Chapter 10: Revival

"I'm sorry, Gaara," I murmured as I stood over his body beside Naruto. Everyone exchanged sad looks. We were too late. He was gone.

Sakura took a tentative step towards us. "I'm sorry too."

Naruto turned to her with tears in his yes. "Sakura, Sakura... Why? Why did Why is it always Gaara? Did he have to die like this? He's the Kazekage. He just became the Kazekage." I felt a great pang in my chest when I saw the tears stream down his face.

"Calm down, Naruto Uzumaki," said Chiyo.

Naruto glared at her. "Shut up! This wouldn't have happened if you Sand Shinobi hadn't put a monster inside Gaara!" Chiyo's eyes widened in shock, but she said nothing against this. "Did you even ask Gaara at all about how he felt? Jinchuriki, my butt! You've no right to act so self-important by labeling us with that word you created!"

"Naruto..." Sakura said in concern. She reached a hand out to him, but he pushed her before kneeling beside Gaara.

Naruto was shaking now as he leaned over Gaara, and tears fell onto his body. "I can't save Sasuke, and I can't save Gaara. I trained so hard for three years. Nothing's changed since three years ago."

I took a tentative step towards him, unsure if he would push me away too. "I couldn't save him either. I'm so sorry. He didn't deserve this."

Naruto wiped his eyes and looked at me. "You're the only one who understands, Katsumi. You knew about Gaara, didn't you? You never judged him because he was a jinchuriki. You were his friend... like you were mine."

I nodded. "That's right. I understand." I knelt beside him and touched his shoulder to comfort him. Together, we mourned.

Chiyo looked on with a pained expression on her face. Then she knelt down on the other side of Gaara. Naruto looked like he was about to protest, but I pushed him back by the shoulder and shook my head. It looked like she was going to try to perform some sort of jutsu on him.

Sakura gasped. "Granny Chiyo, that jutsu will-" She stopped when Chiyo gave her a sad look, her hands hovering over Gaara. "Granny Chiyo..."

"Everything I've done until now was wrong," Chiyo said softly. "However, it looks like I'll finally be able to do something right at the end. The world of the Sand and the Leaf created by foolish old people is finished. I'm sure the future you build from here on out will be much different than ours." She looked from Sakura, to me, to Naruto.

"Granny Chiyo," said Kakashi, "what are you trying to do? Medical Ninjutsu?"

"No," Sakura said. Her eyes fell on a dark spot on Chiyo's body. It looked like she had been poisoned. "We did what we had to do. Now, if we don't hurry back to the Village Hidden in the Sand and give you an antidote-"

"More important than that, there is something that I still must do," said Chiyo.

"This is what Granny Chiyo was talking about," said Kakashi. "Is that?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Naruto said in alarm when Chiyo placed her hands on Gaara's stomach.

Sakura pulled him back so he could not interfere. "Granny Chiyo... She's going to bring Gaara back to life!"

I gasped. "What?"

"Bring him back to life?" Naruto said, eyes wide.

"Is such a thing really possible?" Neji asked.

"This jutsu is a special jutsu that only Granny Chiyo possesses," Sakura said solemnly.

"Really?" Naruto said in awe.

"There's no way that such an extraordinary jutsu could exist," said Neji. "That chakra flow... It is accompanied by a considerable risk."

Chiyo suddenly started grumbling in frustration. "I don't have enough chakra!"

"You can use my chakra!" Naruto said.

Chiyo looked at him in surprise. "Would that be possible?" She seemed to consider him for a long while. Then she nodded. "Place your hand on top of mine." Naruto sat on the opposite side of Gaara and placed his hand on Gaara's. I felt his chakra flow into her and then into Gaara. I also felt something else.

"Hey, Sakura," I said softly. "The cost of this jutsu, it's..."

"Yeah," Sakura said sadly. "She won't survive."

"Amidst this shinobi world created by us foolish old people, I am glad that a person like you showed up," Chiyo said to Naruto. "The things I did in the past were nothing but mistakes, but in my last hour, it seems I shall finally be able to do the right thing. The Village Hidden in the Sand and the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The future is likely to be different from the way things were in our time. Your mysterious power that Kakashi spoke of... That power is likely to alter the future greatly when you become a Hokage like none before."

"I agree," I said quietly.

Chiyo raised her head to look at me. "You, Katsumi... You are of the same spirit. You are of a different mind than me, but perhaps you can make the change seek in the world. Keep the promise you made to Sasori. Prove that love is more powerful than hatred."

I dipped my head in acknowledgement. "Yes, I will."

