Kou thought Sakura had enough sense to realize that a) most cats of his stature didn't appreciate water and b) taking him out on this journey with her was a total let down. He, perched on her narrow shoulders, leaned just over the rim of the fishing boat they were on and peered at his less than happy reflection.

"The ocean is revolting," he sniffed. "Why have you sent me to my impending doom, Sakura-chan? I thought we were friends!"

She cast him a pointed look. "I didn't force you to come, you know. All I said was that I wanted to get some venomous sea life with the off-chance we'd find some mackerel."

"That's exactly it, nya! Using your unholy powers of manipulation, baiting me with what I desire and coercing me to accompany you on this wretched slab of wood!" he cried. Sakura rolled her eyes just as a sopping wet paw erupted from the water and grasped the edge of the dubbed 'wretched slab of wood'.

"If I hear more of your whining I will not hesitate to make you my next meal, species be damned," a deep voice rumbled. A striped head rose above the surface. "So either shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you."

Kou turned his nose up and curled himself on the bench opposite Sakura's. "Oh yes, the brute comes to make demands as she always should, shouldn't she? Hmph."

The tigress bared her teeth in warning before taking a much kinder tone when addressing her summoner. "There are a few of those yellow-bellied snakes a few meters from us as well as a blue-ringed octopus a bit towards the east. Are you in need of those?"

Sakura looked at the numerous jars at her feet. Six pufferfish, ten cone snails, three yellow-bellied snakes, one blue-ringed octopus (that she was sure was glaring at her), and seven stone fish. Kiri was just a wonderful place where all her water creature findings could be satisfied.

"Yeah, I do. You can rest up here for a bit while I dive down and get them, Rie-sama," Sakura replied. Tigers weren't a usual summon to come across, especially of the Amur species that were the largest and hardest to come by, but after asking Neko-baa-sama to pull some strings as well as offer some favors to pay back in the future, Sakura was able to reach out to one and ask for their help.

Rie hoisted herself up onto the boat, her meter long tail coming across to knock Kou out of his seat. He yelped. "What was that for you barbarian?!"

Rie's tail flicked innocently behind her as she sat down, chin raised. "My apologies, miscreant. Hearing quiet after hours of your relentless drivel I'd forgotten you were there."

He puffed up in absolute offense.

Sakura let a small smile don her face as she slipped the towel from her shoulders and dove into the water.

It was only yesterday that she had the luck of meeting up with Mei, Zabuza, and Haku and coming out of it with new wrist blades, the double kodachi Sasori asked for, and contact information so Mei could make it up to 'her little angel'. Then she went on to have dinner with the four of them, flooring both Genma and Ibiki when they realized that she spent the day with a member of the Seven Swordsman and a woman renowned for being able to spew lava from her mouth.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're even real," Genma told her once she was back in their company. "'Cause you're literally out of your goddamn mind... and that's why you're my favorite student."

Sakura spotted a few of the snakes and sent a small wave of healing chakra to keep them calm, only just long enough for her to get a firm grip on their heads and swim back to the boat.

Ibiki told her they'd only be around a few more days before heading to Frost Country. There was a matter the Hokage wanted investigated and since they'd pass by there anyways, they might as well be the team assigned to the mission. Sakura didn't complain. As much as she missed her boys back home, it helped that she didn't have to be reminded that she couldn't even take D-rank missions with them anymore.

She hopped back onto the boat and slid the snakes into their respective jar. A look to the side granted her the view of Kou angrily sputtering and cursing from beneath one of Rie's monstrous paws with her not looking the least bit affronted, but coolly amused.

"Crude! Savage! Uncivilized beast! Unhand me this instant!"

"What's a cat summon who can't escape another feline's grip? Surely you're not as bad of a nin as you're presenting yourself to be."

"Fiend!"

Sakura dove off the other side of the vessel, intent on getting another one of those slimy octopi. The one she had in the jar looked a little lonely if not extremely pissed off, so she might as well get it a friend. That and their toxin could cause cardiac arrest, permanent blindness, or permanent paralysis.

