Author's note: Once again, thanks to Shi and Sammy-chan for reviewing! I was being lazy in writing up this chapter, but that's the story of my life. So! Here goes chapter 5! Whoo whoo!
"Gaara…" Spoke the woman wearing the black cloak, black hood, and a scythe tied to her back. Gaara instinctively faced her and responded
"Who are you…?" The woman didn't even blink and responded in her soft voice
"That doesn't matter…" He felt no bloodlust or dishonesty from her, so he felt he had to ask her
"Are you here to kill me…?" She shook her head softly
"No…" Gaara didn't break his gaze on her, keeping his guard up at all times
"Then why are you here?" She looked him eye to eye and her eyes were golden colored, not glimmering, but golden nonetheless "I'm here to tell you about Kazuo…" Gaara looked up at her in confusion
"Kiriyama Kazuo? The one who went missing three years ago?" She nodded and he responded
"What about him? Is he dead?" She shook her head
"No… he's alive… and I know where he is…" Gaara remembered when he first saw Kazuo as soon as she said that. It was around three years ago… during the time of the Hidden Sand's graduation… Gaara himself was a part of Kazuo's final test… and he would never forget those words that Kazuo gave him…
"Where is he?" The woman pulled out a map from her robe which had an X on its location, and she explained
"He's in this area… please, bring him back to this village…" Gaara nodded and took the map from her, he looked at her eyes one more time and asked her
"Why do you want to help him?" She responded as she began to fade away slowly
"That doesn't matter…." Soon enough, she faded entirely. Gaara only had his map as proof and he stared at it, it wasn't far from the village, half a day at best, the round trip would be just one day, a simple mission, just get Kazuo and bring him back. Gaara walked into his office where his siblings were there in the waiting area, it had been one month after Uzumaki Naruto's departure for his training, and they had recently gotten promoted to Chuunin at the exams held two weeks ago. Gaara faced his siblings and told them
"Kankuro… Temari… We have a mission…" Kankuro smiled
"Interesting… Who's the client?" Gaara responded "I don't know…" Temari's eyes narrowed
"Gaara, if we don't know who the client is, then what is the benefit of the mission?"
"A rescue mission three years overdue…" Temari and Kankuro both gasped and Kankuro asked
"You can't mean… Kazuo!?" Gaara nodded softly and Temari responded
"Then what the hell are we waiting here for!? We have to go and get him!" Gaara nodded and walked over to a chest that his father had left behind, and opened it. Inside there were two identical daggers with a scorpion insignia on the handles. They were even purposely forged to look red, and were the last of what the Kiriyama clan had in the Hidden Sand village. Gaara put those in his pouch and looked at his siblings
"Let's go…"
-Half a day later-
The road from the Hidden Sand village to the former Akatsuki hideout wasn't complex, but it did last half a day, by the time the Sand siblings left, it was late afternoon. They had found a boulder in the middle of the desert that had a door on it, the moment they had opened the door, thousands of scorpions scattered away, Kankuro and Temari seemed confused, but Gaara walked straight ahead
"The scorpions won't harm you if you leave them alone… we've come too far to turn back empty-handed…" Kankuro and Temari nodded and walked behind Gaara, staying close to him. Meanwhile, Sasa-chan raised the alarm in the inner area where Kazuo was, he was munching on an apple when Sasa-chan showed up
"Kazuo! Kazuo! We've got some bad news! We have infiltrators! They're from the Sand village!" Kazuo put on the spare Akatsuki clothing Orochimaru had left behind, it didn't fit him well at all, but it was better than being nude. The sand siblings reached the inner area where Kazuo was and looked at him, He wore an Akatsuki robe and his skin was still tan due to the ceiling he had halfway destroyed. Kankuro and Temari entered battle modes but Gaara responded
"No." They both seemed confused and Gaara continued
