"I cannot tell them that you know I can see."

Her voice came as a shock to him, seeing as they had been sitting in silence for quite a long moment. No one had come in to disturb them, as if everyone had agreed not to. Gaara was not sure if he should feel grateful for it, or awkward. He had never been alone with a girl, save for Temari and Matsuri. Yet now here he was, recklessly doing things he should not do. Things he was never accustomed to doing. He watched as Miyuki delicately touched the flowers, as if seeing them for the first time and afraid she might break them. Her words come again, and this time Gaara registers them.

"Has it something to do with Eiichi?" He asked, he expected something that would betray her emotion but she remained passive, watching the flowers brushing against her long fingers. Such a contrast, to the eyes she owned.

"Perhaps," she simply answered, stepping around and brushing the flowers she passed. He knew she was dangerous. He knew he should not be so reckless, but somehow it was exciting. Like a bomb waiting to explode, and he wanted to see it. But instead of a bomb, it would be a firework and he will not blink long enough not to miss any second of it.

"You don't like answering questions," he stated after a while, this got her out of her reverie as she glanced back at him. Those dark pools enough to turn anyone's spine cold, but instead tugged at the innermost parts of him. Was she really a danger to this world? Or only to himself? Gaara shook off the feeling, remembering how Kankuro would often tell tales of his demise with women who stole his heart and ran off with it only to return a while later, all broken and bruised.

But Gaara did not feel that way. He didn't feel like he could surrender such a thing to a stranger. No. This feeling, it was more like she was going to plunge deep into his chest and take it. She could be his undoing, he mused. Yet he did not fear for his life. Even if this girl seemed to have something that made her immune to sands touch.

"Why do you stare like that?"

Gaara shifted. He didn't realize he had been staring. Heat threatened to rise up from his neck but he managed to further embarrass himself by looking away and walking towards a flower Miyuki had not noticed before. It was separated from the rest and there was only one of them, surrounded by a few dead ones of its kind. It was pure white. Much like her hair.

"I didn't mean to," Gaara proceeded to answer for a while. "It seems that it's always the things I should not see that always catch my eye." He touched the white flower and it seemed to Miyuki that it shook, as if awoken by the touch of the Kazekage himself.

"The only one left," he said, mostly to himself before he turned to her again. She was unshamefully studying him now, with her head tilted to the side. Was she thinking of the same thing too? Did she find whatever it is between them, strange? Because he did. Or was he the only one feeling that strange pull?

This was dangerous territory.

Miyuki knew. From the way the flower seemed to weaken by one person's touch. She knew she was going to be in a heap of trouble if she proceeded down this path. She never felt fear until the moment she had laid her eyes on Gaara. It was not fear for her life, or her job. It was fear for herself. She felt like he could unravel her if she allowed him to. He had already done enough, making her trust him enough to tell him about her eyes.

Was it because he made her feel... normal? Or was it because she was genuinely interested in him? But why? Why now? Why him? She studied him openly, her eyes glancing again and again to the word etched on his head. She wanted to ask him about it but dared not to say those words out loud. For it was something she could never have, or earn. That was not the only different thing about them. Did she enjoy his company because he was everything she wanted to be? A leader strong enough to protect those she loved? Brave enough to do so. To have friends that care about him so deeply. She felt a pang of jealousy. He was the epitome of everything she wanted but could not have. She did not deserve.

"Miyuki," he starts and pauses with hesitation. Before he could continue, a question evident in his eyes a loud commotion outside made her turn away from him. Dangerous territory. She quickly grabbed on her blindfold, and tied it around her head. Running away from him, and the question he was about to ask.

When she got back to the room where Kei and the rest where she was surprised to see Naruto there, his chakra almost blinding. If anyone noticed she got there without help, they didn't seem to mind as Gaara appeared from the door she ran out of.

"Gaara," Naruto called, waving his hand. He looked like he was ready for battle. Gaara tensed. Did something happen while he was busy with his reckless decisions?

"It's Matsuri," Naruto continued. "They went to check on the mines and the cave collapsed. One of the miners got out in time to say there was something down there. Something big and dangerous. It looked summoned, from the markings on the ground. I can't get through it, I need you to clear the path with less damage as possible and to create an opening big enough for me to fit into."

"Hinata said she could see about 5 people down there, one of them is growing weaker by the minute," he looks away now and Miyuki felt something cold slide down her back. Eiichi. "She thinks its Matsuri and-"

Miyuki has not seen anyone move so fast. He passed by her like air, carrying Naruto with him. Matsuri. That girl from before. She felt something sting inside her chest, and shook it off as nothing. Yet she could not help but wonder if Matsuri meant anything more to Gaara than just a soldier?

