Break before I'll bend [GaaSaku]
Title: Break before I'll bend
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #01 - Defiant 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1317
Summary: "...just who did this mortal woman think she was?"
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters.
Authors Notes: Second installment in the djinn series. Continuation of Sand Lure.
~~xxx~~
01 - Defiant
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself more. It certainly hadn’t happened in the last few decades... and it certainly made the previous monotony of his existence worthwhile.
The woman who was now in his domain was feisty. There was a will of steel deep within the core of her spirit and she wasn’t one to let herself be led by wiles. Initially, she’d fallen under the influence of Gaara’s magic but he suspected it was only because she had been caught off guard. In an act of pure defiance, she’d forced herself to break the charm solely with the strength of her will.
The moment she realized the source of the sandstorm and of the shifting magic around her was incredibly sweet. Through his sand, the crimson djinn had felt the chill run up her body as the awareness filtered into her consciousness. In his experience, it was usual for humans in this moment of realization to do one of two things: call out to the jinni, acknowledging their presence, and try to escape using humility and reverence or attempt to turn the situation to their advantage by negotiating. Being who he was, Gaara very much preferred the latter; it brought him great entertainment, which was exactly what he was looking for.
To his incredulous surprise, the female currently in his clutches did neither.
She simply looked up into the swirling sand, glared through the turban covering her face and started walking in the opposite direction. At first, the perplexed djinn wasn’t exactly sure of what she was doing. But after a few moments of surveying her, he realized she was trying to find a way out of the storm.
The idea in itself was laughable. He was the one creating the gale. Nothing would be able to get out if he didn’t allow it to. Even so, here she was, attempting to escape by her own means.
It was unheard of.
It was also strangely alluring.
Djinn were feared and revered creatures. The first thing humans learned while travelling the desert was to never displease a jinni. They coveted their territories terribly but if they were treated with respect, they were known to be lenient and even helpful. Their magic was powerful, something to treat with caution but that could be put to good use if you played your cards right. Thusly, you never treated a djinn with disdain and have the audacity to think you’d escape with your life.
Consequently, just who did this mortal woman think she was?
Gaara suddenly felt the urge of meeting her face to face.
He concentrated his magic and attempted once more to lure her using a charm. Unfortunately, she had already raised her conscious barriers and stopped him from infiltrating her mind again. Changing tactic, Gaara started using the wind to guide her to his grotto. This worked for a while but she suddenly seemed to realize she was being guided in some way. As a result, she dug in her heels and refused to follow the squall’s direction.
He had never met such a contrary female in the long years of his life.
Shaking his head at her antics, he materialized a few tendrils around her and picked her right up from the ground. Her yell of both surprise and indignation caused him great mirth but as he attempted to carry her away, she grabbed unto a protruding boulder and wouldn’t let go. Shaking her roughly didn’t work; the more he tried to dislodge her, the tighter her grip became. He finally lost his patience and simply let her go. She dropped forcefully to the ground, grunting painfully, her hold giving out when she was abruptly forced to take on her entire weight.
‘That ought to teach her,’ he thought gruffly. He was doing this for her own good, after all. How else did she think she would get out of the sandstorm?
Watching her for a few moments, Gaara started to become concerned because she wasn’t moving. Did she hit her head on the rock? It was the last thing he needed! If that were the case, he’d be sorely tempted to leave her there.
But while he was contemplating the thought, she suddenly stood and ran. She sprinted as best as she could right into the thick swirling sand all around her. Even after he’d demonstrated the power of his magic, she was still trying to escape him.
Gaara couldn’t help it: he laughed out loud.
He was really beginning to like this girl.
XXXXXXXXXX
Sakura knew her odds were slim... but she decided that having odds was better than having none at all.
All this experience was irrefutable evidence that Lady Luck was having a great laugh at her expense.
If it wasn’t a khalif tyrant, it was djinn. A damned djinn! A creature with unlimited supplies of extremely powerful magic, famous for being moody and whimsical. Not slightly less well known was their willingness to sacrifice human life in the pursuit of amusement. And here she was, right in the middle of a jinni’s territory.
