Author's Note: Hello and Shalom, my good friends. To my readers of Love Me or Die, welcome back. To those who are new to this saga, welcome forward. In case that last sentence has you baffled, this is a sequel to another story of mine, previously mentioned. However, it is only minutely necessary that you have read the first one in order to understand what is going on here. There are some parts that will seem confusing as we go along, but I'll do my best to explain in without breaking too many fourth walls, all while keeping the storyline as little redundant as possible. I cannot stand those sequels that try to recap the entire story of the book before it before continuing with the story you're dying to read in the first place… Here we will pick up right where we left off, whether you're familiar with where that is or not. It simply is irrelevant. I present to you, for splendid entertainment, Death By Your Love.

Oh, and one more thing. I've completely revised the existing 9 stages. They bothered me greatly, and strayed from the story I wished to achieve. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I hope you'll enjoy the changes.

Stage One: Negotiations

Neji ran his fingers through his hair and sighed as he turned his gaze to the streets within sight of the window. Gaara looked up at him from across the long, oval table, where Neji's pale eyes reflected in the dark wood, full of concentration and thought. Neji barely caught a glimpse of crimson hair.

Gaara cleared his throat. "Should we take a break, Hyuuga-san?"

The rasp of Gaara's voice brought Neji back to Earth, though his pale eyes did not break away from their target. "Perhaps that would be wise, Kazekage-sama." He felt distracted, and his mind had gone numb from inactivity and boredom.

Gaara followed Neji's gaze through the plate glass and beyond the shops below.

Neji observed the look of disdain on Gaara's face through his reflection in the glass. He began to feel anger bubbling inside of him. He struggled to suppress it for the sake of their mission. He rose to his feet silently, straightening his stack of papers into their file before he left. "I think twenty minutes ought to be enough, Kazekage-sama."

"That sounds fine," Gaara mumbled. He rose from his desk and followed his cohort out the door, feeling a twinge of hatred as he watched Neji's retreating back.

Neji attempted to ignore Gaara's obvious staring as he watched Gaara get smaller through his Byakugan. He descended the stairs one at a time as he passed through the corridors and into the baking sun. As she had remained for the last ten minutes, Tsuki was still standing in the same spot in the sun lit market. He didn't understand how she didn't fry in this heat. Surely she couldn't still be used to it?

Tsuki heard Neji before she saw him, and upon shifting her gaze, she knew without asking how his meeting was going. "Is it that bad?" she asked with caution.

"I've never endured anything more awkward," Neji stated in a flat tone, as though he was commenting on nothing more interesting than the weather. "Thank you for warning me; you were right. It would seem he is bitter that you returned to Konoha."

Tsuki shrugged her shoulders. "If it helps at all, I'm not looking forward to my meeting, either. Temari and I have always been hostile."

Neji looked down at the sand. "I don't understand it, if they're our allies, then why do we receive so much hostility?"

She folded her arms across her chest with sour frustrations. ""There are still raw emotions among us all." She looked up at the Kazekage's office. "Mostly, they're personal reasons."

"From what little of your encounters with Gaara you informed me about," Neji began, "I can understand the tension between the two of you; what does your past have to do with me?" He followed her gaze to the top windows, where the Kazekage stared at the pair of them openly. He didn't even shy away when Neji made eye contact; he blinked once, but that was it.

"I'm almost certain he doesn't even know," she answered truthfully. "I think he's doing his best to not throw a tantrum. Old habits die hard, and there's still a raw killer inside him. I'm not convinced he's entirely changed."

Neji shifted his gaze away from the Kazekage's stare. "I'm stuck with that killer," he stated flatly, "Great."

She rolled her eyes as she continued to stare up at Gaara. "You're going to be fine. He wouldn't do anything to sabotage the alliance between the villages. He may be a killer, but he's also a Kage."

"His behaviour is borderline unprofessional," he whined, looking her in the face.

She finally looked back at him. "I understand that, but Konoha needs for us to get through this mission with the treaty still intact. That includes getting through the hostility."

Neji sighed as he looked into her violet eyes, nearly a full head's height below his own. "I think it would help us both if you saw him, and soon. Just talk to him. Maybe he'll ease up."

Her shoulders dropped in submission as she sighed. "I suppose you're right; the least I can do for our village is try." She looked up into his eyes. "You should go, he's waiting for you."

