It's been a while since I last put up a chapter and I'm sorry. I was busy studying for finals (just kidding, I don't study hahaha) But the important thing is that chapter four is up. Now that school is out I will try to get some more chapters out, plus I am working on a few one-shots that I hope to have up soon. Please enjoy :)

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Ch.4

Rayne had slept for two straight days. Madarao had been right, she had needed rest. She sat up and looked around.. The room was empty. She carefully slid her legs out from under the warm blankets. Goose bumps formed on her legs as her feet touched the cool wood floor and she looked around the room. Clean clothes sat on the chair pulled up to the bed, a tray of food rested on top of that. She scrunched her toes, cracking them, and then reached for the food. She hadn't eaten in days and her stomached hurt. She lifted a rice ball and held it under her nose. She sniffed it and decided it was safe to eat. She finished it in only a few bites and washed it down with a few sips of water which was on the tray as well. After that she took a deep breath and focused on where she was. She needed to get up, no matter what that annoying demon of hers said. Ever since "that day" he always was adding his input on everything.

Having another voice in her head was just one of the changes that occurred in her since the two of them joined in her body. One of the first things she noticed was the heightened senses. She could see, hear, smell, and taste better than any normal human. She also found that she was exceptionally strong and quick giving her almost inhuman qualities. Then there were a few less noticeable qualities: she found she was lighter on her feet, more flexible, more graceful and her ears and teeth had become pointed. She really was an amazing shinobi now. She could have easily made ANBU with a little more work. She might not have had the crazy chakra that the tailed beasts gave their hosts but she had quite a bit and knew how to use it effectively. She was pretty logical (when she wanted to be) and a good fighter. Her team was the best for their class back in Konoha. Now they would be unstoppable. If only she could go back…

She shook her head, there was no going back. She knew that. She sighed and pushed herself out of bed, careful not to put pressure on her broken wrist. This made her lightheaded and she had to reach out to the table next to her to stabilize herself. She grabbed the clean clothing and took a few cautious steps towards the door which she assumed led to a bathroom. Using the wall for support she hobbled to the full bathroom that she assumed was the Kazekage's, and flicked on a light.

The room was dimly lit. A large shower sat in the corner, a toilet next to that. The other side of the room was filled with a granite counter that lined the wall. A deep sink was in the middle of it and a large mirror covered the wall. The counter was mostly bare except for some soap, a towel and a toothbrush. She grabbed the hand towel and wet it, wiping her face with it. She avoided looking into the mirror. She felt like shit and didn't need to be reminded that she probably looked as bad as she felt. The shower in the corner caught her attention. When was the last time she had taken a real shower? She slid open the large glass door. She turned it on and let the water heat up before placing her hand under the stream of water. After thinking for a moment, Rayne decided she could definitely handle a quick shower and undressed. She unwound all the bandages that covered her body, letting them fall to the ground. She was pleased to see that everything was healing well, except for her wrist, which she was now sure it had been broken. The kunoichi stepped into the shower and let the hot water pour over her head. It wasn't long before she began to feel light headed. Madarao had already started to bark orders and I-told-you-so's at her. She went to step out but slipped and landed hard on her side, grunting in pain. The only thing she could do for the moment was lie there as the steaming water fell. After a few moments she painfully pulled herself into a sitting position and reached out the door for a towel. Once the towel was securely wrapped around her she stood up, using the slick wall as support and got out. She had only made halfway through the door before she began to feel lightheaded again. Rayne looked down to see bloody water dripping from her side. Her stab wound must have reopened when she fell. She reached out and grabbed the counter for support but was unable to hold herself up. She collapsed, unconscious on the bathroom floor, with the shower still running.

Wind blew through the trees above, shaking them.

Pure white snow drifted silently from the sky.

She turns her head to the side,

The snow on the ground had been dyed a sticky red; blood.

A loud, vicious snarl breaks the peaceful silence.

Something loud is crashing through the trees, toward her.

She has to warn the others, to yell to them, to tell them to run.

They were going to slow, they would never make it.

She opens her mouth to yell but no sound comes out.

There is an ear-piercing howl, He's almost here...

"Nooo!"

Rayne bolted upright, her head smacking into something hard.

"Shit! Ahh , so sorry!"

Rayne covered her forehead with her hands and looked up to see a man with brown hair standing over her, holding his nose. "I'm so sorry" he said again. "I'll be right back" he mumbled before dashing off to the bathroom. Rayne sat there panting. That wasn't the first time she had that dream.

"Hey, you alright Rayne?" question Madarao

"Yeah"

"How are you feeling?"

Rayne took a deep breath to calm herself. "I'm feeling a lot better now actually"

"Good, I'm glad to hear it" he said cheerfully "Hopefully we can get out of here soon."

