Chapter 19: Buried Alive

Things didn't look good from where Kin hung in the sky. The entire apartment had crumbled to an almost flat surface. The only place that seemed it could be even remotely promising was the slight rise in debris that hardly looked large enough to hold a bubble let alone people. Kin sighed slightly though his eyes hardened in determination. Just because it didn't look like it didn't mean that they weren't in there.

A slight trickling sound reached Kin's overly sensitive ears and he jerked his golden brown gaze towards the source. His sharp eyes easily picked out what he was looking for and they widened slightly in surprise. A slight trickle of water was squeezing out between two loose slabs of wall that made up part of the slight rise in rubble. Kin's eyes narrowed in triumph before he let out a fierce cry and bounded back towards the direction of the clearing and much needed help.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What did you find Kin?" Kaemon demanded as the eagle-man landed before the older group of ninjas.

"The entire apartment has been leveled aside from one area that has a slight rise," Kin reported. "I saw a small amount of water pushing out from between to parts of the wall and I believe that it may have been a part of a water shield created by Kyo-san. I don't know how much longer he can hold it though; he was already short on chakra."

"Then we'll just have to hurry and dig the guy out!" Mitsu exclaimed as her body began to shift. Her eyes gained a more cat like shape while her finger nails began to lengthen and harden into claws that could cut steal. Her twin, Jeiken, looked just like her though her longer hair had a slightly more oily shine to it now.

The others wasted no time in shifting in to their own 'fused' forms. Kaemon pulled off his ninja sandals and the kids watched in amazement as his toes lengthened and became more finger-like. His arms and legs began to rapidly grow thick, course brown hair as well as the back of his neck and the side of his face.

Heitsun's normally silvery-pale skin took on a slightly blue tinge as it became covered with scales. His yellow eyes became rounder and slightly glazed over while his eye lids disappeared completely. Three gill slits appeared on either side of his neck though they remained closed so he could still breathe like a human.

Kisho's transformation was by far the most dramatic. His naturally white skin seemed to grow hard and gray as short gray hairs began to sprout along his arms, legs, and torso. Along his ribs four bumps began to form until with a sickening squelch four extra arms exploded under his original two. His onyx irises began to spread into the whites of his eyes giving the impression of heavy ink on a snow white page.

His friends starred at him in disgust. "Man," Mitsu said, breaking the silence. "It doesn't matter how many times I see that it's still nauseating."

"And creepy," Jeiken added.

"Not to mention just plain gross," Mitsu finished.

Kisho stared at the twins for only a moment before he responded. "So?"

"Whatever," Kaemon interrupted before Mitsu could shout back. "Let's just go."

"Neji-kun!" Jeiken called back as she sprinted away. "You're in charge!"

A tense silence filled the clearing before Kiba spoke, "He was already in charge…"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Their situation didn't look good. It didn't feel good either taking Kyo's pounding headache and sore muscles into account. The water he had managed to expel was rapidly falling away to both the heat and his own lack of chakra; eating away at it at an irritating rate. Suddenly the rocks he was holding up shifted dramatically as the pressure on his weakening shield began to be too much to hold.

"Today just keeps getting better and better," Kyo muttered under his breath as he did his best to not only hold up the water shield but also console his whimpering son and the little Hyuuga girl.

"To-tan," Akira whimpered. "To-tan."

"It's alright Akira-chan," Kyo whispered back. "We'll be okay."

Akira simply whimpered in reply.

"Kyo-nii-tan," Hanabi said as she looked up at the blue haired man with wide teary eyes. "I scawed."

Kyo sighed. "Yeah, I know, kid."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Darkness surrounded Gaara and Ichigo's small frames as they stumbled their way through the desert. They had started heading in the direction of Sunagakure but after the sun had set heavy black clouds filled the sky making Gaara as blind as Ichigo now was. He didn't want to worry his already frazzled friend anymore then she already was but Gaara was afraid that if he didn't inform her she would only find out the hard way and be even more upset. He sighed as he pulled Ichigo to a stop, slightly worried about the deep rumbling he heard in the distance.

"Ichigo-chan," Gaara said as he grasped the shorter red head's forearms tightly. "I don't know were we are," he told her bluntly. "I can't see anything in the darkness and a storm seems to be coming. I know you can't see but I need you to help me find shelter."

