'Happy with me?...'

Gaara couldn't understand what Yumi meant by that. They had only just met, but she was putting all her faith into him helping Yue. What was she thinking? He remembered those words she spoke just before he left. It's something that he will need to look into later.

"Gaara... Yue has only had one other friend besides me. She doesn't speak of it, but it's not my place to tell you what happened with him... It's because of him that she has lived a life full of sadness and fear. When I return to Konoha, I need you to show her that she can make something better of herself despite what occurred in the past."

'She had one other friend? Who was he?...' he thought 'Could it be that her thoughts of death are linked to this?...Is that why she feels to compelled to die?'

He clenched his fist out of frustration. He couldn't possibly allow her to feel suicidal. Thinking back to their previous conversations, she was indeed keeping something from him. This person, whoever he was, it had to be the reason for her to have such a guilty conscience and want to die. Did he do something to her? Or did she-?

**''I could hurt you...'**

Immediately, he shoved his hands in his pocket to feel for her folded up document copies. It was worn from how much he looked at it since they met. He unfolded it and scanned over the information. He must have read it a dozen times already, but there had to be something he overlooked about that person. If there was some kind of indicator to this mystery, he needed to know. It was certain that Yue would more likely keep this a secret from him even though he said he would wait patiently. The only reason he was going against his own word was because of that possession at training yesterday. She was so quick to anger that it ultimately consumed her. The more info he had on her, the better he could prepare for the worst and find some way to help her.

Page after page he looked until he got to the newspaper article of the Kori Shop's grand opening. There was a picture of Mameha and Yue side by side in front of the shop. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces, especially Yue. He had never seen her so happy in a picture. It was more beautiful than he expected. If he wasn't looking for some answers to his suspicions, he would have paid more attention to this particular photo. He wondered if she would smile like that again.

As he drew closer to see it, his eye caught something peculiar. It was far behind Mameha and Yue, and it was also standing in front of the shop. It was the face of a young man wearing an apron. He too was smiling. Gaara searched the article for a name. Nothing but Mameha and Yue's. The date was back almost 4 years ago. At this point he would have to rely on her telling him. That could take forever.

Knock! Knock! A sound came just outside of his office door. Gaara didn't usually mind being bothered during his work, but this time it was annoying him.

"Come in." He called, to which the door opened. Kankuro stepped in with the look of confusion.

"Hey Gaara. I thought we were going to see that girl yesterday, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I went to Kori, but it was closed and it looked as if she wasn't at home either. Where were you?"

"I was with Ms. Katsuna and her friend Ms. Hashigumi at the training grounds yesterday."

Kankuro's face got teary eyed with envy. "You mean you went without me?!"

Gaara nodded.

"Who's Ms. Hashigumi?"

"That's Yue's friend Yumi. She's from Konoha and is staying here for a little while to help Yue with her grieving of Mameha Katsuna's death."

"Oh so she's the one who's been helping her run Kori, eh? I went by the shop today for some of those killer sugar cookies. They both looked to be running the place fine. A few slip ups here and there but the cookies are still amazing." Kankuro said. "Why did you meet her without me?"

"We talked the night before and she agreed to start training with me. I learned a lot about her. It turns out my suspicions are correct. She and Mameha have been running from this Korishi clan for a long time."

"Korishi clan?"

"I don't know the details to why they are targeting her yet. Because of them she hasn't trained and is in a constant state of fear. From what I've observed, she is not a threat as long as she isn't emotionally compromised, but there's a piece of information that I'm missing about that."

He presented the picture to his older brother and pointed to the man. "I need to know who this man is."

Kankuro took the picture and looked closely to it. He instantly got wide eyed. "That's Reo Akimitsu! He was a member of our puppet core. Why do you need to know about him?"

"Yumi is Yue's only friend now. She confided to me that Yue only had one other friend before. Something happened between the two of them. Yue is afraid to tell me what, but I think it's the source of her suffering." Gaara explained.

