Chapter 36: Tsunade's Secret Mission: Enter the Sand!

"This seriously blows." Kyoske groaned and I couldn't help but agree with him.

A lot had happened in the past two weeks and I was still reeling from all of it. First, there was Sasuke and our new and improved relationship. In a lot of ways, he was still the same Sasuke, still cold and blunt and annoyed and stern, but in a lot more ways, he was warmer toward us. Though, it had been about a week since we had seen each other. He was off on a mission, something about protecting candidates in a race. He had seemed bored with the mission and while I knew he could handle it, knew that he had come far in his recovery, I still didn't like that he was so far from me. We had spent a lot of time together post argument and I felt as if something new had blossomed between us as a result.

But, he was gone and I had to somehow figure out how to sleep at night without the feeling of him lying beside me. But, there was something even more than that, something I had realized when he had walked out of the door that day. I remembered the morning clearly because we had spent a good portion of it rolling around in his bed before he got up to make breakfast as I watched from his bed wrapped in one of his t-shirts.

"Do you really have to go?" I asked, gripping the bottom of my shirt as I watched him stuff a few clean clothes into his bag.

Sasuke looked up at me, his expression even. He stopped packing, his hands holding a shirt and his eyes studied mine. I could feel the heat rising up to my cheeks, a reaction I was beginning to have whenever he looked at me for long periods of time lately, and looked away, feeling shy and ridiculous.

"It's not a big deal." Sasuke said finally and resumed packing. I shot him a side look, my cheeks still burning.

"It'll be over quickly." Sasuke said. "All we have to do is protect runners in some race."

I nodded, knowing that but also knowing that that it didn't make it better. So what if the mission sounded just as pointless as the previous one? It was still a farther journey and it wasn't a mission behind the village gates. There was so many things out there that could harm him. Itachi. Orochimaru. The Akatsuki. Plus, even if I wasn't worried about him, there was still Naruto and all that could happen to him which in turn could affect Sasuke too. The Akatsuki were after Naruto and if ANBU knew, they weren't doing anything about it.

"Yeah…I know." I mumbled and hugged myself.

He finished packing and shrugged his bag onto his shoulders. He shot me one last look before letting out a sigh and sitting down in front of me.

"What's the matter." He said. He sounded as if he didn't have any time for my answer but a look in his eyes revealed otherwise. He was curious too and he knew as well as I did that he would get whatever was bothering at me out one way or another.

"I just don't want you to go." I said. "You just came back from a mission."

"That was stupid."

"Whatever, it was still a mission."

"A pointless one."

"Sasuke." I snapped, getting annoyed.

"We'll be fine." He insisted with another sigh before reaching out and caressing the side of my face. I flinched at his touch, at the gentleness in his fingers. They made shivers run up and down my spine. I looked at him, my cheeks even redder.

"So stop worrying." He said. "I'll be back before you know it."

I nodded slowly. It was more than me worrying about what could be lying in wait beyond the gates. It was bad enough Itachi could be waiting to finish him off, or Orochimaru could be waiting to snatch him too. There was Naruto and the Akatsuki trying to take him and there was ANBU, having all the clues and doing nothing to stop it. Naruto alone could put everyone in danger and if I had been Tsunade, the last thing I would have done was send Team 7 out without a stronger shinobi by their side.

"Okay." I managed and watched as he rose to his feet and reached down to pick my clothes off the floor. He placed them at the foot of the bed before his eyes followed the length of my leg back to me, where I sat with my hands gripping the end of his shirt which fit me like a dress. His eyes lingered on my legs before they lifted to my face.

"What?" I asked, my voice careful.

"Nothing." Sasuke said and headed for the door.

"Wait." I said, jumping off of the bed and scampering to his side. He stiffened before turning to glance back at me.

"What?" He asked.

I placed a hand on the small of his shoulder and licked my lips. Slowly, he turned back to face me and he stared down at me, his eyes like they always were. Firm and dark. My hand had slipped off of his shoulder but I intertwined my fingers with his and gave them a gentle squeeze. He blinked down at our hands before his eyes followed the length of my arm, my neck, his eyes lingering on my throat before they ended at my lips.

