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Chapter Thirty-Five:

There used to be a real me, but I had it surgically removed. - Peter Sellers

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Sunday 1/12/18, 6:45

Okay, so I got out and realized Dei had been telling the truth that time. I was still in Suna. It had been about three in the morning. So I've been hiding out in a bus shelter for a long while. I guess the whole bus-shelter thing decided it, I mean, I couldn't walk to the Kazekage's Offices. So I just decided I'd take public transport. How anti-climatic, so the hostage makes a desperate escape by walking out the door and catching the bus back home.

Sooo… here I am. On a bus. At almost seven in the morning. Not really a dramatic escape, but y'know, an escape none-the-less. Even if I did have help from Itachi. Not because he wanted me gone, either. Just because, well, I couldn't stay, could I? I had to go. For both our sakes, I had to go.

That kiss... it had been an accident. On both our parts. We'd let it go beyond lust, and into something neither of us could cope of deal with. He had a career in being a non-law-abiding person, and I had a fiancée, who I love a lot.

So he'd let me go. He was stronger then me, if I were him, I couldn't have done it. But I guess, if I were him, I wouldn't be me. So I would have done it.

I don't know. But either way I had to leave, otherwise we both would have been in trouble. Big trouble.

So this bus trip is pretty weird, I keep jumping every time it stops, hiding under the window incase I see Sasori or Bubbles out the window. Dear lord, if I saw Bubbles out there, and he spotted me, I think I would have zero scalp left by the time I got back to my cage. And less then zero legs left. Negative legs. God knows how that would work out, but Bubbles'd do it.

I hear the busdrivers scratchy voice call to me from up the front. "Where you headed, miss?"

"How close can you get to the Kazekage's Offices?"

"Not very… But I'll drop you off at a bus stop where you can switch. Another bus'll take you there."

"Thank you!" I call to him, and return to my sorry state of thought. Despite the large amount of trouble I am in, there is a little itch of excitement to see my Gaara again. I should have come home earlier, to tell the truth.

One moment, switching bus.

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Few moments later

Okay. So Mr. Bus driver of this bus says that it's about an hour and fifteen minutes to the Kazekage's offices, and the third-last stop.

I had seven stops to go.

Six.

Five.

Four.

I'm going insane.

Three.

Ahhh, screw this. I'll just wait.

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Seventh Stop

Okay, so he didn't take me all the way, he just dropped me in the city, but I knew my way easily to the Kazekage's Offices by then, and there was enough people out and about by now that I knew, even if Kisame and the gang were watching me, they wouldn't dare an attack.

So, with that, I walked quite leisurely back to where Gaara would be, I couldn't really contain the butterflies in my tummy, and I grinned excitedly like a crazy woman as I walked.

As soon as I stepped in the door I grinned at everybody in there, they gave me a strange look, and slight-grimaced-slight-smiled back, and I approached Sanako's desk.

"Goodmorning! Can I see Gaara, please?" I ask happily.

"Visit-," she started.

My happy mood vanished. "You tell me to come back in visiting hours and I swear I'll scream so loud he'll hear me all the way up on the nineteen billionth floor and come down to see me all by himself," I said threateningly.

Her head snapped up, and she looked shocked. "Miss. Takaski?"

I nod. "Sorano, and seriousssss-," I was cut off as she pressed a button, said something into a small speaker, and less then two minutes later the room was flooded by people.

So many inspections, so many tests. Blood checks, body checks. I wasn't stoned, or drugged or (besides my stitches) hurt too much, or carrying a bomb or anything else dangerous. It all happened to quickly, I didn't even really have time to carry on about somebody sticking a needle in my arm.

"Ow," I complain after he took it out and walked away without another word. A person with a clipboard approached me and then asked me many questions.

"Where are you?"

"Uhh… Right now, I am in the Kazekage's offices," I say with some hesitation.

"How do you feel?"

"A bit violated, people keep touching me, and I think somebody just lifted up the back of my shirt and- that tickles!" I laughed.

"Where were you yesterday?"

"I don't really know, well, I was still in Suna."

"Who were you with?"

Oh dear. Umm.

"Not quite sure. One of them was blue, though," I added the last bit, seeing as I don't really care if Kisame is executed.

