A/N: As is often the case, I realized I had not thought out the seasons when I started this. I have gone back and revised earlier chapters, to make it more clear that the beginning of the story is in the winter, i.e., Hinata does not see flowers in the desert, there are no leaves on the trees in Konoha yet, etc. The most notable addition is in Chapter 6. I've included a complaint about the weather in Temari's letter. Otherwise, the story is unchanged.
I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 7: Invitations
"Did you get one?" said Kankuro, strolling into the Kazekage's office one evening.
Gaara looked up bleary-eyed from the document he'd been notating. He turned to his aide with a frown.
"Jiro, can you get those quotes for me? I'll need three. Make sure the contractors write up a detailed list of repairs and costs. I'll need to get a better picture of the actual damages…" Gaara stared off into space before scribbling some more notes on the document.
"Yes, Lord Gaara," said Jiro. The small man bowed to Kankuro before exiting the room in a flurry of paper.
"I said, did you get one?" said Kankuro, hoisting his backside up on his favorite perch on the window ledge behind Gaara's desk.
Damn, but his little brother worked hard.
No way would he be able to put so much effort into managing the complex affairs of Sunagakure. Hell, he barely succeeded in getting his mission reports into legible documents, let alone turning them in on time. The kid was amazing.
"Hey, little brother," Kankuro used the toe of his boot to poke Gaara in the shoulder blade, "I asked you a question."
"Quit it," said Gaara, flapping his hand absently at the annoyance, "I'm working."
"Yeah, I see that," said Kankuro, "stop for a second. You've been working non-stop for hours. Time to take a break."
Gaara shrugged his shoulders. He continued to scribble, mumbling to himself.
"What are you working on, anyway?" said Kankuro.
"That last earth tremor damaged the part of the artesian well system that backs up Suna's water supply. I want to get it repaired now before more damages occur," Gaara turned and looked at his brother, his aqua eyes bright with enthusiasm. "If we do this right, we could anticipate further damages and protect the system more effectively in the future -."
He stopped and glared at Kankuro who was staring at him with his eyes crossed and tongue out in a Kabuki style grimace.
"And you are completely uninterested, aren't you?" said Gaara, flatly.
Kankuro relaxed his face into a more normal grin.
"Well, not completely," he said, "I do like water. Great for making beer. And for taking baths."
"Right," said Gaara, "beer and baths. Two very important reasons for keeping the water supply going. I'll need to make a note of that."
"Hell, yeah," said Kankuro, ignoring the sarcasm. "Put my name next to the note! Don't want you to take all the credit!"
Gaara looked at him coldly.
Kankuro grinned back.
Gaara relaxed in his chair with a small sigh.
"Now, that you've got my attention," he said, "what do you want?"
"I wanted to know if you got one?" said Kankuro.
Gaara blinked.
"One what?"
"One of these," Kankuro pulled a large embossed envelope out of his jacket with a dramatic flourish and tossed it onto the desk.
"If I look at this, will you go away and leave me in peace?" said Gaara, visually inspecting the envelope as though it might be an exploding device.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Kankuro, waving towards the envelope. "See if you've got one, too, before you open mine."
Gaara sighed heavily. He pawed through his in-box until he came across an identical envelope. He picked it up gingerly.
"Alright," he said, "I've got one. Now, leave."
Kankuro hopped off the sill and picked up his own envelope.
"Okey-dokey, little brother," he said, cheerfully, sauntering out of the room. He turned and waggled his fingers. "Don't forget to read it, now!"
Gaara frowned at the elegant envelope.
Why was Kankuro so insistent that he stop and examine the envelope now?
It was obviously an invitation of some sort.
Expensive cream-colored paper sealed with wax. The stamp in the wax was –
The Hyuuga family crest.
His heart made a funny nose-dive into his stomach.
He dropped the envelope hastily. It landed squarely centered on his desk, the revealing stamp turned upward. He stood up abruptly, pushing his chair back so hard that the legs squealed on the floor boards. He stared down at the elegant paper rectangle as if it really did contain a bomb.
An invitation.
From the Hyuuga clan.
He had no idea why the sight of the envelope set his heart pounding and his palms sweating.
He'd gotten invitations before. Many, since becoming the Kazekage.