::

"If I have any need for therapy from the abuse I suffered from that feral lout, Sakura-chan, you're the one who's going to pay for it!"

Kou immediately leapt onto the dock once it crept within distance, took a good look at his damp fur, then yowled at the sky. "AND I JUST HAD MY FUR BRUSHED THIS MORNING!"

Rie followed suit with a more distinguished air that spoke of her high status among summons and the minds of men. Her hulking body weighed no less than 270 kg (approx. 600 lbs), a testament that she was heavier and better built than any other female of her species, and stretched out to eight feet in length, tail not included.

Sakura came last with a sack slung over her shoulder. She managed to stuff in all nine jars and several towels, and all she needed to do now was extract their toxins and release them back into the wild before they set out of Kiri at the end of the week. Not a bad time allowance, but she probably had to pull a couple of all-nighters to get the job done.

"Rie-sama, I killed a couple of boars before we set out like we agreed on," Sakura said. Rie tipped her head in acquiesce.

"Much appreciated, Haruno-san. It's nice to see young ones keep their end of agreements, time travel aside."

Kou swished his tail. "Always wanting to drain every ounce of respect, your highness?" he hissed. Rie raised a grand paw and yielded her claws to which she let the limited sunlight gleam over their deadly sharpness.

"Of course. You know this body is only my compact form so that humans don't take off running immediately, but we all know I'm a threat regardless," she purred. She suddenly descended upon him, eliciting a choked screech of surprise from the brown cat. "I'm much larger, much stronger, and much older than you, kitten. Perhaps if you keep up your attitude you'll find out the reason why even the most paragon of summons still call me Empress."

Sakura shuffled awkwardly to the side. "Well, erm, I need to buy some vials for the toxins and return the boat," she interrupted as she scratched the back of her head. "I'll be a bit, so... Rie-sama, please enjoy your meal and Kou-chan, please don't get yourself killed.

The cats barely noticed her practically flee the scene.

::

Summons were supposed to be nice to each other, weren't they? Or at least have some respect when speaking to one another. But as long as they didn't end up killing each other, or more Rie wiping the floor with Kou's dead body, then they'd be fine.

Sakura entered the small fishing town a couple of kilometers away from Kiri and ducked into the only pharmaceutical store, bought a good handful of vials, and left to pay that nice fisherman who was kind enough to lend her his boat for the day.

As she walked to the other end of the small commercial area, she passed a restaurant and gave a cursory stare to the occupants inside.

Then abruptly stopped, thinking her eyes had deceived her.

'No way.'

::

Tsunade downed another shot of the alcohol that didn't seem to help her anymore, but at least it kept her buzzed enough to stuff the memories away. In fact, this was the first time she'd stepped foot away from the shadows and had a drink at an actual establishment in years, albeit said establishment being in a place populated with no more than fifty people.

She sighed and poured herself another drink.

'How long has it been since I left her there?'

"You know you're real close to Kiri, right? I'm surprised you haven't been seen yet."

A small damp kid slid into the booth seat across from her wearing a cheery smile and setting whatever she was carrying down at her feet. Tsunade eyed her warily.

"I've been doing this for years, girl. The second someone comes I'm gone before they can get word out," she answered, fingers curled around her ceramic cup slowly. "But I'll be generous. You've got about five minutes before you never see me again for the rest of your life."

The girl was silent for a moment.

"I wanted to let you know that Shizune-san's fine. Wondering how you are, but fine nonetheless," she offered calmly. The woman gripped her cup harder. "She said there was a fight—between the two of you and people she didn't know you owed money to. She was injured, she passed out, then she ended up in the hospital. Made a full recovery about a year ago."

Tsunade leaned back in her seat and propped an arm up behind her, gaze never leaving the stranger. "... Who are you?"

"Haruno Sakura; ten years old; genin."

"You're not a genin."

"Officially, I am. But that's not important," Sakura said. She leaned forward and propped her chin up in her palm. "Let's talk about you for while. Surely you can allow more than five minutes?"

