Thanks to those who read and reviewed. I appreciate your thoughts and comments.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show "Naruto". All characters from and in the show "Naruto" belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

WARNING: This chapter describes gore near the end. If it makes you uncomfortable to read such things PLEASE DO NOT READ IT! HEED THIS WARNING.

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---Chapter 3---

---Fractured Skylight---

---Normal POV---

The sound of silence was hollow but present. Water dripped from rigid stone fangs, but the splash of it hitting the ground was muted. Icy air clawed through the narrow space, and it rivaled with the quiet. The dreary, death-like presence of the place was almost throttling.

Three young figures stood in the darkness, surrounded by shadows that were invisible to them. Wisps of clouds came out of each of the three figures as they breathed the cold through their systems. Not one sound reached their ears; even their own inhaling and exhaling was blocked out.

Temari felt sick. She tried to calm herself down, but she didn't know where she was, who was surrounding them, or even if her siblings were still with her. How would she get out if she got separated from them? She wanted to bury herself in the rocks and escape the ominous presence that hovered around her.

Kankuro stood still, and did not dare move. He shook, but not because of the cold. The surrounding area felt like it connected to hell, and made him feel greatly overpowered. Ever since they had spoken in the dreary place, it had seemed to close in on itself. Everything seemed so small; he felt as though he was caged.

Gaara felt cold. The air around him was chilling. He kept his calm but could feel the anxiety and fear of his siblings. He knew if they were scared, that they would turn to him as a last resort.

The red head sensed the otherworldly auras surrounding them move. He took a step forward, and then found that it was clear. The malevolent presences were moving silently further into the cave. He could not see them, and he could not hear them. He relied on his instincts to tell him where they were going.

He heard a sharp gasp come from his right and knew it was Temari. Although it seemed before that sound could not be heard in this strange place, it was clear now that it was just a trick played by the mind. Even if sounds were muffled and quieter, once he concentrated, he could hear Kankuro's panicked breathing and he could sense Temari's quivering. He knew they weren't walking with him, and he wasn't sure what to do. If he went with the unidentifiable figures, they would be left behind. They would never find their way out of the strangling darkness. Making up his mind, the red head focused to keep his sand in control. He reached back and grabbed his sibling's hands. He could feel them recoil, but his grasp only tightened around their wrists.

Kankuro's eyes widened at the feeling of a cold hand grabbing his right wrist. He tried to wrench free, unsure of what was pulling him. Could it be one of the shadows he could hardly see? Or was it Gaara? Either seemed improbable. The figures they had encountered recently didn't seem to be in a physical form; they just seemed to float there, existing in matter that did not exist in this world.

Gaara, on the other hand, would have plenty of difficulty keeping his sand in check while he was guiding them. Perhaps it was Gaara though; his younger brother had gotten strong enough to keep the malevolent sand in his gourd. The sand would try and seep out from the gourd at contact, so it would take a lot out of the red head to control it. Kankuro came to a decision, and let his captor pull him through the cave.

Temari was scared. Presences seemed to brush past her, but she could not hear them or see them. She could almost feel them there while they moved in a direction she was not sure of. Her heart felt like it was about to burst, but she did not allow herself to express it. A sharp intake of breath came from her, and she wondered if anyone had heard it. It seemed loud, but she could barely hear it herself. A moment passed, and then an icy hand reached back and grabbed her left wrist. She tried to pull back, but the grip was strong, and it only dug into her arm more the more she pulled. She wanted to refuse being led forward, but her captor seemed just as determined not to let her go. Temari ran through the options she had in her head. She realized she only had one option, and that was to follow.

Their path inclined sharply, almost causing them to trip as they stepped carefully around jutting points. Still, Kankuro's and Temari's captor did not abandon them. The grip on their wrists was getting weaker, but they knew that if they broke free and ran, they had no hope of ever getting out again. It seemed pretty simple to walk in mostly one direction, but they mentally had no power to battle the darkness alone. Even if they were with each other, they could get lost. Their strength was diminishing as well, from the rough rock climb to the entrance of the hellish new discovery. Their legs became tired and heavy from the sharp raise in the narrow path.

