"So this is the famous Village Hidden in the Sand... Home to the leader of the Armed Shinobi Forces, the Kazekage." The man muffled behind the white turban draped across his face.

The wind in the desert was mildly aiding the hot sun blasting its ultraviolet rays. The gate was just up ahead.

"I don't understand why the boss is sending us to such a prestigious location to look for that child. It's been 8 years since we've seen that brat, and we've checked nearly every village. She's probably dead by now." Responded the other man.

"Don't question our orders. Remember what the Yuki clan did to our people, Oishi. Even if the kid is dead, I would still want to be sure of it. At least the boss will be at peace, so let's just get this over with already."

"Very well, Genzo, you first." Oishi replied. "Just out of curiosity, let's say she is alive hiding in there, what do you intend to do about the Kazekage and his unquestionably strong militia?"

"The less he knows the better. If she is hiding, what difference will it make that she just so happens to be missing?" Genzo stated.

"So you intend to kidnap her, eh? That didn't work out so well the last time."

"This time I won't let that old bitch get in my way. After this many years, she's probably be begging for death."

They chuckled together as they stepped closer towards the entrance. Genzo felt in his pocket for the cards. He handed one off to Oishi.

"Remember your new name this time. It took almost a week to study the logistics of this place and to find two low ranked sand guard bodies to steal. God forbid you screw up as bad as you did in the Leaf Village.

""Shut up! I did what I had to do to make that Hashigumi woman talk." Oishi snapped "With her daughter as an elemental too, why doesn't the boss go after all of them?"

"The Boss only wants the Yuki child. Stay alert this time. Your arrogance will cost us more trouble than necessary. We can't risk a Kage's interference."

"Whatever, lets just finish this mission already!"

"Let's go."

/-/

"So it *was* a date?!" Yumi exclaimed grinning from ear to ear.

"I guess so..."

She jumped onto Yue giving her a giant bear hug. "I'm so happy for you! But mostly, I'm proud."

"Proud?"

"Yes! You have finally opened up to someone other than me! And the best part is now that you two know about each other's past mistakes, you can work together to be better shinobi...Wait! Not just as shinobi, but as a couple!"

"I wouldn't look so much into it Yumi, the way he's acting kind of confuses me." Yue stated.

"How come?"

"I think he might not want to date me...I feel like he's only helping me because he feels sorry for me...it might be because of Reo..."

"That's nonesense! Why would he ask me to close the shop down today as well if he didn't like you?"

"Wait! He told you to close Kori today too?" Yue asked.

Yumi covered her mouth. Oops! Maybe she wasn't supposed to tell.

"He might be planning to take you on another date." She smiled trying to show Yue the brighter side of the shop closed down. "And what's better is that he's taking care of your debts, he's helping you through your loss and your powers much better than I was, and for gods sake he's so turned on by you!"

"WHAT?!" Yue flipped out.

"You said he got a nosebleed from looking down your shirt. It means he got the hots for you so bad that his body reacts to it."

"I always thought it meant that he was nervous and it stressed him out." Yue explained.

"Well your not technically wrong... Feelings of lust are different in many people like feeling your heart beat faster, getting sweaty or butterflies in your stomach, having sexual thoughts about the person, and so on. Some people confuse lust with love all the time."

Yue's ears perked up. "What's the difference between lust and love?"

"Lust is having only sexual thoughts about someone, nothing more. I always believed that love revolves around things other than lust, although it plays a huge part in it."

"I'm confused."

"Look, Yue, love is a feeling to serve and protect another, to make them happy. It can be a friendship or family, or it can be with another and escalate to something more. When it comes to something more, that's when lust comes in. As I said before it plays a part in love, but on a different level than the rest."

Yumi released her friend. She was deep in thought. Was that how Gaara felt for her?

"Yumi, does that mean Gaara loves me?"

"I think that's something you would have to ask him."

Yue fidgeted her fingers nervously. "But what if it's-?"

"He's not like that. From what I've heard, he's not the type to stray from building bonds with others and with all the things he's done for us already, I doubt he would do it to get in your pants. He's probably just as confused as you, Yue. Just talk to him."

