Blood In The Sand

Within the confines of a large plaza, people were dancing. Rena took her mask in her hands, examining it, before fastening it over her face and bouncing into the crowd, bowing her head to some and waving to others. She moved through the crowd, searching for a partner, but her eyes were caught by someone taller than her, his red hair poking out from behind the mask. Gaara…?

As she reached out to him, someone passed in between the two and the figure vanished. Rena looked around, trying to ascertain where he had gone but was surprised when she backed into someone. As she turned around to apologize, he grabbed her hand, pulling her into the middle of the festival plaza. She could tell he was some kind of knowledgeable, but she wondered if Gaara had the ability to dance. It seemed like he had a hell of a lot more experience than her as he took the lead, tapping her feet into the right positions with his foot. He kept going until the rhythm picked up, to which he sped up as well. The dance became more passionate, with Rena finally understanding the pace and her own limitations. She did what she could to improvise, probably looking insane in the process, but she was making up dance moves on the go.

Ikari crossed through the dance-slash-battle floor, looking for his mark. If her blood was fully awakened, it wouldn't be an issue… but it wasn't. He shifted through the crowd, through a gaggle of girls who pulled at him and giggled, a blonde one specifically. "Why don't you take off your mask so I can see your face?" As he tried to pull away, they seemed even more persistent. He couldn't move, trapped in between what was essentially his biggest weakness; women. He took a more forceful stance, ripping away his arm and walking further into the crowd. "Darn. Whoever that is, he's not really approachable… but it's kind of hot, isn't it?" The other girls giggled and scolded her for saying something so bold. The girl turned to one of the more quiet ones. "Well, Asuka?"

She stared at the direction the guy had gone but then shook her head. "I don't see what's so good about someone who treats you like that."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes. "Well, nobody ever said you had to be the life of the party, but when we invited you out we didn't think you'd be so damn boring." Asuka flinched as the girls walked past her, ignoring her and looking for something else to do away from her. That was fine. She had to get back to work at one of the stands anyways.

Kankuro, on the other hand, stayed on the edges of the plaza, his mask a little ornate for him. Still, he wanted to find Rena more than anything else. He wasn't wearing his hood or his makeup, so he wouldn't be recognizable even without the mask. He had set up a small place away from the rest of the noise, somewhere romantic. He kept looking but stopped as he bumped into someone- which, to his shock, was Gaara. He didn't wear any outfit or mask and people were actively avoiding him. "G-Gaara… have you… seen Rena anywhere?" He shook his head, looking away. Ikari had noticed that someone was beside Gaara and moved closer to see if it was Rena, but it seemed like it was Kankuro.

Then… where and who was Rena dancing with?

They heard her laughter, their heads snapped towards the dance floor as her hood fell down, her suitor spinning her around in circles, the upbeat song causing her to bounce around, a few… weird dance moves mixed in with some legitimate ones. It clearly looked like she was improvising simply because she didn't know how to dance, but they worked. Kankuro wanted to step forward, but her mystery man took her hands again and began to spin. She looked like she was having fun as she skipped around him in a circle, doing a sort of peacock strut. It seemed like her energy was infectious as another girl stepped in between her and her partner, staring to dance as crazily as Rena. They began to dance with each other, to which another few people joined in until the entire crowd just let loose. She continued to spin in circles with the girl until her previous suitor took her back, slowing it down a bit as the rest of the party started going up. People were really shameless behind a mask, breaking out in moves that didn't look good or even made sense. As it seemed her partner was more interested in a slow dance, his hand raised and she caught a glance of… dark nail polish.

He began to dislodge his mask, allowing it to hang around his neck. "Sasori…?"

"Tell me, Rena." His eyes glinted as he stared at her, his telltale smile stretching across his face. "How is my creation?"

He still remembered his secret workshop. He remembered capturing her and chaining her to his wall, having beaten her an inch within her life as she tried to run. Still, those wounds on her body would not do- she'd have to heal before he could do anything to her, hence why she was still alive. "I need… water." Her voice was weak as his eyes moved to her. Did she really think she was in any position to speak?

"You're nothing other than a future puppet. You're annoying when you speak. Prettier when you just stay still and do nothing." He could hear the dragging of the chain through dirt as she made her way over to him. As her hand touched his leg, he jumped, the paint he was using on one of his puppets splashing over her face. He drew his hand back and slapped her, causing her to slam into the table. She made no sound, but he could see that she was in pain. As he walked up the stairs, he came back down with a waterskin, pulling her up by her hair which caused her to let out a small, sharp hiss. He pushed the waterskin against her lips, forcing her to drink, pouring the rest over her head. The paint streamed down her body in diluted lines, lighter thanks to the water.

