I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does!

The only characters I own are My OC's (Akuren Airen, Shikudo Blake, Akuren, Eklipse and Akuren Adrian, and Shikudo Wraith!)

AN: – Chapters will be taking place between Suna and Konoha. Airen's parts will be in first person, as will other characters. This will switch between First and Third points of views. Multiple characters with OC's. Also involves Yaoi (male x male) DON'T LIKE DON'T READ...

Summary

Years later after the Obito-insanity-world-domination-attempt incident, whatever became of the Akatsuki after Obito was defeated? Has Naruto made his dream of becoming Hokage a reality? How does the arrival of five new Ninja in Suna who hail from the mainland, affect everyone including the heartless Sabaku No Gaara, and the Genius of the Uchiha Clan Itachi? Where have the rookie-nine, who have all grown into young adults stand in the world of Shinobi? Gaara has a girlfriend? You'll have to read to find out! NON ASUMA DEATH, NON UCHIHA MASSACRE, NON ITACHI DEATH/BLINDNESS (due to Mangekyo Sharingan use)!

Intention's

'Thinking'

"Talking"

Italics - Flashback

They arrived in Suna, immigrants from the mainland; their former lives lay dead in the past. A chance meeting between the mainlanders, rogue missing Ninjas and one of the Sand Siblings.

Kunai flew through the air, not aimed at anyone or anything in particular. The five mainlanders turned to face the missing ninjas, hoping to prevent bloodshed in their new home village before they even settled in.

The young girl whipped around, blocking a Kunai with her Katana. In a flash of light she had her blade pressed up against the throat of one of the attackers. Her older brothers and their fiancés also had turned and faced the rogues. Shuriken and Kunai flew back towards the offenders, thrown by the group of five that turned to face them. Rogues on either side of the girl we mercilessly killed by the swift, accurate weapons thrown by the hands of her family.

They all failed to notice the blade laced with a silencing Jutsu, and pure chakra coming from an alley to the left of the girl. Needless to say they also failed to detect the young man in the shadows following behind the leader silently in the opposite alley.

The ninja in the shadows leaped over the building and hid, watching the battle with red eyes. As the girl decapitated the man whose throat she was pressing her blade into, the momentum of cutting through his neck clean to the other side made her lose her balance. It was then when the leader decided to strike out.

With lightning speed he leapt for the girl in her moment of un-preparedness. A Kunai shaped like a trident, in both his hands, he threw one ahead of him, keeping the other close to his body. Using his speed to catch her unaware he jabbed the girl in the stomach.

The other would be "assassin" leapt into action seeing his leader attack, enraged by the death of his brother at this girl's hand. His eyes bled red, as he charged, fueled by hatred and fury and thoughts of revenge.

Her family realized moments too late that they couldn't stop her from being harmed and they stood frozen in time watching the double assault on the last remaining female of both Akuren and Shikudo clans.

As the blows were about to be dealt, a wall of sand blocked the leaders first Trident Kunai he had thrown, and then captured the leaders hands in the sand that was slowly forming around his weapon.

The girl remained unharmed but frozen by the sudden whoosh of sand coming up between her and her attacker. She heard "sand coffin" and an ear piercing shriek from the leader whose hands were trapped in this deadly sand that had protected her.

The other man was still charging at her enraged at her beyond all belief. However, the wall of sand that formed a barrier between her-self and the first attacker happened to only be half formed, which unfortunately, left her open for another assault.

Just as the man was about to make contact his wrist caught in a vice- like grip and in a few moves by this man who had intervened on her behalf, dropped the Kunai he was holding, it clattering to the hard ground and forgotten soon after.

He held his hands to his head and screamed bloody-murder trapped in an invisible nightmare, the mysterious man glaring at him with icy, blood-red eyes. With his back to her she stared at him, his cloak flowing around him as his eyes continued to glare at the man writing on the floor.

The group traveling with the girl looked stunned, unsure of what happened or what to say. As the sand receded to the ground and the man in pain stopped screaming and lay motionless, dead due to some unseen force.

