I..! Am Alive? Sort of. Appologies for the long wait on this chapter, I ended up having to rewrite the entire outline for the last arc of this story due to something that came up. But, now that it is fixed we can move forward yes? Yes! So enjoy more slow burn, I promises they do get together at point, but hey, I warned you.

Thanks for your support and reviews on this story, they mean a great deal to hear your thoughts.

Dont forget to come bother me on Tumblr! My user name is FeatherFang.

Enjoy!

DROH

Chapter 22: Questions

"We need to get going or we'll be late," Temari reminded her from where she stood, leaning on the door frame of Kira's room. Her green eyes had been following Kira since she'd arrived, a mothering expression on the blond's face. The shadow user nodded her head, finished off her last braid and sweeping her hair into its normal high tail.

"Give me a minute," she grumbled from her desk chair and bent over to tighten the eyesore that was attached to her leg. The cast and crutches had been gone for two weeks, replaced with the metal and plastic brace that started above her knee and ended a good few inches below the injury. After one week of physical therapy Kira had finally been put back on light duty with the doctor's okay. With a click the brace was set to carry her full weight and then she quickly tugged her ninja pants over it - she bought new clothes with the damn thing in mind - and stood up.

Out of sight, out of mind. Kira certainly didn't need any more questioning glances than she already got, nor did she want those filled with pity. She'd have to get use to it though, since the medical ninja assigned to her didn't think she'd be getting rid of it any time soon, probably a year at the least before removal.

"You doing alright?" the eldest sand sibling asked, standing up straight, frowning when the younger girl wince at the first step on her healing leg. It hurt, but it was bearable, and normally the pain lessened after a few steps. Temari had been keeping a close eye on her since the cast had come off, and while Kira found it comforting, she also wished the blond wouldn't worry so much. She was recovering just fine.

Nodding her head, she grabbed her new metal inlaid tonfas, custom made by the village blacksmith. Tougher and harder to damage than her former ones with the same hidden blades as before. "Yeah, I'm fine. The pain meds should kick in soon. No worries." Nothing very strong, but it was enough to take the edge off. Temari eyed her a moment longer before relenting as Kira slipped her weapons into their holsters. She lead the way out of her room, grabbing her ANBU mask as she went, the older girl falling into step next to her.

"Just take it easy okay? Meetings are boring enough that you shouldn't have much to worry about," Temari noted as they hurried across the building, leaving the Kazekage's family section and started up a set of stairs. Once on the next floor Kira slipped her mask into place.

"I'll be fine," she replied, fighting back a smile at her friend's worrying.

They passed a small group of ninja that she recognized as fellow ANBU, who nodded briefly to her, meeting her eyes behind her wolfish mask. One of them gave her a look that she could only label as disdain, one of his friends quickly nudging him in the ribs to distract him as they passed, Temari glowering at them like a lion. Kira's chest twisted, hating that look, and hating that she was becoming used to it even more.

It seemed even some of her own comrades were falling victim to rumors.

"Don't let it bother you," the blond said under her breath and Kira simply nodded her head. It was too bad really, because it already bothered her and she wasn't sure there was a way to make it not bother her.

Rounding a corner she spotted Gaara heading towards the meeting room and grimaced. They were late after all. The young ruler didn't comment on it, nor did he say anything else as they fell into step next to him, just nodded his head slightly in greeting. They reached the double doors too quickly for her to say anything and Kira stepped to the side as he opened one, letting his sister go through first. Temari glaced at Kira for a moment, but Kira had already stepped into the shadow the door made and was gone in moments. She quickly traversing the negative world of the meeting room and jumping back through on a darkened corner of the rafters above.

She was silently greeted by Shura; the leader of team Fukurō was nearly always present for meetings. He gave her a swift nod from under his cloth veil and then shifted his focus back to the meeting. Leaning on one of the rafter beams, Kira shifted her attention downward to the table and people sitting around it far below as well.

It was a little larger meeting than the others she had attended so far, featuring more than just the Suna elders and advisors. Temari and Kankuro flanked Gaara from his seat at one end of the large circle as was normal. On Temari's other side was Shikamaru Nara, envoy of Konoha to Suna who had been joined by several merchants from Konoha. This meeting centered around trade between the two allied villages if Kira remembered right, which explained the non-ninja and the stacks of paper that were slowly being handed around the room.

