Chapter 3: Shock! Murder attempts and mysterious happenings!

It was well into the banquet when Naruto wormed himself out of his seat and made his way up to
Gaara and Sakura, who were seated at one of the ends of the insanely long table.
The blonde ninja grinned at them and heaved a very tired-looking Kyla into Gaara's arms.

"Here's your delivery! One tired baby-girl! Now, if you would just sign this please? Write your name
here, here, here, there, over here, here, there, and there..." Naruto exclaimed with a huge grin.

Sakura giggled warm-heartedly as Naruto held an imaginary paper in front of her husband and pointed to
several places on it when he rapidly said "Here, here, and here," and so on.
Gaara positioned his daughter so that they were both comfortable, then he turned back to Naruto with a
very, very small grin.

"What? You couldn't handle her for more than a few hours? What did she do? Steal your food for herself?"
Gaara asked.

Naruto sniffed and scratched the back of his head with a small smile.

"Nah, Kyla has been a real angel. If you exclude the fact that she tried to poke my eyes out in an X amount of
occasions. That, and she fell asleep and started drooling on me." Naruto said.

Sakura watched how Gaara lulled Kyla into sleep with a smile, before directing her eyes to Naruto.

"While we're on the subject of children, where's Rei, Naruto?
Surely Gai-Sensei doesn't still have him... Right?" Sakura said.

Naruto's blue eyes widened for a second in what Sakura assumed was fear. Naruto shook his head
rapidly and closed his eyes as he fended off the horrible mental image of Gai "teaching" his son about
his view upon life. Naruto opened his eyes again with a barely noticeable shudder.

"No, Tenten has him now, thank God. You know, I really can't understand how Tenten even got the idea
into her head that Gai of all people should be the one to take care of Rei during the wedding...!
I mean, even Kakashi-Sensei would be better! He's perverted as hell, but still better than Gai!
Ah, well! What can you do? The mystery of women will forever be, an unsolveable case.
Well, I'd better get back! See ya later!" Naruto said.

Gaara looked up from Kyla's sleeping face and watched the blonde Jounin run off.
Sakura inched closer to Gaara and gave his arm a squeeze.
Gaara smiled affectionally at her.
His new wife looked down at their daughter with a warm smile on her face.
Gaara put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up. Sakura moved in and the newly-wed couple
shared a loving kiss.
Just then, Kyla frowned and gave a squeak. Her parents immediately broke apart and
looked down to see what was wrong. A second later, Kyla relaxed. Only to frown again.
Gaara blinked, then he scrunched up his nose. He turned to Sakura and bent in close.

"I think that Kyla needs to be changed." Gaara exclaimed.

Sakura nodded. She was beginning to feel the smell as well.

"Here, let me do it." Sakura offered.

"Alright." Gaara agreed.

Gaara passed Kyla over to Sakura. He watched as his lover went away to the restrooms.
The red head sighed and leaned back in his chair. Gaara relaxed. He slowly let his gaze wander across the
insanely long table which everyone were seated at. Among the many seated people, Gaara managed to spot
his siblings. Kankuro was enjoying his food immensively by the looks of it. He shredded a steak in no time
and started looking around for more. Temari had already finished eating and was currently talking to her
still-eating husband. Sasuke ate in a much more civilised way than his wife's brother. He swallowed what
he had been chewing and answered a question from his wife.
Gaara then turned his head once again. He almost smiled when he saw a familliar blonde sitting a
distance away. Naruto was sitting next to Tenten. The brunette had their son in her lap.
Naruto was currently trying to eat and talk at the same time, while Tenten laughed at his behaviour.
Rei was looking around at all the seated people around him.
Gaara smiled. It was rare for him, but sometimes, he could really relax and bring out a truly happy smile.
The Sand ninja then saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head up and looked
to see what it was, but he didn't see anything. He frowned slightly. (Weird. I could have sworn that I saw
something up there...) Gaara thought.
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt a second later, as he turned his head in another direction and spotted his
wife. Sakura was carrying a half-sleeping Kyla in her arms. The pink haired woman seemed quite content at
watching and holding her daughter. Gaara toyed with the idea of either walking up to his wife and give her a
kiss, or wait untill she reached him and give her a kiss then. Gaara usually didn't think in those tracks, but
he was in a particulary good mood today. For an apparent reason.
A sudden scream slapped him back to reality. Gaara's eyes widened. Flying towards Sakura, was a hailstorm
of shurikens! Gaara flew out of his chair while clenching his right hand's fingers!

