Gaara stepped out of the elevator to the fourth floor thinking hopelessly about Yue and Tsuki. Grief and worry of what was to come next time they talk was the only thing he was really focused on. Whatever Tatsu had to say to Yue was important. Any information regarding the enemy would certainly prove beneficial, but his last conversation with Yue only left him with more questions; questions that weighed over anything else. What did she need to tell him?

Following the signs placed around the hallways, he directed himself to his designated room. He slid the key in the lock slot and opened the door. As he stepped through the door, he felt a bit irritated at the sight of how nice the room was. Naruto didn't have to waste so much money on a room like this. He would have sufficed with an ordinary room like Tatsu and Yumis, but he just wouldn't let it go. Gaara never really cared for luxury despite being born into a wealthy family. When he became Kazekage, he had to gain supporters for the village through regular meetings with the rich families and clans around Suna. In those meetings, they would brag about their useless pricey possessions, demand high respect without earning it with a sense of entitlement, and they would abuse their many servants by taking advantage of their time and skills. Just seeing this brutish behavior on a regular basis, Gaara would have turned away from them, but their wealth was one of the main pillars supporting the village's economical structure. He had to pretend like he was enticed with a fake attitude for the sake of his people. That in turn drove him to buy a normal house instead of a mansion and fill it with basic simple possessions. This room that he was currently in was definitely too much for him; he would have to find some way to repay Naruto back for it later.

He unstrapped his gourd, glad to finally relieve himself of that weight, and leaned it against the golden coffee table in the den before making his way to the bedroom. All that time spent traveling to this place without stopping had certainly took its toll on his body. He was very tired and now the only thing he really wanted was to relax with a hot shower before Yumi arrived with the clothes and food. The bedroom was quite lovely. The use of sage green definitely tied well in with the fact that they were in The Leaf Village. Gaara began to strip off his military uniform piece by piece starting with his robe. Unlike most ninja, living in The Sand and being as active as he was, he didn't wear a typical shirt under his uniform, just the standard breathable mesh material. It allowed more moisture to secrete over his body in the hot sun and not weigh him down. The cool air soothingly embraced his torso now that it was finally exposed.

Thud! "Ow! Dammit!" cursed a voice from behind a large door that he could only assume was the bathroom.

Gaara instantly summoned his sand to retreat from his gourd in the other room by his side. It wasn't often that Gaara had to face intruders, but now that he was on his own protection, staying vigilant even in his own personal space was necessary. Whoever this ninja was, they were doing a very disappointing job at being stealthy. As cautiously and as quietly as possible, he approached the door. Thud! Thud! It sounded as if they were doing something to the walls on the other side, possibly planting traps. Fortunately for him, this was the only way in and out of the room. Gaara was the only obstacle in the enemies way. Using his chakra, he commanded the sand to grip the handle and slowly turn it to avoid making the clicking sound. He wasn't going to give the enemy anytime to prepare for the fight and with the element of surprise, he flung open the door.

The white haired girl swung her head to the intruder and let out a small scream. Both their eyes widened in shock as their minds took a minute to register. Before his eyes was Yue, standing there in the middle of the bathroom, hair slightly wet from the shower, her blue eyes full of fright, clasping hold of a towel that barely covered the front of her body. The curves of her waist and breasts were exposed out in the open. For a moment, he stared at her. That was not what he expected to see. Where was the burglar? Why is Yue in his room? And why was she naked?! He turned to look at her face which was then forming a flushed scarlet red around her natural cheeks.

"Gaara?" She called, now feeling more embarrassed than she ever did in her life. He just stood there in the doorway with his sand hovering around his bare chest. His body had several scars and niches from previous battles over the years, but what really caught her eye was his strong built core. It was painfully obvious that he worked out, and she couldn't help but be astonished.

He opened his mouth, but said nothing. The feel of his eyes on her nudity made her feel incredibly vulnerable, but why was he staring?! What was he doing in her room in the first place?! Why didn't he knock?!

"Gaara!" She yelled, which snapped his mind out of hypnosis to focus on reality. The revelation of what he had just done instantly came to him. The blood in his body rushed straight to his face. He tried to hide it with his hands, but it was already too late. Closing his eyes, he turned away.

"I'm so sorry!" he slammed the door shut, snatched his clothes back on as quick as possible, and ran out the room. At this point he didn't care where he was going as long as he wasn't in that room. His heart was throbbing so fast that it felt as if it was going to burst out his chest and his breathing increased to what the medical ninja would consider to be dangerous levels. What the hell was going on with him? This never happened before. What was he supposed to do?

