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Fun Fact: The last half of this chapter is actually what started it all. I couldn't get it out of my head and so it created the story. Enjoy!

Chapter Ten: Departed

The sound of her own breath leaving her lungs was like a low gasp to Kira's ears. Close to her, the panting of another was heard and she opened her eyes to see Tenten resting her hands on her knees as she bent forward, feet planted firmly on the ground. Kira wiped her forehead, brushing back hair that had come undone. Her weapons lay at her feet where she leaned on a tree for support.

It was the third day Kira had been in Konoha, and like she had agreed, she and Tenten had sparred with tonfas. It had been quiet different, as Kira had thought it would be. While her opponent had come at her with intent in every movement, there was a way in which her strikes were made that told Kira Tenten meant no real harm.

It had been a nice change, and to her surprise, a bit of a challenge. She'd never had to face another person with the same weapons; meaning most of Kira's movements were read by Tenten and vice versa. She'd kept the hidden blades of her weapons locked away, and for nearly an hour they had traded blows and studiously ignored the onlookers of Tenten's team.

In the end, whether by luck, training, or experience, Kira had knocked Tenten's left weapon from her hand and taken victory. Those events lead them to where they were now; huffing and puffing like angry bulls but feeling quiet the opposite.

"That was awesome!" Lee shouted from behind them and hurried footsteps put him into view moments later. He looked pumped and ready for a round himself, making Kira groan internally. "You are so fast Kira!"

She gave him a wearily smile, leaning her head on the tree trunk and concentrating on breathing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd spared for so long. Normal with her team, one of them took the win in around 15 minutes.

"Gee, thanks Lee," Tenten grumbled standing up straight, her weapons long gone, the summoning canceled. She didn't sound angry, more like she was simply pulling on the taijustu boy's leg. It worked, and Lee went back peddling and sputtering.

Glancing to the other boy present, she gave Neji a small nod of her head. He said nothing, as was normal, and Kira had a feeling he knew just what Kira was thinking. She might have won, but if Tenten had started using other weapons in her arsenal, that could have easily changed.

"Alright, it is my turn!" Lee shouted and Kira moved her head to look at him, his fist raised in challenge. "Come at me!"

The ANBU blinked and fought a grimace before pushing herself off the tree. As she bent down to retrieve her tonfas, she spoke. "I'll have to decline. I'm afraid that wore me out more than I thought it would… sorry." It was a half-truth; she was a bit winded, but she could have kept going. Kira just used the excuse to get out of round two. She'd watched Lee fight Neji an hour prior, and wasn't quiet sure she was up to that after what she'd just done.

Lee sulked a bit and Tenten put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Lee, we can't wear her out too much. She has a long trip back home tomorrow," she explained with a smile, glancing to Kira who nodded her head in thanks. It made her a little sad to leave; Kira had enjoyed her time here in the Leaf with Team Guy.

"Maybe next time. 'til then, we'll both keep training," Kira offered to the boy with a smile as she placed her weapons back in their holsters. Lee nodded his head, satisfied.

"I will be training with that in mind," he declared. Tenten sighed, shaking her head, her hand falling from his shoulder.

"Well, I think I'm done after that. Want to go get some food Kira?" she asked and Kira nodded her head. She'd had enough training for the day, and as Tenten had said, she needed to take it easy for her departure in the morning. Kira hadn't ever traveled such a distance completely alone, and she was a bit worried.

"We'll see you off tomorrow then," Neji spoke finally as Kira fixed her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. Kira looked to him, glancing to his gaze for a moment to figure out what he was thinking, but he gave no real indication other then a slight upturning of his mouth. She wondered if it was some sort of acceptance, one that felt oddly familiar.

It was the same kind of acceptance she'd felt from Gaara. Strange, to find someone with the same calculating calm personality in their allied village. She looked down, heart nearly sinking into the ground. She spent a lot of energy trying not to think about the circumstances around her leaving the redhead. She'd been angry and upset, foolish even. But there was that stubborn part of her that wouldn't be quiet. That whispered that the proof was there. He didn't trust her. That had to be why she was in Konoha, and not in the Land of Iron….

Shaking her head slightly she nodded her head to the two boys before they could suspect anything. "See you then…" Lifting her hand in a small wave, she turned and followed her friend out of the training field.

"Hey, you mind if we maybe go to the bath house first? I feel all gross after that." Tenten laughed as if she was embarrassed to have said that, and Kira smiled and nodded her head. If she took a bath now, she could leave faster in the morning.

