Back again! Yay me! :D

I'm hoping to have some sort of Christmasy chapp out at or around Christmas, or at the very latest before New Year's. Until then, enjoy the builder-uppers as the tension rises and rises!

Read, review, review some more, and enjooooy! 8D

It was kind of chilly, which made sense since it was the middle of the night. Luna stuffed her hands even further into her pockets, her fingers folded against the bottom of the cloth. Usually going out into the cold, splashing her face with cold water, it all made her think more clearly.

But not tonight.

All she could think about was what her next move should be. Alex was out there somewhere, plotting who-knows-what with his "friend". There was more blood on his hands, more blood on her hands.

After all the effort she put into pushing him out of her mind, he was still making her so sad. Slightly scared. Worried. He made her heart ache.

And of course, while she was thinking about all this, that damn chakra was throbbing underneath her skin. It was the only really warm part of her, actually. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Since when have I ever had a good sign of anything?" Luna wondered with a half-hearted chuckle.

As she walked around Konoha, sticking mainly to the dark shadowed areas, she saw that it was mostly empty.

Except for a few cats running from dogs, or young couples giggling and holding hands as they talked to each other in hushed whispers.

Luna had always liked just sitting somewhere with heavy traffic and watching people pass by. Usually, she didn't have enough time to during her missions, so it was rare when she took part in that weird little joy of hers. She intended to do it once the citizens of Konoha became active again.

It wouldn't be long; some people got up unbelievably early around here. Luna winced for what had to be the eightieth time, the hand in her left pocket automatically went to her left side. The mark the Fox left was a lot more irritable today than usual.

It was almost like an itch that you resisted scratching, but itched so bad it made you twitch. Only this was no itch; it was burning and painful.

She sighed, slowly stuffing her hand back into her pocket and wishing she had grabbed a heavier jacket. She always got cold way too easily for her liking. Luna found herself with the last person she expected to still be up and about at this time of night: Sakura.

She didn't realize who it was, however, until ramming right into them. Luna had had her head down against the wind, trying to think of some sort of strategy to apprehend Alex. The next thing she knew, she had hit someone with her shoulder and they had tripped because of it. "Oh, I'm so sor- ...Sakura?"

The pink-haired kunoichi smiled at her. "Hey there. I'm fine, really," she added as Luna was about to offer assistance. She stood back up with ease, bouncing slightly, and Luna's brows furrowed. "What're you doing out by yourself this late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Sakura replied in a meaningful tone. Something about her tone made Luna feel threatened. Almost like Sakura was...suspicious of her. A tense moment slipped by between them, and it felt as if even the wind had stopped to watch their stareoff.

"...I was walking back home from work," Sakura added in a clipped tone. "What about you?"

"Walking away from home to get some air," she replied in an equally so-calm-it-was-hostile tone.

Sakura tilted her head to the side slightly. "Home? I thought you didn't live in Konoha."

"I-I meant Naruto's home. ...Naruto's," she said thoughtfully. She felt a twinge of misery at her own slip-up; if she didn't finish her mission fast, she'd NEVER leave. Speaking of leaving, Luna would give anything to be free of Sakura's gaze at that moment. It felt like the girl could see right through her.

"...Hm. Guess that happens when you're close to someone long enough, huh?"

"Y-Yeah. I guess. Well, I don't wanna keep you hangin' out so late, you must be tired after working this late-" Luna cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath, her hand shooting to her side again. Her eyes squeezed shut; that had been a big one.

None of that, of course, went by Sakura unnoticed. "Are you alright?"

All previous doubt had been removed from the young kunoichi's mind, replaced with concern. Luna winced as the sharp pain subsided. "...I thought I was. But I guess this is its way of telling me I'm not. Sakura...I know you just left the hospital, but...I can't trust just anybody to give medical attention for this..."

Luna could tell she had piqued Sakura's interest with that last comment, and she nodded quickly. "Good thing you caught me only a few minutes away from the hospital. Let's go, shall we?"

TWELVE MINUTES LATER...

