Summary: Temari and Kankuro join Gaara to rescue Matsuri while Baki hunts Karumaru with the help of some familiar Leaf nins--and a rather odd bounty hunter.

JOSTLING WINDS

Demons of the Desert

Dear Journal:

My life has changed so much since I have become a student of Gaara-sensei. I am firmly committed to life as a kunoichi and now I even have Hiroko's family to go home to. Still, I fear that things are going too well and that I'll wake up and it will be a dream. I look out at the full moon tonight and a shiver goes down my spine as a terrifying growl rumbles across the village. I must get the boys and go to our shelter in the house--Hiroko calls even now. I will protect them, but I know Gaara-sensei will be out there to see that no harm comes to the village.

-Matsuri

- - - - - - -

Sunagakure Gates

"Damn it, damn it, damn it." The unbroken litany came from the Puppet Master. Kankuro felt Baki and Temari join him on top of the wall as they looked at the mayhem below them illuminated by the full moon. Suna's ultimate weapon had unleashed his power to take down the marauders as well as members of their own patrol.

Baki called down to Yura, the captain in charge of security, "Seal the village! We'll deal with this!"

A group of men were crushed in sand while a lone swordsman fended off two attackers out of view of the Shukaku. The bloody sand glistened with macabre beauty with the horrendous demon at its midst. Half of Gaara's body was distorted in the shape of a demon claw, but after the crushing blow, he stopped and stood still. In the meantime, the swordsman remained behind the Shukaku and finished his attackers.

"Kankuro, with me. Temari, shield the swordsman," directed Baki.

Baki and Kankuro jumped in front of Gaara while Temari landed behind him to shield the swordsman with her open tessen. She maneuvered them slowly toward the village gates even while her team walked in opposing synchrony to turn the demon's eyes away from the village gates.

"Gaara, stand down!" ordered Baki.

They could hear a low growl being stifled as the head turned to them as if using the demon eye to focus on his next prey. But when the head tilted so that it was the gaze of the human eye that fell on them, Kankuro murmured to Baki, "I'll deal with Gaara. You and Temari clean up."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll just veer him further out to the desert so we can talk," assured Kankuro.

Kankuro swallowed as he took a step forward. Gaara was his little brother, but the Shukaku? Well, he was a demon. He took each step purely based on faith that he would find his brother at the end of it.

MORE BLOOD! A FEAST CALLS US! TURN TO THE VILLAGE! The Shukaku's thoughts rang through Gaara's mind, but then, a welcome voice broke through.

"Hey, bro, you did good here. Got all the bad guys, you know? And then some. No one's left now but innocent villagers." Kankuro kept his tone friendly and confident, but his gaze was focused completely on Gaara's real eye, not the demon-imbued orb.

BLOOD! FEED US! Gaara willed himself to breathe. "Kankuro?"

His brother garbled his name, but Kankuro offered a smile. "You protected the village, Gaara. It's over now."

Kankuro was relieved as the huge claw dissolved into sand while Gaara's human eyes returned. "Come on, let's go check the perimeter. We'll replace the patrol that was lost and keep the village safe."

"The patrol?" Gaara blinked. "They didn't protect the village."

"Right, bro, so let's go make sure the perimeter is secure. Baki and Temari will take care of clean up."

Gaara was silent as he followed his brother.

- - - - - -

Temari watched warily as Kankuro approached Gaara, then sighed when she saw the demon claw dissipate before they walked away together. Baki turned to join Temari and the swordsman. The wind suddenly fluttered the man's shirt open from where he had been slashed to provide a fleeting glimpse of a bird-shaped birthmark on his chest.

Baki was startled to see someone who still bore the mark; that family had been eliminated before his generation. He cautiously asked, "Identify yourself."

The man had grabbed his shirt to keep it closed and now tilted his wide brimmed had to reveal the scars running across his face. Both men were surprised when Temari called his name, "Sazanami, the bounty hunter."

"Didn't realize I had such a reputation," muttered the scarfaced man.

"Yugao Uzuki from Konoha mentioned you," explained Temari.

