Inuzuka Hana was seeing to Tsume. Not her mother, who was still away on a mission, but to the other Tsume. The mountain lion cub was bounding about his large enclosure with hardly any impediment at all.
Now came the hard part, weaning the cub from human touch. That would be easy if she could just release little Tsume back into the wild. But the young cub had not yet been taught how to hunt on its own, and with the mother dead, that left the vet with a quandary.
"That looks …intriguing." The voice behind her sent shivers down her spine and she stiffened in spite of herself.
"Every time Tsume pounces on the target, he gets a treat. We'll start making his targets harder to catch in the following few days and weeks." Hana explained in her most professional voice.
Behind her, Gaara nodded and watched her rather than the mountain lion cub. He raised a hand to touch her sleek pony tail, but stopped and clenched his fist, lowering it to his side.
"You didn't come to dinner last night." Even as a statement, she heard the inherent question.
"No." She sighed and turned to look at him, catching her breath as the late afternoon sun placed a fiery halo around his red hair. "Did you send Baki to ask me?"
Gaara shook his head. "No. But I have to admit to disappointment when a poor substitute arrived in your place."
Hana chuckled humorlessly and glanced back at the pouncing cub. "Koto isn't so bad. She has a crush on your aide though."
Gaara looked stunned. "Baki? And you sent her in your place?" He paused, then cleared his throat. "Look, Hana. I know you want to get married and you have all these clan rules and all. It's not a good idea to throw rivals at the man your clan traditions chose for you."
"Look at him." Hana lifted her chin to indicate little Tsume who was gnawing on a 'caught' treat. "I envy him a bit. He's free to hunt and pounce at will. Show him the way and he'll be a great hunter."
Left unsaid was that she wasn't free to 'hunt' a mate at her own free will.
"If you married Baki I'd be sorely tempted to kill you both."
The admission made her eyes widen as she looked at him again, his face now closed to her. But his eyes burning with things unsaid.
"If I married Baki, I'd be sore tempted to kill him too." Her words lessening the tension a bit.
"But …but I hate to think of you unhappy." The admission slipped out of him reluctantly. "I can leave him here, make him an ambassador or something?"
Inuzuka Hana caught her breath. "You'd do that for me?" Happiness glowed from her eyes and Gaara nearly died on the spot.
"Yes." The one word was torn from somewhere deep inside. He'd hate it, he'd hate them both. But for her, he'd do almost anything.
She took a step toward him, her eyes alit from within. Sand swirled up between them, a barrier. Hana stopped and looked at the sand and touched it gently, pushing her hand through the shield that he could not harden against her.
Hana's hand slowly penetrated the sand and stopped just over his heart. She could feel the heat from his body less than an inch from her fingertips.
"Don't." He whispered, but was still unable to thrust her away.
"I don't know what you make me feel, or how you do it, Gaara-kun." She whispered back to him as she boldly pressed her palm down over his heart. "But if anyone could tempt me to break from clan tradition, it would be you."
Gaara swallowed hard, feeling his heart race and not sure how he felt about her knowing how fast his pulse was beating. For her.
"What would happen exactly?" He asked, his breathing shallow.
Hana dug her finger tips into his chest wishing with all her heart that he was the one chosen for her by Kuromaru.
"Disaster." She told him simply and withdrew her hand, the sand barrier releasing her arm as it withdrew.
Gaara could breath again, but it was painful.
"What if …" He started but stopped as she shook her head and looked him in the eyes.
"I am the heir of the Inuzukas as you are the Kazekage of the Sand. Would you put your personal feelings above the good of your village? Could you?"
Gaara stared at her a long time, aching to take her in his arms as he saw his own misery reflected in her eyes. He thought about his kidnapping by the Akatsuki and how he'd deliberately shielded the village at the expense of his own safety. It was a decision he did not regret, no matter how high the personal cost.
"No." He said simply.
"Neither could I." She said. "That's why I can not hunt you down, take you as my own. It is also the reason I could never lie in Baki's bed, for I would always hate him for not being you."
"But you still need to find a mate."
"And I will. All Inuzuka marriages are brought about by our clan traditions. None have failed except those that eschewed our traditions. Those marriages ended in hate, reproach, and sometimes even bloodshed."
Gaara nodded sadly, though he raged inside. "I will be in the Leaf village for a while as Kankuro recovers."
Hana sighed and looked away again. "I've already been to the Hokage seeking missions that will take me away from here for a while."
