The Arrangement

Chapter Eight


By the third week, the Kazekage, after his fight with Yamanaka Ino and the talk that followed after, had changed dramatically almost overnight in so many different aspects. For one, he had stopped over-working. And while Ino had worried about it at first, thinking that he wouldn't be able to catch up on his paperwork, she was surprised when Gaara had proven that he was capable of prioritizing, contrary to what he used to believe of himself. He achieved this by actually changing many of the rules he had passed around the village when he first became Kage.

First off, he had hired secretaries. Several of them. He had assigned them to work his papers for him that did not require his immediate attention, and they were to ask his advice if – and only if – they could not figure it out by themselves. All of them were to be supervised by Baki, who was completely pulled out of the council and promoted as Gaara's right-hand man. The man looked absolutely happy. It was maybe because he did not have to deal with the old douche bags of the council from then on. And his raise might have something to do with it, too.

Because of this, there had been a lot changes that happened within the Sand. Since Gaara had opened his schedule dramatically, he had found himself free in visiting the academy at least twice a week to monitor the performance of their new recruits, and Gaara had actually asked Ino to come with him once for a tour of the academy. It had been very shocking for Ino, because although she had seen many pictures of children in Gaara's office, it was the first time she had actually seen him surrounded by them.

And he looked completely at home standing in the middle of a ring of students as he told them stories of the time when he was a child himself, and how he got to become 'best buddies' with the Hokage. His talks always revolved around teamwork, friendship and the values of both. Ino had stayed a few meters away from the group on a rock bench to watch him speak animatedly to his audience. He was interesting to observe; he looked like he was enjoying himself.

That was the first and last time Ino let Gaara drag her to the academy, though. He had asked her again the next day, but Ino had adamantly declined. And that was because when she had looked at Gaara surrounded by children, her imagination had run away with her, of Gaara being a father. And thoughts that concerned Gaara fathering a child led to many, many thoughts that she had not been emotionally prepared to think about.

Of course, she had thought about Gaara shamelessly even when he wasn't with children. In fact, after the day she had realized that she was actually attracted to the man, she had become a hopeless case. It was like her mind would generate small fantasies that revolved around whatever Gaara was doing.

Gaara would be cooking her omelets. She would imagine him making her breakfast in bed, saying something like, "Honey, would you like tomatoes on the side?" or something even more embarrassing than that.

Gaara would come out of the shower and sneak up on her while she did her daily mission report, and she would imagine him wrapping his arms around her from behind and dragging that mouth of his up her neck.

Actually, her fantasizing got crazier and crazier as each day passed. She had scolded herself many times for it, and convinced herself that dreaming of having a romantic relationship with the man was not only just unadvisable, but highly improbable. The reason why she was there in the first place was because the man was avoiding relationships. What made her think she was going to convince him otherwise was beyond her. Not that she was thinking of convincing him, or something stupid like that…

Although little did Ino know that rumors had been spreading around the whole village about the Kazekage's fiancée being the one and only reason why Gaara had become relatively happier. The bulk of talks between jounin teachers in the academy during their lunch breaks composed of seeing Gaara and Ino walking through the market place hand-in-hand shopping for beets and liver, or spotting them sitting under the stars in the balcony of Gaara's office in the tower, talking quietly in each others ear.

Talks and rumors between the chuunin were even cheesier, especially among the girls. Unknown to Ino, the chuunin girls had discovered the tulip and cosmos seeds she was propagating in one of the greenhouses. This had sparked a story of Gaara wanting to fill the village with the Konoha kunoichi with flowers on their wedding day. Then they would squeal and giggle and talk about how handsome their Gaara-sama would be in his wedding robes. Or how their Gaara-sama would be like on his honeymoon. Or how their Gaara-sama would have beautiful children because Ino-sama was beautiful.

If any of these rumors ever reached Gaara's ear, he never let on. He went with his everyday schedule; left the house at eight in the morning with a lunch box wrapped in a purple scarf, and he would come home at around six in the afternoon, suspiciously in a hurry. Those who witnessed the Kazekage crossing the square in a slow jog didn't know that the reason he was in a hurry was because he couldn't wait for dinner.

Aside from the fact that Ino's feelings were giving her a hard time looking at Gaara in the eye, she had tried her best to act as naturally as she could around the man. It wasn't easy. She didn't know if she was just putting too much thought into it, because she felt as if Gaara was becoming more… romantic with her. She didn't even know if that was the right word to define him.

It was very surreal. While Ino had been used to Gaara always wanting to be in the same room with her, after their talk and their 'kiss and make up' episode, it was as if the man had been very sensitive with proximity. There were times when Ino would be washing the dishes and Gaara would silently approach her from behind, placing hands on either side of her waist for no reason at all. When Ino would nervously ask if he needed anything, he would press his nose on her hair and inhale deeply before leaving with no explanation at all. He would shower while Ino finished with her kitchen duty, then Ino would grab a shower herself and make them tea. Once Ino had washed their tea cups, Gaara would be there grabbing her arm and dragging her into bed, which in normal circumstances Ino would have thought very kinky, but knew better than to expect anything other than cuddling.

Of course, there had been rare moments in the night when she would wake up with Gaara running his fingers through her hair when he thought she was asleep. There had been an instance when she felt his thumb brushing her brow gently, and she tried her best to control her breathing. She did not know what Gaara was trying to accomplish by making those intimate gestures that Ino doubted he understood, but it had done absolutely nothing for her nerves. Those slight touches left her wanting more of those kisses he had showered her after their fight, especially when Gaara would unconsciously rub his nose against hers when they were sleeping.

