I bet you're all in suspense, right? You're sitting there, wondering if someone really is following the sand siblings. You're itching to know who it is. And you're also wishing you could shout at me because I'm not getting on with the story. Am I right? Of course I am.

Otulia: Chiocho is the sole property of Kinkatia. So are the other OC's, but they don't matter much. But Naruto…we don't own that.

Ambush; The Butterfly Savior

"Temari," Gaara whispered. "Someone's behind us."

"What are you talking about, Gaara? There's no one there," Kankuro said. "We scouted out the area when we got here."

Gaara halted in his run and looked over his shoulder. His sharp eyes caught a flash of movement; then, all was still. The others stopped, too. Without Gaara's cooperation, they could never succeed in their mission. Baki stepped forward. "Gaara, we have a mission to complete. This is not the time to get paranoid."

But Gaara didn't budge.

The full moon hung low in the clear, starry sky. The air was eerily still, and the boulders stood threateningly all around. The silence was almost deafening, ringing in their ears with such ferocity that it made them uneasy. The silver moonlight pooled on the landscape, creating dark shadows behind every rock. Shadows that seemed almost human…

"We're surrounded." Gaara's voice rang clear through the night air. He didn't bother to keep quiet; the enemy already knew they were there.

"You've got a sharp eye, kid." A shinobi appeared on top of a nearby boulder, flipping a kunai over in his hand. He was dressed in earthen tones; the perfect camouflage for the landscape.

Suddenly a multitude of similarly dressed ninja appeared on all sides, stepping unafraid into the open. The squad from the Sand Village grouped together, preparing for an attack. They would not be taken prisoner.

Chiocho awoke with a start. Something was nagging at the edge of her mind, but she couldn't figure out what. Sighing, she glanced at her window. Night had fallen on the village.

Quietly, she slid open the window and climbed out, working her way up to the roof with practiced ease. Stretching out on her back, she stared at the sky, watching the stars twinkling merrily. The moon must have risen only an hour or so ago, judging by how close to the horizon it was. Her thoughts wandered as she tried to relax and enjoy the night. But she was on edge. Whatever had caused her to awaken was still there, and it was bothering her. Something was wrong.

Some nighttime creature scurried about on the ground below, disrupting the usually comforting silence. But tonight, it was oppressive. A hot wind swept through the streets, carrying loose sand along with it. That's when it struck her. Gaara.

"Please be safe," she whispered. The thought that he might be in trouble was too much for her, and she tried to sweep it from her mind. But it remained, along with an eerie foreboding in the pit of her stomach.

There were so many of them. And it was hard to discern them from the landscape in the midst of battle. Temari swung her fan, a violent gust of wind taking out three of the enemy ninja. But three more took their place. Kankuro was having trouble; his puppet was useless in close combat, and their opponents were far more skilled in battle than he. Baki was holding his own, but just barely. There were just too many shinobi, coming at him from all sides. Even Gaara was having difficulty defending himself. His sand swirled around him, trying to protect him, but the enemy was so fast. The sand couldn't keep up. And there were just so many of them.

Temari's fan was knocked away from her, and she was instantly surrounded. She tried to fight her way out, but in vain. Gaara fought his way to her, but was met with the fastest of all the enemy shinobi. She easily got through his sand defense. The last thing he felt before darkness consumed him was a sharp pain at the base of his neck.

"No," Chiocho whispered. "It can't be."

The moon had turned blood red. She couldn't tear her gaze away from it, terror filling her very being. Terror for her friend.

"The blood red moon," she murmured. "That only happens when-"

Jumping to her feet, she closed her eyes and made a series of hand signs. "Emerge." With the final sign, she cast most of her soul from her body in the form of glowing blue butterflies, which hovered around her on delicate wings. "Find Gaara," she instructed. "He needs me."

They flew away, leaving her alone on the roof. Using the last of her strength, she swung back through her still open window, sliding down against the wall directly beneath it. Closing her eyes, she followed her butterflies with her mind's eye.

They flew unbelievably fast, the terrain below them blurred. Soon, they could see a huge monster in the distance, a sand spirit by the looks of it, and the sounds of battle floated gently to the swarm. 'I was right,' she thought grimly. 'Something's happened to Gaara. He'd never willingly let Shukaku out.'

In what seemed to be only a moment more, the butterflies had reached the scene of the battle. Broken bodies were scattered everywhere, visible only by the blood pooling under them. She could see the rest of Gaara's squad, hiding nearby. They were terrified, and she didn't blame them. Shukaku would kill anyone; he knew neither friend nor foe.

The few surviving shinobi were fleeing, desperate to get away alive. Shukaku started to follow them, but stumbled across the Sand ninja. His cackling laughter rang out harshly as he turned on them.

'Now!' The butterflies swarmed around Shukaku, distracting him. 'Gaara, wake up! Please!' Chiocho called out mentally. She directed the fluttering insects to land on the sand spirit. They would suppress his power, helping Gaara to regain control.

"No! No, stay away!" Shukaku cried as he recognized the spirit in the butterflies. "I won't let you stop me!" He slashed at them, and one lone butterfly fell to the ground, its wings torn apart and its glow fading. Chiocho felt a sharp, unbearable pain in her heart. But she held on. She had to help her friend.

The sand began to crumble away. Shukaku's cries were silenced as he vanished, leaving Gaara kneeling on the ground, severely weakened. "Chiocho," he whispered, horrified. "I'm sorry."

She couldn't hold on much longer, and called the butterflies back. They raced to her, and the last she saw of Gaara, a tear was sliding down his cheek.

He watched them go. All but one. The butterfly that had been killed by Shukaku, by him lay still on the ground. Gently, he scooped it up and placed it in a small bag he had with him.

"What happened?" Kankuro asked, staring after the receding blue glow.

"Gaara," Temari asked. "Where did those butterflies come from?"

He looked at her with haunted eyes. "They are Chiocho's," was all he said. Silently, he turned back toward home. The others followed suit; they couldn't complete their mission, weakened as they were.

But Gaara wasn't thinking about the mission. His thoughts were on Chiocho, and how she'd come to his rescue, at her own risk. Those butterflies were her very soul, and…

I've hurt you. Please, hold on until I return.

Okay, here's chapter three! Well, two, if you don't count the prologue. Anyways, please review! If you don't, I'll sic Shukaku on you!