After being able to sleep in, we didn't have training that morning, my team walked over to Kage tower, where Baki told us to meet him. Baki-sensei was waiting for us as soon as we walked inside.

"Follow me," he said, turned and walked away.

The three of us quickly followed him as he walked up stairs. When we got to the top floor, he didn't turn towards Lord Kazekage's office, he turned the opposite way. He opened a door and waved us in. I found myself standing in a room with a large round table. Around it were ten chairs, eight of which were occupied. I could feel my eyes widen, we were in the council room.

Lord Kazekage walked in from a different door and he sat down. Lady Temari and Lord Kankuro stood behind him.

"You have all heard my proposal and have had time to ask your questions. Now what is your answer?" Lord Kazekage asked once he had taken his seat.

"It seems reasonable, Lord Kazekage," one of the elders said.

"Who do you plan on staying in the apartments with the Konoha team?" another elder asked.

Baki-sensei spoke up from where he stood, just in front of us, "My team will occupy one of the apartments to provide any assistance that is needed."

Lord Kazekage nodded, "They will also be tour guides if needed, and basically provide the Konoha delegation whatever they may need."

I blink, Baki's team? Does he mean us?

"A genin team is not enough to provide security," one of the elders said.

"They will not be the only security," Baki said, his voice calm as always, "They will just the security that will be seen. My team may be a group of genin, but so is a portion of their team. It consists of a chūnin, a Jōnin and two genin."

"But is your genin team strong enough to protect the village if needed?" the same elder asked.

"There is no need to protect us from our allies. A genin team is sufficient enough to provide what we require. It shows trust to our allies." Lord Kazekage interrupted. "Tsukio?"

I straightened as my name is called, "Yes Lord Kazekage?"

"I would like you to go to the merchant's quarters and make sure that all of the rooms are prepared for our guests. Make sure that all of the best is provided in their rooms, that all of the appliances work, including the fans. The sheets are changed and there are soft towels. Make sure there is a small supply of supplies to make them feel welcome. Our guests will be here before lunch."

My heart sank at these words, I would need more time than a couple hours to make sure all six apartments were how Lord Kazekage required them to be.

"Your team will help you, buy whatever you need, tell the merchants to send the bill to me. I want to leave a good impression with our guests, so the best of whatever you get," Lord Kazekage continued.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage. May I start now?" I bow.

"Go, Baki will have the rest of your assignment."

"Thank you, Lord Kazekage." I bowed even lower, spun around and walked out the door. I sprinted down the stairs and leaped onto the nearest roof. Moving quickly, I ran to the merchant's quarters. I jumped down to the ground and walked in the front door. To my complete surprise, Mother was sitting at the desk.

"Mother?"

"I was told that Lord Kazekage was going to use this space for the next month and it would house some Konoha shinobi. I wanted to make sure whoever was coming was comfortable with our accommodations."

I grinned, Mother would help get this done, "Lord Kazekage wants to make sure the top floor apartments are stocked with the best Suna has to offer. He wants the Konoha shinobi to understand that we in Suna understand the finest things in life. Which means sheets, towels and everything else."

Mother nodded, "Then we will need the silk sheets from storage, all four apartments, you said?"

"Yes Mother."

"Good, good," Mother pulled out a large set of keys and walked to the storage room. "Come Tsukio and team, we will get those rooms ready in no time."

Inside the storage room, Mother started pulling out boxes and handing them to us, telling us where to put them. Each box was labeled with a room number and the contents. Mother gave us boxes containing sheets, towels, pillows and all kinds of things to put into the bedrooms. Once we each had four boxes, she had us follow her to the second floor.

Mother pointed me to the first room. I walked through the door and smiled. This room was set up similar to the two room suites in the barracks, with a center room, enough room for a couch, a very small kitchen with a counter that had stools placed under it, instead of a table. The living area had two large windows on the opposite wall from the kitchen, which looked out over the bazar. There was a door on either side of the living area that lead to a bedroom with an attached bathroom. The living room had a beautiful painting of a desert oasis with a red and a white flowering plant. The flowers were the only color in the black and gray painting. The red and white were echoed in the entire living area. The bedrooms were identical one bed, with white sheets, blue and green pillows and a painting hanging over the bed. There were two night stands on either side of the bed. With three windows facing the bazaar on the wall opposite the bathroom, but next to the bed.

I set my boxes down. Opening the top one I found silk sheets, which I used to remake the beds, and pack the cotton ones away in the box. The second box had lots of towels, so I distributed them between the two bathrooms, making sure that the white and blue towels were even and pleasing to the eye. I then opened the third box and found it stuffed full of pillows. White, blue and red pillows. I put the pillows on the beds and a couple on the couch. The final box had some more kitchen supplies and some more towels for the kitchen and a couple vases for decoration.

