How long, had he wanted to see the other’s blood paint the earth from tainted thoughts brought on by a beast bound to his soul. This should have been a sight he had longed to see. But watching the Uchiha bleed out, instead prompted brows to press together and concern to cross his face. A knee touched to the ground, and sand began to wrap around the man’s chest as a bandage. Admittedly some of that vital fluid was absorbed by hungry grains but Gaara’s focused remained on the fight he could feel echoing from his person. Seemingly unconscious, Gaara did the only thing he could manage.
The man’s body was carefully turned and a hand pressed to his chest, applying pressure to the sand already enclosing him. “Wake up.” His voice came out as a near growl from the back of his throat. Sakura had stabilized Naruto - Gaara was not about to let Sasuke die, either. “Wake the fuck up Sasuke. If I can survive you slicing through my chest with Chidori, you can handle a little shanking.” Never did he want to admit that they actually needed him but Gaara was not above doing something a shinobi ought never do.
He was ready to plea the Uchiha into waking.
Silence was all that greeted the aggression in Gaara’s voice, the struggle to wake him from his inverted slumber. He was near unconscious, however, he heard that voice, practically yelling at him to awake. Nothing. No subtle reaction was given, not even the twitch of a finger. He couldn’t find the energy to simply speak, it was far too painful, and the blood loss he was enduring was far too great.
Lids managed to open a crack, blurred vision making out the redhead’s visage for just a moment, fear and concern written all over that usually devoid face. He couldn’t believe it. Gaara was really coming to his aid? How could that be? Their history told of a void between them, nothing but that rivalry that was soaked in blood and vehement. But Gaara.. he was not that same boy, nor was Sasuke. They were fighting alongside each other, and even though Gaara would never admit to it, they needed Sasuke.
“Ga..” Blood coughed from his larynx, voice choking on the bundle of liquid before his eyes immediately shot open. “.. Gaara.” He managed a full word, limp body kept still as his energy continued to deplete.
To someone like Gaara, words such as ‘ties’, ‘friends’, ‘bonds’ - all the words that marked a connection with another had always meant nothing. He could comprehend Sasuke’s own lack of extension to others, especially after everything that had occurred between the time of his abandonment of Konohagakure and the end of the war. “The will of your brother…” Gaara muttered. The truth of Itachi was still scarcely known, but he had moderate suspicions. It had been Itachi to turn Sasuke down his path - of course it would be he to set him straight again, but that was not the focus Gaara would keep at this time. For now, all he gave was a subtle nod of his head.
Sasuke needed reason. Substance. Something to keep him going - living. The meaning Itachi gave his life was difficult for even Sasuke to comprehend. What exactly did he want him to do? Revenge evidently was not the answer, but it had become everything to him. The air he breathed, the foot steps he took, even the ‘allies’ he made - all for the sake of vengeance. He literally was it’s epitome. It’s vessel for an embodiment that only had one aim; destroy.
Albeit, he wanted it all to burn. His past, his cut ties, his family’s memory. Disgruntlement met with broad features, tearing through the laxity of his visage as eyes came to dilate. The idle time spent with Gaara seemed.. far too familiar. Simple silence between them was enough to speak for the both of them.
The thought of withdrawing from his plight seemed to rattle his being, stab it with fear of regret and despair. He feared change. He feared a lot. Though it was never visible upon lifeless features, within him lie a maelstrom of torture.
Sasuke’s own seemingly lifeless orbs scanned over the emerald encase of Gaara’s own - the solace they held, the composure of someone whom have met and beaten his demons. Sasuke was now within that process - if not completely over that mountain. There was resolve within the depths of those onyx eyes - at the returned statement, he could only manage a half smirk. “Heh.” He’d never thought of Gaara as a comrade - Hell, he never liked him in the first place, but. The things they had in common.. how could Sasuke neglect someone just like him?
Truth be told Gaara no longer knew what he thought of the Uchiha. He was a fool who had become consumed by his hatred, having it twist and turn until it hit full maturity, and he found his own way back to the friends he once turned his back upon. They were ‘comrades’ in terms of their allied villages. The thought brought something else to Gaara’s mind, and he found himself scanning the raven over for any signs of a head band. The Uchiha had claimed to be back on the side of Konohagakure, but would that extend his loyalty to The Allied Shinobi Forces? As long as he was not trying to destroy the world, Gaara thought it did not matter much, but —. “Your ties…” Gaara began, his gaze falling back on his face “Are they just with Konohagakure, and your ambition?” He knew of Sasuke’s new resolve and if asked, Gaara already knew his opinion on it; anyone that knew him well enough would know it too.
He was fully aware of how wary people were when it came to his companionship - if there was any left over for him. After what he had done, it was understandable for there to be a lack of trust, and he knew that. He responded to it with that same collected attitude he always had. “Ties.. That word has been thrown around so loosely over the years. I am bound to this village by the will of my brother. Everything I do, from now on, will be for the sake of his wishes, and the village.” That was his answer. There was no point in keeping the truth subtle, his directness was proof of that.
Their eye contact matched in both appearance and intent. Sasuke would make no gesture to forward anything threatening - there was no need. He recalled their last meeting, and it not exactly being the most pleasant. The thought caused a noticeable twitch of his brow. “Our eyes seem to match this time.”
There was no retaliation from the Sunagakure nin for a moment, his lighter hues staring into those black coals. There eyes truly were the same, and if one was to think about it their whole lives were similar, a mere reflection where a loved one’s lie altered their future and caused them to etch their own paths, both making their way to the silver lining. “They seem to, yes.”
Sasuke’s own seemingly lifeless orbs scanned over the emerald encase of Gaara’s own - the solace they held, the composure of someone whom have met and beaten his demons. Sasuke was now within that process - if not completely over that mountain. There was resolve within the depths of those onyx eyes - at the returned statement, he could only manage a half smirk. “Heh.” He’d never thought of Gaara as a comrade - Hell, he never liked him in the first place, but. The things they had in common.. how could Sasuke neglect someone just like him?
“Well, well.. look who it is.” There was disinterest within his voice, devoid of emotion, if you will. Coal orbs kept a steady lax about them as they came to but mere slits.
“I could say the same to you.” Came the Kage’s reply, his own tone mono. How to handle the Uchiha was questionable, but until he made a move Gaara saw no reason to jump to the conclusion of where his loyalties lay.
Their eye contact matched in both appearance and intent. Sasuke would make no gesture to forward anything threatening - there was no need. He recalled their last meeting, and it not exactly being the most pleasant. The thought caused a noticeable twitch of his brow. “Our eyes seem to match this time.”
