"Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go." - Natalie Goldberg

"You called for me, Lady Hokage?"

Lady Tsunade, her head buried in the piles of contracts that needed signing, slowly lifted her eyes to meet mine. Her facial expression worried me slightly, but then again, I'd been worrying ever since my mother had told me earlier that the Hokage needed to see me as soon as possible. My instant assumption was that I'd done something wrong.

"Saiji is dead," Tsunade bluntly said. Her gaze remained locked to mine, as if waiting for my emotions to kick in and for me to fall to the ground in tears. I almost did, too.

Saiji had been a man about three years older than me and who had served as one of my instructors during my Courier-Nin training sessions. Although we wore dark colors while out on missions, it was hard to miss the patches of untidy blonde hair that poked out from his hood or his piercing green eyes that sometimes shown brighter than Sakura's did.

"How?" I finally managed to ask after composing my inner thoughts. Saiji had always been swift and strong, so I imagined only a natural disaster could have killed him.

Lady Tsunade's hands folded properly on the top of her cluttered desk. "I'd sent him to pick up a parcel from Sunagakure just before Uchiha decided to leave. Early this morning, Serisu sent word back of how she found him dead. It seems he was ambushed."

I didn't quite know how to process any of that. When I'd taken the Courier-Nin job, they'd made it very clear of just how dangerous the position was. However, we were also trained on the various ways to escape: smoke bombs, distractions, and simply speed. Damaging trade items and documents was completely unacceptable, and while defending against or attacking the enemy, it was almost impossible to protect said item.

"This being the case," she went on, "I'd like to assign you to a double-mission of sorts."

Fear swirled in my gut from her words. I wanted to tell her that I wasn't interested in a mission in which I could end up like Saiji and walk away to pretend I was never there. But instead, I remained standing straight and attentive. "Yes, ma'am."

"These are the coordinates Serisu sent of Saiji's body location. I'd like you to take Kyan to the body so she can identify the attacking village. Your job is to bring back the parcel." Folded in her hand was a small piece of paper.

"I'm guessing that's only the first half of the mission?" I assumed, taking the paper from her with trembling fingers.

A soft, yet cocky smirk graced her lips. "Exactly right. The second part is something I was saving for later when Saiji returned, but under these circumstances, I'm sending you in his place. Because you will be in Sunagakure territory, and some people are still a little hostile, to say the least, I'm sending Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro with you. Serisu won't be serving as an escort, so you will."

I kept my mouth shut to hide my teeth slamming together. Traveling with Gaara and Temari, I was okay with. But with Kankuro? I wasn't exactly keen on that, seeing as I was expecting the trip to be very awkward.

"This mission will take a few weeks, a month at the most," she continued to explain. "While you prepare for your journey, I'll write up a hotel referral for you and Kyan to stay at."

"A month?" I repeated, throwing her a confused glance. "Why so long?"

She shifted her weight in her chair uncomfortably. "Well," she muttered just before bringing her fist up to her mouth and clearing her throat, "your mother recently came to me with a proposal. Your family's restaurant has been doing very well since it first opened. She and I have talked about expanding the business to other villages. Sunagakure has already agreed to owe us on several occasions, so it would only make sense to start there."

At my sides, my hand doubled into fists, crumpling the paper inside my right hand. Our restaurant had been strictly a Konohagakure business for years and that was how I wanted it to stay. A large part of the reason why the village received so many tourists during festivals and other events was because of us. If we were in another village, we wouldn't be unique anymore.

"During your time there, you'll be speaking with business and building owners. So, go inform your sister of this. I've already told the three siblings to meet you two at the front gates in an hour."

"Ma'am," I hissed, bowing slightly to her before turning on my heel to hurry out.

()()()

"You're n-not okay with this, huh?" Kyan questioned me as she watched me toss clothes around my room. I wasn't sure what to bring and with the siblings waiting downstairs (my mother insisted they met us at home so she could stuff more food into them), time wasn't quite on my side.

