DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters with in the Naruto anime/manga. I am not making any profit from writing this story.

Part 3

Gaara and Sasuke decided to look up Shino in the morning. Today had been a strange and yet very stressful day. They picked up some groceries before they went home to the small hotel apartment that Sasuke rented. But when they came back to the little flat Sasuke was ready to commit murder, they knew they had company. Yamanaka, Ino and Haruno, Sakura was sitting in front of the door. Sasuke mumbled a dark curse under his breath.

Their eyes were enough to tell him that this was not going to be easy. They would not give up as they had earlier this day. He still could have nightmares with them chasing him. His little fan-club. Something that he certainly could do without. He sighed and hoped that he would live to see the next day.

"Ino… Sakura… Good evening," Sasuke said with a curt nod.

"Alright buster, now you have a lot of explaining to do!" stated Sakura and placed her hands on her hips and glared at her childhood crush. She was not going to give in this time

"I'm sorry… I don't understand," Sasuke said, biting the inside of his cheek in order to keep himself from striking out at her. He surely did not like the tone she was using at the moment. Alright, given the fact that he had been away from the village for ten years, but god damn! Couldn't they have found something else to obsess about rather than him? Wasn't there another poor guy that she and that blonde girl could harass instead of him?

"Why did you ask about Hinata-chan?" asked Ino and stood up and put her hands on her hips as well, trying to look intimidating. Which she of course failed miserable with. For a second Sasuke thought he was looking at two little penguins… wobbling back and forth on their heels.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." said Sasuke and pushed between the two glaring females. He put his key into the keyhole and unlocked the door. He saw Gaara push between them as well, but as he entered his small apartment he tried to keep them outside; but that was a whole other thing. They forced themselves into Sasuke's small apartment and continued to glare at him, and every now and then they shot a sinister look on Gaara.

"Don't do you dare shut us out. You come waltzing into town and starts asking question about Hinata-chan. That is very strange don't you think?" snorted Sakura as she slumped down on the couch. "Naruto and I was your team-mates, do you ask how we have been? Noo… you had to ask questions about her… why her Sasuke-kun? Please tell me, I think I deserve an answer to that!"

"Still, I don't see why it is your business to why I ask questions about certain someone." said Sasuke as he felt his patience run low. If these two didn't give up he would probably kill them on the spot. Who would miss them except their parents? Ohh, he had such nice ways how to get rid of them in his head at the moment. Each and every one just as pleasurable as the last on to how to make them disappear. He was sure he could get Gaara to help him as well because a quick look at his newly found friend's face was quite easy to read.

"Perhaps I was asking about her because I came back here to propose to her, have you ever thought about that?" Sasuke asked as his dark eyes wandered from one to the other. "She was the only one of the girls in this village that I found attractive. And she was the only girl that didn't squeal her lungs off when she saw me. That girl gave me dreams during the time I was away that could put Kakashi-sensei's book into the PG-13 shelf. Unfortunately she only had eyes for Naruto, so I decided to let a couple of years pass before I returned, perhaps she would have gotten over her childhood crush." Sasuke's voice was now stone cold. "But when I heard she was dead it was like being thrown down into the darkest and deepest pits of hell."

Gaara went into the kitchen and placed the groceries into the fridge and the cabinets. He smiled when he heard the gasps coming from Ino and Sakura. He knew of Sasuke's female problems when they were younger, and you would have thought that they would have made some progress over the years. Matured or something, but they were acting just as they had when they were thirteen years old. Not a thing had they learned nor had they moved on with their lives. Pathetic. He put in the last things in the fridge and turned around, clearing his throat.

"I am amazed." Gaara said and looked at the two young women. He did not look at them at first but then he turned his sea coloured eyes towards them and you could almost see the blood lust shimmering inside them.

"What!" snarled Ino and turned her blue gaze towards the sand ninja. 'Who the hell put money into the sand monkey?'

"I can never say that I had much contact with girls or women in my life, actually, my sister is probably the only one that ever dared to be close to me. She has given me a few pointers about women and I must say – what she said is nothing near what I see in you two. But I sincerely never thought you actually were this dumb," he said and he could feel his chakra building up around him and then he continued. "What if Sasuke here had found a wife already and had some kids, but decided to visit the town for old time's sake? Or as he now said that he might have come back to see if Hinata-san was over Naruto-san so he could ask her to marry him? Would you act the same then? Most likely, have you not grown up at all? You two are pitiful creatures. You have no right in judging him, nor do you have any rights to own him, so why don't you just leave him alone?"

Sakura felt her soul shiver as the sand ninja's eyes began to glow dangerously. He didn't carry around that spooky gourd on his back anymore, but he still bore the aura of someone really dangerous. But then she became angry. She had waited for Sasuke to return and now she was being blown off because of something stupid that they probably had made up just to get rid of them and what the fuck did that sand nin mean that her Sasuke wanted to marry Hinata? That girl had been shy and stuttered when ever she was spoken to. The girl had been weak and nothing that her Sasuke-kun would bet his money on, she was sure. He wanted a strong woman and she was just that woman for him.

