Hey everyone, I'm so sorry it's been so long.

I promise I'm still working on ATD and haven't given up or died or something horrible.

I promise to update soon! I've got about 90% of the next chapter written up and everything.

I just wanted to thank everyone who reading this. You're all amazing.

I'm constantly on a journey with the characters in this and things change, turn around, mess up. It's what I get for giving so much power to the characters to direct where this goes I guess.

In case anyone was wondering I've lost my beta. It's really hard to write without bouncing ideas off her.

And I had exams which quite thankfully finished today.

You might also recall I mentioned being ill? It's flared up recently and subsequently I've gotten a bit weaker. Being indoors all the time is driving me mad. I just want to run around or sit in the sun or something but that isn't really possible for me…

Luckily for you my insomnia has also gotten worse. I've been writing this at 1-2am while everyone else's asleep so that I can still deliver the story to you guys.

Anyway, things are beginning to heat up. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

I also hope this ridiculously long author's note did its job. Did anyone think I was doing that annoying update-that-isn't-a-chapter-thing? I hate those. It's so disappointing.

I'm a cheeky author, aren't I?

So, without further ado, enjoy chapter 10!

:)

A single light bulb, strung from a ceiling from a single wire swung, bathing the dingy room with a brief line of light as it rocked. Back and forth. Back and forth. An infinite pendulum. As the light moved it illuminated sections of the dark grey walls, the metal freezing to all those who touched it. Three figures were tied to three matching chairs in the centre of the room. The figures, two male and one female, were wearing plain navy pants and loose white shirts. Rust coloured stains and dark, black smudges marred the slightly torn fabric. Under the fabric, a number of chakra seals had been placed on each missing nin. Their wrists and ankles were crossed and secured to the metal chairs with a special barbed chakra wire. On the backs of each of their necks small matching scars could be seen where the medics had inserted tracking chips.

The male on the left was tall, his broad body muscular. His shaggy light brown hair hung across his face, hiding his eyes and brushing his cheekbones. His breathing had become harsh, irregular pants sometime in the early afternoon after their second 'session'. Two deep lacerations crossed the expanse of his upper chest, the torn shirt leaning in the drying blood. He appeared to be the least injured of the group. It hadn't taken long for the interrogation squad to realise pain provided little stimulation. So far they had been unable to draw any answers from him.

Between the two males sat the one female of the group. Her long navy blue hair fell straight towards the floor, curling slightly at her waist. Her body was completely relaxed, easily mistaken for unconscious, leaning as far back in her seat as the excruciatingly painful wires let her. She let head rest back on the top of the cold metal chair so that she was facing the ceiling. Her breathing was slow and controlled. The only indication of the unbelievable pain she had to be feeling was the awkward angle that her arms were positioned and the small river of blood running from the hem of her pants.

The last figure was covered in so many bruises there wasn't a single inch of unmarked skin. His dark blonde hair was matted and soaked in his blood, dying it a dark copper. Cuts ran up the outside of his arms and legs, crisscrossing without pattern only the intention to cause pain. His chest suffered a similar fate, the slashes deeper and blood continued to ooze from the worst of them. It collected in his lap and ran down his legs onto the floor. Dark grey eyes stubbornly stared straight ahead, focusing on the blood splattered wall.

The door to the room opened with a loud, ominous groan. Six white cloaked anbu stepped through, the light briefly throwing each of their animal masks into relief. In two man groups they led the prisoners out of their room and deeper into the underground maze branching three separate ways after a few minutes of silent marching. Each missing nin was led into a huge room, the floor covered in an array of intricate black symbols and letters. Each of the prisoners was placed into a dais in the dead centre of the room and strapped down. From the shadows twelve anbu stepped forward and crouched at specific points on the edge of the black marks. Both of the escorts moved forward, pulling off their masks as they rested their hands on each side of the prisoners faces.

"Begin." Three simultaneous orders were barked across three identical chambers.

At the sharp command the twelve anbu stationed at the edge of the circle began to pump their chakra into the ground, activating the interrogation jutsu. As the circle absorbed their power the black marks began to glow a dull red and as one they slowly shuffled forward, never breaking concentration. The bodies of the two anbu in the centre crumpled as their consciousness' entered the prisoner before them. A tense half an hour passed before they returned and wrenched their hands away from the prone figure before them. Sweat beaded across their foreheads and their features displaying differing layers of disgust and confusion.

"Find and protect the Kazekage immediately." Several specific anbu disappeared instantaneously, seeking out their leader.

I need to write this all out.

