Nozomi helped Kin find clothes to wear in Suna. It seemed shopping for something nice to wear was another thing forbidden to females. Nozomi was beginning to despise Oto ninja.
While they shopped, Nozomi decided that the girl needed a clean break from her former identity as a ninja of Oto. She was all for it, having transferred her fanatical loyalty from Orochimaru to Nozomi after the girl shared her past.
After a while, Nozomi found the perfect name for her new assistant/follower.
"From now on your name shall be...Kiseki."
"Kiseki?"
"If my name means 'hope', yours will mean 'miracle'," explained Nozomi.
The newly named Kiseki tried out her new name. She rather liked it, since it meant that she no longer had any ties to her former leader. He had abandoned that right the day he used and abandoned her to the Leaf ninja.
While they took the semi-long way around to Suna (Nozomi was in the mood to see more of the Elemental countries before the evil demons that awaited her in Suna swallowed her up for weeks on end) they came across an interesting problem.
A young boy with long brown hair was wandering the roadside looking similar to the way Kiseki had before Nozomi snapped her out of her funk. The boy's clothes were torn and bloodied, as if he had been on the loosing end of a battle. There was a large gash in the center of his chest, and it looked like someone had stuck their hand straight into his chest with an assassination jutsu.
Kiseki had gone to work using what little medical jutsu she had (she was very amused to hear Nozomi curse when the subject was brought up). The boy (who was quickly revealed to be a female wearing a rather effective wrap) was still in a daze, seemingly unaware of the fact that someone was healing the small infection that could kill her if left untreated for much longer.
Nozomi reluctantly decided to set up camp and hopefully get the story behind why a girl that pretty was wandering alone and so badly injured. It was something Hermione had once dubbed her 'saving people thing' shortly before Nozomi had cut all ties to the two.
Once she got the story, she had to resist groaning. Why was it that she kept attracting damaged people so similar to herself in the Elemental Countries? She would have to ask Sirius to look in on that later, though she was certain that the goblins had gotten all the spells that had been cast on her by the headmaster and other manipulative parties.
That compulsion to marry Ginny had been particularly horrific to learn about. It was lucky for the twins that they were as shocked and horrified to learn of the spell as she had been.
Sometime during the night, they were attacked by Kiri nin. It wasn't particularly surprising, considering she was so close to the Land of Water at the time...
The girl fought like a chunin, surprising both of them when they found out she had the Hyoton bloodline. The Kiri shinobi seemed particularly angry to learn of it, and came after her in a frenzy.
Nozomi transformed into her fox form to deal more damage...and Kiseki made sure to get on her back so she wouldn't get hit by the claws. It took a few tries to get near the girl using ice without getting hit, but eventually she joined the two on Nozomi's back.
Nozomi blasted the area with emerald flames, and took to the sky. They hadn't exactly unpacked their things, aside from the dinner Nozomi made which had long since been devoured.
She landed near a large bridge and Kiseki helped the girl off her back.
"So...aside from the Kiri nin, who else is after you?"
"No one..." whispered the girl.
"Well I can't in good conscience leave you alone this close to Kiri. Which leaves me no choice..."
The girl winced.
"You're going to have to join us," said Nozomi firmly.
The girl stared at her in shock. She would willingly allow someone like her to join her group?
"I don't mind taking you with me to Suna, but we'll need something to call you. And since you are unwilling to give us your name, I'll have to come up with one myself."
The girl stared at her. She had long since abandoned the name her master had given her, wandering the countryside after digging herself out of the shallow grave. She felt like she didn't deserve to bear the name.
"Tsurara."
The newly named Tsurara tested out the name. It fit her powers, to be sure. But she felt like she would always refer to her previous name in her heart.
"Would you like to have a nickname as well?" asked Nozomi, sensing the debate in the other girl.
"Haku."
"So officially your name shall be Tsurara...but in private we'll call you Haku-chan. Is that okay?"
The girl smiled for the first time in months. Here was someone who acknowledged her and accepted her after her master was killed.
"I would like that."
"Then it's settled... I guess there's no reason for me to put off killing those demons that are waiting for me..." said Nozomi with a cloud over her head.
"What demons?" asked Tsurara.
Kiseki looked like she was trying desperately not to laugh. Ever since Nozomi had freed her from her previous life, she had found that the warmer emotions came more easily to her. Laughter, joy, and friendship seemed to bubble up around the girl.
"I have no doubt that I will eventually tame them...but it will be an epic battle of the ages!" declared Nozomi.
Tsurara turned to Kiseki, who seemed to be the only one who knew what the other girl was talking about. Kiseki was doubled over trying hard not to laugh her ass off.
"What is she talking about?"
