I Live!...Sort of?

Hey guys, this DROH and I finally updated (WOOHOO)!

I have some super appoligizing to do on the lateness as I myself hate when writers just poof out of existance with no explanation (not that it helps that this website doesn't have much in the way of telling people - Maybe Discord? Would you like a discord channle?).

Long story short, life had not been kind. I've been really sick (with Lymes (which I still have BTW, ag.) and a really bad Kidneystone problem) and then I was let go at work because of it. ouch. It's safe to say that my writing mojo, or anything creative really, has been zapped into near non-existenceas of late but I'm still trying and finally got back into the grove enough to kick writers block back into the closet for at least the moment.

Ack.

Enough of this, go read and enjoy! :)

Chapter 29: Intruder

Kira,

Congratulations on your clean bill of health and passing your evaluation. I was worried when you spoke of your frustration with your progress in the earlier weeks, but I knew you could do it, and you have. You must be pleased to be back on active duty. Kankuro wishes for me to remind you to do your maintenance on the prosthetic - I don't think he likes being back on guard duty, he won't stop pacing. I'm not sure how to take that.

It has been a few days since I got your letter. I'm afraid things are as busy as ever in Suna even without you. I'm sorry for the delayed reply. Nearly all of the damage caused by the Akatsuki is gone now, and once it's all done, the war will truly feel like it's behind us. My thoughts wander to the war more often than I like and it makes me wonder how things are going for you on that end. You haven't spoken of your nightmares lately and with the distance I can't tell how well you're sleeping.

Speaking of, I am still sleeping a few nights a week, I promise.

I hope the supplies I put together are the ones you wanted; you have quite a lot and honestly most of it all looks the same to me. What are you planning to make this time?

I miss you.

I don't know what else to say but that, because it's true and seems to be a part of my thoughts every day. This last week can't come to a close fast enough. Whatever it is you plan to do with the remainder of your time in Konoha, remember that I'll be there soon. Tell Temari I'll see her soon. I'll see both of you soon. Please be careful.

Till then,

Gaara

Well, Kira conceded, at least it didn't sound like a formal letter to another leader anymore. She couldn't fight the smile that gently played across her face as she reread the letter once more before carefully folding it back up and stowing it in a side pouch. She'd had to point out to him after the first letter she'd gotten that he wasn't required to sign his name as Kazekage when it was a personal letter. Nor did he have to use the strict, careful wording he was probably used to. It had been kind of adorable really and she'd kind of wished she'd seen his face as that realization.

After peaking into the small bag of colored twine, beads and cording, Kira stuffed that away as well. He hadn't seemed to miss anything she'd asked for, and was glad she'd been rather specific. Gaara wasn't much for color combinations and she'd worried if she'd left it to him things would have… well, not been what she wanted. Either way she was set for a bit, her hands itching to work on her hobby once again.

She shook her head at the thought, minding her footing as she walked along the riverside road that skirted the town. The sun was just starting to dip in the sky and after one final meeting with her team, she'd split off and started back toward her current living arrangement. Dinner would be soon and Kira tried to help out Mrs. Nara as often as she could, seeing as she wasn't paying for any of it.

It was still strange to think she was living with blood relatives, even if it was for a short time. Once Gaara had left with Kankurō and his temporary guards, the large estate building had been way too large for three ANBU agents. Temari already had rooms set up in an Inn and had been quick to invite both Kira and Aya to stay with her. Three people had seemed like a lot, but it had seemed like a better option then staying in the open barracks that Shura had opted for. In the end she hadn't even finished packing before Shikamaru had suggested that she take this time to get to know her extended family – which had surprised and stunned nearly everyone in the room at the time. Kira found out later that his mom had twisted his arm into asking her.

It was weird. The Nara didn't live in a compound or anything like that, but she soon found out that all the houses near the one she'd been to before where also owned by Nara clan members for the most part. With two extra guest rooms, the large main home had plenty of space for her, but she often found herself tripping over visiting clan members during the day. Kira realized after a while that they were keeping the newly widowed clan matriarch company and thought that maybe that was why she'd been invited, at least partly.

Rounding a bend in the road, she passed the training area she had often used during her recovery with the help of Team Gai. She'd asked Lee personally for the help and he'd been all too willing to do so. As a fellow ninja who'd come so close to losing that title, he'd understood what she was going through and how to help on a more personal level. She was so busy muddling through her memories of the last few weeks she didn't realize that the small stone bridge over the river was occupied.