Gaara stood with his back to the village, watching the Leaf shinobi as they bid their comrade goodbye. A small woman, a medic, walked forward with a case in her hands. It contained all their knowledge on the toxins flowing through his sister's blood stream. She walked past him and silently handed it to Kankuro before turning and heading back to the infirmary. It was impractical for her to stay, despite her desire to see her patient leave safely. With a new found determination Gaara moved forward, the rest of the group falling silent as he made his way across to his siblings. He reached out a hand, softly stroking his sister's ash blonde hair in a silent goodbye. He turned slowly to Kankuro; eyes ripped from Temari's prone form reluctantly, and gave his brother a small nod. Nothing else was needed or volunteered. He doubted he could eloquently summarize his feelings regardless. He stepped back, standing between a teary eyed Matsuri and the ever stoic Neji. As Kankuro flashed a final confident grin he and Shikamaru stepped into the circular design etched into the hardened sand. A few hand signs later and their bodies were gone, leaving only the residual smoke behind. As the rest of their small party began to head back to their residence he remained; staring fixatedly on the spot where his family disappeared.

"Be safe." He whispered, the words snatched by the wind the moment they were uttered.

After a few more moments he turned and walked back into the shade of the cliffs, joining Neji and Baki, glad they'd given his a few minutes to himself.

"Baki, I need you to go check on the prisoners. See if the anbu have had more luck with them this morning." A quick nod and his former teacher was gone.

Shikamaru took a deep breath as they landed. The teleportation jutsu had felt more like being squeezed through a small tunnel than the usual faint dizziness he was used to. He glanced around and raised an eyebrow at their surroundings. Any other time and he may have laughed. If she had been conscious Temari would certainly laugh at her brother's fail.

"How troublesome."

"Hey, it isn't my fault!" Kankuro whined as they set off at a run through the tree tops. Shikamaru hummed in sarcastic agreement.

"What even? That was my first time using it with other people…" Kankuro trailed off nervously when he noticed his sharp glare.

"Don't worry so much. I'd say we're at least half way to the Leaf already."

"More like two thirds." At Shikamaru's words Kankuro grinned.

Great. Now I'm stuck with him for at least a day.

"Anyway, I only found the technique in the library a month ago… thinking about it, I only found the library about a month ago." Shikamaru's eye began to twitch.

"It really wasn't too hard to master, being the amazing shinobi that I am. It only took my two weeks to send Salamander from my room to the outer wall. Ha! You should have seen Temari's face when I told her." He smiled fondly at the memory. It wasn't often when his elder sister complimented his technique.

"Of course, I was a little scared taking us so far. I mean, your village is three days away. It's way too far away for only one person's chakra. No one could do it. That's where the secret to this technique lies..."

I bet Naruto could. That guy has a crazy amount of chakra.

"…And so, it also uses the natural chakra surrounding the transport circle. That's also why I got Gaara to draw the circle. If I had touched it, traces of my chakra would have been imbued in the design and…"

Dear gods. No wonder Temari's always cranky. It's no wonder Gaara didn't try to keep him. Why would he do this to me? Does he still hate me?

"…so I told her that I really wasn't interested and she cried! I mean, I know I'm a great catch, probably the best in the village but what is the point of crying? There are other fish in the sea…"

How is he still alive? Gaara was a psychopath for how many years? I can't believe he wasted all those precious opportunities…

"Are your constant ramblings a strategy to keep your mind from thinking about your sister's situation or is this normal behaviour for you?" Shikamaru's sharp question bubbled from his throat. If he had extra hands he probably would he covered his mouth. He really hadn't meant it to sound so harsh.

After a few quiet moments of consideration Kankuro nodded.

"You know, for the last few months Temari's been really out of it." Shikamaru looked down at the girl bundled in his arms with a frown.

"She hasn't been sleeping or eating properly. She barely focusses on anything. She doesn't even pay enough attention to insult me. Even when I'm asking for it." Kankuro paused, letting the information sink in as he focused on landing on the next branch.

"When did it start?"

"About a year ago. Maybe longer. It's hard to say. I think it was steadily getting worse for a while before we really noticed it." Shikamaru nodded, he too had noticed the changes in Temari's behaviour.

"Gaara and I are worried. I think Baki, Haruko and Matsuri have noticed too. I know Takumi's been asking around to see if anyone knows anything…"

It was noon before they began travelling on the main track to the Hidden Leaf. From this point they pelted forward, full pace, along the dirt road as fast as their legs could carry them. The village was within sight before another hour passed.

Thank god.

"Izumo, Kotetsu! Kankuro, Temari and I are heading to see the Hokage. Inform her immediately."

The two chunin stood perplexed as the normally lazy shinobi raced past carrying the renowned jonin against his chest and followed closely by her brother. They rushed through the village, making a beeline to the Hokage tower.

"Told you they were dating."

Kotetsu simply shook his head and disappeared.

Tsunade rushed through the white, sterile hospital wings flanked on either side by her two young apprentices; Shizune had gone ahead to prepare. Upon reaching the end of the corridor, she pushed through the double doors and entered Temari's room. Sakura gasped lightly at the sight before her while Ino paled.