Although their nightly routine had stuck to this pattern, one of the strangest changes in Gaara that Ino noted, however, was how he acted in the morning. Before their fight and 'make up session', Gaara had always been late to rise, and Ino had in fact enjoyed waking him up to get ready for breakfast. Strangely, though, Gaara was always the first to rise lately. Ino would wake up at around six in the morning to find Gaara's side of the bed empty. The stranger part of that was that he would always come back to bed looking flushed, lethargic and very, very disturbed and he would nudge Ino gently to tell her it was time to get up. Ino never bothered asking Gaara what was wrong. She knew that if there was something the man wanted to tell her, he would, in his own time.

But in the span of the week, he never enlightened her.

On her twentieth day in Suna, if anyone ever told her that the one to enlighten her would be Kankurou, she would have laughed. Actually, she had been avoiding the man since the day he taught Gaara that apologies were easier to accept with deep kisses. She knew that if she were to see Kankurou, she was afraid she would do something violent to the man. And so that week, it was actually the first time for her to be alone with Gaara's older brother.

He had appeared as her escort to the main gates of Suna. Today, the delegate of Pippu and his daughter were leaving the Hidden Sand, and Ino was going to see them off. A big part of her was going to miss Masami. She had been a welcome friend in the midst of hostile daughters that had tried to kill her. She was going to be sad to see her go.

"Kinda sucks, huh?" Kankurou said as Ino tried to widen the distance between them.

"Kankurou, it's barely ten in the morning. Are you here to annoy me?" Ino asked gruffly as she stalked faster.

Kankurou, having relatively longer legs, didn't even have to make an effort to catch up with her. "Aww, come on, Ino. Are you still mad at me? We haven't talked for six days."

Ino flashed him what she hoped to be an evil stare. "You're asking me if I'm mad? Seriously?"

"It was just a kiss! Well, several kisses… can't you let it slide? I didn't think he was going to take me seriously," Kankurou pleaded. Regardless of his puppy-dog eyes, his insolent mouth was grinning eagerly.

Ino stopped walking and whacked his arm hard.

"Ow!" the man cried, shrinking away.

"What do you mean, 'you didn't think he was going to take you seriously?' This is Gaara! Haven't I warned you enough to stay away from him? You teach him dirty things. Don't you feel even a little bit of remorse?" Ino took a deep breath and tried to reign in her anger.

The only one who knew of Ino's feelings for the Kazekage was Temari, and maybe Kankurou really didn't mean any harm, but if he was going to keep stuffing ideas in Gaara's head, and Gaara ended up practicing it on her, then she didn't know if her poor heart could handle it. She was not stupid. She knew deep down that being attracted to the man was going to lead nowhere.

Let it all end. Let it all end, she repeated in her head. This had been her mantra for the last week when Gaara tried to be sweet to her, unwittingly making emotions in Ino stir.

Kankurou rubbed the spot where she had hit him. "Sheesh! I'm sorry, okay? If I didn't know any better you're, like, this faithful little lady who saves her kisses for her boyfriend. You have a jealous man waiting for you at home who's not too keen on sharing his girl's kisses?"

Ino rolled her eyes dramatically as she started walking. "Yeah, that's exactly it. My boyfriend just explodes with jealousy when other guys kiss me. What kind of stupid question is that? Any boyfriend would be mad if other guys kiss their girls, idiot," she said sarcastically.

Kankurou hurried after her. "Will you wait up? I wanted to ask you something. It's about Gaara."

Ino whirled around so fast that Kankurou nearly ran her over. "If you had been brainwashing him again, I swear – "

"That's what I wanted to ask you!" Kankurou said, raising his arms in front of him, afraid of getting hit again. "I was wondering if things have been okay between you two lately. Because I think something's off."

Ino took a deep breath, counted to ten then released it in a huff. "What is it?"

"Gaara's been talking to me yesterday…" Kankurou's face flushed evidently. He ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, man. Why is it that I'm always stuck with this kind of job?"

Ino crossed her arms under her chest, jutting her right hip and tapping her left foot impatiently on the ground. "If you don't want to tell me, I don't really care. Masami's waiting for me at the gates."

Kankurou shuffled from one foot to another. "I was just wondering how things are… with you and Gaara… in the… bedroom."

Ino was torn between clawing Kankurou's eyes out and simply kicking him between the legs. "Excuse me?"

Kankurou reddened further. He waved his hands in front of him, as if to ward the evil glare Ino was throwing at him. "Damn it! That didn't come out as it should have!"

"How was it supposed to come out, you pervert!" Ino blurted out.

"Gaara's been asking for my advice again last night, okay!"

"Advice from you? From you!"

"Don't make it look like I'm the bad guy here!"

"If you're not the bad guy, then what the heck are you?"

Kankurou looked around and found a few passers-by looking over to them suspiciously. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in a narrow alley between two houses. "Have you… Has he… ?" he whispered.

Ino glared at the man, feeling suddenly feverish. For some weird reason, she knew where this was going. "Are you implying that Gaara and I have been doing something we're not supposed to do in bed?" she said dryly.

Kankurou looked around again in panic. "Shh! Not so loud!"