Settling in for a long meeting, Kira listened with mild interest regarding goods and how they were to be delivered as well as a calm version of haggling for the best deals from both sides. Suna offered a wide range of supplies available only in the desert, from Prickly Pear fruit to a variety to herbs used in food pills and supplements to exotic amenities such as snake skin. Kohan offered in return fresh produce, water, and medical plants, all in short supply due to desert life.

Temari had been right, it was extremely boring and if the yawn Kankuro - his arm fully healed by now - was covering up and the expression on Shikamaru's face didn't say it, nothing would. Still, no matter how boring it was Kira knew she needed to pay attention. She wasn't there for the meeting, not really.

"Something isn't right," Shura whispered suddenly, drawing her attention at once. His expression was hidden, much like her own but his shoulders had tensed up in the telltale sign of uneasiness Kira knew well from years of working with him. Glancing down at the meeting again, Kira swept her gaze over every inch, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"What do you mean?" She hated that she had to ask but Shura so often saw things others didn't, it was how he got his name - Shura the Third Eye.

"Council member Dura is too quiet. He often makes a habit of arguing over everything. He's done so, but not as much," he explained, crouching on the beam they stood on. Kira raised a brow he couldn't see.

"Maybe he's just happy with how things are going?" It was true that Suna was getting a lot out of the agreement if she was following it right. He just shook his head at her and Kira frowned, moving to copy him in stance, eyeing the member in question. If she knew anything it was to never brush Shura's words off.

The man was older, gray spreading into his dark hair from the temples and eyes hidden behind half rimmed glasses. He was speaking now, the group conversing about ideal routes from village to village.

"The most direct route is through this plot of land," he said firmly, standing up to lean over the table, nearly bumping Kankuro as he traced a line with his finger across the map laying there.

"While that is true," one of the Konoha guests agreed, tapping a different route that had been drawn out in pen. "This one will avoid areas known to house bandits. The war might be over, but danger still walks the land."

"Not to mention," a Suna council member added. "We can't spare many ninja right now to guard the transports. The other route is longer yes, but much safer. You know this Daru."

True, all true. Even Kira knew that. Most lower ranked missions were suspended until ranks could be filled back up, leaving only important missions to those who were qualified to do them. Escorting goods was not one of them. If she knew that, then everyone down there certainly should have. Shura was right, something was up. Dura continued to stand his ground, and Kira slowly slid her hand to her weapons, just in case.

"That route is long enough that some of the goods could perish," he grumbled, arms folding in front of him, hands in his large sleeves, overlapping each other.

"While your input is appreciated Dura," Gaara spoke calmly, his tone firm. "I believe that in this case we will go with the other route." No room for any more debating Gaara's eyes connected with the older man. The set of his shoulders relaxed but Kira saw the glint of sand shifting about him, so fine it was easy to miss, but deadly all the same.

He saw something too then.

Dura nodded his head and turned to Gaara. "As you wish my lord," he relented bowing his head as he spoke once more. "Your rule is a wise as ever, if just a bit short."

Kira tensed and for a moment she saw Kankuro stiffen, hand flashing to his side pouch before a sudden sharp gust came from nowhere and knocked the puppet master, chair and all, backwards into the wall hard enough the the chair splintered. He cursed, the wind knocked from him and in seconds the room descended into chaos. Dura straightened his hands no longer folded, one still extended in the remains of a jutsu hand sign, the other having slipped a large shark toothed knife from his other sleeve. Wind wrapped around the blade, reminding her very much of Baki's personal move, and then the traitor was moving.

"Short indeed Kazekage!"

Kira moved before even two seconds had passed since her friend had been thrown aside leaving Gaara open to a flank attack. The shadows at her feet swallowed her whole and she shifted through the negative realm faster than she could truly see it because she already knew which shadow to jump to. Gaara's shadow was extended in the direction of the attacker, and before the man could even swing his blade down, before his snarled shout was even fully out, she was there. Tonfa braced against her forearm, she jumped from it as if the darkness had birthed her, catching everyone save the redhead behind her off guard.

Dura's face showed surprise as her weapon met his in more than enough time, stopping its swing halfway through, her arm bearing against his, the screech of metal echoing in the tense air. Several people were shouting now, moving away or towards she wasn't completely sure, her focus forward. Her free hand, armed as well, flipped the tonfa forward and smashed it into the wide open area of his jaw with cracking force.

