Spirited Away: Wind and Sand

Notes: Wow, It really has been a while. I couldn't even explain the abundance of things that went on in the past year. Just know the Year of the Dragon turned out to be quite a year of changes. I'm happy I was able to get this chapter out finally, because I had been struggling with it for a while now, a long while. It's one of those chapters I'm not completely happy with but it does progress the story to the points I'm really looking forward to writing. For all those who think writing is easy, it is not. It's fun, enjoyable and I completely love it, but it's not exactly easy. Maybe that is the reason I love it so much. Although I didn't write the next chapter to this story until now I did get five or six chapters of my other stories out and the artwork finished for this one. Sorry for the wait and I hope I can make up for it. I'm sure everyone will be looking forward to the next chapter where the real action begins!

Special Thanks:

Please thank nicetsukichi at deviantART for making the beautiful cover art for this story! Her art was well worth the cost and is available for full view from the links on my profile as well as a few sketches. All credit to the fantastic art goes to nicetsukichi, original character design credit goes to me of course.

Thanks to Shadow Realm Triforce for the multiple reviews. The enthusiasm in your reviews really makes me smile and I hope you will like this one as well but best things are really yet to come.

Thanks to Toshiro with love, although the confession doesn't come up in this chapter something like that can't stay in for long. The real question is does Gaara care for her like she does for him or is it a different type of relationship like one between a teacher and a student? This the the constant question Aura is worried about.

Thanks to KHandFF7fanforever, I am so glad you grasped this concept in the story. I really felt that people learning a lesson so quickly in stories was kind of unrealistic. I mean, is everyone really that strong? Does everyone really learn that fast? I know a lot of people where a lesson never really seems to sink in. Though, we can all be stuck in old habits that are hard to break. On the other hand some people can be more open to change in certain aspects of their lives.

Thanks to mangaballetgirl, your review made me smile and it really means a lot to me to hear that.

Thanks to x-Beyond-B for your review. Thanks for helping me move on with this story.

Thanks to aaroniteXkryptonite for your inspiring words. :P

Thanks to Bloody. Kirai , I am truly sorry it took so long. I hope you are still reading and know I really want to continue this story and if there is a will there is a way.

Thanks to Delightfully Tacky for so much. Funny story is that I was driving early into work recently and saw this review and decided to read it. A smile snuck its way on my face as my eyes scanned the long review. I was glad to get a detailed feedback on why someone actually liked my story. So much in fact that it really pushed me to finish this chapter that I have been working on for quite some time. On another note, I'm glad you like Aura. I wanted a truly dynamic character, one that can change over time and learn. Although Aura is a bit more competent with her fighting in this chapter she still has a long way to go. Thanks for the compliment on my name. The story behind that is when I was around ten or so I had to make up a screen name on the spot while my mom was setting up accounts on AOL. Ever since then I have received a lot of compliments on it.

Thanks to everyone who alerted and favorited this story and I hope to hear from you in the reviews!

Chapter 6: In Pursuit of the Earth

Gaara and I stepped off the boat and made our way casually into the village of Kumo. It was strange to be back in crowds of people again. Our return marked the renewal of the journey to find the Elements. This time I was more prepared than ever for what was ahead of us. After that night at the falls I committed myself fully to my training. There was no way I was going to be useless anymore. I also decided to share everything I knew with Gaara, including what I knew of his past. This resulted in us talking about ourselves more to each other. It proved to be the key in strengthening the bond between us. I was sure I wasn't the same person I was before I departed to the Island Turtle.

Although I was working to address the issues with myself there was one I was leaving for later. I still hadn't told Gaara about how I felt. I decided to put this feeling on the back burner for a while because I had other priorities at the moment. What was important now was finding the Elements and figuring out where Ryuu went. We also needed to find out who that person was that took him. Could it be that woman in the dress was up to something? What could she possibly want with Ryuu or the other Elements? Were there others like her out there?

We rounded a corner on the way to the room we were staying in before we left for the island just as Temari was leaving.

She turned away to from the door to walk in our direction when she stopped.

"Gaara?" She said with surprise.

We both stopped as well and although she addressed only Gaara I decided to smile and greet her, "Hey Temari."

I suppose my greeting had prompted him to say something as well, "Temari."

Her expression changed to that of annoyance, "It's about time you got back. Did you find the records?"

"Yes," Gaara answered.

"And we also trained," I added.

She seemed stunned, "Trained?"

"Where's Kankuro?" Gaara asked, "it would be more efficient if we explained this to you both at once."

Temari's eyes drifted to the side as she answered, "He's been training as well."

Temari led us to a training area where when I laid eyes upon him I was amazed. He was training with his puppets and was moving them swiftly as if nothing was wrong with him.

"This is his idea of physical therapy. As soon as he learned to walk again he started training," Temari explained.

Kankuro's right arm suddenly jerked spastically and the puppet dropped. He held his right arm looking as if he was in some pain.

"Dammit," he cursed, "I still can't get that attack right."

"Kankuro!" I called to him and waved.

He looked up and smiled, "Well look who decided to show their faces again."

