The Color Red
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews you guys. This is a bit of a transition chapter. They are together, but haven't announced it publicly yet. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy.
Chapter Notation: Yeah, secrets don't last very long XD. I had a hard time choosing their nicknames for each other in the letters. So I went with something silly.
Chapter 11
She missed him. It was a week after Sasuke had left to return to the Leaf and Gina was going crazy. To add insult to injury, she wasn't allowed to show it or talk about it because of her own stupid suggestion.
Three months?! It hadn't even been three days before she had considered coming up an excuse to go to the Leaf. Any excuse. She managed to fight back the impulse though and was now suffering through Day Seven.
"Lady Kazekage?" Baki asks.
Baki had been her former Sensei. That hadn't been an easy job to put it mildly. When he first took control of the Sand Siblings training, she had been homicidal. The red head had nearly killed him countless times. But he had still trained them to the best of his ability, despite the considerable risks involved in training someone like her.
Now his former student was his superior and he handled that with such grace. She knew that her age had been an issue for many of her villagers and other ninjas. It was almost unheard of for a Kage to be so young. Baki though had always treated her as an adult. So she felt some measure of gratefulness towards him.
"Yes, Baki?" She asks.
"You are behaving unusually. That is the third time that I had to call out to you to get your attention." He states.
Damn. Had she really lost her focus that long? This was becoming a problem. She needed to come up with a suitable excuse.
"I apologize. I neglected to have lunch today and it has made me less attentive than I should be." She lies smoothly.
"That is the fourth time this week that you have told me that. Lady Kazekage, if you don't mind me saying so…you should take better care of yourself. The village depends on you." He chides her gently.
"I know. I will try to be more attentive. What were you saying?" She asks.
"Mei and Tsunade want to know if you wanted to go on that female Kage retreat with them." He repeats.
"They are serious about that?" She asks in amusement.
"Something about female empowerment and if you are all seen socializing it will be a powerful show of solidarity." He elaborates in a voice that told Gina that he thought the entire thing was a load of nonsense.
"Well…it is nice that they thought of me. I suppose I should go. It would be seen as a slight if I didn't." She murmurs.
"Most likely. Very well. I shall let them know that you agree." He says.
"Thank you. Was that all?" She asks.
"Yes, that's all. But My Lady, please do look after yourself more." He pleads.
"I will." She promises and watches as he walks off.
Meanwhile back in the Leaf, Sasuke was equally frustrated. No more kisses, no more spinning chairs, and no more being frisked by sand. At the very least, he could still get a decent training session in thanks to Naruto.
It lacked the appeal that training with the red head did. He definitely was NOT going to enjoy a nice makeout session after training with the loudmouthed blonde. Naruto was his best friend. But that kiss at the Academy was an ACCIDENT. It was not an experience that he was eager to repeat.
"Bastard, that's the second hit that I got in that I know you should have been able to dodge. You aren't taking this seriously! I know that we aren't using lethal attacks, but that's no reason to half ass it!" Naruto growls at him.
"Eh. You hit like a Genin anyway." Sasuke says with a smirk.
"What was that bastard?!" The blonde demands.
"Sakura can hit harder than that." He goads him.
"Oh that's it! RASENGAN!" Naruto says and charges at Sasuke.
Sasuke smirks. This was what he needed. A good fight would make the time go by faster. There were very few people that he could truly fight without holding back. Actually, Naruto was probably the only person he could fight to his fullest potential with. But Naruto didn't offer the same perks that training with Gina did. There would be no kissing and making up afterwards. Tradeoffs.
An hour later, both men were bruised and battered. Sasuke was sure they each had at least a couple broken bones. Even when they held back, such injuries were normal. Thankfully, Karin had taken to watching them train and didn't seem to mind patching them up.
"Thanks, Karin." Naruto says with a smile and bites on her shoulder.
Sasuke glides over. He bites down and wishes it was another red head. Gina though, as sexy as her whimpers might be…biting her didn't end up healing broken bones.
Elsewhere the Cat and Coyote were looking at some stolen documents. They weren't exciting. Just some standard things. Mostly missions that Gina had signed off on. They had to get a feel for her handwriting after all.
"She does have a rather distinctive curve to her G that will be hard to copy. Bitch was probably taking counter measures against forgeries." The cat says sighing.
"Doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be believable. Should we say she's pregnant? That would certainly get his attention. " The Coyote suggests.
