…Don't kill me? Sorry this took so long, I've had it done for a while but my computer is so stupid I couldn't get it up to post… But the wait is over!

Thank you Kiravu for editing this, you rock!

Chapter Five: Cheat Codes

To say that Emiko was a little shaken up by Danzou showing up in her room uninvited was an understatement. She was terrified.

Danzou didn't make house calls. If he had something to say, he summoned you. The mere fact alone that he was going the extra length to intimate her was a red flag. He knew something was up, or if he didn't know, he was going to scare it out of her.

It was one thing to know of her signing up for ANBU, it was a whole other issue to take notice of her personal life.

Of course the relationship of herself and Gaara wasn't going to be kept a secret, which was the point after all. But it didn't make any sense that Danzou knew or cared about it. He had said that the Sand will not gain access to her the Byakugan... She and Gaara have only been going out for three days; no one said anything about getting married and having babies...

It was that ever looming fact that Emiko didn't know what Danzou was capable of, that nobody ever knew what he was up to. Root was over. Banned by the Sandiame himself. And yet, Danzou still kept track of them. Why did he still need her? Why did he still need any of his agents? He kept up with them for a reason, a reason that she knew she would have to go with when the time came or else.

Emiko really didn't want to think about what the or else meant. Danzou was a master mind of control and torture to get what he wanted, and it wasn't helping her any by thinking about it, it was only going to make her anxious.

It also didn't help that Kakashi was over two hours late for the time he scheduled.

Emiko sighed as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes while she rested against the fence. She should have known he'd be late, he was widely known for his tardiness and it shouldn't be surprising. But two hours was bit extreme...

Just as she was letting out another sigh, there was a shift in the wind and she bolted upright to catch the kunai aimed straight at her shin.

Straightening again as she held the weapon idle between her fingers, Emiko glared at the direction it came from, watching as Kakashi appeared.

"Yo," he held up a hand as a greeting.

"You're late." Emiko didn't return the greeting, scowling at his unusual entrance.

"No, I wasn't. I was hiding until I was sure your guard was down, seeing if you could sustain constant reflexes. Nice work."

Emiko nodded, "Well, then next time, don't insult me by going for someplace so plain."

Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow, "Have you have been stabbed in the shin before? It hurts like a bitch."

"Hmm." She was ready to get training, not to argue.

"So I guess it's time to get started... Follow me," he said as he began walking deeper in the grounds. Emiko followed him and soon the man sat down cross-legged and motioned for her to do the same across from him.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about you Hyuuga Emiko, and feel I should if I'm going to be training you. Tell me about yourself."

"Well..." she began, tapping her chin to think for a moment and looking skywards. "You know my name, rank, what I aspire for, so... What else is there?" Her eyes came back down to his one, which gave what she assumed was a happy crinkle.

"Allow me to elaborate. Any likes, dislikes, hobbies I should know of?"

"I like my friends. I don't like anything boring. And as far as hobbies go... I meditate a lot... I play violin?" she rubbed her chin as if attempting to think of something else.

"Interesting..." he trailed off in a tone that suggested it was anything but, rubbing his chin in the same fashion he had before.

"What is? Playing the violin?" If he was going to be that way, she might as well play along. "Not really, most Hyuga learn how to play a symphonic instrument at a young age." Neji could play not only the violin, but the viola, piano, and the flute. He once mentioned he was going to teach her the piano, but that hadn't happened yet. "So, what about you? What are your likes, dislikes and hobbies?"

"I guess you could say I like a lot of things, but I also dislike a lot of things. I have many hobbies; it's hard to choose which ones I like the best."

"Those aren't really answers, senpai."

"Your file," he began, smoothly changing the subject, "says you've completed thirty-one official missions to date: no D-rank, sixteen C-rank, nine B-rank, one A-rank, and five S-rank. That's a rather impressive list. Were all these S-rank done during your involvement in Root?"

Emiko nodded, "Yes, I dealt in assassinations."

"How young were you during your first one?" Kakashi asked.

"Twelve."

"That's awfully young."

"Yes," Emiko admitted bashfully. "It didn't go very smoothly. I was terrified and unprepared. Luckily I had a partner."

"Sai, right?" Kakashi offered as if he just remembered.

