Merideth-kun: Hi. I'm M-chan's beta reader. You have Train and myself to thank for this chappie *finally* being published. M-chan has been negligent in her duties as an author (don't tell her I said that). She has had this chapter and the next two written for ages, but every time I asked her when I was going to get it to beta, she always complained on not being allowed on the computer or something like that. Not to mention she blew this fic off for another one for school. Train has been trying since the holidays to get M-chan to work on this fic, but she just hasn't gotten around to it. So, Train came to me for help, as I am the only one who can get her to work against her will.

Train: *nods head wisely* Yes, but you still had to steal the rough copy and type it up yourself.

M-kun: Not important, and if you tell her I have it, I'll use this. *holds up giant wooden mallet*

Train: *looking over M-kun's shoulder* Oh, don't worry, I won't. I think she already knows.

M-kun: She's behind me isn't she?

Train: *grinning happily* Yep!!

M-kun: *turning around and hiding the mallet* MEEP! H--hi? I was just telling your loyal viewers how hard you worked on this chapter...and they should be grateful it came out this soon?

M-chan: *rolling her eyes* Right. Just get on with the message.

M-kun: K. R&R people! PLEASE! *whispers* and don't tell her what I said, k?? *runs away*

Train: *laughing in the background* Priceless!

*~*~*~*~*~*

"..."- Talking

\...\- Setsuna thinking

\\...\\- Sasuke thinking

{...}- Sakura thinking

{{...}}- Kakashi thinking

/.../- Voice in Setsuna's head

//...//- Voice in Sasuke's head

(...)- Voice in Sakura's head

((...))- Voice in Kakashi's head

*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 10

Kakashi stared at the now awake boy. "But...That...This is impossible!!! Unless Naruto was, but he wasn't. She-! AUGH!!!" Kakashi began hitting his head on the wall. Sasuke sweat dropped.

"Kakashi calm down! Can you explain what's going on?"

Kakashi looked at his student, and then sweat dropped himself. This would be confusing for Sasuke, and what the boy didn't need was him attempting to make a hole in the wall. Kakashi sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're lucky Setsuna isn't here."

"Who?"

"Setsuna, your roommate."

"No, Naruto's my roommate."

Kakashi stared into space before speaking again. "Sasuke...I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Kakashi shook his head and sighed once more. "You are really lucky Setsuna isn't here. Really lucky. Just sleep right now, I'll show you in the morning."

Sasuke grumbled, but did as he was told. Kakashi left the boy's room and closed the door behind him. He walked into Setsuna's room and flopped on the bed. "Naruto...Where are you?"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ino, Kari, Sakura, Tenten and Izumi were sleeping on the floor in their sleeping bags. Setsuna and Temari were sharing the bed because there was no more room on the floor. Temari took up most of it and Setsuna was curled up in a ball.

She turned in her sleep, blond locks split across the pillow and onto the bed. She unconsciously bit her lip as she slept, the blood falling onto the formally white bed sheets. The door opened and one of Temari's brothers walked in. Gaara. He had heard whimpers coming from the room for a while now, even over the sound of the rain. Freezing rain. He was going to kill whoever it was that was making all the noise. Well, move them to the balcony at least, they'd get pneumonia anyway. Unless it was Setsuna.

It *was* Setsuna. Gaara turned to leave, but hesitated. She looked like she was having a nightmare or something, and he wasn't exactly sure of what he should do. She decided for him by taking one of his arms prisoner. He was stuck. Sighing, he gently moved Setsuna over. He got into bed beside her, his captive arm draped over her. He slipped his free hand beneath her and laced his fingers together. If he was going to be stuck here, he might as well be comfortable.

All the while, Setsuna dreamed.

[Dream]

16-year old Naruto walked into the marketplace. His blond hair had recently become streaked with red, the only indication of the demon that supposedly lived within him. He sighed as the older villagers glared at him. Most of the adults who knew about the Kyubi had grudgingly accepted him. He stretched before pulling out the grocery list Sasuke had written up last night.

