A/N whoa.. got screwed over... lol awel at least this way i got to start a new chapter before i actually posted chapter 20 up... and maybe i'll have time to send these to the ever busy terri! Yay! Anyways... i'll stop blabbering and start.. read on!

Chapter 21 – o0o00o The Council!

The hideout was dark with not a soul in sight. S-Class criminals never felt the need to be up before nine in the morning, so most were still asleep, except for the one or two ninjas on guard. Itachi and Gaara were glad they wouldn't have to meet up with anyone else other than the council members.

As Gaara and Itachi neared the room, Itachi stopped and turned to Gaara who had stopped not long after.

"Let me do the talking. I think I've got everything worked out in my head." he muttered keeping his casual composure.

"Fine by me. The less I talk the better." Gaara responded, inwardly relieved that he wouldn't have to talk to people much. He had been talking too much for his liking lately. Maliko always seemed to have questions for him and if he didn't answer, she would surely do something to regret it. Therefore he'd become tired of talking and was glad to have someone else do the explaining.

They both continued walking and when they reached the door to the meeting room, Itachi did not hesitate in stepping in. Inside the room there was but one council member, who now pored over a large map and mission papers. Mamoru looked tired as he propped his elbow on the table and held his head in his hands.

Itachi and Gaara stopped in front of the table to wait for Mamoru's acknowledgment that they were there. It didn't take long.

"What is it you two want.." he asked, sounding tired and apathetic, his eyes still glued on the documents in front of him.

"We wish to take the Hyuuga girls out of the Akatsuki perimeters to train." stated Itachi, cutting right to the chase. This caused Mamoru to finally look up and survey them.

"And why would you want to do that?" he questioned, now showing interest.

"There has been to many obstacles and distractions here. We have not been able to train the girls yet, and Konoha is constantly being a problem." Itachi proclaimed.

Mamoru looked to be contemplating something. Propping both elbows on the table and entwining his fingers together, he was silent for a moment.

"Alright. Before we get to that." He looked to Gaara with a blank expression. "Why is it that Maliko is once again in your custody?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kisame came to me and simply said he could not handle someone so stubborn. He wished the task back on me, so I took her back." Gaara lied, keeping his composure. He had killed Kisame last night but he wasn't about to freely let that be known. It would make him seem like a traitor and therefore be harder for them to take the girls out. Maybe if they left this morning, no one would notice the blood soaked courtyard.

"Hm.. " Mamoru became silent again and looked down to the map on the table. Surveying the areas he came upon one spot and pointed a finger to it. "If you are to take them out of here, I still want them on Akatsuki land." He glanced up to see if the two men were listening. They nodded and he went back to talking.

"You will proceed to the Zetsumei Falls. It will provide cover and food and water will be easy to come by." Gaara and Itachi nodded and turned to walk out of the room. They were stopped as Mamoru ushered and order to them. "Also, while you're there. I would like you to venture up the river to the remains of Zetsumeigakure. I have heard that there are still scrolls there and I would like to see if that is true. Clear?"

"Hai.." Itachi said while gripping the door handle. They were signaled to go and they immediately left the room. The men walked down the hallway and proceeded back up the stairs to Itachi's room in silence.

When they reached Itachi's quarters they stepped in quietly after hearing a giggling from the next room. Gaara went to go get Maliko so they could go pack in his own quarters, but when he looked inside Itachi's bedroom he was interested to see Tazze giggling at a blushing Maliko. Wondering what they were talking about he decided to eavesdrop before letting himself be known.

"Maliko! What would mother think!" said Tazze in a hushed voice, holding her hand up to her mouth to try and stifle the giggling.

"It was just a blur of the moment kinda thing" whined Maliko, putting on a childish pout and trying to conceal her blushing with a blanket from the bed. By now Gaara was really confused. What in the world were those two retards talking about?! Gaara was all too eager to find out what could make Maliko so fidgety so he could use it against her.

"If the little game went on for that long I doubt it was a 'blur of the moment' type of thing." Tazze proclaimed waving her finger at Maliko.

"I-..It was n-nice either way.." Tazze gasped at this and clapped her hands over her mouth in horror.

"M-Maliko! I thought you were just playing games with Gaara! I never would of thought you liked him that much yet!" This quirked Gaara's attention to the max. Maliko had apparently told her sister about last night and their little 'game'. He could definitely use this seeing as he now knew that she enjoyed it and since he enjoyed it as well it would make it all the more fun to play with her. He went back to watching the two girls and their little chat.

The brown haired girl took her hands from her smirking mouth to playfully punch her sister in the arm. "I thought you would be more subtle Sister." Gaara was amused to see that Maliko blushed harder and buried her face into the blanket that she held. Deciding he had heard all he needed to he turned around and made his way to the door, but caught a questioning glance from Itachi before he was able to reach it. Gaara simply waved his hand, shooing the question as if it were of no importance, and opened the door only to slam it, hence, letting the girls know they were indeed back.

