At the edge of the Land of Wind a young girl sat quietly up in an almost dead tree. Isuzu Mine was in her fifth day of a two week mission away from her home of Suna. When she heard how long the mission was going to take, a small cloud of sadness came over her as she stood in the Kazekage's office. Looking back at that time, she couldn't say no to the mission. A ninja doesn't choose the mission, the mission chooses the ninja.

"Isuzu, your mission is going to take you some time to complete. Please, do be careful while you're away."

"But Gaar---I mean Lord Kazekage, the time span in which this mission takes place in, I was just hoping that..."

"What is Isuzu?"

"N-nothing Lord Kazekage. Forget I even mentioned it."

As Isuzu thought back on that day when she was assigned her mission, she realized that she should have said something back then. It was something small, but she hadn't spent a birthday in her home of Suna in a very long time.

"I guess I really should've said something before leaving. I didn't tell Takuto the full length of my mission time. All I said was I would be back when I could."

With another day with no signs of intruders coming into the Land of Wind, Isuzu laid back and wondered what it would be like to spend a birthday in the Hidden Sand again. To spend it with her brother and with Gaara for the first time.

"Isuzu Mine, is everything good on your side?" The leader of the expedition radioed in to ask how things were.

"Everything's fine here captain. No intruders in sight."

"Alright. Call in if anything happens."

"If anything happens. Yeah right, nothing is going to happen. I find this mission to be pointless to begin with. I just want to be home, to Suna, with Takuto and Gaara. All of us together celebrating mine and Gaara's birthday, along with Temari and Kankaro. But it looks like it may not happen like I would like it to."

Closing her eyes to get some rest, Isuzu went into her mind to have a conversation with her half of the Shukaku. Although Shukaku is wild and a short-tempered individual, and often speaks in a bombastic and incoherent manner, the two seem to have an understanding relationship.

"What do want now brat? Have you come to complain once again about stupid human matters that you know I don't give two damns about!"

"Nice to see you too after such a long time Shukaku. I figured since we're both stuck here together we might as well have a little chat. Is that so wrong?"

"Whatever. You're just upset because you can't be home with that other Jinchūriki brat, Gaara and that brother of yours."

"Don't speak ill of Gaara, Shukaku. Don't forget that he once had your other half inside him."

"Like I care about something like that. What is it you want to talk girl?" Shukaku sounded as cheerful as ever. It seemed like every time the Tailed-Beast and the Jinchūriki started off a conversation like this it always started off the same way.

"I just thought we could talk about whatever is on your mind. You never tell me what you're thinking."

Shukaku looked down at the young Suna girl and noticed that her eyes were gleaming a darker sea foam green then those of Gaara's. He had never seen that kind of look come from her since the day she found out what she was.

"Why do you care so much? Even if you manage to become one of the greatest ninja in the Hidden Sand, everyone will only see you as a monster, as well as Gaara. There's no point in trying to learn about each other."

"That's not true Shukaku. My father said that just because we were forced to be this way it doesn't mean we have to except the negativity that comes with it. All we have to do is have the strength to move past it and forge the path we want to make for ourselves. If we let others chose for us, then we lose what it means to be an individual. We're stuck together until my time comes to leave this world, you will most likely be sealed once again into someone new. Before that time comes, I would like to get along the best we can."

Shukaku looked down at Isuzu with a slight look of shock in his eyes. He never understood humans and thinks he never will but hearing the way Isuzu talk gave the grumpy Tailed-Beast a small light of hope that the time will one day come. Suddenly Shukaku let out a loud roar of laughter.

"You really are a strange girl. I don't get you damn humans. But alright then. If you really want to get to know me a little better I guess I can tell you a little something."

For more than half that day Isuzu stayed in the deep inner part of her mind to talk with Shukaku. She learned many things, even the childish rivalry with the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama. When there was nothing else to talk about and the day was getting late Isuzu said goodnight to Shukaku.

"Well Shukaku, I have to say that this was one of the better talks we've ever had together. I hope we can do this again." She stood up from the spot where she was sitting in her inner world. As she clasped her hands together to bring herself out of her inn world the tail of Shukaku wrapped itself around her.

"Shukaku?"

"You honestly think that there will be a day when people won't look at you or Gaara and see a monster?"

"I do. And not just Gaara and I, but all Jinchūriki. I believe that there will come a day when we all will be looked upon as heroes rather than monsters."

The next couple of days went by slowly. Isuzu and her team were now in the second week of their mission. Although the mission was coming close to an end, the possibility of getting back before that special day was beginning to be slim. In those boring days Isuzu would often go into her inner world and have a talk with Shukaku. Most of the time he would just sit back and listen to Isuzu talk, but then there were days when Shukaku would take a gander and talk for a moment here and there.

"You've been awfully chatty these last couple of days Shukaku. Did what I said the other day get you thinking?" Isuzu teased the giant tanuki.

"Don't think too much into it you little brat. There's nothing to do here and your mission is boring as hell." Shukaku ground and let out a big yawn.

"You're telling me. I don't know what Gaara was thinking. I shouldn't question him, he's the Kazekage after all. If he thinks this mission is important I shouldn't question it."

"Are you saying that you can't question your leaders? What if they make a decision that could bring the destruction of your village. Are you telling me that you wouldn't question your precious Gaara then?"

"What's this all of a sudden? Why would you think that?!"

"You're the one who said you should question him because