Sorelina, you're right. The percentages were a part I liked too. So…I put them back in! . . shakes hands

Chapter 8: Betrayal, Gaara's Painful Mistake

Gaara sat in the dark library, near the window, staring at the night sky. It was a nice place to get away and think. It was where he relaxed when he was in the Sand Village with nothing to do. The boy, his son, was with his cousins playing. He groaned and thought about his childhood in light of his new situation. Yashamaru took care of him but in the end he didn't really care for him. He didn't love him and that in the end devastated his life.

The red-haired ninja of Suna ran his hands up and down his head. Just because he could babysit didn't mean he could raise a child. It was tantamount to saying that anyone could be Kazekage. He had no idea what to do. He suddenly realized that he hated Kirae for seducing him and getting pregnant, then for being insane and dumping the kid on him.

He closed his eyes for a few moments when he felt something warm in his lap. He looked down and two warm green eyes laced in brown were looking up. They remind him of Kirae's- that wild streak. "Hello, Daddy. Why are you in this dark room by yourself?"

Gaara shifted his weight uncomfortably. "…I come here to think."

"About what?"

"…Things." The boy tilted his head curiously. "I guess, I don't know how to take care of you…" he finally admitted.

The boy tilted his head the other way now. "Well, I can take care of myself, you know. I can hunt and Aunt Hinata-sama showed me how to take a bath."

Gaara blinked. "You didn't know how to take a bath?" The boy shook his head. "Well, you don't have to hunt. I…can cook."

"Good! Can I do something too?"

"Like what?"

The boy crawled over to the seat next Gaara and sat there. He blushed and swung his feet tucked snuggly in teddy bear slippers. "Whatever you need me to do, I'll do my best to do it. I just want you to be happy with me… I promise…I'll be a good boy." He looked up, smilling.

"…" Gaara stood up and put his hand on the boy's head. "So what does Kirae call you?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't like any of the names she calls me. Aunt Temari calls me Puppy and Uncle Naruto-Hokage-sama calls me Ochi but…" He paused for a long time to fiddle with his bracelets. "I only care about what you want to call me." He stood up on the chair. "I know you'll love me. You're not like Mommy at all. She was...always calling me names and hitting me. So that's why I want to know what you will call me, Daddy!"

Gaara swallowed and patted the boy on the head. "I'll think about it."

Temari tucked Fumi into bed and closed the door. She almost screamed when turned around and Gaara was there staring at her. "Geez, I hated when you used to do that to me when we were kids. What's wrong?"

"I can't do it."

"Can't do what?"

"I can't raise the boy. I'll screw him up."

"What? Oh, will you shut up. You'll do fine. Just love him like…well…your son and you'll be fine," she consoled him, patting him on the shoulder. He didn't look convinced.

"No. You don't understand, Temari. He looks at me like I'm the only thing that matters."

"He's had such a hard time, Gaara. His mother treated him like trash and he's never known the love of a parent. You are the only thing that matters."

Gaara stared at her. "I'm going to screw him up just like Dad with me, Temari."

"SHU-" she looked at Fumi's door. "Shut up. Just calm down. Panicking doesn't suit you. Give it some time and you'll get over this sudden fear. I'm going to bed and you should…" She paused. "You should relax somewhere. I'll see you in the morning."

Temari swung open the door to her bedroom and waved goodnight to Gaara before shutting the door in his face. With a sigh, Gaara turned his sights to his brother, who was actually a dad and should be more helpful.

"What? You will not, so shut up." Kankurou gave his little brother a funny look when he repeated his sentiments about being a father.

"Kankurou…"

"Look, raising boys is easy. You just look tough, give 'em a few hugs, tell them that you're proud of them, and they'll do just fine. My boy wants to grow up to be me, after all."

Gaara crossed his arms. "My ... boy…" the words felt strange coming out of his mouth. "That kid already idolizes me. I'm not worried about that. And I don't want him to grow up and become me."

Kankurou put up a few scrolls. "Just don't be an asshole, like Dad was and you'll be fine."

