Glad to hear ya'll liked that last chapter...i was a little worried that i went overboard on it.

you guys are all amazing...thank you SO much. you have no idea how much love i'm sending everyone right now. haha
and i don't own Naruto, i'm just obsessed with it.

:-P

After killing the head elder, a new one was appointed immediately the next day. There was still no candidate for Kazekage, so the elders were still in charge. I didn't mind the new head elder all too much, he treated my like he did my siblings, which isn't saying a whole lot; but it was better than being called a dog. He also decided not to punish me for the murders of the elder and his bodyguards, he said that he was in the room during my first punishment and felt that I had suffered enough chastisement to last me a lifetime.

As for appointing a new Kazekage, the elders where at a loss. Normally, in Suna, the Kazekage role is inherited by a child of the Kazekage, normally a male. However, it was well known that Kankuro didn't have the willpower to carry out the tedious paperwork everyday. They also knew that my father did not want me to follow in his footsteps. Although he never formally signed any documentation denouncing me from my "birthright", my father made it perfectly clear that I was to never become Kazekage…so the elders didn't know what to do. Never in our history did we have a female Kazekage, so Temari taking the position was out of the question since the elders felt that Suna was not ready for such a change.

So while the elders bickered back and forth between themselves, things carried on as they normally did. My siblings and I got numerous missions, usually being bodyguards for important officials of other countries that were coming and going to Suna. There was also a rumor that the Hokage in Leaf wanted to strengthen bonds with Suna once again, the elders were elated by that notion.

When we weren't on missions, we were at our home doing normal things, well, as normal as we could do things of course. Temari cleaned and tried to cook, Kankuro played with his puppets, I tried to keep control of Shukaku, and between all of this was training and the occasional fight between my two older siblings. At night I would usually sit on the roof, walk the streets, or read while they slept.
I also noticed that I found my thoughts drifting to Sakura more and more often. I wasn't too pleased with this, but it seemed the more I tried not to think of her, the more I did.
She was a parasite in my brain.

After training one day, I was sitting in the kitchen drinking some water when Kankuro dropped two letters down in front of me.
"You got some mail…" he said with an amused smirk. "One is from that obnoxious blonde boy and the other is from a girl." The emphasis he put on the word "girl" earned him a death glare from which he promptly cowered away from.

I grabbed the letters and put them in my room because I knew that both of my siblings would never enter there and that my letters would be safe from prying eyes. I didn't open the letters though, I decided that I would save them for later while I was looking for something to do while everyone else slept. Besides, it was a full moon tonight, it might help me to control the bloodlust that I could already feel coming to a boil inside of me.

At dinner, I actually sat at the table with my siblings. I was surprised to see a place set up for me…
Temari apparently had tried to make soup of some sort, but had obviously failed miserably… I had never seen a black soup that separated itself into five different layers before…
Deciding not to even try the soup, I grabbed a roll that I knew wasn't homemade and nibbled on it.
"So Gaara, how was training today?"
I looked up at my sister who was awaiting my answer and I shrugged and continued to eat.
"You've been training a lot lately…" she continued "how is your back feeling?"
She was right, I had been training a lot, I had to regain all of the strength that I had lost while I atrophied in that hospital. I was now back to where I was before, but I had missed out on months of training when I was healing, so I had to make up for lost time.
"It's fine." I answered shortly.

She nodded at me and then carried on a conversation with Kankuro. I was still getting use to the idea of being a "family", and not just someone that I was tied to by mutual hatred…but I was starting to get the hang of it. I even found it somewhat relaxing at times to come home and know that there won't be an assassin waiting in my room for me. I never let my guard down of course, because that's how fatal errors happen…but slowly but surely they were wearing me down and gaining what little trust I had left.

"So Gaara…what did those letters say?" Kankuro asked, his face full of mischief. He was obviously trying to divert Temari's attention away from him not eating her soup.
"What letters?" Temari asked with her mouth full of food.
"Gaara got a letter from that Uzumaki kid and also from a girl."
He had put that stupid emphasis on the word again. Keeping my face calm and not moving a muscle, I watched as Kankuro jumped slightly when he felt my sand curl around his ankles from underneath the table…although I was their younger brother, I still had to show them who was boss sometimes.
"Rrreallly…" Temari dragged out, "and what did these letters say?"
I took my eyes off of Kankuro and now stared at my sister, and only shrugged.
"Does that shrug mean that you don't know? Or does that shrug mean that you know but you don't want to share it with us?" Temari pried.
"I didn't open them yet." I said.
"Oh…it was an I-don't-know shrug…" Temari said, sounding disappointed. Temari loved gossip and it was well known that my sister was the head honcho of the rumor-mill that buzzed around Suna.

