A/N: Okay, next chapter. This internet is crap so i might wait to finish the stoy back on Perth, my internet is sooooooo much better and less tempermental. So Sasuke's gone and Suki's on her way back...I wonder what Gaara and Sakura will do? Will they hunt him down or at least thank him? Maybe there could be a meeting between Sakura and Sasuke...mmmm interesting...
Sakura jumped awake as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise... Looking up into the moon she laughed it off. What was that? And why am I lauging to myself?
"Sakura!!!!! I can hear one of them!!!", Gaara shouted from the next room. Her eyes widened and she ran towards the door, almost tripping over the massive rug in the hall before she charged into Gaara's study. He sat, cross-legged on one of the chairs near the window. the fading moonlight defining the insomnia marks under his weary eyes.
"Gaara, which one is it?". Sakura asked frantically. Gaara just put his hand up, a slient motion, beckoning her towards the window sill. She silently waled over, but paused a few feet away... An eerie howl floated through the cool, early morning air... Suki or Daimen...Suki!
"Gaara, it's Suki! Her howl has a little flutter in the middle, like she's taking a breath...Daimen's is stronger, like a wolf howl...", Sakura said happily. Gaara took a sharp breath, debating on weither to aske her or not...
"Sakura...If that's Suki...then where's Daimen?". Sakura listened for a while...however after a few minutes, she collapsed in pain. The thought of loosing one of her precious babies, the only kids she could have...was devostating... Gaara gently picked her small frame up and placed her in his lap... She sniffed and looked up at him.
"Wel, how far away was she?", Sakura managed to asked quietly. Gaara looked up, the new dawn light shone just at the right angle, illuminating his green eyes perfectly...
"About a few miles...she won't be here till about noon...", he said. She looked at him desperately. Gaara looked out into the dunes...and howled, a long, loud, deep note that eerily twisted and floated through the dunes... Gaara smiled at Sakura.
"Okay, just this once though...", she said as she howled as well. A clearer note than Gaara's, it semed to float on the breeze, catching, calling, catching, calling untill it rang out...a loud, but clearly feminine yowl. She stopped after a few seconds and listened to the breeze... A faint female yowl, echoing off the cliffs to meet them... Gaara sighed walked out the door. Sakura stared out at the vast desert... I hope he finds her soon...but where is Daimen? He never passes up the chance to howl...
Suki pounded through the dunes at an incredible speed, oblivious to the trailing shadow a few yads out into the sea of dunes... Red eyes flashing she continued along the path that smelt like home...the marketplaces, crewd little shacks offering sun-dried delights... the limited fresh, green food, scavenged by the hungry people... and the musky smell of her father, overpowering amongst the dried-grassy smell of the dunes. She shifted her course as she smelt him, the sweet smell of damp, darkness...moss and fungi...cave smell... She focused her eyes in front of her, the black stars reducing to tiny little specks as the dawn light apeared. Daimen groaned on her back, the blood seeping down her front, right thigh, falling in small rivers from the bondage around his small chest. She could hear his heart beat...slow and steady, but fading rapidly... She sped up a little, squashing a few desert plants as she ran... The lone shadow behind her paused for a second...checking something hidden benieth his scarlet and black cloak, then out of no where...dissapeared. Suki squinted as the harsh morning rays hit her straight in the face...the sound of desert birds, hawks and eagles sounded all around her...nature's alarm clock... She sensed the presence behind her again as she headed for the dusty merchant's path, towards the city...
Gaara grabbed his uniform and marched up the flights of stairs. Right now he couldn't care less who tried to stop him... He marched out the door, oblivious to the startled cires of his new secretary and towards the old village square. He walked up to one of the old doors and knocked roughly, startling the being within... The door slowly crept open, creaking in protest at the disturbance...
"Who are you? What do you want?", the startled, but shy voice asked through the tiny crack in the doorway. Gaara straightened out his uniform and puffed up his chest...