"Agreed"

The door to the bathroom opened up and the man came walking out holding a bloody tissue to his nose. He sat himself down in the chair next to the bed.

"Hey, I'm sorry about... hitting you." said Rayne as she moved to a more comfortable position.

"No big deal, I was sitting way to close anyways. I just came to check on you. I was a little worried after finding you passed out on the bathroom floor yesterday morning."

It took Rayne a moment to remember what he was talking about before she remembered passing out on the bathroom floor in nothing but a towel. She glanced down quickly and was relieved to see she was dressed….again. "Oh, yeah thanks... umm...?"

"Sorry, I'm Kankuro, Gaara's older brother"

Rayne nodded, "Nice to meet you". She shifted her position again and noticed the white cast now wrapped on her arm. "Damn, this is going to make things difficult"

"Well Rayne, I should be going. I'll be back home in a little bit and if you're feeling better, I'll take you to see Gaara. He told me to bring you to him as soon as possible so you could talk."

She was silent for a moment. "Alright"

Kankuro got up from his chair, throwing the bloody tissue into the trash bin. "Well I'll be back then" he said before leaving.

Rayne sat in bed until she heard Kankuro exit the building, then swiftly got out of bed. "We need to leave, now!"

"You're right, we probably can't afford to stay much longer. Are you sure you are feeling better though?"

"I'm fine" Rayne hurried to find her old clothes and change. Thankfully they had been cleaned and mended as well as possible. Her mask however, was nowhere to be seen. It had probably been too damaged to fix. She scanned the room for her necklace, she wouldn't leave that here. It would be sure evidence that she had been here. She searched for a few moments before finding it on the counter in the bathroom. "What is it doing in here?" There was no time to ask questions so she quickly slipped it back over her neck and headed to the window. Rayne quickly undid the latch on the window and jumped out onto the roof. The hot sun beat down and she threw her hand up to block the sun from her eyes. Although it was only morning, she could tell today was going to be hot. She wanted to make it out of here as soon as she could. There was one stop she had to make before she left the sand village. It was really a shame she had to leave though. This is the longest she has been able to remain hidden in one place. She became increasing angered with the shinobi that had caught her. "If it hadn't been for the dumb bastards I could have stayed here longer without anyone knowing!" She quickly hopped over to the roof across the street that she had spent so many nights on.

She was so glad no one had discovered her stash of supplies she had left up on the roof of the building. She quickly grabbed her pack that contained food and water, slipped her dagger into the waistband of her pants and finally grabbed the most important item. She picked up a long cloth-wrapped pack. She undid the ties at the end and pulled out two, what looked to be double-edged swords with exceptionally long handles. She tucked them into her belt and shouldered her pack. She took a quick look around so see if she was being followed then jumped to the next roof in line.

With her weapons in hand, Rayne made her way towards the village gate. She traveled quickly and quietly, sticking to back streets or roof tops in case someone was looking for her. She listened carefully as she ran, trying to hear if anyone was following her. It had taken a while but eventually, as she neared a small gate leaving the village, she could finally sense people following her. She speed up trying to get as much distance between them and her as possible. They were without a doubt following her and that feeling of panic was slowly starting to rise again. She had to get away. Her hopes of escape were almost crushed as she got closer to the gate. She could see them yards away, Shinobi gaurding the gate. She wasn't getting out that way. Not without a fight that is. She turned to head in another direction but the shinobi following her were catching up. She wasn't going to be able to outrun them for long. They knew the city too well. She now had two choices; stay and fight (not a good idea) or try to run (not much better of an idea). Either way, she felt that she would be caught. At the time running just seemed like the best options so she took off again. Unfortuanatly this didn't last long because she soon found herself running through a back alley way with shinobi only feet behind her. She cursed to herself as she soon discovered that the path she had chosen was a dead end. She gathered chakra in her feet and prepared to run up the tall building.

"Rayne, give it up. Thers no use in running anymore. If you don't stop, I will make you." called a voice.

Rayne skidded to a stop. That was the Kazekage's voice. She could sense his strong chakra ahead of her. She looked up to see him standing atop the building in front of her. She was now cornered. Four shinobi behind her and the biggest pain in the ass, blocking her path in front. She cursed to herself. She was really screwed this time.

"Damn, you caught me" she said raising her hands nonchalantly.

"Why did you run?"

