Disclaimer: Don't own. Except the plot.

AN: Hey everyone. Thanks for the attention you are paying the story. Huge ego buster with all the alerts, reviews, and favorites, they make me write faster. Also I am modeling Temari a little after myself, she kinda acts like me in the show anyway.

Just so you know this story is slightly OOC, but that is how I want it.

Some people that have reviewed are complaining about that Naruto isn't Naruto anymore with the changes. However if you are willing to bear with me, you will see his unique traits that make Naruto well, Naruto. It will come out when he is around friends and not on duty or in the public eye. Also if you only read stories that are like cannon then you are missing out on some great fics. I'm not trying to sound mean or anything but, it is my fic and I will write it as I see fit. If you want perfect cannon, read the manga not fanfiction. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I want to hear them just don't go on about the OOC's in the story. Because personally, I read fanfiction so that I can see how fans put their own spin on things that make a great story that we all know and love seen in a different light. Okay rant over, again I am not being mean just stating my personal opinion.

Also I have gotten reviews about breaking up the conversations within the text. I am doing that from now on. Like I said, this is my first fic so I am still trying to figure everything out. Anymore suggestions will be helpful so I can improve my writing and write the best story I can for you guys. I will go back and repost the first two chapters at a later date.

Keep the reviews coming. Wow this got long fast. Enjoy…

XxxxX

Chapter 3

It was early in the morning, but already hot. That was just how the desert was, and Temari wouldn't have it any other way. The one thing she could do without was the sun, at least this morning. Gaara had given her the day off and she was sleeping in, or trying to at the moment. She decided to just get up until she looked at the clock and saw that it was only 6 am 'Oh hell no' she thought before just lying on her back and staring at the ceiling.

Temari had changed a little over the years. She was 24 and stood about 5'10. Her body had become more toned, and had developed curves. She had also gained more muscle as well, but not overly so. Her chest had also developed since her younger years, she was well endowed. Her hair was slightly longer than in her teenage years but not by much. She still wore it in her signature 4 ponytails. Her light blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and her light tan remained unchanged.

However she was a strikingly beautiful woman. She often turned heads where she went with her classic and sleek beauty. Her nickname among the perverts in the village was the 'desert rose.' However she preferred her nickname that was in the bingo books 'Rose of the Wind'. It sounded better with the deadly threat that her name involved.

While she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling cursing the sun to the deepest pits of hell, her mind began to wander. She just jumped from topic to topic without really any recognition. That was until she thought of her friends in Konoha. She sighed deeply, 'I miss them so much. It's been at least six months since I saw them.' During the last six months Temari had been very busy with high profile missions and helping Gaara. As one of Suna's best jonin, most of the high profile missions went to her and her brother, Kankoro the puppet master of Suna. In addition to that, she also helped Gaara with his duties as the 5th Kazekage. Her brother did most of the assisting, but she helped out when she could. With everything going on she had not been able to go to Konoha to visit, and it bothered her a lot.

The Konoha 11 as they were known, were her only friends. The only people she had in Suna were her two brothers and their former sensei and that was it. Most people tended to stay away from her because of her brother, even though his demon was under control enough to even sleep, people still held some fear toward him and by extension her. This made having friends here pretty hard.; forget having a relationship all together, it was damn near impossible. 'Suna has a better chance of becoming a tropical paradise before I meet anyone here.' She thought sarcastically.

She heaved another sigh at that thought. The only serious relationship she had ever been in was with Shikamaru. It had not lasted more than a year before they broke it off and that had been when she was 17 and he was 16. The distance and not having schedules line up were too hard to deal with. He was also just too lazy to really put the work in for it to last. He had gotten better over the years, but he still was Konoha's number one lazy ass.

However she remained good friends with him and everyone else. Nobody blamed her or him for anything, besides they were never in love anyway. All of the other relationships were very short and never amounted to anything.

On that depressing thought she decided to just get up and go have breakfast with some tea. So she got up and threw on her robe over her shorts and tank top she slept in and went down stairs. The estate was empty except for her, but that was fine. She didn't want to talk right now as it was.

The Sabaku estate was just like any other in Suna. It had basic white walls, both inside and out, dark wood floors, a few windows, and it was two stories tall. Their house had few furnishings, but it was enough. The main floor had the living room, kitchen, and a formal dining room which was never used. The living room was basic with a couch, chair, and a table. The kitchen had a table and chairs, steel appliances, white marble countertops, and dark wood cabinets.

