It was when Sute turned nine that Rasa called them both into his office and explained finally to them that they had been betrothed for seven years. He'd waited until then because it was almost time for Gaara to start missions and he wanted to give his son a little over a year to adapt to the idea of a fiancee at home.

The reactions had honestly made Rasa wish he'd taken pictures.

Gaara had glared, furious and the sand had rattled.

Sute had tilted her head and nodded. "Oh, all right then. Am I to keep it secret?"

"You aren't upset? That they're controlling us?!" Gaara hissed and turned, eyes swapping from Sute to Rasa like the caged animal he held and Rasa felt his gold dust ready just in case..

Sute shook her head and then smiled at him. "You're my friend. Besides it could be far worse, they could have stuck me with Kankuro."

Gaara goes so still suddenly that Rasa finds he's holding his breath, there's such an immense amount of attention coming from so small a boy that it just isn't right. When Gaara speaks finally it's in a low menacing growl that always means someone is going to be cleaning up a mess. "This is not something that will go away if you ignore it Sute..."

Sute is fearless, Rasa thinks to himself. Either that or it is her being a chakra null as she meets Gaara's gaze and nods. "I already spend all my time with you anyways. Are you mad that they decided this or that it is me?" She's not hurt either, she's honestly curious and Rasa wonders what it was that made the girl so unnaturally calm all the time in the face of certain danger. He makes a note to look into Fumei Han's missions more, this could be a side effect of the bloodline gift and would explain part of why he's so good at getting out of situations that he should not have lived through.

"...I do not like to be controlled."

That Gaara admits this is huge and Rasa finds his mouth dry. Because Rasa cannot recall the last time his son expressed any feelings beyond rage and bloodlust if he wasn't being apathetic.

Sute looks at him calmly still, nods once and then smiles. "If when we are of age you want out Gaara, I will not hold you to it." Unspoken are her clear words that make a bloodthirsty smile show on Gaara's face and his chakra spike eagerly, and Rasa suddenly worries that the ever so calm girl is actually aiding Gaara's ruthlessness in a way...

'I won't hold you to it and the council can try and you will cause them to perish'.

Yet Gaara settles down and demands to see the contract. Many hours later of explaining things Gaara leaves and Sute follows, obediently.

Not a word is spoken until they are in his room, sand snaking about to enclose the entire place in a prison of his making, a large enclosure of sand that will silence everything they say to a muffled sound.

"...this means you are mine." Gaara tries out the words with a biting coldness. He's hiding that he's worried, because Sute calls him her friend and he doesn't wish that to change. He's only overheard Temari being vicious about the idea of being in an arrangement to the point she screamed and threw things and refused and so he thinks that must be how all girls are. Sute is the only one who trusts him and his sand while knowing how lethal it is. She still is scared when he uses it like this, but only for a moment. It's an instinctive fear though and only like seeing a panther stretch and show it's claws before they are sheathed.

Sute nods and fidgets then before her pale brown eyes are on him. "If I call you that, would you get mad?"

Gaara thinks on it. He never reacts when she refers to him as her friend because if he doesn't acknowledge it she has no power with the words. Not really. They aren't binding. Only suddenly he's found he's already been bound all along...but it works both ways. He doesn't like the idea of her claiming him though, he rattles inside at the idea of any further control at this moment. Still he knows Sute, knows she really is worried he's upset at her for all this when he's just baffled and wants to kill something.

His eyes latch onto hers and no, he doesn't want to hear her call him 'hers' in any way. Rasa had indeed told them to keep it a secret but he tilts his head. Perhaps she could ..do as he had. Ratify without affirmation?

"Not verbally."

Sute looks confused and so he huffs, arms crossed before he looks down at his arm bracers. They're just cloth, but the brown the shade of dried blood has always soothed him. He slips off the one on his left arm and tosses it to her.

Fortunately her reflexes are good thanks to sparring with him so often and she catches it, her eyes gleaming as she understands and puts it on. Not a word on the caked on sand or grit or unnamed possible other contaminates upon it.

Something in Gaara rumbles pleased seeing her marked so.

Sute belongs to him.

He just gives her a nod before vanishing with his sand to go drench his sand in blood.