Chapter Ten: Juicy Gossip
It was well past her curfew, but she couldn't care any less. Stars were littering the sky, contrasting with her stormy interior. Her heart ached painfully as she leaned against her favourite rock.
Yes, her favourite rock. Suna didn't have lush forests, so one of the first Kazekages had decided to put up a rock garden. Standing exactly a kilometre square, the rock garden consisted of thousands of, as expected, rocks. From tiny pebbles all the way to slabs of metres tall, there were some for all tastes.
Temari was now huddled against the tallest one there was. A huge crack had eroded itself into it over the years and she had taken comfort in crawling into it, enjoying the solitude and darkness. She cracked her eyes open and brushed her dry cheeks, considering it was a miracle that every emotion had ridden from her soul.
She kept on staring at the opening until two boots blocked her way. Then the boots morphed into knees, before a set of eyes were staring inquisitively at her.
"Go away," she childishly whimpered, hugging her knees. "I'm not going back home."
"Aw, come on," the man chuckled teasingly. "I've heard you say this millions of times. But I will admit that the last time I did hear it was back to when you were twelve." He then proceeded to lean against the rock besides the opening and stretched his legs out of him.
"Do you know why I'm here?" she asked, still refusing to come out of her hiding place.
Baki sighed. He ran a tired hand over his forehead in exasperation before answering. "I heard. Word got to Gaara, once the search party had reached your home. He asked me if I might know where you went off to."
"Search party?" she groaned, leaning against the smooth rock. "Fumio actually went that far?"
"Yup. He told approximately fifty Genin that if they found you, they'd be promoted to Chuunin. That's exactly what Suna needs: clueless Chuunins walking around thinking they're kings of the city!"
She smiled weakly at her Sensei's antics, but still didn't relent.
"And I knew that this was your favourite place to hide as a child. Old habits never cease to emerge, don't they?" Baki turned around to look at her, his face serious. "Honestly, Temari, you need to go back home. Gaara and Kankuro are worried about you and Chokichi is ready to lock them in their room. They'll burst if they have to go to bed not knowing where you are."
"I hate Fumio. I don't want to have anything to do with him. I am not going back home," she stated coldly.
"Temari..." Baki groaned, suddenly fully turning to face her. "Stop being such a little brat, please! These are hard times for everyone! Your brothers spend their days scrubbing floors and washing clothes and dishes. They're going through just as much as you, but they don't whine about it!"
Chastised, Temari hugged her knees tightly. "But Baki, he made me kill someone and he ripped Shikamaru's letters!"
"So this is what it's about," the shinobi thoughtfully replied. "Shikamaru."
The blonde lowered her head and shrugged. Reluctantly, she mumbled, "I miss him. A lot."
"I know, Temari, but for now you need to focus on the task at hand. If I were you, I'd stand Fumio's demands for a while longer. The more you do what he says, the more he will start to trust you. Shikamaru isn't exempted from Tsunade's spying missions; he could even volunteer for them if it means getting a chance to see you. If he gets caught, you might be able to negotiate with Fumio if he trusts you." He smiled at her despairing expression. "Be strong, my girl. Or do we have to do it the old way?"
She broke into a sad smile. "The old way would be nice."
Baki stood up and waited a few seconds. She slowly crawled out of her hiding place and stood up besides him before crossing her arms. The air was chilly and fresh; the sky was littered with stars and was a perfectly romantic time. She would've loved to have her boyfriend with her that night.
Her former sensei then placed a hand over her shoulder. "I already took that into consideration. I have a little gift for you, but it's in your bedroom at home."
Temari scoffed as she thought of her small bedroom. "No luck there, Chokichi will have confiscated it a long time ago!"
"Don't worry about that. I actually had a personal note from Fumio stating that he couldn't touch your gift. He then signed a contract mentioning that he couldn't take anything out of the room without my consent," Baki replied proudly, smiling down at her. "Now, will you go back home and get your surprise?"
Temari smiled also. She slightly felt like a little girl again, back when he promised her treats if she completed a mission without bossing anyone around, but it felt good anyways. During these days, life had been so easy and carefree...
So it was with a lighted heart that she headed back home.
She entered her home anxiously, with wonders of Baki's surprises flittering through her mind. He hadn't played that little game with her for years, so she expected something insignificant. She expected anything but what she really got.
The second she opened her door, her heart missed a few beats.
The small futon was gone, replaced with a king-sized bed with dark green covers and pillows. A few of her portraits had found their way back upon their wall, along with the plush turquoise-coloured carpet that decorated a side of her room.
She crossed her bedroom rapidly and broke into a joyful smile when she opened the drawers of her massive and intricately carved dresser. Every single piece of her clothes had been put back carefully, along with a few new things. She ran a hand lovingly over a soft cashmere jacket she could wear when autumn would come. It would fit perfectly with other pieces in her wardrobe.
A breeze brushed a strand of her blond bangs from behind her ear. Frowning slightly, she brushed it back from her forehead before straightening. Anxiously, she turned around; the breeze couldn't have come anywhere but from the balcony...
"Kami..." she whispered with unbelief as her eyes fell over Baki's final surprise. Without taking the time to close the drawers, she headed towards the other side of the room. Slowly, she touched the new silky white curtains upon the two new French doors, marvelling at their beauty. Those were not cheap at all; even she had steadfastly refused to buy the expensive set of door and curtains.
She then crossed the doorframe and stepped out onto the balcony. The wave of cool air blew past her hair, making her smile softly. She then leaned her forearms over the edge of the balcony and scanned the city with a studying eye. It had been so long that she hadn't stepped out here that she had forgotten the stunning view it procured her. From her point up, she could see the skyline over the wall bordering the village, and millions of stars poked out from the midnight shade. Even though her home was situated rather far from the rest of the houses, she could see the various plays of light and shadow through the opened and closed windows, turning the scenery into a beautiful creation.