The questions continued until I got fed up with the stupid, obvious boring questions and snapped at the man to go get Gaara or I'd go right back outside and find my captors and tell them to take me back.

And then he came down, and the smile that lit up my face was possibly the happiest anybody could ever smile, ever. I'd forgotten the way my heart went a little more then crazy when I saw him, and the way I could feel my pulse beating away at a faster-then-healthy rate. The way I felt so alive, and the way more then anything, I just wanted to touch him and kiss him and tell him I loved him.

And people kind of parted when he walked straight through the crowd, a happy look hidden behind a scowl. My smile broadened.

"Gaara!" and I leap out of the crazy people's grasp and leap on him instead.

He nodded for the others to leave, and dragged me back through the crowd, as soon as we had the privacy of the elevator, he pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine.

He kissed my lips, and then my forehead and then my cheeks and my nose and my neck and shoulders, and then back to my lips, which were all too eager.

But after a while, he sat me on the back of the couch and looked at me, I knew an interrogation session was happening.

I groan. "Serious!? Can't this wait until after sex?!"

He chucked, then was serious. "I need to know everything."

"Yeahhh… but it isn't the same when we both still have our clothes on…," I whined.

Sighing, I dragged him closer and kissed him. "Fiine," I paused. "But, you need to promise to not make accusations."

He glared into the distance, I knew very well that if he caught any of them it'd take all his self control not to break their necks himself. "I can't really promise much at the moment."

"Don't be shocked, but it actually wasn't that bad." I tell him seriously.

"You're kidding me." He looked slightly angry. I think he probably wanted to hear that they were horrible and mistreated me to the max. "Sorano, you walk back in here happy, relaxed as if you'd come home from a fucking holiday! You were kidnapped by some of the worlds most wanted criminals!"

"I knew we should have talked about this after sex…," I muttered to myself, and then sighed again. "Okay, so they were really friendly criminals… well, most of them. Actually, no only half of them. Most of them were quite cruel. But I can be cruel too, so it was okay."

"Sorano, you're version of cruel compared to theirs is like dropping a pin compared to dropping a piano."

"Oh, no, I can be plenty cruel! If I had of had a really big sword I could have cut certain people's legs off, too." I paused. "I mean, Kisame really did have a good excuse to want to cut my legs off. I did call him Bubbles, and then make way to many fish jokes when he gave me fishfingers that one time…," I trailed off.

Gaara looked like he could have broken something. Mainly my neck. "Sorano," he growled.

"I know, I know, but eventually I did get bored with being stuck in a room and the lack of showers… so I did get out eventually."

"What? You just strolled out when you felt like it?" he said, half angry, half amazed.

"Well, basically." With a little help.

"You're insane, Sorano."

"If I wasn't, I'd be dead by now." I tell him seriously.

He dropped his head onto my shoulder and moaned slightly. "I have no idea what to do with you, sometimes," he said.

"If it makes you feel better, they didn't feed me nearly enough. I think I lost weight, which isn't good for my growth."

"What growth?" he moaned, head still resting on my shoulder.

I scowl at him. "Shh. You just wait, one day I'll be the tallest here."

He lifted his head up to face me. "You just wait until I find those bastards," Ahh… there it was. He really would kill them. I sigh, yeah, Gaara is pretty much terrifying when he is this angry, but I loved him too much to ever be scared. "I sw-,"

"I know, you'll cut their legs off, yeah?" DAMNIT! I hate Deidara.

He sighed, obviously wishing I would just say what he wanted to hear. He surveys me again. "You cut your own hair?" He observed.

I sighed, too. "I know, I know, but Bubbles kept nearly pulling my scalp off for really stupid little things, like fish jokes." I pause. "So I cut it myself, so he wouldn't grab my poor pony-tale." I touch my badly cut hair protectively. "It's easier to care for, at least."

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, and touched the side that was slightly longer then the other, and then his hand moved upwards to run along the scar I'd earned myself, his slight-smile dissolved.

"I hate to kill you're killing mood," I told him. "But I did that. I threw myself at the corner-table."

"So that's where the blood came from," he said dryly.

I grin sheepishly. "Yeah… but it'll heal up, hopefully."