"Yeah, I didn't go on my first solo mission till I was fourteen. There were some bumps but it was a success." At this she began playing with the grass, observing the dry-yellow hue it had taken from a long summer of harsh sun and scarce rain.

"It surprises me though that you have no D-rank missions."

Emiko pulled up some grass, giving her something to do while she thought of what to say. She couldn't talk about Danzou's intentions of Root. She began to vaguely explain. "I was taken at a young age-"

"Taken is a very interesting choice of word." Kakashi interrupted staring her down.

"It's also the right choice of word." Emiko shot back, meeting his gaze before returning it to the dying grass. "I was taken at three. My uncle got custody of me when my father died, and he felt it was best for me. He probably would have sent Neji too but he was too old to qualify. I never went the academy."

"Danzou likes to get a hold of his agents young. Is there a reason for that?" He pressed.

"There is, but I can't say." She frowned. "I'm sure Sai told you about the mark?"

Kakashi nodded, "I know about the seal, I just wasn't sure if he was allowed to put one of you... Being a Hyuga and all." Emiko was impressed he thought about that. She herself hadn't considered why she got different treatment till Sai told her.

"The seal the branch members wear did help me from some of his... Stronger methods. But I couldn't tell you about them anymore than Sai could. Though, back to your earlier question, I have no D-rank missions because no one takes those in Root." They are a waste of talent, Danzou used to say. "I only got the dirtiest of work. When I was released, I was already considered a Chunin so they were below me."

"Ah, well, enough about that. I'm going to say a skill and you are going to tell me your rating for it. One being the lowest, ten being the highest." Emiko nodded. "How are your ninjutsu skills?"

"Five, just about average. I know all the basics and I'm pretty good at them. Just not too fancy with them."

"Genjutsu?"

"Probably like a four."

"Taijutsu?"

"Seven."

"Your chakra control?"

"Five."

"Stealth?"

"Eight. I was an assassin, after all. It's within job description."

Kakashi nodded, "What about weapons use?"

"Hmm... Maybe a three." She quietly admitted.

"Why so low?"

"I'm a Hyuuga, we tend to work with our hands more. I can use basic kunai and shuriken just fine, but other than that all I can use are the standard tantos we got in Root."

"We'll have to work on that then. How is your tracking?"

"I'd say five."

"Do you have summons?"

"Yes, The Hyuuga-choosen are cats."

"How many?" She could tell Kakashi was less than excited about her choice of animal but Emiko didn't really care. She liked cats.

"I have access to most of the clan's entire pack because we all signed the same scroll, but there's only one loyal to just me." She smiled thinking of Juu. She was fast, dependable, and intelligent.

"Wilderness survival?"

"Nine."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "That's a pretty high ranking."

"Let's just say, I used to spend a lot of time in the Forest of Death..."

"Missions?" He guessed.

"Punishment." Emiko corrected.

"For what?"

"I tried to run away a few times, succeeded once or twice too." She shrugged while pulling up more grass.

"I'm impressed."

Emiko gave a laugh."Don't be, there was more security to keep anyone from coming in then to keep anyone going out." Danzou had an army of hypnotized slaves, after all. Why would he worry about any of them trying to leave?

Kakashi regarded that comment and for a minute she thought she'd said too much, he was going to press her on it. But then he just changed the subject again, "your ability to work on a team?"

"Working with new people is a little awkward for me. I'd say five." It's not like Root never taught lessons on team work or things of that nature.

"And last but certainly not least, I've become accustomed to working with a medic and a damn good one at that, how are your medical skills?"

"I can't heal with chakra, but in a dire situation I can be as good as any nurse."

Kakashi nodded,"I see." Then he clapped his hands together and gave a cheerful expression. "Well, I think we've covered a lot today, and next time we'll get started on that weapon use."

"Wait, what, we're done?" Emiko started, not quite understanding. "But we haven't really done anything."

"I learned a lot about you today, Emi-chan," Kakashi argued, using the nickname Naruto often used for her. "See you same time, same place, Wednesday!" before she could sputter a response, or even ask if he meant the time he showed up, or the time he was supposed to show up, he was gone in a puff of smoke.

Annoyed, Emiko stood up and began heading to Sai's house.

"You never cease to amaze me with what you can do with something sharp, Tenten."

Neji grimaced at the pile on wood-chips at his feet that, if it had not been for his expertise dodging skills, would have been his guts. He sent a glare toward his teammate.