"Now listen here mr. I-can-crush-any-bones-I-wish-with-my-sand… Why don't you just stick your head in a sand box and act like an ostrich and think you can disappear? You were never welcomed here, not back then and certainly not now, so why don't you take a hike and remove your presence from our town!" she spat, angry that he pointed out that Sasuke already could be married and have kids. Her Sasuke-kun was waiting for her and then they would marry and live happily ever after.

'Wrong thing to say Sakura-chan.' thought Ino as both Sasuke and Gaara moved to stand side by side. 'Now you have done it.' The energy in the room shifted quickly and Ino knew it was time to make a quick disappearance act. She grabbed Sakura by the hand and dragged her out of the flat. Staying around would most certainly spell death and Ino have still a few things she wanted to do in her life. Sure she felt flattened by the things that both Sasuke and the sand ninja had said, but she treasured her life. Sakura was yelling to Ino to let her go so she could show that sand-nin what he deserved but Ino refused to let go.

"Let me go, Ino!"

Ino let her go when they were out of the hotel. She looked at her starry eyed friend and she became afraid for that pink haired woman.

"Sakura-chan, you don't know what you stirred up in there do you? This is for the best. I don't think we should talk to either of them any time soon. That just might get us killed." hissed Ino as she pushed Sakura in front of her, they were getting curious looks from the inn-keeper who looked at them through the window but Ino just smiled as innocently as she could before they moved down the street. Sakura would probably fry her until she was crispy once they reach some form of privacy but at the moment Ino couldn't care less about that.

○

Sasuke was grateful for Gaara's help. If it had not been for the red head's help he would have still have two annoying things attached to his hips. He agreed with him though. They were pitiful. Thank the gods that the blonde seemed to have more respect for her life and at the same time care enough about her friend to drag her out of Sasuke's rented apartment.

"Thank you Gaara, I don't think I could have gotten rid of them myself. They never listened to me in the past and you saw what they were like now. They just don't listen…" said Sasuke as he slumped down on the couch. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Man, this hangover would probably not go away until tomorrow.

"I don't understand how you ever got through your younger years with those two hanging around." Gaara said with a smirk.

"Actually…. I don't understand it either. They are such a noisy problem."

Gaara laughed softly and walked to the fridge and grabbed two beers. He threw one bottle to Sasuke who caught the beer easily. Perhaps they could ease their head aches with a new drunken haze? Gaara looked out the window and saw that the girls were moving down the street. The blonde dragging the bubble gum haired behind her. He snickered before sitting down on the floor next on the opposite wall of the couch. They raised the bottles to cheer to something unspoken between them.

Gaara took a deep sip out of the can and then he looked at Sasuke, a frown evident on his face. "So… did you ever think about Hinata when you were gone?" he asked as he placed the beer-can on the floor next to him.

"I would be lying if I said that I didn't. Of course I thought of her. But I also thought of you, your team mates, Naruto, Sakura…." said Sasuke and looked out the window. The darkness had fallen and the moonlight was shining through the curtains.

"In what way did you think about her?"

No names were needed. Her… that was Hinata.

"I felt sorry for her, she had the will to want to change and yet she was pushed back into her shoes because of her father and that stupid family she had born into. So yes, I felt sorry for her," said Sasuke truthfully.

"She was not meant for fighting Sasuke, to fight is not her way. She's good with ointments, salves and healing. Naruto said he got a small jar during the exams. He still has it and he says it heals even better than the nine tail's chakra sometimes. A person with that kind of knowledge should be saving life, not training to take it away." said Gaara and remembered how she had walked over to Naruto and to given him a small jar of healing ointment.

"A soft, warm and loving young girl she was. But the woman in the full moon forest… she has changed Gaara-kun… I wonder… if she was put up in a contest today – I think that she most likely would wreck some havoc on her "enemy"…. Probably enough to make him seek up a hospital…. Or bow to the Angel of Death…"

Gaara nodded. He had sensed it as well. The woman in the forest was the embodiment of sorrow and power. Anyone who went against her would probably end up in a hospital with their chakra paths in disarray. They finished their beers and said a silent good night to each other. Tomorrow would be a new day and hopefully a step closer to finding Hinata.

○

Without saying much to each other, Gaara and Sasuke worked their way through breakfast and with a silent nod they exited the small apartment and headed towards the Aburame residence. It was bug boy himself that opened the door and they could see that he raised his eyebrows a bit in surprise to see them standing outside his door, but he invited them inside and showed them into the kitchen.