"Well it looks like somebody has been busy," I commented smiling at him.

I was glad to see he was doing better. I wasn't going to blame myself anymore.

"Look who's talking. What's with the new getup anyway?" he asked.

It's true that I changed my clothing. I had on white shorts that where tied just above my knees and a grey long shirt that was much like a tunic. I also had some white armor around my midsection. It was much like the clothing worn in Kumo although that is where I got it anyway.

"Oh yeah this," I said rubbing the back of my head and looking down at my wardrobe, "I had cut up and damaged my other clothing kind of badly during training so I needed a replacement."

"So you guys have been training too?" he questioned.

"It's because of the bond," Gaara answered.

He then went on to explain all the information we found on the Elements but that we still had no idea why they were appearing now. He also explained the situation of the bond between him and I. He said how the bond might be essential in controlling my power and useful in finding the other Elements.

"We came back because we have a new lead," Gaara explained, "Yesterday I was successful in finding an image in Ryuu's mind. It seems he is moving through the Land of Hot Water."

"Then that's our next destination," Kankuro stated with determination.

"Even though the Lightning Element is dangerous it's more important that we find the next Element and prevent another disaster from happening," Temari interjected.

"The Land of Hot Water is on the way to the Land of Stone. We will investigate while we are on our way there," Gaara compromised.

Everyone seemed satisfied with this plan and we prepared to embark on a journey to the Land of Stone. Gaara had gone to discuss things with the Raikage as well as send a message to the Tsuchikage. While he was gone we finished up the rest of the preparations for travel without much talking and went to meet up with Gaara at the gate. Unlike before I was ready for this part of the journey.

Gaara appeared sooner than I thought, "Everything is taken care of. Time to move out."

"Thanks for remembering to thank the Raikage for me," I smiled at him.

"Wait," Kankuro looked a little confused, "how would you know if he thanked him for you?"

"Oh, it's just part of the bond abilities," I said almost sheepishly.

Kankuro and Temari shared a glance before he responded, "That's going to be hard to get used to."

"Let's get moving," Temari changed the subject, "the sooner we reach our destination the better, we don't want our enemy make it there first."

We all then became a little more serious and with in an instant we were gone. This time I was keeping up with them on my own.

"Hey," Kankuro looked over at me while we were moving swiftly through the mountains, "When did this happen? You can keep up now? What kind of training did Gaara have you do on that island?"

"Well I can't give Gaara all the credit, I did some training on my own as well. I wanted to be able to keep up if not surpass those around me" I smirked at him.

"Really?" he said almost deviously, "well then keep up with this."

He then took off at a faster pace and I quickened mine as well to compete with this implied challenge.

Temari just sighed and yelled to both of us, "Don't wear yourselves out, you're going to need to keep your stamina up if we're going to make it to our destination on time."

Too bad we really didn't hear Temari from the distance we gained.

"Temari," Gaara said as he was traveling by her, "There is something I need you to do for me."

Temari knew that serious tone in her brother's voice and as she listened to his request she knew that they were in for something very difficult ahead.

"Understood," she responded firmly as they caught up to the rest of their party.

We stopped to rest in a grassy valley. There was a small river flowing down the mountain and we would follow it for a while on to our destination but for now we were just taking a break. I decided to practice some of the techniques I learned on the island by the waterside. There is no way I would stand to lose at this point.

"You seem different," Kankuro said breaking my concentration and making me jump.

I was so used to being able to sense if Gaara was near that I couldn't sense when others got near.

"You startled me," I admitted smiling at him and sheathing my weapons.

He kept examining me in a curious manner.

"What?" I asked feeling a little self conscious.

"There is definitely something different about you," he responded now crossing his arms, "I just can't figure out what it is yet."

I just brushed it off and decided to joke with him, "Well I did change my clothes after all."

He then smirked, "I guess you didn't change much after all. You're still the same short alien I remember."

"Short?" I questioned confused.

Now I knew he was just teasing me. I was actually glad to have Kankuro around again. He added a lighter air to things.

"How about a training match?" he offered still keeping the light mood.

"Sounds good to me," I said unsheathing my weapons and readied myself, "but I won't go easy on you."

"I would say the same," he responded.

He just seems as excited and playful as me as he got ready to fight as well. I not only wanted to test my own skills but also to see how his recovery had come along. Then the moment I was waiting for came, he summoned one of his puppets from the scrolls. That's when I took my chance and charged at him with great speed. Apparently this puppet was Crow. Either he liked this one or was the most familiar with it but knowing my opponent was to my advantage. Crow was an offensive puppet and would be hard to deal with.

I sent some blades at it as a distraction for my real plan. Since puppeteers were long range fighters all I had to do was get close to Kankuro and I would surely win. If I learned anything from my training it was that I didn't need to out power my opponent but out smart them. The only problem was how I was going to get close enough to him for an attack.

Crow was fast and avoided my blades with ease then detached some parts of it's body and surrounded me with oddly shaped sharp objects. I whirled around avoiding them in a way I can only explain must have looked like an intense dance. The head then sent needles at me as a last attack that I avoided by skipping backward then send air blades at the parts which totally missed.

