Yue opened her weary eyes to the blinding light of the sun shining brightly past the curtains. Raising her arms and legs, she stretched as far as she could to limber herself up for this new day. The fun part of their journey was more likely over, knowing that today was their last day in Konoha. Today, she knew, was going to be just as exhausting as her first day back at Kori. It was going to consist of packing, traveling, planning, and, eventually, fighting. Just that one thing, she was most afraid of. It wasn't the battle itself, but of the outcome in the end. Unfortunately, that wasn't all that was bothering her; what was troubling her the most was Gaara, and how they left each other last night. She couldn't argue that the date night went splendidly, but seeing that look of passion and then having it droop into a sigh of anguish only made her heart ache. And then that passionate kiss right after. If only it didn't have to come to that. They should have talked about something else, but, given the way their conversation was going, that topic was going to come up at some point in their relationship, at least, that's what she assumed. Although it left her in a sad mood, for now, she could enjoy the fact that Gaara felt exactly the same way she did. She was no longer the only one fighting this.

Getting up from the bed, Yue walked into the bathroom to begin her morning routine. As soon as she dabbed her face dry with the towel from washing it in the sink, she took notice of the counter top. It was still incredibly messy from Yumi doing her makeup last night. Normally, she would have thrown it away, but since Yumi paid so much money for it, she thought otherwise. With a glance of her own reflection in the mirror, she decided that using just a small bit of it wouldn't hurt; at least until it's gone. Going through it proved to be more time consuming than she realized as she couldn't understand any of the products. Each one merely adding unnecessary stress. Which one was supposed to go on first? It was supposed to be layer by layer, one thing at a time, but during the process of putting it on, she had her eyes closed. The work was all on Yumi. If only she was here to help her out again. Frustration got the best of her as she dropped the containers on the counter with a loud thud, not caring if any of them were to break at this point.

"Screw it." she said aloud and darted right out of the room to go see Gaara. He fell in love with her before she made herself look pretty, so surely, for now, he wouldn't care if she walked around face nude. She would ask Yumi for help at a later time. Once she stepped out into the living area, Yue was overcome with confusion. Gaara wasn't laying on the couch. Looking around the room, she noticed that he wasn't there at all. "Gaara?" she called out. No answer.

Immediately, worry began to stricken her as she frantically moved around the area. He wasn't in the kitchen, definitely not in her bedroom or bathroom since she had just come from there, and he wasn't in the den or dining area. Where could he have gone? Her pulse began to rise as the thought of him running away again entered her mind. The way they left each other last night, could that have been enough to make him want to leave? No, Gaara wouldn't do that! Would he?

Tsuki Ona released her chakra into Yue's legs to stop her from moving. 'Calm down already! Geeze, you've been dating for nearly three days and you already can't live without him.'

Taking a deep breath in, she calmed herself, seeing as how Tsuki wasn't going to let go until she did. "Okay, I'm fine now."

'Good.' She released her grip on Yue's body by consuming her chakra back inside. 'Now that you're calm, go to the table. There's a piece of paper on top that you didn't stop to see.'

Curiously, Yue looked and sure enough, the paper was there along with a pen. When she approached it, it read -

Yue,

I received an urgent message from the Hokage for a meeting. I apologize for not telling you in person. I didn't want to wake you. Below is a list and an envelope of money. We will need these items before traveling. Please acquire them while I am gone. When you have finished, you and Yumi meet me by the training grounds. If I'm able to get away sooner, I will come find you. Keep the charm close. I love you.