Her family, thankful that she was unharmed rushed to their female group member. "Are you alright!?" they screamed at her in pained breaths, their worry for her well-being evident in their voices. "I'm fine" was all she could manage, while swiping her Katana through the air to rid it of the blood covering it, she placed the deadly weapon back into its sheath on her waist, a soft click was heard as it slipped and locked into place.

The young girl turned to her saviors, "Arigatou...uh..." her words failed her as she realized she had no clue as to whom these men where who saved her.

A voice sounded behind, her startling her a bit. "Kazekage-sama" she turned towards the voice the man was bowed to the shorter man in red Kage robes and a Kage hat, which mind you, did a hell of a job covering his face.

The man who spoke also had a hat on like the kages with bells hanging off it. "Uchiha-Sama" was the response. "Arigatou Uchiha-Sama, I didn't notice the other one in the alley and without your intervention…" "My pleasure, Kazekage-Sama" The man in the Kage clothing spoke to the young woman and four males who had protected his village, without even being a part of it. "I thank you on behalf of Suna" the Kazekage said bowing low.

The young girl replied in a small, very shy voice "It was nothing" her thoughts running a mile a minute to remember her studies back on the mainland.

'I remember reading about the 5 kages; he must be the one of Suna that I read of. He's so young…and this other man, who is he, his eyes have the Sharingan meaning he's an Uchiha, but I don't remember anything about the group he was in. Black cloak with red clouds…Akat…Akatsuki…that's right the Akatsuki, but what are they doing here in Suna, I thought they broke apart when they lost their leader Madara Uchiha'

The young girl was so lost in thought she never heard the Kage ask her for her name until her family introduced themselves. "Gomenasai, my name is Akuren Airen! Pleasure to meet you Kazekage..." she said Kazekage slipping off her tongue as if tasting the way it sounded.

"Pleasure to meet you Akuren-San, I am Sabaku no Gaara, my companion, who helped save you, he paused letting his hand refer to the man who had saved her, is Uchiha Itachi-Sama" The other man stood up to his full height his eyes never wavering off her face, and never changing back from the frighteningly beautiful, icy- red Sharingan.

'So this is Uchiha Itachi, the renowned genius of the Uchiha Clan, and current leader of the Akatsuki, well what's left of them. If this is how he deals with an enemy...I wonder what he's like to his friends...' His smooth voice ripped her out of her thoughts she was sure shed have whiplash later from how fast she turned her head to face him.

"Pleasure to meet you Akuren-San, Arigatou Gozaimasu, for protecting our village" gently smiling back at him she went back into thought 'if he's an Uchiha, why is he here in Suna, loyal to the Kazekage?'

She again was pulled out of her thoughts by both her hands being pulled into gentle palms and then the backs of her hands were being gently kissed. Both Kazekage and Uchiha genius were kneeling in front of her kissing the backs of her hands with butterfly kisses, their own personal way of thanking her for saving the villagers.

A woman ran up to Airen and knocked Gaara's hands off which in turn caused her to lose her balance, and sent her flying back away from her place by Gaara. Screaming at a very confused Airen at the top of her lungs and vocal range, the girl with short brown hair proceeded to scream "GET YOUR HANDS OFF GARRA!"

Airen was stunned by her words and after being knocked back in the blink of an eye, her reflexes were pretty much shot. The young woman, who she didn't know, had hit her, and screamed at her to get her hands off the Kazekage, when in all reality it was the other way around. She knew she was gradually losing her battle with gravity, feeling herself falling towards the ground in slow motion and knowing she couldn't stop herself; gave in to the force of nature which was known as gravity. She shortly found out that imminent impact with the hard ground was out of the question, since a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, holding her steady against a well-muscled chest and mid-section.

Looking up, she noticed that Itachi had settled behind her holding her gently upright with her back up against his chest and his arm's firmly wrapped around her waist. Gaara's sand had also rushed to support her as well as Itachi, acting without him moving to "protect" a future investment he held and someone he was most grateful to.