Ino made to leave, shaking her head.

Kankurou yanked her back. "Gaara's been… asking questions… About… uhm… stuff… " The red in the man's face instantly faded to a miserable blue. It was obvious he wasn't comfortable telling Ino these things. For a moment Ino actually felt sorry for him. Just a little.

"Well? We're consenting adults here. What has he been asking?" Ino asked. She had a feeling if she didn't let him talk about this, she would be stalked by the puppet master until she listened to him.

Kankurou swallowed hard. "He's been asking me why it's always giving him a hard time in the mornings after waking up. And… uhm… and sometimes in the evenings when – gaaghh!"

Ino slammed her palm across Kankurou's mouth, wanting to die of embarrassment. "I'd prefer you not say it. I get it."

She didn't even know what Gaara would think if he found out his older brother was speaking to the woman he was sleeping on the same bed with about his daily erections. The mere thought of it made her uncomfortable. Very, very uncomfortable.

Kankurou swatted her hand away. "This is the first time Gaara's ever openly talked about it without scaring himself shitless. In fact, he's starting to be… quite curious about it, and a bit embarrassed. So I was wondering if there was… something that made him start showing… uhm… interest on the subject of… yeah… " he finished lamely.

And in the span of three seconds the mystery of Gaara waking up early and coming back to bed looking wasted and hassled and grumpy was a mystery no more. The fact that Ino hadn't even noticed his predicament made her feel a bit worried. Perhaps it was because Gaara was asking Kankurou for advice. Things always ended badly with asking Kankurou for advice.

She blushed. But at least Gaara didn't ask her about it. That would have been even more awful.

"Ino, I have a hard-on. What do I do with it?"

"Well, there are a lot of ways we can deal with that, Gaara…" Insert wonderful sexual fantasy here.

Crap. This was getting nowhere. Ino pushed the thought out of her head. "I have no idea. We haven't been doing anything different than before, except the fact that he's doing better with work now. Don't look at me. I know nothing." She stepped out of the alley and hurried away from Kankurou.

Kankurou was walking beside her in a heartbeat. "Wait! It's not like I'm accusing you of anything! I was just…"

"Just what, Kankurou? You were just what?"

"I just wanted to… uhm. I just wanted to thank you. Whatever you did – "

Ino threatened him with a fist.

"Sorry! – whatever you didn't do, I'm grateful." Kankurou fell silent as they both fell into step with each other. "He's never had a father figure to guide him with these things before, and I guess… It had become a self-proclaimed job for me to make sure he's… you know… "

Ino looked over at him suspiciously as she fell into a leisurely pace. "Sometimes I have to just question your judgment on the way you teach him. Please stop using me as your guinea pig. It embarrasses me." Not to mention it leads her on. She lowered her chin and stared at the ground she was walking on. She had no doubt that with the way Gaara has been treating her when they were together, it wouldn't be hard for him to actually have a healthy relationship after this was all over.

Of course, that fact made her insides churn violently. Because even though she didn't want to admit it, she was already getting jealous over the fact of Gaara marrying some other woman who was not her. Not that she wanted to get married to Gaara or anything! Sure, she liked the man, but marriage? Pfft!

Not that she had any right to stake claim on him to begin with.

Right?

I mean, the reason why I'm here in the first place is to keep him from marrying anyone he didn't like…

Her even thinking of having Gaara reciprocate her feelings for her was every bit a contradiction to the mission she was hired for.

"Ino," Kankurou started, then he was instantly scratching the side of his neck uncomfortably. "I was just wondering… what you think of Gaara."

Ino nearly tripped on her own feet at the question. "What do you mean 'what I think of him?' What's there to think?" she asked slowly, not sure where the conversation was going. "He's the Kazekage, he's gotten really better at his job lately. He treats his subordinates well. And he listens to you too much."

Kankurou looked a bit annoyed. "Not that. I meant, as a man. What do you think of him?"

That had brought Ino to a complete halt. As a man? Oh, she had a lot of thought about Gaara as a man. Considering she hadn't actually had a very good history in men – given that her first love ended up to be a deranged lunatic with Sharingan eyes who wanted everyone in Konoha dead. His abs was to die for, though – she thought Gaara to be a whopping nine out of ten stars in her hunk-meter. But she wasn't really sure. She did have bad taste in men.

Of course, she just couldn't overlook the fact that Gaara was just… handsome, to say the least. He was thoughtful in many ways a hopeless-romantic would have wanted a man to be. And he was ever-so-clumsy enough to find endearing and adorable.

And he kissed like a pro.

Not going there!

Ino shook her head of the thought. "Look, I don't even know why you're asking me this. It doesn't matter what I think of him as a man."

Kankurou frowned. "It's just a question, Ino. It doesn't mean anything."

Ino gestured at him. "Oh. Well. If you put it that way, what about you? What do you think about him? As a man. It's just a question, after all."

Kankurou's expression stiffened and he stared down at Ino seriously. "I think he's a changed man. I think he's a better man now than before. That's what I think."

Ino's brow furrowed thoughtfully as she looked directly back at the man in front of her. Those sharp eyes of his that had been full of schemes and naughtiness were serious, as it had been back three weeks ago when he was telling her of Gaara's issues when he was young. That had been the first time Ino had seen that face of his. Those eyes were on her again, after admitting to her that Gaara had started to become sexually aware of himself after a long period of closing himself away from that possibility of…

Possibility of what?