"Looks like your training was all defense with no offense. You can't even hit one of them," he commented cockily.

"I'm not aiming at your puppet," I commented letting go a few more blades as the parts of the puppet fell to the ground.

"What the-" he said stunned.

I smiled a little cockily myself, "I was aiming for the chakra strings."

I then made my charge again. This was too easy, there had to be some trick up his sleeve or did he really not expect me to get this close to him. Either way I had to go in for the kill but even though I trained to be able to do this I didn't actually ever hurt anyone before. This thought made me hesitate and I stopped my weapon before it hit him. He only smirked which made me feel like something was off about him but it was too late.

"Wrong choice," he said.

Within an instant this Kankuro had revealed himself to be the Black Ant. I didn't get to react before I was trapped inside the puppet. The pieces of Crow then picked up again. Kankuro had hidden himself somewhere else during the fight and summoned another puppet. The pieces of Crow gathered around and acted as the weapons for a very cruel attack. Being trapped in the Black Ant I had no where to go. I had to only wait for the inevitable end. Though, nothing had happened yet.

"Jeez to think you would fall for that," Kankuro walked up to the puppet.

"You should have finished me off when you had the chance," he said as he went and opened the Black Ant himself.

"What?" he exclaimed, surprised to find that there was only a piece of wood in the Black Ant.

I placed a kunai on his neck from behind, "And you should have finished me off."

At the last moment I switched places with some jutsu I have learned on the island. Though unlike my wind abilities, jutsus used my own chakra and tired me out more quickly. I always avoided using them if I could.

"It looks like you really did improve," Kankuro complimented.

I felt something cold then slide around my neck from both sides.

"But you still have far to go," he turned his head slightly to look back at me.

The Sasori puppet had scythe-like weapons crossed around my neck. He had summoned a third puppet when he was hiding.

Though Kankuro joked around with me a lot he really meant business when fighting. I had only figured out that his tough guy act wasn't and act at all, he really was quite tough to fight.

I smiled and lowered my weapon and so did he.

"The whole point of stopping here was to rest, you two are incorrigible," Temari scolded as she returned with Gaara.

"Sorry Temari," I apologized putting away my weapons.

"Come on Temari, don't tell me you weren't wondering how Gaara trained her," Kankuro argued as his puppets were summoned back to their scrolls.

"I don't need to wonder," she retorted, "Gaara's and excellent teacher."

"I wasn't implying that he wasn't," Kankuro argued back.

I listened to their sibling dispute and smiled warmly feeling content. I really missed those two. Gaara who was listening to them as well looked over at me, probably because he felt my joy at seeing them fight.

He then turned his attention back to his siblings, "She has improved but it isn't all my doing. She has a strong will of her own."

Temari and Kankuro stopped their bickering and looked at him not used to him having much input in their fights but he did, on occasion, stop them. I on the other hand was flattered and felt my face become a little warm.

"So that's what's different about her," he realized smiling at me now, "I could tell when fighting you that you had a will to win."

Temari just looked up toward the sun," It's time for us to move out if we are going to make it to the next town by dark."

She was always good at changing the subject when it came to me. It was like she was avoiding me and even Kankuro could tell this time as he looked at her suspiciously. It was too oddly silent as we started traveling again. I could tell Kankuro was trying to analyze his sister while Temari was just concentrating on her destination. Gaara, well Gaara is just generally silent and I didn't want to be the one to break the awkward silence either.

Travel was almost painful and time went by sluggishly until dusk was creeping in. I knew we had to be no where near our destination. As expected we stopped near a grove of trees to camp for the night and built a fire rather quickly. The only problem now is we didn't have any water within sight.

"I spotted a small creek a while back," Kankuro said while placing another piece of wood on the fire.

"And you didn't think to get any water when you saw it," Temari criticized.

"What are talking about? There were a lot of rivers and lakes on our way here. Was I suppose to stop at every one?" Kankuro argued.

"Well since you spotted it, you're going to have to be the one to go get the water," Temari argued back.

Everyone was a bit tired and cranky at this point. We did make a lot of progress after all. If I was painfully soar, I couldn't imagine what everyone else felt like. Although this was a perfect oportunity to prove that I could be a working part of the team.

"I'll go get the water," I said loudly and stood up.

The two stopped and looked at me a bit surprised.

"I'll go with her," Gaara stood up as well.

That's right, someone had to be with me all the time. I was just getting so used to the freedom on the Island Turtle that I kept forgetting this fact. We took the containers for water and set out back to the creek Kankuro saw on our way here. As Gaara and I sped through the trees I couldn't help but reflect on how quiet Gaara has been since we left the island, granted he was usually quiet, but it's just something hard to explain. It could also be that there are actually other people around now cause we basically only had each other on the island.

The creek wasn't as far as I thought which was good since I could feel a numbing pain in my legs.

"Aura," I heard Gaara say my name urgently.

Our training was paying off more than I thought. Seeing a flash of what he saw I hid behind a tree as did he. He had seen someone near the water and as I looked out from my hiding spot I saw the person too.

