It was getting colder the closer Hiroaki got to his destination. He tried not to think of his recent encounter with Aiko. He had really wanted to be rid of her. She was a huge distraction in his plan. For some reason she always had been. He recalled being in Suna and he rather enjoyed it when Gaara would send him away on missions. It gave him relief from her.

When he was in Suna, he found himself watching Aiko very closely. She never did seem to notice him. Even the night when the drunken man had attempted to attack her, he had been nearby. Gaara had gotten to her though before he did. It had been rather frustrating for him. Hiroaki had wanted to be the one to save her.

He had several ideas in mind as to how he might handle her at this point. Killing her was definitely one of those options. He considered just killing Gaara though, since he intended to anyways and then taking her after. Her devastation could make for an easier target.

As he walked he tried to shake her from his mind. He had decided it had been a mistake to ever kiss her because since then, it was much harder to keep her from infiltrating his thoughts. Killing her would have been much easier but he found that the idea was much more difficult for him to even put thought to. He wanted her to himself. It would be better if she was more willing.

It would two more days journey by foot to get to his destination. There, he would find his grandfather. He was the one surviving member of his family left. The old man being such a wanderer had actually managed to be what saved his life. Hiroaki hoped that he would be pleased to hear of the vengeance he had managed to take for them.

Hiroaki continued moving planning only to stop when necessary. Then he heard their voices. It was the Kazekage Gaara and Aiko. They were embracing and as their lips began to meet again he threw a kunai between them.

Gaara was defensive quickly and Aiko spotted him and said his name, surprised by his sudden presence. Hiroaki, irritated by seeing them together decided to try and taunt Gaara, mentioning the earlier kiss between Aiko and himself.

It wasn't long before their encounter would be interrupted and he would need to flee. He hoped his trip to see his grandfather would help him recover from Aiko's hold on him. He could not help but ache for her. It kept causing him to act irrationally at this point. The way Gaara so possessively defended her annoyed him as well. That look in his eyes, as if Gaara knew anything about his intentions.

One day soon though, he would kill Gaara as well. He could not allow these mass murderers to go free and he certainly would not allow Aiko to become entangled with one. He would free her and show her what a real hero was like.

Hiroaki stopped and slept in the woods for the times that he needed to. Beyond that, he stayed on track now. When he reached the small isolated village where his grandfather resided, he wasn't surprised that most people were tucked away in their homes. It was dark now, and very late. When Hiroaki went to open the door to his grandfathers small cottage, he was annoyed to see that he had left it unlocked. That was not unusual for the old man.

"Grandfather?" Hiroaki called as he entered the house. He heard the muttering of his grandfather in the next room and found him sitting in a rocking chair in front of a small fire.

"It is about time you paid me a visit boy." The man said to Hiroaki and motioned him over to him. "Well, where have you been? It has been a long while since you have been here."

Hiroaki knelt down by his grandfathers feet. "I have killed the man responsible for killing father, and the rest of our family." He said quietly.

"Has that brought you peace boy?" He asked quickly as he stared at the fire. "Your father was always one to preach about an eye for an eye but I have never found it to bring a satisfying end. What will you do now?"

"I will rid the world of murderers like him." Hiroaki said quietly but firmly.

His grandfather waved his hand, dismissing Hiroaki's words. "You will spend your entire life trying to accomplish that goal. You will waste it."

Hiroaki frowned and stood up. "I do not see how it is a waste."

"People will pay for their crimes, one way or another. There is no need to go hunting them down for the rest of your life boy." His grandfather spoke more pleadingly.

Hiroaki looked down at the old man. "If you do not mind, I will be staying here for a few days before heading out again."

"Yes yes, that's fine." His grandfather replied before leaning back into his rocking chair. Hiroaki grabbed his bag and headed to the attic room. There was a small bed there along with a few of his grandfathers things that he stored away. Hiroaki tossed his bag down and laid back on the bed.

He tried not to be annoyed with his grandfather but he really did not understand how the man was so accepting of the things that people did. He had lost his own son to a murder like Mamoru and seemed to care very little that the man had been dealt with. Hiroaki turned on his side and stared out the attic window at the starry night sky.

Aiko crossed his mind again. He did not want to think of her being with Gaara but he knew she was. He thought about what his grandfather said about wasting his life. He considered that perhaps he was right. There were a lot of people in the world and he likely could not find all of the bad ones in his lifetime.

What did he want in the end? He wanted peace and he wanted to feel safe. He wanted to be able to feel safe enough to maybe get married, and maybe even have children. He wanted them to be safe as well. He did not want them to die like his own family and it seem like it have no meaning.

He remembered that day. He remembered the sound of men fighting outside his home. He remembered his mom telling him to hide and then she took his little sister and hid as well. He hid in his room until he smelled the smoke. Even then he hesitated to flee but then he could hear the fire and feel the heat.

When he ran to his bedroom door he could tell he should not open it. He could see the smoke coming into his room from underneath the door. He ran to his window and broke the glass allowing himself to escape. He looked for his mother and sister but never could find them. It wasn't until after their home and many others had finished burning that their bodies were found. Hiroaki's father had been one of the many ninja attacking Mamoru as he made his way through the village.

He may have only had one target to kill that day but many innocent people ended up dying as well. Hiroaki had seen Mamoru as he was leaving the village. He had stopped and looked back. Hiroaki did not know that he remembered, but it felt as if Mamoru looked at him. His eyes were cold and empty. If there was anything there, it would have been fury.

Aiko's face came to mind. How was he her father? She was not anything like what Mamoru was. Her eyes did not hold that same look, even when she was angry. How was someone like her constantly involved with people so vicious?

Hiroaki turned to lay on his back again. His mind jumped from thought to thought but he always wound up thinking mainly about Aiko. He put a hand on his chest. It felt as if his whole body ached for her. He tried to think of ways that he could make her his. As he tried to come up with scenarios, he thought of the first day he had seen her. She had looked beautiful, even though she seemed a little overwhelmed. The clothes she wore made her stand out. Then she spoke and her voice was so polite and kind.

He could tell that she was not evil. Even when she had approached him and they fought, he could see that had been her first real interaction with someone in a real fight. Hiroaki shook his head, trying to get her out of it. Part of him wanted her to just not exist and then he could go about his goal of ridding the world of evil. The other part just wanted her. That meant he would have to get rid of Gaara for sure though. There would be no getting out of that.

Hiroaki wondered if his grandfather would be pleased with his new plan. He would only go after one more target, unless of course someone of that nature crossed his path. Then he would take Aiko away from all of the violence. He would give her a pleasant and peaceful life. She might fight it at first, but he would show her kindness and give her time to adjust.

He smiled as he daydreamed about a possible happy future for himself. He pictured himself happy with her. Things would be peaceful and quiet. He would keep her safe and taken care of. She would see that he was not a beast, but a man who was in love with her and only wanted the best for her. He would show her.

Hiroaki drifted to sleep thinking of the possibilities.