"I see four people off in the distance," Temari calculated coldly, "and they're making no effort to keep themselves hidden."

Even better, Kankouro thought sarcastically, "We're in no condition to fight."

"They are supposed to be our allies," Temari reminded darkly.

"Yeah, I'm sure they're here to congratulate us on a job well done." Kankouro quipped angrily, "It was Gaara's fault everything went wrong in the first place…" Kankouro stopped mid-sentence and looked at Gaara fearfully, as though he had just signed his own death sentence.

"Let them come." Gaara stared at the ground blankly.

It wasn't like they could stop them anyway. The three sand shinobi just continued walking foreword. The sun was sinking in the sky.

They heard the four ninja's land a few feet behind them. Temari wanted to look back to see who they were, but kept her head faced foreword.

"Oi! Weaklings! Get over here!"

Kankouro spoke without looking back, "I think you have the wrong people. Leave us alone." Temari could see the glowing blue chakra forming on her brother's fingers.

"Stop!" one shouted, "I said stop!"

Temari glanced sideways at Gaara, who was still staring emptily at nothing.

Temari and Kankouro stopped, the four sound ninja's stood before them. Wind blew over sand, filling the silence as the two sand shinobi gazed emotionlessly at the four sound ninja's. Only one was strong enough to be recognized, it was Tayuya, with three faceless ninjas who wouldn't be a threat, if they weren't so weak from the battle and from their journey.

Tayuya spoke, "Orochimaru is not pleased with the performance of the sand."

"No, really? I thought the battle turned out wonderfully!" Kankouro said bitterly.

"It is the sand's fault we failed." Tayuya didn't move her eye's from Gaara, who hung limply between Temari and Kankouro.

"If you've got something to say or do, get it over with." Temari's eyes flashed angrily.

Tayuya smiled, "This is a message to the Sand from the Sound." Tayuya pulled out a slender ivory flute and held it to her lips, "The reward for failure is death"

Every tired and sore muscle in Temari's and Konkouro's body went tense.

"Shut up." Gaara spoke without looking up.

"Make me." Tayuya dared, taking a breath she blew into her flute…and coughed and gagged on sand, sand that tasted and smelled like blood. It was all over her, she jumped back, but the sand came alive wrapping around her leg and smashing her into the ground, deep into the burning sand. She coughed and sputtered blindly, the three ninja's attacked, throwing Shuriken, and Kunai that whistled through the air as it was sped along by chakra.

The knives crashed into a thick wall of sand. Temari and Konkouro flinched, ready to dodge the weapons, but the sand had shielded them as well.

That had never happened before.

Tayuya had transformed into a dark monster of herself and was screaming and kicking helplessly as she sunk down into the sand, the other ninja's had already disappeared, blood leaking out of the sand.

"This is a message from the Sand to the Sound," Gaara looked up, eyes full of a determination never felt before, "Come near my Goddamn village again and I'll kill you."

Tayuya sunk beneath the sand, her fear-filled, high pitched screams muffled beneath the surface.

Gaara looked down as everything went silent, "We should keep moving." His voice hadn't changed, but something else about him had.