At the Hokage Building…

Tsunade wondered if her predecessor felt this when it was his choice, his turn - the impeccably wrong sense of foreboding, with a tinge of regret and a dollop of wariness. Her eyes went over the man's frame furtively, narrowing as they saw the peaceful serenity of the village behind him. She sighed, unwilling to relay the orders that would forever condemn him and his family.

"It's out of my control," she started, speaking her mind. It was, really; it seemed she was just the figure head and paper work completer of Konohagakure- those irritating pig-heads of elders never seemed to be satisfied as situations worsened with their participation and input, and said participation and input continued unabated. "I didn't initiate this -"

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama," the shinobi interrupted, strangely calm. His piercing gaze was steely as it bore into her conscience. It wasn't right, it wasn't right... "I couldn't care less."

He continued, "So please tell me why I was summoned here." The ninja crossed his arms, his long sleeves flopping over each other. It was inappropriately comical - he looked almost like a deranged preacher of a sage.

"To report on the progression of the mission," the Godaime Hokage answered apprehensively, nearly appalled by his cold response. She sighed, resigned. His decision had been made up, and the result was more than apparent. "The mission will be carried out by the end of the month. A person has been selected."

"Then the wedding-"

"It will be done after the wedding, when Hinata has moved over to Sunagakure. I will ensure Hanabi is out on another mission at the time of the deed. You won't be there either," Tsunade confirmed.

"Is that all?"

His coldness should have been the norm for her, yet this time his tone had something extra... It felt like he had detached himself from all other things, an emotionless killing machine. But what of it? Wasn't that what ninja were supposed to be? The rule flashed in her mind - Ninja never show their emotions.

"Neji..." she started as he turned around to leave. The Hyuuga turned around, solemn. Though he managed to mask his weariness, his irritation with consummate skill, the legendary sannin saw things people just couldn't conceal - the way the ends of his lips twitched as he heard his name, the sudden contraction of his throat muscles as his eyes hardened some more, the faint frown lines that adorned his forehead.

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?"

The Hokage's own tired eyes closed, her fingers massaged her temples as she leaned backwards. She gesticulated to the locked wooden door. "Call Ten-Ten here."

[Meanwhile]

"I'm sorry," was the first thing that escaped his lips as he rubbed his eyes. The lingering sensation of nausea still plagued him, but now it seemed like he had nothing more to puke out; and for now it was safe. He slowly sat up, blinking. For some reason his head was aching, and he wondered if it was because of the Hokage.

Oh snap. The Hokage.

Apprehensive, he glanced at his sister. She was sitting beside him and staring, but what she was staring at he didn't know. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over, and it was if she was staring straight through him.

"Temari?" he mumbled tentatively, wary of a potential torrent of harsh lectures on conduct. Still, it seemed his sister was dazed - she completely ignored him.

"Temari," he repeated more forcefully, and this time she snapped out of it. The blond kunoichi snapped her head up slightly, this time her eyes really focused on him.

A brief wave of anger and confusion washed over her, but it faded away as soon as appeared, so Gaara wasn't sure of what he saw. "How are you feeling?" she asked, frowning. There was a grouchy undertone to her question, and all Gaara gained from the enquiry was more confusion.

"Fine," he answered, dismissing the dull ache in his head. His eyes glanced furtively over to his armor and his gourd.

"I gave you some medicine, but you're going to need some rest for the time being, alright?" Temari sighed, getting up. She had ordered Kankuro to find lunch or disappear, and after an hour she wasn't sure if Kankuro really did disappear.

"What happened?" Gaara enquired softly, hesitant due to the potential hazard in asking. He would have willed his gourd to him, but he felt his absolute defense on his skin and wondered if doing so would make him seem like a paranoid schizophrenic. Subconsciously, he rubbed the back of his head.

The Kazekage nearly flinched at his sister's response: "You got wasted last night, you cheeky little bastard."

It was curt and distracted – Temari usually instantly dove into the details and although Gaara wasn't sure if he wanted to know the full extent of his drunkenness, he did think it was rather strange – and Gaara knew something was up. "Anything else?" he prodded, and then Temari turned around to face her brother.

"Izumo-kun and Kotestu-kun had to drag your sorry, wasted ass back here. Do you know how disgraceful it is for a kage to be drunk in another village? You're the Kazekage, Gaara, I thought you understood that. When we get back Baki's going to write a report on you," she chided harshly. When Temari scolded people she didn't use loud tones; instead she employed the use of soft, hateful words that pierced the victim's heart and never failed to make him feel like absolute crap.

Gaara very nearly snorted. Write a report on him. What was he, five years old? Nevertheless, as of then his sister was his only source of information, and as it was she was already quite angry with him. "Did I commit any crimes?" he questioned, and the Kazekage knew very certainly he could not have done such things… but it was good to ask.