He looked doubtful, but then shook his head. And looked me in the eyes. "I'm still going to rip their heads off if I see them," he vowed.

"Amen to that," I answered, rolling my eyes.

He throws me a look, and then scoops me of the couch swiftly, and kissed me roughly. I guess he knew he wasn't going to hear what he wanted to hear so he'd have leave to go out with a really big gun of some sort and shoot at blue people until he eventually hit the right one.

Hate to be a smurf right about now.

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Midday.

I slept for a while, seeing as I am quite out of my normal sleeping pattern, I'm used to sleeping late and then staying up to about two in the morning probably waiting for Itachi. Ahh… shitty shit shit. Must not think/mention Itachi.

When I woke up, Gaara wasn't there. I'd been sleeping for quite a few hours, since I arrived at about eight in the morning. I think I've driven Gaara nuts, he really, really wants to hear me say I was abused and starved (which I was), and beaten and the such. But a) if I did, he'd be even crazier, and b) only half of those things really happened.

I got up, and then practically dove into the shower. There I stayed for about an hour. I changed into clean clothes, and then made coffee. Dear lord, all those things were so amazingly nice. And now I am still very quite sleepy. Back to bed, for me.

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Two hours later

I ventured out into the open, and down the hall to go greet the kitchen staff and plead for food. They all seemed happy enough to see me, and gave me lunch without any complaints. I thanked them and went to curl up on the couch and watch whatever shitty sport was on.

About fifteen minutes later, Kankuro came in.

"Sorano!"

My head snapped up. "Kankuro! Aww! Good to see you, you haven't changed a bit, look at you! Have you lost weight? You look great!"

We both laugh, and he sits down, not even complaining about not getting the good chair. "So, how was captivity?"

"It wasn't so bad. There really wasn't much of a difference, except there I didn't get to shower as much… But there was room service!" I pause. "They weren't really friendly though." Well, half were, half weren't. One was way too friendly. "And one of them kept not feeding me. God knows why, he'd just walk down the stairs and then back up again." I scowl. "What assholes."

Kankuro laughed. "You don't really seem bothered by it all."

I shake my head. "It's driving Gaara crazy. I should be in a crying shocked mess. But how can I be when I just walked out and caught the bus here?"

"So what happened to your face?"

"Ohhh, that was actually my fault I think…" I grin sheepishly.

Kankuro sighed, exasperated. "Of course it would be." He frowned. 'It's a big one."

"Really?" I say, frowning back at him.

"Yeah… haven't you looked at yourself?"

"Nope, not really." I shrugged.

"Okay, then." Kankuro's higher-then-normal voice and raised eyebrow look made me too curious, I glared at him and went to find a bathroom.

Wow. I never really noticed. Or thought. The scar was big, I hoped it'd heal, but I had this weird feeling it wouldn't. It ran along the side of my face, vertical, from my eyebrow, down to my mid-cheek. The stitches looked as if they'd have to come out soon, too. The bruises I was pretty sure I had had faded, though. I glared at the scar. It pulled a bit of the end of my eyebrow down. Damnit, thanks for all that added attractiveness.

When I returned, Kankuro had stolen my chair. I gave him the glaring of a lifetime, and then sat on him. After seeing what I'd have to deal with for the next seventy years thanks to Kisame (not blaming Deidara, I don't really remember who did it, but I bet it was Kisame), I was in no mood to have my chair stolen.

"Wow. I never knew somebody's thighs could be so big I could sit on them without any trouble." And I crossed my legs, and leaned back. "Serious, Kankuro, you should think of becoming a donor, you could feed at least half of the starving kids in the Land-of-Waves with these babies." I pat his thighs appreciatively.

Kankuro called me something nasty, and then threw me off, I laughed. "It's good to be back, though."

Kankuro just grumbled something about his thighs being a normal width.

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HelloHello! Gald you're back, Acdcge!

THANKS EVERYBODY FOR THE REVEIWS! :D thankyouthankyouthankyou.

And guess what? I DON'T' HAVE TO SLEEP IN THE LAUNDRY ANYMORE! :D, btw, it worried me how many of you actually said you've slept in a laundry with a calf before, I kinda imagined I would be the nearly-only one subjected to that torture.

Oh well, you guys are weird too. Which is good. :)