The young man was so surprised that he immediately raised his arms up. They were empty, so he wasn't armed, at least from what they could see. Oddly enough, he looked very familiar to Yue, but not enough for her to recall a specific name. How did he know this was her room? Who was he and what the hell was he doing here? Cautiously, he took a few steps forward. That somehow led them to believe that he meant to come here. For what purpose, they did not know. For Yumi, it was a giant red flag.

"Stay where you are!" She commanded, pointing the kunai at him. He could tell from her death glare that she was serious, so he obeyed and froze his body, still continuing to keep his hands where they could see. One more step and it was definite that that blade would pierce right through his heart. "Why are you here?!"

"I swear, I mean you no harm. My name is Higan. I'm Yurotoro's son." He spoke, hoping that she would recognize the name and lower her weapon, but she didn't budge.

"Is this true, Tsuki?" Yue whispered to herself. She seemed to have the faint memory from earlier, but she needed a second opinion to be sure.

'Yurotoro was indeed your father's right-hand servant. The man you met was legitimate, however, I do not know if he had children. There is no telling from appearance alone that this man is his actually his child, but I do recall seeing him among the members of the Yuki clan.'

There was a long pause as they still weren't a hundred percent about it. For all they knew, he could be a clone or someone disguised as one of them. Yumi decided to ask him a few questions. "Why're you here? What were you planning on doing by just walking in here?"

"Look, I was with the others back in the meeting room with the Mizukage and his associates. All that political stuff isn't really my thing, so I left a few minutes before everyone else did. The Mizukage gave us directions to come here and that this building is where the clan's going to stay for a while. I heard voices and thought it was someone else from the group, and came right in. I'm really sorry. It was just a misunderstanding. I promise that I wasn't going to do anything weird." He explained, trying to keep his composure relaxed. It just didn't look good seeing as how he merely walked into a girl's room.

"So you just walked on in someone else's room just because you heard voices? Did it ever cross your mind that you could be invading someone's privacy? Especially considering that there were women in the room?" Yumi asked, threateningly.

Higan's cheeks turned a bright red color. "I told you, I wasn't going to do anything weird! I'm sorry! I didn't even know this was her room!" He explained, nodding over to Yue.

There was a faint rusty squeak coming from the kitchen area, and in an instant, a small river of water flowed through the air directly over to Yumi's free hand. It took the form of her trusty water whip, which she sent flying over to Higan. The water encased around his body faster than he could escape it. He struggled to free himself from its clutches, but she only added in more chakra to keep him bound. Tsuki Ona decided to take action by forming the two ice lances in Yue's palms, yet remained inside her subconscious mind, idly waiting to take possession if necessary. From the look of it, Yumi seemed to have everything under control. Perhaps she had underestimated her skills.

BAM! The front door flung wide open and Gaara stepped right in the room. His eyes were instantly narrowed at the image of this unknown stranger in his suite, trapped by Yumi. Without a word, the sand burst forth from his gourd to shove his body forcefully out of his water prison to hit against the wall. At the same time, he also sent a message through a small portion of his sand to Yumi, showing the password before she could ask the riddle. This was all so sudden. Yue felt overwhelmed with fear to see such a bloodthirsty look on his face as he did this. Whatever he was going to do to this guy, Gaara wasn't going to go easy on him. His fingers concentrated the sand to cocoon around the poor man, squeezing him tightly to the point where he started to wheeze. No! This couldn't end like this! He's going to kill him! Before she opened her mouth to tell him to stop, all their attention turned to the door as Yurotoro barged his way between them.

"What are you doing?! That's my son!"

He attempted to shove Gaara to the floor, but he dodged right in the niche of time. Sadly, Yurotoro was only able to push his hand. The force broke Gaara's jutsu from continuing to crush him, but the sand still kept itself wrapped around Higan's body. Yurotoro gathered himself up and pulled out his own two kunais.

"Let him go!"