"I am an asshole."

"I said don't be an asshole like Dad. Dad was a cruel, heartless, and power hungry. You're not like that, are you?"

Gaara quirked his brow dubiously. "Uh...heartless?"

"Shut up, heartless and emotionless are too different things." Kankurou sat down at his desk. "Stop worrying. My kid loves you and so does Fumi. They think you're 'cool'. You'll do fine. Go to bed…or whatever you do."

"But-"

"I'm busy, Gaara."

"But-"

"Paperwork doesn't do itself, Gaara."

"But-"

"Shut up, Gaara."

The youngest of the Sand Siblings rolled his eyes and left the office. Neither of his siblings were any help. Standing in the hallway looking at him with those adoring eyes was his son. In his extreme emotion, his demon side expressed itself in his perked wolf ears and wagging twin tails that caused a slight breeze. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I can't sleep."

"Yeah, I know how that is." Gaara rubbed the back of his head. The child followed him as he walked down the hallway. In spite of it being late, it seemed he still had a lot of energy as he skipped down the hall and tried to walk in step with his father. "What if I lied in bed with you?"

"I'd like that," the boy answered, taking his father's hand. "Do you want to go to the library and think too?"

Gaara shook his head. "Later. My head hurts."

"Can I make it better?"

"No, that's all right." The boy opened the door to the room he was assigned and ran to the bed, jumping into it. Gaara lied next to him, the tiny body snuggled close. He lied like that for a few hours until he noticed that his son was in a deep a sleep. His mouth was wide open, a bit of drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth. His rolled over shoved a bracelet in his mouth, sucking on the cold metal. Gaara smiled for a moment then frowned. He thought about his father and hoped that he wouldn't be like him. He attempted to sneak out of bed but the child had his sash firmly in his grip. Trapped, he lied back down and stared at the ceiling.

The next morning, Gaara sat in the bathroom and tested the warmth of the water in the bathtub. The steam rising from the surface looked inviting and he slipped right in. He closed his eyes to relax. It turned out that his son had a unique sleeping style: all over the place. More than once he removed a foot from his face or rescued him from slipping off the bed. He wondered if Kankurou would consider it a D-rank mission for all the work it was.

The doorknob rattled. "I'm in here," he snapped. The rattling stopped but he could still see the shadow of feet underneath the door. He waited for just a few moments before calling out, "Who is it?"

"Um… me?" replied an unmistakable voice.

A tendril of sand snaked up the door and flipped the lock open. "Come in." The boy slunk in and shut the door behind him. "So you woke up?"

"I fell out of bed," he explained pointing to the red mark on his forehead. He noted Gaara soaking in the hot water and began stripping.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" But it was too late, he had jumped in the bath with him. They stared at each other for a second until Gaara sighed and closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure. If he ignored him maybe he would sit quietly and let him relax.

The nameless boy entertained himself for a while but quickly became bored. "Father?" Gaara opened an eye. "Have you ever seen a typoon or a tsunami?"

"Made of water? No," he answered honestly. Made of sand? That was different but he didn't press the issue.

The boy leaned forward, an impish smiled tugging at his cheeks. "Well, a typhoon is like this." He flicked wet fingers at Gaara's face, spattering droplets on his cheeks. But a tsunami… is like this!" He leaned back and splashed Gaara with a large wave, and getting everything wet.

For a second, Gaara was annoyed and thought to reprimand him but his son started laughing. He looked over to the dripping wet boy holding his stomach as he laughed. At that age, Gaara never laughed like that. Even at his age now, he never laughed so genuinely. Protect that laugh, something inside him said, at all costs. Gaara climbed out of the water and lent a hand to his son and helped him out.

Gaara opened the door after dressing and walked out, his clothes a little wet from the 'tsunami'. His sister passed them both and blinked. "What happened to you guys?"

