A/N: Hello readers! Firstly, thank you so much Rarawir and samdawn87 for your reviews. I really appreciated the support as I pulled this next chapter together.

I'm going to wait until the end to go into too much detail, but suffice it to say that this chapter took a lot of work to pull together. I'm trying to build some more on two of our main protagonists without putting them OOC. Please R&R so I can start to get a feel for what I'm doing right and wrong!

PS: I'm going to preemptively apologize for run on sentences. It's a habit that I'm trying to fix, but I know they're there

Disclaimer: The usual. I am not Kishimoto, but I did make Masahiro and now also Hideaki

I will not break the merchant guild leader's neck... I will not break the merchant guild leader's neck... After all, I would just end up having to find a replacement anyway. Not to mention all that paperwork. But damn if it isn't tempting.

Temari took advantage of the lull in conversation to indulge in her more and more frequent internal rants to calm her own frustrations while tugging down on the heavy robe that was currently gathered around her neck. Whoever thought that it would be a good idea to wear this many layers in a stuffy council room deserves to go for a ride in a sandstorm. As she signaled the man who was seated across from her to continue with his report, she began to understand what could drive the Hokage to the sake bars so often.

"Ah, yes. Thank you Temari-san. As you can see in the report, we are currently anticipating a shortage of silk, what with the continuation of the drought and all... so I figured that a lady such as yourself who has such refined tastes must..." The man fell silent as the door opened and he (as well as everyone else in the room) turned to watch the young Kazekage return to the meeting. It was only after turning back to the young woman to continue his report that he noticed the full flush on Temari's cheeks that had nothing to do with the current temperature of the room. The kunoichi wondered if her brother had felt the spike in her rage and purposefully interrupted the conversation before she could act on it

Temari-san? Lady?(1) No, there is no way anyone can be that ignorant and still be alive. The man must have a death wish. Judging by Kankuro's blatant smirk, and the varying reactions from the others around the table, she wasn't the only one to recognize the mistake. At least that meant that she could have some fun. A predatory smile slowly bloomed across her face before she caught the warning look from Gaara. Okay... only a little fun then...

"While the silk shortage is terribly alarming, I am sure that myself and the other kunoichi can practice our ninjutsu just as easily using strips of cotton for targets. Unless of course you wish to volunteer as an alternate solution?" Bullseye thought the wind user as he his face paled in fear at the reminder of her status as one of Suna's top shinobi and his recognition of her not-so-subtle threat. Though temporarily appeased with the man's agitation, she found herself disappointed in the brevity of the exchange. It had been far too long since her last real verbal spar. Mental note; I need to hang out with Kankuro more.

Following her swift retort, the scribe recorded the decision to increase the cotton supply, and Gaara was again the target for the guild members "pressing" questions. Thank Kami Gaara is back. I don't think I have another drop of patience left in me Temari thought fleetingly. Dealing with these bakas is worse than working with that lazy ass on the Chuunin Exams. At least then I get to hit someone when I get frustrated. Baki definitely owes me a spar after this.

(A few months earlier)

All it had taken was one conversation with Kakashi for Temari's mind to pull it all together. As soon as she willed herself to remain in Suna and let the Konoha nins continue the hunt for the Akatsuki, Temari had accepted her mission. And Temari never gave up on a mission. It had taken her less than 15 minutes to find Baki and explain her logic...

"Excuse me, Temari-kohai? You want me to what?"

"Listen, Baki-senpai. There isn't much time. I need you to act as the proxy Kazekage in Gaara's absence. There needs to be someone in charge who has the respect and trust of both the shinobi and the council to restore the village's defenses. You. The council can't afford to lose control of the shinobi right now, so they'll respect your authority." The corner of her mouth slowly turned to a small smirk "Not to mention that I trust you to keep them in line. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if they try to move Kankuro and me out of the city to prevent us from using our combined political influence to start a 'coup' or some other senseless power play. With Kankuro bedridden while recovering, it means that it's up to me to play to obedient pet kunoichi... for now." She paused for a second when she small a slight twinkle in his eyes. Was that?... no, it couldn't be. Baki was never amused.

She continued. "What's most critical from your perspective will be the conversations with foreign diplomats. The attack on Suna is going to attract a lot of political attention from the other villages. There's no use in hiding the obvious signs of destruction, but we can use that to our advantage. If asked, we explain that Gaara is indisposed because he is in the process of preparing and leading a counterattack against the assailants. Any further questions would cross the lines of "casual concern" and belie suspicious intent. Furthermore, if we keep the true nature of Gaara's absence a secret, and a diplomat starts asking about an 'abduction' or 'kidnapping', we would know that that particular village was infiltrated by the Akatsuki or even... wait, why are you smiling at me?... You already figured it out, didn't you?"

Baki chuckled. "As I'm sure you've learned yourself, a sensei never fails to feel a sense of pride when seeing his or her student progress. I see that you're starting to think a few more moves ahead. Still trying to one-up that Konoha shadow user, eh?"

Temari suddenly found something on the ground immensely interesting while muttering to herself. Baki only heard the words "Shougi" and "never won a game" before her head turned back to look him in the eyes, her face serious again. "Also, about Kankuro..."

He nodded once in agreement "Temari-kohai, you can trust me to keep an eye on him and keep him safe. From both himself and others. And", he continued before she could say anything, "I'll make sure that he keeps you involved in any future 'coups'. Remember that I was his sensei as well."

Knowing that her brother would be taken care of, Temari allowed herself a brief smile in response. "Thanks Baki-senpai. I owe you one"...

(End Time Skip)

Back in the receiving hall, Temari suppressed a small sigh. I thought that I had already learned from Kankuro that offering favors is never a good idea.