Gaara gave him a serious glare before he took a glance back at Yumi and Yue. His body froze at the terrified look on her face. It wasn't just from the stressful situation, no, this fear was directed to him. His heart was immediately struck with a small sharp pain. He really didn't want her to see him like this. To avoid it escalating, he reverted his attention back to Higan. This guy, what did he do to her? What could have happened if he hadn't shown up in time? Or if Yumi hadn't come when he ordered her to? The same exact situation could've happened again, and it would have been his fault! Damn it!

"Wait!" Yumi said, taking everyone's full attention. "The man came into our room, saying that Chojuro had told him to come here. He said he heard our voices and came in, assuming that we were members of his clan and that he meant no harm. Is he your son?"

"Yes! Yes! Higan is my son! This whole thing has to be a misunderstanding. My son would never harm anyone." He then got on his hands and knees to Gaara. "Lord Kazekage, please forgive mine and my son's actions. I beg you, please release him. I swear on my life that we hold no ill intentions towards you or anyone here."

The noise seemed to draw in a crowd because before too long, the rest of the Yuki clan members had surrounded outside the open door of their room. Many of them were just as shocked at what was going on as the rest of them. Gaara glanced back to Yumi for confirmation. She released her water whip to a nearby potted plant and put away her blade.

"His name is Higan. He's telling the truth."

The ice in Yue's hands disintegrated into the air, leading him to reconsider his actions. Only they would know if he was lying or not. With a swift hand motion, the sand slithered away from his body. Higan fell to his knees, gasping for air as his father scrambled over to help him. Gaara felt the tension of all their eyes boring into him right after that, and he really couldn't blame them. He almost ended the life of one of Yue's family, a family that was believed to have been dead for such a long time. When he heard the yelling, he bolted to the room, and when he saw what he saw, what else was he to think or do? Yumi had him completely bound in water and Yue was holding arms. He was only acting on instinct in the given situation, but he didn't actually hurt him… though, he can't say he didn't want to in the heat of the moment. Gaara dared himself to peek from the corner of his eye to Yue. Unfortunately, her complexion read cold with contempt.

After some time had passed, everyone had collected themselves. Gaara summoned Chojuro and Naruto over to their chambers to confirm their side of the story, just to be safe. Higan had indeed left the meeting early and was told to come to The Sand's living quarters. Gaara just didn't notice his absence at the time because he was so caught up speaking his plans to everyone in the discussion. After he sent Yue off to her room, Yumi shortly joined them, and Gaara decided it was best for her to keep watch over her while he was busy rather than sending one of Chojuro's guards. When the meeting ended, Chojuro proposed that the Yuki clan reside with Gaara and Yue in The Sand Suite, which the clan was in favor of, but not him. He was a bit skeptical, as he had been from the moment he met these people, but he took the time to think it all through. On Yue's account, she knew more things about the clan that he didn't. It would be selfish if he kept her from discovering her own origin, that is, if they really were who they said they were. If she wanted to be acquainted with them, then he could at least allow it at a close distance. He was confident that if anything were to go wrong, she could always find a way to tell him in private. Now, here they were, in the most awkward situation since they first came to The Mist.

The rest of the clan members were escorted to their own personal rooms, all except for Yurotoro and Higan. Gaara stayed near the doorway, waiting for Chojuro to return for a quick talk. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Yumi and Yue helped them to the table for some apologetic tea. Yumi gave Higan a quick check for any serious injuries while Yue heated the kettle. When it was done, they all turned their attention to Yue as she poured each of them a piping hot cup full. Higan motioned his body and offered for her to sit beside him. A fire lit up inside Gaara's chest when she took it. Higan slouched his posture after he took his first sip and gave her a warm smile. The longer he watched, the more he noticed that he wasn't taking his eyes off of her. He was starting to regret not crushing him to a bloody pulp.

"Aside from the different hair color, you look just like your mother." Yurotoro said kindly to her.

"Really? I don't remember her all too well. I wish I knew what she was like or at least her name and how she looked." Said Yue.

