The journey to Suna was a long and difficult one. From the city to the boarder was easy enough, it was when you reached the never-ending sand that slowed you down. He had informed Gaara of his move and why. He knew the citizens of Suna would be wary of him but he needed to be with Yua. He hoped Gaara would have received his letter before he arrived at the gates.

"Stop! Identify yourself!" A voice called out as the wind picked up the sand and tried to blind Ibiki.

"Morino Ibiki. I came to find Sumire. Your leader Gaara was sent a letter about my arrival." Ibiki called back, making his way towards the voice.

"No post has been able to reach us yet." They told Ibiki. "We will have to take you straight to our leader to discuss your matters about Sumire-san." They then added, helping Ibiki get to the city's gates.

Once inside, it was as if the wind could not penetrate the city walls, nor could you tell that there had been civil war. The guard led Ibiki straight to the heart of the city, the largest building.

Ibiki was soon face to face with Gaara. The red-haired man did not seem very pleased to see Ibiki. He figured it was due to being from Konoha.

"Sumire-chan has told me about you." Gaara spoke up, making Ibiki somewhat uneasy. He now wondered what type of relationship Yua had with the new Kazekage. "Why have you come here?" He then asked, his voice harsh and demanding.

"I came to be with Sumire. To make up for not leaving with her, making her leave with Orochimaru and to show her how truly sorry I am. How much I love her." Ibiki stated, trying hard not to feel small under the younger man's gaze.

"Sumire-chan has made a home for herself here. I hope you don't expect her to leave Suna with you." Gaara then pointed out.

"I was hoping if Sumire took me back, that we could stay in Suna." Ibiki explained. "I have many skills that I can share with Suna if you allow me to stay." He then added, trying to sweeten the deal.

"And if she doesn't take you back?" Gaara questioned, seeming to be interested.

"Then I would stay anyway, I can't go back to Konoha. I'd rather help Suna and help Sumire get her life back. The life she deserves. Hope for friendship, I guess." Ibiki admitted. It had never crossed his mind that Yua may not take him back after he chose to stay in Konoha.

Soon shouting could be heard from the outside of Gaara's office.

"You can't go in! He's busy!" A man's voice could be heard.

"I don't care Kankuro! Someone is asking for me at the gates!" Ibiki recognised her voice immediately, it was Yua. "Get out of my way!" She screamed.

"I said no!" Kankuro shouted back before letting out a loud grunt, followed by a thud.

The door swung open, revealing Yua. She was out of breath; she most likely ran over when she heard about the mysterious bold man who had asked about her at the gates. The same mysterious bold man that had been marched to Gaara's office. Her eyes landed on him and she froze.

"Ibiki?" His name barely made it past her lips as a whisper. Ibiki smiled at the sight of her and nodded. She ran towards him. Ibiki allowed her to slam into him, holding her tight. He missed her; he had missed every inch of her. He was glad to see her out of her suits, they only made her seem older than she was. She was wearing a pair of white loose-fitting shorts, a grey spaghetti strap vest top and a light almost sheer blue waterfall cardigan. She finally looked relaxed and comfortable in her own clothes.

Gaara cleared his throat, causing the two to pull apart.

"Sumire-chan, you will have to vouch for Morino." He told her. "If you have any doubts, you have one week to inform me." He then added. He was giving Ibiki a chance to prove himself to Yua, a small one but one he would use to his full advantage.

"Thank you Gaara-sama." She smiled and bowed. Gaara grunted and folded his arms over his chest. Yua just stuck her tongue out at him and pulled Ibiki out of the office. Ibiki was a little confused by their interaction but assumed that they both must had become close friends. It was clear Gaara disliked her formality with him.

Before he knew it, Yua and weaved him into out of people and down different streets. It took all of his concentration to remember the route to her new home. It was a simple set up. He assumed that Suna wasn't getting much in the way of imports at the moment, meaning everything was locally sourced. Not that Ibiki minded but was a far cry from the lifestyle Yua had before. "I thought we'd never see each other again." Yua spoke up once her front door was closed.

"Same." Ibiki admitted.

"Are you here to stay?" Yua asked, sounding unsure and worried. She looked like he was about to tell her that he had some sort of military mission to get into Suna by using her.

"I'm here to stay if you'll have me. I've left Konoha for good." He told her and smiled as he watched a smile spread across her face.

"How did you find me?" She then asked curiously.

"I spent the first few weeks just getting by without you, hoping that I would move on. I couldn't, so I used police recourses, hoping to find you that way. Still nothing. So, I left the police force and went to Kakashi. He told me you were here and what he had learnt from Sasuke Uchiha." Ibiki explained. Yua's eyes showed hurt and sadness. She had felt just as lost and saddened by their parting. She had tried to keep tabs on Ibiki after she left but Orochimaru stopped her. He told her she had get over it and find someone else to play with. Orochimaru would never understand the feeling of love, he seemed void of it. Yua was sure, his care for her as she grew up was the closer thing to love he had felt.

"I wanted to come back to you." Yua admitted. "After Orochimaru was gone, but I didn't want to put you in a position where you could be compromised." She then added.

"To be honest, if I knew you were here, I would have left Konoha in a heartbeat." He told her. "All I had left was my duty to protect. I was scared to let that go." He then admitted, ashamed of himself.

"You can be a police officer here; you will no longer be compromised by me." She told him and he smiled.

"I know, Kakashi was kind enough to tell me." He told her and she smiled.

"He was giving you a nudge, that's all." She told him before softly kissing his lips.