Neji glanced back up at the window of the conference room. From the corner of his vision, he could see Tsuki wave up to Gaara with hesitation. Gaara returned the gesture with a warm smile. "He still adores you," he concluded. "It makes things difficult for me." He took the first step toward the office, unwillingly leaving her behind in the market.

XxX

Tsuki walked into the Kazekage's office while he and Neji were in another recess, but Gaara wasn't there. She knew she ought to turn around and leave, but she couldn't get her feet to cooperate. She had twenty minutes before her own appointment, and Gaara started again in a half an hour. Neji would return shortly before they started, so she was granted at least ten minutes before she had to leave. Surely she could find the use of her feet again before then, right?

"I was starting to think you were avoiding me," Gaara's voice behind her stated softly. "I can't tell you how relieved I am to know this is not true." He sat down at his desk, his back to the windows.

"Our schedules haven't been forgiving," she explained. She sat down across from him, keeping a polite but moderate distance. "Even so, I'm supposed to meet with Temari soon." She smiled politely.

"It's been two years," he stated with grief in his sea foam eyes. "I would hope things are much less chaotic for you by now."

"Things have calmed down" she answered, "Though Tsunade-sama still doesn't trust me. The whole village doesn't, for that matter. It's a trivial matter in my eyes."

"She sent you to handle our negotiations, didn't she?" he suggested. "She has to have some level of trust for you."

Tsuki shifted in her chair, twisting her body angle to face him. "She only sent us because you had specifically requested me being here."

His forehead wrinkled as though he were furrowing his non-existent eyebrows. "I don't remember requesting Hyuga. Is his attendance necessary?"

Tsuki smirked at him. "Neji is to make sure I don't stray from my destination, or my mission. Besides, I don't think one person could handle all of the negotiations without killing someone. The last thing we need is a peace treaty turning to blows."

Gaara regarded her through cynical eyes. "It seems he's doing his job well; he got you here in one piece. How long has he been assigned to you?" There was a razor's edge in his voice as he made unvoiced accusations.

"Ever since I gave my loyalty to Konohagakure," she answered tentatively. "He's the reason I had the option to return there at all. He risked his honour for me, and I owe him my life. I would have been executed without him, and rightfully so."

Gaara mulled this over in silence for an extended moment, chewing over the thoughts and questions in his head. He kept his expression of anger, which she was all too familiar with.

"Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement, Gaara. Our villages are relying on us." Her gaze bore deep into his eyes, as though she were penetrating his soul.

"My emotions are fine," he admitted, "It's his I'm worried about." He glared back at her, his accusation fully on the table now.

She removed herself from his desk slowly. "He doesn't have emotions, Kage-sama. He has orders." She walked slowly toward the door, the accusation weighing heavily on her shoulders.

"Tsuki, don't be angry with me," he pleaded.

"I need to go; I'm going to be late. I can't afford to give your sister another reason to attack me. She hates me enough, as it is."

He saw through her excuse, but let it go. "My door is always open to you, Tsuki, here or at home. You are not a stranger. Please, don't feel the need to behave as such. Suna is, and always will be your home."

She hesitated for a moment longer. "I'll take a look at my schedule."

He watched her shut the door as she walked out. Before the door had a chance to latch shut, his mind was already buzzing with the turn of their conversation in comparison to their previous interactions. Something was weighing her down; something she wasn't telling him. He despised feeling like she was hiding something. It sparked that deep, dominating curiosity he held for her that lay dormant within his soul. "That woman will be the death of me," he growled.

XxX

Temari looked up as Tsuki walked though the door. She was barely on time, making the blonde grind her teeth in frustration at being kept waiting for this scantily clad, and infuriating loose skirt of a woman. "I wasn't sure you'd make it," she stated. She was barely able to conceal her disappointment at the red head's arrival.

Tsuki met her challenging gaze with an arched eyebrow and a smirk in tow. "Orders are orders, I'm afraid," she sighed sarcastically. "I'm here now, and that's all that matters. I paid a visit to the Kazekage."

"How shameful; you need orders to visit someone you seem so familiar with," Temari remarked haughtily. "It's almost as though you couldn't care less."

Suppressing the urge to pull out Temari's vocal cords, Tsuki put Temari's assumption straight. "I wasn't ordered to see him at all; I found time to do so."

Temari smirked with malice. "You've waited a long time to do so; the two weeks you spend here are over. You depart tomorrow."

