I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! And yes it is a good one..I think..anyway...I am going to kill myself just a little bit more than I have been already, so I can now illustrate this story..I am not sure how long it will last..or how well the pictures will look..but I am willing to give it a try...It may take me a long time though so..please...be nice to my drawings...cries Okay I'm good now..These drawings will take up most of my time..but I'll only be able to draw them inbetween chapters...and when I am having serious writers block...

Well we are finally here..chapter seven...And to all of you that reviewed and actually gave me your thoughts on the story..mistakes I made or compliments whatever..I appreciate it..Personally..I think that last chapter was the worst so far...I liked how it turned out story-wise..but it should have been a much later chapter..then it probably would have worked out..But I have realized my mistakes...and I admit to them..but I assure everyone that I will make up for it in later chapters..this one too..

I appreciate all reviews..but I do wish everyone who reviews would give me their point of view on the story..What they like or what they didn't..Thanks people!

On to Chapter Seven!

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The soft caress of fingertips, gliding across naked skin. A chilling sensation streaming through blood hot veins; the heartbeat steadily increasing. The haze of euphoria settling upon once innocent eyes, and in a moment..everything has gone..and all that is left are the shattered peices of deception.

How fragile is the heart for feeling as it does, for it is not the heart itself, but the heart's spirit within. Trust is a weakness, love is a sacrifice, betrayal is the shards of it all. When present is love, the eyes are blinded with the hope of happiness, not able to see deception slipping through. But what is true deception, true betrayal? If only a configuration of the heart.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat, the sensation Gaara's touch brought him putting a haze to his eyes. He leaned closer to the redhead, trying to close the distance their lips had ventured; again he slipped away, this time with a smirk tracing his lips.

Gaara was curious as to how much the other teen could take his musings. It was an odd feeling, to see someone who was known to be so strong, tremble under his touch. The redhead slipped his hands around Sasuke's waist and leaned in to trail soft kisses up the side of his neck. To the Uchiha, this was pure bliss, he lifted his arms to wrap around his companion's shoulders, but something stopped him. Sasuke's arms were thrusted back down at his sides, a rough and coiling substance keeping them in place. Through his wincing he managed to look at Gaara, who had stopped his gentle affections. His smile was no longer a smile at all, it was tainted with a sadistic grin that thwarted any reasonable thinking the ebony haired teen would have had.

With a single motion of the redhead's hand, his sand began to slowly pull Sasuke down to the floor, where he proceeded to place himself atop of the teen below. His mouth hungrily pressed to the flesh of Sasuke's neck, his kisses becoming rougher by the moment. A few drops of blood trailed down the helpless teen's neck and a slight whimper passed his quivering lips. There was a fear that welled up inside of him, a feeling that hadn't occupied his soul for years. Why was this happening, why was Gaara doing this, why did it have to hurt so badly?

Many question asked, and so many more unanswered. Only moments ago, Gaara was the kindest Sasuke had ever seen, but now..that had changed. Is this what he wanted? Is this all that really mattered to him? Was I foolish to believe his feelings were real? Sasuke asked himself. This was the last thing he had expected, but he soon realized that perhaps this was the real Gaara. Perhaps there was truth behind all of the reasons everyone feared him, perhaps his heart was as cold as the snow.

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Dragoness gazed upon the world which was her own, listening to the voices of all that inhabited it. Her mood was passive and at ease, awaiting the time when she must be active once more. Her amber eyes trailed to the sky, glistening silver clouds danced and painted the cerulean skyscape. Her world was a peaceful one, all the creatures seemed to get along, with the occational quarrels. They would go about their daily lives, knowing that she was always there to protect them from whatever dangers may come. To them, she was a goddess, one they could trust with their very souls.

As she scanned the cerulean blue sky, something foreign caught her glance. A strangely dark cloud seemed to emerge out of nothing, it was quite obvious as it stuck out in the pale sky. Dragoness knew everything that happened in this world, but this was happening without her knowledge, and against her will.

As the cloud grew, she could see there was something falling down from it like rain, but when it reached her, she soon realized it was that the rain was of blood. Her amber eyes grew wide, concern lacing her features as she stood. She looked straight up into a part of the sky that had not yet been tainted, and called out to it. "Show me the boys! Let grace my eyes the images of Sasuke and Lord Gaara!"

Within a few moments, the silver-white clouds churned in the sky, and a wavering image presented itself before her. Though the images were not clear, and seemed to not have a picture at all, she knew what they meant. A flash of liquid crimson, quickly devoured by the smoke of darkness; this was a wounded heart. A pure white light, encircling the moon, and crashing down to the earth. A single trail of blood intertwining that light; this was betrayal. The darkness of an eclipse, dissolving into crystals that fall into the ocean below; this was the sheading of tears.