"Don't look at me like that, Neji. You said not to hold back, I couldn't resist pulling out my newest trick!"

"You tried to kill me."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "I knew you would dodge, you always do."

"What about last month? I almost bled out that time."

"Stop whining," she scolded, waving him off. "You're alive, aren't you?"

The man just shook his head and sighed as the woman trotted over and began collecting her newest death maker. When it was retrieved, Tenten knocked out the rest of the wood chips against her hip while Neji gave a bemused look at the tree that suffered his would-be gauging.

There was a carving that went in at least three inches deep with a four inch diameter from the metal claw Tenten had shot at him without warning. And if it could do that to a tree, he could only imagine what it would have done to something as soft and easily cut as he.

He was perfectly justified in his tantrum.

"Next time, remind me to add no use of any instant-kill methods in our training sessions."

Tenten just hummed in agreement while her arsenal disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Break?" Neji nodded and both took a seat while wiping the sweat from their brows and guzzled down some water. They sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying a gentle breeze.

"So, I heard Emiko went on a date with the Kazekage. What's that about? I didn't know Gaara dated... One of your uncle's schemes?"

"Not his, Emiko's."

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked, turning toward him while finishing off her water and wiping the moisture from her chin. Neji couldn't help but notice how she missed a drop and it ran down her neck and disappeared into her shirt.

"They're using each other to get my uncle and fan-girls off their respective backs." Neji pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing knowing this whole arrangement was going to turn into one big mess. "I think it's foolish."

Tenten shrugged, "Emiko's smart, she knows what she's doing."

"Does she?" he wondered out loud before taking another sip. "She's never been serious with someone, pretend or not, and she isn't that best when it comes to the emotions."

"Well, neither is Gaara..."

"All the more reason to worry."

"Try not to lose too much sleep over it, you can't protect her from everything, but it's awfully cute when you try." She gave a cheeky smile as Neji shrugged indifferently to. It was only natural he'd want to protect his little sister, especially considering he'd already failed her so much in her life...

"Come on," Tenten urged, clearly tired of burning day-light. "I wanna see how that move works if I try it from underground."

Perhaps she hadn't heard what he said a minute ago about no instant-kill methods?

If there was one person in the world Emiko could know everything about and yet still not much at all, it was Sai.

There wasn't much to know about man, other than his past, and since she knew that there wasn't much else. There were certain traits that made Sai, Sai, but as far as his personality went, he wasn't exactly an ocean...

The worst part of Root training was the isolation. You had to rely on yourself for pretty much everything and there was absolutely no one to sympathize with you. At age three, Emiko only herself. Constantly plagued with the feeling of being alone. She'd be locked in that camp months at a time before Danzou let her out again to train on her Byakugan with Hiashi. Then she would get sent right back in.

Hiashi didn't listen to her complains, he had told her to toughen up. Solders didn't complain, and one day, she would be a great one. After he guided her, Hiashi was supposed to stay with her until another agent came to pick her up, but sometimes he would turn his back and that's when she would hide. Neji would always find her and she would cry and cry, just wanting to come home. It wouldn't be long before they would find her and bring her back. She got more creative in her flees, eventually leaving the complex altogether and taking her chances in the village.

At age seven, Emiko got her first partner in Root and couldn't have been happier. Finally, a friend. Companionship she so desperately craved at that young, lonely time in her life. But he was all wrong; Danzou had already gotten to him. It was hard to be around him when they'd first met because he was just like all the others. Devoid of all emotion, cold, with no personality. Every time Emiko would try and have a conversation with him, he would just stare at her like she was speaking a different language and sometimes, he didn't acknowledge her at all.

It wasn't long until she'd had enough and demanded he tell her why they couldn't be friends and Sai just said that he had lost his brother recently and if they got close, he would only have to kill her too. Emiko stopped talking to him after that, now scared for her life as if she wasn't already.

It was only when they had awoken in the Forest of Death when they realized they needed each other.

At eight years old, of course she didn't know what the hell to do. After crawling out a cave she found Sai, already getting a fire started and explaining he had no idea what they were doing out there, but it was probably some kind of test.

At that moment, all Emiko could think of was that Danzou was sick a bastard.

Later, she would find out it was punishment for her escapes, and Sai was only sent with her to make sure such a great talent wasn't wasted. In other words, she was too valuable for Danzou to let her get killed off for her actions.

