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sun-summoning · 3 years

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part ii | part iii | part iv

after speaking to kido, sakura rushes home. when she calms down from the rage that nearly had her crush his throat, sakura can admit that she doesn’t really think this is him. he knew a lot about her for someone that was supposed to have been locked up all this time, but he seemed genuinely surprised to hear that sarada had been taken, if not disappointed. he fit the profile of what shikamaru and kakashi thought -- that someone wanted sarada for her eyes -- but sakura can’t stop the nagging feeling that somehow this runs deeper.

back in her apartment, megumi’s body is right where she left it, and sakura feels awful for having moved so mechanically. megumi was an orphan, but she was still someone’s little girl. ashamed, sakura lays a sheet over her and swears she’ll do more later.

she heads to her bedroom and begins her work. alone, she summons one of the cats she’d made a contract with shortly after her marriage. the black cat is sleek and holds himself confidently. he’s always been an efficient one, quick to do as she needs and be competent about it. he regards sakura with a cock of his head.

“sarada’s been taken.”

“your daughter.”

“yes.”

the cat nods. “i shall inform the clowder. if anyone spots her, i will let you know.”

“thank you.” sakura pauses, self-conscious for needing to rely on everybody else for this part. “if you...if any of you are able to come into contact with sasuke-kun, can you pease let him know too?”

“of course.”

“thank you.” sakura promises to provide the usual exchange at a later time and the cat disappears with a puff of smoke. she heads to her bedroom and she begins to pack in silence.

her movements are as meticulous as they are automatic, done just so she’s ready to leave the moment she knows where she needs to go. her medkit is stocked. her bag has scrolls, weapons, supplies, and sarada’s favourite toy. she changes out of her days clothes and into the leggings and turtleneck of a uniform she hasn’t worn in years. her cloak is in the front closet. she needs to change her boots. she’ll put on the boots now. she leaves the armour on her bed to don later. right now, they only hinder her movements. she goes to the drawer where her mask hides in plain sight among other trinkets and knick knacks, and on the dresser she notices a flower.

sakura stills as she takes in the detail she must have missed in her earlier haste. she considers the simple glass vase and the single red flower sitting in it. its petals curl at the ends and some are even missing.

this flower has travelled and as sakura considers what it is, she knows it’s travelled far.

konoha became unbearable by the time she tuned twenty. it's so petty and selfish and she'd never say it aloud, but she hated seeing everyone else so happy. she's happy too -- has so many reasons to be -- but she couldn’t help the nagging jealousy she feels when ino declined her invitations because she was going to see sai or when naruto prioritized her almost always only to head home to hinata.

she wanted to be someone's too. she wanted to be their focus and heart and home, but sakura already knew who her someone was and knew that on some level she was his too, so all she needs to do right now is wait.

most of the time, sakura wasn’t bitter. being apart from him wasn't unfamiliar, nor the steadfastness, nor the hope that one day this will pay off one day, nor the self reminders that what she felt was irrelevant as long as sasuke knew and was comforted by the fact that she would always love him.

to suppress her frustrations rather than confront them, sakura worked. she worked tirelessly and relentlessly and by nineteen, they'd named her the greatest medical ninja konoha has ever seen for her accomplishments, ideas, and innovations.

this took her to suna at twenty and to ame at twenty-one to help establish their own clinics.

“i have a gift for you,” ino told her before she left.

sakura expected a ribbon or a piece of jewellery or that new book on poisons she mentioned she was interested in. instead, ino handed her a bag. its contents shift, imbalanced, and inside sakura finds a potted plant.

“a flower?”

“not just any flower, you ungrateful bitch.” ino pointed at her accusingly and then at the plant. its petals are a bright red with darker flecks at their base. “i made it.”

“you made it?”

“yes. you know me, interrogating and mind-reading by day, splicing plants together and making my own by night.”

“that’s sad.”

“fuck you. you’re sad.”

sakura laughed and ino laughed too but it got a bit sad because ino probably definitely knew that sakura was sad. “anyway,” ino continued, “we’ll call it the sakuino flower--”

“how creative.”

“--and i expect you to keep it alive through all of your travels.”

sakura frowned at ino, wondering if ino understood that a potted plant had no place in her travels, but ino didn’t seem to care. moreover, this particular thing didn’t seem to have the ability to survive in the desert climate she was going to be living in for the next six months.

when sakura expressed as much, ino waved the matter off. “deal with it,” she said, giving sakura one last hug. “you’re one of the brightest minds to come out of this village. you’ll figure something out.”

its common name is the fire poppy, having originated from the fire country but somehow managing to survive in the deserts of wind country as well. the flower is know for its vibrant red petals, eye-catching and jarring across the barren brown it’s normally found in. sakura had to play with the original plant’s physiology when she first moved to ensure it could survive the alternate climate. in her spare time, when she wasn’t working with the kids, she deigned to work with her plant, eventually working on cloning the original. at some point she’d given one to a nurse she worked with who much admired the first, and gaara asked if he could try planting them in his garden. from there, the spores began to spread.

