Hiruko huffed a breath in annoyance as he continued to follow Yumi from behind. This was definitely going to take some getting used to, being around her kind, the law and order abiding ninja instead of his own crew. Though the Mizukage granted his freedom, it didn't come freely. If anything, he felt as though he may as well be stuck back in his prison cell. He was still under her constant surveillance; he wasn't allowed to be out of her sight, not to eat, sleep, not even to go to the toilet. What was even worse was that he couldn't get his arms back. If he so much as looked at another man's kunai or tool pouch, Yumi would have him dangling from the end of her water whip. He wasn't sure why they assumed he needed to be leashed like some mongrel dog, but if he could guess, she needed to be close to the kages, and it was probably easier this way than guarding him in the cells. Ever since he told her the clan would come for him, she stupidly decided not to leave his side. If she only knew what dangers lie ahead of her, she ought to think twice before going to such lengths to keep him alive. He slumped his shoulders as he stared at the back of her head, thinking back to that moment back when they were at sea. When his crew sank to the depths, he should have died along with them. It would've been the honorable thing to do, but his pride just couldn't let that beast take him down to the depths without a fight. It was a miracle that he made it out alive at all. And after hearing what she went through when the clan came to finish him off in the cell. In his lifetime, Hiruko came across some of the most toughest, nastiest bastards ever to exist on this planet, but she was able to make a stand against the clan and come out without so much as a scratch on her body... Unbelievable. He just couldn't wrap his head around it. Why would she do such a thing for him? Perhaps the knowledge he possessed on the clan was too great for them to risk losing, which could only mean that the Kages were getting desperate. Regardless of their protection, it didn't matter. The clan would always come. He was dead either way. She may have won this time, but it won't happen again and if she was smart, she'd stay out of the way.

Silently, she arrived outside a wooden door, where she stopped and gave it a good knock. Every so often, she'd glance at him from the corner of her eye, keeping her water canteen at the ready in case he tried to run off or attack. After several failed attempts, Hiruko stopped trying and only glared at her with his tired, bloodshot eyes. He might decide to try again later, after he got some food and rest, but not now. The door creaked open, revealing the Sand ninja known as Kankuro on the other side of it. He gave him a glance before he stepped aside to allow them in, and Hiruko was immediately taken aback at what came next. There in the center of the room was a long wooden table covered with a huge buffet of various foods, some that he hadn't even seen before and some he remembered he'd eaten a long time ago. A few heads turned to them, with which they were then greeted by a friendly smile, which instantly brough a sickening feeling in his stomach. What the hell was this?! Were they really going to have dinner together?! They were all sitting around, as if they were waiting for more people to come join them. It was even more odd when he noticed that none of them even bothered to touch the food yet. The Sand ninja took to the left and the Leaf ninja sat on the right. He noticed that none of the Mist guards were there, nor was the Mizukage, at least not yet. He was curious about it, but quickly dismissed it, seeing that it would be one less irritant to deal with. Nevertheless, this atmosphere was very unsettling to say the least.

Yumi moved to the side to let him be the first to walk over, so she could keep an eye on him, but he was hesitant. She decided to give him a slight nudge with her elbow and he grumbled but eventually took his place at the empty chair in the far end of the table, away from everyone. His uncomfortable attitude was to be expected. To be honest, it's probably the first real meal where he actually had to sit down with other people who weren't roudy crew mates. If anyone else had been in his shoes, it would definitely be an adjustment. Without a word, she took the seat next to him and gestured that it was alright for him to eat. Hiruko wasted no time at all and snatched his chopsticks and began to dig into his bowl full of rice. He would never admit it, but something about eating freshly made food really stood with him. It wasn't heavily salted down, dried out, or slimy, like the food he was so used to eating on the boat. Then again, they would only make port a few times out of the year, and even then, that was only when there were few ships to heist. Man, how he wanted to get back out to sea again.

After a few moments, something didn't set right with him. He could feel the lingering tension of their eyes drawing upon him as he continued to eat. Apparently, he was the only one doing so. Not that he gave a damn in the first place, but what was the big deal? It didn't take him long before he realized that it wasn't actually about the food. He was still a threat to them, a pirate who tried to kill Leaf and Sand ninja at the cost of his own crew, nothing but scum... and that he should consider himself lucky to even BE here enjoying dinner at all. Maybe that was true. Regardless, that wasn't going to change his nature. Now that he was free of his cell, it was time to think of a way out of here. First thing he needed to do was get a knife or some kind of weapon, then he would need to find a way to get free of Yumi's grasp and remain unseen from the ninja and all the kage's guards. As soon as he was out, he would get back to the docks and start working on getting a new ship and a crew. Perhaps, it was time to pay the Master a visit and cash in that debt he owed to his late Grandfather.