She twitched when Kei got a hold of her.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly as they all filed out of the greenhouse. "You and the Kazekage where in there too long." Was that... a tease in her voice?

"Why wouldn't I be?" Miyuki countered, sounding more defensive than she had intended. She felt Kei shrug her shoulders.

"It's the first time I have seen you treat a guy as such... I don't know, maybe I was hoping that-"

"Crush that hope, Kei." Miyuki cut her off. "That word has forsaken me one too many times. Do not keep wanting things for me. I cannot have them."

With that, their conversation ended as Kei kept silent the rest of the way to the mines as they had agreed to help in any way they can.

"We both know what took place in there," Miyuki whispered after a while. Kei's grip on her arm tightened.

"He wouldn't," Kei said, although there was no strength in her words. "It is unlike him to be so reckless."

"He want's to test his strength," Miyuki stated and Kei's eyes moved to Gaara before realizing Miyuki meant the golden haired boy who was now walking through the tunnel Gaara had managed to dig through with sand without disturbing the cave itself.

"We have to-" Kei starts only to be pulled back by Miyuki.

"Do nothing," Miyuki turned slightly to the left and Kei followed seeing the Hyuuga girl standing there, a worried look on her face.

"But-"

"He would not thank you for interference, Kei."

Kei went silent discreetly glancing over at the back of Miyuki's neck, where her hair had been pushed away, to reveal faint dark marks peeking out of her neck. She sighed.

"What are you planning to do?" Kei asked after a while even though she already knew the answer and smiled despite it all.

The ground shook, sending some of them toppling to the ground and the newly dug entrance to collapse in on itself. Before it though, Kei felt Miyuki move, ever so slightly and then she was gone. Just as the entrance collapsed, closing Naruto within. Gaara raised his hand to reopen it but stopped as Hinata called out.

"Don't," she started. "Naruto is in there, he is stuck somewhere... and...Miyuki? I didn't even see her go in."

There were soft mutterings around them as Kankuro glanced at Kei for answers to find her gone as well. Did she go in too? No. Hinata would have sensed her.

Gaara leaned forward, wanting to go inside the cave as well but knowing he was more use out here. How had Miyuki entered so fast?

It was dark, when Miyuki felt her conscience snap back into her body and felt Kei's grip on her arm.

"If this is what you meant by no interference, you need to learn your words again," Kei whispered to her in the dark. "I can't see a thing!"

Miyuki laughed, tugging her friend on for she could see well enough to navigate through the tunnel towards where Naruto now laid.

"You didn't have to come with me," Miyuki managed to say after a while.

"Yeah right, like you could have gone through that opening without my help," Kei answered briefly before she stopped as Miyuki did.

"Naruto?" Miyuki poked his face as he stirred, screaming curses into the darkness. "It is I, Miyuki and Kei."

"Hey, Naruto."

Kei and Naruto felt stupid, saying hello to voices in the dark but there was some kind of relief there.

"How did you guys get in here?" He asked when Kei had managed to spark a fire with her chakra.

"The same way we are getting you out from under there," Miyuki answered, as she stepped away for Kei.

"This is going to feel weird," Kei said before her hand touched naruto's cheek. "And I have never done it to anyone with this much chakra. Can you... uhm, turn down the chakra for a bit?"

Naruto felt a strange sensation swivel around him, digging into his skin. The world seemed to blur for a bit before he felt his consciousness snap back into his body, right beside Miyuki who still had her blindfold on.

"What in the world was that?!" He exclaimed, looking at both girls with surprised looks.

"My special gift," Kei said proudly before glancing down the narrow path towards the center of the mine.

"Right, now is not the time for explanations," he said as he stared at Miyuki who turned to somehow stare right back.

"Yeah okay, definitely not the time," he started as he walked down the path with Miyuki and Kei in tow.

"So do all of you have special gifts?" Naruto asked after a while.

"Not all," Kei said distractedly. Naruto then glanced at Miyuki.

"What's yours?"

"You'll find out, first we have to get everyone out of here," she answered quietly.

"Yeah, especially Matsuri. Gaara would freak if-"

"Are they together?" Kei asked so suddenly, her eyes narrowing.

"What? No," Naruto laughed, making it echo around them. "Well, I don't know the full details but they are not. Girls are complicated. Hinata, my wife? Barely talked to me the whole time we were in the ninja academy. She was so quiet, and she always got feverish whenever I went near her."

"Ha ha, she sounds adorable," Kei commented, making Naruto smile.

"Yeah she is, took me a while to realize what it all meant," he continued. "Glad I did though. It's weird, not knowing you were meant for someone until the very last moment."

"You must tell me all about it when we get out of here," Kei stated simply. She was a sucker for love stories. The only one in their group who believed in a happy ending. Miyuki wished that for her. Miyuki wished it for everyone.

Except herself.