A/N: I've finally returned from my trip! I wasn't abel to write a single thing because I was on the move the entire trip. I felt like I didn't even get any sleep. But I wrote this today, in an airport.

Also! The end is nigh! Chapter 36 should be the very last chapter and it will be a long one, unless I decide to break it up. Doubtful though. But I'm just glad that this is finally ending. I'll say all the other stuff whenever I upload 36.

Enjoy!

Night was finally falling on the half destroyed village. The invading ninja were gone and they're terror with them. While everyone worked on clearing rubble and dead bodies, the moon hung high above them like a petal floating on the water. The atmosphere was serene but full of grief. So many mothers, wives and children were crying; their anguish echoing through the night. Every time a shinobi had to utter that singular phrase and see the pain jump out at them, they felt their own world crushing under the heartbreak. It was terrible to have to tell someone that their loved ones were never coming home. No one wanted the job but no matter how much they hated it, someone had to do it.

Through the echoes of pain, the sound of raging wind seemed to catch the ear of Temari. The biting, frigid cold caught the senses of Gaara and he instantly stopped what he was doing. Standing up straight, he looked out at the village wondering what was causing this chill in the air. Slow, echoing steps came closer to them causing Kankuro to stop what he was doing, his puppet Crow dropping a beam. In the arms of Kazeku was an unconscious Setsuko. Her body was glowing white and a raging blizzard surrounded them both; a hidden smirk upon the advisor's lips. What was he doing holding her in such a way? Gaara felt his throat dry up as fear and anxiety gripped him. Was she dead? Had she not survived the stab wound she suffered from her fight? These thoughts raced through his mind as he watched him set her gently on the ground at their feet and look up at them.

Gaara was instantly on guard from the menacing look upon the older man's face. He looked ready to kill. His gray eyes were wide with something that looked similar to insanity and a grin that nearly split his face in half. What was he so ecstatic about? Soon Gaara's siblings were on guard when he began cackling evilly.

"You don't know how long I've waited for this day," Kazeku grinned at them.

Each of them glared. "What are you talking about? What's happening to Setsuko?" Gaara was the one to speak up first.

He glanced down at the unconscious girl for a moment and her body seemed to react by contorting in what looked like pain. Again his sick grin spread across his face. "It's been long overdue that the First Family retook the throne!"

Kankuro and Temari looked puzzled but Gaara only glared in mild confusion. "The First Family is dead! Setsuko said they were all wiped out long ago."

"And you actually believed her?" he asked almost laughing. "No, no my young Kazekage, that is far from the truth. The Princess would never admit to something like that because of the implications it would put on her and our village."

"What do you mean?" Temari asked obviously not understanding what was happening. How was it Gaara seemed to know what was going on? Maybe Gaara can tell you one day. It made a little more sense about what Setsuko had told her at the hot spring now.

There was another reaction from Setsuko, writhing on the ground, and each time she did so the wind and snow around her seemed to get a bit stronger. "The First Family was the ones to colonized Aisugakure. With help from the demon spirit Yukiuta, they conquered the North Mountains and formed the village that now rules over them. They created a fierce jutsu in the process to ensure that no one but them could control the demon and her power. Rumors began to spread that they practiced human sacrifice, which was true." He smiled at the thought, as if remembering a pleasant memory. "The jutsu is now a forbidden one because it causes death in the one it's preformed on. The Seal of Ten Phantoms. Such a glorious creation really; used specifically for this occasion." He motioned towards Setsuko.

"What did you do to her?" Gaara shouted, feeling his emotions beginning to boil over. Did this mean she was going to die; for real?

"The Seal of Ten Phantoms is used to extract Yukiuta, in whole, from her host."

"In whole?"

"Yes, power and body. Merged together to recreate the demon herself the way she used to be."

"You can't be serious?"

"Yeah, you've raised this girl since she was a toddler. Could you honestly just kill her for some crazy demon resurrection?"

Kazeku brought a finger to his chin as if in thought and smiled wide. "Yes, yes I can. Would you like to know why?" No reply. "It's because Banki is the name of my ancestors. The First Family that colonized the North Mountains."

"So then, you were the one that sent all the assassins after her correct?" Temari asked, already knowing the answer but wanting confirmation.

"Of course! The First Family had many jutsu in their arsenal to make their people compliant, including a special Kekkei Genkai called Possession Jutsu. I used it on her dead mother, boyfriend and the captain of her guards, Hui." His maniacal grin only seemed to get bigger.

Gaara glared at him with nothing but pure rage. He would kill this man, no matter what it took. That look was soon replaced with shock as he looked over the man's shoulder.

Kazeku followed his gaze curiously and was just as shocked as the teenage Kazekage. "Princess?" he breathed seeing her standing on her feet. She looked full of her own rage as she looked at them all.

Her eyes flicked between each one of them and the blizzard instantly stopped. Was something happening within her to cause it to stop? Had Yukiuta been released? Each one stared back at her in shock and bewilderment. Was she about to attack Kazeku, or worse, one of them? For a long moment, they all stared at her wondering the same thing. All of that was lost though when her eyes softened and she ran around Kazeku, her body still glowing a soft white. They were all even more shocked when she embraced Gaara in a desperate hug, burying her face into his chest. She had heard it all! Every word that was spoken from her former advisor's lips and she couldn't believe it! She still didn't want to die and yet here was about to die no matter what they did this time. It wasn't like her physical wounds now.