“why the fire poppy?”

was this someone from suna?

sakura considers the obvious motivation of revenge, but who would even want that? there were people who didn’t appreciate her friendship with kankuro or any of his siblings. perhaps an apprentice of chiyo’s who blamed sakura for not saving her when she gave her life for gaara’s. worse, perhaps someone that once worked sasori who resented her for his demise. or maybe someone she, sadly, can’t even remember. a patient she lost during the war whose family hated her.

sakura truly cannot pinpoint a motivation for this, much less a person.

especially a person that would understand the meaning of this flower for her.

ino would never give her this flower. ino would have scoffed at it and created her own. sarada couldn’t have picked it today. and sasuke certainly couldn’t have left it for her.

someone was in her apartment. someone brought it here.

was it here before?

sakura considers the poppy and forces herself to keep calm. stay logical, she demands. stay smart. was the poppy there before? no, she thinks at first. she would have seen it. she’s certain she would have seen it.

but, she can accept, it’s possible she might have missed it. sarada was taken. her babysitter was murdered. it wouldn’t be surprising if sakura missed it. but sakura doesn’t miss things. right?

“don’t gaslight yourself,” she orders.

no, she knows. the flower was not there before, meaning in between her going to kakashi, going to the prison, and then running back home, whoever took her daughter came back.

or worse, there was a team involved and one was with her child and another came back for her.

sakura curses, wishing she’d put on her black ops armour earlier, because whoever brought the flower here is now making their presence known. she senses two people before she sees them and is unsurprised to find sudden flares of strength.

the bedroom is small and they’re in a building. she needs to take this outside, but where? there’s too much risk for others getting hurt in the crossfire. that’s why this was supposed to stay quiet. that’s why this will stay quiet.

they step out of the shadows and sakura assesses them quickly. one male, one female, both fairly young based on stature and development, maybe early twenties at the oldest. they’ll have agility on her, but they won’t have her experience.

the man holds a chokuto. good. an advantage. sakura is excellent at fighting against such a weapon. if they’re foolish enough to use her husband’s favourite sort of blade, perhaps they didn’t do enough research on her. perhaps they were hired? but if they were unprepared, then were they really here to kill her?

are they here to distract her?

that thought fills sakura with dread. is someone trying to keep her busy so she can’t get to sarada on time?

the woman shifts, one leg sliding to the side as she raises her hands. she holds no weapons, therefore she is the weapon. sakura knows all about that. she’ll need to be careful with this one. but she still has a holster on her thigh. it’s thinner that the usual styles. maybe a couple kunai, but more likely a set of sebon. this one is smart then. she’ll know precisely where she needs to hit sakura to stop her.

“haruno sakura,” the man greets with a short nod.

so it is her fault.

if this was about sasuke, about the uchiha, they would know her married name. this is about her, and for that sakura feels worse. her baby was taken and why? just to hurt sakura before killing her? sarada was who knows where with surely no one that could be good and all just to hurt sakura?

sakura snarls, furious in a way only a mother could be, and she feels the chakra pulsing around her fists.

“where is my daughter?”

their masks hide any expressions. they remain at ease in the face of her rage, shockingly unafraid of this woman that can level mountains.

good, sakura thinks. let them be brave. let them come at her like fools.

she runs through the bedroom door to get to the living room where there’s at least more space to maneuver. the man leaps and brings his blade down upon her, but sakura manages to shift to the side. careful to not be forced into a corner, she spins out of his range and into the open middle until the woman runs past her partner and takes sakura on hand-to-hand.

she matches sakura’s punches and kicks blow for blow. she’s good, sakura thinks nervously. and she’s fast. she’s small, maybe half a head shorter than sakura, so she puts her weight behind every quick jab. sakura gives most of her attention to the woman, but keeps a wary on eye on the man who sheathes his chokuto.

what as he planning?

it takes that one moment for the woman to catch her unaware.

sakura chokes on her breath as the woman thrusts a senbon into her shoulder. the shock from that slows her down enough so she can lodge in a second.