"Alright, let's take a look," Sakura said cheerfully as they entered one of the many wards of the hospital. Luna followed her in hesitantly, paling when she realized it wasn't a private room by any means. Almost every bed was occupied. "...Sakura, perhaps you should know what happened before you look at it. Can we please go to the furthest bed available?" she asked quietly.

Sakura glanced back at her worriedly; she probably wasn't used to her talking "all formal," considering Luna usually had a good time around Sakura. "...Okay. Go ahead, start explaining."

"I...I am fully aware of what Naruto has inside him. And I am not talking metaphorically, I am being quite literal," Luna said quietly as she sat on the hospital bed furthest from the door. Sakura's face turned serious so fast it was scary, and she shut the little privacy curtain as an old woman peered over at them curiously, straining her neck to see. The curtain whipped around the hospital bed in record time, and Luna gulped in spite of herself.

I really hope I didn't just screw myself over, Luna thought as her pulse pounded. Sakura looked a lot older than fifteen at the moment, standing over her with that solemn and more-than-slightly-intimidating expression.

But all Sakura said was, "Go on."

Luna cleared her throat. "W-Well, uh, during our trip to the Ma- ...to get the s-scroll...there was an incident in which the Fox took over. It got all the way to its Four-Tails State, and I managed to get him back to normal and heal him, obviously, but-"

"You got hit."

"...Yes. I was-"

"Hoping I could help you."

"Y-Yes." Luna was unbelievably nervous. Sakura's whole vibe was making her uneasy a the moment. It was almost as if she were ready to pounce on her at any moment. Was it something I said? Sakura sighed and nodded. "Let's see it." Luna hesitated for just a moment, but slipped her shirt over her head as well as her undershirt. She gestured to her side, and Sakura bent at an odd angle to look since the injury was facing the opposite side of the room.

She ended up falling over in surprise, scrambling to her feet and walking over to Luna's injured side like she probably should've done in the first place. "L-Luna, I've...I've never seen anything like it," she breathed, running her fingers over it lightly in awe.

Luna winced, shifting uncomfortably. "Is that supposed to comfort me?"

"Not at all. I...I should probably go get Tsunade."

"WHAT?"

"She'll know what to do! This is way beyond my ability, it's...alive."

Luna gulped. "A-A...Alive?"

"I'll be right back!" Sakura said quickly, pulling back the curtain-thingy and running out. Luna sighed heavily. "...Great."

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER...

"She's in here," Sakura said, making Luna jump out of her zoned-out state. Tsunade soon strolled in, Sakura in tow.

"So THIS is Luna."

Sakura sighed at Luna's sweatdrop. "She doesn't remember meeting you, she was too drunk."

"I was ill!" Tsunade said defensively. She then peered at Luna's face. "...You look rather familiar..." Then she noticed Luna's necklace, and the surprise was written all over her face. "YOU MUST BE-" Luna gave her a frantic shake-of-the-head as Sakura closed the privacy curtain, mouthing "I'll explain later".

The older woman eyed her suspiciously, but slowly nodded nonetheless and sighed. "Well, this mark I've been told about? Where is it?" Sakura and Luna pointed to the latter's side, and Tsunade peered down at it. Her head tilted to the side with curiosity, and she sat on her knees for a better look. "Hmmm...That's one I haven't seen in a while."

"What is it, Lady Tsunade? Can we heal it?"

Tsunade took a deep breath. "Usually, the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra either corrodes the skin of the individual or leaves the scorch-like slashes it left on Sakura. With you, however, it's more of a...a...festering scar. Almost as if the chakra is moving within your bloodstream and causing discomfort, but not causing mutations within your blood or killing you."

"Discomfort?" Luna repeated with a sweatdrop.

"Compared to dying a slow and painful death, I'd call it discomfort, yes."

"Then...what do you suggest be done?" Luna asked, looking at her mark as well. It almost reminded her of the Cursed Tattoo from the Manor of Sleep, the way it was moving idly just beneath the skin like that. Tsunade shook her head. "Well, it does appear as if the wound might be infected. It's inflamed around the edges, just like your normal infected cut. I can probably stop the pain and heal part of the scar, but...the chakra will probably stay within your bloodstream permanently. On the bright side, it seems as if you have something rare."

"Rare?"

