Note: So part one of this story is almost done- just so everyone knows this is how this story is set up:

(Before the time skip:)

-Chapters 1-10 is Part I

(After the time skip:)

-Chapters 11-20 is Part II

-Chapters 20-30 is Part III

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor do I own the Naruto storyline.

Chapter Nine:

Feeling- Like a Fleeting Dove

The desert sand was scorching on our feet as we traveled through it- the grains of the honey colored sand some how had found themselves a way into my shoes making it very uncomfortable to travel.

Our feet dug into the sand- or at least my fellow villager's feet sunk into the grasps of those tiny grains while the natives to the minature hell seemed to get further and futher away until Gaara left his siblings- who were way a head of us- to tell me to move faster or our mission would once again be compromised.

"Its hot!" Naruto complained when we had finally reach the sand ninjas- the two elder ones were smirking at us while the youngest just stood there with his arms crossed.

Looking back on him now- while telling this story mostly- I never really realized how often he did that; I was never really sure if he did that as a way to hide his emotions or was it something else?

I couldn't really ever tell.

"Shut up Naruto," Sasuke ordered, sweat was pouring down his face from the intense heat.

"You shut up," Naruto argued back, his blonde hair was matted agaisnt his head.

"Both of you shut up," Kankuro cut in before I could say anything, his brow was creased in aggravation.

"Hey!" the blonde boy shouted, "Don't tell me what to do!"

"Temari," I had forced myself to catch up with the independent yellow haired girl, "Do we have any water?"

She looked at me for a moment then smile, "Yes, but we have to conserve it, okay?"

I nodded my head as she handed me the leather flask of water.

Temari and I- we weren't ever enemies, but we weren't exactly friends either- our relationship was consisted more of me looking up to her as someone who was older and more experience than myself.

I never got to know how she thought of me and I never told her how much I really looked up at her- before...before what happened.

"How much farther do we have?" Naruto whined taking out his own personal flask and drinking from it.

"Stop whinning kid," Kankuro ordered snatching the flask from him and drinking it himself.

"HEY!" Naruto yelled trying to get it from him.

"We need to keep moving," Sasuke informed us all.

"Yeah hes right," I spoke up handing Temari her flask and moving so that I was next to my crimson haired companion, "Its going to be night soon and thats hen our mission is suppose to go down."

Gaara shifted his eyes so that he could see me clearly without moving his head, when he was sure- well actually I have no idea what he was sure of- he moved on with me beside him. He was moving so fast that I struggled to keep up with him, and by the time that I was comfortable with our speed I found that the rest of our team was some ways behind us.

"Hey Gaara," my voice was dry from the dusty air and blistering heat, "Maybe we should slow down some."

He didn't stop, but he did slow down some, "We can't stop."

"Yeah but what if we lose them?" I wasn't trying to argue with him- I don't know what I was trying to do.

I think I was trying to sum him up- after all he had hardly spoken the entire time I had seen him- and I wanted to see...

I wanted to see if he was truely cured from his insanties or was it an act to get our village to trust him.

I wanted to know what was going on inside his head.

"We wont," then he pointed out, "Kankuro and Temari know their way to our village."

"Yeah, I guess."

He glanced at me with curiousity- I guess it was the tone in my voice that made him curious.

"Don't worry," he said- it was a small statement but for some reason I didn't except him to say it with such softiness.

Actually he didn't really say it softly- it was more of softer than his normal voice.

We traveled on at the pace we were going for hours until the sun began to sink into the earth and colors of crimson and pink exploded from the heavens- it was breath taking- it really was.

We finally stopped at the entrance gate of Suna, and waited for the others to arrive- when they had arrived the first words out of Sasuke were, "So whats the plan?"