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3. Air Currents

Hana's eyelids parted slowly, giving her eyes time to adjust to the bright light flooding the room. She yawned and rubbed the sleep away, sitting up. It felt early, earlier than she was accustomed to waking up at. "Forgive me, Hana. It wasn't my intentions to wake you," a calm voice breathed. Violet eyes popped open, surprised that another was in her room. Then, blood flushed her cheeks as she remembered that she was sharing a bedroom with the Kazekage.

"It's fine, Lord Kazekage. Don't worry about me." The red haired man was busy slipping on his Kage robes, and, by the looks of it, he had been up for a while. Hana glanced behind her to the other side of the bed. It was spotless. "Why didn't you come to bed last night?" the girl asked before she could filter it through her head. The way it came out sounded like an accusation, although she didn't mean it to.

"I don't sleep very often."

"Of – of course! I didn't… What I meant was…" She sighed and let it go, covering her face with her arm and plopping back onto the bed. Gaara's eyes sparked with amusement for a brief moment. He finished getting ready for the day and donned his hat. Just as he was about to leave, his fiancée called him back. "Um… What am I to do today?"

"You're free to do as you please. If you need help finding something, there are shinobi positioned all over the village that would be willing to assist you." More like they're going to because you told them to, Hana thought bitterly.

"Oh, okay. I have another question." He waited. "When will we be…?"

"Tomorrow." It was a conscious effort to keep dread from crossing her face.

"There's not going to be a ceremony, is there?"

"No." She let out a low breath. One less thing to worry about, she thought optimistically. There was a moment of silence. "Hana?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage?"

"Please, call me Gaara."

"Um… Okay." The young man nodded to himself, finding what he had done proper for the given situation. If she was to be his wife, then they shouldn't be so formal around each other all the time. Formalities were fine, but doing so with Hana was only going to widen the gap already between them. Feeling satisfied, he headed out to start the new day. Hana pouted a little, confused aat what that had been about, and shoved her multi-colored hair to the side.

Knowing she wasn't going to fall back to sleep, she decided to get dressed as well, though in the bathroom just in case he decided to somehow reappear behind her. Hana put on her ninja attire that consisted of tight-fitting, black pants and a loose, midnight blue top. It lacked one sleeve, just as normal Iwa shirts did, but the other completely cloaked her hand. The girl was fairly sure that she'd need to get a different outfit to accommodate Suna's different climate, but it'd do for now.

Mayonaka no Hana braided her silky tresses before slipping on a pair of black sandals and padding into the hallway. Nobody appeared to be awake yet so she headed to the ground level in a relaxed manner. It's not like anybody could sneak up on her. Hana may have had no skills as an offensive ninja, but her sensory technique rivaled that of her Father, who was supposedly the best in their clan. Of course, no one knew of this hidden ability. She didn't flaunt it because, in truth, she didn't want to be a ninja. The idea of fighting and killing… It sickened her. Instead, she'd rather be a poor artist trying to sell her sculptures to passing citizens. That would have made her happier than being born in a ninja family.

The Kuomori clan had a very special kekkei genkai. They could use echolocation to sense things around them. Even if it was completely dark, Hana would be able to "see" where everything around her was. In fact, she was so skilled with the technique that she didn't even need to make noise anymore. The miniscule vibrations that everything produced were enough, although sound did help. Right now, if she focused, Hana would be able to hear the wing beats of the fly nearly two meters away. She'd be able to pinpoint its location and, if she had the aim, kill it with ease. But she didn't have that aim, and so she was a failure in the eyes of everyone around her.

Suddenly, the one person who did seem to get around her gift, appeared. "Yes, Lord Kaze… I mean, Lord Gaara?" she corrected herself hesitantly. Did he still want to be called "lord" or did he want her to drop that too?

"I thought you might need help finding the kitchen…" She had no idea how awkward it was for him to try to think of all these little things that she "might need". It wasn't in his nature to be outgoing and make offers like that. He was more of a recluse. Then again, she appeared to be of the same nature. They weren't accustomed to being well-liked by other people, though Gaara was starting to adapt to it.

Hana just nodded, unconsciously taking a more guarded stance as they walked side by side. The redhead showed her to the kitchen and then explained where everything was. "Do you want something?" she asked as she pulled out ingredients for rice porridge. Gaara hesitated, wondering what she meant. Her tone had been soft but it still could've been a more polite plea for him to leave.

"No," he finally responded, making a move to leave.

"Are you sure?" she double-checked. "It's no trouble." The girl had noticed his unwarranted kindness and felt as though she ought to do something in return. Again, he hesitated. He didn't want to upset her but he wasn't sure which reply was the right one.

"A small portion of whatever you're having would be nice," he finally muttered. Mayonaka no Hana raised a thin eyebrow.

"Well, I was just going to make a bowl of rice porridge. I could make you more." He shook his head.

