A young man, garbed in green robes and auburn hair covered with a hat proclaiming him to be the Kazekage, strolled leisurely through the streets of the Hidden Sand village enjoying the sights and sounds that offered him a reprieve from the gradually increasing monotony of his office. This habitual short break allowed him to forget about all the political and domestic irregularities he had to peruse hour after hour until his head was reacquainted with his pillow. Fervently clearing his thoughts of the last report he had read before exiting his office, twenty-five year old Gaara glanced around his village sighing in contentment. Today was another usual sunny and sandy day in Suna, the air filled with the bustle of the civilians going about their business and the children running around playing their make-believe games as they are wont to do. He decided to head over to a bench placed against the wall of a nearby building and covered with a canopy providing shade from the blazing sun. The village leader closed his eyes and took in the sounds and smells of his village – not that many smells remained because of the sand – as he relieved his stress to the beat of the gentle hum of his surroundings.
Nearby, two young women were talking loud enough for the Kazekage to follow their conversation.
"…and so…out of nowhere, he said 'marry me'!" One female voice said.
There was a short gasp followed by a 'no way' in another voice. Gaara assumed it belonged to the other girl.
"Yeah! You know, I think the Konoha people are a little...off...in the head...you know?" the first girl continued amidst her friend's giggles. "Anyways, at first she was quiet...really shocked! Then she said that he was joking and started scolding him! But he just looked at her and said marry me — you troublesome woman!"
Gaara's lips twitched as he was instantly reminded of a Konoha jounin who would behave like that.
"It wasn't a very romantic proposal…" he heard the first girl say after giggles from her friend had died down. "We were in the middle of a mission! A dangerous mission! We were being chased! And she was injured! But Nara-san continued to say the same thing over and over again."
So it was Shikamaru Nara, the smartest jounin in Konoha. For the briefest moment, Gaara wondered about the recipient of the proposal before loud girlish giggles interrupted his thoughts.
"I suppose...in a way...it was romantic." The other girl said between laughter.
Her friend, apparently, had a different opinion for after a 'hmmph' of displeasure, the eye-witness answered the Kazekage's question in a dramatic tone. "Anyway…so…eventually – after a lot of arguing – Temari-sanfinally believed him and said yes!"
There was a louder squeal – almost like a shriek – as Gaara's eyes snapped open. Shikamaru Nara proposed? To Temari? That lazy ninja had the gall to propose to his sister? On a mission? Unforgivable!
The young leader arose from his seat thoroughly displeased with the information he had obtained on his well-deserved break. Making a quick decision, he strode towards his destination urgently, taking large steps and emanating a deadly aura causing people to step back in surprise and fear as he passed them.
Locating Kankuro in the puppet-master's workshop, he said in an authoritative tone, "Pack up. We are going to Konoha."
The Kazekage's older brother looked up from his desk where he was working on a puppet and asked alarmingly, "Why? What's wrong?"
"Pack up! I'll explain on the way." Gaara said urgently and made his way back to his office. Once inside, Gaara sent for a member of the Suna advisory council and his former teacher, Baki, and started his preparations while waiting for jounin to arrive.
"Baki! I'm going to Konoha. You're in charge." Gaara ordered as soon as the older turban-wearing jounin with half-covered face entered the Kazekage's workplace.
"W-what?" Baki sputtered, his shock and confusion at the sudden announcement visible on his face. "What's all this about?"
"It's urgent. I'll be back in a week." Gaara replied briefly as he exited the room.
"W-wait…Gaara! Gaara!" Baki called out to his leader while following him in hopes of answers but was met with a door slamming in his face.
Barely an hour after the Kazekage made the shocking discovery, one livid and one confused ninja stood at the gates of Suna dressed in their official attire.
"Wait," Kankuro said looking around. He was clad in his usual black outfit and had painted his face with purple markings. "Are there only two of us? Where is Temari?" The puppet-master inquired perplexedly.
"Patrol duty." Gaara replied with hints of anger and haste. "I don't have time for her to return. We must reach Konoha as soon as possible."
It was not the entire truth but Gaara knew his objective will be accomplished with the least resistance without his sister following him. He also knew he had to take his brother out of the village before Temari returned and figured out his plans.
"Why is that?" Kankuro probed. "Tell me what happened. And to travel with just one guard to Konoha in such…Oi! Wait! GAARA!"
Before Kankuro could expect to receive a coherent reason for a sudden trip to Konoha, his younger brother had departed in the direction of the Fire Country leaving no choice for the puppet-master except to chase an inadequately protected Kazekage.
It was past midnight, almost three days later, when Gaara arrived at the gates of Konoha with his small entourage in tow. The Konoha guards on duty were flustered at the sudden appearance of the Kazekage at such an odd time and without any prior notice. One guard scrambled to notify the Hokage while the other stepped forward to greet their guests. A few minutes later, the Kazekage and his brother were led in to the conference room where they were greeted by a half-awake white-haired Hokage and his half-awake blond protégé.
"To what do we owe this sudden visit, Kazekage-sama?" Kakashi Hatake inquired biting back a yawn behind his mask. His hastily put on formal robes and skewed hat evidenced his disturbed sleep.
"I would like to inquire about the whereabouts of Shikamaru Nara." Gaara replied getting straight to the point.