Kira paused, tilting her head as she recognised Sai leaning on the railing of the bridge, his head tilted down and his hand moving over a page of his sketchbook. He was rather far out of the main village for just some sketching. Curiosity getting the better of her Kira shifted her stance and quieted her feet to a near soundless hush. Creeping over Kira carefully peaked over the boy's shoulder, eyeing his current project and felt her brows raise in surprise – well okay, not really that much of a surprise.

"You've got her smile down to a tee I see," she mused quietly, taking a small step to the side as he tensed and nearly dropped his book into the water below. Kira reached out and clasped a hand to one side of it just as his fingers lost their hold for a moment. Sai's gaze flicked to hers, surprise and slightly annoyance in it. She just gave him a small smile and let go once she was sure he had a firm hold once again. "How's it going?" she greeted, as if she hadn't just peeked on his private work. He sighed after another moment of eyeing her.

"I often forget that with you here and your leg back to normal that there are more than just two people that can sneak up on me," he murmured flatly, his eyes flicking back to the page he'd been working on. "Things are fine," he answered after a moment longer. Kira pressed her lips together and eased herself up onto the stone railing, the river behind her, legs dangling.

"Somehow I doubt that," she commented quietly, meeting his dark gaze once again. Her eyes flickered away for a moment, before she tore them back and shrugged slightly. "You're on the edge of town drawing the girl you've been pining over for, well… as long as I've known you? Longer?" she pondered her own inquiry for a moment, and to her surprise Sai hardly seemed ruffled by her acquisition, as if he'd expected it.

"I didn't think it was that easy to tell," he relented finally, his gaze turning back to the sketchbook, and Kira did the same, eyes tracing the careful linework and shading, the way the light hit the subject's eyes.

"It's not really. I only saw it because in a lot of ways we're similar when it comes to our own emotions, our own… complications," she explained. After all, they'd both been ANBU for nearly half their lives and hadn't been taught by the best of people in any regard. Kira had her mother and that had kept her from falling over the edge, kept her from making a mask that she couldn't take off easily. Sai hadn't had that, but she still felt a certain kinship with him, saw herself in him, even if he was only a year younger than her.

"How'd you do it?" his question surprised her, drawing her to look at him again, a sense of confusion lingering in his dark eyes. She hummed, pressing her lips into a thin line. She turned her head away from him to give them both some semblance of comfort and placed her hand in her lap.

"Some days, I still don't know," she admitted, letting her eyes lose focus on a half dozen stones on the far railing. "It's complicated. I've known Gaara for years; so much longer than he even knew that I existed." A life in his shadow, quiet literally.

"What do you mean?" The confusion in his eyes leaked into his voice, edged with curiosity. Kira sighed. She hadn't told very many people in the Leaf Village about her job; she was fairly certain only her cousin and the higher ups knew. She hadn't even told Tenten, but she supposed in Sai's case, he'd understand more than others.

"My unique abilities were the only reason I became an ANBU so quickly. The fourth Kazekage wanted to use me as a way to keep an eye on Gaara, as I was undetectable while in the Shadow Space." A new term, even for her after reading some of the Nara's texts on her abilities.

"I see…" Was his rather bland reply. They were quiet for a bit after that, and Sai ran his charcoal over the page once again. Kira shifted on the railing a moment before taking out some of the twine Gaara had mailed her. She looped a group of purple and red strings together, hooked them around a pouch button on her leg and when it became clear he wouldn't voice his thoughts on her tale more than he had, she went on with answering his question.

"For a while, for most of the time I've known him, I didn't even really realize how I felt. I never had the chance to really have crushes growing up and I thought my closeness to him, my attention to him, was simply because I had been trained to be that way. I knew his ticks, and knew how to react to them because it was part of my job." She busied her hands, trying to resolve the frustration that still lingered about her own stupid naïve perception on the matter, twisting and weaving the thread together. "Even after I did realize what was going on, I wasn't sure…. that'd it'd be good for him. That he'd handle it well. So much had happened with the war, both with what he'd learned and endured. It didn't seem right to throw that at him." She thought back to her conversation with Kankurō, how he'd even agreed it might be best to wait; she'd just taken it a step farther. She let out a long sigh, pulling the strings tight. "There was also the fact that he's the leader of my village, my boss, and my personal charge so…" Speaking of, she wondered if the elders of the village had been informed of that change yet. Oddly, she kind of hoped not, if only to be there to see the look on their faces. She should ask that in her reply to Gaara – or maybe Kankurō would be better, he tended to be more enthusiastic about that kind of thing.

