DEADLINE

CHAPTER 25

Gaara knew what he was doing when he gave his kunai away, but that did not mitigate his disgust for Kankuro. Worse than giving his away by choice, he had actually lost it during battle. And to another team. Not just any team, either, but the one with the other Hyuga. Upon arriving at the sand-bricked tower at the end of the forest Gaara was met by Neji himself, who had been waiting inside the grand foyer alongside his bushy-browed teammate. When they locked eyes he grinned, and even flicked the Sand kunai in the air.

Kankuro and Temari were one stairwell up, waiting for him. Kankuro did not dare make an excuse when he saw his brother's glare. "What took you so long, Gaara?" Temari asked. She actually gave a sigh of relief when she saw him.

"What happened?" Gaara demanded. The question was directed at Kankuro.

"Look, the brat can see through clothes—what did you expect me to do?" Temari knocked him on the back of his head with the side of her fan.

"Idiot!" she barked. "What kind of excuse is that? It's no wonder you lost it! May I remind you that it was your idea to split up in the first place? And Gaara—" her tone softened, "where were you? We've been waiting over an hour. If you'd taken any longer we would have gone back into the forest to look for you."

"Unnecessary." He glared. "And you two weren't supposed to split up on the way to the tower. Why did you?" Temari clapped her mouth shut. The breath flattened out of her, but Kankuro stepped in front of his sister.

"Look, it was my idea. The two brats snuck up on us, so I volunteered to take them on while Temari went to claim our victory at the tower."

"The Konoha nin really are stupid soft," Gaara said, walking past them to the window. "They should have killed you." He remembered fighting the male Hyuga two months ago during the first test. At the time he had not been impressed, but maybe that's because he'd been too focused on the Uchiha. Kankuro was no slouch in battle, so for someone to actually overtake him…

"Well, it's no big deal," Temari said a little awkwardly. "It's only one team. We have the other kunai, so I wouldn't be surprised if they just cancelled the whole thing now."

"I do not have mine," Gaara said. Kankuro and Temari clashed voices, demanding to know what he was talking about.

"The Sand kunai. I donated it."

"What the hell does that mean?" Kankuro shouted. "Are you telling me you lost yours too?" He spun Gaara around by the shoulder, snatching his collar by the fist. "You have the nerve to come down on me when you lost your kunai too? What the hell!"

"Calm down, you idiot!" Temari tried to pull Kankuro off, but he elbowed her reaching hand away from him. She turned to Gaara with a little less hostility. "Gaara, explain simply. Did you say you gave your kunai away to someone? To who? Why?"

Gaara could feel his chakra beginning to stir. The hand clasped to his shoulder was feeding anger into him. "You have five seconds to release me before you go flying out the window," he said to Kankuro.

"You little punk! I'm your older brother. Answer the damn question!" Gaara didn't mince words. The cork popped off his gourd. Temari gasped and Kankuro immediately dropped his hand, stepping away hastily.

"Gaara, please!" Temari cried. "Do you know what you're doing? If you attack Kankuro here—"

"Shut up."

The sand awned over him in a tidal wave, eclipsing the floor and blocking the light from the window. Temari gravitated toward Kankuro, eyes shining with fear. She was afraid to intervene, but afraid not to. It was often like this, and had been ever since they were kids. Whenever trouble appeared it was always Temari and Kankuro, Temari and Kankuro… They were like leeches, always hanging off of each other. Gaara hated them both. His only siblings.

There came a loud clap from the doorway and they spun. It was a jonin glaring at them from over his mask. "That's enough," he said, stepping into the room. "Attacking other teams is one thing, Sabaku Gaara, but your own brother? Your somethin' else, boy. Knock it off or I'll have you all kicked from the tournament."

A sorry threat in Gaara's eyes. What did he care of this ridiculous pretense and its stupid pawns? His siblings, his sensei, his father . . . As the sand receded and he corked his gourd, he wondered just what it was that drove his hand. He had never been so tame before. Was it the curiosity? Day in and day out all he thought about was the Uchiha. The Uchiha and the girl. He had never been so obsessed with any person before—not after his uncle's death.

