The next week was a blur; the entire village was making preparations for the festival and ceremony, while shinobi from across the five nations poured into Suna. Vendors of all kinds were run through security before being allowed to set up their wares along the main thoroughfares of the city. Lanterns were strung from every one of the buildings, like bright flowers that held back the darkness.

Meanwhile, in the medical facility adjacent to the Kazekage's residence, one girl felt less like celebrating than she ever had in her entire existence.

Airi sat on her bed in a simple black shift, fingering the fabric of the kimono lying across it. She didn't know much about the garment; it had simply been delivered to her earlier in the week with the stipulation that it was to be worn on the evening of the ceremony. No one had thought to describe it to her, but from the patterns she could feel in the stitches, she knew it must be quite elaborate. From the sight spots at the corner of her eyes, she could make out that it was mostly dark green, the color of Suna.

She just wished she could see it in detail.

Despite her relative solitude in the medical facility, she still had occasional visits from the medics who came to check up on her, and Kankuro had taken to visiting every other day, just to talk. How he even had any free time with all the preparation to be done, Airi couldn't guess. Now that she was alone, however, she really didn't know what to do. She was almost afraid even to move, let alone start preparing for the ceremony. What if she were to prepare, but completely make a fool of herself because she hadn't done it properly? Maybe she would put the kimono on inside-out, or if she even attempted to put her hair up, maybe it would be unbalanced. How would she even know without her sight?

She put her head between her hands. How much would it really cost her just not to go to this stupid thing? It was just another reminder of the decision that lay ahead of her, the one that loomed over her every waking thought, the one she had concluded was almost certainly decided for her. How could she continue to be a shinobi, and why did it even matter that she was being honored for her bravery? Any victory at this point was little more than hollow.

'But it's not.' That annoying chiming voice in the back of her head seemed to say. 'It saved his life, didn't it?'

"He would have survived whether I'd been there or not." She muttered to herself, standing to move to the dresser, facing the mirror that would do her absolutely no good. "And I'm just an idiot for thinking that I even made any difference."

She braced her hands against the firm wood, her head hanging down so that her chin touched her chest. Not for the first time that week – or even that day – she had to fight angry tears away from brimming to the surface.

'Perfect.' She thought with scorn. 'My eyes are a wreck, but of course my tear ducts remain perfectly intact.'

She pressed her palms to her eyes, as if that was going to stop the tears from flowing. But just as the fight against crying was becoming a losing battle, a knock sounded at her door.

"Airi-san?"

The voice was familiar, but Airi couldn't quite place it. One of the nurses, perhaps?

"Come in." At this point, knocking was more of a formality. Despite the fact that this room was designed to provide her more protection as an honored shinobi of Suna, she didn't bother to lock the doors. If someone was determined to assassinate or kidnap her, they would have gotten in, locks or no locks.

The door opened and closed quietly, and a light hand touched her shoulder.

"How can I help?"

Airi laughed a little, swiping at her eyes. Now she could place the voice. It was the sister of the Kazekage, Temari. And here she was, crying. Some wonderful impression she was making.

"I don't even know where to start." Her voice came out considerably weaker-sounding than she cared to think about.

"Well, it seems a shame to just leave this kimono sitting here." Temari suggested gently, and Airi could hear the rustle of fabric as she picked it up off the bed. "Hold out your arm."

She did as she was instructed, and Temari helped to drape the silk fabric over her shoulders. Airi started to pull it tight around her torso, but then stopped uncertainly. Having not been the honored guest of many festivals over the years, her knowledge of formal dress was severely lacking.

"Left over right?"

"Yes. Here, do you need the obi?" Airi nodded, holding her free hand out to take it. When she had secured the fabric properly, she wrapped it around her waist, fumbling a bit as she reached the back.

"Could you help?" She asked uncertainly. Slightly callused hands took the fabric out of her grip, tying the obi securely.

"Just let me know if you start to feel like you can't breathe." Temari said jokingly and Airi let out a small chuckle. It felt good to laugh, like a bit of the weight that seemed to have settled on her chest had been dissolved.

Temari finished with the obi and Airi smoothed the fabric down reflexively, marveling at how smooth the silk felt under her hands. Even reluctant as she was to attend this gathering, she had to admit, the kimono seemed absolutely beautiful.

"Now, what about your hair?"

Airi grabbed a loose strand of her honey-colored locks, which were currently molded into a haphazard bun at the nape of her neck.

"It's very short." She said with some regret in her voice. "I'm not sure there's much to be done with it."

"I'm sure we can find something." Temari said confidently, and Airi heard the scrape of metal across the floor as she pulled the chair away from the vanity. "Come and sit. I'll see what I can do."

