I do not have the words to express how sorry I am that it took over two years to update this! To my old fans, please forgive me! I have gone back over the previous chapters and edited them. I discovered many typos and attempted to make the first few chapters easier to read. To my new fans, y'all are hella lucky that you didn't have to wait YEARS for me to pick this fic back up. Thank you for your support and any feedback!

A/N: The next two chapters are going to be about the Hidden Sand.

The Life of Bri Tsutoni

Bri's POV

The week did not go as I originally imagined it would.

I was supposed to be waking up each morning to a mess of Shisui's curly, black hair tickling my face; not to Kakashi waking me up by pulling the warm blankets from me as he scolded me for sleeping in too late.

I was supposed to be practicing my domestic skills by cooking breakfast as Shisui's onyx eyes twinkled in laughter at my sloppy cooking habits; not with Tenzo's fishy stare glaring at me as I burned the rice again.

I was supposed to be keeping in shape by spending the afternoon "exercising" with Shisui; not with Kakashi and Tenzo scheduling actual routines with me.

Why were those two still here? Were they still responsible for guarding me while I'm home? Aren't I grown enough to be left alone now?

This week was supposed to be full of love and laughter as I caught up with my boyfriend. Instead, I found myself submerged in self-loathing.

The only breaks I got from my solemn solitude were when Kurenai and Anko would pull me out of my house. Today, I found myself arm-in-arm with my girls as we journeyed our way to the shopping district in town to do some last-minute buying.

I would be headed to the Land of Wind next. From the notes provided by the Third Hokage, the Kazekage, Rasa, had three children. I wanted to make a good first impression on them, so I knew gifts would be a smart step in that direction.

"You only get one week every three months to spend with your fiancé, Bri-chan. You've already wasted this one moping around your dusty home! Are you sure you should let your stubbornness interfere with your relationship with Shisui?" Kurenai voiced as Anko and I finished reviewing our checklist for the next envoy we would embark on this afternoon.

"It wasn't my decision to take a break," I sighed in slight annoyance.

Why did everyone assume that I was the one that called it quits? I didn't want his physical care for me to stop, hell! He made it seem like it his decision was only a temporary setback, so I left my faith in that.

"Well, talk some sense into him!"

"He said I was a distraction. Obviously, something bigger than our relationship is more important than my feelings right now. He did say he loved me, so I should continue to be...patient... besides, he still has access to the crow's recordings, according to Itachi-kun. I'm not supposed to know about that, so please keep it our secret, okay?"

"Then why did he return your gift? The one with the stone?"

"I guess if he doesn't see it glowing, then it makes it easier not to worry about me."

"I suppose so..." Kurenai trailed as Asuma approached us.

I inwardly pouted in jealousy as he kissed her sweetly. I was still very bitter about Shisui's rejection; especially after we had matured so drastically before I had left for the Land of Water.

How do you touch someone like that and then push them away so easily? How do you get so intimate, so close to the point of losing sexual innocence with someone just to act like you didn't have any passion with them to begin with? Watching Kurenai and Asuma be a couple sure wasn't helping me hold on to what little emotional strength I had left.

I felt discarded and I hated it. Anko could see my personal distress.

"Ugh, you two get a freaking room!" She spoke for me.

The lovebirds smiled unashamedly before telling us farewell and finding a more secluded place to continue their affair. Soon, Gai met up with us and he finalized a plan with Anko about the best way to get to Suna. Meanwhile, I searched for gifts for the Kazekage's spawn in hopes that it would distract me from missing Shisui.

Out of all the nations, Suna and Konoha were currently on the best of terms since they relied heavily on our trading arrangements. Hopefully, I wouldn't fuck any of that up.

As I worried over that matter, I sifted through various handheld fans. The oldest child, Temari, was eight. She more than likely had a wind release jutsu and I figured fans would be a great way for her to embrace those talents. If she didn't have a knack for that style, then she would at least have something pretty to flirt with.

I lifted a pair of white, silk fans that had sakura petals embroidered on them to examine their quality. As intricate as they were, the threading was already pulling loose. These wouldn't last long, so I went on to the next matching set.

I finally settled on a medium sized pair that were crafted from feathers that had been dyed with an orchid coloring. In the center of each fan, was a silver circle representing the moon.

I held them out and carefully spun around to see if they could be used in combat. Pleased with the results, I purchased them before moving on to the next oldest child, six-year-old Kankuro.

My father had mentioned the puppets from Suna and how many villagers there had an affinity for using them in battle. Hoping that my intuition was accurate, I toyed with a few that would be most appropriate for practicing such methods.

I was minding my own business, making a real effort into getting out of my pissy slump when I heard her—The Bitch.

"Purple-Eyed Tsutoni! You little twat! What did you do to my Shisui-kun? He has been avoiding me all week ever since you got back!" Dao demanded as she stamped over to where Gai and Anko sat grimacing from a bench.

Oh great. She was the last person I wanted to deal with right now.

Kakashi's POV

Tenzo and I didn't have any new orders since Bri was still in town. So, we opted to tag along for her last day here, even if she wasn't in the mood for additional company. We were her guards after all.

I was reading the next chapter of my novel when I felt a light nudge from Tenzo. He nodded over to where Bri, Gai, and Anko were. The Tsutoni's left eye twitched as a loud-mouthed Uchiha screamed at her.

