Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Moon On Fire ❯ Face Off ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14

 

Face Off

 

 

“Sabaku No Gaara.”

 

“Uchiha Itachi.”

 

“What an…unexpected surprise.” Itachi glowered angrily. Out of everything he had planned out so perfectly, this was an unwelcome surprise indeed. He moved a step closer to the stairs.

 

Gaara said nothing but he turned his head and looked at Mizuki who was sitting against the wall behind him, wide eyed with shock.

 

“Are you alright Mizuki?”

 

Mizuki wanted to say something and let Gaara know she was alright but her lip started to quiver and she could feel new tears begin to fall down her face. She tried to blink them away but they just came faster. She gritted her teeth against the tears and nodded emphatically.

 

“It's alright. I told you I would protect you didn't I?” Gaara turned back to Itachi and scowled deeply. “What have you done to her?”

 

“Me? Nothing….yet.” Itachi's voice dripped with venom. Gaara glared at Itachi dangerously and before anyone could react, a large mound of sand came crashing through the basement door and flew at Itachi, knocking him away from the stairs. Gaara moved quickly and stood between Itachi and the stairs, allowing room for Mizuki to escape.

 

“Mizuki, can you walk?” Gaara asked, keeping his attention focused on Itachi who was all too quickly getting back up.

 

“Of course Gaara. I'm fine.” Mizuki said, struggling to stand up.

 

Gaara raised an eyebrow and sighed. “Then get out now. I will deal with Itachi.”

 

“Gaara I…” Mizuki started to say but quickly decided against it. She knew that Gaara would not be able to take on Itachi alone but she also knew that she would be nothing but a distraction to him if she stayed. She forced herself up and ran up the stairs to the door. “I'll bring back help.” She yelled before disappearing through the exit.

 

Gaara stared at Itachi with his characteristic stoic frown but his eyes shone with anger and anticipation. “I've been wanting to do this for a long time Uchiha.” He did not move but a large amount of sand rose up and hovered behind him.

 

Itachi just smiled.

 

XXX

 

“Do you understand Naruto?”

 

“For crying out loud Shikamaru yes I get it! Can we go now before he kills her? Or would you rather wait until after her funeral to get him?” Naruto huffed impatiently.

 

“You know Naruto, you should really leave the sarcastic jokes to Sasuke. You're really no good at it.” Shikamaru said idly as he leapt down from the roof of the house.

 

Naruto would have said something nasty back but he remembered Mizuki's comments about him and his inability to use or understand sarcasm. “I will save her.” He thought. No matter how she feels about me.” He leapt down from the roof as well and at Shikamaru's nod, he brought his hands up in the sign of the ram and muttered “Taiju Kage Bunshin No Jutsu.” A split second later, over one hundred shadow clones surrounded he, Shikamaru and the rest of the house. Naruto was a breath away from sending them in all at once when a beam suddenly broke over the charred doorway and fell right on top of the figure which had appeared beneath it seconds before.

 

“Mizuki-chan!” Naruto yelled. He and Shikamaru ran to where Mizuki was pinned underneath the beam. Shikamaru lifted it and Naruto grabbed Mizuki up and out of harms way. He held her to him tightly. “You're alright! Thank goodness!”

 

Mizuki knew she was running too fast out of the decrepit and rapidly deteriorating house and cursed her impatience when she first heard and then felt the beam land on her. She was pinned on her stomach, the beam digging into her back. She heard someone cry her name and then the beam was miraculously lifted from her. Before she could gain her footing however, she was literally swept off her feet into a bone crunching embrace. She gasped in air and recognized the scent of the person who had her. She fought like a tiger away from Naruto's arms. He let her go abruptly and she stumbled backwards and would have fallen if Shikamaru hadn't been right behind her and able to catch her. She whipped herself away from Shikamaru before realizing that she did not know this person. She stopped and blinked a few times, trying to orient herself with what was happening. Naruto stepped forward cautiously.

 

“Mizuki-chan? Are you okay?”

 

Mizuki spun her head from Shikamaru to Naruto and her eyes went wide as saucers.

 

Naruto stood above her, laughing brutally with eyes the colour of molten lava. A hot and terrifying chakra leaked from his skin, burning her where it touched her.

 

“Stay away from me.” She said more forcefully than she felt.

 

“Mizuki-chan.” Naruto said helplessly not knowing what to do.

 

Mizuki took another step back from Naruto before remembering there was someone behind her. She looked at Shikamaru and yelled, “You have to help Gaara. He's in there fighting alone!”

