Chapter 8 – The Kidnapper Trapped

"Giirl-lyyy…"

That voice sent an electric chill down her spine, and not a positive one. She knew in an instant that they had met before. Every fiber in her being wasn't welcoming another like experience. Gaara realized this as well. The lavender-head had stiffened up notably and the man's taunting voice betrayed they were acquainted. On top of that... If he knew her… than he surely had something to do with the secret undersea base and the disappearance of hundreds of people. In other words: they had to catch this man. Alive, preferably.

A shadow emerged from the bushes and stepped forward into the light, clapping humorlessly.

"Your ninja-senses continue to awe me," he sneered and then continued in deadly tone, "but your little ninja-play is over. Hand me the girl."

"Matsuri and Rin, protect her!" Gaara commanded sternly. They had to be precocious in advancing in combat against this man. The intruder pulled his hood back and revealed his face. It was twisted into a sickly smile by two jagged scars stretching from his mouth corners and curling at the end. The physician who attended him didn't do such a nice job on stitching him back. Matsuri and Kankuro were visibly troubled by the look of it.

"You can call me... Sumairi," he said while trailing the scar with his fingertips "If you are wondering, this was given to me during the Third Ninja War. You can make it up by handing over B26, I've missed her so," he continued with mock affection, sniffling theatrically while he looked at Ayumi with fake longing. Gaara saw from the corner of his eye how Ayumi fell on all fours. She gagged and spat bile on the ground. Matsuri rushed to her aid and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. The onset of a violent migraine made her nauseous and off-balance. Her blanc mind was like a white-screen on which a badly edited film got projected. Memory followed memory. Like the initial pieces of a puzzle after being layed down, offering a glimpse of the full picture of her lost memory.

Hands yanked her back into a strong embrace. She tried to wrestle him, but it didn't work.

"If you won't scream, I'll let you speak," he said. His breath was hot and sour.

"Leave my brother out of this..."

Someone stumbling forward close to her.

"Yumi!"

A fist colliding with someone's face. Her little brother. Rough arms throwing her across their shoulder. Earthy scents. She was taking far, far away through the woodlands. The scenery changed. She found herself chained onto a metal bed.
"B26".

A man with a deep stern voice hovered above her.

"From now on you're mine.I'll turn you into something beautiful."

A cold fluid ran through her veins and she was lowered into a tub of water that smelled of chemicals. Moments later she woke up, glass encasing her. Someone was on the other side. She couldn't see, but she could feel their presence. Somehow she was aware of the room around her, filled with machinery. Her arms and legs shook as they were teased with electric current.

"Seems okay," a man with a notepad, "B26's progress is on schedule."

The next thing she knew it took a long time before she would be conscious again. She slept and drifted in a twilight between being dead and alive. Time itself stood still. She had no idea how many weeks or months passed before the next memory.

She was all alone if it wasn't for the petite girl in front her. The film replaying this memory is unstable. Something tampered with her thinking, some drug slowed her down.

"You've become a chimaera." The words echoed through her head.

"You're plugged into a computer and you're still in a medically induced coma."

"B26... Where are you? Ah! Here you are."

"Ayumi. Your name is Ayumi."

"That's right. My name is Ayumi," she thought and snapped her head up. She stood up straight without needing Matsuri's assistance and growled viciously at Sumairi. One foot before the other, clenching her fists. Oh, how badly she wanted to hit him and wipe the smile off his face.

"Yes! Come hither!" he exclaimed joyously.

"Stop," Gaara said grabbing Ayumi's arm, "we will handle him."

She blinked a few times in surprise and turned her head in his direction. Gaara was too focused on his opponent. He faced Sumairi . "Who do you work for?" he commanded.

"I don't see it as working for someone. Our relationship can be defined as one of mutual cooperation towards a shared goal."

"Quit stalling you clown and answer the question!" Kankuro spat back.

"Why so serious?" Sumairi replied. "So, you want to know Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara didn't respond apart from crossing his arms.

