A/N: Aaaaaand the next chapter's here!
"Well, are you just gonna stand there? We don't have all day," Kankuro said, starting to walk to the ship.
"I'm coming," Mimi said, still surprised at his offer. She walked up to the ship behind him, a part of her nervous about leaving her homeland for good. She never left outside of the Land of Snow—heck, she barely left the island. But maybe being exposed to another land will be good for her. She needed the change, as scary as it seemed. It was just so far away…
Kankuro wasn't sure if the decision he just made was the wisest one, but he didn't know what else to do. He felt partially responsible for what happened, and wasn't just going to leave her after how much she's helped them. She was kind of a downer sometimes, but she wasn't so bad. She just needed to live a little.
Rojikku walked to Kankuro after he saw Mimi get on the boat, Kanjo striking a conversation with her, asking if she's coming with them.
"Kankuro, is she coming with us?" Rojikku asked him.
"Yeah."
"Are you sure about this?" He replied, raising an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
"Look, I didn't know what to do. She doesn't have anywhere to go. They kicked her out."
"Oh wow, that sucks," Rojikku said. "Regardless, remember what happened the last time. Lord Kazekage wasn't happy about you bringing foreign girls to Suna after your mission some time ago."
"That was just for a couple of nights," Kankuro explained. "And this is nothing like that."
Rojikku gave him a skeptical look.
"Dude, look at her. She's not even my type. I just felt like I had to help her since she helped us."
"Kanjo seems to have taken an interest in her, though," Rojikku joked, looking at the both of them talking near the edge of the ship.
"That guy will go after anything that walks." Kankuro commented.
Rojikku laughed at his comment. "Just so you know, I'm not taking any part in this."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Rojikku said, leaning over the edge of the ship.
"Already? We haven't even been on the ship for that long," Kankuro said.
"Rojikku always gets seasick. Every time we go on water, this always happens. I'm used to it by now," Kanjo said.
Gaara always put them to go on missions together, so Kankuro expected Kanjo to know this. He understood why Gaara did it though. They did work very well together.
"Shut up." Rojikku said, annoyed.
"Aww, don't worry Rojikku, I used to get seasick a lot too. Looking at the horizon helps," Mimi said, patting his shoulder. Mimi would take ships and boats to travel between islands sometimes during her childhood. When she got old enough, she would send basic mail between the islands. It was how she learned the area so well.
"You know a lot more than what you show…" Kanjo said.
"What do you mean?" Mimi said. "Are you going to start to question me again?"
"I'm just curious," Kanjo said. "You've traveled a lot for a normal villager. You knew how to travel in tundra without getting lost, now this. Why were you on ships?"
Mimi laughed. "I know how to navigate in tundra because I was taught to read the snow. When you know how to read the snow and the winds, you'll never get lost. And I was on ships just to send basic mail and letters. The Land of Snow has many islands. It would be pretty uncommon for a villager to have never taken a boat somewhere before. I've never been anywhere outside the Land of Snow, to be honest."
"Wow, things are so different in your land…" Kanjo said.
Throughout the ride on the ship, the ship stopped on some islands where the three shinobi and Mimi would help bring stuff on board that was being traded. They would spend their time on the ship sharing stories when help wasn't needed: missions, the Chunnin exams, and ancient myths that have been passed down for generations. Eventually the days and nights went, gradually getting warmer as the ship sailed farther south. The warm weather was unfamiliar to Mimi, since she was always used to a slight chill even on the some of the hotter days back home, but the warm sun felt nice, even if she wasn't used to it. Eventually they reached the coast of the warmer lands down south, and bid farewell to the silver eyed sailors on the ship.
Mimi sighed. Seeing them and their unique eyes would probably be one of the last things she would see related to her homeland for a long time, or ever. She considered throwing away the white fur coat she bought that she had taken off once the weather started getting warmer, but reconsidered. She can keep it as a memory, since she doubted she would even use it again.
"So, how long until we get to Suna?" Mimi asked.
"Probably about a week," Kankuro said.
"Never have I ever appreciated the weather more than now." Rojikku said.
Kanjo agreed. "Yeah, no offense Mimi, but it's waaaaaay too cold up north."