 

Shikamaru barely had time to utter “Huh?” before an enormous explosion emanated from the burned out house. Sand coursed through the remains of the derelict and sent broken and charred wood flying everywhere. Shikamaru was knocked into Mizuki and they both went flying straight past Naruto who barely had time to look shocked before being blown away too.

 

XXX

 

Sasuke and Kakashi raced behind Pakkun; Sakura and the rest of the team close behind. Pakkun had sniffed a few times and started running towards the Eastern Gate. Sasuke's patience was already stretched dangerously thin at this point but he was too angry at Itachi's deception to worry other than mildly that there seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the direction they were headed.

 

“That bastard! He must have mentioned tatami mats while near Konohamaru because he knew I'd think of that old shrine. He really has this planned out far too well. We wasted so much time going in the wrong direction we may already be too late.” Sasuke couldn't help but think as they raced after the little dog. “There are no other teams in the direction we're heading in either. They all were called away when Itachi was spotted near the Northern gate. Bastard probably counted on that too. There's no one around to stop him except us. Mizuki, you stubborn fool…please be alright!”

 

They had run for almost ten minutes when Pakkun suddenly stopped on the roof of a house. Sasuke and Kakashi skidded to a halt behind him.

 

“What is it? Have you found them?” Sasuke practically yelled.

 

“Something's wrong.” The little dog barked in the deep voice that did not match his body. “Can't you hear that?” His ears lay flat against his head and he started to growl.

is ear

 

 

 

“Hear what Pakkun?” Kakashi asked while straining his ears to hear what the little dog could. He felt it before he heard it. A rumbling that came through the walls of the house, into his feet and up through his body. “What the hell…” He didn't have time to finish before an explosion suddenly occurred several yards in front of them. An impossibly large amount of sand flew in all directions and several bolts of lightning rained down on the spot.

 

“Oh I see.” Kakashi said stoically enough but his eyes narrowed. “I don't think you're going to be needed anymore Pakkun. Thanks for your help though.”

 

“Anytime.” The little dog growled and disappeared.

 

“What was that?” Sakura yelled as she reached Kakashi. Sasuke stood frozen for only a split second after the explosion.

 

“Mizuki.”

 

And then he was off. Racing towards the site of the blast. He tried to keep the image of Mizuki lying dead and broken from his mind but couldn't help looking to the ground for her when he entered the radius of the disaster. There was sand everywhere! The aftermath of the explosion had left everything unnaturally quiet aside from the sound of sand falling out of eaves troves and Sasuke strained to hear any sign of Mizuki or Itachi. He leapt over house after house, ignoring the residents inside who had come to their windows to see what had happened.

 

He was within ten houses of the blast's epicentre and he stopped dead, hardly willing to believe his eyes. There, in the direct centre of the explosion, stood Itachi and Gaara! Both were still at the moment but Itachi's hand glowed red and a huge amount of sand hovered around Gaara, waiting for his command.

 

“Where the hell did he come from?” Sasuke said aloud without intending to. He was about to jump to Gaara's aid when a sudden movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He saw spiky blonde hair appear from the sand. A second later, Naruto's coughing face appeared under it. Sasuke ran to his friend and pulled him up from the sand.

 

“What the hell was that?” Naruto asked between coughs.

 

“That was my question for you. What are you doing here? Did you find Mizuki?” Sasuke asked, already looking around.

 

“Mizuki-chan. She got knocked into Shikamaru during the explosion. I didn't have time to see where they ended up before being caught in it myself.” Naruto shook himself off and immediately looked around him for any sign of the others. “We have to find them. If they got buried like I did they could be in trouble!”

 

“Because you're the only one who can swim their way out a sand bath right Naruto?” Shikamaru's familiar sarcastic voice came from behind them. Sasuke and Naruto turned around and saw Shikamaru and Mizuki approaching them, brushing themselves off. Mizuki stayed behind Shikamaru and would not look at Naruto or Sasuke.

 

“Are you alright?” Sasuke asked Mizuki more harshly than he had intended but his relief at seeing her alive had sent his adrenaline into overdrive. She did not look at him but she nodded.

 

“Shikamaru can you take her to Kakashi and Sakura? They were not too far behind me. Sakura can take care of her while Naruto and I help Gaara.” Sasuke looked to Shikamaru who nodded.

 

Naruto looked up in shock. “Gaara? What the hell?” He started to say before looking towards the remains of the burned out house where Itachi and Gaara still stood, neither one of them making a move yet. “Where did he come from?”

 

“You mean you don't know either?” Sasuke asked. They were momentarily absorbed that they did not hear Mizuki speak. Even then, her voice was so quiet that no one but Shikamaru heard it at first.

 

“What was that?”

