"How could this be done, by such a smiling sweet heart?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Well, well... This is very surprising, wouldn't you agree, Sasori, my man?" Deidara inquired, his infamous, devilish smirk on his face.
"Surprisingly, I do agree, Deidara," Sasori said in his deep voice. "Our little Minxie has switched sides yet again."
"What're you doing around these Leaf losers, hmm, Minxie?" Deidara asked.
"I always knew she was a Leaf ninja," Sasori muttered.
Their conversation would haunt me later on. I knew that. There was no way anyone who'd heard it would ever let it go. I could feel my team looking at me, but I didn't meet their eyes. I was too busy staring at Gaara's body, trying not to cry.
"Well, that answers the mystery of where our lovely little troublemaker went, un," Deidara mused. "Now, which one is the Jinchuriki host, hmm?"
A growl broke the uncomfortable silence, and I looked at Naruto. The blonde was fuming, his eyes reddened and the whiskers on his face darkened.
"You bastards... I'll kill you!" He threatened, growling monstrously.
"Well, there he is, then," Sasori noted.
"Looks like it," Deidara smirked. "Itachi really hit the mark on the description, hmm? This Jinchuriki is rather loud."
Although I was listening to what was being said, the words never reached my brain. They went in one ear and out the other. My gaze was immobile as I stared at Gaara's lifeless corpse on the floor. His eyes were closed; the rings around them dark due to his insomnia. But there was no life. He lay there, nothing but an empty body.
"Gaara!" Naruto shouted suddenly, making me freeze. "Why are you just lying there!? Get up!"
All his shouting did was bring more tears to my eyes.
"Gaara, hey! What are you, deaf!? I told you to get up!" He yelled, and the tears fell out of my eyes and down my face.
"Stop it!" I shouted, closing my eyes. "Just stop it already, Naruto!"
It was just too much. Every time Naruto spoke, it made me remember that Gaara wouldn't get up. That he couldn't get up. Because he... He was already...
"Enough, Naruto," Kakashi-sensei agreed. "You know full well..."
"They're right," Deidara said, smirking. "This precious Gaara person... Is indeed already dead, hmm?"
Another growl ripped through the air, and I turned to see Naruto. His eyes were bloodshot as tears gathered at the edge of them, and his teeth were as sharp as knives.
He spoke in a tone that would make even a zombie run for the hills. "Give. Him. Back."
"Give Gaara back, you bastards!" He shouted, charging for the two Akatsuki members.
Kakashi-sensei appeared in front of him before he could do anything. "Cool it, Naruto. Charge in without thinking, and you'll get us all killed," Our sensei ordered.
"... I'll hold onto the body," Sasori decided suddenly. "... Since the Jinchuriki is simply burning for it."
"Sasori, my man... I know this won't be to your liking, but... I'll handle the Jinchuriki host, hmm?" Deidara said.
"We each get one," Sasori said darkly, "Don't push your luck."
"I am an artist. I always seek new stimulation. This host is fairly strong, isn't he?" Deidara asked. "As a fellow artist, you surely understand that, hmm?"
"You call those barbaric techniques of yours art?" Sasori scoffed. "Art is a work of eternal beauty. It lasts forever, created to be marveled at."
"And I respect your opinion, Sasori, my man," Deidara said, shifting his position slightly. "But my opinion, however, is that art lasts for only a moment. Its beauty lasts seconds only." He turned to look at me, smirking. "Why don't we just get another opinion to settle this, hmm? What do you think art is, Minx?"
I didn't reply. I was still too focused on Gaara's lifeless form under Deidara.
"Enough of this!" Naruto shouted. He grabbed a scroll from his bag and opened it. A large shuriken appeared from it, and he threw it at Sasori.
Sasori, as expected, dodged the shuriken with Hiruko's tail. "Deidara, you fool... Are you trying to make me angry?"
"Well, I did say you wouldn't like it, un," Deidara said, shrugging and standing up. "My art is the explosion itself. Compared to your grotesque puppet show... It's not even in the same league. Don't you agree, Minxie?"
Deidara's clay bird picked Gaara up in its mouth right when Sasori aimed Hiruko's tail at Deidara. The blonde dodged at the last second, jumping onto his bird.
"Fool," Sasori muttered harshly.
"See you, yeah!" Deidara called, smirking as his bird swallowed Gaara's body in his mouth. It flew out of the hideout, and it took about two seconds for Naruto to go after it.