Tsuki arched an eyebrow again. "Do explain why it is that you assume that I've just seen him today? After all, you're quite sure in our 'familiarity' with each other. Surely it must be possible then, under the parameters of your own thinking that we have seen each other prior to today, without your knowledge?" There was a razor's edge in Tsuki's voice, as the final chess piece fell into place. Her message to the abrasive blonde was clear: what she and Gaara chose to do, or not to do, is on their agenda, not hers. It was true, however, that Tsuki had avoided Gaara up until Neji urged her to see him.

Temari just gasped for air. When too much time had passed for a rebuttal to fall smoothly into play, she dropped her head and stared at the list of negotiations before her. She watched as Tsuki brought her own sheets out onto the table, and spread them methodically before her. Temari gritted her teeth, despising the fact that this konoichi from Konohagakure was more organized than she was; it looked disgraceful.

Tsuki, however, kept her mind clear of distractions. Years of banter with Kabuto behind Orochimaru's back had finally paid off in her travels away from Otogakure. Temari was just another annoyance she would have to endure in good grace in order to achieve a common goal for both of their villages.

The meeting dragged on for hours, and neither of them requested a recess, not even for a quick trip to the powder room, though both women had depleted the water supply of the small conference room significantly due to the dry, Suna heat. They debated every subject ruthlessly, their mood turning more sour the longer they sat on their full bladders. They both held their ground grudgingly, only giving tiny baby steps and expecting a landslide in return as they attempted to achieve the best deal to suit their nation's needs and desires.

Temari massaged the deepening crease on her forehead and asked with bitter exasperation, "What is next on the agenda?"

Tsuki didn't even consult her lists laid out before her before responding. "Now we must discuss medicinal herbs." She watched as the familiar desire to bang one's head repeatedly on the table flashed in the eyes of her opponent. It was common knowledge across the great nations that Tsuki was a prodigal medical konoichi, having studied under Orochimaru for so many years, and through a vital stage in her shinobi education; it was a fact that caused much distrust in her, even within the village that she proclaimed her fealty toward. Once her story became known to the Hokage and her council, the rumours spread like wild fire that she was just as sick and twisted as the serpent himself.

Temari was the first to break their prolonged silence. "We need a fairly constant supply of the reishi mushroom," she stated flatly. The most she could do to mask her disdain was to sound bored. "It is difficult to grow them in a greenhouse, as our climate is too hot and dry for their cultivation."

"That is understandable," stated the red head, having studied the growth of the fungus personally. They prefer a temperate and humid environment with fairly constant temperatures year round. "We can arrange a direct trade for desert amica."

Temari lightened to know that the reishi wouldn't touch their budget. That would save a half hour's worth of financial negotiations. The downfall of their last Hokage, and the attack from the Akatsuki left their budget tighter than she would have liked going into this, even two years later. It was much harder for desert dwelling people to get back on their feet after hard times than most others. "We would be willing to trade on pound of amica for every two pounds of reishi." She still fought for her nation's best interest.

Tsuki sighed. "We were thinking more of a three to five ratio, reishi to amica. Reishi mushrooms fetch more than double the price, and this would be a bargain to both nations." It was her attempt to be fair to Temari, and the desert dwellers. One thing she could not do as a medic: deprive or cheat people out of the vital herbs for their medicines.

Temari would not budge, even though she was shocked at the honesty her opponent showed. "Two to one," she repeated.

Tsuki then stepped up, "We could retract our previous offer and replace it with a one-to-two ratio instead."

It took nearly ten minutes for Tsuki to get Temari to agree to her original offer, and in return, Tsuki purposefully caved into her demands for gingko. She barely scraped a deal on Temari's kokoga cactus and ammonium calcite. It took another two hours for them to creep through the list of herbs, minerals, crops and weapons, tactical needs in the event of emergencies, procedures to follow, tactical training to allow them to fight side by side seamlessly, and requirements for the ever important chunin exams, which were to be held in Suna this year. Having succeeded at reaching the bottom of their list, they both agreed to depart for the night and have an early dinner.

Tsuki, being too devoted to routine to eat just yet, patiently walked the corridors until she found herself outside the conference room where Neji and Gaara debated through the last dregs of their half of the negotiations, which were more political on the scale of necessity. By the muted sounds she could pick up through the door, they were just about done.

