Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; it belongs to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. Damn him for killing all the good characters.

Note: Okay, so after posting this like… six years ago, MS is getting a revamp! I'm still using the same general contents as the original version, but hopefully I'll make it a better read while I'm rewriting it. This story actually had more support than I thought it did when I looked, and I'm so happy to know that all of ya'll support this story despite the OC pairing. 3 Hope you enjoy!

Misty Sunsets

20FacesChizu

Chapter 1—Smile

It was nearly incomprehensible.

A Konoha genin stood before him, smiling brightly and holding out the papers she had knocked from his hand. Whether she picked the fight herself or not he wasn't sure, but two of his chuunin—both at least twice her size—had apparently taken up that challenge with a childishly unbecoming zeal. One had sent her reeling right into him, and now the foolish man was turning an unhealthy shade of white.

"My apologies, Kazekage-sama. I suppose I should be more careful where I pick my fights," she said lightly, laughing it off. He took the papers she offered him cautiously, observing the three of them in turn. The two chuunin were becoming ever more mortified as they reviewed their behavior, as though he would strike them dead for hitting her. He would not deny the possibility of punishment, but for the moment his attention was drawn elsewhere. Gaara hadn't seen a look like that since… Naruto, he supposed, though it was different from the smiling face his friend showed him. It was bright and sweet, and completely open to him in an innocent way. He still couldn't understand the few that never once showed fear towards him, and now she was added to that short (yet steadily growing) list. She knew he was the Kazekage, and therefore one could naturally assume she knew he was a Jinchuuriki. He was almost disappointed when her face fell; her eyes looked up at him innocently, a strange, pale red—not pink, but as though the red had faded out after a long time—and addressed him again. "Kazekage-sama? Are you angry with me?"

He shook himself back to reality. "No."

The smile she showed him was brilliant, and it was as though she genuinely meant it. He decided she was a rare beast; the kind that knows no fear, or ignores it when she sees it. The thought that her understanding of fear might be weak made him a little irritated—if she knew, understood and hadn't cared… that would have made him feel better, he was sure. She casually checked around for more papers before her strange eyes returned to his, her cheerful visage apparently a permanent fixture even in his presence.

"Good! I'd hate to cause trouble on my first mission to Suna. I'm supposed to be the good child, after all," she piped cheerfully, adjusting her kimono a bit to cover more of the shiraishi that showed above the loose neck. It surprised him a bit when she turned a sly, insinuating look to the men she'd been fighting with, their faces going impossibly paler as she addressed them, saying, "Now behave yourselves, gentlemen. Don't make me come back here, y'know?"

The slightly devious expression disappeared without a trace as she turned back to Gaara, shocking him as she began to push him in the direction of a little restaurant stall down the street. His protective sand didn't budge; it wriggled uneasily, which the former Jinchuuriki found extremely disconcerting, but it did not rise to remove her from his personal space. Despite his distraction, he heard her clear voice quip something about repayment for damages to his paper, person and schedule together with mention of a good bowl of hiyashi soba, and sure enough she parked him—purposefully pushing him in to a seat where only she could sit next to him—at the soba stand he'd been hearing much about lately. The popularity of the stand meant little to him, as likely she had no idea about it's many good rumors, but the way she presumptuously occupied the seat next to him without so much as a by-your-leave was certainly a new experience. She chattered aimlessly about the weather, the beauty of his village, her excitement about the different climate she had never experienced before, and other mundane topics, giving him a chance to look her over.

The first thing he had laid eyes on was her forehead protector, worn frivolously around her neck like a choker and tied in a fluffy bow at her nape, the deep red fabric a shock of color against her expanse of oddly deep-colored skin. She certainly wasn't originally from Fire Country with that complexion. Her hair was a shock of corn silk blonde, long and fluffy and barely held up in a precarious-looking ponytail. Wild bangs framed her small, expressive face, which held not a scrap of makeup… he observed her slightly chapped lips with curiosity, wondering why she hadn't done anything about them.

It was while observing those lips that he noticed the white line of a scar tracking down her chin. It traveled upwards at an angle over her nose and eye to her right brow, and down her chin, skipping and picking up on her left collarbone. It was jagged and feathered along the edges, an effect clearly left over from some jutsu. Despite her rank as a genin, something drastic had apparently happened; the fact placed a niggling curiosity in the back of his mind. Little scars that netted across her skin were the marks of her profession, but that scar alone said more about her skill than any report he could dig up. The middle-aged man that owned the shop finally served up their food, and he realized that he'd been staring despite himself. The young woman smiled at him guilelessly, head quirking to the side as, for once, she wordlessly asked him what he was thinking.

