Here's the next chapter. Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. All characters, trademarks, etc. from Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This is a fan-fiction.

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---Chapter 2---

---Dilapidated Oriel---

---Normal POV---

Sand particles swirled restlessly in the streets under the blazing sun. Golden plant stalks swayed mutely in the wind with the sand. Although it was hot outside, it was as though Sunagakure was frozen. People shuffled slowly and silently through the streets, looking for relatives and loved ones. Some sat in alleyways, tending to wounds, while others were carried to the only hospital in the area. Sunagakure was recovering from the surprise attack of the mysterious assassin.

Dragging his feet heavily, the red head insomniac walked the ghostly streets. He felt very tired since all of the commotion had happened, and he didn't know why. Nor did he like it. He wasn't very familiar with this certain feeling of tiredness. His eyelids felt heavy; his heart felt frozen. His legs felt like they were made of lead, and his shoulders felt cramped. If he didn't relax soon, he feared he would fall asleep walking. That's when disaster would truly hit Sunagakure.

Sand danced around his feet. He could feel the coarse grains pulsate with anger and darkness. It was what felt like home to him; if he suddenly was to lose his sand, he would probably go more insane than he already was. His vacant eyes were trained on the ground. He already knew where he was going; glancing up, he found that he was already at his destination.

A large mansion-like structure stood in front of him, surrounded by a sharp, tall fence. The gates were wide; in the middle of the entrance was an insignia that looked dishearteningly familiar to the red head. A picture of a beast with sharp teeth and terrifying eyes was carved into the ancient-looking plate. It was him, the thing that ruined his life…

Disrupted from his thoughts by the gates opening, the insomniac walked into the property. The large yard was just more desert; the sand rippled in the wind, and golden stalks swayed in the wind. Gray and red rocks dotted the sand in various sizes.

Just as he reached the door, it swung open to reveal Temari. He blinked, and she jumped back.

"Ah! Gaara! Hey! I was just going ou-"

"There's no need. The city's in ruins." He walked past her coldly. Gaara could feel her shrink back, trying not to anger him.

"Why's that, Gaara? What happened?"

Without an answer, he climbed up the stairs silently to his room, where he could focus and try to fight off the delusional feeling inside of him. Temari sighed and shook her head. She had sensed something odd about her brother the moment she saw him. She didn't like fearing her brother; she really did care about him, but she couldn't help but feeling panic spread like sand in a tornado whenever he was near. It wasn't his fault. It was the thing that resided inside of him; the thing that had destroyed Gaara to make him the sleepless, insane being he was.

Temari walked out into the desert garden and approached the fence line overlooking the city. Through the confining, cage-like bars, she stared down at the place she had grown up in. Puzzlement and dread filled her as she stared down at the panicked city. Disaster had sincerely struck.

---

Kankuro paced around the orderly living room, unsure of what to do. He was debating whether to go shopping with Temari, or to just stay home and train. Coming to a conclusion that he'd rather train than shop with Temari, he sat down on the couch and sighed. Shopping would be very stressful, since he usually had to buy everything for Temari. Life was certainly interesting. Hearing commotion happen not too far away, he lifted his head, concentrating to catch on to the short conversation.

"…There's no need. The city's in ruins."

Gaara was apparently home, and already Kankuro could feel the coldness emitting from him. He and Temari were afraid of their little brother; there was nothing they could do for him.

He heard light steps trailing to his brother's room, and knew that Gaara was in a mood that he didn't want to be involved in. He got up slowly and sighed.

"Temari, wait for me. I'm coming shopping with you."

Gaara exhaled deeply when he heard the door slam shut, telling him that his siblings had left. He sat cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom. It was slightly small, but it didn't bother him. His room was decorated to his liking. It was mostly crimson. The curtains that shunned the world from him were hanging above a window, but they were tied back so the sunlight could seep in. The floor was a red so dark that it looked as though the sunset had splashed over the darkness of night. He had a table with a glass top in the middle of his room. The glass had the same insignia on the gates carved into it. The reminding picture was also carved on his door. A chair made from hardened golden stalks stood in the corner of his room beside the window. It may have looked uncomfortable, but it was quite the contrary.

The red head took deep, slow breaths. Chakra flowed through him at an even pace, giving more power to his senses. He could hear the sand outside, he could hear the silent wind, and he could hear the wounded people outside. Upon opening his eyes, he sensed something move and saw a young spider making a web. It was only the size of a dust particle, but yet it seemed to clear to him.

Gaara closed his eyes again, and let his head droop. A very horrid feeling spread over him. He couldn't tell what it was, but he knew something was about to happen; something he wouldn't like. He seemed to shrink back slightly.

