A/N: Yeah. Before I begin, let me clear up a few things…
Hinata still can't completely change him. He acts nice around her, but he can't afford to act different around the others. It would destroy his "image".
I forgot that Gaara knew that Naruto was a jinchuuriki like him. (I'm stoopid.)
Naruto will be showing off his prowess. Soon. Just hold tight.
Sorry bout that.
Chapter 10
Gaara stared at him, his teal eyes taking in every feature of his body.
It's important for the predator to know his prey. He thought, licking his lips. Slowly, the sand reared up, preparing to strike.
Sasuke grinned, then suddenly, he disappeared.
Gaara's eyes widened in shock. Where'd he go? He thought, glancing around wildly.
Suddenly, he felt a rush of wind at his right. He turned to look.
Big mistake.
Sasuke's fist slammed against his face, sending him back a few feet. The sand caught him before he could completely hit the ground, steadying him to his feet.
He glared at Sasuke. Something about his fighting style seemed…familiar somehow. Fast. So fast.
…who had he fought before…with similar speed?
Sasuke smirked, mocking him. His jet-black eyes taunted him, pulling him in.
Gaara shook his head, and then allowed the sand to strike. Left, right, left, right…the sand kept missing by a few inches. Sasuke was too fast.
Suddenly, his fist slammed against Gaara's face. With a grunt of pain, Gaara flew back and hit the ground painfully.
Sasuke smirked, and then disappeared.
Gaara struggled to his feet. Sasuke could be anywhere by now.
I can't see him, he thought, scanning his surroundings wildly, and, if that's the case, this could end badly.
Sasuke started to move in for the kill. Gaara stared at him, then let the sand form around him, donut-like. Sasuke ran around and around him, speeding up. Suddenly, he stopped short. Gaara glanced around.
Where the hell is he??
He felt a jab to his throught. A gasp for air, sailing backward, then a thud as he hit the ground.
No more...no more...
The sand knew what to do. He could feel himself slipping away. He had no choice but to let instict take over.
He allowed the sand to build around him, forming a sort of barrier. A shield.
"…because I'm afraid of getting hurt…"
Gaara looked at her. Her head was bowed, purplish-black hair swinging forward to hide her face.
"I…guess you could say…I build a shell around me." She continued softly. "I…just don't want people t-to see my real weakness. I…I don't want people to hurt me. B-because…no matter how bad physical pain is…emotional pain's a hundred times worse."
Almost instinctively, Gaara reached up and clutched his chest. It had been so long ago…when he had still concentrated on whatever pain he felt. He had been so naïve. So weak. So foolish.
Ever since the day Hinata left Suna, he had learned to ignore the pain. The sharp twinges in his heart…the feeling of his heart ripping apart…he had learned to regard those as things that held no consequence. Whatever happened, he felt nothing. No guilt. No sorrow. No laughter. Just cold, clear, rage.
'But…I shouldn't blame her for that,' he thought, glancing at her, 'she's more emotional than I am. It can't be helped if she can't control her tears.'
"Yeah," he softly agreed, "it is, isn't it?"
Sasuke ran forward, thinking that perhaps a strong enough strike would be enough to break down the sand barrier.
Gaara smirked at his naivety. His defense wasn't that easy to break down.
Contact.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched the sand spikes miss his face by inches.
Every time something hit the sand dome, these spikes come out, Sasuke thought, cursing under his breath. It's like an extra defense. Damn.
He leapt back and focused on the hole in the dome. It was pretty dark in there. His eyes narrowed. Something was moving inside it. It looked like an eye of sorts. But no human eye could possibly be that big.
He bit his lip. There was no way to break through that barrier.
Well…there was one, but he wasn't sure it was time to use it.
That's right, Uchiha Sasuke, Gaara thought, licking his lips. Keep fighting. It makes it so much more enjoyable, so keep fighting.
Keep…fighting…
"Why do you keep fighting?" Neji asked flatly. "It's pointless, isn't it? You can't win."
Gaara watched the scene play from within the shadows, resisting the urge to strangle Neji. Talk about unfeeling.
But then again…he was one to talk.
"I…t-to tell the truth, I-I-I don't kn-know why I do," she whispered, trying to get to her feet.
"Then why do you still choose to get up?" he asked again.
"All I really want," she said, "is t-t-to m-make o-oto-sama pr-proud. Th-that's the o-only reason I'm t-trying so hard."
Neji fell silent. He watched as she tried to push herself up again. As she tried to steady herself…
…it was quite pathetic, really.
"Stop."
Hinata looked up at him in surprise. He seemed angry.
"Stop. This training session is over."
"N-neji-niisan-"
"It's over." He said with a firm sort of finality.
Gaara was brought back to reality when he realized the whole crowd had quieted down. He looked through the hole.
Sasuke was on the wall, and he seemed to be doing several seals. He grasped his wrist and held it down. Suddenly, lightning-blue chakra started to gather at his palm.
Gaara frowned. The sound was deafening. Like a dozen-no…thousands of birds all chirping at once.
I should strengthen the shield, Gaara thought to himself. He clasped his hands together and willed the sand to cover the whole.
He heard the sound become louder, like he was drawing closer and closer.
There! He thought in satisfaction. The hole was covered up. Now he was safe in here.
Safe…
Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion. All around him, the sand dome trembled violently.
Suddenly, he felt something sharp. A small jolt. A miniscule twinge of…of…
"What does pain feel like? I've never been hurt before, so I was wondering…"…pain.
Gaara looked down. Blood spurted from the gash in his skin.
Uchiha Sasuke…had…managed to wound him.
