Editing! Gaara's Dream (new chapter added!)

Gaara rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to stop the headache that was forming. Paperwork and endless meetings weren't really helping much, and all Gaara really wanted to do was call it an early night and go to visit Serena again. By the time Suna's senior advisor knocked on his office door, Gaara was in a bad mood and he wasn't looking forward to a lecture from the councilman.

"Kazekage-sama, I have a very grave matter to discuss with you indeed." Perfect. Just what I need. Gaara managed to look even less welcoming than he had before.

"Yes, Councilman Yukisari?"

"It has come to the attention of the council that you have been seeing the Konoha ambassador much more frequently and intimately than is necessary..."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "I fail to see why my personal life matters to the council..."

"Well, Kazekage-sama, it concerns the council that you may be...inclined to reveal secrets to the Konoha representative that should not be revealed to any foreigner." The councilman's voice made it plain that he felt Serena was using the relationship to gain information against Suna.

Gaara made himself breathe deeply a few times before he answered. Nonetheless, a fair degree of anger managed to work its way into his voice. "Councilman, you overstep your bounds."

"For Kami's sake, Kazekage-sama! The woman is plainly whoring herself out for information--" The man cut off at the distinct sound of the gourd's cork flying out, the rustle of sand inside rising to a fevered pitch.

Speaking very calmly considering the circumstances, Gaara let the sand trickle out to make his point most clear. "If I ever hear you call her that again, I will personally make sure that your death is the most painful demise in all of shinobi history...do I make myself clear, or will I have to demonstrate?"

For once in his life, Gaara actually rejoiced at the look of fear in a villager's eyes. Watching the man sweat and stammer, he nodded, knowing his point was made. "Now...Get out of my office!"

***

Meanwhile, Serena was forcing herself to open up the mail. Steeling herself against her fears as any good shinobi would, Serena slowly opened Tsunade's letter. As she scanned the first few sentences, Serena felt herself grow more enraged by every word.

'Serena, I am sorry to have to say this, but, your nephew has been taken captive by Akatsuki members. The current theory is that they are trying to steal your clan's techniques. No ransom has been demanded, and no one really knows for sure what they want with him...you are the logical solution. Please investigate the matter as only you can. Have no mercy...this is not the first time these missing nin have acted against Konoha. I am sending a few of our most promising jounin to help. Your teammates will be Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, Uzimaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, and for medical response, Horuno Sakura. Akatsuki is known for their excellence...DO NOT follow them on your own. You are to meet your team at the Valley of the End. I mean it Serena, Do Not Try To Act On Your Own!'

Finally, after reading the letter a few times, she reached the point where she was so angry that she was calm. It was a characteristic of the Yurashi clan to never let their rage cloud their minds. Calmly, Serena set the letter on her desk and began to pack her bags.

***

By the time he was done with paperwork, all Gaara wanted was to visit Serena and relax. He headed to her suite and knocked quietly, inwardly urgent but always controlled. He waited a minute, and when she didn't answer, knocked again. His inner impatience slipped out as he knocked a third time. Finally he slipped some sand beneath the door and performed some seals, and his third eye formed. Touching his eye with his fingers, he looked around but could not find her inside her suite. He reasoned with himself for a minute, but finally he became worried enough to try the door. It was locked, and he broke the door down shortly after. Looking around frantically, he couldn't find a single trace of her earlier presence. Home had been wiped clean.

It Gaara took a while to find the letter, and until that second he'd been terrified that the council had been right, and that she had no real affection for him at all. Breathing heavily with the effort to keep from crying, Gaara opened the letter slowly. Blinking softly when a note fell out of the letter, Gaara read Tsunade's mission statement with an odd numbness, as though he were reading a story of a far off land, which had nothing to do with his own life. It was not until he had completed it that the full weight of the matter soaked into his mind. Biting his lip in thought, Gaara picked up Serena's note.

'Gaara...If you have read my mission, you know that I have to go. Please don't follow me...this is something I have to do for myself, my clan, and my village. If I'm not back in a month, come looking for me...but please don't interfere until then. Please know that I wouldn't have left you if I could have helped it...you're the dearest friend I have ever had. Please don't worry about me, I can take care of myself.'

***

Serena watched her teammates to be from the bushes, using all of her stealth to make sure that she had not been tricked. Masking her chakra signature so that she could hide from even the Byakugan, she made sure not to make a single sound.

It was something she did every time Tsunade didn't use code for high level missions, as a precaution against being ambushed or tricked. The Yurashi clan did not like being betrayed. After an hour or so of observations, which led her to believe that while they certainly were dangerous, they were most likely her true teammates, Serena stepped out from the bushes to meet her team.

Wearing the Yurashi clan's emblem, it was obvious to everyone that Serena was their teammate, but that didn't make it easier to accept her, nor did she expect them to. The Yurashi clan was known as one of the most ruthless of Konoha's clans, each member harboring a demon spirit inside of them that rivaled Naruto's in wickedness. The clan was well known in Konoha for their members harsh traditions. Yurashi women often bore twins or triplets, and it was clan law that they fight against their doubles until one or both were rendered unconscious. Only the survivor was allowed to stay in the clan. The others had their powers sealed and were sent to live in a temple. Serena had passed the test, though she thought of her twin from time to time, hoping that the temple wasn't as unpleasant as they were led to believe before the test.

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