"So you're leaving today? That's wonderful! I hope I'll be leaving soon, too." said Hinata as she examined your wheelchair.

"Why in the world do you need that thing? You were fine a couple days ago!" grumbled Kiba. Akamaru barked in agreement from your lap.

"Hospital policy. It's not that bad…" you told them.

"I'm…just glad you're okay, Ai…I was scared, and really worried…" murmured the blushing Hinata. You held her hand.

"You're the one who went into cardiac arrest…I can't wait to see Naruto beat the crap out of Neji!" you enthused. Kiba scratched behind your ears. "Easy there, kitty cat!" he said. You giggled.

"I'm going now, Hinata, so you can rest. I'll come back to get you in a few days, right?"

She nodded her head.

"See ya in a few!" said Kiba as he carted you away. You're apartment wasn't far from the hospital, and you made it there pretty quickly.

"Kinda…small, isn't it?" he asked, looking around.

"I really like it. Granny had a really small home, too, back in the Land of the Waves. Of course, it did take some getting used to after living in the Ueda mansion…"

"Wait a minute – you're RICH?"

You laughed silently.

"I used to be. Now the money's gone, the estate's gone…my whole family died in the flames…but now I'm here! I've made so many wonderful memories here, and I'm sure my Mom and Dad are in a better place now, watching me grow into a kunoichi! Of course, I failed the exam – but there's always next year! Right?" you asked cheerfully. Kiba stared at you for a moment, a look of awe glued upon his face.

"Kiba, what's wrong?"

"Nothing...nothing's wrong," he murmured as he turned away and headed for the door, Akamaru at his heels. "I've…gotta go help Shino train. I don't wanna be late, or Kurenai – sensei will freak."

"Oh! You have to leave so soon? It can't be helped, though, can it? Well, thank you so much for bringing me home! I really appreciate it!"

He stopped and turned, his hand upon the door handle.

"You…Ai…you wanna go get a bite to eat tomorrow at the Shushuya…with me?"

Clapping your hands together with glee, you replied happily, "I'd love to! I've never been there before! I'm so excited! Thank you so much! I can't wait!"

"I'll come get you around eight."

"I'll be waiting! Thanks again!"

Kiba left with a grin plastered on his face.

i'Well, looks like I have plans tomorrow. Now to find Gaara…wait, what am I going to do once I find him? He says he doesn't remember me…and what am I supposed to say to him? Oh, this is so complicated!'/i

You were pacing back and forth across the room when you noticed the pile of presents.

i'Aw, the Konoha Genin are really nice! I have to pay them all back somehow…hey, wait a minute…'/i

You stopped combing through your gifts and stared at the Ichiraku coupons.

"Maybe if we ate ramen together, it will trigger his memories?" you thought aloud.

i"…maybe he doesn't WANT to remember you…or should I say, us?"/i

You froze. A shiver darted up your spine as you broke out in a cold sweat.

"No…no, no, NO!" you screamed, clutching your tainted ears and doubling over in anger.

i'Go away! Go away, demon!'/i you thought furiously.

i"I am a part of you, just as your limbs are a part of your body. Get rid of me, and you'll stop functioning properly."/i

"Shut up, murderer!" you hissed through clenched teeth.

i"Ouch. That burned. I was only looking out for us. They were going to kill you - ."/i

"And Gaara? What of him?"

i"I…overreacted. Sorry."/i

"…well, if you EVER possess me without my permission again, I swear I WILL dispose of you!"

i"Very well. If you want to talk to that boy, I suggest you do it sooner rather than later. It'll be dark soon."/i

You laughed bitterly.

"You sound more like a father than a demon."

i"To each his own."/i

You chuckled again, then bade him farewell as you got ready to meet Gaara. Your little ninja outfit was being fixed at the moment, so you settled upon a black, white, and blue plaid skirt, and a blue tank top. You hoped all the blue would keep you calm and soothe your nerves. You donned your new choker and bracelet, then headed out the door.

You tripped just as you reached the apartment Gaara and his siblings were staying at, tearing a hole in your black stockings.

"Darn shoelaces…" you muttered as you double knotted your blue high tops. Taking a deep, shaky breath, you rapped upon the door a few times.

"Who is it?" asked Temari in a suspicious tone.

"Um…I-i-it's Ueda Ai…from the exams…" you stuttered. She slid open the door, raking you from head to toe with her sharp eyes.

"Heh, you're still alive…and out of the hospital so soon? He must have gone easy on you. What do you want?"

"Him. Well, Gaara. I would…umm…like to talk to him…please?" you mumbled, staring at your feet.

"Heheh. Whatever. Gaara! Someone's here to see you!" she called over her shoulder. Your heart skipped a beat when you heard his voice issue from the dark room behind her.

"Who is it?"

"That girl you crushed at the exams. Have fun. Heheh!"

She wandered off, but you barely noticed; Gaara was standing before you in his fishnet undershirt and a pair of black Capri's, lazily rubbing a towel through his wet hair. For a split second he looked almost normal, maybe even kinda cute. His eyes widened a little, but he acted like nothing was wrong.

"Yes? What do you need?" he asked politely. You quickly returned your gaze to your feet.

"I…wanted to know if you'd go to the Ichiraku with me?" you asked nervously, your face getting redder with each word. You risked a glance at him. Gaara was looking at the towel in his hands. He remained in this pose for a full two minutes. Just as you were about to excuse yourself, he held up his index finger in a "wait one moment" gesture, then stepped inside, closing the door halfway.