“shit,” sakura curses as she stumbles back. she rips the senbon out, but she feels her left arm begin to go numb from the struck pressure point. “what did you do--”

sakura’s eyes widen she she feels something foreign begin to course through her. she considers the senbon, dark with her blood and likely something else. there’s a metallic smell that isn’t from the weapon, and sakura knows she’s been poisoned.

however, her body doesn’t bother to fight it.

sakura watches her opponents, trying to understand how she’s been poisoned with something she’s immune to and just what poison this might be. she’s immune to everything in konoha’s own collection, as well as the ones she shares with shizune.

which poison is this?

does that matter?

sakura scowls at the two people involved in her daughter’s kidnapping and reminds herself that she can take them on one-handed just fine. she pulls her right hand into a fist and charges. the man is closest, so she lunges at him with a chakra-laden punch that sends him barreling into the wall.

she grabs the front of his shirt and as she pulls him forward, his mask falls away to reveal green eyes, cold and lifeless, and a black diamond under his left eye that makes her uneasy.

sakura stares at the man, confused, because she knows this face.

she knows him.

her fear and pain and worry makes it hard to focus, but knows him.

focus.

finally, it clicks.

“isao?”

she thinks she might have seen something like recognition in his eyes. that doesn’t long though. she left herself open, and his partner stabs her shoulder. sakura releases isao with a cry before the woman punches her in the back of the head and everything goes dark.

the sun is up when sakura begins to stir. she hears the birds chirping and people outside going about their days. but the buzz of the television is missing, as are the small thuds of sarada’s steps. where is sarada? sakura wonders hazily, lazily, not quite understanding yet.

where is sarada?

her eyes widen and she sits up so quickly her stomach rolls.

“careful.” tsunade comes into view, steadying sakura and checking her for any problems. “you’re still healing.”

she’s in her own bed. she’s not at the hospital. she got knocked out and the assassins got away. she should’ve done something to track them. dammit. was she so arrogant she didn’t have a failsafe in place for if she didn’t simply beat them? sakura punches the bed, earning a disapproving frown from shizune on her other side.

“there was poison in your system.”

“it was one of ours,” sakura admits warily.

“yes. there are very few people with access to those, much less this particular one.”

the one that the assassin used was meant to render a victim paralyzed but still able to feel. it was a dreadful thing, meant only for the worst of interrogations. or, more accurately, for torture. sakura concocted it in her darkest moments at fourteen under shizune’s watchful eye. since then, while they’ve both had small handfuls of keen students, they’ve probably shared poisons from their personal roster with only five people at most.

for this particular poison, sakura knows only two people they showed it to, and only one of those was a student of sakura’s.

“how did you find me?”

tsunade rolls her eyes. “shizune sent you off to a prison from kakashi’s office. i figured i’d have to check on you shortly after. and it’s a good thing i did, stupid girl.”

“thank you.”

“don’t thank me. i’m scolding on you.”

“did they find anything useful?”

“no one’s been able to contact your husband.”

“right.”

“and they’re still under the impression that this has to do with the uchiha blood.”

“they would be,” sakura mutters, too tired and in too good company to be anything but blunt.

shizune sighs. “do you know who came after you last night?” the flower is still where she left it on the dresser. shizune follows her gaze to the fire poppy, and all knowing with plants as well, shizune determines its origins. “how did that get here?”

“i think it was to taunt me.” sakura grimaces. “you were right.”

“about?”

“i think this is my fault.”

shizune’s eyes widen and quickly soften with sympathy. “none of this your fault,” she reminds sakura.

tsunade crosses her arms. “enemies of yours then?”

“no.” sakura looks sad. “people i once loved.”

tbc

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simply-trash5 · 3 years

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Heartbeat

This post is for one of my new friends @simpingforgaara

I hope that you like this piece. It was fun for me to write. Thank you for letting me simp in your dm’s. <3

Remember that I am taking lyric requests sweeties and I would love to write one for you all.

18. “And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat.”

Song: Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine

Knockknockknock

“Yes he’s here finally.” You padded over to the front door of your apartment and opened it. “I’ve been waiting for you, I almost started the movie without you.” In the doorway stood your best friend Gaara. You both had been friends since you were teenagers. Every Friday night was movie night. No matter what, that was a date you could never break.

“Sorry I was running late,” Gaara grumbled running a hand through his wet hair, “its really coming down out there. I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain today.” You laughed at your friend. His clothes were completely soaked and he was shivering. His light blue eyes traveled to your face. “So can I come in?”

You let Gaara in your small apartment. “I think you have some clothes in my room if you want to change?” You went off into your bedroom and found a black shirt and grey sweatpants that Gaara had left from his previous sleepover. You guys had slept at each other's houses for years so you had clothes at his place too. “Here ya go,” you said handing your best friend the outfit you had collected from your room. Gaara stood and made his way to the bathroom to change. The wind began howling, the rain pounding, and the thunder booming, you had no idea it was supposed to storm like this.