"Sounds good…" she said, following the trail ahead of them that lead into the part of the village that had builds again. They walked in silence for a while and Kira bit her lip trying to reason out a way to get herself back on even ground with Gaara. She'd have a few days once she got back to think it over, as he would still be gone. She frowned, aggravated again as she replayed their conversation. How could he say that to her? It made her dread going back home; she wanted to just hide out in the Leaf village.

It wasn't 'til she could see the bathhouse that her friend spoke up.

"Hey… you all right?" At her voice, Kira stopped, looking to Tenten who had a concern look on her face and halted as well. "I know… we don't really know each other that well, but I can tell something is bothering you. It's not easy to see, but I've gotten good at it. Due to Neji and all."

Kira didn't doubt that Neji was one to keep his emotions well hidden, and it only made sense that his teammates would get better at seeing it. Still, it was surprising. Kira had always thought she was good at hiding her problems, but maybe all the years hiding behind a mask – not have to school her expressions – had made her lose practice. She really hoped Tenten was just sharper then most.

"I… its not a short explanation, nor is it really simple," she explained finally, looking at her feet and sighing. How could she even go about explaining something like that? Most of it wasn't something she was allowed to talk about. Being ANBU was complicated.

"You don't have to tell me everything but… I get the feeling it has to do with the Kazekage, yeah?" Tenten must have seen something in Kira's face because she gave her a small smile. "You called him 'Gaara' yesterday when we were talking, but you didn't talk about him much. I don't think you even realized it, so I'm guess you guys are closer than it appears, but something might have happened?"

Had she really slipped up like that? Kira almost smacked herself at her stupid mistake. It was just too easy to be normal around her! Kira wasn't sure whether to wondered if her friend had the ability to read minds or if Kira herself was truly just that transparent around Tenten. Slowly she looked to the side, staring at a tree and nodded her head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tenten questioned, and Kira finally met her eyes. She trusted the weapon user, more than she should have after such a short time, but she couldn't help it. Maybe if she talked to someone, she could get some answers. Either that, or at least get her frustration out by saying it out aloud.

"…Maybe," she said finally and the brunet grinned and grabbed her wrist, causing Kira to flinch slightly at the unexpected contact. It didn't matter who it was, Kira just couldn't seem to shake that response. She wondered if she would ever get past that.

"Come on then, let's go take a bath and chat. At this time of day we should have it mostly to ourselves." That at least was a comforting thought. Kira might have been okay with talking about it to Tenten, but that didn't mean she wanted the world to know.

Once undressed and scrubbed clean, Kira followed her friend into the large soaking tube, which, as she had been told, was empty. The water was nice and warm, soothing sore muscles and tired minds. Once comfortable, Kira explained the best she could what had happened. She had to leave out that she was ANBU… and that she had watched Gaara half their lives, but thankfully she came up with a suitable story either way.

After she was done, Tenten had been quiet for a little while, staring down at the water in thought. Kira took the time to worry and fidget with her wet hair, eyeing the ends of a lock.

"I can understand why you're kind of upset… I mean it kind of sounds like he doesn't trust you but…" Tenten swirled the water in front of her with a hand, making figure eights lazily. "I think maybe he made the right choice, not taking you."

Kira felt her chest squeeze, felt the edges of anger in her throat. Why was it so hard to understand? "But-"

"Hold on, I'm not done yet," Tenten interrupted, a teasing smiling on her face to ease the mood. Kira huffed and sat back in the water, back on the wall. "I don't think he's meaning to seem untrusting Kira, I think it's more of a fact that the Summit is such a big deal. While he is your friend, he probably had to look at it from a lot of different views. If you do end up his guard then you two will learn how to fight together, but he already knew how to do that with his siblings. He had to be critical."

Kira frowned and shifted on the tile seat of the tub. She hadn't really thought about it that way. In truth, Gaara didn't know much about her fighting style. He knew about her tonfas, and her Shadow Jumping ability, but that was it. She often forgot that, seeing as she knew most of his moves.

"Plus," Tenten said suddenly, gaining Kira's attention again. "I think maybe he just wanted to keep you safe, you know? From what I saw when my team helped rescue him…. Gaara doesn't have many close ties with people. You're his friend, that's probably something pretty cherished by him."

Kira's ears burned and she shook her head, using her wet hand to slick her hair back. She'd guessed that already, if she were being honest with herself, but hearing another person say it was a tad embarrassing. She wasn't used to being cherished by anyone other than her mother. Taking in a deep breath, she let out.