He quickly returned with his gourd equipped, slipped on his shoes, then silently closed the door behind him.

"I'm hungry…let's go." he told you quietly.

i'Great, I got him to come, but now what do I say?'/i you thought halfway to Ichiraku. The whole trip so far had been dead silent.

"Is…your gourd heavy?" you asked out of the blue.

"…no…"

"Oh, well, that's good, right? You don't have to tire yourself out lugging it around!" you exclaimed, sounding like a total idiot and hating yourself for it.

"Yeah…I guess…"

"Um…your sand is really cool, too! How you mold it with your chakra and stuff – you're really skilled!"

After a moment he whispered so quietly you were sure normal people wouldn't have heard it – you wiggled your ears several times just to try and make out the words. "Sand…nothing but cold, miniscule grains of bitterness stained with the crimson regrets of the departed…"

Your heart quivered.

i'Never before have I heard such beautiful, yet sad words…'/i

You moved closer to him, just by a fraction of an inch. Soon you arrived at Ichiraku. The crowd of afternoon shoppers swarming the streets parted before you – and a little too quickly, you noticed.

"Weird." you muttered after you and Gaara ordered. Even Ayame's father seemed a little wary of you. Quickly shrugging it off, you turned towards Gaara as he slurped his noodles.

"Doesn't this bring back memories?" you asked, trying to seem casual. Gaara paused, then finished eating the noodles.

"Not really…"

You watched with frustration as he returned to his bowl, tilting it to drink the broth.

"You ordered ramen for me a long, long time ago. I ate a lot, too!"

He ignored you, finished his ramen, then reached into his pocket for some money.

"Here you go! I've got coupons!" you told him, handing him a coupon. He gave it to Ayame then turned toward the crowd.

"Are they staring at us?" you whispered after you paid with your coupon. He nodded. "Seems that way."

A family of three caught your eye: the husband seemed to shield his wife and child with his body as he walked by, the wife shielding the child herself. This, too, was familiar.

"Not again…c'mon, Gaara, I'll take you home."

He followed you through the crowd. Just as you were reaching the end of the sea of shoppers, two small children ran into you. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" you asked, helping them up. They took one look at you, then began to scream and cry.

"A black cat crossed our path!"

"I don't wanna die!"

They scrambled off into the crowd. Your heart stopped. i'It's my ears!'/i you thought, beginning to panic. i'They can all see my ears! They know I'm an Ueda…they think I'm going to kill them!' /i

"Let's…just go." you muttered. As you started off again, you suddenly found yourself tumbling towards the ground, your breath rushing out with an "oof" sound. "Augh…ow, what - ?"

Someone suddenly grabbed Gaara and pulled him away from you.

"Quick, run! Get away from her before – agh! What're you - ? AAAAAAHHHHH!"

SKLSH. Sand imploded all around the strange man who'd kicked you. Sand and blood fell like sticky raindrops from hell. The whole crowd screamed and fled. One by one, two by two, three by three…the crowd fell victim to Gaara's Sand Burial.

"Gaara!"

You stood quickly, yet stumbled over a woman's limb and toppled over again.

"Stop it, please!" you cried out in vain.

"I'M NOT SATED YET!" he roared. Slowly, you got to your feet. You tried to reach out and grab his hand, but his sand shield stopped you. Extending your claws, you quickly slashed through and clasped Gaara's right arm. SMASH! You landed chest first on the pavement, skidding a foot or two as a torrent of sand crushed you. As you fell, you'd bit your tongue. Angrily, you spit out the blood and tried to breathe. A strange growl suddenly issued from Gaara's lips. Startled, you peered up at him. He was doubled over, clutching his head in his hands, clearly in some kind of pain.

"Gaara?" you murmured quietly as the sand pinning you slipped away. You got to your knees. Trembling violently, he muttered, "Why?" in an almost inaudible whisper. Somehow, you managed to stand. Sand slithered past your feet, and reformed into Gaara's gourd. The scent of blood heavily perfumed the air. You bent over, your hands on your knees, and gasped for air.

i'I don't know what to do! Worst of all, I'm freaking out! I'm a horrible kunoichi! What do I do, what do I do, WHAT DO I DO?'/i

i"The shadows, dammit, the shadows! Go, before you're killed!"/i roared Yami in your head. You closed your eyes.

i'Do I…have enough strength?'/i

Suddenly, images flashed through your mind: Yamigakure burning to the ground; your father's throat being slashed; your recent nightmare where you were attacked by your past aggressors; Granny's worried expression as you hid from Gato's men; Hinata unconscious in her hospital bed; young Gaara's warm smile…

"I may have failed my loved ones in the past…" you began as you stood tall, "…but I WON'T FAIL AGAIN!"

Chakra exploded inside you, radiating from your body. Without taking the time to think, you pounced on Gaara, throwing you both into one of your shadowy pools. Upon entering your shadow world, Gaara's unstable mind fell into unconsciousness. You held him in the same manner he once held you, with your arm around his waist and his around your shoulders. When you reached the edges of the shadow pool, you used your mind to extend it, connecting it with another shadow.

i'Wow…I didn't know I could do that.' /i you thought as you swam from pool to dark pool without emerging. For a while, the only thing you could hear was Gaara's steady heartbeat. Finally, you could sense that his apartment was nearby.

"Home sweet home." you murmured as you swam faster. A dead silence hit you like a brick wall. Both your ears and chest burned, and blood drained away from your face, leaving you in a chilled sweat. Gaara's heart had stopped beating…!