"May I ask your name?" he tried, not really sure what to ask when he had many questions that needed answering. She snickered as if he said something funny.

"May you? Of course you can ask my name, Kazekage-sama; why ask if you can ask?" she quipped, attempting to control the fit of giggles and only being half successful. "My name is Yuruse Fuhennori. Call me Fu if you like; that's what my brother does. Says it's because I got Mama's pretty voice, but I think he's being sarcastic."

Gaara felt the need to disagree with that; her voice was quite nice. Neither high nor low, it held a certain strength to it that had nothing to do with how loudly or softly she spoke. It wasn't the particular tone that made it special—likely she would be perfect for undercover missions, since her neither her voice nor speech patterns were especially recognizable—but rather her personality that seemed to give it an unexpected solidarity. He face screwed into a childishly sour expression as she mentioned her brother's words, but she was smiling again a second later. Her ever-changing expressions were certainly a sight, he decided, and this meeting worth any headache he received later over being behind.

"I'm fourteen, and before you ask I graduated at the same time as everybody else! Our sensei, Mitarashi Anko, just decided she wanted to teach us a butt load of her special jutsu before turning us loose to wreak havoc," Fuhennori continued, sulking and smiling at the same time. "I have every intention of forcing her to let us take the Chuunin Exams this time. I'm tired of waiting."

They finished their food, and again he found himself simply listening to her prattle on without a care, telling him about a mission or two she enjoyed and some of the pranks she and her teammates had pulled. Fuhennori had a quirky sense of humor, and the gags (other than those pulled by her male teammate) and all been quite imaginative. As she'd originally planned, the girl didn't let him pay a dime—which unexpectedly made him quite uncomfortable—but despite his belief that she would go her own way after the meal, Fu continued to walk by his side and talk incessantly about anything she thought of.

"Kazekage-sama is only 16, right? You're so young! I'm sure you're the youngest Kage ever; it's definitely a testament to your skills—"

"Fu! Damn it all, Fu, where have you been?"

The voice that rang through the air, calling her name, obviously set a chill crawling down the girl's spine as she stiffened and grimaced, glancing up at a lone figure that suddenly came barreling down from the top of a nearby building. Gaara glanced at the approaching figure—a young man a few years or so older than himself—and then trained his eyes on an obviously resigned Fu.

"What the hell have you been doing? We were supposed to meet up over an hour ago! This is a mission, you dunderhead; just because I'm not Mitarashi-senpai doesn't mean you don't have to listen to me!" he grouched, looming over her menacingly. "I've got a lot of people counting on me to keep an eye on you, dammit, and if you run off again I swear I'll tie you up like a bagworm and haul you home tied to my pack with the rest of the camping equipment."

She made a sour face, sticking her tongue out rebelliously. "You're overreacting, Niisan. I haven't gone anywhere or done anything that you should worry about."

"Tell me you realize that if something happens the Godaime, your sensei and both our parents will take turns tanning my hide. Just lemme know you understand that," he growled, arms crossed and fingers tapping impatiently on a muscular arm. With a deep breath and a completely unnatural about-face, he met Gaara's questioning and observant gaze with a completely fake smile, bowing apologetically while saying, "Please excuse my little sister's rudeness, Kazekage-sama. I'll be absolutely sure to keep a close eye on her from here out. Please forgive her insolence."

"…Niisan, I think the insolent one here might be you, just saying," she muttered begrudgingly. "I bumped in to Kazekage-sama when a couple of testosterone-driven idiots gave me a hard time and shoved me in to him; being the well-bred daughter I am, I took him out to lunch as an apology. There, aren't I awesome? For the sake of my highly-valued insanity, please calm down."

Toya proceeded to read her the riot act while giving what looked to be a very painful noogie. Fu complained loudly and childishly, attempting in vain to escape. It was the sort of domestic scene that Gaara wasn't accustomed to, at least not within his immediate range… and certainly not over his person. He felt his eyes softening on them, a small bit of affection developing for the pair as he observed them. In a split second, surprising both the men in the process, Fu escaped the headlock her brother shackled her with and took a few prancing steps away, turning on the two of them with the look of doom, which was only a proper woman's weapon.

Puppy eyes on full blast, she whimpered, "Oniisama, I haven't done a thing at all! If I talk to Mama and Daddy, I swear I'll make it all better!"