Yes, the curiosity was the monster now. The monster needed to be sated. Always, always . . . sated.

"Gaara, we talked with Baki-sensei," Temari said when the jonin left.

"He sure didn't like what we had to tell him," Kankuro added. "He'd come talk to you himself, but he's busy making plans with the . . . others." Gaara's face twisted into a glare, startling Temari.

"About what?"

"About the last team," answered Temari. "They haven't made it to the tower yet for whatever reason, so the jonins sent out a team to annihilate them. We can't do anything about the one that's already here, but—"

"An assassination squad for a trio of low level ninjas?"

"Just two assassins, but yeah," said Kankuro. "They want to make sure it gets done. All the pieces are in place already, so if the Kazekage wanted to initiate the plan now, he could. He'd rather not, but it's an option. No matter what happens you need to make sure not to wander off. You get me, little brother? I'm so damn sick and tired of getting in trouble because of you. I don't know what the hell you were thinking just giving our kunai away like that, but it can't be good. I'm sick of trying to figure what you got going on in that head of yours. Not that I really care—ow!"

Temari elbowed him fiercely in the ribs. She turned to Gaara saying, "Just try to follow orders from now on, okay? Father's assassination attempts are a thing of the past. He let everything go because you decided to cooperate us. You don't really want to go back on your word, do you?"

"Word?" At his stare Temari blanched. "When did I ever give my word? You have no idea how naïve you are, big sister; always the adult, always Father's voice. You think you can talk me into complacency by reciting facts that aren't even facts. You're no better than Kankuro."

"Gaara!" She spread her hands helplessly.

"Get away from me before I kill you both." He went to the window. He could judge time by the position of the sun. They had five hours left. If the assassins were anywhere near as pathetic as the ones sent to kill him, the Uchiha and the others could make that five hours. His condition was dangerous and unpredictable. If pushed too far, he would kill them. Maybe even turn on his teammates. If there was anything capable of setting them back, Gaara just realized, it was that.

"Hey Hinata-chan," Naruto whispered as they glided through the canopy. "Something's wrong with Sasuke, don't ya think?" Ever since they left camp her eyes had been on him. Naruto could be oblivious to a lot of things, but Sasuke was his teammate. He knew something was wrong.

Sasuke's silence was disturbing. Nothing Naruto did got a response from him—not even one of annoyance. Always he was in a state of intense meditation, and moved mechanically through the trees with only the bare amount of focus it took not to fly into one.

It was the mark. It was the nin he killed. It was Gaara. And surely, Hinata presumed, it was his brother. Though Sasuke never talked about Itachi, she knew his mind was rarely on anything else. She wished she knew what to say to calm him; to abate his anger or at least distract him, but she didn't. She had been through things, but he had been through more. So much more. They never talked about family, she and Sasuke, but should they have?

Was his mind only on the test now? He was efficient in dealing with the here and now, something that made him a fantastic warrior and a reassuring teammate, but the markings . . .

When he stopped suddenly, so did they. It was in the midst of a clearing, and over the rustling treetops the peak of the tower was visible. It was just big enough to block out the sun, which was now in the process of rolling toward the horizon. Sasuke stared out toward it without making an expression. Hinata asked him what was wrong. When he didn't answer, she scanned ahead herself and saw two jonin headed their way. At least they looked liked jonin. She informed Naruto, knowing that Sasuke was listening too. Even so, when he fell into battle stance she was more than a little alarmed.

"Where are they from?" Sasuke asked Hinata.

"I-I think they're from Sand. They don't have headbands, but their gear . . ."

"I believe you."

"Jonin from Sand?" Naruto asked in confusion. "What are they doing here? Did they come with that Sand weirdo and the others?" Sasuke didn't say anything. When they dropped down in front of them, each with their dusty colored masks and vests, it immediately became obvious that they were from Sand. Instead of relief, which is what Hinata had been hoping to feel, she felt dread.

"What's going on here?" Naruto said, smiling a bit awkwardly. He abruptly fell into panic. "Oh no, don't tell me we missed the deadline? But look! The sun's not—"

"Naruto," Sasuke said sternly.

"What?"

