24. Words Left Unsaid

The world was still. There was no wind. There was no noise. There was only the thickening tension left in the wake of Natsuo's words. My eyes were shaking, my heart hammering in my chest. My mouth had suddenly gone dry and my words came out in rasps.

"What are you talking about?"

Natsuo's smug look had returned. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. His plum-shaded eyes were shining. "You stupid girl. Because...I was there."

The blood in my veins turned to ice. I couldn't form words. I couldn't speak. I could make no noise at all.

"I was twelve," Natsuo's eyes drifted past my head, recalling a memory. The slightest of smiles formed on his lips. "It was my first mission from Orochimaru-sama. Traitors, he said, had fled years prior. A minor annoyance at first, but he thought they might soon begin to pose a problem. It was the perfect task for me, to show him how strong I'd become. To prove to him my worth. I set out for Konoha with four others. We sent ahead a warning, about a possible uprising in Sunagakure; something that would attract their attention. And it worked. And we waited."

I was paralyzed. Raw grief slammed into me. I could still remember that day, watching their backs as they headed out. Waving wildly beside my brother as my mother glanced back and smiled. Remembering the only promise she'd ever break.

"Oh, they figured us out the minute we ambushed them. I could see it in their faces. They were strong, I'll admit, but they hadn't expected me. They'd killed two of my men and were quickly overtaking the other two. But I knew the secret to their attacks. I knew how to conquer them."

Natsuo pinned me with his gaze. A sickening grin broke out over his face.

"I returned home a victor. Praised by my master. And he issued me a new task. I had cousins, he told me; children of the traitors I'd killed. Keitaro and Nakao. I was ordered to kill them; loose ends and all that. An easy task, considering what I'd accomplished. Kill an eight-year-old and her brother," Natsuo's eyes darkened, anger taking hold of his features. His voice came out in furious snaps. "You took everything from me that night!"

The words continued to spill from his mouth, as though he was unaware of his ranting. His eyes were dark and dangerous. "I set your house ablaze. I blocked all exits. Started multiple fires in separate locations to ensure the spread. I returned home to more praise. Orochimaru-sama was pleased with me, he offered me grand rewards. Until a year later, when our spies found out you'd escaped! That both of you lived. I'd failed my master. And I endured the punishment; because of you."

My eyes wandered to the scar on his face. It was a clean cut, likely from a sword of some kind, but it was long and deep.

"Because of you I spent the next five years in disgrace! Because of you, Orochimaru-sama denied me my birthright! Denied me the mark that would have made me more powerful than your entire disgraceful village! I lost the respect of my master, forced to hang my head in his presence; all because of you! You took everything from me!"

I still stood frozen, mind reeling, flashing through one memory to the next.

The smoke engulfed my surroundings. Blackness enveloped me, obscuring my vision, straining my lungs. Each inhale burned and sent me into a fit of hacking coughs.

"Nakao!"

My brother's voice cut through the hazy thoughts. I tried to call out to him, but my throat burned. I could only cough in reply. I felt dizzy and light-headed and the need for sleep began to tug at my conscious.

Pounding footsteps. I could barely make them out over the creaking of falling support beams. A crashing sound rang out somewhere in front of me, followed by the sound of splintering wood. My watery eyes desperately tried to make out any form, but all I saw was black.

Somewhere to my right, a window shattered inward with a great crash, shards of glass flying in all directions. I wanted to scream, but only inhaled more smoke. I felt like I was falling-and then a pair of strong hands grabbed me.

There might have been words exchanged, but I could not recall. I just found myself running, my sweaty hand threatening to slide out of my brother's at every step. Smoke stung at my eyes, my throat, my nose. I wasn't going to make it. I felt my hand tug from his. I felt myself falling again, and the wooden floor against my face.

I was breathing heavily, as though I'd surfaced from a long dive. There were angry tears that welled unbidden in the corners of my eyes. I burned with fury and I was seeing red. There was a buzzing in my ears that seemed to grow ever louder as I glared at the boy in front of me.

This boy had taken away my parents. Taken away my home. Ripped my family apart and caused me to grow up as an orphan; missing my mothers soothing words, her warm hugs, my father's laughter. All fading memories I feared would not stand the test of time.

When I spoke, my voice came out low, dead, with the undercurrent of growing rage. "I took everything from you?"

I let the anger consume me. I let it hum through my veins, infiltrate my brain. My chakra fed off it, using it as fuel. Quicker than I could comprehend, I was diving at Natsuo's midsection. He barely had time to widen his eyes as I tackled him to the ground.