"Bad weather," Gaara answered cryptically and walked past her. The half-demon child covered his mouth and giggled as he followed. As they walked down the hallway, the boy noticed something about his father. He always had his arms crossed and he always looked so mad. To anyone else, that face and posture would be enough to make them take another path, but to him it was funny. His mother was far more intimidating than Gaara, and far meaner. The half-demon crossed his arms and tried to mimic the completely dissatisfied look that Gaara always seemed to manage so easily. He fell in step with him and marched along quietly.

At some point, Gaara noticed the serenity that had not been around since his son arrived had returned. He looked down to what looked to be a reflection of himself but only a fifth of his age. He stopped in his step and looked down with confusion. The boy looked up at him, trying to be severe but he smiled and covered his mouth to hide the laughter that inevitably wanted to escape. Protect that happiness, Gaara thought to himself.

"Do I have a funny face?" he asked sternly. The boy fearlessly nodded. Gaara smiled a little and took a quick look around. They were standing on the porch of the backyard. There were a few chuunin guarding the entrances to various places but they didn't seem to be paying them any attention, engaged in their own discussions. Gaara looked down at the curious boy and stuck his tongue out quickly before reentering a brisk walk, as if to escape the reality of his actions before they caught up with him. The boy blinked then snickered as he ran to catch up.

"Father? What's my name?" The Sand shinobi sighed deeply. He hadn't given it much thought. Puppy was still what Temari and the others called him but to Gaara, it was inappropriate.

"I don't know yet but I'm still thinking about it," he answered. This pacified the boy until they reached the city streets. "If this is where we're going to live then you might as well get used to it." The though crossed Gaara's mind that he would take his son on his journeys but somehow he didn't expect neither Temari nor Kankurou to let him get away with that. He would just have to live like a normal person, in a house, and in Sunagakure. Kankurou is going to work me to death, he thought wryly.

In the city, Gaara took his newly acquired child around to various places: to a bakery where he had his firsrt bit of cake, to the pet store where he carried on a conversation with the caged dogs, to the park where he got to ride Gaara's shoulder and got a balloon. Those that were familiar with Gaara were shocked into silence when they found out he had a child. They weren't any nicer but their expressions were a nice addition to his good mood. When they returned to the Kazekage's home, the little clone was ripping dango from skewers. Fumi and Mokumaru pounced him and took a few pieces.

"HEY!" he shouted.

"Taxes!" Fumi explained licking her fingers. Mokumaru nodded. "We're going to do some training? What to come along?"

The nameless boy tilted his head. "Training?" He looked up when he felt Gaara's hand on his head.

"Go on. I need to do some work," he began. "I'll meet up with you later." The boy nodded and went with his cousins.

Fumi leaned on her fan. Mokumaru was explaining their kind of training to Puppy. "Since you're a part of this prestigious family… you have to train all the time. It's so you can protect the family and village whenever we have to. I take care of Sunagakure and Fumi takes care of Konohagakure. Since Uncle Gaara is a Suna ninja, you work for me."

The boy tilted his head. "But I want to protect both…"

"Then you'll have to work twice as hard. So… you need a weapon. I use Yo-yos." He tossed the toy a few times to illustrate "Fumi-" The girl smiled and waved. "Uses everything but her specialty is fans. So pick a weapon," He pointed to a pile of weapons that he and Fumi-most of them were Fumi's- had gathered.

Puppy examined them closely. "What does Daddy use?" The tips of his tails twitched as he investigated the array of sharp weapons. His mother had carried such weapons with her but he never dared to get close enough to inspect them. He picked up a kunai and poked his finger with the point. "Ow." He tossed it down disliking that particular weapon greatly.

"Sand. But that's because of the Shukaku demon sealed inside of him," his cousin explained.

The boy smiled and stood up. "He has a demon, too?"

They both nodded. "Gaara can't be hurt because the sand protects him automatically. That's why he's the number one best ninja in the village...beside my Dad, that is."

"Sand... Well, if he can do that then I'll use dirt."

The shaggy haired boy looked dubious. "You can control dirt?"

Puppy extended his hand over a patch of ground and a small area lifted up and hovered in front of them. "Yes I can..."