With the last of the images slowly fading into the cerulean sky, Dragoness' head sank. She was at a complete loss as to why this was happening, but her memory had not failed her completely. She soon recalled the purpose of the bloody rain, and the black cloud from which they were born. Long ago, when her world was created, it was long said that it was to be a place of beauty and peace, despite her destiny. She knew that danger would never be far, for it always seemed to appear when she least expected it. But there was a security within this danger, the secret lay just beneath the surface of the sky, the clouds were her answer to all. They could tell her if danger was present, or they could simply take her eyes across her world, seeing its beauty and the beauty of all who inhabit it. She had long forgotten the omen that was created aswell, it was not of her will, but more of an effect, one that she had been grateful for having, even though she hoped it would never get the chance to serve its purpose. Though in time, she new its day would come, and it seemed it was all too soon. If ever there was evil present in her world, or followed close to one of her subjects, this dark cloud would appear in warning. Only in times when a life was in danger, would the sky be painted with its blackness, and rain down its poison.

Dragoness rose to her feet, it was time for them to return, for she would not take the chance of appearing in their world. Even in such times as these, I never thought I would have to show myself so early on. She thought to herself, making her way quickly to the peculiar tree where the boys had first entered her world.

"I send my will of summoning, to the earth of which they came. Despite the wrong of time, I call to end their pain. Send to me, the lord of the sand, and the follower of the caimen." Her voice grew quiet once more, her amber eyes drifting to a close. Now, all she could do is wait, in the stillness of the morning.

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For a single moment, his harsh breath was stilled, his eyes closing only to open once more. It was then that Sasuke noticed, there was a difference in his eyes. Normally, they were pure seafoam, and nothing obscured their view. Now, there was a slit in their center, a snake-like pupil that the Uchiha knew was never there before. There was something else he had noticed, Gaara's binding sand had eased its grip, and let him move freely. He reached out a hand to caress the readhead's cheek, but he felt nothing, his pale hand faded right through his face. And with that, he dissappeared completely from Sasuke's view.

The Uchiha struggled to stand, only to fall back to his knees. The haze that swept through his mind obscured his vision, and he quickly lost all reasonable thinking that he once had. He was confused, he was hurt, and yet he was still worried as to where Gaara had gone, though he was soon to find out.

He tried to stand once more, and this time succeeded, though his knees were still weakend and unstable. He drug his hands across his bed, helping to keep his balance as he tried to make it towards the door. He grabbed the dresser tightly, but his hands were slowly going numb, and he could no longer control his movements. So he did the only think he could, and dropped to the floor once more. His dark eyes closed, and his world slowly slipped away, a new one taking its place.

When he awoke, Sasuke found himself in strange, yet all too familiar place. He was again in Dragoness' world, with Gaara at his side, though in this time, he was unsure if that was a good thing anymore. The pain in his neck throbbed slightly, it was slowly fading, but making itself known as it did.

Sasuke cast a glance in Gaara's direction, only to recieve a quick look in return. He seemed to be himself again, or as much of himself as the Uchiha had come to know. He was unsure of himself, and of his companion, but more so as to why they were back in this world, and why he was there aswell. "Gaara, I thought Dragoness said that it was you she needed. I don't recall her mentioning me last time." Sasuke asked a bit nervously, though he was a bit shocked at the redhead's reply. "I haven't a clue, perhaps she found something that she likes about you." He choked back a chuckle and simply let a smirk pass by, seeming as normal as ever, which was in a way a good thing, but a bit unfortunate in another. It was as if nothing ever happened...nothing..The raven haired teen shrugged away his thoughts, but as he was about to speak, he stopped himself. There was a slight glimmer in the trees that had caught his attention, and Gaara's aswell. It dissappeared for a moment, only to reappear closer to them, until it was mere inches from the edge of the forest. A black, thigh-high boot poked through the brush, then another. A tan skinned hand with what seemed to be black claws reached out from the branches that conceiled their owner. As the tree branch was pulled aside, a very feminine figure could be seen quite clearly.