"I suppose things aren't nearly as…complicated for me when you put it that way," Sai murmured, halting her train of thought. She paused, strings in one hand, and tilted her head to look back at the artist. He was staring down at his sketch blankly, frustration echoed in the tense line of his shoulders. Kira bit her lip, turning back to her own project.

"I mean, not that you've got it a whole lot easier with her; she's put your competition up on a pedestal, the "misunderstood," "confused soul."" She snorted, pulling another knot tight. "If you ask me – I think he knows exactly what he's doing, he's just a jackass, and she deserves better than wasting her life waiting." Especially when, according to Tenten, the ex-rouge had neither confirmed nor denied any real romantic attachment to the medic. Just another reason to punch him in the face.

"You know you probably shouldn't talk about one of the people that saved the world like that," Sai remarked, humor lightning his voice slightly. Kira smiled, glad that her attempt had worked. She lifted her shoulders in reply.

"Technically, we all helped save the world – and I can talk about him however I please, he doesn't scare me. All I can see is how much hurt he's left in his wake and saving the world doesn't fix all that, even if he has been forgiven." She doubted that would ever change, even if she had the frustrating realization that if they ever did fight, he'd probably kick her ass… Gaara would avenge her though, right? The light chuckle to her side startled her, making her drop one of the stings as she twitched. Sai shook his head, bemused. She hadn't meant for that to be funny but… whatever worked.

"You've changed," he remarked suddenly, and Kira found her looking back to him again, meeting his gaze. He gave her a small, tentative smile. "You're quite different from the person I first met." That sadly, was an all too familiar fact it seemed. She'd heard that a few times over her life. Rubbing at her neck, she gave another small shrug.

"Yeah well, I'm not very good at meeting new people."

"That's not what I mean."

Kira paused, even her hands stopping in their weaving at his words. It didn't take a genius to understand what he meant. After all, she was still pretty bad about meeting new people, but she wasn't avoiding people's eyes as much anymore. She'd gained more confidence lately, despite everything that had been happening. Slowly, she got her hands moving again, crafting a Celtic knot with ease.

"I guess…being able to share some of the burden with him helped. I'm not as unsure about things as I used to be," she explained finally, thoughtful. "I've always felt like I had to handle everything on my own and put everyone else first, because for a long time I did – it was my job to. I couldn't tell anyone what I was doing for our leader and I was terrified to let anything slip because I could lose my home. I was so focused on my tasks, on other people, I forgot to want things for myself. Gaara… he refuses to let me do that anymore. Things aren't as… heavy as they once were and it has made it easier for me to be the person I want to be."

She had been strong on her own, but with Gaara standing beside her, she was stronger. She'd never understood that, not even with her teammates, but now, she couldn't see it any other way.

"Kira," Sai's voice drew her from her thoughts along with the sound of a gentle ripping sound. Paper, she realized when she looked to the artist and he held out a sheet of it to her. Curious, Kira took it from him, and looked at the content, only to find it so startling she almost dropped it. It was a drawing – a stunningly realistic one – of her and Gaara. They were in the middle of an embrace, both of them clutching to each other so hard it looked as if they might worry they'd be torn apart, Gaara physically seeming to hold her up. Kira's forehead was ducked to press against Gaara's shoulder and he'd pressed his cheek into her hair in response, both of their eyes closed. In the upper corner of the black and white piece was the title: Empowered.

She swallowed hard, suddenly recognizing the scene as the one after the war had ended. She practically had thrown herself at the redhead, clinging to him in such relief that he was alive, with the aftermath of her dream still fresh in her mind. It was in that moment that she'd truly understood that yes, she loved him and she never wanted to let go.

It was beautiful. She couldn't think of anything to say.

"There was something powerful about that moment," Sai confessed. "I couldn't get it out of my head for weeks, I needed to capture it." He paused, thinking for a long moment before finally saying "It made me realize how I felt about her." It seemed oddly fitting to not use the name of their subject. Talking in what would be vague terms to outsiders but not to those speaking was a long ingrained habit for her and it seemed Sai as well. Perhaps in some ways, it made it easier for them to talk about it. She shifted on the railing slightly, carefully rolling the picture up and placing it inside the scroll from Gaara before slipping it back in her belt pouch and pulling another set of knots tight.

