"Y...Yes..." the shape-shifting bird got up and and went over to Natsuki and undid the chains

She was still very dazed, so the man-sized bird helped her over to Gaara

Gaara held the girl to his chest. "Natsuki? It ok. I've got you. Your safe." he looked at the bird. "Thank you. I'll remember your kindness always." he helped Natsuki out of the lab and headed towards his house.

Her eyes were dull and appeared to be lifeless, but she clung to Gaara, "...."

He looked at her feeling slightly worried. He was now at his house and sat her on his couch. "Natsuki-chan? Are you ok?" he didn know what was wrong and it worried him. She seemed lifeless, yet alive. Was she in shock? Had they Hurt her? He felt close to panic.

"..G..gaara...kun.." Life was returning to her eyes, but was progressing slow

He smiled at her, but tears streamed down his pale, white face. His seafoam eyes looked at her with love. "Natsuki...I am here for you, it gonna be ok. The bad men are gone now. You are with me. I will protect you,"

she leaned against his chest, her eyelids heavy, with her being a cat, she is used to sleeping at least 18 hours a day, she hasn't slept in over a week. ".." but she kept awake

He stroked her pretty hair. "Shhh...sleep Natsuki...sleep my dear.."

"..." she stood up, seeming distressed "I best sleep outside in solitude.." she said, her eyes looked worried

"No you'd be much safer where I could watch out for strangers. He stroked her hair and used an odd jutsu that would make her very sleepy. "Now sleep...."

"..." she staggered a bit, but softly fell to her knees

He laid her on his bed. He had never used it before and it was neatly made.

"..."


someone knocked on the door, "Dont, worry..this is just gonna be a FRIENDLY visit..!" a female voice said outside

Gaara looked at the door. "..." he opened it slowly yonder who was there.

A young women, maybe 19, in a netted shirt and beige long jacket was at the door, she had a senbon case on her leg to fight with, and long amber-brown hair let down. She was large-chested and had black eyes, she also had thick a waist and wide-set hips, though her figure was a little bit curvy. "..." she had a group of 4 people behind her, a male in a brown shawl and black under shirt and puffy brown pants with a jeweled staff on his back, and messy blonde hair and blue eyes. A young girl perhaps 10 with a shy look to her lavender eyes, she wore a white dress with light purple lining and silver-white hair and bangs over her left eye. And an archer male with elven ears, pale gray skin, sharp black eyes and wore a black suit, and a large cross-bow across his back, and arrows next to the bow. And the last person was a male with bandage wrapping covering his nose down to his feet, and covering his right eye, and only his right arm didn't have wrapping. he was shirtless, and had black pants on, he also had spiky. the . black hair, the wrapping had blood splatters around it, and he had a long, sharpened black on his back that he had recently killed with. The sowrd was platinum in color, and had jewels on the handle-bar. Blood was also splattered on the blade to

The large-chested woman looked straight at Gaara, "You are Gaara of the Desert correct...?" she asked, her voice was bold, but very women-like, she sounded strict too..

((don't start a new one I like this one. I'm sorry for late responses. I have a friend in the hospital and I've been visiting her a lot.))

Gaara looked with curiosity, "Yes...I am Gaara..what do you need?"

((..im so sorry...! i hope she gets better soon! your gonna have to update me on her now!..i had a grandma in the hospital a few weeks ago..she had a stroke...and didnt make it...still trying to recover from her death...))
"Where is Kimichi of the Bloody Mist!?" she demanded

((yeah...she almost bleed to death...I don't have all of the details, but it's not looking good.))

Gaara had the doorbopen just wide enough so the could see him and not into the house. He used his sand to put Natsuki in the closet. "She's dead...some men took her...men in armor...I'm pretty sure they killed her..." he looked as if he might cry. Tears brimmed his eyes. "Do you need anything else? Why are you looking for her anyway?"

"really..? This mystic demon says different..!" she hissed, holding Ryu up to the door, "And we need her because we sent her on a mission..! She is apart of our group!"
((i am so very sorry...!

Gaara's eyes narrowed and sand whirled around him. "Come closer and you die." he didn't trust these strangers. Not after earlier. He shut the door in their faces and went to get Natsuki. He made his sand create a small carriage for her. It held her in and would fly. He rode on it as well and jumped out the window. He planned o get far away from those creeps.

"...Hmm...Such an idiot..!" laughed the women, "Mist! Summon Kōri no tori for us..! We need Natsuki back in our group..!"
the 10 year old girl's hand was surrounded by a silver aura, "Mages' Magic! Summoning, Ice Bird!!" the silver aura turned to and cyan blue color, and below her, a colossal bird made of solid ice formed. The man covered in wrappings looked at the bird, "...Mist...Your magic amazes me sometimes..." he said, he had a deep, raspy voice, "And why don't we say our real names when no one is around, ...?"
"Hallow! Don't question my laws..!!" hissed the women

Natsuki was awake, she never really went to sleep, ...flare..why do you need me now? she thought

Gaara flew faster and faster, determined to lose them. He was tired, but would die for Natsuki if he had to. He pushed himself even faster. He felt like he might explode. He was using too much charaka. He felt pain rise in his chest. He knew he'd die if he went much further. He'd do that though. He knew a place he thought he might could make it alive. He zoomed down to his house. He felt himself blacking out, he stared at a terrified Temari. "Hide her! Now help her at any cost--" he was surrounded by darkness. Was he dead?

The Bloody Mist group landed somewhere awhile from Gaara's house, the Ice Bird hasn't melt because the ice was fused with some sort of magic. "..The Kōri no tori can't fly any farther... Other mages must've summoned her already today and exhausted her 'chakra'" Mist said, "...I don't understand Chakra.. Why must the shinobi use it instead of magic or Alchemy...? ou have no limit if you use the real magic sources..."
"Hey...! All of us besides you and Hedeki have Chakra..! It let's us be stronger.!" hissed Hallow
The male in the brown shawl sighed, "He's right, mist..But since you and i come from different regions than the Shinobi, We have different power..They might think mage and alchemy is strange, like we thing the usage of Chakra is strange.."

Temari grabbed the girl and hid her in the basement. She took Gaara and herself to hide their too. She sobbed. She'd never been so afraid in her life. She found out that Gaara was alive, but just barley. This girl was simply under one if Gaara's jutsus and it was fading off. The girl would be awake soon. Them Temari saw that the girl was never asleep. She turned to her. "What's happening?"

"...My group of assassins and rouges are trying to take me back to where our hide out is..."
Natsuki sighed
-------------------
"..." the elven ranger looked around, "..Flare..WHy does Natsuki run from us..?"
"I dunno, Ray... But she must have a good reason..!" Flare answered