With that, the two fell into an unhappy silence broken only by the growls of a happy mountain lion cub named Tsume.
o.O.o.O.o.O
"Next door?" Temari wasn't very pleased, and it showed.
Shikamaru shrugged, it wasn't as far away from his parents as he'd like to be, but it was within their budget and available. "The neighborhood is a good one."
"I don't doubt that." Temari fumed, "but why does it have to be right next door?"
Her husband sighed and looked at her. "There's another place on the other side of the village, but it needs work and won't be available for another month. It's also a lot smaller. My parents are willing to help us buy this one."
"Because your mother wants to keep an eye on you, make sure I don't poison you with my cooking!" She hissed at him, her hands on her hips.
"Look. My father is for this too. If we buy this house and the lot next door, then we can enclose them into a small compound. We'd have our privacy, but be close enough to family if the need should arise. There's even room for guests."
Temari bit her bottom lip and turned to look at the house in question. It was very nice actually, and a lot bigger than she'd anticipated for their first home. Yet, while she and Yoshino were getting along better, Temari didn't trust that to last.
"It's safe, it's clean, it's comfortable, it's in good condition and it's affordable with a bit of help. And my mother will be available to help with the children when the need should arise."
"Children?" Temari choked and her stomach dropped a bit. Sure, they'd discussed children, but not as an immediate thing.
"Eventually." He said, reading her expression accurately. "We're both ninja, childcare will be an issue one day."
Temari nodded, knowing a losing battle when she saw one.
"Fine. But your mother has to respect our privacy."
Shikamaru bit back a groan at the thought of that discussion with his mother.
o.O.o.O.o.O
Kankuro was clean again and despite hating the hospital's idea of food, was even full. What he wasn't, was happy.
When his door opened he looked up, then grinned to see a favorite target.
"Oh, good. I don't have to hold my nose anymore when I come in here." She told him brightly, her cheeriness grating on him.
"No one asked you to come in." Kankuro told the pink-haired girl as she slipped inside the room. He waited for her to finish peering into his eyes and checking his pulse.
He sucked in a breath as she put her hand over his heart and frowned a bit to be touching his bare skin. Although it had never bothered her before.
"What's the verdict?" He asked as she stepped away as he frowned up at her.
"You're healing well." She smiled down at him, ignoring his grouchiness. "Your chakra is about a fourth replenished."
Kankuro scowled and sat up, the sheet pooling at his waist.
Sakura looked down and sucked in a deep breath. "What happened to your hospital gown?"
"Refused it." He frowned up at her. "It itched."
"What about boxers or a t-shirt or something?" She blushed and he grinned evilly at her.
"I can't sleep wearing clothes. They bind." He smirked. "Wanna see?"
Sakura blinked and stepped away after reaching down to twitch the sheet higher on his body. "No, I've already seen the show. No need for an encore."
Now Kankuro blinked as he felt his expression go carefully blank.
"When I tended you in Suna." She explained coolly. "Trust me, it was nothing to write home about."
Kankuro looked her over carefully and then smiled as he realized she couldn't quite meet his gaze. "You shouldn't insult the boys, they're sensitive."
"The boys?" She asked, then shook her head. "Never mind. You're such a pervert."
"Not anymore." He groused and crossed his arms over his bare chest. "And don't think I don't suspect you."
"Suspect me?" Sakura jerked back a bit, surprised. "Of what?"
"You have a habit of only healing me part way. I think you do it to torture me. You're just plain mean."
Sakura sucked in a breath and looked down at him with the 'death glare of doom', her hands on her hips. "What do you mean by that?"
Kankuro shrank back a bit at the intensity of her glare. "You sent in a really gorgeous nurse who bathed me and petted me and even massaged my neck and back. She was sweet and curvy and perfect."
"That makes me mean, how????" She hissed, hiding the fact that she hadn't chosen that nurse like she'd told him. The nurse had been the one on duty for the day and Sakura hadn't been pleased about it either, although she couldn't really say why.
"The boys didn't like her." He whined up at her with a pitiful expression.
Sakura shook her head, confused. "What does that mean?"
"The boy's didn't LIKE her." He leaned forward, his own eyes starting to glare. "What did you do to them?"
Sakura stared back at him in a complete loss.
Kankuro's eyes suddenly went really wide and he laughed. "You're a virgin!" He crowed with glee.
Red flamed through her entire face and steam nearly came out of her ears as she contemplated finishing the job the assassins had started.
"My sex life is none of your business! And we did too heal you, you ungrateful jerk!"