To my surprise, Bri didn't smart off back. She didn't even acknowledge the young woman berating her. She kept her focus fixed on a foot-tall puppet artists used for sketching purposes. She was fidgeting with its joints when her yelling assailant grabbed the back of her shirt and slammed her down onto her back and into the ground. The seventeen-year-old Uchiha then climbed on top of Bri, holding her down with her knees embedded in her gut.

Mutters from the crowd suggested that someone should notify the Police Force. Others, acknowledged that the Uchiha that started the fight could be associated with them and that she would only makes things worse if they did that.

The conversations reflecting the uncertainty the villagers had with the Uchiha were at an all-time high ever since they began to climb after Minato-sensei's death. That must be what Shisui found so important that he insisted on keeping Bri's association with him limited.

I tucked my book back into my weapons pouch, ready to intervene, when Tenzo nudged me again before shaking his head. It was his way of letting me know that he didn't approve of our involvement.

"I'm only going to say this once. Get. The. Fuck. Off. Of. Me. Dao," Bri darkly retorted as Dao continued to verbal abuse.

The larger woman replied by digging her knees deeper into Bri's stomach, solidifying her dominant position.

"Why don't you make me, you weak, little, baby."

Suddenly, Bri's small thumbs pressed into her attacker's eyes, forcing the woman to shriek in pain. Then, Bri shoved the woman off, grabbed her by her long, raven hair, and began swinging the still-screaming girl around until she began to levitate.

"Bri-Bri! Let her go. You're better than this," Shisui called out as he and another from the Police Force neared the reported incident.

"Let her go? Whatever you say, Officer Uchiha Shisui," Bri smiled mischievously as she did, indeed, let Dao go in mid-swing.

"Huh...guess you better go get your bitch," Anko snorted as Dao disappeared behind the rooftops she had been slung over.

Shisui sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He waved a hand for his partner to go fetch Dao.

"Aren't you supposed to be leaving today?" The irritated man voiced as several seconds of silence elapsed.

"Try not to sound so enthused about your fiancé being gone for another three months," Bri dismissed.

She carefully placed the fans and the puppet into her suitcase before going into another store. I felt sorry for the Uchiha as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He paced around outside for a few more seconds before following the small blonde.

Bri's POV

I didn't mean to sling Dao as hard as I did, honestly. It's just...she had it coming, right? A scuffle like that was long overdue after years of our mouthy bickering, right?

Still, I didn't want to give Shisui any other reasons for distancing himself from whatever it was that was bothering him about me. I probably made things worse with that altercation.

I mumbled about my stupidity as I looked through the various stuffed animals I surrounded myself with to avoid making any unwanted eye contact with the aggravating man that followed me in here. Gaara was only four. From what I learned about that age with Sasuke and Itachi, was that they liked carrying around soft items for security. For Saucy, it was a blanket. For Ita-Ita, it had been a cotton weasel that had a missing eye.

I closed my eyes and reached out to pick a baby at random. When I reopened them, my hand was enclosed around a very plush, brown bear. Worst case scenario, he wouldn't like it and I would let him pick out something else.

Shisui was waiting for me at the front counter. He quickly paid for the teddy before placing an arm around my shoulders and escorting me to the gate where Anko and Gai were already waiting.

"We need to talk when you get back," he whispered in a serious tone into my right ear. The close contact sent chills down my neck. I wasn't ready for him to pull away.

"I would say 'don't drown' but I find the odds of that happening in a desert to be pretty low. So, how about a 'don't die' instead?" He laughed as he pushed me towards my escorts.

"Oh, and Gai, maybe you shouldn't let these two out alone anymore. I'd hate for them to fuck these treaties up for us. I have enough to deal with here and I'd really hate to go back to war before my wedding day, huh?"

"Hai, Shisui-san," Gai bowed sheepishly.

I smiled one last time at him before we left the village. His odd change in behavior wasn't unwanted, but it rose many questions about why he had been so negligent up until now.

"His determination to stay away from you didn't last very long," Anko teased.

"How could he resist all of this," I giggled back, waving a hand down my body.

We continued light conversation the rest of our trek about what we should expect from Sunagakure when geographical changes began to unfold around us. The land was less lush forest and more scattered shrubbery the longer we ventured.

Several days later, we were greeted at the assigned meeting place established by the Feudal Lords of our nations.

The Wind sent two representatives. One introduced himself as 'Baki', a twenty-three-year-old jonin and member of the advisory council. The other was Yashamaru, uncle to the Kazekage's children.

Shisui's POV

"Why are you pouting, Shisui? Her being gone for a few more months will give us more time to think of a way to rekindle the Uchiha relationship with the villagers."

"I couldn't leave her alone. I had one job, Itachi, keep her distant until we straighten out our family affairs, and I couldn't do it."

"Maybe you're making it harder than it needs to be, onii-san."

"When you care deeply for someone, even hurting their feelings to protect them is hard. And I couldn't keep it up. One day, you may understand," I sighed as I tried to step away from him.

"You not leaving her alone is dangerous right now. Try to focus."

"Itachi it isn't that simple. I know what I'm supposed to do. Hurting her is torture."

"You talking to her today was selfish."

"And so what if it was? Our clan wants to start a coup, a fucking coup, because they've been scrutinized and put in a box. Their desire to start a civil war is what's selfish. The village putting the pressure on us to prevent it, is selfish. But me not wanting to leave Bri Tsutoni, the person I'm fucking engaged to, alone, makes me the selfish one? I'm so tired of this."

"We only need a little more time, onii-san. And then, you can have a happily ever after with her."

"How much is a little, Itachi? Because I'm afraid that we don't have enough anymore," I frowned after finally admitting my fear to him.