Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Naruto. All rights, characters, and pictures belong to their respective owners.

He knew it was only a matter of time. He just wished he could've held out a little longer.

Now was not the time for this.

He could hear the worried voices of his siblings on each side of him, and he wanted to tell them to stay away, warn them that he wasn't in complete control, but he couldn't find his voice.

Kankuro growled in aggravation as he was once again forced to play defense. Karasu could only take so much, and that was rapidly beginning to show with every attack landed on the wooden shell. Kankuro cursed under his breath as his opponent dodged the puppet entirely and made a move for him instead. The barrage of kunai missed their target as the Puppeteer narrowly avoided each blade.

The two were evenly matched as far as ninjutsu and fighting techniques went, therefore making the battle one that would prove to be long and drawn-out where the only things that would ultimately determine the victor were reflexes and creativity.

Luckily those were both things that Kankuro possessed.

'Going one on one like this is useless. He'll just keep countering my attacks with ones that will force me to expend more chakra, and I've almost hit my limit. I'll just have to outsmart him.' Kankuro's lips curled up into a smirk, the purple face paint encircling them giving the expression a sinister appearance. 'Shouldn't be too hard.'

The enemy Shinobi glared. "Cocky, are we?"

Kankuro's smirk deepened as he prepared to make his move. "You just noticed that? I must be losing my touch."

"That's not all your going to lose." His opponent raced toward him, slipping shuriken from his side holster into one hand, and kunai into the other.

'This better work, or he's right.' Kankuro took a moment longer, waiting for his opening. It came when the man raised his arms to throw each handful of weapons. With several flicks of his fingers, the Puppeteer dismantled Karasu, using the main and biggest portion of the puppet to shield himself while the limbs shot toward his opponent.

The Shinobi's eyes widened as the shuriken and kunai hit not flesh, but wood and he saw the blades shooting towards his body. He mentally cursed for leaving himself open as he had and tried to dodge. The attempt proved futile as four out of six hit their target.

Kankuro sighed in relief as his opponent fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Temari cursed as she was forced to duck behind a tree to avoid getting burned alive by the fire attack thrown her way. 'I just had to get stuck with an opponent that's strong against wind release,' She thought bitterly, jumping behind another tree as the one she had been taking cover behind was blasted apart by a second blow.

"That's it? You're just going to keep running?" The man chuckled. "I expected more from a Shinobi of the Sand."

The blond growled under her breath at the remark, but remained still, her back pressed tightly against the trunk.

She could only hope that Gaara and Kankuro were having more luck than she was. They had been separated as soon as the fighting began, and she hadn't seen any trace of them since. She was pretty sure Gaara was okay, knowing he could more than handle himself. Kankuro wasn't exactly defenseless either, but she still worried for the both of them.

Peeking around the tree trunk, Temari caught sight of her opponent about fifty feet ahead of her. 'I've got to come up with some way to get the upper hand and fast, or I'm toast. Literally.' Her eyes fell on the tree behind the enemy Shinobi. So far, attacking directly had done little damage, but maybe taking a different approach would yield a different result. Holding her fan in front of her almost like a shield, she abandoned her hiding place and stood out in open view.

Her opponent smirked. "There you are. Ready to give up, little girl?"

Temari scowled at the comment. "Not on your life." Drawing her arms back, she swung them around, producing a burst of chakra-infused wind sharp enough to slice through rock.

The enemy's smirk grew as the blast missed him entirely and hit the tree behind him. "Looks like you need to work on your aim."

Now it was Temari's turn to smirk. "I hit my target."

A look of confusion washed over the man's features before the sound of wood splitting erupted from behind. He turned around just in time to catch sight of the tree falling towards him rapidly, but didn't have time to react before he was pinned beneath the crushing weight.

Gaara ignored the pained cries as he crushed another of his attackers in his sand.

This was quickly getting old.

Temari and Kankuro had only one each to deal with. He had three. Well, two now. It had become apparent to him early on that he was viewed as more of a threat.

They had been correct in that assumption.

Gaara stood there, arms crossed, and watched as his sand wrapped itself around the leg of one and flung him into a nearby tree producing a sickening crack.

One to go.

The last still standing threw a handful of kunai in his direction. Gaara didn't even flinch, the sand automatically forming a wall between him and the threat before it could get close enough to inflict injury. Deciding enough was enough, the red-headed Junchuriki held out a hand, the chakra-infused sand snaking around the body of his final opponent and completely encasing it. As he prepared to execute his Sand Coffin technique, he felt a tremor of pain go through his head. Gaara scowled in irritation. 'Not now.'

Yes, now, kid.

The second wave of pain forced him to his knees, as he cried out in agony. 'What do you want?'

I want what I've always wanted, blood.

'And you've gotten it!'

It's not enough. I want so much more than just a few weak excuses for Shinobi.

'No.' Gaara's refusal earned him another fit of suffering as the pain increased tenfold. His fingers fisted into his blood-red hair, ringed eyes snapping shut in anguish. With his concentration was finally broken, the sand around the enemy fell.

Yes. What's the matter, Gaara? Don't you want to feel alive?

His eyes closed, Gaara couldn't see his opponent stalking toward him, kunai in hand, and preparing to make his move.

Kankuro caught up to Temari just as her battle came to an end. "Temari!" He called, waving his hands to get her attention.