"That's fine," the young Kazekage assured his fiancée. She shrugged, letting it be, and set to work. Gaara studied her swift movements and the expertise in which she cooked. The girl had so much experience that she didn't even need proper measurements. She knew by sight what was the right amount. About an hour or so later, she served him a steaming hot bowl. They sat down at the dining table in the next room and Gaara thanked her for the food. Hana just nodded in acknowledgement and ate with dainty bites.

"May I ask you something?" she began, curiosity getting the best of her. He agreed. "Why is it you're so kind to me?" This took Gaara aback.

"You're going to be my wife. I want to get along with you."

"But don't you resent me?"

"Why would I resent you, Hana?"

"Well… I mean, I'm stealing your opportunity to find someone you truly love and…"

"Do you resent me?" the Kage demanded suddenly, cutting her off. He silently hoped it wasn't so, although he understood why it might be the case.

"No. You're kind to me. It's almost as if you want me here. I know you don't but… At least you try to make me comfortable. It's like you understand that this isn't the ideal situation for either of us."

"Is it difficult for you to be this open?" A long sigh escaped pale lips.

"Very. I don't believe I've ever been so honest with somebody before." He could see the sincerity in her features. "Anyway, could you give me directions to the training field?" Hana asked, changing the subject. It was too early to be trusting him so.

"You're going to train today?"

"I train every day."

"Why?"

"So I can become stronger…?" She narrowed her eyes, confused. Crimson hair rustled as the young man shook his head. That hadn't been what he meant.

"What, emotionally, is your reason for training? Why do you do it even when you don't have to?"

"Emotionally?" She paused, pondering the question. I don't know what else to do, she thought. I want respect but I never seem to earn it, no matter what I do. "I want to bring honor to my family," she answered calmly.

"You despise your family." Anyone could see that with ease if they just listened to how she spoke of them. There didn't appear to be a single happy thought she could associate with the people. No one would want to bring honor to something they hated.

"It's my duty as a member of the Kuomori clan to become a ninja." Gaara realized with mild disappointment that he wouldn't be getting an honest answer out of her. Perhaps, in time, she would come to trust him, but not yet. Instead, he decided to give her directions and then advised that she not train in the afternoon, when the sun was at its highest. The fair skinned girl would probably burn to death if she did. She thanked him politely and went on her way.

Hana found herself standing in the midst of academy children when she arrived at the training grounds Gaara had directed her to. She ended up doing more talking than training. Many of the children were curious about what Iwa was like and what the Kazekage was like in person. They asked about the mountains and snow and everything their little minds could think of. A smile played on the girl's lips as she answered each of them in turn. The instructors, though they secretly despised her as strongly as any other ninja in the village, did not mind her efforts to befriend the next generation. They understood her motivations and could see that she sincerely enjoyed speaking with the young boys and girls.

When the students finally got back on task, she joined them in training. "You really don't have any aim, do you?" one girl said not unkindly. "Momma tells me sometimes I gotta let my heart choose the kunai's path and not my mind. Maybe you should try it."

"And how does one go about letting the heart throw the kunai?" Hana asked calmly, eager for any sort of advice to be able to hit the target at least once.

"You close your eyes," the girl piped up excitedly. Her instructor shook his head and went to protest but Mayonaka no Hana put a hand up. She was willing to try.

As soon as her eyelids met, the world changed. Every sound, every vibration was visible in her mind's eye. She could not only see and hear where her target was, but she could feel it. Feel how it moved, how the air currents could be used to propel the kunai directly towards it. She took a deep breath, focused, and launched the knife. With satisfaction, she heard a thunk as metal came in contact with wood. When she opened her eyes, she found that she had hit it.

"That's amazing!" the girl shouted. "It's never worked for me before." Hana smiled weakly and muttered something about a lucky shot. Then she thanked the girl again before taking off, afraid of her own ability. She had no idea how she had managed it, and she wasn't too eager to find out.

"Running away from something?" Kankuro demanded, suddenly appearing in front of her. Hana had been so consumed by her thoughts that she hadn't noticed his approach.

"Lord Gaara told me not to train when the sun is at its highest. I was going back to the Kazekage building," she blurted before she could regain her composure.

"Lord Gaara?" he questioned, not liking the step she had taken to being informal with his brother.

"He asked me to call him that," Mayonaka no Hana snapped defensively. Kankuro frowned but said nothing, beckoning her to follow him. Hesitantly, she obeyed. They strolled into the heart of Suna where all the shops were.

"Temari wanted me to fetch you so you could get proper desert attire. We can't have you burning to a crisp all the time." Hana silently agreed, thankful that they were willing to help her.

"That's a kind thought," she muttered. The puppet master simply shrugged and once they reached his sister, the girls were left alone. Since Hana was raised in a ninja household, buying clothes for her was simple and didn't take them long. Afterwards, they went home.