The possibility a man and a woman had when together.

"I think he was a great man even before he changed, Kankurou. He's always been a great man," Ino said sincerely.

That was when Kankurou finally diverted his eyes from her face. "You really think that?"

"I do. I've been living with him for three weeks straight. He's awesome." And to make things lighter, as Ino was feeling a bit strained from the thick tension around them, she added with a laugh, "And he makes great omelets."

Kankurou looked grateful for the comment because he smiled a small, one-sided smile. "Anyway, the council has been quiet lately ever since Gaara started making changes around here. There were times when they actually tried to tell him off, but it was a rare display for Gaara to put his foot down. The council didn't even know what hit them. Well, actually they did know; a handful of sand at their feet, and a stare from Gaara so cold that it could have frozen the desert over."

Ino had to smile at that, too. At least, even if she knew it was purely self-satisfactory, she had helped in making sure Gaara was never going to be pushed around and walked all over on even after her month was up. That, in itself, should have been a comfort for her.

That was why she was surprised when she felt her heart clench painfully at the mere thought of leaving him when everything was over and done with. At the same time, she sighed outwardly and started playing her mantra over and over in her head.

Let it all end. Let it all end.

She kept the smile on her face bright. "You have to stick to him like glue so he doesn't revert back to his old self, okay? You're the big brother, so you have to take care of him."

The smile slid from Kankurou's face, and the hands set on either side of him clenched into fists several times before relaxing again. "Preventing him from reverting back to his old self isn't the job of the big bro. It's the wife's job."

Ino felt a lump form at the base of her throat. She covered it with a laugh. "Well, until he finds a wife, you just have to fill in the shoes of the little lady." She patted Kankurou's shoulder lightly.

Kankurou's expression darkened. Then he uttered only one word that sent Ino reeling. "Idiot." And then he walked away from her.

Ino's eyes widened in disbelief. "Hey! What did you just say to me?" she demanded loudly, watching Kankurou move away from her hastily. What was his problem?

"I said you're an idiot. For someone who doesn't look like one," Kankurou said over his shoulder.

Well, given that there were other people smarter than her, and given that she's made a few stupid decisions in life… but still… that didn't make her an idiot. Not really.

"Hey!" Ino called after him, breaking into a run as she tried to catch up to Kankurou's strides. Luckily, the man seemed to think it rude to have walked out on her because he stopped and waited for her to catch up.

"You're suddenly acting all high and mighty here," Ino said lightly as they started for the gates again. "Or are you forgetting you've given me a lot of reasons to be miserable because of your big brother act."

Kankurou eyed her side-ways. "Miserable? Is that what you were all this time while you're here?" he asked quietly.

Ino paused a bit, feeling suddenly harassed. "I didn't mean it that way. We talk like this all the time. You know, dry sarcasm. Snappy retorts. What's wrong with you?"

Kankurou sighed loudly. Which was annoying because he might as well just say it out loud, whatever he felt like saying instead of acting so… so un-Kankurou-like.

The man didn't say anything concerning Gaara for the rest of the walk towards the gates, and Ino hadn't bothered pressing the subject. Everything was forgotten when they finally reached the gates where Temari and Iwate were standing around two camels loaded with water skins and objects bundled up at their backs. On one of the camels sat a man that Ino knew to be Masami's father. She had talked to the man several times a few days back, and although he lacked the bubbly personality his daughter possessed, he was just as polite as she. The man nodded to them in acknowledgment. Ino bowed her head respectfully.

When Ino and Kankurou arrived, Masami's tiny frame peeked from behind the unoccupied camel, and her face brightened. "Ino-san! You came!" She dashed towards Ino and flung herself into the blonde's waiting arms.

"Of course, I came! Wild horses couldn't have kept me away from seeing you off!" Ino exclaimed as she hugged the girl and spun her around happily. "Oh, I'm going to miss you!"

"I'm missing you already!" Masami said when she pulled away, her eyes a bit watery. "You have to visit Pippu! You have to come see me when you settle down in Suna! Oh, oh! You have to inform me once you set the date for the wedding. It takes a few days to get here from Pippu, but I'll definitely come."

"Of course," Ino lied, her heart sinking. She had made a friend in the very energetic girl, that at that moment she instantly felt bad for having to lie to her all this time they were together. Masami was about to set home with the thought of getting an invitation to a wedding that wasn't going to happen.

Temari stepped forward and placed a hand on Masami's head, ruffling her hair. Masami giggled happily. "You take care, and send us a bird when you finally reach home safely. I'm sorry Gaara couldn't be here to see you off."

Masami shook her head quickly. "Oh, no it's okay. I don't want to bother him. Please thank him for me. He's been very hospitable."

"Will do." Temari gave the girl one more pat on the head before stepping back for Kankurou to say his goodbyes.

The puppet master extended a hand up and Masami enthusiastically gave him a high five. "You take care, small stuff. I'll be seeing you next month for our new corn and bean trade, all right?"

"My father and I will be looking forward to it." Masami squeezed his hand before letting go. "You've been really good to me. I'm never going to forget it."

"You've been great to us, too. Gaara says he owes you for standing up for Ino a few weeks back against the umbrella lady." Kankurou laughed.

Masami grinned at Kankurou then hugged Ino again. "I'm glad that I was of some use to you. Stay safe, all right?"

