Chapter Ten: Rage

Hinata trudged through the forest, shouting out the name of the Sand-Chuunin. "Gaara! Gaara, where are you? Are you here? Gaara!" Hinata ran out to the clearing where she had been with him. The raven-haired girl looked around in circles, wondering for any sign of Gaara. Hinata couldn't hear or see any presence meaning that he was in the forest. She sighed, and sat down nearby under a tree. "Gaara, where on Earth are you…?"

Hinata gazed up as she heard a figure coming toward her through the bushes, and watched as Naruto tumbled out. Hinata jumped up and ran toward him. "Naruto! You're okay…" Naruto stood up, and backed away from her. "I…I can't be around you, stay back from me!" Hinata reached out to him, and sighed. "I know I can't hold you back, but can I at least ask if you've seen someone?"

Gaara stood up from where he had sat. The thoughts that racked his brain with torment were done. He looked around, swearing he had heard someone call his name. Gaara began pacing through the trees, listening for any other sign of a voice calling him. Gaara came into the clearing, looking around for any sign of life. "If you're looking for Hinata…" The Sand-Chuunin turned around to find Naruto standing nearby. "…You just missed her. She went into the forest looking for you." Gaara went towards Naruto. "Where did you direct her? Was she the one calling out for me?"

The blonde-haired Chuunin nodded, and pointed into the forest. "She went that way." The Sand-Chuunin nodded, and headed in that direction. Naruto began to walk away, and then he stopped. "Hinata truly loves you, Gaara." Gaara stopped in his path, and turned to Naruto. "What do you mean?" The blond-haired teenager smiled, and began to walk off. "She's going to stay with you--Even if you become like me. Be careful, Gaara--If you lose yourself, you could lose her as well."

Gaara turned back towards the forest. "….I know." The Sand-Chuunin began to run through the trees.

Shikamaru, Ino, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Sakura, and Sasuke stood at the edge of the forest. "Okay, let's split into groups and go after Naruto and Hinata." Ino began to step toward Sasuke, when Sasuke moved to Sakura. Sakura smiled, and Sasuke smiled back. Ino huffed, and grabbed Shikamaru. "Wha--?" Ino glared at him. "You're coming with me." Shikamaru nodded, confused with her sudden actions. Shikamaru turned to Neji, Lee, and Tenten. "Since there's an uneven number of us left, you three can go together. Now, let's go different directions into the forest, and we'll meet back her after the sun sets." The groups headed into the forest.

Ino stomped forward, not bothering to wait for her partner. "Uh, Ino--? Wa--Wait up, please--?" Shikamaru struggled to keep up with the blonde-haired woman before him. Ino stopped, glared at Shikamaru, and scowled. "What do you want!" Shikamaru stopped, and leaned against a tree. "What do you SEE in that Sasuke?" Ino, suddenly interested, smirked and put her hands on her hips, and flicking her hair behind her. "What exactly do you mean, Shikamaru?" Shikamaru crossed his arms. "I mean, he's so avoiding--It's like you can give him all the affection you want, Ino, but he's not going to accept it or even bother to notice it. Nah," Shikamaru rubbed a hand through his hair. "You need a man that'll notice that kind of stuff--He should be cute, too, if you get my drift." Shikamaru smiled flirtatiously. Ino smirked. "Oh, really?" Ino strode up to him with a sort of strut. "It seems that you think you fit that entire description, eh, handsome?" She ran a finger down his cheek. Shikamaru gave a twisted smile. "Yeah, I really do, don't I?"

FWAP!

Ino smirked, walking straight forward. "We've got a mission to do. Save the sweet talk for later, okay--'handsome'?" Shikamaru bitterly rubbed a hand on his cheek were Ino had slapped him. "Fine--'sweet thing'."

Neji, Tenten and Lee stopped to rest for a bit. Lee removed the wrappings around his hands and let his arms relax for a bit. "I'm going to go stretch in the clearing up ahead. I'll be right back." Neji and Tenten nodded as Lee walked off. Tenten sat down and began to fix her hair, while Neji, having nothing better to do, watched her silently.

The brown-haired girl stared up at the sky as she let her hair down from the two buns she usually had it in. The Hyuuga boy had never seen her hair down--It was down a little past her shoulders, and it was completely straight. Tenten stared back down and brushed her hair back with her hands, when she noticed that Neji was watching her. She quickly looked away, and began to put her hair back up.

"You should leave your hair down, you know." Tenten turned back to the Hyuuga. "What? Why do you say that?" Neji was straight forward, and he was to say the first thing on his mind. He turned slightly red. "Because it makes you look nice." Tenten blushed frantically, then smiled politely at Neji. "A--Arigatou, Neji …"

Sakura and Sasuke were farther into the woods than the others now. Sasuke looked around their surroundings. "It doesn't seem as if anyone's been here in a--!" "Sasuke! Look at this!" Sasuke ran over to Sakura--She was standing by a tree that had blood going down its bark. "Someone really was here. Could it have been Naruto?" Sasuke shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Come on, let's go further."

Sakura stood up, but didn't move. "This blood isn't too old--What if…Naruto…" Sakura looked down at the ground. Naruto may not have been with her in an intimate relationship, but he was her best friend. Sasuke walked up to Sakura and put his arms around her stomach.

"!" Sakura looked up at Sasuke, surprised. "He'll be okay, I promise you." Sasuke noticed the look in her eyes. "Surprised, Sakura?" Sasuke gave her a quick smile. "You mean more to me than you think." Sakura smiled, and relaxed in Sasuke's arms.

Hinata ran through the woods until she came upon a waterfall. The raven-haired Hyuuga sighed, and sat on a rock jutting out above the water. She looked up at the sky--The sun was beginning to set. Hinata looked down into the water at her reflection. So many things were running through her mind--

A red-haired teenager defending her against the Sound-Chuunin.

Herself waking up, seeing the boy in pain after trying to kill her.

Herself embracing the same boy, kissing him passionately.

Listening as the boy tried to defend her against the demonic Naruto…

"You called my name back there?" Hinata turned around to see Gaara approaching her. Hinata smiled softly. "Yes…Yes, I did." The Sand-Chuunin sat next to her, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Gaara smiled, and looked down into the water into the reflection of them both. He placed an arm around her, and closed his eyes. "You are the first person to have ever made me feel this way, Hinata…"

Hinata sat up and gazed up at him. "Aisheteru, Gaara-kun…" Gaara placed a hand upon her face. "….I love you too…" Hinata placed both of her arms around his neck, and pulled him into a kiss.

"Leave me ALONE!"

Naruto stumbled forward, his hands clenching his head, blood streaming down his face. He had crashed his head into the rock around him in an attempt to make the Kyuubi go away, but it still rang in his mind.

No! I'm not going to stay cooped up in here forever, boy! Now, it's MY time! It's my time to destroy the people who despair of me, and those you profess to LOVE!

"HRAAAGH!" Naruto fell unconscious to the ground. Then, in the shadow of the dark, a nine-tailed fox could be seen emerging from the disappearing form of the boy on the ground.

Yes…Now is my time. And I will start by killing them--The two that love one another so dearly. The Sand-Chuunin and the Hyuuga.

Oh, great. Now the Kyuubi is loose and it's going to go eat Gaara and Hinata. Wonderful. Just WONDERFUL. Read on to see what happens XD.