"Hey! Wait! Bring him back!" Naruto shouted, running after Deidara.
But I couldn't let him do that. I knew Naruto was strong, but to face Deidara alone? I couldn't let him do that.
"Naruto! Wait!" I shouted, following after him.
I heard Kakashi-sensei growl under his breath. "Damnit... Minxie, Naruto, and I will take care of the guy outside. You two stay here and deal with the other one, all right?" And then he was following us.
Naruto was standing on top of the sign that pointed out the rock formation, and I landed next to him. Kakashi-sensei was next to me in seconds, touching his communicator.
"Guy, come in... We need your team," Kakashi-sensei said. There was a bit of discussion on the other line, and I imagined Guy-sensei and his team were facing their own set of challenges, too.
"Well, there went that idea," He muttered, lifting up his headband and revealing his Sharingan eye. "We'd better wrap things up."
"Well, well... Kakashi of the Sharingan... You want to come after me, un?" Deidara inquired from atop his clay bird. "I hate admitting this, but... Sasori's stronger than me, yeah."
"Kakashi-sensei... You take Minxie and go back to Sakura and Granny Chiyo," Naruto said. "I'll handle him."
"Well, Minxie..." Deidara said. "You sure do pick annoying company, hmm?"
Kakashi-sensei raised an eyebrow at me, and I shook my head. I mouthed the word 'later' to him, and he nodded, knowing that talking about how the hell Deidara knew me so well could wait for another time. We had a mission at hand, now.
Naruto charged for Deidara, but he ended up smacking straight into a large cliff wall. Deidara sent a clay bird his way, but Kakashi-sensei stopped it with a shuriken, and it exploded.
Shuriken and kunai ensued from the clay bird, and I quickly blocked them all with my katana, landing parallel to gravity on the cliff wall Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were on.
"Give him back!" Naruto yelled.
"Hmm... You are quite an odd one, you know. Jinchuriki are supposed to be sullen and lonesome, caring for only themselves... But I suppose that's not the case. You and Minxie have proved me wrong, yeah," Deidara mused. "This Gaara is strange as well. I've never seen a Jinchuriki as beloved as he."
"We've destroyed two Jinchuriki... Not counting Gaara, of course. But no one came for them. Not a single soul..." He continued. "In fact, some people were relieved that they died."
"Guess you just can't ignore someone as lonely and rejected as you, hmm? Well, it doesn't matter," He decided. "In the end, you'll end up just like Gaara. Dead."
"You bastard... I'll finish you!" Naruto growled, and Kakashi-sensei remained silent as I looked down.
Deidara began moving from atop his clay bird, and Naruto followed after him.
"Naruto! Wait!" I called, zipping after him.
"Both of you, stop! Damnit!" Kakashi-sensei cursed from behind us.
"He isn't listening! I'll stop him some other way!" I called back to him, and he grunted, but nodded. I looked forward again, using my enhanced speed to catch up to Naruto. I tried to grab his arm, but he was always an inch ahead of me.
Growling, I jumped in front of him, halting his body with my own. "Jeez, hothead! Cool it, would ya!?" I shouted, scowling at him.
"He has Gaara!" the blonde objected.
"And I have no patience! But do you see me running towards a criminal with no back-up? No," I said sarcastically, and he scowled.
"Look, I want to save Gaara as much as you do," I said honestly, "But if we're careless, we'll be the ones who end up hurt. Wait for Kakashi-sensei and his orders. He's the one in charge of this mission, remember? We'll get Gaara back, you know that. Just hang tight for now, okay?"
His blue eyes bore into mine for a few moments, but finally, he nodded. "Fine."
"Good," I said, and Kakashi-sensei appeared from behind us.
"Finally," our sensei said, "Listen closely, both of you. He's a long range fighter, making him your worst enemy, Naruto. In order to fight him, you've got to force him to fight up close, or have a long range fighter on your team."
"Well, which are you?" Naruto asked.
"Ah... Me. I'm a jonin with a superior intellect. I can sustain long range," Kakashi-sensei answered. "And as for Minxie... She excels at practically everything she tries. She can help us, too."
"So we meet the conditions," I muttered.
"Exactly," he agreed. He looked at Naruto. "It's why I told you to calm down. But even though it sounds simple, it isn't. He won't give us any openings, so we've got to make one ourselves. I have a plan, and you both need to listen closely to it. Understood?"