When his body was where he assumed was a safe spot, he rested his legs to catch his breath. Sweat perforated from his glands and dropped from his face to the ground, but that wasn't all. Drops of blood soaked into the dirt covered ground, taking his focus. He rubbed his fingers under his nose, feeling something warm and wet. Looking at his hand, there it was. Another nosebleed.

"Damn it..."

After a while, his lungs relaxed behind his ribs, but his heart continued to beat furiously. Images of what happened kept flashing inside his head. Her terrified blue eyes looking back at him, those unexpectedly large breasts falling over her small arms to cover up, and the smooth curves of her figure escaping from the small towel she held against her. She was... so... perfect. Just when things couldn't get worse, they did. By him! He smacked his head for being such an idiot. Of all the things he paid attention to, he didn't pay any mind to what Naruto said when he handed over the card keys. He said he booked a room, one room! The Hokage suite! The two card keys were for both of them to share it!

'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!' He cursed over and over.

Finally, he had to accept that everything already happened, that there was nothing he could do to change it. If he could go back in time, he would have knocked. Oh god, why didn't he knock first?! He thought that she was someone breaking in. That's a logical excuse, right? No! There's no excuse for what he did. But wait! It was Tsuki in there, not Yue... But she *was* there; they were sharing her body. What would she think of him now? He betrayed her privacy. What's really bad is that he didn't move or say anything when she called his name, he just stared at her like some creepy perverted psycho. But he couldn't help it. He wanted to see more of her. He should have realized his actions sooner because now he knew for sure that there was no way she would be able to look at him again. How could she? Gaara then felt so disgusted with himself. This was not what Kage's do! This is not what good gentlemen do! Who the hell was he right now? He groaned in frustration as he rubbed his hands across his temples pulling his hair to relieve some of the tension.

"Gaara?" called a familiar feminine voice in front of him. His teal eyes were then met with the green eyes of his sister.

"Temari?" At first glance, she looked like she normally did, wearing a long black kimono with a red obi tied around her waist, but then he noticed the unusual round shape of her stomach. With a smile, she approached her little brother in a tight hug, which he returned gracefully. The different feel of her frame was a little unnerving.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "How are you?"

Gaara felt instantly relieved that she was here. The stress from before had faded away. "I'm here on mission."

"What kind of mission?"

He glanced at his surroundings before giving her an answer. "Could we talk somewhere else?" Temari's smile turned serious. He was still the same old Gaara, still being extra careful than he needed to be, but when she noticed that he was all by himself, it seemed to change her mind.

"Sure. Let's go to my house." She turned to head into the direction of her home with Gaara following by her side. "So how have you been? How's Kankuro? The village?"

"The Sand Village is fine. Soon it will be prospering again. Kankuro is doing well. He is taking charge of the people in my absence."

"Wait. So he's not here with you?"

"No."

"Are you here by yourself?" She asked concerned. That wasn't protocol for the Kazekage to travel across nations alone.

"I'll explain when we get to your house."

There was a short pause until Temari realized he failed to answer one other question. "And how are you doing?"

He didn't answer right away. "I'm not sure..."

"What do you mean you're not sure?"

"I scared a close friend..." was all he could say. He didn't really want to get into that nightmare again especially with his sister. If Kankuro was here, he would be teasing him like no tomorrow, but Temari would probably agree and make him feel worse off than he already did.

"You did? How?" she asked, knowing this wasn't the first time he had to deal with this issue. But she had no idea the length of this problem.

"I'd rather not get into it... What I did was an accident, but I regret that it caused her so much distress." he explained. He thought that by refraining from telling about Yue's body would conserve her honor from what he already took from her. Temari could tell that he was holding something back. It must have been bad if he didn't want to tell. Regardless, she was still his sister and needed to at least offer help.

"Did you apologize?"

"I did but I panicked from the damage I made and left. Then you found me..." he answered.

For the remainder of their travel, Temari thought hard trying to piece all the possibilities of what he could have done to decide the best advice to give. They turned around the corner street and was soon outside a typical shinobi house. Temari unlocked the door and guided him to the kitchen table before putting on a pot of tea. He watched his sister reach the top cabinet with a small struggle of height. In no effort at all, his sand grabbed the item she wanted and handed it to her. "You really shouldn't strain yourself."

"Relax, Gaara. I'm pregnant not useless." she retorted as she placed the tea into the pot and brought a warm cup to Gaara. He sipped the hot liquid with a shrug. She was so stubborn, but that was the way she was.