His last thought was: So this is what pain feel's like…
…before the humane part of him slipped away…
…and the monster within was released.
Sakura glanced around in panic. The whole arena was in an uproar.
She covered her ears to try and block out that horrible sound. From the sand dome, a scream like that of a wounded animal could be heard.
What on earth is wrong with him? She thought, cringing.
Suddenly, she felt something…unusual in the atmosphere. She looked up.
Some people seemed to be drowsy.
Some sort of sleep technique…a genjutsu, I'd say. She clasped her hands together.
"Dispel!" She said.
She opened her eyes to look around. Almost everyone had collapsed. Then, she realized that Gaara was no longer screaming. She focused her attention on the sand dome. It had given way, and Gaara could clearly be seen. He seemed to be on the verge of passing out.
Next to him were Temari and Kankurou. Before anyone could say anything, they picked him up and disappeared.
What on earth is going on? She thought wildly.
Don't tell me the matches are over! Hinata thought, running down the hallway leading to the viewing room. It was so silent, except for the occasional screeching of birds. She reached the viewing room and pushes the door open. What she saw was totally unexpected. All the people in the arena seemed to be sleeping. Suddenly, movement caught her eye. She turned to look. Sakura seemed to be talking to Naruto. I need to know what's going on! She thought. Without a moment's hesitation, she turned around and made her way to the seats. She ducked behind a pillar close to them and managed to hear Kakashi's words.
"…so you can find out what their planning. And take him with you." Kakashi gestured to the dog next to his feet.
Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and the dog took off through a huge hole in the wall.
I have to follow them! She thought. Carefully, she tried to walk closer to the hole. Kakashi seemed to be preoccupied, so she might have the slightest chance to slip out.
"Are you sure you want to follow them, Hinata?" Kakashi suddenly said, turning to look at her.
Hinata nearly jumped back in surprise, but she regained her composure.
"I…I…yes. I…I w-want to help…"
"What if you just end up being a burden?" Kakashi asked, his eyes boring into hers. She could feel her knees weakening. "Always the helped, never the helper. Am I right?"
Hinata closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears from squeezing out. Even Kakashi-sensei thought…no. Knew her weakness. Was this all she was reduced to? Damn.
"I…I d-don't c-care…" she whispered. "I…don't care anymore!"
She looked up, eyes flashing dangerously.
"I will help this time. I will not become the burden. I've changed, Kakashi-sensei. I know I have."
Kakashi was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he chuckled.
"Good answer." He said. "Okay. You can come."
Hinata bowed her head, feeling her face redden. He had just been testing her, and she had answered with so much disrespect.
"Hinata."
She looked up. Kakashi stared at her for a minute, then leaned closer.
"Don't make me regret letting you go." He whispered.
Hinata looked into his steel-gray eyes. He didn't doubt her. She could see that.
"I won't." She said firmly. With a final thank you nod, she leapt out the hole.
"Please…please let me see him!"
"I'm sorry, Hinata-sama," his father said with a sharp edge in his voice, "but I'm afraid Gaara is confined in his room for the moment."
Hinata stood in the doorway of his house. From his hiding place beneath the table, Gaara could see the look on her face, and it told him so clearly that she truly cared about him.
"I…I really don't care, Kazekage-sama!" Hinata exclaimed, trying to push past him. "I…I-I'm re-really sorry if this is v-very rude of me, but…but I want to say goodbye one last time! Please, Kazekage-sama!"
"Don't you understand, Hinata-sama," the Kazekage asked softly, "he doesn't feel like seeing you right now. Why don't you go back to your father? I'm sure he's getting worried."
"Th-that's a lie!" Hinata exclaimed. "Gaara-kun…I want to see him! Please!"
Gaara couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of his shadowed hiding place and tried to push past his dad.
"Hinata-chan!"
"Gaara-kun!" She exclaimed happily.
Suddenly, his dad steeped in between them. He glared at Gaara.
"Go back in." He said, his voice low and dangerous.
"H-hinata-chan!" Gaara exclaimed. "When you first saw Suna at it's highest…I'll see you there in ten minutes!"
Hinata nodded, her pale lavender eyes wide and panicked.
"Promise?" She asked, just as the door closed shut.
Gaara stared at the door, touching it softly.
"I promise." He whispered.
"What makes you think I'll let you see her later?" His dad challenged him, his eyes shooting daggers.
Gaara didn't answer. He just stared numbly at the door, as though he could still see her behind it.
"Answer me, you worthless pile of crap!" His father roared.
Suddenly, Gaara turned around. His teal eyes pierced his fathers soul. His hands trembled violently.
"I will see her later. I promised." He whispered. "And if you try to stop me…I…I'll kill you!!" Sand suddenly rushed forward, engulfing the Kazekage and knocking him off balance.
"Don't stop me. Don't ever…ever again…I've had it with you." He growled.
His father couldn't say anything. With a final glance, Gaara allowed the sand to engulf him.
Gaara felt…lightheaded. Like he was in mid-air. Suddenly, an unpleasant bump brought him back. Then, the floating sensation again.
Where am I? He thought. He tried to look left and right, but he could barely move. Something…someone was holding him up. Supporting him.
Sasuke…
Uchiha Sasuke…
The name flashed in his mind like poison.
The one who had actually managed to break through his impenetrable defense. The strength was mind-bending. These past twelve years, no one had ever been able to do that.
Which is why I have to destroy him, he thought, closing his eyes again, for killing those who wish to kill me…
…is the only thing that makes me complete.
A/N: Yes! I finished chap. 10! (cough-finally-cough) sorry if it took me so long, guys! B.K meetings are swamping me, along with projects.