Hey! Chapter 7! Happy times! Thanks to all of my reviewers, you guys are awesome! Especially Plinkoid and kawaiiitahina123, they've reviewed almost every chapter… I have fans, I could cry tears of joy… but then I would be blind and unable to type, so I'll just get a hold of myself and have happy tears later. Oh fair warning, this chapter is going to be darker, more like the first two, with possible torture, if it isn't in this chapter then it will be in the next one, so be ready. Here goes!

Chapter Seven

Hinata didn't sleep well that night. Monsters haunted her dreams, monsters and old memories. Every hour or so she woke up, sometimes weeping, sometimes trying to fight an invisible foe. It took Gaara at least half an hour to calm her down so that she wasn't desperately trying to get away from him, seeing someone else in his place. She would then cower against him, frightened that they were going to get her, and terrified of sleep. They were still out there, in a place called Tanzuka. On a map it looked far away, but it wasn't far enough for her, and she was convinced that at any moment they could spring out of a corner somewhere and get her.

Her most vivid dream had been a memory from almost four years ago, when her clan had decided it was time for Hanabi to improve upon her accuracy when it came to striking the chakra points in an enemy. Her father and Neji had tied her to a tree so that Hanabi and others could use her for target practice. The rope had been tight around her skin, and it had been very difficult to get the knots undone. They had found her a few hours later, and had beaten her severely, then held her upright between the two of them while her sister finished her training. Neji had laughed at her, and so had Hanabi and their laughter still echoed in her skull.

Gaara seemed to sense her pain, and he cuddled her close while she wept, shushing and cooing to her, taking a damp cloth and softly wiping her eyes with it. She stopped crying, but was still very upset, shaking against him. He looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was four in the morning, and the chill of the desert night had seeped in. he abruptly stood up, wrapped the black comforter securely around her, and carried her downstairs to the kitchen, not wanting to leave her alone. He sat her at the table, and warmed up some milk, adding honey to it, and then giving it to her. It seemed to make her feel a little better, and he stroked her back as she sipped it.

"I will protect you, Little One, so you don't need to be afraid anymore. That's a promise." She slept peacefully the rest of the night, while Gaara vowed to make her clan pay. No, not her clan, she was part of his clan now, the Hyuuga were a thing of the past, and he would soon make them history, by executing every single one. Their heads would be displayed along the arena in Sunagokure, to serve as a reminder to those who dared think that they could attack a member of his village and get away with it. He smiled softly at her sleeping form, kissing her on the cheek lightly, so as not to wake her.

At Gaara's Office

Asa had come in, wearing a simple brown dress and carrying a little bundle wrapped in a soft light blue blanket. Gaara looked up when he heard the cooing of three other girls. Asa smiled and brought her little boy to him, while he gazed at it.

"What is his name, Asa san?"

"His name is Keitaru, Lord Gaara sama." When he was working, a certain amount of formality was needed, even amongst the quartet and the Akatasuki, thus the title.

"It suits him. Eviko, my map of Tanzuka and the castle, please."

"Yes, Lord Gaara sama," she handed him the requested map, and he unrolled it, revealing a very detailed depiction of the town, even noting the small streams. The castle was a relic from the days when the samurai had been the all important warriors, before the feudal lords had started using ninja more. When the first great war broke out, ninjas were used almost exclusively, and have been ever since. Samurai were still around, but they no longer possessed the clout that they once had, and the ninja have been in control of the military ever since. And now another great war might break out, due to the war between the leaf and sand. The grass and mist nins were eyeing the remains of the leaf country, hoping to expand their territories, waterfall and mist were hoping to attack Suna, thinking that the war had weakened them, and the sound village had actually split into two parts, one following Orochimaru into his service to Gaara, the other trying to expand their territory and become a major player in the upcoming battle. Stone and snow remained aloof, as always, since their villages were far too small and weak to enter the fray as of yet.

Gaara was determined to protect his country, and to save the land of fire from being ripped apart by the other countries. The alliance between the original five had been uneasy at the best of times; often clashing in all sorts of minor conflicts, and the animosity had been evident in the chunin, jonin, and ANBU exams. But the feudal lords had previously been able to hold things together, along with the kages, and so peace was maintained. But now one kage was missing, and another had slain his feudal lord, shattering the image that they had been untouchable. Furthermore, he had proven that they weren't necessary for the country to function, and in fact that his country was better off without him. The kages and lords were scared, and were anxious to get rid of sand and leaf as soon as possible, so they could solidify their rule once more.