Ichigo nodded. "O-okay," she whispered. "H-how?"

"I need you to make a flame so I can see."

Ichigo's lifeless eyes widened in shock. "B-but Gaara-kun! What if I can't control it again? You could be hurt!"

Gaara sighed. "It's something we gotta do. If it starts to get out of hand I'll smother it with my sand."

Ichigo was still hesitant but she nodded anyhow. "O-okay, I'll t-try." Closing her eyes in concentration, Ichigo reached inside of her self and drew on the natural power she had stored in her chakra. Lifting up her right hand she envisioned a small spark. Slowly the spark grew into a flicker and then a small flame; it continued to grow in her mind until she held a tennis ball sized fire in the palm of her hand.

"Did it w-work, Gaara-kun?" Ichigo asked as she opened her eyes and saw nothing but black.

"Yeah," Gaara responded and Ichigo could hear the grin in his voice. "Just hold it just like that and we should be okay enough to find someplace to sleep."

"You can't see the village?" Ichigo asked in concern.

Gaara shook his head before he remembered that his companion couldn't see him. "No," he answered out loud. "I think we may have wandered off further to one of the sides then I thought."

"What do we do?" Ichigo asked as she felt Gaara begin to pull her along once again.

"We go to sleep and try to find the village again in the morning."

A chill wind blew stirring the sand around their feet as it flew by carrying along the sent of wet earth. 'I hope we make it before this storm hits,' Gaara thought in worry. 'It seems like it is going to be really bad…'

XXXXXXXXXX

Baki was shocked. He had heard people shouting about a fire but he didn't take any notice, that is until he heard the words 'demon', 'house', 'fire', and 'burnt to the ground' in the same sentence. Deciding that he probably should take a look at what was going on, Baki swiftly dropped the food he had been about to buy and ran off in the direction of Gaara's compound, ignoring the angry shop keeper behind him. He had run as fast as he could until he reached the edge of the village where he could just see the smoldering remains of what was once a large blazing fire.

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Baki had demanded as he began running once again.

"No one lives there," one man had responded. "And besides it's to far from the village to cause any damage. Just let that demon house burn."

Baki had resisted the urge to ram his fist down the man's throat and had instead raced off into the direction of the dieing flames. That is what lead him to where he was now; standing over the charred remains of what was once Gaara's only home. He hadn't searched though the debris yet but every fiber of his being screamed that the two children weren't inside. But if that was the case then where were they now? If they had wandered off then the oncoming storm winds had already wiped away any trace of their small foot steps.

"I just hope those brats are smart enough to find shelter." Baki said as he rubbed his face. "Cause if they are it will be easier to find them…"

XXXXXXXXX

The winds that had been manageable only a few seconds ago had quickly developed into large vacuums of sand that swirled around the two kids like small tornados. Gaara was really worried now. The fire that Ichigo held was beginning to dim due to the younger girl's weakening chakra. He didn't know how much longer she could hold out and he knew that there was no way he would be able to find any shelter in the thick cloud of sand that spun around them like little knives.

"Aah," Ichigo shouted as she covered her sightless eyes, the pain she felt causing her to lose concentration on the fire in her hand.

"Ichigo!" Gaara cried out in alarm as he groped in the darkness to find his friend. "What happened? Where are you?"

"G-Gaara-kun!" Ichigo shouted. "Something flew into my eyes! It hurts really bad!"

"Hold on Ichigo!" Gaara shouted over the wind as he finally found her. "Stay close to me!"

Ichigo didn't question the demon boy as she felt him pull her closer and onto her rear. Gaara held Ichigo close as he closed his eyes in concentration. Sand spilled from his little gourd and began to form a circle around the two of them as they sat huddled on the dessert floor. Water had just begun to soak their heads before Gaara's sand closed over top of them and silence reined.

"What happened Gaara-kun?" Ichigo asked in a frightened whisper.

"I made a sand sphere," Gaara answered. "It's not as strong as it could be because I don't have very much sand yet but it should keep us safe from the storm." He felt Ichigo nod as she leaned against him.

"I'm scarred Gaara-kun."

Gaara nodded. "Me too, Ichi-chan."

"Will Baki-sensei find us?"

Silence.

"…I don't know…"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Okay," Kaemon said as he and his friends stood in front of the rise Kin had seen before. "We'll have to do this carefully. One wrong move and we could crush them."

