𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐊𝐀𝐆𝐄'𝐒 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐑 | gaara

Part 16

*Risa P.O.V*

"Are you sure this is the right way?!" I hear Temari from behind me as we run full speed after [Name] and her captors. I hold up a hand.

"I'm pretty sure! I can smell her!" I've got the shirt [Name] wore to bed last night in my hand, sniffing it and using it to track her down. I lead a team of four: Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, and Ichiro, who we'd run into on the way out.

"I guess great kunoichi run in the family, huh?" I hear Kankuro grin behind me. Ichiro scowls, but doesn't say anything else.

"[Name], it's been an hour already! Risa went missing three hours ago! Are you sure this is the right way?" exclaims Temari. I look at her over my shoulder, grinning.

"Hmm? Can't keep up?" I leave her astounded, before leaping up ahead of the group.

*Your P.O.V*

You have shuriken embedded in your flesh, pinpoints as if you were a voodoo doll. By now, your body is burning with the pain of the foreign objects in your skin and tissue. The pain brings tears to your eyes, but you don't make any sound.

"You know, there's a bonus to killing you, Risa-chan," comes Minami's voice. You look at him with your tear welled eyes. When you don't answer, he continues on.

"I heard of your recent engagement to the Kazekage," he says softly. "Congratulations." It's now that you manage to speak.

"Gaara and I... are not engaged..." you murmur, just managing to get the words out of your mouth.

"Ah, I knew it was a mistake. After all, you've only known each other for a week, haven't you?" asks Minami. You look up at him, eyes blank.

"Yeah? So what's it to you?" He shrugs, and exchanges looks with Nishi. Kita rolls his eyes.

"You're not the brightest little girl, are you Risa?" scoffs Minami. "Obviously, if you were selected for such a thing, the Kazekage is bound to feel obliged to come and get you. It's quite brilliant, actually: not only are we breaking your world, but we're breaking his as well. Killing two birds with one stone, don't you think so?"

You scowl at the trio.

"The Kazekage has much better things to do than worry about me," you say, hoping that this is a lie. You try to make it sound as if you're blatantly lying, but a look of pure dejection flashes across your face. You secretly hoped that he was on his way right now, not only to prove yourself wrong, but also to end all this pain. Nishi sighs, and for a second it looks like he actually pities you.

"Aww, I'm so sorry," he says, grinning evilly at you. "It's hard loving someone who doesn't love you back, isn't it?"

You bite your lip and hang your head. Before all this, you'd been so sure that Gaara had felt the same way about you, had been so certain that he'd loved you as much as you'd come to love him.

But now, nearly four hours after your capture, you'd begun to contemplate whether the Kazekage really did love you at all.