Sometime in their isolation, Emiko had woken up to Sai trying to squeeze poison out of his leg, a snake had bitten him. So, naturally, she sucked the poison out so he would die. He hadn't expected her to do that for him, saying that Root agents were trained to selfishly survive looking out for themselves and that had the tables been turned, he wouldn't have done the same for her.

Emiko had rather rudely told him to shut up and focus on living, 'cause she probably wouldn't last long out there without him, and that now he owed her, he better start rethinking some of those training methods.

After that day, a sort of bond was created between them, and Emiko knew that if he didn't care before, Sai would now protect her life like she had his. Regardless if he was ordered to kill her one day or not.

Landing on the narrow ledge outside Sai's studio apartment window, Emiko peeped inside to find him slaving over a painting, not surprisingly, and tapped on his window. He set his paintbrush down and walked over, opening it for her.

"Hey," she greeted while climbing in before taking a seat on a chair he had near.

"Good to see you, Emiko." he spoke, closing the window then faced her. "What brings you here?"

"You busy today? I need your help with some research."

"No, not particularly. What kind of research?" he asked, getting back to his painting. He was copying a picture of a group of people she'd never seen before, most likely a family, probably from the frame he'd bought.

"Relationships. Specifically, romantic relationships." she answered, eyes roaming his room that was still as generic as the last time she set foot in it, except for some new paintings. They were just about the only thing Sai used to express himself and Emiko could tell that like his personally, those had grown increasingly.

During her first years of knowing him, Emiko always thought it a little depressing that such art came from someone with a personality that was damn near robotic and was quite glad that with a few friends, Sai had learned to become a person.

"Romantic relationships? What for?"

Emiko retold her adventures of the past few days, of Gaara's plan, their "dates", and Temari's advice. Of how she was completely stumped on acting like a love struck teenager, her only indication was of those screaming animals that fawned over Gaara, Hinata around Naruto, and Ino whenever she saw Sai.

Emiko would never, ever behave like those fan girls though, she had too much self respect. She wouldn't get loud, she refused to throw herself at anybody, and she won't stalk him. Gaara didn't like those girls for a reason; it wouldn't make much sense to become one.

While Emiko didn't speak out of term, she was nowhere near timid enough for Hinata's approach. She couldn't look at her toes, blush and give a soft spoken suggestion to go out for ramen. Even still, she wasn't as bold as Ino who could walk right up to a man, then use sexual charm to coax him into doing her bidding.

Or in Sai's case, an awkwardly worded question on what they would be doing if she met him at his place later and why she needed protection...

She needed to find a balance. A way to be bold, but in a gentle way. But to do that, Emiko needed to see more action, had to understand what she should be portraying, how to make others believe that she and Gaara were the real deal.

"I see." Sai nodded, pausing to think. "I'm sure we will be able to find plenty of books, movies and advice from other people concerning the matter. Infatuation is a very popular subject to people."

Smiling because this just became a whole lot easier, Emiko sighed. "Good, let's get started."

Naruto had grown up. While he was still loud and obnoxious at times, he was much more reserved and matured. And to the villagers, it seemed like every day he looked more and more like the father he never knew.

And it was a good thing he had already figured it out, or looking in the mirror and then at the large sculpture over the village, would have been a little awkward.

But there was one thing that would never change, and that was where Naruto wanted to have lunch.

"Two bowls of miso pork, please!" Naruto ordered while taking his usual seat at his favorite ramen bar in all five nations. Gaara slouched down in the seat to his right and immediately rested his elbows on the counter. He looked even more weary than usual.

"What's up with you?"Naruto asked, turning to his friend. "I haven't seen you in two years and you can't even work up a smile?"

Gaara shook his head, "It's not you, it's them." He explained, shooting a glare over his shoulder to the shifting feet and whispers happening on the street. Those girls were relentless.

Naruto turned his whole body around and stared openly around the curtains, as if only just noticing them. "Oh," he gave a laugh. "Well, that's what happens when you're young, handsome, and successful! You get used to them, they've been following me around for years now."

That time they both laughed.

"About time I got you to laugh." Blue eyes shimmered with the company of a smile, a large hand clapping Gaara on the back. "So, seriously, how ya been?"

