---ooo---

Summertime

I'm afraid you can't die yet, child. I have much invested in you.

Y'know what? Maybe I should die, just to spite you. If I die, I take you down with me, right? Yeah, sounds fitting. Naruto, the man you brought down a legendary Bijuu! Rather like the sound of that.

Ngh, I'm sure you do, but for now, this is not your choice. Your soul barely hangs on the edge of this life, and if I had not grasped you, you would have surely been flung into the Great Beyond.

What if I like 'Great Beyond's? Is it really your place to keep me from it?

Yes...

If I ever get my hands on you…

Mm, I'm sure. But for now, wake up!

---

Air flowed into his lungs, and he gasped at it greedily, startling Hinata for the second time that day. His eyes sprang open, then promptly snapped back down, pain flooding his listless corpse. Soft snapping sounds echoed as his bones realigned and became whole again, creaking and snapping in the cool, dry air.

Her scream started more like a whimper, before escalating into a full blown, high piercing screech of panic as she backed out of his line of vision and into something solid behind her. Groggily, Naruto wiped some dry blood out of his face and spit congealed blood from his mouth. Sitting up slowly, it took him a full second to realize he was, in fact, not dead. "Nghuh?" And another second to become aware of the banshee shrieks. His senses flooded back, and he hissed violently. "What? Shut up for a second!"

The girl took another breath to start screaming again, but Naruto was all ready moving, clamping a hand over her mouth, growling into her startled face. His hair fell about his face, clinging by strands of dried blood, dead embers from his charred clothes falling all about from his sudden rush of speed. "Shut up!" he said again, reeling about dizzily. "I'm...where...who're yo...Hinata?" He stood over her seated figure, his hand pressing against her mouth, forcing her head back into what must've once been a shoji door. Naruto's eyes flicked about the room in all its decayed glory.

Beyond the shoji door, between the panes where rice paper had once been, there was a simple darkened hallway leading perpendicular from the room. The room itself had one bare light bulb lit by a solitary power cell. Light from the bulb wavered and flickered, making a sort of 'tink-tink' sound, illuminating an old futon covered in dried blood. His blood, presumably. Wooden walls bereft of any decoration, or a good cleaning for that matter, stood bare and stark, supporting a sagging, water-damaged ceiling. An ugly brown-yellow stain seemed to have spread all over the wall and floor. More water damage.

"Wh-where are we?" he snapped, as if not realizing his tone of voice. All he got as a response were two wide pale eyes staring at him, and a strangled whimpering sound. Taking deep breath, he tried to force himself to focus. Slowly, Naruto pulled his hand back, spots of Hinata's saliva making the dried blood sticky again. Rubbing himself clean absently, he looked about again, before looking towards the girl. "You all right?"

Without warning, he found himself embracing the Hyuga heir awkwardly as she threw herself at him, beating him with her fists lightly. "You idiot!" she yelped, half angry, half terrified. "You were dead! I saw you die. Why are you alive?" Her glancing blows caught him on his chin, his all ready troubled stomach, and his throat. Struggling with the squirming girl, he defended himself as well as he could with one hand. Before more damage could be done, he wrapped his arms more securely around her, crushed her to his chest, and hoisted her off her feet.

"Calm down!"

Surprisingly, it worked, but not because of his command. Again, those pale eyes filled his vision, eyebrows creased in surprise, noses nearly touching, and a brilliant vermilion shade coloring her cheeks. She squeaked, then nodded, struggling out of his grasp. Releasing her with little thought to her comfort, he stepped back, then towards the shoji screen, scowling furiously. "Didn't die," he mumbled, sliding it open and glancing down the dark, dank hallway. Somewhere far away in the gloom, a red light blinked, but nothing else. There wasn't even sound of scampering rats. "You just imagined it, probably." Turning around, he scowled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "All right, Miss Hyuga, where are we?"

She blinked slowly from her seat on the floor, where she'd dropped from his arms. Standing slowly, she regained that composure for which her clan was famous for. "H-Hinata. You don't have to call me Miss or anything." She rubbed her arm absently, biting her lip. "We're in some ruins in the woods. I...I don't think anyone knows about it." Finally meeting his eyes, her mouth became a thin, hard line. "And you did die. I felt your pulse. Checked your breathing. Even looked over your chakra points and analyzed your heart. It was ruptured." Crossing her arms, she couldn't quite manage an angry look, but something akin to grudging awe came over her. "You were really, really dead, Naruto." He avoided her gaze, staring up at the spot on the ceiling.