I stood up from my seat, dumped my soup into the sink, washed out my dishes, and then returned to my room.
I just stood there and stared at the letters until my siblings went to bed. I'd never gotten a letter before and was still amazed that they actually did write, just like they said they would. I figured it would be a good thing for the elders to re-strengthen ties with Konoha since they apparently kept their promises.

When I heard both Temari and Kankuro knock their goodnights on my door, I reached out and grabbed the first letter which was from Naruto. Gently ripping open the seal on it, I opened it up and read:

GAARA!

So I told you I would write…but I figured you would have visited by now. But you're probably busy in Suna doing awesome missions that I don't get here in Konoha. Tsunade has us on the lamest missions possible…I find it hard not to fall asleep during them!
I was thinking that maybe the next time you're around, we could train together and you could show me some awesome moves that you know that will give me an edge on everyone else…that would be awesome, believe it!
But my stomach is growling, so I'm gonna get some ramen now…I'll eat a bowl for you too!

Naruto

"Baka…" I muttered as I reread the letter. Of course my first letter had to be a complete waste of paper that didn't contain anything interesting. I rolled it back up and placed it on a shelf with other various scrolls that I had. I hope he didn't expect me to write a response to that…

I reached for Sakura's letter, but when I reached for it, I found that my hand was shaking. That was interesting…it had never done that before. I found myself fascinated with my own hand…I stared at it like a baby stares at his own hands when he first discovers that he has them. Again I looked at the letter and only wondered what she could have written in it…hopefully it wasn't as pointless as Naruto's. But what could she have possibly written to me about? I picked up the scroll and smelled it…it smelt like her. It smelled like innocence and something else that I couldn't quite place. The taste of her lips was suddenly on the tip of my tongue and she flooded my mind once again. She was everywhere, just like Shukaku was when he attacked me mentally…I half-expected myself to start turning into her physically since that's what I did with Shukaku.
Instead I found myself sitting on my bed, clutching my chest right where my heart was and…missing that damn girl.
What the hell is wrong with me? I asked myself
I can't help you there boy, I only know death, not emotions.
Knowing that I was on my own in this matter, I decided that the only way to cure this sudden attack of the pink-haired demon was to exorcize her by reading her letter. Tearing it open violently I read:

Gaara,

How have you been? I hope you haven't been over-doing your training…but I have a feeling that you have. Just don't push too much yet, you just got your back healed, you don't want to be back here to fix another injury…but I wouldn't mind having you here…
Anyways, I'm writing because I told you that I would. I really don't expect you to write back. You don't seem like the type…but know that I wish you well and that I can't wait to see you again!
Take care of yourself.

Until we meet again,

Sakura

P.S. Tell Temari and Kankuro I said "hi"!

I re-read her letter at least a dozen times until I had it memorized. I had to crack the code that she had written in… she said in her letter that she wanted to see me again, but she also said that she was only writing because she said she would…she didn't expect me to write her back, but at the end she sounded like we will meet again sometime in the near future.

I had cracked the code: I would never understand girls.

It all just made my head hurt. I rolled up her letter and placed it in a drawer that was located next to my bed.
Maybe she would write again…maybe they both would write again…only time would tell.

As the weeks passed by, I kept getting letter after letter from Naruto and Sakura. I soon had to put their letters in separate boxes because there were so many of them. Naruto usually talked about ramen and his friends and all the little "exciting" adventures that he went on. Sakura usually talked about Tsunade's training and other trivial stuff like her favorite flower and how much she hated when she would pick one and a few days later it would die. I didn't quite understand why she was telling me these things…but I soon felt that I had to somehow show her that I was receiving these letters and that her words weren't completely wasted to the winds of Suna.

So one night, I summoned some sand and concentrated on moving it all the way to Konoha…I saw in my mind as it floated across the desert and through the forest that surrounded Leaf and then as it snaked its way silently through the streets until it was right outside Sakura's window. Once it was there, I concentrated even harder and made the sand form into something that I knew she would appreciate. Locking some chakra into it, I made it so my sand-art would forever remain in the shape that I had molded it into…unless something happened to me of course.
When my task was complete, I smiled inwardly. I knew that Sakura would appreciate it… after all, it was her favorite flower; only this time, this rose wouldn't wilt and die, it would forever remain in its perfect mold.

