Her back hit the water with a breathtaking whap! The rushing water pulled her along its current, bouncing her on the riverbed like a basketball. She gasped for air reflexively only to choke on grainy water. Mind fogged by pain and shock, she could do little but go along with the violent flow as her body was rammed against stones many times her size. She flailed, desperately pumping chakra into her hands and feet as she struggled to get up above the water. If she was where she thought she was, then there were rapids downstream. She had to get out of the water before then, or she'd—.

"—chiru! Yachiru! Moh, sweetie, you need to get up. You don't want to miss your papa, right?"

"Yachiru, get under the floorboards and stay there. Don't make a sound. Go, hurry!"

"Yachiru, mommy loves you."

She was alive, that much was obvious.

Her head was pounding and her skin was soaked, but she was alive. The water of the river lapped lazily at her back, her legs fully submerged and her face buried in the mud. Her eyes were closed and she had no intention of opening them.

Who the hell was Yachiru?

Was...was she Yachiru? Was this body Yachiru's?

Had she really hit her head all those years ago? If she hadn't, would she have woken up with all of Yachiru's memories, too? Would she have any of her own? Injury induced amnesia usually resolved itself pretty soon after occurring, right? That's what Grey's Anatomy told her. Had...had Yachiru not died? Was she still alive, somewhere, inside her mind? Had Bethany usurped her like a split personality in a horror movie?

No, no that couldn't be it. She wasn't Yachiru. She wasn't! She was—.

"Hanako."

Her eyes flew open. With a groan, she pulled deadened limbs underneath herself and painstakingly lifted her head from the mud. There, standing on the bank, was Gaara. The sunlight trickling through the break in the trees set his hair aflame like a bloody halo, hurting Hanako's sensitive eyes with its brilliance. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up at him. She scrambled to her feet, muscles screaming in protest as she climbed the steep embankment. He stood still, watching stoically as she rushed him, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her muddy face in his narrow chest.

She cried.

It was an ugly, snot running cry, the kind she normally had while locked in her soundproofed room. Orochimaru's borrowed face hung in her mind's eye, obscene tongue raking against her brain. Her hands twisted in Gaara's black bodysuit, shaking with the force of their grip. This was the price for separating her mind from the situation. All the fear and adrenaline hit her at once.

Chakra, tentative and thin, wrapped itself around her, covering her terror with a layer of confused sympathy. A slender hand placed itself on her back with the same hesitation.

Oh, Gaara.

She loosened her grip on him, taking the time to set a smile on her face before pulling away.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping at her eyes with muddy sleeves. "I—." Her words froze on her tongue as she looked up into his face. His pale green eyes boiled with so much anger that she marveled at his ability to keep it from his chakra. Damn, she'd really stepped in it. "I'm so sorry, Gaara. I shouldn't have—."

"Who did this?"

"Eh?"

He raised one pale hand and pressed his fingers against her temple. She winced and his fingers came away bloody. Oh no. Damn it, she knew how he was with blood. What was she thinking?

"A-ah, no one. Really! It was the river."

She gestured wildly at the river behind her, stepping back to give him a little space. His hand on her shoulder tightened its grip, halting her.

"Why are you afraid?" His voice was pitched low, and Hanako could feel Shukaku's chakra welling up beneath his own. "Who did this?"

Oh, shit.

This was an opportunity. If she told Gaara the truth, she might be able to stop the invasion in its tracks—or, at least, the biggest, scariest part of it. She wanted to tell him, to warn him of Orochimaru's depravity, but...

"Oi, Gaara, why the heck'd you run off like that?" Kankuro's voice broke the tension between Hanako and Gaara. "Seriously, you know we're supposed to stay—oh, that's why."

Hanako raised a hand weekly in greeting. "Hey."

Kankuro's false bravado became a little more real when he saw her. "Damn, what happened to you?"

"I was eaten by a snake."

The puppet master and his sister, who'd walked up beside him, stiffened.

"W-woah, really? How'd that happen?"

She sighed, letting her shoulders slump. "I don't know if I should say. It's kind of...village sensitive."

Gaara's chakra made his agitation known and she let him wrap her up in it. His anger should have been scary, given what she knew he was capable of, but knowing it was for her sake somehow made it less threatening.

"What, are they special Konoha snakes?" Kankuro's joke fell flat. Even Temari cast a look his way.

"Kind of," Hanako said wearily, rolling her shoulders to loosen muscles gone stiff with cold. "Oh, heck. I may as well tell you. If he goes after you, we might end up in another war."

"If who goes after us?"

She looked Temari straight in the eye. "Orochimaru."

There was a spike in Gaara's chakra and she felt her heart fall. So, they did know about him. Damn.

"W-wait, isn't he that Sannin guy? The one who defected?"

Hanako shook her head. "He didn't defect. We kicked him out," she paused for effect. "For experimenting on children. That's probably why he wants me," she added, privately delighting in the matching expressions of terror on Kankuro and Temari's faces. "I'm the last of my line, you know." Maybe.

Gaara's hand on her shoulder tightened painfully and she looked up at him. He was breathing heavily, eyes unnaturally wide. She could hear his teeth grinding.

"Gaara-kun?"

His gaze snapped to hers, chakra ablaze with anger. Shukaku's roiling undercurrent was quickly overpowering him.

No!

She let her own chakra surge up and out of the blanket of anger, encapsulating both boy and beast in what she hoped was a calming presence. She was still shaky with nerves.

Slowly, his grip on her loosened. His eyes refocused, and breathing calmed just enough to be noticeable.

"Gaara."

"Eh?"

"You called me Gaara, before."

Oh. She had, hadn't she. That's what she gets for not using honorifics in her mind.

"Sorry," she said with a small smile. "I shouldn't have—."

"It's fine," he interjected, looking her dead in the eye. "Call me Gaara."

Mah, he really hadn't been socialized, had he?

She let herself laugh, placing a hand on his where it still rested on her shoulder. "Alright. Gaara, then." She sighed again. "I should probably go look for my team. We can only pass if all three of are there together. Good luck you guys. I hope to see you in the next stage. Look out for snakes."

She made to leave and Gaara finally let go of her. Looking him over, she winced. She'd gotten him all covered in mud. Whoops.

Leaping into the trees, Hanako followed the river upstream. Her cry session and the conversation with Gaara had helped level her head somewhat, but there were still things she needed to do before she'd be able to say she was fine. Stopping on a wide branch hanging over the rapids, she pressed her palm to the rough bark. When the smoke cleared, two brown, roly-poly-esque figures sat in front of her, their pudgy tails wagging eagerly.

"Princess," one of the puppies whined, standing up on his hind legs and propping himself up on her leg. "You finally summoned us!"

His brother yawned loudly.

She smiled down at the newest additions to her pack. The mastiff pups were still to young to be out in the field, but she didn't want to risk alerting Kabuto. Besides, this could be a learning experience.

"Ok, whelps," she said, clapping her hands with a sinister smile. "How do you feel about tracking down your uncle Sano?"

The pups shared evil smirks of their own.

Poor Sanosuke.