Knock! Knock! All heads immediately turned to the door, which the server gladly opened to reveal the Mizukage. He stepped into the room with two of his guards following behind. Chojuro took the final seat at the head of the table as his guards took their place by all the exits and windows. They sealed off any and every possible escape route imaginable, annoyingly confining them here. Oddly, it didn't occur to him until now why the three most powerful national leaders would want to come together here at the dinner table of all places? He thought they would only meet for diplomatic purposes or something important, but not here. It was all too weird.

When everyone stilled in their seats, Chojuro stood up and took his cup "Everyone, in this darkest of times, I just want to say that I am grateful... Having met and fought alongside each other, it has all brought us closer together, not just as allies, but as friends... To friends!"

He raised his cup and everyone followed. "To friends!"

Hiruko cringed as he popped off the top of a sake bottle and took a long swig. At least their booze measured up to his standards, though it was surprising that she was allowing him to drink. He couldn't help it; he had to wash the bitter taste out of his mouth after hearing such mushy nonsense. Friends? Please! They're not here because they're friends. They're here because they're trying to get ready for a war that they cannot possibly hope to win. It's foolish in itself to even think about celebrating at a time like this. Then again, even he would come up with worse excuses to drink... When the warmth of the alcohol finally took its toll, he slumped back in his chair to watch the guests talk. The atmosphere was different here, watching them. It was as if they has completely forgotten the dire situation they were in, or the chaos going on just a few miles outside The Capital, or the fact that he was in the same room as them. It bizzarely looked like nothing else mattered except for what was going on right now at the table. He just didn't understand it.

Out of nowhere, a familiar face caused him to furrow his brow. What was he doing here?

As he walked along the walls of the courtyard, he wiped the sweat from his palms on the sides of his pants. The place was crawling with villagers, mostly victims from the small towns in the outer islands seeking refuge from their now destroyed homes. They were granted food and shelter under the protection of the Mizukage, but it was quite an overwhelming amount, and there were still many more to come. With the Kage's and their guards assisting The Mist elsewhere, the rest of the ninja along with the Yuki clan were asked to keep themselves busy helping Yue tend to the villagers. For Higan, this was even more frustrating. There were just too many people around, too many witnesses for him to even try to make a move, and it didn't help that Yue was constantly moving around with her work. He even devised a plan to get close to her by offering to do extra work, but it didn't work out like he thought. As soon as he finished one chore, she gave him another one and disappeared to do her own. After so many tries, he finally gave it a rest. He would have to try something different, probably make his move at the end of the day when everyone had turned in for the night. It was annoying that he couldn't do anything right now, but he had to give her credit for her strong work ethic. What was most surprising was that she didn't complain, not once. It was actually pretty admirable.

Right now, the time was daunting on him as the number of days the Master gave him to retrieve her was shrinking. Not only that; their attempt on Hiruko's life failed, resulting in even greater suspicions from the Mizukage. Late at night, while he was scouting, he overheard rumors from The Leaf ninja that they found the perpetrator behind the attack, that his partner was the one responsible for everything, including stealing the letters from the Mizukage's messenger birds and attacking the prisoners. All in all, it seemed like his partner was to blame, but that meant he was essentially off the hook. At least, that's what he believed until he heard that Chojuro was continuing to hold interrogations for his Mist guards. He probably wanted to make sure no stone was left unturned before he shut down the case of the traitor. Nevertheless, it put a dent in his task as a spy. That, for now, was going to be a major setback on gathering intel. If he wanted to sneak around, he couldn't do so in disguise as a guard anymore. He had to lay low and be Higan, regular, normal Higan from the Yuki clan. Even so, none of that mattered. The most important thing was getting Yue back to the Master.

His eyes scanned across the many faces of people in the courtyard until they at long last landed on her bright white hair, standing off to the side, ladeling todays lunch into the people's bowls. With every thanks she got, she returned the gesture with a smile and bow. Even in the hardest of times, she still had that smile, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was genuine or just a mask. Out of nowhere, one of the Sand ninja appeared next to her, her arms struggling to lug another giant pot of stew to the serving booth. It was the same young woman that Gaara rejected the other day. As she placed the pot on the table, she exchanged a hateful look to Yue, who simply ignored it and continued on with her duties. The Sand ninja said not a word, only scoffed and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear before heading back to the kitchen. Higan leaned his back against the brick wall and continued to observe her. How could she not say something about that awful girl? She just completely blew her off. If it had been him in her shoes, he wouldn't hesitate to put her in her place.

