Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters or places. I only own the characters from Earth/our world. Even then, they are based on actual friends of mine.

Author's Note: I've had a lot of luck in getting headway this week. Two chapters written already! Woot! You can guess what that means . . . an early chapter! Yay for mid-week updates! Yeah, I've written both of Kaitlyn's chapters for this cycle, so I'm giving you one today and then one Sunday. Yatta! You all are probably going to be upset with me for how this one ends, but just be thankful I'm not sticking to the regular schedule. That would mean you'd have to wait a whole week to get the next chapter instead of half of one. But, yeah, I'm liking this chapter anyway -- some slight fluff -- some drama -- Kaitlyn complaining non-stop about sand. It's all good. haha. Well, I hope you all enjoy it, and have a great rest of the week. See you again Sunday -- same time -- same place. Enjoy!

Chapter 53: Kidnapped

KAITLYN

I officially hate sand. I know we're in the desert, but come on! Does there really have to be so much of it? It's getting everywhere -- my hair, my clothes, my shoes -- and it hurts! Not to mention the fact that it's so freaking hot and bright out here! I was decked out when we left with a hat, tinted goggles to protect my eyes from the sun and sand, and this weird cloak thing that looks like it'd be stifling but is actually surprisingly comfortable. But despite all this "protective gear" I'm absolutely miserable.

Well, maybe not totally miserable. I mean, I am getting to spend some time with Gaara. I just wish I could enjoy that time more instead of shuffling along behind them over dune after dune of sand. Couldn't they come up with a better way of traveling across this cursed desert other than walking? Sheesh.

So, now here I am with hot sand in my shoes, sweat nearly pouring off of me, lips as dry as the air around me, and a foul mood to cap it all off. Because of that last part, Kankuro's been keeping his distance from me. At least that's a plus.

Someone presses a water canteen into my hands and I lift my head to meet Gaara's cool gaze. "You need to stay hydrated," he says softly. "Drink."

I nod numbly, licking my chapped lips before croaking a soft "thanks" and lifting the canteen to my lips. Before I can get a good full drink, though, his hands once more take the object away and his smooth voice scolds me gently. "Don't gulp it. You'll make yourself sick. Take small sips." The canteen is placed once more in my grip.

Obediently, I do as he says, sipping the water slowly and enjoying the feel of the cold liquid as is trickles down my throat. I guess it brings a touch of relief in this torturous heat, but not much. I want some freaking shade! I think I can hear my skin -- what little is exposed -- sizzling! That cannot be a good sign.

My hands are itching to take out one -- or both -- of my personal fans Temari gave me for training. The last time I did that, though, I got into trouble after accidentally putting some chakra into one of my motions. Baki was not happy with me, which is all I really need right now. He already hates my guts. What else can go wrong?

Gah! I'm going to die out here. I just know it. All I want right now is enough water to go for a swim. That would feel absolutely wonderful. Quite frankly, I'd be happy with an umbrella and a place to sit down. But with all this hot sand, that'd be absolute torture at the moment. I'd burn my butt off! Literally! Aaaaah, I'm going to die.

Laughing softly, Temari stops ahead of me and waits for me to catch up. "You're not going to die, imouto," she says almost fondly. "There should be an oasis town here soon. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, okay?" She pats me on the back, nudging me onward. "Let's go."

I grumble half-heartedly under my breath and keep trudging slowly through the sand. This was a horrible idea. Why did I ever suggest it again? Oh! That's right! To spend some quality time with Gaara, but am I really? No. I can barely talk without croaking thanks to my dry throat. I'm probably burned to a crisp in odd patterns thanks to the clothing choice. On top of that, he's way up there and I'm way back here, slow for once since discovering my amazing speed. Right now, I just don't have the energy to pull that off.

I know exactly what Sam would probably say if she knew about that. Oh, no. The apocalypse is coming. Kaitlyn is out of energy! What are we going to do? The world is going to eeeeend! Then Katie would probably proceed to start screaming and running in circles, waving her hands frantically over her head.

What's weird is I can almost see it now. I stop and stare off across the desert. Yeah. There they are. Katie and Sam running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I smirk softly then break into a fit of giggles.

Kankuro stops and looks back. "Great. She's lost it. The heat's finally gone to her head."

"Kaitlyn?" Temari calls tentatively. "Are you alright?"

I shake my head, still giggling to myself as I turn to scale the next dune. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Then why are you shaking your head?" Kankuro asks dryly. Haha. Dryly. Get it? We're in the desert. Heehee.

"Because I -- whoa!" My comeback is cut short when the sand beneath my feet shifts and I lose my footing. Crying out in surprise and alarm, I start to tumble back down the dune, vaguely aware of one of the small Sand ANBU guard rushing to catch me.

He -- or she . . . I can never tell with those masks and formless cloaks -- never makes it, though. Instead, my fall suddenly stops short for no apparent reason. Well, no apparent reason until I look down, that is. The sand has shifted again, except this time it's into the shape of a large hand. I've landed on its upturned palm.

I look blankly from the sand-hand to the top of the dune where Gaara stands with his own hand outstretched toward me. He blinks slowly before flicking his wrist. The sand lifts me up and deposits me gently on my feet next to him. "Are you alright?" he asks softly.

I swallow and smile over at him, though my face is mostly hidden by this veil thing, so he can't see it. "Yeah, thanks."

Gaara nods to me before turning. "We're here. Watch your step on the way down."

Looking to where he motions, I give a sigh of relief. There, at the base of this high mound of sand, a village sprawls out across the desert, centered around a rather impressive lake. Tall palm-ish trees and short palm-ish bushes can be seen throughout the village. I know that's not what they're called, but I don't really know their names, so I'll stick with that. The important thing, though, is the fact that they're the first green plants I've seen in what feels like forever. Well, maybe not. There were potted plants back in the Kazekage's building, but that's not the same as seeing them growing freely out in the open air.

