I'm BACK!! Now you all must tell me how much you love me! Although…at the end of this chapter…NO! NO SPOILERS!

I would like to officially thank my favorite band, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, (whom I don't own) for the CD 'Don't You Fake It', because I listened to it CONSTANTLY while writing this. THANK YOU! YOU ROX MY FLIPPIN' SOX!! (If you look carefully, you'll see implied lyrics...twice! I won't tell you what song, or anything. Whoever can find them gets…the next chapter dedicated to them! And I don't own the song, or the CD, except for my copy. It is on the CD, I'll tell you that.)

Thank you to everyone who was sad about my cat. You guys rock. Honestly, I feel much better now; please don't worry. We're getting a new kitty when it's not cold anymore. Definitely will NOT be named Callie…-shudders- And, um…I'll just move on to thank reviewers.

Thanks to: Shrimps of Mass Destruction, Favrite of Chaos, Haku's No. 1 Girl, Kikyo Uchiha, Dragon of Twilight, Not a FFnet Member, THE Hyuuga Neji (response to you at the bottom, K?), Shukoru, xxHyourinxx, 1GaaraFan, Inner Cameron, Elemental Darkness, none, The Crazy Evil Akatsuki Neko, multi guy (IT'S STILL FUNNY!), stephy-chan! (A special thanks to you!), pavement-grass (thanks for the much needed advice!), kina lupi, mintmelodygirl, craziness101, narutardedbandgeek, Jinchuriki, elfnin399, and AngelBornofHell! Three more reviews, and we'll have reached the big 1-5-0!!

Since this is getting too long, I'll move on to the story. (Who knew thanking reviewers could take so much room?)

Naruto burst into the common room. "Gaara! I HAVE TO TALK TO YOU!"

Silently, Gaara disentangled himself from Meg, and she reluctantly let him stand. He crossed the room to face Naruto.

"What? Did your hamster die?"

"Sasuke," Naruto paused to take a deep breath. When he spoke again, the words came out in a rush. "SasukesaidthatOrochimaruwasgoingtoattacktonight!"

"Hn?" Gaara asked, a man of many words as usual. If only Naruto would learn to annunciate properly.

Naruto took in another deep breath. "Sasuke said that Orochimaru was going to attack tonight."

Gaara sighed. "First, calm down."

Naruto nibbled his lip. "Okay."

"Now, tell everyone to be on guard tonight, in here," Gaara continued.

"Uh-huh."

"And everything will be okay."

"Okay. I gotta go. See you later!" Naruto ran off to inform everyone of the plan.

Strange how everyone seemed to think that Gaara was the team leader, rather than Kakashi or Anko… Or anyone else. Gaara was probably the youngest, albeit the highest rankwise.

He shrugged it off, and turned to look back at Meg, who was picking at her food. Harry was attempting to talk to her, but was unsuccessful in carrying on a conversation. Eventually, he left. Gaara sighed and returned to the couch.

Meg looked up at him and smiled sadly, helplessly. He felt a twinge of regret as she leaned into his arms. He couldn't stay. If Sasuke was right, and Orochimaru did attack tonight, then tomorrow…

He wanted to push that thought away, but he knew he couldn't. So instead, he pushed Meg away and turned from her hurt and confused face.

"I…can't…do this," he whispered.

"Why?" Her voice was filled with pain. "If you don't…feel that way about me, I understand, but I feel like it's more then that…"

"It is more then that." He refused to look at her, but he heard her gasp, as though she'd been slapped.

"So…you don't…like me at all?" Her voice cracked.

"No. I like you…far too much," he murmured. "I like you enough to stay away. I have to leave, at least at the end of this year. You know that."

"Yes. And I'll miss you, but—"

"Please," he whispered, cutting her off.

She stared at him, wanting more than anything for him to take her back into his arms. But his back was rigid; he wasn't backing down.

"For me," he continued, "Don't come too close. I'm…somewhat unstable." He almost smiled. "Losing you will already almost kill me."

"Why…can't you be with me now? We'll get over it."

"I don't think I will." He looked up, turning his eyes—burning with something she couldn't identify—on her. "I…would die for you, if it would save you."

Her eyes were wide and confused. "Really?"

"Really." His gaze was certain, unwavering, but he turned away, gazing into the fire, unable to meet her gaze.

"Why?"

"You are…special to me. I want to protect my special people." A fleeting smile crossed his face, as he recalled Naruto informing him the same thing, so many years ago.

