A/N in response to the anonymous review, Gaara renounced his claim on Tsuki simply because he is short on time to devote to her when he has to take care of the Village. Pursuing the destruction of her just wasn't an ethical use of his time, nor did it really fit with the changes his character underwent with the transition from Naruto to Naruto Shippuden. I tried to keep with the character changes in the storyline. As for Tsuki: She was never interested in Gaara to begin with; it was all a game to her. He amused her. Now that he took that away from her, she sees nothing to go back to. That's just her side of the fence. Gaara had his own motives for saying and doing what he did, I just never gave detail as to what those were. Maybe I will, now that you've brought that up… He will pop up periodically through the story, but he isn't going to be a main part of her life, simply because they walk two different paths. As for Orochimaru, we'll get to that in the next chapter or two. I am sorry for this long explanation. It seemed called for. ;)

Stage Twenty Nine: Conversations

It took two days from Deidara's departure for the members to trickle out of the complex. Seeing as how there were only nine of them, it was a long time for them to deploy an exodus. It appeared that Yahara and I were the last ones left. Walking around thoroughly, I did notice that they took measures to make it rather hard for us to leave; apparently so did she. I encountered her, lying on the pavement, knocked out by the force of an explosion that had been set in place by Deidara himself.

After relocating her to Itachi's spare bedroom (which I had never seen prior to that day), I healed her most threatening wounds and woke her up. She blinked at me for a moment, and then wondered what happened.

After explaining to her that she tried to escape (rather poorly) and got herself blown up by a well concealed clay bomb, she then seemed to remember why she was being treated.

"It was a bug," she shuddered. "It was following me, and it was completely white. I tried to squish it, but it was too fast. When I got to the border of the city, it exploded."

I seemed to recall that my sister always had distaste for bugs. Deidara may have just turned that into a petrifying phobia. I sighed. "You really want to get out of here, don't you?"

"Why would I want to stay?" she asked. "I don't have anyone here like you do."

"Even with Itachi, I don't want to be here," I informed her. "Lucy for you, I know how to get out."

"You couldn't have told me that before I got blown up?" she asked.

I laughed shortly. "You should have come to me before getting out of here."

She arched her eyebrows at me. "I didn't know where you were! Kisame didn't exactly let me go anywhere."

"You're staying with Kisame?" I asked in disbelief. "God, that has to suck."

"He's the only one I could trust to not hurt me, abuse me, or kill me," she stated.

"It's sad that you trust him to begin with. I mean, I know the back story and all, but damn. Don't you have any self preservation? One of the first things he ever told me was how lucky I was that Itachi kept him from killing me." I rolled my eyes.

"You said you knew how to get out of here," she reminded me.

"You're right; let's get going, then."

We set out, and I kept my eye out for little clay bugs. I found several, but they didn't seem interested in following us. Well, me, I was sure. They were a part of Deidara, after all, and blowing me up would be rather counter productive. However, Sasori left chakura strings everywhere that both she and I could see, but would alert him if they were disturbed. Kakuzu likewise left some sort of wire trap that I didn't want to trip. Itachi left some illusions, but having trained my own genjutsu with his, I could see straight through them. She got freaked out, though. Something about Kankuro being blown to bits if she left. The other members left their own marks, but I didn't stay long enough to really notice.

I was worried about Zetsu's stay tactics. I was very suspicious of passing the plants, because I didn't know what he had used. We got out okay, though, avoiding everything that presented an obstacle. Once out into the winding river ridden ravines, we found ourselves wondering where to go from there. She wanted to go directly to Suna, because she needed to see Kankuro. However, I pointed out to here that Kisame knows about him, and would look there first. She should probably lie low for a while.

"Where will you go?" she asked me.

I didn't even have to think. "Konohagakure," I answered. "I had a previous mission there."

"You don't have a village, though," she recalled. "Kankuro said he didn't know where you're from."

"I'm an Otogakure konoichi, Yahara. I work for Orochimaru."

Her eyes widened as it all clicked into place for her. "You were behind the third Kazekage's death?" she asked.

"Not directly, no. I had very little to do with that messy affair. While that was being executed," I chuckled for effect, "I was in Konohagakure pulling strings for the Chunin Exams. I was there to scout out the city and gather intelligence on shinobi of interest."

"So you were just a spy placed?"

"Yes," I answered, jumping onto the various bows of trees, travelling back toward Konoha. "I was never told what my assignment proved, how I helped, or what it did for Orochimaru. He just wanted someone there to scout ahead and warn him if problems arose."

She followed, albeit a little clumsy on her feet. She had the general training of a shinobi, but it wasn't refined with a genin team the way it should have been.

"You know, you can finish your shinobi training, Yahara. I'm sure Gaara will allow you to train with Kankuro to finish."

