Naruto
Naruto rubbed his sore ear and glared at Sakura as they walked down the steps and out onto the street. They-- Rock Lee, Neji, Tenten, and Sakura-- had accidentally walked in on something. Who knows what? Naruto could feel the tension and emotion rolling out of that room though, so he knew it was something.
Lee was staring at Naruto. Then he spoke. "You honestly have no idea what was happening back there?"
Naruto glanced over his shoulder at him. "I'm pretty clueless in that department. I think Sakura made that very clear."
Sakura made a hmph! in agreement. Lee scurried forward so he was in line with the pair. His cheeks were slightly pink as he spoke. "I think Sumara likes Gaara."
"WHAT?!" Naruto exclaimed, falling over in the process.
Everyone just ignored him and kept walking. He caught up with them quickly. "What about Gaara? Do you think he actually has feelings for that Dreamer girl?"
Tenten and Sakura exchanged an exasperated look and Neji kept quiet. The two girls were absolutely sure of what they had seen back there. No doubt about it, Gaara was beginning to have feelings for another way beyond friendship. It was amazing, truly, that he had grown so much in the last few years.
Temari
Temari bolted past the Leaf ninja, running as fast as she could. She had a feeling deep in her stomach that she wouldn't make it.
As she had been on her way down the hall away from Gaara's room, she had found a window. She looked out of it to see if Sumara was still in sight. The glass cracked. That was not a good sign.
Naruto
"Huh?" Naruto watched as Temari bolted past them. The wind whipped the group as they stopped to stare.
"Something's not right," Neji said.
They unfroze and began to run and catch up with Temari.
Naruto felt it, the calling of a demon somewhere out there. What was going on? Everything was getting turned upside down. First, he can't buy his ramen, and now Gaara has feelings for Sumara! What next? Is Sakura suddenly going to fall in love with him. Well that, he admitted to himself, would be just fine.
When they caught up to Temari, she was standing in the middle of a crater. Her head was bowed.
"I'm too late," she whispered.
Tenten stepped forward. "What do you mean?"
Temari did not look up. "The beast was after Sumara."
Neji was standing in the far back, scanning the area with his Beyakugan; no one noticed.
"Why?" Sakura asked.
This time, Temari did look up. "Because she is precious to my brother." Her voice came out in a harsh whisper.
Now it was official. Lee could not help but grin. This is a good thing for Gaara. But at the moment, it is the worst thing possible, he thought.
Naruto balled his hand into a fist. "Well then, we're going to find her."
Neji spoke. "I found where the beast is."
The air around them shifted and suddenly Kankuro and Gaara were standing among them. Everyone but Temari was taken aback by their sudden arrival. Temari knew they would not be far behind.
Kankuro turned to her, his face expressionless. "Well?" he asked.
She just shook her head.
Gaara stared at the ground. "Neji, which way?"
"South."
Then Gaara took off running to try and save Sumara.
Sumara
I awoke hearing the soft humming of a woman. My eyes fluttered open to see about thirteen people chained together beside me. I found the source of the humming to be a young woman with a small girl in her lap. The woman gently ran her fingers through the girl's hair, humming a song that had long been forgotten by most I knew. It was the Song of Peace, one that was sung long ago at funerals to make sure the dead would find peace.
I gently pushed myself into a sitting position. I found that my hands were cuffed together as were my ankles. There was a chain running through each set of cuffs and shackles, connecting each precious one to another. I glanced to my left. There was one more set of cuffs and shackles remaining. One more to die.
My back rested against a cold wall. We were obviously in some sort of cave, where we were, I did not know. I glanced to my right to see a frail old man with a dirty face and rags for clothes sitting next to me. He was shaking horribly and I could see his bones through his skin. This man looked as if he had been here for a long time.
"Who are you precious to?" I asked him.
He glanced at me slowly, his brown eyes wide with shock. "You speak to me?"
I nodded. "Yes, I do."
His voice came out in a harsh whisper. "We must not speak, for it will hear us."
"Please." I rested my hand on his exposed foot. "Who are you precious to?"
His head began to quiver. "My wife, Mira. We have been together for over fifty years."
"How long have you been here?"
"A week, at least. It feels like I have known nothing but the inside of this cave."
"My name is Sumara. I come from the Village Hidden in the Dreams."
"Pazu, they call me Pazu. I was a potter in the Sand Village."
My response was a slight nod and I turned my eyes forward. I could sense time slipping away as Death drew closer. I had always prepared myself to die in battle, protecting someone with my life. Never like this. I had never imagined myself being killed in a way so similar to my family.
"Who are you precious to?" he asked.
I was caught off guard by that. Now he wants to talk? Go figure.
I glanced over at him with only my eyes. "The truth is, I don't know. There is this one person, but I cannot be sure."
"Is it a boy?"
I felt my cheeks warm. "Close, but more like the Kazekage, I think."
I saw Pazu gasp and hang is head. "He is a great man. He once was a monster, you know."
I smiled to myself. "Yes, I know."
"PUT ME DOWN!!! AAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU MONSTER!! NO, I'M NOT GOING TO DIE!! PUT ME DOW--" then nothing. Obviously the fourteenth and final precious one had been retrieved.
"This is it, we're all going to die!" cried a small boy, roughly the age of my brother at the time of his death.
"Shut up!" I snarled at him. He immediately backed down.
"We're not going to die," I whispered severely to those twelve people shackled to me.
A petite blond girl was dropped on the ground next to me. The shackles leapt up, suddenly animated, and attached themselves to her. Okay, I had to admit, that was pretty damn cool.
The beast clapped and I was suddenly sent into a deep slumber. What happened after that I wasn't sure. When I awoke, I knew that only a few minutes had passed. All the precious ones were tied in a circle with a new set of chains. Several pieces of wood filled the center of this circle.
"Fire Style: Forbidden Fire Jutsu!" roared Ukaza as he lit the fire.
Just then, Gaara came flying through the door, well, not literally. Close behind were the Leaf ninja along with his two older siblings. They had come to rescue me! The fire climbed closer though, and I could not tell what was going on. I inhaled a great deal of smoke, I could feel the fire licking at my skin and I held in my screams. Please, Gaara. Please don't let me die like this!
Author's note: I have to say that the name for the Village Hidden in the Dreams was not my original idea. I am in that village in the Naruto Forum, and I felt like I should say that. Everything else in here is completely original, except, of course, the Naruto characters themselves. The Dream Watcher thing was my idea, so please don't think I took that _Thanks for reading! But, it's not over yet, just to let you know :D