"Glad I could help."

There was a part of her that wanted to push him more, encourage him to do something, but it was over ruled quickly. She couldn't force something like this; it was a very fragile thing, and too much pressure could cause things to break, for him to pull away completely. All she could do now was be there to support whatever choice he made. She just hoped which ever it was, it made him happy.

"He loves you, you know," the painter started suddenly, making her twitch and falter in one of her movements. Kira tilted her head at him, shocked by the remark, but Sai had turned his head back towards the river, his dark eyes worlds away. "Even if he can't say it yet." At his sincerity and the tone in his voice, Kira knew he wasn't just talking about her and Gaara. Turning her gaze back across the bridge, towards the slowly setting sun, she gave a small hum of agreement.

"I know." Or at least, that's what she hoped for, far be it for her to finalize such a statement. "Doesn't mean I don't want to hear him say it." That had been her only request upon his return, and with the day growing nearer, Kira found senseless worry to be her constant friend. Sai took her words in silence, his pencil back on paper once more. She knew he was thinking everything over and so she set to the task of her own project, listening to the quiet murmur of the river below them as they worked.

Kira was just starting to tie off the end of a small bracelet, winding a knot and loop fastener, when their quiet peace shattered apart. The shrieking, pulsing call resonated through the village and Kira flinched, dropping her finished peace on the ground. It sent her ears ringing and she pressed a hand over the closer of two ears, looking to Sia who had tensed up instantly, gaze locked towards his home.

"What is that?" she questioned, having to yell over the thrumming call. The painter grimaced and quickly stashed his book in a side pouch.

"That's the jail break siren, someone is escaping a holding cell." While his tone was even, it didn't stop the sudden dread that overcame Kira's soul as quickly as ink spilling into water. Her chest seized up as she had a very good feel of who that might be. "I have to go," Sai stated, breaking her from a moment of panic. It was his job to run to his homes defense, but as Kira was a guest, she didn't have too. There really wasn't much of a choice for her to make though.

"I'm coming with you," she stated and slid off the railing, suddenly glad she'd brought her weapons with her today. The artist nodded his head in understanding and then they were both running, making a beeline for the village – except, they didn't get very far or rather, something caught Kira's eyes after they rounded a corner and it stopped her feet, stopped her own damn lungs. Before she even really saw him the hairs on her skin stood up and dread ripped into her.

And then her eyes registered what she was seeing.

He wasn't even attempting to hide as he walked forward towards her, hands tucked neatly behind him. She picked up on the years of time since last she'd seen him, saw the graying of hair at the temples of short cropped locks, saw the lines that fanned out from auburn eyes and a thin, strict mouth. Some things were still the same. That somehow sadistic smile that stretched wide, showing his upper teeth was the same. The dark, unspoken icy rage in his eyes was the same. The way he always seemed to stop her, rooting her in place where she stood was the same. The sirens echoing in the village seemed to cry out in warning.

Korin Esley was in The Hidden Leaf.

"That's…" Sai's voice made her finch, made her realize that he had stopped too, that he was still here and he knew who stood before him. He'd been given a picture after all, everyone who was an ANBU knew about him now, had been told just in case. Kira had never thought it would be needed so soon. Korin's smile gained more teeth.

"Kyote," he mused, his smooth tone meant to catch people off guard just as it had for her so many times. His eyes slid over her, over Sai and then back to her again with a meticulous air. "It's good that you're back on your feet, this will make things so much easier." He stopped suddenly; the river between them, though it's gentle sounds had quieted with his arrival. Kira felt her throat tighten as she swallowed, felt her hand twitch and slowly move towards the Tonfas on her leg. She felt more than saw Sai doing much the same, as she dared not look away from her old teacher. Korin tilted his head slightly, akin to an animal of prey. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Stray."

Despite herself, Kira found her hands pausing, the dread in her chest spreading outward like wildly growing vines meant to bind and choke and break. Her eyes narrowed, unwilling to break his gaze though every part of her wanted to – needed to.

"Why?" she asked simply, measuring him, calculating the odds of Sai and her beating him alone. He let out a small, deceptive laugh, one she remembered from countless times under his booted foot, her cheek pressed into the earth as he chastised her over and over again.