In five minutes' silence she sat alone in a moderately comfortable chair swathed in a terracotta coloured canvas, staring at the floor with her head in her hands. A headache beat at her temples, each pulse a barrage against her brain. It wasn't surprising that Neji slipped into her presence without her notice.

"Tsuki," his soft voice called. "Are you ready for dinner? I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

She glanced up at the clock on the wall. He was ten minutes early. "Temari and I finished before we usually do. I thought I'd wait for you, instead of continuing onward."

He offered her his hand to help her from her chair, which she ignored, getting up anyway. "I wouldn't have minded if you chose to eat without me," he stated.

She knew better than to believe that, but didn't say a word. She looked over his shoulder at Gaara, who stood in the doorway, watching the entire exchange. There was satisfaction in his eyes, and she wasn't able to say with certainty that it was just over the negotiations, or her refusal of Neji's hand.

Neji's cool façade was uncompromised, however, as he had not intended the gesture to be anything more than respectful. They walked through the streets as twilight fell upon the city, searching for something recognizable in the foreign cuisine. It wasn't until they had sat down in some small corner, hole in the wall shop and received their food that he broke the silence. "How was your last conference with Temari?"

"Tediously stressful," Tsuki answered, painfully aware of the tension headache that was throbbing through her skull. "She kept taking everything personally." She poked at her tempura absently. "I don't suppose you had any more luck with tactical warfare?"

Neji sighed, and leaned back in his seat to stare at the ceiling. "It went better than it had been earlier. He seemed more at ease with me. However, I can sometimes hear him muttering under his breath, though the words are too muddled to be intelligible."

Tsuki rolled her eyes at Gaara's defiance. "I took your advice and went to see him before my meeting. I was lucky that you two had called an intermission at the time. Our schedules haven't been permitting on much social time."

Neji stared blankly at his yakisoba. "I'm sure that was intentional. We need to keep our minds focused on the task at hand."

Tsuki translated that to mean, 'to keep you from going AWOL again.' She stabbed her food violently.

Neji took the plate from her before she resorted to throwing things at the wait staff. "Not much would get done if our minds wandered too far."

"Not much is getting done now," she hissed through her teeth. "It shouldn't take two weeks to do five days worth of diplomacy."

"It is ridiculous," he agreed softly, staring at the uneaten portion of his noodles.

"I swear it's their revenge for me turning my back on this village," she stated bitterly. "She thinks I've dishonoured the Kazekage."

Neji had heard this rant several times before in the last two weeks alone. "You belong to the village of the Leaf," he reminded her. "You have done nothing to turn your back on a village you don't belong to."

She looked at him with exasperated eyes. He had a point, but she wouldn't see it his way. "I've told you before; I was born here."

"And I'm a cancer," he stated blandly. "I don't see what either points have to do with anything. Your actions are justified. I know that. Their kage knows that. Nothing else matters as seen through the eyes of anyone else." His hand brushed hers momentarily as he drizzled a little bit of soy sauce over the remnants of the noodles she knew he wouldn't eat. His eyes narrowed minutely when she withdrew her hand from the table, the gesture nearly unnoticeable. His face darkened as he looked away.

Neji weighed on her mind as she prepared herself for their last night in Suna. The subtle advances started about a year ago; and even so, they were few and far between. She had suspicions when she watched him risk his life, his village, and his kage for her that this would be a possibility, though the rarity of the events and the way he coolly brushes them aside without second thought makes her second guess her intuition.

She was still convinced that love was, and forever would be, out of her reach. She still looked over her shoulder expecting Orochimaru or some member of the Akatsuki stalking in the shadows. She couldn't risk someone else getting hurt for her. As it was, he was already in the red zone. Orochimaru wouldn't be forgiving to the one who helped her escape, and the Akatsuki were ruthless in their methods. What was another body for them to deal with? She couldn't make it worse for him.

If she was correct, he was definitely a patient man. In the three years she'd known him, she's seen women, mostly Tenten, come and go without satisfaction. If she was right, he was loyal and determined; a deadly combination. If she was wrong, he was just as reserved and guarded as she was.