Both of the older kids were surprised. "Wow, he can really do it," Fumi exclaimed. Mokumaru rubbed his eyes in disbelief. She punched her cousin in the arm. "Being part oni sure has it's good points."

Mokumaru rubbed his chin as he considered the hovering clod of earth. "Well…I guess we can let you do that. It'll be interesting at least. So, anyway, let's just start. The object is to get hit the least amount of times in five minutes." He held a sand timer in his hand. "You have to do your best or you'll get hit. And you can't just run and hide either, or no one will win. You gotta attack. Got it?" The boy nodded.

Fumi gave him a wink. "Best defense is a better offense."

Mokumaru flipped the timer over and dashed backwards. "Start!"

Gaara sat on the edge of Kankurou's desk as he helped his brother sort through his massive paper work. Not much was said between them but the older man could sense that something was changing about the ninja sitting just a few feet away from him. "Bond with your brat today?" he asked nonchalantly as he stared at a report. The sound of shuffling paper continued. He snuck a look at Gaara, his brother didn't seem to be paying him much mind. "I said-"

"I heard you," Gaara intercepted. He put a stack down on the floor and began working on another. Kankurou put the paper down and grumbled. "And yes, I did."

"And?"

"And what?"

Kankurou snatched the stapler out of Gaara's hand and held it out of his reach. "And how did it go? God, do I have to spell everything out for you?" He knew well and good that Gaara didn't want to talk about whatever it was that he had done but Kankurou didn't care what Gaara wanted. That's just the kind of brother he was.

The younger ninja sighed. "I want to protect him." He slipped off of the desk. "So that he won't become me, I'll protect him." He began to walk away.

Kankurou smiled a little until he realized the only willing help he had was leaving. "Hey, we're not done yet!"

"Not my problem," Gaara answered back, "Kazekage-sama."

"Tch. Still a fucking brat!"

Fumi swung her fan at Mokumaru but as he ducked he retaliated by throwing out a yo-yo and grabbing her ankle. He pulled hard and sent her tumbling to the ground. The entire time, Puppy watched placidly uncertain what to do. Honestly, he was afraid. No of being hit but that he'd hurt someone. He placed his thumb in his mouth and watched.

Fumi pounced next to him and backflipped out of the way of a yo-yo. Mokumaru finally noticed Puppy and throw a yo-yo to hit him in the head but a wall of sand blocked it. They boy blinked and poked the wall curiously.

"Did I do that?"

"No." Gaara stood over him. "Maybe, you're too young to play this game. You'll get hurt."

Puppy dropped his head. It's so we can protect the family and village whenever we have to. He looked back up, an unconvincing smile on his lips. "I can do it. I played Ninja Tag with the Uzumakis all right." He walked around the wall and held out his hands.

Mokumaru nodded and flung a yo-yo at him but the boy caught it, though it stung his hands. However, the older boy smirked and twitched his finger the yo-yo turned into a small explosion. Puppy yelped, shaking his hand. Determined to show his father that he could fight with the best of them, he put his hands on the ground. The earth began to crack and as Fumi was just about to finish off her cousin, she lost her footing and fell into a small crater. Puppy panted then jumped back to avoid a line of shuriken. Fumi was suddenly above him. In the crater, the clone disappeared.

"Hyaah!" She came down and decide to show off her taijutsu abilities. Puppy, however, had the advantage of speed though a punch did connect. "One point, small stuff."

Gaara watched his son fight, something inside of him hoping that he would win the game. Before him stood a tiny life that wanted to please him badly. Gaara wanted him to be victorious for that purpose. He watched intently, arms crossed.

"Don't turn your back, moron!" String wrapped around Fumi's wrist as the moved to throw another punch.

Fumi focused on Puppy, opening her pink fan to the first purple star shape. "I'm going to finish you right now, little puppy!" She swung the fan creating a blade of wind. Gaara was ready to create another sand wall but Puppy jumped to the side. The blade scratched a building.

