A/N I'm done, I'm done! *takes deep, gracious bow and doesn't trip over own feet like in real life* I thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoy! For the first time there's some GaaChi action (mwhahaha) and generally I'm shaking things up. Thank you TMC-Yuki, I'll watch out for that… Please R & R & Enjoy. Ps. I still fail to own Naruto. In the future, please inform me that kidnapping someone and holding them for anime ransom is illegal… O_O

(Back to present time)

"Do you remember? Back then, the One-tail took over… you destroyed the house with my entire family inside. You would've gotten me too, but your father saved me just in time. I was scarred all over by that time though, and he said that I was no longer fit to be his daughter… after that he locked me up somewhere I wouldn't ever be found again."

Chiru was no longer smiling. She wasn't hiding her pain from him anymore. Gaara's chest exploded agonizingly when he realized how much he'd hurt Chiru when she was young. He could only imagine the pain she'd faced at the hands of his father. How had she escaped, after his death? Had she been able to fend for herself back then?

"How did you escape?"

Chiru shook her head sadly. It took Gaara more than a couple of moments to realize what this answer meant. He could have never imagined it… the absolute horror of what Chiru was telling him made Gaara dizzy with an old, familiar feel.

"Chiru, where is he?" Gaara asked urgently, feeling nauseous.

"Gaara, I was glad to have seen you. I thought that we wouldn't ever meet again. Please, take care of yourself," Chiru whispered. Gaara stopped dancing, watching her quietly. He was fairly sure she was trying to say goodbye.

"Chiru, I'm sorry about back then…" he blurted, just as Chiru leant forward and kissed him. The kiss lasted only a heartbeat, but it set every nerve in Gaara's body on fire and made him want to take her in his arms and kiss her for an eternity. When Chiru pulled back it was as though electricity ran down Gaara's spine. He felt elated and on fire. Somehow the feeling was nearly painful.

"Gaara, I've always loved you…" Chiru whispered as she began to melt into the crowd. Gaara was rooted to the spot as he watched her disappear, hearing her words echo darkly in his mind. Chiru loved him… Gaara was loved by someone.

It was then that the Kazekage realized how much Chiru in turn had come to mean to him. He didn't know what love was, but he knew that he didn't want Chiru to go. Something felt kind of lost without her. As though a piece of him even more dominant than Shuukaku had been was suddenly gone leaving an empty, cold spot in his body where it was meant to be.

Gaara shot into the crowd, glancing around feverishly for the beautiful, mysterious girl with the long red hair and the coppery eyes. For the first time in his life he understood why Naruto was so driven to protect his friends. He understood that desperate need to do anything for a certain person. He wanted to put Chiru in a glass case where nothing could touch her and she could always smile. He wanted her to stay with him, always.

He wanted Chiru – but somehow it seemed that she was slowly drifting from his grasp, leaving him clutching helplessly at the thin air where she was meant to be. Gaara had never felt more lost before in his life. He couldn't see Chiru anywhere. No one paid any attention to him when he nearly barrelled into several dancers. He ran straight into Kankuro, not looking where he was going. Kankuro steadied him, watching him with brotherly concern.

"Gaara, are you okay?" his voice seemed far away to Gaara. It was drowned out by the harsh pounding of Gaara's heart.

"Kankuro," he moaned, as surprised by himself as Kankuro seemed to be.

"What happened?" Kankuro asked in alarm, tugging him out of the way so they could talk. Gaara looked really bad. Kankuro had never seen him that distressed before. Gaara just didn't get distressed.

Gaara didn't say a word, but handed Kankuro the photo from his back pocket. It took a moment as Kankuro read what was written, but Gaara's brother paled immediately when he'd finished.

"Chiru's your wife?" he asked, alarmed. His expression was nearly comical, but Gaara didn't feel the least bit amused.

"He's alive," Gaara muttered, not bothering to answer his brother's question. Kankuro didn't seem to understand what Gaara was saying. It was such a foreign thought; even Gaara had a hard time grasping it

"Our father, Kankuro," Gaara said softly.

Temari paced worriedly through the room. Her dance with Shikamaru had been interrupted when Kankuro had appeared out of nowhere, mumbling nonsense with eyes so wide he might have seen a ghost. It had taken quite a bit of explaining from both her brothers before she could grasp the full dynamic of the story.

Shikamaru had helped her get her brothers back to the inn where they would spend the night. He was there now, watching Temari pace with concern. She was extremely glad that he was there to support her. The news of her father was a little more than even she could bear.

Gaara had fallen asleep finally, with Kankuro watching over him. Temari was worried about her little brother. She wasn't used to seeing Gaara so out of it. Even more than that, she didn't know what he'd do now. Not only did he despise their father, but he really seemed happier around Chiru. Would Gaara be okay knowing their father had her in his clutches?

"What do we do?" Kankuro asked, emerging from the dark room where Gaara was sleeping. He blinked a few times – the gesture was unlike Kankuro. Temari felt at a loss with two confused brothers.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. Usually the brothers could count on her for some advice, but for once she had no idea what to do.

"He said that Chiru must have been with Father all this time… if that's the case, she must still be working for him. Why would he allow her to befriend Gaara?" Both siblings automatically turned to Shikamaru, who was the supposed greatest strategist in the Hidden Leaf.

"What a drag…" he sighed, crouching on the floor. He meshed his fingers together, seeming deep in thought. The siblings waited briefly before he stirred again.

"I don't think he let her befriend Gaara. It wouldn't help his cause if his worst enemy knew he was still alive. With Gaara as the Kazekage the best route would be to assassinate him from the shadows. Chiru may have acted on her own in order to warn Gaara of him."

"Would she have done that?" Temari asked softly. "I mean, he did kill her entire family. He nearly killed her. Isn't it possible they planned this in order to confuse us and then get Gaara while he's off guard?"

Shikamaru mushed up his hair, glaring at the ceiling. He seemed somehow frustrated at the thought.

"We don't know enough to understand what is going on, but from what I saw this evening I don't believe that Chiru hates him."

"You could be wrong," all three of them jumped at Gaara's voice. He leaned against the door frame; his eyes had even darker rings than usual. Gaara seemed worse off than before he'd taken his nap.

"Chiru's ability, I noticed it before. When she touches you she manages to make you like her. I don't know how it works, exactly, but you seem to drop your guard around her after a while. She may have been working with him all along."

Tense silence filled the room. It felt like a thunderstorm that could unleash its pure fury and destruction at any moment. It was Shikamaru who broke the silence – he seemed rather annoyed by needing to take charge.

"We need some help. I propose we ask Kakashi. After all, his tracking abilities will be priceless… Gaara, what do you think? Do you trust Chiru?"

Gaara watched him in silence, utterly expressionless. His cold eyes were even frostier than usual, which made the Konoha shinobi shiver. This was not an enemy you wanted to meet often in battle.

"I don't know. I think Chiru can be trusted. She is very honest in her own way."

Temari smiled, blushing. She had never heard her little brother speak about anyone that way. Gaara definitely had a little crush – and she would help him in every way she could.

"Kakashi it is then," she said, smiling at Shikamaru. He looked surprised, but returned the smile easily. He knew that he would do anything to help Temari when she needed it.

A/N thanks all for reading. As TMC-Yuki said, there may be a few mistakes. I apologize for that and will try to not make any retarded mistakes :D I hate when people do that, now I'm doing the same! XD well I promise Chiru won't be gone long, so please don't hate the story :P I'm glad to see I have quite a few readers! Thanks you all, you make writing worth it. 3