A/N: one review for two chapters. this is saddening. i might not continue if i don't get more reviews. yeah, i went there :P


"You've been at it for hours," said Kankuro finally, addressing Gaara. "Aren't you ever going to rest?"

"Yes," said Gaara in a stiff voice. "Once she's found."

"I'll send out a team—"

"This is quicker." Gaara's Eye of Sand was activated, searching the desert. There was a lot of land to cover, and while this technique didn't use much chakra, it became more draining the farther away he got from Suna. Not to mention that he had to manipulate ordinary sand, a feat that in a normal circumstance already doubled his chakra consumption. Despite this, he was convinced he would find her faster this way if he just kept at it.

"Maybe they were people she knew, maybe they triggered her memory—"

"Then why would she leave without saying goodbye to anyone or packing her things?"

Kankuro sighed. "I don't know, Gaara, all I know is I don't understand your concern for her."

"I'm not concerned." Gaara scoffed at the notion. "I just don't have all the answers yet."

Though his brother nodded, Kankuro was thinking, He's definitely concerned.


Emi could taste blood. The men were asleep, allowing her a temporary rest from Hideki's anger. Outside of the cave, the sky was dark, confirming her theory that it was well into the night. She took stock of herself, assessing her injuries quickly. Split lip, that was a given; cut on her cheek; and at least one broken rib. The two cuts from Gaara's…interrogation…had reopened as well and, as she shifted her body slightly with a wince, she had a sneaking suspicion her shoulder was dislocated as well. She shifted her body again, biting her bloodied lip to stifle a whimper of pain, and nearly cried out when the tell-tale pop signaled her shoulder was back in its place.

She had known who Hideki was from the moment he entered the shop. She hadn't fought him—instead, she had followed him and his two henchmen numbly out of the Sand Village and into the desert. Why?

She knew this day would be coming. She'd been looking forward to it. After all, she deserved everything Hideki dealt to her. She deserved it if he killed her. She deserved it if he cut every inch of her body and then poured salt in her wounds. She had done him a great disservice, wounded him to the core, taken something precious that could never be restored. Torture and death was a fitting price to pay. The only price to pay. No other punishment would equal the crime.

She let out another sigh and rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes. She was tired, and so she would sleep. Tomorrow would bring on round two and perhaps, if she angered him enough, it would be her last day in this world.


Gaara's head was in his hands, elbows propped up on the desk, when Kankuro came in the next morning to check on him.

"No luck?" said Kankuro carefully.

"No."

"Did you sleep at all last night?

"No."

"What are you going to do now?" Kankuro set a cup of coffee on his desk.

"I don't know."

This is really getting to him.

"Have you already scoured the entire desert?"

Gaara didn't look up, hands clenching and unclenching in his hair. "Yes."

"Really?" Kankuro couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Every inch of the desert they could have reached in less than a day's travel, and I can't find her."

Kankuro hesitated, then placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. Gaara tensed, but didn't move. "Are you sure that you've looked in every possible—"

Gaara's head suddenly snapped up, surprising Kankuro. "Caves."

"What?"

"Caves! The desert caves! I forgot about the desert caves!" Seeing Kankuro smile at his brother's excitement, Gaara immediately sobered and said, "I would like you to get a team together to assist me just as a precaution."

Kankuro nodded, but said nothing. There was silence.

"Now, Kankuro."

"Now? We're going now?"

"There are only three caves they could have reached, even if they were ninja. It won't take long to inspect them all. So yes, Kankuro, we're going now."


Hideki observed her, his anger temporarily spent. He had even let Kazuo and Seiji take a turn using her for target practice. Her body was now littered with kunai and shuriken, so much of her blood on the floor that he was sure at any moment she would pass out. He had yet to quench his thirst for revenge, and so he only hoped she wouldn't die yet.

Emi was flitting in and out of consciousness. Her subconscious created a separate world, a world where she was happy, loved, and—She awoke from this separate world with a start, the pain flooding back with reality, with the image of the Fifth Kazekage still freshly in her mind. Why was she thinking of him now, of all times? Why did her mind choose to add him? She let out another sigh.

So when she heard his voice, she believed it to be another trick of her mind.

"Kitamura…who did this to you?"

"Go away," she whispered. "I deserve this."


Gaara heard her whispered words and frowned, before turning his look of pure hatred to the three men holding her captive.

"What have you done to Kitamura?" he asked, voice dangerously low.

Hideki laughed harshly. "Kitamura?" repeated the other man. "So you've actually succeeded in fooling them, Chieri? And here I thought you were a poor actress."

"Hand her over." Three Sand shinobi, including Kankuro, appeared behind Gaara.

"I take it you don't know who she really is," sneered Hideki, "or you wouldn't be so quick to come to her rescue. This girl is a liar and a murderer."

Gaara said nothing.

"She murdered my sister and even her own brother. She knows she is unworthy to walk this life any longer—she came with us willingly."

Gaara's sand began to stir, his anger spurring it on, and that was when Emi opened her eyes.

"Gaara."

Her voice wrapped melodiously around his name. His given name—not his title, not 'Kazekage-sama'—his name. Only the second time she'd ever spoken it, his surprise caused his attention to deviate from the three ninja.

"Don't kill him. He did nothing wrong."

He heard her words, but his mind stuck on the weak way she was speaking and the vast injuries that covered her body.

"Look at yourself, Kitamura," he snapped.

"I see myself. I don't care. He's right to do this to me. I killed her and nothing can bring her back to him. Nothing can bring him peace."

Before he could respond, Kazuo rashly stepped forward and said, "I don't know about you, Hideki, but I think we could take them."

He immediately went to strike at Gaara, but the Kazekage pulled sand from outside the mouth of the cave and the beefy male ninja was swallowed by it in a matter of moments. Seiji, calm as ever, simply walked up to one of the Sand ninja behind Gaara and said, "I'd rather not be killed over your revenge plan, Hideki. I surrender."

"I'm not going to rot in a Sand village jail while this murderer roams free," Hideki hissed, unwilling.

Gaara gave him a predatory glare. "You are rogues from the Village Hidden in the Mist, aren't you?"

"Maybe," scoffed Hideki. "So?"

"You will not rot in a Sand village jail. I will hand the two of you over to the Mizukage, to punish as she sees fit. The crime of a rogue is not my responsibility." His eyes narrowed severely. "However, for the crime of kidnapping and torturing a resident of my village, I will decide punishment, and I assure you it is a harsh one."

Hideki resumed his confident grin, pulling a kunai from Emi's body with which to arm himself and relishing in her slight whimper of pain. "What punishment will that be?"

Gaara's sand slithered up Hideki's body as the young man suddenly realized the danger he was in. The sand formed thickly around each of Hideki's arms, and as Gaara lifted his hand, Hideki's eyes went wide with sudden fear.

Gaara's fist clenched, ripping a pained scream from Hideki, who fell to the ground with his arms horribly crushed by the sand. "That."

Gaara nodded at the other Sand ninja behind him, who strode forward and lifted Hideki up by his throat. The two Sand jonin vanished with their prisoners, while Kankuro watched Gaara kneel by the injured girl.

"Kitamura," he said. "I didn't kill him."

"I know." She looked up at him, blood dripping over her eyelid from a particularly nasty slice across her forehead.

"You didn't deserve this."

A laugh gently shook her body. "In all fairness, you don't know me."

Then she passed out, and Gaara lifted her bridal style before quickly heading back to the village. She was in urgent need of medical care.


A/N: alright, i'm gonna say this again: review! thank youu.