Kankuro gloated and leaned back against his pillows, his hands behind his head with the sheet around his hips riding dangerously low. "That's because you don't have a sex life." He told her in a sing-song voice. "And you're jealous, so you put a hex on my boys."
Sakura stared at him, then looked down at his lap despite herself and caught her breath as his meaning finally dawned on her.
"Ass! You were inches from death and you're not even at half your nominal chakra levels now. That's why your …er, that's why your body isn't reacting." She managed, her face still burning.
"Admit it, you did something to them. They would never pass up an opportunity to sit up and 'salute' nurse cutie." He pouted, only half joking. It really had worried him when his body had not reacted to the nurse's touch as she'd helped him bathe.
Sakura blustered and fumed and tried not to look back down, but couldn't help herself. Then she smiled darkly and pointed. "See? The 'boys' aren't broken."
Kankuro looked down and frowned as his body finally stirred. He picked up the sheet and looked underneath, making Sakura spin around to face away from him with an embarrassed little squeak.
"Boys? You're a little late. Nurse cutie is gone, but good to see you. Welcome back!" He sighed happily.
"Maybe they weren't interested in her." Sakura crossed her arms, still refusing to turn back around in case he was doing something perverted.
"Who else would they be …" Kankuro stopped and stared at her back with a stunned expression and then lifted the sheet again to scold his body. "Boys, we need to have a talk."
Sakura growled with disgust and left the room in a huff.
o.O.o.O.o.O
Baki showed up at the Aburame household a bit early. He'd not seen Temari or Shikamaru all day, but assumed they'd been looking at places to live. He and Gaara had worked together for a while, but the Kazekage had not been in a talkative mood. In fact, Gaara had seemed downright peevish this afternoon.
When he'd left, Baki had told him that he'd see him later at dinner. Gaara had grunted, but hadn't looked up from his paperwork. Looking around, Baki hoped the Kazekage wouldn't lose track of time, it would be an insult to their hosts.
A servant opened the gates for him and escorted him to the main house with a deferential air. Baki looked around appreciatively. The Aburame family compound was well kempt and prosperous looking. It had a charm that bespoke a home rather than the more austere manors of some of the other clans he'd visited with Gaara and the others.
Baki was escorted into a large receiving room and he bowed to his host as Aburame Shibi greeted him and introduced his lovely wife, Kameyo. They both were the epitome of graciousness and class. He looked around in appreciation. This was a home, comfortable without being shabby or overly fussy. If only Gaara and his siblings could take lessons, it would help when dealing with other politicians. Kankuro's idea of 'class' was to use a napkin.
Baki looked around, but didn't see either Gaara nor Temari, much less her new husband. Only the Aburame leader, his wife and a cousin introduced as Koto's father, Shuji. Koto was standing hesitantly by the far wall, studiously not meeting his gaze.
"I am pleased to accept you into our home." Shibi informed him with more warmth than Baki was used to receiving in the Leaf village.
"We are pleased to be invited into your home." Baki bowed his head with respect.
Shibi looked puzzled a moment, but his face cleared as he looked over at Koto. "We? Oh yes. I see. Please, would you care for some tea before dinner?"
"Should we not wait for the others?" Baki asked as he took the seat offered him.
Kameyo shook her head and smiled at him as she called for the servants to bring the tea service. "My son, our heir, and his fiancé will be joining us shortly. Ah, there they are." She smiled and Baki turned to watch Shino enter alongside Hyuuga Hinata. He'd heard the two were to be married. It was a fine match politically speaking, proving Shibi's sharpness as a leader.
"Now we may begin." Kameyo turned to begin the tea ceremony and Baki looked around more than a bit confused.
His gaze fell on Koto and almost passed over her, before swinging back sharply in her direction. The girl was blushing hard and was peeking out at him underneath her lashes. When she saw she had his attention, she shook her head at him as if to keep him from speaking.
Baki looked around and inwardly cringed. Like a simple genin, he'd fallen into a trap.
Gaara wasn't going to be late, he wasn't coming! His former student was probably wondering where he was right this very minute. This invitation was for him and him alone, not the Sand delegation.
Baki eyed Shuji warily and noted the man's pleased expression as he looked at his daughter. They thought he was here as a suitor for Koto.
Baki kept his mouth shut, not wanting to decry the situation lest he offend the honor of one of the Leaf's main clans.
He wasn't sure what shocked him more. That he'd fallen victim to her scheming, or that her family looked pleased with him.
o.O.o.O.o.O
I need love peoples. Review please! And if it's not love, you can still review (just let me know what you don't like and why).