A beat, then the downing of another cup.

"Ten minutes."

"That's fair. You know Hokage-sama's been looking for you for a long time, don't you? Why don't you just come back to the village? There, you don't have to keep running and hiding anymore. You could even help out at the hospital 'cause we all know it needs fixing up. I guess Shizune-san could do it, but she's busy being Hokage-sama's assistant."

Tsunade motioned at a waiter for more sake. "She became Hiruzen-sensei's assistant? Odd."

A look of confusion crossed Sakura's face before she hastily put the pieces together. She didn't know. The couple years that passed and she never heard of the inauguration.

"She's assistant to the Godaime, Tsunade-sama," she spoke carefully. "Kato Dan rose to power three years ago."

Maybe at the sound of her old lover's name she'd have a reaction- surprise, praise, sorrow, anger... but there was nothing. Nothing Sakura could see on the outside, at least.

"Good for him. If they've got Dan running around fixing shit up, it's not my problem," Tsunade shrugged. And it really wasn't. She left Konoha what, twenty or something years ago? She vowed she'd never step back into that place until she found the exact bastard that killed her little brother. And once she found them...

Well, then she'd continue her vagabond lifestyle. She stole enough forbidden jutsu to have her apprehended on sight and she liked being a bit free.

"So you're saying you just don't care anymore," Sakura tried, eyebrows furrowing. The sannin scoffed.

"Damn straight I don't care. You know what's wrong with that village? Too soft for their own damn good. When someone dies, that's it. It's done. There's no closure—just bury the body in the ground, say a little prayer, and hope no one else goes out the same way. And god forbid you try going after them because suicidal shinobi don't look good on a track record," she hissed. "Heed my words, girl. Konoha doesn't really care about their people. All they want is a polished reputation."

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. The Tsunade in her timeline was bitter, but never to this extent. "What are you talking about?"

"Huh. That's the one thing you don't know, is it? Then I might as well tell you."

The waiter came with another sake bottle, placed it on the table, then quickly made his retreat once he felt the tense air surrounding the table. Tsunade didn't even pour herself a cup this time, instead taking a swig right from the jug.

"Nawaki was twelve years old. It was the day after his birthday."

Sachiko was three years old. It was the day before her mother's birthday.

"It was during the war when he ran into a trap, killing him instantly."

It was during the war when her mother ran between two attacks, killing her instantly.

Tsunade scowled and saw pieces of bloodied flesh and the necklace she'd gifted him. Sakura saw the first smile her baby had ever given her, the first and only time she held the child in her arms, the day Sachiko was born and the only time she would ever get a good look at her mother's face.

"He was unrecognizable."

The light in her eyes was gone.

"I wanted to go after them. To make them pay! And you know what they told me? 'No, it's too late. Nothing can help him now, I'm sorry.' Sorry? Sorry wasn't going to bring him back! Sorry wasn't enough when they stopped me from taking my own life! I'm never going to see Nawaki again!" she seethed.

She would never see her mother again, not that she would remember what she looked like.

"That's why you're staying away from the village? Because they tried to stop you from losing your mind?" Sakura countered, choking back the sob that almost spilled from her lips. "They were just trying to help you! They saw what it was doing to you and they tried to stop you before you hurt yourself!"

Sasori and his concern. Inoichi and his therapy sessions. Obito consoling her when she had her break down. Genma and his protectiveness. Ibiki telling her that she needed to let them in or she'd never get better.

Kakashi suspending her.

Those were the people that crowded her thoughts when she said that, making her hand fly up and cover her mouth as her own words resounded within her. Tsunade didn't notice and tightened her fist until the glass shattered.

"Help?!" she roared. "He was just a little boy and they wouldn't let me kill the fuckers who did that to him or join him in the afterlife! Have you ever loved someone so much then had them ripped away from you? Do you know how that feels?!"

Sakura, sat in the seat feeling small and dazed, looked up at a woman consumed by so much rage and guilt that it was the only color on her face. Those eyes held nothing but a desire to walk down a single road near impossible, but one she persevered on anyways. To Tsunade, it didn't matter that she was alone. It didn't matter that there was no one at her side to help her. As long as she walked that road and reached the end, it was enough for her.