She turned to him and smiled, relief flooding into her blue eyes as she made her way to him, checking for any signs of injury. "Kankuro, are you okay?"

The Puppeteer nodded. He had received a few bruises from his fight, but he had dealt with much worse. "Nothing that won't heal. What about you?"

Temari glanced down at her shoulder, where a bright red burn mark had begun to take shape. "He managed to get a lucky shot in, but other than that, I'm good too."

Kankuro's brow furrowed. "What about Gaara?"

The blond frowned. "I haven't seen him since we split off."

The Puppet Master sighed. "We better see if we can find him. He might need some help." Although he knew Gaara needing assistance from them was unlikely, Kankuro couldn't help but be worried about his little brother's well being. Ever since the Chunin Exams, Gaara had been different. The daily death threats had stopped, and Gaara was slowly becoming less and less distant. He didn't want to lose the little brother he was just beginning to get back.

Temari nodded. "Let's go."

Once they arrived at Gaara's location, the siblings were frozen in shock at the sight of their red-headed brother on his knees, his fingers fisted into his hair. Gaara wore a pained expression; eyes screwed shut in agony. He still had one opponent left, and he was currently stalking toward the downed Jinchūriki, kunai in hand.

Kankuro snapped out of it first. "Gaara!" The Puppet Master hastily slipped a kunai of his own into his palm, throwing it and taking his target by surprise as the weapon lodged in his chest.

Gaara had yet to move as he continued to cradle his head in his hands.

It looks like your siblings have finally joined the party. Shukaku chuckled darkly. I wonder, should I kill them quickly or give them a slow and painful death?

'Shut up.'

Slow and painful it is.

"I said, shut up!" Gaara could hear Shukaku laughing in the dark corners of his mind as a hand placed itself upon his shoulder, causing him to go rigid at the touch.

"Gaara? You okay?"

Gaara's eyes flew open at the sound of his brother's concerned tone. Kankuro wasn't safe around him right now. His control over Shukaku was unsteady at best and could easily be lost at this point. The demon was craving, and the overwhelming scent of blood that surrounded Gaara was not helping in the slightest.

"S-Stay away, Kankuro."

The warning was enough of a startle for the Puppeteer to remove his hand, but he remained kneeling before the red-head.

It was a start.

"Gaara, what's wrong?"

Gaara's fingers tightened in his red locks out of frustration at the sound of Temari's voice. Of course, Temari would be with Kankuro. He was a fool to think otherwise. Though even if she weren't, should Shukaku take the control he so longed for, he would hunt her down anyway.

He had known it was only a matter of time. He just wished he could've held it off a little longer.

He could hear the worried voices of his siblings on each side of him, but couldn't make out their words. He wanted to tell them to stay away, warn them that his power over Shukaku was slipping, but he could no longer find his voice. He could feel the sand spirit beginning to forcefully push his way out of the depths, clawing his way to the top.

'I won't let you destroy everything I've worked so hard to accomplish!'

Do you really think you can beat me all on your own? The Bijuu laughed. You're not strong enough.

Gaara's attention snapped back to reality as two sets of arms wrapped around his now shaking frame. "K-Kankuro...? ...Temari?"

His siblings smiled down at their little brother as they hugged him firmly. "You don't have to fight him by yourself anymore, Gaara." The Puppeteer's tone was soft, one he reserved for conversations such as these with his brother and sister.

Gaara shook his head, attempting to pull away. "He'll kill you."

Temari's hold tightened. "No, he won't. You're stronger than the monster inside you. You always have been, even if everyone forgot that for a while."

His sister's words made Gaara stop struggling. They trusted him. Even amid a mental battle for control, they still believed that he was strong enough to win.

He wasn't about to prove them wrong.

Balling his hands into fists, Gaara pushed back against the Bijuu. Shukaku put up a fierce fight, but eventually, he was able to force the demon back down into the deep abyss of his mind. His siblings remained by his side, hugging him the entire time until the red-head finally relaxed against them, mentally exhausted.

"Told you."

Gaara felt a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips at Temari's statement as she and Kankuro stood, pulling him up along with them.

Kankuro grinned. "Let's go home."

Gaara sat alone on a rooftop, staring up at the calm night sky. The chilled desert air nipped at his skin, but he paid it no mind as he pondered over the day's events.

You've gotten stronger; I'll give you that.

Gaara sighed. Shukaku had been silent since their mental game of tug of war, but it seemed he was tired of remaining quiet.

But, no matter how far you shove me down, I'll always find my way back up.

'I know. But I'm not scared.'

Really? I could practically taste the fear within you back in the clearing. Gaara could tell the Bijuu was smirking by his tone. You were terrified you would lose control, and I would kill your precious siblings. What changed?

'I realized something.'

What's that?

'You said I couldn't beat you alone.' Gaara stood and teleported back to his room, changing into a t-shirt and sweats before exiting to make his way downstairs. His siblings were preparing to have dinner as he sat down at the table.

Kankuro reached across from where he sat to ruffle the Jinchūriki's hair, Temari pausing to envelop him in a sort of side hug as she served up their meal.

Gaara tensed, still not used the receiving the same physical contact he had been denied throughout his childhood. He listened as Kankuro complained that Temari was never that gentle and loving with him, and a small smile tugged on the corners of Gaara's mouth as he gradually relaxed into his sister's embrace. 'I'm not alone. Not anymore.'