"What's it like having a -?" he paused, not really sure if this was appropriate conversation to ask.

"Having a baby inside me?" she finished. Gaara nodded. "Well it's definitely an experience different from anything I've been through before... A part of me feels like this is what I was meant to do as a woman, but then I feel overjoyed knowing that this new life is a part of me and the person I love most."

He gave her a small smile. It was nice to see her finally happy. The time for her to live the life she wanted was unequivocally overdue. Temari returned the smile and took a sip of her decaffeinated tea.

"Are you going to tell me why you're here?" she asked. Gaara almost completely forgot their previous conversation when they were catching up. He took in a deep breath and explained his situation. Temari couldn't believe it.

"That's crazy that you would leave your post to chase after this girl. Does the council know you're here?"

"I've instructed Kankuro to brief them on the situation and perform my Kage duties while I'm away. I'm helping Tsuki Ona for Yue's sake. If this clan is really around, it could be a threat to the five nations if they decided to declare war." he explained for the millionth time. He hated saying the same story over and over, but his sister was an exception.

"So this girl, Yue, she's your friend?"

"Yes, but now I'm not so sure."

"Is she the one you frightened?" He nodded. "Can you tell me what you did?"

Gaara gulped down the lump of guilt in his throat as the memory came hurling back. Temari grew more weary of his silence and observed him. When his cheeks turned a dark red, she got confused. She never saw him get flustered before and seeing it be involved with that girl only festered more questions in her head. Was he getting embarrassed?

"Temari." called a deep voice from the doorway of the kitchen. They both turned to see the mellow face of Shikamaru lighting up another cigarette. After waving to Gaara, he beckoned his wife over to him. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." she excused herself from the room to follow him to the living area, far enough for where Gaara couldn't hear. "What is it?"

"You should read this message from Kankuro." he handed her the already opened letter with a smirk. "It sounds like Gaara was going after Yue for reasons deeper than National Security."

"What?" Temari proceeded to read the letter. As soon as she finished, she bolted back to the kitchen and gave Gaara an unexpectedly huge hug. "Finally! I'm so proud of you!" Smothered Gaara tried to push her off to breathe, but she wouldn't let go. Where the hell did that come from? What did he do? Eventually, she let go and plopped herself back in her seat.

"Proud of what?" he asked unsure of what all was going on. She held up the letter. Gaara cringed immediately recognizing the sloppy handwriting to be from his brother.

"That you finally have a girlfriend." she smiled. "Kankuro told me everything."

'Fuck!' Gaara cursed his brother. He must have sent that letter the day after he took Yue to dinner.

"You took her to Sarkus Fanshi on the first date? You should have saved that for a anniversary date." she began "What's she like? Is she nice? Kankuro didn't really tell much about her."

Gaara growled under his breath. "What did he say?..."

"That you get super protective when he mentions her name, that you rush through your work just to go see her, and that you don't know how to handle yourself around her." Damn that Kankuro! He will pay for that later. Temari chuckled knowing that he was getting pissed. "It's okay, Gaara. I think it's great. It's about time you found someone to crush on." she smiled. "Tell me about her."

He crossed his arms and looked away to think. "She's... a very unusual person. She's as respectful and poised as she is emotional and timid... She isn't great at fighting when she becomes overwhelmed. I'm certain she almost never wants to battle unless its to spar or if she had no choice. Yue has a hard time opening herself to others, mostly because she thinks her issues are a burden to talk about, but when she does open up, you see a completely different side of her. This side is honest and determined to pursue happiness not just for her but for those around her... She always sees the best in people, even the things they might not see for themselves..."

"Wow." Temari was almost speechless. Even the things Shikamaru said when he confessed his love for her didn't compare to that. "She must be very important to you... Do you love her?"

Gaara thought back to every mistake he made from the memory of when they first met to now and frowned. "It doesn't matter now..." He did.

"What are you saying? Of course it matters." she began "You said earlier that you were worried what she'll think because you scared her, right? What exactly happened?"

"I-I... I really don't think I should say." he stuttered gradually feeling more ashamed by the second. He knew Temari wasn't going to let this go. He should have just walked to Naruto's house and gave him a piece of his mind for that awkward moment.

"You can trust your big sister. It can't be as bad as what you've done before." She had no idea.

He took a deep breath in to build up his courage. "Naruto checked us into a room at the Tenshi Hotel, as a gift for being a good friend and for attending his wedding. Tsuki Ona had an argument with Yumi earlier that day, and she angrily went to her room. I didn't know what room she was in until I got to my own room." Temari already knew where this was heading, but quietly let him continue. "When I went into the bedroom to relax, I heard a noise coming from the bathroom... I opened it... and saw.. *gulp* I saw her just getting out of the shower."