He went flying, crashing into the wall behind him, giving a brilliant curse as blood dripped down from brutalized lips. Kira shifted her stance and narrowed her eyes, the rest of the elders now on the opposite side of the table. Temari and Shikamaru were now guarding every civilian in the room and Kankuro was next to his brother. No one moved to help her and Kira knew it was because this was her job, not theirs. Good.

Not even a minute had passed yet and she moved forward with quick strides, swiftly stowing a tonfa so she could grab Dura by the wrist still holding his knife, smashing the tonfa she still held into the back of his hand, forcing him to drop the weapon as bones crunched. He screamed, his voice off tone from what she'd heard before but didn't stop to processes as she quickly pulled him to the ground. Freeing both her hands, she gripped his wrist harder and pulled it behind him before stepped on the other hand that had started to move towards the fallen knife. He yelped and drew back, right into her waiting hand. Before he could do much else he was pined, arms behind him, and a knee in the center of his back.

"Nice try," she said flatly as the man grunted and struggled, moving his head so his ear was to the ground. Kira raised a brow when she saw, the gray in his hair was replaced with black, eyes bright blue with the glasses gone. This guy wasn't a traitor at all. He was an imposter.

The would be assassin was much younger now, nearly half the age of the real Dura, and sported a scar across his left cheek. Transformation jutsu then. He scowled at her, spitting on the floor and Kira saw the white of a tooth clatter to the ground along with blood. It didn't really surprise her, she'd hit him pretty solidly.

"I guess the rumors were true about his guard being able to appear from nowhere," he breathed, wincing as Kira dug her knee in more. She didn't like his attitude.

"Good job," Kankuro grumbled from behind her, his footsteps coming closer before he crouched near the head of the guy. "Just who the hell are you?" he growled, the murmur of voices behind her finally coming into Kira's mind now that the target was incapacitated. She felt more than heard Shura near her left side, waiting incase she needed back up. The guy grunted, sneering at the puppet master.

"No one of importance to you," he snarled and Kira narrowed her eyes and twisted his right arm in her hold. The sharp snapping of his bones had him screaming again and talking. "I was just doing my job okay? I was hired!"

"Enough," Gaara commanded suddenly and Kira shifted her gaze to the leader of her village. Arms crossed over his chest the redhead looked at the man who just tried to kill him with nothing but icy green blue eyes. "This isn't the place for an interrogation. Take him to a cell. Baki can deal with him."

Kira nodded her head and Shura finally moved, pulled out a pair of chakra restraints and quickly putting them to use around the guy's wrists. Once that was done Kira stood and Shura pulled the captive up by his shoulders in an iron hard grip. The guy struggled like an animal at first but his now broken forearm kept him manageable. "I'll take him," Shura said easily. "You stay here." There was a hint to his tone that gave Kira the impression he was proud of her and she smiled behind her mask and gave a quick nod.

She watched her team leader march the man from the room with ease, knowing he of all people didn't need back up but that the guards stationed nearby would more than likely be called to help anyway. Turning, she faced Gaara finally, eyes sweeping over him habitually in worry.

"You alright?"

The redhead simply have a brisk nod of his head before turning his attention to the others in the room. Kankuro patted her shoulder as he stood next to her before dropping his hand back to his side. She took that as her cue to make herself scarce, but didn't bother melting back into the shadows, instead she simply walked to the far corner behind her friends and waited.

The council members and Leaf guests were all talking, the guests being more distressed than the rest. It was quickly decided that the meeting would resume in the morning and one of the Suna council offered to escort them back to their rooms. Shikamaru stayed where he was though, waving the others off, his eyes focused solely on Kira from across the room. He had a very odd look on his face, and it made her nervous as she resisted the urge to fidget. Temari caught on to his stare first, eyes flickering between them, a look of worry passing over her face. She might have said something, if the remaining council members hadn't finally gotten their act together and gone from worrying about themselves to their ruler who had just lived through an attack on his life.

Not that Gaara couldn't have easily taken care of such an attack on his own without moving a finger.

"Lord Gaara, are you alright?"

"That was too damn close, how did that ninja get in here?"

"Where is the real Dura?"

Gaara held up a hand to quiet them. "I assure you that I am fine. As you saw, Kira took care of it quickly. As for Dura, we will start a search team." He looked to one of them as he said the last of it and the older woman nodded her head, quickly leaving the room to do so.

One of the younger men in the council scoffed slightly, eyes going to Kira for a moment before back to Gaara. She didn't like that look. "Forgive me Lord Kazekage, but I would hardly call what happened done quickly." His words, sour and hard, got what he wanted as several other quickly chimed in.