She gaped at him. "Really?" She was afraid that at any moment, she'd wake up. None of this could be true. Gaara? Calling her his 'special person'? As if.

He rolled his eyes. "Is that the only word you know? Really?" He sobered. "Of course it's true…I don't lie." A certain twist in his stomach reminded him that wasn't true. What was he doing now, pretending to be an exchange student?

"Unless it's necessary," she finished for him, as though she had read his mind.

He sighed, weary. "Right."

She started to speak, but Anko burst through the portrait hole. "Sleepover!" she yelled. She was followed by the rest of the much more subdued shinobi.

Meg raised an eyebrow, forgetting what she'd been about to say. "Is it allowed for students of other houses to sleep here?"

Gaara shrugged. "Apparently. Anko probably wouldn't care, even if it wasn't."

She nodded. "You're probably right." She sighed, and looked into the fire, hoping for some kind of comfort. She'd been caught up in her conversation with Gaara, but now she realized, she'd lost more than her father, today. She'd also lost Gaara…Maybe Hinata, too, but she had to wonder if Hinata would put space between them. When Hinata sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around Meg sympathetically, she decided that no, Hinata would still be her friend.

She hugged her back. "Hinata, I need to talk to you…"

"Okay."

"It's about Gaara," Meg whispered softly in her ear, not wanting Gaara to hear.

Of course, he did hear, and his interest was piqued. But Hinata knew he could hear, and so they left to go to their dormitory. He shrugged it off. The rest of the Gryffindors were returning now, so the room wasn't so quiet anymore. He let himself drown in the conversations, not wanting to drown in his thoughts…

"So what's up?" Hinata was concerned for her friend. That she wanted to talk about Gaara when her father had just died meant that something had happened between them. Hopefully, he hadn't revealed anything…Almost as soon as she had thought it, Hinata brushed it away. Gaara wouldn't do that. His duty was everything, even more than love…She pushed that thought away. If Meg knew Gaara loved her as she so obviously loved him, it would only be harder when they left…

"I think…Gaara…I have a headache," she said, with a miserable twang in her voice. She cleared her throat, and rubbed her temples. "Sorry. Anyway, I think I've fallen in love…and I can't climb out."

This stunned Hinata briefly. "What—why do you want to climb out?"

"Because he's leaving," she said miserably. "He's not making it easy, either. He said that he would die for me…is that like saying he loves me? He's leaving, and he's going to crush my heart if I can't stop loving him, now."

"But—"

"I know," Meg interrupted, "I'm running away. But it feels like he is, too. Even if I know that this isn't true…Love isn't logical. Why should a person in love be? Logical, I mean."

Hinata looked at her, a little sadness filling her. Meg shouldn't feel this way—she was only eighteen. Okay, so Hinata was even younger than that, but surely, being a ninja matured people quicker? All that death must have some effect on them.

Meg seemed to read her thoughts—except, naturally for the ninja bit. "I know. Why so cynical? You have to remember, I watched my mother die, unable to save her. And now, I find out my...dad has died, too. I couldn't save them, Hinata. I can't save Gaara, and now I can't save me."

"Gaara doesn't need saving. I don't understand."

"Oh, come on. Surely you've seen. He's lost." Meg looked at her, trying to read Hinata's eyes. All she could see was confusion.

"No…I haven't." Suddenly, Hinata began to wonder how much she had missed where Gaara was concerned. She had seen him in the Chuunin exams, and he was certainly a step up from there. And when he had been brought back to life after losing Shukaku, he seemed even more stable. If she had seen Gaara in these extremes, did it make sense that now he seemed normal, even if he wasn't? She considered this. She decided it did. "I guess, he's changed so much, I didn't notice that he was still lost…"

"He was worse before...?" Meg added a lilt to the end of her sentence, making it a question as an afterthought, it seemed.

"Much."

Meg seemed to accept that. "Even so, he's still…not whole. And I can't fix him." Tears started flowing down her face.

"I don't think…anyone can fix him, not completely," Hinata said gently, trying to make this easier for Meg. "He hasn't had an easy life; none of us have." Her eyes hardened, remembering how the citizens had shunned Naruto. "But that's not my story to tell. If you knew the story, though, you might understand…"

"Maybe you're right," she said through her tears. "Maybe. But I honestly don't want to think about that. I'd rather think it's just a shortcoming of mine that can't save him."

"That's very heroic of you, but that doesn't make it true. You can't blame yourself."

"No, I need to. Then there's still that hope that someone can fix him."