"Well, there's not much left secret about a secret society if I'd reveal too much," he said matter-of-factly and then continued, "But, I will tell you this...In times of war, who writes history? The losers?- No... Noo... The prize of war is not just victory, it's the primate of the victor that history is as he reports. The victor spreads their ideology across the world. Their standard. And all becomes legit in their supreme reasoning. Everything has to aim for that standard. Thousands of deaths, through casualty or hunger... Lands occupied... Traditions crushed... What do you think happens with the forgotten survivors? With no land to return? Yet the world does not mourn for these losses. It's only the plight of the loser to submit to the will of the victor. No questions asked, no need either. Resistance becomes an act of terrorism, a coupé d'etat! This is politics as we know, isn't it Kazekage? Let me ask you... Do you know what is justice?"

Gaara remained silent for a few seconds and then responded calmly "if you're talking about the last ninja war, Suna has extended their aid to various countries and with our own hands we have helped rebuild what was lost, we paid pensions to families of victims. This was only fair."

Sumairi chuckled, "yes, yes, the defined victems. Well, call me a terrorist, call me a rebel. Or perhaps I am just a freedom fighter? Call me whatever you like. But know this... Gaara of the Sand... We will not stop until we are even!"

He growled and a set of shuriken shot out of his sleeves as he jumped forward with fierce eyes. Gaara used his sand to catch the blows while Matsuri and Kankuro deflected the other few with their kunai. Gaara stood with his arms crossed. More and more sand floated from his gourd. A spike aimed at the kidneys shot forward towards Sumairi. He smirked in mid-air, making himself even ghastlier if that as possible, and then... vanished. Gaara's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Where did he go? Sumairi had repositioned himself behind them, running towards Matsuri. A long thin blade slid down from his cloak. Gaara's sand flew at high speed towards them and she was within an ace of being protruded if Gaara did not deflect the attack at the last second. The sand turned around after Sumairi. Kankuro's puppet Black Ant ran forward with cackling joints. Gaara lifted his hand and formed bullets. With Gaara attacking from behind and Black Ant shooting poison needles from the front they had Sumairi in a tight spot. The only way out was to jump up, but Rin had that exit covered by throwing explosive tags at him. A large explosion blasted heated air into their face, but even before the dust lay down Sumairi was hurrying towards Ayumi from behind them.

"Shit!" Kankuro exclaimed.

'Is this a teleportation jutsu?' Gaara thought.

Ayumi heard the drumming footsteps closing in.

'That bastard, let him come!'

She took a stance. This time a small, long-necked tool glistened in the light, barely visible under Sumairi's sleeve.

'With this, little girl, you'll be doctor Heero's puppet! The transmitter will activate and he'll be able to control you from a distance like a toy".

He jumped up into the air somersaulting, aiming to land behind her. A splash of sand formed a barrier shielding Ayumi and whirled to entrap Sumairi. This time Gaara was prepared for it. He lightly squinted his eyes to look for any slightest sign of Sumairi's trick to disappear. A one handed seal indeed. Within an instant he was gone and the tentacles of sand were only gripping air.

'So it is a type of teleportation justu,' he thought as he scanned the area with his eyes. 'He appeared so far within a ten meter radius of his original position, that's likely his limit. He has aimed to teleport out of our sight... Which means...'

Abruptly Gaara turned around. Needle thin rays of sand shot forward. Sumairi didn't have time to evade the attack, they protruded his legs. He screamed in pain. Gaara lifted his hand and his sand whizzed around Sumairi's lower legs and feet until they were covered and his movements constricted.

"Try teleporting, you'll loose your legs," Gaara told him. Sumairi gritted his teeth. He was in a bind now.

"What is it Snake?" Nana asked. She was sitting in front of a small fire she had created. Until now she was quietly humming a song to herself while she played with the fire's shape. Gorou, doctor Heero's personal assistant, was resting on his side. They were on their way back to the Capital. The man who she spoke to was a cross-breed. His tongue danced in the air.
"I can smell them," he answered.

"Smell who?" Nana wanted to know. She peered at his muscular back with curiosity. His green and yellow striped skin shimmered in the dim light. He wore a white ragged tank top and a pair of black slacks.

"Hn," he grunted. He began walking away from them.

"Wait, we have to keep low-key!" Nana told him nervously.

"Sumairi," he said, "that fool got himself into a fight, but he doesn't know what he's up against. I can smell them. They are stronger."

"F-fighting..." Nana stammered. 'He must've found Ayumi!'