"Thank… you."

He stared at her, before letting her drop to the floor. "You shouldn't be. Remember, at this point, the only reason I'm doing this is so your skin is unblemished during the procedure." She curled up in the dirt, pathetic and hanging on to the last hope of her life. Still, she never complained. That was the first time she opened her mouth. He had a strange feeling as if that meant something ominous for the future. The others he had captured and turned into puppets had at least tried to beg him, bribe him, insulted him, but she did none of that.

She just silently accepted this as her fate.

Suno had finally completed chasing girls and he was on his way back up as he saw the girls splashing in the pond. It seemed like Tsu had taken a liking to Su, which was curious. He never really saw her care for anyone other than Rena, if 'care' was the proper term. More like, take interest in. She was very closed off… It was simply the way Sasori had made her and created her personality. He got lucky, being Rena's experiment into puppetry… he wasn't nearly as ruthless or cold as Sasori had been and wanted Tsukiyomi to be.

Tsukiyomi's emotions were trapped behind a wall and it caused her plenty of problems. Nature didn't see her as a threat, but other humans would see her as bizarre despite the fact she looked, breathed, felt, same as them. Suno waded into the water, shivering at how cold he was as Su turned to him. "Mind if I jump in?" Tsukiyomi's curiosity in Su was enough to make him curious, as well. "I have to dance with all of the pretty ladies, after all." Despite his flirting, he didn't wait for an answer as Suno took her hands and began to dance. One of the MILFs he met in the Hidden Sand the night before they left said it had been forever since she danced and that she wanted to try it, so he learned from her.

"Hey…!" Su insisted as Suno pulled her around, but it seemed like he was being extremely gentle with his movements. He gently led her along, carefully, never trying to feel her up or disrespect her despite her lack of sight. In the end, Su had never really danced with a boy before, but she could tell Suno had some kind of experience. All she could hear was the sound of their feet moving through water over the light music in the distance.

Tsukiyomi watched, sitting down on a rock in the pond. The koi surrounded her as she brushed her fingers over one koi's scales. It was a beautiful sight to see, watching two people dance in the moonlight. She wanted to observe more, know everything, see the world.

Rena stared him down, before stuttering. "T-Tsukiyomi is fine, Sasori, but what are you doing here?"

Sasori's eyes were unreadable. If he was here to create trouble, things would get problematic fast. The terms of their contract… She didn't really know anything about him other than he was a wanted shinobi and that he claimed to know her. Although, on the flip-side, Sasori felt a little predatory. Despite his youthful appearance, before him was the person he used to know. The person who couldn't save him from himself. Still, she was so reminiscent of her old self… it made him feel nostalgic.

After a bit of time, her wounds began to heal, marking the date of her death. Still, she did not plead, nor did she ask for reprise. He found it rather calming, actually, to hear the sound of the chains clanking, being dragged around as she moved, but he still gave her a hard time for it. "Aren't you going to kill me?" She asked, one day, having been finally fed up with being chained in the basement.

"Do you want to die?" He asked.

"I don't think anyone wants to die, but there's really no reason for me to live." She was curled up in a small corner he had set up for her, giving her pillows and homespun blankets.

As he walked over to her, crouched over her, he looked at her curiously, examining her limbs. "Why?"

"Because there's just no purpose in my life anymore."

As he danced with her, they were rather silent at first. "You know, I'm still waiting on the payment you promised me."

"You won't even tell me what it is," Rena insisted, frowning behind her mask. Sasori almost laughed.

"If I told you, you'd run away."

"Why? Was it bad?"

His eyes hardened as if they had gone emotionally dead. "The payment was something you offered me and when it came time to pay…" He got especially close to her face, his voice a low whisper. "You left."

"I'm sorry." She was so earnest. So honest. Nothing like what she'd been before. It was amusing to play with her like this. These sins weren't hers, but at the same time, they'd been transferred to her. "I'm sure I didn't mean to. You said that I forgot you, right?"

"Yes." It was so easy to lie to her.

"Then… can you tell me how I know you? More about your past?"

"No." Sasori shook his head, backing away. "And remember, Rena, I'm watching. It seemed like you needed a reminder, after all." Her face fell. He could tell it was, even behind the mask. As he once more strapped the mask back to his face, he stared at her. "Don't forget about our agreement, either. Information comes to you. You're not to go looking for information about me."

"Understood... Sasori." She was glad he didn't just go take Tsukiyomi. She supposed it was a warning about her telling Gaara. She watched as he vanished into the crowd as if he had never been there in the first place.

