Blood is Full of Empty Promises

Shikamaru felt sweat form on his forehead. This was going to be a tricky situation. Not only were they facing two unknown Akatsuki members, but they were also facing a hostage situation. He wondered if they would use her to their advantage.

Shikamaru played out several situations in his head before sticking with the best one. He wasn’t exactly sure if it would go according to plan, but he had to have faith in himself and his team. The leaf shinobi watched in the shadows as one of the Akatsuki members went into the bounty collection site with a dead body over his shoulders. The other one stayed outside with his prisoner.

“Those places always make me smell bad,” Hidan complained and stood just outside the door. He decided to wait outside with Ayaka. He smiled to himself when he realized he had a few more minutes alone with her.

Ayaka was looking up at the birds in the sky thinking about the man in her heart, Gaara. She sighed and rested her chin on her hands. “Why the long face?” Hidan asked. Ayaka shot him a glare, but didn’t respond. She wondered why he didn’t understand that she hated him. They weren’t the duo that they used to be. The old times were dead and gone.

Kunai rained down on them out of nowhere. Ayaka was sure that they would hit her and she clenched her eyes shut, but then she heard clinking sounds of them hitting something hard. She opened her eyes to see a dome of sand protecting her. The sand softened around her and broke away. Hidan immediately grabbed her forcing her to yelp in surprise. She wasn’t sure what was going on.

Leaf shinobi appeared from the shadows along with the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand village. Ayaka saw him and her heart fluttered with happiness. He came to save her.

Ayaka elbowed Hidan and tried to get away from him. “Let me go!” she yelled and kicked.

“Aya-chan, you’re breaking my heart,” he said with a hint of sarcasm. He really was upset that she didn’t want to stay with him though.

“Let her go,” Gaara stated calmly.

“You’ll have to fight me for her,” Hidan replied with a wicked grin on his face. He knew he had this fight in the bag. In fact, he believed he could take on all of them at once, even the sand brat.

“As you wish,” Gaara replied and his sand danced wildly around him before flying to attack Hidan.

“Gaara stop!” Shikamaru yelled and the sand froze in mid-air. Gaara gritted his teeth angrily, but did as Shikamaru commanded.

Asuma stepped forward. “I’ll fight him,” he said and looked at his team. “You guys back me up.”

Shikamaru nodded. “Gaara, as soon as Asuma-sensei starts fighting get Ayaka to a safe place far from here. I want you to go back to the village and inform Lady Tsunadae that we made contact.”

Gaara thought the strategy over. He didn’t really like the idea of leaving the people that were helping him to fend for themselves, but he had to do what Shikamaru said. Ayaka was his top priority. He decided by himself that after he saved her then he would come back as quickly as possible to help them in any way he could. “Alright.”

“I’ll take all of you on at once,” Hidan snorted and pushed Ayaka away from him. She fell to the ground from the force of his shove and glared up at him. Hidan had a hunger deep in his gut that only blood could satisfy and she could see it in his eyes.

Asuma leapt to attack and in that moment Gaara bounded over to Ayaka. He was about to scoop her up in his arms when someone knocked him into what felt like the next world. Gaara flew back and skidded to a halt in the dirt. Thankfully his sand had protected his face from the force of the punch, it still hit him hard enough to draw blood.

Gaara looked to his attacker and saw a creepy man in an Akatsuki cloak standing over Ayaka. Gaara gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. The anger inside of him bubbled over almost to the point where it blinded him.

“Gaara!” Ayaka screamed in worry.

Gaara stood up and wiped the blood dripping from his mouth. The grim look on his face slowly changed into a smile as his anger changed to bloodlust. He was eager to kill.

Shikamaru noticed and yelled to Kotetsu and Izumo to fight the other member. He would have to help Asuma on his own for now. The two shinobi followed orders and leapt to attack Kakazu.

“Oh no you don’t!” Hidan yelled and managed to hit both Kotetsu and Izumo at the same time sending them flying into the dirt.

“Damn it!” Shikamaru exclaimed. This situation was taking a turn for the worst. He thought quickly and then used his shadow possession jutsu to take control of the Akatsuki member that was standing over Ayaka. He had to make sure that she got away alive. “Gaara! Get her out of here!”

Gaara snapped out of his blood thirsty state of mind and remembered his priority. He quickly grabbed Ayaka, taking her into his arms and bounded out of the vicinity. He didn’t stop to look back. “What are you doing!” she exclaimed at him and tried to fight her way out of Gaara’s arms. “You have to help them!”

“I have to protect you first. I’ll go back for them later,” he said calmly and tightened his grip on Ayaka. There was no way he would let her stay in danger. He had to protect her, no matter what the cost.