Sand Beast

Ch. 3

"Desert have mercy. Desert have mercy," the old woman muttered, again and again, stirring the fire fiercely. The wind screamed down the air vent and nearly killed the flame.

"Desert have mercy," the old woman muttered again, her eyes wide and bright with fear that Lee didn't understand.

It had been awesome and terrifying to see the entire desert rise up and hurl itself upon Sunagakure, a huge wall of yellow sand lashed by lightning and winds. But sandstorms like these occurred regularly according to Captain Sanada. Everybody had known this one was coming. Sand Shinobi could feel one creeping up on them, and Gaara could sense their approach several days ahead of time. The Kazekage had made sure all outlying patrols had been warned and were ready to fall back to the walls.

Fortunately, somebody had remembered to warn Lee too; Captain Sanada had caught him just as he was about to leave for his daily jog around the village and canyons, and had dragged him into the safety of the garrison fort on the outskirts of the village. Considering the sudden furious speed with which the storm had arrived, Lee was rather thankful.

Protected by their thick stucco walls, Shinobi, and a few civilian caretakers huddled around brazers or sat at the tables in the corner and drank their strong desert coffee in silence. Lee was the only one near the window, trying to make out, through a gap in the shutters, the fascinating shifts of sand in the jaws of the storm. Everybody else stayed as far away from the doors and shuttered panes as possible. There was tension and some fear in the air.

"Desert have-" the old woman interrupted herself with a gasp and dragged her robe up to cover her face and open mouth.

Every Shinobi had felt it, including Lee. Something was stirring out there inside the perimeter of the village. A huge boil of chakra moved slowly in the maelstrom past their building.

Lee stared out the crack in the shuttered window, but he couldn't see further than a couple of feet. The sand hissed and rattled against the shutter as if it was trying to reach him.

"What the hell is that?" he said sharply. "Guys? Can you feel-"

The Shinobi around him turned away. They hunched over their tables or drew the veils of their helms over their faces.

"Gaara..."

The murmur seemed to have no source. It hung like a haze in the room full of tension and superstitious fear.

"Gaara of the Desert..."

Lee boggled at the men and women around him, then he marched towards the barred and bolted door. If that was Gaara out there, somebody should check it out and help him inside. If that wasn't Gaara out there, somebody should really check it out, because that was a hell of a lot of chakra. What was wrong with these people? He ignored the cut-off cry of one of the guards. All sound vanished to be replaced with the wild lament of the wind as he opened the door. He thought the old woman had screamed. He closed the door quickly behind him, arm raised to protect his eyes.

A dark shape was walking slowly up ahead. Lee could barely make it out through the lashings of wind and sand. He was surprised he could see anything at all, actually; maybe the storm was abating a bit.

Lee marched forth. The sand immediately invaded his clothes, mouth, and nostrils, it scraped at every inch of bare skin it could find. Lee coughed and brought both arms up to defend his face. Up ahead, the figure stopped.