That sort of person...

Sakura's heart dropped into her stomach with the shock of a horrified epiphany, 'Is that the sort of person everyone sees when they look at me?'

"And they expect me to move on," Tsunade continued resentfully. "Tch. Move on? How can I move on when Nawaki doesn't get the justice he deserves?! Tell me, girl! If something like that happened to you, would you move on?"

Again, Sakura saw her baby's smile. She wanted to cry.

"... I..."

In her letter, she told Sachiko that all she wanted was for her to be happy.

"... I would try."

Tsunade's eyes flew into even more of a rage. "Why?!" she demanded.

What Sakura wanted to do was make sure the timeline didn't turn out the same way that it had. She wanted to make sure Sasuke and Naruto had the lives they deserved, that the village never fell into the clutches of war, that the people she met and never saw again actually had a life they could return to. For the longest time, she believed that everyone she knew should have their own happiness even if it was at the cost of her own. But if she kept doing what she was doing...

She'd be dead. And the timeline she was beginning to know would be no different than the one she knew.

Sakura raised her stare to meet one so filled with hate and hurt. Those were the eyes of someone who'd lost everything and had no more reason to live except for the sake of another. She would know—those were her eyes too.

Then she spoke, softly, like the whisper of small stream. "Because if I didn't, I'd end up just like you."

The genin picked up her bag full of vials, slid out of her seat—

"Ten minutes, Tsunade-sama," she murmured. "It was nice to meet you."

—and left.

::

Genma didn't say anything when Sakura came back to the room with a suspicious woven sack over her shoulder and a plastic bag in one hand. Curiously, he watched as she placed her things in one corner of the room before going to sit in front of the small potted cacti where she slumped forward on the table and began toying with a couple of kunai.

He let her be for about an hour, then set down the scroll he was reading. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked. He didn't expect her to answer, and when she did, he didn't quite know what to say.

"I'm... sorry for how difficult I've been these past five years. I know you guys are just trying to help me and all I've been doing is pushing you all away, but... I'll try to be better. I... I just need some time."

"Sakura..." Genma stood and walked over to where she sat, bringing a hand up to mess with her hair and pull her into a side hug. "You don't need to apologize for something like that. It's been tough on you, kid. Take all the time you need and we'll be there to listen, yeah?"

She returned the hug with her right arm and smiled. "Yeah."

They heard the sound of a door opening with a click and both turned to glance behind them. Ibiki took one step in before pointing at Sakura.

"I have no idea what you did, but the Mizukage requested to speak with you. Alone," he said. Genma returned his attention to his student.

"... What kind of flowers do you want on your grave?"

"Surprise me."

::

The Yondaime Mizukage was nothing she expected. He looked like a teenage boy that couldn't be older than fourteen, but was actually well into his twenties. He was elected into the position of Kage at a very young age by being the most powerful shinobi in the village and having perfect control over his Tailed Beast: the Sanbi. His office was clean and well organized, Sakura noted, as she was left with only him as company.

Yagura turned from gazing out over the village and welcomed her with an amicable smile. "Good afternoon, Haruno Sakura," he greeted. "I've heard much about you. It's nice to finally accompany the name to a face."

She blinked. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course. At first it was Mei, reporting to me that she was healed by a peculiar girl during her interrogation. Come a couple years later, that same peculiar girl comes into the picture again and has saved one of my own at nearly the cost of her life. I was intrigued," he said. He moved to the front of his desk and leaned back against the edge as he crossed his arms, observing her with his deep pink eyes. It was clear he wished for a reason, and Sakura stared straight at him, delivering a smile of her own.

"Mei's interrogator is a sensei of mine, sir. They tend to get carried away most of the time, so I tried to heal some of the damage she sustained before it became permanent. As for Haku, I didn't think he would've survived if I let those beams fall onto him," she explained. Yagura quirked an eyebrow.

"And you knew you would?"