First off I have to say there are not many times I have blushed at the sight of another girl but she was so cute. She had big blue eyes and silky long blonde hair tied back loosely in a ponytail tied with a big red bow. In her hands she held a basket of freshly picked flowers of all kinds and colors. Her dress was simple pale yellow with a white apron with a red rose design on the corner of the apron. All completed with small red slipper shoes on her feet.

She held a lantern and a vase for water as well. She put down the lantern and dipped the vase slowly in the water waiting for it to fill. As soon as she rose the vase out of the water again she started coughing violently, gasping for air. Then dropping her things she fell in the water unmoving.

Without hesitation I ran out to her and picked her out of the water. I didn't know if this was the right move but I couldn't help it. She was wet and unconscious but at least she was still breathing softly.

"She must have passed out from lack of air," Gaara said standing beside me.

"What do we do?" I asked concerned.

Gaara then looked into the dark woods, "It would be possible to track her steps, there might be someone nearby to help her."

I tried to lift the girl up over my back only to struggle a lot with it. Maybe I might have been able to carry her for a while when I was full of energy, but in my tired state I was hardly able to lift her a foot of the ground. Sand started to gather around her and lift her up which made me feel a bit foolish for trying to carry her when he had his sand to do it. I carried her burnt out lantern and basket as we tracked her path back through the woods.

Gaara did the tracking since I had no idea how to do it myself. Of course he was always teaching me, pointing out things to look for when tracking but regrettably I couldn't listen that well to him. My body ached from the trip and I worried about how the girl was doing. Also, I couldn't stop thinking there was something going on with Gaara. On the island we often talked after training. At first we talked because I was explaining all the things I knew, but then we talked about other, more simple things. I suppose I really did most of the talking when it came to likes, dislikes, the weather, but he always had something to say back.

I hung my head slightly. Maybe I had actually bored him.

Gaara then stopped and I was disoriented when pulled from my thoughts but then I looked up and saw a house lit up on the hill.

"Do you think that's where she lives?" I asked.

"I think so," he said then shifted the girl to his arms.

"Stay behind me," he said softly as we walked up to the door and knocked on it.

Rapid foot steps against a hardwood floor were heard on the other side of the door as it swung open to show a distressed blond woman in her forties.

When she laid eyes on the girl in Gaara's arms she practically pulled us in.

"Lay her down here," the woman said motioning to a couch as she hastily went through some bottles on a dresser.

She then went over to the girl and held her head up while drizzling the liquid down her throat. The girl swallowed and let out a small moan then turned her head.

The lady seemed satisfied then looked over at us with suspicion and anger, "Who are you, and why are you here?"

What ever happened to thank you?

"I'm sorry we saw her collapsed in the woods when we were traveling by, we were just trying to help," I said feeling a little angry and scared at her reaction.

The woman sighed and rubbed her temples trying to calm down before she spoke again, "I'm sorry, this isn't your fault. You must be tired, why don't you sit down. Do you need anything to drink."

Her face was lined with worry and exhaustion. She must have been frantic about her daughter but even if a parent is worried about a child it usually isn't to this extent unless there is a reason. Did she find the woods dangerous or was there another reason?

A small sound was heard and as the girl stirred the woman immediately appeared at her side.

"Huh? Mom?" the girl called out softly and opened her eyes that were still not in focus.

"I'm right here dear," the woman said holding the girl's hand.

The girl turned her head to look in the direction of the voice as her eyes came into focus slowly, "Mom, but how-?"

Her mother interrupted her and stroked the girl's hair, "It doesn't matter, you're home and you're alright."

The girl smiled and began to get up but her mother stopped her, "Please don't get up, you need to rest."

"I'm fine mother," the girl said and as she set her eyes on Gaara and I she completely stopped all actions.

"Who are these people?" she asked.

Her mother got that concerned and angrily look back on her face but kept her voice as level as possible, "These people found you and brought you back here."

"Really?" the girl blinked curiously trying to take in as much as possible with her eyes.

Had she never seen other people before?

The girl then smiled widely, "Thank you."

"Um, you're welcome," I said feeling a little awkward.

"Oh, would you like something to drink?" the girl offered getting up too fast but then got dizzy and fell back onto the couch again.

Her mother was right there like glue, "Honey, stop moving, you need to rest."

"But mom, we have guests, shouldn't we offer them something?" the girl questioned.

Her mom had a contourted expression but then gave in, "I'll get them something, you just stay here. Stay sitting here, got it?"

Her daughter nodded as the mother glared at us and spoke more like she was giving orders, "Stay for a while. I will get you something to drink."

As soon as she left the room all the tension left with her. The girl on the couch was smiling so brightly it melted my heart.

"My name is Talia," she said, "I would like to thank you for helping me, I feel like I am such a burden sometimes."

She looked so sad that I just had to cheer her up, "It's nothing really, we were just in the area and I didn't really do anything, he was the one that carried you all the way here."

I looked over at Gaara who seemed to be examining the girl.