Naruto and I looked at each other and nodded.
"Ready," Naruto said.
"I'm listening," I added.
"Good," Kakashi-sensei said. "Now, here goes."
~*~
"No way... That's the..." I couldn't form a sentence; I was too shocked. Kakashi-sensei had developed Mangekyo Sharingan, even though he wasn't a real Uchiha. Now, that was skill.
"Yep," Kakashi-sensei said. "You two stay together and finish this." Once Naruto and I nodded, our sensei got his jutsu ready.
He, with his new Sharingan, stared straight at Deidara. A weird black hole thing began forming in the spot he was looking at, and pretty soon, the hole ended up swallowing Deidara's arm completely.
Our sensei grunted, putting a hand over his eye. Since he wasn't an actual Uchiha, the jutsu put a big strain on his body. He still couldn't control the size or position of the space barrier he was creating.
Still, once he recovered, Kakashi-sensei began distorting the space around Deidara again, causing the blonde to freak out.
At the last second, Kakashi-sensei cancelled the jutsu, and Naruto, with a shadow clone, aimed a Rasengan at Deidara. The Akatsuki member dodged, but that was just what we wanted. The impact of the Rasengan cut off the clay bird's head that held Gaara in it.
I acted quickly, jumping into the air and catching the clay bird's head. I landed on a tree branch with it, one of Naruto's clones following me.
I tore open the clay bird's mouth open, and sure enough, I saw Gaara's head of red hair peek through. His skin was cracking, signaling he had used his sand armor.
I looked at Naruto's clone that stood beside me, and saw his expression darken. The clone had just seen Gaara's body, and the image would be relayed back to the original Naruto. And, as expected, the real Naruto didn't handle it well.
"It's on!" Naruto's clone shouted from next to me.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Deidara rolled his eyes from atop a tree branch. "It'll be on some other time. I've got things to do."
"You're too careless..." Kakashi-sensei muttered on his tree branch.
Deidara raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask any questions, Naruto came out of the trees. His fist made contact with Deidara's face, and after making shadow clones, he began to pummel the Akatsuki member senseless.
Naruto's knuckles became stained with blood as he mercilessly hit Deidara, and my eyes widened. To see Naruto, the person I loved and trusted more than anyone, being so vicious and cruel... It scared me.
Naruto created a Rasengan and hit Deidara with it, his clones disappearing after that. But the thing he had hit was nothing but a clay substitution. The real Deidara was hidden somewhere else.
I almost flew off of my tree branch when I saw chakra form around Naruto. It created a red aura in the shape of a fox's tail, bubbling as if it was alive.
"Ah! It burns!" Naruto's clone shouted from next to me, and my eyes widened.
Kakashi-sensei was no less shocked, although he did seem like he was expecting something like that to happen. He jumped off his tree branch, heading for Naruto with a piece of paper in his hand.
But the blonde wouldn't stay still. He was ready to rampage all over the place, and I knew that once he started, he wouldn't stop.
I made a clone quickly, letting it hold Gaara's body in the clay bird's head. I jumped through the trees and towards Kakashi-sensei, who had a frustrated look on his face.
"It's taking over him, isn't it?" I muttered. "The Nine-Tailed Fox, I mean."
My sensei closed his eyes and sighed. "Jiraiya knew this would happen. He gave me this," he said, holding up a paper with a weird symbol on it, "It's supposed to seal away the Nine-Tail's chakra while it's still at one tail. But I just can't get close enough..."
"But I can," I said quietly. "Give me the paper. I'll seal Naruto."
He looked at me unsurely. "Minxie, he's unstable now. If you got hurt because of this-"
"Don't worry about it," I interrupted. "He won't hurt me. It's only one tail, right? I can do it." I held out my hand, and after a few moments of hesitation, he handed me the paper.
I gave him a look as reassurance before I jumped down onto the field, cautiously making my way over to Naruto.
"Naruto!" I called out, and the blonde froze at the sound of my voice. I felt like I was being stabbed by just looking at his razor sharp teeth.
"That's it... Just stay there... You don't want to hurt anyone," I cooed softly, taking steps closer to him slowly. "You won't hurt me. Just stay there..."
He eyed me as I stepped closer and closer to him, his muscles tensing and relaxing with each step I took.
Suddenly, he let out a deafening roar, signaling his attack. But I was already one step ahead of him. I made hand signs impossibly fast and crossed my hands. Wooden chains came out from under the ground and wrapped around him.