"That's true, that man shouldn't have even been able to get into this room."

Every word felt like a blow to the gut. Kira was speechless. It was true that she wasn't well known or that old, but she was still good at her job. They had no idea how good, of course not, those details were kept from her file. A file that was barebones and probably only backed their accusations. She remembers all too clearly the murmured names people and said when they thought she was out of hearing range as a child.

Outsider.

Stray.

Scavenger.

To think after all these years, after she'd finally been accepted by the village, that her position in life would bring everything back to where she'd started. It felt like she'd swallowed lead, her gut heavy and painfully clenched.

Standing near his brother, Kankuro had gone stiff as a bored and his hands were tight fists at his sides. He took a step forward and Kira wondered just how angry his face looked if his tone was anything to go by.

"You shut the hell up! She's done nothing to deserve that."

"Tch." The first one, the one that had spoken first snorted. "Oh? The tell me Kankuro, why didn't she stop him sooner?"

"In case you didn't notice, no one saw that coming either, not even the other ANBU!" the puppet master retorted.

"Shouldn't his guard be better than us though?"

Kira's head was spinning. How the hell had this gone from an attack on Gaara's life to them disputing her loyalty? She wondered if she should step in, but knew it wasn't her place. She wanted to defend herself, even as a small part of her whispered that maybe they were right. Maybe she wasn't good enough to stand at Gaara's side, as a guard, a friend or… anything else.

Gods, what if she had told Gaara how she felt and they did end up together? How much negative effect would that have ended up having on him? Kira closed her eyes and dug her teeth into her bottom lip.

"Are you suggesting, that my father didn't know what he was doing?" Gaara asked evenly, breaking the tense air in the room and causing Kira to open her eyes to look at him. His face remained blank, but the two elders in question seemed to have gone rod straight. "If you'll remember it was the former Kazekage that allowed Kira into the city and then gave her the title of ANBU. I believe we can all agree he was not one to do things on a whim."

Kira saw Temari give her brother a soft smile, silent praise for a well spoken dampener to a rising argument. The man cleared his throat, looking behind briefly as if for support. He didn't get any. "We are simply concerned my Lord. We know your father's judgement was sound, yet, with what just happened, are you sure-"

"It was handled quickly and without any harm to anyone. I think we can all agree that is the best out come any could hope for." Gaara retorted, voice still even, but with an edge to it that could have cut steel. "Your opinion has been heard, yet I will remind you that is indeed all it is. It is not your place to choose who stands by me. You would do well to remember that." Powerful cutting words.

Kira felt herself relax slightly, felt the warmth in her chest over how he was defending her, not at all worried about the accusations it would pose towards himself. He should, a part of her reasoned, but she could hardly tell him that now. It did her no good and her mind and heart were more consumed with other thoughts. Things she needed to keep to herself but that yearned to be released.

Why did he have to make it so easy for her to love him?

"I've spoken to the Hokage on several occasions," Shikamaru chimed in, sounded ever so slightly annoyed. He had an inquisitive expression and had directed his attention to the elders despite all three sand siblings giving him varied degrees of surprised looks. "He has commented many times that Lord Gaara has done exceptionally well for his age and that he fully supports his decisions." As if he found something amusing a slow smirk twitched on his lips. "From what I've seen his choice in body guards isn't bad either, as we just saw. Or are you basing her worth on the fact that she just got off medical leave, due to an injury she got in the war defending him and this village, which I would assume means you as well?"

Stunned silence met the retort.

Temari gave him a warm smile Kira wasn't sure she'd even seen on the blond's face before. It held something within it that was more than being thankful towards him. Kankuro crossed his arms and glowered, still agitated. When no one said anything, Gaara moved to speak once more.

"If that is all you are free to leave. As our guests were informed, we will reconvene tomorrow." While his words said they could leave, his tone certain meant they would leave. Thankfully no one tried to go against that, not even the loud mouth that she still didn't have a name for. It didn't matter; he didn't matter, nor did his words. At least that's what she tried to tell herself.

Once the door had shut behind all of them, leaving five people inside, Kira felt the air lighten, the suffocating tension gone instantly. Kankuro turned to look at her almost as soon as the door clicked shut, his face still tense with anger but eyes filled with worry. She hadn't moved, not a single inch since taking her spot and even now she felt nailed into place by what had just happened.

"You alright?" Kankuro asked.

