Soundtrack: Audiomachine - Being Alive

Kairi:

Fear, pure fear dominated my thoughts. It bit deep into my body and tried to freeze me. But my violently beating heart kept me alive. It hurt. It was beating so fast. It wasn't the fear of the quake that shook the village. Yes, maybe a little. But the source of my fear was based on something else.

Once again, I called out the names of my two daughters. Together with a few older friends, they had walked to the center a few hours ago. And that's where the quake came from. Of all times, my husband didn't have to be in the country.

I clenched my fist tightly and pressed it against my chest. I couldn't stop now. After all, every second counted. Why had I trained as a medic-nin a few years ago if I wasn't able to help now?

But now I was faced with the question of what to do. My girls were still somewhere in the city. In the eye of the storm. On the other hand, there were many injured people whose lives I could save.

„Damn it," it escaped me and I slammed my fist into the wall of our garden. It cracked as part of it collapsed. But that didn't bother me. I had to get to the center. Where the injured were and hopefully where my girls were. Please Kami, let them be unharmed and safe.

The moon shone brightly in the dark sky, obscured only by a few clouds that drifted leisurely by. And directly below him, on one of the roofs in the center of the city, sat a gigantic figure, so tall that it needed several roofs to sit on. It was by no means calm. She kept throwing her head around as if she was in a fight. A battle with herself. I didn't dare think about what had happened that the bijuu could get control of the child.

The people here had been afraid of him before, avoided him, sometimes even insulted him, just to get away as quickly as possible. The aversion towards him had made my stomach ache before. And only his uncle Yashamaru had given him what a child of that age needed most. Love. But his father's behavior didn't make things any better. Through my husband, I knew how he felt about his son. My father-in-law was on the council of elders. They called Gaara a "failed experiment", as if he were a thing and not a human being with feelings. A means to an end, to demonstrate power and strength.

And now, as I looked into the faces of the people, watching the angry creature up there on the rooftops with a fixed gaze, I knew that the seeds of fear had now sprouted. I didn't want to know what the Kazekage would do now. It made me feel nauseous to even think about it. A little more compassion, a little more love for his son and maybe this could have been prevented.

Maybe there wouldn't be so many adults, old people and children buried under the ruins. My daughters could also be somewhere under the ruins of the collapsed houses. This thought alone made me tremble even more. My vision was poor because of the swirling sand, which was slow to settle.

Another roar sounded on the roof. But Gaara, or rather Shukaku, no longer made any attempt to attack. His whole body began to tremble and shake, shrinking further and further until I finally saw only a small, delicate silhouette standing up there. The figure of a child. I expected Gaara to collapse or start crying. But neither happened.

He stood up there for a while before he finally used a jutsu and disappeared in the form of swirling sand. It almost seemed as if the boy was now able to control the bijuu inside him. But at what cost? It almost made me shiver to think about it.

Then I pulled myself together and took long strides towards the square, but stopped halfway when I felt a familiar chakra.

Baki was not alone. He had Akio, his foster son, at his side. The boy stared straight through me, limping slightly. As if he had seen hell on earth. I couldn't blame him for his shock. We were all tense and a little scared. Fearful for the lives of those who might be buried under the rubble.

„Baki! Have you seen my girls?" I asked him immediately. When the jonin nodded slightly, my heart stopped. I began to search his face for emotions to mentally prepare myself for what was about to happen. I wrapped my arms tightly around my upper body as Baki placed his hand on my shoulder.

„They're all right. I brought them home to us. Misaki is looking after them."

Waves of relief ran through me and I slumped slightly, only to straighten up again quickly and look him firmly in the eye. Baki narrowed his. He had known me long enough to know what decision I had made. Then my eyes fell on Akio. He still hadn't said a word. But now he seemed to be following our conversation attentively. Then he looked at me before lifting his foot and pulling his pants up a little.

A gaping wound stretched across his shin, as if a piece of debris had fallen directly on it or crushed it in some way. I gave him an unmistakable sign to sit down before I concentrated green chakra in my hands and closed the wound piece by piece.

„She saved me," Akio murmured softly. „Me and Temari. Without her, we would have been..."

He didn't finish the sentence, just stared at me. I looked back. Baki was scowling above us. Akio's gaze darkened, but he didn't turn his eyes away.

„Asna was there. I know what I saw," he insisted. „I'm a chunin, I should have been saving people. But my fear had me in its grip. If it hadn't been for Asna...it's so shameful..."

Then he turned his head away, as if he could no longer withstand my gaze. The Akio I had always had to scold at the orphanage when he teased or humiliated other children no longer seemed to exist. It almost seemed as if he felt guilty towards Asna. Because he had taken her place in Baki's family, even though it had been destined for her...

„That's not shameful. There were many chunin who were as scared as you are," I replied gently and blinked kindly at Akio. He nodded slowly before I stood up and held out my hand to him. He took it gratefully.