 

“I said no!” She said much louder, causing Naruto and Sasuke to look at her. She coughed a few times as though the yell had just been caused by sand in her throat. She stood up straight and looked right at Naruto and Sasuke with hard eyes but she could not disguise the shake in her voice. “I don't need to be taken care of by Sakura-san or Kakashi-san or by either of you. Itachi is obviously occupied so I'm fine where I am. Don't worry about me just help Gaara!” She spat out angrily.

 

Sasuke looked at Mizuki shocked. “I can't believe it. Even after reliving the Genjutsu again and barely escaping Itachi, she's doing it again.” He thought with a mixture of anger and sadness. “Replacing he fear with anger and pretending she's fine.” He looked to Naruto who's face read hurt and confusion. “Of course. He doesn't know what we discovered about what she saw.” The expression on Naruto's face hurt Sasuke. “He was just trying to help her. She knows what she saw was just an illusion. Why. Does. She. Have. To. Be. So. Stubborn!” He felt the last of his patience snap.

 

“Naruto. Take Shikamaru and go help Gaara.” Naruto looked shocked at Sasuke who was now staring just as angrily at Mizuki.

 

“You mean you aren't…”

 

“Just go. I'll deal with this.” Naruto looked at Sasuke's eyes and even though his first instinct was to stay and protect Mizuki, he knew Sasuke was right about Gaara needing help. Also he knew that if Sasuke was willingly leaving the fight with Itachi to he and Gaara, something was up and it was probably best not to argue with him. He looked from Sasuke to Mizuki somberly and then he nodded at Shikamaru and they both leapt off to where Gaara was preparing to fight Itachi.

 

XXX

 

Neither Gaara nor Itachi had moved since the explosion. Itachi had taken some damage from the explosion of sand and Gaara had taken damage as well from the rain of lightning Itachi had caused right after that he had been unable to dodge. Both were still now, taking account of each other.

 

“Your plan will not succeed Uchiha. I will not allow you to touch her again.”

 

“Brave words. But are words all you have left after being hit by my lightning?”

 

“Those words are more than enough for you.” Gaara raised his hands high above his head. “But don't let yourself believe it.” As the last word left his lips, a wall of sand rose behind Itachi and engulfed him like a tidal wave. Gaara brought his hands together and clasped them hard. But he didn't complete the first seal when the sand cocoon was suddenly blasted apart from the inside. Itachi emerged from the mess completely unharmed and encased in a shell of red chakra.

 

“As expected from the Sand Village's Kazekage and former Ichibi Jinchuuriki. Unfortunately even your powers are no match for mine.” Itachi scowled and brought his hands together, making seals at an incredible speed. Before Gaara even had a chance to react, Itachi clapped his hands together and slowly brought them apart, revealing a sword made entirely of crackling red chakra! He held the sword in his right hand and with his left, he beckoned Gaara to attack him!

 

Gaara growled low and with a few quick seals he raised a large amount of sand over his head and shaped it into a gigantic fist! Without so much as twitching, Gaara sent the huge sand fist hurtling towards Itachi, whose expression didn't even change as he raced towards it and sliced it cleanly in half with his chakra sword! The suddenly powerless sand poured to the ground, defeated. Gaara said nothing but made several more seals at a lightning pace and more sand rose up from the ground and another fist was made. It went crashing towards it target once more. Itachi once again turned it into harmless raining sand.

 

“Using the same trick twice in a row? I really had expected more from you Gaara.” Itachi spat out grinning. “Are you tiring perhaps Out of shape after so many hours sitting behind a desk?” He raised his hands up to make the seals for his rain of lightning once more but stopped dead in his tracks when he realized he could not move his feet! He looked down only to see his feet submerged to the ankles by a large pool of quicksand!

 

“You should not underestimate your enemy. I really had expected more from the famed Uchiha clan.” Gaara said simply. He brought his hands up and more quicksand rose up with them, surrounding Itachi and crawling its way faster up his legs. Itachi grabbed his legs in an effort to pull them out of the sand but its grip was firm. The sand grew up past his knees and over his waist. With a snarl, Itachi quickly made hand seals and a large crack sounded in the sky. Several bolts of lightning flashed down towards Gaara who, concentrating on keeping the sand moving, could not move in time! He blinked and then felt himself flying through the air to land with a soft thud.

 

At first Gaara thought he had received a fatal blow when he opened his eyes and felt no pain. But then he felt something moving beneath him and he rolled away quickly off of Naruto who got to his feet, panting heavily.

 

“Really…didn't think I was…going to make it.” He said between gasps. Gaara just looked at him shocked for a moment before remembering Itachi. He spun around but it was too late. He had lost concentration on the quicksand jutsu. Itachi had fought his way free and disappeared. Shikamaru stood in the exact spot Itachi had been in just a moment before and cursed loudly.