"Well I'm here, aren't I?" she grinned. He chuckled, something she didn't quite expect from a supposed ruthless man like him, and nodded.

"I suppose so. But do enlighten me—you are a genin, correct? Considering that you saved Haku's life and that you're here on a mission with Shiranui-san and Morino-san, I find that hard to believe."

Sakura weighed her options. She could tell him the truth and put information like that in his head no matter how easily accessible it was, or she could lie and run the risk of being interrogated or jailed for such a petty offense. Not to mention she was in a room with a jinchuriki who'd been a Kage for at least ten years.

"They're my sensei, sir. So you can tell I do a lot of outside learning when I'm not with my normal designated team," she admitted. He stared at her contemplatively before tilting his head to one side.

"Haruno-san, please tell me anything and everything you know about Kirigakure... it's founding, making, and such."

Suspicious. But even she wouldn't go as far as making herself an enemy of someone as fearsome as he.

"Kirigakure was founded during the Warring States period where the Shodai Hokage sold the Sanbi to the Shodai Mizukage as a sign of trust and balance of power," she began reluctantly. "But Kiri entered several conflicts since then and led to the Nidaime Mizukage and Nidaime Tsuchikage killing each other in battle. It was up to your election, I believe, that there was a caste system implemented. Three levels; the ones at the bottom were slated on the most dangerous missions so they didn't have time to form an uprising."

Yagura regarded her blankly and urged her to continue. He was positive that she wasn't telling him everything. So she did so, but warily.

"And if I'm not mistaken, it was the third year into your reign that people with bloodlines were being slaughtered after the Tragedy," she finished.

"What was the Tragedy called and what happened to cause it?"

She pursed her lips. "The Tragedy of Yosuga Pass. Kiri and Iwa joined forces to claim information stolen from Kumo, but Iwa double-crossed you and killed most of the shinobi assigned to that mission."

His fingers coiled into a seal, causing the room to light up in an impenetrable sound and sight barrier.

She was in some deep shit now. The only reason she knew of this was because of meeting several Kiri-nin during her war and being fascinated by the stories and histories they'd tell her as she healed their wounds. She forgot that carrying such information to a time where the Five Nations were still separated by ingrained distrust could end in her death.

And she couldn't escape the situation now, not when her two sensei were in the village and were oblivious to what she was getting into. That, and Dan was in the midst of political relations between himself and the man who could execute her on the spot at any moment.

Yagura, sensing her growing trepidation, waved her down. "At ease, Haruno-san. I'm not going to bite."

She relaxed. A smidge.

"Before you came to my office, I asked Shiranui-san and Morino-san the same first question on separate occasions. Your answers were similar, but both failed to mention the Tragedy, the caste, and the bloodlines genocide. I dropped hints yet they still knew nothing of it, meaning you must have obtained this information through your own means, yes?"

Sakura nodded slowly and the smile returned to his face. He couldn't fathom how someone as young as her could engage such in such illicit means without getting caught, but he was glad for it.

"Then I have a proposition for you," he announced. "If you do this for me, I'll propose a peace treaty to your Hokage upon completion."

She gaped. "What? I don't—Why would you ask me to do it? No offense, but you just met me like fifteen minutes ago!" she exclaimed. Yagura nodded, a frown stealing his lips as he turned to look out at the village from over his shoulder.

"Asking this of you is a risk, but it's the only thing I can think of, I'm afraid. In this time of reconstruction, I can't afford to spare any of my shinobi. I'll be able to tell you the details if you accept and keep this between only you and I. And I promise you, you will be rewarded greatly along with the proposal of the treaty."

Sakura scratched the side of her neck and allowed herself a whole minute to think about it. She was already doing things considered punishable under the eyes of Konoha and conspiring with well known S-Class criminals, though perhaps one more illegal act couldn't hurt?

She sighed. "I accept, Mizukage-sama."

He reached behind his desk and pulled something from a drawer, then tossed the small object to her. A simple scroll with tassels as blue as the oceans that surrounded the island. She opened it.