"Another and an friend for that one!" Fumi swung the fan twice, creating on blade after another.

"Block it with the earth!" Gaara barked.

Puppy growled and whipped him up creating wall to save him. Gaara's yell egged him on. He could tell that his father wanted his victory. Pehaps, if he could do just that, then sadness in Gaara's eyes would be replaced. He burst though the wall he created and kicked her hard in her shoulder sending her across the training ground. Mokumaru stood between him and her suddenly and launched a yo-yo at him. Puppy growled ferociously and caught it, ignoring the pain, letting it fuel him. He dashed forward and released his two-tails. Mokumaru expected to be tackled but the boy jumped over his head and landed behind him. Suddenly a spire of earth shot up and sent Mokumaru flying. But the child of Kazekage was rescued by a cloud of sand.

Gaara snatched Puppy by his collar and shook him. "What's wrong with you? Are you trying to kill them?" he snapped.

"I…I just wanted to win," Puppy stammered confused. Gaara's anger was unlike his mother's but it was also familiar.

"That's not how you train!" He sighed and walked away. "Fumi, Moku. He can't play with you, he's not ready."

"But-" Puppy began to protest but the stern glare for Gaara silenced him. He sat down where he stood and pulled up his knees to his chest. "I did it for you…"

Gaara felt a little guilty as he walked away. He wanted to console him but he didn't know what to say. He stopped and walked back. The boy looked up at him with his sad green eyes watering and his bottom lip quivering. A new feeling welled up inside of Gaara. It was frustrated and irritated by that face. "Don't be a crybaby. It won't solve anything," he said without thinking. The boy hid his face in his arms, and clenched himself into a tighter ball. Gaara stopped breathing. Mokumaru and Fumi stood at a distance stunned. They exchanged glances but neither could explain the sudden change in their uncle.

The Kazekage stood over young Gaara. He had accidentally killed a bird that was about to be eaten by a cat. "Don't be a crybaby. It's dead so your tears mean nothing. Besides, no one cares about something so weak as a sparrow. With or without you, the outcome would be the same. If you're any kind of son of mine, you'll be the cat and not the bird." Gaara looked up with hatred in his eyes. How could he be so heartless? Was this really his father? The Kazekage sneered and walked away, Kankurou and Temari following, wordlessly.

The jounin of sand, older than that bitter memory, walked away without another word. Mokumaru walked up to his small cousin and patted him on the back. "Don't feel bad. Uncle Gaara didn't mean to be so mean about it. Did you see his face? He was worried about you."

Puppy shook his head without looking up. "No he wasn't. He hates me."

"No, no, no!" Fumi knelt in front of him and forced him to look up. Her expression was adamant, though confused. "What he really meant was you shouldn't be crying but instead you should watch us fight so you can learn and get better."

The younger boy wiped his eyes with his sash. "Do you think it's okay? Can I really watch you fight?"

Fumi stood up and leaned on her fan again. "Of course! Maybe I'll even show you my family's special technique. But only if you don't cry."

The boy wiped his eyes again more vigorously to show that he wasn't crying. "I promise!"

Mokumaru walked over to the timer which had run out and flipped it over. "Okay, one more time!"

Gaara had found Shikamaru lying on the roof staring at the clouds. Now, they were both silently watching the world pass them by. A bird flew by Shikamaru's vision and disrupted previous train of thought. He glanced over to Gaara and noted the complete lack of emotion. "So what's bothering you?" he asked idly.

"I said something stupid to my son," Gaara sighed. "I knew I would screw up."

"Did you apologize?" Gaara shook his head. "Afraid you'd say something stupid again?" He nodded. "Yeah, well…don't do again and you'll be fine."

"But what if I do?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, it might be troublesome but next time, just say sorry. Since sorry is one of the hardest words to say, if you say it to him and mean it, he'll forgive you." Gaara nodded. He looked at his brother-in-law. He really was a genius. Ask him questions and he gives you answers. The sand ninja lied down and decided to watch the clouds with him, arms behind his head.