-Gaara

As instructed, she felt for the chain around her neck to ensure that the trinket was still there. It was. Yue understood in the letter that he was trying to be a gentleman, but given how they were now, she didn't care if he just so happened to wake her up, especially if he was leaving. She wanted to know where he was more than anything at this point. Somehow, deep down, the feeling of longing still lingered. Yue tried to suppress herself from thinking anymore bad thoughts, but this note he left didn't seem to give her enough assurance that he was alright. There was still so much she didn't understand about Gaara, despite all that he's confessed to her. What if he ran off again? It's possible that he could have made the Hokage meeting as an excuse to get away from her for a bit. He said that he couldn't resist her, and she wasn't even trying to seduce him. Maybe this was his way of distancing himself from her, just like she did. Her better subconscious mind kept telling her that Gaara wasn't that type of person, that if he had a problem, he would have said so directly. An overwhelming sigh escaped her lungs. If only he would have just woken her up to tell her he was leaving. She wanted to see him. Then she would know face to face how he really was doing.

The letter was very discrete, as was to be expected of a Kage. No doubt that anyone who had that title would immediately be stamped as a bright red target, though, given that it's Gaara, it didn't worry her as much. He had been branded a target all his life and, yet, he's still alive. Knowing that, he could definitely take care of himself if the worst should come. And, if needed, the Hokage would surely be beside him to help. Nothing has gotten by any of them as far as she knew. The handwriting and contents of the letter seemed legitimate enough for her to believe it was genuinely his own. Sadly, that was all she had to go on. For the time being, his absence was strictly for diplomacy. She had to get on with her day without worrying as much.

'Happy now?' Tsuki asked rhetorically. This host was just a big bucket of emotions. She should have known better than to allow her to tell Gaara her feelings. If every minute they were apart was going to be like this, she would have stayed outside. It was too late now. Tsuki had to deal with it.

Without answering, Yue looked at the list he left. Two days worth of extra clothes, rations, three steel water canteens, three fully equipped tool pouches, a lightweight nap-sack, adjustable carrying straps, food pills, first aid trauma kit, torso plated armor, and concealable weapons of choice. Damn, she thought. That was a lot of stuff he was asking for. Some of the items she had no idea where to get them from. The ones that she did identify were definitely not going to be cheap. Taking the white envelope, she went against her better judgement to see inside. She wanted to be sure he left just enough. As soon as her eyes grazed across the quantity of large numbered bills, she felt on the urge of fainting. As if she had no control over it, her hand slapped across her mouth to keep her from gasping. Tsuki was even surprised.

'Wow. Looks like the Kazekage isn't so worthless after all.'

Yue ignored that rude remark to continue staring at the money. To think he had this much on him, she thought. Yumi must have been right about him being so rich. This was more than she could make in 6 months at Kori. Remembering the price tag hooked onto her Yukata, it read two hundred and ninety-eight dollars and ninety-nine cents. If it were Yue, she wouldn't pay anymore than thirty dollars for a dress. Now holding this amount that Gaara carried, it made her think that maybe buying her the Yukata really wasn't a big deal. All this time, everything he spent on her since the moment they met each other would blow anyone's mind. And now, he was leaving her with this much, entrusting her to get all the things on this list. For some reason, that worried her. She wasn't the type to steal it or anything, but to leave it unattended seemed foolish. Was he responsible at all with his money? He more likely had a lot to spare.

With care, she tucked the envelope deep down into the confines of her right side pocket along with the list of items and went out the door to find Yumi. In silence, she pushed the down button of the elevator and waited. At the sound of the bell, the mechanical doors slid open. Something unexpected happened. Yumi stood before her already dressed for the day holding a small bag of what looked to be Yue's breakfast. The look of surprise took over their faces.

"I didn't expect you to be up yet." she said stepping out into the hallway with a smile. "Gaara said you would be sleeping in."

"You talked to him?"

"Yea, about thirty minutes ago. We bumped into each other in the lobby when I was leaving to get us some food. He said something about being summoned for a meeting." So it wasn't an excuse to get away from her. "He told me that you hadn't woken up yet, so I thought I would come surprise you, but... oh well. Where were you running off to anyways?"

"Oh, Gaara left me a note with some money to get a few items before departing today. I was actually on my way to find you. I wouldn't know where to begin to get these things." Yue explained, taking the list from her pocket to give her.

