"You're... Kishibi?" I say, stunned. "What are you doing here then?"

"W-What do you mean?" Kishibi asks, eyebrows raised high. "I came to watch Gaara and his siblings participate in the Chūnin Exams..." Her eyes flicker back down to Sakura, but not for the reason of checking her condition (which, apparently, is fine; the wounds on her face are already healed, so that's a good sign, right?). It'd been a guilty expression; one that liars often use.

My eyes instantly narrow. "Try again," I say.

"All right." A soft, nervous sigh escapes her. "I came to aid the alliance against the Hidden Leaf as a Medical Ninja. Where I live, there are few, but we are gifted."

"I wouldn't be explaining your career path right now if I were in your position." I take a step toward her.

"Don't try anything," Kishibi murmurs, looking away from me and down at Sakura. "If I stop now, your friend won't make it."

"You're an awful liar, Kishibi Hio. I can feel her chakra. She'll be just fine. Stand up and move away from her."

She sighs again, this one broken, but she relents, hands raised above her head when she pushes herself up from her knees to take several steps back.

"Now explain what you know about this alliance. No more lies. Why would you attack us?"

"For the same reason wars are always raged," she says. "Power, absolute. The Land of Wind may be one of the Five Great Ninja Nations, but compared to the Land of Fire, we are miniscule. Our Kazekage understands this."

I can't help myself at the mention of him—my fist instinctively launches itself into her face. I must've hit her harder than I thought because she goes flying several meters away. After a moment of staring up at the crown of trees above us, she stands again, her hands resuming their position next to her head.

"Your Kazekage's a bastard!" I shout at her, and she flinches. "Do you even know what he's done?! Not just today!" I gesture over my shoulder at the earth-shaking fight taking place behind us. "What he's done to Gaara?!"

"Yes, I know," Kishibi says. "I also know of the repercussions that are sure to follow. We aren't stupid. That's why we're using Gaara's power to win this fight."

"This isn't power! Your Kazekage cursed him!" I take fast steps at her, leaving Kishibi with little time to brace herself when I yank her toward me by the headband around her neck. "That demon up there has possessed Gaara and turned him into a monster!"

"I know," she says once more, averting her gaze again. This time, yes, it's guilty. It's also shamed. "I know... what the Kazekage did to him. I'm... not happy about it. But... there's nothing I can do." I shove her away, and she stumbles over a root.

"I'm highly aware of that. But that doesn't mean you can use him as a weapon against another village! Or use him as a weapon at all! Don't your people have any morals? Have you asked Gaara how he feels about being used like this? About being raised as a weapon?"

"There's no need," Kishibi says, her tone reverting back to its annoying pompousness. "He's become a demon."

"No," I say. "He hasn't. You people are the demons. That thing inside of him is a demon. Gaara isn't like that. How dare you all assume that he wouldn't have any say in whether he truly wanted to do all of this if he wasn't raised the way he was!!"

"The Shukaku is a being that lives only to kill and destroy. We've used this to our advantage—"

"Ugh! Shut up!" And I punch her again. This time, she groans, and doesn't move to get up. Her head turns toward Sakura, and she simply stares at her. "Gaara feels, just like you and I do. He'd have his own opinions and dreams and desires, but the Hidden Sand Village and all of its people have killed him on the inside. All you've done for him is make him the perfect shell for a demon to step in and inhabit. All he'll become because of you is that. He won't be able to come back from this."

I have to pause, the nausea from the weight of my words suddenly too much for me to not take a breath.

"You people... make me sick. I never would've imagined that when I left the Hidden Snow, I'd meet so many terrible people. I was so naïve. Gaara's a good person, or at least, he'd want to be. He still thinks about that day at the playground, Kishibi. He still thinks about you."

She sits up abruptly, swollen lips parting in shock at my admission.

"How... h-how do you know about that?" she demands.

"I just do. So, how dare you, of all people, think of him as nothing else but a weapon, when all you wanted to do five years ago was play with him!"

"... what's your name?" she asks me, her dark eyes narrowing at me.

I purposely emphasize my glare. "Kari Yamada." She nods, as if understanding something.