He noticed every so often, when she caught a break from serving, Yue would clasp onto the small chain around her neck. It must be something very sentimental to her. Her eyes glazed over as she drifted off into space. Something was on her mind. Curiouser and curiouser...

When the work day had concluded, Yue exhaustedly stumbled back to her quarters. At this point, she didn't even want to think about cooking, only getting a hot shower and a nice change of clothes. She clicked the door open and entered her empty suite. The lights were already off, which she then flicked on and when she made her way into the dining area, she stopped short. There, in place of her sitting area was a small dinner platter with her favorite dish, Takoyaki. She hadn't even told him that it was her favorite, but it was nice to see that he made the effort to leave her a meal, especially since she was so tired from cooking all day. It would seem that Kankuro was right about one thing, Gaara was still thinking about her, and that notion only made her feel glum. She took her seat and ate the lukewarm doughballs of fried squid in silence. When she had finished, she cleaned her plate and checked around the room to make sure Gaara wasn't actually there. Though they agreed to remain distant, he still left some kind of indicator that he was in the room, whether it be a used teacup or if he cracked the door to his bedroom. This time, it was just as she thought, he wasn't there at all. She assumed that maybe he got wrapped up in another meeting with Naruto and Chojuro and would return at a later time, as per usual. Nevertheless, it would have been nice to have seen him. It had been over two weeks now and this time spent apart only made her feel more alone. She knew that he said he would be patient with her, but she was starting to realize how stupid this choice really was. She really missed him...

She let out a sigh in defeat, knowing that he won't be back for a while. Out of curiosity, Yue checked the time on the digital clock on the table. It was still a little early in the evening, and her body was completely worn, but her mind was not. At least she could use this time to take care of herself, so she decided to go ahead and take her well-deserved shower and change into her comfy clothes. When she walked back out into the living area, there was still no sign of Gaara, so she made use of her time to heat up a small kettle of water and pour herself a cup of her special blend of sleepy time tea. Hopefully the soothing herbs would lull her into a night of peaceful sleep. Once her cup was prepared, she adjourned out back to sit on the wooden deck and looked up at the dark purple sky. The stars still needed some time before coming out and she was more than ready to be patient. She kicked off her shoes and took a nice long sip of her teacup. The smooth taste and scent of the herbs enveloped her body, almost like a nice warm hug from within. She exhaled breathlessly and relaxed her shoulders. After all this time, Mameha's words still hold true - that nothing beats a good cup of tea after a long hard day of work. But still, it would have been better if she shared this tea with Gaara, especially considering what day it was.

When the first little star appeared in the night sky, she slumped down. "Happy birthday, Yue..."

"Today's your birthday?"

Yue nearly screamed at his head poked out from up top of the brick garden wall. She quickly caught her breath, trying to steady her rapid heartbeat. "Higan? What're you doing up there?"

"Uh- I came outside to talk with my Old Man, but he just went in and I stayed out here. Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop." He smiled with his hands in the air innocently.

"Umm, it's fine, I guess..."

His hands grasped over the top of the wall as he pulled himself up. He swung his legs over the side and sat there looking down at her. "So is it true, what you said? Today's really your birthday?"

"Yea."

"Well then- Happy Birthday! How old are you?"

"Twenty-three..."

"Wow. We're almost the same age, y'know. Except by a year and..." he counted off his fingers "seven months and eleven days."

Yue wasn't sure what else to say to that, so she played it off by taking another sip of tea.

"How come you're not partying? You should've told us. We could've done something."

"I don't think it's anything worth celebrating right now... what with everything that's been going on."

"I disagree. If anything, we could all really use a good time right now. Things just keep getting worse these days." he muttered softly.

"Maybe some, but not me."

"Well that's because you're out here all by yourself. Where's your water friend? And that sand guy?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know... It's really not that big of a deal. I'd honestly rather spend it on a better occassion... like back home."

"Do you mean back in The Sand? Or back here?"

"I... I don't know."

Higan glanced around the garden. There was still one or two guards left. If he could get her to go through the main courtyard, he could lure her to the hatch, knock her out, and be out of this crazy mess. Somehow, for some stupid reason, it bothered him to do this on her birthday. At the same time, the clock was running out. Besides, it was her own birth, her very existence that caused all this chaos for him since he was a kid. He shouldn't feel guilty about doing this at all, but maybe... he could spare a little time with her doing something enjoyable. At least then, he could catch her off guard.