All this went down as Gaara scolded the woman. "MATSURI!" he said in a tone that would have frozen Lava "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!" Meanwhile, Airen had regained her balance with the help of Itachi and the sand and was looking confusedly at the woman who Gaara was now scolding."

Airen-San are you alright?" a concerned Uchiha said in a whisper against her hair. Airen nodded; and after a moment he nodded then gently he let go of her waist supporting Airen's body as he gently lifted her back off his chest so she was standing on her own. He remained hovering behind her to make sure she didn't topple over again.

Matsuri turned toward the confused girl and continued to nearly shout at her "KEEP YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF GAARA, HE'S MINE AND ONLY MINE!" she bellowed, not even bothering to call him "Sama".

"Matsuri, what the hell are you doing putting your nose where it doesn't belong, you know better than to bite the hand that feeds you" Itachi said in an ice cold voice as he glared at her.

"I'll call Gaara whatever I want and I will not bow to you, you damn fucking UCHIHA!"

"MATSURI! THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH" Gaara stated his voice as close to yelling as it would ever get his temper seething and evident in the swirling, violent sand around Airen, Itachi and himself.

"Ano, Gaara…" Matsuri sputtered but again she was cut off by him "YOU don't have the right to call me anything but Kazekage-Sama is that clear?" "H...Hai...Kazekage-sama" she stuttered out her voice and body quite shaken, her humiliation and fear showing she cast her eyes downward in an attempt to hide.

Turning to Airen and her family, Gaara spoke to them in a calm voice "Let Uchiha-Sama and I escort you back to my residence and allow you a night's rest" he stated looking at the five outsiders and his ANBU operative Itachi.

Said Uchiha merely nodded and followed the group; Matsuri followed sulking and seething to no one in particular at the rear of the group.

Meanwhile, Itachi continued to stay close to Airen, feeling a deep connection with the petite girl by his side. 'What is this feeling…could I have found my soul-mate?' were his thoughts as he walked by her side in silence.

On her other side a very pissed Kazekage walked, lost in his own chaotic thoughts as he felt a pull to defend the girl who had saved his people. 'Could she be the one, the one Temari and Kankuro told me I would find?'

They continued to walk when they were called out to by a voice" "Gaara" a female with blonde hair pulled into four ponytails and a huge fan strapped to her back called. "Temari" was her only response and notice that he had acknowledged her presence.

The Kunoichi looked at her younger brother questionably when he answered her in his icy voice, but before she could speak Matsuri ran to her "Temari, I beg of you please help me Gaara is being mean to me! And that bitch that's with him, she pointed a finger at Airen, is the reason!" she finished screaming and crying while glaring venom and hatred at Airen.

"Enough! Get off me Matsuri what the hell are you babbling about now, and for further reference 'it's Temari-Sama," she seethed her annoyance evident in her tone she chose to use to reprimand Matsuri.

Turning back to her otouto she continued into the conversation Matsuri had rudely cut into. "I was wondering what rumor the villagers were spreading about a fierce battle and bandits, is this true Gaara."

Gaara merely nodded, and that's when Temari noticed the five strangers with her younger brother. As she readied her fan, she sunk low into a battle stance, but before she could react he called her off "Temari, that's enough, they are the ones who saved the village"

Temari looked stunned by the news that her youngest otouto conveyed. Matsuri, who had recovered from her prior cold shoulder with Temari, tried to get on her good side by standing with her. She shoved and pushed her way, rather harshly past Airen shoving her into Adrian who wrapped his arms around her to steady his sister.

Her family moving in front of her angry enough to kill the bitch now for the way she treated their youngest group member, sister and or sister-in-law and heiress to both Shikudo and Akuren thrones, in her attempt to get to Temari. Temari stayed crouched down in her battle stance and eyed Matsuri with eyes that were analyzing the whole situation.

"Matsuri, you've obviously caused trouble here. Now I've business to do with my brother and would be so much better without your constant interruptions, and outbursts of complete idiocy. You've been her long enough to know that you need to address us with proper honorifics." she said in a scolding manor as if she was saying this to a child caught in the act of doing wrong.