"We came here to save him, not hurt him… Let me take care of this one…"
Kankuro and Temari lowered their weapons, and Gaara walked straight ahead, he declared
"Kiriyama Kazuo… correct…?" Kazuo's eyes widened as he remembered this boy… the monster of the hidden sand, the one who only gave him scowls and tried to kill him! Kazuo gritted his teeth
"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" He fired off at least twenty Satetsu kunai at the sand siblings, Gaara blocked them all with the sand, and remained as stoic as ever. Kankuro and Temari were both dumbstruck, just what the hell was that!? Kazuo continued "What the hell do you want from me!? Why the fuck are you even here!? Did your bastard Kazekage send you!? Is that it!? Am I to die here!?" Gaara closed his eyes and reached for his pouch and drew out the two daggers he had taken from earlier. Kazuo's eyes widened as he saw those two daggers, because those were the same daggers that his parents had used in their rescue attempt. An heirloom of the Kiriyama clan, and the signature weapon of Kazuo's parents. Gaara walked over to Kazuo and placed the daggers in his hands, Kazuo looked down at them and started crying "Mom… Dad… why…? Why did you have to die…?" Gaara wrapped his arms around Kazuo and shut his eyes, Kazuo gasped again and Gaara asked
"You were lonely… Weren't you, Kazuo?" Kazuo remembered those exact words…
You were lonely… Weren't you, Gaara? Kazuo held him back and started wailing again, he could go home now… Where he belonged…
-Three days later-
"We have gathered ourselves today to mourn the loss of Kiriyama Sosuke and Mitsuki… Two of the bravest Shinobi to have ever come out of the Hidden Sand village… They died trying to protect their son… and today, we know their loss had not been in vain…" Kazuo was wearing all black on a hot desert day, just for this particular day, he had returned, but so much had changed… the Hidden Sand village didn't have a Kazekage, because the previous one was murdered. He was allowed to bring back his scorpions and was wearing a shiny new Hidden sand headband on his forehead. Gaara continued speaking "Kazuo… do you have anything you want to add?" Kazuo nodded and he walked over to where Gaara stood for the Eulogy, taking his place, only the sand siblings and close friends of the Kiriyama were there, even the elders had stepped out for this one
"Kiriyama Mitsuki and Sosuke were my mother and father… I had always had a terrible relationship with my father… he always pushed me to get stronger… to get smarter… to get better… And arguments with him were so common… even though the arguments were the closest we had ever gotten to a father-to-son conversation… hehe… Even so… I think I understand him now… and I forgive him." Kazuo had tears falling down his face as he continued
"My mother… Oh, where to start with her? She was everything I ever wanted to be… Calm, loving, pragmatic, understanding… No matter how deep the wounds that the world had given me… she had the healing power of love… When I was beaten up due to bullies when I was younger… My mom told me it was nothing to be ashamed about… When I broke my arm from training too hard… she never left my side… no matter how hard I cried…. She could heal me… She was everything to me… She even died… apologizing to me… Mom… don't feel sorry… I'm home now… please… just… rest… rest in peace with dad… please…" Kazuo broke down into tears again, Gaara picked him up off the floor and directed him to a chair. The rest of the day for Kazuo was empty, he returned to his house… the same house where he was captured… he had given Gaara the descriptions of their appearance… the shorter one was unidentified, but the taller one was instantly identified with the vivid expression Kazuo gave… Orochimaru… the man who murdered his mother…
Kiriyama… Kazuo…
Kazuo turned around and saw no one… that voice echoed in his mind… Kazuo walked around his house and he saw the table where he had his last conversation with his father
Kazuo! How do you expect me to get closer to you without you giving me the benefit of the doubt!? Don't I deserve it!?
