Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

I hope you are all enjoying the story so far; thank you to all my readers, especially iceciclefangAJ, my first reviewer! I know the first chapter was very long; it was too short where I'd initially stopped it, and I had to include more than I'd planned. Hopefully I'll be keeping things shorter from now on; this chapter is roughly 2,500 words. Please review; I love feedback!

Chapter Two: Interim

Gaara began penning his correspondence to the Raikage as soon as he entered his office the following morning, and though in all honesty he had little desire to see either of them after yesterday, sent for Reina and his sister.

It was a quick affair. He informed them that Temari, who had been shirking her duties for an entire week, was quite overdue for guard duty and that today, Monday, would be her last day of freedom. Gaara had ignored Temari's pained expression and given her orders to escort Reina to his office the following morning. Temari would return to her usual post and Reina would be assigned a new guardian.

Reina had said nothing, only nodded and bowed before leaving the room. It was now around lunch time; Gaara sat at his desk contemplating Reina's silence with pen in hand, trying to rid himself of writer's block as he stared at the blank sheet before him. It was certainly true that he had been working on the letter most of his morning, but so far he was unhappy with any attempt, and the only letter that might have been passable had been splotched with ink when a servant outside the office had tripped and dropped Gaara's lunch tray, causing such an unholy clanging that Gaara had leapt from his seat and sprinted to the man's aid, only to find he had spilled his ink bottle in the process.

Gaara sat hunched over his now ink-stained desk and tried to recall what he had written, then began to write. A short while later, he sat holding a finished letter to the Raikage. It sounded stuffy and formal, but most of his writing did nowadays. You couldn't exactly risk offending someone when others' well-being rested on your shoulders. He scanned the letter a few times before he deemed it sufficient and folded it in half, placing it under a large book and away from prying eyes. And that, he thought glumly, would probably be the most exciting thing he did all day. No, once you got over the glamor of power, prestige, and order-giving, being a Kage had more to do with paperwork and politics. With a heavy sigh, Gaara mustered up all the drive he had and started on a large stack of unfinished paperwork. Today was going to be a long day.

Now that she had recovered, Reina found herself in a small room of the Kazekage tower near the very top; Gaara had let her stay where his family did because Temari was close by. What would he do, she wondered, when Temari was no longer her guardian? Would he make her leave?

"It's a nice view," she said to no one in particular; Reina's room was on the left side, and she could see past the cliffs and out into the desert when the sky was clear. Now she watched as the guards on the cliffs shuffled along like tiny little ants as they made way for the next shift. Reina watched the procession until it was out of sight, then turned and sat with her back against the wall and her legs stretched out on the bed.

Somewhere in the tower, Gaara was delivering his letter to the Raikage. The past few days had given her much to worry about, but more than anything she worried about the outcome of that letter. What would the Raikage think when he learned the truth about her disappearance? Would she be allowed to stay, or would her cowardice break the already weak ties Kumo had with Suna?

Self-loathing burned hot in her stomach. "I've been so foolish!" She smashed the wisp of flame she had been holding and swung her fist at the wall. It bloodied her knuckles, but she didn't care. "Coward! I'm such a coward! I've put everyone in danger." Her throat tight with barely-held-back tears, Reina collapsed onto her bed despairing and exhausted, wishing she could sleep to escape it all.

Reina was still laying there when a knock sounded on her bedroom door. "Gaara wants you in his office." Reina recognized the voice as Kankuro, Gaara's older brother. She sat up and gave the affirmative, listening to his footsteps as he retreated to his own room.

"What could he want?" And though the frantic questions seemed to paralyze her, she dragged herself out of bed and wiped her face. Reina would have to meet him if she wanted to assuage the curiosity adding to the stones of doubt and fear in the pit of her stomach. Closing the door behind her soundlessly, Reina tiptoed past the rooms of a slumbering Temari and Kankuro and ascended the stairs to Gaara's office.

He was not at his desk; the two armchairs that usually flanked the front of it were pushed up against the left wall in front of a huge expanse of thick, sandstorm-proof glass that looked out onto the city below. A small round table laid with tea things sat between them. Gaara gestured to the armchair he wasn't sitting in.

Reina sat, completely flabbergasted. Had the Kazekage really just ordered her here for tea? And it was nearly nighttime!

