for giving this a chance (lol to ch 6.) arigatou mina-san!

Chapter 6

Kiba stole a glimpse at the girl sitting on Akamaru. It was a strange sight—a girl wearing Hinata's outfit when it wasn't Hinata herself— but somehow he couldn't refrain from taking a few more glances. Something about her was bewitching be it her dark longhair or piercing golden gaze. Nonetheless, it was a breathtaking sight. He even got slightly jealous of Akamaru for being the one to carry her.

So upon reaching near the gates of Sunagakure, the Inuzuka heir felt a bit disappointed about their short travel together. It was also around the time when Kiba noticed the downhearted look on his escortee's face. How could he have been so ignorant about the girl's feelings? While he was secretly enjoying their silent time together, she was probably…

Kiba looked once again upon the girl's face and confirmed the lack of spirit in her eyes…the pair of golden orbs that he unconsciously grew very fond of. Sensing the unspoken sorrow, he beckoned Akamaru to stop a little just beyond the line of vision of the shinobi guarding the Sand Village.

Shoumei looked up in surprise at the sudden halt. The way her round eyes widened and looked around and then focused on Kiba rendered him speechless for a few seconds before gaining the composure to explain.

"Um…Shoumei-chan…" Kiba began before looking to Akamaru for support. His furry friend only wrapped his tail around the girl.

"Kiba-kun." Shoumei kept her head low and walked towards the ninja. "I caused much trouble haven't I?"

Kiba took a breath before displaying his silly grin. "Was that all you were sad about?" Shoumei continued her look of worry, prompting Kiba to scold or vent out something at her. "It's impossible to kill Naruto. That guy has the most determination to live compared to anyone else. He'll get better in no time."

"If it wasn't for me, Naruto…he wouldn't…"

Kiba instinctually placed two hands on Shoumei's thin shoulders and craned his neck slightly to see her face. She stared at him in bewilderment, she never got so close to a guy before.

"Shoumei-chan. If Naruto protected you with his life, then he trusts you. If he trusts you, Akamaru and I too will."

Shoumei stared into Kiba's soft gaze before managing a tiny smile. "If you don't mind, I would like to walk the rest of the way."

"But that's quite a long walk for a non-ninja. Don't worry, Akamaru doesn't tire out that…" Kiba couldn't finish before Akamaru gave the dense boy a teasing shove.

It finally hit him. He mentally smacked himself for not understanding what Akamaru understood in an instant. To this, he let out a laugh of defeat and was rewarded by the sweet laughter of the girl next to him.

As they talked the rest of their journey to Sand, Kiba couldn't help but learn to like everything about the girl. She had secrets, that much he could tell, but she was definitely as beautiful inside as out. His intuition was never wrong.

…

After parting ways with Kiba, Shoumei was once again received by the Sand anbu who took her back to the all too familiar Kazekage Tower. This time was for real. She was going to get to meet the Kazekage, her future husband. Taking a deep breath, Shoumei walked in through the door separating him and her.

Her eyes wandered into the office, but this time a humble figure was lying by the window. His calm eyes looked out at the sun-lit village. His spiky hair was hidden by a black hood. He turned slightly, allowing for the asymmetrical purple markings on his face to be seen. Handsome and young, that much she could tell.

"Kazekage-sama…" Shoumei greeted as she bowed courteously. Lifting her head up a little, she saw the young man get up from his relaxed position on the window sill. He offered a tender smile before brushing past her.

"Gaara!" Kankuro greeted with a casual raising of the hand.

Shoumei immediately whipped her head around to see a stoic redhead standing in the doorway. He wasn't as tall as the first man she saw, but his presence was much more domineering. Dark circles outlined his emotionless teal eyes that rested indifferently on her. He had his arms crossed, his stance protected. She could tell he wasn't too friendly with strangers, but from the bottom of her heart, she sensed something about him. If it was nervousness, she could certainly relate. Shoumei realized that her heart was drumming harder the longer she exchanged eye contact with the ninja carrying the gourd. To lessen the tension, she shifted her attention to focus on the red character engraved on his forehead. It was carved in a deep red. A beautiful red.

Love, it read. She caught herself before unconsciously reading it aloud. Realizing that it was rude to stare, Shoumei once again ducked and proffered a tiny bow followed by a shy smile.

Gaara, on the other hand, wasn't as pleased to see the two ninjas in his office. He wasn't too keen on receiving the girl, but after catching wind of the subtle scent of flowers, arrived earlier than he intended. The sudden thought of Hinata visiting was far-fetched, he knew, but on the small chance that was the case, he found himself rushing to the office. He should've known better than to have any expectations but when disappointment trickled in, it was yet another wound on his hidden heart.