Yumi stood from the couch over to the counter and retrieved a small stack of envelopes. She handed them to Yue.

"Be sure to give him your bill information when you see him. If some cute guy walked into my life offering to pay all my debts, I'd go out with him anytime he wanted."

Yue went through each bill with angst. One after one they started to rack up. This was way to much for him to pay for, but he wasn't going to take no for an answer. The last envelope caught her eye.

"Yumi, this one says it's for you."

"What? I haven't been here but for a couple of weeks."

She handed it to her. Yumi opened it and read through it. As she got towards the end, her face flushed blue with shock. Something bad has happened."It's mom...Her house was broken into. She needs me to go home."

Yue's eyes widened in surprise but also with sadness. "I'm so sorry...You need to go then."

"I'm sorry, Yue."

"Don't be." She smiled at her friend "You have helped me out more than I could ever have asked. Besides, Gaara promised to take care of me now."

Yumi smiled to her with an aching heart. If it weren't under such circumstances, she wouldn't have to leave so soon. She could tell the frantic way her mother wrote the words in the letter meant urgency. This was very unusual to say the least since the last break in they had was when Yue and Mameha stayed with them. Since then the Hokage has been involved and kept the house safe, but why did this happen now? Was the Hokage not there?

"You should go and see him." Yumi said.

"Shouldn't I see you off at the gate?"

She shook her head and placed a hand on Yue's shoulder. With all that she's been through, she didn't want the letter to add anymore stress to her. The less she knew about it the better. If Yumi's assumptions were correct about the Hokage's absence, there is a chance the Korishi may have returned. Without her there to protect Tatsu, it could have gotten messy or worse. There's no telling how long it's been since her mom sent the letter. All she knew is that if her mom was in danger, it would only be a matter of time before they located her here in Suna and then to Yue. She had to leave now!

"No really, I know how much you want to see him. It's going to take me a good bit to pack my things up anyways." She tried to remain calm, reassuring Yue that it probably wasn't a big deal. "You need to ask him how he feels. I can see that it's eating you alive just thinking about it. Maybe you like him too."

"I'm not sure... He reminds me of Reo, but he's so different from him." Yue explained looking to the ground.

"I see...you still have feelings for Reo?"

Her silence answered her question.

"Finding someone new to love doesn't mean that you are replacing Reo. You know that he loved you up until the very end and he wanted you to be happy now as you were back then."

"The way he holds me is just like Reo! The way he holds my hands, the way he smiles, all of these little things he does is just like him..." Yue exclaimed.

"Yue, listen, all guys do the same thing when they are with the girl they care about. If you were to date someone with a completely different personality than Reo or Gaara; if that one guy liked you enough, he would do the exact same lovey-dovey shit. It's called affection and if Gaara is willing to do it just as sweetly as Reo, I think he can make you just as happy...I know you are afraid of getting hurt too, but remember that pain you felt when Reo died - think about how good he made you feel, all the love that went in to make you feel that bad to lose him. It just shows that we are meant to lose the ones we love so we know how important they are to us."

Yue lightly clenched her left breast at the ache underneath it. Perhaps she was right, as she always was. Reo and Gaara were two different people. Being different is what made them unique and that in itself had proof enough that Gaara couldn't replace Reo.

"The decision to move on is yours. I have a feeling that you want to know if Gaara loves you because you secretly love him too. I know that he does genuinely care for you and he does make you legitimately happy, but I understand that you still grieve over Reo. I hate to say it this way, but at some point you will have to realize that Reo is gone. He can't come back... But you deserve to be happy again Yue."

"How did I ever get such a great friend like you?"

"Fate brought us together and nothing will keep you from being my friend. You know that you can write to me as much as you want and if you need me, I'll be here without question. For now, you need to go to him. And I need to get back to my mom."

Yue wrapped her up in another tight hug. "Tell her I said hi and give her a hug for me."

"I promise." Yumi said. "I'll write to you as soon as I'm there and let you know how we are doing."

"Thank you again for everything you did for me, Yumi. I love you my best friend."

"I love you too, Yue. Now go see Gaara."