"She's still pissed at me, huh?" suggested Sazanami as he scratched the back of his head. "Figures."

"You're in good company," muttered Temari before whispering to Baki, "He's the man who pulled her from the border gate."

Baki nodded and introduced himself. "I'm Baki, Marshal of the Eastern sector in Suna. Now, explain your presence at the gates to Sunagakure."

Sazanami cocked his head. "I've been following this crew for a week now. Thought to grab a few of them for a bounty when they ran into your patrol, but your Sand nins were too drunk to move. I gave a shrill whistle hoping a sentry on the other side would hear, then all hell broke loose."

"Gaara would have responded first to the whistle," said Temari.

Sazanami continued, "The two in the rear attacked me while that demon from your Sand village swept down to take the others away."

"You say the patrol was drunk?" questioned Baki.

"Drunk or drugged or victims of some ninja trick; they were stumbling around, laughing," explained Sazanami.

"Stay here while we investigate. If your story is true, then you'll be granted the bounty on the men you killed," said Baki. He turned to Temari and merely nodded as they left Sazanami to clean his sword. He inspected the invaders while she approached the remains of the patrol.

The kunoichi used her fan to reveal the crushed bodies of the Suna nins. Just outside the area of the killings, a number of gleaming white bottles were in view. Temari bent to pick one up, sniffed at it, and then called, "Baki, you're not going to like this."

Baki immediately appeared at her side and inspected the seal on the vessel. "Sake bottles. Damn Lord Anzen!" Baki turned to explain to Temari, "He retired from active duty when he found it more profitable making alcohol. He has the brewery on the eastern outskirts of the village."

Temari grinned. "As Marshal it's only right you that you inspect the premises. Need a clumsy, ditzy blonde with a large tessen to help?"

"And I thought Kankuro was the schemer," muttered Baki as Temari rubbed her hands in glee when he agreed. He directed, "Gather the bodies of the patrol and send them to the mortuary."

As the kunoichi saw to the task, Baki walked back to speak with Sazanami. He gave the man a scroll and said, "Go to the Councilor's tower and tell them that Marshal Baki is extending his hospitality to you." When the man seemed prepared to protest, the jonin added a hard edge to his tone. "I insist."

Sazami merely tipped his hat to the Wind Sword and said, "If you don't mind, I'll take the swords from the two I fought. I hate to see a quality blade left abused."

Baki nodded his consent. As he watched the man collect the swords, he knew this was not an ordinary bounty hunter.

- - - - - -

The Sabaku brothers walked the perimeter of the village for hours before the Sand Master finally spoke. "I killed our patrol."

"You killed the invaders," said Kankuro quickly, but then he sighed and added, "and the patrol got in the way. Hell, I'm not sure how the perimeter patrol could have let them get so close."

"I--I feel..." Gaara's words faltered. "What is it, Kankuro? It's not anger; it's not like fire. It's dark and heavy."

"Guilt." Kankuro thought it best to keep things simple.

"Guilt." Gaara nodded. "I killed comrades."

"Shukaku killed our comrades; you stopped him from attacking the village. You just carry his burdens," insisted Kankuro. He wasn't going to let his brother paint himself as the murderer when it was the demon inside. Not anymore.

"The Council won't see it that way. They fear me."

Kankuro couldn't argue with that, but offered the one hope he could. "Look, you can count on Baki to be on your side with the Council. Besides, you have me and Temari in your corner."

"You're family."

"Matsuri thinks you're a hero."

"She's my student," intoned Gaara before turning away from his brother to look at the rising sun. "Do you think she'd let me train her if she saw what happened last night?"

Kankuro scowled. "She's a tough little mouse, Gaara, don't underestimate people accepting you."

"I just wish..." Gaara turned to look onto the horizon. "I want to be--valued by others, by our village. I'll work hard to gain their respect, just like Naruto does."

"Yeah, that knucklehead never lets up," agreed Kankuro. "You gotta admire the kid's tenacity."

"When I first met Naruto, I wondered why he bothered with proving himself to others." Gaara lifted his head and continued, "For a long time, I only nurtured the hate that fueled Shukaku's bloodlust. That was my only connection with others."