One thing was certain, though, and that was that Gaara needed to track down the leaf shinobi, either convincing them to join up with sand or executing them, he wouldn't be able to focus on the new threats otherwise. He was going to have to personally take care of Tanzuka, along with some of his best men. He knew he had time to prepare, Tanzuka was the most secure location left in the land of fire, and the rebels would be unwilling to leave it. They had food, water, shelter, and medical supplies, and they knew the terrain. Gaara was also certain that the Nara clan was there, along with the Inuzaka, Akamichi, and the Hyuuga. This fight wasn't going to be easy, and he couldn't know for certain how many enemies there were, but he wouldn't get another opportunity like this, and he had to take it, even if it was a trap. He couldn't risk taking a large task force with him; they would only slow him down and be spotted. He needed fire power, but he couldn't leave the village unprotected.

"Chiko, please inform my siblings that they will be ruling in my stead for a while. Kameko, get me Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, and Itachi, they will be at my house, Asa, find Kisame, Kabuto, and Orochimaru, they'll be at the tea house, leave your baby here, Eviko will watch him while she prepares the tea. Hurry."

"Yes Lord Gaara sama."

Not long afterward the former criminals filed in, with Kameko and Hinata close behind. Kameko had dyed her hair green recently, silver pants, a pink shirt, red ball cap, and yellow pumps was her outfit, completed by purple eyes, blue lipstick, and red eye shadow. Oh, what a sight. Kisame gave a big toothy grin to Eviko, who huffed and looked away. Gaara caught her blush, though. So there was a thing between them, of sorts.

Wonder if they've done it yet.

Shut up, you dirty old man.

Little baby sharks on the way, no scratch that. Mermaids with shark tails. Oh yeah, I can see it now, you'll have to get an indoor pool, and-

Will you shut up?! It's not enough that I have a war to fight, I have to deal with you too?! You and your sick fantasies! Next you'll say something about last night-

Kick his ass, Gaara.

What?

Kick that dickless Hyuuga's ass. It's a crime, doing that to the little dove, she's the nicest person on this planet, and he needs to pay.

Since when do you care about Hinata? You always give her crap in my head; thank God she can't hear you…

Pissing you off is completely different from doing what that fucker did, and I say we skin him alive, then we draw and quarter him, and then we stick his head on a pike and display it at the front gates. Same goes for the rest of them.

Holy crap! We actually agree on something! We should write this down!

I know! It's a miracle! Ooh ooh! Let's see if we can do it again! After we get back, bed the girl! All night long!

How about no! You sick bastard, I knew you would find something to ruin the moment! Leave her out of this!

You're thinking about it, though, and you know you want to. Come on, she's growing more beautiful by the day, and I bet her ass feels amazing, so you think about that while you have you're little war meeting. Toodles!

…you jerk, why'd you have to do that?

"Hey, Gaara nii, you ok?"

"…I hate him…"

"My paper bomb is ready for testing; it should be ready for the upcoming fight, that's why you called us in, right, un?"

"Yeah, you guys are all coming with me, except the girls, and that includes you, Hinata, you are far too sick to make this trip." Hinata slumped in disappointment.

"All right, we have two weeks to prepare, and then we leave. Now, let's take a look at the terrain…"

Two Weeks Later.

He was leaving her today. It wasn't fair! She should get to go! She knew her clan better than any of them, and she had been working hard, learning about all sorts of medicinal herbs, so she could help! And besides, how else would she be able to conquer her fear? She needed to go!

Gaara sat down on the bed beside her. "I will return as soon as I can, until then, stay here and get well, ok?" he gave her a kiss on the cheek, then left.

She waited for a while, and then took out her pack. She had been busy these past two weeks too. She had been secreting away supplies, and had made several manuals detailing various plants and their characteristics, both in the desert and in the land of fire. She had also gotten some maps, and a compass, so she wouldn't get lost. She had her medicine, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss, along with several changes of clothing, food, water, rope, and a knife. A basic first aid kit and sun block completed her pack. She jotted down a note for the girls so that they wouldn't worry, and then carefully snuck out of the mansion, her back to the setting sun. She was going whether he liked it or not.