Good Lord is this a long chapter. Like last chapter, I had to cover a lot of things so it's mostly plot development. Also like last chapter, there isn't a great deal of character development by an means and I'm sure you guys aren't really going to be happy about most of this chapter. However, not to fear, our favorite couple will be reunited again shortly.

Any Gaara and Kankuro fans can finally be excited that they finally come into play. I tried really hard to keep their characters, well, in character, because I like the whole dynamic of the sand siblings. Kankuro being a jerk, Temari being both motherly and aggressive, Gaara being calm and collected. I like thinking that Naruto continued to help Gaara grow as a person in the years following the shinobi war and that he's become a lot more social, I guess you could say. P.S. Whoever you shipped Gaara with, it's not them.

I had a really hard time explaining Temari's feelings for some reason. So they're pretty much a combination of misplaced anger and sadness. Which, not going to lie, would probably be most people's reactions to this sort of situation. She feels pretty helpless about all of it, so just bear with me with this horrible chapter. I'm sorry. :C

PLEASE FOLLOW, FAVORITE AND REVIEW! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!

The stars that never failed to line the night sky grew restless as the darkness slowly faded from view and disappeared into the faint blue of the morning sky. The Kazekage mansion was always the first façade to feel the warmth of the desert sun and Gaara was always be the first to rise each new dawn. The windows that lined his bedroom allowed the dimmest bit of sunlight, waking him from his sleep. His conscious thoughts reminded him of the duties that he would have to attend to today as he began to dress in the dark, being careful to not wake the sleeping form that once curled around him just moments before. He ran his fingers through his hair, listening to the birds that chirped excitedly at the new day. He squinted his eyes, unsure of the figures he could see approaching in the distance as grains of sand danced in the breeze.

"Leaving so soon?" Sari asked, her words were soft as she held a blanket tightly against her chest. Though she always seemed to sleep long after he had left each morning, Gaara didn't seem surprised to hear her whisper to him, drowsiness still thick in her voice as she spoke. Her hair cascaded around her form, contrasting against his white sheets just so. He wasn't one for expressing emotions, though the sight of her brought him to spare a smile. She easily smiled in return as if she had never done anything but.

"My sister should be returning today from Konoha, a meeting must be arranged to discuss the information that she has gathered during her stay." She frowned at his formality, shaking her head with a slight sense of frustration. The Kazekage sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm worried about what she might have to tell us, that's all."

"What kind of information are we talking about here?" She rose from his bed, the white sheets now billowing around her like a fallen angel as she took the few small steps to stand beside him before the window, her eyes scanning the view of the village that lied below her. Suna always seemed to come alive long before she woke; it was almost odd seeing the streets so barren at this hour. Sari smiled as she looked towards the rising sun in the horizon, yet found more warmth as she rested her cheek against Gaara's bare chest. He sighed at her touch, his hand weaving into her hair.

"As much as I would love to tell you, I'm not entirely sure."

"Is that your sister those two leaf nin?" Sari pointed at the familiar figure of Temari entering through the gates of the village, followed by a Hyuuga Neji and Haruno Sakura. Gaara frowned, his expression again growing firm as his muscles tensed. It seemed too odd and too inconvenient for them to arrive so early in the morning. The sense of worry that once brushed against his mind seemed to swallow him whole. She looked up to him and though he looked back at her with a soft smirk, she could sense his concern.

"Strange."

"Should we go down and greet them?" Her voice was high with excitement, though Gaara could only shake his head with his usual impassive frown extended over his face.

"No, Kankuro will. I'm sure he's already awake." He opened his drawers, pulling out clothes for the day as he tactically avoided her gaze, though he could feel it staring at him intently. Gaara finally couldn't stand the stagnant air any longer and glanced towards Sari, whose face held an unusually sly smirk, even for her.

"Not ready to admit our relationship to your sister, huh?" She asked as she pulled her shirt over her head. Her mind calculated the quickest way to fluster him, though he was hardly anything but calm and collected. "Are you embarrassed of me?"