Tazze came bouncing out of the room looking a little bit.. too cheery and not far behind her was a sulking, pouting Maliko. Gaara smirked at her childish face and waved for her to follow him out the door.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly.

He turned his gaze upon her, but kept on walking. "We're going to pack."

"Pack for what?!" a hint of concern was heard in her voice. Obviously she was worried about them going somewhere without her sister.

"The four of us will be leaving to a place to train. There's too many distractions here." he stated rather bluntly. When they entered Gaara's quarters he handed her a pack and motioned for her to get whatever she needed or wanted to bring along with her. She ran around the room finding clothes, packing food, and getting other miscellaneous items in a shocking amount of time. Apparently she was a little too eager to leave the Akatsuki hideout.

Snatching up her staff and swinging the pack over her shoulder, she impatiently waited at the door for Gaara, and silently bidding farewell to his ratty couch. Oh how she loathed that thing.

Itachi and Tazze showed up almost at the same time as Gaara finished packing, and Maliko was perturbed to see her sister still smirking sheepishly. No words were exchanged between the four and they left the hideout and made their way south through the forests. Maliko broke the horrible silence that seemed like it was screaming in her ear.

"So... Where are we going?" It took a moment for the men to answer. They contemplated on whether they should tell them, but figured they would find out anyways.

"We'll be staying at Zetsumei Falls. But we have to go Zetsumeigakure to gather some scrolls." he kept his voice calm, sounding like it was no big deal. But to the girls it was a big deal. They hadn't seen their home for seven years and was almost scared to see it. Gaara noticed the girls tense as he walked behind them.

It was true that they had missed their home deeply, but the girls were very much afraid to see their destroyed village, vacant of any life. They knew that the Akatsuki had not destroyed the village, just merely killed all of its inhabitants. The girls also didn't need to worry about the empty village being plundered by thieves or the like because all were too scared to step foot inside the proximity of the Hidden Death. Maybe afraid of dark omens, ghosts, or possibly of survivors that guarded over it. Death nins were trained assassins and could easily kill a band of thieves with little to none effort.

The four traveled all day and long into the night before they reached their destination. Zetsumei Falls were located just below the village. The river ran beside Zetsumeigakure and down a large cliff to create a magnificent site. All around black rose bushes grew in heaps, reminding the girls of the last time they had played in similar bushes outside the Zetsumeikage tower before the Akatsuki had attacked.

Immediately the girls made their way behind the falls to a place they used to play with their best friend when they were just becoming ninjas. Itachi and Gaara followed the girls without a word, knowing that they knew the terrain around here. They were all able to slip into a fair sized cave behind the falls without becoming drenched with the water.

Throwing down their packs, the girls dropped to the floor and closed their eyes, tired from the long walk.

"So? What are we gonna do now?" said Maliko while putting her hands behind her head to act as a pillow. Gaara glared at her, but she didn't seem to notice since her eyes were closed.

"Well.. Since you to are so comfortable, Itachi and I will go and set the traps around here. Wouldn't want anyone stealing our women." retorted Gaara, crossing his arms across his chest, pleased when Maliko's eyes snapped open and blush roamed her cheeks. It was all too easy.

After looking from Gaara to Maliko with mild confusion, he shrugged and made his way back into the morning sun. Gaara merged not long after and they both went along to set up traps.

Inside the cave Tazze was having a grande ol' time giggling at her beet red sister.

"Cmon Maliko! You can't be that embarrassed!" Tazze nudged her sisters arm. "After all.. you did come onto him first.." Maliko presented her sister with a slap in the back of the head and turned so she was no longer facing her. The brunette giggled before laying back down, hoping to catch a little bit of rest before the men came back.

AN HAHAHAH TERRi!! did you notice the blur of the moment! Haha... this is an inside joke kinda.. we were in our comp net class and Terri said something was a blur of the moment.. and it was funny cus i was like... what are you talking about, its spur of the moment.. and she got into this big argument/discussion with me ahaha.. she actually thought is was blur of the moment.. -sigh- the good ol day... now that i type it out tho... its not really that funny... the memory is great either way.....

wow... i'm slow..... i'm trying to get terri 'all up ons' on this story.. but i donno.. i thinks shes getting angry with me..... do i ask her for help too much? Maybe.. possibly.. but u never know with her! Shes always saying omg!! i wanna edit, write chapters.. so on and so forth.. but then when i ask her to do it.. she just.... stops talking to me for a bit... odd.. awel, maybe i'll leave her alone ne?

So anyways i hope you guys liked the update, i'm getting much slower with these and i'm sorry!!!! its hard to write stories when i don't have a clue in my head wats going on! But i'm trying ! Yay!! REVIEW!!!!

Abayo

Malitia