Mimi shrugged. "I guess I'm used to it. The cold weather was never a huge bother to me as long as I had the right clothing. And my ancestors have been living there for thousands of years. We've adapted."
"I'm surprised none of us got frostbitten." Kankuro said. "What are the temperatures up there?"
"I wouldn't have let that happen to you guys." Mimi said. "The temperatures…well, probably around -25 degrees, and that's because it's summer." (A/N: Real North Pole weather is a bit warmer during the summer).
"Jeez," Kankuro said. "I don't even want to know what the temperatures are during the winter."
"It depends. The coldest I've had to deal with was about 50 degrees below zero."
"Seriously? I hope we never get sent to go back there again." Rojikku said.
"I don't think that's likely." Kankuro said, knowing the true nature of the mission.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
When nightfall came, Mimi found herself in an unfamiliar city that looked a bit sketchy. They decided to stay in a cheap motel there for the night, and the guys decided they might as well go to the bar nearby for some drinks. Mimi felt a little wine won't hurt before going to sleep later.
As she sipped her wine quietly, she overheard the guys' conversation while they were taking some shots of something she wasn't familiar with. They were talking about…guy things, and she suddenly felt that maybe she shouldn't be there.
"Hey Mimi, are you looking for a good time?" Kanjo asked her a little later.
She raised her eyebrow at him. "Um…what?"
"You heard me," he said sluggishly.
Lightweight, she thought. "No."
"Why not? You're such a stick in the mud. You don't even laugh that much."
"That's not true. I laugh." Mimi said. Was that true? She hoped it wasn't…
"You gotta brighten up, you know?"
She was tempted to tell him to mind his damned business, but she knew that the alcohol was getting to his head. And it's not like they knew she just went through a bad breakup and wasn't in the mood for dealing with men in any type of manner at the moment.
"Hm, I guess," was all Mimi said.
"I could help brighten up your night." Kanjo said, trying to continue a conversation that Mimi was not interested in entertaining.
She looked to where Kankuro and Rojikku were sitting to see if she can try and have a more...meaningful conversation with them, but noticed that they weren't in their seats anymore. Looking around, she saw them at the other end of the bar talking to two women.
"Ugh, they're no better," Mimi mumbled, sipping the last bit of her wine. "Hey Kanjo, I'm going to the motel. I'm feeling tired."
"But you just got here…" He said.
"Sorry," she said to Kanjo, walking out the bar. "That is so not my scene," she told herself, walking to the motel.
She turned on the shower, the water being the perfect temperature, hitting her skin soothingly and giving her goosebumps. She closed her eyes, standing and feeling the warm water of the shower in a meditative state before getting the soap and shampoo to wash up.
After she was done, she got dressed in a big t shirt and shorts and then combed through her wavy hair, letting it fall down to her hips. Even though the small clan from the Land of Snow gave her some clothing, she still needed more clothes, and ones more appropriate for this type of weather. So when they entered this town, she took the opportunity to go shopping for some clothes—nothing extravagant—just enough until she got to Suna. Unlike the other three guys, she left without much but her wallet and had to get things on the way as needed.
Walking to the small wooden desk in her motel room, she took out a pencil and a paper from the drawer that was already inside, calculating the money she had. Luckily she had a bit of money saved up and it should be enough to get her to Suna and at least find a place to live before getting another job there. She had hopes that she would be able to find something…she just wasn't sure what. She doubted she would be able to work in a bank again after what happened in the Land of Snow. Eventually, she felt tired and started nodding off.
Mimi woke up from the sunlight that gradually started to shine in the room. As she sat up, she rubbed the nape of her neck, groaning. She had fallen asleep at the desk, and now her neck was stiff. Ugh, I must have dozed off, she thought.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
"What the hell is up with you?" Rojikku asked Mimi as she was still rubbing the nape of her neck. It still felt a little stiff even if they left the town a couple of hours ago.
"Nothing, I'm fine. My neck just hurts. I fell asleep in an uncomfortable position."
"Sucks for you, my night was great." Kanjo said.
"I'm surprised you actually remember it," Mimi mumbled.
"He doesn't." Kankuro said. "He got kicked out after getting into a fight."
"I did?" Kanjo said. "You're lying!"