Kankuro smiled devilishly. "I see so you're going after the man who hurt your woman?"

Gaara blushed and looked away to hide it.

'So transparent...' Kankuro thought.

"She's not my woman... And I'm not going after him, I just need answers."

"Well either way, you are out of luck because Reo died three years ago."

"?!" Gaara was surprised. His older brother could tell that he needed to hear more, so he might as well just tell him everything he knows.

"Reo and his family were part of our elite in the puppet core. After the Great War, Reo had lost all his family and it took quite a toll on him. He dropped out from the core to live a life of simplicity as a regular shinobi. We didn't keep in touch much after that. He got some job as a cook and met a girl, but I only heard that through outside sources. His death though is the most confusing part."

Gaara cocked his head and folded his arms allowing him to continue.

"They found his body near one of the escape tunnels we created in case our village hit a state of emergency evacuation. He was barely alive with intense organ hemorrhaging like he had been stabbed and left for death. He was brought to the hospital, but at the time we were suffering a medical shortage, his wounds became infected and he died."

"Someone attacked him? Did they investigate anyone with a motive?"

"'I don't know. You understand the type of training that we undergo in the puppet core. Even if he chose to leave it, it wasn't like Reo to get stabbed like that. It didn't look like he put up a fight at all. There was no weapon or sign of struggle with the enemy. Since the war ended, there was very little conflict within our nations. I can't imagine someone who would have any grudge against him."

They were both silent for a moment as Gaara was trying to think over the information. It was like Reo's body was placed there. This was making his assumptions much darker than he intended. Yue couldn't have pulled something like this off, could she? There's no way! It could have been someone using genjutsu before taking a physical attack when Reo was caught off guard. Their relationship would still need to be looked into. She will need to explain herself.

"Gaara, that girl Yue. Do you think she had something to do with Reo? Judging by this photo, it looks like he was working at Kori with both of them."

Gaara pushed his accusations aside. The facts were damning. He hoped it was some stranger. For now, he decided he will focus on the nice woman he talked to, not the twisted one in his head. If Reo was her friend at some point, then he doubted she would do something like this.

"No. I think his death came as a shock to her and it's what led her to live a life of emptiness for so long. She looks to have just as much trouble making relationships as me. Yumi said they were friends and his death could very well be the thing that triggers her emotions. Once she becomes compromised, her powers become unmanageable."

"She probably wasn't afraid to tell you about Reo; she was probably just as upset as she is now that Mameha died. It must be hard on her. Maybe if you showed her happy emotions, she won't be so easily upset. Find a way to cheer her up."

"How?"

"Come on Gaara. You need to learn how to read women. If you genuinely care for her, pay attention to things she likes and use it to make her happy. Then she will trust you enough to allow you to know her on a deeper level." He began to explain. Teaching his ignorant little brother about girls, what more could a brother ask for? "I went to Kori tea shop and I've seen her and her good-looking friend running it. She's very shy and sweet, but I can see how dedicated she is to her stressful job. Maybe if she had a day off from work to do something fun, that would be a start. Then you could get to know her."

His lips curled another perverted smile. "And maybe more..."

Gaara knew damn well what he was thinking. He wanted to sand coffin Kankuro to a pile of flesh and blood for saying such lewd things. Kankuro could feel the jealousy emitting from his brother's body. This was the crossed line and he wasn't going to go any further if he knew what was good for him. The other night he was worried Gaara would kill him, and was lucky he didn't, but it allowed him to foresee the boundaries.

"What do you have planned today? Are you going to train with her again?" He asked.

"No, I've been finishing these reparations and signing repair forms for the village. She agreed to meet every other day. Not today."

Kankuro groaned in irritation. "You should take a break today too. Go and see her."

"There are matters that need attending to. I can't leave my post whenever I feel like."

"Screw the papers! It's just for one day. The village is practically back to normal since the war and all the families killed in action have been buried properly just as you intended. It won't be long before the villagers start dumping their small burdens onto you. Then you'll be doing the work for hundreds more... You can be selfish too."