"I am the Fifth Kazekage, new leader of Suna...I have come for some assistance, and to...pick up a certain object from my mother's safe... I am Sabaku no Gaara", he said with a very proud tone. The person within shut the door, and Gaara began to sulk away...The small, oak door creaked open further to reveal a small, older woman...probably older a little older than eighty, with black hair and glasses.
"Well if it isn't the great Gaara! My, my haven't you grown, Where's your father?", the old lady asked Gaara.
"He's dead, and has been that way for what...five or six years? Yeah, as i said i need to open my mother's safe...", Gaara pressed on a politely as he could...
"Ohh yes, yes my dear! Come in, come in, have a seat!! There's cookies in that jar and milk in the fridge-box...help yourself", she said as she hurried away into the back room. Gaara fumbled in his pocket for a moment before setting a small object on the table next to him. He walked over to the jar and produced three dry, crumbly biscuts and proceeded to the 'fridge'. The box slid open easily uncovering a small bottle of air-temperature milk. He groaned when he saw it's consistancy and placed it carefully back amongst the various bottles of spices. He walked back over to his chair, listening to the rustling sounds as the old woman rummaged around in the other room.
"Yameii-sama, how's the search going?", he asked peering around the corner at the stacks of small metal and wood boxes falling from the shelves. He shivered for a second as one of the boxes fell and crashed to the floor, a small tinkering sound from within had Gaara worried. What if the object he was looking for had been broken? Or stolen? Or hidden... There was a shout of joy from the back room as the old lady came tottering back onto the cosy, mud walled room.
"I found it, I found it! Here we are!", she said as she placed it on the table in front of her. The whole room looked like a huge library...Boxes here, boxes there, on the walls, on the floor... She cleared her throat roughly and held her hand out...Gaara looked at her dumbly for a second before handing her the object from his pocket.
"Ahh yes, this is Karina's...Now to open...ahh yes here's the key...", she chuckled to herself as she poped open the large locket to reveal a small, jewel incrusted key... Gaara smirked as Yameii opened the small box...the air whooshed out of it as the seal was broken and both peered in at it's contents... A small silver bracelet sat on the heavily padded, velvet lined box. The rubies and onyx shone brightly, glimering at the sun hit them, through the dusty window. Several small charms hung off the petite peice at regular intervals... Gaara fingered each small charm...
A horse...
A tiger...
A dragon...
A boar...
A goat...
A monkey...
And...a small metal eye...
Gaara paused on the eye. A huge surge of power filled him...His mother had told him about this in his dreams. The connection between her and the sand was strong, hence why it protected him... She had advised him that he would need it, and now he could see why...But why only one? Why not a male one as well? Or was this trying to tell him something?
"Wow, what is it?", Yameii asked Gaara. Gaara shook his head.
"I'm not sure, but i had a feeling to come to her vault...maybe this is what i was ment to claim...", he said quietly, still staring at the eye... Out of the whole piece, the eye caught his attention the most... just the way it...looked at you... Gaara sighed.
"Well i better be off now Yameii...I've got some important things to do. Nice seeing you...", he said as he gathered up the box and the key... Yameii nodded.
"Yes, I better get back to organising the back room again... It was...extreemly good to see you too...Grandson... Be sure to bring those young whippersnappers around to me!", she said. Gaara felt a shiver run down his spine... He turned back to find the room exactly as it was...no cookies on the table, and no rustling from the back room...Gaara shivered and walked out, trying to rid his mind of the event... He proceeded back to his office, to his room and stashed the bracelet... Now i gotta find Suki and Daimen! He said to himself as he shifted...The dawn sun streaching his huge shadow untill it reached both sides of the pathway...
A/N: WHAT WAS THAT IN THE BOX!!!!!! Wow, hehehe notice it had some of the chinese zodiac on it...the eye is for something else later...what it is you'll have to see. The reason i ended it here is because I didn't want to rush Suki's return...otherwise it'd spoil the SURPRISE!!!!!
Ohh well, you know the drill...READ AND RATE!!!!!!!!!! Makes me a very happy writer!!!!!! and earns me a bar of chocolate:) Thanks people for all your support so far!!
LOTS OF CHRISSY WISHES TO ALL!!!!!
xoxxoxoxooxoxox