"It's almost like you're...well, I wouldn't say 'immune,' but...the chakra doesn't seem to have much of an effect on you. Of course, it obviously pains you more than a bit-"

"I thought she had appendicitis when I first saw her react with it," Sakura said dully. "Not to be rude, Lady Tsunade, but that seems like more than 'a bit'," she continued matter-of-factly.

Tsunade's temple throbbed. "...It obviously pains Luna, as I said. But I'd say you're a hella lucky young woman, and Naruto's pretty lucky himself for dating someone with a rare trait like that. Could come in handy quite a bit."

After about two hours of Tsunade doing her best to heal it, Luna didn't feel any pain at all and the scar had shrunk so that it only covered her side - as opposed to before, when it stretched all the way to the middle of her back. The tiger-stripe shape still remained, though. Tsunade wiped her hands together in a "Job Well Done" kind of way with a sigh. "Ah. There you go, basically good as new."

"You better get going, I'm sure you're tired," Sakura commented cheerfully. Luna nodded, but she was heavily suspicious on the inside. What a far jump you've made, Sakura. First you were eerily confrontational of me, now you are cheerful. You worry me sometimes, you know that?

Luna slipped her shirt and undershirt back on and gladly hopped off the hospital bed, her butt dead asleep after sitting on it for two hours in one spot. "Oh, and Luna?"

She turned back to look at the Hokage, really eager to get out of her second-least-favorite place in the world. "Yes?"

"I'll be expecting you later today. Something tells me we're in for a long talk."

Luna gulped in spite of herself; never did she expect two women to make her gulp so much in one night. "Y-Yes, Lady Hokage."

She practically ran out of there once she was out of their eyesight, and didn't stop until she was deep in the busiest section of Konoha. And then she sat on a bench and watched the people pass.

It was still early in the morning, only about five or six-ish, but there were enough people out and about to keep her mind occupied. Luna's job required the ability to look at the plainest person and imagine a whole life story for them; that imagination sometimes came in handy on pinpointing just how dangerous her targets would be, or how to fast-talk superiors.

Yes, her world was one of deceit on ever possible end of the spectrum. But what she liked about it...was that now, she could use that skill for innocent amusement. Sometimes, not even much imagination was necessary, thanks to how honest the people of Konoha tended to be. Konoha was like everything she wanted out of humanity in city form: clean, pure, happy, interlinked...too many good things to count.

Of course, everything had its dark sides, and she knew Konoha probably had some nasty ones here and there. But they trudged on, and there were still good people. Were there good people back in the United States? She wasn't so sure anymore.

Maybe Becs had been right when she told her she had better stop wanting to be on her own and make her own life; maybe if she did that...she'd be even more evil than she already was.

Konoha's beauty was magnified now that everyone was getting ready for Christmas. November had just ended a couple days ago, after all. Luna just wished she knew what to do for Christmas. All she knew was what Naruto had explained about Santa Clause/Saint Nicholas/ Possibly-The-Holy-Cupcake-Jesus, and the concept of mistletoe that Becs had briefly explained while making Luna help her set the odd plant all over the Agency so Will would be obligated to kiss her under every single doorway.

That was right before they first started "dating". Of course, dating for any Agent, whether that other person had been approved by The Agency or not, was unbelievably limited. Might as well not date at all. If anyone knew that, it was Luna and Becs. They had practically bent-over-backwards to date Will and Alex.

Luna found herself laughing after realizing how nonchalantly she'd just referred to Alex, and laughed even more after remembering how much of an epic failure their first "dates" were. After a while, she shut off that complex part of her brain, temporarily forgetting about Alex and The Agency and just focusing on the people in front of her.

Over there to her right, a man was going back and forth with a woman who wanted a special discount on his merchandise. To her left, a group of kids were playing hide-and-seek amongst random boxes and things. Almost out of her line of vision, a young girl was buying her boyfriend a Christmas present. She was telling the saleswoman how much he'd like it.

More children ran by, trying to get to "base". Luna was still fuzzy on the rules of hide-and-seek Will had explained to her, but she still knew that "base" was an object or location in which anyone who touched it could not be tagged. It was safety. It was a haven.