Slowly Kira nodded her head, reaching up with slightly shaky fingers and pulled her mask off. Get a grip, she told herself. They don't matter. But they did, else they wouldn't have been at the meeting. The puppet master saw straight through her the moment her mask was off.

"They don't know what they're talking about Kira," he grumbled soothingly. The shadow user just shook her head and walked over to them, giving Temari a tentative smile that only made the blond look more worried than she had this morning.

Stop worrying everyone damn it.

Gaara glanced to her, eyes concerned but face otherwise blank. She wished she'd left her mask on, but seeing as everyone knew her face already it seemed silly to keep it on - even Shikamaru knew thanks to Kakashi blatantly saying it in the hospital room. She didn't want to depend on the thing to be able to face people. Gaara had come up with a solution during the war, but someday, she'd need to face the world without being covered up. This way she started small.

"I know what my capabilities are," she said finally, picking a spot on the far wall to look at. "As do you. That's all that matters." Maybe if she said it enough she could convince herself. Maybe if she said it she could get them to stop worrying about her for three seconds. Shikamaru seemed to take the bait for a different conversation at least.

"Speaking of capabilities," he drawled out, eyes sharply connecting with her's when she glanced to him. "What exactly is yours?"

That was right, he'd seen it.

Everyone in the room had seen her Shadow Shift, though only the ninja probably understood what had really happened. Shit. She bit her lip and looked at Gaara beseechingly. Was it okay to tell him? The redhead's eyes shifted from her's to the boy's in question and then back to her. After a moment he gave a small nod.

"We can trust our closest allies to keep things quiet I would think." As he spoke he looked to the Leaf ninja again and Shikamaru nodded in agreement. Kira supposed he was right, if they could trust anyone it was the Leaf Village. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

"If you're asking for some in depth explanation, I can't give you one. All I know is I've always been able to do it. "

"Do what exactly?" the Nara boy prompted, though she had a feeling he already had an idea of what she'd done.

"Jump into shadows. Enter a different world through one and reappear through another." She shrugged her shoulders as he gave her quizzical look, brows pulled together. "I'm not from here, though where I am from… I don't know that either. Can't remember." Five years of blank space in her mind was all she had. Shikamaru simply nodded his head, looking interested as he stroked his chin. They may have very well stood there for a long time at the rate things were going, but after a few seconds and a still worried glance from Temari, the blond spoke up.

"You should help her," she told the Leaf ninja, who gave her a single raised eyebrow. "You know, as a favor to me, cause we're dating."

Stunned silence filled the room, effecting everyone present, including the two who were supposedly involved. Kira's brain came to a crashing halt as she watched the two, unable to look away and gauge the two boys behind her. Shikamaru simply blinked once, lowered his hand and raised both eyebrows.

"But we're not?" he stated, confused. Temari was still staring at him, her face slowly turning red. She cleared her throat, shifting her feet around for a second before she simply smiled.

"Right, I meant to ask..." She took a step closer to him, hands behind her back. "Would you like to start dating?" Straight to the point, how Temari. It was kind of… odd, to see the girl Kira had always seen as an unbending force, a proud lion protecting her family, flirting. Shikamaru blinked a few times again, before looking off to the side, the small hint of red dusting his cheek bones.

"Tch. Sure. Did you have to make a spectacle of it though? Damn woman..."

Well, that was easy… was it really that easy?

Kira shifted her gaze briefly to look at Gaara's profile. He was looking at the scene with a bewildered, confused look on his face. He had absolutely no idea what had just happened, did he? Kira mentally sighed. No, it really wouldn't be that easy. Not for her. Not with him.

Kira turned her attention back to the newly announced couple. Temari smirked at Shikamaru, who just gave her a tired, exasperated look. "Then you'll do this for me, yeah?" she mused. The Leaf envoy gave a small sigh, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

"I was going to anyway, you know," he grumbled, meeting Kira's watching eyes. "Mind if we chat for a bit? It's a drag, but I need more information."

Excitement bubbled up in her chest at the idea of getting somewhere with her past, but it was short lived, the fire snuffed out when she remembered who she was. Gaara's gaurd. She couldn't just up and leave. He came first. That was her duty, her own personal rule.

