You all probably thought you weren't going to get a chapter this week because I didn't post yesterday. I was taking the FTCE test yesterday and that is pretty much an all day affair. Add to that the fact that I didn't finish the chapter earlier this week and we have a day late to post. Oh well at least I posted, it's the thought that counts right?

Here Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee

"Here Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee." I called out as I ran, following the trail of the retrieval mission. This usually works. Wait when does this work? Hmm, I suppose never. I usually have to be searching while calling. Oh well. "Here Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee."

Why must I go on this mission? I wanted to sleep not go on the retrieval mission. I wanted no part in this mission, the council agreed. They said I could sleep. Well they didn't really give me permission to sleep but they told me not to join the retrieval mission.

There a whole lot of sand over there, maybe Lee is over there? A sand box could have exploded. I hope some little kid wasn't playing in it at the time. Was Lee playing in the sandbox when it exploded? Why would Lee play in the sand? You'd think that Lee would have avoided the sand due to his last experience with sand.

"Here Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee." I yelled once more but this time as I was running across the sand. I kept my bloodline activated so that I would know if he was hiding under a rock or not. Why he would be under a rock I don't know, you'd have to ask him that.

"Nami-chan?" I heard Lee shout out from the magical floating sand. You'd think I would have been able to figure out that Lee, or someone, was up there. It never even occurred to me to look up there.

"Found you." I muttered to myself as I ran. I was about to reach the magical floating sand when a hand suddenly came out of the sand underneath me. I quickly jumped back as a body followed the hand.

"Nami-chan be careful he uses his bones as weapons." Lee told me shouting down from the sand.

"Zombie." I said pointing to the white haired boy.

"I am not a zombie."

"Are you sure?" I questioned eying his bones protruding from everywhere and his ruined clothes. Yeah he looks like a zombie to me.

"Positive. You must be Taki Nami." he said.

"Wow, you know my name just from me calling you a zombie?"

"Orochimaru-sama mentioned that you were different, and he said Nami-chan." he said pointing up at Lee.

"Oh, it was much more fun when I thought you knew because I called you a zombie." I admitted.

"I will be unable to continue our match," he said looking up at the magical sand cloud, "If I bring her with me Orochimaru-sama will be happy. The Uchiha should have had enough time to get away anyway."

"When did I agree to go with you, zombie?" I questioned tilting my head in confusion.

"I am Kimimaro." he finally introduced himself.

"I have no desire to join Orochimaru." I informed him bluntly.

"Then I will have to fight you and drag you there."

"Hold on a minute." I told him jumping up onto the sand cloud.

"Nami-chan." Lee whined to me.

"Bad Lee disappearing." I scolded him while handing him his medicine.

"You brought me my medicine."

"Yup. They had to make a mission for delivering it. Hello Gaara." I greeted looking at the other occupant of the cloud who was standing there just staring.

"Nami-chan..."

"You just sit right there, or do you want to damage your leg again and be unable to be a ninja?" I questioned pushing him back down when he tried to get up.

"Are you done?" Kimimaro questioned probably annoyed because of how long I was taking.

"Yea, oh and Gaara feel free to send your sand after him if you feel like it." I said before I waved to Gaara and jumped back down to fight Kimimaro.

Kimimaro extended his arm out and pointed his fingers at me, rude, causing pieces of his bones to shoot out. I quickly got into a defensive stance so that I could dodge the projectiles but it turns out that I didn't have to. Gaara used his sand to protect me from the attack.

"Thanks Gaara." I said quickly before Kimimaro ran towards me dodging sand here and there. I began dodging him once he got close enough to hit me with his bone sword. While I was frantically dodging I managed to get a small bottle of water out of my pouch. I quickly used it to halt the sword, by wrapping the water around it and pausing it's movements, while I used the chance to kick him in the chest sending him, but not his sword, flying. Once he was far enough away from me the sand started attacking him again. I used this chance to regain my breath and to stare at Kimimaro.

"Orochimaru-sama never mentioned that you have control over your bloodline." Kimimaro said to me while he stood some distance away. Gaara had apparently become tired because he only used his sand when Kimimaro came a certain distance towards me.

"You blood looks weird." I commented on the thing that had been bothering me since he came out of the ground as a zombie.

"How so?"

"It looks corrupted, kind of black instead of the blue that most people's blood looks like or the vivid red that people with bloodlines blood looks like to me with my bloodline activated and focusing on finding blood." I explained.

"That is probably due to my illness." Kimimaro explained.

"Well you don't have much more time."

"How so?"

"The black is spreading even as we speak."

"Then I must hurry and return to Orochimau-sama with you."

"I don't think you will make it." I said watching in fascination as the red was swallowed by yet more black. I had never seen a person with an illness before due to me keeping my bloodline at bay usually.

"Pity." Kimimaro said before instead of attacking me he jumped up to attack Gaara. I quickly sent the water that I had brought with me towards Kimimaro. The water slammed into him right before he would have reached Gaara. Kimimaro fell to the sand and started coughing up blood then stopped due to the fact that he was dead. I jumped up to where Lee and Gaara were as Gaara slowly lowered the sand down.

"Is he really dead?" Lee questioned looking at Kimimaro's body.

"Yes. The black took over his blood so if he moves now he is definitely a zombie." I explained staring at him to see if he would become a true zombie.

"Oh." Lee said then I hit him in the back of the head while Gaara watched both of us interact.

"Idiot. Why did you come out here when you are injured and could make your wounds worse." I scolded him shaking my head in his direction for good measure.

"I'm sorry, Nimi-chan." Lee said sadly as he sat on the ground because he used his legs too much right after a surgery. I decided to sit down between him and Gaara.

"I forgive you." I told Lee before I looked over at Gaara who seemed to be struggling not to pass out. "You can pass out. The healer ninja people will be here soon."

"Thanks." Gaara said simply before he allowed himself to pass out. His passed out and fell directly onto me causing me to fall into Lee. I quickly moved Gaara a bit so that I could sit up but sometime during the fall he grabbed onto my waist so I couldn't move him even after I got up.

"I never said anything about being your human pillow." I whined down to the passed out Gaara who was using my lap as a pillow.

"Hahaha." Lee laughed at my predicament.

"Keep laughing and next time I fall over into you I will stay there until help comes." I threatened causing Lee to blush and look away from me. Wait that threat dosn't sound that bad on his part does it? "Although I suppose you'd rather Sakura fall into you."

"..." Lee said doing a very good Hinata after talking to Naruto impression.

"I win." I said while grinning.

Preview from the next chapter: Promises

"I found the suna ninja." I told Tsunade as she visited us in the hospital.

"I can see that." Tsunade said trying not to laugh at my predicament as I sat on a hospital bed with a hot red head holding my waiste.

"I wonder if I have a camera." Shizune wondered looking like she was using all of her will power not to say 'aw' really loud.