"Then we would have to go to Suna. Come on, Tsuki, they're all going to be gone for quite some time. By then, Kankuro and I can travel and train, and you can return to Konoha. We have time," she pleaded.

I stopped suddenly, and she jumped ahead of me. "Fine, but if we get caught back into this mess, it's your fault, and you're getting us out." I turned around and back tracked to Sunagakure.

"I can agree to that," she answered. She then passed me in a frantic rush to get back to her boyfriend.

'If I ever get that way,' I thought to myself, 'someone had better impale me on a sword.' I felt the ring still pressed against my skin under my black glove. He said he'd be back for it. He said he'd find me. I just hope that won't condemn me for putting my trust into a criminal.

When we arrived to Sunagakure, it was dusk. The heat rising off the sand was a comfort for me; I was easily cold everywhere else but here. I truly am a desert cat. She and I checked in (with the same guys who stopped me last time, so it went rather smoothly) and went straight to our old house.

She looked around in awe. "I haven't been here since mom and dad died."

"I was here a while ago. This was where Hidan kidnapped me the first time."

She touched the vase of dried roses on the entry way. "They seem to always send him, don't they?" she asked. "For you, I mean."

"I don't think anyone else will do it," I answered truthfully.

She turned and looked at me. "Why is that?"

"I don't know. Everyone else would kill me?"

"Hidan surely would.," Yahara answered. "He is the one who tried, and succeeded in killing our parents. Jashinist, and everything," She muttered.

"I don't know, but he doesn't lay a hand on me."

Yahara looked at me. "Have you ever thought to avenge them?"

"No, not even once. It would be a waste of my time."

She looked genuinely offended. "Why not? They're your parents."

"Do you really think Mother would like it if we devoted our lives to destroying someone? Didn't she always tell us to do what's best for everyone involved? And what about Father? Do you think he would like us to waste our precious time on someone who wasn't worth it? He never wasted energy on revenge. Why should I? They wouldn't approve. Besides, Hidan is immortal. It'd be futile."

"I'm going to try to cause him as much pain as he caused us."

I sighed. "You haven't heard a word I said, did you?"

"I think they deserve better than that."

"What ever. Good luck, Yahara. If you can do that, then I will never doubt you again." I walked to my bedroom and collapsed onto my bed. Sleep was out of the question, but I felt better being home with her.

The next morning, I dragged her butt out of bed (she had no problems sleeping, it appeared to just be me) and out the door. I knew where the compound where Kankuro and Temari stayed was located. She was too groggy to be of much use.

I thundered on Kankuro's door impatiently. Clearly, by the shirtless state of the man who answered the door, Kankuro kept the same hours. He wasn't wearing any makeup, and his blue stripped pyjamas were a tad ridiculous. "G'morning, Tsuki. What can I do for you?" he asked, wiping sleep from his eyes. "Gah, it's early."

"I think this belongs to you," I stated, holding up Yahara's hand. "She's been talking about you non-stop."

"Yahara!" he exclaimed. I then had to wrestle my arm out of his embrace of her. I ended up punching him rather hard, separating them from me.

"We have something to talk about, Kankuro."

He looked at me, worried. "I have a question. Some blue guy took her away. Why did you bring her back, especially since that episode in the market."

"Not what we have to talk about, Kankuro. Hurt my sister, and there will be nothing left to identify your body with, understand?"

"S'okay."

Alright, it was way to early for him, clearly. His delayed reaction was evidence to that.

"Wait a minute; sister?" he repeated.

Yahara yawned, then replied, "Yeah, she's my sister. That's kind of why I reacted the way I did. I thought she was dead, but I kept hearing her name everywhere and thought she might have been an impostor."

Kankuro yawned after her. "I don't think it's possible to impose as Tsuki."

"Well," I interrupted, "as much as I would love to stay and chatter at you, one of us has to go tell the Kage that we're here."

Kankuro's eyes brightened. "Oh, that reminds me, he wanted me to tell you to go see him if I found you before you got there. Temari was told the same thing, so avoid her if you don't want to hear it again. We don't know why. Just get there."

A short walk and a waiting room later, I found myself in the Kazekage's office. He looked up when I walked in, his fingers met in a steeple under his chin. A smile soon lit up his face when he saw that it was, in fact, me.

"You came back," he whispered, almost trying to convince himself that I was really there.

"Yeah, Kankuro said you wanted to see me." I sat in a chair across from his desk.

"Last night I received the report that you came back. I wanted to know if it was true." He leaned back into his chair nonchalantly.

I couldn't believe him. "Are you serious? That's the only reason you called me back here?"

"I didn't know if Orochimaru had killed you yet. Why did you return with Kankuro's girlfriend?"

I rolled my eyes. "She's my sister, if that's okay."