I activated my Mind's Eye, and as quickly as I could, I jumped over to him and slammed the piece of paper onto his forehead.
His eyes began to close, and the chakra around him faded slowly. I caught him as he fell back, supporting his body weight with my own. I made another clone, sending it to help bring Kakashi-sensei down to us.
Kakashi-sensei watched Naruto as my clone disappeared into a puff of smoke. I had my arms around Naruto's shoulders, and the blonde was staring at the ground intently, trying to collect himself.
Out of nowhere, two people landed next to us, and I stopped freaking out when I realized it was Sakura and Granny Chiyo.
"Finally found you," Sakura said, smiling at us.
"How'd you know where we were?" Kakashi-sensei inquired.
"Oh, who cares about that?" I interrupted. "Where's Sasori?"
"He's gone," Sakura answered. "Granny Chiyo and I took care of him."
I felt a small pang in my heart at that, but I said nothing else. I couldn't have anyone believing I cared about the Akatsuki. No, I would never trade my friends for Sasori, but still, knowing he had died... It stung a bit.
However, there was a part of me that actually didn't mind the fact that Sasori was gone. Sakura had proven that she wasn't useless, and Granny Chiyo had made things right. But I still didn't think it was okay. What terrible person says Sasori dying didn't affect them?
He was never mean to me. I had teased him while I was hanging around the Akatsuki, and we had always had a lot of fun. He taught me most of what I knew about puppets and poisons.
Why did the people I cared about have to be on opposite sides?
"Other than that," Granny Chiyo said, seeming as if she was fighting just to keep going, "Where's Gaara?"
Slowly, Naruto and I looked at the tree branch where our shadow clones sat, their bodies supporting Gaara's.
"Good..." She murmured. Good? Gaara was dead. What the hell was good about that?
"Minxie," Kakashi-sensei said before I could flip out on the old lady, "Did you...?"
I knew what he was talking about. He wanted to know if I knew where Deidara was. I did know, because of my Mind's Eye, but...
Slowly, I looked in the direction of where Deidara was hiding, and my sensei nodded. I stood up, ready to take action with Guy-sensei's team, who had just appeared behind Deidara.
I aimed shuriken and kunais at Deidara, all of which he had trouble dodging. You know, since he had no arms.
He growled, realizing that he couldn't outrun Guy-sensei's team and I. Guy-sensei had trained us all to be fast. Our speed was hard to match.
"You're really troublesome, un," Deidara muttered, looking at Guy, Neji, Tenten, and Lee. He turned to me. "You especially. Of course, what did I expect from his pupil?"
"You should've run when you had the chance," I said coldly, pulling out my katana.
"You know better than anyone I can't resist having fun," He mused. "You're my partner in crime, after all. Well, you used to be."
Before I could say anything else, he bolted towards the remainders of his clay bird. He dropped the kunai from his mouth and began to eat the clay from his bird.
"My ultimate art... Is an explosion!" He boasted, his body growing and expanding. It looked like he had turned impossibly fat, when in reality, it was the clay, and he was concentrating all of his chakra into one point in his body.
He was going to become an explosion himself.
My eyes widened as I recognized his jutsu immediately. Neji noticed, too, since his eyes had widned.
"Oh my fudge monkeys... Everyone, get out of here! He's going to freakin' explode! Hurry!" I shouted, sliding my katana back into its holder in seconds. I ran over to my team, sliding onto the ground next to Naruto.
My clone and Naruto's clone jumped off the tree branch, Gaara in hand, and made their way towards us.
I bit down on my lip as Guy's team ran towards us. It was just too close. We wouldn't be able to make it. Unless... Unless I used that jutsu. It'd probably wipe me out, but I could do it.
I frowned. Where on Earth had that voice come from? I knew I hadn't thought of that myself. I had no idea what that jutsu even was. But something in me knew. Something in me was telling me how to stay alive. Whatever weird spirit thing I was hostingwas supplying me with the idea for this jutsu, and I had no idea what it even was.
I was reluctant to listen at first. So far, every time that I'd listened to that voice, I'd ended up almost killing someone. But this time was different. This time, it wasn't trying to get me to kill anyone. It was trying to keep me alive, because as its Jinchuriki, our lives were connected. What had been a burden for so long had actually proved to be a blessing. In this moment, at least.