The next letter I got from Sakura contained one thing: it was a rose that she had apparently flattened between a book or something. It fascinated me, I had seen pictures of a rose, but had never actually seen a real one before. It was blood red, yet it smelled sweet and not metallic. Its leaves promised beauty yet its thorns promised pain and danger…I decided that Sakura had picked the perfect flower as her favorite…it was beautiful yet threatening.

I decided that I has to keep this flower somehow…but how? Suddenly I remembered a perfect place where I could put it. I lifted up a loose board in my floor and pulled out a book that I had not opened in several years…it was an old photo album that I had stolen from father's room when he wasn't looking. It contained photos of my siblings as babies and of my mother and father smiling at each other and into the camera…they always seemed so happy in those photos. I had forgotten that I had this album, but Sakura's rose had prompted my memory for some reason. I gently picked up the rose between my fingers and placed it in the next set of blank pages. Closing the album carefully, I put it back where I had hid it in the first place…only this time I was sure I wasn't going to forget it was there.

This girl was doing weird things to me indeed…

Weeks later, a messenger knocked loudly on our door during the early morning hours in which my siblings are still sleeping and the sun is just beginning to wake up. Knowing that I was the only one who would answer the door at such an hour, I flung it open forcefully and all but demanded what the boy wanted.

He stuttered a message about the elders needing to see us immediately and to get Temari and Kankuro and meet them all in the main office in the Kazekage building.
I nodded that I understood to the messenger and then slammed the door in his face.
Not hesitating for a minute, I woke both of my siblings up, much to their disliking, told them of the message, and then waited impatiently by the door for them to get ready.

I wonder what they want…
Who knows…whatever it is, it's big. Otherwise they would have waited until they knew that one of your siblings was awake so that they wouldn't have to risk the chance of you answering the door.
That's very true… I mused, did you see the terror in that boys eyes?
I did…you may be changing boy, but we still have a grip of terror on this village. This pleases me greatly.

Suddenly my chest tugged again…knowing that I still had the village terrified was no longer a comforting notion to me anymore…
When my siblings were finally ready, we ran and jumped our way over buildings and streets so that we could arrive to the meeting as soon as possible.

Upon entering the room, the loud mutterings quieted, and the head elder filled us in immediately.
"As you three know, we are trying to strengthen bonds between Leaf again. The Hokage has sent us an urgent letter describing that she has sent some of her ninja out to retrieve a runaway named Uchiha Sasuke."

My hands balled into fists and tightened at the mention of his name. We had better not be sent out to help him.

"The Hokage is worried about her young shinobi since Orochimaru is involved, so she is asking us to send out our best to support the Leaf shinobi and to aid them in any battles that they come across. Since you three are the best that we have, we're sending you."
"When do we leave?" Temari asked.
"Now." replied the elder.

My siblings seemed a little shocked, but I broke them out of it by nodding slightly and then leaving as quickly as possible. We had a long journey ahead of us and if we got to the Leaf shinobi too late and they were already dead, then the possibility of strengthening ties would be eliminated and the threat of war would be eminent. And if a war did break out between our countries, I wasn't sure if Suna would survive…

By the time that we had reached Konoha's shinobi, I could sense that three of them needed help immediately, otherwise they were going to die. I instructed my siblings to split up, and I headed towards the threat with the largest chakra level out of the three… I could tell that this opponent was going to be a major challenge. I was a little hesitant about my back since I had not been in a formal battle since I'd been healed and I figured starting out this big wasn't the best idea; but there was no way that I was going to make Kankuro or Temari face such a threatening opponent. They would be crushed…just as I could be.