"Would I be right to assume that you are related to Lord Sentarō and Lord Kyōharu of the Yamada Clan, then?"

"Yeah?"

"Then, I suppose it makes sense how you could possibly know of Gaara's past; of me," Kishibi says. "Your clan's forbidden Jutsu they used on you has allowed an anomaly of a possibility. You have no memories past a certain age. But you can see memories of others. You can sense chakra like sensing emotions."

"H-How the heck do you know about that?" I demand, my head shaking in disbelief.

"The Hidden Sand, the Hidden Sound, and the Yamada Clan, are the partners in this alliance. The Hidden Sand wishes for military power. The Hidden Sound's leader wishes to murder your Hokage. The Yamada Clan wishes to make the Hidden Leaf pay for their exile. They also wish to have you, Kari Yamada."

"S... Sen is working with you guys?"

"Yes. The Yamada Clan has provided us with extra military strength for this operation, to make the Hokage pay for their banishment. They entered the Chūnin Exams as a guise to achieve their own goals, as did the Kazekage make his Shinobi enter."

Anger floods me like no emotion ever has. I'm shaking. My bones ache. My heart pounds. I want to punch things. I want to scream! I want to beat the consciousness out of this nonchalant girl! I want... I want to kick the Kazekage's ass! I want to run away! I want to cry! I want to hug my friends! I want to hug Gaara!

I wish I never had to leave the Hidden Snow, after all!

... no... that's a lie, too. I know if that night never happened in the first place, my grandmother would still be alive. I'd never know that she was my grandmother, but we'd be happy together, student and mentor. But I would've never come back here—back home. I would've never met Naruto and the others. Even meeting Sen and Kyōharu and learning that they're both my brothers filled me with such joy that I wasn't able to properly act on. Now, all I feel is anger and betrayal. I don't know how to channel it, talk about it. Express it in a way that doesn't hurt me or others, as much as Kishibi Hio deserves a good smackdown.

But none of this, none of me, matters right now.

"... what... are you going to do about this," I demand, my voice coming out hollow and dull.

"I don't know," Kishibi admits, her own voice more lackluster than usual.

"What you're going to do... is go over there... look Gaara, not the demon you think he is, look Gaara straight in his eyes, and apologize for all that you've done." I shut my eyes. "If he kills you, well... I can't help but just let it go as one of those repercussions you mentioned before, right? Why should your life matter when you all seem to believe that his only has worth when he behaves like a mindless monster for your causes?"

"Y... You're right," Kishibi murmurs. Despite her agreeableness, her expression betrays it—she looks scared. I can't even begin to imagine how Gaara feels. "I... have to... tell him. I have to tell him that I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you do," I say.

"Your friend... like you said, will be alright. Proper rest and treatment."

"Okay." Kishibi stands up.

"... thank you, Kari Yamada. I think maybe... I can finally face him. Maybe I can right some wrongs today. I don't think he'll... forgive me, though, but..."

"As bad as it might seem right now," I start, "he'll understand. I know he will." I rest my hand over my pounding heart. "I could feel it before. I can feel it now."

"Thank you," she says again, and she disappears. I look down at Sakura, who slightly stirs in the leaves beneath her.

"... maybe Gaara will finally understand that she only ever wanted to be his friend all those years ago."

With Sakura positioned on my back, I move us toward the edge of the forest. The large frog that Naruto had summoned now holds onto the giant raccoon demon; the Shukaku. Even from this distance, I can spot Kishibi making her way to the top of their fight, beginning to glow an obnoxious shade of green when she shouts something to Naruto, who stands atop the Shukaku. I swallow nervously when he suddenly stops moving. Squinting, I can spot sand creeping up his legs.

"Help him, Kishibi," I beg to no one and nothing. But she does help him.

The sand disintegrates, like it had done for us with her Vitrifying Jutsu, and Naruto rushes forward toward Gaara, headbutting him.

I set Sakura down next to one of the trees in the last row of the forest and plop down next to her, exhausted. Whether it's from all of the chakra I'd been forced to sense today, or from the fact that I've been actively bleeding this whole time, I don't know. But I could use a nap.