After all, if the jutsu could protect my friends... I'd do it. I listened to the voice inside my head and followed its directions, step by step.
I focused more chakra into my eyes, activating my Heart's Eye. I forced as much power as I could into my eyes that I felt them burn.
With only seconds to spare, I shouted the words I had never said, but seemed so familiar to me, "Dark Style: Ten Sphere Shield!"
And that's when darkness overcame us all.
~*~
Everything happened so fast. One second, I was sealing Naruto's one tail away. The next, Team Guy team showed up, and I joined them in chasing Deidara. Then the terrorist decides to turn into a bomb himself and take us all down with him.
I was too afraid to open my eyes and see what had happened. Considering I was still thinking to myself and breathing, I decided that I wasn't dead. But, who knows? I might've been going through some out of body experience or something.
"Okay... I didn't hear any BOOM! or anything... I don't feel like I died... What gives?" I asked, never opening my eyes.
"I used my Mangekyo Sharingan..." Kakashi-sensei huffed, sounding exhaused. "I teleported him to another space... But it looks like I didn't have to."
"He was going to explode," I said flatly. "If you hadn't teleported him away, we would've been bombed."
"Open your eyes," He said.
"You promise everyone's in one piece?" I asked.
"Promise," He chuckled.
"If you're lying, it's on your conscience!" I said, and slowly, I opened one eye. When I saw what happened, I almost flew back.
Surrounding each of my friends was a dark sphere with red specks, protecting and shielding them from impact of the explosion. They were all wide-eyed, staring at the shield in awe.
"What the..." Naruto reached out his hand to touch the shield, and it rippled and dispursed. "That... Was majorly cool! How'd you do it, Minx!?"
"I... I don't know," I said honestly. "I just... I thought about protecting everyone and... Bam! This jutsu happens."
"It's a Takeda clan jutsu," Kakashi-sensei said. "I'll tell you all about it when we get home... But, for now, is everyone okay?"
"We're all fine," Guy-sensei answered. "But we should probably move from here. Get some more room."
Kakashi-sensei nodded. "Right." My shadow clone helped him up as Naruto's shadow clone and my clone came down, holding Gaara's body in between them.
I helped Naruto up at the same time Sakura helped Granny Chiyo up, and Guy-sensei and his team stood up as well.
"Someone's here," I said suddenly, and they all stopped. Out of the trees, Kylie emerged, and her blue eyes widened as she saw our conditions.
"Sorry it took so long... What happened?" She asked, a frown forming onto her face. She tilted her head and saw Gaara's body being carried in between my clone and Naruto's, and her face fell.
"We'll fill you in later," Kakashi-sensei said. "For now, we need to move. We'll explain what we can on the way."
"It's great that you're here," Naruto said. "Now, can you...?"
"I'll do it," Kylie said quickly, sparing us all the torture it would be to hear him fully voice his question. The blonde nodded in thanks.
Kylie would examine Gaara. But... But I didn't want her to. She already knew what had happened; we all did.
We'd beaten an Akatsuki member.
And Gaara was dead.
~*~
We had all moved to a grassy field. To me, the scenery seemed off. Why were we in such a happy, carefree place, when Gaara was gone?
It was miracle that my shadow clone had carried his body the whole way without breaking down and crying. The scene before me now was even more heartbreaking.
Kylie sat with her fingertips on Gaara's chest, staring down with dead blue eyes. I assumed she was trying to figure out how to tell Naruto what had happened.
But she didn't have to tell me. I knew from only her expression.
I slumped down slowly on the other side of Gaara, Naruto standing behind me. My knees hit the grass-covered dirt, but I made no sounds. My eyes watered, and the tears fell when Naruto spoke up.
"Kimi... Is he...?" the blonde inquired.
Kylie's bottom lip trembled, and she looked away, unable to answer. "... I... I'm sorry, Naruto..." She murmured.
I didn't have to look at Naruto to know how terrible he felt. We had failed. We hadn't saved Gaara. He... He was gone. We were too late.
I stared blankly at Gaara's pale face, not making any moves. Gaara had grown up to be very good-looking; not that it mattered. His red hair framed his face, a few strands of it covering his love tattoo.
I didn't notice how badly I was crying until my tears began falling onto my hands as they lay in my lap.
"Why... Why Gaara? Why is it always Gaara?" Naruto asked himself, his voice cracking. "If... If he dies like this... He's Kazekage... He just became Kazekage..."