Ino patted the kunai holster strapped to her thigh. "I'll do my best."

Masami looked over her shoulder to the strangely silent Iwate who was trying to act busy by crushing little pebbles with his toe. Ino couldn't miss the slight blush on Masami's cheeks.

Ino raised her eyebrows. Was she missing something here?

"Iwate-kun," Masami started as she shyly took a step towards the chuunin.

Masami's father cleared his throat loudly. Iwate jumped slightly in place and watched in horror when the father eyed Masami knowingly before slapping the reigns of his camel out of the gates. Kankurou and Temari looked at each other with small grins on their faces.

Masami shot her father an irritated glance, then turned back to Iwate again. "Uhm… well, goodbye."

Iwate looked away, his face also reddening.

Temari scratched the back of her head uncomfortably. "Oh, I forgot to say something important to your father, Masami. We'll be waiting for you outside the gates, all right?" She eyed Iwate encouragingly before jogging out of the gates after the Pippu delegate.

Kankurou gave Masami a final tap on the shoulder. "I have to get going, too. Gaara wants me back in the tower. You take care, all right? And next month, don't forget! See you, Ino." The puppet master also left after giving Iwate a very blunt thumbs-up.

Iwate looked like he was going to faint. He looked at Ino desperately, as if begging her not to abandon him, too.

Ino started digging in her mind a good enough excuse to disappear. It was obvious she had missed something between Iwate and Masami while she had been busy with the daughters and Gaara and everything in between. The least she could do was give them a bit of space to say their private goodbyes. "Unfortunately, Masami, I have to go, too. But I'll send you letters and… " she smiled painfully. "… and an invitation to the wedding when everything's all settled and decided, all right?"

Masami had her arms around her again and was squeezing tightly. "All right, Ino-san. I'll keep in touch." She sniffed. "Now go, before I cry!"

Ino nodded in understanding. She gave Iwate, who was looking really sick right now, an encouraging nod as if saying, "You can do it!" And she let Masami kiss her on the cheek before she turned around and hurriedly made her swift escape.

She made her way back to Gaara's house feeling a bit hollow. Masami had been a firecracker and she had made Ino laugh so many times while they were together and the thought of not being able to see the girl made her sad. Pushing Masami out of her mind for the meantime, she hurried back home, thinking that it would be a good time to finish up the laundry and write her daily report to Naruto while it was still early, then check on her tulips and cosmos.

The moment she walked into their street, she saw someone standing completely still in front of their door.

Matsuri?

From afar, Ino watched as the woman raised her knuckles to their door, then hesitated. She turned her back from the door and walked a few steps away, only to turn back around and do the same thing all over again.

Ino couldn't help but smile. She started to walk towards the woman. "Matsuri?"

The woman flinched and turned towards Ino, looking absolutely frightened. "He-hello, Ino-san."

"Is there anything you need?" Ino asked as she slipped her key from her pocket and unlocked the door.

Matsuri was shuffling on her feet nervously. "Uh… I wanted to… have a chat with you."

Ino paused, gave the girl a once-over and instantly felt guilty for having checked her if she was carrying anything deadly. She was not an aspiring wife-to-be, after all. Feeling ashamed for having doubted the girl, she nodded. "Would you like to come in?"

Matsuri looked shocked for about three seconds before she nodded hesitantly. "If it isn't a bother to you."

Ino laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "So long as you don't try to poison my tea."

She had said it as a joke, but Matsuri had instantly launched into startled reassurances. "I would never – never! – do that to anyone, Ino-san! I don't have anything on me! Would you like to search me?"

"Whoa, slow down," Ino said as she pushed the door open and glanced at the dark-haired woman. "It was a joke. I know you won't try anything that dirty. Gaara speaks highly of you. He trusts you. Why shouldn't I trust you, too?"

At the mention of Gaara's name, Matsuri seemed to relax. "I'm sorry. Excuse me." She stepped into their house after Ino gestured for her to come in.

Ino started picking up the scattered papers on the floor, remnants of Gaara's unfinished paperwork from last night. "I'm really sorry about the mess. I usually clean up before I leave the house but I had to see Masami off today." She dumped everything on the corner of the room before shoveling the papers on the sofa to one side. "Have a seat."

Matsuri looked around the house curiously as she sat. "It's the first time I've entered Gaara-sama's house. It's really… uhm…"

"Bare?" Ino offered, settling down on the carpet next to the stack of papers she had dumped on the floor. "Yeah, I know."

Matsuri instantly reddened and she scrambled to the floor, too, tucking her legs under her and folding her hands on her lap.

Ino watched her. "You can have the couch. I'd offer you another chair, but as you can see, we don't have any other furniture to sit on. Unless you want to sit in the kitchen? Maybe have tea?"

"No!" Matsuri blurted out, perhaps a little too loudly. Her face flushed. "I mean, no, thank you. I'm good, Ino-san. Really."

"Oh. Well, all right. So…" Ino paused, waiting for her to start talking. Matsuri was squirming on her place on the carpet. "Is this about Gaara?"

Of course it was about Gaara. For the past three weeks the only thing women who approached her wanted to talk about was Gaara.

Matsuri looked away. "A part of it, I guess. But before anything else, I just wanted to apologize to you for being rude to you that first night we met. I had walked out on you like a child. I'm very sorry for that."

"That? That was ages ago! And you don't have to apologize for that. I understand perfectly," Ino said. And she did. It was obvious the girl had feelings for Gaara.