I watch with relief as the Shukaku begins to crumble like the sand he's made of, thanks to Kishibi, and the full Jutsu is released with a massive cloud of smoke, thanks to Naruto's final attack. The large frog, as well as the small one, disappear along with it, and Naruto and Kishibi begin falling, screaming, Gaara falling alongside them. But instead of hitting the ground, they all land in separate trees. The giant toad's sword disappears, too, the tremor that follows knocking the three of them off their literal perches.

I lift Sakura onto my back once more, tucking my hands under her legs before running a little ways into the forest once more. This time, it's to Sasuke. I... As much as I want to be there, I feel like maybe, I'd be interrupting an important conversation, should they have one. It's not my place to suddenly butt in.

"Kari!" I hear Sasuke shout.

"Sasuke." I pause, winded from my short journey, and set Sakura down. I feel like crying when I see him. I'm so happy he's okay. He stops just a couple of feet away from me, tired eyes wide and looking me up and down. I sniff loudly. "Sasuke. You're okay."

"You are, too?" he asks. I put my hand over my mouth and breathe into it sharply, hoping it will be enough to not cry even worse. His hand enters my vision before it rests on my shoulder. I can't help myself now; physical contact when I'm crying? What a huge mistake.

I fall forward and grab him, pulling him into a hug. "Yeah!" I sob into his shoulder. I'm shaking, and it's annoying of me. Somehow, I expect to be pushed away. Sasuke... isn't so affectionate that he'd do this so willingly, but I'm still taken by surprise when I feel his arms wrap around me back.

"That's good," he says, his voice soft. I force myself away from him, sniffing loudly again before for some reason, I start laughing. "K-Kari..."

"I'm trying not to cry, Sasuke," I tell him, my voice choked up. "U-Uh, Sakura is okay, too." I look him up and down this time, at his legs, his arms, half of his face... "... those marks, Sasuke... are from that Orochimaru?"

"... yeah." He shuffles on the spot for a moment before kneeling down next to Sakura. "You should go, Kari." I blink at him through still-blurred eyes.

"H-Huh? Go?"

"To Naruto and Gaara. You almost got through to him," Sasuke mutters. "I should've waited. I know that now."

I want to tell him it's alright, that he doesn't need to beat himself up about it anymore than he's already been banged up today. But it isn't alright. The fighting might've been avoided. It really might've.

"Go to them," he says once more. "I've got Sakura."

"... thank you, Sasuke." I pat his head, making him huff. "I'll be back."

-

Everyone is a mess. Naruto, on his face and stomach, and Gaara, facing the sky, lay on the ground with several meters between them. Kishibi, who kneels next to Gaara, has been sobbing against his hand, hers wrapped tightly around it to keep it airborne. I can tell by the distressed look on his face that Gaara has never experienced this kind of reaction from someone to him. He's shocked that she cries, that she cries for him.

"Gaara," she sobs, her lips now pressed to his knuckles. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Naruto," I softly call, kneeling down, myself. While he doesn't move, his eyes attempt to look up at me. I let out a small chuckle—another attempt at trying not to cry.

"Kari." For a second, he'd looked as though he had something to say about something. But he decides against it—I can see it in his eyes.

"It's okay now," I tell him, taking his hand into mine. "It's okay. You're okay. It's okay now."

"A-Are... the others okay?" he asks, his voice soft. I nod.

"Mhm. The girl over there saved Sakura. We were nearly crushed. And Sasuke's okay, too. They're both resting."

"I... I'm glad you're safe... Kari," Naruto says.

"Y-Yeah." The warmth in my cheeks at his words only spreads throughout my body likely a blanket. "Don't move, Naruto. Your chakra is all dried up."

I can't help but jump when Temari and Kankurō appear next to Gaara and Kishibi. They all help him to his feet, and to my surprise, Kishibi bows at us.

"Thank you," she says. It still surprises me that she'll able to put emotion into words, having felt like I'd been speaking to a wall during our whole exchange.

"Thank you," I say, "for making the right decisions."

They leave.

Updated October 18th, 2022 | 2,519 words