"Because Kyote," he explained easily, his hands coming free from his sides so show a small hand radio. "The Red Siblings you captured are loose now and have set their sights on a small compound of shadow users." His words were a physical blow to her mind and chest, and agonize squeeze of vines on her soul. How? It wasn't possible – "Did you really think I didn't know little scavenger? A lone child in the wastelands alive and alone and with nothing, not even a name, and yet so very powerful and so unique." He let his free hand rest on the hilt of his sword that rested at one hip like it always had. "I'm the head of the Scorpion Section, the best of Sand's ANBU – I knew Kyote, I always did."

The ground under her seemed unsteady then, her mind simply stalling as Sai tensed beside her, side stepping closer and murmuring her name.

He'd known. Of course he'd known. Kira almost laughed, wondering off hand if Rasa had too. One final cage to keep her bound to them. Except she'd found a way out, found the Naras on her own and he didn't like that.

"If you hurt any of them…" she whispered flatly, her vision swimming with the children and families she'd met in the past month. Those warm, welcoming smiles, a show of approval, of belonging – how dare he try to take that from her! Korin clicked his tongue.

"The sisters are waiting for my order Kyote. In fact if I don't get back to them in two minutes, they'll come out of hiding and do as they wish. Your allies are far too busy chasing down every escaped prisoner to find them in time, so don't even think they can help. It's just you and me and the next decision you make." His pointer finger tapped on the hilt, thoughtful. Kira finally glanced to Sai for a second, and found him, surveying the man with blank, careful eyes, his hand paused on a scroll attached to his leg. Her gaze shifted back to Korin and she frowned.

"What do you want then?" She'd play his game, if it kept the Nara clan safe. Her former trainer nodded his head in slight approval and lifted his hand up, curling a finger.

"Come here," he ordered and Kira felt a jolt run up her spine at the command. "I've missed my favorite subordinate so I've come to get you. Time for us to take back what we lost Kyote."

Take back? She didn't understand what he meant by that, but what she did get, was that all this time they'd been wrong. Everyone had assumed that the attack had been to get to Gaara, to a leader of a nation. How could any of them think he'd been aiming for her? She tried to swallow again, but everything had gone dry. Every nerve in her body told her to turn tail and run, to get as far away from him as possible. Go with him? She'd rather die, rather bite off her own tongue.

"One minute," Korin stated flatly, making her jump again – gods, when had she become so jumpy? She gave him a confused look, her mind blanking in panic. He simply stared back at her with that toothy grin. "You have one minute to prove your loyalty and come with me, or your new little family tree will be gone. Once they get started, I won't stop them." His eyes narrowed and she felt herself take a small step back, fear jolting from her gut to her throat to the back of her skull. "You are my soldier, now come here."

From the corner of her eyes she saw Sai slide the scroll from its sleeve with incremental movements. There was no time for that though, there is no time for anything and even if they struck, even if they won… her eyes flickered to the radio in his hand and it felt as if her heart was sliding into her guts as the vines sown by so much dread wrapped tight there and pulled. The ANBU mask in her back pouch had never felt so heavy, so weighted as if it was pulled towards the person who originally took it from this very land.

She could run. Step into Sai's shadow and disappear. She would be safe, but she'd be leaving bodies in her wake, ones that were not meant to pay for her own demons. In a moment of panic, she wished Gaara was there. He wasn't, and Kira knew down into her vine wrapped bones what she had to do. What the ANBU trained part of her brain was telling her to do. She wanted to close her eyes and scream. She couldn't. Korin watched in delight as everything fell into place.

There was no time.

"Sai," she breathed out, calm taking over in an instant. The painter – her friend – looked at her, waiting for instructions, a plan, a request – he didn't get any of those. Instead her hand moved to one of her tonfas, gripping the handle till her knuckles ached. "Forgive me."

Then, she moved.

…

The pace of a month's time felt much like that of a feather's trip down to the ground. Fast in perspective of time itself, yet slow, meandering as it swayed in one direction and then another. Falling always felt slow in the moment, but that is all it is: a moment. Looking back on the last month Gaara felt as if he had just been in Konoha, yet in the time between, some days had felt endless. Work had been trying, people had been… irritating, and the papers had piled higher and higher with each day. The only papers he'd liked seeing were those from Kira, who despite everything, somehow, managed to keep him from losing his mind some days. It reminded him of the promise he'd made to her, of what he was to say when he got there. It made him unbelievably nervous – trying to sort though his feelings in relation to that was a nightmare in itself – and talking to his brother hadn't helped that much. Still…

He'd been looking forward to it.