"Good, the village is at its highest point since it was founded. The economy is up, populations are growing, and the academy has some very promising upcoming shinobi." Gaara answered while fidgeting with a packet of salt. Why anyone would want to add any more salt to a meal that was already in the danger zone for people with high cholesterol, he'd never know.

Naruto nodded, "That's great and all, but I asked how you were, not Suna."

Gaara shrugged, "I'm the Kazekage, the village is me. It's doing well, so I am, too."

"What. Ever." Naruto snorted. "Enough with the noble stuff, I bought you here so we could gossip about chicks, not the economy."

Gaara sighed. It wasn't exactly a topic he felt like discussing in such an open area. And as if on cue, the whispers outside the hut got just a bit quieter.

"And don't give me that asexual crap about you not being interested in girls again 'cause Kankuro told me all about what you've been up too as of recently." Naruto wiggled his eyebrow suggestively and Gaara just sighed again. He'd have to have a word with Kankuro later about spreading his business.

"I've had a few girlfriends, yes. But none of them turned out quite like I thought they would."

Blonde eyebrows knitted together, "Turning up with you finding true love and marrying young?"

Gaara said nothing.

"Don't get let that get you down. That stuff only happens in books and movies and corny stuff like that. Sometimes, you gotta go through the bad ones to get to the good ones." He explained sagely. "Like when I used to be in love with Sakura-chan, but she was all in love with Sauske-bastard. Not that Sakura-chan is a bad one! I mean, she's beautiful, and kind, and smart, and strong, and awesome! I just mean she wasn't the one, you know? Like she's more like my sister. Or cousin. Or neighbour that you sometimes peek at when she's changing-"

"How has she been?" Gaara interjected, not at all wanting him to continue that line of conversation.

"Oh, she's been great!" Naruto cooed. "Lately she's been in the best mood!" then he laughed. "Sai thinks it's a little creepy cause she doesn't punch him in the face when he insults her anymore. Which is really ironic 'cause the guy is a creep himself. Ino thinks she has some secret boyfriend she's not telling us about but that's just ridiculous because why would Sakura-chan hide a boyfriend? Me and Kakashi-sensei just think it's 'cause she's been promoted to head medic at the hospital."

"Head medic?" Their food had finally arrived and Naruto was already breaking apart his chop sticks to dig in, thanking the hostess named Ayame.

"This one's on the house, for your friend the Kazekage." She winked at them both, but it was purely friendly. Both boys thanked her again.

"Yep, she's the head medic since Shizune is more focused in the poison labs and taking over a lot of Tsundea's work while she's still healing." Naruto carefully blew on his steaming bowl, drool already seeping from his mouth. "It's really awesome, although kinda sucks with her spending so much time there. She wanted to come see you today but had to work."

Gaara blew on his bowl too, mixing the contents around. "It's fine. You can all come over for dinner if you want. Temari and Kankuro would like to see your team again. You can even bring Sai."

Naruto nodded in excitement. "Awesome!" He replied, abruptly digging into his meal.

He didn't have any space in his mouth left to speak after that.

Emiko rubbed her tired eyes. They watched several scenes from five different movies, skimmed ten books, and even knocked on a few doors in Sai's apartment building. Researching love was pretty easy because it was pretty much everywhere, but interpreting it was another story.

Love was apparently indefinable because everyone had their own meaning. It could be this indescribable connection you had with another person. Or this unquestionable longing to be with that said person all the time. Unfathomable caring for. Undeniable extreme attraction in which you do unspeakable things behind closed doors...

You express it pretty much anyway you wanted to. Some were shy like Hinata, some were bold like Ino and Sai's eccentric neighbour... But there were a few who found a good mix. And those were the scenes Emiko paid special attention to.

They were the ones who gave soft smiles. Who nuzzled when they hugged. Who gasped when kissed. Who giggled only when provoked. Who joked openly. Who flirted, but subtly. Who could charm a man out of his pants, without actually asking him to take them off.

...Of course that last one wasn't really an issue for Emiko.

Getting up to stretch, Emiko yawned. "Well, I think that should be good for now. Thanks Sai, I owe you one."

Sai got up from where he sat as well. "I'll hold you to that." And he really would too. "Good luck."

Emiko smiled back and nodded, taking her leave out the same window she came in then took to the streets. It was already later afternoon. It had cooled down a few degrees and there were a few people out enjoying it, even some couples were out. Just her luck! She decided to tail one.

