From all across the sand village people were called. The Sunagakure was prepared for battle. Hinata told Gaara about Matsuri's plan, of course the first thing he did was go to arrest Matsuri or throw her out of the Suna but Hinata said no, they had to deal with the Akatsuki first. She didn't know when they would come but they would come. The people wasted no time getting the weak, young, pregnant, and wounded out of the area and to safety, this time the innocent would not die. Of course, just the battalion of the Sunagakure was not enough; some old faces appeared on the battle front. Kiba, Naruto, Sakura, Ten-Ten, Shino, Rock Lee, even Neji, along with a few others, were present.

"Hey Hinata, Gaara been treating you right?"

Hinata nodded happily at Kiba who smiled wide, "He better be."

"And you, how are you and your new girl?"

"Oh you mean Hikari? She's fine. She really wanted to come and meet you but she has to stay home and protect the pack."

"HINATA!"

Hinata turned to see Naruto wave to her. A long time ago she would have turned beet red and fallen over. Now was different, now he was just her friend, an old friend.

"Konichiwa Naruto-san!"

He was holding Sakura's hand and pointing at her with a big, dopey smile. Hinata laughed. She knew they'd end up together. Of course with the hardship of losing Sasuke to Orochimaru Sakura found love in Naruto, realizing he was more than just an immature idiot.

"Yo Gaaara! What's up!"

Gaara casually waved back to his good friend, Naruto. It was like a big family meeting and he would enjoy it more if it wasn't for the ever looming threat if the Akatsuki. Hinata received a surprising few words from her old, silent comrade, Shino.

"You've been faring well?"

"Hai! You?"

He put a thumbs up. A little bug scurried across his thumb and she couldn't help but laugh. Temari looked around, she was happy to see all the people there who cared about Hinata but she didn't expect to see….

"What a drag."

"Ugh you again!"

"Hey, nice place you got here, a bit sandy, but heh…it's home right?"

"Hm…so you here to fight, huh tough guy?"

"Yup. I've been wanting to fight with these bastards for a while, and it gets me out of the house."

"They why were you just complaining?"

"Cuz I saw your face."

Shikamaru winked at Temari, turning her cheeks red. She wanted to throttle him, but that would be for later, now was serious time. She still gave him a good punch to the head before leaving to her post, beside her brother. Matsuri awoke to see nobody was in the house. It was cold, and alone…like that foggy, stormy night she lost her family. It was dark too…like the inside of the cave where the Akatsuki were. She was scared. Where was everyone? She looked outside to be greeted by the largest amount of people gathered in one place. There were Suna warriors, Ninja's, Genin, Chunin, Medical nin's, and people that weren't from the Sunagakure at all, but the leaf village. There was that Neji guy, the one who was Hinata's cousin, but a few other people she didn't recognize. Some guy wearing a hoodie with red streaks down his face, a girl with pink hair, a boy with very yellow hair and an orange jumpsuit, a girl with two brown buns, some guy with a spiky pony tail, some guy with dark sunglasses, and a guy with a bowl haircut and bushy eyebrows. What was going on? Matsuri tried to leave but there were guards at every door.

"For now, you're under house arrest until further notice from our Kazekage."

"What did I do?" She asked one of the guards.

"You have been tried for attempted murder of a beloved member of the Suna and our Kazekage's mistress, The lady Hinata."

"Mistress! They aren't married! Wait….murder…" she gasped. 'Shit, he knows…I'm done for… How did he find out? That wench Hinata must have seen my personal file, sneaky bitch…erg I can't wait for the Akatsuki to rip her apart, then Gaara will be mine. MINE! ALL MINE!'

Something was pulsating, her heart felt like it just stopped, like it was covered in tar. The amulet had turned a cold, hard, stony, dulled, black…permanently. Outside the people waited, and waited, and waited.

"So does anyone know when these people are supposed to attack?" Asked Naruto with a yawn.

Temari shook her head.

"You lightheaded idiots! You don't even know!"

"Shut the hell up Shikamaru before I give you another lump on the head!"

He rubbed the lump he already had and muttered under his breath.

"Damned woman…"

"So…they have the element of surprise on their hands…"

Hinata turned to her cousin who had his Byakugan activated.

"They're coming…"

It was sundown and the Akatsuki were closing in. They could see them, all the people had come to prevent them from taking their precious prize, that Hyuga girl named Hinata.

"Kuso! I told you it was a trap! See!"

"Quiet, Deidera!" Kisame hissed, "We can handle it, right Itachi? They're just small fry. Hey look…aren't those your brother's friends?"

"They mean nothing. Kill all who stand in your way but don't harm the girl, we need her. She's all that matters."

"Fine but I still want to get at that Matsuri girl for cutting open my hand, it's too bad she's not here…ah, that kid that had the demon in him. That's MY target."

"Do as you wish."

"I intend to, oh sugureta ichi."

The roughly twelve of them rushed into battle and it was a bloody, gory mess. Deidera was fighting with Gaara while trying to stop Hinata who kept getting in the way. The only female member on their team, a light blue and lavender-haired woman named Konan took Hinata on herself, not fighting her but keep her at bay with jutsus and futile, weak fighting. Konan was as strong and tough as her male members but she lowered herself to Hinata's level so that they would be even. Kisame decided to fight Kankuro and it was an interesting match.