"You were right that in the third year of my reign that the Tragedy struck and the genocide began. But it was only in the third year that the progress I'd been with rebuilding Kiri had been torn down. The reason why I allowed it to happen was because I was under a genjutsu cast by Uchiha Madara," Yagura disclosed. His eyes hardened. "He would've controlled me for much longer, but someone released me from his control. And if what I saw was true, that person killed Madara."

Fear took hold of Sakura's throat. No, no, no... Madara wasn't supposed to be killed. He was to die from old age and have Obito take his place. The Mizukage's eyebrows furrowed, his youthful face appearing much older.

"I don't remember what the person looked like at all, like it was erased from my memory. Though there is one thing I remember prominently, and it was what Madara said to the stranger. He had a crazed look in his eyes as his blood spilled all over the floor and said 'It doesn't matter if I die. I'll make sure to drive you insane.' But I don't think that'll help you much."

I'll make sure to drive you insane.

I'll make sure to drive you insane.

Obito smiled.

"I'll make sure to drive you insane."

Sakura held her mouth shut to shop the vomit from erupting past her lips. She swallowed it back down, inwardly grimacing at its vile, sour taste. If Yagura noticed, he didn't say a word.

"I want you to find the one who killed Madara, handle them in any way you see fit, then inform me of what's happened. I don't know how far you'll get with this, or if you'll get anywhere at all, but I'm willing to take the gamble on you, Haruno-san," he told her. "Take as long as you want. All I ask from you is that you perform this task to the best of your ability, even if you don't succeed."

She rewound the scroll in her hands then tucked it away in her kunai holster. "Permission to include another in this mission, sir."

Yagura leaned back. "Who?"

"A mercenary with no set affiliation. I've known them long enough to trust them with my life, and I promise they will in no way be able to jeopardize your mission," she said. He considered this for a moment, and probably also considered what a favor he was placing on the girl's shoulders, and nodded.

"Permission granted. If that will be all, you're dismissed."

She bowed and turned to grasp the handle of the door.

"Oh, and Haruno-san?"

She looked back. A small, grateful smile radiated his face.

"Thank you."

She dipped her head in respect and took her leave. As she walked down the dim halls of the Kage Tower, all she could think of was the sheer amount of treasonous acts that were piling themselves on her already filled plate.

Her shoulders slumped.

Sasori was going to have a field day.

::

His uncle was a man he hadn't talked to for the better of the past five years. They'd pass each other in the hallways sometimes, Gaara averting his eyes to something interesting on the ground and Yashamaru trying to hold in a pained expression but failing miserably.

He wanted to forgive the person who tried to kill him. Who blamed him for his mother's death. That's what Sasori had tried to get him to do for as long as he'd known him... but how could he? He thought Yashamaru loved him, and in the end, it was just a ruse to get the chance to kill the beast once and for all.

Gaara stood alone in an empty hallway, cradling a pseudo-shell in his hands. It was conch shaped the same size as his palm, carved from a pale pink stone.

When he first met Sakura, he showed her all his favorite places in the oasis and told her of the best spots to visit in Suna. She came back the next day and the day after that and he was more than ecstatic he had someone to hang out with for such a long time. Sure he had Sasori and he loved him to bits, but it was nice to have someone his age to talk to.

Before she left, she'd given him the stone shell and he marveled at how pretty it was. He'd never been given something so precious before.

"This is made from rose quartz," Sakura said. "It means love, peace, and happiness. And it's said to have these magical powers."

Gaara leaned forward, awe sparkling in his eyes.

"The crystal has a powerful effect to heal personal relationships. Any problems you may have with someone else, this can channel energy to help fix it."

He avoided her stare and ran his fingers over the shell doubtfully. Heal relationships? Nothing had the power to do that. He must have said that out loud because Sakura immediately nudged him after the thought.

"Of course there is!" she exclaimed. "If you want to heal a badly broken relationship, then you've got to go up to that person and talk. The only way to get things done is to communicate. And if you have that stone with you, it'll help. Just as long as you believe that you can do it. It doesn't mean it'll work, but you have to try."