The bedrooms were on the top floor with a private bathroom each. Her brothers each had a separate room while she took the master suite. There was one spare room, but it was filled with a few bonsai trees and some pictures of his friends. It was always ready, just like her room in his estate in Konoha.

Temari's room was the largest of the five. She had a small seating area with a fire place for the cold desert nights. She had a green couch with a coffee table in front of it with a very special book collection that never left her room. Only one other person knew about her love for them, but he wouldn't say a word because she would tell people about his obsession with them as well. Some would call it smut, she called it good reading.

The rest of the room was the sleeping area. She had a queen size bed with a green comforter and sheets matching her couch. A bed side table with a clock and a lamp; the dresser was on the opposite wall next to the spacious closet. Most of it was filled but, she put her weapon rack in there also to keep it out of the main space. On the walls were a few pictures of her friends and her family, but that was about it. All of the other pictures were in albums.

Her bathroom was also the largest with a sunken tub, marble floors and counter tops, and with marble walls as well. It was a very relaxing place to be after a long mission or a long day. It was almost as good as a soak in Konoha hot springs, but not quite.

When Temari got to the kitchen she put the kettle on and waited for it to boil. While she was waiting, her thoughts drifted back to her love life. Which was none existent right now. It was not like she disliked being single, it was just that she wanted to spend her life with someone, and have someone there for her beside her brothers. She was just tired of being alone so much.

But she could not date anyone she wanted. She had to date a fellow shinobi; civilian relationships were out of the question, they never worked out anyway. Along those lines, she had to have someone strong, capable, and loyal. On the personal side she wanted someone who was laid back, sweet, kind, loving, considerate, and had a good heart. She also wouldn't mind someone with a strong wind affinity either.

But the most important part was that Gaara had to approve and like the guy. That one condition would be next to impossible to fill, she could only think of one person. However it would be too hard to make it work with their duties in the village and missions.

The whistling of the kettle drew her out of her thoughts, so she made her tea and fixed a simple breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, and fruit. She sat down to eat and noticed a note on the table addressed to her. It looked like Gaara's handwriting so she opened it and read it.

Temari,

I need you to come to my office this afternoon around 9.30 to discuss something. Have a nice day off.

Gaara

She studied it for a few more minutes before putting it down and finished up her breakfast. "I wonder what this is about?" she thought out loud.

After eating and cleaning up she headed upstairs to get dressed minus her gear until she left to meet her brother.

Her style had changed a little over the years into a more streamline look. She wore a sleek, black battle kimono, with a teal sash around her waist. The sleeves were shortened to her elbows, and were tighter to the body. The length was just above knee level to allow for more freedom of movement. On her legs she wore black mesh tights that reached her shoes. Her shoes were black shinobi style sandals. She did not wear any jewelry or make-up while on duty, only when she was out with friends. Her headband went around her neck, but while on a mission it would be around her forehead. Her weapons pouches were on her sash. Her battle fan would be clipped straight up and down her back. She also had smaller bladed fans that were in a scroll she carried as well.

However at the moment she was not armed, so she decided to relax on her couch with some tea for now. While she sipped her tea she thought about her friends in Konoha. She really missed all of them, but one in particular more than the others. She looked at her books and decided to read a little about romance since that was as close as she could get at the moment. 'I really do love these little books…' she thought happily to herself.

XxxxX

Gaara sat in his office doing what every Kage had to do but cursed to the darkest pits of hell…paperwork. He was waiting on the reply from Tsunade about their little project that he was going to official assign Temari to tomorrow. All he had to do was get the final go ahead from Tsunade to make it an official assignment. He hoped the hawk got here before Temari showed up at 12.30 like he had asked.

Gaara set back and thought about how well this was going to work out for the both of them. Besides he was the only male he would even consider for his sister to have a relationship of this nature with.

Gaara sighed when he thought about Temari, 'She deserves a life like she wants, but she just cannot get here because of me. However that is about to change for the better.'

He and Naruto have been like brothers for years, and by extension his siblings as well. However Naruto and Temari had a very strong friendship, and many of their friends, Gaara and Tsunade included, thought that maybe they had a crush on each other. It was almost creepy how good they were for each other; they were exactly what the other wanted and needed. However the distance and long periods without seeing one another made it hard for the two to find the connection. This was the main purpose of the assignment, it would give them the time needed to realize the connection they shared and to strengthened it over time.

Gaara's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. "Enter" he called out.

An office assistant poked her head in the door "Kazekage-sama, a message has arrived from Konoha for you." She said while handing him the scroll. He thanked her and she left, closing the door behind her.