POP!

The cork was sent flying and sand burst forth from the gourd!
The orange-yellow mass raced across the floor at top speed! Gaara stood with his arm outstretched.
He sent the sand forward in order to protect his wife and child.
A distance away, Naruto and Sasuke had zipped out of their seats and were already forming seals!
A whole pack of Naruto's appeared in less than a second and flames surrounded Sasuke!
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Gaara's temple as he realised the cold truth.
(THE SAND OR THEIR TECHNIQUES WON'T MAKE IT!) Gaara thought in panic.
Sakura looked up and saw the oncoming shuriken. She let out a terrified scream!
Kyla clenched her small hands and curled her small toes. She frowned deeply and started to hiccup.
The sand raced forward, but it was fruitless. The shurikens drew in close and...!

"WAAAAHHHHH!"

An ear-splitting scream cut through everyone's ears! A split-second later, sand burst up from the floor
and surronded the pink haired ninja in a protective shell!
The shurikens then rained down on them. But no matter how many shurikens that hit it, the sand shield held firm.
The sharp projectiles just bounced off the shield and clattered to the ground harmlessly.
The second after the last shuriken had hit the shield, the sand became soft again and collapsed on the floor.
Sakura was shaking with Kyla pressed into her chest. Sakura was on her knees. The young woman shakingly
opened her eyes and gasped as she took in her surrondings. The sand lying in a ring around her and the
many shurikens on the floor. Kyla started crying loudly at this point, and Sakura tried half-heartedly to
calm her down.
With the threat gone, Gaara immediately spun around and thrust his entire arm towards the ceiling.

"The attacker... THERE!" Gaara yelled.

The sand changed direction at once and shot up to the roof! It smashed into it with CRUSHING force
and broke apart some of the boards!
A person then came into view. He was dressed in a completely black bodysuit and it was pretty clear that
he was a ninja. It was also clear that he had been using a camouflage technique to remain invisible while
sitting upside-down on the roof. Waiting for the right time to strike.
He was currently coughing up some blood that came from his lungs being pierced by his broken ribs.
Gaara turned his right hand slightly to the left and the sand formed itself into a fist which grabbed the
dazed ninja and pulled him down to the floor. Hard.
Gaara crooked his fingers and the sand pulled the man up into a standing position.
It surrounded and tightened around him untill all you could see was his face.

"Desert Coffin...!" Gaara wisphered with barely contained rage.

Gaara growled dangerously and started to slowly clench his hand into a fist. The sand constricted tighter and
tighter around the mysterious ninja and made it harder to breathe with every inch. Gaara growled and his
green eyes flickered yellow. Fangs started to form in his mouth and a barely visible yellow aura came into
excistence. It was clear that Shukaku was on the rise. The demon felt Gaara's intense emotions and used them
to let his Chakra flow through the red head's body. Which Gaara wellcomed.
Gaara then decided to end things.

"Desert Graveya-"

"Stop!"

Gaara's head snapped to the left and he saw Sakura running towards him. Kyla was crying in her arms.

"Sakura?" Gaara wisphered and Shukaku's Chakra withdrew, changing his body back to normal.

Sakura reached him and hugged him close. Gaara returned the embrace briefly before breaking it.
His earlier anger returned quickly.

"Why do you want me to spare him, Sakura? He tried to kill you and Kyla for Goodness' sake!" Gaara said while
trying to keep himself from yelling.

His eyes were flashing dangerously yellow.
Sakura looked at the suspended ninja and her face changed into a cold, emotionless mask. Her killing mask.

"I have no intensions of sparing him, Gaara. Believe me. I want nothing more than to tear him limb from limb!
But we have to find out who sent him! And why! Just...make sure he coughs before he croaks!"
Sakura declared coldly.