"We are here to talk about Hinata-san," said Gaara and noticed that Shino stiffened hearing his former team-mate's name.

"She's still alive Shino-san," said Sasuke.

"How do you know this?" was Shino's only answer, but you could easily detect that he was shaken by the news.

"We have seen her." said Sasuke. "And Gaara here have seen her in the woods during every full moon for the last eight years Shino-san. She's still alive."

Silence.

"We want to help her, Shino-san." said Gaara. "We think that she's held prisoner in the Hyuuga-mansion by her sister and her husband."

Shino still said nothing, he just looked at them behind his dark shades. He wanted to see if this was some kind of twisted joke by the two power hungry ninjas, but he could only detect sincerity in their eyes.

"Have you ever been inside the Hyuuga-compound?" asked Sasuke.

Shino nodded.

"Are you familiar with its surroundings?" asked Gaara. 'This guy is even less talk-active than me…' he thought grimly.

Another nod from Shino.

"Are you willing to help us get her out of there if a possibility to do so is given?" asked Sasuke.

"Absolutely." Came the answer from Shino and they could see the determination in his posture. If memory served them correctly, Shino and Kiba and his dog, would give their life to protect Hinata. And if she now was alive even if her family said she was dead… they had another ally against the coldness of the Hyuuga-family.

Gaara told Shino the story about how he met Hinata the first time and how he had protected her throughout the years. And Sasuke told him how he had met the shy lily the other night. The bug-using ninja just nodded and gave his silent agreement.

Sasuke told Shino to come to the meeting-place to talk some more with Kakashi and Kurenai. Hopefully they would have found Neji by that time. Again Shino silently nodded and after that the meeting was over. But Sasuke could almost feel the emotions flaring around Shino and he turned around in the door to look him.

"Shino-san, don't overreact now. Keep quiet and once we have more flesh on the matter, then we will strike to free Hinata-san." said Sasuke.

"I understand." said Shino and closed the door.

Gaara looked at Sasuke. "Do you think he will be able to wait for three more days?"

"He must, or else everything might have been for nothing. And he will not do anything to endanger her safety." said Sasuke with a knowing grin.

"Good. Now what?"

"Perhaps lunch?"

Gaara nodded, lunch would be good.

○

Kurenai and Kakashi found the first signs of Neji's whereabouts two days later. And they found him a day after that. He was just drifting around, helping those who paid the best for his services. Kurenai was the one who approached him. She said three words to Neji once the formal greetings had been made.

"Hinata is alive."

Neji's white eyes flashed before becoming dull again. His hands balled and he nodded.

"I will come with you." was all he said and turned around to resign form the mission he was about to embark on. Hinata was more important to him then any mission, no matter what the pay was.

On the way back home to Konoha, he attacked Kurenai and Kakashi with questions about Hinata and why they had come to believe that she was still alive. And the two answered his questions as best they could. But when they said that it was Gaara and Sasuke that could provide him with the more vital answers he just looked at them as if they had gotten a brain damage.

Neji was confused. Gaara of the Desert and Uchiha, Sasuke had teamed up to free Hinata-sama? Two of the strongest ninjas around, and the two that exceeded him in being a cold, seemingly uncaring figure. They were the ones that had found out that Hinata-sama was still alive and now wanted justice to be done? That was a shock indeed. But Kakashi and Kurenai had sworn that the two would give their lives in order to get Hinata out of her prison and that was enough for Neji. 'Hinata-sama…. if this is true? If you are still alive… I will make sure that your torment will be avenged' he silently vowed as they traveled back to Konoha village.

○

If Hinata knew how many champions she had on her side at the moment she would be very embarrassed and say that it was not necessary. But at the moment she had no idea of what was going on in the village. She was sitting in her underground room and waited for another meal. She had her night, the night of the full moon when she escaped her imprisonment and found a way to get rid of her frustration of not being strong enough to go against her father and her younger sister. They had "killed" her. They had said that Neji would pay the prize unless she did as she was told. She loved her cousin even though he had hated her, but after the Chuunin-exams he had acknowledged her and said he would help her with her training. So her family knew about the platonic love she held for her cousin. And they used it.

Hinata could feel tears roll down her cheeks as she remembered the day they had came to the training grounds of the Hyuuga-compound where she was waiting for Neji. They said that he had been imprisoned and if she not complied to the scheme in making Hanabi and her chosen one to rule the Hyuugas, Neji would die. She couldn't let that happen so she bowed to their wishes. She died….

But the moment when the feared sand ninja helped her dress her wounds was a memory that kept her going towards the next day. And she knew that he was around every time she made her little thing during the full moon. And now she had the moment where a pair of charcoal black eyes was doing the same thing, making her through each day, hoping that... 'Gaara-kun… Sasuke-kun… Help me please…' she prayed silently in her mind as her head rested on the pillow and she closed her eyes.

T B C

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