A/N: I'm sooo sorry, guys! I just got... lost? with this chapter...? I had a horrible case of writer's block, and nothing seemed to want to fit together the way I wanted it to. And on a heavier note, I can see this story ending in the next couple of chapters... Oh, the agony... Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my story and I really appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"You... are me..?" Tsumiko said to herself. "What do you-"

"If you want to get specific, I am the you you formally were."

"Formally?"

"Mm. Before that bastard erased our memories."

Tsumiko was looking from the shadow to her hands and back again. The alter before her had only three floating orbs, five set into the stone. "I am almost there," she told herself.

The shadow followed her gaze. "So you are. You've been admirable in your efforts. But that does not change that we are still late."

"What is the Time of Encounter?"

"That... would be better left unsaid," it said, looking away and out toward the meadow. The air around it became nervous, scared even.

"Why will you not tell me?"

"It's just not something you need to worry about for right now, 'kay?"

Reluctantly, Tsumiko gave a small nod and let the topic drop.

"What is... going to happen now?"

"Hm? I will tell you what's going to happen now. You are going to wake up, now that that bastard is a good long ways away, you are going to go find that Naruto kid and you are going to help revive Gaara."

"Gaara!" her heart nearly stopped when she remembered that state he was in. "H-He is okay?"

"Well... No... But there is a way to save! Or... so I believe..."

"If there is even the slightest hope that... that he can be saved, I want to believe in that hope."

"You got guts, kid. I like that. But the way you are now, there's no way that you'll be bale to stand up to the foes that stand before you," the shadow was blunt.

"Ah- Then... What will I do?"

"You mean, 'What will we do', hm?"

"Oh-" A feeling warmed Tsumiko, causing her to smile. She looked at it with such shock, it laughed.

"That look... I want to see it again sometime, mm? But for now, we have things to do. Now that I have been remotely unsealed, from here I can assist you in battle. So don't resist if I take over, 'kay?"

She nodded. "Mmhm," she nodded, bowing. "Thank you."

"Of course, dear."

Tsumiko shot up, still against the tree trunk. in the forest. Looking around, it was almost dusk. Looking down, there was a gaping hole in the midsection of her shirt where Kento's lighting ball had hit her, showing a majority of her stomach.

-ear me? Tsumiko. Can you hear me? the voice of the shadow called out to her.

"Mm? Y-yeah."

Good. I'm sensing him some way north of here.

Tsumiko jumped to her feet. "Gaara..." Taking a couple steps forward she stopped. "Um... Wh-what way is north..?"

Left. Go left... Tsumiko could hear the disappointment in its voice.

"Okay!" there was a sheepish grin on her face as she dashed off to the left.

Along the way, the voice of the shadow led her along and out of the forest. She found herself in a field filled with people surrounding something. He's there. Though tears fell from her eyes, her feet moved as quick as she could make them.

"Gaara!" she cried, worming her way through the crowd of both Leaf and Sand . In the center, sure enough, Gaara was laid out in the grass. Over him, Lady Chiyo and Naruto were bent over him. Temari and Kankuro were standing over them, and at the sound of her voice, quickly looked to see her making her way toward them.

"Tsumiko!" Temari quickly embraced her. "Oh my god! I was so worried." Tsumiko looked over Temari's shoulder at Gaara.

Place your hands over theirs. The shadow's voice beckoned.

"Mm," she nodded and escaped Temari's hold. Sitting beside Naruto, she looked up to Chiyo.

"It's not enough," she was sweating, breathing heavy.

"Then let me help," Tsumiko said softly, gently placing her hands over-top Naruto's.

He just looked at her with surprise. And justly so, being that her appearance wasn't exactly composed. "What happened?" he asked.

"I will tell you later," her strong tone hid the fear in her heart. Watching Gaara's face for any sign of life, she kept a strong appearance despite the tears that flowed freely. She could feel her energy draining as her chakra poured into Gaara.

"Tsumiko," Kankuro said doubtfully. "What happened."

Without looking away from her task, she said, "A lot has happened. But I will tell you when it feels right to do so."