He pulled me closer and I forgot how to breathe the moment his smell entered my senses. I couldn't even swallow as I stared up at him, my breath in my throat. He started to lower his head just as I rose up on my tiptoes, my lips quivering as he pressed his against mine. One of his hands snaked through my hair and he tilted my head back which made me gasp and allowed him to deepen the kiss. It was enough to make my knees wobble. I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, pulling him closer while his grip in my hair tightened.

We kissed for a few minutes and by the end of it, I was a panting, groaning mess, holding onto him as if for dear life, not satisfied with our current closeness, wanting more. He pulled away first, licking his lips as he looked down at me and my flushed cheeks. A smirk broke out across his lips and it took everything in me to keep myself from pulling him back down.

"Save it." He breathed before lowering his head again and brushing his lips against mine. I gasped, my heart racing as his hand slid through my hair, sliding down the back of my neck. He was teasing me, I realized as his lips hovered just out of my reach. Every time I tip-toed up to meet them fully, he'd pull back slightly, just to keep his ghosting lips away from my hungry ones.

I met his hooded eyes and saw the hunger lurking just behind them. I felt a warmth bubble in my chest at the thought that Sasuke just might have wanted me as badly as I wanted him but there wasn't time for that and we both knew it. Which was why I didn't pout as much as he pressed a quick peck to the side of my lips before pulling away completely.

"Be careful." I managed, forcing a tight smile, feeling a hole forming at the center of my chest. He didn't say anything in response. He just opened the door and left, shutting it behind him.

"Miyuki?"

Hideki's voice made me snap out of my thoughts and I looked at him, forcing a smile.

Watching Sasuke go had made my heart hurt and I had realized as the ache rang through my body that while he wasn't sure what he wanted, I knew what I wanted. It was more than staying by his side and defending his dreams and vowing to make them a reality. Just thinking it had filled me with warmth and reassurance but I knew, just as I had known when the idea had first popped into my head one starry night while he laid on my chest, that there was no telling him anything. It just wasn't the time to reveal anything, not after everything that had happened to him.

"You alright?" Hideki asked

After Sasuke had left and I had returned to the hotel in a depressed state, I had found the boys lounging in the apartment, Kyoske's legs dangling off the side of the couch, Hideki by the window. I had been stunned to see them and excited too, but I had stayed rooted in my spot, waiting for one of them to offer up a reason. As it turned out, Tsunade had summoned them because she was sending us all on a mission to the Sand village, a secret mission that she couldn't send any of her shinobi on for obvious reasons.

As it turned out, Tsunade was trying to rebuild ties with Konoha's strongest ally but it wasn't something that could be done overnight. The Sand had made anonymous donations ever since they had realized the error of their ways and found that Orochimaru had betrayed them, slaughtering their Kage and impersonating him just so that he could get closer to the Third Hokage during the exams. They were remorseful and Tsunade had little to no problem watching them squirm in the palm of her hands.

We were delivering a scroll to the Sand Village in exchange for supplies Konoha needed. It was simple enough but it involved my team having to cross the vast desert that seemed to block the Sand Village from the rest of the ninja world. If the sandstorms weren't enough to turn you away, the sand that found its way into every single part of your body certainly would.

"I'm good." I smiled just as Kyoske groaned, wiggling his feet out of his sandals. He turned his shoe upside down and we watched as a stream of sand slid out.

"I hate this place." He growled.

"Let's just make this quick." I yawned. Sasuke was due back from his mission any day now and I wanted more than anything to be back when he returned. I had spent the whole week daydreaming atop everything else about what I would make for him when he returned.

"Tsunade said that we have to drop the scroll off near the Academy." Hideki said. "That's near the center of town."

We nodded and started walking past the sand stone walls that allowed access to the village. The walls were vast and looked narrow from far away. It was clear that they served as a defense if ever the Sand would be attacked. Though they were smooth, some of the village's history were etched into the wall, carved in like hieroglyphics of sorts. It was interesting and though I had never found time to really look at any of it, I was glancing at it now and just before we officially reached the village, I caught sight of a big part of the Sand's history. It was a picture of Kage standing in front of what looked like a sea of people. The Kage figure stood at the highest point in the village and their arms were raised. Etched beside the Kage figure was a name: Rasa, The Fourth Kazekage.

I stopped walking, thinking about the Sand Shinobi. The fourth Kage…Gaara and Kankuro's father. He had been killed, assassinated by Orochimaru for no reason at all. From what I had heard, it had been a hasty decision. I traced a hand across the drawing and found that it was fresh.

