Chapter 1 - Burning

Sayomi watched Hinata block another blow from Sakura, who had agreed to train with them on account of uneven numbers. Even though her concentration was divide she still managed to knock away Kiba's fist with ease and deliver a strong hit to his stomach simultaneously. He buckled over, either she was getting better, or Kiba was getting worse. She rolled her eyes and turned to Shino and Gaara. They were equal in terms of strength and speed, but she wasn't quite sure yet who was the best tactition. Gaara had been living in Konoha for seven months now, he'd moved into the spare room in Sayomi's apartment, much to Kiba's annoyance.

"I think that's enough for today," she announced after another ten or so minuets of watching

Gaara and Shino stopped and shook hands, nodding in silent agreement. A draw. Hinata helped Sakura off the ground.

"I think you won that one," she laughed, although she hadn't been using the full extent of her strength, she hadn't been able to after Hinata had blocked one or two chakra points in her arms and legs.

"I want you here bright and early tomorrow morning, no excuses" she said, then picking up her jacket "Mind coming along tomorrow as well Sakura?"

"No, I don't mind, Naruto's still off on that training mission with Jariah, and I don't think I can manage Kakashi-sensei on my own."

"Ask Kakashi to tag along to, I could do with some competition" she said,

Normally she would pitch herself against the worst in the group, trying to make them better, but Kiba was a lost cause in her opinion, she was going to see if she could convince Gai to take him on, she knew he'd be only too egar. Fighting Hinata was a no go, neither would want to hurt the other. If she was feeling bored, the best fighter in the group, which was, at the moment, either Shino or Gaara, but she knew Shino's fighting style like the back of her hand, necessary for a squad leader, so her best bet was Gaara. The first time she'd sparred against Gaara had been the last, they'd had to stop out of exhaustion after thirty-four-and-a-half hours.

***

Sayomi jammed her key straight in the lock when she got home, she was tired and she wanted to get to bed. Gaara followed after her locking the door behind him, there wasn't really much point, if anyone broke in they would both be up and ready for a fight in seconds, but Sayomi was still paranoid about it, she couldn't and wouldn't sleep until every possible entrance had been checked.

He watched in silence as she shut her bedroom door behind her and came out fifteen minuets later in loose cotton trousers and vest top with her long hair tied back. Then she checked all the locks, the dead-bolt on the front door, the latches on the windows and even the extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom, even though they were too small for anyone to climb through. Only when she was happy that they were all locked securely would she go to bed.

Gaara turned the lights off before retiring to his room and changing into a pair of light cotton trousers. Konoha's summer was only getting hotter, even though they were under ground. The top of the metal dome-shaped exoskeleton around the village was only a few feet below ground level, and because of its size, it was absorbing heat in the day and radiating it at night. He'd seen hundreds of plans Sayomi had made when she couldn't sleep, most involving using different materials to make the dome, and some brought the village back to ground level and involved erecting a large stone wall around the village perimeter, he'd had to point out that the village already had one and it hadn't stopped invaders before, she'd hit him for that.

Due to the lack of sunlight, there had been a system of lights put up around the village, which all went out at eleven o'clock, known obviously as 'lights out'. He waited untill this came, then darkness engulfed him. Of course people put lights on their homes, but this made little difference to the light in his room. The one-tailed demon inside him didn't allow him to sleep, so he sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes closed and listened for the quietest thing in the apartment. First it was the tick of the clock in the hall way, he tuned it out, listening for something smaller, Sayomi's soft breathing, then her heart-beat. Its slow and steady beat relaxed him.

Ba-dum... ba-dum... Ba-dum... ba-dum.

Then suddenly her breathing hitched and her heart stopped, then started racing. This was expected, it happened at exactly the same time every night, 12:43 on the dot and lasted for exactly a minuet before it returned to normal. Thirty-four minuets later... her heart was picking up pace, and her breathing was restricted getting more strangled with each breath.

He jumped up at the first scream.

***

When she finally drifted off into sleep, Sayomi found herself in the same tunnels as always, the dream had been re-occouring for months now. She'd wonder, completely naked, aimlessly through tunnels, although it always felt like she knew where she was going, like she'd been here before. Then she'd walk past the entrance to a particularly dark tunnel and she'd hear her name being called and she'd automatically follow the soft, velvety voice although there was a sense of danger. She'd wake up at that point. This dream was different.

She carried on following the soft call of the velvet voice, becoming eventually engulfed in darkness. Steady drips of water echoed through the tunnel, distracting her from the voice and she fell into nothingness, the floor had just disappeared from beneath her feet. A loud splash echoed, instantly blotted out when water flooded her ears. She tried to swim upwards and when her head broke the surface she took a gulp of air, the inescapable water flooded her lungs, it was like an iron vice had clamped itself round her chest, she couldn't breathe.

As red blotches clouded her vision and her heart-beat slowed the water faded away and she was suddenly suspended in mid-nothingness. There was no feeling of up or down here, no acting gravity, no air.

'Sayomi!' hissed the voice, it was angry now but she didn't want to listen 'SAYOMI!' it screamed and a fire erupted all around her.

The fire seemed to reach out to her like living hands, clawing at her skin, leaving trailed burns and scorches. She tried to fight it off, her fingers swinging uselessly through the flames, burning herself further. Four long scorching whips reached out and gripped her wrists and ankles, stretching her out, leaving her vulnerable and unable to move. The flames come to life, swirling together, forming the shape of a great bird. It opened its beak and screeched, bursting her ear drums, then dived for her.