Chapter Nineteen: Konohagakure no Sato

The fire gave off a yellowish light around the area. Temari was finishing up a bowl of tanukijiru Gaara had prepared. Gaara had already finished his share of food, and Kankurou was asleep.

"Aaa-aa..." Sphinx weakly cried out. Both Temari's and Gaara's eyes shifted over to her. Tears, lightly yellow from the firelight, streamed down the sides of her face, as she took short, raspy, breaths. Gaara, who was sitting right next to Sphinx, wiped away her tears, and kissed her forehead lightly.

"She's gotten worse... She can't even remain awake for more than two minutes at once at this point." Temari began as she set her bowl down on the ground next to her.

"I know... Within two days, she's gotten so bad."

"We will be in Konoha tomorrow. We will need to wake up early."

"I know. I plan to get you up and leave with or without you."

"Just be careful with Sphinx. You can't move her body around too quickly, and you can't unwrap her from those furs. If you do that at this point she will die within minutes. She's already dieing. She's hanging on by her final thread Gaara. You'd better hope the Hokage will be able to find a cure in time."

"I know! You don't need to remind me." Gaara growled out a bit, Temari then shut up.

"Go to sleep. I'm leaving at day break tomorrow, and I want you two to clean up and meet me in Konoha." Gaara said while he caressed Sphinx's cheek gently. Temari nodded to Gaara and immediately got into her sleeping bag.

As Temari was falling asleep, Sphinx weakly cried out again in her sleep. Gaara looked down at Sphinx with sorrow in his eyes. Sphinx slowly opened her eyes halfway and looked at Gaara. He then reached over and got some warm broth from the soup into his bowl. Without any words, he lifted up Sphinx's head slightly and poured the broth slowly into her mouth. Luckily Sphinx remained awake and gulped it down, but passed back out almost immediately afterwards.

Gaara sighed in relief, since it had been the first time in days he was able to get some type of nutrition down her throaght. Gaara looked up into the night sky, watching the sliver of light that was the moon. All night he watched it, unable to sleep. He watched the moon slowly crawl across the sky, and the sky change as it got brighter. And as soon as the first ray of sunlight hit the sky and earth, Gaara was up on his feet and carefully bounded the furs together to pick Sphinx up. As soon as he had her in his arm he glanced at his still sleeping siblings and took off into the trees towards Konoha.

As he darted off, carefully balancing Sphinx in his arms to keep from moving her too much, he felt movement in the furs. Gaara glanced down to see Sphinx's dull yellow eyes open, looking up at him.

"G-... Gaara-kun..." She managed to get passed her pale lips, only to be silence by Gaara.

"Shh. Don't speak, you need to save the last bit of your strength." He said to her a little above a whipser as he stopped moving, landing on a large tree branch. Sphinx, still awake, moved a little, getting her arm out of the furs. Gaara too a quick breath, about to stop Sphinx and push her arm back into the furs, but then saw her trembling hand point to the right. Gaara's eyes shifted from Sphinx to where she was pointing. He focused a bit then easily sensed the presence of another ninja. Gaara took up a defensive position, hugging Sphinx close to his body she put her arm back into the furs and tried desperately to regain her breath.

"Come out I know you are there. I don't mean any harm." Gaara called out in that direction. There was a rustle of leaves in one of the shorter trees, then a flash of a yellowish color. Gaara's eyes were easily able to follow the movement and he immediately recognized the person as a Konoha ninja he knew personally.

"Chikushou. I was found out already." A familiar, annoying voice called out shortly before showing himself. A boy with blonde, spikey hair, blue eyes, and whisker like marks on his cheeks appeared. It was Naruto. Exactly who Gaara thought it was.

"Chikush- Gaara?" Naruto continued in disbelief as he jumped over closer.

"What are you doing here? And where are your siblings?" Gaara didn't answer as his gaze shifted down to Sphinx once more. Who was amazingly still somewhat awake. Looking at Naruto with her dull eyes. Naruto looked at her, seeing sweat on her face, and her pale face, even he knew she wasn't well. Sphinx coughed weakly a few times and immediately passed back out.

"Who is she?" Naruto tried asking.

"I will explain later. I need you to take me to Konoha to see the Hokage."

"I see. Well ok. Come on." Naruto sad before taking off, Gaara following closely behind him. It wasn't long before they came to the gates of Konoha. And it did take them less time than Gaara had originally planned. Naruto called up to the ninja watching the gates, and one of the doors opened just enough. They both walked in, Gaara slightly adjusting Sphinx in his arms.

"Let's put her in one of the hospitals first." Naruto said.

"It will be easier on her." Gaara looked down at Sphinx, who was having a hard time breathing. He nodded to Naruto, and they took off again through the streets as fast as they could. Luckily since Konoha wasn't too big of a village they were able to find a good hospital near the Hokage's office.

Immediately the nurses had taken Sphinx, putting her in an empty room, attaching her to a heart rate monitor, as well as attaching an oxygen mask to her face and putting a needle in her wrist to put some type of fluids into her body. Sphinx slept throughout the entire time. As soon as Gaara was sure Sphinx was well watched over, and Naruto was able to get him to leave Sphinx's side, they set off to find the Hokage.

In the hospital, after the doctor had seen Sphinx and her condition, she ordered a nurse to be in there at all times to watch. Sphinx's heart rate was slow and irregular, but the oxygen and fluids seemed to help her out a bit, and her heart rate was a tad more stable than it had been before.

Back with Gaara, Naruto was able to get him into see the Hokage.

"Tsunade. I have a ninja from Suna to see you. It's very important and neither of us will take 'I'm busy' for an answer." Naruto said as he barged into Tsudane's office, Gaara still following. Tsunade looked up from a notebook she had been writing in and the other various books and papers on her desk, a rather bored look on her face as she played with the pen between her fingers.

"What is it?" Tsunade said at first sounding a bit agitated as she looked up with her eyes, laying them on Gaara, she sat up and leaned back in her chair. Gaara stepped forward.

"I'm here because I have a favor to ask. I have brought a fellow ninja with me, and she is sick, and dieing."

"Ok."

"Please! You need to cure her."

"Where does she come from?"

"She is an Ame ninja."

"She's not a Konoha ninja. Really she doesn't belong here."

"But she's dieing! Please! I beg for your help!" Gaara yelled, now obviously being angered by Tsunade's lack of caring.