(A/N. I edited chap 8, which states now that he's been captive for 2 weeks. so it would make sense as to why he's assumed dead, and so it makes more logical sense.)

The morning sun rose far too quickly. Sure, the sun has a rise and a set time, but I didn't sleep a wink (my nerves got to me), and I was exhausted with a capital E.

Now, I may have only been by the base a few days, fourteen or so, I'd counted.

Long enough to be considered dead by Suna's standards, after an unarmed, untaught, version of myself went up against one of their most famous missing-nin ever.

Call me lucky, because I felt it. Hey, maybe I even had some sort of poison resistance!

I said maybe. I doubt I do. That's Sasori's domain, not mine. I should probably ask him about that, though.

What doesn't kill you, gives you trauma. -Vine.

Before I knew it, we were at Suna's gates (well, a half-mile from them). The security had increased tenfold, and I mean that literally. They went from two jonin guards to twenty, from what Konan had felt.

Thank God for sensor-nin.

"It's about that time, Kai. You remember how to do it, right?"

I smirk. "I won't need a transformation. I've been presumed to be dead for the last two weeks. They won't be paying attention to you, and odds are, it's a quick ticket to the Kazekage."

"And if it doesn't go our way?" She gave me a side glance.

"It will. I swear it."

I'm sure I heard her mutter something about putting her blind faith into redheads too easily.

She changed into the average passerby of suna, brown hair, brown eyes, classic side character.

Now, I impress the guards (ish.)

Not sure how that was supposed to go, but the second one saw me, and matched the face with the picture on the missing board (conveniently placed next to the entrance, of course), he noticed that it was definitely me, the same missing kid who'd legally been dead for two weeks, and some random chick he'd found in the desert.

Needless to say, they all looked absolutely baffled.

I would be too if a dead man had shown up at my place of work and asked to see the leader.

One of the guards, who I'll call 1, responded to my request with "You want to do what?" before giving me the judgemental parent glance.

Another guard, who I'll call two, tried to convince 1 that I was indeed the real Kai that went missing in a terrorist attack two weeks ago.

It took twenty minutes before Konan and I made our way up the tower stairs to explain the predicament we were in.

"Kai, is it really you that I'm seeing?"

Gaara's eye rings had gotten worse. Way worse.

His face looks stained red too. I can't tell if it's from tears or rosacea caused by alcohol damage.

Probably tears, knowing he doesn't drink much.

"In the flesh. And I've got one hell of a story for you."

He was at a loss for words.

I gave Konan a signal, and she shifted back into the cloaked and blue-haired form I knew her as.

"Y-you're one of the people who kidnapped Kai!" He stammered.

I rolled my eyes. "Gaara, it's me. Do you think that in my right mind I'd bring someone with bad intention here?"

He shook his head.

"She's part of my plan. The rest of the organization, minus Itachi Uchiha, are after something. The tailed beasts. You're a jinchuriki, which is why they wanted you." I take a deep breath. He's not going to believe this one, I bet. "It turns out Sasori can't tell between a broken chakra system and an additional one."

"So, your saying, that is jinchuriki are in danger, and that someone mixed us up?"

"Exactly." Konan buts in. "Konan of Ame, at your service. Kai convinced me that our plan was not the one for peace."

Gaara smiled. "Reminds me of someone I know."

"We're here on a supposed recon mission, to find more info on you. Of course, I'm not the type to submit that easily. I came to warn you, and to contact the others if you can. Stay in the village. Avoid anyone with the cloaks Konan and I are wearing. We hope to recruit Sasori next, as well as Deidara. Neither of them has strong ties to the organization."

"As long as you promise your safety, Kai. Peace isn't an easy road." He stands up and walks over to us, grabbing me into a group hug. "Kankuro and Baki missed you. I think we should all visit them."

You can probably guess the first thing Kankuro did upon my arrival.

Lecture me while hugging me, scruff my hair as Baki does, and hug me again.

"Kid, you scared the living sand out of me!"Kankuro exclaims

Did he just say that? Yes, he did.

"You had us convinced, I'll say," Baki adds.

Kankuro chuckles and points, "nice new getup, kid."

I give him a brotherly "fuck you" look. "My alliances lie with people, not a ring and a slashed headband."

"They teach ya that voice?" He jokes.

"Only for annoying Hidan with how stale I can make myself."

"As I say, if ya can't kill em, bore em."

He fist-bumps me.

Baki's eyeing Konan a bit. "Who's the pretty lady?"

Konan gives him the scariest death glare I've ever seen. "Konan of Ame. And I suggest refraining from such comments. I managed to beat one of your strongest missing-nin into joining our organization with paper."

Baki backs up. "Hint taken."

I may or may not have been on my knees laughing at Baki's stupidity.

Now that's how to shut down a player.

Baki gives me a chest pat. "Nice abs, champ. Same with the burn scars. They suit you."

I smile. I'm extremely glad to be back, even if it's for a short while.

The time flies, and our two allotted days go by the fastest days have ever gone for me. In a blink, I'm exiting Suna, and Konan no longer had her missing status here, thanks to Gaara. Itachi's lost his here too.

I know what to tell Pein now. I know Kankuro isn't dead, I know Baki isn't either. It eases my nerves knowing everyone's alright.

Konan smiles. "I like them. I'm glad you chose them to work with, both for technical reasons and for the hospitality they've given us." She looks like she's gotten an idea. "And I know you like piercings, so as a surprise, I'm going to wrangle Sasori into giving you one. That's tomorrow's issue, though."

She picks me up halfway through the way home and puts me on her back.

"It's going to be a long, hard road, but you've got the spirit he did. I put my faith in redheads too often, but this time, I won't get it wrong."

Sometimes, we just need some faith in ourselves.

—-/—- short for word count purposes.

"I still don't understand the logic behind Konan coming to me for this before she came to the guy with piercings."

Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Sasori, I've told you this. I grew up with him. He's more likely to Shinra Tensei a rod in his face than to actually pierce it.

I have to give her credit. Konan is an amazing debater.

"Right, because he'd do that. Let's just get this over with. Where do you want it, brat?"

I think he's referring to me because if he was referring to Konan like that, he'd get his ass kicked.

"Septum."

"I'll give you one thing. You're a brave one."

Sasori wasn't a piercer by any standard, but even he knew how piercings were, I assumed.

"Don't ask me why I own piercing needles and clamps, either, brat."

Konan had a spare loop from her labret, which coincidentally fit into the area I wanted my piercing done.

Sasori took out a cotton ball and doused it in rubbing alcohol, cleaning the spot.

"Alright, this might hurt, a lot."

I must say, the clamp was annoying as hell.

"On three. One, two-"

And of course, he decided to surprise me on two.

What did I expect? He's Sasori. It hurt a lot less than he said, though.

Puppets don't feel much pain, do they?

I guess that concludes this. I have a nose ring now. It's spiky. Pein might kill me later for it, but I have one.