Gaara returned to the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch. You both began watching the movie that you had picked. It was one of your favorite movies, so it wasn’t a huge deal that you were missing some of the scenes to steal looks at your best friend. He really was beautiful. He was tall, lean, but muscular. He had red locks that laid in soft waves, porcelain skin, and piercing blue eyes.

For you, Gaara was your best friend but he was also the object of your affection; he of course didn’t know that. You had found yourself falling in love with your best friend soon after you became friends. You had spent so much time together that you knew everything about each other. You knew about his troubling childhood, his fears, his hopes, and his dreams. He even held you when you cried over your last boyfriend. How did he not see that you were hopelessly in love with him?

“Y/N? Are you okay? You have been staring at me for minutes now. This is your favorite movie.” You blushed slightly and shook your head.

“Yeah I’m fine.” Just as you were getting ready to suggest another movie the power went out leaving you both in the dark. The lightning danced outside the window and lit up his stunning features. His eyes almost seemed to glow. “Gaara, will you help me find the candles?”

You both made your way into your kitchen rummaging through cabinets and drawers to find candles. You both were only able to find one. You lit the candle and sat it on the coffee table in front of you. Gaara went back to his original place on the couch and watched as the flame danced in the dark. The candlelight on his face made him seem otherworldly. “Y/N, can I ask you something?” Gaara said using a soft deep voice.

“Of course. You know I will tell you anything,” you said not expecting what he was going to say.

“When were you going to tell me that you were in love with me?”

You immediately froze. Your heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a vice. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes. Your biggest secret was no longer a secret and you knew that this would change your friendship forever. “I’m sorry Gaara,” you squeaked as you lept off of the couch and ran down the hall to your room. You turned toward your window with the back facing the door. You’d hoped that Gaara had left, but after a few minutes of silence you heard your door creak open and saw the light from the small candle being sat behind you. Then you heard a breath and suddenly you were in the dark. The lightning outside flashed wildly and your emotions got the best of you. You began to silently cry. You could feel Gaara’s eyes on you, but you didn’t dare turn toward him.

“Y/N we are supposed to be best friends. You are supposed to tell me everything. Why didn’t you tell me your feelings?” Gaara sounded hurt. You felt awful that you had caused him any sort of pain. You continued to watch the rain and lightning out your window and attempted to form a response.

“Gaara, I never told you because, well, because I didn’t want it to ruin our friendship. You mean so much to me. I would rather have you as a friend if I couldn’t have you as more.” You felt the bed behind you sink. Two long arms snaked their way around you. You could feel the warmth of Gaara’s body against yours and could feel his heart beating in the dark.

“Y/N, I have known for a while. I just figured you would tell me. Despite what you may think, I think I love you too. Something about your last break-up really showed me. I was so angry Y/N, I swear I could have killed him. It pained me to see you so hurt, but it hurt me worse to know that I would never treat you that way.”

You rolled over so that you both were nose to nose. He reached a hand up and with a soft thumb wiped away a tear on your cheek. “Gaara, please don’t feel like you have to say that. I don’t want you to say it unless you really feel that way.” Gaara reached the same hand to your hair and began to stroke it softly. You could feel yourself melting under his touch.

“Y/N I love you. You know everything about me. All of the ugly parts that I hide from others, you've seen. You were literally with me at my worst but you’re still here. I want to give you the world if you will let me.” You reached your hand to cover his as he traced a small circle on your cheek. You felt like your whole body was on fire. This is what you had been waiting for your whole life. This had to be what love felt like.

You leaned into Gaara and kissed him. The kiss was soft and slow. You felt your eyes flutter open, half expecting it to be a dream, but no. He was there. You were there. In the dark that night you both found a new beginning.

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strangeinternetwasteland · 3 years

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Trinity- Chapter 1

“Bruh.” Trinity said out loud, not really sure if anyone was listening to her or not. The regular group was still chattering amongst themselves.

“What’s wrong?” Lorelie asked coming up behind Trinity placing the coffee pot back in its home.

“This damn succulent. How come I can never keep one alive for more than a week? This one is almost dead. I don’t even know man.” Trinity was clearly exasperated.

“Don’t we have a book on Cacti and Succulent care around here?” Lorelie gestured towards the bookstore amused.

“Could you not? I mean damn. I know but-” Trinity abruptly stopped when Lorelie placed an iced coffee and brownie before her.

“Fine.” Trinity momentarily gave in and would swear she saw Lorelie participate in a mini victory dance out of the corner of her eye. Before Trinity could enjoy a sip of her coffee the bell above the Cozy Corner’s entrance tinkled as an out of breath Alex came running in.

“Hey!” Guys!” Alex said panting. “I just found out-” he was excitedly struggling to get his words out. Everyone’s eyes were anxiously anticipating Alex’s next words. “The Kazekage is here!” Clearly giddy with this information. Trinity wondered why he was so happy with such news. “That means I can cause chaos with two Kages at once!” He continued.