„Kairi... I'll catch up with you," said Baki and put an arm around his foster son's shoulder. I nodded and then disappeared into the turmoil.

Baki and I had known each other for a very long time. After all, we had lived next door to each other as children and had become part of the same team. Together with Yun. An exceptional talent who had made it from the bottom to the top. He had previously lived in a home until a family had agreed to take him in. Yun was now part of the city guard in Sunagakure and was doing quite well.

I rotated between helping at the hospital and the orphanage as a result of my later training as a medic-nin. And Baki trained the genin. I wouldn't be surprised if he had Rasa's children one day. What's more, he would be the only one capable of taming this trio. But I wasn't so sure about Gaara anymore. Something had changed in him and I didn't like it at all.

Rasa had changed so much. I didn't even know when this change had started. We had been friends in the past and I had had a little crush on him when I was twelve. But that had quickly died down when I met my current husband. Now Rasa seemed almost ignorant and cruel to me. It hurt to know who he had once been and how much he had changed. At least he still listened to me a little. Me and Baki...and of course the elders. Even if I often couldn't agree with their point of view.

„Your brother is a demon. How can you live under the same roof as him?" an angry voice rang out. I looked up.

A group of adults and children had gathered around Kankuro and Temari. Temari had positioned herself diagonally in front of her younger brother. As if she wanted to protect him from the judging eyes of the world.

„Perhaps they also have uncanny powers. That's why they're not afraid," one child said.

„Or maybe they really do have sympathy for a monster. But if you have that, you're a monster yourself, aren't you? A monster that killed or mutilated our children."

That was enough.

„A monster that you also made into a monster with your rejection," I blurted out uncontrollably. It made me angry, so angry that this pack of angry parents were now attacking Gaara's siblings, who were not responsible for their misfortune. After all, their own father kept them away from him. Forbade them to play with him.

„Well, Kairi, are you trying to teach us again? You ignored him yourself and didn't intervene. You were afraid for your own skin, weren't you?" sneered Akane, a former classmate of mine. I ignored her, despite the knowledge that there was a small spark of truth in her words. I could have helped Gaara, that was true.

I strode energetically through the crowd and stood in front of Kankuro and Temari.

„That's right. I could have done it. But I own up to my mistakes and recognize them, while you blame them on others to ease your conscience. And yet the stones in the backpacks you carry are getting more and more. I'm surprised that none of you have been knocked to the ground yet. How can you carry so much malice?" I growled angrily.

A wall of golden sand stopped Akane's fist from hitting me in the face. I widened my eyes as I recognized Rasa, who had appeared next to me. He had helped me, even though I had criticized him here, in front of everyone. Him, his leadership style, the upbringing of his children. Rasa gave me a quick glance before he approached the people to calm them down. Meanwhile, I brought Kankuro and Temari to the edge of the square.

„We'll find our way home from here, thank you," Temari said, looking at me firmly with her big blue eyes. I finally nodded and looked after the two of them. I wondered if Kankuro still knew Asna and knew that she had saved his sister. Somehow I hoped so.

Finally, I set about treating the injured. A few refused to let me help them. Claimed that I was false and only feigning kindness. Nevertheless, I healed their wounds. Left them dumbfounded. Let them run their mouths. I did what I thought was right.

My back tingled and I turned my head. Behind me was a narrow side street, which in turn would branch off into countless side streets. And on the broken wall of a house sat a dark figure. Slowly, very slowly, I moved towards her. She didn't move, just stared at me, waiting for me to come closer. My heart was pounding with excitement and nervousness.

Asna had changed. She no longer looked frightened. There was something cool and aloof about her gaze. She seemed to have become more self-confident. She was wearing a dark red top, a wide brown jacket over it and black trousers that were torn in places. A kunai was on her belt. Chakra flowed through her. It hadn't changed, it had just become stronger. Just like herself. A thick violet appeared around her right eye.

„It's good to see you well. You've chosen life on the road, it seems."

Asna nodded curtly, but didn't stayed where she 't try to get close and kept her hurt me a I had to accept it.

„This is my place. But I won't forget you," replied Asna. „How is the orphanage?"

I tilted my head, wondering why she was asking. She didn't actually associate anything with this place. Nothing nice, at least.

„A little better. Donations have been coming in recently. I've made sure that they're well invested. In the right things," I added.

„Good," Asna just said and a wafer-thin smile appeared on her lips. And then I knew. I didn't say anything, just nodded. We looked at each other. Then she moved. She turned on her heel and disappeared into the darkness.

Footsteps sounded behind me. I didn't need to turn around to know it was Baki. He stopped right next to me and stared into the darkness of the alley.

„Akio was right," he murmured.

„It's her decision. She wouldn't have wanted to go back," I answered his unspoken question. Yes... that was it. And I had to accept that, whether I wanted to or not.