"You're...not going to tell me what's going on, are you?" she said, her timid nature once again setting in as she sat down in front of him. Her little outburst had surprised even her, of course, but it was not something she was apologetic for. Sighing, she pulled out his blade, still caked with blood. Watching him through hooded eyes, she started to wipe off the blood on her shirt.

Naruto didn't move for a moment, before slumping against the wall, groaning. "This sucks. This sucks bad." His eyes went up to hers, apologetic. "Listen, sorry about earlier. The, uh, hand over your mouth and yelling and stuff. I'm just really, really confused right about now." Brushing back his hair, he grunted, trying to keep it out of his eyes. It simply slid back. "Dragged a House heir into this, this...whatever it is."

Hinata held up the blade, watching him again, before flicking the weapon down next to him, the hilt quivering slightly. He yanked it out with a nod of thanks, pushing it into his waistband again. "Actually," she began, wincing slightly as if expecting an angry explosion, "I-I think this is actually our faults. You know, us. The Hidden Shinobi. We aren't exactly fighting just the Regent." Her eyes met his for a moment, then swung back down to her hands, which were currently busy knotting themselves into her shirt fabric. "We...probably drew attention to you some way or another." When he didn't speak, Hinata continued. "There are two other factions. There's the Akatsuki, and there's the Sound. Both are important in different ways, and totally different in goal."

Slowly, she began to draw in the dust as she explained. "The Sound is far more elusive than the Akatsuki, and we don't know what motivates them or why. But they're ruthless killers, and loyal to their boss to the end. However, they're far more quiet in their dealings, making them hard to pinpoint. They oppose the Akatsuki and our own group, but haven't quite managed to wipe out either of us." She drew a question mark in the dust absently.

"But the Akatsuki, we know exactly who they are, and what they want." Drawing a circle, she touched the circumference in nine different areas. "It's an organization with about nine heads, and several dozen underlings. The Nine are the actual heavyweights, with the rest being grunts with no redeeming qualities. Their goal is simply to get out of the city." She drew a longer, oblong circle around the circle, representing the city wall. "But unlike the Hidden Shinobi, they think that they only way out is with brute force, namely the Bijuu." Slowly, she drew a large, hunched looking cartoon monster, complete with googly eyes. Abashed, she smiled sheepishly. "I'm...I don't know what the Bijuu look like, but their supposed to be monsters made of pure, inhuman chakra. They want to control the Bijuu to slam through the gates and then take control of the population within the dome and whatever may be outside." She shrugged, setting her palm on the accumulated doodling and smearing the dust. Brushing herself off, she smiled softly at him. "And that's about it." Slowly, the smile bled away. "Hey, are you all right?"

Naruto stared straight ahead, eyes fixed on some distant point. "Bijuu?" his voice almost crumbled, eyes wide. Unbidden, a memory came to mind. A memory of fire and heat and burning flesh. Of molten metal eyes, hungry teeth, and death. "As in, like, the Kyubbi no Kitsune?"

Her face scrunched, as if trying to recall. "Umm, yeah, that's the nine-tailed fox, right? There's a fairytale about him, I think. I'm afraid I don't remember it off the top of my head." She gave him another look, before standing. "Well, we have to make our way out of here, and try to get to base." Sighing, she rubbed her face with her hands, leaving streaks of dust all over unconsciously. "Oooh, I wish Neji had taken care of this. He's so much better at it than me."

Shuddering softly, Naruto stood as well. The attacks made sense now. They wanted him. Or rather, what's inside of him. Setting a hand on his stomach, he could feel the heat from the mark, and he frowned. Slowly, he looked up, patted her shoulder, and moved towards the door. "Neji? Kinda doubt it. You're doing fine." He felt her twitch at his touch, then relax, a soft 'oh' then 'thank you' slipping from her lips. Weird girl. "Now, show me the way out."

---

There was wind and a thunderstorm scheduled today, but there was no real way to avoid it. Treetops whipped this way and that as the invisible zephyrs buffeted them without relenting. The light from the top of the dome was temporarily dimmed as artificial clouds darkened, running towards the farmlands to the west far too slowly, dribbling their water and lightening along the way. Gaara hated rain. He hated lightening even more. Why did they even need lightening? But that hardly mattered. This was a mission. A simple one at that. No muss, no fuss. Just two idiots who actually thought they could run from the Akatsuki.