"Girls" Tsunade barked, snapping each of them out of their own worlds.

"First, we need to remove the poison that's entered her system. Watch carefully, this may be the only time I show you how to do this."

Tsunade moved, standing beside Temari and taking a large bowl of liquid from one of the various nurses. When everyone was in position she began. The process was slow and arduous, small amounts of the deadly toxin removed with each pass of water through her system. Sweat rolled down Tsunade's face, along her arms and down the curve of her back. Colour was slowly returning to the sand kunoichi's face, her blood finally able to circulate properly.

"Sakura, could you go outside and talk to Kankuro and Shikamaru?"

The pink hired girl bowed before turning and leaving the room. Just as the doors swung shut behind her she was grabbed by a frantic looking Kankuro.

"What's been happening? Is she alright? Why'd it take so long? Was there complications?" With each question he shook her, until she grabbed his shoulders and forced him back into one of the seat lining the walls.

"We've now removed the poison from her system. It's a very difficult procedure, and takes a while to complete. I can't say for certain if she'll be ok. We're currently battling the infection in her leg. For the next 24 hours at least it'll be touch and go." She squirmed slightly under the heat of their sharp gazes.

"In the morning we'll be moving her into surgery. That could take around 8 hours. She's pretty badly torn up." Sakura watched as Kankuro's face fell and guilt surged her system.

"Kankuro, we're doing everything possible to help her. At this stage it really is looking up." She sat down beside the puppet master and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You two should go and get some sleep. I'll come get you if there's any news."

Kankuro looked up at Shikamaru and he nodded. Slowly, both boys stood and stretched, cracking their backs and slowly warming their sore muscles.

It was a quiet walk to the Nara compound, each young man lost in his own thoughts.

Isamu brushed dark locks from his forehead as he rushed along the tunnel, fully aware of his unpunctuality. The impromptu council meeting would begin in under five minutes and if he didn't get there in time he was sure to miss something important. It wasn't common for the chancellor called a spontaneous meeting. Something big was happening. The order was making another move; taking a stand against the Kazekage. Although, lately he had been feeling guilt and regret for their guerrilla tactics. More and more frequently he had noticed the sadness echoing through Gaara's monotone. If he looked carefully enough he swore he could see the loneliness reflected in the Kazekage's pale green orbs. Working in such close quarters as the 'demon brat' had started to corrode the walls of prejudice and hatred he had built up on that fateful night so long ago.

Don't worry Akio; I could never forget what he did to you...

Picking up his pace, the slight man rushed through the doors into the main chamber where the other members of the order were grouped together, huddling around a single figure. Cautiously stalking forward, old ANBU senses picking up the struggle and warning him to proceed with attentiveness, Isamu moved into a better position to identify the figure.

Baki?

Once the brief shock wore off, he noticed several other members reaching for chakra cuffs. It was painfully obvious what was happening. The council had finally deemed Baki too much of a security threat with his constant siding with Gaara. He watched as the younger members held the struggling man down and a woman moved forth with feline grace to cuff him. As soon as they made contact with his skin the restraining metal began to emit a soft blue glow; Baki's chakra quickly being sapped as he struggled in the bonds.

Apparently unsatisfied with the amount of pain Baki was already clearly suffering from, several hooded members pounced on his prone form and harsh blows began to rain down on him in quick succession. Isamu's breath caught; even in his days in the ANBU with Akio he had never seen senseless violence quite like this. At least there they would torture for a reason, whether finding answers or as punishment. Here the members were simply afflicting pain in their own twisted and sadistic version of justice; no doubt to the demon.

What separates us from demons?

Each hit to the defenceless man's body was like a strike to himself. Calling upon all his training he retained an apathetic countenance, never once joining in on their brutality. Speaking out on the council's actions was now impossible, regardless of his softening feelings towards the boy. Quickly making up his mind to inform Gaara of the mistreatment and capture of his former sensei, Isamu stayed in position and watched the bloody spectacle, absorbing every detail to help the jonin later.

This isn't betrayal. This isn't betrayal. Akio would understand.

As always, if there is anything wrong up there please tell me. As I said it's 1:30am. I'm dead tired. I just trusted Word that there wasn't anything too bad going on up there.

Do I need to still do a disclaimer? I don't think so. I trust you all to know I don't own Naruto.

Is anyone else up-to-date with the manga? If not, you should be. Read it!

Oh my giggly gods. Wasn't 678 incredible?! Ah, I fangirled everywhere. I'm tearing up now just thinking about the pure awesomeness that is Kishi sensei. I think I might even forgive him for the whole killing Neji thing. Maybe. Did you guys enjoy it? I can't wait to see it when the anime catches up. I'll probably be a ball of mush. More of a ball of mush.

I also just want to thank animemanga1234567 and BlackCookieWolf for giving me the drive to finally finish this chapter. You guys are awesome!

Please review!

:)