Temari raised a skeptical eyebrow, and said with her eyes narrowed, "none that I know of… yet." She shook her head in sharp disapproval and rolled her eyes. The kunoichi was about to get a glass of water from the bathroom before she heard knocking. For a moment her face lit up with slight surprise, but then it was replaced with more scorn as she marched over to the door, ready to vent her anger at the poor sap who dared to knock.

"I might not have given you a deadline," she started softly, her momentum and volume increasing as she cracked the door open, "but that doesn't mean you can gallivant all over Konoha for an hour while Gaara and I are –"

Temari stopped.

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish would in water, and she was caught utterly off-guard by the surprise guest.

"Hello," Hinata greeted softly, a little unnerved and disturbed at how her new sister-in-law had opened the door to her. The white-eyed female examined Temari's shocked expression. "May I come in?" she asked pleasantly.

"Of-of course, Hinata," she forced out in a mumble, turning sideways stiffly to allow the girl entry. Hinata smiled and nodded, before entering and taking her shoes off. She walked into the heart of the living room, and stood by the coffee table as Temari closed the door shut. Gaara sat very still, his line of vision blocked by the big rectangular sliding door.

"I'm here to see Gaara-kun, Temari-san," Hinata stated gently, and Temari pointed in her brother's direction. The Hyuuga nodded once again and shuffled over to the open room, but her pace slowed down halfway, as if she suddenly changed her mind. Gaara heard footsteps, but the dull ache in his head kept him from investigating.

"Hello, Gaara-kun," Hinata greeted her husband, and as he took her image in the Kazekage stopped breathing for a moment.

"Hello," Gaara answered, and he invited her to sit next to him. What followed was an awkward silence, but Temari was unable to remedy the situation as she felt the couple needed some privacy and hence decided to stay out of their affairs. That's right – she closed the sliding doors and camped in the living room ready to slaughter her other brother once she saw him.

"Gaara-kun," Hinata started, scolding herself internally for being such a coward when all she needed to lose was her shyness. "I'd like to think that… that we'd have a chance at making this work."

The Kazekage stared blankly at her, very surprised at her sudden boldness. When he first saw her she exuded… well, she didn't really exude anything – she seemed to have almost no presence whatsoever.

Hinata took his silence as permission to continue, and continue she did, "I'm not –"

"I'm sorry," Gaara interrupted, and his eyes moved from her glorious untainted face to the floor. "I'm socially inept, and I can't pick up on social clues as normal people can. I didn't think those stupid elders would make this whole marriage thing go so fast… I'm awkward and unprepared for these duties as a husband…"

His wife could feel heat searing across her face. "That-that's not true!" she blurted out despite herself, "I always thought Gaara-kun was amazing to become Kazekage. I always thought Gaara-kun was amazing to lead the Shinobi army." Hinata felt her fingers wrap around each other.

Gaara flashed a weak smile at the fragile female. "You believed in me," he said, oblivious of his hands moving across his futon and inching toward Hinata's… subconsciously he wondered if her fingertips were as delicate as they looked, if her palms were as smooth as they seemed, if her skin was as flawless as a pearls'… "Thank you."

"Usually people believe in themselves before others believe in them," Hinata answered, her previously flustered expression softening. Her eyes caught a glimpse of Gaara's hand near her lap, where her own hands were twiddling her fingers together. The ex-heiress wondered if his fingers were really that slender, if his palm felt rough like her father's…

"Usually?" Gaara echoed, his sharpness in detecting insecurity showing.

Hinata nodded, but she didn't feel like elaborating. "Usually."

Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow, but he didn't question his wife. Silently he vowed to always believe in the woman in front of him – the emotional scars she seemed to be able to hide from others only glowed more prominently as she evaded the subject.

"You know what," Gaara said, and Hinata's eyes snapped up from the floor to his face. She looked at him, curious as to what her husband was about to say next. "I think this marriage will work out after all."

The ex-Hyuuga felt a small smile settle on her lips.

Temari had to resist the urge to glue her ear to the thin paper walls of the sliding door, because a) the paper would reveal her silhouette, b) if she were to get caught, she could potentially increase the awkward level, and c) they sounded as if they were talking anyway, and she didn't want to ruin that with her nosiness. So she waited for her lunch to arrive while her stomach showed her no mercy. She wondered if the pair in the room could hear her.

Dismissing that crude thought, the wind user almost jumped as she heard knocking sounds once again. Oh, the horrors she would induce in her little brother… This time she swung the door open with huge anticipation, ready to snatch the lunch boxes out of Kankuro's hand and throw him out of the window naked as soon as he stepped into the room.

Still, the Sunagakure kunoichi paused once she saw the person knocking. It was him.

"Hello," Shikamaru mumbled gruffly, nodding his head as a small greeting. "I'd like very much to talk to you."