"I've sent the letter." Gaara's smooth voice broke her train of thought; she was vaguely aware of him pouring tea as he spoke. "If all goes according to plan, the entire affair should be smooth and painless."

"'If' being the key word there," she said sharply. The retort burst from her lips before she could stop herself.

"True," he said softly, pausing to sip his tea, "but I do know what I'm doing. And if the Raikage and I share the same concern, which I believe we do, then your safety is paramount."

Reina nodded and took another sip of her tea. She wanted to spout off at him, to tell him that A, Raikage or not, was a rash man and would throw a wrench in his "plan," but he probably already knew that. She was so anxious, so frustrated by her helplessness, and there he sat across from her, completely in control. Her indebtedness was the only thing stopping her from slapping him in the face.

"I heard you raging earlier," Gaara said nonchalantly. He held his teacup, looking out the window as if he were discussing the weather.

"What?"

"I heard you yelling in your room," he clarified, still looking away from Reina and pretending not to notice her horrified face. "Do you really believe you've put everyone in danger?"

"So is that why you called me here?" Reina spat acidly. She was growing more furious with each passing second. How dare he spy on me? He has no right! "You asked me to tea so you could pick my brain, so you could make sure the jinchuuriki bitch was on her best behavior?"

Gaara froze mid-sip, placed his cup on the table, and looked Reina steadily in the eyes. "Of course not. I've called you here to discuss our clandestine meeting with the Raikage, and at no point have I ever called you a bitch. Please sit down, Reina-san, and try to remain calm."

Reina looked around and realized she was on her feet, though she didn't remember standing. Thoroughly embarrassed and glad the low lighting concealed her furious blush, she sat down and took the cup of tea Gaara held out for her. "I'm so sorry." She took a gulp and slouched into her seat. "I'm frustrated, anxious, angry…and I'm taking it out on you…" She trailed off and sighed heavily.

"I know. That's why I asked. I didn't intend to upset you." He helped himself to a scone and placed one on Reina's plate. When she said nothing, he asked, "Do you believe that?"

"I guess so." She was trying to ignore him by picking at her scone, but his patience seemed endless. He watched her calmly from across the table, waiting for her to go on. Recognizing defeat when she saw it, Reina pushed her plate of crumbs away and faced him. "I keep thinking that he's going to be angry when he finds out that I ran off, that he'll be angry at you for protecting me. I don't want Suna and Kumo to break their truce because of what I did…because I was too much of a coward to face my own brother."

"I don't think you were cowardly," Gaara said. Reina looked incredulous, but he kept talking, "You deserted your village, but you made sure to break ties cleanly, to leave them without the trouble of a missing nin on their hands. And you saved your brother from making a horrible mistake."

Reina shook her head at him. "I ran away because I didn't want to die. It was cowardice."

"Do you love him? Do you love your brother?"

"Y-yes, of course I do." Reina replied, taken aback. Why did he care?

"Then you did the right thing by sparing him. One day he will know the truth of your parents' death; it would be all that much harder to bear with your blood on his hands. You've saved him a lifetime of guilt and regret, though he does not know it yet.

"And the Raikage knows that he had few supporters. Do not think he will misunderstand. He will know what you have done for him. In fact, you may have helped yourself; if the Akatsuki is misinformed regarding your death as well, you have unwittingly made yourself as safe as possible. They will not go after a target that is already dead. You do know whom Akatsuki are, I assume?"

"Yes. They tried to take Yugito from Kumo when I was Kazekage nodded. "True, but for safety's sake we must assume they do know you are alive. I need the Raikage's help to conceal you, which is why I wrote to him. That letter is heavily encrypted and flying to Kumo with our fastest, most well-trained carrier hawk. With any luck, it will avoid interception, and I will receive a reply in a few days' time. I know you are anxious and frustrated by this, but you must trust me, and you must be patient. I am doing all I can to keep you safe."

"I know." Reina stared at the dregs in her cup. She should refill it, but she didn't want anymore.

Gaara, who was looking out the window again, seemed to have read her mind. "You may leave when you are finished." Reina murmured her thanks and bowed before slipping silently from his office. Like him, she would spend her sleepless night watching the full moon above shining down on the sleeping village below.

