Well, all of your reviews had me writing all night last night! So, I decided I would be extra nice and post this chapter for you all. I hope you like it! It's not as long as my others, but I know you will be happy. Enjoy!

Chapter 30, Only Human.

We traveled for two days to get to the spot where there was half a footprint. By the time we made it there, the prints were all washed away. But I knew the exact spot where it had been. I grabbed on to the bush next to the spot and yanked until it gave way, then threw it out of my way. If I hadn't been looking or it, hard, I would have missed the trap door.

Gaara grabbed it before I could and through it open.

A kunai pierced my chest.

I fell back in pain and tried to grab at Gaara, but he was already moving out of the way of the kunai that followed the one that hit me. I laid there, gasping like a fish, as I stared at the handle of the weapon. Sand went crazy. All the men in the door were dead in seconds, then he was leaning over me, his eyes wide.

"Kira? Kira? Dammit, Kira!" He yanked the kunai from my chest and held his hand firmly over my wound. "Heal yourself." And I did. My body slowly relaxed as the pain went away. Gaara's hand fisted in my hair and my face was lifted to his, where he kissed me hard. "Be careful, for Kami's sake." I nodded and got to my feet.

I feel like I was never hurt at all.

We rushed down the ladder and into the dark below. Flames danced on my palms, lighting our way. But Gaara grabbed my wrists and I let the flame fall. He started pulling me along, careful to keep his hand around mine. Soon my eyes adjusted and I could see where the tunnel lead. Gaara slowed when it began to get lighter, and we stuck close to the wall. I tried to reach Jessica again, but I failed.

I squeezed Gaara's hand and bent forward a little to see past him. It was then that I saw movement and the walls pulled us into them. Gaara's arms came around me and held me tightly as the people passed us, talking in hushed voices. Thanks to Gaara's quick thinking we weren't seen. I breathed out in relief and stepped back as the wall released us, molding back into the hard compacted dirt it had been before.

A small sand eye floated away from the wall and went to the other side of the hall, looking around the corner. I looked up at Gaara, who was looking at me with one eye shut. His hand rested on my lower back and he nudged me along, holding me still when someone would pass. I never knew having his sand eye would be so helpful.

We came to a grand room, stretching farther than I could see in the dim lighting. The sand eye flew towards the other side of the room and I saw Gaara' brow turn down. While he was busy, I bent down and sat on my heels, pressing my palms to the ground below me. I followed the patterns and searched for my daughter. I cannot feel her, which means she is hidden from me mentally. But no one can physically hide from me.

I see everything.

I spread my parameter and checked the few hidden rooms. Nothing. I stretched it further and found her.

Two miles.

I grabbed Gaara and we started running, his sand eye being the only thing that kept us from getting killed by others.

I came to the area where I knew there was a hidden door. It took us to long to get here. Dead bodies will show us the way back. I ran my fingers over where I knew the door should be, but couldn't find any crack to where it would open.

They sealed her in.

And that is how they are hiding her from me.

Gaara placed his hand on the wall and frowned. "This isn't regular dirt." I knew that, but I nodded. It has something in it, something that I cannot breach with my mind. And without Gaara having been in the room before, there is no way he can get past this material.

I pulled back my hand and slammed my fist against it, as hard as I could. I broke all of my fingers trying, and there was absolutely no damage to the wall. Jessica in side hadn't even stirred. I quickly healed my hand before Gaara could see my broken bones and laid my ear against it. I closed my eyes and tried to break apart the material. I went into it as far as using my strength to break apart each and every molecule, trying to create a hole.

The spot under my ear started to crumble and fall.

I pushed more strength into it. Even if I can get enough to fall away for a grain of sand to slip through, we can be to my daughter.

Sweat prickled on my brow and I pushed even harder, about half way through. The wall is two feet thick. I took a shaky breath. Just a little further. Gaara's hand touched my shoulder. "Just a little more, Kira," he whispered. I could feel his sand following my progress. He gets what I am trying to do.

I gripped the wall with my fingers, trying to hold on. More material, no longer what it had been, came out of the hole, pushed by Gaara's sand. I pressed my forehead against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut. I can do this. I can do this. I can save my baby. I can do this.

"Well, well, well."

Fuck.

I moved just in time to miss Anne's knife. Gaara lashed out at her, but his sand fell uselessly to the ground. I turned towards her, my movements slow and sluggish from my exhaustion. She smirked. "Tired?"

I reached for my thigh holster and pulled out my kunai. The very one Kakashi gave me all those years ago. I held it firmly at my side, watching how she shifted her weight to see when she would strike next. "Open the door, Anne," I whispered. "Give me my daughter back."

Her brow lifted. "How do you know she's not another dummy? You were fooled before."

There was a stirring in the room behind me. "Hello? Who's out there?" Jessica's voice was muffled, but loud enough to hear thanks to my hole.

Anne looked astonished. Didn't think I would get that far, did you? I smirked. "Because I know my baby."

She laughed harshly. "Do you?" She pointed her knife at me. "And how is that? You haven't even known her a year. Again, with the lying."

Gaara took a step towards me, but Anne didn't look at him. Her grudge is with me, not him. He is nothing to her. And he can't get through the wall, she knows this. I don't want him protecting me. I want him to save our daughter. I move closer to Anne, hardening my muscles and making them bigger. Only slightly, so she wont see the difference. Thanks to the lighting and my ANBU outfit, it will be hard to see.