When I finally hit the field where the battle was being held, I noticed a familiar green jumpsuit charge at the opponent.
It's that boy…I thought, the one I fought during the Chuunin exams.
I thought we crushed him?! roared Shukaku, who was infuriated at the fact that one of our victims could possibly still be functioning as a shinobi.
He is stronger then we thought after all…I mused to my demon as I shot sand out and easily blocked an attack that would have finished the boy.
Carrying him on my sand to land softly at my feet, I could smell the alcohol on his breath…
He's drunk! Shukaku shrieked and laughed at the same time.
Maybe he's not as strong after all… I mused and then drew my attention to my new opponent. I could only hope that Kankuro and Temari reached their targets in time as well…

"Who are you?" I heard the man ask me.
"An allied nation of Konoha, the ninjas of the sand." I said with my arms crossed. I could feel the boy I just saved staring at me with a mixture of confusion and pure terror.
Stepping forward so that I was now blocking the boy from the man that had almost killed him. I found how ironic the situation was extremely amusing, but never showed it outwardly. I heard the boy say my name to himself and a strong breeze blew by us, I silently hoped that it was Temari's…

"Gaara…," I heard the man say as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "Is that you?"
I knew he was planning on attacking then, but I didn't move in any way, I was curious as to how he was going to attack me if he knew who I was.
The man suddenly shot something out of his fingertips at me, and my sand reacted immediately. I was curious to what it was though so I drew them near to me so that I could see exactly what he had shot out…they looked like bones. I left them fall to the ground. This battle was definitely going to be interesting.

"You're so hasty." I said in slight amusement. Again the irony was immense.
"You…" I said, turning my attention to the drunkard behind me, "when we fought, you had more speed and spirit in your attacks."
He struggled to get up and responded, "Whatever you say, I don't have a grudge with you or anything, but because of you I had to go through some tough times." he sounded almost pleased by this.

Usually I would smile at such a statement, since ruining people's lives is what I do best, but nothing happened…my mouth remained a slight frown as usual.
"Is that so?" I asked as I returned my sand to my gourd.
"But why are you here?" he asked me suspiciously, I couldn't blame him either, I had tried to kill him and his whole village.
Glancing back at him I responded, "I owe Konoha a big debt."

A staring contest then ensued between myself and the enemy ninja standing across the field…it was only a matter of time before one of our fates was decided by the other.
The boy stood up as if to fight the man again… I could smell his blood in the air and noticed that it was dripping from his arm. A flashback as to what I had done to him during the exams caused me to turn away from the sad sight and say, "I'll fight him."
I heard the boy gasp at my statement and start to protest.
"You cannot fight in your weakened state…I'll fight him." I said again, and this time I stepped forward to challenge my opponent. I could only hope that Kankuro and Temari were successful in their battles.

I threw everything I had at this rival. I crushed him over and over, but every time he came back even stronger then before. I felt as my chakra was quickly used up and my back began to ache.
I had one more move in me…but that would be it. I had to end it now. I crushed the boney freak in my sand once more, but he retaliated by sending giant bone spikes all around us. I grabbed the boy I was supposed to save and floated us on my sand. I was breathing hard, I was almost to my limit.

"We have to get down now." I informed him. "I'm at my limit."
Suddenly I heard a shout and the man that I thought was dead was right behind me with one of his boney spikes coming right for me. I couldn't move, he had me… but then he stopped. I stared at him wide-eyed as the man died of a strange disease before he could finish off his attack.

Leaning against a tree after the fight, I had to deal with Shukaku's yelling.
We lost AGAIN!!!! What is wrong with you boy?! Have you grown so weak that you cannot win battles anymore?! All of that training you do is for NOTHING!!!
Sighing and bowing my head to the ground I spoke aloud, "I lost."
The green boy tried to cheer me up by telling me about his sensei's beliefs and attitudes, but I quickly tuned him out.
"You cannot defeat such loneliness," I said more to myself then to him.

No longer sensing my siblings, I figured that they were successful in their missions and had returned to Konoha with their charges. Following their example, I stood up and waited for the boy to follow my lead.
Shaking slightly, he stood up and smiled at me.

Together we walked back to Konoha…slowly. Much too slowly for my taste. I would have gladly let the elders extract Shukaku right then and there just to not have to hear the boy go on and on about the power of youth…
It was annoying.

Diverting my bloody and gory thoughts of the boy's doom, I thought about what I would do when I got back to Konoha once again… maybe I would visit Sakura…
I liked that idea, it made me feel lighter on the inside. Maybe I could ask her to take a look at my back once again since it was throbbing.

"Hey! Slow down!" I heard my charge yell at me. I was unaware that I had quickened my pace when I started to think about Sakura…
Anxious to see the girl, are we? Shukaku asked mockingly.
Shut up. It was all I had.
I knew that he was right, and worse, he knew that he was right…
I wanted to see her. And as much as I told myself that I wouldn't…
I actually truly think that I miss her…