Yachiru-san: Editing…7/15/08

Wow! We're finally in chapter 6! What I forgot to announce (Gomen!) is that this story is a KibaxHinata one sided. (Gaara can't have Hinata all to himself!) So anyways...I am so sad there is no Shippuden episode this week :(

(Damn anime releaser people!) So...yeah I don't own Naruto blah blah blah.

And...the commentary is at the end this time.

Song: Can't Stop Believing

Artist: Tetsu

Chapter 6

Hinata could feel the sand becoming less dense as it gradually fell to the ground. The young kunoichi stood on guard. As the battleground cleared she was able to make out two figures. One was standing, while the other one was on the ground wincing in pain.

Gaara-kun must have beaten him! Hinata thought reassuringly.

Gaara clutched at his left shoulder. Ksoh! He cursed. How was he able to penetrate my absolute defense?

Aoi had been able to create a solid kage bunshin set of needles that seemed almost invisible. They pierced through Gaara's barrier and shot straight through his shoulder. Gaara tried to maintain his composure as he pulled out half a dozen or so needles. Crimson blood ran through his t-shirt and down his arm.

"Ku, ku, ku, ku, ku!" Aoi laughed. "Lucky for you those needles only contain a minimal amount of poison." He smirked. "These are used especially for causing the victim a great loss of blood, thus weakening the victim."

Ksoh! Baka Yaroh! Gaara cursed silently as he clutched his still bleeding arm.

Hinata realized what was going on and felt tears sting at her eyes. Oh no! Gaara-kun is hurt! He was bleeding badly and from the looks of things was in a lot of pain – but he was trying to hide it as usual.

"Gaara-kun!" She managed to shout before Aoi tried to launch a direct attack on her.

"Leave her alone! I am your opponent!" Gaara yelled. The remaining sand that wasn't hovering by his side rushed up and held on tightly to both of Aoi's ankles.

"Mattsu!" Aoi cursed. He couldn't even move his legs. His lower body was in some sort of paralysis. He had no choice but to take out the Kazekage – here and now. If he wasn't able to detach the sand from his ankles he would surely die. Probably by one of Gaara's notorious sand-pressurized crushing techniques, which he had heard about from shinobi intelligence.

Hinata ignored Gaara's warnings and ran up to him.

"Gaara-kun! Daijobu deska?!" She didn't even stutter once. Looking at him up close, his wound was a lot more serious than she had originally thought.

"Go way, Hinata-san. Get out of here, before he tries to hurt you." He winced. The last thing he needed was for Hinata to get hurt, too.

"N-no, I c-can't do that." The stumbling kunoichi said with tears in her eyes.

"Please go." Gaara said; his breath was getting ragged.

"Demo, Gaara-kun, you're y-you're h-hurt." She pleaded with him kneeling down to his level. "I w-won't l-leave you here." Hinata felt her vision blur as tears slide down her face.

Damn it! She's crying. What am I supposed to do now? He thought.

"Don't worry about me." Gaara said. Another wave of pain washed over him and he clutched his bleeding wound even tighter. Gaara keeled over in pain. "Arggggh!"

"Gaara-kun!" Hinata shouted shakily. She tried to stop the tears running freely down her face. Why do I have to cry? And… why now?

Because he's my friend and...he's hurt. Her subconscious answered her.

(Yachiru: Dunn Dunn Dunn...time for flashback!)

Hinata thought back to her fight with Neji, during the Chuunin exam preliminaries. "I w-won't run away anymore. I d-don't give up – that is my nindo." Hinata had spoken those very words before and now it was time to carry out her promise.

She stood up shakily. She had to help Gaara- she couldn't just leave him.

"Byakugan!" Hinata shouted. "Juken Yoku, Honshu ronsho!" Hinata assumed the typical juken fighting style pose. The young Hyuuga began to attack the half-paralyzed Aoi. Her palm was able to hit not all, but most of his tenketsu, or chakra node points. Despite his efforts to escape the determined kunoichi's attacks, Aoi was not faring well. The green haired ninja wasn't able to block even half of her attacks; Aoi was rooted to the ground.

When Gaara had momentarily recovered, he looked up in disbelief. What's Hinata-san doing? He watched as she proceeded to beat the shit out of Aoi. She was so determined to help him and his village. Where had he seen this same determination? He managed a weak smile. Naruto and Lee, two of his closet friends emulated the very same attitude, and so did Hinata.

Gaara tried to fuse some of his sand into his wound to at least stop the bleeding temporarily. The sand covered up his torn shoulder muscle, and formed a damp patch over his pale skin. The young Kazekage stood up shakily at first trying to regain his balance.

Meanwhile, Aoi had just had the hell beaten out of him. He lost his balance and almost fell, but his legs were still confined to Gaara's sand. The Cloud ninja's breathing became ragged, while blood dripped out of his mouth. Gaara walked over to a panting Hinata, who grasped her side after the intense fight. It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything; it was that he couldn't say anything. Hinata's unexpected show of bravery had rendered him utterly speechless.