"You killed my parents you son of a bitch!" I screamed in ire and grief. I brought back a fist, slamming it into Natsuo's jaw.

Natsuo took the hit, several droplets of blood flying from his mouth. I raised my fist again, but his eyes flashed and he shoved me off of him. I toppled over and he pinned me to the ground, straddling me as I had done to him. He reached for the holster on his thigh, retrieving a kunai. With a grunt, he thrust it towards my throat.

My hand whipped out and I caught his wrist. He pushed against me, kunai shaking as he attempted to push through my defense. I gritted my teeth, arm shaking as I fought against his strength.

Finally, Natsuo broke through, and his kunai plunged towards my neck. I strained away from him as far as I possibly could and the tip of his kunai sunk into the earth beside my ear. I barely noticed the hot trickle of blood that ran down my neck, telling me that he'd managed to slice my ear. I took advantage of the miss, curled my knees beneath him and managed to kick him off my body.

Natsuo flew backwards but he stopped himself by placing a palm against the ground, then pushing off to land on his feet. I scrambled to mine, breathing heavily.

From my position, I could see Keitaro. He stood rigid against the wall, hands balled into fists at his sides. I glanced back to Natsuo. Sweat dripped down my face and I irritably wiped the damp bangs from my eyes. My fingers wandered to the charm on my wrist and, for a moment, a sense of calm swept through me.

Natsuo, too, was sweating. The collar of his shirt was stained with perspiration, his own sandy blonde bangs stuck to his forehead. Still, he taunted me. "You're going to lose, Nakao. I'm going to kill you in this arena, for the entire nation to see. I do hope you've said your goodbyes."

I snarled. "You couldn't kill me when I was eight; how do you presume to kill me now?"

That struck a nerve. Fire roared to life in his eyes. "Your dear brother can't save you this time. Your power is nothing compared to mine!"

Natsuo's fingers came together in handsigns. I quickly copied. Wind erupted from both of us, kicking up the dirt at our feet and it joined the whirling wind, mimicking a sandstorm. My eyes strained to see through the flying debris. I could not make out Natsuo's form, but the faint glow of his chakra allowed me to pinpoint his location.

A shadow suddenly emerged through the haze, growing ever nearer to me. My eyes narrowed, but it became clearer as it honed in on my location. My eyes widened and I gasped, dodging to the side as a massive boulder hurled past me, where my head had been just a moment prior.

I stumbled but caught my footing. I looked around wildly, finding a tree in the distance. My wind reached out for it, grasping its trunk like a claw. With a grunt, I lifted its roots from the ground and hurled it at Natsuo. He created a swirling vortex as a shield, chopping the tree to pieces.

I coughed, my lungs craving clean air. Dust and dirt continued to surround me, the grit sticking to my sweaty skin.

Long-ranged attacks are futile; we'll just wear each other down.

I took in a great breath of air, that wasn't very helpful, and ran forwards. The closer I got to my opponent, the more effort it seemed to take. His wind pulsed around him, radiating power. I continued to push through, but a sudden, massive blast of wind struck me from the side, sending me flying away from Natsuo.

I hit the ground, rolling. I sprung back to my feet, panting, concentrating on my chakra. My fingers wove together in handsigns and I took in a deep breath of dirty air before sprinting back into Natsuo's sandstorm. His wind pushed against me, battering me from all sides, threatening to throw me off my feet. I struggled against it, but could travel no further than I had before; but it was close enough. I let out a stream of air, and a spark flew from my lips.

Fire flared to life with a giant whoosh! It swirled upwards, feeding off both mine and Natsuo's wind. The heat it produced was almost suffocating and sweat began to drip from me at an alarming rate. But with a cry of effort, I forced out a fresh wave of chakra.

The fire roared and spiked high into the air, burning brighter than I'd ever seen it. I could not see Natsuo, but I heard his strangled cry through the haze of heat. A heartbeat later, I felt Natsuo's wind die and my fire shrunk to half its size.

I canceled my energy, only keeping a light flow of wind flowing around me. Natsuo stood across from me, breathing heavily. His entire outfit was drench with sweat. He gripped his right arm, devoid of its sleeve. I stared defiantly at him.

"Cute trick, Nakao," he spat, his shoulders heaving up and down.

I swallowed against my parched throat. I was becoming dehydrated at an alarming rate. The clock was ticking. Soon enough, I would run too low on water molecules for my chakra to utilize. But Natsuo had to be draining too. Despite a difference in power levels, simple biology ruled all. We were equal in that we were human, with limited pathophysiological resources. That was…unless Natsuo could access the water in his bloodstream. It would be suicidal; but I had no doubt over the lengths he would go to in order to erase my existence.

