The Red Tiger Flash, A Dark Past

Chapter 26: You're not Alone

Gaara screamed in pain as he fell to his knees, holding his head as everyone watched in horror.

Gaara's whole right arm turned to something of a monsters, Hana moving back.

Hana mustered up all her strength, as she stood up, moving back as she stared at Gaara.

Hana gritted her teeth, her red hair over taking the white slightly as she pushed back on the twelve tails.

Gaara taunted Sasuke as they fought, Hana turning the branch to ice out of fear.

"Hana! Get over here!" Temari yelled but Hana shook her head.

"No! I'm not leaving Gaara alone! Never again! You hear me Gaara!? I'm not leaving you alone! You're not alone anymore!" Hana yelled as Gaara turned to her, straight hate and bloodlust in his eyes.

Just as Gaara was about to strike at Hana, Sasuke's chidori sounded, taking Gaara's attention away as they continued to fight.

Sasuke's curse mark took over, immobilizing him as he laid on the tree branch.

Just as Gaara went to attack Sasuke, Naruto appeared, along with Hana, Naruto kicking Gaara as Hana formed a small ice wall around Sasuke.

Hana yelled in pain as Sakura and Pakkun came to Sasuke's side, Hana's ice melting as she fought off the twelve tails again.

Hana's hair started to go white, back to half way again as she shook.

Naruto and Gaara stood off, staring at each other as Naruto shook at Gaara.

Suddenly, Gaara shot towards Sasuke, ready to kill him.

However, Sakura stood in front of Sasuke, as his sand shot towards Sakura.

Sakura was pinned to a tree, as Hana stood up shakily.

Gaara gritted his teeth, holding his head as a memory over took his mind.

Gaara's child self sat on the roof of a building, looking out over the large village of Sunagakure.

Hana sat next to him, smiling as her long flowy hair swayed with the night breeze, Gaara looking at his hands sadly.

"Yah know, I don't know why that girl didn't just accept the medicine! She didn't have to call you a freak and stuff." Hana said with a scowl as Gaara's eyes welled with tears.

"I was right. No one wants me. Why...why do I have to be suck a freak!?" Gaara questioned as Hana sighed.

"Gaara! I want you! You're my best friend! No matter what happens, we'll always be friends! I promise you that!" Hana said happily as she smiled at Gaara, Gaara smiling back.

Suddenly, kunai flew at Hana and Gaara, Gaara's sand protecting him and Hana as she yelped in fear.

"W-what!?" Hana yelled in confusion as Gaara's sand receded, a sand ninja sending kunai towards them both as Gaara gritted his teeth.

'Why? Why is it always me!? Why!?' Gaara thought as his sand wrapped around Hana, sand also shooting towards the ninja.

Gaara crushed the man with sand as the sand around Hana receded, Hana watching in fear.

"G-Gaara! Are you ok!? I'll go get Kazekage! He'll know what to do! I'll be right back!" Hana yelled as she took off over the roofs, Gaara shaking as he looked at the ninja.

As Gaara removed the face covering, he screamed in horror at the face. It was his uncle, Yashamaru.

Gaara pushed Sakura against the tree even harder, causing her to yell in pain.

"What's the matter? Why won't you attack? Don't you care what happens to your precious friends!?" Gaara snarled as Sakura groaned in pain, Naruto gritting his teeth.

Naruto tried to summon the cheif toad, but git a small frog instead.

Gaara smirked as he transformed once again, his arm detaching from the tree Sakura was on as another monster like arm grows.

"Sand shuriken!" Gaara yelled as he shot the sand at Naruto, but it never made it.

Hana stood in the middle, a wall of ice protecting Naruto as her hair is almost completely white.

"Why!? Why do you protect him!? Why don't you fight for yourself?" Gaara yelled as the ice disappeared, Hana turning to Gaara with a sad look on her face.

"G-Gaara. T-that look in your eyes. I've seen it before. I've seen it in my younger self, and I understand. B-but I have friends now. Friends who care for me. I'm not alone anymore, Gaara. Remember, I promised you I'd always be your friend. Which means you're not alone either." Hana said weakly as tears came to her eyes, Gaara laughing menacingly at her.

"Friends!? You call us friends?! You left me just like everyone else! I love only myself! I care for only myself! This is what it means to be the strongest! I was born, to wipe out every other existence except mine!" Gaara yelled as Hana looked him with sad eyes.

"I don't remember why I left, but I know it may have not be willingly. I won't ever leave you again Gaara. Just please, leave Sakura alone, stop this!" Hana yelled, but was met with silence as Gaara's sand shot through the air, slamming Hana into a tree as she sat there, slumped against the hard wood.

"Hana!" Naruto yelled as Gaara attacked him.

Naruto was able to make one blow on Gaara, as he rolled onto a tree beach, slamming into Sasuke who groaned.

Sasuke slowly stood up, shaking weakly as he grunted.

"Naruto, take Sakura and Hana and go. I can...hold him off here for a bit. Even if this is the end, it means this was as far as I was supposed to go." Sasuke said as Hana yelled in pain, ice shooting up the tree as she grunted.

"Hana! You ok!?" Naruto asked as Hana nodded, ice shooting back up the tree as she screamed.

The ice was digging into her back, the twelve tails begging to be freed.

"No way Sasuke! I'm not letting you do this alone! I'll protect my comrades, no matter what!" Naruto said with a smile as he put his hands together.

Chakra swirled around Naruto, as he smiled brightly.

"Multi shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto yelled as hundreds of shadow clones summoned, surrounding Gaara.

"Let's go!!"