Skipper: Ok, this chapter is probably my favourite so far.

Yume: That's not saying much, considering you've only written one other chapter than this one.

Skipper: Oh, stop butting in! I would like to give a shout-out to CANARYwolf for all her awesome reviews!

Yume: Oh yeah, speaking of her…So I gave stuff away. Don't mean I'm stupid.

Skipper: Actually, the correct grammar is 'doesn't' mean you're stupid. *cough, cough*

Yume: Shut up! Besides, I'm helping you. Now she wants to read this chapter even more. I want an apology!

Skipper: YUME! Shut. Up! You are going to make my favorite reviewer pissed off!

Yume: *mumbles* Serves her right for calling me stupid…

Skipper: YUME!!!! Ugh…*turns red in embarrassment* Don't mind her, she's just mad about what happens in this chapter. You have no reason to apologize!

Yume: ….

Skipper: Umm, on with the chap??

Kabutoxloverxkabutoxloverxkabutoxloverxkabutoxloverxkabutoxloverxkabutoxlover

Yume was hovering in a 'dream bubble' a few feet from the ground. There was a desert before her, scalding hot, and in the distance she could see the gates to Suna. Realizing her bubble, she looked down.

'Ech! I don't have any clothes on! Weird…this didn't happen last time."

Now what do I do? Maybe I can imagine clothes…And if I can't? She shook her head. Then I'm in deep shit.

Taking a breath, Yume closed her eyes, and clearly pictured herself in an outfit. After several moments, she opened her eyes and looked at herself again. She was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt overlapped by a purple tube-top, very short, risque' black shorts that showed off her tight ass, light purple leg warmers, black fingerless gloves, and traditional black ninja sandals. I'd prefer chunky, black, knee-high boots, but I don't want to stand out too much. Oops! Forgot my essential item!

Another image later, and Yume held a black ninja headband with the Sand insignia in her hands. Tying it around her neck, she slashed a hole in her dream bubble, and jumped to the ground.

Wow, I feel really light!

With that thought still fresh in her mind, Yume took off full speed towards the gates of Suna.

"Holy crap! Damn, I'm fast! It's like flying!" She yelled in pure glee.

Arriving a few feet from the gate, she stopped and caught her breath. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up to see two sentries watching her.

"Hello," she greeted them as she approached them. "I'm back from a mission in, uh, the…Land of Cloud!" Yume stood so the sunlight glanced off the headband around her neck, trying to draw the sentry's attention to proof that she was a Suna resident.

"I wasn't aware that we received any missions from Cloud." The first sentry frowned, crossing his arms. He glanced at his partner.

"Nor I."

Yume bit her lip, trying to think of an excuse. " Um, it was…a…secret mission assigned to me by Gaa- I mean, the Kazekage, himself. Had to do with…um, treaties, and an alliance."

"I believe it," The first sentry nodded. "Ever since his father died, that kid's been changing everything."

"Go on ahead." The second sentry opened the gate and nodded at her.

"Thanks," Yume called over her shoulder as she entered, and gave them a small parting wave. Haha, suckers!

Once safely inside, Yume stopped to think. Where exactly was the Kazekage's office? It never showed where exactly in the anime; or if it did, Yume didn't remember.

In the end she decided to walk along the village's main street. Soon, people were bustling around her, walking from shop to shop, and browsing trinkets from the vendors on the street. Yume desperately looked around for something familiar, in vain. After several minutes later, she was ready to call it quits, when someone familiar caught her eye.

Temari was across the street, looking at several necklaces that were being sold by a local vendor. Yume felt a thrill of success flood her, and sped over.

"Hey, Temari, where's your brother?"

Temari looked up at her, not recognizing Yume. "Kankuro? He's at the bar trying to score lo-"

"No, not him!" Yume shook her head impatiently. "I could really care less about him at the moment. I mean Gaara."

Now full blown confusion swept across the older girl's face. Not many people wanted to find Gaara, let alone this eagerly. "Uh, he's at his office doing paperwork. Over that way." Temari pointed. "I'd wait, though. Paperwork puts him in a bad m-"

"Thanks, Temari!" Yume called as she sped off in the direction of Gaara's office.

Upon arriving at the building at record time, after several minutes of walking around, Yume was utterly lost.

"Top floor, last door on your right." A shinobi told her.

With a nod, Yume sped off again. She was growing more excited by the moment. She was going to see Gaara again! Again! Not to mention that, but it looked like the Akatski hadn't made a move yet. Which is great! Yume thought with a silent cheer.

Finding the door, the over-eager kunouichi knocked.

"Come in," Called a smooth, whispery voice.