"Yeah," Mitsu nodded in agreement. "The last thing we want to do is kill them."

"Death is only the natural path for the weak," Kisho said in a thick voice. "If they were to die from something as trivial as a stone then they would only be in the way later."

"Idiot! We don't want them to die! And they're not weak!" Mitsu exclaimed.

"I am merely stating the obvious," Kisho responded with a slow blink of his pure black eyes. "Besides, I would then get to see the color of a Haruno's blood."

"……Maybe you shouldn't help Kisho…" Heitsun said with a nervous glance at the half spider-boy.

"I will do my part."

"Fine," Kaemon said as he began to shift some rock. "But if you kill them I'll rip off you arms; I'll six of 'em."

"I'll help," Mitsu growled as she and the others began to help Kaemon.

XXXXXXXXX

It seemed as though hours had past before Kyo finally felt a weakening pressure on his water shield. Surprised he began to push harder and to his shock the heavy rubble began to shift.

"Who…?" Kyo began to ask before he pushed it aside. Who cares who, how, or why just so long as he and the kids were safe?

"Kyo-sempai!"

Kyo started. "Kaemon-kun?" Kyo called out through the rocks. "Is that you?"

"Yeah!" Kaemon shouted back and more rock shifted. "We're so glad you're alright!"

"We? Who else is with you?" Kyo asked hoping it wasn't the other kids.

"Just my team and team nine," Kaemon responded. "We ran into your kids in the woods and they told us where you were."

Kyo nodded even though he knew the boy couldn't see. "Stand back Kaemon! The rock is weak enough that I can push though now!"

With out waiting for a response, Kyo began to push out with his water wall until he felt the remaining debris slid off of the shield of water and onto the ground. At long last, his water bubble changed colors from the slate gray and black of the burnt stone to the soft navy blue of the night sky. Akira giggled and Hanabi smiled in happiness at being free once more.

"Thank-you," Kyo said with a bow as he dropped the water to the ground. "I don't know how I will ever repay you."

"Just go see your wife," Mitsu said with a wink. "She'll probably have a heart attack and die if she realizes that you aren't there when she wakes up."

"Thanks Mitsu!" Kyo shouted with a grin as he raced off to the clearing where he had left his very large family.

XXXXXXXXXX

Deep black eyes hardened as they watched Kyo's retreating back. It seems that Kimimaro hadn't completed the job Orochimaru-sama had assigned him. The owner of the eyes smirked. Well, it seems as though that will just have to be fixed.

XXXXXXXXXX

The reunion between sensei and students would be much better described as a reunion between an uncle and his nieces and nephews. The kids were so ecstatic that their favorite teacher was alive that the instant he appeared in the clearing he was dog-piled from every direction possible. Even Temari and Kankuro joined in.

"Alright everyone," Kyo laughed as he tried to stand. "Calm down, calm down," he paused for a moment and looked around. "Where's Kairi?"

"She's over there sensei," Tenten responded as she pointed to a bush off to the side. "The girls and I decided that the best way to keep her safe would be to keep her hidden."

Kyo squinted at the bush for only a second before he noticed that it was actually a cloth draped over a body. "Nicely done," He complimented as he walked over and removed the cloth. "At first glance I didn't even notice."

The girls swelled with pride as they watched Kyo kneel down next to his wife's unconscious body. "Kairi," he whispered as he shook her. "Kai-koi you need to wake up."

Kairi moaned in her sleep once before her deep brown eyes slowly opened. "K-Kyo?"

"Aa," Kyo answered. "I'm here."

Tears filled Kairi's eyes as she remembered why she had feinted in the first place. "K-Kyo," she whimpered. "M-my bab-by…"

Kyo smiled and took her hands in his. "Don't worry, Kai, Akira-chan is safe."

"Ka-tan!" Akira giggled as he spotted his mother. "Ka-tan! Ka-tan! Ka-tan!" He wriggled in Ino's grip. "Don Io! Don!"

"Hai, hai, Akira-chan!" Ino shouted as she tried to set the boy down without dropping him.

"Ka-tan!" Akira yelled as he ran and launched himself into his mother's stunned yet happy arms.

"Akira!" Kairi cried as she hugged the child close and planted kisses all over his pudgy face.