"She...(snicker)...she's the interim Kazekage. When she gets back to Suna she's going to have to do all the paperwork that comes with being a Kage, only she isn't one really."
"So the demon she is talking about is..."
"The hellish amount of paperwork that comes with being the leader of a hidden village. It doesn't help that she is almost single-handedly funding Suna until it gets back on it's feet!"
Tsurara stared at the ranting Nozomi...and started to giggle. Her voice was like a wind chime in sound, and it got Nozomi to snap out of her rant.
"You should laugh more often Haku-chan. It suits you."
"I will keep that in mind Nozomi-sama."
Nozomi groaned. It was bad enough she had to deal with that formality in court functions and council meetings!
"Just Nozomi-chan, please. It's bad enough the Suna council and some of the jounin call me that."
"As you wish, Nozomi-chan," said Tsurara.
"Anyway we need a place to crash. Tomorrow I'm taking us straight to the nearest Wind outpost. The bandits have learned to leave me alone, but I don't want to deal with any other shinobi on the way home."
Tsurara stared at her.
"The nearest Wind outpost is nearly five days away."
"Not with me around it isn't. I can get us there in five minutes at most. Distance really isn't an issue when you're with me."
Tsurara would believe it when she saw it.
Tsurara couldn't believe it. Kiseki had been surprised the first time, but she adjusted rather quickly after a short demonstration by Nozomi two days before.
"How...?"
"Like I said, five minutes tops. Ten if I wanted to do it without the being sucked through a straw sensation," said Nozomi.
"We were in Wave...how did we get all the way to the second biggest town in Wind in five minutes?" said Tsurara in absolute shock.
"Magic my dear, magic. Something you'll learn how to use if what I sensed yesterday was right."
"Magic? I thought magic was banned from the Elemental Countries?"
"Not banned...just frowned upon. The pure bloods sure didn't make a good impression on the shinobi during the war. Frankly after finding out Malfoy was here, I'm not shocked in the least," snorted Nozomi.
"Passports?" asked the guard. Upon seeing Nozomi more clearly, he looked at her.
"Nevermind. Who are these two Nozomi-dono?"
"My new assistants. Tsurara and Kiseki. I trust there won't be any issues?"
"Just need their passports."
"Can you get me the paperwork? They'll need new ones, and I doubt I would be able to get their previous information without a great deal of headaches for all around."
"Missing nin?" he guessed.
"More like a former Sound kunoichi and a civilian trained girl with the Hyoton," said Nozomi bluntly.
"Ah. Let me help you with the paperwork then..."
Tsurara and Kiseki stared at Nozomi.
"Why did that chunin call you Nozomi-dono? I've never heard a shinobi called by that honorific except for a Kage..." asked Kiseki.
"Ah, about that... I may have neglected to mention that the reason I was able to almost fund Suna on my own is because...I'm a noble," she said sheepishly.
Tsurara and Kiseki stared at her in disbelief.
"Bullshit," said Kiseki flatly.
"She is a noble. Not that we hold it against her, right Nozomi-san?" said the chunin kindly.
"Yeah, yeah rub it in that I have to deal with that crap on top of what's waiting for me..." she grumbled, not really meaning it.
Nozomi filled out most of the paperwork, having Tsurara and Kiseki helping her. An hour later they had new passports...and were beyond surprised when they found themselves flying across the desert on a wind boat reserved for only the richest of nobles. (Which in Wind meant that only someone with Daimyo-level bank accounts could afford to have one with shinobi that could use wind to power it.)
Tsurara and Kiseki still couldn't believe their friend and leader was a noble as well as a magical of all things.
It was a very sobering thought to learn that.
Kiseki and Tsurara stared when Nozomi was greeted by a very enthusiastic redhead with a gourd on his back. The shinobi behind him were still in shock that he hugged her.
"Someone's missed me. How have things been Gaara?" she asked. It was clear she missed him as much as he had her.
"We've managed to get the demons under manageable levels for you," said Gaara.
It was clear he was able to sleep for a change, since Jiraiya had fixed the seal for him. He could still access Shukaku, but the tanuki would no longer be able to take control if he fell asleep. The first night back, Gaara had practically slept for two days straight. Every since, Temari had found it much easier to deal with him.
"Thank kami. I was afraid those demons would devour me alive, even with new help."
Gaara took one look past her and said "You picked up another one."
"Gaara, meet Tsurara. I found her while wandering near Wave. Be nice."
He gave her a long look, and when she didn't back down he was impressed. Not many could handle his blank gaze without flinching slightly.
Nozomi had created a stamp with her signature on it, and was using it to get through the large stacks of paper before her. She had taken the Kage office a week ago, and she was still almost buried in paper.