And hadn't Ino actually tried to talk to Gaara about Matsuri's feelings for him? It was written all over her face, the pain and disbelief when she first saw Ino and Gaara holding hands in their first attempt at being a couple.

Matsuri shook her head. "No, really. I should apologize. The first time I saw you, really, I didn't believe you. I honestly thought you were lying. I couldn't believe Gaara-sama falling for someone like you. You're so… so unlike him."

Ino raised her eyebrows at the girl, and thought to herself that any girl out there could easily have fit that description of being unlike Gaara.

"But then," Matsuri continued. "As days passed, and I saw you two walking hand in hand in the market, or how Gaara-sama would look at you when you would say something to him, I realized I had been wrong, and that the only reason why I didn't want to believe you was because I was jealous."

Ino lowered her eyes to the carpet, feeling suddenly miserable. Here was a girl who genuinely had feelings for Gaara, and she was convinced that Ino and Gaara were really engaged. How painful it must be for her. "Matsuri? You love Gaara, don't you?" she asked quietly.

Matsuri started to get a bit flustered. She started tugging at a lock of her brown hair nervously. "Oh… Uhm… Well… H-he was my teacher back when I was just a little girl... And, he taught me a lot. Changed my outlook in life, even. Even before I became a Jounin and started teaching in the academy, he's always been there for me when I needed advice." She started blushing. "And he's grown up handsomely… He had always been good-looking when we were young but… " Then as if realizing what she was saying, she let out a small cry. "Oh, Ino-san I'm sorry for going on and on about him. I'm sure you don't want another woman to think of your fiancé that way."

Ino shook her head, smiling. "That's all right. I know exactly how you feel." Oh, did she ever. "You know, Gaara holds a special place in his heart for you. He keeps a picture of you in his office, or I'm sure you've seen that?"

Matsuri ducked her head, although she was now smiling. "I know. But that's because he keeps pictures of all his students in his office." She said it like it was a disappointment, but she looked happy enough.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ino asked.

Matsuri turned to her curiously. "Sure."

"Why didn't you ever tell Gaara your feelings?"

Matsuri bit her lower lip, took her time in answering. "I did."

Ino's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Y-you did? When?"

Matsuri was biting her lower lip again. She was obviously debating whether to tell her or not. She finally decided that hiding it wouldn't do anyone any good. "Uhm, it was the night before you came to Suna. Three weeks ago."

Ino swallowed. "Oh… oh, dear…"

So that was why Gaara had been uncomfortable discussing Matsuri…

"I heard his fiancée – Ino-san – was coming. I couldn't believe he was engaged. He never told me anything. And I couldn't help myself. I told him I loved him. But he said… he said he was already in love with someone else." She laughed hollowly as she looked at Ino with glassy eyes. "I shouldn't have admitted my feelings. I didn't want to believe it, so I wanted to see for myself if it was true, so I came to the meeting with Baki-sensei and Ebizo-sama. I still couldn't believe it then. I didn't want to believe it, so I ran. I'm really sorry."

And once again, Ino felt ten times worse than the feeling she had about lying to Masami about sending an invitation to their wedding. Here, right in front of her, was a girl who loved Gaara genuinely and who had the courage to actually tell him that, even when she knew she was going to get rejected. Ino felt like crawling into a hole.

She, on the other hand, had been trying so very hard to deny her feelings for the man that had made her fall for him without even trying. And she was planning to run away from it once the mission was over.

It's not like there's any other option. No one has to know, and everything will be back to normal.

She didn't want to lie like this, but she knew she had to. She felt horrible for Matsuri. "I'm sure that he values your feelings a lot."

Matsuri laughed and she dashed at her eyes. Ino couldn't miss the tear that almost trickled down the girl's cheek. "I didn't even know what I wanted him to say after I told him I loved him. I knew about you already. I knew you were coming, but I just had to say it."

Ino kept silent, trying to respect her silent tears that she had been trying very hard to wipe away before they fell. What happened to a person when they fell in love anyway? Ino didn't know. She had thought she was in love with Sasuke back when she was just a little girl, and that feeling had brought out the worst in her. When she turned sixteen, she had given up on the thought completely and even more so when she turned twenty when her priorities changed and she entered the Intelligence Division with her father.

She had dated a few men in her life, but none really lasted for more than a few months. Her career mattered to her too much, and since most of those men she had dated were ninja, they were into their jobs, too. When she turned twenty-five, she had crossed out any romantic relationships out of her book and started really training as a medic nin under Sakura's supervision. And in the four years they had been together, they had mended their friendship that had almost been completely destroyed by the love they thought they shared for the Uchiha.

And so now that Matsuri was telling her tearfully that she was in love with her supposed fiancé, she was confused to find herself understanding the feelings of the other girl, even when she herself couldn't say that she completely understood this 'love' thing.

Ino smiled, and reached out to touch Matsuri's knee. "I'm really sorry. I wish I could comfort you more." She didn't know what else to say. How was she supposed to comfort someone who was in love with a man she was supposedly going to marry, Even if it was a plain lie? For a moment she was tempted on telling Matsuri the truth, but her logic got the better of her.

Matsuri shook her head and laughed through her tears. "I'm so stupid. Look at me, crying over this like some lovesick teenager."