"No, bro, you had your human moments, even before the chunin exams," countered Kankuro. "You've always had your family; you just failed to acknowledge us until after the disaster in Konoha."

Gaara nodded. Perhaps the humanity that filtered through, that allowed him to respond to Naruto's lesson, was based on how his siblings had not abandoned him. "I think I'm beginning to understand the bonds that connect people, that make people precious to each other. It isn't about the hate or sadness or anger, but about caring, companionship, even laughing. When I share these feelings with you and Temari, I think I begin to understand others."

Kankuro put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Then hold onto that because that's what separates you from the Shukaku inside of you."

"Do you think anyone can ever truly understand me?"

"Gaara, I can't imagine what you must live with everyday. Maybe only someone like Naruto can, but I don't need to understand everything about you in order to accept you, for you to be precious to me. Remember that."

Gaara nodded and held onto the warm feeling he gained from his brother: comfort.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear Journal:

No one said much about what happened last night, but we were let out of the Academy early to attend the funerals of the nins who were on perimeter patrol. They say they fought bravely to protect Sunagakure and were given high honors for their sacrifice. Some people were complaining about the shortage of sake for an offering since the brewery was under repair. There are rumors that a silly blonde haired woman knocked over all the equipment this morning because she was too drunk to stand straight. I saw Kankuro snickering whenever anyone mentioned it, though. I asked Gaara-sensei about it, and he explained that some people think that blonde hair means you're not too bright. I don't think such people have ever met Temari. Scary, yes; dumb, never. Gaara-sensei agreed.

-Matsuri

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Suna Council

"The demon is a threat to the village! He killed the perimeter patrol! Can you deny that?"

"No, I acknowledge the casualties and I will personally see that any bounties on the invaders killed by Gaara go to their families. However, the patrol wasn't without fault. They were all too drunk to act." Baki emphasized his point by dropping a number of empty sake bottles on the Council table. "The cache of bottles that Temari and I found indicate it was not a random occurrence."

"Captain Yura, what do you have to say?"

"I request the Council restrict the sale of sake to active duty shinobi for the next month while I reinforce a sense of discipline in all of my security teams."

The Council concurred, but as they were exiting, Baki walked with Yura. He murmured, "I'm sure you saw that the sake came from one source?"

"Lord Anzen," replied Yura. "You pay him a visit?"

Baki merely nodded. "It's a good thing you called for restricted sales because Anzen's brewery is in need of repairs."

Yura actually laughed. "Nothing can stop a Wind Sword."

"Actually, nothing can stop a clumsy tessen," offered Baki.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Suna Academy

Baki sat at his desk at the Academy as he reviewed the latest scroll from Ibiki Morino.

... Yugao Uzuki reports that she only found one survivor in the woods of Takumi village who warned her against going further without reinforcement because of their automatic traps. The village does specialize in creating ninja weapons. The survivor thought the raid was a diversion for traitors within the village as well, most likely the Shitenshounin. She reports that the dying man described the leader of the raiders as having red hair and a number of old injuries: one eye and one arm were missing and he dragged one foot. But the Raider was powerful even with his hindrances and seemed to revel in killing others. Yugao is trying to stay on the trail of the raider in River Country while we send Kakashi to investigate Takumi village.

The jonin's musings were interrupted when Temari opened the door and tossed a parchment on his desk before taking a seat. "Here's a copy of the report of the Suna Academy I've sent to Lady Tsunade," began Temari. She then noticed the scroll on his desk and asked, "Is that a new dispatch from Konoha?"

"Captain Morino sends important news," began Baki. "The Takumi village has been raided and the leader fits Karumaru. The Hokage is sending the Copy nin to investigate, but another Leaf nin is on Karumaru's trail through River Country. "

"You don't look happy," observed Temari. "What? Is it the Jolly Green Jonin?"

"More like his antithesis," said Baki dryly.