She looked over it quickly. "Yea, I know where this stuff's at, but how are we going to pay for all of this? I know I said I had money, but-"

"Gaara left me this." Yue presented the envelope to her. It didn't look like much on the outside, but as soon as Yumi peeked inside, her face turned white as her heart skipped a beat. She was so utterly dumbfounded that she had to look twice to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks.

"What. The. Hell?! Where did this come from?!" she yelled. "I bought his clothes and meals and he had this kind of cash lying around!"

"Well, neither of us asked you to get food and clothes." Yue pointed out.

"Still, I feel a bit cheated. I mean, look at this! He could've paid for the makeup, the jewelry, hell, he even could have bought me a sexy Yukata too." As she let her emotions out, Yumi finally calmed down enough to fold the envelope and give it back. With a sigh, she also handed Yue the bag of food. "You're right, I didn't want either of you to pay for anything because I was trying to be hospitable. I'm sorry for getting so worked up."

"It's fine." Yue smiled, accepting the bag.

"We'll go get these things after you eat. Let's go back to my room. In case you've forgotten, mom wanted to talk to you before we left."

The air darkened around what was essentially Yue's good mood. She had forgotten. She didn't expect it to be first thing in the morning, that it would more likely leave her depressed for the entire day, but she made a promise to hear her out. If anything, it could be useful to their mission, like a silver lining behind the clouds. With a quiet nod, she followed her friend down to the room.

Tatsu was a very old fashioned, strict, strong woman. Compared to Mameha, she was the disciplinary. It was almost unbelievable knowing that Yumi was her daughter. Standing side-by-side, the two of them were so different. Yumi was usually a very happy, confident individual, although, if anyone dared to force the angry side out of her, the only way to survive was to run for the hills. Their temper, strength, and stubbornness were the traits they had in common. That was nothing compared to her dad. Yue had only met Yumi's father once, and that was many years ago when her and Mameha were running from the Korishi. From what she remembered, he was a nice happy man. He always encouraged Yumi to do her best, and wanted her to live a good life with almost a carefree kind of attitude. That kind of attitude reminded her mostly of Reo. He sort of acted the same way, taking risks without worrying so much of the outcome, just like him. His name was Anai. Unfortunately, Anai passed away in the battle of Konoha Crush against the Sound, Grass, and Sand Village. Everything good about Yumi had come from him, but when he died, Yue could sense that a part of Yumi died with him. Though not often now as it was then, Yue can still tell when her friend is missing her father most. It didn't seem to change Tatsu much for the better. It seemed to have caused her to be more bitter, but who could recover the loss of someone that close? It's still head-scratching to this day trying to figure out how two completely different people could fall in love with each other and have a daughter who was a perfect reflection of them. Maybe because they were so different that they completed each other.

Yumi reached her hand out to the door, but didn't present a card key to unlock it. Tatsu probably had already taken her medicine and was incapable of getting out of bed to get to the door. So what was she doing? Out of her fingertips, a faint teal light appeared producing several tiny droplets of water. Careful not to use all of her body's water, she melded the drops together and commanded it to seep through the cracks of the door. Slowly, she closed her fingers into a fist and turned it as if she was actually holding the door handle. A small click was heard. Instantly, the door flung open to their room. Yue was awestruck, that was something new that Yumi never did before.

"How did you do that?"

Yumi absorbed the water back through her fingertips as she held the door for her to walk through. "Oh that's just a trick I learned from a while back. I don't really need to carry a key on me to open a locked door. I sent my water to the other side to open it for me."

"That's so cool!" Yue exclaimed. "You will have to teach me. Wait- have you been sneaking into other peoples rooms?"

"What's the big deal? I've used it to get into your room before." Yumi explained, which only made Yue panic. "Look, I only learned that for times when I've lost or forgot to bring my house keys. Relax. I'll teach you to do it someday. It's a pretty useful trick and you never know when until you need it."

