A/N: tisk tisk, only four reviews for the last chapter. I want to thank TMC-Yuki, Shadow-Ninja-Captain69, and udntned2no for reviewing. And SilverNeira, whose reviews continue to make me smile and for reviewing every chapter so far. And now, on to the story.

Gaara dealt with his wolf sniffing his injuries and licking them. It was just the two of them now on a roof top. The redhead had his sand bring up the wolf with him when he had gone to the roof. Though he figured she could be taught to get to roof tops by herself, Gaara found it easier just taking her with him. She did not wiggle around like other animals would. At the moment however, he was watching her fret over him like a mother hen.

"Wolf." She stopped and looked at him with her amber eyes. "Time to go." Gaara took the two of them back to where Baki was waiting with Temari and Kankuro.

Gaara's siblings had gotten a little more used to having the giant wolf around, but they still treated her as a monster and skirted around her. They treated her as they did Gaara, whereas Baki just treated her like a wild animal.

"We will have one month to train for the Final Exam." Baki told his students. They all nodded. They had been told this already. Baki continued, reminding them of everything.

"During that time we will remain here. Do not jeopardize our mission. And no killing anyone." The last statement was directed at Gaara and the wolf, who snorted. Gaara said nothing as he ignored Baki and left, the wolf right behind him.

Avaya headed back to the apartment the Suna team was staying in with Gaara at her side. The wolf was having a grand time, sniffing the vendors and scaring people. Gaara was silent and calm at the moment. Or rather, he was as calm as someone like him could be. Avaya did not mind it though. He was her Gaara. And she had a plan to help him.

"Hey, boy." Avaya paused as she heard a man address Gaara, who ignored the man. Avaya followed his example and continued walking. The man smelled off, like he had not bathed after becoming soaked in various fluids. Among them were blood an urine. The rest Avaya did not even want to identify.

"Hey. Redhead. I'm talking to you." Gaara stopped in annoyance. The wolf hoped that the boy would not kill the man, but that thought was in the back of her mind as she observed the mans appearance.

He had thin, long, greasy hair that was a mess. His clothing was dirty as well as smelly, making Avaya's nose crinkle in distaste. She could smell various chemicals and animals on him, along with blood. She did not like this man one bit. They way he was looking at her did not help matters either. He was looking at her like she was a bag of meat to be sold, or like a new fur coat. Avaya was very uneasy around him. Unconsciously she moved closer to Gaara, brushing up against him.

"You know boy, that dog there could fetch a heft price on the market." Gaara's voice was cold and flat as he replied.

"She is a wolf." Most people would have left it at that had they known who Gaara was, but this man was persistent.

"My bad, kid. Name's Jenkins. I could take that wolf off your hands, and give you a good price for it." A low growl began in Avaya's throat. She was not some beast to be sold off. Subconsciously she felt Gaara tense next to her as he places a hand on her back.

"She is not for sale."

"Now be reasonable kid. It's a dangerous beast. The mutt should be taken care of, and I can do that for you. My boss has been looking for something like that thing there for a while now." Something in Avaya went dead cold. There was only one person in the world that could be looking for her, but there was no way he knew what she was or where she was.

"Ask me again, and I'll kill you." Gaara turned away with Avaya right next to him. Never had the wolf felt so glad to be on Gaara's side.

That night Avaya was restless. Sleep eluded her as visions passed behind her eyelids in a terrible nightmare. After waking up for the hundredth time since she had gone to lay down, Avaya rose and sought Gaara out. The redhead was always able to chase any fears she had away, even if he did not realize it.

When she found Gaara, the boy was sitting in his room in the window sill, looking out over Konoha. The wolf padded forward to him and laid her muzzle on his lap, where he began to pet it softly. Despite his personality and behavior towards all others, Gaara was always gentle with the wolf.

"In a month, the invasion will commence. Then I will prove my existence." Avaya only licked his hand. She did not approve of the invasion, soley because it scared her to think what might happen to Gaara. But at the same time, if the invasion did not take place, her plan would not be able to be carried out. Avaya was conflicted about it. On top of it all, she was still shaken up about the man from earlier, something Gaara must have sensed.

In a rare moment of softness, even more than he normally showed to Avaya, Gaara sat on the floor and patted the spot beside him. Dutifully Avaya laid down, her head resting on his thigh. As Gaara began to pet her soothingly, he spoke.

"I won't let them touch you. Sleep wolf." Avaya's last thought, as she drifted into a peaceful sleep, was that as much as Gaara needed her, the wolf needed him as well.

Alright you lot, I know it's short, but I need more reviews. They give me inspiration to write more. There are 17 people following this story. I better get at least 10 reviews for the next chapter. Toodles.

P.s. Check out my other stories too.