Fire style: Burning Love Jutsu

Chapter 16: So it begins

"How dare he!" I heard someone scream followed by a loud crash. "I could kill him if I wanted!" They screamed again. "Found her." I said, sighing. I skidded to a halt, my stomach turning and the seal on my neck burning once more. "Gaara. I can't go any further. You'll have to." I said a bit too late. Gaara had stopped in his tracks as well, shaking. "What is this?" He asked, quietly.

"It's Azamuku. It seems you're special as well. Her projection interferes with any demons or curses placed on an individual." I said, holding my neck. "Temari. Go get her." Gaara ordered. She nodded and jumped down. I sat myself on a branch and took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly. "What are you doing?" He asked. "I'm trying to see if I can calm myself down enough and jump into her head. If I do, I can see what she sees or see the general area around her." I said, closing my eyes.

I managed to relax myself enough and a different field of vision came to my own. "I got it." I whispered to myself. "What do you see?" Gaara asked. "A clearing." I said. "Sasuke. I need you to leave." She said. "And she knows I'm here." I said, sighing. "Of course I do. You're in MY head." She said. "Wait. You can hear me?" I asked. "Yes. I can also see what you're thinking. You are a dirty boy..." She said. I felt her grin as if I were her. My cheeks turned red. "Get back here!" I said, trying to mask my embarrassment with dominance.

"Fine. But only because we have to turn in our applications." She said. "Temari! I'm heading back!" She shouted out. "And Sasuke?" She said. "Yes?" I asked. "You should really keep You head a bit more clear. A busy mind makes for an easy target." She said. Just as she finished her sentence, a kunai struck near my head. "Shit!" I yelled, nearly losing my balance. She hopped on the branch in front of me and crouched down. "You sneaky little..." I began before standing in front of her.

"Let's get going." She said as she began to walk. Temari caught up and began talking to Gaara. "How did we put up with her for as long as we did? Where is all this suddenly coming from?" She asked him. "I take it they don't know?" I asked Azamuku, quietly. She hung her head and shook it, slightly. "You should probably tell them. If they are like your family, they deserve to know." I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

She gave a heavy sigh and stopped. "Guys. There's something you should know. About me. About why I left." She said. I leaned against a tree, listening as she spoke the truth. "I didn't leave because I was being hunted. I left because I had joined up with the Akatsuki." She said, hanging her head as if expecting punishment. "Muku. Why?" Gaara asked, looking genuinely hurt. "Because I wanted to get all that I could for what they did to my village. To my family..." She said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I've grown in skill and done missions I never intended to complete." She said. "I've killed and I've spared. I stopped talking to everyone because I didn't want you all to be disappointed in me. It was not a proud move. But because of what I know..." She said. I watched her hands curl into fists. "Because of what I've been through..." She said, clenching her jaw tight.

"And with some help from the knuckle head and Sasuke, they are all no longer. Their lives have been laid to rest." She said. "If that is all that was the reasoning behind your actions, then I am proud of you." Temari said. "Now let's get you smiling again and get back to everyone else." She said, nudging Azamuku.