"I'm going," Snake said snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, wait! Don't you know who I am? I need you to escort us back!" she said angrily standing up, flames blazing up beside her.

He stopped for a moment and looked at her from across his shoulder.
"The doctor wouldn't want any of these ninja to get their hands on one of us." There was no denying. If Sumairi was getting himself caught there'd be even more trouble.

"Fine, go..." Nana sighed and gestured with her hand for him to move. She didn't even need to give her permission, he was going anyway. She slumped back in front of her fire. The flames twirled around, grew and diminished.

"Pretty..." she whispered to herself with a small smile.

Nana, the chimaera. Nana, the fire user.

The ninja continued their road, somewhat slowed by the addition of yet another captive. Sumairi was inside of Black Ant. Ever since he was captured he bit his tongue. Ayumi was as quiet as before, forced once more on Kankuro's back heading towards an unknown city, but this time she had more to think about. Some of her confusion was lifted. Sumairi was Suna's enemy. Since he was hers definately, she had reason to trust the Suna shinobi a little more. Her thoughts dwelled upon her memories.

''You are a chimaera,' what does this mean?'

The air was dryer, the flora began to change. The amount of trees diminished gradually, being replaced by prickly bushes and rough grasses. Although night had set upon them they kept pushing their tired limbs to continue. Gaara wanted to lead them as close to Suna's borders as possible. After hours of running in relative silence they had finally reached the last stream that seperated the Country of River's from Suna. It was lovingly called the Lifestream because it had saved Suna traveller's on more than one occasion from dying of dehydration, being the first source of water coming from the desert.

"Let's set up camp here," Gaara said. He let his gourd down and grabbed a scroll from one of his pockets to summon a carrion pigeon. With a miniature inkwell and pen he wrote down a coded message about their return and the events for Temari. She would sent a cell to meet them for sure. For now they were on their own. They ate a tasteless meal of powerfood, something similar to a granola bar packed with nutrition to quickly diminish their tiredness.

"Are you sure you don't want me to guard, Kazekage-sama?" Rin said before she was laying down.

"No, it's alright," Gaara responded.

Kankuro lay down on his mat with a deep satisfied 'aaah', determined to make the best of the few hours of sleep he was going to get. Meanwhile Ayumi had nothing but grass to lay down on. She patted the ground in search of a soft spot. She didn't have to look for long as Gaara come over to her.

"Use mine," he said and handed her his sleepingbag. She gladly accepted and bowed her head in thanks. Kankuro watched the scene with one eye and grinned quietly to himself. Gaara did not often make these acts of kindness! Matsuri must be seeing green with jealousy by now.

'The first bed I had in months...' Ayumi sighed blissfully as she crawled into Gaara's sleepingbag. 'Well, not really a bed, but close enough.' It was pretty big, but best of all warm and soft. She snuggled into the padded fabric before suddenly gasping.
'Kami, you could say I'm sleeping in the bed of a guy... I don't- I don't think I ever did.'
Yet the novelty of this revelation quickly ebbed away as sleep took over her body. Gaara could tell by her breathing when she was out. He was leaning with arms crossed against a tree, hiding in its shadows as he watched over his teammates. The moon offered enough light for him to see. He glanced from Ayumi to the encased Sumairi. They were related, yet they did not seem to be comrades. His head told him Ayumi was affiliated to Suna's enemy nonetheless, to his enemy... But... Inside of his heart he didn't fully believe this. He could sense no evil from her. Would this innocence be dissolved once she had her memory back? As military leader of Suna he couldn't afford any risks on this matter. He somehow felt reluctant to use the gruesome interrogation methods he was surely going to apply on Sumairi. But it was a dream thinking the Council would agree on this matter. Now they were close to home. Whatever may, he was bound to find himself in a confrontation with the old geezers. Damn, ploughing through piles of paperwork seemed a relaxing task compared to dealing with these aristocrats. They didn't seem to agree often. He sure was happy he made the decision to sneak out of Suna on this mission rather than consult them.
'Poor Temari,' he smirked to himself, 'I let you handle all of their wrath over my dissappearance. I'll make it up to you somehow.'

Snake stood still perched upon a tree branch. His red split tongue danced between his lips. The ninja had stopped for the night. He chuckled to himself. He would wait a little longer... Until they felt a little safer...