A/N: So for the record words that are Underlined and italicized are thoughts between two people. Sounds weird now I know but just keep it in mind throughout the story.

Chapter 4

Two months passed in a flurry of movement for me. The day I arrived in the Kazekage Tower I let Kankuro explain the things he knew and surmised about my Bloodline and when asked what I would like to do in Suna I admitted to the floor that I wanted to be a ninja.

Temari had smirked at that statement and, considering I just fell on her brother for no reason, I would say I understood the sentiment but Gaara just nodded thoughtfully and told me I had three months to gain stamina, muscle and agility. At least enough to work off of. Since then I have been constantly working to improve my physical health.

To me, being a ninja was a way to atone for all the people I didn't help out of fear of judgment. As a ninja I could help a lot of different people. Most of the time that was the only thought that kept me going. The only people here in Suna that I talked to regularly were Temari and Kankuro. Gaara was usually too busy for much else but work but he was at least polite to me in the hallways of the Kazekage Tower. Everyone else here either shunned me or showed open hostility. At first I thought it was because I was an outsider but I was slowly beginning to wonder if it was a concentrated effort.

There was something far worse than not being acknowledged going on though.

The Bloodline Limit that ultimately brought me here was not reacting well to this new dimension. It was slowly killing me. From what I understand now, the visions of the future are a result of natural energy subconsciously gathering and pooling in the Gate of Opening, or the first gate, without opening it. The problem is that the natural energy of this dimension is thicker than what my chakra pathways were used to back home. It would be like comparing Kool-Aid to wine. Because there was too much density and power in this dimension's energy and because my mind wasn't able to limit or filter that energy while I was sleeping the energy clogged my pathways.

When such dreams came to me here I woke in so much pain it felt like my flesh was melting and my bones were on fire. Due not only to the pain but the fact that my pathways clogged completely I was unable to do anything. Not thrash, not scream, not cry. The first time I experienced this, the pain lasted three hours until Gaara woke up. I was lucky because not only was I given a room in the Kazekage's family quarters for convenience and so the siblings could keep an eye on me, but the Kazekage woke up at four am every day.

From what he said my chakra was so out of control that even the most novice sensory ninja could have detected that something was wrong. The pain subsided after Gaara slapped a seal on my forehead and did some sort of fancy ninja work to calm my chakra flow. Since then Temari agreed to sleep lightly so she could wake up at the start of an onslaught but even with this counter measure things were getting worse. The last time I had a dream like that I was unable to move my body for three hours.

But right now I was running. It helped me build stamina and endurance to run for as long as possible every day. In the beginning I could only last ten minutes I was so out of shape but now I was heading home after three and a half hours at my top speed. I think it's something in the air but my health was improving at a ridiculous rate. It might also be the natural energy my mind gathered on its own both in my sleep and when I was interested or intimidated.

"Hey!" The voice of a child caught my attention. "Hey fatty! Yeah you, the one running."

Sighing I stopped my forward movement and turned to the sound. On my left stood Suna's Academy and standing in front of it were a handful of children. It was after school hours so I imagined they were training.

The kid who shouted in the first place looked to be around twelve years old. He had long brown hair and hazel eyes. In addition to that he wore a mask over the lower half of his face and the way he stood spoke of skill and the fact that he knew his abilities all too well.

"Why is a fatty like you always running around?"

I wasn't overly thrilled with the adjective he used considering the past two months saw me lose close to seventy pounds but this was the first interaction I had had with anyone aside from the sand siblings so even if it was a bunch of rude kids I decided to answer the question.

"I'm increasing my stamina, which I'm gonna need when I start training."

"Training? But you're so old! What would someone as old as you need training for?"

"To become a ninja." My answer was simple and so was theirs. They laughed at me like what I said was grade A comedy.

"You want to be a ninja? Quit kidding around." The kid shouted.

A small girl to the left of the loud mouth stepped forward with a shit eating grin. "I heard Matsuri-sama say that you're leeching off the Kazekage."

The loud mouth looked to her before grinning as well. "I heard that too from my sister. Tell you what freeloader, you beat us all and I'll believe you. It's not like you have anything to lose since freeloaders have no pride anyway. 'Sides there's no way an adult qualified to train would lose to kids like us."

"I'm not about to hit a kid." I told him bluntly, and as my vision fired up with an image of the punk calling me a coward, I continued because really, they might be kids but they would be comrades one day if I managed to get into training and having their respect might matter one day. I also wanted to see if I could take them on at once. "But you guys can try and hit me all you like."

"You're sure this is the only way?" Temari and her brothers had spent the past two months searching for a way to save Harper from her own Bloodline. At first they thought to send her home, but for some reason the girl had declined the offer even knowing that staying here could mean her death.

Gaara just nodded to answer her question.

"There is a reason it's a forbidden jutsu Gaara," Kankuro reminded his younger brother.

"I am aware. For it to even be successful we need to find someone compatible according the jutsu's requirements and even then they have to have some chance at surviving the further bonding that occurs six months after the jutsu is activated. Until we find someone we can keep looking but…"

"Gaara-sama!" The Kazekage let out a near silent sigh of exasperation as one of the girls who never seemed to understand his intentions, or lack thereof, burst into the room without knocked and no regard for the privacy the siblings asked for.