"Can I? After everything I've done to this place over the years, I owe it to everyone to fulfill every request." Gaara raised his voice to get his point across. "I took an oath. I can't back out of it."

Kankuro understood what he meant was for the good of the nation. If they weren't born into the Kage family, things might have turned out in a completely different way of life for both of them. Unfortunately this was the life they were dealt with. His little brother *was* a monster, but changing his entire way of life to prove that he was good, how could it not go rewarded? If anything doing extra work for the village was only adding more stress and making him the dependent for everyone. He sighed as he frowned to his brother.

"You deserve to be happy too, Gaara. You may have been a jinchuriki, you may be Kazekage, but in the end we are all human. We need to feel appreciated once in a while and make memories with the people we care about. Otherwise we are just lifeless zombies roaming the earth. I can see that you like this girl."

Like her? What was Kankuro thinking? Gaara isn't capable of something as liking someone, let alone love...was he?...
Kankuro chuckled at Gaara's shocked face.

'It's about time he realized what was going on...I remember how I felt after I met the girl that changed me...'

He knew that his younger brother was still misunderstood. It was only himself to blame. All this time he spent escorting women to fill the empty void in his heart when he could have been spending time with Gaara teaching him how to find a proper lady. He recalled the elders of the sand dropping the news of marriage upon Gaara. They even went so far as to arrange the marriage with the mystery girl before allowing them to meet each other. It most definitely came as a shock to Gaara. Kankuro knew that it wasn't right. Forming a relationship takes time. You can just rush into things!

Since that altercation didn't work out, it still didn't keep them from ordering Gaara to marry and produce an heir. Since Temari was now with Shikamaru in Konoha, it wouldn't be right if their son Shikadai became Kazekage. The Kazekage title has to pass certain qualifications and being a native born shinobi of the Sand is one of them. Gaara needed to find a woman here in the village... and by the looks of it, it seemed like he already found her.

"Right now I'm speaking as the older brother looking out for his little brother, and I say you need to go see her. I can't make you do that, so the choice is up to you."

With that said he turned away and left Gaara alone. He contemplated Kankuro's opinion. Was he really just working as a routine? When was the last time he actually spent time with his brother or wrote to Temari?...Was he truly becoming a lifeless zombie? A machine that only thinks about work and missions?

'We are all human...I can't remember the last time I stopped to connect with the people of this village... I need to see her...'Gaara thought. That was more than enough to convince him to make the right choice.

He took out his pen and blank paper and began to write three letters. One was to his beloved sister asking how her life was going. One was to the Mizukage, requesting a private meeting to discuss the Korishi Clan and its ties with Yue. And the final letter was to Kakashi Hatake. No doubt now that Naruto has become Hokage, he had his hands full and knowing his poor learning skills, it would be wishful thinking if Naruto mastered a sealing jutsu. If it wasn't for encountering Sasuke Uchiha and his curse mark situation, he might never have known Kakashi, his sensei, would know how to seal a jutsu. He explained his situation with Yue and requested that he travel to Suna to seal Yue's kekkei genkai from destructiveness. To finish the note off, he added that extra protection was delivered to the Hashigumi household.

After he sent the letters out, he changed into his regular shinobi clothes, and walked to Kori. The streets were filled with people going about their everyday lives. It was pleasant to see them all so carefree. Many of them saluted Gaara as he walked past them. He would nod to each gesture out of gratitude.

Soon he was outside Kori. People were coming in and out, which meant that it was open. He walked in and was immediately welcomed by the townspeople and the scent of sweets. Yumi took notice from across the room and went over to him.

"Lord Kazekage?"

"Gaara, Yumi..."

"Gaara, Yue doesn't feel like training today. She barely talked to me this morning. It's like she's depressed." She explained concerned.

"I'm not here to train. I came to see her."

She cocked her head curiously, wanting to know why, but it wasn't much of her business. He looked away with his cheeks lightly pink. Yumi realized then what he meant and formed a half smile. She knew Yue wasn't acting like herself. Maybe having Gaara here could help, but there was always the chance it could get worse.

