I don't own Naruto! Sorry for the long wait!

As the carriage rumbled along, Gaara threw a quick glance at his future wife who was huddled across from him without any blankets, her head resting uncomfortably against the arm of her seat. Fast asleep, she made little to no indication that she could hear him as he got up to undress and manage his wound, again. It had reopened sometime during the night. Opening the drawer of a small cabinet, he began to rummage, looking for an antiseptic. What had happened earlier this evening still haunted him. Never before had anyone been privy to such a display of weakness and for that, he would never forgive himself. How fucking stupid did he have to be to jeopardize everything so recklessly, he surmised. After all these years of control! Of restrain! Everything he had worked for, gone! Suppressing the urge to break the small cabinet under the carriage window, he closed his eyes. His dirty little secret had finally been revealed…. He was an epileptic: a condition that had largely been concealed by his biju during his younger years. Wrapping his shirt around his waist, he began to administer a pungent sap from a small bottle. As if on cue, Karui shifted in her sleep. Skewering the cap back on, he hoped to hear slow, even breathes. Due to the nature of their contract, he realized that he could soon be under the effect of the presumed justu. A reality he wasn't about to indulge.

Wide-awake, I covered my nose and sat upright. Squinting, I saw it: a small bottle on top of the cabinet. His wound must have reopened. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I closed my eyes again. Sometimes I could be so useless…. Getting up, I fetched my bandages from my pouch. After having collapsed onto his feet and swearing me into secrecy, the Godaime and I had made our way back to the carriage. Once inside, he had then suffered another attack…. For the better of the night, I had been forced to dress his wounds to the best of my abilities. Placing a roll of bandages on the cabinet beside the small bottle, I sat back down. Without any acknowledgement on his part, he took the roll and continued to dress his wounds, his fingers quick and skilled, as he wrapped the last bandaid around his lean waist. Searching for something to do, other then to wait for him to finish, I garbed my sword, determined to sharpen it, when a loud knock on the carriage's door broke the silence. Hurrying over, sword still in hand, I opened the door only to find a tall woman with spiky blond hair, holding a large box. She threw a glance in my direction.

"You must be Karui-san? "

"Yes. And you are?"

"Temari." Stepping inside, she placed the mysterious box down. "This just a little wedding gift from both Kankuro and I got. Since we're direct family, I figure'd it was only appropriate that we give it to you two now." Clearing her throat, she continued, turning her attention to Gaara. " Also, you're presence has been requested. There's been an unprovoked attack on one of our caravans."

"Which caravan?" He seemed indifferent, despite the news, as threw on his white robes, his blood red hair a harsh contrast to the entire ensemble.

The woman continued. "The one housing our political prisoner, sir."

In an instance, his expression grew dark. He made to leave, but turned to look at me. "Well?"

Scrambling to my feet, I quickly sheathed my blade. As I stepped off the carriage, Gaara fell in step beside me. A tall, remote figure, he exuded power, a dark power that clashed with mine. When we finally reached the scene of the crime, I stopped, taken aback at the sight of the wreckage. Off in the distant, children screamed….

In an instant, I was gone, rushing past the Godaime into the fray. Among the throngs of people, I managed to spot two very familiar faces. Despite everything, I felt elated to see them and hurried over.

"What happened?"

Samui shook her head and pointed towards the sun. "They headed that way. And they took our prisoner of war with them."

Omoi picked at the charred remains before standing up. "And that's not all." Producing a crumpled letter from his pocket, he handed it over. "We suspect an old friend of ours is back in the game."

Smoothing out the paper, I gazed at the single character scrawled across it and felt myself grow cold. "Orochimaru..."

"Yeah. For all we know, it's a very real possibility that he's back to his old antics. Nevertheless, we do know for a fact that a member of the Taka was here, more precisely-Jugo. We found a dead bear about 3 meters away from the wreckage."

Stuffing the note into my pocket, I fought to stave off the overwhelming panic I was suddenly experiencing. " Any jutsu residue or signs of a summons?"

Samui shrugged, " All we know is that they'll be heading back towards River Country."

"But the Water and River have come to an agreement. Any Akatsuki member found trespassing their borders will be killed." I pressed, searching the wreckage. "They would be idiots to attempt to seek refuge within their lands."

"Indeed."

Startled by the unexpected interjection, I turned around and found myself face to face with two very pale eyes.

Dear God, no.

Moving past me, Neji stopped to pick up an errant splinter from off the hot ground. He continued, "but like so many agreements, it's conditional. We're dealing with a traitor, here."

At that moment, I couldn't register what he had said; the memory of Gaara's thinly veiled threat last night echoed in the very recess of my mind and I flinched inwardly. Concerned, Omoi placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ok?"

I nodded. "Ya, just a little cold."

He raised his brows but said nothing. Instead, he gestured towards the debris. "Well, we better get this cleaned up. I'm pretty sure we will be assigned with a more rigorous security detail later on, so let's get this out of the way."

Samui nodded, "understood. "

In a bid to mitigate the situation, all three shinobi vanished before my eyes.

Eager to help out, I started to follow suite but someone took a hold of me and swung me around; it was Temari. She suddenly looked haggard and worn and her mouth formed a straight line. "Please, come with me."

Struggling to remain calm and composed, Following her away from the wreckage. I had no idea what was happening or where she was leading me. In the distances, I caught sight of a few precipitous boulders. They had formed into rocky towers long ago and now dotted the landscape. My heart leapt, despite my initial fear. This meant that we were getting closer to the capital. As we continued to walk further away, I scanned my surrounding; we were approaching an immense sand dune.

Temari stopped and turned around, her expression stoic.

"You'll find him at the base of the dune."

I nodded. Without a word, she vanished from sight.

Taking a deep breath, I paused before moving; I didn't like this. Any of this. I was frightened. But I had to show some pluck or I would find myself cowering in his presence forever which was a fate I wasn't to eager to fulfil.

I pressed on and, in the process, sheathed my katana. As I approached the base of the massive dune, I caught sight of him. He seemed to be deep in thought as he made no indication that he had noted my slow arid winds swept under his white robes and the sheer mantle that adorned his hat.

" You wanted to speak with me?"

He turned towards me; I felt his eyes search mine before he handed me a small, ornate box.

"This box contains a ring with the official seal of the Kazekage, giving you full jurisdiction. It is your duty to guard it. Any order will be obeyed with its stamp."

Gingerly, I took the small, black box.

He continued, looking away. "In the wake of this latest attack, it is important that you remain collected. The people will be looking up to you for strength." He paused, shielding his face.

"It is also you're wedding gift."

My chest tightened. Looking at the small box, I shook my head. "But wait, what's going on?"

"I've been called away." He replied, curtly.

I gripped the box in a panic. "What?"

"I leave tomorrow night. Suna will be under your helm until I return."

"But..but..bu-" I stammered, refusing to accept the reality of what was happening. My pulse was racing. I didn't know Suna. I couldn't run it. This was absurd! "But that's right after the wedding? What could be so important?"

"The Mizukage has convoked a new Summit."

A second summit? Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. "When do you get back, then?"

"In a fortnight."

Dear God, strike me now.