When I was finished, I looked at the rooms with a critical eye. Smoothing a wrinkle out of a sheet and moving a pillow, I decided that this room looked similar to one of the nicer hotels we stayed at once.

I grabbed the boxes and moved to the other apartments, Mother was helping Amagi in the other two bedroom apartment, while Hideo was busy in the single bedroom by himself. Dropping the boxes at the top of the stairs, I quickly walk in to help Hideo.

This apartment was decorated in different shades of sage green with some dark bluish gray as an accent color. Just like the two bedrooms, this apartment had a small kitchen with an eat at counter, a couch, two large windows overlooking the bazaar and a bedroom with a bathroom attached.

It didn't take long for Hideo and I to finish the room, so by the time we were finished, Mother and Amagi were waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. Loaded with our boxes, Mother had us put the boxes back into the storage room before grabbing more boxes.

"Do you know how many rooms they will need?"

"It is a team of four, three males, one female. So I would assume they would need three rooms, maybe only two if the female and the sensei want to share a suite," I said thoughtfully.

Mother nodded, "Then I will also get the second one bedroom ready, Tsukio, I need you to go to the greenhouse and get some flowers or cacti for the rooms, something green or blooming. You will also need to go to Ameno's family's shop and pick up soap, shampoo and sunscreen for each room. Something neutral in smell, but nothing overpowering."

"Yes Mother."

"Bring your teammates to help carry everything. You will need at least one green thing for each room and one set of toiletries for each bathroom."

"Yes Mother," I said, proud of myself for not rolling my eyes, I have done this before when we had to get the apartments ready for one of Father's associates. Only this time I didn't know them at all, and so couldn't make any assumptions of what they liked. This made it easy, in a way, neutral colors and the best workmanship we could supply.

I waved my hands at said teammates and we walked out of the building. I turned to head over to Ameno's family store, this part might actually take the longest. The boys followed silently behind me.

The walk only took a few minutes, since the shop was in the bazaar. Ameno's family mainly worked with herbs, making medicines, but they did have a small selection of lotions, shampoos, soaps and other toiletries for sale. These were usually the higher priced items, since they were made in small batches, but it was worth it since the quality was much better.

After I explained what I was looking for and who was going to be paying for it, the woman behind the counter was very helpful. This time I did roll my eyes as she kept pulling out different scented lotions to have Amagi or Hideo smell them.

"I just need six shampoos and sunscreens and ten soaps, not the entire store," I finally snapped, after she pulled out yet another lotion, the fifth of the day. "All I want is something that smells clean without flowers or fruit."

Ameon's mom chose that moment to enter the shop. Her face lit up when she smiled at me, "Tsukio, what brings you here?"

"The Hidden Leaf Village is sending a small team of diplomats to Suna. I am tasked with getting some toiletries for their rooms. I was hoping to pick up some stuff here," I let my voice trail off, leaving the unspoken 'but' just hanging in the air.

"What were you looking for?"

"Something that is clean smelling without flowers or fruits so it is gender neutral."

Ameno's mom nodded, "I have just the thing. It is a blend of eucalyptus, peppermint and tea tree oil. The medical properties of the oils might help to combat problems associated with the dry desert climate."

"Sounds good, I'll take six shampoos, six sunscreens if you have it, ten soaps and ten lotions."

She grinned, "Should I put this on your tab?"

I shake my head, "Lord Kazekage wants the bill."

Ameno's mom's mouth dropped, "I can't bill Lord Kazekage!"

"He wants a bill for everything we have to buy for his guests and I for one am not going to argue with him."

"Of course," she murmurs, "When do you need these things?"

"I have to get some fresh flowers and plants, so in about two hours?"

"I will have them packaged for you. Did you want them packaged like a gift set?"

I looked at Amagi and Hideo who had identical blank expressions on, so no help from them, "Sure, something simple though, I don't want them to not use the toiletries. If they like them, I will be able to send them over here to buy some more."

Ameno's mom grinned, "And being guests of Lord Kazekage, they will go and tell others of their wonderful experience here and have to show off the wonderful lotions and soaps they were given."

"Exactly."

"Very well, I will have everything ready in two hours."

"And the bill," I said.

"Yes," her voice exasperated, "and the bill."

We walked out of the door and walked over to the nearest public greenhouse.

"Is this really a mission?" Amagi asked.

"Yes," Hideo said, "Lord Kazekage himself said it was."

"Besides, you don't say no when the Kazekage asks you to do something," I chimed in.

Amagi nods, "It just seems like you are doing all of the work, and Hideo and I are nothing but pack mules."

I laugh, "Do you want to pick out the flower arrangements and the small plants for the apartments?"