"The Uchiha wouldn't believe it. It's rather clear they are keeping their relationship a secret. If they are being intimate, they'd be using The Jutsu or some sort of contraception." The cat says and shakes his head like, I'm working with an idiot.
"Good point. We could say that someone found out about their little midnight rendezvous." The Coyote tries again.
"Plausible. Though she wouldn't be so blunt in a communication that she might worry could be intercepted. This would be easier if we knew if they had a code." The Cat grumbles.
"They'd only been together presumably for a short time. I highly doubt they have a code for love letters." The other ANBU states.
"I don't know. They are both rather private individuals and intelligent enough to come up with something fast." The Cat counters.
"We can just keep it vague and say it's something important." The Coyote suggests.
"That will have to do. Unfortunately, the Kazekage isn't as public with her eccentricities as the other Kages. It's hard to tell what would be a signature for her." His partner sighs.
"Yeah. How's this look?" The canine ANBU asks.
"I see no noticeable difference. Besides, they way they go he's more likely to recognize her punch than her signature." The feline states with amusement.
"Yeah. Strange relationship." The other man comments.
"Indeed. But they are strange people." The cat agrees.
Elsewhere Temari and Shikamaru had finished their honeymoon. The feisty blonde was now a Leaf Villager. She watches in amusement as Shikamaru tries to carry her stuff into their new home.
"What a drag! I thought you were moving in with me, not the entire Sand Village." He groans.
"That's not that much. You big baby." She says.
"How many shoes do you need?!" The Shadow User inquires.
"A girl can never have enough shoes." The Wind Sorceress tells him with a sly smile.
"That's got to be close to a hundred pairs. When do you even wear all of these?" He demands.
"Some of them are collectibles. You'd be amazed at how much you can sell them for after a couple years." His wife answers him.
"So it's for monetary gain?" Shikamaru asks and cocks his head to the side curiously, as if considering this.
"Partially. That and I just like shoes." She replies.
"Maybe you should lend a pair of the stilettos to Gina." He suggests and tries not to snicker.
"Oh she HATES high heels. She'd never wear them. Besides those are I'm Getting Lucky shoes." She says sagely.
"Exactly." He tells her.
"I feel like I missed something?" The blonde asks her husband.
"Maybe. I'm not sure. It's a drag." He responds in an annoyingly cryptic fashion.
"I want to know!" Temari tells him.
"I might have given Sasuke a push. Don't know if he'll actually act on it though or if she'll go for it. But I was tired of them dancing around each other." He states with a yawn.
"You what?! Well sounds like you had more luck with him than I had with her." She grumbles.
"We'll see. They are both really stubborn." He says.
"That's true. Well I'll send her a pair just in case. Do you think that would actually work for him?" She asks curiously.
"Well I know it works for me. We have similar tastes in most respects. So I don't see why it wouldn't work for him." He muses.
Meanwhile Gina finishes packing and heads off to meet with Tsunade and Mei. She still thought this was a stupid idea. Pft. Female empowerment her ass. It was just an excuse to go to the spa. Let's call it what it was.
"It's good to see you." Mei says, smiling at her.
"And you as well." Gina returns the smile.
"We already booked three massage slots." Tsunade tells her.
"Oh great." Gina says with a sigh in relief. She really missed her massages.
The three of them walk into the massage parlor. The three women get put on tables next to each other, so they could still converse. But she noted there was a curtain pulled around them, to give them some illusion of privacy. Fuck that. She casts a soundproofing jutsu just to be on the safe side.
"Someone's a little paranoid." Mei comments in amusement.
"I'd rather not have anything I say, spread throughout the Five Nations. Never underestimate the power of the Rumor Mill." She mutters.
"She does have a point." Tsunade agrees.
"Like that rumor you and Jirayia were lovers. Was there any merit to that, Tsunade? Was there a reason you are called the Legendary Sucker?" Mei asks slyly.
Gina couldn't help but snicker. Tsunade raises an eyebrow. It seemed the red head understood the innuendo.
"We were never lovers. There were times we could have been. But he was a free spirit. He could never stay in one village for too long and I was recovering from Dan. And, no that is JUST a reference to my gambling habit." She says, glowering at Mei for asking and Gina for snickering.
"Shame. Girl has to have some fun. An important lesson Gina, men are much more compliant if you reward them for good behavior." She states.
"Mei!" Tsunade says and rolls her eyes.
"I'm just saying. It's that or food." She states.