"I may have one picture that I could part with back home. As for right now, if you're that desperate to see her, you might as well look in a mirror. Nearly everything about you resembles her. The only things that don't are your hair and eyes. Those are your father's, her hair was black and her eyes were brown." He paused to take another sip of tea before continuing. "Mizuki was as free spirited as the wild. She always believed in seeking your own adventure in life. Unlike your father, she would always find the good in others, even in the most wicked people. She wasn't much of a physical fighter, though Detsu tried his best to train her, but she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. They both loved you very much and strived to give you a better life… That night, she fought harder than any one of us just to protect you. She treasured you above everything."

There was a short pause as she looked away, taking it all in. It was so nice to actually hear from a family friend about what her parents were truly like. "I hope never to let their sacrifice go in vain."

"Yue, our allegiance has always been to Tsuki Ona and your father. The Korishi and The Seven Swordsmen have defiled the lives of our people for centuries and still dare to do so today. Your father firmly believed that Tsuki Ona was the key to ending this war. Your very existence is proof that fate is on our side. With her power, we can save everyone." Yurotoro then bowed his head to her, and gestured for his son to copy him. "We offer you our undying loyalty. Our families and friends have suffered greatly, but if it means that our country can finally be at peace, we will follow you to oblivion. Anything you need or wish to know, you only need to ask."

The key to ending the war? She thought that they were only after her for Tsuki's power, but what he said made it feel deeper, that there was so much more to it. There's something else not sitting right about this. Instinctively, she stroked the spine of her father's journal sticking out from her side pouch. Higan noticed this as he was looking down.

"What's that?"

"This? It's my father's journal." She said as she pulled it out and set it on the table. She kept her hand on it to continue rubbing the leather back. Somehow, the smooth texture and the knowledge that it was still close by soothed her. Gaara cringed from the corner of his eye. What the hell was she doing?

"I never thought I'd see that again. He guarded that book long before I met him. I'm pleased to see that you have it, which means that you must already know about the clan's history with Tsuki Ona." He said, looking to her for validation.

"She has told me a lot." It was still a bit sad remembering her story and all the difficult things she had to go through. Higan could sense the gloom and gave her arm a little nudge.

"Hey, don't sweat it. We're altogether now, like a complete reunited family. We won't let any of that stuff happen again." His grin and cheerful attitude was enough to spark a small smile on her lips, but not much else. There was still so much left unsaid. Now she was starting to understand what her father meant. She took another sip of tea to calm her nerves.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Gaara was squeezing his fingers painfully around his crossed arms watching them. Whether his presence was a mistake or not, there was something about that Higan guy that he did not like. He was sitting dangerously close to her, so close that it was the golden opportunity for him to attack quickly, so quick that wouldn't even know it happened. She had already given them too much information. It still wasn't clear that these people were Yuki clan or not. For all he knew, these people could be posing as the fallen clan just to get their hands on inside information. The only thing keeping Gaara from interrogating them was Chojuro because this was his village, and therefore, his territory to give order on his people. Gaara wasn't sure about Yurotoro, but Higan was the one grasping his full attention at the moment. He desperately needed to talk to the Mizukage. Where the hell are those two anyways?!

Soon, the two Kage's met him by the entrance. Finally! Gaara closed the door behind him to keep it private.

"We just received word that our Owl and Bear divisions have been deployed to Black Rock Island. We should receive a message by morning. For now, we need to make sure that that information isn't intercepted by the enemy first. Naruto has agreed to send a team of ninja to secure the message here. Has Yue made any progress with the journal?" Chojuro asked.

"I have not spoken to her yet." Gaara explained, although saying it out loud just made him more upset. He has been worried ever since she gave him that threatening look earlier.

"I'm still not sure that we can trust her to be responsible, but you two have not failed to distrust me, so I'll keep you to your word on her loyalty. For now, I'll bite my tongue and let her keep it. Check her progress. I need any information that book contains." Gaara nodded in understanding.