"Hm, that would mean it's a Leaf nin who is," and here Temari started listing features with her fingers. "Female, wears dark colors, pretty, and not jolly." She snapped her fingers in triumph. "Yugao Uzuki!" Then she frowned. "So, when do we go after him? And you can't say no. With the Panther on the prowl, someone's got to watch your back with Karumaru."

"She buried Hayate's sword--"

"She doesn't have to kill you outright. She could just lure you into Karumaru's trap and send an apology to us: Sorry, but I was too late to save the Wind Sword."

"I'm not some naive boy blindly chasing revenge, Temari."

The girl sighed. "I know; you take calculated risks. But you were still recovering from Konoha's Inquisition when you pulled that forbidden jutsu with Karumaru's last attack. You hide it well, but you're not at one hundred percent. That's why you've been training with me so much lately. It's as much to gauge your own wind control as it is to build mine."

Baki scowled, "Whoever said blondes are dumb clearly never met you."

"You really need to work on how to compliment a girl," muttered Temari with a smirk, then got back to the point. "Do we go as support or do we sneak after you? And don't think I'll even try to hold Kankuro back."

"Compromise," offered Baki as he thought of Sazanami. "I'll take back up of my own choosing, but not you or your brothers."

Temari was about to argue when Baki firmly shook his head in the negative. She took a deep breath. "Fine, you promise me you won't go alone and I'll keep your mission a secret from my brothers until it's too late to follow."

"I'm trusting you on this. After the last incident, we can't let Gaara lose control of Shukaku and Karumaru is sure to provoke that."

"Agreed." Temari understood that too well. She stood and opened the door to find Sazanami standing outside ready to knock on it. She nodded her head briefly in acknowledgment before leaving.

"Sazanami, come in," Baki stood and walked in front of his desk and leaned against it. "It's time we had a little talk."

The bounty hunter took a seat and shoved his hat back. "Figured this was coming. What do you want to know?"

"Why a sword master with your talent is a bounty hunter. But my first question is whether your sensei was a shinobi?"

"No, I don't come from a shinobi village. My uncle was a swordsmith and trained me in kenpo and smithing."

"So you left your humble village to seek out your fortune in the world?"

Sazanami scoffed. "More like misfortune found me."

Baki prodded, "Let's hear the story."

"In a small village in Stone Country, there was a young swordsmith named Tokichi. He was delivering this sword when he was framed for the murder of an important family." Sazanami unsheathed his blade and offered it to Baki.

"Tokichi escaped execution to become Sazanami, the bounty hunter," concluded Baki as he inspected the sword. It was finely crafted; the swordsmith could have asked a hefty price for it.

"Spent the last eight years looking for the killer and finally got my wish a few weeks ago." The bounty hunter laughed quietly. "Ran into a loudmouthed ninja brat from Leaf named Naruto. He and his team helped me capture the real killer and I was exonerated in my village."

"But you're still a bounty hunter. Get a taste for the life?" asked Baki as he returned the sword.

"I thought I could resume my life as Tokichi but..." Sazanami shook his head as he sheathed the sword. "I hit the road when I discovered you can't go home again."

Baki nodded. "The birthmark on your chest would tell its own story. Are you interested in it?"

"What do you mean?" Sazanami sat up and his head tilted in query.

"Your uncle was on your father's side, right? But what do you know of your mother's family?"

Sazanami frowned. "I never knew my mother because she died in childbirth. My father died when I was too young to ask him about her, so my uncle raised me."

"I suspect your mother was from the Taiyouchou, the Sunbird shinobi clan." Baki picked up a sheet from his desk and presented it to Sazanami. "Suna lost the clan in a massacre about thirty years ago, although there were rumors that the teenaged daughter had escaped."

"I'll be damned." Sazanami sat stunned as he read the summary history of the Sunbird clan and saw the picture of the bird-shaped birthmark that each blood relative carried. He swallowed and asked, "So, why are you showing me this?"

"You could start over in Suna. You're too old to be trained as a shinobi, but I think you could learn some basic chakra control. And I personally would like to see another good swordsmith in our village. I could present your case to the Council for approval."

"What's the catch?"