"How else do you think you got that bruise on your face, jackass?"
"Well at this point it doesn't even matter anymore. I didn't like that town much anyway. It looked shady." Mimi said before Kanjo could reply. It was getting increasingly hotter as they traveled south, and she really wasn't up for another one of Kankuro and Kanjo's stupid arguments.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
As the days went by, the weather got increasingly hotter…and hotter…and hotter…and so much hotter. By the time they entered the desert, Mimi thought she couldn't take it much longer. She felt severe sunburn start to form, and regretted not getting a sunblock when she had the chance. So this is what sunburn felt like. It hurt.
"Hey Mimi, you're starting to look like a tomato!" Kanjo said, pointing at her face.
"I know, no need to rub it in," she said through gritted teeth. She was starting to think about whether this trip to Suna was the wisest decision. Her skin wasn't particularly made to adapt to this type of weather. She doubted she could even tan—she just turned red. "Ugh, it's so hot…this heat doesn't bother you?"
"We're used to it," Rojikku replied. "The same way you're used to the cold weather up north."
"Ugh, by the time we get to Suna I would have aged five years," Mimi said, dragging her hands over her face and instantly regretting it when the sting came afterward. "Ouch."
"It's okay, you can use Kankuro's war paint to cover any wrinkles you get." Kanjo joked.
Mimi laughed. "War paint doesn't cover wrinkles!"
"Or does it?" Rojikku inquired. "Not many people have seen Kankuro without his war paint on. Maybe he has something to hide."
"The both of you have seen me without it on," Kankuro said, annoyed. "Now shut up, idiots. That goes for you too, midget."
"Hey!" Mimi said defensively. "I'm not that short…"
She heard Rojikku and Kanjo snicker at what she said. She scowled at them, groaning in frustration.
Mimi's never seen Kankuro without his war paint, though. Now she started to wonder how he looked without it. At first she thought he was wearing it since he was robbing that bank, but then she noticed he always had it on. But she was too hot to contemplate it much, and shrugged it out of her mind when the blistering heat made her thirsty.
XXXXXXXXXXX
By the time they got to Suna, it was already getting dark, and luckily for Mimi, much cooler. There were a couple of shinobi guarding the gates when they approached the entrance.
"Hey look, it's Lord Kazekage," Rojikku said. "I wonder what he's doing here," he said, even though he knew exactly what he was there for.
"He must have seen us coming," Kankuro said.
When they got to the gate, Mimi got to have a good look at who Rojikku pointed out was the Kazekage. He looked younger than Kanjo, Rojikku, and Kankuro! And, he also didn't look too happy, being that he was standing there with his arms crossed. He had a really cool tattoo, though.
She felt uncomfortable when he looked at her. He had these teal eyes that felt like it could see right through your soul, and his eye shadow made them stand out even more. She was too intimidated to say anything.
"Kankuro, come with me right now. I will speak to you two tomorrow," the Kazekage said to Kanjo and Rojikku.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage," they said, entering the village.
"What is your name, ma'am?" The red haired man asked Mimi.
"Um…Himitsu…" she said nervously.
"Welcome to Sunagakure, Himitsu. Matsuri will show you a place to stay for the night," he said. "Follow me, Kankuro."
"T-thank you, Lord Kazekage…" she said, looking down.
As the Kazekage and Kankuro walked into the village, Mimi was approached by a girl with short, brown hair and onyx eyes. She was in shinobi clothing.
"Hey, I'm Matsuri, but Gaara—I mean, Lord Kazekage already told you that." The girl said, getting a faint shade of pink when she slipped out his name. "Follow me."
"Gaara is Lord Kazekage's name?" Mimi said. "Everyone from here has really cool names. My name is Himitsu, but you can call me Mimi."
"Nice to meet you, Mimi." Matsuri said, starting to walk into the village.
As Mimi entered the village, she looked around, amazed at the beauty of it.
"This is a beautiful village," Mimi commented.
"You really think so?" Matsuri said. "A lot of people don't like the weather."
"Well, I guess that takes some getting used to…" Mimi said, looking around at the unique architecture of the structures around her.
They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, until Matsuri couldn't take the awkward silence much longer.