His eyes widened slightly. "I didn't know you had any surviving family," he commented. "I'm happy for you."

"I came to return her to Kankuro. She's been tortured without him."

His eyes fell to the desk. "Oh," was all he said. "I see." He seemed a little disappointed.

"The village seems well," I commented, changing the subject.

"Yeah," he answered. "Things are very good here now that we're no longer trying to start a war with out neighbours."

I laughed lightly. "So it would seem. Wouldn't want the Kazekage to die unexpectedly because of someone else's take over scheme."

He smirked. "You're not aiming for my office, are you?" he lightly asked.

"Nah, government is not my forte. I'm happy being a subordinate for the rest of my life, thanks."

"I didn't think so," he answered. "It's good to see you again, Tsuki. I hope you can stay longer, this time."

"I'm afraid not, kage-sama. The Akatsuki don't know I've given them the slip, and surely they'll be looking for me here. I need to disappear for a while, at least until they've covered all the bases. On top of that, Orochimaru isn't happy I've been abducted again, I'm sure. Shit's about to hit the fan for me. Even more so with Yahara being with me. They found her as well, and I helped her escape."

He nodded. "And this is where I come in, I assume?"

"I'm sorry to drag you into this mess, Gaara, but you're the only one who can help her. She never graduated the academy."

"I never knew that. It's on her record that she's a konoichi from Kirigakure."

"Records can be faked, as we all know. She had connections in the office. He also changed her name. Kirigakure got its nickname because of the battles they force their students to go through in order to graduate; because of the nature of our parents' death, she refused to take another life just for the sake of her own advancement."

"I see. How can I be of service?" He brought his fingers together again and leaned forward on the desk.

I took a deep breath. "Yahara is Kankuro's girlfriend; this we both know. She wants to continue training, but needs a lot of personal instruction. Kankuro isn't really doing anything at the moment. He's getting a little stir crazy, if what she says is true."

"You want Kankuro to continue training your sister," he insinuated.

"It would give her the tools and training she needs to stand on her own two feet without needing him, me, or anyone else to look out for her when the Akatsuki comes knocking on their door."

"I see." He leaned to one side, supporting his head with his hand.

"I also think it would be beneficial to both her and the village if they travelled while they trained, as well. Give them missions that take them away from the village. Send them to negotiate foreign policies, help someone travel; anything that keeps them moving. Don't tell anyone where they are going. Don't keep any copies of their missions. Everything should be encoded; or better, off record."

'You're very concerned about her safety. She is your older sister, right?"

"Yes, kage-sama, but she isn't as experienced in the field as I, nor does she have the common sense to help her in a sticky situation. She looses her cool way too easily. I'm worried that she's going to get herself in over her head. She needs to be taught how to deal with these situations without getting herself killed."

"A valid concern," he answered. "I'll make sure that I do everything I can toward this situation, as a favour to you." He leaned back in his chair. "You're a friend, Tsuki. And as you pointed out, not acting could hurt my village. I would do anything for yours, and my brother's happiness."

"That means a lot to me, really it does."

He sighed. "I've come to realize the value of family. It's very important, no matter how callous you are."

I looked down. "I've been without family for the better portion of my life. Knowing that there's one left, no matter how incapable of taking care of herself she is, is special. I know I'll always have someone who understands the pain."

He brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "You have two people who understand what it's like to be alone in your life. I've always been here."

"Especially when you were determined to destroy me."

He blushed slightly. "I was a stupid genin. You have to understand that. My emotions were very passionate, even though I only ever expressed one side of the spectrum."

"Yes, hatred seemed to be your favourite emotion."

He chuckled. "Who knew I could change so much. Most of that was because of you." He smiled at the memory, something I never thought he would do.

"And the other part?" I inquired.

"Uzumaki," he replied. "He was put in the exact same situation that I was, and yet, he led an opposite life. He was surrounded by people who loved and respected him, cared about his wellbeing. I wanted that all my life. He showed me that you could push on and be strong when no one believed in you. He forced the entire village to recognize him as an outstanding person. He made them trust him."

"He always wanted to be Hokage," I commented. "You beat him to that goal."

"I didn't intend to compete with him. I just wanted my life to reflect his. He had such good intention, always taking care of those around him. I wanted to be that person."

"And you have become that. The whole village looks to you for their safety. What more can you want?"

"Someone to share it with,' he answered. His eyes were pure softness. My insides turned a little bit.

"It's been good seeing you, Tsuki. Unfortunately, I have a meeting in ten minutes. I'm sorry to cut this short, but you're here for a reason, and I won't keep you any longer. I'll call Kankuro in as soon as I get a free minute. Rest easy, Yahara is in good hands." He got up and walked out of the room smoothly, passing me without looking back.