Baki was silent for a moment. "I need someone who'll watch my back on a mission. It will probably mean I'll have to deal with Yugao Uzuki."

"I'm not your man; I won't hurt her."

"She's not the target, although she could be an obstacle. I just need someone who can keep her from killing me should she be so inclined."

Sazanami tilted his head. The idea of seeing the kunoichi again had some appeal. "So who is the target?"

"Karumaru, a missing Suna nin who wants to kill my team," said Baki.

"That would be that pretty blonde and the guy in the hood?"

"Temari and Kankuro, yes," confirmed Baki. "And Gaara, the boy who carries the Shukaku demon. They're siblings and the man is their uncle."

Sazanami let out a whistle at that news. "Blood killing blood? That ain't right."

The jonin leaned forward and held out his hand. "So, deal?"

He was pleased when Sazanami nodded his affirmation and shook his hand. "You've got your man."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear Journal:

I don't know if I'll ever get to write this down, so I'm imagining the open page and the pen in my hand. I feel so useless! Four strangers captured me to use as bait for Gaara-sensei. They shut me up in a wooden casket. At least I can see out as I'm carried on the back of the crazy one; we must look like a turtle. There's a boy who sounds like a spoiled brat. At least, I think it's a boy. Then there's a woman with two-toned hair. Maybe she tried to color it and it wore off? And then there's a large man who looks like a bad-tempered feline. I'd laugh if they weren't serious about hurting Gaara-sensei. I know he will come after me; he would have come for any of the Academy students. I won't cry; I won't panic. I will try to keep my wits so that when my sensei comes, I can be of some help.

-Matsuri

- - - - - - - -

Sunagakure

Temari's wind whisper sent Baki running to meet his team at the training grounds. He saw Gaara with a joyhyou, Matsuri's weapon of choice.

"They nabbed the Mouse," said Kankuro.

"Matsuri has been kidnapped," clarified Gaara with a slow blink of his eyes as he turned to Baki.

"We met a sentry they left alive to deliver a message. The group calls themselves the Shitenshounin," explained Temari. "They've challenged Gaara to meet them or they'll kill someone close to him until he does."

"So they began with the weakest of his cohort," muttered Baki. "Shitenshounin? The Takumi village designates four members as the Houki, Kajuka, Ryuuken, and Suika. The recent raid there might have been a decoy for them to break away from the village."

"We waste time. Let's go," muttered Gaara.

"Wait, Gaara. It's important that you demonstrate to the Council that you can follow orders and wait until they authorize the mission," said Baki. "I'll signal an emergency meeting. Just give me time to find Sakyuu and we'll meet in the Council chambers."

"He's right, Gaara. We know they're heading northeast to River Country," inserted Temari as she put a hand on her brothers' shoulders. "Besides, it will give us time to get travel supplies, like food and first aid. Matsuri could be hurt."

"We'll wait for the council to meet," agreed Gaara.

It took Baki only five minutes to find Sakyuu on the balcony of the Councilors' Tower. Although the chief Councilor was willing to call the meeting to order, Baki was dismayed by the way the mission would be executed.

"Yes, your team should go, but you, Baki, will have some other mission," proclaimed Sakyuu with a wave of his hand. He noted Baki's frown, but turned to look out at the village as he explained. "The recent attack by Shukaku proves he is still a danger to us. Fate has brought this confrontation for Gaara."

"My Lord, Gaara has made a lot of progress," protested Baki.

"But can you assure me that a teenage boy can always control a murderous demon?"

Baki was silent and Sakyuu took that as acquiescence, but that didn't mean the Wind Sword was without his own plans.

Ten minutes later at the Council meeting, Baki demanded that he be allowed to send to Konoha for reinforcements. "Leaf would prove their allegiance with Sand by sending a team to intercept the Shitenshounin from the East."

The Council approved the message and sending Gaara after Matsuri, but Kankuro voiced his disapproval. "You know this is a trap. Aren't we deploying other teams?"

"This could be a diversion; the village can't be left unprotected," declared Baki. It was the response he knew the Council would voice, but not the one he wanted to give.