As soon as they thought their legs would give out underneath them, the path curved downwards and declined at a harsh angle. Now they had to fight to keep from falling forwards into the spikes that threatened them. The further down they went into the rock, the longer, sharper, and numerous the fangs of the endless cove became. They soon had to twist through small gaps to continue. Finally, the grasp on Temari's and Kankuro's hands had to break away as they went through an even smaller gap. Temari and Kankuro panicked. An anxious moment passed, and then the hold on their hands appeared again. They moved on.

Kankuro let his mind astray to pass the time. It felt like a long time since they had been outnumbered by the mysterious auras. He was so sure that they were close to a more spacious place because their footsteps had less of an echo, but now he was unsure. His feet ached, and he just wanted to teleport out of there.

Temari was feeling about the same. She tried imagining herself back at home, staring out her window at the sand twirling in the air. That didn't help her much; it only made her contempt for the place to augment much more. She wondered why the Kazekage had sent them out on such a mission; she had no idea what the main objective was.

Gaara felt very tired. Keeping back the sand was taking his all. He was actually starting to feel a bit scared; scared that he would collapse, and that the thing inside of him would destroy everything…

'Boy, why don't you let me out?' Gaara heard the message clearly, since everything was so silent. It was something only he could hear.

'If I do, you'll kill everything here, including Temari and Kankuro. They won't be prepared for an attack from you.' There was silence. 'They won't be prepared for anything.'

'Exactly. Why not just end the misery? It won't be your fault.'

'No.'

'You've got it coming to you. Watch your back, kid. What comes around goes around.' Gaara's face was distorted with an inner rage he longed to let out.

After what seemed like forever, the ground became level again. It was a massive tangle of stone daggers that went every which way and in every direction. Gaara suddenly felt a sudden strange change in the atmosphere around them. An aura that had been present beside them had vanished. Soon, all around them, auras seemingly began to evaporate. Gaara's heart began to beat faster. He had a feeling that if he took even one step forward, he would collide with a solid, sealed, pointy rock wall. He pulled his siblings forward a bit to stand beside him. He had lost his hope. They could not continue further, and they couldn't go back. It was quite a miserable end.

A freezing hand placed itself on Gaara's arm. He was pulled forward, and he then knew a darkness that was more choking than the one surrounding his siblings.

Feeling the air embrace him once more, Gaara could not have been more grateful to have the rocky ground underneath him. He took in a deep breath, and concentrated. He could hear a strange sound for a moment, and then he could slightly hear his siblings. The hand that had grabbed Gaara before placed itself on his arm once again and dragged him forward. The sound of shuffling feet told him that his siblings were also captured by someone. That was one problem off of his mind. Why hadn't his sand stopped the freakish being from pulling him? It was then that the red head realized that his sand was trying to protect him. The possessed sand clawed at the restraint, but it remained unharmed. The figure was not affected by the sand whatsoever.

After more twists and turns, Gaara began to think it wouldn't end. Maybe they were going to be led on forever, until they went insane, or died. A shudder crawled up his back. He didn't want to die such a horrible death.

He began to lose feeling in his hands and feet. Goosebumps had risen on his skin and he felt if it was any more freezing, he would shatter. It hurt to breathe in the air that surrounded him. It felt sharp going into his throat, and the invisible blade spread numbness through his lungs. He knew the temperature was well into the negatives, and he didn't know what had caused the sudden change.

Another severe drop in temperature, and Gaara began to feel dizzy. The air seemed to be thin of oxygen, although they were in great depth, instead of great altitude. His eyelids fluttered open, and the vacant orbs he possessed glared into nothingness. Unexpectedly, his eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

A purplish aura lit up the surrounding area. The rocks glistened with something that looked magical. He dizzily looked up, and a hidden sky of jagged, rock clouds greeted him. The cave ceiling shimmered in the light of the purple aura. Gaara's head lolled back into a comfortable position, and he dared to look down. The terrain stretched out a few meters farther, and then dropped off completely, like the cliff he had jumped off to get there. He couldn't see the end, and in fact, he didn't want to.

Realization hit him, and he turned around quickly. He scanned the area, and was relieved to see his siblings standing behind him. They looked terrified, but he couldn't blame them.

All was silent. The three siblings stood there, unsure of what to do. They were there, but they hadn't planned the next step.