Gaara held up his now clenching hands and quickly the sand began to accumulate around the mist ninja. However, this rogue ninja wasn't finished yet. The gasping Aoi used his last amounts of chakra to do something detrimental to them all.

"Kono Yaroh!" Aoi shouted. The sand hurried to crush his body. With his last reserves of strength, he reached over his shoulder and pulled out the umbrella slung over his back. "E-even if I d-die, you will also," with those last words he formed a final ninjutsu. "Kirigakure no Senbon!"

His umbrella weapon split in two, revealing a medium-sized, silver needle that glistened. Aoi activated the weapon and sent the needle flying directly towards Hinata. The former mist ninja was now totally enveloped in sand, in a few seconds he would be dead.

Gaara clutched his fists and yelled "Sabakusousou!" as the dead shinobi's weapon shot out. What the hell does he think he's doing?! Gaara wondered.

Before the Kazekage could react it was too late. "Hinata-san!" Gaara yelled. The red head watched in horror as the needle pierced through the young kunoichi's leg. Hinata saw it coming. She tried to evade it, but her attempts were futile.

In the mist ninja's arsenal, this was probably the most dangerous weapon. The needle wasn't so big – it averaged at about six inches long. Despite its size, the weapon was the most deadly. It would chase its victim until it hit its target. The poison contained in the tip was stronger than the fatal poison Sasori had used on Kankuro. Part of the reason Suna and Kumo were constantly on uneasy terms, was because a large section of Kumogakure 's government possessed secret contacts with Akatsuki. Besides for other ninjutsu, Kumogakure's ninjas were also known for their deadly poison. The needle pierced through Hinata's other leg. (The first one still hadn't finished healing from the fall in the desert.) She cried out and then immediately collapsed as the poison started to work its way through her nervous system.

"Hinata-san!" Gaara yelled again. He ran over to her and scooped her up into his arms.The dead cloud ninja's body lay in a heap of sand and blood. It was ironic how someone so dangerous could be felled in an instant, yet in their last moments could cause a devastating loss.

Gaara couldn't make himself think straight. They had gone through defeating the Raikage and surviving in the desert, she couldn't die now. She couldn't – especially now when they were so close.

She's hurt. She's bleeding badly. The needle was probably poisoned. These thoughts rushed through his head. The first thing he did was check her pulse. She's still breathing. Good... He breathed a slight sigh of relief. He laid her down gently on the ground and rolled up her pant leg. The needle had pierced a few inches over her knee; it wasn't that thick either but he had to remove it anyway. The young Kazekage took a deep breath, he wasn't a certified medical ninja but he had to remove it before the poison began to spread.

When Gaara was twelve, he had always enjoyed blood and gore, but certainly not now. The troubled and confused red head had liked hurting things and seeing them bleed. But now, this was his worst nightmare come true. If he didn't pull it out correctly it could break off and cause even more damage to the already incapacitated Hyuuga. Someone so important to him could be lost at any minute.

Gaara quickly pulled out the needle and carefully began wrapping bandages around Hinata's injured leg. He placed a damp cloth on her forehead. The young Hyuuga now had a fever, and it was rising, too. It's most likely due to the freshly injected poison. He thought. He held her there in his arms for a few moments. "Don't worry, Hinata-san. I'll save you. I swear it!" Gaara said aloud to the girl he held in his arms – the girl who had become so incredibly precious to him. The sand ninja stood up with a limp, unconscious Hinata in his arms.

It should take at least another four hours to reach Sunagakure. The young Kazekage estimated. But, I have to be quick and make sure the poison doesn't spread, and then the medic nins can take care of her. Gaara set off with the intention of making a four hour trip in barely less than two hours.

An hour and a half passed. Gaara noticed some very familiar terrain. Almost there. He thought. Just hang in there, Hinata-san. He begged silently.

--

"Nani?!" Neji shouted outraged and confused. "I don't understand this Tsunade-sama?! Why was Hinata-sama not put under special shinobi guard?! Neji asked. My cousin is being dragged into the desert on a mission with the Kazekage? What is this? He thought.

"Calm down, Neji-kun." Tenten begged worriedly. The Chinese girl placed her hand on the Hyuuga's arm. "I'm sure she's all right. Plus even if anything were to happen to her, she has the Kazekage to protect her." Tenten reasoned.

"Soka, demo...I'm still worried. I have a bad feeling about this." Replied the concerned Hyuuga.

"Well, you shouldn't, Neji." Tsunade responded. "I don't trust many people, but I do trust Gaara."

Meanwhile, a worried Temari sat outside the Kazekage's office. When she had heard of the attack on her home village, she had requested to be sent out here on a mission to help annihilate the enemy from Suna borders. Temari was originally part of the border patrol and now worked as the Suna Ambassador, so the elders, (who chose missions for shinobi while Tsunade was gone) had consented. That required of course leaving her newly wed husband to cook his own meals for the next week. Before she left, Temari thought she heard Shikamaru complaining about how she forgot to wash his favorite shirt. She told him that he could do it himself, and to quit being such a lazy ass. Men could be so demanding, sometimes. Temari sighed.

