The Hole

Down, down, down, why did it always seem like she was going down in this village?

Everything in the Sound was up; lots of stairs, observatories, anything to show physical prowess. Even her house, was at the top of one of many hills surrounding the central village.

But in the Sand, Rin found more than one passage beneath its borders. She wondered if this were military strategy or simply because not all things could be done in the heat of the desert sun?

Either way, it also made her question if whole cities could be found underground or if anything in the Sand was as it seemed?

Gaara's hand on her lower back steadied her steps and she tried not to focus on how it felt to have his warm body pressed behind hers.

Whatever emergency they'd found themselves in, was far more important than any passing romantic thoughts she had and yet...

"We're almost there." His voice was a quiet whisper in the darkness.

"And there is?"

They came to a door, so large and imposing, Rin wondered if it were used to keep people out or, even more disturbing, keep something in?

It seemed more like a fortified gate than a single entrance.

Gaara's hand waved across the metal frame, his fingers flexing and pulling backwards. "Sand Extraction."

Rin's retreated a few steps, skipping over her own feet, when out from the tiny holes in the door, a wave of sand emerged, circling around his fist.

Gaara twisted and bent the cloud, before slamming it back against the door and nudging it open enough for them to squeeze through.

"After you." He said, releasing the sand to the ground.

"That's amazing! Are you the only one who can open this door, then?"

"Originally my father could, with his gold dust, but I've adjusted."

"Fascinating."

Rin tried to slide her body through the crack in the door, only to find herself stuck at her hips.

She tried again and turned her head to look at her guide. "Um, Gaara?"

"Yes?"

"While I'm flattered you think I'm that thin..."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

He came behind her, his hands finding their way to her hips. She felt his fingers press against the side of the door, opening it a mere fraction further and gently nudging her into the dark room.

Rin cleared her throat, brushing her hair behind her ear and trying to ignore the slight quickening of her heart. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

The way her feet echoed, made her feel as if she'd been in this place before. It reminded her of the last time she walked through Gaara's mind. Compared the last few days, that felt like a lifetime ago.

He took her hand and stepped to the middle of the room, clapping his hands together.

All at once, the familiar buzz of electricity, she hadn't heard since coming to the Sand, filled her ears.

Rin twisted around when light after light ignited, filling the once dark space with near daylight.

It amazed her how such a sound could send shivers down her spine.

Electricity was a wonderful thing, but here, in this room she'd know no matter if it were in the Sound or the Sand, she felt trapped in the static waves.

The scent of antiseptic and controlled oxygen, the sound of machines and humming electricity, she knew them like the back of her hand.

Her hands came to her arms, feeling a chill she thought long gone; the shivering cold of the laboratory.

"What is this, Gaara?"

He looked around at the modern facility. "It's affectionately called, the 'Hole' by my siblings and I. The Sand hasn't found the need to advance as much as some of the other villages. We're stubbornly fixed in our ways."

Rin felt as if the air had come out from her lungs.

She swallowed the rising anxiety. "Then why is this here? Do the others know about it?"

"No, only very select members of the council and the Kazekage, are granted access. My father desired to bring us to the edge of technology and didn't want to fall behind the other nations. He had this lab built before I was even born."

"And what is it used for?"

"Experiments."

The word made her freeze. "What kind of experiments?"

"Weaponry, mostly and methods of battle."

"Human?"

"Not that I know of."

Rin nodded. "How did the builders know what to do? This isn't your run-of-the-mill facility."

"They didn't, we had to outsource to other villages."

"Which villages?"

She knew the answer before he said it, but she didn't want to believe it was true.

Gaara slid his arms around her, holding her close. "You know which village. We were allies in the past, remember?"

Rin hid her face in his shoulder.

That explained why it all looked so familiar. It wasn't a perfect replica, but there were sounds and scents, which couldn't be from anywhere else.

His lips came to the top of her head, kissing a soft trail, trying to calm the rising panic. "I know this is upsetting for you, but we just don't have time for me to work you in slowly. If there is someone watching your friend, you're in danger. I had to get you to the safest place I could think of."

She pulled back from him. "What about Haru? You said he was joining me here?"

"That's the plan."

