𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐊𝐀𝐆𝐄'𝐒 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐑 | gaara

Part 17

*Third Person P.O.V*

The look on Gaara's face as he followed the real Risa was a solemn one. His mind wandered off to you and your whereabouts, concerned for your safety. The struggle was real, as he tried to keep his worry for you undetectable from the others.

"What if she's already escaped?" says Temari loudly as they make haste through the treetops. "What if she's on her way back to the village now?!"

Risa turns around and grimaces at Temari.

"She's strong, but not that strong," she says quietly. She looks at Ichiro for backup, and he nods. Temari, Kankuro and Gaara all look taken aback.

"But Risa is-" Risa stops in her tracks, causing the others to bump into each other as they come to an unexpected halt.

"That's not Risa! I'm Risa!" she exclaims, pointing away from herself. "That's my sister, [Name]! It's my fault that she's been kidnapped, so now it's my problem to retrieve her!"

"I knew something was up!" says Temari, pumping her fist in the air. "I knew it!" Risa looks at Gaara apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Gaara, but the girl you've come to love isn't Risa [Surname]," she says softly. "She's [Name]. [Name] [Surname]."

Gaara's eyes widen in shock. All this time...?

I've been lied to.

A new, steely resolve makes itself evident in Gaara's cold eyes.

"Temari, Kankuro, let's go. The Hidden Sand Village has no time for liars," he says venomously, giving Risa a look of pure hatred. Although shocked, Temari and Kankuro nod, and before Risa or Ichiro can say anything, all three have shot off back the way they came.

"Wait!" shouts Risa hopelessly. She looks at Ichiro, face obviously desperate.

"We have to get [Name] back!" she exclaims, stumbling forward and grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "What are we gonna do?! Gaara hates us now, what are we gonna do?!" She shakes him back and forth until he pries himself away from her.

"Calm down, okay?! We'll go get her ourselves, if we have to! Just calm down!" he exclaims. Risa holds back her tears, and buries her face in her elder brother's chest.

"What have I done?!"

*Your P.O.V*

The three brothers have moved on from their target practice to a new form of torture. They keep you suspended from the ceiling, but Kita holds the rope that binds your wrists and Nishi has tied a heavy bag of who knows what to your ankles. Kita releases the rope he's holding but quickly yanks it back, making you drop suddenly then snapping you back up, agonising your shoulders.

You let out a cry as you hear something in your shoulder snap, and the brothers all laugh. Tears are streaming down your face, and right now the only thing on your mind was the wish to die.

"Not so cheerful now, eh?" comes Minami's voice. You manage to look up, ignoring the excruciating pain coming from your right shoulder. You give him a weak smile.

"I could be worse," you say lightly, before dropping your head back down onto your chest. You're not sure how much time has passed, but it felt as if you'd been in here for eons, endlessly tortured by the hands of men you didn't even know.

"Wait!" you hear Nishi's voice. "Brothers, I think we have company on the way." You look up slowly and see Nishi's hand in the air, his eyes closed. Your spirits lift at the thought of Gaara finally coming to your rescue.

"Who is it?" asks Kita roughly, tying the rope he was holding around a pole. Nishi's lone visible eye opens.

"Why, if it isn't your sister, Risa-chan," he says, sneering at you.

"Just her?!" you exclaim, hoping that he meant she was only leading the group.

"There's a boy with her... your brother, perhaps?" Your heart sunk and shattered into a million pieces. Gaara didn't come after all.

The Kazekage has better things to do.

You begin crying even more, not from the physical pain of the torture, but by the pain of knowing that Gaara didn't really care about you at all. Even if you were supposed to be Risa, nothing would stop the elders from replacing you, would it? The fact that Gaara could have you replaced so easily hurt. And you saw no bright side in that whatsoever.

"Looks like it's time for us to break camp!" comes Kita's voice. You look up, face a wreck.

"Wha-?" Something hits you on the back of your head, and the last thing you think of before passing out is Gaara's face.