Airi pulled her hair out of the messy bun, trying to smooth it down as best she could. As Temari ran the comb through her hair carefully, Airi felt the tears rise again. She was so tired of crying, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

She wondered if this was what it felt like to have an older sister. Her own sisters had always seemed so distant to her… just babies, comparatively. She had never been that source of support for them. The role of a mother had been taken on more by their next-door neighbor. By the time their father died, they didn't have much need for her anyway and she had her own goals.

Airi didn't even realize she was speaking until the words had already left her mouth.

"How did you know? That I'd be…"

She could practically feel the shift in the air as Temari shrugged. "Nervous? Chock it up to intuition, I guess. I just figured you might be unsure about all this. Even if you didn't need help, I thought you might at least want someone to talk to."

Airi sniffled quietly. Her words came out as little more than a whisper.

"I was so afraid I was going to look like a complete idiot. Still am, as a matter of fact."

She tilted her head back up, her voice going hard with repulsion.

"When did I get so weak?"

Temari continued to work the comb through her hair, seemingly unfazed.

"From what my brothers have told me, you're not weak. Farthest thing from, actually. The way Kankuro and Gaara talk about you, I was beginning to get the impression that you were some kind of goddess."

Airi blushed, but she couldn't bring herself to ask exactly which comments that assumption was based on.

"But you're not weak, Airi." The older girl continued. "You're coping. If I had just lost my sight, I'd probably be a basket case. I happen to think you're taking it remarkably well."

Airi snorted derisively. "I wouldn't say well..."

"Okay," Temari amended, "you're not spouting gibberish or going on a crazy rampage. I consider that pretty damn good for someone whose entire world has been turned pretty much upside-down."

That brought a laugh out of Airi. "Thanks."

"No problem." The older girl clipped something into Airi's hair and made the finishing touches on it before stepping away. "There. Not bad at all, kid."

Slightly afraid that she might damage whatever Temari had done, Airi brought a hand up hesitantly to touch her hair.

'Flowers.' She realized.

"That alright?"

Airi smiled one of the first genuine smiles she had been able to manage in the days since the council hearing.

"Perfect."

Half an hour later – and with considerably more makeup than Airi was quite sure she was comfortable with – Temari deemed her finished.

"You ready for this shindig?"

Airi really wasn't so sure, but she nodded anyway. If she wasn't prepared by this point, she never would be.

Temari kept up a constant stream of chatter as she guided Airi down the hall. She had a running list of all the Shinobi who would be attending from the five nations, but Airi didn't know who most of them were. She merely let Temari talk and tried not to focus too much how badly this night might end.

Not that it stopped her from thinking about it…

"…and Uzumaki's supposed to be here. I certainly hope you get the chance to meet him. He's quite a character." Temari paused for a moment. "Did they tell you about your escort?"

Airi snapped back out of her thoughts, vaguely aware that Temari had just asked her a question.

"What?"

"So nervous she doesn't even hear me." Temari muttered, smiling to herself. "I asked if they told you about your escort."

"My escort?"

"I'll take that as a no." Temari chuckled dryly, which didn't put Airi any more at ease. "Oh, the council members can be some real bastards when they put their minds to it. Expect you to show up to these things, but they don't tell you anything. Yes, you'll be escorted to the official ceremony, being an honoree and all."

"By whom?" Airi was almost afraid to ask. At best, this was both a curse and a blessing. At least this way, she might not make a fool of herself tripping all over the place during her entrance. However, if her escort wasn't aware of her handicap beforehand, he might not be all that helpful after all…

"By my brother, of course."

"Oh." All things considered, that really wasn't too terrible. Despite the fact that she and Kankuro had gotten off to a less than hospitable start, their relationship had been on an upward spiral from there.

"Oh? That's all you have to say?" The confusion was palpable in Temari's voice. "Well, I have to give you credit for taking it well. It's better than most people would do hearing only five minutes before that they were being escorted by the Kazekage himself."

Airi stumbled to a stop, clutching Temari's arm with an iron grip. "What?"

"Ah…" Temari said, her voice caught somewhere between being apologetic and trying not to laugh. "That's more like it. You thought I meant Kankuro, didn't you?"

Airi took a deep breath, squashing the sudden flock of butterflies that seemed to have been let loose in her gut. "I'll admit, I was under the impression that you meant your other brother, but I suppose this is to be expected. I am being honored for my service to him, aren't I?"

"Exactly." Temari said, patting her shoulder in a manner that was both mocking and consoling. "And you think you aren't strong? Ha. I don't know another girl in Suna who could handle that as well as you just did."

"Now…" Her voice lowered, and Airi was fairly certain they had reached a door. "Looks like it's show time. Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

Airi swallowed, making a final attempt to silence her panicking mind, which was screaming for any way out.

"I'll be fine."

A/N: Once again, I apologize for the late update, but I'm gonna try to get another one out this week. Time off is a lovely, lovely thing.

I think things are about to get quite interesting for Airi... suppose we'll just have to see how it goes? ^_^

Thank you so much for your reviews, alerts/fav adds... it warms my heart every time I see one.

- Senka