The sand went under the two and directed them to a spot where they landed softly. The two lay side by side next to each. Lee's head was at her feet.

" Who are you?" Kimimaro demanded.

" Allies of the Leaf Village," A familiar voice said. " We're shinobi of the Sand." Aceso moved her head a little and saw Gaara with his arms crossed, he didn't seem too happy.

" Am I still drunk or something?" Lee asked as he looked back then at the sand.

" No," Aceso denied as Lee arched himself up.

" Cousin," Gaara breathed as he looked down at her, his eyes landed on her wounds. 

" Gaara," Aceso breathed with a small smile. "You came." The surprise had arrived. He looked back at Kimimaro with a little bit more anger and began to walk forward, so he stood in front of the Leaf Village Genin.

"Tell me, is he the one that hurt you?" Gaara asked harshly.

"Don't worry about it," Aceso assured. He glanced back at her, before looking forward.

" He is Gaara, of the sand," Lee noted as he looked at the back of him.

"  Gaara. Is that what they call you?" Kimimaro asked after he stretched his arms and put them forward in an x position. Little bones started to come out of his fingertips. " Digital Shrapnel!" He shot the shrapnels forward, the sand came up acting as a shield. The sand came towards him, and the little bones bullets popped out and fell to the ground.

" Impulsive one, aren't you?" Gaara asked as the sand moved so he could have sight of the enemy. He then looked back at Lee. " You're different. When you fought against me you had much more agility and sharpness." 

" I figured you would say that," Lee answered as he got up, Aceso started to turn over onto her front. " I am not the kind of person who holds a grudge. Even so--because of you, I've had a fairly tough time of it. But thanks to Red Rose, I have gotten better."

" Really?" Gaara asked as the sand retracted back into his gourd.

 " Anyway, why have you come here?" Lee asked.

" I owe the Leaf," Gaara answered as he looked back at him. " I owe the leaf a great debt. And I owe someone an apology." He glanced down at Aceso who had just sat down and her arms back positioned so she wouldn't fall over sitting down. Blood seeped out from her wounds, and the ground below her was already tainted in red. She then started to try to get up. He looked back at Kimimaro then at Lee who got into a fighting position. He saw blood dripping off his arm onto the grass. " I'll handle this."

" No, please," Lee protested. " Just back me up." He started to run forward. The sand went forward, grabbed Lee by the leg, and pulled him, he fell forward onto sand. " I got sand in my mouth!" He looked back at Gaara angrily. " Will you please let go of me?" He started to groan in pain as Gaara walked forward more.

" You're not doing any fighting in your present state," Gaara denied. " You look after her, I've got this." Lee looked back at Aceso, she was looking forward to Gaara as she was putting her hand on top of one of the holes Kimimaro created on her body.

" Do not let your guard down," Aceso advised. " He uses his bones to attack."

" He can launch them like you saw before and forces them to protrude from his body," Lee explained as the sandpile, he was under, moved over to Aceso. " He is able to control them, at will!"

" You're Gaara of the Desert," Kimimaro said as Gaara got closer. " You wield sand. Hence the name." The bones retracted back into Kimimaro's body as Lee reached into Aceso's pack and pulled out a few things. Kimimaro lifted his fingers, letting the bones start to come out again, Gaara saw, he stepped forward and the sand zipped toward the enemy. 

" Digital Shrapnel!" Kimimaro shouted as he jumped up and shot out the bones. The sand blocked the bones, Gaara used the sand to try and punch Kimimaro but kept jumping away elegantly.

" Nothing is waste in his movement," Lee commented as he started to wrap the bandages around Aceso's wounds to the best of his ability. " His level of Taijutsu is considerable." Aceso nodded.

" Gaara, of the Desert. Rather of a foolish nickname, isn't it?" Kimimaro mocked. " You're nothing without that sand of yours." He shot more shrapnel. " Why else would go through the trouble of lugging it around?"

" Sand Shower," Gaara said, they looked up to see a bunch of sand in the sky, it started to fall.

" What a surprise," Kimimaro said. He went to go move and stopped. he looked down to see he was being held down by sand.

" But as long as I have it, I can do anything," Gaara said as he held out his hand." The only fool here is you. If I need more sand, I can easily use the Earth to make more" Aceso looked at Gaara's feet to see a hole in the ground, he was feeding sand into it, and it was popping out on the other side, trapping Kimimaro, the sand grew higher on him, till he was completely buried.

" You did it!" Lee cheered as he helped Aceso back onto her feet.

" Almost," Gaara said. " Sand burial." He closed his fist and the sand compacted together, blood squirted out. " When I look at this guy it reminds me of him."

" Who?" Aceso asked.

" Uchiha," Gaara answered. " His eyes. Sasuke had the same eyes this guy does. "

" The same eyes?" Aceso asked. Moments later a hand popped out of the sand, there were black lines all over, and soon Kimimaro started to emerge from it as well. Parts of his skin were gone, and the bones were visible. 

" Im-Impossible," Lee breathed.

" If I hadn't grown a membrane of bone underneath my skin I would've been crushed beyond recognition."