"I apologize Lord Kazekage, but I have no intentions of explaining myself to you," she pulled her two swords out and tightened her grip on them, "nor do I plan to be taken in without a fight." She put the grips of her odd swords against each other and bound them together with chakra forming a long sword staff as tall as she was. The two blades made up the ends of it; the center was made of solid steel. She twirled the staff in her good hand, glad to feel the familiar comfort of its grip. She had gone through a lot of trouble of getting this back before leaving her village, but there wasn't any other option. This weapon had so many memories in it. Plus, this strange staff has always been her weapon of choice, even back in the academy. She had grown up using it. The sword-staff was great for slashing and stabbing and could easily be used to take on multiple opponents. It took great speed and agility to wield this weapon, both of which she had, especially after bonding with her demon.

"Rayne! What are you doing? You can't fight the Kazekage! You are only going to end up getting in more trouble than you already are in!"

"Does it look like I have a choice? I'm not going to be sent back! Now are you with me or not?"

Madarao paused for a moment then, with a sigh of annoyance, said "Whatever, if I'm not with you then who will be huh? Someone needs to watch out for your crazy ass"

Rayne took this as her cue to go and spun around. She quickly jumped towards the shinobi behind her. She caught the first one off guard. He wouldn't expect someone who looked the way Rayne did to have to strenght to fight. She lept at him, knocking him to the ground and smashing the shaft of her staff into his head, stunning him. The others were now prepared for her. Kunai headed in her direction. She twisted her staff in her good hand knocking them away. The shinobi soon had her surronded on all sides, all pulling out swords. Lucky for Rayne, this type of situation was what her weapon was made for. With swords on both ends she was able to take on multiple opponents at once. With her speed, agility and strenght, although half of what they normally were, she could easily take them. They came at her seconds later. She swund her staff. knocking two of them backwards. She quickly turned around again and leaned backwards, doddging a blade that swung over her head. She fliped backwards, catching his sword between her feet and sent it flying. It hit the wall and fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Rayne swept her staff towards her attacker. The man screamed as her blade sliced deep gashes in his thighs. She quickly stood up and spun, sending a strong kick to his face. He fell to the dirt, blood running down his broken nose. Another Shibobi ran at Rayne with her sword raised. She quickly turned and blocked with her staff. Rayne sent a fast kick to her stomache that was too fast to block, sending her back into the wall. Then she ran and scooped up her the woman's dropped sword and threw it at her. It went through the scarf she was wearing, clipping her shoulder and then burried itself in the wall, pinning the woman to the wall.

Gaara sat on the roof watching the fight. As Rayne started fighting he could sense her previously hidden chakra. This girl was strong, really strong. There was something oddly familure about the feel of chakra but he couldnt place it. He continued to watch her fight, amazed by the speed and strenght this frail looking woman possessed. She had been right, she did know how to fight. If she was this good why hadn't she been able to protect herself earlier? Was it her sickness? And where had she learned to fight? She obviously had shinobi training. Could she be a missing nin from the leaf? Maybe that was why she had ran. So many questions filled his head. That had to explain his anxiety, why he wanted to get her back so badly. His thoughts returned to the fight when he heard his female shinobi scream out. He went back to watching and thinking to himself. There was definitely something different about this girl.

Rayne stood there panting. Her head was pounding again and ribs ached. Her panic now gone, replaced by the slowly fading adrenaline rush she had during the fight. One guy left, or two if you considered the Kazekage. She tried to not think about that. If she had to fight him she was screwed anyways. There was no way she could win against him. In her weakened state she wouldn't even last five minutes. Now is not the time to think about that. Just have to beat this guy and then run, run as fast as I fucking can. I don't have enough energy to change, not without loosing control. If that happens I'm twice as screwed. She knew Gaara was standing on the roof still watching her every move. Her main concern right now was the man standing in front of her, the last of the Kazekage's shinobi. The others had gone down easily, knowing they couldn't win, but this guy just wouldn't step down no many how many times she sent him down. He was bleeding fron a few cuts but other than that he looked fine. What a pain! She didn't want to kill him. Its not that she was against killing. She would do whatever it took to keep herself alive but he was just a guy. It was just his bad luck that he was getting paid to do this job. He ran at her again and she leaned back dodging his attack. There was a sharp pain as the stitches in her side were torn out yet again. She lost her balance and fell back. Luckily she was able to catch herself and quickly hoped back up. She swung at him again hitting him accross the arm with the edge of a sword. Now enraged, he ran at her again but he was too slow. Rayne ran up the wall next to her and pushed off flipping backwards and landing behind him. She sent a swift hit from the side of her hand to the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious.

She wasted no time taking off running again. Luckily she had made sure not to kill any of them. That would just get her into more trouble. A wall of sand errupted in front of her blocking her way out. She cursed and tried to turn around but Gaara was now behind her.

"Did you really think you could get away Rayne?"

The kunoichi made no attempt to respond.

