Trapped (Naruto and the Last Airbender fanfic)

Chapter 38: Bittersweet Moments

Sakura's P.O.V

"The eclipse is over. Should we be expecting a celebration?" Temari questioned as I rested her against one of the Earth Bander tanks. We both took off our glasses looking at the sun slowly come out.

"I...I don't know." I have a bad gut feeling. I stared at the Fire Nation palace. Ten war balloons with the Fire Nation insignia emerged into the sky. My eyes widened and my stomach dropped. "We...we lost?"

Temari slowly hobbled up to see what I saw and she stumbled back. Five Airships appeared behind the war balloons. They were ready. They were prepared for all of this.

Sai and the rest of the shinobi's returned. I turned to Sai and pulled him towards me. "We got to get those things out of the sky, or none of us are getting out."

"I can't agree more, Sakura." Gai Sensei stumbled our way in Fire Nation armour.

"GAI SENSEI?!"

Footsteps trailed behind us. Rin trotted towards us with Naruto hot on her heels, with her stomach bare showing burnt marks and she gave us a determined look. "There's no time for a reunion. Sai, I need a bird."

Naruto tried to grab Rin's arm but she quickly pulled it out of his grip. "Rin! You are injured. You should stay back."

"Wait, what the hell happened?" I asked pulling Rin into a quick hug.

Sokka jumped off of Appa, and immediately explained. "It was all a trap. Azula knew we were coming and plotted everything out. Our only hope is to get back to the subs and hope we can get out here safely."

Everyone stared at the air balloons and ships in fear.  They all knew that some weren't going to make it out.

Aang stood up on Appa. "They've got air power, but so do I. I'm gonna do what I can to slow them down." He was off with his glider.

"Appa, you and I can help too." Katara immediately climbed on Appa and flew off.

Shikamaru rushed and kneeled before us. "Sai, how much of those birds can you make for someone to be able sit on?"

"A good five."

Shikamaru started to speak. "This is what's going to happen. Sai and I be one bird, team 1. I'll guide everyone with Sai. We'll be taking down the air balloons along with Neji, you'll be your own team, team 2. TenTen, you'll be your own team, team 3 to take down the balloons as well. Naruto and Hinata, team 4. Hinata you'll only step in if you see Naruto in trouble. I need you to be his eyes. You'll be taking down the airships along with Kiba, Akamaru, and Ino team 5. Ino you need to take the lead. I know sometimes those two can be reckless, but you need to make sure they don't get themselves hurt. Team 6, Gaara and Rin."

"Wait," I started, "He said 5 birds."

Gaara created a sand platform. "I got my sand."

"You two need to take the battleships. Teams 4, 5, and 6. Those airships will be troublesome, but I trust in you guys to do it. After the war balloons, everyone go for the airships."

"Wait Shikamaru, What about me?" I questioned. I would be a real help to them. Sai started to make his ink birds.

Shikamaru looked up at the sky and back at me. "The rest of you will help everyone get out of here. Sakura, your job is the most important of the all. Katara is up there helping Aang, you have to stay down here and heal whoever needs it." I nodded and he continued speaking. " I believe in all of you." Shikamaru finished off. The teams immediately dispersed.

Okay. Let's save some lives.

Rin's P.O.V

Gaara and I immediately took the skies on different sand platforms. Fire flames were being shot at us and Gaara was continuously controlling his sand to avoid them.

We passed the air balloons and we were on our way to the ships.  The fire benders didn't stop shooting their flames and it was getting overwhelming.  Gaara couldn't keep this up.  I watched as a Fire Bender directed his fist towards my direction.  I looked back to see Gaara busy defending himself.  I turned again to see the fire emitted from the Fire Bender's fist.  Everything was in slow motion.

If I can fight like a fire bender, I must be able to defend as one.

I placed my hands together as creating a v-shape with my arms.  I squinted my eyes shut.  I was hoping that it'd work cause I've suffered enough burns for the day.  I felt the heat radiating against my skin.  

I opened my eyes smiling.  "It worked."

"They have a Fire Bender?!"  I heard one of them yell.

I am slowly becoming a true Firebender and losing the Shinobi side of myself.  For some reason, I was enjoying it.

Gaara and I landed on the airship, he looked on hard at the hunk of metal.  He stared at me a bit and sighed in frustration.  "The only way we can take this down is from the inside."

I stepped towards him, "We don't have time to get inside.  Who knows how much people or what the heck is in this thing."

Gaara gave me a hard look and grabbed my arm pulling me as he walked ahead.  "We have to go help the others escape.  We can't take this down."

I yanked my arm out of his grip.  "We can find a way!"

"There's no time!"  Gaara raised his voice and I jumped a bit.  I never seen him like this.  He sighed calming down, "We just got you back, we can't lose you again.  We can't risk it."

"Everyday we risk our life being here.  Before we even got here we always risked our lives.  You are just a coward."  I furrowed my eyebrows, "To think I thought you were a strong guy in my eyes.  I was wrong."  I felt anger but a lot of me felt hurt and confusion as well.

If we don't take these things down, some of us won't make it out of here.

I clenched my fist.  "I played my role.  Getting captured was unexpected, but I stayed hoping to understand who we were dealing with.  This is all more than we can handle.  I have to do something about this.  Even though I don't what I'm doing, I have to try."  I grazed my hand against my eye.

"Rin, we can't stay here.  I won't let you."

"Why not?  If I try, I know I can do something."

"Don't.  We need to live today to fight another day.  We were all taken by surprise."  He took a step closer to me.  I could feel him reading me, "You learned that they knew.  It's not your fault Rin."

He didn't understand that it completely was, all of it.  "I know deep down I could've done something run, find a way to send a message.  I can't leave knowing people will not survive if I don't take these down.  It's my role to do this.  The guilt I feel is unexplainable."

At that moment, I felt my body fill with warmth and bliss.  Gaara's hands gripped my wrists pulling me into his embrace.  His lips pressed against mine so sweetly catching me by surprise.  I felt my fists unclench and my eyes slowly close entwining into the kiss.  

I felt relaxed, calm, for once in all this mess, but I couldn't let this remove me from the reality around us.  I ripped myself from the kiss backing away from Gaara.  I squeezed my eyes shut hoping I wouldn't regret my next move.

"Rin, and it's my role to save you."

I touched my lips, "Why would you kiss me?"

"Words can't explain, how much I'm falling for you."  Gaara left me with those words that tasted so bitter in the moment but yet were so sweet.

He's...what?

Don't cry.  Don't lose your cool.

"Then you have to trust me on this."  I opened my right eye with my Mangekyou Sharingan directing it to the ship and it immediately started to fall.  

I was losing myself.