Temari wrapped her arms around herself. She shivered; she was very pale, and her lips had a bluish look. Her fingers were also blue at the tips. She reached into her pack with a shivering hand, and pulled out the map given to them by the Kazekage. She trailed a frozen finger to the cliffs on the map. There was no symbol to indicate a cave in the rock wall.

"Clearly, we're somewhere nobody's recorded yet." She placed the map back in her bag.

Kankuro folded his arms tightly. He tried not to shiver, but he couldn't help it. He didn't understand how it could get so cold without it snowing.

As though somebody read his mind, a freezing cold piece of fluff landed on his arm. Eyes widening in disbelief, he watched as more came down. They landed gracefully upon the three, silent but freezing to the touch. Gaara frowned.

"How can it snow inside a cave?" The red head questioned, staring up at the dark rocks above. He squinted, and could make out wispy figures floating amidst the jutting ceiling.

"No way…" Temari was also squinting above. "There can't be clouds in a cave, unless something has evaporated. I don't see what could evaporate, though. There are no liquid substances in this area." She stated. Her eyes landed on the cliff's edge none to far away from her.

"Unless," Continued Kankuro. "There is some sort of liquid down there." He pointed a finger at the depression.

"It doesn't matter to me. If we know how it snows inside a cave, what good is it to us? We need to find out why the Kazekage sent us here, and fast. Or we'll all make very nice ice cubes." Gaara scowled at the two. They nodded in agreement and the trio began to walk along the cliff's edge.

Gaara extended his numb fingers, and caught a snowflake. He examined it, frowning. The snowflake was not white; it was black like the clouds in a furious storm. All of the small, floating icicles were, too. It was a strange phenomenon. The snowflake did not melt.

A whooshing sound caught their attention. Figures appeared out of nowhere. They were almost like the clouds hanging over them; wispy and translucent. They were unidentifiable. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro watched nervously as the creatures circled around them.

Gaara felt anger bubble inside him.

"You led us here, so tell us what we're here for." He snapped, not caring if they attacked him or not. He was too cold to care.

All was silent, and then a voice echoed around them.

"You say you were sent from the Kazekage," It said. "Show us your identification passes."

The three dug around in their bags and pulled out their passes. They held them up.

"So you are from Sunagakure… we have been expecting you." A figure evaporated, and appeared right in front of them. They took uneasy steps back, but the others closed in on them.

"The Kazekage has told us you are very strong." The voice said. "We require the strength of all three of you."

"Do you mind explaining what we're supposed to do?" Kankuro asked. He couldn't bite back his impatience.

"You will see in time, but for now, you must start training here."

"Training…? We're strong enough," Temari said, becoming furious.

"If you are so strong, let us see you survive. You are cold, are you not? You shant be any longer." The form floated forward in the blink of an eye, and before Temari knew what was happening, she had been pushed off of the ledge.

"Temari!" Kankuro shouted, and both of her siblings tried to go to the edge. They were blocked by the figures.

"Why?" Kankuro shouted. "I thought you needed us!"

"We do; but if you are to be uncooperative, you will be our prey." The voice now spat out the words, which had become full of venom. The words had been separated, so each one engraved themselves into their minds. "Let your sister be a reminder."

Temari fell. The cliff walls around her were sharp, and they clawed at her as she fell past. The wind sliced at her, and so did the rocks. Deep gashes appeared all over her form. She didn't scream; it wouldn't help her. Nothing would.

The dark snowflakes were still surrounding her. As she fell, she noticed them start to decrease in numbers until they were no more. She was so numb; she could hardly feel the coldness anymore. She could not see where the end was. She was pushed backwards, thus she stared upwards at the cliff edge that was becoming further and further away from her. Her eyes closed as her vision became fogged by blackness.

She was about to drift off into unconsciousness, when she didn't feel quite so cold anymore. In fact, she was warm. It was almost like she was back in Sunagakure. She could imagine, feel the sand beneath her feet. The temperature rose. Her closed eyes twitched slightly, realizing that it was becoming increasingly hot. She was no longer in Sunagakure. She was in hell.

The rocks became more numerous, scraping her even worse than before. The heat became almost unbearable; she didn't understand what was happening.

