It's Not Forever *Shikamaru/OC/Gaara* (Book 1) COMPLETE

Chapter 5

    I roll my shoulder and prepare for him to attack. He lashes out at me with his fist and I duck in time to miss and bring my foot up to kick him in the chest. I hear his teammates move to attack as well but he commands them to stay back, claiming the battle for himself. He catches my foot and tosses me back toward the other side of the clearing. I twist my body to land on my feet and push my hands out at him. A soundwave bursts forward and slams him into the tree trunk. I hear movement behind me and send a wave backward to knock out the girl. Hideki draws a long sword and swings the blade down toward me. I flip out of the way and send a series of waves in his direction. He dodges them all while countering with blows from his sword. I maneuver around them while only suffering a minor cut to my arm. I growl and try to launch myself at him, but another set of arms wraps around me, pinning me to the other man's chest. I try getting out of his grasp but he's stronger than he looks. Hideki grins and raises the sword again.
"It's going to be a shame to kill you. You are kind of cute. I'm sure such a pretty little girl like yourself will have a pretty scream to go with it when I spill your blood."
"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever told me." I fake gush, rolling my eyes.
A plan forms in my head and I mentally cast a genjutsu on the man behind me. A moment later he begins to freak out, screaming and writhing around, hearing anguished screams and other noises in his head. He finally releases me just as Hideki's sword stabs straight outward where I just was. A sickening noise sounds above me before a thick crimson liquid splatters onto my head. I look up to find the sword run through the other man. More blood runs down the blade, soaking myself and the ground further. Hideki releases the sword and I roll out of the way as the body hits the ground. I tackle Hideki while his focus is still on his fallen comrade and try to snatch the scroll from his pants pocket. His hand latches around my neck and starts to squeeze while I hurriedly fumble with the button on the pocket. I ignore the burning sensation radiating from my lungs as I grab onto the scroll. I reach out with my free hand and press it to his face before sending out a wave. It's not strong enough to kill him, just enough to knock him out. His hand releases my throat and I gasp for air as I pull out the scroll and put it in my pack next to the Heaven scroll.
When I steady my breathing again, I glance up toward the sun to determine how much time I'd lost. The confrontation felt as if it took several hours, but it seems that I'd only lost fifteen minutes. I look around the clearing once more before sensing for nearby chakras. No one seems to be close enough around me to affect my travel, so I wipe a hand across my brow to stop the flow of blood before pushing on into the forest. I sigh when I glance down to remember that my jacket and socks were white and now are covered in blood. Every time I wear white I ruin it with someone else's blood. Pity. Something suddenly jerks me to the left and I pull a kunai from a pouch with my right. No one is around me at all, not even a close presence. The pull dies away so I cautiously move forward but I feel the jerking again and it stays steady this time. I realize that it's the band of sand around my wrist moving me through the woods against my will. I suppose Gaara wants me for something. I sigh and decide to move faster so I'm not being pulled anymore.
The sand dissolves away a few minutes later as I reach a clearing containing the Sand siblings. They're all turned away from me, Temari and Kankuro conversing quietly while Gaara is standing eerily still. The sand around his feet is swirling around almost like it's impatient. Gaara turns around to face me and the sand suddenly lashes out to wrap around me. Before I can react it pulls me closer to him without squeezing me. His eyes look me over as Temari notices me and gasps before shouting at Gaara to let me go because I'm already hurt.
"It's not mine." I croak out, feeling an uncomfortable burn in my throat.
His eyes narrow before the sand lets go, but forms a half bubble behind me.
"What happened to you?" Temari asks.
"I found a scroll. The guy that sat next to me in the exams had the one I needed, so I attacked him. His team was weak so I knocked out the girl. We fought for a few until his other partner caught me. He said it'd be a shame to kill me because I was cute and wanted to hear me scream. I used a genjutsu on his partner who dropped me in time to not get stabbed, but it killed him, thus the blood. I got the scroll from the guy as he was choking me. I finally knocked him out and started to head to the tower until someone dragged me here. I'm alright, just a little battered here and there. What's up with you all?"
"Found ours easily, now we're just headed to the tower. Wait, where's your team?"
"They're somewhere around here. They broke up all the teams of four, making us solo for this round. They can work off of each other better than being alone. I was trained by the best, so I can handle my own." I grin.
"Who trained you besides your sensei?"
"Can I walk with you to the tower? We're going in the same direction anyway."
"Uh, sure." Temari readily agrees but notices I never answered her question.
Gaara and I walk together in front of Temari and Kankuro. While we walk I wonder how my team is doing and hope that they will make it to the tower today so I won't have to worry anymore.
We all reach the tower about an hour later without any complications. Any person that came too close was instantly killed by Gaara's sand, sating his bloodlust. The entrance to the tower is vacant. It's still too early for squatters to have made it this far. We all walk in and separate to open our scrolls. I carefully open mine at the same time and Asuma-sensei appears in a puff of smoke. He congratulates me on passing before telling me that I'm to stay in the tower until the five days are up. I nod and mock salute him before he leaves. Their sensei leaves a minute later and Kankuro walks off into the depths of the tower after throwing me a malicious look. I roll my eyes and go to sit down but a sharp pain shoots through my head. I stick out a hand to catch myself on the arm of the sofa but miss and hit the floor. Temari runs through a door into the next room, I assume the infirmary, while Gaara's sand lifts me up.