"You really would rather put yourself in a bad light in hope that he'll feel better one day, than accept that it's not your fault?"

Meg just looked back at her. She nodded tightly.

Hinata sighed. She really was in love.

When Patricia entered through the portrait hole and saw everyone she knew to be a shinobi there, the truth instantly clicked in her head. Orochimaru, the bad guy Tenten and Sai had mentioned planned on attacking tonight, and the shinobi were going to guard Harry at all costs.

"Snowflake!" Sai said cheerfully, suddenly appearing in her face.

Even he was here, fake smile in place.

Blush spread up her cheeks as she remembered earlier that day, in the hallway. "Um, hey, Sai."

He ruffled her hair, causing her to frown. "Little Mouse says hi."

"…And she couldn't cross the room to say it herself?" Patricia asked, spying Tenten across the room, talking to the stoic Neji.

He shrugged. "She's occupied, apparently."

"Ah." Silence hung awkwardly in the air, at least for Patricia. Sai seemed quite comfortable.

Then he spoke. "I assume you know what will happen tonight."

"I assume so, too." She watched his face, hoping for a reaction. She didn't get one.

"So, when everything goes down, I want you to stay out of the fight, okay? It would be…very bad, I think, if any of you students were to get hurt." He didn't really seem concerned with the rest of the students, though, as he gazed intently at her face.

She gulped, and opened her mouth to speak. He stopped her, placing a finger on her lips. "Good." He turned, starting to walk away, but Patricia grabbed his arm, stopping him. He turned, eyes surprised, but his smile never slipped.

As surprised as he was, Patricia was more surprised at her boldness. She hoped it wouldn't die out on her. She took a breath. "Stop."

He was confused; she saw that in his eyes. She saw that it was the last thing he expected her to say. "Stop what?"

"Stop pulling away; stop confusing me with your multiple personalities; just stop."

"Multiple personalities?" His smile faltered briefly.

"This afternoon, you're all close and crap, and now you're acting like my dad. 'Stay on the sidewalk, Patricia.' Maybe you're advice is intelligent, but I'm afraid that I'll have to go against your wishes. I'm protecting everyone, here because I care about everyone else's safety more than my own. I'm fighting along with you guys. And if I die…That's my problem." Her voice was low and fierce. It brooked no argument.

He looked as stunned as she felt—his eyes did, anyway. The smile was still firmly in place.

"And another thing. Stop smiling. It's pissing me off." She stomped off, leaving a now thoroughly amused Sai behind.

His amusement vanished later, when he realized she had been serious.

Shinobi are masters of deception.

They all appeared asleep, and no one knew that they were really wide awake, just waiting…

Hands shook Sasuke awake. He sat up, and punched Kabuto across the room. Karin considered it a blessing that she hadn't been forced to wake him. Orochimaru chuckled as Kabuto stood up, dusting himself off.

"Ready, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru's whispery voice carried only to Sasuke's ears.

Sasuke nodded, though he wasn't sure just how ready he was. "Let's go."

They filed out of the door; Sasuke and Karin bring up the rear. Before they crossed the threshold, Sasuke paused, wrapping his arms around Karin and kissing her gently. He released her and continued out the door. She stared after him, before racing after him, closing the door softly. She slid her hand into his.

What none of them realized was that someone had heard this all.

Shivering in his bed, not truly comprehending what he had heard, Draco Malfoy lay awake, stunned. After a moment, he stood, following them.

He came to the end of the hallway, watching them exit the common room. He followed after them, watching them slide out of the wall. He dashed across the common room, waiting briefly before going through the entrance. It wouldn't do to let them know he was following them; no it wouldn't, not at all. He raced to the corner, peering around it. They were gone. He frowned. Where had they gone?

"Draco." He jumped, spinning around. It was Sasuke.

"Oh, hello Sasuke."

"Go back to bed, Draco. You don't want to be involved in this."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about—we'll handle this."

"You and Snake Man?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. And the rest of the exchange students."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "If this involves Sakura, Uchiha," he snapped, spitting his last name, "I have every right to know."

"Not if she hasn't told you. I suppose, though, I could let something slip…we're going to the Gryffindor Dormitories…If you were wondering. Now go back to bed and stay out of this."

And then he was gone. "As if," Draco muttered, and headed up to the Gryffindor common room.

An explosion rocked the school, waking everyone and alerting the awake that it was time.

The woman formerly known as 'The Fat Lady' would be only that—formerly known.

We now ask that you join us in a moment of silence.

