I do not own any rights to Naruto (story or characters). Just the characters I make up along the way! I have full love and respect for Masashi Kishimoto!

While this isn't my first story it is under my pen name, Aubrei Seraph. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to ask me any questions or offer any suggestions!

Have fun!

UPDATE: It's been awhile. I've had a lot of stuff happen since I originally published this but my heart has never left this story. I am working on editing chapters 2-4 and I've got through chapter 8 written. Please let me know what you think! :)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

I remember the day; the day that I realized that fate had a plan for me. It was heralded by a storm which raged across the desert with a fury that I hadn't seen in years. Now that I think about it I should have taken the storm as a sign. Standing at the entrance to the caves that day I tried vainly to see a path through it. Unfortunately for me it didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Of all the days for mother nature to show her wrath it had to be then. There was a new vendor in the market all the way from Konoha with seeds only found in the temperate region of the Fire Country. It took all my will not to say the heck with it and push through the storm anyway. Thankfully my will won out and I turned my back to mother nature vowing revenge.

I weaved through the tunnels with practiced ease despite the lack of light. I had been living here for as long as I could remember navigating the dark tunnels with an ease built on years of practice and the need for solitariness. Walking through the tunnels was comforting and I would rather spend my time here than wondering through the village streets. The cool stone helped chill the air and with the storm blocking the sun outside the temperature had lowered to a satisfying 70 degrees. Cool enough to be comforting but not cold enough to warrant a fire. Water also tended to gather along the walls and form pools the deeper in you went offering my a ready supply to drink and use for my work. I loved running my fingers along the water covered stone as I walked letting the rough surface scratch across my skin. All I could feel was the raggedness, the sharp edges of the rock catching my fingers. There was no pain even when one sliced across my skin drawing a thin line of blood. I may not think about my past often but in these moments when I stare at the red pooling against my skin my thoughts wonder. Back to when I could feel the sting, the burning that was so often associated with pain. It was back then when I was but a child trying to fight the pain consuming me that I wished so desperately for it to stop. Now I would give anything to feel it once more. Many of my nightmares were flashes, figments of times gone by when the faint memories of pain were easier to remember. It was hard to sleep when your dreams were full of painful sensations and long forgotten scars.

As I turned between two interconnecting paths my thoughts came back to reality with a snap. At first I thought it was my imagination but the more I focused the clearer it became. Something or someone had made their way into my caves. My eyes sharpened in the pitch-black tunnel instantly on alert as the alarms I set went off. They were silent and only able to be heard by myself but they echoed through the tunnels clearly. Over the years there had been a few people that dared to venture into my caves. Some were lost caravans looking for water or shelter for the night. Others those who sought adventure in it's dark depths. All had never made it past the entrance.

These people, whoever they were, had made it to the inner tunnels. There were three, no, five people in total and by the chakra signatures they were definitely Shinobi. Great, just great! All these years and not once had a shinobi ever ventured near here. I never thought to put up traps or seals to ward against those that could mold Chakra. I didn't want to hurt anybody should the civilian pass through, but when it came to shinobi the possibility that they would enter should have outweighed my concern. Using my knowledge of the tunnels as an advantage I rushed the rest of the way, hoping to reach them before they ventured any further.

Whoever they were the darkness obscured their faces from my sight when I finally found them. Their voices were low but I could just make out a conversation between two of them. A woman, if her voice was any indication, knelt in front of one of her team mates talking to him in a soft soothing voice. The sound of gauze was heard as she moved and a hint of iron was in the air signaling that at least one of them was injured. This woman's chakra flared in the darkness illuminating her face as she healed him and offering me a view of her features.

There were smudges and cuts marring her skin but she was fairly nice looking with a small nose and eyes a little too large for her face. Her hair was short, cut to fall around her face but not to get in the way as she worked. I couldn't make our the others in such detail but the insignia on her forehead marked them as a Suna shinobi. "Whatever seal they used seems to have affected your ability to mold chakra. I can't seem to break it." Her words seemed to bother the man who held up his hand staring at the bandage. "There has to be some way to fix this."

Whoever the person standing next to her was he spoke with authority, like he was use to giving orders. He was dressed in dark clothing covering most of his body. Only his face was left visible with lines adorning his skin in what appeared to be markings. It was a feature I had seen many times on Suna shinobi particularly those that used puppets to fight. He looked to the sitting man his face illuminated by the small lantern held in his hand. There was concern in his eyes despite the harshness of his words and as he stared down at him his brow relaxed. He cared for the man, respected him even, but it was more than that. It was a fraternal love, one I normally saw in close friends and family members. Maybe they were siblings?

