I stared after Sasori's departing back, my jaw clenched and my fingers digging into their respective palms with such force that my knuckles had gone white with the strain.

He was going back to Kazuki.

Back to that Yoshi Akiyama.

Sasori didn't look back once, and when he had disappeared, I visibly relaxed, though I still felt that same trepidation… that same fear.

Whatever Kazuki said, I would still not trust that boy… that Yoshi Akiyama.

I let out a humourless chuckle at the way my thoughts were going.

"I knew it," I whispered, that strange smile still present on my lips.

After all, it really was very obvious.

I was shunning a boy that I barely knew.

I refused to trust him, and I had never spoken a single word to him. Who knew what he was going through now that he was awake?

His entire family had been murdered, and here I was, completely disregarding that fact. He had had people close to him killed. And for what?

Spite?

I would never know, and nor did I particularly wish to.

I wasn't attached to him, but it seemed that my sensei was.

And rather quickly, too.

Kazuki had seemed like a venomous snake the way that she'd defended him earlier, and it had went rather well with how her eyes were narrowed at me with venom and distaste.

She hadn't even known him for 24 hours, and already she was getting attached.

Everyone was in there with him, too.

I was alone.

All alone.

Being alone was my fear, and I'd acknowledged it.

But right now, I felt nearly the exact same as I had in that forest when I woke up all alone with no one in sight.

I'd been all alone then, with nothing but the trees for company.

I walked from the room, still limping from the injury in my leg. I lingered in the hallway, my face scrunched up in thought, before then ultimately deciding to head toward the bane of my existence.

That is, Yoshi Akiyama's room.

It was only a short, thirty second walk, and in that thirty seconds, I sought to clear my mind- to rid myself of useless thoughts such as anger and annoyance and distrust.

I did this because I was sure that Kazuki wouldn't want those "feelings" intruding on her patient's healing process.

When I arrived at Yoshi Akiyama's room, I rapped softly on the shoji door, and not a second later, it was slid open with a loud, forceful thrushing sound.

Kazuki stood in the doorway, and her face was suspiciously blank, except for the tell-tale grinding of her teeth that indicated that she was in some way angered.

My sensei tended to do that when she was truly angered- that is, grinding her teeth. And in all the time that I'd known her, she'd only done it about three times.

She'd done it twice to Takashi when they'd had some sort of petty argument and he'd said something that angered her, and right now, was the third time.

Oh, yes, something was going on.

Something that I had no knowledge of.

"Sensei," I greeted stiffly, and I held her gaze for what seemed like hours, until she finally broke the silence and greeted me back.

"Yūmaru-chan," she nodded, then her gaze grew sharper, a keen smile forming on her lips, "Are you here to see Yoshi-kun?"

"So what if I am?" I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest, as if to hug myself away from her keen, ice-ridden stare, "It's not as if it's a crime to see how a dying boy is holding, now, is it?"

"You don't trust him," her voice grew frosty as she added, "It's as if you think that he'd be better off dead."

I felt a chill go through me, and as I gazed up at her cold, self-assured face, I felt a stab of resentment.

"He hasn't given me a reason to trust him, Sensei," I said coldly, "I mean, why should I trust him? I don't even know him. And right now, Kazuki-sensei, you really do need to face the facts. What if his survival is just a trap, and we're awaiting an imminent ambush?"

And with that said, I strode past her frozen, stunned from and right into Yoshi Akiyama's room.

Said boy was on his futon- the same futon from when I'd left his room earlier. He was slumped forward, just barely supporting himself with his elbows. His was incredibly pale looking, and his eyes were dead-looking.

There was no emotion present on his face at all, and only a somewhat pained grimace could be seen furrowing his brows.

He looked as if he had lost the world.

When I stood at the foot of his futon, his head slowly raised and his dead blue eyes pierced mine.

"Who are you?" he whispered, his soft voice shattering the stifled silence of the room.

"You're Yoshi Akiyama," I said, ignoring his question, and then, to make something clear to him, I said bluntly, "I don't trust you."

Yoshi looked confused, if the boy was even capable of that emotion in his state, and he repeated his question: "Who are you?"

This time, I decided to humour him, "Yūmaru Kishi," I answered flatly, and I was aware that I wasn't being nice, but by that point, I couldn't care less.

I was a ninja.

I didn't play nice.

I then felt a warmth close to my side and, abruptly, something sharply jabbed me in the ribs, making me yelp in surprise.

I turned my glare to a stern looking Yashamaru.

He smirked at the sight of my piercing glower, but, as if he couldn't care less, he commented, "Stop trying to act cool, Yū-san. It doesn't suit you at all."

My glower dissolved into a scowl which twisted at my lips, "Who said I was acting cool?" I hissed, shoving him away.

Suddenly, the weight of the Sunagakure head-band tied around my forehead seemed too much to bear.

I sighed harshly, and buried my face into my hands, and I felt the soft strands of my hair tickle my fingertips.

All I could see was black now, but I didn't care.

Because, at that second, everything seemed too much.

The mission, the ambush, and then… Rei. Afterwards, waking up alone, and then finding a dying boy lying amongst the remnants of his murdered family.

It was all too much.

All of a sudden, my throat felt tighter than it usually did, and it became harder to breathe. Something sharply pricked at my eyes, and response, I pressed my hands tighter over my face.

I felt my bottom lip quivering ever so slightly, and I bit down on it harshly.

It was all too much.

I grew mildly alarmed when I felt something hot and wet pour from my eyes, dripping past the cracks in my fingers and streaking down my cheeks.

Some fell onto my lips- they tasted salty.

What was happening?