"Hardly. If anything, I'm proud to have you by my side. It's just not the right time." He kissed her forehead lightly, to which her smile only became more cunning. Gaara knew better than to think that he was getting off that easily. Her arms snaked around his waist when he turned away from her, pressing her body against his back as she held him there. His skin tingled at her mere touch. Sari's hands fell from him as she crawled back onto his bed, watching him go about his morning routine.

"The great Godaime Kazekage, former jinchuriki, terrified of his big sister." Gaara smirked as he pulled a pillow off of his bed and threw it at her roughly, only for her to react quicker than he expected and throw it back to him. He narrowly dodged her retaliation, but raised his hands in defeat. She laughed at his admittance at more than just a loss, shaking her head as she helped him gather his things for the day. As the door shut behind him as he exited and the echo of his footsteps faded from her senses, she rose from her seat on his bed and looked out the window at Suna's liaison and her two escorts. Sari couldn't help but wonder what may lie ahead for them, anxiety bubbled against her skin and dared to boil over.

- x -

"'Mari!" Kankuro shouted as he strolled out of the Kazekage's mansion, his hands firmly in his pockets. "I didn't expect to see your fat ass back here until this afternoon." The grin that had been spread across his face since he had seen her walk into through the village gate fell from him slowly as he watched her appearance change from expressionless to grief. He raised his hands from his pockets just as she fell into his chest and held him. Kankuro held her in return, his hand cupping the back of her head as quiet sobs shook her.

"We were ambushed in the night and fled here. Shikamaru remained to fight off the last of the shinobi to be sure that we wouldn't be followed. There were multiple explosions after we left and Shikamaru did not follow us. The rogue shinobi were from Iwa, so we can only assume that one in particular was taught in the explosives division, much like Deidara." Kankuro grit his teeth, anger rising in his stomach, though he forced himself to not display his distaste for Iwa and for any explosive experts.

"Don't tell me that bastard was revived again."

"As far as I could tell, it wasn't him or anyone from the Akatsuki."

"It seemed too calculated for them to just be trying to hold us up for our weapons and money, though." Sakura voiced, though not entirely directed towards anyone. Temari rose from her place against her brother's chest, her expression firm with a resilience that Kankuro was unsure that she still had. "They were most likely trying to get the scrolls. They didn't send a very adapted squad, though. Maybe they weren't Iwa shinobi after all."

"I'm taking some of our men and going after him." Temari interrupted quickly, her eyes firm on Kankuro. He looked at her for some semblance of a premeditated rescue mission, though she appeared to have only the fire of fear burning within her. At his silence, she brushed by his shoulder as she turned to approach the mansion.

"That wouldn't be wise." Neji spoke before Kankuro could, Temari spun on her heels with narrowed eyes.

"It wasn't wise to leave him there. It wasn't wise for him to not come with us when he had the chance."

"His duty, regardless of what you wish it to be, was to protect you and his friends. That is and always has been his nindo. It may not have been wise, but it's what he thought was right." The Hyuuga's voice was calm and reassuring; his face had tempered with his words. The sand kunoichi's face softened with solemn realization but she left wordlessly and entered the mansion. Neji knew better than to believe a few simple truths would be able to sway her decision. Her mind had been made up long before they arrived in Suna and he was nothing short of surprised that she hadn't turned around the second the explosions had fired. Temari was far too strong willed and too proud for her own good, yet Neji found that it made her a better kunoichi than most could ever dream to be. It was, if anything, a part of who she was and that determination and blind passion may have been exactly what Shikamaru needed in his life to give him direction.

"I'm.. sorry. She has a rough temper and speaks out of turn." Kankuro rubbed the back of his neck; his apology seemed much more rehearsed than it should have been.

"Whoever decided that shinobi should never display their emotions was full of bullshit." He replied. Sakura looked at him curiously, finding it unusual to hear him talk so casually and informally, especially to someone as high in rank as Kankuro. "Calculated actions make for a good shinobi, reckless loyalty makes for a good friend. They are often much more valuable than the strongest ninja."