I hope Gaara's all right. She worried. Her younger brother was somehow dragged into this mess and chased out of Sunagakure by those damn Kumo ninjas. The Raikage had tried to assassinate him and he supposedly was stranded in the desert with no food or water. Temari tried to breathe deeply. Gaara will get through this. She reassured herself. He always has.

The enemy and most of the Kumo shinobi had either been killed, pushed back into their own village, or had given up. When they had fought Team Gai one enemy shinobi had scoffed and said, "Look they're just some kids. No big deal." Their mistake was fatal; they shouldn't have underestimated the powerful Konoha Chuunin and Jonin. The Kumo ninja had been astounded, weakened, scared and...er weirded out by Team Gai. Neji and Tenten were not the cause of it. It had chiefly been Might Gai and his overly devotional pupil, Rock Lee who had taken down most of the ninjas. When Team Gai was called in once again to help out their ally, Sunagakure, all were worried about the so called 'kidnapping' of the Kazekage. All but Lee, that is.

"Don't worry guys." Lee had assured his teammates. "Gaara is one of the strongest shinobi I know. He's the Kazekage, right? I know that I sure wouldn't want to be those Kumo shinobi." Lee said jokingly.

"Ah, Lee you're right!" Gai responded with a pat on the back. "Gaara is in his springtime of youth! Nothing can defeat the power of youth!" Gai and Lee gave each other thumbs up.

"I will never understand them, nor do I wish too." Neji said with a sweatdrop.

Tenten agreed. "They never give it a break, do they?"

Although Lee had fought Gaara in the Chuunin exam preliminaries and nearly lost his life, he and Gaara had become good friends since then. Lee couldn't help doubting his own words a little. Even if Gai-Sensei says so, I still don't know for sure...After all those Kumo guys are really strong.

Back in Suna, Kankuro paced nervously in his brother's office. He waited for his younger brother to return, he just hoped it would be soon. I just hope Gaara makes it back. He thought worriedly. Even though Gaara was old enough to take care of himself (and Kazekage to boot), Kankuro still couldn't forget his part of being the protective older brother.

Meanwhile, after the original attack of Kumo on Suna, Tsunade had been working non-stop to combat all the various poisons Kumo had conducted and were using on the Suna shinobi. Now she was just waiting for Hinata and the Kazekage to return.

--

Gaara had been traveling non-stop, in the one hundred degree weather, through the desert for two hours. His arm was killing like crazy and he had to take off Hinata's sweatshirt because of the intense heat. The fragile Hyuuga lay in his arms – eyes closed, hair tied back, a Konoha headband tied loosely around her neck, wearing navy blue pants, Tsunade-style ninja sandals, and a three-quarter length fishnet shirt with a purple tanktop on top. I need to drink something. I'm so thirsty. Gaara thought. He shook his head to clear the excess thoughts going through his mind. The only thing that mattered now was bringing Hinata to the hospital and giving her the poison's antidote. Gaara just hoped he would make it in time.


Will Gaara ever make it back to Sunagakure? And...will Hinata survive?

Another cliffhanger...I'm so sorry!

Announcement:

Y: Baki-taichou is actually a woman! What mysterious secrets does he hide underneath his mask...

Baki: (grabs script) Nandayo?

Y: heh...heh...just a joke! (scratches back of head)

B: I'm having your pay deducted!

Y: N-nani?

B: (storms off)

Y: What'd I do?

Kankuro: (laughing) That was hysterical!

Y: (laughing) I know, did you see the look on his face?

G: What are you guys laughing about?

Y+K: No response...

G: Idiots.

Y: Anyways, school is almost over so good news for you guys...I will be updating more often (hopefully)!

G: They deserve it with all your cliffhangers...

Y: Hey! Stick around for the next chapter! Ja ne! (By the way I love reviews! Please R&R!)

G: What she means is stop reading and not reviewing.

Y: I never said that!

K: Yeah, you did.

Y: Well, whatever...

K: Yachiru wants to thank all the people who review: TSOH, Xolmaky, Suzume-kage, Rakero-chan, Atomictiger, Lady Rin-San, CuteCButtons, xyouki hunterx, mysterygal02, Hiei-and-Shino, xHonokaxkh, and Yumel.

Y: And anyone else who I forgot to include! (Gomen!)

Japanese Words

Ksoh: Damn it!

Baka Yaroh: Stupid Bastard!

Mattsu: Oh crap!

Daijobu deska: Are you okay?

Nindo: Ninja path/way

Juken Yoku, Honshu ronsho: Eight trigrams, Sixty four palms (or something English dub like that)

Kono Yaroh: You bastards!

Soka: 'Now, I see' or 'That's right'

Demo: 'But' or 'Also'