"If you can find a way to make her talk, by all means try. She looks to be in worse shape than the day of the funeral. I wonder if it's because of the training yesterday or the shop or both."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I'm just assuming in all this... Aside from the new exposure to her powers, she still has medical and funeral payments piled up in her apartment that she has yet to pay. On top of that she has the tea shop expenses, and her apartment bills. I've been trying to get her to do something positive to take her mind off of stress, but she thinks of herself as a burden to me. I'm sure she's also upset about the training yesterday. The spirit inside her is hidden, but I can see the effects of it on her mind."

"I see." Gaara didn't know that she had so much wrapped around her at the moment. If he only knew, he wouldn't have initiated her training with all this. If she was going through that, no wonder she was emotionally fragile. The possession could be making her worse.

"I'm about to close the shop down for the day. These orders aren't going out fast enough and we've had too many complaints about the wrong tea going to the wrong people." She explained. "If this keeps up, she may not be able to keep Kori anymore. I'm sorry, Gaara. You might have to wait until the last customer is out."

"Very well."

Yumi placed him in a chair next to the garden painting. There he watched the two of them get back to work. Yumi was running back and forth frantically. Tea cups here, cookies there, dishes clacking, and people complaining. She apologized for every mistake, but customers were getting more agitated and stormed out. Running this place was a challenge that he never paid attention to until now.
Yumi put the closed sign on the door and escorted the last few customers out. She handed them free rations of sweets in apologies for the miscommunication of the kitchen to the tables. Once the door was locked, Yumi sighed and slumped onto the floor. Gaara stood from his chair.

"She's in the back." Yumi said. They both knew that she was too exhausted to get up.

"I want you to keep the place closed for tomorrow as well. I will talk to her." He ordered.

"Closed? But I said she has a lot of debt to pay."

"I understand. For now go and get some rest. I promised you I would take care of her."

He walked to the kitchen in the back and was bewildered at the mess. There were dirty dishes galore, flour on the floor, burning kettles still on the stove, and Yue holding her knees in the corner of the room hidden from the world. Her hair was in a messy bun and she was also covered in flour, but he could not see her face for she buried it behind her arms and knees. It wouldn't surprise him if she was crying.

With a heavy heart he knelt in front of her and pulled her arms away revealing her puffy watery eyes. She looked surprised to see him, but she quickly pulled away from him and hid back down in her arms.

"Go away..." she muttered.

He chose to ignore that statement. With his utmost bravery he didn't want her to remain this way. He knew what he had to do, so he sat beside her and wrapped her up in a hug. She sobbed harder. She didn't really want him to leave, but she couldn't let him see her like this. It was embarrassing. After a little while she adjusted to his body warmth and calmed down enough to relax within the hug. It was just like how Reo used to hold her.

"W-why?..." she whispered in between her short breaths "Why are you here?"

"I came to see you." He said calmly. The feel of her body was soft almost as breakable as glass. He knew she needed this, but he was sure it was more for him. If he let go of her, she could break away. He didn't want that.

"I'm s-sorry that... you are sucked into my problems..." she sniffed.

"I chose to be involved in your problems. I am here for you no matter what. I promised that."

"I don't want you to think of me as a bad person..."

"I don't."

"You don't know me..."

"I have the rest of my life to find out. You just need to talk to me."

She gripped his clothing at the sentence. This was the same challenge she had faced before. He knew it, that she had something she was afraid to tell. It had to be more than just Reo and Mameha's death. Something deeper. The truth.

"You don't understand..." she said.

"You're right, I don't. That's why I need you to tell me what's wrong. What's keeping you from telling me?"

"I was afraid of what you would do to me..." she began "but now I'm more afraid of what you would think of me..."

"Did you do something?"

She was quiet.

"Would it help if I told you the worst thing I've done in my life?" He asked.