Kankuro then asked, "Baki, you're coming with us, right?"

Baki could not meet his gaze, but knew that Temari would understand his message. "No, I have another mission."

It took only a moment for Temari to realize that Baki would be on Karumaru's trail. She prodded her brother, "Come on, let's not waste any more time."

But once her brothers moved ahead of her, she performed the jutsu to send Baki a wind whisper. "You promised you wouldn't go after him alone."

In reply, Baki assured, "I've already taken care of back up. Worry about your own mission and leave Karumaru to me."

Baki left the meeting to inspect the map he had left on his desk. River Country had a number of places good for an ambush and he bet that Karumaru would be waiting to attack Gaara and his siblings when they were exhausted from fighting. But today luck was with the Wind Sword as he received the latest dispatch from Ibiki Morino that contained Yugao Uzuki's latest coordinates. The Panther would lead him to Karumaru.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

River Country

Baki and Sazanami were soon trailing his team on a hang glider controlled by Baki's wind jutsus.

"It's one helluva ride!" declared Sazanami as they made their way quickly to River country. "Won't they see us?"

"I've cast a transformation jutsu so only a bird would be seen from the ground."

"Sounds like a neat trick. Hey, is that a turtle? Wait, those are the kidnappers."

"They've imprisoned Matsuri in a barrel to carry her," explained Baki.

"Hm, she sorta looks like a mouse," observed Sazanami. "Poor kid must be scared."

"She's a tough little mouse."

They then saw Temari break off to take on a woman who was using swords that made her look like a hummingbird with fluttering wings.

"Think your girl can handle the witch with the swords?"

Baki just smirked and said, "My girl can handle it."

Next Kankuro remained to challenge a youth with another set of peculiar swords that flared out like dragon heads much like the wooden snake toys he'd played with as a child. In the meantime, the large kidnapper confronted Gaara to prevent him from reaching Matsuri.

"We're not stopping to help them?" Sazanami asked.

"My team should be getting reinforcements from the Leaf village," replied Baki. "The bigger threat waits for them at the end of their battles."

"Shinobi have funny priorities," Sazanami muttered. "So, what's your plan for finding Yugao?"

"That's the easy part," said Baki. "I'm the bait."

- - - - - -

Yugao noted a large condor flying overhead, but only let it briefly distract her from her surveillance of the activity below the cliff ledge. Then she heard a rustle and saw Baki emerge from a copse of trees, seemingly distracted by the map in his hand. It was soon sliced neatly in half.

"I should have known you'd be meeting with this raider. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit your throat." Yugao held the point of her sword against Baki's neck.

"Because he's here to kill Karumaru, not to have a party."

Yugao gasped at the familiar rugged voice and the press of sharp steel at her spine. She immediately turned and attacked Sazanami with her sword. "You! You cheating, perverted, son of a ..."

Baki was actually impressed by the remaining string of epithets that the Panther managed to spew out. Each word was emphasized with a sword thrust and met with a parry. Sazanami, whom Baki had dropped off first just so that he could draw out Yugao, was merely defending during her litany.

"Now, that's no way for fine lady to talk," chastised the bounty hunter as their swords clashed.

Yugao sputtered. "Fine? Lady? How dare you try to flatter me, you--flirt!"

"And I thought I had bad luck with women," muttered Baki as he watched. He needed her cooperation, but was at a loss of how to interrupt the battle. The combatants were purely focused on each other.

"I really hate to do this," murmured Sazanami as he flipped the hilt of his sword and slammed it into Yugao's shoulder. He knew exactly where the wound would still be tender.

Yugao dropped her sword and Sazanami immediately grabbed her arms and pinned them to her back. He spoke into her ear and said, "Quit being such a shrew and listen, will you?"

Yugao, finally realizing how unprofessionally she was behaving, took a deep breath and said firmly, "Take your filthy hands off of me first."

"Sure, but I think I'll just hold your hands until Baki explains our mission."

Yugao turned to glare at the man over her shoulder, but he loosened the grip on her wrists and held her hands in his. Oddly, she found herself comforted by the light squeeze he gave them. She lifted her chin and addressed Baki. "I'm listening."