Trinity mulled it over for a moment before stating, “Bro. I don’t think that is such a good idea.” Lorelie read the hesitation on Trinity’s face.

“Alex, sweetie, terrorizing Naruto is enough, but I definitely don’t think terrorizing another land’s leader is the best of ideas either,” Lorelie interjected

“But the chaos! Just imagine it!” Dina added.

Rolling her eyes at the two, Trinity gave up on the conversation for now. Alex was known for causing chaos, and pranking others, and Dina loved to egg him on and help out whenever possible.

She absently stared at the succulent in her hands, thinking about how she grew up in Suna and eventually moved to Kohona. She knew of the Kazekage, Gaara, while growing up. She knew of his personal growth from being seen as a monster to a wonderful Kazekage. She also knew that even though he wouldn’t put up with whatever bullshit prank Alex was planning currently.

Too lost in her thoughts, Trinity hadn’t noticed the deafening silence that had fallen around her. She was too busy admitting to herself that Gaara was handsome, and it did help he was only a year or two older than she was.

Jolting back into reality, Trinity looked around the store. She was face to face with a pair of aqua eyes that seem as tranquil as the sea. The red hair that was slicked down, smelled of sunshine rays and fresh air. She was left breathless by the sight of the stoic Kazekage.

Lorelie had stepped over to properly greet the Kazekage. “Hello, Lord Kazekage!” Lorelie bowed as she spoke. “Welcome to the Cozy Corner. We hope that you’re finding your time here most agreeable. Could I possibly interest you in a coffee or a baked good? They’re made fresh daily right here.”

“I’ll take a large hot coffee. One cream and one sugar, please.” Gaara said staring through Lorelie toward Trinity. It had unnerved her a bit, but she went to start his order. He stood in the bookstore perfectly still, no one dared to breathe.

The Kazekage turned his attention to Trinity, who was still holding the half-dead succulent in her hand. Gaara looked down at Trinity’s hands and faintly sighed. A small look of displeasure spread across his delicate face. He gingerly plucked the plant from Trinity’s hands taking a closer look.

No one dared to move or speak while they all silently watched from their seats. “The soil feels okay, seems fertile enough. The temperature is warm enough in here. Plus it’s not drowning in water.” Gaara quietly said talking to himself.

Trinity blushed profusely from embarrassment. She knew that she know better about succulents, especially growing up around them in Suna. She felt completely inept in front of the Kazekage.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at Trinity and spoke softly, “This plant needs a bigger container. It outgrew its original home and needs a new one.” For some strange reason, those words hit Trinity deeply.

“Y- Y- Yes, Thank you Lord-” Trinity stammered out. Just as soon as she stopped feeling like dying from embarrassment, Lorelie gently squeezed her hand.

“Thank you Lord Kazekage, for stopping by the Cozy Corner! Feel free to come by anytime!” Lorelie said as cheerfully as she could.

A slight smile formed on Garra’s lips. “I think I will…” he stopped for a beat before adding, “I’ll need to make sure that succulent is getting proper before I head back home.” He looked pointedly at Trinity, turned on his heel, and walked out the door of the bookstore. With that, a collective sigh was breathed, and the chatter amongst the group grew as just as much as the hope and excitement in Trinty’s chest with the expectation of seeing Gaara again.

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jouissezduprintemps · 7 years

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Something to Prove, Chapter One : Lackluster Welcome

Rating: T Warnings: Swearing Words: 3,177 Fandom: Naruto Summary: As Suna prepares for its first independently-held chunin exam since Gaara became kazekage, the sand siblings must make sure that everything goes off without a hitch.

Temari loved both of her brothers dearly. They were the only family they had left. As annoying as Kankuro could be, and even after everything Gaara had done, they were still her blood. But, sometimes, she needed a break.

She could understand why the elders and her father had assigned the three of them to a squad despite their age differences. They were all highly talented; they had royal blood; it would be easier to groom them to become future kazekage.

But for the love of all that was holy, no one could travel for three days straight with their siblings and stay sane.

“I’m telling you, it’s going to be so fucking cool. And I’ve just got to figure out how to get all of them to interlock. I mean, I can already get them to morph into what I need. That’s easy. But when you think about it, I’m going to need a lot more than just crow and the others to make it happen. And then, I’ve got to figure out how to manage that many threads-”

Temari looked up at the sun. Four in the afternoon. Kankuro had been talking nonstop for over an hour. Neither she nor Gaara were even pretending to listen. He just loved the sound of his own voice. If she was honest with herself, she’d stopped listening after he’d said the words ‘giant, morphing puppet monster.’