He'd even gotten invitations from well-connected clans in the allied villages.
None had elicited a response like this.
Of course, he hadn't been writing regularly to one of the well-connected clan's daughters when he received those invitations.
Don't be ridiculous.
He had received letters from Hinata. What was different about an invitation?
Different. Very different.
If some Hyuuga was writing an invitation to him, it was most likely Hinata.
A letter is a letter. An invitation…is…something else.
He squared his shoulders and stepped up to the desk, picking up the envelope carefully. He picked up a silver letter opener and held it in his hand over the envelope flap. He slit the envelope open and pulled out the contents.
You are cordially invited
To celebrate the Betrothal of
Haruno Sakura
And
Uzemaki Naruto
March Fourteenth at Five O'Clock in the Evening
At the Hyuuga Home
Konahagakure no Sato
Formal Dinner and Dancing will follow the Ceremony
A betrothal party for Naruto? Given by the Hyuugas?
It could only be Hinata's idea to give a party for Naruto. He had no family, as far as Gaara knew. Sakura must not have a family, either. Or perhaps her family was unable to sponsor a expensive betrothal party.
How kind of her to think of gifting these two with a formal betrothal.
Naruto must be thrilled.
Gaara smiled briefly, thinking about his friend.
He knew how deeply Naruto longed for acceptance. They hadn't talked much about it, but each had understood the pain of isolation they had shared. A celebration in Naruto's honor at one of the most prestigious clan homes in the Land of Fire would make his friend very happy.
And, as a bonus, the prestigious clan home also happened to be the home of the very girl to whom he had been writing regularly.
Who had just invited him to a party.
That she would be attending.
He sat down in his chair and pushed the aquifer plans aside.
He needed to send an acceptance immediately.
Naruto would want him to be there making a grand show of support.
It behooved him to be present.
Kankuro grinned as he strolled towards his favorite restaurant.
It would have been hilarious to see Gaara's face when he opened the envelope.
Still, if Kankuro had been present, his little brother would never have opened the invitation.
Kankuro was pretty sure that the kid had it bad for the little Hyuuga.
Temari had written to tell him that Gaara had sent a couple more letters to the girl.
Well, it was about frickin' time, if anyone asked. Which nobody dared to do.
Gaara had turned into a pretty awesome guy, for a little brother. He deserved some happiness.
And a lot of nookie.
In Kankuro's opinion, if anyone asked, lack o' nookie was a basic need, like hunger or fear, that was unmet in many people.
If they further inquired on Kankuro's nookie philosophy, they would have learned that Gaara probably needed a lot more nookie than most people.
Of course, no one asked.
Gaara!
Guess wat! Hinata is giving Sakura and me a betrothal party. I can not beleiv it! I want you to come. Hinata told me she sent a invite to you. So you better come! She told me she sent a invite to your brother and sister and your sensei. They better come to. I mean it. You are like family to me. So you better come! Or I will kick your ass. Beleiv it!
Your freind, Naruto
"Gaara-sama, are you certain this is advisable?" said Baki, gruffly. He hated to burst this particular bubble, but someone had to do it.
"Yes," said Gaara, flatly.
"There is still a lot of bad feeling in Konoha. Especially against Suna. Perhaps it would be wiser to send a gift –."
"Baki-sensei," said Gaara, in that 'do not cross me, I'm the Kazekage' voice he had learned to use very effectively, "you are coming to this party whether you want to or not."
"I don't want," said Baki, "you know I'm not welcome there."
"Get over it," said Gaara, flatly, "Naruto needs our support. We will be leaving in one week. I plan on staying several days to meet with the Hokage over water rights. And, of course, we'll get together with Temari."
"Yes, sir," Baki said, sketching a slightly mocking salute.
Gaara grimaced faintly.
"I would like you to come with me," he said, his tone less demanding, "I have never attended a ceremony such as this."
"Very well," Baki said, begrudgingly.
Secretly, he was flattered that Gaara was insisting on his presence. It would be awkward for him. It always was. The total fiasco that had been the result of the Fourth Kazekage's attack on Konoha still loomed large in Leaf village memories.
