𝙰𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝙻𝚘𝚞𝚍𝚎r. (𝙶𝚊𝚊𝚛𝚊 𝚡 𝚘𝚌)

Unlived ( Chapter 40 )

Gaara had layed Ura down on the soft bed of the main shrine, still in disbelief that she had died. The three remaining priestesses had returned to mourn the loss of the kunoichi that had saved their lives. No one was allowed into the room except Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou, the closest people that Ura had in her life. Temari was still lightly crying, Kankurou held his sister as he stared at the life that gave him the strength to go on to find his own love. Gaara, still holding her cold hand, placed his head on her stomach and cried.

"Even now...she's still beautiful," Temari glanced over at Ura's body, "Damn it, why does she have to die now!? When all she had planned!"

"Shhh, Temari," Kankurou tried to comfort his sister, but she pushed him away.

"Don't touch me! I don't want you or anyone to touch me!" Temari spat at Kankurou, then went to the other side of the bed Gaara was on, and cried on the sheet.

Gaara didn't know what to do, he was so dependent on Ura to be with him day-in and day-out. He couldn't go back to Suna, there were too many memories that lingered there, even now. What could he do now? He could give his title to someone else to live in isolation all over again. But if that happened, who would remember him? Ura never wanted Gaara to be alone, even when he was blind to her love, she always made sure that he was with someone.

There was a light tap on the door, then Leila walked in, she was greeted with hateful glares but she ignored them. Leila walked to her sister's bedside with the young priestess lingering behind her, "My dear sister... If I would've known this was your fate, I would've done something to prevent this."

The youngest priestess moved to where Gaara was, "With your permission, Lord Kazekage, I wish to try and revive your wife."

Gaara lifted his head, hearing that there might be a chance that Ura could be given life, "Don't just stand there, get on with it."

Leila looked over at Temari and Kankurou, then approached them, "I hope you all can forgive me for my past actions, but if and when Ura awakens from Death Gates, please tell her that I left for personal reasons."

"Why? Where are you going? Ura's going to want to be closer to you when she comes back," Kankurou asked with some confusion, "Plus she'll want some answers from you."

"I want some answers to my own questions, i'm not going back to Kabutome, but I won't be going home to Suna either. Just...please...take care of her for me, she's the only real family that I have left," Leila explained to Kankurou, "Promise me that."

"Uh..sure, we promise," Kankurou agreed as Leila took her leave.

Kankurou turned his attention to the priestess that was doing her best to try and restore Ura's soul. Before Leila left the room, she noticed the priestess struggling to find the power to regain Ura's life, so she walked over, "Here, take some of my own soul to help her."

The priestess took Ura's and Leila's hand, transfering a portion of Leila's life to find Ura's soul. An hour passed, Gaara was growing restless, and he began to pace as the Suna-nins waited. The young priestess was growing weak and tired, Leila then cut off the supply of her soul to help the priestess search for Ura's soul. By now, Ura had everything to come to life, but her soul, and the priestess was doing her best to find it in the spirit realm.

"Come back..please come back," Temari cried softly to Ura's lifeless body.

Gaara's feet were getting sore and tired as well, he went over by Ura's pillow, feeling hopeless and that she was really gone for good. The other two priestess followed into the room and began to help the youngest priestess search for the lost soul, until one of the priestesses said to the waiting Suna-nins, "Her soul may have passed on for good, and that means she will remain dead."

"Don't stop, if you stop for even a second, i'll kill you myself," Gaara growled at them with a frost bitten glare.

Each priestess kept on going, one praying for the soul to return, another sustaining Ura's life with spiritual made blood, and the youngest searching for the spirit in the spirit realm. The air in the room began to get stuffy and filled with tension, Kankurou watched Ura's face intently, trying to find a sign of life. He gave up, a feeling of loss overwhelmed him, he had to leave the room. When he left, Lee, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura waited, three out of the four of them were tear stricken with greif.

'Is...is ist working?" Naruto looked up at Kankurou, "Are they bringing her back to life?"

Kankurou didn't answer Naruto's question, but even that gave Naruto the answer. Sakura had her head down, crying and saying that she never got to apologize, and to tell Ura that she had respected the Suna Kunoichi. Kankurou went over to the door, the fresh air seemed to do some good to him, but the air couldn't even hide his own saddness. He walked to the back of the building, where no one could see him, then he let loose. His back slid down the wall as he held his head, his best friend was truly dead, gone forever. Kankurou broke down to nothing, his oldest friend had given their life to save Gaara, out of both the Kunoichi way and the love she had for Gaara.

"Ura...don't..don't leave us alone... You have to come back..." Kankurou mumbled through spasms of tears.

The soft wind entered the building, surrounding Kankurou, the type of breeze Ura loved when she was in Konoha. In the room, Temari watched Ura, hoping for a sign of life from the dead kunoichi. She closed her eyes, a part of her gave up, what was the use of bringing Ura back to life when it was taking over an hour to try and find her rested soul? Almost, like the sound of the wind, a breath was heard. Temari's eyes shot open to see the motion of the stomach go up and down softly, the priestesses stopped what they were doing, an exhausted smile on all of their faces. Leila finally took her leave with the priestesses, neither of them saying whether she had her soul or not.