"Well thank you too," she smiled at him.

"Talia," he said making both the girl and I stop, "Why are you and your mother living here? There are no other villages nearby and without that medicine you could have been in real danger considering there are no medical facilities nearby."

Talia looked shocked then sad by his words and looked down at that ground, "We moved out here because the village we lived in hated me. They thought they would get my sickness as well so we were banished to these woods."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, "But why would they do that? What kind of sickness do you have?"

"The doctors don't know what I have, but my lungs are slowly deteriorating. I suppose the people were just scared when they heard me cough so much," the girl said sadly.

"But can't the doctors do anything about it? Why don't you just go to another town to seek some medical attention?" I asked feeling a little angry at the village she came from.

"We did," the girl smiled sadly, "They said there was nothing they could do. I have medicine that helps, but so far there is no cure. Though we don't really visit the hospitals much anymore. If there's no cure then there isn't much point in visiting."

Staring at her smile I couldn't find words to say anymore. There was no cure. So was she just going to wait and die?

"So you just gave up on finding a cure?" I said a little angrily.

The girl looked away with the smile still on her face, "I haven't given up entirely but I don't want to be a burden to my mother like I was to my dad. The medical bills cost so much that my dad ended up taking out so many loans he couldn't pay and one day . . . he never came home."

I couldn't believe this, "What do you mean? How could-"

"Aura," Gaara interrupted me.

Through the bond I could feel that he wanted me to stop. I had somehow gone too far.

Just then her mother came in with some tea which each one of us took in awkward and tense silence.

I finished it quickly thinking of all the things I was angry about. The villagers, this girl's attitude, the doctors and her mother were all making me irritated. How could they just stop fighting or push troubles aside?

"We should be on our way. Thank you for your hospitality and sorry if we caused any inconvenience," Gaara said as he got up and I did so as well.

"Oh no, I would like to thank you more properly," Talia said getting up while her mother appeared at her side to help if she felt like falling again.

"I'm fine mom," she smiled at her mother who backed off a little.

Talia then turned to us, "I would like to sing you a song, I know it's not much but it's a hobby of mine. It would be nice to have an audience for once."

How could I deny her?

We all sat down once again as Talia prepared herself and began to sing.

There was a place I was alone

In the world that's not so kind

But now I say I have a home

Something I thought I'd never find

We'll be together for tonight

If only my heart will break before the dawn

We'll tamper fate

A promise

That faithful bond

There will be a time to separate

But let's not think of tomorrow

Chronos has desires to sate

For tonight I have time to borrow

We'll be together for tonight

If only my heart will break before the dawn

We'll tamper fate

A promise

That faithful bond

All I could say is it was beautiful. I had never heard anything like it before. How could someone with a lung disease sing like she did? Life can be cruel sometimes, almost too cruel.

We left in silence with a few goodbyes, words of gratitude and with a glance back it was finished.

"I can't believe she would just give up on life like that," I said out loud, "Why would she just do that, I mean isn't there something we can do?"

I looked over at Gaara who didn't look back.

"Not everything can be fixed," he said, "It's not that she gave up but more like she accepted the fact that she was going to die some day and maybe sooner than she thought. People choose to ignore death and are frightened of it, so a girl that is as terminal as her made others scared of her and avoided her. And as hard as it is to accept death it may just be as hard to watch someone you care for die slowly before your eyes. Can you really judge her decision?"

I stopped in my tracks and so did he a few feet in front of me. He really hit the issues one after the other. Was I really that stupid as to not think from another perspective than my own? Still, Gaara must have become very analytical from being a ninja. Noticing small things can be helpful to a mission.

"I guess I can't," I answered quietly.

He turned to me then nodded as we headed back through the trees tops swiftly.

Death is a hard subject to touch. It's hard to think of without wondering if there is a point to life in the first place. It's true that people often avoid it one way or another but the truth is that everything has an end. Though, like beginnings, endings are all different. I was never told I would die soon. How could I even come close to how she felt?

When I think of it, things can end at any time for me or anyone else. Even when someone dies, time doesn't stop. No matter how much you want it to stop, it doesn't. The clock will still keep ticking on, mercilessly, without concern or care. People will keep doing as they always did as if nothing has happened.

If people around me were killed or I killed someone how would I possibly feel about it? What did my life mean? What was the purpose of life in the first place? What was I even doing here? What did this journey mean to save the people of this world if everyone would die eventually. No matter what we do I can't save everyone. Is Talia just a lost case? If life means something then what was the meaning of her life or even mine? What were we doing these things for?

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked as we traveled through the trees.

He must have sensed my inner turmoil.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," I assured.

It's funny that such a simple question could bring me back to reality. Seeing his concern made me remember that there were people that cared about me and there were people I cared for. If I weren't alive in the first place I wouldn't have been able to meet anyone or even ponder my end in the first place. If everything must end I want to enjoy everything while it is here because if the world didn't begin in the first place there would be nothing. There would be no pain, but there would be no joy too. Shadow can't exist without the light. I can't go back so all I can do is go forward.