My muscles bunched and I threw my fist at her, but she ducked, backing away. I tried to punch her again, but she kept backing up. I pushed her down the hall like this, Gaara hot on my heels encase I needed help. She bumped into a wall where there was a corner, and was about to run, but I slammed my fist into the wall, trapping her where she was. She glared at me, sliding down the wall slightly so she was ready to spring at me.

Sand tickled my skin as it slipped down the back of my shirt, crawling over my shoulder and down my arm until it made a band just above my elbow. I felt Gaara backing away, then he was running back to where I had made a hole in the wall. I smiled when he started beating the wall where the hole was, with his fists as well as his sand. I could sense a little golden dust mixed into the sand. Where did he get that from?

Anne met my eyes straight on. "He will never get in there," she whispered.

I smiled. "You don't know my Gaara," I whispered back.

Her eyes were blank. "And even if he does, she will die. There's a trap," her voice was so soft. I could barely hear it over the noise Gaara was making. My heart skipped a beat. "You know I'm not lying, Kira. Stop him, before its to late." A trickle of blood ran from her nose.

I took a half step back. "What's going on?"

She smiled at me sadly, wiping at the blood, but more just poured out. "I love you, you know that? And I know you didn't kill my baby." Blood started coming from her left ear. "It was all them. They used me to get to you. They knew you were here. And I knew how to get to you." She blinked and one of her eyes turned pink from the blood that pooled in her eye lid.

"Anne?" I took another half step back. "Anne, what's going on?"

Red tears came from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Kira. I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry they made me the distraction. So sorry." She coughed and blood poured from her mouth. She started to shake. I watched as she wiped at her face, whimpering. "I'm so sorry," she kept whispering. More red tears came from her eyes.

Sand folded over her body and hid her from my view. I shuddered as the sand started to turn red. What the hell just happened? A hand touched my back, and my body kicked into instinct mode. I grabbed the hand, spun around, and pulled and twisted the arm in my hands until the person was up against the wall, back to me. Gaara glared at me over his shoulder.

I quickly released him and put my hands to my face. What is wrong with me right now? I wanted her death. I wanted to kill her. I wanted her dead. Why am I shaking? Why am I behaving like she never did a single thing she has done?

Because I am human.

That is the only reason I can think of. Gaara touched my arm, careful to pull away when I brought my hands down. I looked up at him and swallowed the lump in my throat. This fight is far from over. I walked over to where Gaara had been beating on the wall. The hole I made was a little deeper. Not much, but enough for me to finish it easily.

Once the hole was all the way through Gaara was gone, his sand sprinkling into the hole. I could hear Jessica's cries when she saw her father. In seconds they were on my side of the wall, and Jessica had her arms locked around me. My legs gave out and I sunk to the ground, holding her tightly. Gaara's arms wrapped around both of us and then the sand began swirling.

"Kira!"

"Gaara!"

People rushed at us, trying to see if we were hurt. I kept my hold on my daughter, never letting go. Jessica took a shaky breath and bent back until she could see my face. I ran my fingers down her back, trying to fight the urge to hug her as tight as I could again.

She smiled at me through her tears.

"I'm glad you're back, Momma."

The people who stayed behind in Konoha to ready for the last fight met us outside of the village walls. Gaara carried Jessica. Sakura healed most of her wounds, but only the life threatening ones. Tsunade would need to check her over before anything else could be done, she had said. Tsunade was in the front of the group with Yukio and Ryuu. I took Jessica from Gaara and carried her over to Tsunade, handing her off. Jessica was asleep. From the pain, or weariness, I have no idea. Her face is still bruised badly.

Yukio hugged me tightly, then ran after Tsunade and Sakura and Temari who were taking Jessica to the hospital for a check over. Gaara and I stared after the five of them. I looked down at Ryuu, seeing him staring after Jessica.

"Did they really do that to her?" He whispered.

"Yes," I whispered back. "And much more that you cannot see on her skin."

He shivered. I saw the horror lurking behind his blank face. I ran my hand over his hair and brushed it from his eyes. He didn't flinch away from my touch.

Kankuro stood next to Gaara, looking at me. "We should have a days rest before we head out. Tomorrow night, at dusk, we can get moving. But I think everyone needs a good rest." Gaara nodded. I, also, agreed.

I cannot ask people to risk their lives and not give them a chance to rest and say goodbye first.

– –

After I put Ryuu to bed that night, in the same room as his brother, I went up to the roof and sat in the chill night air. We are not allowed to see Jessica until tomorrow morning. Tsunade said she will be fine, and not to worry. But I am afraid the emotional trauma she suffered will never go away. I hugged my knees to my chest and let out a breath, closing my eyes against the moonless night.

Legs appeared on either side of me, then arms were around me and I was pulled back into a hard warm chest. A blanket draped around the both of us.

"You will get sick if you keep coming out here," Gaara whispered in my ear.

I shrugged, smiling as I leaned back into him. "It never stopped the two of us before. And, if I remember right, it had been much colder at night then."

His nose grazed my neck.

I twisted around so I could look at him. I looked deeply into his eyes. I have everything I want. My babies. My Gaara. I have them all back now. And I will lose it all again tomorrow. I kissed Gaara, trying to put all of my emotions into it. "I love you," I whispered.

I could feel his smile against my lips. "I have always loved you, Kira."

Leave me a review!