Sasuke couldn't help but stare at the woman, or female rather, he wasn't exactly sure what she was. His eyes scaled her body, her hair was the same color as his, but it seemed darker than black itself. His hair shone blue in bright sunlight, hers shone silver. His dark eyes soon trailed to her face, it was tanned beautifully, and complimented with the brightest amber he had ever seen, let alone in a pair of eyes. Her lips were dark, but there was something glimmering just over her bottom lip, the serrated tips of stark white fangs. Her ears, were strange in the fact that she didn't have any, or at least not of human nature. They were shaped like a horse's ear, but not quite as long, and lay flat against the sides of her head, plus they had scales, and were lined with Cerulean Crystal. Even more odd than what he had already come across, above her ears, there were what looked to be horns made of raw Cerulean Crystal. His eyes could not help but stray lower, her attire was rather strange, it was a very tight fitting leather bustier, or at least it was what he portrayed it to be. Her curves were well defined in the constricting outfit, as it seemed to have tears to show her darkend skin. Sasuke strayed lower still, the rise of the bustier went above her hip bones, only a small peice of leather lay between her thighs, so small that he could see the edges of flesh just before the cloth covered anything of importance. This alone was enough to drive any straight or bisexual guy insane, and put to her figure only proceeded to make things a bit more complicated.

It took a long while, and a nudge from Gaara to let Sasuke realize he had been staring, and it hadn't gone unnoticed. As the female stepped into the light fully, she was merely a foot or two away from the two sitting in the grass. A faint smile traced her darkened lips, and the tips of her fangs shimmered in the morning sunlight. "My name is Kaoru, welcome to Illessence!"

There was one thing going through the boys' minds at the moment, and if thought outloud it would have been in unison.

That voice...

That voice...Holy shit..

I'll give you two guesses as to which Sasuke said. "Wait a second, Dragoness? Is that you?" Sasuke asked, standing quickly. Kaoru turned her glance to the side for a moment and backed away. "My name is not Dragoness, it is Kaoru. When I first met you, I told you to call me Dragoness, even though it wasn't my name. The time has come for you to realize who it is that I am. But first, you must tell me what has happened in your world, I know there was a disturbance." The newly recognized 'Kaoru', knew that something went on between the boys, but she wasn't quite sure as to what it was.

Gaara's eyebrows(or lack of) furrowed slightly ask he gazed up at the female. "Disturbance, what are you talking about?" His seafoam gaze quickly turned over to Sasuke for an answer, but when the Uchiha averted his gaze, he was only left even more puzzled.

Kaoru noticed the difference in behavior for the both of them, Gaara clearly had not a clue as to what was going on, but Sasuke on the other hand, seemed to know it all too well. She did not want to pry, but she had a feeling there was no other way to get the information she needed. "Sasuke? What happened in your world, why does Gaara have no recolection of it? It involved both of you, I saw it in the clouds.." She was a bit surprised to find that the ebony haired teen reacted so calmly to her telepathy, as to where he usually was startled. "I...don't know..There was an incident...yesterday it was I think...I tried to...get close to him, but he turned away from me..I went to my room..and thought about it..that night I talked to Itachi..and he heard me saying how much I cared for him...then the next morning..he got out of the shower and came into my room..he apologized for what he had said and...told me that...he felt the same..and asked me if I was willing to give it all away..for a chance at happiness...I told him that I was...and he was kind with me..." Even in his mind, his voice trailed off and a slight flush crossed his cheeks. Kaoru couldn't help but smile lovingly, she knew it was hard to talk about such a thing, and with circumstances being as they were, it only made it more difficult. She wasn't a stranger to him, but it was clear that her presence before him was intimidating. "It's alright Sasuke, you can continue..." Her soft voice echoed through his head, pressing him forward. "Well, he kissed me..and put his hand on my chest and...around my pants..but when I went to wrap my arms around him...his sand pulled me to the floor..and I couldn't move..I was completely at his mercy..once again he was gentle at first..but his kisses on my neck became harder..and then painful..until they drew blood...but suddenly..he stopped..and I noticed that his eyes were different..they had snake-like pupils..but Gaara's eyes are not like that at all...they are pure seafoam all the time...but even then...he had a sad look on his face..like he was sorry for what he had done...his sand loosend and I reached my hand to touch his face..but it faded right through him..he closed his eyes..and dissappeared completely..I'm guessing that is when he arrived here..but he seems to be normal now...I guess..." He cast a side glance over to Gaara, it was clear that he knew they were talking about him, or at least partially, but he knew better than to ask a pointless question.

Kaoru smiled half-heartedly, more to reassure him than anything. "What do you mean by 'I guess'?" She asked with a bit of a concerned tone, Gaara did infact look and act just as he always had, but perhaps there was something Sasuke saw that she could not. "It's nothing like that..I just..don't know which one is the real Gaara..He is acting like the day we first met..and the day we first talked in your world...like there is nothing between us..not even a solid friendship.." He finished with weakened words, Sasuke felt as though he was expecting far too much, but he still couldn't help having the hope in his heart. "I can assure you, that what happened to you earlier, what he did was not of his will, or even of his knowledge. We will tell him, but it would be best if saved for a later time. For now I would be careful around him, if you do feel like talking to him about this, just press lightly, do not tell him he hurt you. I know you want to know if what he said was true, if his feelings were real, but you must be careful not to give him any more information than he needs to know. There is something else equally as important, you must watch his eyes carefully, you told me you noticed they were different before. If they change, try to contact me, and stay as far away from him as you can. Also, watch how he uses his sand, Gaara doesn't use it all that often for usual things. If he starts to be more prominent with his power, well..I guess that is obvious." She finished, seeming to get a surprised response. The Uchiha clearly hadn't thought she knew all that much about Gaara, but apparently she knew more than he did.

