Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original cast of Naruto nor the original plot line.
Prologue: The Ticking Clock
Teal eyes glared at the mechanism that sat hanging on the wall directly across from her, meticulously watching the second hand jerk its way around the surface. She could imagine the ticking sound it made with each motion.
None of this was right. None of it. If she had any say in the matter this meeting would not have gone in the direction that it did. She didn't have a say though, she was merely allowed to sit in the meeting room to be a witness since she was family. So she was stuck. Stuck glaring at a goddamn clock on the wall watching the minutes tick by. She had seen thirty-nine minutes and twenty-three seconds go by since she had been unable to look away since the meeting had begun. She didn't want to chance a glance at the man sitting directly across from her, seeing him might break her in ways watching time pass by wouldn't.
If only the Land of Wind weren't so desperate, or at least the wind daimyo so ignorant, then her baby brother wouldn't be stuck in the position he was in now.
Temari had tried to look at the situation from the daimyo's point of view, she had given it an honest try. She still didn't understand. She could easily see how important it was to keep the trade up with the Land of Fire. After all while the Land of Wind was in possession of the most land out of all the nations, the majority of it was dessert and thus not suitable for growing crops. As a result they were forced to outsource produce from elsewhere and if the Land of Fire was abundant in anything it was produce. They had some of the most fertile ground on the entire continent and were more than willing to trade their excess vegetables and fruits for a supply of livestock in the Land of Wind. The system of trade had worked well for the two nations and proved to be beneficial. That was at least until the drought hit this year.
With hardly enough water for the people of the Land of Wind the cattle and horses had been left to die and there weren't enough left to trade with the Land of Fire this year. Panic had apparently ensued from this fact.
Temari closed her eyes in frustration, shutting them off from the clock face momentarily. The wind daimyo apparently felt that the alliance with the Land of Fire would fall apart if the Land of Wind were unable to keep up their side of the trade agreement. This is where she felt his ignorance came into play. Tsunade, while she was only the Hokage and not the fire daimyo, would not let the Land of Wind go hungry by keeping produce from them let allow end their alliance over livestock. Apparently this had not sunk into the wind daimyo's thick skull and he had quickly contacted the fire daimyo with his own way to strengthen the alliance.
He had chosen the old fashion way, a political marriage.
Teal eyes opened again to settle into the same glare as earlier, still directed at the clock. Forty-two minutes and nine seconds had passed now and she still felt that this meeting was out of line and foolish. The idea of a political marriage was one thing, what did she care when two politicians devote themselves to a loveless marriage for politics? She didn't have a problem with it until rather than selecting a politician the daimyo had selected the Kazekage, her baby brother.
A loveless marriage was the last thing that she wanted for her little brother. Scratch that, death was the last thing that she wanted for her baby brother but a loveless marriage made a close second. After all, he had made so much progress. He had gone from his loner, murderous, possessed days in his youth to being the younger brother that she had always hoped he would be. He was all together a caring person now and with all the changes she had seen him go through, all the relationships he had forged, she had hoped to one day watch him fall in love and marry. She didn't want this. Temari didn't want him to enter a loveless marriage with some politician's daughter or some rich heiress. She wanted it to be up to him on who he married.
They had already been informed before the meeting that the decision was final. The Kazekage was to marry a bride from the Land of Fire or relinquish his position to someone who would. The meeting was mostly just for the council to read off the agreement to him. She bitterly thought it was to inform him of his future duty as a husband to some rich brat. She hadn't truly been focusing on the words the council was saying though. Instead she had been rather lost in her own thoughts since the beginning of the meeting. She had picked up few things here and there to get the general idea of what was to come. The girl that had been chosen was not a kunoichi, she was to be protected, and cared for, she was to be ensured comfort and whatever her heart desired. Perhaps she had added on the last part but that was basically what they were saying.
"I understand." Her brother's voice had broken her from her train of thought. It was the first time he had spoken during the entire meeting. Out of habit Temari's teal eyes slid down to her brother's form. Instantly she regretted it.