- x -

"Come in." Gaara spoke clearly, though he never looked up at whoever opened the door as he was more focused on the paperwork that had overflown his desk. Suddenly a hand pulled his documents from his grasp, causing him to sigh and close his eyes. Only one woman would dare do something like that. "Yes, Temari?" His gaze finally rose to meet her, though he hadn't entirely been prepared for the fear and anguish that radiated from her, rather than her typical frustration and anger that usually stemmed from something Kankuro had done or that, as the Kazekage, he worked far too much and needed to take a break. The latter of those two reasons was often her thinking behind taking his paperwork from him.

"Shikamaru is gone and I need a team to come with me to go get him." She brushed the stray strands of hair that had fallen from their ties behind her ear only for them to fall back to her face, curling around her cheeks. The typical golden glow that always accented her skin was replaced by paleness that more than likely stemmed from her building anxiety and stress. Gaara stared at her for a moment before processing her request which he quickly deemed ludicrous, but felt it necessary to hear her demands before formally taking action upon it.

"Explain what happened before I make such a rash decision on such little information."

"We were ambushed by Iwa nin and Shikamaru stayed behind to make sure that we made a safe getaway. Shortly after we left, we heard a series of explosions. He didn't follow us and he could have been captured or hurt and unable to help himself. I need a team to come with me. This may be a rescue mission."

"Absolutely not. Suna needs every able bodied shinobi to keep watch over the village and I am certainly not sending my sister back out where more shinobi could be preparing for such a return. You don't know their intent and I will not send my men out towards a possible slaughter." Gaara spoke firmly and Temari couldn't help but cringe at his words. A slaughter?

"We can't just leave him out there!" She shouted, throwing his papers back onto his desk. As the Kazekage, he would typically not deal with such blatant disrespect, but he knew more than anything that Temari was fighting with every ounce of her being to not break down in front of him. For some reason, he would always accept his sister's actions simply because she was his sister and she was more capable of loving him than anyone else. Temari helped save him, not only from death, but from something much worse. Gaara couldn't help but wonder what was so special about this man. She never seemed to be all that enthused about sending rescue parties for groups of men, let alone for one person.

"And we can't just sacrifice the protection of our village and our people for one man. I can't send all of my shinobi out there to go protect someone who is probably more than capable of protecting themselves."

"This is not-"

"That's enough, Temari." Temari opened her mouth to speak again, but he raised his hand to her. "I said that's enough. You need some rest, you look exhausted." Though he never asked her to leave, she understood that his words were of dismissal and she knew better than to fight back against him. She bit her lip in anger enough so that the metallic taste of blood filled her taste buds and just like that, it was over. There was to be no search party, she would not be allowed to leave the village alone and that was that. Temari cursed beneath her breath as she turned to exit his office but stopped mid step as he cleared his throat to speak again.

"Did Tsunade tell you anything?"

"No, she just gave me these scrolls." She placed them in Gaara's open palm. He opened them immediately, not waiting to share the information with the elders until he could devise a strategy to combat whatever lay before them. Nara Shikamaru holds what you need. Decoys. His eyes widened, only to be pressed closed as he raised a balled fist to his forehead, clenching roughly. Temari stared at him, waiting for him to explain to her the situation.

"I will send a messenger to the Hokage at first light if Shikamaru does not return. A search party may be sent."

"What did the scrolls say?"

"He knows. He wasn't meant to stay behind and protect you, he was meant to arrive and tell me himself. The scrolls were decoys." Her face firmed at his words, though she remained quiet. Gaara shook his head and rose to his feet, passing by his sister and heading to leave. He hesitated by the door, trying to think of any better options that might be available to help them, though his thoughts remained blank. "What the Hell he was thinking when staying behind, I haven't a clue."

"Where are you going?"