Chiyo turned to Sakura next. "And you, Sakura! Next time, help the person you cherish most not an old lady with one foot in the grave. You are very much like me. There are not many women who have a man's courage. You will probably become a kunoichi who surpasses her master." Her gaze fell on Naruto once again. "Naruto, this old lady has a favor to ask you. You are the one and only person who is capable of knowing the extent of Gaara's pain. And Gaara knows your pain, too. Please help Gaara." She pulled her hands away from Gaara and closed her eyes.

"Gaara!" Naruto shouted. He gripped his shoulders and leaned over him.

I knelt beside Naruto, placing a hand on Gaara as well. I could feel his chakra flowing again, and my heart skipped a beat. "Gaara, can you hear us?"

After a long moment, Gaara opened his eyes. "Naruto, Katsumi," he said, seeming surprised.

I let out a breath of relief. "You're alright!" I gave him a gentle hug. Then Naruto and I helped him sit up.

Gaara looked around with wide eyes. It was then I realized that all of the Sand Village's military had arrived and were crowded around us. "This is-"

"Everyone came running to help you," Sakura said. "Are you all right?" The Sand ninja all began cheering. Gaara seemed too overwhelmed to say anything else. Then Kankuro and Temari stepped forward.

"Putting us to all this trouble!" Temari said in exasperation. "Good grief."

"You're such a bothersome little brother, making us worry like that," Kankuro teased.

"What's with you guys acting arrogant like that?" said one of the Sand ninja. "Gaara is the Kazekage, you know. Don't be so disrespectful! You're nothing but subordinates!"

"Gaara, how do you feel?" Sakura said gently. In response, Gaara started to stand up. "You shouldn't try to get up so quickly. Your body hasn't completely healed."

"It's alright," I said. Naruto and I stood up with him and allowed him to lean on us.

"Thank you Naruto!" Kankuro said with a smile. "You too, Katsumi."

"We didn't do much," I said.

"If you're going to say that, you should say it to the old lady, not us," said Naruto. "She saved Gaara with an incredible medical ninjutsu." He glanced at Chiyo, who laid on her side. "She got tired out, so she's sleeping now, but when the old lady gets back to the village, she'll get well again."

Kankuro looked at Chiyo, and his smile fell. "No, you're wrong. Granny Chiyo used that jutsu."

Naruto looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean I'm wrong? I-"

"She wasn't just using medical ninjutsu. She used the reanimation ninjutsu. Granny Chiyo is dead."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Reanimation Ninjutsu? Wh- What do you mean by that?"

"It's a ninjutsu that allows you to bring a dead person back to life in exchange for your own."

"As I thought, Guy sensei," Neji muttered.

"At one time, in the Sand Puppet Unit, they were doing research to develop a jutsu that could bring puppets to life. Granny Chiyo headed up the project. They succeeded in developing the jutsu in theory, but midway, they decided that the risks were too great. Before it reached the stage of human experiments, it was designated as a forbidden jutsu, and it was sealed. Just like that."

"So, that's it," I murmured.

Chiyo's brother stepped up and gazed at her. "She looks as if she could start laughing at any minute. Her face looks so peaceful."

"She did the right thing. She may have made mistakes, but she righted them in the end. What she did was very noble."

Kankuro nodded. "Yes. I wonder what caused this change."

"Naruto inspired him."

"Me?" said Naruto.

"Yes Naruto," said Temari, "you are a mysterious one, after all. You have the power to change people. Granny Chiyo always used to say she didn't care about the village's future. She was not the kind of person to do such a thing for Gaara."

"Granny Chiyo entrusted the future to Gaara and you," said Kakashi. "Katsumi is right. Hers was a magnificent end, befitting of a shinobi."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah just like Gramps, the Third."

"You're right," said Sakura, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yeah. Now, I can clearly understand the Old Lady's wish."

Gaara gently pushed Naruto and me away, managing to stand on his own. He looked around at the ninja. "Everyone, let us pray for Granny Chiyo."

After the prayer, we headed back to the Sand Village. It was late at night by the time we returned. Still, there were lights guiding us to the gate. What looked like the entire village stood there waiting for us.

"Heh, what a lavish welcome," said Kankuro.

"Awesome!" said Naruto. "There are so many people!"

"Just as would be expected for the Kazekage," said Temari.

"Wow," I murmured. "Everyone here has really changed." Not too long ago, they all feared Gaara. Now he was revered. I could not help but smile as I saw them all greet him. The scene filled me with hope. People could change. We could build a better future together. Just like Chiyo wanted.

We entered the village together. Kakashi told the Leaf ninja that we would leave in the morning. Instead of heading to my room, I approached Gaara. There was something I needed to get off my chest, and it could not wait. "Gaara?" I said with slight hesitation. "I know it's late, but I would really like to talk to you about something."