I was tired. I was parched. I needed to end this match. "Have you realized yet, Natsuo, that you're going to die here?"

He sneered. "You are not half as powerful as you think you are. I could destroy you so easily it's embarrassing. And I wouldn't even have to touch you."

His words confused me, and my eyebrows drew together.

"Oh yes, I could destroy your entire world. Who will it be, cousin? Your doggy friend in the audience? Your beloved brother stands just over there…" My blood chilled, fear seeping into my heart. His eyes slipped from Keitaro, up towards the balcony. "Or should it be Sasuke?"

"Shut up!" I grit my teeth together, fists shaking at my sides.

Natsuo's eyes narrowed deviously, a mocking smile stretching his lips. "Well well, I think we have a winner."

Natsuo turned, moving in the direction of the balcony. Blinding rage filled me again until my veins were sizzling. My thoughts deserted me, leaving behind only a high-pitched whine. And I acted.

Chakra rushed through me, ignoring the previous strain I'd been feeling. I felt nothing but the white-hot ire that filled me. At my feet, a small twister formed, the top of which only reached mid-thigh. I stepped into it.

It was nothing I'd ever thought to do before. It hadn't required thought now. All I felt like I knew was that Natsuo grew further from me with each step.

My body hovered off the ground, as though I stood on a cloud. I built the twister up until it reached my diaphragm. Hands slid down to my weapon belt as I exerted a blast of chakra.

I accelerated forward with incredible speed. I caught up to Natsuo in seconds, taking him by surprise. Pulling my daggers from my belt, I leapt forward.

Natsuo barely had time to whirl around, only to find I was right on top of him. My left blade slashed at his throat and he barely managed to sidestep away, but my right blade met its mark.

The tip of my blade caught Natsuo's left shoulder. From there it tore diagonally across his chest, ripping through skin and clothes alike until it sliced across his entire ribcage. I landed on my feet, pulling my blade back, its edge stained with crimson.

Natsuo stumbled backwards. Eyes wide, he looked down at his chest, as though unable to comprehend. A large, ugly red gash met his gaze. Blood had already begun leaking from the wound, dripping down skin and staining his tan shirt.

I was breathing heavily, but my anger fueled me, denied me the chance to feel drained. I gripped my daggers tightly, daring him to make another move.

Slowly, Natsuo looked back to me, and the shock seemed to leak away. His eyes suddenly flashed dangerously as he bared his teeth. "You little bitch!"

I felt Natsuo's chakra pulsate powerfully before it seemed to explode, washing over me. The power pushed the hair away from my face and the long locks whipped behind me. I pushed my own wind forward, trying to push back, but to little effect.

Natsuo's wind spun so rapidly, so forcefully, that its howling filled my ears. I gasped against the pressure, and it was ripped from my throat. Fear suddenly pushed at my rage when I realized he was trying to suffocate me.

I could feel it, the tendrils of his chakra seeping into my lungs. I tried to push against it, but I felt myself losing. I realized I was panting, unable to catch enough air. I felt dizzy, gasping for reprieve that would not come.

Small dots of black popped into my vision and I felt my knees collapse. Through the haze of swirling wind, I could see only the purple chakra that fed from Natsuo's body into his wind. My vision began to narrow. My blades slipped from my hands.

Realization began to wash over me. This was it. I was going to die here.

"You know I love you, right Kiba?" I whispered into his shoulder.

As exhaustion tugged at my conscious, I felt his hands run through my hair, his go-to action to ease my nerves.

"I love you too."

"Keitaro!"

"Oh hey, I'm home!" Keitaro said unnecessarily, his easy grin slipping onto his face. He held his arms open and smiled a bit. Dropping my backpack on the ground, I rushed over and threw my arms around my brother. He gave me a squeeze before pinning me against him so I would be powerless to stop him make a rat's nest out of my hair.

"You ass!"

"I'm hurt, Nakao," he chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, yeah funny guy."

With Naruto being a bit vertically challenged, his fist hit me in the upper back, sending me flying forward with an embarrassing flail. And the next thing I know I'm in a lovely lip-lock with no other than Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke cooties!

This couldn't be it. I couldn't die here. No here, not like this. I'd fashioned myself a dream; to ensure that no one I cared for would perish. I had to survive. Had to be here to keep them safe.

"You. Don't…die…"

I wouldn't. I couldn't. Not after the sacrifices Sasuke had made to keep me alive. The blood, sweat and tears of Keitaro, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei…I couldn't waste them like this.