"Maybe you're right… I just…"

A hand reached out and touched her shoulder making her flinched again and silently curse. "It hurt. I can tell, but I think you should really just sit down and talk with him you know? Nothing gets done if you don't try."

Kira gave a small nod, flicking at the water in front of her and watching a few drops fly. "I'll try… just…. Don't tell anyone about what I told you okay? I'm not sure I'm supposed to…"

"Hey, no worries," Tenten laughed, dropping her hand. "But in return you have to remember to write to me, okay? I won't let you go back to Suna and forget about me."

Kira laughed slightly to, finding the entire idea silly. As if she could ever forget Tenten, or any of Guy's team. "Okay I will, promise."

In that moment it wasn't the dread that made her want to stay in the Leaf, but rather the girl sitting next to her in the bath.

…

No one had said anything for most of the trip home. The wind had been a harsh howl across the dunes of sand during their trek, and the sand siblings had kept their mouths firmly shut, cloth over most of their faces to keep the sand from pelting them too hard.

This was done mostly out of habit as most of the sand around the trio avoided them thanks to Gaara's natural power over it. He just didn't have any power over the wind and it was better safe than sorry. One only got a mouth full of sand once before quickly learning their lesson.

They ran across the sand as easily as they might have a dirt road, leaving them to let their minds wander. Gaara's mind was far away from the dunes of his homeland, replaying the events of the summit in sharp detail that he was sure wouldn't fade anytime soon.

Sasuke had attack them and Gaara had been forced to fight him. He'd seen the darkness in the Uchiha's eyes that was so deep the young leader doubted there was a single light left within them. Yet, even after all of that, Naruto refused to give up on him.

It baffled and worried the redhead. As one with a limited amount of close ties, Gaara could understand why Naruto felt the way he did. He'd seen the two boys together a few times before Sasuke had turned rogue. That kind of connection was not easy to find for ones such as himself and Naruto. Still, there came a time when no matter how strong a bond one had too look at the consequences. In his short time as a leader, Gaara understood that the many would always have to come before the few. That personal vendettas and feelings could not stand in the way if it opposed all logic.

The blond had not listened though, no matter what Gaara had said. There was only so much he could do. Not when there were other more extreme worries to take care of.

Like the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

It seemed that not a single generation could be spared from the brutality of wide spread bloodshed. Gaara wondered if there could be a world with ninja, and without war. Madara had some truth in what he had spoken. Shaking his head Gaara blinked, recognizing the stone gates of Suna ahead. They were finally home.

The three siblings didn't slow, not until they were inside the village, passing one of the farthest out stores in the shopping district. Temari pulled at her face scarf, dragging it down around her neck and let out a sigh. "Finally made it home."

"I don't know about you guys, but I could use a nap, for like two days," Kankurō grumbled, pulling the cloth away from his face as well, some of the paint on it faded and smudged.

Gaara said nothing, but their sister agreed as they trudged forward, a few civilians and off duty Ninja greeting them as they passed by. They didn't stop, not until they had passed through the venders and had made it half way to the tower when someone started shouting their names.

"Temari! Lord Gaara!" They all turned to look behind them to see Aya running up to them. At first Gaara thought it was just her being her normal, cheerful self. She was known for greeting people when they came back from missions, but something was different. Something was wrong, Gaara realized all to quickly.

The blond, whose hair was normally up in twin side tails, had her hair down and it looked slightly dirty and tangled. Her eyes were duller and dark rings painted the skin under them. She looked haggard, nearly burnt out. It was a bit of a shocking sight, and Temari – the girl's closest friend of the three siblings – was the first to take a step towards her.

"Aya? What's wrong? You look awful…" His sister reached out and smoothed a hand over her friend's hair, pulling it away from her face. "Did you have a hard shift?"

"Yes, well no, I mean," Aya let out a large sigh and Gaara glanced at his brother who looked just as confused as he felt. "I just got off my shift, but that's not really the problem. I've been up for the last few days."

"What? Why?"

At Temari's questions Aya frowned and bit her lip, glancing from her to Kankurō, and then finally to Gaara himself. She hesitated for just a moment before speaking. "It's Kira."

It was like something sucked all of the air out of his body. It was startling, how much two simple words could so quickly affect him. While Gaara tried to keep his composure in place, his brother voiced the words that nearly jumped out of his own mouth. Surely she was fine, the mission she'd been on hadn't been dangerous. It was just a test. She was fine.