"I should probably tell Yumi about Hiruko. We're still trying to get him to talk, but he still won't let up. Yumi is our only hope of cracking this guy." Naruto explained before entering their room. He did as he said and pulled Yumi aside from the others to give his orders quietly. After she gave Yue a friendly hug goodbye and a respectful apology to Higan and his father, together, they left the room. Chojuro also went over to the table, offering to show the men to their room. Gaara was still a little uneasy knowing that these guys were only going to be a few feet away. Higan passed him a cocky grin along the way, which he only returned with a death glare. The door shut behind them. With no one else around to ease the tension, it was just Yue and Gaara, forced to endure it. Silently, he stepped over to the table and took a seat right across from her.

"Have you read any of the book since you came back to the room?" he asked.

"I have." She said nothing else after that, which only frustrated him more. She was normally so open, but not this time.

"Aren't you going to tell me about it?"

"Are you going to tell me about the meeting?" She glanced up from her cup, her icy blue eyes filled with resentment. He understood.

"You have been stressing about this mission, even more so now than ever. I didn't want any more to be added on. I didn't want you involved in that." He explained.

"Is that really the reason for you sending me here? Or do you just not think I'm cut out for this? That I don't know what I'm talking about and would embarrass you more?"

"Well, you telling them who you are and allowing them to find the journal doesn't exactly help your case."

"Excuse me! I never said what was in the book. I haven't even read that much since you sent me back here. And who are you to tell me who I can and can't talk to?" she snapped back.

"I'm the Kazekage! Weren't you listening when I explained what happened last time? They transformed into people and got dangerously close to you. You could've been abducted or killed. Are you willing to risk yourself for those people who may not be part of the Yuki clan at all?"

"They are part of the clan. Tsuki confirmed that Yurotoro was indeed my father's right-hand man, as did Lord Chojuro."

"That doesn't give clearance for the others who claim to be of the same clan." He said. "Why didn't you lock the door to the room? How could you be so careless as to let him walk right in through that door?"

"I did lock it. Yumi must've left it unlocked when she came in the room. And how can you say that I'm the one being careless? If you hadn't have sent me back on my own, none of this would've happened."

"I sent Yumi to follow you and keep you safe. I'm glad that I did in time or else he would've gotten closer to you than he already has, but perhaps that's the least of your worries." He snapped back, the pent up emotions starting to boil over the top.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've told you time and time again about the risks involved with you letting your guard down, yet you seem to ignore me every time. Eventually, it gets too far out of hand that I have to step in and save you."

"Are you saying that I asked for this to happen?" she asked hatefully.

"Asked, no. However, you don't seem to be making as much of an effort to prevent it either."

"What's there to prevent? It was all a misunderstanding! I'm starting to think that this is more than wanting to protect me. It seems like you're so afraid of what's going to happen that you can't trust anyone. You can't even have a little bit of trust in me, and I'm being suffocated by it! I told you that there's no guarantee that I will always be safe."

"And I said I would do my best not to let that happen, yet you continue to make it more difficult for me!" he yelled.

"I'm not trying to make things hard for you, I didn't ask for this to happen!"

"Well I didn't ask for this burden!"

She blinked her eyes as she parted her lips, surprised after listening to what he just said. Her complexion then melted into a look of sorrow as she pursed her lips back together to contain herself from possibly saying something she'll regret. Her icy blue eyes drifted down to the half empty teacup on the table. Right then, she wished that she had the ability to shrink down so she could crawl into that cup and hide. Unfortunately, reality did not work that way. The muscles in her chest started to clench into several painful knots. She couldn't stand to be in the room any longer if her presence was just going to make things worse. After all this time spent, she never expected to hear that from him, that she was a burden. She didn't want that. Gaara watched her grab the journal before standing up from her seat.

"I'm going to stay in my room tonight…" That was the last thing she said before slamming the bedroom door behind her.