Gaara broke the seal and read it, sure enough it was what he wanted from Tsunade. After reading the letter, he finished the official write up of the mission and went to turn it in personally.

'And just in time at that. Another hour and Temari would have been here.' He thought.

XxxxX

It was 12.15 and Temari was leaving the estate to meet her brother in his office. As she was walking, she received the usual looks, but no cat calls, she was glad that they got her message loud and clear. The last time she heard one the man got a shirken to the groin, and his little friends scurried away like cockroaches when you turn a light on. So she was pleased they got the message which was 'Don't screw with me or you won't be able to screw period.'

By the time she was done thinking, she was at her destination. She knocked on the door and heard an "Enter." And went in closing the door behind her and took her seat in front of her brother.

Gaara studied her for a moment and said "Hello Temari, enjoying your day off so far?"

Temari looked at her brother and nodded, "Yeah, just hung around the house and read a little. What did you want to speak to me about anyway Gaara?"

He smiled at that, if Temari was curious about something she got straight to the point, "The reason is that tomorrow I will be giving you a new assignment that starts the day after tomorrow. I thought I would give you a heads up so you could do something about it today."

She looked at him with interest and curiosity. He had never done this before and it was a little weird, but she was glad for the advance notice if she had to something to prepare for it. "Why can't you just go ahead and assign it to me, then tell me what I need to do to get ready?"

Gaara answered with a straight face, "I cannot assign it to you now because it is still be finalized and being made official. It will be ready tomorrow morning by 9 so be here by then." Gaara thought, 'The curiosity is going to drive her up the wall. Oh well, its pay back for her stealing the suite while I was on a mission.' "As for your preparations, they will take the better part of the afternoon to complete."

Temari was a little upset at her brother for not telling her. 'Maybe this is payback for me stealing the suite while he was on a mission. Naw.' After she thought it over she replied, "Ok I understand. What exactly do I need to do today?" If it was going to take the rest of the day to do this, she hoped it would be enjoyable.

Gaara smiled, "Oh don't worry you will enjoy this. Your assignment is to go shopping and get whatever you want whether it be cloths, shoes, jewelry, weapons, whatever. Everything is going to be paid for by me. Buy things that would be suitable for non desert climates though." Gaara almost laughed at the expression on her face when he was done telling she got a free shopping spree on him. It was priceless.

Temari thought that it was a joke, but Gaara just looked at her waiting for a reply patiently. Gaara was not expecting her reply, "OH MY GOD, THIS IS THE BEST ASSIGNMENT EVER!!!!!!! SEE YOU AT 9 FOR THE BRIEFNG." With a huge hug given to her now all time favorite brother, she ran out of the room slamming the door behind her.

Gaara just sat there staring where his sister had just been. When he finally recovered he said "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be broke for months after this?"

Shukaku decided to add his two cents in as well, 'Because you probably will be. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.'

XxxxX

Temari thought that this was the best day of her life. She ran home to drop off most of her gear, except for a few shirken, and ran to Suna's shopping district.

Suna had a huge shopping district packed with everything a person could want or need. But today she was going to get everything she wanted and needed. It was a great day to be her. 'I can clean Gaara out for not telling me anything about this assignment.' She thought with an evil grin on her face, which sent several men running in the opposite direction as fast as they possibly could.

Temari decided to start with weapons and go from there. That way she could get a couple storage scrolls to seal everything into. Being a shinobi came in handy at times like these, also the lowered drinking age, discounts in the stories, and about a dozen other special privileges made the job pretty much kick ass. With that thought, she entered the store.

First off she got the basics which were the storage scrolls, exploding tags, mono wire, kunai, shirken, blank scrolls, and a new sharpening stone for her bladed fans. With the basics out of the way, she went to find something unique. She looked at the swords first, she never really liked them because her battle fan was big enough to carry, and she never could find one she liked to really worry about.

When she was looking at the one rack in particular, one caught her eye. It was a katana length sword with a teal hilt wrapped in black. The sheath was black with red roses inlayed with what looked like teal colored stones. It was the most beautiful sword she had ever seen. She picked it up to test the balance and weight, they both were perfect. Temari carefully pulled the blade out to inspect it. It was extremely sharp, with a slight curve to it. There were also sharpening stones in the sheath so it never needed to be sharpened. Which was a plus since her fans required maintance often. The color also had a teal tinge to it.

While she was inspecting the blade, the shop keeper came up, "You need any help miss?"

She looked at the man and showed him the katana, "Can you tell me about this please?" she asked. She really wanted to find out more about this sword.