"Says the woman who is still unmarried." Tsunade taunts her.
"You never married either!" She protests.
"I could have, if I had wanted to." The blonde says.
Gina shakes her head. She looks back and notices that the massage therapists were heading in. She feels the oil being applied to her back.
Hmm a woman's hands, if the size of the hands was any indication. Then again, it could be a man with small hands? Still it felt nice but nowhere near as good as his hands. Oh well. She closes her eyes and decides to enjoy it.
"Ah nothing like a good massage." Mei says.
"A little lower." Tsunade mutters.
It was relaxing. The massage and listening to the other women bicker. Thankfully, their attention was more on each other for the most part. Which meant Gina was free to let her mind wander.
"You could have had a lot of fun. Being a Kage means an office and a desk." Mei offers to Tsunade.
"Mei, that is highly unprofessional. Besides, the papers would go everywhere." She replies.
"I recommend the spinning chair." Gina mutters, too lost in her daydream and current state of contentment to realize she probably shouldn't have said that.
"Ah ha! See that's more like it. Finally, someone with some imagination!" Mei says.
Tsunade just shakes her head at Mei's antics. She'd let Gina think she hadn't heard that for now. Later that night though, she goes to Gina's room and knocks.
"Come on. It's open." She says, recognizing Tsunade's chakra.
"Spinning chair?" She asks in amusement.
"It was nothing. Just a suggestion." The red head says and mentally panics while outwardly maintaining he composure.
"And those hickeys on your neck, were those a suggestion as well?" She asks.
"Dammit!" She mutters.
Tsunade was a medic. She wasn't going to believe the scarf excuse. She was also a former Kage. She wasn't going to be knocked out easy either.
"That would seem a little possessive to be from Shibuki. It's really not his style. He strikes me as more of a gentle lover. " She states.
"It wasn't Shibuki." Gina says.
"I figured as much. How old are the marks?" She questions.
"About a week." The red head admits, figuring well since she already knew anyway.
"A week?! He'd have to rather…vigorous for the love bites to still be visible after that long. Those have to be bite marks. Hard ones." She states.
"He doesn't bite that hard, just repeatedly. Actually, Id' rather not discuss this further." The Kazekage says.
"Normally, I wouldn't pry. It's none of my business." The blonde says.
"You're right. It is NONE of your business." The red head snaps.
"But you are a Kage and as such your choice of lover can have national or even international security implications. At the very least he could be a target for attempted kidnappings and even assassination." She warns her.
"I pity the idiot who would even try it." Gina mutters.
"So it's Sasuke then." She says.
"I did NOT say that." The younger woman protests.
"Bites often enough to leave marks and apparently would be assassins should be afraid of him, sounds like Sasuke." She says.
Fuck. She'd been caught red handed, or rather red necked. Dammit. Dammit! This was supposed to be a secret.
"The fact that you haven't made this public means that it's new or you are smart enough to realize the potential implications and decided to keep it secret." She continues.
"Both." Gina admits.
"Gina, people still fear him and for good reason. You are a Kage. Do you realize the amount of panic it would cause if it was known you two were involved?" She asks.
"I know. That's why we decided to keep it secret until we knew if this was what we wanted. That it wasn't just a passing fascination." She replies.
"Well I guess that's something. But you can't possibly be serious." Tsunade states.
"I know it isn't very…logical. But he makes me feel alive in a way no one else does. I finally understand Temari, a little bit better now." She says.
"That's very romantic Gina. Truly, I'm happy that you have found out you are capable of such feelings. They are wonderful feelings at times. But you have to be smart about this." The other woman argues.
"You don't get to lecture me on relationships. I am not a child. You have no authority over me. I'm not a Leaf Villager. So don't you dare try to order me around as if we are not equals!" Gina snaps at her.
"I am not trying to order you. I'm trying to reason with you." She says.
"I'd rather be unreasonable and have him, than reasonable and not." The red head says and the sand shoves Tsunade out of her room and she locks the door.
Tsunade curses under her breath. That had not gone well. She really only wanted to prevent a disaster. She hadn't meant to hurt the red head's feelings. Clearly she thought that the older woman was trying to pull rank. That hadn't been her intention at all. Dammit!
She bites her lower lip. She had to contact Sasuke. Gina wasn't positive the former Hokage would keep their secret. The red head needed to give him a heads up.