Temari went over to the other side of the bed, not doing anything to get Gaara's head up so if Ura didn't have her soul he wouldn't get his hopes up. She took out a small flask of sake, shifting it under Ura's nose, and to Temari's surprise, Ura eye's began to shift through the lids! Ura's eyes slowly opened, life was back into her skin and eyes, though she didn't say a word.

"Ura, say something," Temari whispered softly to Ura.

Gaara slowly lifted his head, his eyes wide with disbelief, whom also was waiting for Ura's response to know if she had her soul or not. Ura shifted her head to Gaara's side, "Are...are you ok? I didn't...want you get hurt...."

The Kazekage's eyes flooded with tears of happiness and relief, he embraced Ura tightly through her sheets, not ever wanting to let go. Temari joined in, then ran to the other room and informed the others, Lee had pushed Temari roughly out of the way and hugged the other side Ura. Sakura had ran out of the building and found Kankurou, told him the news, and he had came running into the room and hugged Ura's legs. Everyone was so overjoyed at the restoration of life that didn't deserve to die at their prime of life.

An hour after, Ura was able to walk, though she had a lot of pain through her. Gaara carried Ura as they left that village to go to the next closest village, so they could begin to plan where Kabutome might strike next. As Gaara and Naruto were talking to the village elders, the village leaders, Sakura and Ura were alone together as they others were resting.

"Hey Sakura, do you think you can take the pain away?" Ura asked as she touched her wounds, "And probably take away the scars?"

"Sure, just stay still, this may feel weird," Sakura made a handsign and touched Ura's skin.

After a few minutes, the scars and pains went away, Ura smiled, "Thanks, so...what was it like? Me being dead and all?"

"I should be asking you that, what happened when you were dead?" Sakura asked with interest, "Did you see a bright light or anything?"

"No...it was really dark, and I kept hearing voices calling me to come back. I tried to find the voices, but then I became lost and I didn't know where to go or what to do. Then, I actually saw myself and everyone in the room, I was about to walk out and just wander the world, but when I saw how tormented Gaara looked, and everyone else. So I decided to stay for you all, and that was it, I came back," Ura explained, "But...what I remember the most...I saw my father, he said he was really proud of me and that he knew me being a kunoichi. I told him that I found love, and I was getting married to the Kazekage, but he didn't scold me or get mad. He..he actually told me he was proud of me and that I was always a natural born leader."

"Wow..." Sakura was in awe, "But...Ura..I want to tell you before you decide to die again, that I respect you."

Ura looked over at Sakura, "You respect me? Well...I respect you too, Sakura, and that i'd like to be your friend."

"Hey, hey now, I didn't say friends, I said I respect you," Sakura stated, in a friendly way, "Besides, in a way, we kinda went through the same events. When you really think about it, we're kinda the same in many ways."

"Yeah..I guess we are in some ways," Ura looked up at the sky with Sakura.

The two kunoichis remained silent, just the tension had lifted, giving them some common ground that maybe, just maybe, they could someday be friends.





***Leila***




N ow on her own, there were many questions Leila had to find within herself before she could go home, or face Ura. The main reason why she was leaving was to not face Ura, if Leila had stayed, then Ura would want to know why Leila chose to sign that pact with Kabutome. The soft ground seemed to be even softer, the air seemed to be more filled with life, everything seemed so much more pure than before when Leila was trapped. Now she was free, free to do whatever she wanted now.

"Please forgive me, sister, I never meant to hurt you," Leila whispered softly into the wind.

Then, a massive man blocked her path, none other than Kabutome, "Think you can escape my grasp? Then you will think again child."

"Get away from me, i'm free from you," Leila glared at Kabutome, "While I was away from you, the priestesses taught me how to steal souls with these."

Soul Reapers appeared in their white dragon-like figures, gliding on air to the sides of Leila. Kabutome had a grim smirk on his face, "What makes you think i'll fear these creatures when I have beasts that could devour you?"

"Because without your soul, you're nothing but a living corpse," Leila stated, "And then those animals will devour on you."

Kabutome ran at her, but then stopped when one of the Soul Reapers stuck to his back, halfway taking his soul out. Leila crossed her tan arms, "Now what, Kabutome? What are you going to do now when I have the upper hand? I'm not that child you stole before, now i'm an angry woman with a child soul."

"Then..at least join me again, help me get the ultimate power, and there will be no deal," Kabutome basically begged Leila.

Leila gave a long, hard look at Kabutome, the man that had murdered her sister. With a sigh, she had made the Soul Reaper release his soul back to his body, then nodded her head. Her purpose was meaningless if he hadn't come to bother her. Kabutome stood, then he and Leila leaped away, both were back to being partners in crime. Leila knew she had lied to Kankurou and Temari, she had betrayed their trust by joining back up with Kabutome.

Now she could never go back home...