"Yes… you did deserve it… I was… just not strong enough, Dad… I'm sorry…" Kazuo walked upstairs now and he looked into his bedroom, it was still all messed up from the time he had awoken… the last time his mother would have come to awake him was there…
Kazuo, the world isn't going to end if you're a few minutes late…
"I know, Mom… I was always aware of that… but the only reason I acted that way… is because you were going to calm me down the way you always did…" Kazuo knelt over his bed and started crying again. He had not stepped in his house for three years and was staying at the Kazekage mansion while everything was explained to him.
"Kazuo, enough." Kazuo turned around and saw Gaara at his doorstep, Kazuo wiped his eyes that were still blood red
"I'm sorry, Gaara-kun…" Gaara responded
"Kazuo… you may not be aware of this, but now you hold the greatest ability that was ever known in the Village Hidden in the sand, used by the most powerful Kazekage." Kazuo's eyes widened as he remembered Orochimaru's talking.
This boy is special… he'll be able to master the satetsu… Kazuo formed the satetsu into a knife in his hand again
"Satetsu… right? What exactly is it…?" Gaara responded
"Satetsu is merely the term that the Third Kazekage gave it… It's iron, Kazuo… You can control iron sand…" Kazuo's eyes widened again. He had heard of the iron sand before and he nodded
"I get it now… I get it full well…." Gaara seemed confused and asked
"What exactly is it that you get?" Kazuo yelled at Gaara with a murderous look in his eyes, one Gaara had seen before in himself.
"I GET THAT I CAN USE THIS ABILITY TO KILL THAT FUCKING BASTARD! HE KILLED MY MOTHER! I'LL HAVE HIS HEAD ON A PIKE AND FEED IT TO THE SCORPIONS!" Gaara ran over to Kazuo and punched him across the face, Kazuo landed on his bed and looked up to Gaara
"Fool… You think like that and all you'll ever do is become consumed by darkness… you can't change your past, Kazuo… It may not sound well, but I won't let you have your revenge!" Kazuo looked up at Gaara and saw he was completely serious… this was the first time he had seen this side of Gaara, but still Kazuo asked
"What the fuck are you saying!? How would you feel if someone did something like that to you, huh!? Should I go and kill your mother, too, so you know what it feels like!?" Gaara held Kazuo with his own sand and tightened the pressure on his legs, Kazuo screamed in pain as he felt that.
"You feel that, Kazuo…? What will you feel if you do get your revenge…? More pain… more suffering? What if you get captured again…? Do not wander in the darkness, Kazuo; otherwise you'll be no better than them!" Kazuo's eyes widened once more, he had calmed down and the sand stopped gripping his legs, he couldn't feel them for now, he'd just let the circulation return as he laid there thinking about what he said.
"Fine… I won't get revenge…Gaara-kun…" He clenched his fists and continued "Then train me…" Gaara looked at Kazuo with confusion, and Kazuo pulled himself up from the bed, Kazuo continued "Train me to use my ability! Train me in the ways of the Hidden Sand Shinobi! Please!" Gaara shut his eyes and responded
"Very well… but on three conditions… one, you will not seek revenge, two, you will also train alongside Kankuro and Temari… and Three, you will never mention my family again… for the record…. My mother died when I was born…" Kazuo looked down, he knew, now, that Gaara went through much worse than him. Kazuo nodded "I accept, Gaara-kun, all three conditions… Please, train me!" Gaara responded
"That's why I came here in the first place, Kazuo… we begin tomorrow at Seven AM Sharp on the rooftop of the Kazekage mansion, I'll be expecting you there, Kazuo." Kazuo nodded and smiled at him
"With enthusiasm, Gaara-sensei!" With that, Gaara walked out and Kazuo knelt down again
"Mom, Dad… I'm sorry, but I won't be avenging you… I will have to fight and train… so that no one may suffer like I did again…" Kazuo stood up and held his two daggers in the sky next to each other
"THAT'S A FUCKING PROMISE!
Author's note: HELL FUCKING YEAH! WE'RE FINALLY BACK IN THE SAND! Next chapter is gonna kick even more ass! Stay tuned, people! Please leave reviews!