46 Just a Small Grain of Sand (2/2)
”Cheeky brat, you've done it this time.”
Gaara had lost control of his bundle of sand, which had melted into a puddle of blazing-hot liquid. As for Kankuro, starting from the tip of his fingers, licks of translucent flame were covering his entire body, their white glow comparable to the brightness of the summer sun itself.
Those were chakra-infused sand, which was ridiculously resistant to even the strongest Flame Release technique. To be able to melt those sand, how hot would that flame had to be?!
”What... did you do? What is that?!”
With a yell, he shot out numerous bullets made out of sand toward Kankuro. The latter increased the intensity of the flames, burning every sand bullets that managed to get near.
And then, he lunged toward Gaara.
A brilliant red light glowed on his right palm, which stretched out to form a three-pronged spear as tall as Kankuro's own body with blades made out of those translucent flames.
It was the absolute enigma of this world, the thing that should not exist. The weapon of the Guardian of the Underworld, the Honorable Ox-Head: Karma Trishula.
Gaara's sand defense quickly formed a shield around him. At the same time, the tip of the trishula stabbed into the sand. The flame burned even brighter, melting the sand and scattering it off. It kept pushing forward closer and closer toward the boy.
For the first time in his life, Gaara was forced to abandon his living sand shield.
The trishula only hit a sand clone while the real body had emerged elsewhere after slipping through the sand below their feet.
”Guh... gwaah!”
He was angry. Really angry. Shukaku was slowly winning over him. His body was merging up with the sand, reshaping itself into a form resembling a gigantic raccoon with claws and fangs.
”So that's the 'monster' that they fussed about so much... Fine! If you're so intent to become a wild beast, then I'll knock you down to submission!”
The translucent flame burned. Brighter, brighter, blazing up uncontrollably as it grew to gargantuan size, turning the entire desert into a puddle of hot, glowing mess. Although faint, the flame grew more and more to resemble a raging bull's head.
The sand and the flame clashed at the middle as both sides struck with all their might. One bent on extinguishing the other, while another threaten to burn everything to oblivion.
A combination of loud roar and explosion reverberated in the sky before slowly dying down.
And then, it was quiet.
A huge crater was left after that fight. The surface was covered in a thick layer of rough, glassy substance, the result of liquid sand cooling off rapidly. At the center lied two boys covered in scars and burn marks, their clothes broken and tattered.
”Why... why won't you leave me alone...”
A soft murmur came from Gaara, prompting Kankuro to stir awake.
”Why... indeed...”
Ox-Head had always been fond of children. They were still pure, the sign of brighter future, a future where everyone would be able to smile. In his previous world, the mortals and immortals had achieved it through the formation of Yang Dynasty.
This world, however, was still far from it.
He had noticed this boy's darkness from the start, but he also knew that it would be impossible to heal that wound in one sitting. The only thing that he could do was to stay by his side, to show him that he would never be alone.
That was a handful to say, so in the end he summed it up in one sentence.
”Because I'm your brother. That's why...”
According to this body's memory, that was the setting, so it should be appropriate, right?
”...”
Gaara went silent. It took a while before he asked once again,
”Aren't you afraid of this monster inside of me?”
To which Kankuro let out a loud, mocking laughter.
”Monster? That puny critter just now?!”
Inside Gaara, veins were popping up on Shukaku's temple.
”...Not funny.”
”Haha... sorry, sorry.”
He finally stopped laughing.
”Listen, kid. I've seen powers beyond your imagination. I've seen someone turning a big country into ice. I've seen someone spreading madness throughout the entire Dynasty. I've even seen someone creating a literal sun with his own strength! Compared to that, what does your 'monster' amount to?
Just a small grain of sand!
Now, tell me, why should I feel afraid?”
At that moment, Gaara felt as if he had regained something. It was still small and unnoticeable, but it was definitely there.
After remembering those memories, he took a lunch box out of the bundle, only to notice that it was already the last remaining box.
Didn't Kankuro bring a lot just now...? He turned his gaze toward the black-clothed boy, only to see five empty boxes scattered all over the roof. The culprit himself was emptying the sixth one.
”Uh... sorry, I thought you're not eating...”
”...”
Gaara decided to just ignore this stress source and eat up his lunch box. At one point, the movement of his chopsticks stopped.
”Kankuro...” He muttered.
”Hmm?”
”That person who can create a sun... is he here?”
To be able to have that kind of power... Gaara's blood was boiling, itching to have a go at that ridiculous-sounding person.
”Well...” Kankuro burped. ”He's indeed here, but I don't think you can fight him at his peak condition. He's got... issues to deal with at the moment.”
”...Fine.”
Gaara's eyes turned cold once again.
”When he's finally back to shape... tell me immediately. I want to fight him...”
So that he could prove his own reason of existence.
---
”Ah-choo!”
A muffled sneeze came out from beneath the dolphin-faced porcelain mask.
”Big brother, did you catch a cold?”
Not too far from there, a person in a porcelain mask fashioning slit-eyes and elongated beak, a shape resembling the face of a bird, called out.
”No, I'm perfectly healthy. Strange... is someone gossiping about me?”
The dolphin mask was worn by a brown-haired girl in dark robe, while the bird mask was worn by a handsome young man in light-blue robe. Under the moonlight, the two were leisurely lounging around while chatting aimlessly-
-on top of a pile of corpses.
The swords on their sides were still dripping with freshly-drawn blood. The simple wooden huts around them were burning brightly, the swaying flames emitting an eerie glow.
They had been attacked by a group of bandits when dusk had fallen. Unfortunately for the bandits, not only did they fend off the attack, they had also followed the retreating bandits to their village and slaughtered the entire troupe, sparing only a few women and children in their ranks who had since fled the area.
What was left after their rampage was a wrecked village and the thick stench of death.
”Bandits, huh... no matter the world, they always spring up one after another. How annoying,” Hikari grunted.
”It can't be helped,” Youen sighed. ”The southern area wasn't as prosperous as the north. Desperate people always choose desperate actions, especially if they could get away with it.”
”It's such a bother,” the girl stretched out her arms.
”By the way, big brother, since when did you make this mask for me...”
”Daji commissioned one a while ago. She'd also made one for Honorable Ox-Head. See?”
Hikari pulled out a bull-faced mask out of her sleeve.
”...”
In his heart, Youen lamented that his big sister had too much free time...
”Anyway, we should be close to that kid you've mentioned before, right?”
”Ah, yeah.”
The young man pulled out their map, and then pointed at a marked spot not far from their current position.
”There's a clue about reincarnator there, or so I hope.”
”Having any clue is better than running aimlessly, I guess. Though, It's just the first day and it's already this hectic...”
Hikari jumped off the pile of corpse, and then walked off toward the main road.
”Let's go.”
”In the middle of the night?”
”What about it. We usually cultivate without sleeping for years anyway. Don't tell me you're getting soft after reincarnating?”
Youen replied with a smirk.
”Definitely not. Let's go, big brother!”
The duo set off once again in their journey.