Even though she knew this was what he was going to say, it still shocked her to hear it. "You saw her naked?"

Gaara's face reddened so deep when he nodded that he looked like a full blown blood pack. His sister thought for a moment to try and assess the situation. What would she have done in that moment? The peeper wouldn't have lived to see a day. This was her little brother though, a boy who never had any experience with true love before and who had no idea how to handle relationship problems as complicated as this. What was going to be the best solution that won't have him beat to a pulp from her later?

"Well, I think what happened was just an accident." she began "You definitely didn't know it was her that was in the bathroom right?"

"No."

"Then tell her that."

"If you ask me, I think you have an opportunity here." Shikamaru interrupted them by entering the room and taking a seat at the table with them.

"An opportunity?" Gaara cocked his head.

"You like her, don't you? This situation kind of forced you both into a state of confusion, and I think if you want the awkwardness to go away, you two need to talk it out." He said and then proceeded to take a drag of his cigarette.

"Didn't I tell you not to smoke in the kitchen?" Temari said.

"Hey, give me a break. Your brother is the one you should be nagging." He relaxed his arms behind his head lazily, which only made her glare at him. That kind of attitude is exactly what Gaara didn't understand about their relationship. What did she see in him?

"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Shikamaru. You should apologize again formally and talk to her. I can't deny that it's going to be awkward between you two. You can't take back what happened, but you should take charge of your actions. It might be time to tell her how you feel." she said placing a hand on his arm in sincerity.

"I doubt she would want to see me again..." Gaara said in a hushed tone.

"Your mission with her sounds too important for her to consider something like that. And if she's the type of person you view her to be, she would still be your friend even if she rejects you." she answered.

"I say if it doesn't work out, move on. There are plenty of fish in the sea." Shikamaru retorted. Temari narrowed her eyes at his bad advice.

"She's the first woman to show me how it feels to experience true happiness..." Gaara said timidly. Temari smiled brightly.

"You should tell her."

/

Yue buried her face behind her arms as she tucked in her knees. How the hell did all that happen? One minute she's in control of her own body and the next minute Gaara's seeing her body! She assumed that when Tsuki told him to get her a room that they would be separate, not shared. He probably came in thinking someone dangerous was out to get him and barged in. That would explain the sand hovering around and his look of intent to kill. He was the Kazekage after all. Remembering those rumors, people still held grudges against him. Anyone could decide to act on it. Yue was certain that anyone who had power and riches could very easily make many enemies. Gaara would fall right into that category. What bothered her the most was how much did he see? The way his eyes gazed at her in that moment was so unusual. It was so different in a way that she couldn't describe. Tsuki was right that he was difficult to read.

As soon as he ran out of the room, she felt so lost. Only questions found their way in her psyche. Why did he stare? Why did he run away? Where did he go? Was the sight of her that bad? She breathed shallowly as the robe she tied was very constrictive. She was lucky to find a large silky black bathrobe to wear from one of the bathroom cabinets since her regular clothes were so filthy. There was no way she was going to walk around in a towel again. She tied it so tight that it was more likely cutting off circulation in her body, but that didn't matter as long as she was covered. To her surprise, that overwhelming situation was not enough to trigger Tsuki Ona back from her slumber. Perhaps using her power or being injured was the only way to signal her back. Yue didn't want that, at least not at this time, now that she was able to freely be with Gaara. She was even given permission to confess her love, but how was she ever going to do that now?

Suddenly a knock came at the door. She lifted her head from her arms. That must be him. He must've taken a walk to figure out what to say. Yue understood because she was sort of doing the same thing. The door knocked again, making her sprint towards it. She opened it and wasn't welcomed by a flash of messy red hair, but instead was reunited with the long black hair of her best friend Yumi. Bags of what looked to be groceries and clothes overfilled her arms. At first glance, her smile turned into a frown.

"Oh, it's you."

"No Yumi, it's me. Yue." she corrected. Instantly, her smile returned brighter than before. Yue offered her a hand with the bags and welcomed her inside the room.

"I got us some food and some clothes since we were too busy being kidnapped to pack." Her sarcasm was something to behold. It was always able to get Yue to laugh. "Do I have to speak in sign language or something so Tsuki doesn't hear me?"

"Believe it or not, she and I agreed that I can stay as long as we switch for fighting. She went away to rest. You don't have to filter yourself."