Maybe this is why Shikamaru smokes.

“Kankuro,” Gaara rasped, looking ahead rather than at his brother. “We’ve still got some ways to go before we reach Konoha. You may want to save your breath for a while.”

Temari bit back a laugh, surprised that quiet, reserved Gaara had spoken up before she did. She could tell by Kankuro’s gaping mouth that he was caught off guard, as well.

“You know, if I didn’t look just like Dad, I’d think I was adopted,” Kankuro snapped bitterly.

“That would explain a lot of things.” Gaara’s voice was tinged with amusement, and Temari could hear the smirk he was wearing.

She couldn’t hold it back anymore. Temari laughed into the palm of her hand, turning away from her brother. The look on his face would be too much, and she’d have to stop if she laughed too hard.

“The hell?! Don’t team up on me like that.”

“Then quit setting yourself up,” Temari suggested once she had composed herself.

Kankuro bit his tongue, already planning his revenge. Maybe he’d go with his old standby of leaving Crow in unusual places. That one never failed to make Temari jump out of her skin. Gaara was harder to break, but he’d figure something out.

The three ran in silence until the sky turned a hazy purple. With the red walls of the village in sight, they slowed their pace to a leisurely stroll down the marked road. Only a complete idiot would risk attacking the trio so close to an allied village. Gaara would have sensed any enemies by now, anyway.

The kazekage stretched his neck to the left and rolled his right shoulder in a stretch. “Let’s not forget why we’re here. It’s an honor for Suna to host the chunin exam without the aid of Konoha, and we can’t afford to let anything slide. Kankuro, you’ll be meeting with a few of the jonin squad leaders. Make sure they know what their teams will be up against when it comes to the survival challenge. I don’t want anyone sending unprepared genin into the Demon Desert. It won’t look good if too many die on our watch.”

“Right,” Kankuro affirmed. They had spent their fair share of time within that hell hole, and all three were intimately aware of the dangers that lurked within. He glanced at his sister out of the corner of his eye, trying to will away the image he had of her bleeding out onto the sand after an ambush by a giant scorpion. They were only genin; if Gaara hadn’t lost control, Temari might not have survived. That was the only time Kankuro had ever been grateful for the sand demon.

“Temari, I trust you to take care of things on your end. I’d like to have everything smoothed out by the time we leave as far as the exam itself is concerned. Run the numbers and make any contingency plans you think are necessary.”

“I’ve got it,” Temari said confidently. The exams had been at the forefront of her mind for months; she’d even started dreaming about them over the last few nights. To her, this exam was their chance to prove themselves to the other nations. No other village was led by anyone close to Gaara’s age, let alone advised by those in their late-teens or early-twenties. Being Kage had always been an old man’s game. Sure, recent Kage had chipped away at that mold, but Suna couldn’t keep appearing weak to the other nations. This was a time when they could prove themselves as the next generation, to show their predecessors that they were fit to take the reins and rule in their stead.

“The exams are in two weeks. We have three days here. Make the most of it.” Gaara’s serious tone didn’t raise any red flags. So far, it seemed everything was going as planned.

The familiar faces of Izumo and Kotetsu were illuminated by the lights they held as they stood guard over the large, open gate. Darkness had yet to fall, but they had run behind, a fact for which Gaara made sure to apologize. The two leaf ninja brushed the incident aside, but it was clear that they had both been eager to shut the gate and abandon their post for the evening.

The air was full of spicy-sweet flavors that made Kankuro’s stomach growl audibly. Fair enough, Temari thought. They hadn’t had much of anything in the last few days, and the smells of dinner time in the leaf were enough to make anyone weak.

Her eyes darted around their location, clearly on the lookout. Her eyebrows raised ever so slightly before furrowing. He forgot, she was sure. That, or he was too wrapped up in having his own dinner to remember his job. She clicked her tongue in impatience before turning to her brothers. “Well, we should get something to eat before it gets too late.”

Kankuro placed his hands on his sister’s shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “I would kill a man for barbeque.”

Temari nonchalantly moved his hands away and glanced at Gaara, who shrugged. Pleased, Kankuro grabbed his siblings by the wrists and practically drug them down the busy street. No one paid them much attention. Gaara had chosen against traveling in his kage garb, which he found cumbersome. To the untrained eye, the three of them were just normal ninja. Gaara and Temari were finally released so that Kankuro could open the door beneath a large sign that read ‘BBQ.’

After being ushered to their table, Temari plopped down onto a cushion and rubbed her wrist. “None of that was necessary.”