"No! Ka-tan, no!" Akira squealed as he tried to get away from Kairi's lips. "Uk! Uk!"

Kyo laughed loudly as he watched his family until a gentle tug on his hand redirected his attention.

"Kyo-sensei?" Temari said as she held his hand. "What now?"

Kyo bit his lip as he tried to think. They couldn't go to the Sand; Kazekage didn't like Kyo very much. Not the Mist or the Grass, Rock, and definitely not the Leaf. Ah! Perfect.

"I think that we'll have to go pay a visit to an old friend of mine." Kyo answered with a grin.

"Where does he live?" Kiba asked as Akamaru barked.

"He lives in a very remote village. It's so small it doesn't even have a Kage." Kyo answered.

"So?" Kankuro prompted. "Where is it?"

Kyo turned to face his students with a serious expression. "Stay together," he ordered. "We have a long journey ahead."

"But where are we going Kyo-sensei!" Ino shouted in irritation.

"We are going," Kyo began as he turned away. "To the Hidden Falls Village."

XXXXXXXXX

After three hours of searching, Baki could no longer pretend that he wasn't worried. Hell, he was terrified.

"Those stupid kids," he grumbled as he tried to guard his eyes from the whipping sand. "Ichigo could at least send up a fire signal." The storm had lessened in the last half hour but it was still rather strong. Baki, however, was far too stubborn to just give up after coming this far.

"There has to be a way for me to find them…" he muttered. "Huh?" Baki said in surprise as the sand around him broke up just enough for him to see a small dome of sand. He grinned.

"Gaara!" he shouted as he came closer. "Gaara! Ichigo! Oi!"

XXXXXXXX

Baki was shocked, but then who wouldn't be when they find out that one of their students had been permanently blinded because of their absence? He glanced down at Gaara and Ichigo as they stared at the still storm damp ground. He almost snorted. They looked like they were about to be scolded for stealing cookies.

"Well," Baki said as he looked away. "It seems as though we had better leave as soon as we can."

"Are we going back to the village Baki-sensei?" Ichigo asked as she looked almost three feet to the left of where her teacher stood.

Baki flinched and redirected her face. "No," he answered when he took his hand away. "You two would not be welcome there. Neither would I in fact; once Kazekage finds out that I lied about having killed Gaara a year ago."

"My father ordered you to kill me?" Gaara asked, his eyes burning in rage. "When? Why didn't you?"

"Yes he did," Baki said as he pulled a map out of his ninja pouch. "That's the reason I first came to your compound last year. Why didn't I? Simple. I was intrigued by you and your friends. I also had a dept to repay the leaf village." He inclined his head at Ichigo. "Your cousin's team to be more specific."

"Really?" Ichigo asked in surprise, once again looking the wrong direction. "Why?"

"Doesn't matter," Baki replied quickly as he scanned the map. "Hm," he said before either kid could speak up again. "It may be a long shot but…"

"But what, Baki-sensei?" Gaara asked.

"Perhaps it would be wise to see if I still have allies among the Hidden Falls…"

End Chapter 19

Kaliea: Hahahahahaaa! A cliff hanger that will not be answered! Well, not for a while anyway. If you are upset then you can take it out on my brother, Kaemon15. He's the one that pushed me to update. Stupid boy, I had to blow off school work for this! You had better be satisfied! And yes, I do know that the last section sucks! Anywho, please review and tell me what you think! Till next time, ja ne!

Review Answers:

Princess Falling Star: I'll try not to. I did with my fic 'Correcting the Past, Changing the Future' and it didn't turn out to my satifaction. I really don't want a repeat with this story so I'll do my best to see that it doesn't happen. Thanks!

Susakuru: Thankies! Will do!

Zemaru: Sure, I don't mind.

Susa-chan: Aww! Thanks Kyuubi-chan! Soo cute! Hehe, tourture him well, Susa-chan, with lots and lots of hugs and kisses for me! Ja!

So-kun: Yeah, we don't have to like it. Still it does make for good plot twists…

Dragon Man 180: Thank-you! I liked writing it too!

Danny-171984: Yeah, it originally had pictures that I had to get rid of and the one that they used for that move was Lee.

Jays Arravan: More jutsus will come in time I promise.

Kaliea: Thanks to all my reviewers! Here! Have some pie! My daddy bought it from the store yesterday! See ya!