The feeling increased tenfold when he heard a splitting sound. Rising to his feet quickly and going down the stairs, he opened the front door to look outside. There was nobody there, just the swirling sand. Gaara looked a little ways off and saw a scroll that had been weighed down by a rock. He walked slowly to it and picked it up. He looked at the seal. Seeing as it was important, he opened it right on the spot.

Kankuro, Temari, Gaara:

See Kazegake-sama as soon as possible. Urgent.

Gaara walked back to the grand doors but stopped as he got to it. His vacant eyes glinted with anger as soon as he saw the insignia on it. Now he knew what that horrid splitting sound was from. Somebody had carved a sadistic, jagged line right through the beast's eyes. Beneath it were words that made him seethe with anger. Stay where you belong.

Walking down the streets once more, the cold teenager came to the building in which the Kazekage worked. He spotted Temari and Kankuro standing by the doors, waiting for him. They must have known he would be coming. He wondered if they knew who sent the message; he was so angry, he itched to release the demon… But knowing that it would destroy everything made it seem cruel to him, and he's not the type to think anything of the sort. He pulled open the doors and walked inside, past his siblings, who, startled, jumped and then rushed along to keep up with his fast pace.

The receptionist at the desk stared at them as they stormed past. She would have said 'slow down!' had it been someone less violent, but she knew about Sabaku no Gaara and decided to keep quiet. Gaara walked to the door and opened it stiffly, like a machine. He felt so cold and angry inside, that he felt as if he had turned into a robot.

Their quiet steps seemed to echo in the grand room; the marble floor was so clean, it was reflective. Sitting in a comfortable chair behind a desk, the Kazekage was busy signing papers and skimming through thick books. Hearing the trio enter, he looked up and watched them take a seat.

(A/N EDIT: I've changed the following part for future chapters to make sense.)

The three teenagers sat in the chairs, hearing the ticking of a clock through the silence. It ticked loudly, contrasting the heavy muteness. The Kazekage finally put his writing utensil down and looked upon them. His cold stare was met with Gaara's. They glared with hatred, before the Kazekage turned to look at the others.

"Hello." The Kazekage said. Kankuro and Temari bowed their heads in respect, and Gaara just stared unblinkingly. Silently, the Kazekage's hand stretched out to the side and retrieved one of the many scrolls that sat upon his desk. He then extended the scroll to them. Temari grasped the scroll. She picked at the seal and opened the scroll, her eyes scanning across the page. At one point her eye twitched, but not of annoyance. Kankuro stared over her shoulder at the paper. He stared, and stared… and finally sat down, breathing a heavy sigh. Gaara didn't bother to look.

"Retrieve your belongings, and depart as soon as possible." His monotone voice sounded nearly venomous.

Almost with fearful speed, Kankuro and Temari got out of their seats and were at the door. Gaara stood slowly from his chair, glaring at the Kazekage. "Yes, father." He turned, and walked out with his siblings.

---

A hollow sound could be heard by wandering people as the large doors to the looming mansion slammed shut. Clicks were heard as the bolts locked, and Temari gave the doors a last, final tug. The three siblings turned and walked through the desert terrain to the gates that enclosed their property.

Gaara clasped a metal bar on one door of the gate, and Kankuro held onto one on the other side. They both pushed and the gates opened easily, opening the world to the three. The gate creaked as it shut, and they walked down the quite narrow street.

Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara each had worn-out packs hanging across their shoulders to rest at their sides. They contained small items that belonged to them. Temari carried the scroll in which their instructions were held.

'What a hell of a trip this will be…' Gaara thought, crossing his arms in contempt. 'I'd rather be locked in my room for years than do this.' 'Hah; as if you'd last that long.' Gaara's eyes glinted dangerously.'Who asked you to talk?' 'I don't need permission; I do as I please.'

As a war that was unbeknownst to Temari and Kankuro fought on, Kankuro was thinking. What if this went wrong? Why had the Kazekage chosen this for them? It seemed outrageous; no, it was outrageous... But, those eyes and that smile of his had somehow convinced them to do it. How could they refuse the Kazekage, anyway? Kankuro sighed and shook his head slightly, agreeing with himself that what was to happen, was to happen. Fate was fate, and although it felt like it was twisting, that's life.

Fate wasn't the only thing that was twisting. Temari felt almost sick enough to vomit in nervousness. She twisted the strap of her bag in an attempt to calm her nerves, but she never was good at calming down. Although she didn't showed it on the outside, her anxiety always swelled deep inside.

The night sky had clouded over the atmosphere not too long ago, but it was already filled with shining staccato smears that gleamed with the belief the trio didn't have. Sand still swirled in its never ending motions, and the moon stood at a stand-still; full and shining like a second sun. The sand looked gray in the moonlight, and in the distance, there was the city called Konohagakure, the city that held the Chûnin Exams. That was not their destination, but they would soon cross through it. They had to be cautious; many ninja they had experiences with resided there, and they wanted to raise no suspicions.

