Aiko Uzumaki, The Sister That Could Have Been

Strange Awakenings

Have you ever been in the situation where you were missing something, even if what it was has seemed so insignificant before? Say, a pair of pants, or a tree. Well, Aiko was having one of these moments, a moment of weakness for one thing. A pair of eyes. But not just any eyes, but eyes that were the most beautiful color of teal she had ever seen. Eyes darkened with a burning hatred for the world around them.

Yes, the young Aiko Uzumaki was missing the eyes of Gaara of the Sand. Hard to believe, right? After all, he had threatened her life, and vise versa. But his eyes had been so entrancing that this little fact seemed unimportant. 

This was where she found herself now, laying awake in the middle of the night missing those cold teal eyes.  The soft snores of her sensei echoed around the room, reminding Aiko of the sleep she needed. They would be leaving for Konoha the next day, and she desperately needed rest for the long walk through the desert.

After another 10 minutes of impatiently trying to  get some much needed rest, she finally stood and made her way to the door of their room. The desert was much cooler at night, with a breeze softly brushing her skin and creating goosebumps. Against her will, Aiko shivered, the quiet giving her an eerie feeling. For whatever reason, the quiet village felt dangerous.

With the only sound being the soft tap tap of her sandals hitting the sandstone roads, she made her way through the sandy place known as Suna. She didn't even notice the sand collecting at her feet until she could no longer walk.

Looking down, Aiko watched as streams of sand made their way up her legs, constricting until moving was no longer an option. Readers, believe me if you can, but for the first time since Itachi left her behind, Aiko Uzumaki felt a shred of fear.

"I told you I would kill you, didn't I?" An eerily familiar voice sounded behind her. She turned her head to come face to face with the same beautiful  eyes she had been thinking about the last several eyes. Yes, standing a mere three feet behind her was the crimson haired boy known as Gaara.

"It's you." She said, her voice hiding the fear she felt. It wasn't of the boy, or for her life though.. She feared that she wouldn't make it back to Konoha, to her brother. She was afraid that she may have to leave him all alone. She couldn't bear the thought.

The sand was making it's way up her body, ever so slowly. She had figured out what he planned to do.. He wanted to crush her, to reduce her body to a pile of nothing.

"Use my chakra, child. Or else both of us are as good as dead." Kurama said from within her mind.

"How do I know that it will work? That I wont be crushed regardless?"

"You don't. You'll just have to trust me."

Taking his word for it, Aiko closed her eyes and allowed the power to surge through her veins, figuratively of course. Gaara's eyes widened considerably, and he took a half step back as red chakra made a visible barrier around her body, tearing the sand away from it. Even he knew that she was dangerous, much like himself. This made him grin psychotically, seeing a fun challenge. 

"I see that you do have some power, but this isn't enough to save you, Aiko Uzumaki!"

Aiko let out a feral snarl, sounding more like an animal than human. Her crystal blue eyes were narrowed dangerously, and she lept towards him with surprising speed. His sand blocked the fist that had been heading towards his face, and he reached and grabbed her wrist, twisting and throwing her into a nearby building.

Grunting, Aiko made her way back to her feet, lifting her hands into a handsign and casting her special Genjutsu on him, the one she had created herself. "Ninja Art: Tortured Souls."

As it had happened to the boy known as Hiroshi once before, Gaara's vision was changed into complete darkness, the silence deafening him. He was confused, never being stuck in a Genjutsu before. Then The tortured screams began, and he relished them. He enjoyed the sound of pain and suffering, for it reminded him of his fallen enemies.

Seeing how psychotically gleeful his face had become, and changed it. The screams of pain became laughs of joy, happy shrieking. The sounds of playing and happiness, of children who weren't alone. This changed things. Memories began to fill Gaara's head, of his childhood, and he gripped his head as if in pain. I suppose that in a way, he was.

Seeing his state, Aiko felt something unusual... Pity. She couldn't watch his pain, couldn't bear it. For whatever reason, seeing him in pain made her chest hurt. She released he Genjutsu and turned around, unwilling to succumb to the unusual feelings. She didn't understand what had awoken within her, but she didn't like how weak she felt.

She heard him walk towards her slowly, not bothering to turn around. His hand grabbed her hair, pulling her ear to his mouth, whispering in a rage-filled voice.

"I will kill you, Aiko Uzumaki, just you wait."

With that said he released his hild on her hair and turned, walking away slowly.

~Next Day~

Anko Miderashi and Aiko Uzumaki left the gates of Sunagakure at a casual pace, the scroll safely on them. They didn't speak, didn't need to. Aiko was still pondering one the strange feeling she seemed to have awoken while fighting Gaara of the Sand. One thing was for sure though, She would be seeing more of the redheaded boy with the beautiful teal eyes.

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That's all folks! :D How was the fight between Gaara and Aiko? It wasn't much, I know. But it was only the first skirmish of many to come. :D What do you think will happen? Review to let me know what you think! :D

-Tiff