"Relax, Naruto Uzumaki..." Granny Chiyo muttered.
"Shut up!!!" Naruto shouted, turning around viciously to face her. His face was stained with tears, and even more of them fell from his blue eyes. I jumped at the sudden outburst, and Granny Chiyo took a step back.
"This is your fault! If you hadn't put that monster in Gaara... He would still be alive! Did you ever think about him!? Did you ever wonder how he felt about it!? About becoming a monster!? Did you even ask!?" Naruto shouted, tears falling down his face.
"You call him a Jinchuriki... Who gave you the rigtht!? Who are you to decide someone else's fate!? How could you!?" He continued, sobbing.
"... Naruto..." I whispered out.
"I'm always late... I can't keep my promises," he whispered, falling onto his knees next to me. "I couldn't save Sasuke... I can't save Gaara... All of my training... It's all been for nothing! Absolutely nothing has changed!"
"... That's not true," I objected in a quiet voice. "It wasn't your fault..."
"She's right," Granny Chiyo agreed quietly, "It was my fault. And now... Now, I will right my wrongs."
I looked up at her, raising an eyebrow, but before I could ask what she meant, she knelt down next to Gaara. She placed her hands firmly on his chest and began forcing her chakra out.
Sakura and Kylie gasped in unison. "Granny Chiyo... That jutsu... It's..." the pinkette couldn't form a sentence. What was she talking about?
"What's she doing?" Naruto asked.
I would've replied if I had any idea of what was going on. It looked like medical ninjutsu, but Gaara was already dead. There was no saving him. Unless...
Unless she was performing a resurrection jutsu.
"She's going... She's going to bring Gaara back," Sakura answered. "Only she can perform this jutsu."
"Yeah," Kylie said, "But Granny Chiyo... That jutsu... If it's what I think it is... Why..."
"I've done a lot of wrong in my time," Granny Chiyo murmured, "You young ones have inspired me to fix it. And by performing this jutsu... I'll finally be able to do the right thing for once." She looked up at Kylie. "Really, dear, I don't mind."
The chakra Granny Chiyo had put up was beginning to fade, and she struggled to keep it up. "No... There's not enough chakra..." She muttered, sounding distressed.
"Use mine!" I offered instantly, holding out my hands. "Take some of it, take all of it, I don't care! Just... Just please make sure he comes back..." My voice cracked.
She stared at me for a long while before saying, "Place your hands on mine."
I did as she asked, and then realization hit me like a punch to the face. Kylie and Sakura... Kakashi and Guy... They knew something was up with this jutsu.
I quickly activated my Mind's Eye and my mouth hung open as I realized what it was. "Granny Chiyo... This jutsu-"
"Do not worry about it, dear child," She interrupted. "These last few days with you and your friends have taught me priceless lessons. This world created by those of my time... I'm glad new souls like you four have come along. Everything I've done in life has been wrong, but now... Now I can finally change that. May the futures of Suna and Konoha be different from my time."
"Naruto," she began, looking up at the blonde, "Your teacher told me of your special power. I expect great things from you. I know, by using your power... You will change the world. Become a Hokage greater than those before you!"
"Sakura... Don't save a granny like me. Help those you truly care about. Your strong spirit... It reminds me a lot of myself. Never lose it, for I know that one day, you will surpass your teacher," She continued.
"Kimi... You are a talented medical ninja. Your kind heart and free spirit are gifts... Kunoichi like you are rare. What you did back in the Sand for Kankuro... I shall never be able to thank you," she said, "But maybe... Maybe I can in some way. Tell my brother that you're the Gifted Child. He will show you something that will be your reward."
"And as for you, Minxie," she looked at me, "Your mother... She was one in a million. She had the beauty, the brains, the heart... And she was an amazing shinobi. She would've given up her life for any of her friends... And I can tell you are just like her.
"Kimiko saw past the darkness that the rest of the world was lost in. She was pure, untouchable light. And you, as her daughter, will complete her role. Care for your friends, love them... And never give up, for you, Minxie, are the Light," She finished, smiling at me.
A single tear rolled down my cheek, and I nodded.
"Naruto, Minxie... I do have one favor to ask... You know Gaara's pain. Both of you... Please... Look after him," She said.
Naruto and I looked at each other, then back at her, and nodded.
And for once, Granny Chiyo grinned with no regrets.
Gaara's POV (OH SHNIZZEY! HE'S BACK :D ! Cue dancing music!)