 

XXX

 

Sasuke watched Naruto and Shikamaru leap off to help Gaara and he turned back to Mizuki who was standing ten feet away from him with her arms crossed and, as much as she tried to hide it, wild fear and pain in her eyes.

 

“You're going to deal with me huh?” She said cheekily and shook her head. “You really are a heartless bastard. If you had any idea what I know, what I saw…”

 

“I do know.” Sasuke said quietly. Mizuki's eyes widened at his quiet tone as much as what he said but her voice remained hard.

 

“What?”

 

“I know what you saw. At least I think I do. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and me. You saw us hurting you, didn't you?” Sasuke's voice was still calm and he took a step towards her.

 

Mizuki was so shocked that she didn't notice Sasuke move closer to her. Her voice hardened even more and the calm voice disappeared. “How did you…I thought you said you didn't know anything?” She yelled. “All this time you knew? And you never said anything even after I practically begged you to tell me!”

 

“I couldn't tell you! I wasn't even sure I was right at first. Besides I figured you wouldn't be able to handle it and I was right wasn't I?” Sasuke was yelling now. He pointed a finger at her accusingly. “Ever since I met you, you've put on this show. Big tough girl who's bothered by nothing. You lost your memory, your name, hell your entire life has been turned upside down and you still greet everyone with a big fake smile in beautiful, frivolous dresses as though everything's okay; like you're here on vacation.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” She interrupted him quickly. “That has nothing to do with what happened to me! You should have said something instead of letting me find out the way I did. Now I've hurt Naruto-san, Sakura-san, and…you should have told me!” She accused angrily and took a step towards him without thinking about it.

 

“You see? Even now after almost being killed again, you're going to act all tough and fight with me about something irrelevant so you don't have to deal with what just happened and what you've remembered! But that's what you've done since you arrived here, fight with me as an excuse not to think about it…”

 

“Wait just a minute. You fought with me and picked fights just as much and you were mean and angry with me so many times for no reason. And you're telling me it's my fault?”

 

“It was because you drove me crazy!” Sasuke yelled exasperated. Mizuki stopped yelling and looked at him wide eyed. “Watching you pretend while I knew inside you were desperately trying not to break apart. All I wanted to do was help you but you just used me as a distraction from your pain and you used Naruto as a distraction from your loneliness. And now that you have remembered, you're still trying to act like nothing is wrong!” Sasuke sighed. “Maybe I should have said something sooner and I know I'll never understand exactly what it is you saw or how you felt but I could see the pain you were in the entire time in your eyes. The way your hands would shake. Even how you snubbed us just now because you can't stand being around us after what you saw. You know it wasn't real. Even with all our fighting you should have realized by now that I would never hurt you. You should have just let me protect you. Things could have been different between us and…no one would have gotten hurt. Am I wrong?”

 

“I don't…” Mizuki stammered.

 

“Am I wrong?” Sasuke said more strongly.

 

Mizuki glared at him. She knew he was right. But he would never understand how she felt. Illusion or not, he would never know what it did to a person to believe in someone only to have them betray you in the worst possible way. And why was he saying all these things to her now instead of going after Itachi? The barrier she fought to keep up between her and Sasuke was as strong as it had ever been at that moment and her face spoke volumes of it but Sasuke's face wasn't angry or hateful. His eyes were sad and she could see pain and disappointment in them. She thought of the face she had seen just before smashing the bottle of sand on the floor. The face and voice that had ended the pain and driven the horrible visions away. But he hated her! She was nothing but an annoyance to him. Something to be used and then thrown away…Wasn't she?

 

“What the hell do you care!” Mizuki suddenly screamed at him. Sasuke was just four feet away from her now but he stopped, taken aback by her outburst. Mizuki's face was beet reed and her clenched hands were shaking. “Why the hell do you even care what I deal with and what I don't?” She said a little more quietly. “You're only duty is to make sure I stay in once piece while I provide info on how to find your bastard brother and then to send me packing once I'm of no more use to you.” She was still trying to sound angry and spiteful but the tears that once again filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks gave the hurt and disappointment she had felt towards Sasuke since the beginning away. She looked away and shut her eyes tightly, willing the tears to stop. When she opened her eyes again she almost lost her balance. Sasuke was standing just a foot away from her!

 

Her head was held still again as Sasuke's face suddenly appeared directly over hers. His eyes were red, black and burning. His grin was wide and merciless. He ran a hand over her forehead and down the side of her face.