"Not really," I told her honestly, shoving yet another tank top into my backpack. We were going to the desert. It only made sense to take light clothes.

"Is it because of Kankuro?"

I wanted to tell her the truth for that question, but I decided against it. Besides, it wasn't as if I had a problem traveling with Kankuro. I just had a problem with the awkwardness. "No, its not," I replied. "I just feel like Father would have wanted the business to stay only in Konoha."

"Haketa, F-Father is dead."

My body involuntarily stopped moving, hunched over my backpack. "Do you think I'm that stupid, Kyan?" I barked at her. "I know he's dead."

She put her hands up, her palms facing me, and shook her head. "All I'm saying is th-that it doesn't matter anymore. The restaurant ca-can't stay in one place forever."

"Haketa, Kyan, you're keeping them waiting!" Mother called from downstairs. Temari's nervous chuckle followed shortly after.

"Its okay. We're in no rus-"

"Nonsense! HAKETA! KYAN! GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

I let out an exasperated huff and swung my backpack over my shoulder, following Kyan as she walked quickly down the stairs. Mother was waiting impatiently, posed in the typical "angry-mother" stance. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her right foot was tapping on the ground.

"You two should know better than to keep guests waiting," she growled at us. I wanted to roll my eyes and scoff, but I knew I'd die if that happened.

Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara weren't exactly "guests." They knew where the cups were, so therefore, they lived at our house.

Speaking of those three, they looked exhausted already. I knew it was from the food my mother had prepared for them because I knew she made a lot. Kyan and I had listened to her comments once they arrived and we both tried our hardest not to feel pity for them.

"Gaara! Look how skinny you are! I swear, you've lost five pounds since I saw you the other night!" Mother had exclaimed when she opened the door. "Don't worry, though! I've made enough food for the entire village!"

"Are we ready?" Temari asked, gazing out the window. "I'd say sundown is in about three hours. It's a good idea to make as many tracks as we can before night comes. Oh, I almost forgot. Here, Haketa, from Lady Hokage."

All eyes fell on the piece of salmon-colored paper Temari passed on to me. The hotel referral, no doubt. Glancing around, I shoved the paper into my pocket and said, "Its not like it was a drug deal, guys."

"Well, with you," Kankuro muttered, flashing a soft smirk at me, "you never know what you could get your hands on."

While everyone's attention was focused on Kyan as my mother straightened out her hair as if she were getting her picture taken, I playfully nudged the puppeteer at his comment. "Whatever," I replied, mock-anger on my face. "You don't know me."

His eyebrows lifted and I could tell he was thinking, "Really, Haketa? I don't know you?"

As we ventured out from the house, trying to ignore my hysterically crying mother ("My babies are leaving me so soon!"), Kyan, Gaara, and Temari seemed to purposefully walk in front of Kankuro and me, creating their own conversation in which it was obvious there was no more room for two extra people to join in.

"So," Kankuro started once we reached the village gates, "are you excited to finally see my village?"

"You mean I finally get to experience the constant sandstorms, the mud brick abodes, heat that never seems to go away, even during winter? That sounds wonderful."

He looked down at me oddly with a look I hadn't seen in, well, six months. "That sounds familiar. It feels like I said that exact same thing half a year ago."

I shrugged, trying to get rid of that expression on his face. It was a strange type of sadness, the kind of missing something or someone. "I don't know what you're talking about. Everything I say is 100% Haketa original."

He didn't say anything after that. He just chuckled under his breath and turned his head forward, watching the long road ahead of us.

Looking at his face, the way the sun hit it and brought out his features from under the kabuki paint, I couldn't help but grin. This was the Kankuro I remembered. The one who talked with sarcasm most of the time and who didn't worry about anything.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all," I whispered to myself.

"You know, Haketa, talking to yourself is the first sign of being a schizophrenic."

"Shut up, doll boy."

"Oh, thems is fightin' words. Come at me."