Lifting his hand, he stared at it, flexing and relaxing it. If one was not aware of the seal, they wouldn't notice the sands reshifting over his skin with every movement. The nature of the ultimate defense. And the cost? He hadn't been able to feel anything since the sealing. And sleep was a trait wholly unfriendly, now. Cursing softly, he clenched his fist, the sand making an odd noise at the sudden move, but there was no delay.

The forest around him howled, the shrieking matching with the constant maddened banshee screaming deep within his mind. Shukaku's maddened efforts to free himself were all for naught. As long as Gaara stayed awake, there was nothing to fear. Looking down, he studied the gate of the mansion, a crumbling ruins sitting out in the middle of the forest for no immediately apparent reason. Without noise, Gaara flicked a wrist, the sand in the soil reacting. "Hmm." Stepping through the doors, he shut them without conscious thought, the sand outside piling up to block the door with a dull thud. Now, it was time for a rousing game of hide and seek.

---

"What was that?" Naruto paused, ears twitching at a distant sound. It sounded much like a distant giant's fist knocking on a door. Hinata stopped as well, activating her Byakugan. For a moment, the hallway was as silent as it was dark. Shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, Naruto sighed. He seemed aware of every unsavory thing in this place. The smell of rotting wood stung his nose, the feel of grimy walls, and the sound of termites chewing at the walls around them. They all gave him a faint, unsettling feeling that something was going to happen. "Hinata...?"

She gasped, eyes returning to normal, before flicking this way and that. "They found us. The Akatsuki found us. The doors blocked with something. Sand, I think." She frowned. "That was fast." She looked up at him, squirming, obviously not comfortable. "What are we gonna do? I'm not too great at hand to hand." Gripping her head, she clenched her eyes shut and frowned. "Oooh, I wish Neji was here" she moaned again, "He'd know what to do."

"Hey, whoa, don't fall apart on me now," Naruto hissed, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her lightly. "We need to keep our focus, all right? Neji's not here, and we have to make do with what we've got, all right? Besides, you did just fine earlier." Turning her around and giving her a slight push in the direction they'd been heading in, he again brushed the hair from his head impatiently. "Now c'mon. There's gotta be another way out."

She stared at him for a moment, then blushed discreetly. "Uh, well, there is, but it's in the other direction." Turning on her heel, she tugged him down the hall, peering through doors, nibbling on her lip. Vaguely, a hissing sound encroached into her occupied mind, causing her to glance down. She gasped.

The floor moved with squirming, wiggling sands.

---

"So, the Royal Guard's offering its help, hmm?" Tsunade smirked lopsidedly, watching her masked comrade with a vague, yet false, disinterest. After all, he was the one whom had taken Jiraiya's place in the ranks of the most elite fighters of the Konoha City-State. Stirring at her coffee idly, she glanced about at the café. It wasn't exactly rush hour, but there were a decent amount of people milling about, moving from street to street, yakking into their com-phones, buying hot dogs and pretzels, or simply sitting on the steps of the city hall.

Kakashi sat beside her under the umbrella, facing the street with her, smiling lightly. "Well, I wouldn't say the 'Royal Guard' exactly. It's mainly just me and a few of the guys down at base who've been irresistibly drawn to this thing." His eyes watched not the people of the streets, but the pages of a book that seemed to ooze sensuality. From time to time, he would flip the page with a soft sound, but his attention never drifted from her. "We all like a good mystery, you see."

Sucking at a whipped-cream covered spoon, Tsunade 'hmmed' softly. "A boy, the heir of the Uzumaki House, gone, mysteriously missing for nearly two days reappears being chased by an unauthorized, unmarked Falcon." Nodding politely to the waitress that took her empty cup, she waited until the girl was out of earshot. "Nothing too fantastic, is it?"

"You have absolutely no talent for sarcasm, Tsunade. I hope you realize this," remarked the masked man dryly. "But aside from that abysmal fault, I'd like to work with you again. It's been so boring down at ol' HQ, if you know what I mean."

Flicking a biscotti crumb off her shirt, Tsunade snorted. "I wish I had your problem." Pulling out a manila envelope idly, she pushed it towards him. "Delphi's compilation of all the relevant documents, stills, and vids of this little case." Standing to leave, she set a bill on the table before patting Kakashi on the shoulder. "Good luck, Scarecrow. You're gonna need it, eh? Nice to see you taking an interest."

The sound of her stiletto heels clicked off in the distance, leaving the Royal Guard Commander to his book. Flipping another page idly, he chuckled. "Nice to feel interest."