Somewhat contented, Temari kept staring into the distance, letting her mind wander lazily. Seconds later, though, she heard a soft sound behind her, the noise of a man clearing his throat. Slowly, she turned around and stared at Chokichi. He didn't chide her or even admonish her; he simply walked to the railway and also leaned against it.
"Do you like the new room?" he questioned after a few seconds of silence.
She suspiciously stared at him, yet soon figured that he was serious. She also allowed herself to gaze back at the village, but kept her guard up as she spoke. "Yes, Baki did a good job."
"That's good; I had a feeling you would like it," he grinned softly. "After all, no one likes to be cooped up in an empty room all the time. I figured you wouldn't be an exception."
Suddenly, she asked rudely, "Why are you talking to me?"
Chokichi answered right away, as though he had anticipated such a question. "For now, Temari, you're the lesser of two evils. I also figured that if we were to live in the same home for a while, we might as well be able to talk sometimes."
She snorted. "If you're trying to get information out of me to give to Fumio, then you'll wait a long time."
"Or," he shrugged as a small smile tugged the corners of his lips, "I could do the exact opposite and reveal gossip to you."
She blinked and stared at him, moving her body so that her side would be leaning against the rail. She could barely see his face through the dim lighting, but he seemed dead honest.
"Like I can tell you why Fumio has such a vendetta against your family."
"You interest me, go on," she prompted, a small smile working its way up.
He sighed and waited a few seconds, slightly hesitating. It took a few annoyed clearing of throats from Temari to get him started. "You may not like what I'm about to tell you, Temari, but I'll say it anyways. Fumio is actually a Chuunin, believe it or not. He chose not to participate in the Jounin exams since both of his Genin teammates never made it."
Temari wrinkled her nose with disgust. 'Our Kazekage is a Chuunin...'
"The woman on his team married very young and chose not to pursue her kunoichi career. The guy was somewhat of an..." He then hesitated, then exhaled loudly and continued, "We could say, if we consider you know Konoha a lot, that he was an Uchiha Sasuke. Pretty face and popular with all the ladies, and he good potential; but he didn't know what to do with it. Instead of pursuing his career, he chose to act like an utter loser and got his way by hitting on other woman. Rumours circulate that he passed his Chuunin entrance exam by flirting with women..." He stopped as horror began to seep into her face. "I'm giving you one guess."
"Oh goodness..." she groaned, shutting her eyes. "You mean that Fumio and Mitsuo were teammates?"
"Unfortunately. Fumio chose to pursue politics and Mitsuo was left all alone in the shinobi world. So he did what he did best: he flirted with women to get by. Now, I don't know if you realize this, but most Genin teams have two boys. No matter what, those two boys will end up best friends; how they show their friendship is unique to all pairs. Fumio and Mitsuo chose the distant approach. They would almost never talk directly to each other, but still kept a mutual respect. Therefore, you can imagine what Fumio must've felt when Mitsuo passed away."
She huffed as she shook her head. "No wonder he hates our guts. Or rather, he hates Gaara's guts."
Chokichi nodded with a sigh, yet didn't continue on with the conversation. They fell in a comfortable silence before Temari asked, "Why did you tell me all this?"
He smirked lightly. "Well first of all, I'm pissed off at Fumio. He blocked my pay for a week because you ran away from him. So since it's utterly irreverent, I decided to piss him off as well." Then he sighed loudly in a dreamy fashion and said, "But I should thank him. After all, every male would kill to take my position."
"As long as you're not one of these pesky fanboys..." She groaned at the mere word, but then stiffened as he awkwardly looked away. "You've got to be kidding me!"
He chuckled as he brushed his long sandy brown hair back. "I restrained myself. I did send you flowers on your sixteenth birthday, but wrote 'anonymous' on the accompanying card."
She moaned and took a light step away from him as she exclaimed, "You mean I've been living - and will live in the future- with one of my fanboys?"
"Hey, don't be offended!" he chuckled. "I actually have a girlfriend. She's on a spying mission in Konoha right now. I'm planning on asking her to marry me soon."
She raised a light eyebrow. "So you mean, you were hitting on me for days with a girlfriend gone out? Isn't that just a bit hypocritical?"
His shoulders raised just a bit. "Had to be a jerk, or else you might've fallen for me."
She instantly glared at him. "Get lost!"
"I shall!" He took a few steps back. "Two things. First, there are sensors on the entire balcony, so as soon as you step out, I will know. Second, I still have to lock you in, unfortunately. So as of now, I wish you a good night!" With a bow, he mockingly smirked before retreating.
Temari soon heard the familiar click of the lock behind her and thought with a smile, 'What a weird jerk...'
Suddenly tired, she walked right up to her comfortable-looking bed. Without even bothering to slip on pajamas, she snuggled deep within the covers. The warmth of the sheet were perfect in contrast to the cool desert night wind which seeped from her window.
But before sleep overtook her, a nasty thought crossed her mind. 'Gaara and Kankuro traded my things for my freedom... Therefore, Baki must've traded his freedom for those objects...'
Suddenly plagued by constant worries, she tossed and turned through the entire night, unable to fully surrender to sleep's sweet surrender.
A/N: Late update, I know. But this chapter was written and ready over a week ago, yet I never would've had the time to answer reviews had I posted them then. Sorry for the wait!
Tomorrow, I have a day off, so I'll read every review you give me and I'll review all the stories that await!
Lastly, if some people scratched their heads at who Mitsuo was, well I suggest to go reread The Not So Troublesome Woman to refresh your memory.
Take care!