"I have to tell the elders that there will be no meeting today to discuss the scrolls and of the situation at hand, we will deliberate on what to do until then."

"What should I do, then?" She asked, crossing her arms with the slightest admittance of defeat over her face.

"Have faith in him. He's much too calculated to be fooled by a simple explosion."

The door shut quietly behind him, leaving Temari to stand in his office in silence. The papers that spread over the desk spoke of finances relating to the village, requests from some of the civilians for loans to help provide them with supplies for the coming dry season, candidates for the coming chuunin exams and their respective senseis. She took the paperwork relating to the chuunin exams and stared at them intently, the new candidates all looked hopeful and filled with a burning pride in their pictures and Temari couldn't help but smile at their expressions of optimism.
The first flight of stairs on the left up to the top floor then hang right. One door, two door, three door, four doors down the curved corridor and her room sat on the left. Just as she unlocked her door, the gear mechanisms clinking in order, she heard a similar click come from the neighboring room as someone began opening the door. Gaara's door slid open slowly, Sari's head poking out quickly, staring down the hall as if checking to see if someone was watching her. She closed the door behind her and darted away, her hair flowing behind her in brunette waves. Temari watched, somewhat amused with the idea of having such information over her baby brother, though he was nearly twenty years old.

The room itself was lit with the warm sun that was slowly rising in the sky before her window, the same old sheets and the same old blankets lay on her bed. The same old clothes and the same old papers cluttered around her tables and desks. The same old pictures hung on the wall, the two favorites that she had gotten her hands on over the years. One showed her and her mother, hand in hand walking along a tall sand dune, their dresses flowing in the breeze like there wasn't a single worry in their minds. She was an only child then, her mother had just discovered that she was pregnant with Kankuro and Temari remembered she could hardly contain her excitement of being a big sister. Her second picture was of her and her two brothers soon after Gaara had been elected by the elders as Kazekage, taking their father's place as leader of Sunagakure. Temari noticed that Gaara was actually somewhat smiling in the photo, as if he was happy with the knowledge that he was going to be important to these people and that he would be needed and wanted. Something he always wanted, her fingers dragged along the edge of the frame as a sudden, loud knocking on her door began, nearly shaking the picture frame right off the wall.

- x -

Neji and Sakura followed Kankuro up the several flights of stairs before they finally arrived on the floor that they would be staying for the next day or so until arrangements could be made for their return to Konoha, though both leaf nin prayed for the safe return of Shikamaru each moment. The Kazekage's mansion was silent compared to the consistent yelling heard coming from the Hokage's mansion, where Tsunade's requests were almost always beckoning calls to Shizune. The calmness that was commonplace in Suna was something that Neji noted he could easily grow accustomed to, the ease of meditation could call him at all hours and he could do so without fear of interruption. He smiled at the mere thought. Sakura, too, noted that the peaceful warmth was nice and she enjoyed the quiet that the city had to offer, but felt that it would grow boring and would find it difficult to relax for any real period of time. Kankuro could only laugh at their declarations, wondering what it would be like to not constantly be by his brother's side as a body guard and be able to go on missions with other Suna shinobi.

"Temari should be able to show you guys where your rooms will be. Unfortunately, I have a lot of meetings to go to today and I couldn't really make you guys feel at home for your stay. Besides, anything I can do to bug the shit out of her is my job as a brother." He grinned and Neji chuckled softly at his jovial comments, though it seemed that he did so only out of respect towards Kankuro. "'Mari, get the Hell up! You've got some friends who need rooms."

"Have you ever tried doing something for your fucking self every once in a while?" Temari's shouts were muffled behind the door, though her animosity rang loud and clear. Kankuro pounded on the door again roughly, Sakura cringed with the fear that he might splinter the wood.