She couldn't argue with that, so they entered the room. Tatsu was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for Yumi to help her into the wheelchair. The room was much smaller compared to the suite she and Gaara shared. Upon small glances here and there, everything in the room was much shorter and had several hand bars and rails. It must be for the disabled. To Yue though, it should have been nicer for Tatsu given their current house situation. She could have more space if she took the Hokage suite after they left. The end table beside her bed was covered in several prescription bottles and empty cups that had to have held her water. Once the door shut behind them, she lifted her head to greet them both.

"Yue, I'm glad you're here." She may be bitter, but rare moments like this, Tatsu will give a faint smile. "Yumi come help me into my chair." She did as told and lifted her mom towards the chair. As soon as she comfortably adjusted herself, she gestured both of them to sit down. "I understand that you have found out some things about Mameha from your Shura, the Ice Beast, but there is still so much that you need to know. I made a promise to her that I would not tell you about the Korishi, but it seems that our circumstances have changed since her death. Our home has burned down, I am now confined to a wheelchair, and somehow, they managed to capture both of you. If your Shura can hear me, I want to thank her for protecting Yumi."

"She can hear you."

"Lord Kazekage and Yumi told me that it was you who saved her, thank you Tsuki Ona." she said.

'I accept her gratitude.' Tsuki replied.

"She said 'thank you.'"

"Tell me... What do you know about your Nanna?" Tatsu asked steering the conversation back to Yue.

"Was she a member of the Korishi clan?" Yue didn't want to revert back to her emotional distress from before. Instead, she wanted clarification before bursting out. If Tatsu was going to come clean, the least she could hope was for her honesty.

"Yes, she was one of the first women to join their elite assassins core. Back then, not many women were chosen for battle as men didn't see them as equals at the time, so when she joined them, it was a great honor to her."

"Do you know what really happened to my parents? My birth parents?" Yue asked looking down to the floor as she was unable to face Tatsu for the answer she was very likely not going to want to hear.

"Yes... The Korishi, from what I know, had dark ambitions to achieve power. For centuries, they had hunted unlimited chakra sources and experimented on many innocent people in the hopes of obtaining power. When the three-tailed Tanuki vanished, they went searching for another chakra beast. They found and tried to capture your Shura, but it attacked and disappeared. From then on, the clan had been searching for the Ice Demon out of power and vengeance... Then, out of nowhere, a rumor spread across The Mist of an ice wielding man..." she paused for a moment to prepare herself "The clan sent a team, that included Mameha, to scout the village where the rumor originated... Once she found your father, she also saw you and your mother alongside him... I don't want you to think poorly of her for me telling you this... But try to understand. Once you've sworn in to the Korishi Clan, any order that is disobeyed or not carried out will result two ways, to be branded as a test subject for the experiments or sacrificed to the Korishi Leader. Since Mameha was a woman, I doubt that those would have been the only two punishments... As an assassin, one must cut off all emotions to carry out the deed on the specified target... When she saw you and your mother, in that moment, she didn't..."

"What do you mean?" Yue asked confused.

"The target was your father. They ordered her team to capture him and assassinate anyone who had close ties with him and all witnesses. Against her oath to the clan, she could not kill an infant. The leader of her team ignored her plea to spare your life and dove right into the fight. Your father fought relentlessly, never backing down against the assassins until he could no longer stand. She told me he was a true fighter... Your mother hid you behind the crib in the nursery and battled them in hopes of protecting you, but it ended up costing her life as well... The mission failed, and there was only one witness left to kill... Their team leader ordered Mameha to kill you as part of the punishment for defying orders. Instead, she asked to renounce her assassin's title, allow herself to be subjected to experiments, and take on any punishment given as long as you would live."

"Why did she do that?"