Baki, as advisor to the treacherous Fourth Kazekage and as sensei to the Sand Siblings, was not well-liked in the Land of Fire. He was viewed with hostility and suspicion whenever he visited the village. He could have argued that he had protested the attack vehemently, but he doubted that would help. Especially since he had personally killed several Leaf shinobi during the battle. It would also not help if anyone knew about the physical illness he experienced whenever he thought about how the Fourth Kazekage had been betrayed and murdered by that psychopath, Orochimaru. Or if he described the terrifying nightmares he had after the debacle.
It was the price of his loyalty to his country. A shinobi had to take the blame as well as the praise for all actions taken by the martial power he followed.
He would go with Gaara and Kankuro to Konoha and attend the party. He would even try to be genial and pleasant.
It was his duty.
And he would also be able to get some intel on a certain lavender-eyed kunoichi.
Worth any discomfort.
"Do you have everything prepared?" Gaara asked, ignoring the exasperated looks Jiro shot him.
He knew he'd asked the same question several times before. Alright, more than several times. It didn't matter.
Supplying many of the betrothal gifts had been a prerogative he had insisted on. He'd had quite a few arguments with Naruto's former senseis, Hatake Kakashi and Umino Ibika about it. The air between Konoha and Suna had been thick with messenger birds while the squabble raged. They wanted to participate as well.
A final resolution of the matter occurred when Lady Tsunade had intervened. She had written a blistering note to him that had ended the discussion.
We get it. He saved your life. He saved mine, too. And many others. We all owe him more than we can repay. Let his three senseis participate. Yes, I wrote three. Jiraya-sama left some things to Naruto to be used if ever such an occasion arose. Don't deny his spirit this.
After that, Gaara had given in with relatively good grace. Who was he to risk being haunted by the famous Sannin and Toad Sage? He had enough personal haunts already.
On the eve of the trip to Konoha, the supply cart was packed with gifts for the bride. There were also some bulky packages of things he thought Temari would like. A case of wine made from a loquat that was a specialty of the region for the Hokage was wrapped carefully in straw and settled securely under the driver's seat. He'd made sure there was a basket of carefully wrapped souvenir toys and mementos from Sunagakure no Sato for the Hyuuga family as hosts of the party.
There was also a small gift for Hinata tucked inside his personal bag.
Nothing big or very expensive.
Well, not too expensive.
Not expensive for a Kazekage.
Alright, it had cost a bit, but he had used village artisans so he didn't feel too guilty.
He hoped she would like it.
Also tucked in his bag was a scroll he had received from Hinata.
It still made him break out in a sweat when he thought about how he had almost missed it.
The missive had arrived during the flurry of avian correspondence between Leaf and Sand. It had been set aside and almost forgotten. It was only by the merest chance that Jiro had found it two days before they left. The scrolls were buried in paperwork for an extension of the artesian system Gaara wanted to present to the Konoha council and Land of Fire daimyos.
"Lord Kazekage," said Jiro, diffidently, "Have you seen this?"
Gaara, in the midst of organizing the proposal, grunted.
"Whatever it is, it can wait till I return," he said.
"Of course," said Jiro, putting the sealed scroll into the in-box.
Gaara briefly glanced over, fixing the scroll in his mind so that he wouldn't forget it when he returned.
He froze, his hands splayed on the desktop. The seal on the scroll looked very familiar. As did the handwriting with his name on the outside.
"Give that to me!" he said, sharply.
Jiro jumped and quickly scooped up the scroll. He deposited it carefully on the desk.
"S-sorry, sir," said Jiro, licking his lips and glancing uneasily at the gourd that was leaning against the wall behind Gaara. "I must have missed it. My pardons, sir, I'm very sorry-."
"Yes, yes," said Gaara, waving the man off. "Not your fault. I should have looked through that pile more carefully."
"No, sir," said Jiro, bravely, bowing deeply, "it is entirely my fault. I should have seen the scroll and given it to you first thing this morning. My humble apologies, sir. It will not happen again, sir. I promise you -."
"Jiro," said Gaara, quietly.
The man stopped his bowing and looked at his boss fearfully.
Gaara sighed inwardly.
Jiro looked like a rabbit frozen in place after seeing the shadow of a hawk swoop over him.
Damn it, when was the little man going to realize that Gaara was not going to kill him?
"You may get some tea, please," said Gaara, "I could use some refreshment."