Luna rolled her eyes at herself. Only I could find some deep meaning within Hide And Seek...But still...a safe place would be nice.

She was still watching everyone when she saw Naruto right within the line of her peripheral vision. Luna angled her head slightly to look at him, and for once, he wasn't heading straight for her. Curious, Luna uncrossed her legs, got off the bench, and hid behind a nearby crate. Her brows furrowed. "Why do you look so secretive?" she wondered as he looked around carefully before continuing to wherever the hell he was going.

Luna sighed and proceeded to do something she hadn't done in quite a long time; she tailed him.

TWENTY-FOUR MINUTES LATER...

After following him for what seemed like FOREVER (and hiding behind random objects or people whenever he turned around, which was very often), he went into the store in which he bought his heavenly Pop-Tarts. Luna's brows furrowed for what had to be the eightieth time. "The hell's he getting? And why was he all secretive-looking about it? Furthermore, why the hell am I still watching?" she wondered as she came within moments of entering the store.

She decided against it, though; if he was getting something worthy of such secrecy, odds are she didn't really want to know what it was. She shuddered at the thought and turned towards the path leading to Ichiraku's before having a sudden idea.

Konoha had an archive library. It had information on the ninja of Konoha, Konoha itself, and even Akatsuki. Would it have items on Orochimaru as well? And what about the Nine-Tailed Fox? Luna nodded to herself before changing course rather awkwardly in the middle of the street, smiling innocently at the man that had been behind her as he looked at her with a fresh sweatdrop. "Changed my mind," she informed him before running off.

He shook his head and kept going. "Crazy kids..."

MEANWHILE...

"I don't know how much longer I can keep quiet about this," Sakura was saying to Sasuke as she continued to file some papers for Shizune, who was showing up late today. "I mean, what if she hurts him? He's already hurt her, maybe he had good reason, right?"

Sasuke nodded. "That's true. You said Naruto didn't remember anything the last time he lost control of the Nine-Tails, right? Maybe he caught her giving information to one of our enemies and he got royally pissed."

Sakura sweatdropped, glancing up from the drawer she was bent over. "Well, that's one way to put it."

He rolled his eyes and handed her the file she had been looking for for the past ten minutes; it had been in plain sight on Shizune's desk. Sakura sweatdropped again, this time at her own stupidity, and put it in its proper place. "I say we tell Lady Tsunade. She'll know what to do."

"You always say that, Sakura."

"Well, she does!" she said defensively. "She sure knew what to do about Luna's injury earlier..."

They were quiet for a moment, lost in thought, and suddenly Sasuke's head shot up. "Sakura! That makes perfect sense!"

"I know! ...What does?"

He didn't even comment on that last part, all excited now. "You said Luna was virtually unaffected by the Fox chakra, right? That would explain why she's with Naruto! That can't be a coincidence. She was picked by someone who knew she had that immunity, and she was picked for a reason. And I'm guessing it's a bit beyond keeping an eye on Naruto."

Sakura looked at the ground in thought before shooting her gaze right back up to Sasuke's. "You...You don't think she was hired to kill him, do you?"

Sasuke scratched his head thoughtfully. "Actually, now that you mention it...Sakura, that's brilliant! She'd be the perfect one to kill him, due to her immunity, and he'd never see it coming since he thinks she's in love with him!"

Sakura bit her lip. "Not to mention how hard he seems to be falling for her...Sasuke, what're we gonna do now?"

He leaned against Shizune's desk with a sigh. "That's the hard part. We can't just come to Tsunade with this whole elaborate story about Naruto's girlfriend being a spy for the enemy and a possible assassin. We have to provide proof."

"Proof," Sakura repeated, thinking. Had Luna ever given any inclination as to her true intentions? She couldn't think of any. She sighed glumly. "So in other words, we have to wait until we have proof."

"Looks like it."

"Fantastic," she muttered, worry written clearly all over her face.

Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder, making the blood rush to her cheeks. "Don't worry so much. Naruto may be an idiot, but he knows how to take care of himself. ...Usually. We'll have Luna out of here by New Year's. Got it?"

She smiled slightly, nodding. "Got it."