Her hand drifted to Gaara to prove her point and set give an "example". Matsuri flinched at Temari's harsh tone of voice and she looked at the ground knowing she was indeed in trouble again, this being her second scolding from Temari, the first one came moments before when she glomped her.

Coming out of her battle stance and lowering her fan she spoke in a quiet voice "I'm going to go visit Kankuro's grave, you should too Gaara" she paused then spoke again "Oh by the way Gaara, I'll be heading to Konohagakure after I visit our deceased brother, Shikamaru sent word he misses me and that I'm due for a visit. You should visit our departed brother as well Gaara" she said her tone going soft, filled with sadness."

"I did this morning" was his clipped response; "Be safe, Temari there are plenty of rogue ninja waiting for a chance to take a hostage; to try and obtain my position as Kazekage of Sunagakure" He said looking at his sister.

Temari smiled "I can handle myself, but I'll take precautions I promise" she turned and never looked back as she took off across the rooftops towards where she and Gaara's brother lay.

"Kazekage-Sama?" Airen spoke in a tiny voice, catching his and Itachi's attentions immediately. Gaara looked at her his eyes and voice going soft as he spoke to her, "You can call me Gaara, no need for honorifics Airen-San"

Airen looked shocked at his sudden announcement, and Matsuri well she charged at the poor unsuspecting girl from behind. Pissed off beyond anyone's capability of understanding.

Hearing the way he treated Airen different and spoke to her with more kindness and compassion than he ever showed her, had set off a string of chain reactions in the young Kunoichi.

The only thoughts that ran through Matsuri's mind were corrupt and fueled by jealousy and envy 'Why does she get to call him Gaara! I've been by Lord Kazekage-Sama's side for years; she shows up and is allowed to drop his honorifics in less than two fucking hours!'

She didn't think, Matsuri just charged, hoping to incapacitate Airen using the defensive weapon Gaara had trained her with so she could gouge her insides out with the Kunai's she had in her back pouch.

Itachi was the first to react, grabbing her wrist, breaking it in several places and forcing Matsuri to drop the weapon that Gaara had chosen and showed her how to use when she first became a ninja. She cried out when Itachi broke her wrist, but he didn't even flinch at the emitted sound, just kept glaring at her with his Mangekyo Sharingan, his fingers never releasing her now shattered wrist.

A wall of sand immediately erected at Airen's backside when he felt Matsuri's malice towards Airen. She turned to face the threat, the wall of sand dropped ever so slightly so she could see over it, but it was still swirling violent and ever dangerous protecting everything from the neck down on Airen, as it moved on Gaara's command and with his will.

The sand was slowly forming around Matsuri's body creeping ever so slowly, consuming all it touched. Gaara was in a half crouch, right in the middle of a hand sign chain for his Sand Coffin Jutsu.

Airen had crouched into her battle stance turning and facing Matsuri locking eyes with the young sand ninja. She was totally shocked that she would attack her, and allowed her-self to be blinded by Jealousy and Envy.

"MATSURI" Gaara roared "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE BEFORE I KILL YOU MYSELF!" "Ano, Kazekage-sama!" "GET OUT!" She scrambled backwards, Itachi letting her shattered wrist go, watching her every movement with his crimson eyes as she scrambled away from her Kage. She kept her eyes locked with Gaara's the whole time.

"Are you alright Airen-San?" Gaara and Itachi worried voices cut through the silence at the same time, and once it was said they looked at each other shocked and then back at the girl who had captured their hearts.

"Ha...Hai" she said a bit shaken.

Meanwhile Airen's family chased a defeated and broken Matsuri a block and a half through Sunagakure. As they returned to the group they noticed the girl swaying and shouted the remaining distance "Airen!" catching up to them after returning from running off Matsuri "I'm okay, don't worr…"

She collapsed in the middle of her battle stance, Wraith just barely catching her before she fell towards the earth any further. "I've got her don't worry Eklipse" he said to his fiance, never bothering to look at him as he picked her up bridal style.

Taking the time to look at his fiancés worried face; he carried her as tightly to his chest as he possibly could without crushing her, and together they continued on their way to Gaara's residence.