/-/

"Gaara slow down. At this pace, you won't have any energy left." Kankuro said trying to get through to his little brother.

Gaara ignored him to continue his work. The sooner it was finished, the sooner he could meet her. He gathered all the finished work to clear his desk of clutter. In a way, this was like the norm for Gaara. Kankuro tried thinking of a way to start helping him since he knew for sure Gaara wouldn't listen. Sometimes he wished that neither one of them belonged to the Kazekage family, that way Gaara or him or Temari wouldn't be dragged into this political bullshit. The elders needed a Kage to replace their father Rasa. The Hidden Sand Village couldn't go leaderless forever. Kankuro was originally to be entitled the position, but he saw how much Gaara wanted it. At this point, he wished it were him instead to do the work. The frustration was starting to take its toll, reflecting especially in his work. It was beginning to get sloppy.

"What all is needed to be done, Gaara? Maybe I can take some of the work load off of you." He suggested.

"These forms need to be reviewed and signed in approval, I have to check to see if I have any responds to my letters sent to the Kages of the Leaf and the Mist, I have to stop by my house to retrieve something important for Yue... A lot. I have a lot to do." Gaara explained, his tone just as irritated and stressed for time.

Kankuro smirked at him. Something must have happened the last time he saw her. He's never seen him so worked up over one girl."Alright, I'm sending Crow to check your inbox. I'll sort through all your papers and organize the ones that need absolute review. I'll try to put notes on each one to short hand what each document says. Go ahead and get ready. It's not polite to keep a lady waiting."

Gaara paused to look at him. "Kankuro you don't have to help me."

"But I want to. Honestly, I've never thought I'd see the day you would be so excited to see your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend." He corrected to which his brother only moaned in grief.

"It sure looks like she is. I'm curious to know what happened between you two."

"That's not your business." Gaara said coldly.

Kankuro got dramatically teary eyed."Come on, just give me a little detail. Did you take her on a date?"

"I'm not sure if it was a date."

"What do you mean?"

"I took her to Sarkus Fanshi and she looked as if she felt out of place. We went there in civilian attire, which was against their strict dress code, but I used my authority to let us dine in anyways. She didn't seem to like it when the waiters addressed us as a couple. Then there was an incident and we left."

"What kind of incident?" Kankuro interrupted. He could sense the discomfort in Gaara's green eyes as they looked away. His cheeks turned a light pink.

"I saw her...black...bra."

"You what?!" Kankuro shouted in a fit of jealousy. "That's amazing! You got to see her underwear on the first date?!"

Gaara felt his head pulse at his arrogance. "It's not like that."

"How big did they look? Was it a lace bra or a push up? How did you see them? Did you hit step 3 already?!"

"No! She's not that kind of person." He began. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

"I'm just curious Gaara. Since you didn't go to step 3 then how were you able to get close enough to see the bra color?"

"She just reached across the dining table for my hand and her shirt fell open."

"That's awesome! Congrats to you little brother! Then what happened next?"

"I got a nosebleed and it scared her. We ate and I walked her home. She kissed my cheek before she left and when I asked her if this was a date she said 'if you want it to be'..." Gaara thought it was best to leave out the breakdown Yue had on their way home. He already told enough personal stuff about her today...and to his perverted brother none the less.

"Sounds like it *was* a date and she was totally into it. Maybe it got to a rocky start. Next time take her to a less fancy restaurant so she won't feel out of place."

"I plan on it."

Kankuro removed all the papers from his desk and patted them neatly in line on the wooden top. "Well don't just sit there, go home and get ready."

Gaara stood from his seat and motioned his way to the door, but once he was about to exit, he stopped. "Kankuro, why do you help me?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you helping me with Yue? You could be escorting your own woman."

Kankuro paused. Where did that come from all of a sudden?

"I have no interest in finding a girlfriend. Besides you're my little brother. I'm always here to help you."

"If you have no interest in a girlfriend, how come you go out with many different girls?" Gaara asked turning to face him.

Kankuro looked to the floor as if that question stabbed right in his heart."Some holes in your heart can't be filled no matter how many women you meet."

"A hole in your heart?" He repeated trying to figure out the meaning behind it.