Sakura elicited a number of colourful curses in the direction of her ubiquitous host.
Nonetheless, she wasn’t going down without a fight. No disease ridden khalif or capricious supernatural being would dictate what she could or could not do with her life! A spark of defiance exploded inside of her, filling her vision with bright light, and she forced herself to give it her best shot.
Despite being aware of the futility of it all, she ran with everything she had.
She wasn’t aware of how much distance she travelled or in which direction she was heading. She was more worried with the sand materializing around her once more and making a grab for her. It attempted to do so a couple of times but they were half-hearted attempts she successfully averted. Dodging to the side, she evaded the tendrils and kept on going. This, however, was something that filled her with another kind of worry.
Just what was this djinn playing at?
Not caring and sending the creature to the nether realms, she continued her desperate flight. The sand was everywhere, in her eyes, her mouth, her nose... despite the turban she was wearing, the tiny grains managed to filter through. Fighting the gale every step of the way, Sakura just ran with every sliver of will she possessed.
Until the next step she took landed on air.
Falling head first into a deep ravine, she tumbled downwards through the swirling sand and felt time slow down almost to a standstill. The realization of her predicament was instant; the result at the bottom of the gorge evident. Only death awaited her.
In her mind, she could only ask for her end to be painless, for it to be over as soon as she hit the ground. No regret crossed her consciousness, no wish to have done things differently. She had been who she had been, something she would never be repentant for. Gritting her teeth, she braced herself for the inevitable impact.
Only find to herself suspended in mid-air.
The sand grabbed her, tendrils twining round her limbs and keeping her in place.
After having prepared herself for her demise in the past second, her surprise was so great all her mind barriers came cascading down with a jolt.
Sakura felt the djinn invade her awareness with the full force of his magic and felt him clearly: ruby fire, crimson sand and scarlet heat all rolled into one. His magic leaked through her, warming the deepest corners of her being with a swishing caress of power. It stole her breath and left her gasping in equal parts trepidation and longing.
Utterly unable to arrange her scattered wits, she felt him grin...
...just before everything around her and inside of her faded to black.
~~xxx~~
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #01 - Defiant 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1317
Summary: "...just who did this mortal woman think she was?"
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters.
Authors Notes: Second installment in the djinn series. Continuation of Sand Lure.
~~xxx~~
01 - Defiant
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself more. It certainly hadn’t happened in the last few decades... and it certainly made the previous monotony of his existence worthwhile.
The woman who was now in his domain was feisty. There was a will of steel deep within the core of her spirit and she wasn’t one to let herself be led by wiles. Initially, she’d fallen under the influence of Gaara’s magic but he suspected it was only because she had been caught off guard. In an act of pure defiance, she’d forced herself to break the charm solely with the strength of her will.
The moment she realized the source of the sandstorm and of the shifting magic around her was incredibly sweet. Through his sand, the crimson djinn had felt the chill run up her body as the awareness filtered into her consciousness. In his experience, it was usual for humans in this moment of realization to do one of two things: call out to the jinni, acknowledging their presence, and try to escape using humility and reverence or attempt to turn the situation to their advantage by negotiating. Being who he was, Gaara very much preferred the latter; it brought him great entertainment, which was exactly what he was looking for.
To his incredulous surprise, the female currently in his clutches did neither.
She simply looked up into the swirling sand, glared through the turban covering her face and started walking in the opposite direction. At first, the perplexed djinn wasn’t exactly sure of what she was doing. But after a few moments of surveying her, he realized she was trying to find a way out of the storm.
The idea in itself was laughable. He was the one creating the gale. Nothing would be able to get out if he didn’t allow it to. Even so, here she was, attempting to escape by her own means.
It was unheard of.
It was also strangely alluring.
Djinn were feared and revered creatures. The first thing humans learned while travelling the desert was to never displease a jinni. They coveted their territories terribly but if they were treated with respect, they were known to be lenient and even helpful. Their magic was powerful, something to treat with caution but that could be put to good use if you played your cards right. Thusly, you never treated a djinn with disdain and have the audacity to think you’d escape with your life.
Consequently, just who did this mortal woman think she was?