Tsuki couldn't contain her relief as she sank into the sheets of her bed. A soft sigh escaped from her as a shirtless Neji emerged from the bathroom, still brushing his teeth as he shuffled through his backpack for some unknown object. Due to their devotion to being a functioning unit at all times, they shared a hotel room on every mission they were assigned. For Tsuki, it was easier to prepare for the worst if you only had one space to worry about and no walls to separate you from the only lifeline you had. Having grown up in a compound of mostly men, none of whom cared for her privacy much, it wasn't an issue. They had their routine: she took care of her hygiene in the mornings, and he had the evenings. He couldn't stand going to bed still donning the dirt of the day's work, and she couldn't stand sleeping on a wet pillow. It worked for them.

Eventually, Neji emerged from the bathroom once more with his hair pulled back loosely and his mouth considerably less foamy. "You look like you've had a long day," he observed, settling into his own sheets across the room.

"It was probably just as long as your day was," she answered with a yawn. Her insomnia receded dramatically in the last two years, especially when she was on a mission with Neji. She was now capable of dropping her guard long enough to enjoy a few hours of restful sleep knowing he wouldn't let her come to harm while she was vulnerable. When they were home, she was lucky to sleep every other day, for three or four hours before she would wake with a jolt. Sometimes, she could only sleep once every few days.

"Maybe as the years progress, these negotiations will get less tedious," he predicted. He set his protector plate on the shared night stand, the metal clanking against the wood. She watched as his fingertips lingered over hers, only for a moment. The movement didn't bother her. The purple silk was the very same as the silk of her sound plate, which he had held for nearly a year against her will.

She turned onto her right side and extinguished the lamp. In the darkness, she could still see every detail of his face perfectly. She used his inferior eyesight to her advantage to examine the faint green markings on his forehead; his Byakugan couldn't see if her eyes were open or not.

He was ashamed of his secondary status within his clan. She preferred him to be that way. She found the strange markings beautiful, though just looking at them made her feel his sorrow. She looked away from him. The customs of the Hyuga clan intrigued her, not having been fully raised in the customs of her own. She did not understand how anyone could blemish the skin of a child with the markings of failure, insignificance, and inferiority. She had seen him at his best, and his worst, and knew he was better than most of the main branch Hyugas by far.

This was why she refused to meet any other member of his family. She could not trust herself to stay quiet and respectful toward them. She was, in a sense, far too loyal to Neji to stand up for that injustice. Yet, it was that same loyalty to him that kept her as far away from disgracing him in the eyes of his family as she could be. She had met Hiashi and Hinata. What more could there be to see? That covered the spectrum, both main branch, and both were polar opposites.

Neji rolled over to his side, facing her, sure that she had fallen asleep by the evenness of her breathing, unaware that he was lulled into a false sense of security by her deep thought. He watched her still form in the darkness, the rise and fall of each breath, the way the moonlight shimmered in her hair. She didn't dare to move away, for fear of breaking his peace.

He didn't have a clue that their thoughts mirrored each other. He knew that his family was big and broken; beyond repair. He never once mentioned those darkest of thoughts to her, an orphan with no family to visit except one sister she didn't care for much, though he knew she already guessed at them. She could read him, no matter how blank his face was, and on one level it infuriated him. On the other, he was comforted by the familiarity. She never pressed matters he didn't want to talk about, nor did she force her company upon him. When he wanted silence, she'd refrain from speaking. She was easy to be with, on or off the job.

His mind shifted to what little he knew of her family: her parents were dead, and her sister was a stranger to her. He knew her father was an ambassador to Iwagakure. Her mother stayed home with her and her sister. Her sister was two years older than she was, though from what Neji has heard, Yahara didn't have half of Tsuki's talent. He wondered how that could be, when their genetics came from the same pools? There wasn't that great a difference between Hanabi and Hinata. Again, he didn't dare speak those accusations to her. The one thing he didn't know, however, was why her parents were killed and her and her sister were spared? It couldn't have been that hard to kill two small children.

Neji heard her shuffle underneath her blankets, shifting to a more comfortable position. "Sleep well," he whispered softly to her.

"I always do," she answered back. "Sweet sleep, Hyuuga-san." A moment later, she could sense him fall into slumber, and it didn't take her long to follow suit.

XxX

The next morning came all too soon; Tsuki had quickly discovered in the last two years that she was not a morning person. She was slow and lethargic when it came to rising. It wasn't until the steam of the shower and the heat of the water poured over her that her senses finally began to sharpen.

She and Neji weren't planning to leave until that afternoon; that gave her a moment of free time after they ate breakfast. When they departed to make their final preparations, a thought came over Tsuki.