"She was ordered to kill a lot of people over the course of her lifetime. From powerful thugs to spineless cowards, but never to a child... You were a baby. She never believed in harming a child... When their leader denied her again, he tried to kill you off himself, but Mameha got in the way and took a blow to her right shoulder. That act of foolishness allowed the leader to change his mind and instead of punishing her with experiments, she was punished to be your new mother. They ordered her to keep you as a living reminder of the mistake to let you live, that you would grow up and kill her once you realized the actual death of your real parents."

"So, she never really wanted me?..." Yue asked feeling the tears ready to burst out of her eyes at any moment. Yumi immediately felt her heart drop when she heard that and placed an arm around her best friend in comfort. Yue couldn't help it at this point, and started to sob.

"That can't be true. Right, Mom?" Yumi asked.

"This is the one secret she demanded for me not to tell you. In truth, when we lived in The Mist, I worked at a small fisherman's barge while she went off to work as a warrior, but I did not know the type of danger she was getting into. She did not tell me any of this until that day you both showed up on my doorstep. Before I journeyed to The Leaf and met Anai, Mameha and I were very close, but once she became a fighter, she became distant until we stopped speaking altogether. If I had known she had done this, I would have told her to get out sooner, but it couldn't be helped... She told me everything when she had nowhere else to go and was desperate for help." Tatsu explained, placing a hand on Yue's. "Mameha loved you, Yue... It's true that she took you in without a choice, but I know that being your guardian, she had to have seen something inside you, something that made her want you to live, something that made her fall in love. She was stripped from the assassin's core, beaten for disobedience, and ended up being given the happiest mistake in her life, you... She told me that she never regretted her decision to save you. It wasn't fear of death that she didn't want you to know this. Mameha understood fully well that being apart their clan and taking away your true parents, that you would end up wanting her life in reparation for theirs... what she was most afraid of was you hating her."

"Hate her?"

"She once told me that death couldn't possibly be as painful as the feeling of being hated by the one you care for most... She tried to give you the best life that she could, doing small jobs as a regular shinobi to get by, and to always protect you no matter what... When she discovered that you had the Shura all along, she knew that the clan couldn't be stopped if they found out. It was out of love that she kept you hidden, it was to keep you safe that she ran from village to village. She used all her knowledge from working with them to get you as far as you did, to start a new life in The Hidden Sand Village. Since she was able to track your real father from a mere rumor, she couldn't allow you to use your power in public, and taught you to not trust anyone but her."

"So then, why didn't she just train her to use her power, like you did with me?" Yumi asked.

"I'm certain she didn't want Yue to use her power until she felt safe enough to do so. If that's the case, then she never really felt safe anywhere you two lived." Tatsu replied.

"Did she know that it was killing me?" The very question caused both of them to look at Yue with shocked expressions. Yumi had no idea what she was talking about, but Tatsu did, however, she didn't expect her to know this. "Did she know that the longer I went without using my powers, the weaker I would get until I died?"

"In truth, she did not know until I told her. The Hokage took Yumi as a young teenager and put her through a series of tests based on her Elemental power. The results were the same. The longer she went without using her powers, the close she was to dying. If they had kept her any longer, I would have killed them all myself... But when you two came unexpectedly to my home, she told me the situation you two were in, and that's when I told her everything I knew about Elementals through raising Yumi... Your stay ended the very next day because of that. She warned me about the Korishi possibly coming after Yumi too. For that, I was grateful and prepared myself, but it seems it has become much harder to protect you at my age, especially without Anai..." she frowned sorrowfully "In her letters that she wrote to me, it seems that you used your powers behind her back. As long as you didn't show it in public, she would never scold you. If that isn't enough proof that she let you risk her life for your sake, I don't know what is."

"She knew... but she never said anything about it."

"You're alive right now, so she didn't have to." said Tatsu.

"Is that all you needed to tell me?" Yue asked.