He's almost there. Hold on just a little longer, mm.

And within a few second's time, Gaara's eyes slowly opened.

"Oh thank goodness!" Tsumiko couldn't hold it in any longer, her shoulders shaking violently as she broke down and cried. He didn't even get to sit up for more than a second before he was knocked down again, Tsumiko wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I was so scared..."

In a moment of confusion, he just lay there and blinked, letting her sob into his shoulder. When he finally grasped the situation he slowly returned the hug, gripping her tightly. After struggling to sit up with Tsumiko still on him, he buried his face into her nape.

"You did it again, scaring me," he whispered into her ear.

"I guess that makes us even this time around," she said, leaning back to take a good look at him. The setting sun played in his eyes and the smile he wore only made that light even brighter.

The crowd began to cheer, chanting something or another. Beside them, Naruto thumbed his nose and gave that wide trademarked grin of his.

The old lady...

Tsumiko gasped slightly, a mix between the sudden interruption and remembering Lady Chiyo. On the ground, she laid motionless. "She gave her life for you..."

Gaara followed her gaze. He didn't say anything, but looked on in a sorrowful manner. Tsumiko got off his lap when he made a motion to retrieve her.

The next day, Tsumiko, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari were seeing off their friends from the Leaf. It was almost noon, but the sky was abnormally overcast, almost as though the desert felt their pain and sadness and gave them relief. The small funeral that was held for Chiyo was short and saddened.

Tsumiko was waving goodbye to Naruto and the others with her hand high above her head. They slowly disappeared into the haze that the desert created around them.

"Tsumiko..?" a gentle voice called out to her from behind.

She turned to look Gaara in the eye, bringing her arm down to her side. Temari and Kankuro were standing on either side of him. "Hm?"

"Let's go back. There's some things we need to talk about," his voice was unnervingly calm and it made Tsumiko's heart jump at the sound.

"O-Okay..." she said with a slight nod.

Back at the house, they were all sat in the living room, looking at one another. Finally, Gaara broke the silence. "We've uncovered some secrets about the alter in your dreams." Mouth slightly agape, Tsumiko quickly looked from him, to the other two, and back to him, fidgeting in her seat. "I already told them everything."

"Tsumiko, why didn't you tell us?" Temari's hurt voice stung like a knife in Tsumiko's chest.

"I-I.. I was just.." she looked to the floor, not able to find the words.

"Tsumi, you're like family to us," Kankuro sat with his hood removed, a habit of late, and leaned with his elbows on his knees. "You're problems are our problems."

"I..."

Don't falter now, Tsumiko.

"I thank you, really. But there is not much that you will be able to do-"

"Wrong," his voice cut in. "There is something we can do."

Tsumiko was drawing a blank. Thinking as hard as she could, there was no possible actions they could take to help her. Unless...

"And what, heavens forbid, do you intend to do to help us?"

They all blinked at Tsumiko, who immediately slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide open. That scared me... she thought to herself.

My apologies. But I want to know what they found out.

I understand. Setting her hands neatly in her lap, she looked to the three of them that sat around her. "What is it that you found out?"

Gaara crossed his arms and looked at her. "That alter in your dreams is a means of locking things way. It became a forbidden jutsu sometime within the last century. Before then, it was used by long dead civilizations in temples and the such to seal demons, devils, anything the sealer wanted - even gods..."

Tsumiko could feel a torrent of emotion flood through her. Gods..? she could heard the shadow whisper.

"It was designed," Gaara continued. "...to erase from the mind all memory of what was being sealed and kill it over time. But just as when jinjuuriki die and the tailed-beast dies, it will die. But if whatever was sealed inside of you dies first, you will too."

She just stared at him, a hand firmly planted on the core of her stomach. (This is where she believed the shadow was housed in.) "But then... how does that explain my... my..."

"Your coming back all those times?" She nodded. "No one knows. The seal would kill whoever before they got too far into the research. Sometimes the subject would die from the sealing itself, let alone survive until all the last death. All they know is that it draws upon the life force of the thing being sealed."