"Kira? What happened? Was she hurt on assignment?" His words were quick, worried. Gaara knew how much his brother valued his rekindled friendship with the ANBU. All of them were friends with her in one way or another, Gaara included.

"No, no, she's not hurt. She got home just fine but…" Aya frowned, her eyes settling on the ground, eye contact broken for the first time. "Ms. Araya… She passed away quiet suddenly a few days before Kira came home," she spoke the words as if they were suffocating her, her voice grave and sad for the first time Gaara had ever heard it. "Kira didn't take it well."

There was a pregnant silence that settled over the small group. The sounds of the busy market behind them seemed to fade away in Gaara's suddenly stone cold mind. Meela Araya – Kira's only family – was dead. Hadn't he just spoken with the woman a little over a week ago? She'd seemed perfectly fine to him.

"How is she?" Kankurō spoke finally, his voice quiet, saddened by the news. He'd known the women better than neither of the other two siblings and Gaara knew this must have been hard to swallow after just getting back.

Aya looked to him, a frown still on her face. "I've been checking on her when I can. I took her shift yesterday…Shura told her to take some time." Her words explained her appearance well enough. A double shift on top of everything else would leave most looking dead on their feet. "She won't talk to me, not really, but I can tell she hasn't been sleeping… I'm worried. I was hoping one of you could try…"

"I'll go speak with her," the words were out of his mouth before he could even think about it. His siblings looked to him surprised, but Aya seemed to have expected them, her gaze steady on his. He looked to his siblings. "Go turn in our report to the council. I'm not sure how long this will take."

Kankurō looked like he wanted to protest but their sister put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a firm look. The puppet master sighed, looking downcast. "Alright. Tell her I'm here if she needs me." Without a word, his older brother took Gaara's pack from him and stepped back.

Gaara gave them a nod and the two turned and continued towards the tower. He glanced to Aya who was still standing there, looking at him steadily. "Is she at home?" he asked easily, and the blond gave him a tired nod of her head. "Do not worry about her. You should get some sleep." It wasn't an order, but Gaara put enough force behind his words to make sure she knew he was serious. She wouldn't be of much help to Kira or anyone in her current state.

"Alright," Aya agreed before giving a small bow. "Thank you Lord Kazekage." With that she turned on her heels and walked off towards a group of homes. Gaara could only hope she would get some rest.

Thinking no more on it, the redhead turned and headed towards the tattoo parlor on the outer ring of the village. A building, he realized as he walked, that would remain closed from now on.

It was a short walk, and Gaara spent the time worrying and wondering if he should have asked Aya more questions. He wasn't even sure what he was doing or how he was going to go about doing it. This really was out of his normal comfort zone, but Gaara had jumped on it. He was worried about her, and he admitted to himself he had thought about needing to mend things with her during the trip every once in a while. Now everything was different though, that would have to be put aside until he knew Kira was all right.

He would just have to figure it out as he went.

The door to her house was unlocked, but Gaara still took a moment to knock. When there was no sound from the inside he pushed it open and entered the shop section of the house. The sun was still high overhead and so most of the lights in the house were off, but Gaara felt uneasy as he looked around the deserted room. It was rather large and open, a single chair near the back raised above the ground on a metal stand. Beside it was a more normal looking chair with a standing tray of tools. Above it all though, were the colorful designs that seemed to cover all of the wall space, ranging in every subject one could imagine. Every single one drawn with skill and care that made Gaara wonder why the older women had chosen to do her trade in something like tattooing.

Glancing around the room once more the young ruler moved on through a doorway that seemed to lead into the house part of the building. It was a simple layout, with wooden floors and a straight staircase that led up to the next floor. Most of the house must have been up stairs as the only other room Gaara found on the first floor was a kitchen that held dirty dishes that looked days old and an upturned chair. At the foot of the stairs he found the remains of what might have been a vase. Broken pottery and dead, dried out flowers littered the floor.

Gaara frowned, carefully stepping over the mess and heading up the stairs. He hadn't thought Kira to be one to break things, but such loss could very well drive people to do things they wouldn't normally do.

He didn't have to go far to find her once he had climbed the steps. She wasn't in a room like he thought she might be, instead she was sitting in a hallway, her back to the wall as she stared into the open doorway of a room. She glance up when he appeared at the top of the stairs, a startled look crossing her face, though she didn't move from her spot.

"Gaara? What are you…doing here?" Her voice sounded muffled, as if her throat were dry or tight. She looked about as good as Aya had, her clothes rumbled and hair tangled. The forlorn look in her eyes made the look she had given him last time he'd seen her seem almost cheerful.