“I beg to differ,” Kankuro argued as he studied the menu. The one thing he loved about these trips was that their food and lodging was on Suna’s dime rather than their own. He had developed a sort of masochistic ritual where, upon arrival, he would stuff himself silly and then lay in bed, sick, for the rest of the night. All the same, it only affected himself, so neither his brother nor his sister said or did anything to stop him.

Gaara and Temari informed their waiter that they’d be splitting one plate of meat to Kankuro’s two, and Temari asked for extra vegetables and a bottle of sake. She knew Kankuro was looking at her as she ordered. As the waiter left after bringing her sake, she looked over at him and snapped “What?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just that someone’s trying to flaunt their age a little too desperately.”

Temari scoffed. “Don’t blame me because you’re underage. That one’s all Mom and Dad. If you want it so badly, just order. No one here’s going to check up on you.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Temari smacked her brother’s hand, which was reaching across the table for her cup. “Get your own.”

“Be reasonable,” Gaara warned his siblings. Young as they were, the three of them were still visiting dignitaries. As the name implied, well, he hoped they’d both maintain at least some of their dignity.

And reasonable they were, to the best of their ability. Kankuro ordered his third serving at the same time Temari asked for her second bottle of sake. Even their younger brother was starting to feel full and content.

“Hey, look who it is!”

Temari looked up from their table to see her pleasant, and rather plump, friend standing beside them. To his left was Ino, who seemed more surprised than anything else.

“Mind if we join you?” Choji asked, although by that point he had already taken a seat. Temari tucked her legs back under the table to make room for him and to avoid being sat on. Ino followed his lead, slipping more gracefully down next to Gaara.

“Not at all,” Gaara assured them. He did wonder for a moment if this meant that they would be paying for their companions’ food as well, but he decided that wasn’t important. It had been a long journey, and they were all happy to have the company.

“Here,” Temari slid the plate closest to her nearer to the center of the table. “We’ll go ahead and order some more.”

Begrudgingly, Kankuro followed her lead before signaling to their waiter. A look of recognition crossed the man’s face as he saw the new guests, and he made sure to grab a tray on which he could put more plates.

“Hey,” Ino spoke up as she surveyed the restaurant. “Where’s Shikamaru?”

“Don’t know,” Temari informed her as she tilted the bottle of sake over her cup, pouring out the last of it.

“He wasn’t there to meet you?”

Temari lifted the glass to her lips before shrugging her shoulders. Her cheeks had turned a healthy shade of pink from the alcohol and the warmth of the grill. “He probably forgot.”

“Yeah, the two guards were there, like always, but that was it.” Kankuro confirmed as he took one of the plates passed to him by the waiter. Dishes changed hands and more sake was brought to the table before he continued. “I didn’t even know he was supposed to meet us.”

“Well, he always escorts Temari. So, when we heard you were coming, we just assumed,” Choji informed them, mouth full.

Ino glared at him, scolding “Swallow before you talk, you idiot! Use your manners!”

Choji chuckled bashfully after doing as he was told. “Sorry, Ino.”

“We were late getting here. Perhaps he thought we weren’t coming?” Gaara suggested, not entirely sure if Choji and Ino were concerned for or disappointed in their teammate.

Temari let out a short laugh, perhaps a little louder than she had intended. “The day that man is on time for anything is the day the sun won’t rise.”

“I’ll drink to that!” Ino exclaimed, and both women downed their cups of sake after toasting one another.

“Come on, guys. Lighten up.” Choji jumped to his best friend’s defense. He started flipping the meat on the grill as an excuse not to look at anyone in particular. “He means well.”

“Meaning well and doing well are two completely different things,” Ino corrected, earning a nondescript noise of approval from the sand kunoichi.

Kankuro groaned and shoved his empty plate further inward on the table. His hand snatched the black hat off his head, revealing a mess of brown hair. He rested both his forearms in front of him and lay his head down. “I don’t feel so good.”

“What did you expect?” Gaara asked his brother, who only groaned.

“Aaaand that’s the end of that,” Temari declared, gesturing for their waiter to bring them the check.

Gaara took the check before anyone else had a chance to say something, handing it immediately back to the waiter with the full amount they owed. He lifted himself to his feet before bracing himself, moving to help his brother to his feet.

Temari and Ino were stable on their own, but they’d both had a little too much to drink to be of any use. Choji took it upon himself to help Kankuro. His larger frame made it easier to help him along than it would be for the slight kazekage.

“Are you staying at your usual place?” Choji asked as the five ninja stepped outside into the cool, night air.

“Well, if my escort ever bothered to show up, maybe we’d know,” Temari remarked snidely before she could stop herself. Her face reddened when she realized she had used a possessive pronoun, but the color in her cheeks masked it, much to her relief.