Thoughts of Gaara after this mission plagued her head as she looked at Matsuri now openly crying. After a month – after one more week – Ino would leave, and she imagined Matsuri finding out that this engagement was all a hoax. And Ino imagined her being happy. Of her and Gaara being happy. She was such a masochist. She didn't even know why she had started thinking that.

"You were very brave. Not many people could have admitted their feelings like you did," Ino said. And she was referring to herself in particular.

She let Matsuri calm down a bit, offered her tea, and talked about Gaara's younger days. Matsuri talked animatedly about Gaara when he was still struggling to be the Kazekage, and it was obvious how she really looked up to him as a teacher and as a friend. When the girl was relatively happier, she gave Ino a hug as they stood by the front door.

"I would never be able to ask Gaara-sama to reciprocate my feelings for him, but you know what? I'm just glad that it's you he's marrying. I've never seen him open up to another like he has to you. You're amazing," Matsuri said happily before pulling away. "I'm definitely rooting for you. You have to make Gaara-sama the happiest man alive. Because he deserves to be happy."

Ino nodded faintly. "I will." And she watched as Matsuri disappeared through the door, closing it behind her and leaving Ino in her guilt.


Ino looked up from her plate and stared at Gaara who was picking on his food sourly. He had requested for vegetable tempura earlier in the morning before he left for work, and Ino had prepared what he had asked. But he was not eating.

"Bad day at work?" Ino started, wondering what possibly could have happened at work that made him play with his food. Gaara never played with his food. He ate her cooking slowly and happily on all occasions. This was the first time he didn't look satisfied.

"No," Gaara said shortly and he poked at the piece of eggplant with his chopsticks. He frowned.

"You're home awfully early, though," Ino pointed out. Gaara had come home an hour early, and he was already in a bad mood since he had entered the door. He had dropped his gourd uncaringly on the floor and got dressed, pulling at his robes irritably. He had attacked the papers Ino had arranged neatly in the corner and plowed through them mercilessly while Ino made dinner. And by the time she and Gaara were seated across each other, his mood has gotten worse. He wouldn't even meet her eye until now.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that a bad thing?" he asked.

Ino sat up straight, startled. "Coming home early? No. I just said that you're early."

Gaara nodded, and finally, after poking so many holes into his food, he finally took his first bite. He chewed quietly.

Something was wrong, Ino knew. Gaara didn't smell his food before he put it in his mouth.

Gaara shoveled rice into his mouth hastily.

Ino's eyebrows rose even higher up her forehead. Gaara never hurried his meals. And here he was, practically gobbling everything up.

"Is everything all right?" Ino finally asked, lowering her chopsticks on her plate.

Gaara stuffed more rice into his face, uncharacteristically making a mess of himself. Ino reached out and plucked a grain of rice from his cheek. "You have a… there you go." She popped the grain of rice into her own mouth, as a mother would do to a child.

Gaara lowered his chopsticks on his plate, too. "I'm full," he declared, standing up from his chair.

Ino looked down at his unfinished meal, then followed him as he stalked across the kitchen and disappeared into the living room. "Wha – ? Wait, how about tea?"

"I don't want any," he called back.

Ino sat there, stunned as she tried to process everything in her head. What just happened? Leaving her own plate unfinished, she stood up and went after Gaara. This was the first time she had ever seen him like this. It was almost like… almost like he was throwing a tantrum.

She found him standing over the couch, facing the wall. He wasn't doing anything. Just standing there, very still. "Gaara? Did anything happen at work? Aren't you hungry?"

"No," Gaara said.

Ino frowned. "No, nothing happened at work? Or no, you're not hungry?"

Gaara looked over to her with an unreadable expression on his face.

He looked… pissed.

"Are you… angry at me?" Ino asked tentatively, although she could not imagine why he would be angry at her. "Is it the tempura? You didn't like it? I can make you something else if you want," she offered, trying very hard not get over-dramatic with this.

Gaara had his trademark stance with his arms over his chest. "No," he said again.

"Is that the only thing you're going to say to me? No?" Ino asked, approaching him.

Gaara thought for a moment, then said. "… No."

Ino couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Gaara scowled at her.

"Sorry. I just thought it was funny. Can you please tell me what's bothering you? If you don't tell me, I won't know and I won't be able to help you."

Gaara started an internal battle with himself. His face reddened a bit, and he looked torn between imploding and running away. After a few moments, he finally raised his eyes to her and asked, "Do you have a man waiting for you at home?"

Ino blinked a few times before she realized what he was asking. "What?" she asked dumbly.

Gaara did not look too pleased. "A boyfriend. Do you have a boyfriend at home?"

Ino was flabbergasted. "What? No, I don't. Not like it's anyone's business but… no, why do you ask?"

Gaara looked confused, his arms falling to his sides. "But Kankurou said… "

And in that split-second, it struck Ino. She knew nothing good came out of Kankurou talking to Gaara about relationships. Her conversation with the puppet master rang in her head like a gong.

"If I didn't know any better you're, like, this faithful little lady who saves her kisses for her boyfriend. You have a jealous man waiting for you at home who's not too keen on sharing his girl's kisses?"

"Yeah, that's exactly it. My boyfriend just explodes with jealousy when other guys kiss me. What kind of stupid question is that? Any boyfriend would be mad if other guys kiss their girls, idiot."

She slapped her forehead with a palm. "Oh, god here we go again."