Gaara nodded. "Of course. Come with me." No one dared say anything as he led me away. I was a little surprised when we walked into his room, but I realized that was probably the only place we could talk in private. It was a large room, and he motioned for me to sit on the couch beside him.

"Thank you," I said softly. I folded my hands in my lap and stared at them.

"I should thank you for helping me," Gaara said quietly.

I shook my head. "No, I - I didn't really do anything."

"Katsumi, what's wrong?"

I did not want to tell him, and yet, I knew I had to. Even though Temari assured me he would understand, I needed to hear it from him myself or I would not be able to look at him again. "Gaara... you know how I stayed with the Akatsuki for awhile, right?"

Gaara's expression hardened. "Yes. I am glad to see you are alright."

I suddenly remembered that he probably hadn't known I had been rescued until today. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"No. It was not your fault. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything." He paused. "Itachi Uchiha kidnapped you." His eyes flickered to the bracelet around me wrist. "You bonded with him."

I touched the bracelet that bore Itachi's name. "Yeah. That wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about, but yeah. He actually wasn't up to anything nefarious. The Akatsuki thought it would be best for their plans if the portal to my world was closed permanently, so they wanted Itachi and I to break it together."

Gaara nodded, his eyes looking intently into mine. "Did you?"

I lowered my gaze. How much should I tell him? "No. We got close, but it didn't happen." I figured that was enough for now.

"I'm sorry."

I gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

"They didn't hurt you, did they?"

I shook my head. "No, they needed me, so they left me alone." I paused. "Some of them weren't so bad."

"Did you... bond with any of the others?"

I stared at my lap. "Yes. There were two others. One of them... one of them was Deidara... the blond Akatsuki member who attacked you." I looked at Gaara but saw no condemnation in his eyes, so I continued. "I'm sorry, I still care about him. I was trying to save you, but I wanted to save him too. I tried to convince him to stop what he was doing. I was unsuccessful, but I'm not giving up. I'm sorry I can't hate him. I really do care about you. It's just... complicated."

Gaara's expression softened with a hint of compassion. "You have nothing to apologize for. You are treating Gaara the way you have always treated me. Who am I to enjoy your kindness and deny it to others?"

I bit my lip and looked away. "It's more than that. The way I feel for him... It's... well..."

Gaara placed a comforting hand on my arm. "It's alright. I trust your emotions not to get in the way of your judgment. You will act in the best interests of everyone."

A wave of relief passed through me. "Thank you, Gaara. You are a great friend, and I really am glad you're alright." I leaned into him and hugged him from the side. He tensed up before relaxing and hugging me back. It seemed he was still not used to physical affection.

"I'm glad you're alright too. You mean a lot to me."

After awhile, I pulled back from him and gave him a soft smile. "I suppose I should go."

"You could stay if you wanted to." Gaara has something in his eyes that made me a tad concerned.

"Is everything alright? Do you not want to be alone?"

Gaara nodded. "I cannot remember a time I was ever truly alone. Shukaku was always there. I should be grateful he's gone, but..."

I gently touched his hand. "It's alright. I understand. It's different, and it will take some getting used to." I gave him a soft smile. "I'll stay with you, Gaara."

Gaara smiled gratefully at me. "Thank you."

We got into bed together. The situation might have seemed more than it was to an outsider, but we were both comfortable with it because we knew where we stood with each other. We fell asleep laying next to each other. It was a very peaceful night.

"So, that's Granny Chiyo's grave," Sakura said sadly. It was the following morning, and Team Kakashi and Team Guy were gathered around Chiyo's grave with Gaara to see us off.

"Chiyo..." Gaara murmured. "She said she didn't want a grave, but I thought it would be better to have one. I felt that everyone needed a place to gather."

I nodded. "Good idea."

"Everybody, say your farewells," said Kakashi.

We all took a moment to pray over Chiyo's grave. Then is was time to depart. I watched as Gaara and Naruto looked at each other, appearing awkward and uncertain. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh yeah," he said. "Normally. I suppose people shake hands and say goodbye but I'm not really good with that kind of stuff, so I'll just leave it at this." Gaara nodded.

I chuckled lightly at their interaction. I could not blame either of them for not being the most socially conscious. I smiled as I approached Gaara. "Goodbye, Gaara. I'll see you later." Then I gave him a hug.

Gaara hugged me back gently. "Goodbye, Katsumi. Take care." I saw him smile as I parted from him.

Finally, I left with my comrades, feeling quite accomplished. Everything may not have been resolved, but this was a huge step in the right direction. And Gaara was safe.