Turning my attention away from him I tried to get a better look at the man sitting. I couldn't see his face but his chakra caught my attention. His system was moving through his body like normal providing the energy his organs needed to work; however, unlike normal chakra systems it was weak, like something was holding back his body's ability to produce more. My eyes moved down his torso until they came in contact with the energy of the seal. Whoever created it was a genius. It used the persons own chakra to function, causing their body to allow only a quarter of the normal chakra to be produced. It wouldn't kill him out right but left unfixed for too long and his organs would begin to shut down.

I had to understand it, to break down every part of it until it was laid bare before me. However, before I could so much as start analyzing it a fist aimed for my head came out of nowhere. I managed to dodge his first blow but the second was faster than the first. It hit my side with a force I knew would leave a bruise but like always there was no pain and I was able to react instantly. It shocked him for a split second allowing me enough time to drop low and hit the back of his leg. He went sprawling to the ground shock still registering on his face. I moved as he fell, using my weight to hold him against the floor. The needle that I kept hidden in my sleeve was an inch away from his throat when I heard the command. "Stop!" The familiar tingle of recognition rushed through me. There was only one person that I knew with a gravely voice that like that. One person that I never imagined I would see again so soon.

Gaara stepped forward raising the lantern in his hand up to illuminate his face. His hair caught the light setting the crimson strands ablaze drawing my eyes to his face. When our eyes met that same familiar connection thrummed between us like we had never parted. His eyes were the same jade as before belaying the youthfulness of his face with their wisdom. He didn't say anything at first, seeming to be as lost in his thoughts as I was. It wasn't like we had spent any amount of time together and both of our meetings were short, and yet the way he looked at me... "Yuumei?"

"Leave." I may have come off more hostile that I wanted to but I needed him to leave. Needed to get away from those damn eyes that seemed to rob me of all logical thought. "We can't there's a storm raging outside." I turned my attention to one of the shinobi, a man with a mask covering part of his face and the other with designs tattooed on his skin. "That is not my problem." They all looked to Gaara for his lead but he remained silent still signaling them to stand by. The way he looked at me was so upsetting that I turned away from his gaze. I shouldn't have let it bother me as much as it did, this was my home and they were invading it. I had every right to kick them out, storm be damned.

The last shinobi was dressed in standard uniform his vests marking him as a chunin. He remained poised to attack but the slight shaking of his limbs told me just how terrified he really was.

So there I was battling the urge to knock them all out and toss them back into the storm. My head was pounding from the back and forth, guilt eating at my conscience. "We can't go out in this storm, it will kill us!"

"It's not my problem." The man in black glared up at me his hand resting on the scroll on his back as if ready to attack. It wouldn't work, I was too fast and he would be knocked out before he could even blink. Turning to the person that spoke I met the girls gaze. She was frightened yes, but not for herself. She didn't know what was on the needle so close to her comrades neck but the thought that it could be a poison seemed to worry her. Her hand rested on a kunai poised to throw even if she knew she wouldn't be fast enough. At least she was willing to attempt it and given the chance I'm sure she would die to save him. Begrudgingly I respected that and with a sigh I stood moving away from the painted man, the needle sliding back into its holder. "Fine, stay here if you must. But if you venture any further in I can not vouch for your safety."

I would have to place seals along the corridor further in to keep them from venturing forth and that would take hours. If I was right the storm had at least another six hours until it dissipated. Frustrated I turned about to leave, my thoughts on my work to come, when I felt a hand grab my arm. Panic was my first thought but the touch was gentle yet firm meant only to stop me and not to cause harm. Now my first instinct, normally, was to act first and ask questions later, but as I felt the heat from his skin without the familiar roughness of his sand armor I hesitated. A small twinge startled me centering in my core and almost knocking the breath out of me. Pain, pain at the thought of him dying; at the thought of never seeing him again. My eyes flew to his shock having thrown them wide open even if he couldn't see them. I could see Gaara looking at me with an unreadable expression. It hit me again this time harder and I yanked my hand out of his grasp taking a step away. We stood there for a moment just staring at one another as I tried to get my brain to function properly. He caused this, caused me to feel when I shouldn't. The anger and hate I felt for this man was intense but so was the relief. How long had I craved to feel the sweet sting of pain once again?

When my breathing evened out I turned away from him, no longer able to look into those eyes. My decision was made but now with what just happened, that all changed. "Follow me." The more we walked the more confused I became. Here I was letting people into my home, my sanctuary when before I had gone to great lengths to keep them out. What magic had he pulled to enchant my mind and force my body to feel the one thing that I so desperately wanted for years? But more importantly, it was the fear I felt at loosing that sensation... at loosing him that consumed my thoughts. Just what in the hell had this man done to me?