The owner took the blade, "Ah yes this is a very special sword. We just got it in a month ago. It is a hand crafted katana by a master sword smith in the Land of Snow. We only get a few a year." He paused as if letting the information sink in. "This particular one is made with chakra metal so it can be infused with the users' chakra to make the attacks more powerful. With that said, it will not break while infused either. If I remember this particular one works well with wind based attacks and chakra as well."

After he finished his explanation about the sword, she was reeling with the information. It almost was like it was made for her personally. Without a second thought she asked "How much?"

The owner regarded her carefully before answering, "Well given the rarity and quality I cannot accept less than 25,000 ryo."

She thought about for about 1 nano second before answering, "I'll take it. Just put it with my other things please. I'm not done shopping yet."

The owner blinked at her for a few minutes. When he finally recovered he said, "Yes maim. Just take your time." With that he walked off in a daze.

Temari smirked 'I'm surprised he didn't keel over on me when I told him I would take it.' With that thought she moved on to daggers. She found a few that could be easily hidden and concealed within cloths so she got those before moving on to her favorite section, battle fans.

She always loved this section the most, she could spend hours looking. But today she was buying. She saw a few more bladed fans and decided to get them, since she only had 3 and this would give her eight. When she was looking through the rack a medium sized fan caught her eye. On closer inspection, she noticed it was actually a twin fan; simply meaning it was two fans made to look like one until opened and separated. Temari had been looking for a pair of these for years. She immediately tested their balance and weight together and then separately. They were perfectly balanced and proportional.

The reason this was so important to her was that her grandmother had written special family jutsu's that could only be used with twin fans. The problem was that they were rare and hard to find with the correct specifications and quality needed. These she just found were perfect, and with these she could carry on the tradition of the twin fan just like her grandmother had.

Temari got them as well since she could not very well pass them up. To finish up she got a new maintence kit for her large fan, and a few small fans with senbon needles that can be coated in poison and flung during a jutsu or used as an assassination tool as well since they could be concealed as a normal fan. She also grabbed a new weapons rack since her current one would not hold everything she just bought. Before going to check out she grabbed 3 packs of senbon needles for the new fans. 'I can finally use the poison Kankoro made for me.' She thought happily on her way to pay.

"Alright miss, your total is 85,000 ryo." The shop keeper said happily. 'This is the most I've made in a single sale since the last war.' he thought.

Temari could see the dollars signs running through his head. "Just send the bill to the Kazekage, he is paying." He nodded and she took one of the storage scrolls and sealed everything she just bought into it and stuck it in her lone weapons pouch and left a very happy shopkeeper behind.

'Well next stop is cloths and then shoes. Yup defiantly the best day I have had in a very long time.' She thought as she entered the next store.

XxxxX

Two hours later, Temari was setting at a restaurant having lunch and drinking sake. She was looking at her three storage scrolls that had everything she had bought…so far.

After she finished at the weapons store, Temari then proceeded to by out three clothing stores and two shoe stores. 'I don't think that the owners have had this much business from one person… ever.' She thought with a grin while refilling her sake cup for the last time.

Temari had bought ever type of clothing she could think of from formal dresses and kimonos to bathing suits. The same also went for shoes. All in all she filled up a storage scroll each with everything she bought.

She finished and paid for her lunch before putting the scrolls back in her weapons pouch and walking out of the restaurant. "Let's see, next stop will be the jewelry store." she thought out loud. While she was walking the short distance, her mind drifted back to her meeting with Gaara earlier. She had thought about it off and on for the last three hours while she drained her brother dry. 'There is something he's not telling me. I could be out of the village awhile; maybe that is why he sent me shopping. Makes since, but the real question is why and where??'

"Well what ever it is, I'm not going to be bored." she stated out loud while walking into her intended destination.

Suna was known for their master craftsmen from that made everything including weapons and jewelry. The village's main export was metal works. They supplied all of the elemental nations with their creations. But they also imported from all the countries as well. The store that Temari was standing in was the largest and the most diverse in its inventory. Almost every country had its own section. If you could not find something here, then you were out of luck.

Temari started at one side and was slowly making her way around to the other. Along the way she picked earrings in every possible style, metal, and gemstone; necklaces, bracelets, and even a few rings along the same lines as well. She was about three fourths of the way through the store when she looked at one section that never interested her much… until now.