Out on the horizon, there's a thicker line of green -- the forest that borders the Wind Country. It looks so close and a thought comes to me. As I make my way down the dune, I call out to Gaara. "Hey, Gaara! Do you think we could keep going in this direction -- maybe go on to the Leaf Village or something?"

Baki snorts as he passes me, moving much more smoothly on the shifting sand. Stupid desert dweller. Wait. Gaara's a desert dweller too. Not all of them are stupid. Just a select few -- like Baki . . . and maybe Kankuro. Actually, I doubt Baki's stupid at all, just mean. Gosh, I can't think straight in this heat.

"It would be rude and disrespectful to just drop in on the Hokage like that," Baki growls in annoyance, barely even looking at me as he scoffs at my idea. "So the answer is no."

I frown, mumbling under my breath, "Fine, then. Spoil my fun. See if I care."

Gaara glances back at me. "Maybe another time," he says faintly before continuing toward the village.

My mood brightens a bit at that, giving me the last burst of energy I need to hobble the rest of the way down the steep slope and into town. For some strange reason, even though I'm near the front of our little travelling party when we start the descent, once we actually get to our destination, I'm back in the rear. Ninja can be so frustrating sometimes. They make everything look so easy.

Colorful lengths of fabric stretch between the stone buildings, casting the streets we walk down in glorious shadows. I continue to nurse on the water canteen, which is getting dangerously close to being empty. Nope. Scratch that. It's gone now. Not a drop left, and I'm still thirsty. Grrr. Have I said how much I hate the desert? The only good thing about it is the fact that Gaara lives here. That's the only thing going for it.

Well, that and the fact that you can see all the stars at night. The sky's so clear and beautiful -- if incredibly cold. I still don't get how one place can be so blazing hot during the day and so freezing cold at night. The extremes alone are enough to kill me. That's it. I've decided. The desert hates me, and I definitely share the feeling. I want to go somewhere moist, wet, and moderately cool. That would be absolutely wonderful.

To think I used to complain about how it rains so much back home. Now I really miss that.

The first pang of homesickness strikes me violently as Gaara -- and thus the rest of us -- stop to talk to someone important-looking. I can't believe I really haven't thought about this very much -- if at all -- since I got here. I've been so caught up with being around Gaara that I totally forgot how incredibly far away from home I am. Will I ever see it again? To be honest, I don't really mind being rid of my annoying little brother, but still . . . it's home. I miss it.

Well, apparently, this guy Gaara's talking to is the mayor or something of the sort. They've started talking all politically now, which seems to fascinate everyone except me. Well, Kankuro's probably bored out of his mind, but he's definitely not showing it. Temari's smiling pleasantly, which probably means she's in the same boat and is imagining ways to shut the droning man up.

She told me a few days ago about that habit. When she gets really bored with all the political nonsense she has to go through, she distracts herself by thinking up creative ways to hurt, maim, or otherwise kill whatever politician is annoying her. That's kind of creepy in a way, but still pretty cool. I guess it's the ninja version of imagining everyone in their underwear when you have to make a speech or something.

As for me, I'm not a ninja -- yet -- so I don't have the whole self-control to keep up the appearance of interest in what the man's saying. It's not like anyone notices me anyway here in the back of them all. I'm not all that tall, anyway, so I guess I'm easily forgotten when I'm quiet -- which rarely happens, but right now I'm too exhausted to make any noise.

And somewhere Katie and Sam start screaming about the apocalypse again. I really need to stop thinking about that. If I start giggling again, that might cause some problems.

Anyway, though the whole "Kaitlyn is now invisible to the world" thing can be bad at times, right now it's dead useful, especially since I catch a glimpse of the lake down a side alley. Now that I've seen it, I can't stand still. I'm hot, sweaty, tired, and thirsty. Right there is a wonderfully cool-looking lake just pleading for me to jump in. After casting a glance at everyone else, I gather what energy I have left and sneak quickly down the alleyway.

I manage to resist the urge to just jump in. Instead, I stop at the edge and just stare lovingly at the water for a moment before kneeling down and plunging my hands in it. Oh, wow, that's great. I sit down and pull off my sandals, sticking my feet into the cool water. Amazing. I'm feeling better already.

Leaning forward, I pull off my hood, veil, and tinted goggles and splash some of the water on my face. The soft breeze that has been ever-present during our journey miraculously turns from warm and annoying to cool and refreshing on my face. It must be the water. As I repeat the action and sigh happily, someone clears their throat behind me.

"Would you happen to be Kaitlyn?" a male voice asks.

Shielding my eyes from the sun, I twist and look up through squinting eyes. "Yeah that's me." As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them.

Though the black cloak of the man grinning down at me lacks red and white clouds, I immediately recognize the slicked-back silver hair and piercing violet eyes. The three-bladed scythe hanging on his back is unmistakable as well. I whimper softly, "Hidan."

His grin widens. "Bingo."

I draw in a deep breath to scream, but before any sound escapes my lips, something wraps firmly around my lower face. Eyes widening, I lift my hands to pull at the black threads now gagging me and keeping me from calling for help. My heart starts hammering in my chest. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!

Even as I shift to rise and make a last-ditch effort to escape, a strong arm loops around my middle and I find myself slung over someone's shoulder -- Kakuzu no doubt. As the world starts rushing past me in a blur, it takes my mind a moment to catch up and process what exactly is happening. When it does, my heart stops.

I'm being kidnapped by Akatsuki.