---

It was not going well. The steady hiss never decreased as they burst through atriums, rooms, and door with wild abandon, and never slowed. It made them slow, made them tired, and made them irritated. It seemed to pulse as well, and growl. Naruto led them now, Hinata pointing at doors and hallways. But it seemed like a labyrinth. And each motion of her finger seemed riddled with self-doubt and second guessing. There wasn't even a comp-screen to ask for help or directions. Whenever this House was built, it was long ago. And it was a House. Long forgotten seals adorned the occasional floor mosaic or moldering library tapestry, a massive, tomoe'd eye staring out from a blood red pupil. "This is...the old Uchiha House?"

Hinata nodded curtly. "Yeah," she breathed. "It was built before the split between the Uchiha and the Hyuga." She was tiring, but, gamely, she ran on. "We have to get to the arboretum and out through there. It's the closest room I could think of with a sure way to get out." She pushed open a door. "Glass walls. Easy to break." She paused against the doorjamb, breathing heavily from the sprint. "C-can we rest for a minute?"

"You don't have a minute. Or seconds for that matter."

The cold voice came from beyond the open door, dead and flat. It was a pitiless, what-do-I-care sound that sounded far too dispassionate to be human. Naruto turned swiftly, bringing his body around Hinata's.

The arboretum was large, at least an acre, and surrounded by glass walls. Many panes were missing, allowing the forest outside merge with the one inside. At one point, this had been a beautiful garden. Now, it was nothing more than a tangle of green vegetation and century old trees. The red head stood among the trees, the area around him flattened by flinging sand particles, the dust occasionally striking bark and tearing off pieces with incredible speeds. "Had a good run? They say it's good for the health."

Naruto frowned, hand laying on the hilt of his blade.

Grimly, a twisted smile crawled over the other boy's face, a sharp crackling of stone accompanied by the showing of teeth. "Etiquette is very important. Especially to me." Touching his forehead with two fingers, he dragged them over the tattoo. "It is one of my rules of etiquette to give a name to the one I kill." A bird twittered somewhere in the back of the garden as the first drops of rain began to spatter down. The scheduled storm had begun. "I am Gaara of the Sandstorm."

Jabbing a thumb at himself, Naruto growled. "Well, I'm ticked off. Bad. I didn't ask for your name, Akatsuki." The blade flashed out. "But well met, brother." Spreading his legs, he fell into a sloppy fighter's stance.

He didn't get any farther than that, however. Hinata grabbed his collar as he was about to leap, and yanked him back harshly. "What are you doing? You don't know how to fight!" She stepped forward, shoving him lightly out of the way. Her hands fell into a soft sign, and the Hyuga power activated, the veins around her eyes standing out.

Gaara wasted no more words, and instantly whipped out a tendril of sand, slamming Hinata against the temple and flicking her out of the way. She stumbled back and smashed her head into a tree. Slumping, she groaned softly, bleary eyes blinking fitfully. "I haven't the time for this. I've lost interest long ago." Thunder rumbled overhead, and the rain fell harder. Slowly, Gaara drew back the sand, and slowly, it became a point. "I am to bring you back alive, but they never specified how alive." The point flew towards the unfortunate blond.

Stumbling out of the way, Naruto was only nicked. Blood fell in a soft red haze as his side was cut open, but suddenly, that wasn't so important anymore. His abdomen was burning, or at least felt like it. He gasped, grasping his stomach, and doubling over. Glancing at Gaara, he watched as the other grabbed at his head, which suddenly bled red sand. Naruto understood vaguely only a moment later.

"This...this isn't really our fight, is it, Gaara of the Sandstorm." It was not a question. Like a worm crawling from a hole, red fire leaked from between his fingers, spreading over his body, consuming it in raw scarlet color.

Gaara was slowly enveloped by living sand, his eyes pitiless unchanging. "As a rule of etiquette, I ask your forgiveness. This is not our quarrel at all." The grin awoke again, then split wider and traveled up and up his face. Sand continued to devour him whole. "This is a Bijuu matter." Rain fell harder, sweeping in and out of the trees, a powerful summertime storm.

As suddenly as the consumption started, it stopped, leaving no boys.

Just monsters.

---

Behold, the next chappie. Believe it or not, this is a crappy chapter, and a cop out. And I'm posting it on a Wednesday, when nobody's bound to see it. XP

But yeah, this was originally a grander chapter, but I couldn't make it work, and I got stuck. Hence the lateness. But it does further the story. I think.

Today's song? Summertime by George Gershwin

That would be another cop out. Working on the next chappie now.

-Raz