Forcing her excited smile down, Yume quietly slipped in through the door.

He was at a desk, writing, head down. His hair was bloodred, and longer now, shaggy almost, the back reaching his shoulders. Several locks of hair fell in his face, framing beautiful cyran orbs. His eyes were always Yume's favorite of his features, aside from his hair. Even now, she had to contain her desire of running her fingers through that long silky hair.

"It's been years, Gaara. I've missed you."

At the sound of her voice, his head jerked up. For a moment, as if someone had pressed 'pause', they simply stared at each other. Then Yume felt herself being slammed against the office wall, pinned by sand.

She looked up to see Gaara standing a few feet from her. His eyes were narrowed, yet filled with rage. He was shaking.

"Now, now, Gaara." She choked out. "This isn't very nice." Slowly, the sand was crushing Yume, and at the same time tightening around her throat. Not good.

Holding up her right index finger, Yume conjured up a blackish-purple ball filled with cackling chakra. With a flick of her wrist, she sent it speeding towards Gaara. Said boy's sand was two slow, and the attack hit him in the side. Grimacing with pain, the sand slithered off Yume. Taking advantage of the situation, she jumped to the other side of the room.

"That wasn't exactly the warm welcome I had in mind…" Yume frowned.

Gaara glared at her. She could feel his bloodlust, and jumped out of the way of a funnel of sand just in time. It went on like that for quite some time, a bizarre dance of death, Yume and Gaara snapping at each other.

"At this rate, we're going to destroy your office," She commented after dodging another sand spear.

"Shut up!" Gaara snarled as he aimed more sand at the girl.

"What." Leap. "Is." Dodge. "Your." Duck. "Problem?!"

"You left me!!" The Kazekage roared. "My first friend, and you LEFT me!! At the time when I was most alone!"

"Do you think I had a choice?!" Yume screamed back, firing balls of dark chakra at Gaara. "Do you think it's something I can control?"

This caused Gaara to stop his assault. He gazed at Yume with anger and betrayl written across his face. "You…never…came…back." He whispered in a dangerously low tone.

"I was scared, okay? I was scared!"

"Scared?"

"Yes!" She yelled. "I was only five!! Your world was frightening. Everything that happened that day, at the park, Yashamaru, the drunk man you killed. I was scared, Gaara." Her tone softened. "There was just so much killing, so much hate. I had just wanted to go home." Yume looked at Gaara. "I went to sleep. That's all that I did, and I ended up here. And now I'm back."

"But how?" Gaara whispered. "Why?"

Yume looked him in the eye. "I went to sleep Gaara. For the first time in nine years, I slept. Yes, that's right. After that day so long ago, I haven't gone to sleep in nine years, unitl about two hours ago."

Gaara's head felt like it was spinning. Then he saw Yume's eyes for the first time. They were his eyes. They had the same black circles. Because of him.

"I didn't know what happened that day," she continued. "But I was confused and frightened. And I didn't come back. And…I'm sorry."

A long, thick silence followed Yume's apology. Gaara didn't speak, nor did he look at her; his eyes were closed. Yume took a moment to inspect the damage done to his office. There were several holes in the walls, his desk was in splinters, and papers loitered the ground.

"Why?"

Gaara sudden question startled Yume out of her observations. She looked at him and asked him to repeat the question.

"Why? Why…did you come back?"

Yume bit her lip and shrugged uncomfortably. "Because I…I missed you, and I don't-" She abruptly closed her mouth. She had been about to say 'and I don't want the Akatski to kill you.' But she couldn't say that. Gaara barely understood about her 'powers' as it was.

The silence was longer and deeper this time; you could cut the tension with a knife. There the two stood, not looking at each other. Yume was a bit baffled. Her happy reunion was not going as planned. Fortunatley, they were both saved from the unbearable awkward-ness.

Temari and Kankuro burst into the room. Temari's face wore a worried expression, and Kankuro was in plain shock at the mess in the office. Or what used to be an office. Temari spotted Yume.

"You're that…that girl who asked for directions." Her face was pulled into a frown.

"What the hell happened in here?" Kankuro cried. "Gaara?"

Neither one of them said anything. Then, quietly as always, Yume slipped past Kankuro and Temari, and out the door, feeling Gaara's eyes on her as she did.

Skipper: Well…That didn't go quite as planned.

Yume: Ya think??

Skipper: You're lucky you even made it past the gate!

Yume: Yeah, but I'm a good liar, so yeah.

Skipper: Oh yeah?

Yume: Yeah, like how I've been telling you you're smart.

Skipper: *anime fall*

Yume: ...I still want my apology...

Skipper: *from the ground* No apology!!!