Now was his chance. Kankuro walked forward, approaching Rena, but as he reached out to her, another, shorter person in a mask grabbed her hand and pulled her further into the dancing crowd. It seemed this partner was much more inexperienced and hesitant despite their rather bold move in grabbing her hand. The figure paused, seemingly staring at her, its mask definitely one she recognized- it had been in Tsukiyomi's bedroom. It was entirely black, save for its white markings- but it was the mask of a black cat.

As they danced, rather awkwardly, nobody paid any attention to them. There was no reason to, after all, he was by far less confident than Sasori in his moves. As he drew her hood back up, the two continued dancing. She was truly curious, now, who was behind the mask. Her hand raised, gently, brushing against the material. "Can I… take it off?"

The stranger seemed to not acknowledge her request for a moment, before nodding. As she reached back, into the hood, her fingers brushing against the person's cheek, from the sidelines, Gaara watched.

Tsukiyomi walked up to the masked Kankuro, before leaning over. "It's good it's not you who she's dancing with." Her voice was a jagged statement, not filled with emotion. She had left Su and Suno to their dancing; she felt it inappropriate to remain, as unlike Suno, she didn't require as much sustenance. She'd rather not explain her origins to anyone just yet. As Kankuro removed his mask, giving her a glare, she turned her head from left to right. "That's not your mask, that's Ikari's."

"But… Su gave it to me." The confusion on his face was apparent as they turned to the plaza of dancers.

"Your mask is there." Tsukiyomi pointed directly at the stranger, but her eye caught Gaara, not wearing any festival garb, under a tree in the background looking particularly moody. "Gaara's not wearing his… does that mean that's Ikari?"

Kankuro's hands tightened around his mask as a crack ran through it. His eyes widened. "S-Sorry, Tsukiyomi… I seem to have broken it." Tsukiyomi looked over at the mask, before taking it in her hands. Her fingers slipped over the ornate pattern she had spent so much time working on. Still, despite looking at the jagged crack, she felt nothing.

"It's fine. These masks are delicate anyways." She disconnected her mask from her face, before offering it to Kankuro. "You should still have a chance with this one. I'll wear the broken one." She placed the deer mask back over her face and the bird that followed her set down on one of the antlers. "Go, Kankuro." He had been trying to say something to her, but she wasn't interested. All that she knew was that Rena was her mission and her purpose. Anything that endangered that, whether it be Ikari or Gaara, was an obstacle to be eliminated. Whether that should be done via social means or via assassination, it didn't matter.

Kankuro looked over, but Rena was gone. His eyes widened, before sighing. He had lost this chance. It wasn't Rena's fault, at least- she didn't know who was who behind the masks. He was certain that if it wasn't a festival with masks, he'd be dancing with her. That was fine. Even if he didn't capture her heart today, he would work double-time to win it over tomorrow, no matter what. He may not be able to win his fight, but he'd still try his damndest to be the stunning shinobi that he planned to. If he couldn't catch her attention with his antics alone, he'd do so with his Jutsu.

As Rena pulled away the mask, her eyes widened. "G-Gaara?" The boy nodded. He found it quite ridiculous and gaudy, but he felt uncomfortable about this festival, so he couldn't let her go alone. "It's you!" The smile on her face caused him to flush. He was getting rather used to the fever now, but there was also something else building up within him. Even now, as he glanced at her, it was a hard struggle between his values, beliefs and his… whatever this was. Did she challenge everything he believed in? If she did… no matter what, he had to deal the final blow.

His sand clone on the side had served him well. Kankuro didn't suspect he was interacting with Rena, so he wouldn't report back to Sansa. The only one left unaccounted for was Ikari, but he already had preparations in place. He could consider this a form of training. He took her hand and reapplied his mask, moving through the crowd.

Ikari stalked behind them, his mood souring. He couldn't see who'd been dancing with her from the angle she was at. Never mind that, he'd grab her anyways. He hated that Sansa talked down to him in the way she did and that incited him to chase after her even more. He wouldn't be threatened by someone like her. He wouldn't back down! But, strangely enough, he could see Rena- with her hood down, mask off, moving in the corner of his eye. No way! She was… right in front of him, wasn't she? Had he totally been following the wrong person?

Tsukiyomi saw it too. She grabbed Kankuro's hand, causing him to jolt and pulled him out to the dance floor. "Go. She's there."