The answer to her question was soon answered. She tilted her head to look over her shoulder, and her heart seemed to implode. The cliff edges peeled away to reveal a river like flow of substance. The liquid was lava; except, it was not coloured like fire. It was pitch black, like the snowflakes that fell high above. She knew she would die if she touched it; she would be incinerated. Fear almost burst her heart as she finally let out a scream. It was all going to end.

Her arms, hands, feet, and back touched the lava, and she screamed again. The pain was unbearable. She could almost feel herself melt away. It seemed as though she was flung into the core of the sun. Flecks of the smoldering black lava jumped up and clasped onto her hair, face, and body. In less than a second, she would be consumed by the lava.

A cold touch on her shoulder didn't even snap her out of her delirious state. One of the floating shadows had appeared, and limb-like shapes clasped onto Temari's shoulders. It hauled the psychotic teenager upwards, dragging her back through the rocks, which clawed her ferociously once again.

The heat simmered back down, and soon snowflakes touched her limp form. They instantly began to melt, once they got within one meter radius of her. Steam and smoke ricocheted off of her lifeless form. It became cold once again, the winter like weather embracing her sharply.

Temari couldn't understand what was going on around her. Her mind throbbed with heat; it was almost as though she was still trapped in the confinements of the deathly lava. She could only faintly feel the coldness that surrounded her. Her physical form burned unbearably, and she couldn't even tell if her limbs had been incinerated or not. Frostbite and critical burns ate away at her. She didn't know which would kill her first.

Temari opened her left eye only a crack. She saw a blurry, dim light that she barely registered as the depression opening. Her eye closed, and she let out a painful exhale. She fell unconscious.

The shadow hauled her to the cliff edge, and flung her at the sharp, rocky ground. She hit the rocks and continued to roll and bounce across the ground from the great momentum the shadow had flung her with. The rocks that she hit became stained red. Temari finally stopped, deathly still.

Kankuro rushed over, fear spreading through him. His family had never been close, but he still felt anxiety grip at his heart. She was his sister, and he was her brother. Nothing could change that.

"Temari, can you hear me?" Kankuro called, his voice wavering in his panic and horror. There was no response.

Gaara watched from a small distance. Hatred burned within him, like a hatred he had almost never felt before. He didn't know what the Kazekage's point was to send them here, but he knew that he would never forgive him; Kazekage or not. He would never forgive these shadowy figures either.

There was a malevolent silence. "I hope you have learned to follow our orders. You may just end up worse than your sister if you do not listen next time." The voice hissed.

Temari's eyes fluttered open slightly, pain restricting her from even opening them fully. She was bound by pain, which didn't allow her to move at all.

"Temari!" Kankuro exclaimed.

Dried blood stained Temari, and fresh blood still ran from her endless wounds. Her clothes were torn in many places, and two pieces of her bag were only attached by a small thread that had been able to withstand the slashes. She was severely and critically burned all over. Her lips were split in five different places, and they had regainedtheir bluish hue. The map hung halfway out of her severed bag, ready to fall out. Kankuro grabbed it. Unbearable pain ran through every last nerve in her body. Temari closed her eyes, and tried to push herself up.

"Don't move," Gaara stated coldly, pushing Temari's gruesome form back down none to gently with his sand. He was now beside his brother. Temari hissed, and became unconscious once more as the pain was too exceedingly unbearable for her to withstand.

A shadowed floating mass moved near to them. It lunged forward and its form changed. It landed, hunched over, consumed by shadows. The shadow they stared at now looked like a human. A complicated, dark, robe like outfit covered it. One could clearly tell it was the leader. The spiritual hat it wore on its head seemed a duplicate of the Kazekage's and the Hokage's; the only difference was that it was dark, matching the robe and the snowflakes that fell.

The figure looked up. Its entire eyeball gave the illusion of a black pit. There was no iris, or pupil.

The malevolent voice it possessed spoke.

"Let us begin."

It lunged.

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This is only a page or so shorter than the last chapter. I'm happy I made it lengthy, but I think it droned on a bit too long. I'm sorry if it was boring, or too overly descriptive. :(

I know it took a while for this story to be updated, but I've been busy with schoolwork and whatnot.

Please read and review.

Phoenix-Roar