Amagi shook his head, "No, I'm just saying."

"We are a team. If it bothers you this much, just think of this as a division of labor, each of us has a strength and weakness. This area just happens to be one that Tsukio is an expert in and we would be stupid not to follow her lead on this." Hideo said.

I smile at both of them, "Hideo is right, I have been trained in this type of stuff since before I could walk. Mother has been teaching me since before I could talk. Add to that all those stupid girls classes, I could this type of thing with my eyes closed. Especially since I have the advantage of being at home."

"Would it be weird to ask you to teach me some of this?" Amagi asked, his voice hesitant.

I keep my voice even, to hide my surprise and to show this was not a big deal, "Of course it isn't weird. You can help with the flowers and plants for the room you were in with Mother."

We walked into the greenhouse, met by the owner of the greenhouse.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

The owner was a middle aged woman with light brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing her brown robes with a white cowl around her neck. She was also slightly taller than Hideo so I had to look up at her.

"We are getting the merchant's apartments ready for some guests. We need some plants and flowers to put inside."

"Of course, what are you looking for?"

"For starters I would like a six small cacti or another desert plant that is pretty. I need four small flower arrangements, something that is colorful, but also conveys the spirit of Suna."

The owner frowns, "I have the six plants, easy enough. I can even put them in small decorative pots for you, if you want. However the flowers might be a little difficult."

"Why?" Amagi asked.

"Flower arrangements take time and effort, first you have to understand the room, then you have to understand the occasion that the flowers will be presented. Finally you must understand to whom they will be presented."

I sigh, "All I want is something pretty to put into the merchant's quarters for some visitors of Lord Kazekage."

"Visitors of the Kazekage's?" the woman asks.

"Yes," Hideo said.

"Something pretty?"

"Yes," Amagi said.

"I think I can do that," she said as she turned around to gather a few different flowers. "Do you have a preference with flowers?"

"No, but something native to Suna I think would be appropriate." I answer

"When do you need it?"

"Now," my reply was short.

"What?"

"If you can't do it, then I can go and find someone else," I told her.

"I didn't say that, I am just surprised that guests of the Kazekage would get something created in such short notice. They should be given the best."

I stared straight at the woman in front of me, "I came looking for the best, but if you are not able to handle it, then I will go looking someplace else."

"I can do it," she muttered as she quickly gathered more flowers and set them on the counter.

"Amagi, what colors were in the room you were working in?" I whispered.

"Browns, oranges and a little bit of green," he whispered back.

I nod, "Then greens would work in any of the rooms, along with whites."

"I heard that," the owner said.

I sigh, "You were supposed to."

"You are not too big for me to tell your mother about you, Tsukio."

"You are not too old for me to tell on you either."

The greenhouse owner laughed, "I have your flowers already done. Your mother came by yesterday to ask for them. I have already put it on your tab."

"Thank you, however the bill is to go to Lord Kazekage."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I will get a bill ready for you."

The greenhouse owner went into a small room off the back of the greenhouse and came out with two boxes, one stacked on top of the other. "Here are your flowers and your plants, I placed a bill inside the bottom box."

"Thank you, I will let Lord Kazekage know of your assistance."

The greenhouse owner smiled, handed one box to Hideo and the other box to Amagi. With a single warning not to tip or drop the box, we were able to head back to the apartments.

"You two can go back to the apartments and I can go and pick up the toiletries and meet you there?" I asked

Hideo nodded, "We can do that."

"If Mother is not there, just start putting the plants in each bedroom and the flowers will go in the living area of each apartment. The colors should all complement each other, Amagi. So if there is an orange flower, it doesn't go into the red and white rooms. Purple doesn't go into the orange and brown room."

"Okay," Amagi answered.

"I'll see you two in a minute then," I said before I leapt onto the nearest roof and ran towards the herb shop. It only took a minute or two to run to the shop, jump down and walk in the front door. Ameno's mom was waiting at the counter for me, she had a bag full of the gift wrapped toiletries.

I peeked inside and found that each set was tied with a bow around the center of the bottles with a small tag attached that had the name of the shop and the address. I grinned.

Ameno's mom shrugged, "Just in case they like it."

"I am sure they will, and this will also give them an excuse to look around."

"One would hope."

"Can you tell Ameno that I will try and find her on my next day off?"

"Of course, dear. She has been pretty busy at the hospital."

I smile, "I am glad she is busy, that means she is learning stuff." I wave, picking up the bag on the counter. "Bye!"

I walked out the door and ran over to the merchant's quarters. I found chaos, Mother was running around trying to get the downstairs clean. Amagi and Hideo were standing in a corner with the two boxes still in their hands. "What is going on?"