Kankuro and Ikari advanced toward Rena, but she dived deeper into the crowd. Tsukiyomi turned her head around to find Gaara, but there was nothing where he'd been standing. Only Ikari and Kankuro, with a new mask, stood, facing one another. Ikari would have originally recognized Kankuro, had he been wearing his original mask- but Tsukiyomi wore it now. Who the hell was this? Was he trying to dance with Rena too?

Kankuro, on the other hand, couldn't recognize the mask. He didn't know who it was, but he felt strongly that whoever was underneath it was a rival. Their eyes caught wind of her purple hair again and as Ikari turned to leave, suddenly, Kankuro grabbed him. "?!" If Kankuro could see the face Ikari was making, he'd definitely let go, but Kankuro's hands enveloped Ikari's. Ikari wanted to pull back, but Kankuro was much too experienced with his hands, trapping them in a lock as he pulled Ikari closer. He began to dance, aggressively trying to stomp Ikari's feet, who did the dance of dodging- only to counterattack. It became an aggressive dance, which looked passionate to anyone else- including Tsukiyomi, who was watching with a blank face.

What is that idiot doing?

People began to clear the way as Ikari and Kankuro were trapped in a dance that wouldn't end until one of them fell; Ikari was just about done with this situation. Fine, if he wanted to play it that way?! He began to stomp aggressively back, their ouch-es heard under their breath as some hit and some didn't, the dance becoming something equivalent to a tango.

"How passionate those lovers must be!" A girl exclaimed, watching with wide eyes. "This is the best dance so far!"

Both of them were irritated upon hearing that. Kankuro wouldn't let this person dance with Rena. Ikari had to escape Kankuro's grasp, but Kankuro was focused entirely on him before Ikari hit him with a massive stomp that caused him to bounce on one foot. Ikari took the chance to break away, but suddenly, he felt himself being pulled back. Chakra strings?! So that was the kind of play this guy was doing. He wouldn't be out-shinobi'd. Rena could wait- she wasn't with anyone anyways. He needed to beat his ass in a shinobi dance.

On the sidelines, Rasa watched as the children made fools out of themselves. In truth, it was Orochimaru, but the disguise was enough. He had to at least make an appearance and keep up normality, pretend like he was on good terms with the Hidden Leaf. He made the mistake of not watching out for someone he really should have. As Sansa bumped into him, he staggered, almost tipping over. He hadn't been paying attention, but she seemed to be inebriated. Alcohol wasn't really something Orochimaru was interested in. Neither were women or men. "Why don't you… participate, Rasa?" Sansa asked, rubbing her face against the fabric of his uniform. "You'd look good… in the outfit."

Had Orochimaru been mistaken when he thought there was nobody other than Rasa's children in his life he'd have to look out for? Everyone of note, he'd replaced, but he knew who this was- The Devil Tactician of the Hidden Sand. Drunk beyond belief. He was also positive she was the leader of the ANBU in the Sand, but she hadn't been around the Kazekage at all when he'd murdered him. They couldn't be close, could they? "Rasa… come on. Dance with me."

"I'd rather not." He shot her down quickly, hoping she'd go on her way.

She simply dug her nails into his arm, causing him to grit his teeth. "You can't just tell me you love me and then be an absolute asshole!" She smacked him on the arm, causing him to draw back and stare at her. He had to think of something and quick. Rasa was a moron for telling Sansa such a thing before this plan…!

"I think we should focus on the mission at hand," Rasa replied, trying to distance himself, but she just got closer.

"Rasa… don't you remember me? Don't you remember those nights together? Lord Kazekage… I have to confess my sins." He wasn't a damn confessional. "I love you as Lord Kazekage…" Where the hell was she going with this? "But I love you as Rasa more." Teams dripped from her eyes as she buried her face in his coat yet again, letting go of his arm as she wrapped hers around him. None of his followers dared touch him like this. It made him uncomfortable… but he'd never really been embraced like this before. He didn't know how to make her let go, but he wanted her to, while not wanting it at the same time. "Rasa… please take me back to your room… I don't feel so good." As she sort of lost consciousness in his arms, he cursed her.

Still, it would be suspicious if he didn't comply with her. So, he picked her up, ready to travel back to the hotel. What kind of useless shinobi made more work for their Kazekage…? So annoying… beyond annoying.

Gaara had taken Rena away from the plaza, to a clearing in the forest that held the full moon above them. He leaned against a tree as Rena looked around. She knew he had no interest in sharing a dance beyond what they did, but she didn't mind. Spending time alone with Gaara trumped dancing with anyone in the whole world. As she walked up to him, his eyes opened, staring directly at her. "Do you… intend on getting in my way?" She had already taken off her mask and his had shortly joined hers on the ground.