"I'm fine I promise. I didn't get any sleep last night, I'm just-" I cut off with a groan of pain as another wave spikes in my head.
I mentally check myself for the injuries I may have received during my fight but the only injury to break skin was the cut on my arm from the sword. He must've poisoned it with something slow moving. I should've realized and thought about that beforehand. I vaguely realize that I've been brought into the infirmary and a nurse is talking to me. I prattle off the answers to her questions and watch as she draws a small amount of blood into a vial. My blood looks almost black, causing her to frown. She pushes Temari out of the room and tries to make Gaara leave, but he doesn't budge. The look he gives her causes her to leave it be and turn to me.
"You were poisoned. It was slow moving, but it's getting close to your brain and heart. I can remove it all but it will hurt so be prepared."
I push my headphones up around my ears and turn the music on before closing my eyes. The pain has gotten worse already and I feel wrong now. I bite back a scream as it feels like the woman is stabbing me in the chest repeatedly. I know it isn't what's happening or she would've been dead before the first blow. The pain increases until I feel like fire is coursing through my veins but I don't make a sound. The pain suddenly stops and I breathe a sigh of relief until it moves to my head. My hands curl into fists and my nails dig into my palms, drawing blood. I quietly sing along to the song in an effort to calm myself and it begins to work until the pressure builds and I bite down on my lip. A wave of cool washes over me and I notice that my chest is heaving but the pain is gone fully. I slowly open my eyes as the nurse takes her hands off of my head. She smiles at me apologetically.
"I'm sorry that I had to do that, I know it hurts. You were by far the calmest person I've encountered though. Most scream or pass out, but you handled it very well. You'll be alright, just take it easy for the next few days and you'll be ready for the next exam when it comes."
She turns from me to the redhead standing irritably against the wall, his sand lashing around his feet.
"Make sure that she stays relaxed and doesn't overexert herself."
He gives her an even stare and I reassure her that I'll be fine before getting uneasily to my feet. His sand moves around me to make sure I stay on my feet and watches me take a step. I wobble momentarily until I'm suddenly lifted into the air. The sand leads me over to him and we make our way out into the tower. Temari pushes away from the wall and rushes over to us. I tiredly explain what had happened and she tries to fuss over me but the sand blocks her from touching me. I tell her that I'm going to clean myself up and that I'll see her after.
Gaara releases me from the sand when we step inside the room assigned to my team. He watches me carefully from the doorway for a moment. I tell him that I'll be fine and walk over to the bed to remove my backpack. I pull out a change of clothes and thank him for helping me before walking into the bathroom. I hear the bedroom door close again signaling his departure before I strip down and step into the shower. I'm still unsteady on my feet so I quickly give up and sit down under the flow of the water. I wash my hair and body until the water stops running off pink or brown from the blood and dirt. I stay in the shower a few minutes later relaxing before finally getting out and dressing in a pair of loose fitting pants and a dark purple tank top. I put my dirty clothes in the sink full of water to try to soak out the stains over time. I brush out my hair and braid it back out of my face. My gaze lingers on my throat where a ring of bruises is forming to go along with the ones on my wrists and the gash on my upper arm. The nurse had stopped the bleeding on my arm but didn't bandage it so the constant water on it split the wound open again. I sigh and dig through the bathroom cabinets for bandages and wrap it around my arm carefully.
I walk back into the bedroom to find Gaara seated on the bed. My hands immediately fly up to cover the lower part of my face while I rush back into the bathroom to grab my mask. Sand loops around my waist and pulls me back to him before I can put it on.
"Gaara, I need to put my mask on." I tell him, muffled by my arms.
"Why?" He asks, shocking me.
"Oh my Kami, you spoke. I thought you were mute."
His mouth lifts slightly into a smirk. "No, now why?"
"I always wear this mask. It's just how I am. Please don't look."
He sighs and turns away. I turn from him and quickly put the mask on and make sure it's properly placed before turning back.
"I thought you'd left. I heard the door close?"
"Temari came by."
"Oh, so why wouldn't you talk before?" I ask, leaning close to him with wide eyes.
He shrugs and turns to me.
"You just spoke seven words to me in the past few minutes and now you're back to not speaking. Gee, thanks. I feel so special."
"Rest."
He gets up and moves toward the door.
"I can't sleep." I mutter quietly.
He pauses and turns back. "Why?"
"I just can't. I pretend to sleep when Ino or someone else is around but I can't get myself to relax enough to sleep. Why am I telling you this? We barely know each other."
"I don't sleep either. Shukaku won't let me."
I look up at his statement to find him reaching toward the door.
"Will you stay with me for a while? I won't make you talk or anything, I just like company sometimes."
He seems to think it over for a moment before crossing the room and sitting on the edge of my bed. I get comfortable against the wall and motion for him to sit next to me. Once he sits, albeit awkwardly, I remember something I'd wanted to say.
"Thank you again for helping me at my house and again in the lobby, oh and for not judging me for walking around in the early hours of the morning soaking wet."
He nods and looks as if he's going to ask a question, but doesn't. We sit in a comfortable silence for several hours until I drift off.