She looked at the hair ornaments and decided since her brother was paying she could get a few. 'After all a girl has got to have options. If nothing else I can wear them when I'm off duty.' she thought while looking over the case. There were about a hundred total, but some were too big, others too small. After all, her hair was about shoulder length so she had to look accordingly. With her choices narrowed down to about twenty-five, she called out to the owner. "Can I look at these please?" she asked and showed the owner what she wanted to look at.

The owner pulled out the ornaments for Temari and let her look them over more closely. "Just ask if you have any questions about anything dear." The owner smiled at the slightly older woman. After all Temari was buying enough to feed her and her entire family for about a year.

Temari looked over every single one and bought all of them. They ranged from hair sticks, both double and single, to clips of every size and style, and even some that had gemstones inlayed for more formal occasions. She was about to check-out when one caught her eye that was still in the case. She motioned to the owner and asked her to pull it out so Temari could look at it.

"Here you are dear. Do you have any questions?" the owner asked.

Temari picked up the clip to look at it more closely. The first thing she noticed was that it was slightly bigger than others she picked out, but despite that, it weighted next to nothing. It was about five or so inches long and about one and half inches wide. The design however, was what got her attention in the first place and up close it was even more impressive. The design was very intricate despite the size. It had bright teal colored stones in what looked like wind swirls patterns with fairly good sized rubies carved out to look like roses in full bloom. Around each rose were little emeralds to act as the leaves. The stones themselves were set in yellow gold that matched the color of Temari's hair perfectly. She looked up from the clip and asked the owner, "Can you tell me about this please."

The owner smiled and nodded, "I would be glad to dear. This clip was imported about six months ago from the Land of Waves. It was created by a master jewel carver that was trained here in Suna originally. The wind swirls are made with a rare stone called a Blue Paridot. That is why they have that unique color. The roses are carved out of a single ruby and shaded with platinum to give them a realistic appearance. The leaves around the roses are emeralds that have been shaped. The whole design is set in 14 caret gold."

Temari took all the information in and thought it over. Now Temari had been buying jewelry for years and knew the right questions to ask. "What are the carets weights of the gems?" She learned long ago that if ask the right questions, the owners would knock off some of the cost. It was the same with weapons.

The owner nodded, slightly impressed by the knowledge her customer seem to have. 'I will give her a price break. More than the usual discount.' She thought while looking at the Suna headband around her neck. "The paridots are half caret. There are twenty of them total for about 10 carets. The emeralds are one caret apiece, and with six total, about six carets altogether. The rubies are two carets apiece, so total you have six carets." The owner concluded.

Temari thought it over and asked, "How much?"

"Well with the quality of craftsmanship this piece has. I will sell it to you for 85,000 ryo." The owner replied smoothly.

"Sold. Put it with the rest." With that said she went to pay, and pulling out a scroll while she was heading toward the front.

By the time it was all said and done, she spent about 100,000 ryo of Gaara's money. After she sealed everything, Temari headed toward her next destination…the book store.

XxxxX

Temari was looking around the good sized bookstore while picking up some items she knew she needed. Along the way she got some blank scrolls used for extended mission reports and messages, a few new brushes with ink, and a new brush painting set since her brothers broke hers about a month ago. 'Idiots…what ever possessed them to spar in the house, I'll never know.' she thought to herself while shaking her head.

After the essentials were taken care of she went to look around. She was having extremely good luck shopping today and she hoped that it would not end just yet. The first section she went to was the romance. After a few minutes of searching, she found what she was looking for…

After she paid for everything and had it sealed away, including three new books, Temari went to her last stop of the day… the lingerie store.

Now why she did not have a reason to buy a lot from this store, she still bought quite a bit. Her purchases included bras, underwear, sleepwear, a few new robes, and even some more risqué pieces as well.

After she finally finished her shopping it was around 5pm. 'I think Gaara can treat me to dinner at the best steakhouse in the village.' thought Temari while heading in that direction.

XxxxX

After her fantastic dinner, Temari headed home with all of her purchases sealed away. She was currently relaxing on the couch in her room with her new books after a nice long bath.

Her thoughts drifted toward the mission she would be getting tomorrow, 'Well I guess I'll find out tomorrow.' With that thought she closed her book and went to bed. Just before she drifted off to sleep, Temari heard a scream that sounded something like 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOO I'M BROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' in her a voice that sounded like new favorite brother from the direction of his office. With a satisfied smirk and a sigh, she drifted off to sleep.

XxxxX

AN: Hope you enjoyed it. This is the longest chapter to date. I really liked this chapter a lot. Well next time Naruto and Temari finally find out what this new assignment is. Review please!!!! Until next time.