" More bones," Gaara said. " He's a monster. A freak."

" Well, he certainly is a nuisance," Lee agreed.

" I underestimated you," Kimimaro admitted. " But that's the last time I'll get caught in your sand." Gaara put his feet apart, did a Jutsu, and sand started coming up as the wind became stronger, Lee got in front of Aceso, blocking the wind and sand particles from her as much as possible. Gaara's hair was flying back.

" Sand Tsunami!" Gaara exclaimed. Large amounts appeared in a huge wave, it swept Kimimaro away and started to change the terrain of the land.

" You-you did it," Lee said as Gaara moved his hands apart. 

" No," Gaara denied. " Not yet." He got down and put his hands on the sand. " Giant Sand Burial!" Giant waves of power shot out all across the sand, the ground was trembling, and Aceso fell back down. She crawled over to the edge of the sand as the waves of energy stopped being shot out. " Why won't he give up?"

" What?" Lee asked.

" He must have something he's extremely devoted to," Aceso said. " Something he is trying to protect."

" That would explain a lot," Gaara said as he looked over at her. Suddenly something popped out of the sand, they looked over to an octopus arm-looking thing, there were bones on it.

" Wait, a minute, what is that?" Lee asked.

" I think a tail," Aceso answered as a hand appeared around a log. Gaara moved his hands, the sand near Aceso pushed her back before returning to the field. Gaara held out his arms, and two lines of sand started to circle around a transformed Kimimaro.

" Sand coffin," Gaara said as he closed both fists. Kimimaro slowly managed to break through and then charged at Gaara. Kimimaro looked like a demon, with yellow eyes, and black eyeballs. Kimimaro was dodging everything that Gaara was throwing at him. Gaara put his hand on the ground and formed a defense, Kimimaro shot through, hit Gaara, and sent him flying.

" Is that the best you can do with your ultimate defense?" Kimimaro asked. " Is that all? I'm very disappointed." Gaara pushed himself up with his arms and looked back, his face was cracking off. " I see. An armor-like shell of sand."

" He is not your only opponent!" Lee shouted as he appeared behind him. " I am here as well!" Lee began to attack, then Kimimaro swung down with his tail, a wall of san shot up, but it continued to go through and whacked Lee, he flew up and back, he landed on the sand. Gaara got back on his feet to face off with Kimimaro.

" I'm tired of that sand," Kimimaro said as he looked back at Lee. " Very well, Gaara. You first." He reached back as bones started to pop out from his back. He then pulled out his whole spine, Aceso's eyes grew wide.

' I don't think I can heal his spine,' Aceso thought to herself.

" Clematis Dance," Kimimaro said. " First, the bud." He swung his spine around, and Gaara blocked it with sand from hitting him. The sand surrounded his body as the spine wrapped around it. " Then the flower. " A bone came out from the palm of his hand and then bone altered into a big set of bones, acting as an arm. " This bone is my strongest. It will bore right through you, defenses and all." He then coughed out blood. Sand shot up going around the spine and turning into something big.

" Ultimate defense!" Gaara exclaimed. " Shukaku's Shield!" This sand defense was more advanced than the one he had during the Chunin exams. Kimimaro drove his strongest bone into the defense, sand sprayed everywhere. Both of them were giving it their all to drive the bone through and to keep the shield up. The bone began to crack, and the bone pieces soon broke off his arm, falling onto the ground.

" It's so strong," Kimimaro breathed.

" I took the hardest minerals in the soil I gathered, and then I fused them with the sand using my chakra," Gaara explained. " Tell me, that's a very unusual Jutsu. It's a Kekkai Genkai, right?"

" It belonged to the Kaguya," Kimimaro answered. " But now it belongs to me, and me alone."

" You're the last of your clan, eh?" Gaara asked. " Then your clan perishes today."

" That might very well be the case," Kimimaro agreed. " My body has weakened. It may not last much longer. However, I will still live on. Because I am not alone." Aceso felt the same way, she may be the last of her clan, but she was far from being alone.

" You're not alone you say?" Gaara asked.

" That's right," Kimimaro confirmed. " My existence has been subsumed into Lord Orochimaru's ambition. That means a part of me will survive in Lord Orochimaru's heart. Forever."

" Orochimaru's brainwashed you well," Gaara said as he held up his fingers. " You sad little pawn." Kimimaro began to sink into the sand. Gaara's giant sand defense disappeared and formed a solid hold on the spine." The sand left Gaara's body and the spine came back to Kimimaro, he began to swipe his weapon as he began to sink lower into the earth, but it was no use.

" It is amazing he still has chakra," Lee complimented as the sandpit grew bigger.

" I underestimated him," Kimimaro said right before he went under.

" I will bury you 200 meters below the surface of the Earth, under pressure so great you won't be able to move a finger, imprisoned there 'til the end of time," Gaara said. Not long after that, the sand stopped sucking down Kimimaro.

 " You did it!" Lee cheered. " This time I am certain of it."