I couldn't stand, couldn't move off my knees. The world swirled around me, my head heavy. With everything I felt I had left, I pulled forward my chakra.

Sasuke struggled against my grip but I held on, stifling a laugh. Sasuke abandoned his attempt to pry my arms off and proceeded to try and pull me forward. I felt my cheek brush against his.

My chakra flowed through me, rushing through every vein, every muscle. I pushed it from me, eyes closed, sweat dripping down my face. I focused the chakra into a concentrated, single entity. Instead of flowing around me, it concentrated into a giant orb before me.

I pulled forth all reserves and every ounce of will. With a mighty push that strained my muscles, the orb blasted forward in one steady stream. My shimmering blue chakra cut through Natsuo's purple wall of wind, headed straight for him.

Raising my head took more stamina than I thought I had, but I forced my eyes forward, directly at Natsuo. Instead of encasing Natsuo in a swirling vortex, my chakra-laced wind struck him directly in the wound across his chest. It latched on and I concentrated.

My wind reversed its pull, sucking on Natsuo like a leech. Natsuo's attack had aimed to steal the very air from my lungs, but I was after something greater. I pushed my wind deeper into the wound, sucking the water from his tissues, from his blood. As in nature, the wind sucked at every ounce of water it could find, as if it hydrate itself.

Natsuo's eyes widened, but he was far too late. His swirling vortex retracted from me as he tried to pull forth the energy and chakra it would take to defend my attack. The air around me cleared, and I took in a deep gasp of air. The fresh air filled my lungs and I coughed, attempting to cough up the dirt and grit. I gulped greedily at the air, feeling the dizziness in my head begin to fade. I glanced up.

Natsuo's wind had completely disappeared from around him. He stood rigid as my wind sucked him dry. His skin was a grey ashen color, cheekbones suddenly noticeable as they strained against his skin.

Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet, numbly snatching my blades from the ground. I stumbled, nearly collapsing as my muscles screamed in protest. Firmly on my feet, my body still swayed. But I looked forward in determination and ceased my attack.

Natsuo swayed dangerously before falling face-first to the ground. The arena was deafening silent without the howling winds. My feet made the only noise I could hear as they scuffed against the dirt ground. As I neared, Natsuo's body twitched, and shaky arms pushed his body upwards. He managed to get to his knees by the time I stopped before him.

Natsuo's appearance was even more disturbing up close. His skin was cracked and peeling. His eyes were sunken into his skull and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. Still, he glared at me in hatred.

"You-!"

I didn't care what he had to say. I stepped forward, slamming the back of my hand into his head. He crumpled to the side, moaning as he fell back against the ground. I stood over him, staring down at him with apathy. Natsuo's eyes peeled open, gazing up at me.

"I told you that you were going to die here," I said listlessly. I was tired and drained, wavering on my feet.

Natsuo was wheezing weakly, but he still trained a glare on me, trying to keep his voice steady and strong. "You are still nothing. You will always be nothing."

My daggers rested limply in my hands, and I raised one. "You are the one lying on the ground."

His tired face still tried to hold contempt, though his draining life took the heat from his glare. But still, he managed a devious smirk. "I've seen this scene before. But you play my role. The day your parents met their end."

My fatigue vanished in an instance as rage roared to life. It flooded my veins, wiping away every thought that did not contain fury. My body began to shake, from lack of energy, from rage, as I glared down in pure hatred at the boy who took my world. A strangle cry of rage wrench from my lips and I fell on top of him, legs on either side of his waist. I forgot who I was, where I was, anything that was not his smirking face or the weight of my dagger in my hand. I rose it above my head and brought it down with a sickening sound that had no time to resonate within me. It pierced his chest cavity with a sickening crunch and blood splattered upwards onto my face.

"Nakao…Mom and Dad are dead."

Another cry, the blade above my head. It plunged back down.

"I promise, we'll make it up to you when we get home."

Again and again, I pulled my blade out, only to thrust it once more into Natsuo's chest. Blood hit my face, covering my hands, but I didn't notice. I was consumed by a blind fury. My vision was blurry, my ears filled with whispers of my dead parents.

"Nakao!"

The voice cut through my trance. I suddenly halted, blade raised high above my head, clutched by both hands. Blood dripped off of it, onto my hands, my arms, my head.

Natsuo lay still beneath me, his blood-splattered face frozen with his evil smirk upon his face. His unseeing eyes gazed upwards, still somehow mocking me in death.