"I don't have time to do your shit!" Kankuro turned back to them and smiled again, this time it appeared to be an apologetic one. Hm, I guess he is handsome without his face paint, Sakura thought as she studied his bare face, though she would never admit such a thing to anyone, especially Ino-pig. "I'll catch you guys later. Bring you to dinner and everything after I'm done for the day. I really do hope that Nara comes back soon, he's a good shinobi, ya know." He bowed to them before he turned to leave just as Temari's door slammed open as she threw a wooden box at him, smacking him in the back of the head with a resounding thud. Deadly accurate! She shouted amongst her thoughts that all cheered in unison, 1,000 points!

"Don't talk to me like that, you-!"

"Love you, 'Mari!" He shouted over her, drowning out her voice with his own sarcastic claim of fraternal affection. Temari snarled at him as he blew a kiss to her before exiting the hallway and heading down the flight of stairs. Though she always knew that his sarcasm was hardly that and that they did truly love one another, she turned to look at two very clueless, confused and almost frightened leaf nin standing before her doorway. Neji raised his hands in a mock plea for his own safety, Sakura gripping at her sides as she laughed hysterically. Temari couldn't help but do the same.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that. He's, well, an-"

"Ass." Sakura and Neji spoke in unison, much like Temari and Tenten had the day before. The two looked at one another and shared a brief grin before looking back to Temari, who only raised an eyebrow at their sudden display of friendship.

"Precisely. Anyways, you guys can have whatever rooms you like. On the nightstand should be a key that you can use to lock the door and everything. Feel free to use anything that's provided in there like towels, soap and the like. God, this is the most rehearsed thing I have to say whenever dignitaries come visit." She rolled her eyes and watched as they slowly opened the doors to the rooms. Sakura chose the first room that she opened, the light blue contrasted well against her vibrant personality. The small balcony that extended off of the room overlooked the majority of the city and had a beautiful view of the red sunset over the desert at night. Neji chose more carefully, finally deciding on a room that was entirely white washed, though Temari seemed to not be surprise by his choices seeing as white was very much a Hyuuga color. Their doors shut quietly behind them, leaving her to stare down the long and empty hall that stretched before her. The silence grew tiring quickly and she returned to her paperwork. Duty calls. She knew better than to allow her mind to wander and think of all the dangers that Suna could be facing in the near future and the fate of Shikamaru that may or may not be hanging in the ballots as she occupied her time with paperwork.

- x -

"So, you are sure that this leaf shinobi has all the information that Lady Tsunade wished to be delivered to you?" An elder asked, leaning forward in his seat. His expression looked more accusing than curious, to which Kankuro felt the slightest bit of anger flare in his chest. He wondered how someone could so blatantly accuse the Kazekage of lying and feel as if they were entitled to do so.

"Hai, I am." Gaara spoke calmly, ignoring the tone that gripped his questions.

"Then what are we doing? We need to send a team out to get him!"

"That would be a dangerous waste of manpower! There is no guarantee he is even still on those woods and it would only be ridiculous to send our shinobi out on a wild goose chase." The quarrelling senior councilmen seemed to be more enveloped in their own arguments and frustrated pleas than Gaara felt necessary. He always noticed how one sided many of them were, all forming severe opinions one way or another. Some were too strict, some were too flippant. He wondered if this was the reasoning his father had behind picking them as his council, giving him a balance of thoughts and ideas.

"What if this information that he holds is detrimental to the future of Suna? If the Hokage feared that someone may have stolen the scrolls and sent a man with this information along with decoys, it must be important and very important indeed. We must retrieve this man at once!"

"Why should we? He is not one of our shinobi, let Konoha deal with this matter!"