"You and Temari never met her, but I had someone special once... and I loved her more than life itself...we made a pact before the war that if we both returned alive that we would make it official...the thing is, she didn't come back." Kankuro swallowed the hard lump in his throat to keep him from crying. His chest ached thinking back to her gorgeous face just before they departed.

Gaara saw the pain his brother was feeling and placed an arm on his shoulder in a side hug. "I'm sorry..."

"Years of peace with our nations proves that she did not die in vain...but it's still difficult for me. Those girls that I meet, I don't love them. I guess you could say that I use them for physical comfort since I haven't been able to move on from her loss... I'm sorry to confuse you about that Gaara. I probably haven't been so helpful giving you advice on dating..."

"You can still choose to be happy again." Gaara stated, although the way Kankuro was wording this seemed like a lost cause.

"No...I would rather have her memory than to start over again. I've made peace with it." He began "You still have Yue...whether she's your girlfriend or not, if she kissed you then you still have a chance with her."

"I'm not so sure..."

Kankuro's brow scrunched questionably. "How come?"

"That man Reo. She told me that they were together before his death...because of him I doubt she will ever have feelings for another, let alone for me." He explained. "Perhaps she has a hole in her heart too."

Kankuro thought for a moment. If that was the case then maybe she wouldn't want a relationship. It would be sad to see Gaara's efforts on this girl go to waste since he truly cared for her. He could see it."Yue might be willing to move on from Reo...if she kissed you, then maybe there's still hope."

"How do I know when she's moved on?" Gaara asked. Despite his brother's womanizing lifestyle, he understood his intentions were sincere.

"I think she will let you know one way or another."

"And if she's not ready to let go?"

"Then it will be up to you to stay as her friend or not. There are plenty of fish in the sea." He informed "But listen Gaara, my fish may have gone away, but you still have your line out."

"What?" Gaara questioned.

"I mean give her some time. Yue probably isn't sure about dating again. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't stop showing her interest...I mean if you are certain that she is the one you want then keep showing that you care... maybe she will come around. Don't be so quick to assumptions, these things take time."

"How much time?" Gaara asked.

"There is no actual set of time Gaara. Just be patient. You will know when it happens, trust me." He smiled to his brother. "You really have grown up."

Gaara smiled back.

"You should go. Just leave this mess with me. It's doesn't look good to keep her waiting."

He nodded and happily exited the room in a cloud of sand. It was almost unbelievable that Kankuro experienced something like that without him knowing all this time. It's like he didn't want to let anyone know yet, but Gaara also blamed himself for not spending as much time with him. Kazekage or not he should have set aside some time for his family.

As soon as Gaara returned to his room in human form, he immediately went to his side table drawer and pulled out the contents. Last night after he said goodnight to Yue, the idea came to him of how he could protect her. It took nearly all night for him to fashion this trinket for her, but to him it was worth it in hopes that she would appreciate it. He placed it in his pocket along with another surprise he retrieved from the academy armory. It wasn't anything special, but it would suit her protection. He closed the drawer and checked himself in the mirror. He peeled off his Kage uniform into his casual burgundy clothes. With a quick rush through his hair and a pat in his pocket to make sure he had the items to bring, he deemed ready to go and walked out of the Kage tower.

He took the back door to avoid being stopped by the Elders on their weekly monitoring of the political office. Surely if he were to bump into them again, they would nag him about not producing an heir, or given the circumstances nag him about not tending to his work. He didn't need that right now. Gaara began to walk in the direction of Yue's house, but had to stop when he noticed his greenhouse. The door was wide open. He remembered closing it yesterday just before taking Yue to dinner. It wasn't Kankuro since he was in his office or Temari since she was in Konoha. Oh no!

He summoned his sand to form a small gourd strapped to his hip. Someone who dared to trespass inside the Kazekage's greenhouse would not be so easily let go. God forbid trying to steal one of his precious cacti. He stepped slowly towards the doorway feeling more uneasy with each passing thought of what would lie beyond it. The sand curled around his hands ready to strike at his will when suddenly he was in immediate contact with icy blue eyes.