Not to say that Baki didn't deliver on his word. He had even managed to distract the council from noticing Temari's sudden 'transfer' from border patrol while she and Kankuro pulled a small army of shinobi to retrieve their little brother. As soon as Gaara opened his eyes, Temari had known that it was all worth it.

That relief, however, was mildly tempered by the nagging uncertainty surrounding the side effects of the demon's exorcism. After returning to Suna, she had petitioned the council to wait until Gaara had readjusted to the changes in his body before transferring the more time intensive (and less critical) responsibilities of the Kazekage back onto his shoulders. After a few meetings, and one note from the proxy Kazekage naming her the "ideal candidate" for such a position, Temari was trapped. Lucky for her Gaara had only needed a few months to adjust.

As it became apparent that she would no longer be pulled into the discussions, Temari slowly let her body and mind relax...

...She was huddled in a dank cave with three other shinobi as the sandstorm roared outside. The wind currents outside in apparent harmony with her own mind. She wanted to launch herself into the turmoil and fight the gusts with her last strength... as if conquering the storm into submission would as easily quiet the storm in her chest and bring him back... bring back those quiet, haunted eyes...

A second later, she was back in the council's receiving hall as the various business leads continued to ramble through their various reports. Damn, she thought, while willing her now tensed muscles to loosen. That was the third time today. Even as she slowly suppressed her physical reactions to the mental onslaught, neither her attention to her surroundings nor her neutral expression wavered for a second. After all, she was a shinobi for Kami's sake, and a good shinobi never let emotions steer her actions. However, as the lingering feeling of despair slowly settled in her stomach like a dog curling before a fire, Temari felt the all too familiar question bubble up in her mind. Why the hell does this keep happening to me?

"Kazekage-sama, you have to understand... the route into Suna is much more perilous this time of year. There have been more sandstorms, more water shortages, and we've seen an increase in the number of bandit raids... I'm just worried that the shinobi protection rates might start to discourage merchants from making the trip at all. Don't you agree?"

Kankuro found himself barely smothering his snort at the man's poor attempt at haggling before the Kazekage answered with his polite, yet firm, rejection. What a baka... even if Gaara and the other council members didn't pour over the financial reports of the various guilds before setting the shinobi mission rates, there is no way that the merchants would stop visiting the only trade city connected with the western clans. First he baits Temari, and now he's trying to bluff against Gaara... the man really is a whole new level of dense. I'm starting to wonder if the merchants purposefully elected him just to spite us. Either that or they expect us to kill him. Although, at this rate, I could probably dispatch him and finish the spider's web of paperwork and political red tape before he even finishes his damn report.

As if he could hear the puppet nin's mental threats, the man mumbled a clumsy attempt at flattery before excusing himself from the open seat at the council table. Kankuro took note of the time and happily realized that after the results of the report were recorded and the final guild presented, there should still enough daylight for a quick spar. And it had been so long since the last time he and his dearest elder sister had had some proper bonding time. Smirking to himself, he glanced across the table at Temari just in time to see the briefest glimmer of emotion shoot across her face before disappearing in the depths of her eyes. His smirk slipped for a second until he realized that she was now looking right back at him, her eyebrow arched in a silent challenge. Seeming to say, "What are you looking at, blockhead?"

That emotion... was that?... no. Temari is never afraid.

Quick to answer her unspoken taunt, he leaned back and crossed his arms as his lopsided smirk came back full force; "Wanna train later?"

Her confident grin said it all. "If you think you can take me."

Satisfied in the results of their silent bickering, Kankuro let go of the small knot of concern. Knowing Temari, he was going to need all the energy he could muster.

Gaara's voice echoed through the room, "Hideaki-san, please present your report to the council." A tall, lithe man stepped forward dressed in the traditional guild master robes in a pale blue color to signify the guild of the peacekeepers. His black hair and beard, while peppered with gray, were well kept and brought out the spark of intelligence in the man's gray eyes. Despite his commanding presence, Kankuro knew him to be the most verbally conservative of the guild leaders. Temari liked to call him efficient. Kankuro liked to call him a mute.

"Kazekage-sama, all necessary details are presented in my written report. I have no further concerns to submit to the council"

"Thank you, Hideaki-san, your report is acknowledged." As the record keeper closed the meeting, Kankuro casually pushed back from the table and shot up from his chair in a full body stretch before idly conversing with a few of the surrounding council members. Glancing across the table, he noticed that his sister had already left for the Kazekage's office. Damn he thought. I guess we'll have to postpone our sparring session after all. Might as well go see what the mute considered to be too important to present to the full council.

(1) I'm definitely an amateur when it comes to Japanese honorifics, but I know that Temari would be a stickler for manners, especially in a public setting like a council meeting. By disregarding her status as the leader of the meeting (addressing her with -san which is used for someone who is your peer rather than your leader) AND regarding her as a lady instead of a kunoichi, I'd imagine that it would be similar to you going to your boss or teacher and saying "Yo! What up?"

Now, as I mentioned up top, this chapter was a pain in the butt. Believe it or not, I originally had about three more pages worth of introspection from Temari before getting fed up with it. After all, the entire point of her character is her lack of patience with such nonsense.

I also hope that you all appreciated my attempt to build on her own character development. Knowing that *SPOILER* she goes on to accompany Gaara at the 5 kage summit, I wanted to build her political prowess and her capabilities as a strategist so her 'competition' to Shikamaru makes a little more sense.

But enough from me. If you want some more explanation, feel free to PM!

As an update, I already have a pretty good part of Chapter 3 put together, so fingers crossed I find some more free time in the coming days!