Broken Chains

Death was a shapeshifter.

Sometimes, it was a swift, violent end. A harsh, guttural cry on the battlefield, soaked in blood and regret.

Death was cursed, as the injustice of a life cut short, or welcomed as the peace to an endless struggle.

Sometimes it was a child, other times a crone.

And sometimes, it took the face of an old friend.

Rin's eyes trailed from the brandished dagger, to her broken man who wielded it. There was no use in appealing to him, her mouth was gagged, her heart breaking and his eyes didn't even see that it was her.

"You want me to kill your mother?" His voice wavered.

Yua's fingers danced along his shoulder. "Please. I simply can't bring myself to do it. I need your help."

"I don't feel right about this."

"You said you would do anything for me, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Prove it."

She slid her hands down to cover his and brought the dagger up to Rin's torso. "Run her through. Think of all the things she did to you. The pain she put you through."

Her lips came to his ear hot and tempting. "Think of the peace you'll find. Those voices in your head will finally stop. The screaming and the torment will stop. Just do it."

Haru's hands shook.

Rin felt the restraints weaken even more. Yua's concentration was fluctuating. Her waking body must finally be running out of chakra.

She edged her wrists back and forth, trying not to cry from the searing pain dripping down her arms. The sharpened spikes tore away at her fair skin, working themselves deeper with every movement.

She wasn't sure she'd survive her escape, but one thing she knew for certain, she wasn't going to have her death on his conscious.

"What are you waiting for, 15? Do it."

"I..."

"Do it."

"I can't."

Rin stopped fidgeting and stared the pair down, her gaze wide.

Yua's mouth curled into a snarl, her Rin-impression faltering. "Why not?"

He lowered the dagger and turned to face her. "Because I'm not a killer. This isn't right."

"Even after everything she did to you? The experiments? The resurrection? The trigger words? Manipulating your mind to punish itself whenever it heard Rin's voice?!"

"What?"

"You know what I'm speaking of. The days you spent being trained to hate her. The drugs and the injections, everything it took to connect your mind to destroy her. All of it!"

Haru's eyes narrowed. "Now, how would you know that, 18?"

Rin inhaled sharply and, for the first time since she revealed herself, Yua stumbled over her words. "You... you told me everything, remember? You told me what she did to you. How she hurt you. You told me everything, like you always do."

"Here's the thing though; I would never tell 18 that. I wouldn't subject her to that kind of knowledge. Even after the experiments they did, the torture they set me on every day, I never told her the extent of it. I've never let my pain be hers. Never."

He stood up from his crouch, his face melting into the impish grin Rin loved, so long ago. "So, something begs to be answered here. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm..."

Suddenly, he twirled the dagger in his hand and slammed it through her chest.

Yua gasped, her eyes wide and shocked.

Haru pulled her closer to himself, shoving the blade further and further into her, until the tip showed through her back. "Because I know for a fact, you aren't my Rin."

Yua coughed, wet, frothy blood bubbling on the edge of her mouth. "Damn it."

Retracting the blade, Haru let her fall to floor in a heap, whatever illusion she had over him broken into pieces at his feet.

He crouched down over her body, sliding her hair away from her face with the bloody tip of his dagger.

Yua curled in on herself, holding the fresh hole in her body. "I thought... you weren't...a killer."

Haru thought for a moment. "I thought you were the love of my life. Guess we're both liars."

"Stupid dog." She coughed, as her body faded from his mind and back to her waking form.

Haru stood up from his perch and turned to Rin, who was still hanging from the wall. He walked towards her and broke away the restraints.

Though her wrists were bleeding and her body was covered in more bruises than flesh, she'd never felt happier than in that moment.

Haru smiled. "Hey, 18."

"Hey, 15."

He gave a small laugh, until the dizziness took him and he collapsed in her arms. Rin fell down with his weight, holding him to herself. "Haru! Are you all right?"

He patted her arm, panting heavily. "Yeah. I'm good. It's all good now."

~~~

"She's wounded! Get the medics!" Temari's voice rang out with authority and the surrounding shinobi headed her call.

She held the elderly woman's hand, making a show out of patting it. "Everything is going to be okay, ma'am. Just stay with us."

The woman's breath sounded wet and empty.

The death rattle.

Temari glanced behind her, checking her surroundings, before placing her lips to the woman's ear. "Now you listen to me. I don't know who you are. I don't know what's going on tonight, but I do know this. If I find out you've harmed my brother's woman in any way, you won't make it to sunrise."

Two shinobi appeared with a stretcher and placed her on it.

The Captain watched them pull her out of the rubble and towards the hospital, her face a hard line. "Count on it."

~~~

After the patient was lifted to the medics and the traps were all successfully dismantled, Temari set her sights back to report to Gaara.

How she was going to explain all of this in one night, was beyond her.

Her fist came to the large door and struck out the knock that was saved only for her.

She waited.

No answer.

"That's odd."

Temari tried her knock again, louder this time. Still nothing.

"Gaara?" Her voice echoed in the dark chamber.

When he didn't reply, the small hairs on the back of her neck stood up. "Gaara! Open this door! Right now!"

She took out her fan and slashed away at the metal with her wind blades.

They hardly made a scratch.

"Gaara!" Her voice became frantic, slinging blade after blade at the door.

"Temari..." His voice sounded weak on the other side.

She pressed her ear to the door. "Gaara, open the door."

He groaned, the sand barely rising at his command, filling the entrance and nudging it open.

She didn't wait for it, wedging her body in the smallest crack and forcing her way in.

The sight waiting for her, was one that would haunt her memories, for the rest of her life.

"Gaara!"