Ino laughed, easing Temari’s nervousness. Her mind was still clear enough to realize that they wouldn’t get very far without the keys to her apartment. In fact, she had no idea if her brothers would be staying with her at the small apartment, or if the hokage had arranged for them to stay elsewhere.

Gaara, who was far more lucid than either of his siblings, and the only one free of the effects of alcohol, caught on to this fact the quickest. “It seems like we need to find Shikamaru.”

Kankuro groaned, putting more of his weight against Choji. “Please don’t make me walk.”

“Okay, easy does it.” Choji did his best not to jostle Kankuro too much as he pulled him up onto his back. The sand ninja was too ill to feel any embarrassment at his current situation. Choji took it upon himself to lead the way. Gaara walked beside him, keeping an eye on his older brother. Temari trudged along behind, matching her pace with Ino.

“Where do you think he is?” Ino asked her teammate.

“Dunno. But he’s gotta be around here somewhere, right?”

The group wandered through the streets of Konoha as the moon rose steadily higher. The further from the gate they went, the fewer people they encountered. Soon Temari didn’t recognize the faces of anyone they passed. She let out a languid sigh.

“Tell me about it,” Ino commented. She then turned her attention to the front of the group. “C’mon, Choji. He’s probably wandered off somewhere. I say forget him.”

“Let’s just see if he’s at his place,” Choji insisted. “If he isn’t, then we’ll figure something out.” It was getting late, and playing ‘where’s Shikamaru’ wasn’t how any of them had planned to spend the evening.

Temari was sobering up as the night went on, but that didn’t stop her from cursing him under her breath. Apparently, she wasn’t as quiet as she thought, because Ino put a hand on her shoulder in solidarity.

She’d been on the road for three days. All she’d wanted was a good meal, some hot sake, and a long bath.

Choji set Kankuro down against a stone pillar, which served as the base for a large gate. A banner hung down, marked with the Nara family symbol. It didn’t look like any lights were on. “Let me check.” Choji left his companions behind as he walked down the path and up to the door. He walked from one end of the porch to the other, peering around the house.

Temari placed her hands on her hips as Choji made his way back to them. When he shook his head, she reached her arms up to the sky and twisted, popping her back. She was exhausted, and she’d had enough. “Fuck it,” she decided, catching the leaf ninja off guard with her language. “There has to be an inn around here. Shikamaru can pay the bill.”

“Now, come on, don’t do that.” Choji did his best to placate her. “You guys can come crash at my place. My folks won’t mind.”

Gaara jumped in before his brother or sister could say a word. “That’s very kind of you. We’d appreciate that. I’m sure we will get this sorted out tomorrow morning.”

“Well, I’m out, then.” Ino raised her hand in farewell. “Let me know if you find him, okay?”

“You’ve got it,” Choji assured her.

Kankuro took it upon himself to walk the rest of the way, but he also didn’t hesitate to complain. His voice was the only one in the group; Gaara and Temari were both physically exhausted. Thankfully, they didn’t have much further to walk.

Temari sat down in the doorway of the Akimichi residence as she removed her shoes, and she wondered if she’d be able to get back up. She certainly didn’t want to. One thing was for sure. She’d gained a lot more appreciation for Choji. She also felt closer to Ino after tonight, as strange as that was for her. New friends weren’t easy to come by.

Choji offered her his hand, which she took and used to pull herself to her feet once more.

“Up you go.” Choji smiled. “Now, come on, you guys. We’ve got some spare rooms. I’ll explain everything to my parents tomorrow. For now, let’s get some rest.”

Bedding, blankets, and pillows were stored neatly away in closets behind sliding doors, much to Temari’s relief. She dropped her pack onto the tatami and gathered what she would need, half-dragging it out into the room. At that moment, the clean bedding felt like heaven.

As she changed clothes, she could already hear Kankuro snoring from the next room. That was sure to keep her up a while longer. Quietly, as not to disturb their hosts, she slipped into the hallway and tiptoed until she found the kitchen. She took a moment to splash water onto her face from the sink, enjoying the cool sensation on her warm cheeks. Before she closed the faucet, she filled a glass of water and drank until it was empty. She knew she’d thank herself for it the next day. Once she filled her glass a second time, she retraced her footsteps. Quietly, she slid the door to her room closed.

Too warm for her tastes, she opened the door to the walkway, letting the night air inside. She took a moment to sit cross-legged on the wood, breathing deeply. She needed to let go of some of her anger if she was going to sleep. Still… how could he forget? She couldn’t admit that she was personally offended. But, even as a mission, he’d failed spectacularly. In a word, she was disappointed.

The realization weighed heavy on her chest. Bitterly, she hoped that he’d lose just as much sleep as she would that night. A yawn caught her by surprise, and she gave up the fight. She fell down onto her bedding, asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow.

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