"Go." The soft, clear voice of the Kazekage ran off her troubled thoughts before she could even voice them. Looking at him, she frowned before giving a startled twitch of her shoulders. He was smiling, just one of those small slight ones, but still smiling all the same. At her. Shit. "Take an hour Kira. Kankuro can stay with me till you get back." Not an order, but an offer. Chewing on her lower lip for a moment she glanced at Kankuro for the first time. Her friend looked beyond confused by the last few minutes, his mind clearly elsewhere. Still he met her gaze and nodded one, agreeing with Gaara.

Could she really pass this up?

Looking back at Shikamaru she knew in moments that no, she really couldn't. Nodding her head she left her spot near the two siblings and followed him as he lead the way. Passing by Temari, Kira saw a knowing smile on her face and it occurred to her that it was possible her whole scene was done on purpose. Not to just get Kira help on finding out who she was and getting the ball moving on her own romantic intentions, but to redirect the boys' attention off of her. Her brothers and Shikamaru were clearly no longer thinking about what had happened with the council now.

Walking out the door with Shikamaru, Kira smiled softly to herself at the blond's kindness. She should thank her properly later. Kira's smile only grew as the door clicked shut and through the thick wall Kankuro's voice suddenly boomed out, a hint of panic lacing his words

"What the fuck just happened?"

His sister's snarled reply quickly followed.

"Oh, grow up Kankuro!"

Kira covered her mouth with a hand and snorted a laugh before following Shikamaru down the hall who pointedly ignored the entire event.

…

Gaara watched from just under the lip of the covered training area as Kira sparred with Aya a few yards away. The leader of their ANBU group stood off to the side watching with his arms firmly crossed. It wasn't as intense as it had been the first time he'd seen her sparring with her team; rather it was a longer session with less difficulty just as the medic assigned to the raven haired girl had instructed. Two months off the job was enough to make anyone a little rusty, and with an injury like hers, Kira had to be careful. Gaara was just glad her team was willing to work with her on it.

Still, Kira herself hadn't been easy to convince to actually do her sessions, stating it took time away from her actual job. She was stubborn, and the redhead had been forced to compromise. He'd stay nearby while she trained, that way she knew he was safe. It did him some good anyway, getting out of that office and the pile of papers that awaited his return. Plus, this gave him a chance to do some work that didn't need to be done in the office.

"Lord Gaara," Baki greeted as he walked into hearing range. Gaara nodded at his former team captain in greeting, having asked the man here himself. He could have summoned him to the office, but for this discussion he preferred Kira not hear. The repetitive clack of her tonfas hitting Aya's short sword saw to that. Baki wore his normal stoic expression as he stepped up beside his leader. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to look into something," Gaara replied, his eyes still forward watching the two girls as Kira flipped out of the way of a well timed slash. Seeing as the elder man was head of the intel gathering division, Gaara had no doubt that he could handle it. "I would like to find out where the rumors centering on Kira and myself are coming from."

Even if it had been a few days since the entire incident, it still worried the redhead. Not just worried, it bothered him. Hearing people speak about Kira that way - and right in front of her - had been enough to make him angry. The stuff about him was minor and he'd dealt with things like it before, but Kira? That bothered him, and even if she wouldn't say anything he knew it bothered her too.

Baki didn't seem surprised and simply nodded his head. "It would be best to deal with it before it gets out of hand." True enough, though Gaara wondered if it was a bit too late. "I'll take care of it and report back once I find something of note."

Gaara dismissed him with a nod, and Baki left without another word. He could always count on his former teacher to do as he was ordered and not press on the reasoning behind it, probably because he already knew.

He was good at his job, after all.

After a few minutes Gaara wandered over to a bench on the far wall, taking his weapon off his back and sitting down. He watched silently as the ANBU team worked, both girls matching each other easily in skill when it came to none jutsu combat. Give what he knew of each member's abilities, he knew that if it wasn't for her injury, Kira would have been overpowering her teammate. Aya was a specialized case; her strength in sealing jutsu gave her an edge that most didn't have. The blond had mastered several unique seals that weren't just focused on chakra and movement, the most interesting of which was her Pain Seal which blocked pain receptors from transmitting to the brain. Since their team didn't have a medic, Gaara could only guess that ability was a rather useful temporary measure.

He wondered if Kira needed that now; watching her footwork, her left leg was lacking in the strength its counterpart had. He wondered if she was working too hard, pushing too much on a still healing wound. Kira had always been a bit reckless with her own well being, both on the job and off. Part of him had wanted to talk to her about that attack on his life a few days ago a bit more personally. Kira had to have known his defence would have stopped the would be assassin, yet she'd still thrown herself into harm's way.

