Chapter 14: Preliminaries

"So, are you sure I cannot wear any lavender color ornament?" Feza asked squinting. "Not even a discreet necklace or something?"

"I said NO!" Temari exclaimed and then sighed. "Didn´t I tell you already that the wedding ceremony in Sunagakure is very traditional? The wife has to be all covered in a white long-sleeved dress, more like a robe actually. With a white heavy turban in the head.

"So, why are we in such a fancy boutique?" Feza insisted rising her arms so that a woman could take her waist and legs measurements.

"Because this boutique has better fabric than the ones in Sunagakure". Temari explained. "If we had asked for this dress in the Hidden Village of the Sand they would have taken double the time to have it ready. And since Gaara and you decided to get married in just three weeks, we didn't have a lot of options".

"Do you think it was too quick?" The girl asked simply.

Temari didn´t know what to reply at first. She had spent time with Feza for one week now, helping her to get ready for the coming wedding, and she liked her so far. She found the girl bold and genuine, however, whenever his brother was mentioned she immediately became shier and less talkative. That change of attitude certainly overwhelmed her. Thus, Temari didn´t want to seem nosy but she had a lot of doubts regarding that relationship. Not even Kankuro was able to explain it very well the day of Hanabi´s wedding. In conclusion, she was just very lost lacking so many details.

"I can´t say if it was too quick or not. Love can happen in very different ways". Temari said after a minute of silence. "The question is, do you find it was too quick?"

"I…" Feza tried to reply but she didn´t finish the sentence. Her face blushed a second later.

"Hey, I know it´s not my business but I just see you still get very nervous when we speak about my brother. I mean, I see you are quite talkative and even funny when we speak about any other thing. But once Gaara comes into the topic you just shut down. You even stopped to insist about the lavender ornament!"

"I didn´t think it was too obvious…"

"It is not until we start speaking about him" Temari approached to Feza and helped her get down from the stair she was standing for the measurements. "C´mon, I understand Gaara can look a bit mysterious sometimes, even creepy with those black circles around his eyes and his lack of brows, but he's a sweetheart!"

"Is not that..."

"Then what is it?"

"I guess is just the fact that I have never had a relationship before. All of this is new for me!. I mean, I´m blissful that the Kazekage-sama loves me back but I just don´t know how to manage my own feelings". Feza said with a concerned expression. "Especially since he´s a kage, a great hero and a…"

"No, no, no!" Temari interrupted her raising her finger. "That´s what you are getting wrong, Feza. For god´s sake, girl, stop calling him kazekage-sama! Look, since Gaara became a Kazekage he has had a lot of fans. Many girls like him in Sunagakure, but it´s clear he is not interested on admirers. He can be a kage and a hero and whatever, but more importantly (and this is what should concern you) he is your man now. My husband is the Hokage advisor. He is considered the most intelligent man in the Village, and you know what? I leave him without dinner if he doesn't obey my rules in our house".

"I don´t think I have that amount of familiarity with your little brother yet" Feza replied quite impressed.

"Exactly, not yet!" Temari grinned. "But you will, and the only way is by being natural and confident. Like how you are in your current life. If you want to hug him, do it. If you want to kiss him, do it. You already kissed, right?"

"We hugged for some seconds".

"What?! Not even one kiss?"

"Not yet".

"Oef, yeah, Gaara is very shy. So, that´s another reason for you to always try to give the first step. Trust me. Perhaps at first he will seem overwhelmed by the showing of affection but he will eventually get used to it".

Feza seemed thoughtful for a moment and then she nodded with confidence. Temari was right, she couldn´t keep acting like a shy little girl with him. He was going to be her husband after all.

That afternoon, in Sunagakure, after a meeting with the council, Kankuro asked Gaara if he could talk with him in private. Gaara waited for him in his office and stared at the phone for five minutes. He had been having short conversations with Feza every day before he went to bed. It was better than receiving letters every two weeks however, he couldn't find a way to completely break the ice. Their conversations went always in the same order: greetings, a question about how that day had gone, perhaps a short anecdote and a goodbye. Naruto had told him that they just needed time to met each other better, but the Kazekage felt they were going in an extremely slow pace with a few improvements, but nothing special.

Gaara´s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Kankuro when he opened the door of the office. He approached to the desk and sat down in front of Gaara. In his hands, he had a mysterious package that he put on the desk.

"What is this?" Gaara asked pointing at the box.

"It is a present for you, brother" Kankuro replied confidently.

"A wedding present?"

"Let's say is a pre-wedding-gift...Between brothers".

"What does that mean?"

"Just open it!"

The Kazekage took the box with both hands and opened it carefully. His face turned red the moment he saw the content. Kankuro crossed his arms and smiled feeling proud.

"You are welcome, little brother!"

"Why do you give me this?!" Gaara exclaimed feeling embarrassed.

"Why?" Kankuro repeated "Why you ask? C´mon, Gaara you are going to get married soon and the Icha Icha trilogy would definitely be a great help for you to understand some things about romance and love".

"You cannot know! You are not even married!"

"That doesn't mean I haven't had some lovers".

"What? That´s not true…"

"Anyway, I am not the one who's going to be on a honeymoon in two weeks, right?" Kankuro winked. "Just read them, Gaara. You have nothing to lose and a lot to win".

"Do you really think this is gonna help?" Gaara asked taking Icha Icha Violence out and checking the cover page and the first page. "Looks… "

"Violent?"

"Daring".

"That one is my favorite from the trilogy" Kankuro tried to keep encouraging his little brother by noticing he was starting to feel curious about the books. "It really illustrates the bonding between a man and a woman".

"Really?... Well, maybe I will read it".

"You won't regret it".

Gaara put the book back inside the box and closed it. He thanked Kankuro and then he sighed, looking at the warm sunset outside the window.

"I´m nervous about the wedding, you know?" Gaara said again blushing a bit.

"I think that´s pretty normal. It´s a huge step in your life. To be honest, it took us all by surprise. You were very discreet".

"It took me by surprise as well." Gaara explained "I didn´t notice I was in love with Feza-san until I realized how much I craved for her letters, and how much I wanted to see her again. Also, I am pretty aware that this wedding is rushed but, what other choice did I have? I cannot have dates or go out as normal people do. Unfortunately, I have to be working every day and look for my Village. Don´t get me wrong, I am not complaining. I m honored of being the Kazekage for so long, but the fact is I have a lot of responsibilities".

"So, that´s the reason why you asked Feza-san to marry you that night?"

Gaara nodded.

"I told her I couldn´t offer her frequent dates or torrid love adventures but, in return, I offered her my heart, my unconditional trust, and to look after her until my last breath".

"You are such a gentleman, Gaara!" Kankuro sighed. "But I´m sure that once you get married, you will find a way to balance your private life with the job. After all, a man has to find time to please his woman. Isn´t it the main purpose of a marriage?"

Kankuro pointed at the box with his index finger and winked again. The Kazekage rolled his eyes and stood up taking the box in his arms.

"I´m going to be in my bedroom giving a quick read to this". Gaara told Kankuro before leaving. "Please, tell Shinki I cannot train with him today but that I will see him in the dinner".

"Sure. I´ll let him know".

"And, Kankuro…"

"Yes?"

"Thanks".

Kankuro raised his thumb feeling proud. He didn´t expect Gaara to accept his present so easily, but his idea had worked better than he imagined. After all, Gaara lacked experience in that sort of task, so any help would be welcomed.