"The raider you've been tracking is Karumaru, a missing Sand nin. As Marshal of the Eastern Sector of Suna, I claim the right to execute him. I want you to lead me to his camp if you've found it."

"I can call for reinforcements from Konoha to the same effect," said Yugao. Her eyes narrowed. "This is personal, isn't it?"

When Baki remained silent, Sazanami explained, "His team will be in danger if we wait. Baki thinks Karumaru is using the Shitenshounin to draw them out and will attack when they're exhausted from their battles."

Yugao lost some of her hostility. She sighed, "Yes, I know the lengths Baki will go to protect his team."

Sazanami released her hands, although he remained standing behind her. "So, will you help us?"

Yugao looked at Baki. "If you lost Temari, you'd know how I felt when you killed Hayate."

"You could have killed Temari when she was in Konoha if you intended that type of revenge," observed Baki.

"The shinobi world could use more kunoichi like her. And your boys are very talented as well." Yugao picked up her sword and sheathed it.

Sazanami's sigh was audible. "So is that a yes?"

Yugao glared at him. "I will help, but if you get in front of my sword again, don't expect to walk away with your manhood intact. Now follow me."

Baki and Sazanami hesitated a moment before walking behind her. The Wind Sword murmured to the bounty hunter, "She's rather passionate about you. What the hell did you do to piss her off?"

Sazanami clucked and admitted reluctantly, "I kissed her."

"Brave man. Stupid, but brave."

"Hey, I'm still alive."

"The day's not over yet," hissed Yugao over her shoulder. The men exchanged a glance and made sure to walk behind her. Silently.

Yugao led them to the edge of cliff where they looked down to see an entrance to a cave. "There are five men with Karumaru, but he's the only ninja. Is that Gaara fighting on the lower level?"

Indeed, they could see that Karumaru had essentially created a nest in the rocks so that he could see the ongoing battle between Seimi, the resurrected Takumi warrior, and Gaara, on the floor of the canyon. The copse of rocks hid the raiding party from view below.

"Hey, it's that Naruto kid," said Sazanami. "And I see Hinata and Kiba along with some others."

"We sent for reinforcements from Leaf. Looks like they could only send out genin," murmured Baki.

"That's more than Suna sent for your team," scoffed Yugao.

Baki could not argue her point, but now that his objective was at hand, he focused on that success. He watched with some pride as Gaara created a triton to kill Seimi, but was not surprised when the boy collapsed. The youths below them set about gathering their comrades. It made sense to head for the Leaf border since it was closer.

Baki knew that Karumaru would use this chance to follow them while Gaara was drained. He registered a movement among the raiders and sprang forth assuming Sazanami and Yugao would follow. The jonin landed in front of Karumaru and immediately diverted the swarm of shuriken that came his way into two of the raiders. Yugao and Sazanami jumped into the fray to take on the three men remaining while Baki challenged Karumaru.

In spite of his injuries, Karumaru was still a formidable opponent. His wind jutsus clashed with Baki's to produce sufficient convection for lightning. This was followed by the sudden appearance of quicksand to swallow the Wind Sword, but Baki was able to counter that with his own cyclone that dissipated the trap. Finally Karumaru sought to make his escape by dodging around the boulders.

It was at this point that Yugao and Sazanami finished dispatching the other raiders and then turned to see what could be done to prevent Karumaru's escape. They watched as Baki merely swept his hand to cut a boulder neatly in half with the infamous Wind Sword.

Cowering in the midst of the rubble was Karumaru. He was weeping pathetically and it made the two wonder how this broken man could be such a menace. The man was wailing, "You know it's for the good of Suna that I kill Gaara. How can you let the boy live? You, with your Wind Sword, you could have killed him at any time. Can't you see how he is the real menace to Suna?"

"Don't expect me to believe you're driven by honorable intentions. You came into my house and tried to kill Temari as she slept. You set out to kill your own blood and for that, I will show you no mercy."