They were quite cute together and they looked about the same age as her friends. The girl had short, curly blonde hair that she tamed with a head band, stunning green eyes and rosy cheeks. She was a little on the tall side compared to Emiko (most people were) but her guy was also tall so they looked good together. She had slender curves that were covered by modest clothes and a voice that sounded like music.

The boy had short, shaggy brown hair with bangs that stopped just above ice blue eyes. He was tan and lean, but had just enough muscles to suggest he was a shinobi, the proof were his weapons holster on his right leg. His arm was draped over her shoulder while he nodded and chuckled at whatever it was she was saying and one of her arms were wrapped loosely around his waist.

Anyone with eyes could tell they were crazy for each other. Especially when their eyes met, and the look they shared was something that no movie Emiko had seen today could capture.

They didn't even notice the girl hiding in the tree watching them.

Suddenly the girl got on her toes to whisper something in his ear, cupping with her hand for dramatic effect...Or to keep Emiko from reading her lips, whatever.

Then the boy got a dark look on his face, and dragged her off into an alley while she held back giggles.

This was the kind of stuff she was looking for! She just wished she knew what the girl had said to get that sort of reaction out of him.

Curiously, Emiko stalked them, jumping on top of one of the nearby building to get a better look. Luckily the sun was still pretty much up, so even in the shadows they could be seen. But Emiko wasn't much, if not a trained spy, so it was pretty easy to make them unaware of her presence.

The boy let the girl gently push him against the wall with a quiet smirk and wrapped his arms around her waist. She got on her toes before she playfully nuzzled his nose then slowly began kissing his lips. His eyes automatically slid shut and one of his hands travelled up her back and tangled into her hair, revealing her even rosier cheeks.

I should be taking notes... she thought belatedly.

It turned deeper when heads shifted and hands wandered. A soft moan could be heard followed by a quiet grunt. When the boy's hand finally slid up the girl's shirt cup her flesh, she actually broke the kiss to gasp.

Emiko's jaw dropped a fraction.

She just wanted to see how one initiated a little make out, not the whole ordeal of nastiness better left behind closed doors! This was just...

Emiko was downright ogling now. She'd never seen such raw, real, open affection before. It was fascinating. Interesting. She didn't like watching this, she just had to. For research.

Just as the girl's hand was travelling down the boy's stomach and to his zipper, a door creaked open to give three hearts a start.

It was an old man taking out the trash apparently, and he didn't take well the teenagers making out behind his dumpster.

"What the hell? Take her to a movie like the rest of the kids, you cheap brats!"

Frozen bodies instantly sprung to life with red faces and apologies, running back into the streets with a speed that would give Emiko a run for her money.

Once clothes were straightened and hair was re-tucked behind ears, the two resumed walking like nothing happened. Albeit the boy who was now a little uncomfortable walking in his pants, and the girl could not successfully hide her laughter.

Wiping some bird poop off her person, Emiko stood up and began heading home. She learned a lot today and she was proud of her findings. She just hoped Gaara was ready to take this act to the next step.

Kakashi did eventually show up to the Sand Siblings house, half an hour late, with the excuse of being given the wrong directions.

"Liar." All three of his teammates chided him.

After all the hugs, back clapping, handshakes, and hair ruffleing were completed, they all sat down.

Between bites of the meal Kankuro cooked (Temari couldn't be trusted) they talked about small, mundane things keeping the conversation light and as far away from Gaara's dating life as possible. For which he was grateful for. He'd been given an earful enough from Naruto this after noon...

The discussions shifted from reconstructions on the village, to team Kakashi's recent A-class mission, to how-on-earth-did-Kakashi-sensei-finish-his-food-already-and-I-didn't-get-to-see-his-face?, to the new sand bunkers they were building back home, to Sakura's promotion, to Sakura's secret boyfriend, to Sakura not having a flipping-secret-boyfriend-for-the-last-damn-time-Ino-is-a-liar, to Kankuro's last conquest back home, to the rumour about Temari and Shikarmaru-

"Speaking of love lives!" Temari spoke up, smoothly taking the spot light off herself. "Guess who was at this very same table last night?"

Garaa sighed; he knew she was going to bring that up.

"Who?" Naruto prompted.

A catty smile came over Temari's lips. "Gaara's new girlfriend."