"Um…so, how did you meet Kankuro?" Matsuri asked. "I mean—you don't have to answer if you don't want to—"
"No, it's okay." Mimi said. "I met him when he was in my village."
"Oh," Matsuri said. "Are you guys…um…you know, dating?"
Mimi raised an eyebrow, amused. "No, why would you think that?"
"Well, this isn't the first time he's brought foreign girls into the village…" Matsuri said. "I think I said too much…"
"Ah," Mimi said, getting what she was implying. "No, it's nothing like that. It's a long story how I ended up here. Let's just say he's doing me a favor, to keep it simple."
"Oh," Matsuri said, looking down. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed."
"It's okay," Mimi said. "It's not your fault he's made a name for himself, I guess."
Now it was Mimi's turn to ask questions. If Matsuri wanted to prod, then Mimi could too.
"I noticed you called the Kazekage by his first name," Mimi said. "Are you guys close friends?"
"Uh, well, he's my sensei, so we have a close relationship in a way that a teacher and a student would…"
Mimi could see right through that. "You have feelings for him, don't you?"
Even at the night, she could see Matsuri turn as red as Mimi's sunburn.
"W-w-what?! No, no, I don't have feelings for the Kazekage—" Matsuri stuttered.
Mimi laughed.
"Am I that obvious?" Matsuri said, looking down in shame.
"It's okay, I won't tell anyone." Mimi said. She didn't have anyone to tell even if she wanted to say anything anyway. "To be honest, though, he doesn't seem like the type to be interested..."
"He can seem cold on the outside, but he's really kind once you get to know him," Matsuri said.
"I see," Mimi said. This was getting interesting. "So he's shown you signs that he feels the same way?"
"No—I mean, we've—well, there are times when I think he does, but I doubt it."
Times when she thinks he does? There was more to this than Mimi thought. "Oh my God, have you guys done something together? Did you kiss?"
"I didn't say that!" Matsuri said defensively. "That would be inappropriate. He's my sensei—and the Kazekage. That would be completely inappropriate!"
"Oh, okay," Mimi said, smirking. She decided to leave it alone after that. She didn't know someone could get so red.
"We're here," Matsuri said, walking her in front of a small building.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
"She leaves tomorrow, Kankuro." Gaara said to him in a disapproving tone. "I wouldn't have expected you to disobey my orders. I told you not to bring any foreigners without my permission in the village anymore. That puts the safety of our people at risk, and for superficial reasons."
"It's not like that, Gaara." Kankuro told his brother. "This is different."
"It's not like you to let a woman affect your judgment," Gaara said.
"No, we didn't do anything! The reason why I brought her here is different, and it's not for 'superficial reasons,'" Kankuro mocked.
"Explain," Gaara said, crossing his arms.
Kankuro explained the situation to Gaara, from the time he encountered her on the roof to the time they were in the North Pole.
"So what you're telling me," Gaara said angrily, raising his nonexistent brow, "Is that you let a traitor of their own village into ours?! How can I trust her if she isn't even loyal to her own village, Kankuro? You've done reckless things, but this is probably the most reckless thing you have done so far."
"Well, what did you want me to do, Gaara? Just leave her to be an outcast up there? She can't be that bad. She helped us escape, and she knows she made a mistake! I don't know how successful that mission would have been if she didn't help us get out of there. We could have died."
"That still doesn't change the nature of the situation, Kankuro." Gaara said seriously.
"Gaara, give her a second chance. After what she's done for us, she at least deserves that. I feel like I kind of dragged her into all this and I feel partially responsible. Remember, you were given a second chance, too."
Gaara stood quiet for a minute, thinking about what his brother told him.
"Fine," he said. "But since you were the one who got her in this situation, you are to keep an eye on her to see if she has any malicious plans. And if she does and causes any harm to the village, you will be held responsible."
Kankuro nodded. "Fair enough."
"And you will be assigned to D-rank missions for the entire month."
"What?! Don't you think you're pushing it?"
"No." Gaara said bluntly. "You deliberately disobeyed the Kazekage's orders, and I will not let you off easy because you are my brother. Be lucky the punishment wasn't worse. This was very serious. You are dismissed."
Kankuro groaned in frustration, walking out the office knowing there was no arguing with him. What the hell did he just get himself into?