 

She took a wobbly step backwards but her right leg slipped on the debris from the shattered house and she almost fell. Sasuke reached out, caught her and pulled her to him. She stiffened immediately and tried to summon the strength to fight away from him like she had with Naruto but she breathed in his scent and suddenly,

 

“It's alright. I've got you.” She heard the familiar voice comforting her. She felt strong arms enfold her gently. Warm breath on her face. She'd never felt so safe. It was just like she'd felt back in the Sand Village after Itachi's attack.

 

“You stubborn idiot. You have no idea how much I care.” Sasuke's voice whispered close to her ear. The warm, safe feeling washed over Mizuki and she felt the last of her resolve leave her. The barrier between herself and her memories that she had worked so hard to keep intact came crashing down around her. She fell to her knees but Sasuke came with her, still holding her tightly to him. She felt the tears start rolling hot against her cheeks and she knew that this time there would be no holding them back. She reached around Sasuke's back grabbing onto him desperately as she started to cry. All of the fear, uncertainty and anger that had filled her up since she had awoken more than a week ago flowed through her tears and away from her mind and heart, and it was replaced by the warm, safe feeling that she had been taunted with since feeling herself being carried in the Sand Village.

 

Sasuke said nothing, he just held her as tightly as he dared without hurting her. His heart positively ached as her tears screamed at him her fear and pain but at the same time, the feeling of calm and peace washed over him so powerfully he could barely stand it.

 

“I want to protect her.” He didn't even try to deny the thought. “I want to protect her forever.”

 

XXX

 

Kakashi and Sakura reached Sasuke just as Mizuki had collapsed crying. While running towards the blast, they had seen Gaara fighting with Itachi. They had also seen Naruto and Shikamaru run off to help. It had been Sakura's intention of healing Mizuki first if she needed it but when they stopped in front of the pair, Sakura could only look at the two with shocked eyes. Kakashi just grinned and whispered, “I think these two are okay for the moment. We should check on Naruto and the others to make sure they're alright.” Kakashi made a motion to the other members of the team to break off and set up a perimeter around the remains of the house and Mizuki. He and Sakura then leapt off towards the fight. Sasuke and Mizuki never noticed anyone was there.

 

As they reached within one hundred feet of the fight, they saw Naruto racing toward the lightning strike and Itachi disappear from Gaara's trap. Sakura looked around frantically for Naruto and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him and Gaara stand up just a few feet away from where the lightning had struck. She and Kakashi reached the edge of where the house had stood and Shikamaru waved to them.

 

“Little late aren't you?” He called in a semi irritated voice. “He's gone. Again.”

 

“Sorry Shikamaru-kun. I should have known you couldn't handle this without us. We'll be faster next time promise.” Sakura said slyly to hide her frustration. She could hear Naruto start to laugh.

 

Shikamaru just sighed. “This is why women are such a bother.”

 

“Is Mizuki alright?” Gaara interrupted quickly.

 

“She's with Sasuke right now and she's just fine.” Kakashi said. “I don't know just what happened here but I think she's very fortunate you showed up when you did Kazekage-sama. Speaking of which, what are you doing here?”

 

“In a minute Kakashi-sensei.” Sakura chided. “Let me heal Gaara's wounds first. There will be time for questions when we get everyone back to somewhere safer and Mizuki-chan under proper guard again.” Her voice took on the stern quality that came from years of training under Tsunade.

 

Kakashi sighed. “As you say Sakura. Let's just be quick about it.”

 

Sakura nodded and walked towards where Naruto was standing with Gaara as he staunched the flow of blood from a cut on his arm. She had reached within ten paces of the two when a sudden movement behind Naruto caught her eye. Before she could blink again Itachi had appeared out of nowhere and was heading straight for Naruto, a sword of blazing chakra upraised in his hand!

 

“Naruto watch out!” Sakura screamed even as she ran and barreled into Naruto, knocking him over and landing on him, sending a sand cloud up into the air in the process.

 

Naruto felt the wind knocked from him as Sakura bowled him over. He opened his eyes and tried to move but Sakura was lying heavily atop him.

 

“Sakura-chan? Are you…” His words failed him as he saw the blood trail down Sakura's shoulder to her neck to her face. He sat up quickly in shock and her limp body rolled off his. Naruto looked down and saw a large bloodstain on the front of his formerly orange top. He looked to where Sakura had landed on her back unmoving. His eyes grew wider as he followed the trail of blood from his shirt down his legs and to Sakura's stomach where even more of it pooled around the hold that had been made when Itachi had run her through from behind with his blade. Her eyes were closed and even as Naruto watched shocked, her lips were turning blue. Sakura was…

 

“SAKURA-CHAN!!!!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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