𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐑𝐄 | sasuke uchiha

Go

"Gaara-sama!"

Gaara and Kannon both looked up in surprise as Kannon's ward door burst open, revealing a puffing and panting wall guard. Immediately knowing that this didn't bode well, Gaara rose to his feet, keeping his hand on Kannon's shoulder to ensure she remained seated.

"What is it, Hiro?"

"Amaterasu has been spotted approaching the village from the south! It's estimated that she'll be arriving within the next half hour!"

Gaara frowned at the news- he wasn't surprised by it, but he did lament at how quickly things were moving. Glancing down at Kannon, he saw nothing but worry written all over her face, and couldn't bring himself to say anything to her.

Now wasn't the time to reminisce on the good times they had spent with Tera. Their job now was to keep everyone safe, and that meant preparing themselves for the mental and emotional toll it would take on them to deal with Tera.

"Everyone is already in position?"

"Yes, my Lord. Tsunade-sama is already on the frontier with her shinobi. We're prepared to deal with both Amaterasu and the threat of the Uchiha. Half of our reinforcements have already returned from the outlying villages; the other half should be here by tomorrow."

"The civilians have safely reached their destinations?"

"Yes, my Lord. Temari-sama and Kankuro-sama have sent the all clear on their side. Everyone is out of harm's way."

"Very good. I'll meet you all down at the gates."

"Yes, my Lord!"

After bowing to the Kazekage, the frantic shinobi shot out of the room, leaving Gaara standing beside a pale faced Kannon.

"The closer and closer she gets... the more real it becomes," she said in a small voice, still trying to accept what needed to be done. "I know we can't avoid it, but... I feel so guilty. Why couldn't I think of another way to deal with this?"

"Because there is no other way," said Gaara comfortingly, looking at Kannon with absolute worry in his eyes as he scanned over her body. A week on and she had healed quite well, but the damage that had been done to her was far from over. She could move more fluidly now and with less pain, but she still lagged on occasions, which worried the redhead. Physically, Kannon was getting better. Mentally... not so much.

And if she wasn't a hundred percent there in her mind, then it was impossible for her to be there a hundred percent in person.

"Look. You wait here. I'm going to send someone back to look after you and keep you away from the immediate danger. Hopefully, that attack on you was a one off, and Sora won't come flying through the village looking for you."

Bending down so that he was face to face with Kannon, Gaara sighed and hung his head.

"Even if that is the case... I won't let her touch you. I promise."

Kannon gave the Kazekage a small smile, cupping his cheek in her right hand.

"You're too precious, Gaara," she said mournfully, the sadness in her eyes palpable. "I should be the one protecting you, not the other way around. You're so young."

Gaara took Kannon's hand in his own, briefly closing his eyes before looking up at her once more.

"Our ages mean nothing to me," he said softly. "I know that you would protect me if you could- if I let you. But not this time around, Kannon. I know you're so used to being the hero and looking after those who mean everything to you... but just for now, you have to trust me on this. You need to save your energy for when we need it. For the extraction. Stay here."

She wasn't sure why she was feeling so emotional all of a sudden- maybe it was the dire situation, maybe it was the stress of everything going on- but that didn't matter to Kannon at all.

Choking back a small sob, Kannon reached out and pulled Gaara towards her in a tight embrace, knowing that there was no going back. Although she trusted him to keep himself safe, at the back of her mind there was always the chance of something going awry; for all she knew, this could well be the last time she ever saw Gaara again.

"When it's time... you'll come back and get me, right?" asked Kannon, her voice muffled as she buried her face in Gaara's shoulder. Having already met with Tsunade and her advisers and informed them of what needed to be done, Gaara had made sure that all the necessary materials were on standby for whenever they needed them.

He knew that Kannon desperately wanted to play a part in Sora's subjugation, but he just couldn't bring himself to let her. Doing so would destroy Kannon, and he didn't want that to happen. He knew she would never be able to forgive herself if she killed Tera- and she would feel even more guilt if she let her emotions get the better of her and failed to do so. Either way was a loss for Kannon, and quite frankly, Gaara didn't want to either outcome.

Unbeknownst to Kannon, Gaara and Tsunade had already arranged their squadron of four, with more at the ready if needed.

It had been decided that Tsunade, Kakashi, Gaara, and Neji would be the ones to ultimately carry out the chakra extraction and destruction of Sora's human vessel.

Tsunade and Kakashi would extract the chakra, and divide it up into smaller portions to be sealed away.

Gaara and Neji would finish the job.

"Gaara."

He could barely look at Kannon as she said his name.

"You'll come back when it's time, right?"

Offering her a small smile, the Kazekage nodded.

"Of course."

With that, he planted a small kiss on her forehead, before straightening up.

"I should get going," he said hurriedly, turning so that she couldn't see the flush that was slowly creeping across his cheeks. "Make sure you stay put and out of harm's way, okay? I'll have someone back here in the next five minutes to be your guard."

"Don't worry about me, Gaara."

"The same applies to you. See you soon."

"Stay safe."

As Gaara walked out of the room, he knew that the next time he saw Kannon, she wasn't going to be very happy with him.

Regardless, he would rather have her mad at him for the rest of his life, than let her destroy herself by killing someone whom she held so close to her heart.

I'm sorry, Kannon. I can't let you do that.

I hope you can forgive me.