One misstep and she could have gotten seriously hurt.

She hadn't, but he still found her actions to be reckless, a trait he was hoping at some point he could get her to change. A ninja couldn't been selfless, not if they wished to live, not when they didn't have a defensive move like himself with the sand. Shadows weren't always a viable resource during the day, not if there was nothing to cast them.

He didn't notice his sister until she was nearly on top of him, too focused on what he was watching. Temari sat down next to him silently, and watched the battle as well for a few minutes. He watched Kira dodge out of the way of a blow, and striking back with a tonfa, only for Aya's blade to catch it. A well placed kick to her arm had Kira backtracking again, jumping a few feet back and landing harder then she should have. He tensed slightly when she flinched, faltering on her feet a bit before recovering and going back at it.

"What have the doctors said?" Temari asked, apparently seeing the pained look on Kira's face as well. Gaara leaned back against the bench with a slight frown.

"She's healed well enough. They wouldn't have okayed her for duty if she wasn't."

"But?"

He sighed slightly, glancing to his sister. She always knew when he was leaving things out on purpose, and he supposed she had a right to know. Temari was the eldest in their household, and as such she tended to look after everyone. "They aren't sure the nerves that were damaged will ever calm down completely. They said she might always feel some pain."

He hoped they were wrong. If they weren't, Kira would always have a constant reminder of how she got that wound, and while her nightmares had lessened, it would be hard to move forward if that were the case. "Will the Leaf Emissaries be leaving as planned?" Best to change the subject before Kira caught wind of it. His sister nodded her head.

"Shikamaru plans on leaving tomorrow morning," she replied a soft smile on her face as she spoke of the envoy. "He has some work to do at home I suppose. He wants to look into Kira's power and they have more records on earth chakra based jutsu then we do. He'll send a message about when we'll take our turn to visit them and finish up trade agreements."

Gaara nodded his head, understanding why the meeting had been concluded unfinished. Since the attack on him the merchants were weary and it had been a very slow process. In the end it had been concluded that the state of affairs would be finished in Konoha at a later date. "You aren't disappointed, that he is leaving?" he asked finally, gaining a surprised look from the blond.

The young ruler would be lying if he said the events that had followed after the elders had left the meeting hadn't surprised him. More than surprised; confused and bewildered. He hadn't seen that coming and while he hadn't voiced it like his brother he still had not idea how to process it. Temari just smiled at him before looking forward again to check on Kira. They were still at it, the sound of their weapons sounding in the air as they collided.

"I am but I knew what we were getting into long before I asked," she pointed out. "Besides, he might be leaving but I'll be heading out in a few days myself, so it's not like we'll be apart for too long." She was right; as an envoy she'd be headed to the Leaf within the week, the idea being that one or the other would always be out in the field to keep the villages' bound strong. Her words had him thinking though, confusion bubbling up in mind.

"If you knew things would be complicated, why would you want to start anything?" His brows pulled together, wondering if his own words even made sense. Temari simply raised a brow at him, smile still firmly in place.

"I did it, because I care about him. A lot. Maybe I even love him." She shrugged her shoulders as if admitting that wasn't a big deal, but he spotted a small dusting of pink across her cheekbones either way. Gaara just stared at her, not understanding how she could say that so easily, not understanding how she knew. So, for the first time in quite a while he simply stated exactly what he was thinking.

"I don't understand."

That was followed with a league of silence as the echoes of of the sparring match in front of them did nothing to fill the void. Temari seemed hesitant to break it, her face thoughtful as she watched her friends clash, Shura barking at them when he saw something Gaara himself didn't.

Then, all at once, she sighed, her entire body caught up in the motion as she blew out the air. "Yeah, I guess I can't blame you for that," she relented, rubbing her neck slightly as she leaned back on the bench. "I figured at some point I'd have to talk to you about this. You're basically seventeen now after all, wasn't thinking it was today but hey, why not?"

Talk? Talk about what? He was sure his sister was speaking plainly as she always did but quite suddenly everything seemed… confusing. Still, Temari simply took in a deep breath before continuing.

"Love, and the feeling leading up to it, aren't an easy thing to pinpoint or explain. I think it's because it's just so vast. There are so many types of it and everyone feels and experiences them a different way. Like how you felt when father told you the truth about mom."