I'm a 'she', thank you. Not a 'thing'. I'm definitely not a 'thing'.

Tsumiko gave a half-hearted grin, looking to the floor off to the side. "The shadow says it is a 'she'."

Temari blinked at her in surprise. "Does it- she- she actually talk to you?"

She nodded, "Mmhm. After what Kento did in the forest, I-"

"Kento? You mean in the ocean, right?" Kankuro was getting confuse.

Tsumiko slowly shook her head, shifting her gaze to her hands in her lap once again. "He paid off the Akatsuki to kidnap me, tipping them if they didn't hurt me."

"Was he trying to convince you to run away with him or something..?" it was Kankuro's turn to lean back and cross his arms.

Again, she shook her head. "No. He wanted to kill me with his own hands. And he did."

Gaara's eyes shot to her. "What happened?" his voice was low and angry.

"H-He cornered me in the forest," she held up her hands and looked at them. "In his palm was a ball of light and sparked and sounded like morning birds."

"Could it have been Hatake's Chidori, you think?" Temari asked outloud.

"Chi...dori..?" Tsumiko tipped her head to the side.

"It's also called the Lightning Blade or One Thousand Birds," Temari said. Tsumiko nodded.

"What number does that make?" Gaara ramdomly asked?

The others gave him an odd look before she answered with, "Five. No... Six...?" It is five. Tsumiko nodded. "Yes, five."

"Five what?" Kankuro said.

"Five deaths," Tsumiko said with a wide smile.

Temari jerked forward. "What!?"

"You say that with such glee, Tsumi," Kankuro sighed, dropping his head.

She quickly went to defend herself. "I-I just. It is just that I only have three seals left until the alter is complete!"

"Tsumiko," Gaara said.

"Hm?"

"Does the shadow know what she is or why she was sealed within you?"

Tsumiko waited for the answer. "She says that her memory is... something like a puzzle. It is pretty choppy in some places and she only remembers parts of others. She says that the more of the seal that is released, the more she remembers. Oh! Hold on..."

Tsumiko closed her eyes, an expression more cute than serious on her face. When she opened them, crimson orbs were staring back at them, a light smirk touching her lips. Kankuro jumped to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"YOU!"

"Me? So it is. I am sorry for the sudden interruption, but I feel as though this would be a more convenient way of communicate." Gaara opened his mouth to say something. "Do not worry. The child is safe and sound." When he gave an approving nod, she continued. "When you first retrieved Tsumiko from the tank, that is when the clock started ticking. My outburst when we first met was my trying to recollect who and what I am. And for that, I apologize. I've been doing my best to make this whole situation as comfortable as possible. But of course, nothing comes for free."

"What do you mean?"

"For every comfort a give her, the clock's time shortens. Luckily for this scenario, as horrid as this sound, she's been dying rather quickly."

"How much time is left?"

"We have until the Time of Encounter."

"When is that?"

"The Time of Encounter is a prophesied event from long before the Child's time, during the heydays of the Twilight Kingdom. I do not quiet remember what this event was supposed to be or when, exactly, but it has been confirmed that she is the one to carry it out. And if memory serves me justice, then she is the only one to have made it this far in the sealing process."

"So wait..." Kankuro was pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of all of it. "What happens when the seal is broken. Are you released or something?"

"Well. Yes and no. Yes, in the case that my abilities will return entirely and I'll be able to do everything in with a sense of normalcy , and no in the sense that I won't be 'released'. One thing they didn't tell you is that once the seal has been set, there is no true separation of host and what's sealed within them."

Gaara sat staring at the floor. "Do you know who did this?"

"Of course! That damn basterd, Kento! He's been the bane of our existence since the very start. He put us in the tank, openly admitted to erasing both our memories, and then continued to purposely kill us - a second time!"

"Wait. He- in the ocean, he- I thought that-"

"It wasn't an accident, was it?" Temari said after clamping a hand over Kankuro's mouth.

Tsumiko shook her head, "That it was not."

"Do you know where to find him?" the tone of Gaara's voice was so deadly it could make anyone shiver.

"But if course, good sir," a dark grin played her lips.