A/N: Hello everyone, this chapter has been forever in the making and I'm afraid it might not be very satisfying after the year of wait. Perhaps if it wasn't such an in-between kind of chapter it might have been easier to write.

But anyway! I'm back! Enjoy and let's see if the next one comes easier now that I have a job that gives me some time to work on my writing.

Shisui should have been surprised that Seiko could keep up with them as they travelled to Suna the next day but as he observed the delicate, effortless way that she waved between trees and narrow branches, the opposite became clear instead. Why wasn't someone who moved the way she did a kunoichi?

It also became clear that the reason she could sometimes sneak up on him wasn't that he lacked awareness or concentration but because she had very, very good control of her chakra.

"It's easy when you have as little chakra as I do," she had said when he had asked about it later that day. They had separated from the main group to search for something to start a fire with.

"Control of your chakra is only part of it, you move through the trees as if you've been doing it for years," he explained. He might have been a little more mesmerised by her agility than he was letting her know. It didn't help that part of her travelling outfit consisted of form-fitting black shorts, leaving a good deal of her creamy legs exposed to his eyes.

"I can feel you staring again."

Oops.

"Sorry," he apologised for probably the tenth time that day. The mood between them had been tense since yesterday but it wasn't a bad feeling. Now that they were alone, he felt tempted to act on it, however, before he could get the chance to corner her and steal a kiss, Seiko was already walking past him back to camp with a pile of dry branches in her arms.

After a light meal, the group settled for the night, Shisui gravitated towards Seiko, she was the only one he was comfortable with, besides, he was the one in charge of keeping her safe. She had picked a spot to set her bedroll away from the fire so he set his bedroll next to hers.

"Won't you be cold here?" Shisui asked, turning in his roll to face her, despite the warming weather, nights were still a little chilly. He reached out with one hand, stroking one of her soft cheeks with the back of his fingers. "Your face is cold."

"I will be fine," she murmured so as not to disturb the rest of their group. "I prefer not to get too close to the fire." Seiko nuzzled his palm, trapping it between her cheek and the bag she used as a pillow.

'Cute.'

Sleep came easy to him, as he thought it would, now that he was surrounded by her scent. It was a light sleep, light enough that he stirred a few hours into the night when he felt her shift closer, mumbling sleepily under her breath. He didn't dare move until she settled, her head tucked under his chin and her dainty little nose that felt like an icicle was pressed against his neck. He sighed into her hair and moved his blanket so it would cover the two of them.

The group, as one, rose at first light and after a light meal continued onwards towards Suna, by nightfall they had officially crossed into Kaze no Kuni territory.

It was always colder here once night came and while it felt like a balm after the scorching sun, he knew he couldn't be the only one anxious to settle into his bedroll. The cold wind mixed with small grains of sand scraped their skin and irritated their eyes. Every time he had to pass through this desert, Shisui's respect for the shinobi from Suna grew.

Seiko didn't even try to pretend that she wasn't going to worm her way into his space this time. They laid their bedrolls together into a bigger space and when they settled into them, she wiggled until she could wrap her arms around his torso, one leg between his and her head tucked under his chin. She sighed in pleasure once his warmth seeped into her body and the tiny tremors coursing through her frame eventually stopped.

It wasn't something he was used to, and he knew it had nothing to do with Shisui personally, this kind of gesture felt at odds with what he was taught all his life. Touch was something reserved for family or lovers and never to be displayed openly, most people didn't even kiss in public. He had seen his parents share a light kiss perhaps a handful of times and never out of the comfort of their home. What exactly was it that made her so different, and why was he so accepting of it?

"So warm," she mumbled into his neck, her warm breath fanning across his skin, raising goosebumps along its path, "you are so warm." One of her hands was drawing soothing circles across his back, while the other one petted his hair, the gesture so absentminded but at the same so naturally affectionate that he knew the answer to his question almost as soon as his mind formulated it. He was desperate for it, for affection that he could feel, that he could touch.

"I feel a little used right now," he joked quietly, almost as if he hadn't realised but one moment prior that he would allow her to use him however she wanted so long as she kept feeding his starved heart. He sighed deeply just as she had, squeezing her body to his, practically pulling her on top of him.

"Shhh," she mumbled, "just let it happen. I promise I will use you well."

And didn't that send a shiver down his spine in the most delicious of ways. "Please do. Use me as you please," he rasped daringly, hoping she might make good of her words.

She didn't answer, having already slipped into a deep sleep. Shisui groaned weakly, bereft of something he didn't quite understand and closed his eyes.

They reached Sunagakure in the afternoon of the third day, the sun, while still high in the sky, had already begun its descent for the day. Two shinobi dressed in tan colours were dispatched to accompany them on the way to the Kazekage's office, a tall round edifice built in what he had come to call the traditional Suna style, with the kanji for wind etched on the side. It wasn't his first time seeing it, he often made the trip from Konoha to Suna to ask for information from their allies, as he was one of the few members of Konoha that could travel quickly and alone. He recognised the Kazekage right away, even though the man wasn't dressed in his Kazekage garb. Their guides froze when they noticed who the man was with.

A tiny boy, no older than perhaps six or seven, with seafoam green eyes and dark red hair, stood next to the Kazekage, the paleness of his skin made the black circles around his eyes stand out like fresh bruises. They appeared to talk quietly before the Kazekage noticed their approach and fell silent. From the petulant expression on the boy's face, it hadn't been a pleasant conversation.

"Hokage, I trust it was a peaceful trip."

"It was, thank you for asking."