When Gaara had found out his mother had loved him. There was that word again. Love. Gaara understood the world, remembered what his uncle had said about it. What he didn't really understand was how it happened. When he'd been told the truth he'd been happy, still was. A sense of belonging has slipped into place, filling a hole he hadn't even known was there. He also knew that she was right, that there were different kinds. How he felt about his siblings differed from how he cared for Naruto or the village. His family was important to him, a fierce tie that he could imagine not having.

So maybe, loving one's family came so naturally he couldn't truly pinpoint how it had happened. He wasn't sure he'd always felt that way about them, not before Naruto, not when he'd carved that word onto his skin as a reminder to only love himself. After that, things had changed so drastically that the sand user couldn't say when those pieces had fallen into place, much like his realisation for how he felt about his mother.

Looking to his sister he nodded slightly, still bewildered but less so. "Yet, how you feel about Nara is different from our family?" That was easy enough to tell, but Gaara wasn't sure how he himself could tell the difference if it happened. He wasn't blind, he'd seen people his age and older around the village interacting so much closer than just friends or family. Holding hands, kissing, the simplest touch turned into something that meant something completely different depending on the person.

"Well, yeah," Temari agreed with a nod, meeting his gaze with a warm set of blue eyes. "I think from the moment I first met the guy I knew here was something different about him. I got curious after our match in the finals. I wanted to know more." She shrugged again, pulling at one of her sections of hair as if to secure it better. He tilted his head, curiousity over power the confusion if only for a moment.

"How is it different?" How do I tell? For once, he didn't have the nerve to actually say what he really meant. He might as well have been walking blind. Temari hummed, nodding her head, seeming to read his thoughts.

"It's just like I said Gaara, it's different for everyone, but the first time that happens, well, it becomes easier after that, to tell the difference." She tapped her finger on one of her legs, thinking. "Do you remember in the Land of Iron, when Sakura pulled that stunt?" She waited and Gaara nodded his head, remembering that event rather clearly. The girl had meant well, even he saw that, but she'd gone about it the wrong way. If there was one thing he knew, you didn't throw around those words carelessly. "I saw through her pretty quickly, and then I saw the way Sai looked at her when she said it," Temari mused, getting off track, but Gaara didn't stop her. "It's like once you feel it yourself, you can see it in others better."

"I'm not sure how this helps me," he said finally, troubled. It wasn't often that he thought about it, but every once in awhile Gaara would wonder about his future. He'd wonder if he would ever find that kind of companionship, or if he would be able to tell when it was there. His sister's hand found its way onto his shoulder and he looked at her, wondering if there was truely any chance of that happening. She gave him a soft, knowing look and squeezed his shoulder.

"Sometimes, I think, love can sneak up on people. It's not always in your face or there from the beginning. It can be hot and fast, devouring everything like fire, but I think it can also be soothing, slow and quiet, like a plant growing." She shifted her gaze to the ANBU team again and Gaara glanced at them to see they had stopped. He hadn't even realise the clank of metal had quieted. The three of them stood close together, the two girls listening to their elder, Aya's hands free at her sides, ready if Kira faltered due to the visible tremor in her left leg. Worry edged at his mind at the tremble and the fine layer of sand near the group shifted slightly under his will.

"What does it feel like?" he asked quietly, not really meaning to voice it, but knowing it was too late to take it hand on his shoulder didn't falter at the question, in fact his sister gave a small, quiet laugh, void of any mockery.

"It's a sense of wanting to be near them," she started, her voice just as quiet and when he looked to his sister she had his soft, unguarded look about her face that made her seem somehow younger, with less sharply carved edges. "It's this instant wanting to always be near them and to want to be there for them, protect them. You'd give your life for them without a second thought because nothing would be the same without them, because they make your skin tingle and your heart ache in a way that you never want to stop having. It's feeling like you belong with them, Gaara. Them and no one else, because unlike everyone else they don't just keep you steady on your feet, they make you stand taller. They make you stronger." She gave him a smile a small amount of worry in it and squeezed his shoulder again. "Does that make sense?"

Did it?

Yes. No. Maybe.

A sense of belonging. Not just in the world or in the village but with one person. Gaara let his eyes shift forward, eyes on the group again but not really seeing them. It had taken him a long time to find a sense of belonging in this world and he could only hope it didn't take as long to find that person.

At least for now, he had people that cared about him in different ways and that was enough. For now. Silently he reached up with his hand and touched his sister. He was glad he had someone like her looking out for him.

"Thank you, Temari," he said finally and his sister simply hummed in reply.

"Anytime."