She had never seen her brother look so defeated before. Perhaps to the rest of the council he merely looked as if he were slouching a bit, or perhaps just a bit tired. Temari on the other hand knew better, she was after all his older sister. She knew Gaara never slouched, he always would sit straight backed in his chair and would even keep a straight back when he would lean over to do paperwork. Only occasionally would Temari catch him leaning back in his chair and gazing out the window. The Gaara that sat before her had his shoulders slightly hunched and an emotionless face. She knew it was defeat, perhaps even nerves as to what was to come in his future.
Her eyes broke away from him again to watch the paper being passed down the line of council members before it reached her brother. "All we need is your signature stating your agreement to follow through with your marriage," the council member sitting next to her spoke up. She glared at him and if he noticed at all he didn't acknowledge it. His eyes remained on her bother. So she looked at the clock again.
She couldn't look at Gaara again, couldn't chance it. She didn't want to watch him sign his life away, she didn't even like the fact that she knew it was happening right in front of her. She could hear the scratching of the pen on paper, why did the room have to fall so silent? Fourty-nine minutes and fifty-two seconds had passed since the meeting had started and now she felt like her brother's life was over. The paper was signed.
"Temari." She was forced to look away from the clock as one of the council men had addressed her. "Now that all of our paper work is inline it is time to discuss your next mission." The frown that had been on her face since the beginning of the day deepened. Had the purpose of the meeting not just been completed?
"What mission?" She didn't bother to hide the malice in her voice. She had already done as she was instructed, sit there quietly and be a witness, they had no right to ask something else of her right now. Not after what she just had to witness he baby brother go through.
Of course the council man didn't even have the audacity to acknowledge her anger, rather instead he kept a sickening smile plastered on his face. She would never understand how the council men always seemed to think a smile would make the situation better. It more so made her want to put a well-placed kunai in their head. Too bad killing council men was frowned upon. "You're to travel to Konohagakure with a small team to join a small team from there to pick up the Kazekage's future bride and bring her here. I'll hand you the paperwork at the door. Now, I do believe this meeting is adjourned."
The sound of scrapping chairs filled the room as the council men quickly filed out, her little brother included. She didn't even glance his way to see him out. Her teal eyes instead remained trained on the manila folder still clasped in the council man's hands as he headed for the door. She should move she realized. She hadn't even bothered to move from her seat. She was too lost in thought of what this girl might be like. Would she be the brat she predicted or perhaps Temari would be lucky and find the girl to at least be suitable for her brother? She was so lost in thought she didn't recognize she was moving until the manila folder was set in her hands.
She didn't look away from the folder until she heard the door shut and she was left alone in the meeting room. Silence didn't greet her as she expected, rather instead now she could truly hear the ticking of the clock. Temari glanced up to see that she was standing directly beneath the mechanical bastard. Her brother's life had just been signed away and here it had the nerve to keep ticking by. Her glare returned as she stared at its pristine white face. Perhaps her kunai would be better served wedged in its surface.
'Stop it,' she thought bitterly. Temari forced her eyes to look at the manila folder holding her mission assignment again. With a sigh she opened the flap and pulled out the paperwork before quickly scanning the contents. It was all what she expected when she had been informed of what the mission entailed. She was to leave immediately with the selected team to travel to Konohagakure, meet another team there, and bring the girl to Sunagakure. Getting the general idea she went to slide the papers back into the folder until something else caught her eye.
It was a name. Not just any name either but the name of her future sister in law. She took a second to gaze at the characters of the girl's title. Aya Mori of Kitamori-mura. Temari felt a smirk form on her face. 'Well Aya Mori, let's see how colorful you are.'
A/N: Maybe some of you remember me and perhaps then you can indeed see that this is a rewrite of my last story. This version I've spent more time planning and I'm hoping that much is evident. Any way I hope all of you that read this enjoyed it and I do hope to have the first official chapter up sooner rather than later. If you would please leave a review I would greatly appreciate it =3