❝Who decides what's right or wrong? I don't believe in justice anymore, at least, not in the one that's taught to us when we're kids. I have now my own sense of justice, and it's what I'll fight for from now on.❞ ㅡ Rei
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CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR:
MY MOMENT
The smell of burnt wood contrasted with the taste of humid sand that permeated her dry mouth. Her ears buzzed and the back of her eyes sent waves of pain to her brain, warning it about an incoming headache. As black smoke filled the air and slid between trees and leaves, leaving no nook untouched by its deadly fingers, a sudden silence showered upon the forest. Even the wind seemed to have stopped as they stood still, recovering from the attack and waiting in wary expectance. The distant chirp of birds had been whisked away, overpowered by the ringing in the ears that the explosion had awoken.
"Rei, open your eyes," a voice as calm as the ocean spoke to her from the distance, like a whisper navigating its waves towards her.
And so she did.
Brown — it was the first thing she noticed; a wall of sand shielding her from the explosion. It swayed around her, as if alive, and her emotions gave a sudden turn; shock was replaced with a sense of wonderment, and she watched in silence as it eventually returned to the safety inside his gourd.
And suddenly, she became aware of the giant bird floating above their heads. Its wings remained unmoving, as if it were laying on an invisible platform, yet her senses picked up the subtle movements of a person standing on its head, like the captain of his ship. Dust and dirt blocked her vision, and Rei subconsciously squinted — to no avail.
"Prepare to fight," Gaara spoke as his sand wrapped around itself beneath his feet to gravitate him towards the threat.
Only when Kotone huffed was she reminded of her presence some feet away from her, and her orange eyes drifted to glance at her smirking face. Feeling her wary stare, the blue-haired girl caught her gaze and sent a wink her way.
"There's no need for that," she retorted lightly.
Her words seemed to trigger something in Gaara, for he froze and lifted a hand in the air, calling his sand. Rei observed as it floated before the girl, menacing — waiting for orders to attack. However, her expression only turned exasperated; she gave a sigh and shook her head. "Really? I just said there's no need to fight."
A ray of sun broke free from the oppressing shadow of the bird, causing Rei to avert her attention towards the flying animal. And she did see him now — his blond hair, ruffled by a breeze she couldn't feel; his blue eye, watching her closely; and the smirk.
His voice reached her ears and resonated in the woods. "It's been a while, pretty eyes. Heard you were looking for us, so I couldn't help myself, hn."
"Slow as always," Kotone muttered with a roll of her eyes. "He sure loves making a grand entrance, the idiot. Well, this has been interesting to watch," she commented to Gaara, "but we have to leave."
Her black eyes were suddenly on Rei, expectant and determined. She must had seen something in the way the latter stood close to the boy, for her expression lost all traces of humour and she gave her an irritated look.
"You made your choice, Rei. Isn't this what you wanted — to find Akatsuki? Well, they're here so you'd better stop hesitating and get on that damn bird."
But Rei didn't let herself feel intimidated by her cold tone; instead, she took a close look into those angry eyes that were staring at her so intently. And she was surprised to meet desperation in them, to come across an unexpected glint of panic.
"Why does this matter so much to you?" she couldn't help asking, aware of everyone's attention on her. "This is my life — not yours. I don't even know you, so why do you? This is my problem to solv—"
"No, it's not!" Kotone cut her off and launched herself at her before anyone could react. Sand was quick to follow as she slammed Rei into the trunk of a tree; its deadly hands wrapped around her torso in a tight hold, but she paid the pain no mind and glared at her through unshed tears. "You have no idea how much I've been waiting, Rei... This — it's your life, but it's my moment too! You can't back out now, not when you've given me hope!"
Unable to look away from her watered eyes, Rei found it difficult to breath for an instant. "Your moment?"
Kotone gritted her teeth as the hand of sand gripped her body tighter, knowing she would be dead had she met the owner of such a deadly weapon a month ago. But the boy was no longer a killing machine; from what she had heard, he was trying to leave that behind and give the world another chance. She was glad that first chance was falling upon her — facing Gaara in such a delicate moment would only serve to put Rei against her.
"It's my moment to get back at her," she choked out, wincing as her body screamed for her to break free. A cough made its way out, and a trail of blood followed after. "The same woman who destroyed your life took mine away from me a long time ago. You know who I'm talking about — Suzume."
