Blood is Full of Empty Promises

Gaara soared towards Hidan with an unbelievable speed. Hidan didn’t even realize that Gaara had sliced open his cheek until blood started dripping onto his cloak. “Damn, Kazekage, you sure are quick. Don’t worry, you won’t get me so easily the next time,” Hidan smirked and attacked Gaara once again.

Ayaka watched panicked from a distance. One slice and the love of her life would be taken from her. The only person she truly cared about would be torn from her grip, just as it had before with Hidan. She pulled a kunai from the small pack on her belt and gripped it tightly in her hand ready to attack Hidan with everything she had. She would knock his block off again if she had to.

Gaara was now using his sand to battle Hidan. His ultimate defense was blocking any blade that came within a foot of him. There was no way he’d let himself end up like Asuma Sarutobi. He couldn’t die, not when he had to protect Ayaka. He couldn’t let this scum bag ruin her life again.

The battle was going nowhere. Gaara blocked every attack and he couldn’t kill Hidan. He tried to think while keeping his distance from Hidan’s blades. The only way that Hidan couldn’t fight was if he took off his head. Gaara’s eyes focused onto the thin line around Hidan’s neck. If he hit it with enough force like Ayaka did then he should be able to decapitate him.

Gaara moved in for the kill or decapitation because you couldn’t kill Hidan. Hidan smirked.

“Gaara look out!” Ayaka screamed and bolted for the red-haired shinobi. The lightning mask appeared behind Gaara and attacked. She was too late. She couldn’t save him. She watched as the lightning style attack his Gaara from behind and he fell to the ground, not moving. She wasn’t even sure if he was breathing.

Tears fell from her eyes. “Gaara, no!” she screamed and continued running until she was beside his unmoving body. “Please, no. God, no,” she whimpered and Hidan raised his weapon ready to draw blood. He didn’t care if he got her blood on it too.

Ayaka drew her katana and blocked his blades. “Damn you, you bastard!” she screamed and pushed his blades away. Hidan stumbled backwards a little. “I’ll kill you!”

“Oh honey, I’m immortal, remember?” he asked and smiled wickedly at her. He sprung forward quickly and swung at her only to have his blades collide with Kakashi’s kunai. Hidan swung his leg and kicked Kakashi sending him flying into the ground. He bounded after him. Kakashi quickly got up and dodged an oncoming attack from Hidan.

They both continued to battle. Hidan swung his blades and Kakashi dodged. Kakashi ran up a tree followed by Hidan attacking and swinging with everything he got. Kakashi dodged by jumping to the next tree, but was attacked in mid-air by the red mask, the one that blew fire. His Sharingan quickly noticed and he dodged that attack as well, landing on the tree closest to him. “That was close,” he thought to himself. The lightning mask appeared beside him to attack him with lightning. Kakashi managed to dodge that too.

The tree broke around Kakashi and he fell but quickly got himself straight when he noticed the air mask flying in to attack. Ayaka watched as Kakashi was attacked by all three masks and Hidan. “At this rate, he’ll die,” she said and wiped the tears from her face. She didn’t have time to see if Gaara was still…

Choji was being beat to a pulp by Kakazu. Ayaka wasn’t sure who to help but he looked like he was going to die too. Shikamaru and Ino were a few yards away. She was closest.

“Time to die,” she heard Kakazu say and his hand turned black. He pulled his arm back ready to drive it through Choji’s body.

“Not on my watch,” she yelled and threw her katana piercing Kakazu’s back and forcing him to fall to the ground from the force. She didn’t realize how strong she’d gotten from TenTen’s training.

Kakazu got up. “Little brat,” he grunted and pulled the katana from his back. His wound instantly stitched itself closed and he threw the katana back at her. She moved and caught it with her right hand, twirled it, and then moved into a fighting stance.

A shadow came from behind Kakazu. Unfortunately he noticed and ran away from it. He twirled and dodged Shikamaru’s shadows until the lightning mask came to his rescue and attacked Shikamaru. He had no choice but to stop and dodge the attack.

“Shikamaru!” Ino cried worried about her team mate. Kakazu’s hand came from nowhere and grabbed her neck. She had let her guard down in a moment of panic and now she was trapped in his death grip. Kakazu grabbed Choji by this throat too and dragged them both close to him until his arms reattached themselves. He held both of them by the neck, their feet dangling and kicking the air.

“Pathetic little worms,” Kakazu grumbled. “Just die,” he commanded.

Ayaka watched as Kakashi was cut down by a fire and air blast from the two masks that were attacking him. Meanwhile Shikamaru was dodging the lightning mask. Hidan smirked happily to himself when he saw Kakashi lying there after the smoke had cleared. He moved closer to him.

“No!” Ayaka cried and ran in Kakashi’s direction. She was hoping that Ino and Choji could hold on for a little longer. Hidan struck Kakashi and Ayaka froze in her tracks. Kakashi evaporated in a cloud of smoke and she sighed in relief when she realized that he was a shadow clone. Kakashi ran towards Kakazu.

Shikamaru ran over to them as well and laid out another red scroll. He stepped on it sending water everywhere. It puddled around Kakazu just as the lightning mask caught up with Shikamaru. Just as the lightning blast struck the water, Shikamaru jumped up in the air. The blast of lightning traveled to Kakazu shocking him with his own attacks. He dropped Ino and Choji. Shikamaru ran to their sides. He grabbed Ino and Kakashi grabbed Choji moving them to safety where they coughed and gasped for air.

Ayaka was relieved that everyone on Team Asuma was still standing. She hurried to Gaara’s side and knelt beside him. She put her ear against his chest watching for the rise and fall of his chest and listening for the beating of his heart. Both were faint and she almost cried from the relief she felt. She grabbed Gaara by arms and dragged him to a tree so she could rest him up against it. She then moved to where the leaf shinobi gathered.

“That was pitiful. What happened there, buddy?” Hidan asked Kakazu as he landed next to him.

“You should talk. I wasn’t the one who fell for a shadow clone,” Kakazu replied and Hidan rubbed the back of his head looking embarrassed.

“Oh yeah, right, you saw that?” he said laughing a little from embarrassment.

“Shikarmaru, what do we do now?” Kakashi asked.

Shikamaru looked straight ahead at the Akatsuki team. He was calm and focused. “First thing we do is get them on their own. We have got to tackle them individually.”