Of course, the silence won't last long, because the next sound was screams of students, and the yelling of shinobi.

All had been set off by a wise placement of exploding tags.

Meg jolted awake to see Hinata and Sakura already moving, throwing their trunks open, pulling out pouches that jingled with metal contents and strapping them on. The next thing she became aware of was that they were dressed differently then she had ever seen them, though she could tell their clothing was Japanese, which made sense. "What's going on?"

Hinata turned to her. Her eyes were surrounded by bulging veins. Meg fell back, and gasped. "You three stay here." Her voice was full of authority, demanding to be obeyed.

Then they were out the door.

The three girls remaining exchanged a look. Ginny said what they were all thinking. "As if." Grabbing their wands, they too were out the door. They met Harry and Ron on the way down, who also had been told to 'stay put', and had disobeyed.

When they reached the common room, they met a scene of disarray—all the shinobi were fighting, there was rubble everywhere, and most disturbing, none of the shinobi used their wands.

As they stood there gaping, Patricia pushed by them, wand out, running down the rest of the stairs. "Stupefy!" she was yelling repeatedly, pointing her wand at many of the shinobi who were attacking the exchange students.

That was all it took, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Meg followed suit, racing into the room, wands at the ready.

Sakura was fighting a Sound shinobi, slamming her fist into his chest when she saw them. There were six wizards and witches fighting along with them—all of which had been told to stay out.

She sighed. Naturally they hadn't listened. Then she caught sight of something that made the breath catch in her throat, utterly distracting her from the fight.

Draco Malfoy was also racing into the room, wand drawn, screaming curses.

WHUMPH! Sakura flew backwards. In her distraction, she'd failed to notice that the ninja she'd previously knocked over had recovered and attacked her.

She stood, trembling, but pushed Draco to the back of her mind.

Shinobi are EMOTIONLESS! She screamed in her head. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!

In her fury at herself, she managed to take out three ninja.

Meg's attention was focused mainly on Gaara.

She was of course, fighting, screaming things like, "Expelliarmus, stupefy, petrificus totalus!" But he had her attention. He was amazing…He had something on his back, huge, shaped like a gourd—did they honestly come that BIG?

Apparently so.

And he carried it without a sweat. That wasn't the weirdest thing, though. Sand was…leaking from it, for lack of a better word. No, not leaking. Floating from it, from a hole where the cork had been removed. The sand spun around him, blocking all the knives and…stars?…from reaching him. It was intense. (1)

He moved his hands, and the sand actually seemed to be obeying him.

It was freaky, sort of. But not really, at the same time. Several things had been 'freaky' during the fight. And it was difficult for her to put 'Gaara' and 'freaky' in the same sentence.

The first creepy thing had been the apparent leader for the bad guys. His skin was unnaturally white, like he was trying to imitate that 80's rock band…Kiss. His hair was black, too straight, and unnatural as his purple eye make up.

The second creepy and somewhat—no, VERY—disgusting thing was his tongue. It was unnaturally long, and strong. (2) It had been proven so after emerging from his already vile mouth and wrapping around Naruto's neck, picking him up off the floor, before Naruto…vanished.

Which was the third creepy thing. Everyone kept vanishing. It happened in three ways—there would merely be a poof of smoke, and they were gone; a cloud of smoke, and where they were there was a log; or there was, again, the smoke, and leaves fluttered down from where they had been.

The 'exchange students', though she doubted they were, didn't use wands. Which was the fourth creepy thing, because very…magical things happened anyway.

Her eyes found Gaara again, as her opponent was petrified.

The breath she had just inhaled was released in a gasp of horror. Gaara was frozen, unmoving. The 'Oreo Man', as she had taken to calling him in her mind, had his repulsive tongue wrapped around her Gaara…

She screamed. And then she uttered an Unforgivable Curse, directing her wand at the creep. "CRUCIO!"

The freak's eyes widened as he turned to gape at her in horror. Then he was writhing on the floor in clear agony.

Satisfaction raced through her. Gaara would be safe. Then there was extreme guilt. Was she enjoying this?

The answer was simple. Yes. A lot.

She stopped and fell to her knees, sobbing silently. She looked up through her tears to notice that Gaara was gone, a pile of sand in the place where he'd been.

The next thing she saw was the freaky 'Oreo Man' running towards her in anger, though there was a strange smile on his face, like he'd enjoyed the pain.

Masochistic and sadistic? She wondered. Then everything went black.

Not that she was knocked out.

"Meg?"

His sweet voice, whispered through the darkness.