"Matsuri-" Temari began only to have the girl interrupt her.

"Gaara-sama, it's terrible! That horrible woman went berserk and is fighting a bunch of academy kids! Who knows what will happen if we don't hurry. I told you she was dangerous."

Gaara stood slowly. "They are at the academy, you said?"

"Yes, we should hurry, she –"

"I assure you the students are not in any danger. Harper is most likely dodging everything she can and not throwing punches. She isn't the type to hurt her future nakama. I will check it out nonetheless; it seems like a good opportunity to gauge her abilities. Temari, Kankuro if you would join me?"

It took less than a minute for the four of them to reach the academy where seven children sat exhausted on the sandy ground. Another five were still taking swings at Harper though more often than not they threw punches at one another and got in each other's way.

Gaara watched the lack of teamwork displayed with disappointment. It seemed odd to him that even though the opponent had a Bloodline twelve students could not land a single hit on someone who didn't even think ninja were real two months ago.

After a few more minutes the five remaining students began to bicker and fight each other instead of their common enemy. Thus relieved of her fight Harper looked up at the sun, which was just about hidden behind the cliff surrounding Suna before turning. She was about to start her running back up but spotted the four ninja who stood observing and walked over.

"Gaara," I acknowledged, bowing my head slightly in I figured seemed deferential.

"It's Gaara-sama you little-" Matsuri began only to be interrupted by the Kazekage's raised hand. Gaara himself had yet to complain about the lack of formality in my address so I saw no need to change it.

"Harper, you know where the training grounds are, correct?" He asked. His face didn't give anything away but I nodded, not worried. "Please go to training ground one tomorrow at this time. Someone will meet you there in regards to training. Perhaps it was a waste waiting three months after all."

I smiled at that. "Sure thing Gaara!" And before Matsuri could reprimand me I was off again.

Gaara Point of View

Oi, Gaara-brat! The familiar voice resonated through me and I knew I was in for nothing but trouble.

Shukaku? There were only so many things that crazy raccoon needed and, or wanted to say and it never, ever ended well.

I got a deal for you.

This should be interesting. I kept the thought to myself and before I could stop him the Ichibi plucked at my consciousness, depositing it into the mindscape we shared.

It was a vast desert, and unlike last time Shukaku was sealed in me he had no chains or bars or unpleasantness. Instead a large oasis with a sparkling pool of clear water gave a refreshing atmosphere to the place and the sun was never too hot and the nights never too cold.

"I really wish you would at least ask before dragging me in here." I told him now that I could use my voice.

"Geeheehee" His laugh was as obnoxious as ever, "It's not as fun that way kuzo."

"You said you had a deal?" I don't know why, maybe because of all the time he was with me before the war but I enjoyed Shukaku, even if he was a bit unstable.

"Hehe, yeah. For your sleep requirements." Shukaku and I had an arrangement that if I met a number of requirements that ranged from the temperature of the room I was in to how dark or quiet it was he wouldn't erode my personality and mind when I fell asleep.

"Oh so this is not optional I take it?" I fought the urge to roll my eyes, an action that only this guy ever managed to pull out of me.

"Nope, non-negotiable." He was grinning from ear to ear. I knew he was waiting for me to ask, but since he was probably doing this to annoy me two could play his games. "Aw you're no fun kid! Well I'll tell ya then. I am taking all prior arrangements away. But before you go and look all shocked and grateful I gots another one I am putting in."

"Just one?" I had a real bad feeling about this.

"Just the one." He seemed a little too smug. "You gotta be in the same room as that girl you can't touch if you want to sleep."

I felt my jaw popped open in shock. Another reaction only my bijuu partner could get out of me. My reaction was not only due the audacity of the overgrown sand dune but also that he even noticed such a situation when normally he didn't bother noticing the outside world.

It started a month ago and I couldn't understand why, but anytime I got too close to Harper in anyway, be it in a crowded hallway or if we happened to reach for the same thing, my the sand that inherited my mother's will would react and form a barrier between us. I avoided such circumstances because I didn't want to establish too thoroughly that she was a threat, especially when I didn't know why she was. It might not be responsible as a Kage to not deal with such things as they come up, but something concerned me about it. I hadn't even told Kankuro or Temari which was more unlike me than anything else.

And now Shukaku was placing this new requirement on me. He really is the most evil being I know.

"Geeheehee don't look at me like that kid. It might do you good to get lose to someone. Lord knows you're old enough to mate. I'm doin you a…" The glare I sent him was unintentional but it shut him up.

"Non-negotiable right?" I said through gritted teeth.

"That's right kuzo. You're stuck with it." But his smile was not as wide and his eyes more cautious.

"Is that all?" I hadn't parted with Shukaku on such poor terms in years.

"You got it, heehee." And I was gone.

The Ichibi really was a pest.

A/N: Bit of a time skip but I couldn't think of many things to make a full chapter out of from those two months in my head. Unfortunately starting a story was never my strongest suit but once I get going its usually ok!