"Gaara..."
That name... I knew it.
"Gaara?"
There was that name again... Why was it so familiar?
"Gaara!"
Right... It was my name. But why... Why would someone call me?
"Gaara!"
Louder that time. Who would ever call me?
"Gaara! Hello!?"
Very loud. That voice... Naruto. But why... Why was he calling me?
"Gaa-"
"If you say Gaara one more time, I'm going to kick you so hard you'll be sneezing through your stomach for weeks! Got it? He's trying to get up, you nimrod! Let the guy relax!"
That voice. It was one I hadn't heard in a while. Hearing it again... It was all I wanted. I was ready to go back to the other place I had been at.
"I'm trying to help, believe it! He's taking forever!"
I knew that voice as well. It, like the voice before it, was one I hadn't heard in a long time. Naruto, I remembered suddenly.
"You have no patience, I swear. Gaara... Gaara, it's me. Gaara?"
It was her voice again. She was calling me... She wanted an answer.
I needed to answer her.
Mustering whatever force I could, I forced my eyes open. It turned out I was in for quite a sight.
Chocolate brown hair... Emerald green eyes... She had it all.
It was Minxie.
It was just too good to be true. I had to know. I had to hear her for myself.
"Mi... Minxie?" I stuttered out, sounding quite unlike myself.
She smiled, brightening the entire clearing as she did so.
"Gaara."
Minxie's POV
To say that I was happy when Gaara woke up was an understatement. When his eyes opened to reveal those perfect seafoam green orbs, I was ready to ride a unicorn over a rainbow.
When he said my name, however, I got even happier. Like ready to flip a desk over and dance around kind of happy.
"Gaara," I confirmed, a smile spreading across my face. I lifted up my hand and brushed it across his cheek, almost dying of happiness as I did so.
He was real. He was back. He wasn't gone anymore.
He had returned from the dead. And...
And he was extremely hot.
Oh, Lord.
Who would've thought that people who died could come back looking gorgeous? I mean, seriously, people. Gaara was freakin' insanely hot. The red hair, the seafoam green eyes, the serious and defined features... I could even make out the tracings of muscles under his shirt if I looked hard enough.
I was pretty sure that mind pixie Aya that lived inside of me was having a field day right now.
It was a good thing that I wasn't the only one staring. Gaara was staring back at me, his eyes wide, as if he had seen a ghost. He kept looking me over, recognizing every single aspect of me, just like I was doing the same to him.
"Gaara... Gaara," I murmured, my arms wrapping around his shoulders automatically. "You're... You're back." My voice cracked in happiness as my eyes glistened with tears. It was almost impossible to ignore the tingling sensation running throughout my body because of the mere fact that I was touching Gaara, but by some miracle, I did.
"Finally," Naruto said, a grin spreading across his face as he placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder. "Gaara."
"Naruto... Minxie?" Gaara repeated, looking between us both. He looked around him, his eyes widening even more, if possible, when he saw half of Sunagakure gathered around him.
"What... What is this?" He asked, completely confused.
"We all came running to your rescue because we care about you," Naruto answered, a smile on his face. "You really had us worried there."
"You sure did," Kankuro agreed, emerging from the crowd, "You caused us a ton of grief, little brother."
"Ah, who cares what you have to say!?" Kylie interrupted, nudging him out of the way and kneeling in front of Gaara. "You! You're the only redhead I know! You can't just disappear like that, man! It's not cool!" She placed her hands on her hips. "You're SO lucky I like you! If not, I'd be lecturing your ears off."
"Now, Kimi, is that any way to treat someone who just woke up from temporary death?" Kankuro inquired, leaning next to her.
"Move!" Temari said, pushing her brother and Naruto out of the way and making me and Kylie giggle. "How are you feeling, Gaara?"
Gaara nodded slowly, placing his hand on his knee in an attempt to rise off of the ground. He grunted, unable to stand up.
"Hey, be careful," Kylie said softly, "Don't push yourself. You haven't recovered yet." She began to heal him carefully in attempt to help him regain his strength faster.
Just then, a group of females that I identified as fan girls came running up to Gaara after having a brief discussion. They glared and got fire in their eyes when they saw my arms around his shoulders, and I quickly dropped them, holding them up in surrender.
"Oh my fudge balls... They're even scarier than they were in Konoha!" I vented not-so-subtly. "Why do they always try and kill me!?"