"Miyuki?" Kyoske called back to me and I flinched at the mention of my name.

I felt bad suddenly. The loss of a parent. I wondered how they were taking it. I didn't expect Gaara to care, but I knew somewhere inside, there had to be some part of him that did. Same with Kankuro. A parent was a parent either way. They had to feel something.

"What's wrong?" Hideki called.

"Their Kazekage was murdered, remember?" I said.

"So?" Kyoske asked. "They had it coming the moment they signed on with Orochimaru."

Hideki stepped forward. "We can pay our respects at his grave if you want."

I wasn't sure what I wanted. I knew that the last thing I should feel was remorse for this village, for these people. They had lost their strongest shinobi but they had lost the trust of the Leaf. Every other village was more focused on keeping them at an arms-length now and there was nothing they could do about it and at the same time, they deserved it. But, I still felt bad.

"Let's go." Hideki said, coming beside me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, sliding my hand down the carved in drawing and turned in the direction he wanted me to walk. I tried to shake the drawing from my head but it was hard. I wondered how Gaara and Kankuro was doing and as annoying as Temari was, I worried about her too.

We reached the Academy a few moments later and a proctor was outside, waiting for us. They took the scroll with a grateful smile and told us to wait for the supplies. Hideki nodded, moving to the front of our group to shake the proctor's hand before they rushed off.

As we waited, Kyoske jumped up on the ledge of the fence outlining the Academy while I leaned against it beside him. Hideki was more focused on looking around as the Suna citizens moved around. There was a somberness in the air but other than that, the villagers were all smiles. You would never had guessed that their Kage was dead or they had betrayed the Leaf.

"Well, well, well." I jumped at the voice while the boys stiffened. Slowly, we turned to face it and sure enough came face to face with the Sand Genin.

"You three miss us so much that you came to visit?" Kankuro asked, with a smirk on his lips.

Kyoske scoffed, stuffing his hands into his pants before turning away like a child not getting his way. Hideki folded his arms, looking them over while I pressed my lips into a tight line.

"What a surprise." Hideki said, not even sounding remotely close to being surprised.

"What are you three doing here?" Temari asked.

"We're on a mission." I answered before Hideki could. "From the Leaf."

"Hmph." Gaara responded, his arms folded. I looked at him, really looked at him. He didn't seem much different and still wore a look of seriousness but there was something else in his eyes, something other than the usual darkness.

"Fancy." Kankuro said, scratching his chin.

"What are you three doing?" Hideki asked.

"Walking around." Temari answered quickly. "It's a nice enough day."

The proctor returned and handed us a package. Hideki grabbed it and we said our thanks before heading back to the main road where the Sand shinobi stood watching us.

"We're sorry for your…loss." I said to Gaara. "We heard about your father."

Gaara didn't seem affected and Kankuro merely shrugged in response. Temari's eyes hardened, but even she didn't have a reaction. We blinked at each other, seeming to size the other up until Gaara broke the silence.

"All my life…that man you call my father never did anything for me." Gaara said.

"Face it…" Kankuro said with a sigh. "The guy was a complete and total jerk."

"But we accept your sympathy." Temari cut in, stepping forward.

I nodded at her, noting the boy's words. They had a point. The last I had heard, the Kage was trying to assassinate Gaara. As for Kankuro, I had never asked but I was sure now, after everything, whatever opinion he had had of his father before had changed. I remembered that the Kage had also focused on making his shinobi the best in all the lands and while that was true for Temari and her group, it had come at a high price. It had never been enough, the strength of his shinobi. He had wanted more, hence Gaara.

"Well, now that we have what we came for." Kyoske said, looking back at Hideki and I. "I'd say it's time to head back."

"Isn't it getting a little late?" Kankuro asked.

We looked up at the setting sun. It was. By the time we reached Suna's gates it would be dark and so would the vast desert. Though the dark didn't scare us, rushing off in the middle of the night wasn't the greatest idea either. The fact that it had taken us less than a day to get to the village was enough of a celebration.

"It is." Hideki agreed.

"You should rest then." Temari said.

"And you should join us…for dinner." Gaara added, earning a look from Kankuro.

It dawned on me the moment the words left his mouth that I had never seen Gaara eat but I was sure when I looked at Hideki and Kyoske for their reaction that the exact opposite had crossed theirs. They blinked at Gaara, Kyoske's mouth hanging open as if he was shocked.