He took a few steps forward, approaching her the way he might a frightened animal. "Aya told me what happened," he stated softly and she flinched before looking away, her eyes on the ground. He examined her expression, the tight set of her mouth, the sharply pulled down eyebrows. She pressed her face into her drawn knees after a moment and a shudder went through her shoulders.

"I really didn't want anyone to see me like this," she whispered and he realized then why her shoulders were still shaking, why her voice was tight. She was trying not to cry. Realizing this almost made Gaara take a step back. Her words made it clear she was ashamed of herself, to have him see her crying like this. Gaara didn't even have to think about the answer as to why she would feel that way.

Because in the world of Shinobi showing emotion was a weakness, and crying was seen as an inexcusable venerability. It was a rule ever Ninja understood, and Gaara could only assume Korin Esley had nearly drilled such a rule into her head. The Scorpion Section was known for effectively stripping emotions from its members.

As Gaara watched his friend sit there on the ground, trying so hard to fight back the grief that was plainly showing, he realized that such a rule truly was wrong. She was sixteen years old, one year younger then his brother, and only a year older than himself. They were children, and while they may have chosen this path, Gaara wondered when it had become tradition to send children into battle, to expect things from them as if they were twice their age. Even more astounding was the pressure and high standards they were expected to reach.

When had that become the world they lived in?

When had grieving for loved ones become a sin?

Gaara had no answer to those questions. What he did know was that he couldn't just stand there and do nothing. He was the Kazekage, but he was also her friend.

'Loss is always easier if you're not alone'

Kira had said those very words to him not long ago to comfort him, and now Gaara realized it was his turn. Taking off his gourd like the first time they'd sat and talked, Gaara took the steps needed to be by her side and then slowly sat down, raising one knee. He kept a foot of distance between them, not sure how close he should sit and then carefully reached out a hand and touched her shoulder.

Kira jumped slightly, raising her head with a start. Her eyes were rimmed red, and tears swam within them like water on glass. He swallowed. He really wasn't sure what he could do for her, and he certainly wasn't someone who knew how to comfort others. Still, he had to try.

"There is nothing wrong with showing how much you cared about her, nor how much you will miss her." He shifted slightly, his hand more solidly on her shoulder. She bit her lip. "I am sorry, for what you have lost. Your mother was very kind. I could tell… she loved you." Gaara had not known the women well; in fact he wasn't sure they had ever really spoken before the day before he had left for the summit. She had been very wise though, and very, very caring. That much had been easy to tell.

Kira stared at him for a long moment and when she spoke, her chin trembled. "You never knew your mother…" she whispered almost to herself and Gaara didn't really have a chance to wonder why she was bring that up before the tears in her eyes overflowed and she buried her face in her arms. He pulled his hand away as a sob cracked through the air, shattering the quiet house. "They said she passed in her sleep, that it was painless but…" Her explanation was muffed by a plugged nose and her own arms, but Gaara understood it, she didn't have to finish to know what she would have said.

The how hardly mattered, and in the end it did little to comfort someone. They were still gone, and Kira would never see her mother again. "It's alright," he said softly, not knowing what else to say. Gaara didn't know the pain she felt in the same way. He'd never known his mother. She had died the same day he was born. She had hated him.

Not knowing what else he could do, Gaara settled in for a long day. Resting an arm over his raised knee he looked forward into the room she'd placed herself in front of. The older décor and numerous art pieces inside made it fairly easy to tell it had been Meela's bedroom. He glanced at his friend who was crying quietly next to him and after a moment, inched slightly closer to her.

It wasn't much but it was all he could think to do. He wanted to do something, for it was almost painful to see her as she was. Kira had always been strong, her ability to not break under Korin had shown him that much. She was shy and untrusting to most, but her determination had always stood with an iron will and her smile had always been true.

He wanted to find someway to bring those back, but at the moment he knew both were unreachable. If there was one thing was for sure, Gaara knew things had to change, for he didn't want anyone to have to hide away like this. He would work for it, he decide, for a day when his people could see tears as simply a way of grieving, and not something they needed to hide.

"Thank you," Kira whispered through hitching breaths after a long time. Gaara looked to her and she met his gaze with a watery one. He pulled his lips up slightly in a small smile, in some attempt to comfort her.

"You don't need to thank me."

She stared at him for a moment and Gaara wondered what she was thinking before she shook her head and rested her chin on her knees. He knew in that moment, if she'd had the strength, she might have smiled.

"No, I guess I don't."