She looked up to him. Thinking it over, she nodded. He didn't want Yue to know this horrible side of his old self, but if she didn't get this out in the open, it would destroy her. Yumi said she needed to be cared for or else that spirit inside her would take over. Yue would be gone forever. He wouldn't allow that.

"When I was a jinchuriki, I was young and unstable. I let my emotions get the best of me and I killed many people because of it. People hated me and tried to assassinate me because I was different. I thought for a long time that my purpose in life was to murder them and become stronger, but I know now that isn't true strength. Love is...That's why I am Kazekage. I wanted to make amends to the people I have wronged. Even if they couldn't forgive me, I would still try."

She remained quiet, taking in all that he said. Now it was her turn to confess. If he killed before, then maybe he would pardon her actions. They really did have more in common than she thought. So this is why Yumi wanted them to meet...

"Will you think of me differently?" She asked.

"Do you?"

"No, I don't. You are the man today from the boy you were then. What matters to me is how you are now."

He smiled. "Then I will think of the girl you are today, not how you were."

She took in a deep breath as she normally did to build up her courage. Yumi wasn't going to be in Suna forever. Gaara was here, and mostly he was here for her.

"Okay... When Nanna and I opened Kori, she hired a young man named Reo Akimitsu. He had no family, but to me was the closest thing I had to a friend in all my life. Yumi is my best friend of course, but Reo was different. He would always smile at me here at work and make me special cinnamon cookies. I remember how much trouble he would get in when he messed up in the kitchen, and his excuse was because he couldn't stop looking at me. He made me feel like I belonged here. After a year, I thought I could trust him enough to show my powers. In truth I was afraid of what he would think, but he didn't mind it. He wanted to see more of my ice magic, so against Nanna's rules I showed him the things I could make out of ice. Nanna finally caught me and I lost my grip on my powers. I was about to spear Nanna, but Reo stepped in the way. He took vital damage. Because I went against Nanna, she covered it up by putting his injured body near the escape tunnels of the village. He said it was the best place to make people think it was an ambush. She sent people to go help him and they put him in the hospital, but the doctors ran out of the necessary antibiotics. Even after all that, he still smiled at me...He died...I remember seeing his hazel eyes turn a dull grey every time I close mine. He said he forgave me for what I did. I don't know how he could. And Nanna, after being exposed to that cold after living in the desert for so long, she caught a virus and now she too is dead because of me. They're both dead because of me!"

She immediately covered her face and sobbed again. Tears were flooding through her fingers.

"I never meant to hurt anyone...I don't even want these stupid powers! The only two people who gave my life meaning and purpose are now dead by my own hands. Now I've brought you into this. I was afraid of what you would think of me if I told you my problems...I don't want to lose any more people I care about..."

'She cares for me?...' he sympathetically hugged her tighter and rested his chin on her head.

"I told you before, you are still Yue. I am focused on the woman right here next to me right now." He hugged her tighter and let her cry it out. "Yue...you are still learning your powers. It's no different than how I was when I received mine. I was born with my demon inside me and it was hard to control as well. I killed people while emotionally impaired and I've killed just because people challenged me. You are not yourself when you lose control. Something possesses you. I noticed that while we were training. I know that you would never intentionally harm anyone. It sounds like what happened was an accident and Reo was acting out of instinct and protected Mameha. I don't doubt that Mameha covered it up to protect you, and they both forgave you because they loved you. The only thing keeping you from moving on is your inability to forgive yourself."

"I don't know if I ever will..."

"The people that we kill in this world cannot come back. We each act on impulse every so often. It's what makes us human...Even I don't feel that I deserve redemption for the damage that I've caused, but by learning that what I've done was wrong, I made myself a better shinobi. It was then, when I became something more to others; when they forgave me it was then that I learned to forgive myself."

"It's not easy..." she said.

"No, it will take time, but I can promise you this - that I'll always be here."

He pulled her hands away from her face. With a smile, he gently wiped her tears flowing down her cheeks. She blushed.

"Thank you."