"Th-thanks?" Hideki managed.

"Yeah…" Kankuro grumbled. "Great."

"We'd love to." I smiled, earning a light elbow to the ribs from Kyoske who shot a pointedly look at Gaara when I glanced at him.

"Great." Temari said, her smile light as she regarded Gaara whose expression and demeanor hadn't changed.

"Sounds like we have plans." Kyoske said, not sounding the least bit enthused.

"There's an inn nearby." Kankuro said, matching Kyoske's tone. "We can show you."

"Great." Kyoske added dryly.

"Don't sound so excited." Temari said with a smirk.

"I'm trying to contain it, can't you tell?" Kyoske said.

"Why don't we go to that inn you guys were talking about?" Hideki suggested, placing a firm hand on Kyoske's shoulder before turning him toward the road.

"Good idea." Temari said through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowed at Kyoske who narrowed his eyes right back at her.

There was tension there but Hideki was trying to do his best to put it at ease. There was no trusting Kyoske and I could tell it was taking a lot out of him to keep from exploding. He had never liked dancing around the truth. As far as he was concerned, the Sand Genin had betrayed the Leaf and this whole mission went against everything he stood for. He had never liked traitors and believed that they didn't deserve the same sympathy as everyone else. If it were up to Kyoske and if he was the Fifth Hokage instead of Tsunade, I knew he'd probably call to cut off Suna for good.

We were turning to go when there was a sound of a struggle near the training grounds. We all turned to face it only to see a group of kids standing in a circle and what looked like a body at the center.

"What's going on?" I asked, squinting.

"They're probably playing," Kankuro said.

Kyoske looked at him. "Wow you're terrible with kids."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kankuro growled.

"That circle is the exact opposite of a friendly gathering." Temari said, stepping toward the training grounds first. I started after her and was followed by Gaara who led the way for everyone else. We made it to the grounds just as the crowd of kids were leaving and we found that the body at the center was a little girl with chin length brown hair, fair skin and dark eyes. She had a yellow scarf which had become undone and was covered in dirt, the ends a little frayed. Her oversized green shirt was just as dirty as was her black skirt. As she pushed herself onto her knees I saw that she had thigh-length socks that were ripped and her tiny brown sandals were dirty as well. She was young, probably a few years older than Konohomaru but certainly not our age. She was blinking back tears and sniffing.

"Hey, are you alright?"

I had opened my mouth to ask just the same question but it wasn't my voice that had asked it. we all looked over at Gaara, stunned. The little girl sniffed and wiped at the stray tears on her cheeks before facing the voice and I watched as her small eyes widened in her skull, the color draining as she took him in.

She was just as shocked, if not just as fearful. I couldn't get over the fact that Gaara had asked the question, that Gaara was staring at her, expecting an answer. He didn't seem to care, he just seemed dead to the world, slightly angry if anything.

"I-I-" The girl looked at the rest of us, more tears glistening in her eyes as she rose to her feet before looking back at Gaara. "I'm sorry!" She spat before turning and running off.

"Hey! Wait!" Temari called after her, but Gaara lifted a hand, making her freeze.

"It's alright." Gaara said. "She's alright, that's what matters."

Kyoske blinked at him before leaning toward me. "Is this even the same Gaara that we saw in the Leaf?"

I could only shrug in response because even I was stumped. I had never seen this side of Gaara and though the expressions didn't match the foreign emotion in his voice, there was concern there, nestled somewhere in between it all.

I thought back to Gaara's fight with Naruto, remembered their bodies lying across from each other in the clearing, both of them exhausted, panting heavily, cringing from the pain. Their eyes had been locked on each other and they had been talking long before Temari and I had arrived. I wasn't sure what Naruto had said to him but whatever it had been, had gotten Gaara thinking about friendship, which I remembered was one of the last things he had said to Naruto before they parted.

I couldn't help but smile. Naruto, of course. It explained it all. Naruto had changed him. Naruto had gotten further into Gaara's head than I did and instead of changing his perception of just him, he had changed Gaara's entire perspective. I could see it then, a new Gaara just behind the mask of the old one. He was letting people in and that showed in Temari's smile. It was a work in progress overall, but it had been done and that was what it was really all about.

New beginnings.