The name acted like a trigger. Everything came back to her; everything Rei had tried to push away — her pain, her despair, her anger — and from those emotions, a forgotten thirst for vengeance sprouted back to life.
"I don't want to kill you," Gaara's voice snapped her out of her trance, "but I won't hesitate if you don't step away from her."
The serpent of sand repentantly dissipated, and a look of bewilderment crossed his aquamarine eyes as they clashed with those of the girl he had been trying to aid — the same one who had broken down his technique. As a black star formed in her orange orbs and gave birth to her bloodline, the wind around them spiked and she gave a curt nod.
"Rei, don't —"
His plead fell to deaf ears as Rei shook her head. "I'm sorry, Gaara. I can't allow that person to get away with what she's done, to keep being a threat to all of us. And she will for as long as she keeps breathing."
"Wait!" another voice cut through the tense moment as sand reached for someone who wasn't standing there anymore.
Rei felt her heart stop at the sight of Naruto rushing into the glade, his body full of scratches and covered in sweat. Temporary shock melted her determination away, yet as his angry expression caught her eye, her hands clenched by her sides and she grew aggravated.
"I'm so done with this," Kotone stated after landing in front of her, next to the Akatsuki member whose blue eyes watched everything unfold without intervening. Upon taking a look at his face, however, his irritation became evident — he had no intention to play games with them. "Distract your redhead friend. I can handle the loud one."
Situating herself close to the edge of the white bird — which Rei had soon realized was made out of clay —, Kotone reached back and pulled out a silver flute.
"Rei, don't you dare to leave!" Naruto was shouting while jumping high in an attempt to get close to them. "Come back to the village!"
Gaara's sand supported the boy as he lost his foot, only to propel him vertically to aid him on his — their — mission. Her eyes clashed with his aquamarine ones in the span of a soft whisper, before she directed a powerful blast of wind towards him.
Sand and wind surveyed one another for a millisecond, and then, they were battling. At the same time, a melody started to echo within the woods. Kotone played her flute softly, yet there was an edge in the music — like a high note that transformed it into a frightful lullaby. As if responding to her call, the trees began to sway in an unnatural way; branches squirmed and twisted, growing in size and reaching out.
A surprised yelp escaped Naruto as one of them managed to wrap around him and put an end to his climbing. Evidences of a previous battle were drawn on his face, but there was no sign of exhaustion in his voice as he growled and cursed.
"Let go of me, you stupid tree!" He kicked and punched the branch, only for it to tighten its grip on him.
Giving him a pitiful glance, Kotone changed her melody and they watched as the boy was flung away by the tree. He disappeared from their sight quickly, and some birds complained from somewhere in the woods after his body landed in their company.
"Let's just go," Deidara finally snapped, turning to send Rei an annoyed look. "People are waiting for you, pretty eyes. I suggest you stop playing around, hn."
Gaara narrowed his eyes and closed his hand into a fist, a silent command for his sand to stop battling the force of Nature and direct its powerful punches to the man on the bird. Taken by surprise, the girl observed as said man clucked his tongue and threw a few clayed spiders at him to counter his attack.
"We'll use the explosions to our advantage!" Kotone shouted as the inert animals detonated, forming a thick curtain of black smoke between the redhead and the bird. "Blondie, kick off."
A vein plopped on his forehead at the nickname, but Deidara contented himself with sending her a glare before making his clayed bird float higher. In an expected attempt to respond, Gaara pushed through the smoke and propelled himself after them.
With a sigh, Rei met his determined eyes and smiled apologetically. "Until we meet again, Gaara," she whispered in the wind.
And then, she was placing her hands together. Responding to her orders, a wall of wind began circling them at a fast pace.
"That's beautiful, but how the fuck am I supposed to drive if I can't see anything?" Deidara's voice roared over the sound of the blasts, eliciting a roll of her eyes.
"I'll guide it towards the edge of the forest," she replied in a calm tone before looking at Kotone. "You said we wouldn't be followed once we reach it, right?"
She nodded, a satisfied smirk drawn on her lips. "Take us there, Rei."
By the time Gaara arrived to where they had been floating, there was no sight of the bird anymore. As his hair was ruffled by a gentle, almost comforting breeze, the boy felt his heart constrict — she was gone; perhaps, in more ways than one.
Trying to ignore the emotions assaulting his whole body, Gaara turned and went to aid those who had fallen behind. Maybe then, he would understand why his heart hurt so much.