---

The moon seemed to have died a while ago and the stars had lowered their brightness to almost invisible as the exhausted teens reached Konohagakure. The sun was just above the horizon, signaling the very start of morning. Reaching the border, they showed their passes and proceeded into the town to pick up supplies. The town had also been hit by the assassins, and one could plainly tell. Signs were ripped, walls broken, people wandering astray like in Sunakagure. A shop that had been slightly affected was selling a variety of things. Temari glanced to it and signaled that she would stop there to pick up supplies.

Kankuro and Gaara stood not too far away from their sister, watching everything around them, on guard. The mission they had been sent out on was one of the hardest they had ever been assigned from what they could tell.

A sudden disruption caused Gaara to turn abruptly in the direction it was coming from. There was yelling and shouting, and soon the red head knew what it was; who it was.

"Hurry, Temari. We have to get out of here. Now." Gaara said using a serious tone. He stared at his sister with importance, and Temari quickly paid. As the yelling got louder, the three ran into an alley in between two buildings and jumped to the rooftops.

"Hey! I told you to slow down!" Sakura yelled at the blond-haired boy, who apparently wasn't listening. "I'm telling you Naruto, there will be lots of ramen left waiting for you."

"Well, I'm starving!" He argued, a smile gracing his face. Naruto looked down and suddenly bent over.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow in annoyance.

"Look! The winds must really be picking up this year. Sand blew all the way from the desert to Konohagakure!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "Maybe enough sand will blow here to make a huge beach! That would be AWESOME!" Naruto continued to ramble on about beaches, and whatnot. Sakura only shook her head, while Sasuke, being mute the whole while, stared at the sand.

Overlooking the rail to see the three clueless Leaf Ninjas, the red-headed insomniac let out a silent exhale and then turned away. If they raised suspicion in the team from the Leaf Village, they would know something was up. They were to stay hidden for as long as possible.

Feeling light as air, the three ninja skimmed the buildings with expertise. On the outskirts of Konohagakure, they stopped abruptly on a tall building. The building was abandoned by what they could tell, so they knew they wouldn't get any trouble. Kankuro dropped his bag and plopped down, letting his eyelids close. Temari fell asleep as soon as she was in a comfortable position. The two teens slept while Gaara sat a little ways away from them, watching the brightening sky with a grimace.

---

Energized, the Ninja from the Sand made their way through the forest surrounding Konohagakure. Nothing much happened here either, except when Temari got mad at a swarm of gigantic bees. She had blown them very far into the atmosphere with her fan.

Over the course of days, the trio had traveled through the forest, and around smaller villages that were scattered along here and there. It was tiresome, long days, and they almost never took breaks.

---

A week had passed, and the Sand Ninjas were resting on a large, jagged cliff overlooking the ocean. The crystalline water stretched as far as one could see. Gaara sat underneath a dead tree, staring out at the calm but deadly surface of the underwater world. Kankuro was eating a small piece of fruit, and Temari was once again studying the map. She raised a hand to her head and grasped her hair in frustration.

"This is unbelievable! We've searched this entire area! Where the hell could it be?" She said, snarling at the paper.

Kankuro shrugged and Gaara didn't respond, which was expected. They had gone to main points on the entire land mass, but yet they could not find what they were assigned to find. They were now searching up and down the coastline, but they couldn't find anything; just a bunch of dead, rotted trees and jagged, spiky rocks that looked like broken shards of glass.

The sun was setting; it hovered over the edge of the earth, the water and sky ablaze in its diminishing fury. Temari relaxed against the tree beside Gaara and Kankuro. They watched the sun set quietly.

Somehow, the area seemed… angry. It was peaceful, but angry. The sun set quietly but furiously, and the trees' dead branches seemed to extend further like a cat's claws. The rocks that jutted up seemed even spikier, silhouetted by the dying sunlight.

The sun seemed to fall from the sky as it dropped out of their views. The sky darkened minutes after, and stars began to sparkle through the earth's atmosphere. The moon that night was crescent in shape. Gaara felt relief fill him suddenly, as though the stars and moon took his pain and tiredness from him. All at once, the feeling was gone, and the horrid emotions rushed back into him with twice the force. Frowning, he wondered what was happening.

'…Below...''

His eyes stared icily out to the dark, rock ledge. The holder of the voice Gaara had heard sensed something dreadfully strange about the area. Slowly, the red-head got up to his feet and took a light step forward.

"Gaara?" Kankuro called tentatively. The younger figure continued to move forward. Kankuro nudged Temari, who was sleeping very lightly. She woke in an instant, blinking a couple of times to clear the unconsciousness away. "Gaara, what are you doing?" She called with a slightly groggy voice, as she watched her younger brother advance to the ledge.