When he was walking down an aisle, looking for that sauce Sasuke liked, he overheard a pair of girls talking in the next aisle.

"Are you crazy Hinata? You and Gaara are dating?" It was Sakura.

"It's a long-distance relationship Sakura. You know that they don't last..." Hinata trailed off and Naruto smiled to himself. It had taken Gaara the better part of three years to admit he liked Hinata. Naruto had beaten him up a few times. What Sakura didn't know was that Gaara and Hinata had been dating for the past 6 months. Naruto was glad the two of them were finally happy: Hinata wasn't so nervous and shy, and Gaara was actually smiling (and not killing people). He frowned suddenly. Was Hinata saying that Gaara was a passing phase? It would probably cause the red-head to go back to killing.

"But...?" It was a new voice that spoke.

"...But I think that I've fallen for him..."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

The unknown voice ignored Sakura. "So you should follow your heart. Not your head and what other people tell you." A pause. "Especially Sakura."

"WHAT?" That was Sakura. Again.

The girls walked around the corner. Sakura, Hinata and...Ino? Sakura smiled when she saw Naruto, Hinata waved and Ino blushed. Nani?

Naruto smiled. Not the fox smile that had been his trademark, but one of his genuine smiles that had been getting out since he and Sasuke had been living together.

"Hello Naruto-kun."

"Hi Sakura-chan, Hina-chan, Ino-chan."

"Oh! Arigatou, Ino-chan."

Hinata's hand flew to her mouth and she turned to Ino.

Ino blinked and smiled shyly. "Doitashimashite (A/N: Your Welcome) Hinata."

Naruto tilted his head. Ino seemed to be more like the old Hinata. "You were talking about Gaara-chan, right? I heard you guys."

Hinata suddenly blushed furiously. Sakura blanched. "Naruto, are you crazy? Gaara'll kill you if he hears-!"

[End of Dream]

Setsuna's eyes opened slowly. The first thing she saw was Temari's face a few inches from her own. She guessed Temari had rolled over in her sleep, but Temari's back was against the wall. Setsuna's knees were drawn up and her toes were brushing against Temari's legs. There was a buffer between her stomach and knees, an arm. Was it Temari's? No, the arm came from behind her. She stretched her legs and yawned.

"Nnnn..."

A head burrowed into her back and the arm, rather arms, tightened around her.

\Can't breathe...\

Setsuna tried to pry loose the arms, but couldn't. She tried to see who it was that had her stuck like this and managed to end up facing...

"Gaara?!"

The red haired boy was sleeping next to her, his head now resting on her stomach. This would not be a good position to be seen in. And if Sasuke ever found out.Setsuna didn't want to think about it.

"Gaara?" Setsuna poked the boy, but it made him squirm and tighten his grip on her. "Gaara wake up! Come on! Please don't do this to me Gaara. Wake up!" She hissed into his ear. No response. "Damn it Gaara, WAKE THE FUCK UP!" She jabbed at him in between the ribs.

There was the sound of sheets moving and the next thing she knew she was on her back, staring up at Gaara. One of his hands was around her neck and the other was supporting him. He blinked several times. "Setsuna?"

The girl smiled. "You're awake."

"Yeah, so?"

"Gaara, get yourself off of me."

"Huh? Oh..."

Gaara blushed as he moved to let Setsuna up. She tilted her head as she looked at him. "Bad dream?"

"It'll pass."

"What was it about?

"Gaara!"

"Well--"

"Hmm?"

"Maybe we should talk in the kitchen..."

"Why?"

"Do you want to be called a pervert?"

"No, not especially..."

"Come on then."

"Coming..."

The blond tiptoed through the room, Gaara following. Once they were out, she sighed. "Safe."

