All I'm going to say is Hello

Enjoy the update.

-o-o-o-

"Got a secret, can you keep it?

Swear this one you'll save.

Better lock it in your pocket

Taking this one to the grave.

If I show you that I know you

Won't tell what I've said,

Cuz two can keep a secret

If one of them is dead."

-o-o-o-

"Momma, why are you crying?"
" That's a secret sweety. Now stay here. I'm going to help you Dad"

"Wait, what's the secret"

-o-o-o-

'Too bad for me both of my secret holders are dead.' Kira clawed at her own face as she continued to sprint across the landscape. She could smell the blood of Mei on her nails still, feeling her stomach coil at the thought of Mei's shocked and hurt face. How could she have hit Mei?

She no longer knew where she was going, but she did know she was in trouble. She glanced behind her, but that was all the time Gaara needed. She gave out a cry as the sand beneath her feet shifted to create a wall in front of her. She slipped, barely regaining her balance and stopping a few inches from the wall. She looked up at it for only a second before crouching low and leaping over it. Gaara had anticipated this movement, though, and was standing on the other side with a giant sand hand ready to catch the fleeing woman.

"No!" she yelled out at him as the sand snatched her in the air. She kicked at the sand, fury boiling as she snarled at him. "Put me down!"

"Fine."

"Omph!" Kira landed with a thud on the ground. She stood, taking a step away from Gaara when he approached her. "Don't touch me." She bared her fangs at him, feeling the same coiling pain at his expression.

Gaara stopped, his blue eyes staring into her hazel ones. "Why are you running?"

She gripped at her sides, holding her stomach in and curling slightly. "I have to run. I didn't want anybody getting hurt. Please, I will explain everything I can. But right now you have to let me go."

He walked forward again, raising a hand to brush her hair from her face. She looked sick and fragile. He'd never seen her like this. Even when she was hobbling on crutches or in a maid's outfit, she carried this aura of power. "Will you come back?"

She flinched away from his touch. His hand felt like he was on fire. "I will. I'll be home by tomorrow morning. Just let me go." 'I don't know what to say to you.'

He lowered his hand dejectedly, the sand releasing her with his movements. "I'm going to with you."

"No, you can't!"

"I am going. As your Kazekage it is my responsibility and duty to oversee the wellbeing of all my inhabitants. That includes you."

She looked at him as her face contorted and eyes flashed red. "Fine." She finally said, deflating under his intense gaze. Damn those eyes of his.

-o-o-o-

"Where the hell did you run off to?" Temari sat up from her seat, tripping over the sleeping form of Kankuro. Her entire appearance screamed signs of worry to the Kazekage. She reached into her pocket and took out a small radio, placing a headset to her mouth. "Stop the search." She stated, "Missing targets have returned. I repeat, cease all searches. Over."

Gaara looked at his sister warily, knowing all too well the expression on her face and what it meant. But she did not lecture or scold him, like she would normally do. The thought of her finally realizing he wasn't a child anymore fluttered in his mind, but he dismissed it; that was highly unlikely.

Kira had her head resting on his back, looking quite content as she slept in the 'piggy-back' position. Gaara moved inside, placing her on the now vacant sofa chair. She gave a small noise, before curling up in a ball and turning her back away from them. Kina slipped by and jumped onto the back of it, purring softly to signal all was well again.

Kankuro had obviously woken up after being stepped on, irritation evident with his crossed his arms. He had the same expression on his face that Temari did towards his younger brother.

Gaara simply stared back at them, angry as he mirrored his brothers arm position. He wasn't the guilty one, and he wasn't going to take any of their scolding.

"What happened to her?" Temari finally asked, slipping past him to check Kira's temperature with the back of her hand.

Slightly surprised at the shift of attention, he decided to take this as an opportunity to sit down. "I don't know how to explain it. But something bad is going to happen. I have this… premonition… and I don't have any idea just what it might be. She has other enemies besides her uncle."

"Everyone has enemies. Being a ninja, it could be a group or someone who was related to one of her past targets." Kankuro suggested, standing up and disappearing to the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with herbal tea and handed a cup to Gaara, who took the offered drink readily. He took a large gulp of the warm drink before looking at the table. He shuffled through the papers, picking up the one of the stage pattern.

"Did Mei and Yu get this?" he asked, reading the scribble on the bottom of the page.

"Yes, they did. They're staying in the guest room right now."

"…These people know something that none of us know." He read the heading of the paper. "And they plan to do more, apparently. This was just a part of what they're doing…?"

"Where did she run to?"

"She ran to anywhere that she could. I caught her just outside of the village, but she was acting strange. I managed to get her to allow me to come with her. We went pretty far into the desert, but somewhere we must have made a circle and landed in her old home." He placed the cup down on the table, staring at the liquid as he spoke. "She killed an animal." He stated, receiving confused expressions. "It was the way that she killed it, I think, that caused her to run." He moved to where Kira was sleeping, taking her hand and showing her palm to the others.

The gem was protruding from her hand, a dark and clouded mist within the red jewel. It had a hollow core, and gave off its own warmth and a faint pulse. Blood was crusted under her nails and stained her skin, but no signs of cuts or injury were visible on her.

Temari could only stare. She had no idea what he was saying, or what to make out of this entire thing.

"I think this gem is more powerful than we first thought."

-o-o-o-

I figure that's enough for now. I would love some reviews, since it was one lonely little review that got me back on the computer and typing. Those are very motivational.

Ja ne