Gaara's left eye twitched. He knew that Sakura was right.
Gaara slowly walked up to the constricted man while clenching his hand tighter and tighter along the way.
By the time he reached him, he was gasping for air.
Gaara bent in close and glared the ninja in the eye with all the hatred in him!
The gasping man was completely terrified by now! Gaara's yellow eyes didn't help much either.
A distance behind the Sand ninja, Naruto and Sasuke stood.
Naruto was hunched down low to the ground and his blood red eyes could be seen from a good distance!
An aura of red Chakra was flickering in and out of excistence around him.
Sasuke was standing with his hands together in the Tiger hand seal. The black tattoo's and the pair
of crimson eyes added to the terrifying picture.
It was clear that the newly-wed couple had good friends to rely on.
Gaara opened his mouth and...

"WHO..." Gaara hissed, his newly accuried fangs showing.

"SENT..." Gaara brought his fingers closer to his palm, and a light cracking sound could be heard.

"YOU...?" Gaara finished.

The man could actually feel his bones breaking. The terror he felt when Gaara's glowing yellow eyes bore into
his skull was indescribable. The breaking pressure of Gaara's sand sent him into a fit of panic of which he had
never been in before! The combined effects of Gaara's eyes and the pressuring sand made the man cough out:

"It...was...Doto...! Y, your dead...father's...follower's...l, leader...!" The man wheezed out.

Gaara's angryroar was heard by all.
The sand constricted tightly and the man coughed up a big amount of blood.
When Gaara spoke, his voice was completely calm. The whisper that left his mouth had a tone in it that
could freeze volcanoes!

"So what you're saying is... That some old kooks are STILL after my head? Just because my trashpile of
a father ordered them to kill me when I was six?
" Gaara wisphered with suppressed anger.

"N, no...! That's...n, not all! D, Doto has been...g, gathering followers for a while n, now!
R, renegade ninja...Sand ninja...whomever...a, as long as they are willing to...to support him...!
He's...strong...! S, so unbelievably s, strong...! E, even if you kill me...it will be for naught!
B, because...! D, Doto have already...set his eyes on you...on you and your family...!
You...will...die." The ninja gasped out.

Sakura was surprised. She had never in her wildest dreams imagined that something like this would happen!
The Sand ninja could barely believe his ears!
He thought that everyone who wanted him dead were dead themselves by now. But apparently, that wasn't the case!
Sakura calmed down somewhat and started lulling Kyla to sleep. But the infant was way too worked up and
she continued wailing. The young kunoichi was very confused by all that had happened in such a short amount of time.
She was so worked up and confused by now, that she didn't really know what to do or feel.
Sakura wanted to scream, she was so frustrated! And for a very good reason.
Everything rolled on repeat in her head, over and over again. Untill she couldn't take it anymore and decided
to block it all out. For now. Sakura lowered her head so that her bangs hid her face.
Sakura passed Gaara and wisphered:

"I can't deal with this... Not now. Once I have taken Kyla out of here...Do it."

Gaara needed no further encouragement. He raised his arm, just as Sakura walked out of the room with Kyla.
As Sakura turned and went down the long corridor leading to the room for the bridegroom and the bride,
two words were heard from the room she just left.

"DESERT GRAVEYARD!"


The Police Force arrived a few minutes after that. They told all of the wedding guests to calm down and then
sent them all home. At the same time, ANBU also arrived. They swished soundlessly past all the wedding guests
as shadows and grabbed the ninja's body. Or, what was left of it.
And as the wedding guests started to leave, ANBU left as well.

Gaara stood in the same spot as he had when he had executed his killing strike.
His mind was a royal mess right now. Too much had happened in a much too short period of time.
Gaara felt that everything crashed together in his head. The whole day started repeating itself over and over
again, untill he just wanted to scream. It was all so confusing and frustrating! It was also so very unfair.
He had found somebody to love, he had had a child, and he had gotten married. Gaara had just started to
feel good about himself, for crying out loud! But just as things were starting to look good, and the future
had never been brighter, THIS happens! A murder attempt! On his wedding!On HIS family!
It was enough to make him sick, powerless, angry, and completely restless. But at the same time, he felt
so very, very tired. Gaara shook his head and shoved all thoughts to the very back of his head.
He made his mind blank. He couldn't deal with this. Not now.
And just as three Police Force ninjas approached him, Gaara of The Desert disappeared in a whirlwind of sand.

Gaara needed to get away. He needed to be away from people.
He needed...to find his family.