Gaara's stitches had popped open once more, not long after he had successfully sealed Uchiha Madara. He'd been sent back to camp against his will and to his unfortunate luck, they wouldn't even allow him to leave his tent, even after his wounds had been stitched back together and dressed.
"Kazekage-sama—"
"I'm fine."
"Kazekage—"
"Stop following me."
"B-But Kazekage-sama—!"
The voices stopped the minute he transported himself away from them and Gaara fell onto his knees at once, his lungs contracting painfully at the feeling of whatever little chakra he had left escaping him. Shrugging away the dizziness and standing up forcefully, the redhead stumbled on, his breath tight and ragged as he murmured her tent number under his breath and ignored the worried glances sent his way. He knew how he must've looked, bandaged and bruised with blood crusting on his hairline, but Gaara didn't care any longer. Bloodshot aquamarine looked around once the redhead found himself entering a familiar turn, his eyes fixing themselves on tent 312 and without further hesitation, Gaara stepped inside. It was the darkness that his mind first registered; the silence was next. Making his way toward where the oil lamp was situated, the lad turned it on, scanning his surroundings once the brightness took over.
The curse was nowhere to be found. Furrowing his nonexistent eyebrows, Gaara strode further into the room, looking around with a grimace on his face. Finally, his eyes settled on a salve jar that wasn't present before and with caution, he approached the bedside table, warily picking up the piece of paper that was haphazardly scribbled on and stuck under the jar filled with dark, viscous liquid.
Gaara, he read the written note, worry clouding over his heart, I don't know what happened but the brat's condition turned for the worse and I c-c-ccouldn't stay in this solid form any l-l-longer. The redhead took in the shaky handwriting with apprehension, his frown deepening as he continued and the penmanship worsened even more, as if the writer didn't even have the strength left to lift a pen. D-Don't 'tl-letthisjarbreakunderanycircumsta—The words dissolved into undecipherable zigzags, splotches of ink dirtying the white paper. Gritting his teeth at the bad news, Gaara looked at the jar sharply, just then realizing that the dark liquid was concentrated chakra. He glanced to the side, his gaze softening without his knowledge as he stared at the unconscious girl.
She still remained as unusually pale as when he first saw her, the dark bruises on her arms and face standing out like stains on white silk. Tiredly, Gaara sat on the bench with an inaudible sigh, his eyes already closing halfway from exhaustion but he stubbornly kept on watching her lax form on the bed, the tiny spark of impossible hope that she'll wake up any moment still indignantly burning inside of him, even though it hurt so bad. How had it all ended up like this? The question had him sighing again, deeper this time and more worn-out, weariness finally catching up with him. Taking a shallow inhale, Gaara propped his elbows onto his knees and hunched his back, his fingers weaving together as his forehead dropped onto his stiff knuckles.
"Yes, Kazekage."
Madara's taunting voice rose up from the depths of his memories, sounding deafeningly loud in such a silent room.
"I might've lost the war, but what did you lose—?"
Closing his eyes and reluctantly welcoming the darkness, Gaara's unspoken answer echoed over and over in his head, unable to be voiced out loud even as he fell into unconsciousness.
'Everything.'
End Chapter