Fire style: Burning Love Jutsu

Chapter 29: Night terrors

I was woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of Gaara screaming. Before I could jump out of bed and get to Azamuku, she had shot up, thrown the blankets off and grabbed a rag, soaking it in cold water from the sink. Every moment he screamed was a time bomb counting down. The sound of footsteps came pounding up the stairs. "Gaara!" Temari shouted. Temari and Kankuro appeared in the doorway, watching in pure terror of what could happen.

I watched, ready to jump in if need be. "Move!" Azamuku shouted, pushing her way between them and jumping on the bed. She crawled over to him and took him into her arms, tightly, closing her eyes and began hushing him. "You're alright. I'm right here." She said. Fear waved in and out of her voice as she spoke but she kept herself calm and together. She laid the rag across his forehead as he began to thrash about.

"I'm right here, Gaara. It's okay." She said, rocking back and forth with him and holding him tighter. "Nothing is going to hurt you. It's all just a bad dream." She said, tucking her head down and against his. She went silent and Gaara began to calm down, his screaming coming to an end. She opened her eyes and looked at him. So that's how she does it. Using her bloodline. Gaara slowly opened his eyes, meeting hers. "Hey, Big brother." She said, smiling. "You're alright now." She said. "How do you do that?" Temari asked. "Please teach us?" Kankuro asked after her.

"I can't. It's not something that is taught. It's something that is passed from parent to child. It's my bloodline." She said. "What?" They both asked. "She can project her emotions and chakra onto others, pull them into her mind, jump into the minds of others... So by calming herself down, she allowed herself to, in a way, meld herself to him. Thus, allowing her to calm him down enough to wake him up." I said.

I looked at her as she rocked back and forth, cradling Gaara. "You're alright, big brother. Go back to sleep." She said, moving the rag from his forehead. "I got you, tonight." She said. He rolled into her, curling up in as tight of a ball as he could. "I missed you." He said before he started snoring again. "I've missed you too, big brother." She said, kissing his temple and smoothing his hair from his wet forehead.

"You two really are something." Temari said with a grin. "I told you. I made that mistake once. I'm not doing it again. I'm protecting him with my life. Even if it means making sure he can sleep safely." She said, looking down at the quietly snoring Gaara. She closed her eyes once more, furrowing her brow. "Whatever you're doing, stop." I said, slightly worried. "Almost there." She said. "Where?" Temari asked. "Shakaku..." Azamuku began. "I know you can hear me." She said again.

"Get out of there!" Kankuro yelled at her. "Shut up! You're going to wake him!" I growled. "If you wake him, it'll send her into shock! She's in a deeper part of his mind right now that usually can't be accessed when he's awake. You wake him up while she's there, you risk hurting her." I said, glaring. "You're not going to hurt anyone else. Not while I'm around. This body is not your playground. And I'm here to make sure you know your place." She said. "As long as I'm around. You are powerless." She said with a growl.

Her head went limp and silence fell over the room. "Azamuku?" I said, getting up. Gaara rolled a bit. Her head slowly lifted as she looked at me. "I'm fine, Sasuke. Just tired and worn out. Being woken up like that always had taken a toll on me." She said. I sighed and sat back on my bed.

"We're going back to sleep. You alright?" Temari asked. "Yes. I'm fine." Azamuku responded, yawning. "Good night." They said. "Night." We called back. "Good night, Azamuku." I said, laying in bed. When she didn't respond, I rolled over to check on her. She was leaned up against the wall, holding Gaara in her arms and sleeping. I smiled at the sight and nodded to myself. "She'll make a fine mother, one day." I said to myself before going to sleep.