Rin glanced around the cold room. "I don't know if this will make him feel more at home or remind him of our hell. Could go either way."

Gaara turned her face towards him. "We'll find out soon. However, time really isn't on our side. I know I gave you a week and you weren't happy with that, but now I have to cut it even shorter. We must find out what's going on and if my people need to be evacuated. I'm sorry Rin, but I need to ask you to..."

"I know."

"It's not fair."

Rin sighed. "Very little in life is. That's just how it goes."

He took hold of her hands and brought them to his lips, noticing a chill he never did before. "I'll give you whatever you require. The Sand will be in your debt."

She shook her head and stepped back into his embrace. "I just need this to be over. I can't stay in this place anymore."

"I understand."

His arms were a safe cage around her, his warmth calling to the cold which longed to take her again.

Rin thought about her life before coming to this village. Everything was simple. She'd made a good name for herself, her business was thriving, she'd assembled at least a shadow of a normal family unit. All of it was easy.

Since arriving in the Sand, she'd been thrust into politics, faced off with nightmares and brought face-to-face with the two loves of her life; one a rumored monster and the other beaten down into one.

If there was one thing Rin Ito was sure of, it was that her life was never simple.

The sound of approaching steps made her turn her attention to the massive door and the image of the two captains squeezing through, with one slumped man in between them.

Gaara instantly slammed the entrance shut after they entered. "You both made good time. We haven't got a lot of it."

"What's going on?" Temari's voice was urgent and clipped.

"Rin suspects an outside force is controlling the captive and punishing him for trying to break through his triggers. This means someone has breached our security and is in the walls, as we speak."

Kankuro straightened up. "How would they be able to control him with armed guards everywhere?"

Gaara placed a hand to his chin. "I wondered that too. After you set the captive..."

"Haru."

They looked to Rin and she stood with her hands balled into fists. "His name is Haru."

Gaara rubbed the side of her arm and addressed his siblings. "All right. You will set Haru up in the containment sector and then go investigate his cell. Look for any and all clues that would allow someone to manipulate him. Then report back for further instruction."

"Yes sir." Kankuro took the unconscious Haru from his sister and carried him to the north side of the laboratory.

"He's so frail. Feels more like a child, than a grown man." He thought to himself, as he gently laid him down on the floor and secured the chains around his wrists.

Rin's hands came to her chest, feeling like she wanted to cry at the sight.

Temari sighed and brushed past them. "I know you don't like the look of it, but that bite on your arm should wise you up. He needs to be secured."

"I understand."

"Not only with chains, but..."

Her jaw dropped, when Temari pulled out the muzzle that was hidden in her belt and secured it around his head.

Rin made a beeline towards them, but Gaara's hand steadied her. "Calm down. It must be this way."

She wanted to rip the vile thing off of him, if only to give him his dignity back, but the dull ache in her right arm, was a hard truth to their words. She didn't have the safety of bars and a line in the sand now.

Kankuro left for his mission, but Temari remained, faithfully guarding her Kazekage and trying not to look at Rin's eyes, which shot daggers at her. "It's no use glaring at me, you know? It's for your own good."

"Eternally grateful, I'm sure." She quipped.

The hand on her shoulder, found its way to her lower back and guided her forward. "What do you need? Your bag? Your supplies?"

"No, those were for relaxation and an enjoyable induction. Nothing about what I'm going to do, will be enjoyable."

Gaara winced. "No, I suppose not."

Rin walked the last few steps on her own, when the thought crossed her mind. "Oh, actually, there is something. In my bag, the one that should still be at the prison, there was a book I checked out. If you could bring it to me, I think that may help. Also, yellow cake, if you have it?"

"Of course. Temari, go retrieve those things."

"You can't ask me to leave you alone down here with a mad man and an emotional wreck, Gaara."

"I'm not asking." His voice didn't sound as threatening as it could have, but there was a serious tone, that wasn't to be challenged.

The expression on her face was enough to make Rin feel like a fly on a slide.

Temari gave a curt bow and vanished out of the room, leaving the two of them in silence.

Rin let out her held breath. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Where do we go from here?"

She looked at the heap of bones and muscle that was her friend and sat down, cross-legged in front of him. "Now, I wait to see who will be waking up and if he still wants to kill me."