"Maybe because you always have the cute guy liking you?" Sakura suggested, smirking.
I facepalmed. "But... But I'm too young to die! I still haven't figured out what's over the rainbow!"
Kylie sighed. "Did you forget to take your special pills again?"
"Maybe..." I trilled, and she shook her head.
"I'll protect you from your enemies next time, Lord Gaara!" One of the fan girls shouted, running towards the redhead.
"No, I will!" Another objected.
"No, it'll be me!" A blonde one announced. They began swarming around him, knocking Naruto out of the way in the process.
Temari's eye twitched at the group of fangirls that was running up to Gaara, and she stopped them before they could attack him with their love and possibly murder me.
"Ouch!" Naruto murmured, his eyes narrowing at the fan girls. "That's so unfair... I'm still a genin!"
"It's okay," Kankuro assured, patting his shoulder, "Girls are always attracted to the cool elite types."
"Yeah!" Kylie agreed happily. "I mean, look at it this way. They all think Gaara's hot and they're ready to attack him. They don't think you're hot, so you're left in peace. Everybody wins!"
Naruto pouted. "That didn't help the situation! Believe it!"
Gaara was wide-eyed as he watched his sister fend off fan girls.
I stifled a laugh, nudging his arm. "Well, would you look at that?" I sang, "They're fighting over who gets to protect you next time."
"Remind me to never need protection," He murmured.
I laughed at that. "Are you kidding? You're Kazekage! You'll always need protection, Lord Gaara." I bat my eyelashes, doing my best impression of the girls' voice.
He practically shuddered. "Don't call me that." He stared into my eyes. "When it comes to you, I want to be Gaara. Just Gaara."
His stare made me blush. "Okay then, Just Gaara." He smirked a little at my teasing voice, and I grinned brightly back at him.
"And... There," Kylie said, lifting her hands from Gaara's chest. "All done. You should be able to move better now."
"Thank you," Gaara said to her, and she nodded, smiling.
"Which reminds me... Thank you, Naruto, Minxie. For saving my brother," Kankuro said suddenly, looking at Naruto and I with sincere eyes.
"It wasn't us," Naruto said, "It was Granny Chiyo. She used this awesome medical ninjutsu... But she got tired and fell asleep. She'll be okay when she gets home."
I froze at that, and Kylie's face fell. Naruto had completely misunderstood things. Granny Chiyo wasn't asleep. She was dead.
"... No," Kankuro said solemnly, knowing no one else would speak.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, a frown making its way onto his face. "No?"
"The jutsu Granny Chiyo used wasn't just some medical ninjutsu. It was a transfer technique. Granny Chiyo is dead," Kankuro answered.
"But... But I thought... What?" Naruto asked, his face shocked.
"A long time ago, shinobi in Suna began to devise a jutsu that could breath life into anything, even puppets. Granny Chiyo led that project. Although it was eventually out ruled... She still knew what the jutsu was," Kankuro explained. "She gave her life... In exchange for Gaara's."
A silence overtook the clearing, and we all stared at Granny Chiyo's lifeless form in Sakura's arms.
"She looks so peaceful..." Ebisu, Granny Chiyo's brother, noted, breaking the silence. "I know for a fact it is because she met you both." He looked at Naruto and I.
"He's right," Temari agreed. "Granny Chiyo didn't care about what happened to our village; she said so herself. She wasn't the kind of person to do something like this for Gaara. You two changed her."
"She entrusted the future to the two of you and to Gaara," Kakashi-sensei added, "It was a death befitting a shinobi."
"It was... I understand what she asked for," Naruto said, a certain confidence and assurance in his voice.
"I do, too," I said quietly. "Her death... It was just like the Third Hokage's."
"I agree," Kakashi-sensei said.
Suddenly, Gaara tried standing up. Thanks to Kylie's healing, he actually got up that time. I knew it wouldn't last, however, so I swung one of his arms around my shoulders, supporting his weight.
He cast a long glance at me, and I sent a small half-smile his way.
"Everyone," he said in his Kazekage-ordering voice, "Pray for Granny Chiyo." And so, we all did.
I watched silently as the wind blew the grass, whipping it up into the air and tossing it around in different directions as I said a silent prayer for Granny Chiyo. It made me wonder... Would our future be that unpredictable? Would we be able to face that all?
Taking note of Gaara's warmth around me and Naruto's nearness by my side, I could come up with only one response.
Yes, we would.