Suddenly all the chewing at the table stopped and all eyes turned to said "boyfriend".

"Gaara!" Naruto gasped, slamming his utensils down. "How could you not tell me? We just had a discussion about this!"

Gaara shrugged awkwardly, "You didn't actually ask me if I had a girlfriend, just how "my love life" was. I told you fine, I thought that was as good as."

"Who? Does she live in Suna? Have I met her?"

"Her name's Emiko, she lives here, she's a Hyuuga-"

"You're dating Emi-chan? No freaking way!" Naruto's jaw dropped.

Gaara raised an eyebrow, "You know her?"

Naruto laughed, "Only since before I became I ninja! Wow, this is crazy. I didn't even think she went on dates with people other than Hyuugas. Like what the heck, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't she tell me? How long has this been going on? You better not hurt her cause if Neji doesn't pummel you first, I will!"

"Wait a minute," Sakura interrupted cutting off Naruto's rant and turning to Kakashi. "Aren't you training her? For AMBU?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Small world?"

Naruto was outraged now. "What? You mean to tell me she's training for AMBU now? I'm gonna have to have some words with her 'cause she never tells me anything! Sai, did you know about this?"

Sai nodded calmly, "She told me this afternoon." Naruto gave a wail of frustration.

Gaara rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm sure she wanted to tell you. We've only been dating for a few days, she probably just hasn't seen you... And she only started training today, I'm sure next time she sees you she'll tell you everything."

"Wow, so you started dating her the day you got here? Was it like, love at first sight or something?" Naruto went back to eating and talking, finally digesting the news.

Gaara shook his head, "I wouldn't go that far. I saw her sneaking out of a bathroom window, ditching one of her dates, and she interested me."

Naruto laughed, "Well, that sounds like Emi-chan."

"Is that where you pick all up your dates, bathroom windows?" Sakura joked while finishing her meal.

Gaara gave a chuckle, "No, but maybe I should, because the ones who pick me up usually end up making me drop them."

"Well, you don't have to worry about none of that with Emi-chan, she's a good person." Naruto proudly nodded.

Gaara felt a little bad for lying to them. Naruto was his best friend and he probably deserved to know the truth about his and Emiko's relationship. But he also had the biggest mouth of anyone he's ever met, and while Gaara knew Naruto would never spill their secret out on purpose if they asked him not to, something might accidentally slip. And he knowing Emiko personally would just make this ordeal so much more awkward.

No one else at this table seemed to care where he and Emiko took this thing. No one asked questions of what happened when he had to go home, because if they were really serious some bad things could come out of that.

Well, they hadn't even been dating for a week; it was probably too early to be thinking of those types of things. So no one tried.

"Neh, what's for dessert? I want another chance at trying to see Kakashi-sensei's face."

Naruto was the last to leave of Team Seven, determined to catch up with his missed friends. A lot of things have changed since they last spoke, and he wanted to make sure they were aware of all of it. It was becoming pretty late and both Temari and Kankuro excused themselves for rest.

"So, how did you meet Emiko?" Gaara asked, a little curious and attempting to change the subject from suspicious things growing in the forest.

"Well," Naruto paused to think for a minute. "It seems like forever ago, but I still remember it pretty good..."

"...Come back here, thief! Stop him!"

But the young boy was already down the street with his prize tucked in his arms before anyone even so much as looked at him. The blonde child ignored the man's outraged calls and dove down the next street, determined not to get caught this time.

He couldn't afford to. It was left over broccoli casserole night at the orphanage, and he refused eating that slop again.

Once he was sure he was far enough away from anyone on his tail, he came to a slow behind an old building to catch his breath and with triumph, Naruto pulled out his precious fruit out from under his shirt and gleamed. Stuffing one in his pocket for later and taking a bite of the other, he began walking with pep in his step.

It wasn't ramen, but at that minute he didn't care. Yum.

He hadn't taken three bites before he was balled over by something moving very fast. Hard.

Attempting to get out an outraged squawk, the apple chunk in his mouth got lodged in his throat and he began choking.

"Watch it...!" a little voice hissed angrily. He barely noticed the girl on top of him while he was fighting for his life.

"Shh!" she gave another vicious hiss before slamming her fist down on his chest. Hard. But luckily it was in just the right place to lodge the apple piece out, and he gasped greedily for air.