"There is no use in wasting our energy and resources. Nara Shikamaru is a brilliant and well calculated man at that, a well-known genius and perhaps the smartest man in the land of fire. He is not one to under estimate an opponent so much so that it would cost him his life. For all we know, he is on his way to Suna as we speak and all of this arguing is for nothing. Now, pertaining to the information that he holds. He is not a traitor to either village and would sooner allow death to take him than to sacrifice the safety of any other men, women or children. He has experienced too much loss to allow someone else to feel the same." Gaara paused, looking towards Kankuro who remained expressionless as he spoke. He nodded, signaling his agreement towards his statement. "However, it is entirely possible that the information that Shikamaru knows is detrimental to the future of Suna, but it is just as possible that this information cannot readily be used for our benefit and it, too, must be discussed before any actions are taken one way or another. We will not be sending search parties after him until we have not receive word from in within 24 hours or, in that time, Konoha reports him as missing. This decision has been placed into effect as of now; no further discussions will be made regarding this matter." Gaara rose from his seat at the head of the council table, blatantly ignoring the shouts that raged between the remaining elders that still both agreed and disagreed with his decision, yet were too enveloped in their own tempers to pay heed. Kankuro followed him out of the meeting room, sighing slightly at finally being allowed to leave.

"Do you really think that the future of Suna is at stake?" Kankuro asked, his voice deep with concern.

"In short, yes, but at what degree I am unsure of."

"Do you think he's going to show up?"

"He is the smartest man Konoha has, far surpassing his father. I have no doubt that he will." Upon exiting the building, both men hid their eyes from the setting sun. Both appeared rather surprised at how quickly time had passed during the meeting with the elders. The blaring heat made the air almost boil, yet both seemed all too calm as the sun's rays fell upon their skin. "It still can't hurt to pray." Kankuro grunted in agreement and despite his utter distaste for the idea of organized religion, he found it within in him to pray for his safe return, even if his return brought news that may be more of a wakeup call than either truly desired.

- x -

"Temari?" A soft knock fell upon her door, one of the many that she had heard and answered throughout the day and something that she was entirely too used to. Still she half expected some lost guest who needed directions to find Gaara or Kankuro or even the bathroom, she was rather surprised to see a bright flash of pink standing before her in the doorway. "May I come in?" Sakura asked before Temari had much of a chance to even greet her, though she let her in wordlessly.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all. Just a tad achy from running all night, but other than that, I'm well. I just stopped by to ask you if you'd like to come to dinner with me and Neji. Your brother offered to take us earlier and I'm sure he'd just love paying for you as well." Sakura winked at Temari, who grinned in response. Her smile fell fast, which gave every indication that it was forced. "Are you alright? I know that you and Shikamaru are together. I just wanted to check on you. I mean, I know you're strong, you're one of the strongest kunoichi I know. I just.. I know you must be worried."

"Gaara told me to have faith that he would return, so that's all I have to hold onto."

"It's okay, you know. To be scared."

"I have to believe that he's okay." Temari spoke softly as she paced around her room slowly, avoiding her words that felt like sharpened daggers against her skin. She wondered how someone could tell her such a thing.

"But you can be scared, too. It's okay to be afraid that he's hurt or to be afraid that he's gone." The confrontation of the very likelihood that he could be gone tore her to pieces. She fell to sit on her bed, holding her head to her knees like a little girl afraid of the thunder or the darkness. Tears that were unwelcomed and unwanted filled her eyes and spilled over onto her skin, leaving icy trails in their wake. Sakura's hands cupped her cheeks softly as she lowered herself to look at her, her green eyes soft and caring as she tilted her head to speak to her. "It does not make you any less strong to admit that you love someone and you're afraid of losing them."

"I don't want to lose him." She choked out, admitting to herself something that she had refused to admit so many times before. Fear. The fear of losing her brothers, the fear of losing her friends, the fear of losing things she ever dared to get attached to. Temari couldn't bear to carry the weight of more loss, she feared the day that she might break and never be able to pick her pieces back up. Then, slowly, she felt Sakura's arms wrap around her neck, holding her tightly and reminding her that the weight was not hers alone to carry. The sunlight that shone through her window glowed red with the setting sun, showing the passage of time as the first star twinkled into view. Night was quickly approaching and Temari's hope was dwindling, but she knew long before now that shinobi did not have the luxury of time and that his absence would come to her eventually. She had always prayed that it wouldn't happen so soon. Prove me wrong, come find me. Please come find me.