Naruto and Sakura reported what had happened at the estate to Tsunade, but she didn't feel they needed to return—there wasn't much they could do that Kakashi and Kukyo weren't already doing. And like they had said when they first arrived, they didn't know the area, and so they couldn't exactly tell if anything had been moved or if anything had changed, whether recently or formerly. No one could, really, as it wasn't a place that had been frequented at all apart from Daraku and his ninjas. Kakashi and Kukyo, however, could tell any changes, and so it was best if the mission remained just with the both of them working on it. A message had been sent to tell them both this, but neither had minded—they worked well together, and to be honest, they had things to catch up on; if anything…they were glad of it.

So for the next couple of days they continued searching in much the same way they had been doing before, but they were able to talk more freely with each other. Not because any threats had disappeared or because Naruto and Sakura were no longer around, but because Kukyo had been back long enough for things to come into the open. Things had changed since Kukyo had left back then, and to begin with upon coming back, neither had been sure how to act around each other. Would things still be the same? They hadn't been able to tell, and it was why they had been treading carefully. True, they were still friends, and they did want to remain that way, but there were things that had blocked their friendship from being the way it had been before. But now they had spent this time together, seen more than even when they were on that mission…

That was no longer the case.

This mission strangely felt as much about spending time with each other as much as it did about solving what was going on here—even with the situation being what it was with her father. Kukyo didn't want to forget about that; not that she ever could or would be able to do so, and both of them wanted to make sure nothing would happen in the estate. They knew from experience this place was malevolent, so bringing it back to life was a bad idea.

Maybe it was because they didn't need to hide anymore. When Kakashi had been on his mission here and Kukyo had begun to help him, Kakashi had needed to hide because he had been from Konoha. Kukyo had needed to hide because she had decided to help him and nobody could be allowed to find out she was helping him or that he was even there. They had been going to take the place down and her father with it, after all. Not to mention she had to be in certain places at certain times so her father wouldn't get suspicious, so they couldn't talk whenever they wanted. She didn't have complete freedom like Kakashi did.

Not that it was like that now. They could walk around at any time, in any place, without any worry about being caught. True, they were there to check out the possibility of other people being in the estate, and had found signs of activity, but if anything, this time it would be the other way around. Those people would be hiding from them. It meant that they could talk as they did the mission, not only catching up but getting just as—if not more—close as they had been all those years ago as they spent time with each other. The estate wasn't a place that put Kukyo at ease, but by having Kakashi with her, and talking like they were made things a lot easier, helping her to keep her mind focused and elsewhere as she went about the mission without having to think about all the bad things that had happened when she had been living here.

It meant that, although she was still worried about her past, the fact that her father was still alive hovering at the back of her mind and the idea that he might have at least something to do with this, there was still a part of her that was thinking of the future. That maybe she could move on—whereas all that had occurred so far in her life was that the estate and Daraku had ruled everything she did and had been her world. Then when she had left after the mission and travelled around, things had continued to haunt her regardless of what she did, and had felt that it always would. But now it was different. That although Kukyo knew she could never truly get away from it all, she could at least do other things—have her own life. And with that thought fresh in her mind, she couldn't help but consider the idea that maybe…maybe she could join Konoha.

It had always been something she had shaken off; dismissed, and that she could never do because of what had gone on in her life. That as much as Kakashi wanted her to join the village, become a ninja and build a life there, she could never fully agree to it, always avoiding truly complying with the whole thing. Even walking to the estate, when Kakashi had mentioned it then, Kukyo had brushed it aside as a dream that would never become reality. Only it was beginning to change now. She was dealing with being in the estate again, and coming back and seeing Konoha had only reminded her of what she wished she could have, backed up by having seen so much on her journey over the years.

Then there was seeing Kakashi again. Since first meeting him he had helped her so much, done so much for her. He had believed in her, trusted her when no one else would have done in that situation, and empathised and sympathised with how she had to live and how she was treated. Kukyo had never been able to really have proper friends as she grew up, but Kakashi was more than enough to make her forget all that. It had been the worries about her past and her father that had made her leave after the mission, but it hadn't been easy, and she had been so happy to see him again. The feeling remained as she saw they were as close as they had been before, and having become adults in the time that had passed, grown even closer.

Because that in itself was something to think about. The two of them had met in the middle of a mission and were constantly hiding from people; they had a lot to concentrate on, even as they became close friends throughout it all. So they hadn't really focused on each other's appearances—not that it was something that had ever mattered to them in the first place. But now they were grown up, and they could see they had matured…developed. Kukyo still carried something pure about her, but her intense eyes gave a new level to her beauty, revealing the things she'd learnt and what she had been through on her journey over the years. Kakashi had always been mature, and with a mask remaining over his face, there was no way to see how he'd changed, but his body had broadened and become more muscular, and there was a gentler look in his eyes—he was no longer in the ANBU, that was clear.

There were things about them that had changed, but in a good way. Kukyo knew that coming into contact with Kakashi during his ANBU mission had been a turning point in her life, and if it wasn't for him, so much wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't be the person she was now if she hadn't of met him. But with that being the case, and with the amount of time they were spending with each other now, Kukyo couldn't help but feel that she wanted to stay with Kakashi, even with the worries about her past, her father…the things she done…her before hesitation at joining Konoha. Kakashi had always been there for her, and with him things always turned out alright.

But evidently it couldn't always be that way.

This was only proven as they headed into another building towards the epicentre of the explosion they had created to end the mission. Searching around the place for any signs of activity; that anything had been moved etc., Kukyo went into what was left of the back room to look around there and instantly froze. She checked several times, but she knew—several scrolls had been taken, and with that in mind, she looked over the main room, her heartbeat increasing as she found relatively fresh blood. Then the worst part of all—one of the machines had been replaced.

And that meant they were trying to do it all over again.