Gaara stepped to the spikes of the cliff and looked downwards slightly to the ocean. He grasped the sharp, blade-like rocks and leaned over the side. By this time, Kankuro and Temari had jumped up and were coming towards him. What was he trying to do?

The insomniac leaned out as far as he could go; if it weren't for his light but firm grasp on the cutting rocks, he would have already fallen. Looking down directly one hundred and eighty degrees from the ledge, he saw-

---

Naruto yawned and stretched from his place in a high branch in a tree. He scratched his head and rubbed his eyes. His foot dangled limply off of the side; he was just waking up from a nap. (Don't try this at home or out in the park or whatever, because you'll fall off and get seriously injured!)

The energetic knucklehead climbed down from the tree expertly, and sprinted across the field dotted with trees. He inhaled deeply, and let out a yell for absolutely no reason. Today was a great day; he got to have a catnap in a tree, and he was going to meet up with his team. He ran to the middle of town, and seeing his teammates already standing there, he quickened his pace to get to them. He stopped so abruptly, Sakura began to yell at him. Again.

"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you not to scare us like that!" She screeched in his ear. Anime waterfalls fell from his eyes as he covered his deafened, pained ears with earmuffs that seemed to appear from nowhere. Sasuke sweat dropped as Sakura continued to yell at poor Naruto.

A large cloud of smoke suddenly appeared, and Kakashi waltzed out of it. "Hey guys." He announced as he came over to them, giving a stiff wave; Sasuke double-sweat-dropped.

"The Hokage wants to see all of you." Kakashi said, not wasting any time.

---

Looking down directly one hundred and eighty degrees from the ledge, he saw-

Nothing.

Water swirled and clashed painfully with the twisted rocks, and shriveled, rotted, bent roots and branches spurted out of the rock wall. Footsteps approached behind him, but he didn't care. He could sense something now, some sort of power that was so efficient he could almost feel it in the air.

'...Below, it's coming from below…'

Feeling almost possessed by the power, Gaara tipped so that when he registered what was happening, he was falling down to what seemed like death. He could hear the sharp gasps coming from his siblings as they stood at the ledge, barely able to see their younger brother in the darkness.

Sand crept from his gourd and grasped to the rocks. Gaara extended his hands and feet to meet with the rocks too, and he had stopped falling. Strength flooded through him as the power seemed stronger than ever. It pulled him with a force he had never felt. He had almost fallen in the black water swirling hungrily below him. He knew he was risking his life, but the pull of the force was too strong to escape. He only wondered why his sister and brother hadn't sensed it too.

Gaara pulled himself across the wall quickly, almost like a spider or a lizard would climb up a vertical wall. The sand helped him to scale the wall at an even faster pace, but the adolescence was strong and he went across the jagged wall like he was an animal.

The power in the air was almost unbearable, because it was so strong. He put his hand on a sharp rock, and felt around with the other hand, feeling that this spot was something special. He felt around and scanned with his eyes, his senses empowered. There was a space here.

He pulled himself up onto the rough ledge and looked into the visibly impenetrable space. Gaara knew this was it.

---

Gaara had climbed back up, and when he reached the edge, his brother and sister questioned him.

"I've found it." With that, all was silent, and they followed Gaara carefully. They scaled the rocks a much slower pace than Gaara did, careful not to fall. The sand master had his sand ready just in case one of them did decide to fall; he could catch them.

Finally, they all lifted themselves into the ledge Gaara had found in the darkest recess of the cliff. Not wasting any time, they entered the nearly-impossible-to-find location. They evaded sharp stalactites and stalagmites that shattered the air with their piercing twists and turns in the narrow passage. The passage wasn't too long; they could tell because the echoes of their footsteps seemed to lessen further ahead.

They were almost there, until…

"State your business."

The cold voice rivaled the temperature as two shadowed eyes stared at them through the dark.

"We were sent from Sunagakure. We had a mission to complete: to locate this place." Temari spoke smoothly as if she had planned it out, but her stopped heart was in her throat. Everything was mute, and that made the three more alert; something was happening. A sudden rush of power encircled them, and many pairs of shadowed eyes surrounded them.

"I take it we've found the Village of Darkness, then?" Kankuro asked quietly.

"Yes." Gaara stated simply.

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I can't continue this chapter any longer. Sorry. I have to plan out the rest in further detail. (11 pages- my longest chapter:D )

Please, please, PLEASE review! I don't think I'll be updating soon, but maybe I will. It all depends on how busy I am. Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring…

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VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ:

I may not work on my other fan-fictions for a while, so if you read the other ones and you're wondering when they're going to be updated, the answer is:

-I may update them at random if I so happen to write a chapter for it.

-They are paused for the time being (until I can come up with a better plot for each story).

I will continue to update this story mainly, but there might be the occasional update of another fan-fiction. :)

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Thank you very much for your time. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)

Please review!

---Phoenix