"So, Kankurou was lying to me? You don't have a man waiting for you in Konoha?" He placed a thoughtful finger on his chin. "Maybe I should ask Naruto…"

Ino peeked from behind her fingers, smiling ruefully. "You sound like a jealous boyfriend."

Gaara blinked at her curiously. "Jealous? Me?"

The mere thought of the possibility of Gaara being jealous made her insides twist eagerly. They deflated as soon as Gaara lowered his eyes to the ground. The man didn't know what the heck he was feeling. Damn. "I don't have a boyfriend. I haven't had one in four years. I was too busy learning medical ninjutsu," she explained, all the while wondering why she had to explain herself.

Gaara's angry face was instantly replaced by a new emotion Ino has never seen before; relief. "Oh… " he muttered. He shuffled from one foot to another before starting for the kitchen. "I'm hungry."

Ino's eyes bugged. "That's it?" she asked, then made to follow Gaara.

She was surprised when Gaara suddenly whirled around so suddenly, and she ended up bumping against his chest so hard she nearly lost her footing. Gaara's hands were around her waist in no time. Then, even before she could pull away, Gaara had leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her mouth, nearly melting her insides in the process.

Ino's arms flapped at her side in protest. "Mmgh!" Gaara kissed her deeper, and Ino could hardly breathe.

In her head, she wondered why Kankurou had told Gaara about that joke they had earlier in the day. Did the puppet master think it would amuse Gaara, who didn't even have an iota of humor in his body? But it didn't really matter. Because in the midst of their kissing, Gaara had backed her against a wall, pressing the length of his body against hers as his hands dug into her hair, loosening her ponytail. Ino's hands had grabbed the front of his shirt, unconsciously plucking – and popping – the first two buttons on it before she realized what she was doing.

Gaara pulled away finally, and he was as breathless as Ino was. "I'm sorry. Let's not fight again," was what he said, and he backed away from her a step, looking down at his shirt curiously, probably wondering what had happened to the buttons that were evidently missing from his clothing.

Ino sagged against the wall weakly, still trying to catch her breath. Damn, he kissed like he could kill! And to think he was still under that stupid belief that kissing someone after a fight made everything all right.

Well, it sort of did…

She touched her hot cheeks with her hands and nodded. "Gaara… "

"Yes?"

"When two people fight, they don't necessarily have to kiss just to make up." She straightened her skirt that had somehow hitched up her thigh.

Gaara stared at her for the longest possible time, before saying the sentence that shattered Ino's world in a second. "I know."

She nearly had a panic attack. It was the loud knocking on their door that brought her back to reality. Grabbing that chance to get away from Gaara, she hurried to the door. She hadn't even opened it when Kankurou and Temari threw the door open themselves, and paraded into their living room, looking absolutely livid. Kankurou was holding a piece of paper,

"Guys! You won't – wow, what happened to your hair?" Kankurou asked suddenly distracted, the sudden powerful intrusion temporarily forgotten.

Temari was staring at her in amusement. "Your hair is… everywhere…"

Ino's hands flew to her head and she desperately tried to fix the damage.

"What's going on here?" Gaara asked as he approached Ino from behind.

Kankurou and Temari's eyes were immediately on the patch of skin exposed on Gaara's chest and the conspicuously missing buttons of his very suspiciously wrinkled shirt.

"Should we come back another time?" Temari asked slowly, wiggling her eyebrows.

Kankurou was already heading for the door.

Gaara was not moved. Ino scowled at them and she grabbed Kankurou's collar violently. "You came barging in here like there was a fire. What did you want?"

And that was when Kankurou was all business. "Have you guys been planning something you haven't been telling us? Because when I went for the common evening rounds, these fliers were scattered all over the village." He held out the paper in her hand.

Ino snatched the paper from the puppet master, nearly ripping it in two.

"Since when have you guys started taking everything seriously? Because the whole townspeople are rejoicing about something that we haven't heard from any of you at all. Not that we're complaining or anything. Whatever goes your boat and all," Temari said, looking from Gaara and Ino, then sharing a smile with Kankurou.

And Ino felt faint for the second time that day, and this time it had nothing to do with Gaara's kiss. Because in her hand was a flier that said this:

As the flower blooms and petals unfold,
we're soon to say "to have and to hold."
We've made the plans and can hardly wait…
our wedding is near and here is the date!

We're getting married on
on Saturday,
April 28
at six o'clock in the evening
at the Hidden Sand Square
Wind Country

Please join us for a day to remember!

Yamanaka Ino
and
Sabaku no Gaara

She hardly even heard Temari and Kankurou when they asked so many questions she didn't have the answers to.

"Does Naruto know?"

No. I don't think so…

"Gaara, when did you propose for real?"

That's what I want to know!

"Does Ino's father know?"

I hope not!

"Who's your best man?"

Who freaking cares?

"And the maid of honor?"

Gaah!

"This is all so sudden! Have you prepared everything? That's a week away!"

Kill me now…

Their voices all sounded like bees in her head. Thousands and thousands of noisy bees. She looked up at Gaara.

And the only consolation she got from this was that the man looked as shocked as she was.

Shit.


A/N: Aaaaaaaaand to answer el Cierto's review: Ino and Gaara are twenty nine years old in the story, and so I had made it that yes, Ino is no longer a virgin. Gaara is, though. Coz he's a stick in the mud. XD

Thank you for the reviews and the faves!

OMG! Two more chapters to go!