"Come with me."

She turned back to him and blinked. "Huh?"

"Come on, I know something fun we can do."

"Higan, I'm actually pretty tired from today and all I want is to sit here and drink my tea until Gaara gets back."

Shit. He couldn't allow him to come back here. If he caught him with her again, he was sure to be killed. He had to try and come up with something quick.

"But I thought you guys weren't seeing each other anymore."

"We're not... but I've been thinking about it for a while now. This time spent apart, it's just made me miss him more. I'm tired of pretending that I don't want to see him when I walk out of my room every morning... I miss having someone beside me..."

Higan dropped down from the wall and stepped over to sit down next to her. "I'll sit beside you."

She curled a soft smile to hold in a chuckle and nudged herself over, surprisingly allowing it. At least he sounded sincere.

He smirked. "I saw that smile. You should do it more often, especially today. And.. if you miss him so much, why don't you talk to him?"

"That's why I'm staying up."

"But he isn't even taking time to see you on your birthday. Even if you're not dating, he could at least come by and say it, or brought you a cake or something."

"He doesn't know it's my birthday."

"Seriously? Why?" he asked, almost in disbelief.

"Because I didn't tell him."

"That's crazy! I thought you knew each other."

"Only for a few months. You can't expect to know everything about a person in that time." she defended, but Higan only scoffed at that sentence.

"Yea, but isn't that like one of the most basic questions to ask a person? Especially in the start of the relationship?"

"I guess it never occurred to me that it would matter this much."

"Are you kidding me? Of course, it matters! It not only signifys the fact that you exist, but that you're still alive today. And that's something special."

She caught her breath in the back of her throat, thinking about it. She never really thought of it like that before. To her, it was just another pointless year of dodging the blade. There were so many years of struggle that she didn't really see any need to celebrate her birthday.

"And your friends? What about that water chick? Where's she at? Did she come by and tell you Happy Birthday?"

She shook her head. "They're just so busy..."

"Geez. They really need to get their priorities straight. If it's important, you should make the time for the ones you love, not abandon them because it's your duty."

"But that comes with the job. Taking them away from that would be an act of selfishness for The Mist and their villages."

Higan let out a frustrated groan. "I don't care! They do that stuff every day! Why can't you be selfish for once? People shouldn't put their jobs above their loved ones."

"I wasn't in his life before he became Kazekage, nor when Yumi became a ninja. That's something they chose to be and it would be wrong for me to take that from them to celebrate something that I don't even care about."

"You should care... It's just for one night. They could make an exception."

"There are more important things right now..."

He could hear the hurt in her voice and felt his chest ache. This idiot, has she only been thinking of others and not herself? This whole time? Higan felt his hand sliding across the wooden floor to her fingers and placed it on top. "You're important too..."

Suddenly, Higan's ears perked at the sound of a door click. Shit! Gaara's back! He had to get out of here, quick! Step by step, he could hear him closing in. Higan quickly averted his eyes to the wall. There's no way he'd be able to jump it in time, not with that sand of his to stop him. He had to think of something.

When the steps were about to reach them, his pulse dropped. She turned her head and that's when it came to him. With no options, he forcefully pressed his lips onto Yue. He could hear him stop in his tracks and something drop to the floor with a slight thud. Instantly, they slid on their heels and bolted out the front door. He relaxed his shoulders as he let out a breath of relief. Stunned, Yue shoved him away and stood up.

"What're you doing?! I just said that I was missing my boyfriend and you try and hit on me?!"

He held is hands up defensively. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"No!" she turned away and ran her fingers stressfully through her hair. "You need to go!"

"Yue, I didn't mean-"

"Now!"

Her blue eyes started to glow around her pupils, but she held herself back from giving in to the power. Higan pursed his lips and without a word, he nodded and walked over to the garden wall. He hoisted himself over the edge and disappeared, a hidden smile curling his lips. Yue no longer felt the need to stay outside any longer. She didn't want to risk the possibilty of his return, not even to apologize. Of all things, the last thing she expected was for him to kiss her. What the hell was he thinking? How could he do that to her after all that she just said?

Anxiously, she held her arms over her chest, fiddling with the ends of her long-sleeved shirt and decided to go back inside. There was no comfort for what she saw next. Out of the darkness of the room, there was something on the floor. Cautiously, she approached it and saw that it was a partially opened box with sweets smeared on the lid and the hardwood floor. Her heart dropped when she saw the words "Happy Birthday" on the top.