"Yes, sir!" Jiro scuttled towards the door. "Right away, sir!"
"And Jiro," said Gaara.
Jiro stopped so quickly he skidded on the floor and almost took a header into the doorjamb.
"Please bring a cup for yourself," said the Fifth Kazekage.
Jiro's face lit up.
"Really, sir?" he said, "Of course, sir. Right away, sir. Be back in a moment, sir!"
"Go, please," said Gaara, "Take your time. I'd like to read this uninterrupted."
"Yes, of course, sir," said Jiro, tip-toeing out the door and easing it shut.
"Won't be a moment, sir," Gaara heard through the door.
Gaara sighed. Jiro was an excellent aide. Smart, efficient and eager to please. It was his eagerness to please that got a little tiresome.
He sat back in his chair and picked up the scroll.
Yes, from Hinata. It was her handwriting he had recognized.
He slipped his thumbnail under the wax seal and popped it open.
Dear Gaara-kun,
Thank you for your letter. I am so happy you were able to enjoy your impromptu cooking lesson. As I believe I've said before, I enjoy cooking very much. I find it very calming. I hope that you have found it so, as well.
I have been accepted as the substitute teacher for the Academy Kindergarten. I will be taking over the class at the end of this month. Right now, I am working with the current teacher before she goes on maternity leave.
I must say that I am both excited and frightened by the prospect. There are twelve students in the class and I will be responsible for them. This may be the most difficult mission I have ever undertaken.
Does that sound surprising? It shouldn't.
The first day I was at the school in my official position as almost-substitute teacher, one of the children burst into tears because I called her Yukiko instead of Ryoko. The second day one of the children fell on the playground and cut his knee when he missed the ball I threw to him. The third day, I burned the mixture of play dough I was making and set off the fire alarms. The whole school had to be evacuated.
Honestly, on the fourth day, I seriously considered not returning. However, I re-read your letter and remembered that work can be daunting, but also rewarding. Your words gave me strength and renewed my sense of purpose. Thinking about all the difficult tasks you must tackle put my own petty problems into sharp perspective. I went back to the school and happily had a very uneventful day.
On the fifth day, Ryoko-chan brought me a picture she had drawn of her cat. At first, I couldn't see a cat when I looked at her paper. Ryoko-chan patiently pointed out to me all the cat-characteristics that eluded me, and I realized that I loved being there with her, disentangling her picture to see a cat. It is a moment I will treasure. I must always remember that rewards will come, if I don't give up. This is something I learned from Naruto. Your inspiring words about your work helped to remind me.
I am so glad that you and your brother, and your sensei, will be coming to the party for Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan. Lady Tsunade-sama has told me that you will be representing Naruto-kun's family along with Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei. I hope you will not think it is presumptuous to say that I was deeply touched when I heard this. I am so happy for Naruto. He has been very alone. It will mean a lot to him to have you there. Lady Tsunade-sama, Yamanake Ino-san and I will be acting as Sakura's family as her mother passed away several years ago. It is a responsibility I take very seriously.
I look forward to seeing you soon. Please take care on the journey here.
Your friend, Hinata
Checking his personal bag for the fourth time, he opened the scroll and reread her letter.
He smiled over her first week as teacher. After his hour with the senior class at Suna's academy, he could imagine how terrifying the younger set must seem. It bothered him a little, though, that she wrote about her mistakes. Surely, she had triumphs, too. Like the picture the little girl had given her.
She had reread his letter! And she thought he was inspiring. His mind went blank at that. It was too difficult to believe.
He felt uncomfortably warm at her praise about representing Naruto. It was the least he could do for his friend.
Still, he was grateful to read her words.
He rolled the scroll up carefully and tucked it back next to his gift between his socks and underwear.
He probably should leave it home, but for some reason he couldn't.
It was almost like a talisman. A promise for the future.
Seeing her again, after writing to her, would be an interesting experience.
He wasn't sure if the thought pleased him or terrified him.
Perhaps a bit of both.
A/N: Next chapter should allow our socially backward hero and heroine to interact in the flesh, so to speak. Hey! Not that kind of interaction! They aren't nearly ready for THAT…yet! Despite Kankuro and his notions of nookie therapy.
Please review. I will respond, I promise.