Sadly, it was safe to say, it wasn't what he got when he finally arrived in the Leaf. Gaara found himself openly staring at the four Leaf shinobi in the Hokage's office as if they'd spouted three heads each. In reality he was really, really hoping all of this was some kind of elaborate joke that Naruto had put them up to. The blond wasn't smiling, and Gaara's sister stood next to him, her frame rigid with worry. It only left him with the sinking feeling of it being true.

Kira was gone – and she'd left with Korin Esley.

Gaara shook his head, trying to make sense of their words because they didn't seem to fault her for going so – for basically deflecting with a rogue ninja. "What exactly happened?" He hadn't really been told much yet, just that she was gone. Shikamaru – Kira's cousin – stepped forward to answer first.

"Korin apparently had all of this planned – somehow," he started. "We didn't know that he'd go so far as to have a bomb planted in one of his men. Though looking back on it now, we should have thought about it, he was the ANBU leader for the Sand wasn't he?" He was referring to how ANBU all had explosive seals on them that would blow up their bodies if they died. "The girl that you crushed the arm of set it off mid afternoon three days ago. Blew her sister's cell open with her own body. Once the sister was free she broke the rest of our jailed free. There weren't a lot, but enough to cause a panic."

"It would appear, Korin took our distraction as the perfect time to find Kira," Kakashi interjected. "Somehow he'd been tracking her, but to his dismay, she wasn't alone." He looked to Sai and nodded his head, Gaara looking to him as well in an instant. The painter was sporting a bandage to the head, stark white against inky black hair. His normally blank face was contorted with grim knowledge.

"We were talking outside near the river when the alarm went off. We responded quickly, but he showed up before we got far. Kira… froze up at the sight of him; she started shaking and her focus narrowed to him. I think she might have forgotten I was there at first. From what he said, Korin was after Kira from the start, not you," he murmured the last part, eyes flickering to the side, much like Kira's had done with him for a long time. Gaara felt his jaw clench at the description. She must have been terrified. He should have known Korin would go after her, he'd just been so sure the SS leader had been making a power play. He couldn't quite figure out why he'd go through so much trouble for an old subordinate that had never really been under his control. Kira hadn't broken under him, something Gaara was sure that Korin had detested – so why did he want her back so badly?

"Even if that was the case, I know Kira wouldn't have left with him willingly," he said flatly. He knew Kira, better than any of them in this room did. Something was up and he needed all the pieces to see the board correctly. Even if Korin was a ghost from her past, she knew better than to let fear get the best of her. She was too well trained and had seen too much to fall for something like that. So why would Kira go with him? The frustration of that question was nearly enough to make his head explode, though his position demanded that he never show it.

"He didn't play fair, Gaara," Temari told him softly from his left. He glanced to her and saw her eyes down cast, hands tightly clamped together at her waist. The redhead found himself reaching out and touch her hand briefly, to comfort her in some way. He knew his sister blamed herself for not being able to help Kira – she'd promised Gaara she would look after the shadow user.

"According to Sai, the bastard used our family as a threat," the Nara boy finished for his girlfriend. Gaara tensed slightly, looking back to him as he spoke, shock running up his spine at the anger in those dark eyes. "As you know Kira was staying at my home while she was here. Korin must have found out because he told Kira that his escaped comrade was just waiting to strike down the compound if Kira didn't leave with him." Shikamaru scowled, rubbing his neck as he paused before letting out a jagged sigh, Nartuo surprisingly, stepping in and putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. There was a soft understanding to the boy's blue eyes, a shared worry not just for the missing friend, but for the one he was looking at now.

"We didn't find any clues to support that threat around the Nara's place, but there's no way of knowing for sure if it was real or not. I didn't know her well, but I don't think she would have taken that chance." He was right; Nartuo had always been good at judging people's characters. Kira wouldn't have taken that chance, not when she'd just found her family. She wouldn't have risked it. Gaara felt his chest constrict as Sai continued on, retelling what the older man had said to them, how he'd gone about doing the threat and followed that back to Kira having realized she didn't have a choice. Three days – she'd been with that monster three days now, the same day he'd left to come here.

"I think she was planning something," Sai relented, reaching up with a hand to touch the back of his head where the bandages were and Gaara released he didn't know how the ANBU had gotten hurt. He assumed Korin had done it, but it was unlikely Sai would be alive if that were the case. "Kira did this," he explains and Gaara flinched, realizing that truth a second too late. "All the sudden she apologized and turned on me. Used one of her tonfas and knocked me out. Sakura said there was a slice where she hit me; not life threatening but enough to cause a decent amount of blood. She had to have a reason, and I think it was probably to make sure he didn't kill me."