Reina returned bright and early Tuesday morning without Temari in tow; the wind user had pointed her down the hallway, grumbling incoherently and stomping off to her post. She stood silently in a corner as she waited for acknowledgment, and noticed a quiet figure dressed in sand-colored tactical gear standing opposite her doing the same. Said figure was camouflaged so well he very nearly disappeared into the wall behind him.

"Good morning, Reina-san." Gaara's quiet but commanding voice abruptly interrupted her analysis of the figure, and she tore her gaze away from him to look at the red-haired teenager behind the desk. He gazed at her serenely over stacks of paperwork. She returned the greeting and bowed respectfully.

Gaara gestured at the sand-colored shinobi behind him, who stepped forward soundlessly and gave Reina a little bow. "This is your new guard, Endo Hibiki," Gaara said. Reina nodded curtly and returned Hibiki's pleasantries. When Gaara seemed satisfied he continued, "Hibiki will watch you and report back to me as Temari did before, but he will do so from a distance. You will hardly be aware of him if he does his job correctly, and I am confident that he will."

Gaara warned her again to stay on her best behavior, and then dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Reina slunk out the door; she looked around for Hibiki and found nothing. Gaara was right; Hibiki did his job well. She could smell him though, and as she stalked out of the tower and down Suna's main street, his scent hung over her like an irritating cloud.

Reina snorted in annoyance. No matter how many side streets she turned down, no matter how quickly she moved, Endo Hibiki tailed her like a shadow. He would probably put in his report that she tried to shake him off, Reina knew, but Gaara would probably expect it. Reina was stir-crazy, fed up with being confined to the village and kept under observation like a germ in a petri dish, and if the Kazekage wasn't completely blind, he knew that too.

The young leader of Sunagakure was just doing his job, she knew. And he was giving her a lot of leash, just not enough for her to strangle him with. Oh, politics. Reina allowed herself a sardonic smile as she walked. No doubt the Sunagakure elders wanted her shipped back to Kumo in a sardine can to save on costs. Gaara, bless him, was at least trying to help.

Reina poked her head around another corner, and to her delight saw a small tea house at the end of the street. Her stomach growled in agreement, and she laughed. "Breakfast then, I suppose." She turned towards Hibiki's general direction and gave a loud whistle. "Come on down here, Mr. Sand Shadow. Might as well be polite and have some breakfast."

Hibiki materialized at her side, but said nothing as they walked down the dusty road leading to the shop. ANBU, she surmised, finally getting a close-up of his outfit. It was your standard getup, minus the animal mask. Hibiki had forsaken the white trademark for a sand-colored cowl and wrappings that left only his calculating brown eyes uncovered. If he noticed her assessment, he said nothing. Probably as much of an order as ditching that mask was, she thought briefly. She sighed. Gaara was thorough; even right beside her, her sandy sentinel was as silent and invisible as ever. Gods, she missed Temari. At least she had talked.

They reached the tea shop, and Reina slouched onto a barstool with Hibiki still breathing down her neck. He had taken the seat to the left of her and was now staring at the wall in front of them with such an intensity that Reina wondered if it might burst into flames.

"Are you really not going to say anything?" she asked as a short, plump woman with curly brown hair set menus out for them.

Hibiki averted his concentration for just a moment, and Reina fancied she saw mocking incredulity in his eyes. She had the sudden urge to bloody his nose of the counter as he shook his head and returned his attention to the wall. Of course not, she thought bitterly. Prisoners don't need to be entertained.

The short woman returned with her cup of jasmine tea and plate of sweet rolls. Reina mumbled her thanks, though she was suddenly not hungry. Prisoner. The word sounded ominous and cold in her mind. Of course, the young Kazekage had seemed sympathetic; he had to be, to risk believing her (Or clinically insane. She wasn't sure.), but the truth of the matter was a chill she couldn't shake. It seeped into her bones and crawled beneath her skin, and despite the hot tea and warm bread she was forcing down her throat, she was suddenly icy and numb.

The truth is that I'm a dead man walking. Her lips twisted in an ugly smile. Not even two of the most powerful men in the great shinobi nations could change her fate. The only thing standing in her way now were letters. Letters and borrowed time.