Gaara suddenly felt the urge of meeting her face to face.
He concentrated his magic and attempted once more to lure her using a charm. Unfortunately, she had already raised her conscious barriers and stopped him from infiltrating her mind again. Changing tactic, Gaara started using the wind to guide her to his grotto. This worked for a while but she suddenly seemed to realize she was being guided in some way. As a result, she dug in her heels and refused to follow the squall’s direction.
He had never met such a contrary female in the long years of his life.
Shaking his head at her antics, he materialized a few tendrils around her and picked her right up from the ground. Her yell of both surprise and indignation caused him great mirth but as he attempted to carry her away, she grabbed unto a protruding boulder and wouldn’t let go. Shaking her roughly didn’t work; the more he tried to dislodge her, the tighter her grip became. He finally lost his patience and simply let her go. She dropped forcefully to the ground, grunting painfully, her hold giving out when she was abruptly forced to take on her entire weight.
‘That ought to teach her,’ he thought gruffly. He was doing this for her own good, after all. How else did she think she would get out of the sandstorm?
Watching her for a few moments, Gaara started to become concerned because she wasn’t moving. Did she hit her head on the rock? It was the last thing he needed! If that were the case, he’d be sorely tempted to leave her there.
But while he was contemplating the thought, she suddenly stood and ran. She sprinted as best as she could right into the thick swirling sand all around her. Even after he’d demonstrated the power of his magic, she was still trying to escape him.
Gaara couldn’t help it: he laughed out loud.
He was really beginning to like this girl.
XXXXXXXXXX
Sakura knew her odds were slim... but she decided that having odds was better than having none at all.
All this experience was irrefutable evidence that Lady Luck was having a great laugh at her expense.
If it wasn’t a khalif tyrant, it was djinn. A damned djinn! A creature with unlimited supplies of extremely powerful magic, famous for being moody and whimsical. Not slightly less well known was their willingness to sacrifice human life in the pursuit of amusement. And here she was, right in the middle of a jinni’s territory.
Sakura elicited a number of colourful curses in the direction of her ubiquitous host.
Nonetheless, she wasn’t going down without a fight. No disease ridden khalif or capricious supernatural being would dictate what she could or could not do with her life! A spark of defiance exploded inside of her, filling her vision with bright light, and she forced herself to give it her best shot.
Despite being aware of the futility of it all, she ran with everything she had.
She wasn’t aware of how much distance she travelled or in which direction she was heading. She was more worried with the sand materializing around her once more and making a grab for her. It attempted to do so a couple of times but they were half-hearted attempts she successfully averted. Dodging to the side, she evaded the tendrils and kept on going. This, however, was something that filled her with another kind of worry.
Just what was this djinn playing at?
Not caring and sending the creature to the nether realms, she continued her desperate flight. The sand was everywhere, in her eyes, her mouth, her nose... despite the turban she was wearing, the tiny grains managed to filter through. Fighting the gale every step of the way, Sakura just ran with every sliver of will she possessed.
Until the next step she took landed on air.
Falling head first into a deep ravine, she tumbled downwards through the swirling sand and felt time slow down almost to a standstill. The realization of her predicament was instant; the result at the bottom of the gorge evident. Only death awaited her.
In her mind, she could only ask for her end to be painless, for it to be over as soon as she hit the ground. No regret crossed her consciousness, no wish to have done things differently. She had been who she had been, something she would never be repentant for. Gritting her teeth, she braced herself for the inevitable impact.
Only find to herself suspended in mid-air.
The sand grabbed her, tendrils twining round her limbs and keeping her in place.
After having prepared herself for her demise in the past second, her surprise was so great all her mind barriers came cascading down with a jolt.
Sakura felt the djinn invade her awareness with the full force of his magic and felt him clearly: ruby fire, crimson sand and scarlet heat all rolled into one. His magic leaked through her, warming the deepest corners of her being with a swishing caress of power. It stole her breath and left her gasping in equal parts trepidation and longing.
Utterly unable to arrange her scattered wits, she felt him grin...
...just before everything around her and inside of her faded to black.
~~xxx~~