Mokumaru held his bandaged hand up. He used his bladed yo-yo but caught it incorrectly, stabbing himself. Fumi quickly bandaged it before Puppy could see and they ended practice early. Puppy skipped along behind them holding a flower to give to his father. It was white and smelled sweet. Fumi told him it meant 'forgiveness'. A shadow fell on their path as the sun was setting. The three children looked up to see Kirae looking down on them. The young Nara put her hand on her fan instinctively. "What do you want?" she hissed.

Kirae only stared at her then at Puppy. She reached out to grab him but he hand was immediately trapped by a string of chakra attached to a child's toy. She turned to see Mokumaru using his left hand to fight. "Keep your hands off of him, demon. As the son of Kazekage, I order you to leave Sunagakure no Sato immediately or be persecuted."

The she-demon started to laugh slowly then bellowed loudly, her expression half-crazed. "You?…Order me?" She grabbed the yo-yo and crushed it in her hand. "Foolish human brat. I'll enjoy killing you and your entire village."

All of the children took a step back at this. "You foolishly took this country from my people and I intend to get it back. You're all arrogant little insects that think they can run this world. I'll crush Wind first then I'll destroy Fire. Once those two annoying dominos fall, the rest will crumble easily."

Mokumaru reached into his pocket for a weapon. "I'll never let you do it! I'll protect this country with my life."

There was a loud snap as Fumi spread the fan fully. "And I'll stop you right here. You'll never lay a finger or a claw on my country! I'll kill you right here and make a carpet out of your fur for my Daddy."

Kirae laughed loudly, holding her sides. "How amusing! How interesting! I would really enjoy killing you slowly but I'm afraid I'll have to be more immediate!" Her face abruptly changed into a wolf's with her wild hair falling around her muzzle and yellow eyes. She raised her claws to strike them down when Mokumaru cracked a smile.

"Stop being so arrogant. It really makes you ugly." He closed his fist and five yo-yo's hovered around the demon woman. "Hanagatabi no jutsu.( Star Fire Technique)." The yo-yo's exploded in bright colors and smoke. "Fumi, I'll hold her off. Take Puppy to Dad and tell him that Kirae-oni is back."

The blonde girl shook her head. She looked back at Puppy who was fixed to his spot, shaking so much his bracelets rattle like a tambourine. She ran over to him and shook him a little. "Puppy, you're faster than all of us. You gotta go find Kazekage and hide. We'll take care of this. Okay?" He gulped and nodded but she wasn't convinced but there was no time. She turned to Kirae. "Kamaitachi!" Fumi unleashed a weaker version of her mother's attack towards the demon, who was still trying to clear the smoke and sparks from her eyes. However, the wolf demon swung her tails and tossed them and the attack backwards.

"Dang it. She uses wind techniques? Looks like you'll get to see my family's special just like I promised. Mo-kun."

The shaggy haired boy saw her join her fingers together in an 'O' shape and nodded. "Understood. Kirae-oni!" He ran away from Fumi's position and pulled out a kunai. "You've got some nerve attacking me like that. Now I'm pissed." He threw it at the demon but Kirae snatched it from the air and threw it back, grazing the boy on his shin.

"You forget, human brat," she snarled. "I am the best Anbu that this village has. I won't be defeated by two children." She tried to raise her hand but couldn't. She looked down to see a shadow stretching from the young Nara.

"I got you, mutt," she jeered. "Puppy, now's a good time to run… I dunno how long I can hold this." The boy nodded a second time but this time he tried to run. He only managed a few feet before he tripped as earth rose from the ground and trapped his foot.

"Don't underestimate my abilities," snarled the demon before them. "As a demon, I can perform jutsu without handseals. All I need is a clear mind."

He struggled to pull his foot out but couldn't, even when he tried to use his own ability to control the ground. "I'm stuck. Mokumaru-sama-" He looked towards his cousin to see him dashing forward with a kunai in hand to slash at the large half-transformed wolf before him, only to be caught in the beast's massive paw and thrown into a building's wall. The impact of his body made a dent in the wall and he slid lifelessly to the ground.