Temari and Kankuro must be worried about us, we were gone for quite some time after all. I hope they didn't worry too much.

When traveling through the Land of Hot Water we found no sign Ryuu. Gaara only saw other images of him moving onward on the way to the Land of Stone like us. Was he trying to get there before us? What was he up to? Everything always created more questions.

I knew we were close now. Close to the next element and a step closer to figuring out this mess. Most of the terrain we covered was filled with trees, sloping hills and large rocks rising out of the ground but for a while we were going to travel by some cliffs near the ocean. The waves made a muffled crash below as we moved through some trees growing near the ledge. It was a misty day making it impossible to see far out over the water. The air weighed thick and cold on us as they traveled more silently than normal.

We then stopped suddenly. I figured it was for a rest but when I noticed the tense look on everyone's face I knew something was up.

"What's-" I started only to see Gaara put his hand up for silence.

As I listened into the silence I did pick up something faint. A sound mixed in with the crashing of the waves. Could it be a voice?

Gaara made a gesture to move closer to the cliffs and as we did the sound became more distinct.

"Heeeeeeeelp," the voice called out.

Cautiously I stepped by the cliff to look over. My heart pounded faster in my chest as I felt the dizzy fear of heights that made me catch my breath. Looking down I noticed a small figure on a ledge. How did that person get down there?

"There's a man down there," Temari stated with a little surprise in her voice.

"What should be do?" Kankuro asked Gaara.

"We should help him of course," I blurted out as everyone looked at me.

I guess nobody expected me to suggest it but what else were we going to do? Leave him there?

"We will have to go down and get him," Gaara said looking over the cliff once again.

Temari and Kankuro both turned their attention toward him.

"Can't you use your sand?" I asked.

"The air is too humid. It would be too unreliable for carrying a person," he stated.

"I could use my puppets," Kankuro offered.

"Are you sure you fully recovered enough to use them for something like this?" Temari questioned.

"What? Of course, unless you find me somehow incapable," Kankuro answered defensively, glaring at his sister.

"It was only a question," she retorted with a glare of her own.

"Yeah, yeah, it's only a question," Kankuro with a growing anger, "and I'm sure perfect Temari would be doing much better than me had she been struck by lightning."

She looked taken aback as she raised her voice "I didn't say anything like that!"

"Then what is it Temari? You have to find a way to humiliate everyone around you?" Kankuro snapped.

I really had no idea why this was happening. Why did they suddenly attack each other like this? Was there something I missed?

As the two began to argue more vigorously I realized there was nothing I could do to stop them. The man on the cliff called out again as a wave crashed by where he was. Well, there was something I could do. I stood at the edge as my heart felt like it was in my head. Looking down I accessed the best route.

I felt a hand grab my arm as if to hold me back, "Aura."

I turned to meet Gaara's gaze. His expression was normal but there was something in his eyes. Was he concerned about me?

"I'll be fine," I reassured him.

Truth is I didn't know if I would be fine but right now I felt like I needed to do something. I didn't want to be useless.

He let go slowly with a look of premature regret. It was then I took a deep breath and jumped down.

Temari and Kankuro's fight only seemed like background noise, not even noticing what was going on until I actually jumped off. They both ran to the edge as fast as they could.

"Aura!" Kankuro yelled.

"What was she thinking?!" Temari said out loud scanning below.

"Guys I'm fine," I said hanging on to a kunai I had stuck in the wall.

The only reason the weapon actually stayed in the was with my chakra and I had a hard time concentrating on keeping it there in the first place. I just needed to stay calm. I just had to try to pretend this was like any other training session I had, except for the fact that I might die. No, I had to put that out of my mind and concentrate on the task at hand. Pulling out more kunai I stuck one in the wall below infusing my chakra with it so it would stay.

I continued to do this, keeping my mind only on the task, I didn't even know what was going on above me. When I finally reached the person I timidly touched the ledge with my foot testing the pressure then stood against the wall as the wind blew up from below bringing some salty spray with it. I closed my eyes and turned to the side and when I opened them again I saw the man standing there on the ledge next to me. He looked slightly older with some grey staining his short brown hair. The short beard had some specks of grey as well while the outfit he wore was plain white and brown. He was drenched for the most part, probably because of the ocean spray. His distressed expression reminded me of my purpose.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

He nodded slowly.

"Do you think you can climb?" I questioned pointing toward the kunai ladder I had made.

"I might," he answered.

"Here," I said taking some ties from my clothes and giving him part of it, "tie this to yourself. If you slip this will be enough to catch you and get a better grip without falling."

After he got it secure and another wave crashed up high and I flatted to the wall. The sooner we got out of here the better. I began the ascent when he was ready and tried my best not to get tired out. Not now, I couldn't stop now. I couldn't think of the danger now. I felt a tug and heard a sound. Looking down again in a panic I saw him regain his footing. Beyond him I could see the distance to the sea. A sick pit lodged itself in my throat and made my stomach flutter. Hugging closer to the wall I looked up again. Everyone was watching over the ledge in concern. Almost there, just a little more.