"You're an idiot." The Sand nin already had kunais in their hands before Naruto could make a retort. He was still confused by this, but Sasuke gave a snort. "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?"

"What the heck's going on here?" Naruto exclaimed.

"They're assassins," Sasuke said with a touch of real boredom. Hinata felt a bolt of fear rip through her. She had known something was wrong, but she never expected assassins.

"May I ask what for?" she said, holding a hand up to her chest. The assassins didn't respond.

"Did the snake send you?" Sasuke asked. The assassins looked at each other. Sasuke answered his own question. "Probably not. Way too practical a method of execution. I only deal with weirdo's, sorry to say. Now either you go, or you die."

"What the heck are you talking about, Sasuke?" Naruto cried. "We're not killing anyone! And who the heck are these guys?"

"You're from Sand, right?" Sasuke said. "Look, I don't have time for this. I've been through a couple of real shitty days. However the jonins anticipated this tournament, I'm going to finish it if it's the last thing I do."

Hinata saw the chakra in his body begin to twist and darken. A sickening horror took hold of her. 'No no no please . . .' They were so close. The tower was right there. She didn't want to fight anymore. She didn't want Sasuke to fight. Ever since last night she had been immensely desperate to get him back to his sensei. The fight with Zaku and Dosu had left her immeasurably wearied, and she didn't know how much longer she could do this. Running was not an option.

Naruto stepped in front of her. He stood an arm's length away from Sasuke, steeled shoulder to shoulder in preparation for a fight. "I don't need your help, dobe," Sasuke sneered.

"Don't think you're the only one who's had a couple of crappy days," he said with alarming fierceness. "I'm so done with this. I don't know what the heck's going on, but I'm going to finish this test if it kills me."

"Now that is admirable," said one of the assassins. There was a smirk in his voice. "It very well might be."

Gaara had to do a bit more work to escape from his siblings this time. A good thing they were idiots. Obedient dogs of their father, those two, and no real siblings of his. Not once had he ever considered them that way. Who did they think they were to get in his way again and again?

The Kazekage's fool ambitions would not interfere with his plans. Gaara's curiosity was every bit as potent as his desire to kill, and when others got in the way of either one, bad things happened. The Uchiha and Hyuga could not die. Not until his questions had been answered. And they would be.

"Where do you think you're going, little desert prince?" Gaara stopped under a tree and looked up into the yawning canopies overhead. No face appeared to him, but he felt as if he had heard this voice before.

"Who are you?" he asked without infliction. He was met with a wicked and hollow laughter.

"It doesn't really matter, does it? Gaara of the Sand."

"Were you sent by the Kazekage?"

"Now that is cruel of you. Wouldn't it be simpler to call him father?"

"Are you the one who attacked the Uchiha?"

"Attacked?" The intruder genuinely seemed insulted. "Not at all. I gave him a marvelous gift. You've seen it, haven't you?" If Gaara hadn't seen Sasuke's condition only yesterday, he'd have had no idea what he was talking about.

"And for what?" Gaara said, crossing his arms. "Convenient that you chose to dispense your gift during such a crucial time, isn't it? Do not take me for a fool." The voice laughed again. There was movement in the trees, the light rustling of leaves and creaking of branches. Gaara waited without moving until a figure appeared before him: ominous, white-faced, donned in light fabrics and heavy ropes. He had never seen this man before; if a man is truly what he was. Those eyes weren't of any human he'd ever met.

"I am curious," said the snake man. "You understand curiosity, don't you Desert Prince? Of course you do. Why else would you keep such close watch over the Uchiha? Much less allow them to live. You would do anything to sate that curiosity, wouldn't you? Fight for it. Kill for it. Yes, I understand . . ." The cork was off the gourd. Sand bloomed around them in ribbons, enveloping the branches and catching the trickles of sunlight slipping through the trees. "Interesting," slurred the snake. "Is this the Shukaku I've heard so much about?"

Gaara raised a brow. There were few people on the planet he could have possibly heard about the Shukaku from. "He's more of a celebrity than I thought, it seems . . ." The snake smirked. A long tongue lashed out to wet his thin lips.

"Well if he isn't, trust me. He will be."