"Gaara?" She felt him wrap his arms around her. She leaned into him. "I'm a monster."

"…What do you mean?" She heard the surprise in his voice.

"I wanted…I wanted to hurt him…and when I did, it felt good…I'm like a sadistic monster," she moaned.

To her surprise, he laughed bitterly. "Most monsters are. Trust me when I say this, though, you aren't a monster. I was one long enough to know. Besides, I saw exactly what you did. You only wanted to hurt him like that because you thought he was hurting me."

"You…He didn't hurt you?" Her voice was thick with confusion.

"Only my clone. Don't worry. You aren't a monster."

She was still confused. "Clone? Gaara, what—"

"I have to go. I guess you won't stay in here, even if I ask you to." He stood, made a sign with his hands in the darkness, and the sand bulb fell from around them.

Meg stood slowly. She pushed her emotions back, and started to fight the Oreo Man with Gaara.

Sasuke and Karin were uninvolved, as of yet. They stood in corner, cloaked with shadow, invisible as only shinobi could be. (3)

"Are you sure you can do this?" Karin whispered.

"I think so. Since Gaara and Meg are distracting him, I should be able to attack with him being none the wiser…" he murmured in response.

"Let's go…" She took his hand, squeezing it gently, and together, they entered the battlefield, sliding through the fights. Completely silent, they were behind Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru-sama…" Sasuke spoke the name softly, yet his 'master' heard him.

"I'm busy, Sasuke-kun."

"This is important…" Red swirled through his eyes, along with the strangest pattern…

Orochimaru spun around, utterly exasperated with the Uchiha prodigy. "What do you want?" he started to snap, but his voice was cut off with a gasp as he was locked into Sasuke's genjutsu.

"Mangekyou?" he asked instead, shocked to find himself in a place so similar to what Itachi had executed to him years before. He was chained to a board. The chains wrapped around him were made of…fire? Sasuke through and through. "That's not possible. You never had a best friend to kill!"

"No…I'm not like Itachi. Kakashi-sensei gave me the idea, really. He created his own Sharingan; did you know that? Zenaku helped me come up with it. And I didn't have to kill anyone…Heh. Guess that means you'll still be the first."

"The first…?"

"Like you don't know. The first person I kill."

Orochimaru's eyes widened as he realized that his student had not interrupted his fight to show him that he had created a new jutsu, but had stopped him to invoke his death.

"Like I said, I'm not like my brother. I don't do torture…this will be quick. And relatively painless. Zenaku helped me with a lot of things, did you know? Chidori is so simple, now…I've perfected it, Orochimaru-sama. I can perform Raikiri. How fitting. A jutsu you could never perform, causing your death. Hmmm…enough with the small talk, I think. RAIKIRI!" He yelled the last word, and ran at Orochimaru, Kakashi's technique exploding from his hand in the white fire of lightning.

As Sasuke's hand connected with Orochimaru's chest, and didn't stop, Orochimaru's body exploded.

At last, the other snake lord had been defeated.

Sasuke returned to the common room. The fights had all paused, and everyone gazed at the spot where Orochimaru's body had 'spontaneously combusted'. Sasuke, weak from the exhaustion of performing two high-level techniques, collapsed.

With no hesitation, Karin scooped him up and ran out of the portrait hole.

Everyone stared after them.

And then they seemed to remember why they were there. The fighting commenced again. The Sound shinobi were losing…

And then it was over.

"Naruto." Kakashi spoke from his collapsed spot. "Go check on Sasuke. Then bring him here."

"'Kay." Naruto turned to Hinata before he left, though. "Hinata?"

She looked up at him, red tingeing her cheeks.

Surprising her, he kissed her cheek shyly. Then he hugged her tightly. "You are…amazing. You've changed so much, Hinata-chan. And…I love you."

"Naruto?"

"Yes?" He didn't want to let her go, and he prayed that she wouldn't ask him to.

"I… Thank you, first of all. Your opinion is the most important thing to me. And…I love you, too, Naruto-kun." She ducked her blushing face.

He smiled. "You didn't stutter."

"You make me brave, Naruto-kun." She smiled to herself.

"Gotta go," he murmured. He left to find Sasuke, leaving a very pleased Hinata.

Elsewhere, a less pleased Meg was curled up on the floor, with her head on Gaara's lap. They weren't talking. Meg had tears running down her face, and Gaara silently ran his fingers through her silky raven hair.