" Dance," Kimimaro said from under the sand, Gaara gasped. " Bracken dance." Bones started to shoot out of the ground all around them. Gaara used the sand to hover all three of them up above the bone graveyard, in three different sand spots. Lee and Gaara faced each other as Aceso was a kiddie corner from both of them.

" Thank you, Gaara," Aceso thanked him as she reached into her bag.

" You see it in the powers of yours are truly remarkable," Lee complimented.

" Not really," Gaare denied. " I'm merely able to make the sand do my bidding. It's second nature to me now. A tenacious opponent, but this time it's over. " He looked at Lee and glanced back at Aceso. " We won't be seeing him again in this life."

" Yes, good," Lee breathed.

" Gaara, you must be low on chakra," Aceso said as she pulled out ointment from her pack. " Do you need some?"

" Yes, please," Gaara answered as he started to connect their sand circles. " My strength is gone." She went over to the edge of her hovering sand circle. " We need to descend soon." Aceso opened the ointment and got some on her fingers. Then something happened before either of them could react.

" I am not his pawn!" Kimimaro declared as shot up with a giant bone supporting him. Instead of giving Gaara chakra, Aceso placed her hand on him, her ropes wrapped around him, she yanked him back to her sand pile as she went to his sandpile, putting her arms out protectively. Gaara spun around to see that Kimimaro had risen back up, the bone he had formed on his arm was piercing through Aceso. One arm was formed to stab someone as he had the other pointed up, that bone pierced right into Aceso. Her blood splattered all over, including onto Lee and Gaara." He is the one--the only one who gave my life meaning!" They gasped and looked back, their eyes landed on Kimimaro removing his bone weapon, Aceso fell backward onto the sand bleeding out.

***Gaara's flashback****

 It was when Gaara found her down by the river, she was holding a Grain up to his face, with a big smile. Her voice when they first were younger entered his head.

' It's kind of like superhero powers...

Gaara's voice ' Can we be best friends?'

Aceso's voice

' Forever

****Lee's flashback****

It was a late-night Aceso sat in his room on his bed as they drank tea together. She was laughing about something he said.

*******

" But how could the likes of you ever understand that?" Kimimaro asked as he started to aim for Gaara's eye, then he stopped. Blood dripped from Kimimaro, falling into the flower below. 

" He is dead," Lee noted.

Once they descended. Gaara took off his gourd and leaned against a tree and Lee started to do anything he can to stop the bleeding. Aceso stared up at the sky, it was a pretty color.

" It was sheer luck," Gaara panted. " I should've been killed."

" No," Lee denied. " It was not meant to be. My sensei has often said to me, a good ninja always makes his own luck."

" That meddlesome mother hen," Gaara said.

" Gai-Sensei is nothing the sort!" Lee snapped. " Yes, he stepped in, but only that once, and only because I was not yet strong enough. I am very grateful to you for having saved my life. But I warn you, I will not abide anyone speaking ill of my sensei."

" So you're another one, eh?" Gaara asked.

" Hm?" Lee asked.

" You have someone in your life whom you honor and revere so much that every hurt inflicted on them is inflicted on you," Gaara explained. " And the closer they are to you, the greater the pain. To feel so strongly for someone, you would fight for them. And die for them. You, my cousin, and Naruto Uzumaki have that in common." Lee's eyes went a bit wide as he looked up at Gaara. " However, what if this person you honor and would even die for is not a virtuous person?"

" Impossible!" Lee exclaimed. " Such a person would--would be unworthy of honor or respect."

" No," Gaara breathed. " Perhaps the companionship of an evil person is preferable to loneliness." The two looked up at Kimimaro, Aceso's eyes started to close. Gaara then looked over at Aceso, his eyes widened, and he scooted over to her and went to her side. 

" It's a good thing you stepped in when you did," Lee said as he looked down at her. Gaara gently lifted her shirt a bit, her body was painted in blood, there were two holes on the side, and a large one where Kiminaro struck her. 

" We need to get her back to your village," Gaara said.

" Indeed," Lee agreed. " I seemed to have failed at protecting her."

" I think she would disagree," Gaara denied.

" No, I failed," Lee shook his head sadly. " I must get stronger." Gaara reached into Aceso's pack they took off her and took out a few things. 

" We just need to keep her awake till the medics arrive," Gaara said as he started to both a wet rag on her, trying to clean off the blood. " I'm not sure if neither of us has the strength to get all of us to your village yet."

******

Over by Neji, the medics were carrying him off, when they saw the green around Neji disappear, they both looked at each other.

*****

" No, we must leave now," Lee said as he opened a container of ointment. " Both are low on chakra, but with a little bit of this, it should be enough to get us back."

" Night is coming," Gaara pointed out. " We should rest and we can take shifts."

" But--" Lee began. 

" If you think I'd let my cousin die, you're wrong," Gaara said as he looked at Lee.

" You've acknowledged her as your cousin?" Lee asked. 

" Upon changing my ways, I too want to protect those that are precious to me," Gaara said. "Kankuro...Temari...my cousin."

"Then we should head to the Leaf village ourselves, she has medics looking after the others," Lee said.