Sasori fought with Temari, simply because she looked interesting and she was the first one to his left. All the other members were battling the now sparse amount of warriors and Hinata's friends from Konoha. Itachi looked down from atop a high building. He wanted Naruto, he had told them that but Toby, a curious man who wore a mask to conceal his facial features, was taking on Naruto and the pink-haired girl. Itachi swooped down, knocking Toby to the side.

"Such insolence. Naruto is mine."

Toby backed off with a bow to Itachi. "Hai."

Toby redirected his attention to the pink-haired girl, getting her as far away from Naruto as possible. It seemed everyone had their own opponent and if they didn't they would double-team one for just one member of the Akatsuki was formidable enough to take on five people at once if he or she tried. Gaara, fighting with Deidera would keep looking at Hinata, trying to make sure she wasn't hurt. She didn't have a scratch on her, not a single one but Gaara could tell that the woman fighting her was not trying to hurt her but to hold her off.

"Who taught you how to fight? Don't you know you're not supposed to lose focus?!"

Deidera tried to swipe at Gaara's face but grazed his cheek. Blood trickled down his cheek, neck and lightly stained his collar. Up in the Kazekage tower Matsuri watched in horror. Her friends, her villagers, her people, her one true love, they were all fighting because of her.

"This is not what I wanted to happen. I just wanted her gone…if she hadn't gone snooping around then Gaara wouldn't be out there fighting. Look at them all, risking their lives for her. Everyone loves her. Everyone wants to protect her….I'm all alone now. Gaara hates me…all because of her. I have to tell them to stop fighting and grab her, it shouldn't be that hard…then she will be out of my life forever. If I go to hell then I go there happily knowing she's dead. I hate her…I despise her…"

Her jealousy was boiling over the pot, a black mass formed within her heart. There was no return, no salvation, unless one with a pure heart could purify the tainted amulet. Matsuri looked around for a place to escape. All the doors were guarded, all the windows barred, all exits blocked. She was smarter than that, though, so with her foot she broke through the glass and escaped onto a tree limb. She started to shimmy down it then located Itachi. He was fighting some kid in an orange jumpsuit with spiky blonde hair. Hinata was fighting the only girl in the Akatsuki but it wasn't fighting. Yes, Matsuri could see it, she was just trying to get her closer to Itachi.

Each swing, each light hit, each sad excuse for a move was just steering Hinata ever closer. Itachi moved quicker than the human eye could see and snatched up Hinata, like Hinata and Neji he knew where the vital chakra points where and how to deactivate them to immobilize somebody but his wasn't as lethal or prolonged. Hinata went limp in his arms, but her eyes were still open. Finally, thought Matsuri, finally she will be out of my hair. Itachi signaled his crew to fall back and when they did everyone noticed they did so for a reason. They got what they came here for. They got Hinata.

"Get your filthy hands off of her you sick bastard or I'll tear your limbs off!"

Itachi smirked behind his robe, it was only seen in those dark, dark soulless eyes. He stroked gingerly down on Hinata's face and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Oh she's a pretty one, I think we'll keep her, what do you think Itachi-sama?" Asked Deidera, with a wide grin down at Gaara.

Itachi's eyes smiled wider as Gaara growled, tried to attack but was repealed by some sort of barrier. They couldn't get to her. Matsuri looked into Hinata's eyes and found familiarity. She had seen those fear-ridden eyes before. In Itachi's hand wasn't Hinata but a little Matsuri, struggling for life, tears streaking down her face, crying out for her Mama and Papa, her sisters and brothers. Those eyes begged for mercy, they pierced into Matsuri's soul. Light blue tears slid out of Matsuri's brown eyes and tumbled down her cheeks.

"Let her go," she said in a pleading whisper.

Everyone turned to Matsuri, not knowing she had escaped. Gaara was puzzled and infuriated, hadn't she wanted to kill Hinata?

"Please…Itachi…let her go…I can't watch her suffer like I suffered…not like this…not now…not ever."

"We had a deal, Matsuri. Besides, she will make a nice new addition to our family, since you've behaved like an ungrateful child," remarked Kisame, petting the girl's head. "I don't think she'll be defiant."

"No, definitely not, not after we're done with her," Sasori softly said.

"We need another girl in the group…It gets lonely being the only girl you know…hmm, a new little sister."

Itachi looked deep into Matsuri's eyes causing her to shudder. "If you follow us…you will die this time, make no mistake."

The Akatsuki did what they did best, fall into the shadows, becoming one with it. Matsuri fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. She felt a shadow fall upon her.

"Get up. We have to save her, come on."

Everyone followed Gaara to the forest where they disappeared, there was no telling if they were still there but they had to go. Matsuri got up, her legs trembling. All she could see what the look of sheer terror in Hinata's eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen…Hinata got captured and now Matsuri was having second thoughts. She didn't expect the pain in her pupilless eyes, the sadness, the frantic begging for mercy…Matsuri had thought she would be happy with Hinata gone but Hinata…she…

Matsuri thought about Hinata holding her, hugging her, playing with her hair, talking to her, comforting her, soothing her, helping her…Hinata wasn't a nuisance, she was one of the few people who genuinely cared…and Matsuri had wanted to get rid of her over petty jealousy. Gaara would never love Matsuri….not now not ever. She knew that now but it was too late. The acceptance, the shame, the defeat, the self-loathing all washed over her and bathed her in a depressing potion of pain and misery. In this state of self-pity Matsuri's cold heart beat strong in her chest. She would help in any way she could to get Hinata back and apologize for what she did, but Matsuri knew that even Hinata wouldn't forgive her.