"You're right," Gaara answered easily, not needing to think about that answer. "Korin would have killed you so you couldn't report back. Kira used the hidden blades in her tonfa just long enough to cut you before retracting them. She wanted to make it seem like she'd turned on you." Gaara was sure of that, it was an elaborate act to try and give Korin the sense she was loyal to him. With that, Gaara could seen the pieces clicking into place and felt worry flood his mind. She'd done the only thing she could do and part of him hated her for being that well trained and for putting herself in that kind of danger. "She's going to try and sabotage him from within. Gather intel and try to figure things out without tipping him off. It's likely she'll try to give us his next move if she can." He looked to Kakashi who nodded his head, thoughtful.

"I thought as much, she is a Nara after all," he agreed, smirking under his mask as Shikamaru snorted. "I have a group of sensory ninja looking around the area you were attacked. A few days ago we found a possible hideout entry, but were waiting to see if anyone ever came out. They'll be going in this time and hopefully, Kira will have delivered."

All they could do now was wait, and that frustrated the Kazekage more than anything. Part of him wanted to join the team out there in the search, but knew he'd more than likely let his emotions get in the way. So instead he found himself pacing in one of the waiting rooms of the Hokage tower, his left hand clenched around the woven strap if his weapon. Somehow, Gaara had managed to keep it clean for the most part though the war and then on. It was a priceless gift, something he wouldn't willingly part with, but he'd throw it into an open flame if it would give Kira back to him. She could always make another strap, but the thought of her being ripped from his life forever was nearly enough to shatter his composure.

He should have never left her here.

"She'll be fine, you know," the calm voice at the entrance to the room had the redhead pausing mid step. Shikamaru was leaning on the doorframe with one shoulder, arms crossed lazily as he watched the leader. "She's a lot smarter than people give her credit for, as I'm sure you know. She'd quiet and a bit brash as times, but she's not likely to do something this dangerous without thinking it through." He let out a small sigh. "My guess is she had played with the idea of something like this happening at some point in her life. Now she just has to stay one step ahead of Korin, which I think she can."

"I suppose you've learned much from her in the last month?"

"We were living in the same house," he pointed out, smirking slightly before giving a slow shrug of his shoulders. "We talked a lot, a mutual learning experience, and we even got to spar together. Just to see what would happen, we teamed up against Tenten and Lee." His face was thoughtful for a moment before he shook his head, chuckling. "It's kind of terrifying how well our family's two secret arts work together and Kira picked up on my own moves so quickly – it was like she'd done it before."

"Because in a way she has," Gaara replied after a moment. "I can only assume in some ways her using your shadows and my sand's aren't too different." They had practiced for days to get the rhythm down, with him throwing sand at opponents like normal and Kira following in the shadow his attacks made. It was a sneak attack and Kankurō had nearly squealed when Gaara had sent sand and Kira had appeared out of nowhere. For course that had all happened before she'd lost her leg. It was nice to know she could still keep up with everyone.

"I guess that explains it – the strategy of it is quite sound," the Nara boy mused. "Looks like Temari and I might need to step up our game if we want to spar with you two." He rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed. "I wish there was more we could do. I hate sitting around like this."

Gaara silently agreed and let his fingers brush across the strap again. Funny how far away receiving it felt right now, his mind so focused on the present and the future. A future he planned to make sure Kira saw at his side.

"Until we know more, we can't do anything." It hurt to admit to that because part of him wanted to go now. "All we can do is wait."

Luckily for Gaara's patience, he ended up not having to wait long. Not three hours later, they got word of the team coming back and met them at the gate. Hinata's team along with Aya and Shura arrived well into the evening with a clue. Aya had handed Gaara a small, twine woven bracelet that was definitely Kira's handy work, and upon closer inspection, they found what they were looking for. On the underside of the bracelet, woven into the knot work was ANBU coding that spelled out one word.

Suna.

Gaara's chest seized at the word, hands reflexively fisting in frustration because now that he saw it in front of him, it seemed so obvious. Korin had gotten one of his star weapons back and now he wanted his old life back and was planning on taking over Gaara's home. An attack on his home was coming and Gaara was three days away.

Let me you know what you think!