"Oh thank God! I didn't want to have to talk to her again. Oh!" she caught sight of the provocative black kimono she was wearing. "Ummm... Am I interrupting something between you and Gaara?"

Yue blushed pink at her friends remark and shook her head. "He's not here actually."

"So you decided to dress sexy for when he comes back?" She smirked. "You're really moving fast."

"It's not like that!" Yue snapped as she looked through all the bags for the clothes. She wasn't going to give her the satisfaction as long as she was wearing this robe. As soon as she saw a designer tag sticking out, she snatched the bag and went to the bedroom, being sure to lock it this time, to change. A plain black shirt, underwear, and stretchy black pants gave the best feeling of conservation ever. She returned to the table with Yumi who was starting to chow down on the take out box full of soba noodles. Her own take out box as well as Gaara's was placed around the table. Yumi slurped her noodles with delight, but Yue couldn't seem to touch her food. The grief of embarrassment had left her stomach full of knots.

"What's wrong, Yue?" she asked "I got Takoyaki, your favorite. It won't be good if it's cold."

She eyed her dish with sadness. No amount of Takoyaki could make her feel any better now. "Something happened before you got here... And I don't know how to deal with it."

"Did Tsuki do something to you? Or threaten you again?" she was getting more tense "I'll rip that bitch a new one!"

"No! That's not it!" Yue yelled. "It's about Gaara."

"What about him? Wait! Did he hurt you?"

"No, Yumi, just shut up and listen please!" Yue pleaded. "Gaara sort of... walked in on me in the bathroom... naked."

"He what?!" She choked mid-slurp on the noodles and started coughing. When she finally relaxed her throat, she came to her senses and focused hard on Yue. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know. Tsuki told him to get a room and as soon as he came back with the card keys, she took it and we came here. I took a shower, but I forgot to lock the door. By the time I finished drying off, Tsuki and I came to a truce and she left, and then the door burst open. My towel unfolded and I screamed. The next thing I see is Gaara standing in the doorway shirtless with his sand ready to attack."

"No wayyyyyy!" Yumi exclaimed with eyes as wide as the moon. "What did he do? Did he say anything?"

"No he just stood there looking at me... It felt so weird. I called him twice to get his attention and then he turned around, apologized, and ran out the room." Yue answered with an ache in her heart.

"He just left?" she questioned.

"Yea... I don't understand. Was seeing me that way... bad?" Yue felt the unsettling swelling of tears ready to form in her eyes again. Yumi saw that she was beginning to lower her self esteem again.

"He probably just freaked out, like that time you gave him that nosebleed at the restaurant." she explained "He might not have known how to react. You might be the first girl he's seen naked."

"How would you know?" Yue asked.

"I'm just guessing, Yue. I don't know that much about him to answer that. Why don't you talk to him?"

"It's going to be so awkward when we see each other... If we see each other... I have no idea where he went."

Yumi closed her box of noodles and stood from her chair to walk over and give Yue a warm hug. It didn't look good if he did that, but she couldn't tell her that. Yue was fragile enough as it is. The only thing she could do was to give her hope and confidence.

"I'm sure he will come back soon. It's not like him to abandon his friends." she said "I bet he's out there pacing the floor, trying to figure out how to talk to you. He's got to be scared."

"He doesn't show it." Yue pointed out.

"That's all part of the male dynamic. Men aren't emotionless. They don't express their feelings often because they consider it a weakness and being vulnerable. Gaara is a hard guy to phase, but if you step inside his mind, he is just like any other guy." She let go of her friend to go through the other bags on the table. One bag had clothes for her and the other was for Gaara, which she set his on the floor. "Make sure he gets his stuff when he comes back, okay? I need to get back to my mom. She seems to be getting around fine even though our house is gone. I'm sure with the Hokage's help, it will be rebuilt in no time."

"That's great to hear. Tell her I said hello and give her a hug for me." Yue said as she stood up to give her one final hug before leaving.

"Will do, but I think you can do that yourself. Mom actually wants to talk to you later." Yue shot her a confused look. "It's about Mameha."

Yue sighed. It must be about the secret she had kept from her all these years. "Alright, but I'm not sure that I'm ready to discuss it yet. Not after what Tsuki said."

"I know. It can wait, but just talk to her before we leave the village, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Now try and eat something. The fall festival is tomorrow night, and we have a lot to do together before we go. And we are DEFINITELY going!" She smiled practically jumping with joy. Seeing her like that gave Yue a warm feeling inside. In agreement, she nodded and Yumi walked out the door.