She set out, winding through the streets of Suna to her parent's old house. She could see the difference in it from the last time she had visited; it seemed alive. The air of darkness had been lifted from the home, and the windows had been cleaned. Some of them were open, tempting in a breeze to cool the packed sand walls.

She knocked before she entered, even though by birthright, it was as much her house as it was her sisters. Yahara emerged from the kitchen to answer, and looked at her confused. "You came," she stated with disbelief. "I didn't think you'd visit me. Kankuro said you were kept busy during these meetings."

"Neji and I aren't leaving until this afternoon," she explained. "The negotiations concluded yesterday. I hope I'm not bothering you, and I'm sorry it's unexpected."

Yahara smiled, and her green eyes lit up. "Don't be silly. You're my sister, and I would be sad to know you left without at least getting to see you once."

She led Tsuki into the living room and sat down with her on the couch. "How is Konohagakure?" she asked.

"It's all right," Tsuki answered. "Different from here; it rains a fair bit. The people aren't too bad. They don't trust me, but they're not mean about it."

Yahara nodded. "That sounds hopeful. Maybe they'll come around."

"I hope they do," Tsuki answered. "How is your training?"

Yahara smiled with pride. "I'm a genin now. It didn't take too long. I'm not far off from being a chunin, either. I'm not that great at medicine like you are, but my chakra control is really good."

Tsuki smiled, proud of all her sister had accomplished. "That sounds wonderful. Are you going to specialize in anything particular?"

Yahara paused for a moment, contemplating the question deeply. "I never gave it much thought, but I've always wanted to try espionage. Kankuro is good at it, with Crow being able to take the form he wants him to. I think we could form a special unit, if we found another person.

"I think that would be very useful," Tsuki conceded. "It would keep you out of the line of fire, if you did it right." Tsuki knew that Yahara had reservations about taking someone's life. She too had witnessed the violent deaths of their parents, and vowed never to kill senselessly. That was the reason she hadn't become a genin. In the Village Hidden in the Mist, the students are required to take the life of their fellow classmate, and Yahara wasn't able to do it. She dropped out the day before the exam.

Yahara practically beamed at her sister. "I'm glad you approve of my dream."

"So long as it made you happy, you would have my blessing regardless," Tsuki stated.

"So tell me what's going on with you and that strange guy?" Yahara asked.

"Neji is my comrade," Tsuki answered. "He and I are on a two man team, and everywhere I go, he goes. I guess it's the Hokage's way to make sure I truly am loyal to my village, but it doesn't matter. He's a good friend, and understanding. He's the only one other than Tsunade who knows everything I've been through. He stood up for me when I needed someone to lean on, and it's because of him that I wasn't executed on sight when I returned."

Yahara had leaned toward Tsuki when she stated to recount her tale. She had an interest in Tsuki's personal life, and seemed to have the same misconception that Gaara did regarding Neji. She asked many questions about her and Neji's life together, and seemed disappointed that Tsuki kept insisting that nothing was going on between them.

Yahara eventually turned the subject to a more morbid matter. "Have you had any recent contact with the Akatsuki?"

Tsuki shook her head, indicating that she had not. In fact, she hadn't heard anything more about their movements or whereabouts. Yahara's face dropped, and fire blazed in her emerald eyes. Tsuki could tell she was still passionate about avenging their parent's deaths. Tsuki thought it was a waste of time and energy; from what she could remember of her father, he would have warned them against such drastic and dangerous endeavours.

They wandered into the kitchen for a cool drink, which Tsuki welcomed graciously. She had to be departing soon, and Yahara had plans with her comrade and lover. They said their goodbyes, and walked into the sun, going their separate ways.

Tsuki found Neji a moment later, waiting for her at the gate. She was ready to depart, as was he. They made eye contact, and in that exchange, held a full conversation with each other. He knew where she had gone, and she knew he was anxious to leave.

"Shall we?" he inquired. He put a hand on her back as she drew parallel to him, softly caressing her for a moment before he let his hand fall.

Tsuki noticed, but didn't inquire. It was yet another layer to his mystery. They walked through the rocky ravine, leaving Sunagakure behind them. They had a five day journey ahead of them, if they took their time, and they always did. It was a time for them to relax with each other, enjoy the scenic route, and hone their abilities in various terrains. They would return in time, and return to their routine.