Shisui listened to the men trade pleasantries with half an ear, the rest of his attention captured by the strange boy that looked so much like the Kazekage and yet not. They had the same bone structure, but the boy's face was rounder with baby fat, he didn't look any older than the Hokage's son. Thinking about Naruto naturally led him to think about Seiko, one glance at her told him that she, too, was already observing the boy.

"You mentioned in your last letter that there was something you wished to discuss."

"That's right, however, what I wish to discuss is a sensitive matter," the Kazekage's eyes swept over them pointedly. "I will have to ask your guards to stand outside."

And that was how they, he and Seiko, were left alone to keep the Kazekage's child company. The Hokage's guard took their place near the Kazekage's door, leaving him and Seiko to keep an eye on the kid.

Normally this wouldn't have bothered him, Shisui had always had a way with kids and he knew that Seiko did as well, but the kid didn't try to engage with them he would go so far as to say he didn't so much as glance at them and Shisui knew that he must have felt their gaze on him, Seiko was all but burning a hole onto the side his face with her eyes.

"If you don't stop staring he is going to tell the Kazekage you want to eat him," Shisui teased her in a whisper, drawing her attention back to him by taking one of her hands in his and tugging gently.

She blinked owlishly, as if coming out of a deep trance and tilted her head in his direction, showing him that she was listening. "I find it strange that the Kazekage was willing to leave his small son alone in a room full of strangers, allied or not."

Shisui chuckled before needling her again. "Oh no, is this the disapproving mother in you coming out?" he knew he was right when he noticed a flush rise to her ears, something he had never noticed before. "Is this a blush I see?" he wanted to kiss the spot but he refrained, not wanting to deal with Genma's antics if he noticed them.

At long last, she turned her eyes away from the boy to stare him down, her pink lips pursed.

Gleefully, Shisui flashed her a sly grin. "It's cute."

"You're cute," she retorted but without much heat. Despite how well she had done on the trip so far, her face had this tired look to it, the blinking of her eyes was slow and they weren't as sharp as he knew them to be. Moments like this he reminded himself that she wasn't trained for this, travelling for days with little food and sleep wasn't something her body could stand without some sort of strain showing.

With an arm around her back, he pulled her closer, tucking her against his side and she didn't resist, burrowing into his embrace with a tired huff. "We will get some rest soon," he murmured into her hair, running his hand through its silky length. Over her bowed head, Shisui caught seafoam green eyes watching them, the boy's face was impassive but there was no hiding the envious gleam in his eyes.

Perhaps Seiko's worry hadn't been as unfounded as he had initially thought.

Behind them, the door of the Kazekage's office opened and both Kages stepped out.

"I will see you in the arena for the finals," the Kazekage told Minato, "until then take some time to explore the village." He turned to return to his office but caught sight of the young boy instead. "Gaara, what are you still doing here?" He asked, fixing the boy with a scowl. "Stop lurking and go home."

"We can accompany him home if you would like," Seiko proposed, with a polite helpful smile.

Shisui had to hide a smirk, he got the feeling she had been itching to step in and take care of the small boy herself.

"That won't be necessary, he knows the way home."

He swore that for the briefest of moments, he saw a murderous gleam in her eyes, but he couldn't be sure as not for a second did her smile slip nor did the muscles in her face twitch. Perhaps it was a trick of the light.

That, however, did not explain why the back of his neck tingled with goosebumps.

They were checked into the best inn Sunagakure had to offer. Shisui, who had never stayed in this sort of place himself, was impressed by the quality of the facilities. It was a jump from the cheap places he stayed in on the rare occasions a mission allowed him to stay in town for more than a few hours.

Three rooms had been booked to be shared amongst the six of them, by unspoken agreement one was given to Seiko as the only woman in their group, and the other was given to Minato. This left another one, the biggest one, to be shared between him and the three official members of the Hokage Guard platoon.

"Drop by my room once you have finished washing up," Seiko asked him before they went into their separate rooms. "I have something for you."

Shisui perked up and nodded.

The inn had its own bath house for the guests, divided into two sections for men and women, unlike the bath houses in Konoha there wasn't a soaking area at this time of the day, but with how overheated he already felt and how red his skin was from the sun and harsh arid air, he wouldn't have used it anyway. After his shower, and after he had dressed into something that didn't have three days' worth of road dust on it, Shisui knocked on Seiko's door.

"I asked them to bring up some food to my room later," she offered him her hand and led him to her bed. "Have a seat."

Shisui watched her dig into her bag and pull out a green bottle and a plastic headband. She gently pushed his forehead protector off and replaced it with the headband, pulling the hair away from his face. Shisui tilted his head in confusion but otherwise remained still as she checked his face over for something.

"Not too bad," she muttered, tilting his face this and that way.

Did she mean his face?

Seiko squeezed a generous dollop of whatever clear gel was inside the bottle and with careful strokes of her fingers she applied it to his face, rubbing it into his skin until he could feel a refreshing sensation soothe the irritated red patches on his cheeks and forehead.

"What's that? " he closed his eyes so he could focus on the slow glide of Seiko's hands on his skin, spreading the watery gel over every bit of skin she could reach, "it feels good."

"Something to help with the sunburn."

A full-body shudder ran through him when her fingers moved to the shell of his ears and then down to his nape and throat. The defensive part of him that tensed whenever someone's hands came too close to his neck didn't so much as acknowledge Seiko's fingers, not in the way it should at least. He leaned into her with a pleased noise, burying his face into her soft middle.

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

"It won't be cold inside the inn."

He pouted, so she wouldn't share a bed with him unless she didn't need to, was that it?

"We can open a window," he shot back, tilting his head upwards to give her a cheeky smile.

Her body shook with laughter. "We will see how dinner goes."