The Kazekage's audience perked up and their faces displayed their puzzlement at the request.
"If I may inquire," the Hokage said after a moment of silence, "what business do you have with Shikamaru Nara?"
Kankuro, who had been briefed on the true purpose of their visit in the last three days and currently stood beside Gaara, sighed inwardly despite his impatience. Unlike his younger brother, who seemed to have lost his levelheadedness at the news, Kankuro was aware – albeit barely – of their current situation. They were standing in front of the leader of a foreign village, demanding an official audience – in the middle of the night – for an unofficial request. The disoriented expressions he observed on his hosts' visages were understandable and Kankuro knew he was about to witness some very interesting reactions.
"He has shown interest in courting my sister." Gaara replied, his tone insinuating a grave offense to which Kakuro agreed.
Kakashi's eyes widened imperceptibly while his protégé's lips twitched upwards. Soon enough, a distinct snicker was heard from the man standing beside the Hokage before a loud voice filled up the room.
"Aren't you a bit behind, Gaara?" The blue-eyed blond said teasingly, an impish smile decorating his lips. "From what I know, they are long past 'courting'." Naruto complemented his words with a loud, boisterous laugh.
Gaara's hands clenched and tiny particles of sand surrounded them. Kankuro sensed the livid aura originating from young leader.
Kakashi sensed it too, for in the next instance, with his eyes crinkled to indicate a smile, he addressed his younger counterpart in a pacifying tone. "Isn't that a good thing, Gaara-kun?"
Gaara glared in response wordlessly yet making it painstakingly clear that it was not a good thing. Kankuro followed his brother's lead but stopped after a few moments to deal with a bigger issue. He put a hand on Gaara's shoulder effectively ceasing the accumulation of sand around Gaara's hand which had started since Naruto had irritated them further. Yet, despite his anger which matched his younger brother's, Kankuro was well aware that the Kazekage losing control in the Hokage's office will just end badly and they did not even have Shukaku to take the blame.
So Kankuro tried to prevent a devastating incident – which would cremate the entirety of Konoha's administrative district – from instigating in the Hokage's conference room. With a serious face, as if he was discussing the most critical battle strategies, he said, "well, we would like to have a…chat…with him. So if you would let us meet him, we'll be on our way."
Kankuro missed neither the smirks that formed on their hosts' faces nor the anticipation dancing in their eyes when he mentioned their planned 'chat'. For a moment he thought that they would finally meet with their target, but the Hokage's next words filled him with disappointment.
"I'm afraid that's not possible." Kakashi said amusedly. "You see, Shikamaru-kun is on a mission at the moment and it may take as long as a week for him to return."
"I see," came Gaara's reply laced with frustration. "In that case, we shall wait until we are able to meet him. Is that okay with you, Hokage-sama?" Gaara asked taking on his official tone with Kakashi.
"I have no objection." The Hokage replied in a similar manner. Glancing at his protégé, he continued, "Naruto will show you the inn."
"I thank you for your hospitality." Gaara said, rising from his seat and, with a bow, headed towards the door followed by his companion.
A short time later, the two brothers from Suna sat in Gaara's allocated room in the inn brooding over the unexpected turn of events. They had it all planned out before they even reached the boundaries of Fire Country. Arrive, meet target, have a 'chat', leave; the trip was supposed to last a week at most. Yet, Nara's mission had put a dent in their hastily put-together schedule.
"I guess it can't be helped." Kankuro broke the silence. "Get some sleep. We're both tired." With that, he started towards the door.
"Inform Baki that we will be delayed by a week." Gaara ordered as Kankuro crossed the threshold to the hallway.
Kankuro nodded, acknowledging the command. Turning towards his own room, he said, "Good night."
"Good night." He heard Gaara reply as the door closed.
In his own room. Kankuro readied himself for bed and lay down with a hand supporting his head and eyes facing the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim him.
It was going to be a long week.
Alone in his office, engulfed by the silence of the night, Kakashi shook his head. He did not understand the younger leader's displeasure over his sister's courtship. Shikamaru Nara was a gem of a jounin; smart, successful, and belonging to an honorable clan. People looked for opportunities to introduce their sisters and daughters to the Nara Head in hopes of forming relations with the clan. So why was it that the sand siblings, one of whom was the ruler of the Hidden Sand, made an unannounced three day journey to Konoha and asked for Shikamaru in the dead of the night? Was it because they were afraid they would lose a valuable jounin with this courtship? Long distance relationships were rarely easy and with Shikamaru serving as the Hokage's advisor, he would hardly be able to visit Suna. That meant that Temari would be the one with the travel-packed schedule which was detrimental to any ninja. It seemed like a plausible explanation. Why lose a strong ninja to exhaustion over a long-distance relationship when you can have your pick from your own village?
Glancing out the window overlooking the sleeping village, Kakashi filed these thoughts in a compartment in his mind and made his way to his residence. While no one could call him out over shirking his paperwork, he knew his assistant will chew him out if he decided to hand it over to Naruto in favor of a nap and Kakashi wanted to keep his ears intact until his retirement. Yet, as sleep forced his eyes shut, Kakashi's final thoughts were not of endless paperwork or the screeches of his assistant, rather they were of the 'chat' the Suna brothers wanted to have with his strategic advisor and what he was willing to forfeit for a chance to witness it.