"Gaara. This is your fiancé. I'm quite surprised myself. Isn't she cute?" Kankuro informally grabbed Shoumei and spun her around for his brother to take a better look.

Shoumei's eyes widened. He was the Kazekage! What a fool she had been to face and call to the wrong person. But a bit of her got excited. The older more laid-back ninja was calm and approachable, but the other one, his silence spoke for itself. Something about it captivated her.

"What's your name?" the Kazekage asked in a low voice that suited him.

"Iyasu Shoumei. It's a pleasu-

"Iyasu. You have caused much trouble in the Sand," Gaara spat out a bit too curtly that even Kankuro flinched at his brother's lackluster efforts to make peace.

"I apologize for …"

Gaara wasn't listening to a word the foreigner was saying. To him, it all meant nothing. It was all formalities after all. He couldn't refrain from mentally criticizing her, though he tried convincing himself to be at the very least agreeable when he met with his fiancé just earlier in the day. The fact that the Iyasu girl was wearing Hinata's outfit was probably the biggest contributor to his discomfort with having her in his presence. Perhaps earlier, she fled to the Leaf and hindered his allied village and brought trouble among his close friend and Hinata. At the thought, Gaara glared at the stranger.

Shoumei flinched back and blinked a few times to evade from the pressuring gaze. Somehow she got the feeling that he didn't like her. And she wasn't completely wrong on that.

Kankuro caught onto Gaara's gaze and realized the unrequited source of disagreement among the two would-be couple. He shook his head and darted a disapproving glance at his younger brother. How could he be thinking of Hinata when meeting with his future wife?

Gaara seemed to understand for he turned away from the girl, shielding his eyes from any more evidence leading back to his first love. He cleared his throat before letting out an inaudible breath.

"Iyasu-san. You are now in the Sand. Mind your clothing."

Kankuro's face scrunched up at his brother's fail attempt to make amends. It was simply too hard to bear watching that he had to ease the abuse Gaara inflicted on his first conversational exchange with future sister-in-law.

"Shoumei-chan. What Gaara meant is that he would like to take you on a tour of the Sand Village and would much prefer if you'd change out of the outfit you got from Hina- I mean the Leaf people," Kankuro corrected sarcastically.

"Hinata-sama generously gave this to me when my clothes got dirty. I didn't intend to show up like this. I'm really sorry."

Shoumei stole a quick glance at Gaara before his expression regained indifference. Her astute gaze caught the hint of hurt sealed inside the redhead. She wasn't oblivious to such an expression. As she feared, he was lovesick.

And on her best guess, it was because of the lovely Hyuuga back in Konoha.

Shoumei didn't know what else to do, but did what she was capable of. She skipped forward to take the Kazekage's hand, but naturally, the trained shinobi evaded her touch. Seeing her pained expression, he looked away in guilt. Nevertheless, the Iyasu girl tried again. This time, she kept her eyes on Gaara as she approached him once more. As she expected, he didn't flinch this time around and silently rejoiced that he didn't avoid her on purpose.

Shoumei placed her hand on top of his lightly, just as she did with Ino.

Upon their contact, Gaara looked with bewilderment at the enchantress standing before him. Taking a closer look, she didn't score too low on visuals. Her hair was long and dark like Hinata's. No, darker than Hinata's. Her eyes had a golden gleam like the sun he observed every morning rising from his tower. She was wearing Hinata's outfit, but probably because she had no choice. It would be rude to present herself in torn clothes when she presented herself in front of him. This much he was willing to forgive.

Gaara suddenly dropped a softer gaze on the girl who finally released his hand. Kankuro smirked in amusement at his brother's quick change of mood. Whatever the girl did, it worked.

"I'm sorry I showed up like this," the girl said once again. "After I go to change, I would very much like a tour if Kazekage-sama has the time to escort me."

"So what about it Gaara?" Kankuro elbowed his younger sibling.

Gaara gave a shy affirmative. "I'll meet you in the front."

Shoumei nodded happily, glad that the rigidity of the situation didn't linger. She looked appreciatively at Kankuro who flashed a subtle wink.

…

The Kazekage stared out the window and saw Kankuro with the Iyasu girl waiting in the front. Not a foot after stepping out the door, when Matsuri came panting and handing him a scroll marked with the Leaf emblem. Gaara immediately tore it open to examine the content.

Matsuri stood worriedly as she was ordered to summon Baki and the Kazekage retreated back into office, slamming the door behind him.

seriously...i finally introduced their first meeting. it seems im making gaara super tsundere.