This chapter is dedicated to: Poofy Luffs Sushi, BlackMoonTiger, CuteGaara, Kvillain, BloodyAyame23aka K, dumdeedum, LilBlueBear, , plm-ChAn, Butlikeewlawlz, dementia-notAhumanBeing, Sachiko Heiwajima, rozen1331, ayusuf667, DAngel 7 and 3 lovely guests for f/f/r. 3

Recap of Chapter 5 "Soirees Over Flowers" (because it's been quite some time):

Hinata let out a deep breath.

"He's gone, Sasuke," she said, twisting her hands together.

"And I think Matsuri has something to do with it."

-tl;dr Gaara vanishes and Matsuri is a creep ft. SasuHina fluff on swings. /o/

Chapter 6: Monsters Over Flowers

Gaara stared at the brunette sitting across from him in the dark limousine, his hands tied securely behind his back and ankles tied together. Matsuri wasn't stupid; she had trained martial arts under him after all. She knew he was deadly when provoked and could easily use any of his body parts to retaliate back.

The cloth that they had pressed against his mouth and nose when initially jumping him must have contained some form of sedatives because the next thing he knew, he woke up constrained in the vehicle. Interestingly enough, Gaara noticed, they decided not to cover his eyes or mouth.

"Matsuri," the redhead finally spoke, his bored tone hiding the aggravated emotion his interior held, "what is the meaning of this?"

His former student tentatively glanced at him, before sighing and crossing one leg over the other. Truth be told, she had hoped the Sabaku heir would have stayed unconscious at least until they had reached the rendez-vous point.

"Ah, you're awake now Gaara-sama?" she replied, the sickly sweet tone from earlier coming back. "It's a shame, you would've been much more comfortable asleep."

"Where are you taking me?" Gaara bit out, his eyes staring at hers evenly. I need to think of a way to reach the others… my phone! "We haven't been in contact since I left Suna, you show up all of a sudden with Sasuke, and now this? Just what are you all involved with?" Gaara fiddled his fingers around the rope tying his hands back, trying to reach his phone without making any sudden harsh moved. After what felt like forever, his fingers brushed upon the screen and hit the emergency call button from muscle memory.

"You were once my student," he continued, stalling for time. "Don't you owe me that much?"

The younger girl did not reply immediately, instead, slid one hand into his left back pocket. She took a few seconds to search through it before slowly withdrawing her hand, not without grabbing the object of interest.

"Yes, I was your student once; I know all of your tricks. You really think I'd let you use your phone?" she finally replied, waving the Sabaku heir's red phone in the air, not noticing the phone was in the middle of call. She casually flicked it the other side of the dimly lit limousine where it disappeared into the darkness.

'Miss, we're enroute to 44.' A crackle from the radio above them sounded softly to the back of the vehicle.

44…we're heading back there after all these years?

A glint of light flashed across the screen as the vehicle passed by a streetlight. Gaara eyed the area where the small device was tossed, and faking a grimace while holding back a smirk that threatened to appear on his face. He was successful; his emergency contact was the one person he knew that would get him after all.

Stone-faced, the redhead leaned back in the velvet seat as best as he could in the shackles, his eyes scanning the area for any sense of direction as to where they were and escape routes. But while his eyes were going everywhere a mile a minute, currently his mind held only one thought.

"Matsuri, why?"

Matsuri merely mimicked his actions by also leaning back behind her and stared out the window as Gaara's men took them to their destination.

"Because sensei, you are a monster…"

"…and monsters are put down."

xXxXx

To say Hinata was distraught was an understatement. The Hyuuga heiress paced back and forth in front of Sasuke, mumbling indiscernible words anxiously out loud.

"Slow down Hinata, you're not making any sense," Sasuke said, "You're saying Matsuri and a few of Gaara's guards betrayed and kidnapped him? That's impossible, his family's men are personally handpicked and trained to protect and follow them."

The heiress paused. "Has his family ever had any conflicts? External or internal?"

"He's the heir to one of the infamous and wealthy mafias in the modern age, don't be stupid," Sasuke scoffed. "Of course his family has."

"My father has always warned me about this. Granted, his ideologies towards it is rather extreme but…I suppose this shows he's at least a bit right," Hinata muttered sadly. "I-I don't want it to be true and I-I know this doesn't make sense…but I think they're planning a coup against Gaara."

Sasuke crossed his arms and frowned. "You're suggesting members of his own—"

Briiiiiiiing! Briiiiiiiiing! The shrilly noise of a phone pierced the air, interrupting Sasuke and startling both of them.

"Who the hell," Sasuke grunted, before his eyes widened at the caller ID. "Gaara!"

"Gaara? Really?" Hinata gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth.

The Uchiha heir hastily swiped the answer button to the right. "Ga—"

"Don't you owe me that much?"

Immediately Sasuke shut his mouth, trying to hear what was happening. He silently put a finger to his lips, motioning for Hinata to follow. Distraught, Hinata bit her bottom lip and leaned near his phone to hear the call.