Someone knocked at the door.
"Come in!" she yelled. Kiseki was sorting the papers with Tsurara's help. Between the two of them, Nozomi was able to find the more important documents that needed to be signed first.
"Team Subaku, Mission successful," said Temari. Nozomi glared at her for the amused tone.
"Leave the report next to Clone 4. I'll have your pay sent to you during my break," said Nozomi calmly.
"Hai!"
Nozomi had marked her clones with numbers to make it easier for the shinobi. The first dealt with S and A rank mission reports. The second dealt with B ranks, third dealt with C and the fourth handled all D ranks. It was an efficient system that made paying the shinobi go that much faster.
Once dinner rolled around, Nozomi stopped. All the reports had been read and the payment had been delivered in full to the teams. She rubbed her shoulder painfully and grinned when Kiseki handed her a hot cup of tea.
"Thanks. How far along have we gotten in sorting out that financial mess?"
"About halfway. Haku-chan is surprisingly adept at picking out inconsistencies."
"Zabuza left most of the accounting to me. I'm just surprised at how many there were...the fourth seems like an idiot from what I can tell."
"He was a decent jounin, but a crappy Kage," said Nozomi flatly.
"We might be able to finish another quarter if we keep till one," said Tsurara.
"The sooner we find out where all the money went, the sooner we can fix the deficit. Which reminds me, I still need to sign the rest of the papers that go to the company..." groaned Nozomi.
Ever since she had taken the job, her company paperwork had taken second place. Getting it done was something she had been putting off for days now.
"How about tomorrow we take a break so you can get that done? I think we deserve one after a week like we've had..." suggested Tsurara.
"Seconded?" said Nozomi. Kiseki nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Tomorrow we take a break, aside from the five clones. This is absolute murder!"
Nozomi practically flew through the paperwork the company sent her. After a week of speed signing (and having her clones read through every scrap carefully beforehand) she had become an adept at the work. In less than an hour she had finished it, and she stared.
"Something the matter pup?"
"...Is there any potions for carpel tunnel syndrome?" she asked calmly.
"I have pain relief potions, but I've never heard of that..."
"Maybe some training will get rid of this twitch in my hands..." said Nozomi.
She grabbed her tessen and went to the special training ground reserved for the Kage. One of the fringe benefits of dealing with all the paperwork that came with the office was that she was allowed to use the training ground without restriction. The place was filled with enough toys for her to get a real workout in less time.
Gaara was already there waiting for her. As the son of the previous Kage, he was allowed access as well. Well, that and no sane person wanted to deal with a cranky Gaara.
"I've missed you," he said.
"I hate paperwork."
She was rewarded with an actual grin, something Gaara was still getting used to using.
"Care to spar? No sand, just straight up taijutsu," she said quickly.
Seeing the look in his eyes she knew she had made the right choice. A few days into the paperwork hell, she had made the mistake of introducing Gaara to some of the more...explicit...sci-fi novels. Sadly the boy decided to create an entirely new jutsu based off one of the reoccurring themes.
A pale faced Temari had described it to her, and Nozomi's face quickly turned ghost like the second the implications sunk in. She had inadvertently created a horrifying monster no woman wanted to face. If Jiraiya heard about it, she had little doubt it would end up in his badly written porn.
Gaara called this frightening technique... 'Sand Style: Shokushu no jutsu'. (Roughly translates: Sand Style: Tentacle no jutsu.)
It was more than enough to give her nightmares. Thankfully she had quickly nipped the idea of using such a trick on her in the bud a few days after it was created. Though should her former headmaster appear, she wouldn't hesitate to send him Gaara's way with a note that told him to use it.
Nozomi noted with some dismay that her skill had gone down. It was very slight, but it still rankled. Then and there she swore to take every end of the week off and let the clones deal with the paperwork so she could improve her skills.
"Your skill has gone down a bit Nozomi," said Gaara calmly.
"I have been taking a break from my training. Perhaps I could get back into the swing if I trained at least once a week?" she thought aloud.
"...Have you considered using weights?"
Nozomi stared...and then grinned.
"Random weights in objects that are normally light. I can't believe no one ever considered that! I know just the spell to use too!"
Gaara's smile widened slightly. He had helped his girlfriend improve her skills while keeping the village running at the same time.
He had already noted the vast improvement since she took over. The depression that had settled in since his father ran the village was started to go away, slowly but surely. Shops that were on the verge of closing forever were now doing more business than they had in months.
Civilians were walking around actually smiling and they looked healthier too. It was like a weight had been removed from the village.
Shinobi which had been on the verge of drinking themselves to death worked with renewed purpose. Nozomi actually cared about them, and it showed in the way they acted.