Neither noticed the Setsuna look alike who was watching the blond girl on her lord's orders. The spy ground her teeth. Who was this girl that now commanded her lord's attention? She'd kill her, this pitiful reincarnation of the Kyubi, if not for her orders. Once she recovered from her injuries (from her fall out of the tree) she'd return and her lord could finally undo this jutsu that kept her looking like her target.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Kakashi sighed as he turned over. Trying to sleep at this hour was useless. He needed to find Naruto, who could be halfway around the world by tomorrow morning. Well maybe not that far, but the boy could disappear for months on end if he wanted to. Kakashi sighed once more as he rolled out of bed. Damn it, he couldn't sleep right now.

The former ANBU nin walked out of his absent student's room to see Haku and Zabuza walk out of the kitchen. Both were able to see their friend's agitation.

"Kakashi, what's wrong?"

"It's Sasuke..."

Haku looked panicked. "What about Sasuke? Has his heart stopped? Has his fever worsened? Has--"

"He's awake."

"He--he--he--He what?!"

"He's awake."

Zabuza looked at Kakashi, confused. "From what isn't being said, does this mean that the blond boy's alive?"

"Yes."

"But didn't Setsuna say he wasn't reincarnated?"

"Yes."

"So, she was wrong?"

"She just didn't have all the facts I guess."

At this, Haku hesitated. "Well..."

Kakashi looked at Haku. "What is it?"

"Umm...Well...I--I think she may be protecting someone. The Kyubi probably."

"Don't worry my little snowflake."

Haku nodded and bit his lip before continuing. "Setsuna came in after one of her fights with Sasuke after she, Iruka and Itachi came back. She asked me if it was good to keep a secret from someone. I told her that it depended on the secret, whether or not it could hurt someone. Then she asked if it was a life-or-death situation and this secret could help someone, but everyone might hate you for it. It continued on for about an hour and she asked me about different situations each time."

Kakashi looked thoughtful. "so you think she knows who the Kyubi is reincarnated as." He shrugged. "We'll ask her when she gets back from Temari's."

"Okay. So...What are we going to do with Sasuke?"

"What am I going to do, you mean. Sasuke's going to over-react if he sees either of you. Haku, you'll be at the hospital ward." Haku nodded. "Zabuza, you shadow Setsuna. I'll take Sasuke to the memorial tomorrow."

"Do you think it's safe to take him there?"

"He'll find out eventually. We're lucky we have time to tell him now."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Setsuna sipped the cup of cocoa she had made and glanced up at Gaara. The red-haired boy blushed when he felt Setsuna's eyes on him. He had told, in few details, what he had been dreaming of last night. He tentatively took a sip from the steaming cup Setsuna had placed in front of him.

"I dunno Gaara...You're sure that's what happened in your dream?"

"Yes."

Setsuna sighed. "Well, write it down somewhere. We really should be sleeping instead of talking. Temari will kill me if I fall asleep in the middle of the day, and I have no idea what you should do. It's probably nothing."

Gaara sighed. "I hope you're right."

He left Setsuna sitting there with a cooling cup of cocoa. Her face flushed. She bit her lip and stared into the liquid as her stomach twisted and then untwisted itself. She hadn't been feeling well for a few days now, ever since Sasuke fell unconscious, but they didn't have anything to do with each other.

...Did they?

*~*~*~*~*~*

M-kun: *pokes head into room* Is she gone? Is it safe?

Train: Yep! *sneaks look behind door and giggles*

M-kun: *whew* Did ya guys like it?? Please let me...um, us...um, M-chan know, k?? R&R?? Please??

M-chan: *jumps out from behind door* BOO!

M-kun: EEP! *faints, falling on top of M-chan*

Train: *laughing and brandishing new camera* Perfect! Blackmail material!

M-chan: *pushing M-kun off* TRAIN!!! *Pulls out not-so-velvet-covered- mallet.* Give me that camera!

Train: Eppp!

M-chan: DIIIIIIE!!!

*All but poor M-kun run off*

For those who got confused...

M-kun= Merideth-kun; the beta-reader (thankies for typing the chappies up for me M-kun ^_^)

M-chan= Mokusatsu-kun, the author