The glimmer came back to his eyes. "Really?"

She grinned. "Really."

He liked Sakura. She knew so much and was so smart, so he had to pay her back somehow, didn't he? Gaara jumped to his feet, told her to wait right there, ran to the village, got something from his room, and ran straight back.

He then gave her his favorite potted cactus.

The stone was supposed to help him have the power to mend his relationships. Maybe it would help with some, not with others, but he had to do what Sakura urged him and what Sasori had been wanting him to do for years.

He had to try.

Gaara slipped the shell into his pocket and took a deep breath before knocking on the door in front of him. It opened a few seconds later, revealing the man he had been avoiding this whole time.

Yashamaru held onto the door knob like it was the only thing that tethered him to the physical world.

"Gaara-sama..." he whispered.

"Yashamaru," the boy returned quietly. "Can I... talk to you?"

With shock still fitted around every one of his nerves like a noose, the man stepped aside and let his nephew through the threshold. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as he willed himself to calm down. Five years had passed since he made the foolish mistake of accepting the mission of testing Gaara's control of his demon.

Why now? He was sure Gaara would never trust him again and he never expected to be forgiven for what he'd done, but...

"Do you want something to drink? Tea? Milk?" Yashamaru asked, trying to keep his voice as level and lively as possible. He walked over to the boy who'd hesitantly taken a seat at the dining table. Gaara shook his head.

"No thank you," he murmured. His uncle took a seat at the other end- too far to reach out to but too close to avoid. Yashamaru looked down at the polished wood surface. Empty silence had become their world for the last half a decade. There was nothing said, as nothing could be said, between them. The rift was too wide and no one made a move to try to get across.

Until now.

"Gaara-sa—"

"I trusted you," he whispered. A small hand grasped the edge of his seat as the other held the lump in his pocket. Yashamaru froze. "You used to take care of me when nobody else did. Tou-sama never loved me. But you tried to." Sea-foam green eyes saddened and shone in the soft lighting. "You were the only one who smiled at me every day and didn't run when I wanted to talk."

Outside, night had taken the village. There were no stars, only wind and the promise of an upcoming sandstorm.

"Maybe you're happier now that you don't have to see me anymore, but I just want to know... you still hate me, don't you? You don't have to lie this time."

Yashamaru's hair, now swaying just past his shoulders, hung over his face and obscured any expression from being seen. But Gaara saw the teardrops that fell onto the table, one by one, little by little, until a small sob echoed in his ears.

"I never hated you," he said, faintly. "Not once in your entire life. When Karu- your mother found she was pregnant, I grinned and crouched down to tell her stomach—to tell you that I couldn't wait to meet you. I didn't lie then. When you were born, I was so happy that I had another nephew to love and treat as my own child."

His head raised and Gaara couldn't help but gasp.

He'd never seen so many tears before.

"I never believed you were the one who killed her. You were just a baby. A monster they said... no. Never. You were just born, an innocent soul who'd done nothing wrong, who still had his entire life to be raised with all the love you deserved and I—!"

Yashamaru sunk forward, one hand reaching up to grasp his hair and the other to wipe his eyes in an effort to collect himself to no avail.

"... I'm sorry," he croaked. "I'm so sorry."

Silence came again. It wasn't as empty as it had been before but there was still something missing. He could find out, Gaara thought, he could try to find that piece out and everything with his uncle would be better.

But he knew something like this couldn't be fixed in one night.

"...It's getting late. I should be back by now."

The man sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. "Y-Yes, you..." he took a deep breath. "Yes. You should be heading home."

Gaara nodded shakily and padded over to the front door. He opened it just wide enough so that he could barely slip through and heard a short whisper that followed him out.

"Goodnight, Gaara-sama."

The door shut and the boy let out a whisper of his own.

"Goodnight."

He pulled a pink sea shell from his pocket and held it close to his chest as he walked down the hall, ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest and the fact that his vision was turning into a watery blur.

::

And we've got some Ibiki love from AwesomeDragonTamer !