The Wind Sword plunged efficiently to puncture the man's heart. Then Baki stood back, swept at the remaining boulders, and buried the body in the stone tomb. The maternal line of his team was now eliminated.

Yugao sheathed her sword and abruptly said to Baki, "I'm sure the Hokage will see that your team receives the medical care needed. Remember that if you set foot in Konoha, your life is forfeit. I'll give a confidential report to the Hokage and Ibiki Morino about the incident."

Baki bowed to her, then frowned as he noticed she was favoring her left leg. "My thanks, but I think you need some first aide yourself."

"I'll take care of Yugao," offered Sazanami as he noted the sprain.

"I neither want nor need your aide, bounty hunter." And with that, Yugao walked away from them and toward Konoha with a definite limp.

"Stubborn," muttered Baki as he watched her retreating back.

"Yeah, but then so am I," said Sazanami as he sheathed his sword and began walking to catch up with her. He called, "I'll be back in Suna in a week or so if she doesn't manage to kill me."

Baki just shook his head as he saw the bounty hunter catch up to the kunoichi and toss her over his shoulder without dislodging his hat. Yugao beat at his back until Sazanami spanked her rump sharply and threatened to kiss her again if she didn't settle down. The kunoichi quick struggling, but kept up a steady rant of expletives.

"Brave man. Stupid, but brave." Baki took a moment to sit and watch the sunset, turning his face into the evening breeze. He had the energy left to send out a Wind Whisper, although it was at the limit of his range.

"You're safe now, Temari. You're all safe from Karumaru."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear Journal:

I feel that I have suddenly grown up in the last week. When I was captured, I had faith that Gaara-sensei would rescue me. But now I understand why others fear him; I have seen what the demon looks like. Yes, I was scared, but I was able to see beyond the demon and understand some of the burden that Gaara-sensei carries. I even protected Naruto with my jouhyou! I hope my sensei was proud of me.

After the battle, we ran into two powerful, white-haired Leaf nins: Kakashi and Jiraiya. A toad was summoned which we rode to Konohagakure so that the injured could get medical attention and rest. But on our way there, I saw Temari suddenly sit up and smile. Kankuro teased her about being happy to be around Shadow Boy (I think that would be Shikamaru), but almost fell off the toad when she shoved him. She just muttered something about being safe from crazy men.

Gaara only rested a day before we headed back to Suna. To our surprise, Marshal Baki was waiting at the border and got knocked backward when Temari rammed him at full speed to hug him, then Kankuro decided to dogpile on Temari. Even Gaara-sensei suddenly sat on his brother before shifting the sand around them to lift them all up. But Baki didn't seem mad about it. He actually had his arm around Temari's shoulder for a moment and was--smiling (And not his scary smile).

But it was a beautiful day; we even saw a large condor in the distance. Then Kankuro insisted on leaving the group to take a detour to visit a friend. Temari teased him about someone named Kagami (I think that's his girlfriend, but I've never heard her mentioned before). No one seemed concerned when he started walking in the direction of the condor.

Temari even challenged Baki to a race to Sunagakure using their wind jutsus. She floated off on her fan while Baki used a wind surf board. Gaara-sensei must have heard me sigh because the next thing I know, a carpet of sand is lifting below us and we're gliding along just as fast as the wind users! Yes, my life has changed since I became Gaara's student and I wouldn't have it any other way.

-Matsuri

End of Jostling Winds

Author Note:

Sorry for being out of it for so long; I hope I never take a year to finish another story, but real life was very demanding. I left out the specific details of the Rescue Matsuri arc as is my usual approach. In fact, the episode jumps from Matsuri becoming Gaara's student to being kidnapped in the next moment. I decided there would be some time in between. I've adapted other scenes from the anime.

Sazanami was a character introduced in the filler arcs. You can find his first encounter with Yugao detailed in Healing Hearts of the Hidden Leaf story that I wrote.

In the Winds series, next comes the story about making jonin, then I'll tackle Gaara as Kazekage. The pairings should be apparent by now, but the romance won't come until the last story.

Thanks for being patient, thanks for reading, and thanks to all of you who take the time to leave a review.