Was… was I crying?

And it was then that my lips pressed together and my eyes squeezed shut.

I didn't have any right to cry.

No right whatsoever.

No, never after I had been so rude to my sensei and team-mates.

Not even after Yoshi Akiyama.

I kept my hands plastered to my face and slowly edged toward the entrance of Yoshi's room, aware of everyone's gaze on me.

But before I could, something snapped around my wrist, but I didn't turn.

"What…!" Yashamaru's voice trailed off, and he seemed astonished, then he said, "Are… are you crying, Yū-san?"

He seemed to be truly stunned, as if he'd thought that I had been over the worst parts of this mission.

He was wrong.

Because I wasn't.

I could still remember Rei, could still remember his cold eyes and empty voice, could still remember his fingers wrapped around my neck.

I remembered everything.

"Just… just leave me alone!" I finally hissed, tearing my wrist from his grasp and fleeing from the room like a coward.

Just when I was gone, I threw over my shoulder, "Come get me when we're leaving."

. . .

We set out the next day.

By that time, Yoshi's wound seemed to have closed tightly enough for (and it was all thanks to Sasori's mystical palm technique).

The air between Kazuki and I was chilly at best.

We spoke only when it was needed.

The same went to my team-mates, too.

Yashamaru didn't seem to really acknowledge my existence, but that could be in retribution to the way that I ignored him.

And Sasori didn't even seem to be interested.

I knew that I was being petty, and that I was probably hurting them, but I couldn't help it.

Kazuki and I were both angry at each other, and Yashamaru and I weren't speaking, so where did that leave me?

Oh, right, nowhere.

As it was, Yoshi could barely walk, so Kazuki, Sasori, and Yashamaru took turns carrying him. Yoshi would merely sit there, his chin resting on their shoulders and his dead looking eyes staring straight ahead.

My leg still bothered me, but it had only been about three days since I'd sustained the injury, so it couldn't be helped, I suppose.

I walked with a very noticeable limp, and I barely managed to keep up with them.

When it was time to take to the trees, I was somewhat horrified.

I knew that I couldn't tree jump with this leg, but I was reluctant to accept anyone's help. I didn't want to seem too weak after pulling that stunt back in Yoshi's room.

"Yashamaru-kun," Kazuki said sharply, gaining all of our attention, "I want you to carry Yūmaru-chan for the duration of the time that we're in the trees. It won't be for very long, so you won't be burdened that much. I'd do it myself, but I currently have an armful of child."

And it was true, at that current moment, the boy- Yoshi Akiyama, I harshly reminded myself- was currently riding on my sensei's back.

Yashamaru sighed deeply, and he turned to me with a grimace on his face, as if he was repulsed with the idea of carrying me.

Not that I wanted him to, of course.

He handed his pack to Sasori, and the red head instantly retrieved it, easily balancing the bag in his free arms.

Yashamaru then presented his back to me, "Hurry up and get on," he muttered, voice somewhat aggravated.

Ah, I get it now.

He was still annoyed with me.

Well, if I were him, I would be, too.

I sighed heavily, knowing that if I began to protest in any way, shape, or form, then Kazuki would have my head.

Actually, she'd just flip me.

I nimbly climbed onto his back, and with that, we set out again.

The next few days passed in much the same way (minus the carrying), and the atmosphere was still stiff and chilly.

Nobody made any visible effort to strike up a conversation.

We were all tired, moody, and somewhat traumatised from the shared experience of our C-rank mission.

We just wanted to go home.

And when we finally arrived at Suna's gates, we were hell-bent with relief.

We had been through hell to back (though it was mostly Yoshi who shared that sentiment), and we had just wanted it to end.

And it did.

I was silent as we were ushered to the Kazekage's office, with another ninja taking Yoshi off of our hands and to the hospital where he could properly recover.

Once in front of the seated Sunako, we gave our report.

When we were dismissed, I just wanted to run home and fall into the safe confines of my bed and never get up again.

I bid my team-mates goodbye, getting a nod from Sasori and a muttered "goodbye" from Yashamaru, and made my way home.

On the way, though, I had to make a pit-stop by the hospital and get my leg checked out. The medic-nin there were very nice about it, if I may add.

They removed the blood-soaked bandages, cleaned the wound, and wrapped it tightly with new, fresher bandages.

After that, I really did make my way home.

"Taidama," I called, opening the door as I did so.

"Who is it?" a voice called from the kitchen, "Is it you Takashi-chan?"

"It's me, Yū. Really, Kaa-chan, do I sound like a guy to you?" I responded, voice dry.

I heard Mum gasp, and then, after a few moments of silence, I felt myself being crushed in a tight hug.

"Ugh," I groaned, "Can't breathe, Kaa-chan."

Mum buried her face into the crook of my neck, sobbing out, "Oh, Yū-chan, you have no idea how much you've been missed. Akito-chan's been calling out for his "Yūyū" everyday now, wondering when you'd come home."

When Mum finally pulled back, I said, "Where is Akito-chan anyway? I thought that he'd be here by now."

And, before Mum could answer, a blinding streak ran past her and attached itself to my legs.

"Yūyū!" my little brother cried, hugging my legs with all his might and peering up at me with huge ebony eyes, "You're back!"

I rested a hand on his head, ruffling the spiky, bright-red spikes, and I smiled slightly when he immediately recoiled away.

"That's mean," Akito pouted.

"No, it's not," I immediately countered.

Sniffing, my little brother loosened his death-grip with my legs, "You stink, Yūyū, go take a bath," he ordered.

My smile quickly faded, and I scowled down at him.

Mum huffed out a small laugh.