She goes and gets a messenger hawk. The red head debates about what to write. It could be intercepted. It had to be vague, but understandable to him. Finally, she settles on the following and sends the hawk off.
Dear Vamp,
The Gambler knows about us. What do you want to do?
Awaiting your answer, Strawberry.
He liked to bite her, so vampire seemed fitting. But vampire was too odd not to get noticed. Vamp could stand for almost anything really. Clearly Gambler referred to Tsunade. He'd gotten her strawberries once. That should remind him of her. She hoped.
Back in the Leaf, Sasuke had just gotten home. He blinks when he sees a messenger hawk. The spa had been fairly close to the Leaf so it had arrives swiftly.
He gives the hawk a bit of food and reads the letter. Sasuke blinks. Damn. What the Hell was he supposed to say?
"Well it was going to happen eventually." He mutters and pens a response.
It didn't matter to him. He actually preferred it out in the open. That would let Shibuki know to back the fuck off. Sasuke wouldn't have to put up with his own admirers and he could possibly get away with some PDA. He wasn't really sure what the red head's views on the last part were. But he could always ask.
Dear Strawberry,
Let her roll the dice. I like our odds.
Not worried, Vamp.
He did find it a bit amusing that she had nicknamed him vamp. Probably because she liked being bitten so much. Strawberry was pretty self explanatory between her red head and the fact he'd gotten them for her once. He sends the hawk off.
It didn't take long for him to get another letter. This one asked him to come to the Sand. It seemed Gina felt more comfortable making the announcement in her village. Sasuke couldn't blame her. The people of the Sand were less…nosey than the people of his own village.
"Mei?" Gina says, knocking on her door back at the Spa.
"Come in." She hears her say.
The Kazekage walks inside. She figured she should at least tell Mei that she was heading home. Mei could tell Tsunade. The red head didn't trust herself not to attack Tsunade if she tried to speak to her again at this point.
"I am heading home early. There's a bit of an emergency my village. Thought I should let you know. " She says.
"Oh. I hope it isn't anything too serious." She mutters.
"I'm not entirely sure. But I figure it is best to deal with the situation directly." The younger woman informs her.
"Of course. Good luck. I'll let Tsunade know, if you haven't already." She replies.
"Thank you. You are a good friend." She says and quickly sets off for the Sand Village.
It didn't take long for Gina to return to the Sand. She heads to her office. She was sure that Sasuke would show up there first. The flustered woman was shocked when he was already there.
"How did you get here before me?" She asks in disbelief.
"I'm faster than you. Besides, I've traveled extensively. I know shortcuts." He answers.
"Oh." She says and eeps when he pushes her against the wall.
"In a way, I'm glad that she found out. I couldn't come up with an excuse to get back to the Sand quickly. It wouldn't have been a fun three months. Besides, this way…we don't have to come up with excuses for why I'm in your office." He says and kisses her.
Before she could respond to any of that, he kissed her. Well that was better than talking. She returns his kiss eagerly.
The red head wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell him how much she missed him with her words. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she COULD convey it with words. Kissing was a much more effective form of communication.
It probably wasn't healthy, he mused. Sasuke had tried to avoid attachments since he was seven. Yet, here he was getting attached to someone from another village. Very attached.
It felt good to be able to touch her again. It took all his control not to see if she'd be willing to test out how strong her desk was. But he manages to pull away.
"How do you want to…let them know?" He asks.
"I figured the direct approach would be best. Announce it in the village square. Short and sweet and then we get the Hell out of there while they are in shock." She replies.
"Drop the bomb and run for cover?" He asks in amusement.
"Exactly." She agrees and turns on her intercom in her office.
It was special. It would blare whatever she said throughout the village. Biting her lower lip, she takes a deep breath and says the following.
"Those who are able to, please report to the Village Square immediately. I have an important announcement to make one hour from now." She says and turns it off.
"You weren't kidding when you said the direct approach." He says and takes her hand, walking outside with her.
"Sometimes it's the best one." She says.
"Hopefully, this is one of those times." He murmurs.
"Hopefully." She says, gets behind the podium, and notes that some people were already beginning to gather in the Village Square.
Well here went nothing. She wasn't entirely sure how they would react to the news. Positive, negative, or shock. It might be a mix of all three. But she had to do it.
She could feel the seconds ticking by slowly as she prepares to make the biggest announcement of her life. The only thing that made it tolerable was the sight of Sasuke's ruby red eyes in the crowd, tell her silently that it was going to be okay.