I was just about there and when I was about to reach for the next kunai it slipped and I was about to fall when Gaara caught my hand. What took me more by surprise wasn't the fall but the look of fear I saw on his face. It was fear, definitely fear, or did he only reflect my own fear of falling? No, it was different, I could just tell.

"Give me your other hand," Kankuro commanded.

I shifted my weight suddenly to grab hold of his hand and they both pulled the man and I up over the ledge. I sighed in relief wondering what I was even thinking before I went over that ledge.

The man gasped as well.

"Thank you," he said weakly.

I looked over and smiled softly. As we then composed ourselves and dried off a bit, the questions finally came out.

"So who are you?" Kankuro asked seriously.

Although Kankuro and everyone else was skeptical of him, the man eluded a friendly demeanor.

"Kakan, a hunter," he said showing a bow and few other weapons, "I was chasing a deer when I slipped over the edge."

"Where are you from?" Kankuro questioned further.

"A village named Iso just west of here. Though, I think the bigger question is where are you guys from? Those clothes you have aren't from around here" he asked looking at each of us in turn with curiosity.

"We're from the Land of Lightning, though we were traveling to visit some friends in the Land of Stone," Temari answered.

"I see," Kakan nodded, "So you are just passing through."

He then smiled, "Well I'm glad you were passing by or I might have been stuck there for quite a while or worse."

He then turned to me and quickly but gently held my hands in his, "And thank you so much young miss for helping me, please take this in gratitude."

When his hands left mine all that was left was a small bright red rock. Looking at it I couldn't help but feel an awkward sort of flattery.

"It's a type of ore that used to be found in our village though there is little of it now," he said then shifted his bow into a better position, "Well, I better get going."

When he started to walk off my hand tightened around the rock and I called out, "Wait!"

He stopped and looked back a little surprised.

"If Iso is on the way to the Land of Stone why don't you travel with us for a while," I offered.

I noticed Kankuro and Temari flinch a little at this out of the corner of my eye but I wanted to make sure this person got home safely. Maybe I was being a little out of line but it would be awkward to travel in the same direction and not together.

"I suppose that would be alright," Kakan said but looking at everyone's skeptical faces he added, "If that's alright with everyone."

Kankuro responded after some silence,"It's fine I guess."

Temari only looked pissed and complained under her breath, "We'll have to move slower now."

When I looked over at Gaara he was only analyzing Kakan carefully. There was something intense going on but I couldn't figure out what it was.

"Let's move on then," Gaara said walking forward as did the rest of us in an uncomfortable silence.

Later on somehow we spread out into a formation of Temari and Kanuro in the front, Kakan and I in the middle and Gaara tailing behind at a distance. I had ended up talking to Kakan more as we walked. He told me of his family and his village but as I listened I could only feel the gaze of Gaara behind us. I would occasionally glance back to see him watching closely. Was there something bothering him? Maybe if I concentrated hard enough I could sense what was going on. Thinking about the bond we had I tried to feel something, anything. I sighed knowing that I couldn't read his mind but it was worth a try. Glancing back at him again I tried to place what it was. Maybe he seemed on edge, but of what? Looking back at Kakan I knew it had to be him, but for what reason I had no clue.

I was glad the see that Kankuro and Temari seemed to forget their fight. I wonder what made them so frustrated lately. I could only think of a million things, they were brother and sister after all. I suppose I should have expected a real fight eventually, that's the way family is after all. I know my sister and I fought a lot. I sighed and looked up to the sky. It had been a while since I had thought of my family. I wonder what they were doing now? I didn't want to start reminiscing about home but I couldn't help it.

Lost in my thoughts I could see the images of my past in my head except now they were more unclear then they had been before. Was I forgetting home? I couldn't let that happen. I tried to picture home but all the images I could think of were dark and less detailed. Though there was this one memory that stood out. Or was it even a memory?

A rocky cove spread out in my mind. Sharp peaks likes spikes began to rise out of the ground in random directions. In the middle of the spikes one large spike rose then all was still. One small slow crack at a time the rocks fell apart then burst revealing a small boy with short messy brown hair and some shabby grey and brown clothes. His eyes were closed and he fell to the ground harshly unmoving. The scene then faded from my sight and slowly revealing Temari staring at me concerned.

I didn't even realize what had happened, when I had fell to my knees or even they my eyes were open the whole time. I looked around and just caught Gaara getting to his feet again with Kankuro close by him.

Did this mean . . .?

"A new element," Gaara finished my thought.

I got up quickly in a slight panic. The next element was here but I didn't know what this one would bring. Still, what bothered me the most was that this Element was a child. Could he possibly be dangerous as well?

"We have to get there now," Kankuro said urgently.

Kakan looked a bit confused but I was the one who decided to explain, "I'm sorry, but we have to get going now, we'll have to part here. I wish you the best and hope you get back to your village safely."

I turned away and was about to take off when I heard a loud whooshing sound behind me stunning my movement. I turned around slowly to see a familiar sand wall. When it fell an arrow fell with it revealing Kakan with his bow drawn and a stern look upon his face.

My thoughts felt slow. What was going on?