"What is going on here? Who are you? Where are you from? I demand to know what you think your doing in my village."

"What I told you earlier was true. I ran away from the leaf village and was looking for somewhere to stay for a while."

"You were a shinobi there?"

She sighed with annoyance "Yeah, for a little. Never even made it to Chunin"

"With fighting skills like that? I find that hard to believe."

"I left right before the exams"

"So you still expect me to believe that you just left at the begining of your ninja career to become a missing-nin and travel around?"

She didn't reply again but stared at him.

"Well?"

"I never said I left for no reason, I just didn't specify why I left because its none of your damn business" she said quietly.

"Then why did you leave?" he asked "And why were you in jail?"

Her head snapped up with a slight look of shock. "What are you talking about?" she glarred angrily.

"Answer the question."

Rayne continued to glare at the Kazekage. He already knew too much information. Pretty soon he was going to start connecting the dots, if he hadn't already figured her out that is, and she would be brought back to that cursed village to be locked up again. She had to find a way out of this. But how?

"Rayne?" The Kazekage said impatiently. His grey-green eyes always watching her.

"Yeah I was in prison, but look, you have to believe me when I say I didn't do anything wrong."

"So the people of Konoha had you locked up for no reason?"

Rayne sighed and stood up straght facing the Kazekage head on. She looked him in the eyes and said "I told you, people don't like people like us. They are afraid of things that are different and decide they are dangerous. They do what they think will keep them safe, even if it useless or unfair. They take the things they are afraid of and lock them up or shun them, make them feel unwanted hoping they will go away. Or they will even try to kill that thing that scares them." She now was speaking very clearly and strong again. "You should be able to relate to that quite well, right Sabaku No Garra? Im sure you could understand what I'm talking about. Were not all that different you and I"

Then it clicked. Gaaras eyes widened in shock for only a brief second. It now made sense. The inhuman abilities, the strong and slightly familiar chakra. She was not entirely human. She wasn't a jinchuriki, they 9 tailed beasts were all accounted for. Perhaps she was a biju? No, the chakra was too strong for that.

"What are you?" he asked sounding concerned.

"You already know what I am Sabaku no Gaara" she replied coldly. "But I'm not going to wait around for you to turn me in. I've done nothing wrong and will not be returned to my village!"

"I can't let you go without knowing whats really going on here"

"I'm afraid I have no desire to tell you" The Kunoichi took off running up the wall, seperating her swords and sticking them back into her belt. Gaara sighed with annoyance. Why did she have to make things so difficult? He sent sand after her but she was quicker than he expected. She dodged his sand jumping back and forth on the wall. Gaara knew he should catch her now. The girl , he observed earlier, was great at free running and he didn't want to lose her in the crowds of people. Lucky for him, she was tired. His sand caught hold of her leg right as she went to vault over the top of the building. She cursed as she fell over the back of the wall. She grabed the ledge with her good hand and held on tight.

A small growl escaped Rayne's throat as she caught herself on the ledge of the building. She felt the sand shifting unnaturally , sliding and tightening around her ankle, causing her to shudder. The sharp edges of the ledge dug into her palm and fingers leaving pricks of blood. She yelled in frustration as she tried to pull herself back up. The sand around her ankle was pulling her down to hard. Sand crept its way down her foot and around her shoes, pulling harder now. She didn't have the strenght to keep this up. "God damn it! Let me go or I swear I will end your life!"

Gaara smirked at her threat. There was no way she was getting away and they both knew it. "Give up Rayne. There is no way to win this. Come down and we will talk and figure this out."

"Yeah from between bars! I don't think so. Fuck you!" She pulled up harder as Madarao's chakra began to flow through her. She felt extra strength flow through her and felt herself lift a little before more sand began to climb its way up to her knee both over and under her pant leg. She winced as the sand started to constrict, tightening painfully around her calf.

"Rayne I'm giving you one more chance before I pull you off that wall" he said coldly.

The kunoichi only pulled harder. There was no way she could let herself be caught now. No, no, no, no!" She felt herself slipping as sand continued to wrap higher around her leg, now reaching mid-thigh. It continued to tighten and pull. At last her hand slipped and she started to fall. Skin was scrapped off her forearm and hands as she slid down the rough wall, trying to grab onto anything she could while she sent chakra through her hands to slow her fall but it was no use. She fell away from the wall and saw the ground rush up to meet her. She threw her arms up to shield her head and the last thing she saw before blacking out was a swirl of sand.

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Well there you go. If any of you are Eragon fans you may have noticed Rayne's weapon being very much like the Hûthvír used by Angela and the dwarves. My writer's self esteem is really hurting now so please leave a quick comment by clicking the comment link. Thanks for reading. :)
~Reiko