Even though Meg was absolutely miserable, Gaara didn't want this to end. He didn't want to leave her. It was selfish, but true. In a few moments, when Naruto returned with Sasuke and Karin, every student in the school, and some of the faculty, would have to be obliviated, forgetting that Gaara and all the rest of the shinobi had ever been there. The teacher replacements were prepared. No one would ever know.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that some students would have a dim memory of it.

Well…not really a memory, but a feeling that they'd lost something…or someone.

Meg was the one he was concerned about the most. She had so deeply entwined her life with the shinobi's that he wasn't sure if she would survive. Patricia and Draco were at risk, too, but naturally, he wasn't terribly concerned about them.

So he prayed that Naruto wouldn't find Sasuke and Karin. That wouldn't stop this, though. The ninja's would continue without them.

It turned out not to matter, anyway. Naruto returned, carrying Sasuke. Karin stood beside him, holding Sasuke's hand.

McGonagall stood, now. She'd been leaning against the back of the couch, a little shaky. "Will all the students please report to the Great Hall? Professor Haku, will you get all the students from the other houses?" McGonagall had been briefed. She had agreed, if a little hesitant.

Haku nodded and left.

Gaara slid his arm around Meg's waist and pulled her up with him. "Come on," he said softly.

As they walked down to the Great Hall, Meg asked, "Gaara? What does the symbol on your forehead mean?"

His lips quirked upward. "Love."

"Huh. I think Hinata told me that..." They joined the masses entering the Great Hall.

"Meg?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry." He kissed her softly, like he was afraid he'd break her. He was. Not physically, but emotionally. He knew he was taking this too far, but it seemed wrong to leave her without kissing her just once. He pulled back and stared ahead.

"I am too," she whispered.

All the students were in the Great Hall, now, and the obliviation process began. Meg clutched Gaara, not wanting to let him go.

As each student's memory was erased, they were placed under a sleeping genjutsu and carried back to their room.

The line was shortening now, until finally, it was Meg's turn. She stared at Gaara for just a moment, memorizing his face, particularly his 'love' tattoo.

And then her world went black, her memories of her beloved gone.

The next morning when she woke up, she remembered that her father had perished the day before.

She'd never felt so completely and utterly alone—she felt like she'd lost more than just her father, but her best friend, and someone who was more.

She started to cry again.

So. You people probably hate me now. PLEASE DON'T! This chapter was meant to be the last, but obviously it's not. I hated to make this happen, but logically, it had to. The wizards couldn't know—or at least, they couldn't remember—about the shinobi. When I first began writing this story, no one was going to be obliviated, and in the end, Meg would just happily go with Gaara, and Sai would stay. I wasn't sure what would happen to Sakura and Draco, but I was getting to that. And then THIS popped into my head. Naturally, I didn't want it to happen, but…it had to. Everything became clear…as mud, anyway. This isn't over.

But my question is, do you guys want a sequel (and if so, please suggest a name), or do you want me to just post more chapters for this story? I'm leaving it totally up to you, since you have all been so loyal and helpful! This is your reward…aside from me updating, although you may not appreciate this upload. I still love you. (You know what's weird? As I type this in italics, I have to tilt my head to the right to read/write it. That IS weird…)

OH yeah! Did anyone find the allusion to the lyrics? Anyone who figures it out—even if there's more than one, although I doubt it—gets the next chapter dedicated to them! Or the first chapter of the sequel. You know.

This upload was WAY longer than normal, for your info. Just a little gift. Please review, even if it's just to flame!

(1) For the purposes of this story, Gaara still has control over his sand, although Shukaku has been removed. I have no idea if this is true for Masashi's manga, but it's somewhat important. Umm… the sand doesn't automatically protect him. He has to make it protect him, but his peripheral vision is getting better everyday! Yay, Gaara!
(2) You guys should already know my opinion—Oreo's tongue is steroid enhanced.
(3) And possibly one of my vice principals. He's always suddenly just…THERE! It's irritating, because he always takes my Oreos… or my friend's iPod. So rude. Seriously, though. My friends and I will look around, see the coast is clear, and start eating Oreos…But then HE shows up out of no where! IT'S SO UNFAIR!

IBG out! (This was a huge note!)

Special response to THE Hyuuga Neji: 1. Thank you so, so much. I really think my writing has improved, too, and I'm glad I'm not alone in this assumption. You rock! 2. Sax, eh? Sweet. I …WOODWIND POWER! Sorry, I know that was random. Sort of. My main instrument is the clarinet, so… 3. Just…thanks in general.