Her face twisted in pain. She knew this time there was no coming back from this. Yukiuta was trying to rip her way out from the inside. She would tear her way out even at the cost of Setsuko's life; a life she has been with since birth. There was no reasoning with demons, no matter what kind of connection you had with them. Why did she have to fall in love with someone? Why did she have to live in the first place if she were just going to die in the end anyways? Why was she doomed to suffer such loneliness all the time? For once, she just wanted to be as happy as everyone else around her. She only ever pretended to be happy so no one ever asked any questions, but now. Setsuko let all her emotions go, crying into Gaara's chest without mercy and soaking his shirt with her tears. In the process, she felt him awkwardly wrap his arms around her which almost instantly cased her to stop crying.

She looked up at him with her big blue eyes; they were glossy and pink from her crying. "Gaara…" she choked, feeling his calloused thumbs run under her eyes to wipe away the tears.

"You shouldn't cry, makes you look ugly," he said earning a glare from her. He didn't know what else to say really. Heart to heart talks were nowhere near his strong suit.

"That's a horrible thing to say!" Setsuko pushed away from him angrily. How could he say something like that at a time like this?

As she turned away from him, he couldn't help but grin slightly. "Setsuko…" his voice was soft as he breathed her name. Slowly he reached out to her.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed his hand reach out to her. Without warning, she spun around and fell back into his arms. "Gaara, I don't want to die!" Her voice cracked and strained as she cried out to him.

"Setsuko I…" he began, once again awkwardly placing her arms around her. How was he going to survive this? Just holding a girl made him feel so out of place.

"Please…!" she looked up at him with pleading eyes, her hands resting on his chest. She was so close to him that she could almost feel the heat from the blush on his face. "Please Gaara, just…I don't want to die. I never wanted to die. I'm not brave like you shinobi, I don't know how to die with honor." She dropped her gaze, shaking her head vigorously as tears streamed down her face. "Lie to me! Please just lie to me! Tell me everything is going to be alright. That everything is going to return to normal!"

There was a long silence, one that couldn't be filled with anything other than regret and sadness. How could he lie to her? He was always such an honest person, so how could he allow himself to lie to her? His siblings looked over at him with pain in their eyes. Not paying any mind to them, Gaara stared deep into the eyes of the woman he knew he loved. He was quite aware that it may never be said, but he knew it deep in his heart. That being the case, there was no possible way for him to lie to her so openly and still be convincing enough to ease her worry. Was something like this even possible for him?

"Setsuko," he began, slowly gripping her shoulders and pushing her away from hi. Her head was down, almost refusing to look at him. He placed a finger under her chin to force her too look up at him. Their eyes locked. "…Everything is going to be alright. You're not going to die, I promise."

"How noble of you!" Kazeku cackled with malice watching as Gaara glared at him. "Lying to the woman you love so she can feel better. But the real question is, does she love you? After all, she was just making out with her dead, former, boyfriend."

Gaara looked down at her with a look of surprise, silently asking if it were true. Her big blue eyes looked at him, filled with sorrow and regret. Slowly she brought her hands to his face, rubbing her thumbs along his cheek bones gingerly and smiled at him. Her lips parted as if she were about to say something when her face began to twitch. Slowly her tough left his face and they all watched as she backed away from them, gripping her abdomen tightly and wincing. What was happening? The blizzard that had stopped, suddenly sprang back to life full force as the glow around her grew brighter.

"No…" she whispered, dropping her head and shaking it repeatedly.

She didn't want to die! She wanted to live to her fullest life possible. Why was this happening to her? Why was she burdened with having to be the host to resurrect the demon cryophoenix? All she ever wanted was to be a normal girl, with a normal shinobi life. To live in her mother's legacy. Be the best ninja she could ever hope to be. Now, she was being forced to cut her life short all for the power her greedy advisor wanted. She had never known he was part of the royal family since most of her people were of her clan. The fact that he had slipped by her for so long; even the kings and queens of old said a lot of how long he's been waiting, planning.

Gaara called out her name as she reeled back, screaming at the top of her lungs and a blinding light enveloped them all. When the light died away, Setsuko was gone. Temari felt tears begin to well in her eyes as she stared where Setsuko used to be standing. All that was left was a piece of her hospital gown fluttering to the sand. She was really gone. Kankuro stared with mouth agape n shock. How were they supposed to process a girl they've all known and taken care of for month, was now just, gone? His gaze drifted to his little brother, to see the wide eyed expression on his face. He looked the most affected out of the three of them. Although to most it would be hard to tell, he knew his brother well enough to know when something was bothering him. Especially something this big; when it involved someone he loved.

Gaara stood frozen in his spot, his eyes wide with every emotion he could possibly muster. Setsuko was gone. She just vanished. Her body exploded in a blinding flash of white. He only knew this to be true because he could no longer sense her anywhere. Nothing was left; only a scrap of her hospital gown that now blew away in the freezing wind. He snapped to his senses. The wind was cold? It was never cold. It was always dry and hot wind that blew through his desert. Blinking his saddened eyes, he noticed a snowflake float down to his feet. Snow? Looking up at the sky, he watched as it only seemed to darken as snow began falling around them. What was happening?

"Snow?" Kankuro wondered, as he caught a singular flake in his hand and watched it melt away.

Soon, there was a horrible screech that echoed throughout the desert. "What was that?" Temari asked, almost jumping out of her skin from being startled by the noise.

"Yukiuta has arrived." Kazeku looked up to the sky and gave a smile of wonderment. "This is her beautiful snowfall." The three siblings stared up at the sky when another screech tore through the sky, seeing an enormous shadow against the clouds.

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