"Mo…MOKUMARU!" Tears welled up in his eyes. He looked back at Fumi who was holding on to his mother's left side, preventing the demon from moving around. Sweat was pouring from her face as she struggled to hold something so much stronger than she.

Puppy pulled at his foot but still couldn't budge. If nothing was done then… "Fumi-sama! Run away!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "Let her capture me. It's okay, I'll be-"

Fumi turned and grinned. "Sorry, kiddo. In Konoha we don't just let our friends and family get captured by demons. We protect them with our lives. That's what it means to be ninja. I just hope they give me an honorary forehead protector." She let her shadow retreat and grabbed her fan. Unexpectedly, she closed the weapon. "…Get Shikamaru, Puppy. Tell him I held the shadow skill for 3 whole minutes before I died." With suprising strength, the hurled the fan at the earth at her cousin's feet, breaking the hold the jutsu had.

Kirae lunged forward. Fumi looked up at the sky and sighed. Better the demon kill her before her parents got to her. The clouds were obscured suddenly by a large furry body. Another wolf demon with black around his middle eyes clamped down on the larger demon's wrist with his large maw. The monster looked down at her with his six eyes. She instantly recognized him. "Puppy…"

He let go of his hold on Kirae's arm and head butted her, causing her to fall backwards, momentarily. Puppy turned and grabbed Fumi in his large paw. She screamed with surprised but immediately stopped as she felt her body being crushed and she could no long breath. Her eyes rolled back into her head from the pain and she fainted. Puppy placed her next to Mokumaru and turned to face his mother. The two growling demons faced off. Kirae lunged forward and Puppy did the same, the two grappling. Kirae, however, was twice his size and quickly began pushing him back.

"Kamaitachi!" A large cyclone of wind dug into Kirae's side causing her to let go of her hold on her son and retreat back a few steps. Thick, almost black, blood poured onto the ground. Temari stood in the distance with Kankurou, Shikamaru and a number of other Suna ninja. Gaara was over by the children. He seemed to be examining them intently.

Puppy instantly transformed and ran over to him. "I hope she's okay. I grabbed Fumi and moved her here. She wouldn't leave so-"

Gaara was shaking as he gingerly touched Fumi's pale face. "You…You did this?"

"I was trying to protect her…She was going to be hurt by…"

The red-haired ninja whirled around. "YOU IDIOT! IF YOU CAN'T CONTROL YOU POWER THEN YOU'RE USELESS TO THIS VILLAGE!" he shouted. Puppy blinked at him. "If they die, it's your fault. I'll never forgive you! Fumi… Mo-kun… You stupid brat!" Gaara immediately stopped somehow the back of his hand found it's own life and struck his son. The realization didn't hit him until he began to see the red mark appearing on the boy's face. The child's green eyes that once sparkled in his presence slowly dimmed. He saw in the eyes of his son the world shatter. The boy backed away from him as if he was the monster.

Kirae assumed her human form, grasping at her wound. She coughed up a little blood. Everyone was in shock around her. She was there, she mused. She witnessed the stoid Gaara lose himself. The feeling was immensely satisfying. A smile played on her lips and she put on her most motherly tone. "Come to me, my son. If this village doesn't want you...then I do. I'll take of you."

"Puppy, don't! He didn't mean it!" Temari yelled. But the boy looked at her with blank eyes. He looked back at his father who was looking at his hand in disbelief, speechless.

A Suna ninja stepped closer to the boy and his mother but she immediately fell to all fours as a great wolf. Her snarling caused them to step back. She looked at the child beside her. He was shaking as he touched his stinging cheek. "Mmm, the budding bloom of hatred," she cooed aloud. "I couldn't have done better myself, Gaara. Come." She dashed off. Puppy gave a final look at them, a blank stare that turned into a hurt gaze, that then deteriorated into a hateful and pained glare then turned into his wolf cub form following his mother into the darkness.