My arms grew weak and fell to my sides. My body sagged as the rage bled from me. I felt neither guilt, nor satisfaction. I felt numb, weak and fatigued. I stared down at Natsuo's face and, still, my heart made no recognition of what had just transpired. And then a blast of noise broke through the silence.

I slowly glanced up, my eyes taking in the crowd above me. People were on their feet, clapping, cheering; their praise raining down on me from above. But I only stared, their thunderous applause, their hoots and hollers, all falling on deaf ears.

"Nakao."

The soft voice pulled my attention. I glanced over to find Keitaro standing beside me. His face was conflicted with emotions, his bloodless lips set in a firm line. He said nothing, and I turned my gaze to my hands. Slowly, I picked up my blades, wiping them clean of the blood with Natsuo's shirt.

Slowly, I got to my feet. I felt dizzy and light-headed, but I did not falter. I stood over Natsuo, gazing down at him. I wanted to kick him, scream at him. Part of me felt angry that he'd died so soon, that he hadn't suffered as I had. But I had no fight left within. All I could do was collect saliva in my mouth and spit at him.

"Winner: Makase Nakao!" Keitaro's voice rang out, having found his voice. More thunderous applause.

I looked to my brother and my feet brought me to him. I stared up at his face, my tired mind still whirring. He hadn't told me the cause of my parents' deaths, even when he learned about Natsuo in Konoha. Had he known, or had Natsuo been lying? If he had known, why wouldn't he have told me? What else has he kept from me? What more did he know? What was he hiding? Why did he have any reason to omit information? Could I ever trust him? Did he even love me…?

I didn't know how to formulate the words, and I didn't have time. I wasn't sure I could even face it all, not right now. And so I looked at my brother, a wall in front of my heart, and spoke to him in a very dead tone. "Take this piece of trash out of my sight."

I turned my back on my brother before he could reply, or even react to my statement. Still feeling numb, I headed for the staircase, to confront both foe and friend atop the balcony. I had climbed to the first landing when a figure rounded the corner.

I stopped when I saw Gaara. His face was blank, his posture stiff and yet unconcerned. I stepped aside to let him pass, my eyes watching him carefully. He did not look at me. But when he passed, a shiver ran down my spine and a very solid feeling of unease took over. I turned my head to watch his back retreat down the stairs.

Frowning, I continued my ascent, but had barely turned to face the stairs again when I found a figure standing on the stair above mine. Sasuke stared down at me, his face unreadable.

"You won."

"Of course."

The slightest of smirks twitched onto Sasuke's lips. He stepped down so that we stood on the same stair, shoulders grazing one another's. We turned our heads, eyes locking. His eyes seemed to search mine for a moment, before taking in my face. Slowly, he raised a hand.

My heart caught in my throat for a moment, a shock of surprise registering in my mind. I felt his skin brush against mine as he moved several locks of hair out of my eyes. My lips parted in surprise, heart suddenly hammering in my chest.

He said nothing, remaining completely calm. My throat was dry and I felt nervous, though I did not understand why. Finally, I cleared my throat, trying to speak as evenly as possible. "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?"

Echoing his words back to him sparked amusement in his eyes. It was subtle, only a glint that was easy to miss. But I noted it. And seeing it, for some reason, caused a wave of concern to pass over me. The chill that Gaara had left me with, now plagued me with concern.

"I plan to win," Sasuke responded simply, no doubt or concern lacing his words.

"I'm sure you do," I replied, frowning. I'd meant it to come out sarcastically, but instead a hint of doubt betrayed me.

But Sasuke only nodded and I wasn't sure whether his confidence should fill me with further unease, or comfort. Before I could make up my mind, Sasuke turned his attention forward and began to step down.

"Wait."

I don't know what wrenched the word from my lips. Perhaps the fact that, as I had walked down these steps, I had wished for something of this nature. Perhaps it was more for me than him. Because I'd nearly died down below in that arena, knowing that I'd never truly said goodbye to anyone. Never truly let anyone know how much I really did care for them.

Sasuke had stopped and turned, looking at me in confusion. I took one step down to meet him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I could smell his scent, the familiar blend of the nature aromas. I squeezed him tightly, feeling him tense; though he did not pull away.

"Be careful," I whispered against his ear before slowly pulling away.

I felt like I had more to say; but at the same time, I felt I said all I needed to. I felt like there were more words to say, but the tone of my voice seemed to say it all.

Sasuke stared at me for a long moment, as though he didn't know what to make of me. I gave him a small smile in return before I turned forward, making my way up the staircase.

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for your love and support. You're amazing!