"Yes, I was your student once; I know all of your tricks. You really think I'd let you use your phone?" Suddenly a harsh thumping noise came out of the receiver. The voices were now a bit more muffled, but still distinguishable.

"Miss, we're enroute to 44."

"Mats—" The call was abruptly ended, leaving the both of them gaping openly at Sasuke's now darkened home screen. It was a photo of K4 from the last day of summer vacation at the Uchiha lake house right before they had started in Konoha Academy. Neji was at the very right end, his hands crossed and a slight smirk on his face. Naruto, grinning widely, was in the middle putting his arms around Gaara and Sasuke. Both were grimacing but felt no real bad intent on the blond, as their eyes held a fondness for their little tight knit group. It was before they had to worry about their families and future.

"I-it's a nice photo," Hinata offered, not knowing what to say.

"My brother took it years ago before he left," Sasuke replied, clenching his fists and digging his nails into the palm of his hand. Brushing his dark bangs from his face, he let out a deep breath and laughed, alarming Hinata.

"That sneaky bastard. I knew he was smart," he smirked while furiously dialing numbers. "We're getting Gaara back. I'll make sure of it."

"But how? 44 could mean anything! A-An interstate number, a building number?"

Sasuke ignored her and placed the phone back to his ear. "I've found Gaara, enroute to 44. Bring me my car. You know what to do. I'm heading there as we speak…you losers better be there."

"44 isn't some ambiguous number Hyuuga. Let me give you some history," Sasuke said as he turned to Hinata, showing her the photo from earlier. "This was taken in one of my family's vacation houses, deep in the forest. The Forest of Death, as the locals nicknamed it. Though, it was officially called the 44th training ground where warriors from centuries ago trained, fought, maybe even died. My parents had Gaara's forces come track us down when we ran away from the cabin to explore the terrain; they must remember where it is."

"That's crazy," Hinata replied, stunned by the information. "Why on earth would your parents ever buy a house in a place called the Forest of Death? That sounds like an accident waiting to happen!"

Sasuke smirked. "Uchihas are rather grim when it comes to trivial details like that. Besides, my mother thought the lake's flora and fauna was lovely. And there's no stopping her when she puts her mind to things."

Before Hinata could respond, five black, pristine cards pulled up just a few feet from them. One of the cars opened to reveal three officers in dark camouflaged uniforms. The trio approached Sasuke and saluted.

"Gaara may have his mafia…but the Uchihas control the entire police force," Sasuke said, sighing afterwards. "And as much as I want to go in there myself and beat every single one of them, I'm not stupid. There's no telling who exactly of the Sabaku elite turned against us."

The wind started to pick up a little, the chilly air reminding all of them of their current situation. The officers that had greeted the Uchiha heir ran back to the second vehicle behind the original and joined them, as the one they arrived in was none other than Sasuke's. It was a beautiful car really, the hood shone under the ominous moonlight with the faintest hint of navy colored in the leather interior where the driver's seat that proudly held the famous Uchiha insignia. It was dark, sleek, and mysterious, much like its owner.

"Hyuuga, now's not the time to be mesmerized!" Sasuke called from the driver's seat as he started revving up the engine. "Are you coming or what? Don't tell me you're scared? Maybe you should just head back home."

Letting out a frustrated puff, Hinata rolled her eyes and hurriedly moved into the passenger seat next to him.

"O-Of course I am! G-Gaara's my f-friend too, l-like it or n-not!" she retorted defiantly to his banter, sticking her nose up in the air subconsciously and not noticing the closeness of each other. In his arrogant triumph, Sasuke smirked once again – though, just a small pouting of the lips; a narrowing of the eyes and a tilting of the head. It was so subtle and even more infuriating for Hinata who caught a glimpse of it after making the foolish mistake of glancing back at him.

"You're stuttering again, what are you nervous about? The Forest of Death? Gaara? Me?" he teased, slowly driving out of the pavement onto the road.

"N-No! Ugh, j-just drive already," Hinata grumbled, her rosy lips forming into an adorable pout.

The Uchiha heir said nothing in return and chuckled lowly, his light laughter like a pile of stones being tossed around in a low rumble, blending with the roar of the car's engine it was the only noise between them. Keeping up the much needed silence, Hinata turned to the window and stared into the night sky, letting her eyes roam absentmindedly as she thought about the redhead that had decided to befriend and save her all in the span of a few weeks since her enrollment into Konoha Academy.

You saved me once Gaara, it's time for me to repay that favor.

A/N: Woah, what is this? A new, incredibly late, chapter update? D :

Pls don't hurt me bc I started an ItaHina fic too *shrinks*

On a more series note- I hope there are still some of you that read this, and to those that do: bless your heart, you make my world go 'round.

As always, please don't hesitate to f/f/r like the people I dedicated this chapter to did, it really motivates me to see others involved with this story and I truly do cherish each and every favorite, follow, and (especially!) review. Thank you. (:

Au revoir, my lovelies.