The look came accompanied with a trembling bottom lip and her hands posed cutely before her chest as if she really were just so timid as that, and her eyes looked big and glassy and were slightly down-cast… and true to the nature of the beast, her brother's outrage withered away to nothing in an instant. Gaara was mildly amused at his expense as the elder sibling now fumbled for the proper response that was needed, only to fail and slump over, begging her pathetically, "Fine. Fine! I forgive you already, so spare me the face, dammit."

He remembered similar feelings towards Temari over the last year or so since they'd become closer… and a smile quirked his lips just the tiniest bit in sympathy. Like Toya, Kankuro was also the type to fold easily; their faces of having given up were just alike. Fuhennori, satisfied that her brother had now been brought (proverbially) to his knees, turned her acting skills on the unsuspecting Kage with the sort of subtle zeal that only a little sister can manage. Her expression shy, she smiled a bit and traced the indent left by the scar on her bottom lip, one sandaled toe tentatively digging into the ground as she lifted her eyes to his, no doubt using the sweetest voice she could manage.

"Would Kazekage-sama… I mean, will you watch for me at the Chuunin Exams, Gaara-sama?"

Despite his best efforts, Gaara felt floored at the sound of his name from her mouth. Toya looked absolutely scandalized, his jaw dropping open, eyes impossibly wide, face going so white it looked blue in the harsh Wind Country sun. However, before the young man could gather himself together and head off on another tirade, the redhead found himself answering with a short, hesitant nod.

That was all it took for her to drop the act, her true character shining through like a brilliant light as she smiled at him. She started to fidget, threatening to turn away only to turn back, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, fingers clenching and unclenching in excitement as if she couldn't quite figure out what to do with the overflow of joy. The elder sibling was just about to pull himself together; if she were going to do or say anything else, she would have to be quick about it. Toya would likely go off on her to such an extent that she would be hearing it for hours afterwards. When she finally decided what to do with herself, neither of the boys could comprehend it; she reached out softly and embraced him in all sincerity.

Her touch was so soft; it was like she thought he would break under the smallest pressure. It was just the tiniest bit timid, as if she worried he would shove her away, but it felt overwhelmingly of delight, of pure pleasure in his answer. That small touch, so full of emotion that he had given her, returned an overwhelming about of affection to him. She only held him like that, barely a few seconds, barely touching him at all, but he felt such an overwhelming affection from her small body that he became at a complete loss for what to do in return.

Any reaction time was denied him however, as she pulled away and gave another dazzling and somehow unreadable smile, her upbeat attitude back in place without a hitch.

"Then I'll see you there, Kazekage-sama!"

She was back to calling him by title instead of name. It almost disappointed him, but he allowed her to grab the back of her brother's shirt and haul him off, disappearing down the street without another word.

Some time later, in the motel room where their team was staying, Fu was forced to sit properly on the floor and listen to her brother rant again. He accused her of impropriety, insanity, and even of idiocy as she listened long-sufferingly from the floor, his dark blue eyes trained on her with the utmost irritation. After having met the Academy students that were going to be escorted to Konoha for special study programs, debriefing them on rules and responsibilities and deciding departure time for the next day, Toya had taken his turn to drag the semi-resigned Fuhennori back to their room for the next round of lectures.

"I told you, Niisan, I bumped in to him and was properly apologizing." The 6' 1" Yuruse Toya glared down at his little sister from behind a curtain of brown bangs, pulling up to his full height in an unconscious attempt to further intimidate her. Noticing the look, she put her hands up in defeat, looking to end the lecture early instead of extending it far into the night. "Yes, yes. I get it. I need to be more respectful because he's the Kazekage and I'm just a lowly foreign genin."

"As long as you understand."

He really was a good big brother; despite his tendency to lecture her like a second mother or an extremely nosy aunt, Toya was always looking out for her best interests. In this case, her desires were conflicting with courtesy to foreign figures of importance, so his reprimand wasn't undeserved… but she still wished he would honestly listen to her.

"I really want him to come though. Kazekage-sama… he's really nice you know. This afternoon I didn't know what to do and just kept yakking away trying to fill the silence, but he listened to me honestly. He even asked my name, y'know!" she reasoned, pouting a little and somewhat avoiding his eyes. "I've taken a liking to him, y'know…"

Toya flopped to the floor in front of her, exasperated and exhausted, and ruffled her hair carelessly.

"I know. I'm sure it's fine; he didn't seem to mind your antics too badly, so I'll let it go this time," he muttered. "I'll take it out of your backside the next time though. Clear?"

"If you say so, oniisama~."

AN: Le first revamp update! OSHA! XD This story's chapter number is steadily going doooown... since I'm getting a minimum of two chapters into one. It's totally worth it. XD I hope ya'll who actually remember this story will enjoy the vast improvement~.