"Huh?" She asked, a sheepish smile crossing her face. "What do you mean?"

"If I were to do whatever I want, right here, right now, even if that meant killing everyone else we know.. Would you get in my way?"

Her heart skipped a beat. Su, Sansa, Baki, Temari, Kankuro, Suno, Tsukiyomi, Ikari… dead? She didn't want it, but Gaara… "Do I have to choose between you and all of them?"

"I already asked the question. I'm not going to repeat it. What are you waiting for?"

"I'd…" Her hands twitched, her heart torn between what's right and wrong. But, she made her choice when she started down this path, didn't she? She looked Gaara in her eyes, motivation burning through. "I'd always side with you, Gaara. Regardless of anything, no matter what you do. It might be wrong… it might not be moral… I might not look like a strong, independent woman in the eyes of others… but I think that my love and my purpose runs deeper than all of those things. If it means I can stand by your side, why should I let pride get involved? Who cares if nobody else sees me as strong!? I know I am!"

He blushed, hoisting himself away from the trunk of the tree as he walked up to her. He didn't know what this feeling was, but finally, he had decided; Rena would not interfere with his views and beliefs. Did he feel satisfied with that? Perhaps not, but… why did he care? Why did he think about this so much? He could feel his want to kill everything around him bubbling up inside him. He had the ability to kill Rena more than once, she was going to let him, even. Yet… he couldn't do it. Every time, he couldn't bring himself to harm her. He couldn't end her life, because doing so… made him feel like something unbearable inside of him would awaken. Something he didn't want to face and had been avoiding this entire time. He couldn't understand himself, yet he understood all too well.

He could kill anyone. No matter how strong they were, they would all die to him eventually.

But she, despite how weak she was in comparison… despite all of her secrets and how much he didn't want to trust her… he couldn't kill her. He was avoiding this realization because he only had room in his heart for him. Tonight could be the one night he opened himself up to someone else. He could get further into this after their mission was complete. He'd have infinite chances, after all. Especially since she kept chasing after him.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into him. "Gaa...ra?" She was a little confused. It wasn't like him to display things like this. He, on the other hand, just needed this. He needed to feel someone by his side, that someone was on his side. The way everyone looked at him… who could he trust? Who could he bear to let in? Getting married to Kankuro… It wasn't right. It wasn't. He hated the idea of it. He barely knew anything about marriage, but it didn't feel right.

He drew back, his lips softly pressing against hers before breaking skin contact. If he got any closer to her now… he'd go berserk. He wouldn't be able to control anything. He was being torn apart, but he still wanted… more.

Tsukiyomi stood as the two battled it out for Rena's dance. An elder came up next to her, holding a cane. It seemed like he was a member of the Hidden Leaf. "This festival... It's never been so lively."

"It's a festival of love. It is very popular with younger girls and boys."

"Where did you hear that?" The grandfather turned his head to Tsukiyomi, his eyebrows furrowing together. "This festival is to celebrate the cycle of life. The kids and the adults respect both the young and old. This dancing… it's usually just three or four people celebrating the festival publically."

"But the masks…"

"It seems like someone's used the Chuunin Exams as an opportunity to make more money."

Asuka panted as she sold masks left and right, her wallet filling up. Damn it, this was the greatest idea she ever had! It had been a lot of work to convince people and make the rumors fly, but hell, everything she was selling from food to masks to outfits! It was worth the moral quandary, for sure. She would certainly pay for her mother to get better!

So this meant that you being with the person the gods destined for you was a lie. Tsukiyomi supposed that was proper, as the gods would most likely not bother themselves with mere matchmaking.

On the other hand, Suno and Su had been dancing for a while. He stared at her mask, before his fingers pushed it up ever so slightly, revealing her lips. He was curious- if she could make Tsukiyomi feel, could she make him feel more? He was addicted to the love that people had given him, but he himself never felt anything strong… for anyone, or anything. He felt the same way about everyone… he just didn't care.

But, if this girl could make Tsukiyomi care, could she make him care? Suno's lips gently pressed against Su's, who was unsure of what was happening. She simply stood still, as if she was waiting patiently, as Suno pulled away from her, his face blank. "I see…" He said, pulling back down her mask.

"What…?"

"It's nothing." He wasn't lying about that. It really had simply just been… absolutely nothing to him. Just like everything else he did with people. "We should probably go back to the hotel. You have a match to win tomorrow."

Su nodded, listening to Suno splash his way out of the pond as he walked as fast as he possibly could. Had his mood suddenly changed…?