Sasuke lowered his head in a subtle nod, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. His eyes watching Kaoru intently, though the subject was serious, he simply could not help but think about her in a non-respectful way. He was completely confused as to how Gaara kept his composure, even if a guy had no interest in women, it would be difficult not to take a second glance.

Kaoru took a step back, and then over to where Gaara had been sitting. She kneeled down so she was at his level, her amber gaze seeming to bore into his sea of foamy green. She saw no trace of the snake-like pupils that Sasuke spoke of, but that did not mean he was completely clean. There was an idea that coursed through her mind, whether she should proceed was another matter, but she found it was best to make sure he was truly alright. Her dark lips parted and a stream of breath blew across his pale features. He kept his gaze straight forward, and he kept it his best efforts to avert his gaze, a faint tinge of red rising on his cheeks. So it does affect him.. Sasuke thought to himself, watching the events through the corner of his eye. He had forgotten that Kaoru could easily pick up his unguarded thoughts, but she most likely would say nothing of it.

Kaoru's lips then pressed lightly to his, a gasp soon came in return, from both of the boys. As her lips pressed more firmly against Gaara's, she could feel something strange arise in his aura. Her eyes opened for a brief moment, it was there! Those strange eyes had resurfaced once more, and in a strange way, they seemed a bit familiar. She pulled back slowly, her expression cautious; her hand raised to her lips and pulled back to see there was blood upon them. A pulse seemed to surround his entire form, but it was not of him, it was of a familiar creature she had not seen in a long time. The problem, had suddenly turned more dangerous than she had expected. "Kinata, is that you?" She asked with a nervousness that she had never let escape her before. She stood quickly, and backed away from him a couple of steps, glancing over to Sasuke briefly.

A smirk appeared on Gaara's lips, fangs had formed, and their tips overlapped his bottom lip. "So you remember me do you? I am flattered, really I am. Sorry about this pathetic body, I had to find a way to get close to you without your suspicion. But I guess I got a little, distracted." His eyes darted over to Sasuke, who had moved over to where Kaoru was standing.

"If it is a matter between you and I, then why involve the boys? I can understand presenting yourself in another form, but if contacting me was your only goal, then you leave Sasuke out of this. He is of no concern to you, and neither is Gaara!" Her hand swiftly grasped the Uchiha's behind her, causing a slight gasp and increase in heart-rate. "But how could I resist? He is such a fine boy, you see it to, I can tell. As for this one, the only good thing about him is this strange power he has. It is very useful against struggling prey." His tone dripped with a sadistic venom as he eyed the younger teen beside Kaoru, resisting the urge to grab hold of him once more. Despite his cunning threats, he knew that would be playing dangerously close to a hostile dragoness.

"Only Gaara can control his sand with it's full power, though you are in his body, you are weakend because of your spirit." Her eyes narrowed into slits of amber, his aura was changing. Gaara's body would not be able to sustain his massive form for long. Kaoru's mind shifted to Sasuke, she had an idea, but she did not want it presented. "Sasuke listen to me, you must return to your world. Once you are there I can seal off the portal, and then no one can leave or return. That would keep you safe, and would give me the proper boundries for dealing with him. It would only be temporary, once he is gone I will open the portal once again." She did not avert her gaze, as it may then be made clear her intentions. She had to be cautious with this one. "But what about Gaara? I know whatever that is, is inside him but he can't stay here. I trust you Kaoru, but if that portal is sealed off, then there could be no one to help if you are hurt. Your precaution could be your downfall." Sasuke pleaded, he did not know what kind of power this 'Kinata' had, but it seemed clear that it was enough.

"Sasuke, I know you are worried, but Kinata can't stay in Gaara's body for long and he knows that. Gaara's powers are useless against me, when they come from a source other than himself. I am not concerned about fighting Kinata himself, I have known him far longer than I care to recall, and I doubt he came to fight. You have a brother, do you not? Keep him with you for as long as you can, tell him of the dangers here, and that he must be alert to any changes in your behavior. I am female Sasuke, but you know nothing of my strength. I promise you I will be alright, as long as you are safe, I can still fight.." Her thoughts were soon interrupted as his voice once again rang through her ears.

"Oh Kaoru, you may not fear me, but I know someone who does..."