The older woman nodded, knowing it was probably best to not to tell anymore unless asked. The secret was already out. It had to be a lot to take in for her. Yue wiped her eyes and took in a deep breath. In all her life, she had wanted to know everything about her past and why things ended up the way they were. This was more information than she could have ever imagined, but it felt a bit empty to know that those words weren't coming from Nanna herself. Yue wasn't powerful enough to turn back time or raise the dead. It is the way it is. She had to accept the hand she was dealt with as if it was the hand she wanted. Once she calmed herself down, she stood from her seat.

"Thank you, Lady Tatsu, for sharing that with me." Yue bowed in respect.

"You should have known these things a long time ago. I'm sorry that I had to be the one to tell you, but I couldn't let you think so badly of her. All that she's done for you to make up for her lifetime of mistakes, she wanted the best for you. It seems that no matter where you end up on this Earth, as long as the Korishi is out there, you will remain in danger."

"Do you know why they needed her father alive?" Yumi asked. "That part seems awfully fishy."

"I don't. It's possible that Mameha didn't know either, but we both know that it can't be good. On your journey to seek them out, I want you to promise me that you will stay safe and not act foolishly like she did. I don't doubt that Lord Kazekage will do everything in his power to protect you, Yue, as will Yumi, but you will be thrown into several hard situations. Be weary of shady people always." Tatsu requested with a look of seriousness.

"Understood." Yue answered. "Thank you."

"Yue will be fine mom. She's gonna be with me, remember?" Yumi reminded her.

"That's what I'm afraid of most."

"You doubt my power, old woman?!" Yumi retorted hatefully.

Tatsu scoffed. "You're too careless in serious situations. Just be aware of your surroundings."

"Yea-yea! If that's it, then we need to go, mom. Lord Gaara has given us a list of supplies we must get before leaving." Yumi explained, shoving Yue towards the door. "We'll be back soon to say goodbye."

"Very well. I wouldn't want you to disappoint the Kazekage. Be safe, my child. I hope to see you again too, Yue." Tatsu waved them goodbye with another soft smile. Her daughter can be a real stubborn pain in the ass sometimes, but she's also confident, like Anai. Yue will be in good hands. She will come back to her.

With the door shut behind them, Yumi let out a frustrated groan. "Ugh! Can you believe that woman?"

She shoved the palm of her hand to her frontal lobe to relieve some of the stress. Yue only chuckled. It's just as they were back then, never being fully able to see eye to eye, but in the end they cannot live without each other. So this is what a real mother-daughter relationship looks like. Her smile faded back into a frown at the reminder. As hard as she tried, she couldn't picture what her real mother looked like. She was a baby when Nanna took her in, so that memory was tucked away past the deep subconscious memories that she was unable to reach. All that she had left of good memories were of her and Nanna, of Reo, of Yumi, and Gaara. Everything that Tatsu told her today, she would have to tell him about it later. No doubt that some of the information would help the mission, if not, it would help him get to know her a little more than before.

"Hey, Yue. You okay?" Yumi asked waving her hand in front of her face to get her attention.

"I think we should get started on this list." She answered.

"Okay. We'll stop by a good weapon store first." she grabbed Yue's arm and started walking to the elevator. She pushed the button to go down and they waited.

Now that she could get back to her day, parts of it was making her feel uneasy. Not just the information about her past, but seeing Gaara later after what went down last night. What would he say? Or how would he look at her if she was causing him so many emotions? And Tsuki, ever since the talk, she has been awfully quiet. With Yumi here beside her, she figured it would be rude to ask Tsuki about it right now. She would have to answer her later. The bell rung as the mechanical doors once again slid open revealing an empty stall. They walked inside quietly and Yumi pressed the button to the lobby. Once the doors closed shut, the cage began to shift slowly downward.

"Umm... Yumi?"

"Hm?"

"I need to ask you something a bit personal." Yue said looking away to hide the red blush that was forming around her nervous cheeks.

"Sure, Yue, ask me anything?"

"Have you ever... had sex?"