The regret started pooling into his body after what he said. He hurt her… He swore to love and protect her, but he hurt her. The moment he saw her turn away, he knew that what he said was wrong, and sadly, there was no way he could take it back now. She was already gone. They had been through so much together already, and after being together last night, he thought that they were closer than they've ever been before, but that just wasn't the case. Taking a long deep breath in, he cursed at himself for being an idiot. The tea kettle and cups still remained scattered across the table, including the ones left behind from the others before. He eyed the cup sitting right next to Yue's with anguish and fury. Without his command, the sand bled out on its own accord from his gourd over to it. The sand slithered around the cup and squeezed it until it cracked to pieces.

Gaara then took a few minutes to calm himself down before he picked up the pieces and the rest of the dishes. He placed them inside the kitchen sink before heading to his own bedroom. It was depressingly quiet staring at her bedroom door along the way. A part of him wanted to go in there to hold her close and apologize, but he had never seen her react that way before. This was different than how mad she was before. Her silence was assuring that she needed some time to herself. Seeing him right after that would probably make things worse. He decided to give her that. When the time came for him to come up with the right words to say, he would work up the courage to face her and properly say how sorry he truly was. Hopefully then, she would be calm, and if he was lucky, she won't decide to end their relationship. Closing his bedroom door behind him, he removed the heavy gourd from his back and stripped down to his comfortable lounging clothes. After laying back in the sheets of his bed, he stared up at the wooden ceiling. It became apparent of how hard it was trying to fall asleep. How was she going to react seeing him in the morning? Would she even want to see him?

The night went by incredibly slowly trying to make himself comfortable. He just couldn't stop thinking about her and what she might be doing behind her bedroom door. Was she having as much trouble as him right now? Would she be crying? Would she have found a way to look past everything and get some sleep? Or would she be distracting herself by reading her father's journal? Maybe she was talking with Tsuki. No doubt that she would have a great amount of words to say about him right now, and definitely nothing good. He wanted to go see for himself, he really did, but he knew he shouldn't. The stress of it all started to form a growing ache in his head. He pressed his hand against his forehead to try and relieve it, even tugging on some of his hair as well to redistribute the pain, but nothing worked. He definitely deserved this.

It took a long time, but eventually, his body succumbed to weakness and allowed him to get a bit of rest. A few hours went by into the night in silence until he awoke to the loud banging coming from outside the room. With his head still aching, he rose from his bed, quickly put on some decent clothes, and walked out in the living area. Yue also heard the noise and came out to see what was going on. As he passed her, he could see the bags under her eyes from staying up crying. He wanted to go over and hold her, but the person outside the door needed to be dealt with first. No one would be bothering him at this time of the night if it wasn't important. His sand hovered in the air behind him, ready to use in case it turned out to be an emergency. Gaara unlocked the lock and opened the door to see Chojuro standing with his three body guards. What was going on?

"Gaara, we've just received word that a vessel from The Sand has reached The Capital. I need you to come with me to confirm it." He ordered. Gaara turned his head to glance back at Yue who was still standing in her bedroom doorway watching them. She probably wouldn't come if he asked her to. He turned back to Chojuro.

"Wake Naruto and Yumi and have them both come guard Yue while I'm gone."

He nodded and sent off one of his guards to get them. Gaara went back to his room to properly suit up. It was surprising to hear that Kankuro followed through with his message by sending reinforcements so soon, but there was always the possibility that the people on this vessel weren't his own. He needed his gourd of sand in case things took a turn for the worst. They certainly did not need anyone else getting involved in the inside job they were already dealing with. Not just that, but he didn't want to be forced to deal with any other headaches right now. Still, he could really use the extra company of his own ninja. He wondered which ones Kankuro sent, seeing as how he failed to specify who would be best suited for this mission.

Once he was all geared up and ready to go, he stepped out to see that Yue had retreated back into her room. She must've been tired, that's what he wanted to believe, but the back of his mind said otherwise. After a few minutes of waiting, they were finally met with a groggy Yumi and Naruto, both wearing their ninja clothes and tools at the ready. Together they took opposite spots on the couch to be briefed on the situation before they headed out. Although, from the look of it, they were probably too tired to care.

"We need to go to the docks to meet with The Sand vessel. Watch Yue until we return." Chojuro told them. With a yawn, they nodded and Gaara followed Chojuro out of the building to the shores.