"Shh!" she hissed again, and the irate girl was up in an instant, diving into the alley he had just abandoned.

"W-Wait!" Naruto called after her, picking up his apple and following her. He could tell the girl was in distress, so he wasn't really all that concerned about her almost killing him, he just wanted to thank her for also saving him. Not many people would take the time to do that.

A tiny fist grabbed him with more force than he expected, and he was yanked into the alley where he lost his balance and banged his head into a dumpster. He cursed loudly and whimpered.

"Shut up...!" the same small hand that grabbed him slammed across his mouth to stifle his cries while he rubbed his head soothingly.

Once the stars cleared from his vision, Naruto observed the girl in front of him. She was small, maybe a little younger than him. She had long brown hair that was braided down her back and eyes that were even paler than her skin. They were focused. They were trained on the ground as her ear faced the street. She was listening for something he realized. Now all her shushing made sense, the girl was running from someone.

She couldn't have been an ordinary civilian, despite how she dressed, not with all the scars on the skin and her trained strength. But he'd never seen her at the academy...?

After what seemed like forever, she finally dropped her hand from his mouth. "You were making too much noise."

Naruto rubbed his aching head, "Well I did almost spit my head open..." He waited for her to apologize, she didn't. "Who are you hiding from?"

The girl shrugged, "they're going to find me eventually anyway, so let's make the most of this freedom. My name's Emiko, yours?"

"Naruto Uzumak-"

"Keep your voice down...! They could still be near." As if to prove her paranoia, she gave a few nervous glances around.

"-Ki." Naruto finished in a slightly quieter voice. He was quite pleased that she was still sitting here with him, because most people knew that Uzumaki Naruto was not someone you should be acquainted with.

Deciding the coast really was clear, Emiko stood up and dusted her clothes off. "Come on, what do you for fun around here?"

Naruto stood up too and beamed at the girl. "Oh, plenty of things-" his stomach gave a loud roar, "-like going to Icharuka Ramen. I'd take you there, but no money, so I guess we could-"

"Oh, that's no problem, I'm hungry too." With that she turned and walked out of the ally.

"Wait up!" Naruto called again, running after her.

He followed Emiko into the street and watched her looking around again, "Wait here." She ordered and he stood there awkwardly as Emiko very causally started running across it. With perfect clumsiness, she clashed into the legs of man who was quite startled and checked to make sure she was alright. She then gave a very heartfelt apology before running back over to where Naruto was still waiting.

"Take me there."

"Where? Icharuka? I told you, I have no-"

With an eye roll, Emiko shoved something into his hands. "There, that should cover it, right?"

Naruto looked down and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. This money could cover at least twenty bowls of ramen!

A foxy grin spread across his lips and he grabbed her hand and began running.

"...Even though she didn't say much, it still meant the world to me at the time." Naruto continued with a nostalgic smile. Gaara understood all too well what it was like to finally have someone treat him like a human.

"I still remember when they eventually found us. At the park." His smile faded. "I was so sure I'd never see her again... But I did." The smile returned. "It was about three months later, and she threw at rock at me, but I didn't care."

"Who took her?" Gaara asked, but he already had a pretty good idea. Even though Emiko hadn't told him much about where she used to live before her family's compound, he didn't think she was there by choice.

Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "probably Root agents, from the looks of their masks."

"Root?"

"They're kinda like a splinter in out our Anbu... Only, Granny-Tsundae doesn't really control them, that Danzou guy does." Naruto shrugged indifferently while he pawed at the embroidery of one of the pillows on the couch.

"If Emiko is already part of Black Ops, what's she training for?"

He shrugged, "If she was in Anbu, she'd only have to answer to Granny, Danzou wouldn't be able to control her anymore." Naruto guessed. "The guy's a creep. Understandable considering he had her all locked up."

Gaara nodded.

Naruto yawned, "Wanna train tomorrow?"

Gaara smirked. Same old Naruto.

Naruto scoffed, "Don't give me that look, I've kicked your ass before as Kazekage, and I'll do it again!"

"It was a lucky shot." The red dead dismissed.

Getting up from where he lounged, Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, we'll see sandy-pants."

Gaara stood up as well and nodded. "It was good to see you again."

"You too. It'll be even better to kick your ass again." They both laughed and Gaara showed him out.

Nice long chapter make up for my absence? I really hope so...