Kakan jumped back from a few more sand attacks. Kankuro and Temari were beside me instantly. Gaara faced Kakan with an aura of intensity.

"I see you're a little confused Wind but let me spell this out for you," he smiled deviously, "I'm the enemy, or at least to you I am."

"What?" I asked breathlessly regaining my composure.

"Still confused? Well let me clear this up: I'm not Kakan, in fact, he doesn't even exist," he said bluntly.

"Enough," I heard Gaara say.

Looking over at him I noticed that he was staring intensely at Kakan. Well, it wasn't Kakan but some sort of . . . enemy?

"Who are you and what is your purpose for deceiving us?" Gaara asked sternly.

"It looks like someone is straight to the point," the man glanced at Gaara with an amused expression.

"I suppose you might remember a woman that took Ryuu away. Well she is one of my associates and we're here to collect the Elements by any means," he explained without lowering his bow.

"I just don't think you will agree with our goal," he continued looking more amusingly at me.

"What do you need the Elements for?" Kankuro asked on edge.

The man laughed under his breath, "When the Elements are brought together they can create a new world, but-," he looked around at all of us in turn before finishing his sentence, "in order to create a new world one must be destroyed first. Some kind of ying yang system or something stupid like that but I suppose you can guess what kind of world would be destroyed."

"This one," Temari stated with a glare.

"Precisely," the man said, "and I'm sure there are people who value this world so I am your enemy."

"Wait," I said, something was missing from his explanation, "Why would you want to create a new world?"

He just shook his head, "I just want to create of world of my design. One built of peace and not chaos. If you want to join my cause then welcome but if you don't then I'm your enemy."

"I like the idea of a peaceful world," I agreed while Temari and Kankuro gave me a worried glance.

Gaara kept his eyes locked on the man.

"But I can't let this one be destroyed," I resolved getting ready to fight him if I needed to.

Our enemy only smiled knowingly, "As I thought."

That's when it began. He suddenly drew an arrow and let it fly only for it to be blocked by sand. Everyone spread out in different directions but the fake Kakan only avoided the attacks from the snaking sand. As he jumped back to avoided the attacks he deflected some of my wind blades as well. At this point I was more in sync when it came to fighting with Gaara than anyone else. Some poison darts flew at him but he disappeared or rather maneuvered so fast that it seemed like he teleported to a new location.

"You know four on one isn't so fair," he said almost amused.

He had only just deflected a few wind blades from Temari when he truly disappeared.

"I suppose I could level the playing field," his voice seemed to echo from all around us.

We looked around but none of us could figure out where it was coming from.

"I know where the next Element has appeared and will be heading there shortly, but on the other hand I have another person I ordered to destroy your village. Sunagakure, is it? I'll leave you with only this, until next time Wind," his voice echoed and faded on the last few words then all was silent.

"What should we do," I asked everyone a little worried.

"We pursue Kankan or whoever he is," Kankuro suggested confidently, "There's no one person that could destroy Suna."

"He's sending Ryuu," Gaara said as we all looked over at him.

"Ryuu?" Temari asked surprised, "But how would-"

"He purposely sent images of his route. He'll arrive in Suna within a few hours," Gaara stated.

"We better get moving then," Kankuro responded with haste.

"No," Gaara stopped him in his tracks, "Aura and I will pursue Ryuu, you and Temari will go after the next Element."

"But why would-?" they were about to object but Gaara only explained further.

"Wind has an advantage over lightning, we'll be able to stop him quickly. I also trust you both can take care of Kakan if need be," he said seriously.

Temari and Kankuro both nodded.

"We'll meet up in Iwagakure," he stated before we all took off.

Speeding through the trees my heart raced like we raced against the clock. Did the enemy mean to split us up or were we suppose to choose. But times passage wasn't the only thing unnerving me. There was something far worse on my mind, the fact that I knew I was the only one that could stop Ryuu. If he really was going to harm Suna then I wouldn't back down. Just you wait Lightning, the Wind is blowing in your direction.

Notes: The first part of this was written a long time ago and the second part was written recently. Can you tell? Talia was a very short lived character . . . literally. Her character and family are quite complicated. Take for example her father who was killed by debt collectors and the fact that they are living far in the woods to hide, but also they are living there because people in their hometown don't want them near. Her progressive lung disease is something I made up so I'm not sure if there really is a disease that can't be cured like that. I made Talia to show how horrible the costs can be in health care and how ironic and tragic death can be sometimes. I wanted Aura to face a death, one she isn't responsible for and can't do anything about. It's a unique helplessness that a lot of people face when watching someone die. On a lighter note, I'm sorry about the song guys. I'm really not much of a song writer but I hope I did well enough for the poetry part of it. I'm also happy to introduce "Kakan" in this chapter. I always particularly liked his character as one of the bad guys. His analytical, logical way of thinking and light personality make him fun to write. I'm sure you'll find out how fun he can be later on. Though this chapter has a lot of loose end and questions it's because there are a lot of mysteries yet to be solved. The next chapter will have some surprising twists and I hope to see you guys again soon!