More guards joined them along the way until they made it to the ship. Gaara was surprised to see who was there. Kankuro and his five men group of ninja stood waiting at the end of the dock. From the look of the ship itself, the material, the flag, and the Captain seemed to check out. It looked as it was made from his village. Now it all came down to the people. Kankuro smiled and willingly stepped up to him.

"Glad to see you made it, Gaara." He said as he quickly eyed around him. "Hey, where's your girlfriend?"

That sounded like him, but to be sure, he needed to do one thing. His sand escaped from his gourd to circle around him rapidly. Kankuro immediately fell alert. Gaara stepped closer to him and lifted his hand, ready to command the sand at his disposal.

"If you're my brother, then you will answer this question correctly… Where did I take her on our first date?" he whispered to him.

"Sarkus Fanshi."

The sand disappeared from his side, allowing him to relax. He smiled knowing that he definitely wasn't going to die today. He gave a nod back to Chojuro, confirming that it was true. Happy, Gaara gave his brother a soft smile and placed an arm on his shoulder.

"It's good to see you too, Kankuro… but why are you here?"

"I told your mission to The Elders as soon as I got back to the village. They weren't exactly thrilled to hear that you left your post to go after Yue, but after I explained the situation, they came to an understanding. They investigated the notes we received from The Mist and agreed that it was right of you to leave to help deal with this potential threat, but not alone. They want you returned back safely, so they allowed me to form my own team to help aide you on this mission." He said as he gestured to the fellow ninja standing behind him.

Without a chance to respond, one of them bolted out of the group over to Gaara and gave him a hug. His sand caught his fall, but that completely caught him off guard. Looking down, he noticed the familiar short brown hair and overbearing smile. Just seeing her made him want to roll his eyes to the back of his head.

"Matsuri…"

"I'm so happy to see you, Lord Gaara! I'm glad to know that you are safe!"

He tried to politely nudge her off him, but he ended up being a bit more forceful than anticipated. Kankuro had to step in to pull her back and remind her how inappropriate it was throwing herself at the Kazekage. She kept her distance with a slight pout. Now they were able to move on. There was no need to introduce the rest of the group, since Gaara regularly granted missions to them all. Kankuro did well organizing this group. Each person was a member of their own separate division and each one was going to be necessary for the mission. Together, they all made their way to their living quarters. Kankuro gave all the details of their journey. They left a few days after he returned to The Sand and had also encountered a piece of the storm that severely set them back so many days. They only ran into one small ship of thug pirates along the way with hardly any casualties. That was good to hear that everyone made it out alright. Gaara went on to tell of his journey, but some parts of it started to re-awaken the guilt dwelling inside him. It actually started to hurt when he got to the parts where he would mention Yue. It didn't strike anyone else as odd behavior, except for Kankuro. He knew his brother well enough to know that something was wrong. He probably just couldn't say in front of all these people around him. He'll have to get to the bottom of this later.

Once they all made it back to The Sand building, Chojuro showed his team to their rooms to get some food, water, and rest. Unfortunately, Matsuri chose to linger around with Gaara and Kankuro, hoping to get more details about the mission. Gaara really didn't want to deal with this right now. He was more interested in getting some advice from Kankuro about this whole situation. She was awfully persistent, and knowing that he was an idiotic jerk only a few hours ago, the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt another girl's feelings, so he begrudgingly allowed her to come in to talk about the mission, but only if she agreed to leave right after. His excuse was that he was still really tired, and he was, seeing as how he more likely only got a solid forty-five minutes of it. She agreed and they entered his room.

Naruto and Yumi were sitting on the couch, both much more awake now, conversing with Yue who sat on the chair on the opposite side of them. All three of them turned their heads and were bewildered to see more Sand ninja standing behind him. Kankuro smiled and waved to them.

"Hey, Naruto. Long time no see."

"Kankuro, what're you doing here?"

Matsuri stepped forward and clasped onto Gaara's arm. Yue felt her heart sink. "We're here to help with the mission."