"The guests have arrived, early!" Mother yelled as she smacked the broom and started to attack the floor.

"Okay, I will go and put these in the rooms upstairs, and the boys will help me put the plants and flowers in there as well."

"Good!"

I walk across the room quickly and the boys follow me. "Okay, let's start in this room," I walked into the first room, it is the room I worked in. I set the bags on the counter and pulled two of the gift bags out. "Hideo, would you put a single plant in each bedroom, on the dresser would be the best place for it. Amagi, find one of the red or white flower arrangements for this room."

"Right," Hideo said, already moving into the bedrooms.

Amagi set this box on the ground and looked at the different flowers. I walked to the first bathroom and set the bag next to the folded towels. I moved into the next bathroom and did the same. When I walked back into the living area, Amagi held a flower arrangement where the center flower was a lily with white along the edges and it slowly became a dark red at the very center.

I smiled, "Nice choice, Amagi." I raised my voice, "Hideo, we are going to put the stuff in the rest of the apartments, hurry up!"

"I'm coming, who knew that green plants could come in so many shades of green?" Hideo asked as he walked back into the main living area.

"I know, but we have to hurry, if Mother is sweeping the front room, the guests will be arriving soon."

The three of us walked into the next rooms with little talking. I had to change the flower arrangement Amagi chose, only twice. Only because the arrangement wasn't fitting with the feel of the rooms.

After closing all of the doors, I took the boxes and my teammates downstairs. Mother was standing at the front desk, drawing a new pattern in her sketchbook. "Done, Mother."

Mother looked up and smiled at me, "Our guests will be here any moment, put the boxes away and stay here when they come. I will let you do all of the talking, since you are my daughter and a ninja. Hopefully they will respond better to that."

"Yes Mother."

"If you need to clean yourself up, the bathroom is available. I did bring one of your robes over for you to put on," Mother continued.

"Yes Mother," I walked into the bathroom and found my robe hanging up on the hook on the back of the door. I took a moment to unbraid my hair, brush it and braid it again, this time in a loose braid that can pull over my shoulder. I took the robe Mother brought me and pulled it over my head.

The robe is the traditional brown of most Suna robes, it has a wide neck so that I can slip it over my head because unlike the traditional robes which were one solid piece of cloth, these robes were only connect from the chest up, the bottom half, the seams were left open, leaving both of my legs able to freely move. I smiled at the cowl Mother provided, it was a very light pink, or more like a pinky white color. I took my forehead protector off and used it as a belt to keep my robe closed, giving it the more traditional robe look. After putting the cowl on, I pulled my braid over my shoulder and nodded. I would do.

I walked back out to the main room to see that Hideo and Amagi had also put on robes, only theirs looked more like long jackets with hoods. Both of them kept their robes open so you could still see their black or brown clothes underneath.

Mother looks us over and nods, "You will do."

"Thank you, Mother," I say.

A loud voice from outside the building accompanied with a surge of chakra was all the warning we had before Lord Kazekage, Lord Kankuro and Lady Temari walked in. Right behind them was a boy with black hair in a ponytail that stuck up looking similar to a cacti plant, he was wearing a black short sleeved shirt with the Konoha shinobi symbol on the left sleeve and a pair of black pants. Over the top of his shirt he was wearing a green shinobi flak vest. After him, was a blonde female with long hair, also in a ponytail and bangs that hung over her right eye. She was wearing a purple high collared top, that ended just under her breasts and a short purple apron skirt with a pair of black shorts with mesh armor attached and more mesh armor on her knees.

I could feel the judgement rolling off of Mother as she looked at the young woman's revealing clothing. I coughed softly and felt Mother take a deep breath and the judgement faded. I myself fought to not roll my eyes at this very impractical outfit, with how pale she was, this person was just asking to get sunburned, or a sand rash, or even wind burned.

The next person had spikey yet long brown hair. He wore a red jacket with silver or gray plate armor on the arms and along the bottom of the jacket, that reached just above his knees. Under the jacket was a pair of black pants, which seemed to be the standard for any shinobi.

Next came an older man, he had black spikey hair and a beard. He wore a short sleeved black shirt and black pants. He had a white sash with something on it, I couldn't tell from this angle, peeking out from under his flak vest. Around his wrists were black bracelets or more likely a disguised weapon.

Behind the whole group came Baki-sensei, whose eyes widened slightly at seeing us dressed in robes, looking like an interesting mix of Suna civilians and Suna shinobi.

Once the entire group was inside, Mother and I bowed, a fraction of a second later Amagi and Hideo also bowed.

"Lord Kazekage, you honor this humble establishment with your presents," Mother said while looking at the floor.

"It is my pleasure to be here, Sakiko," Lord Kazekage answered.

Those of us bowing straightened. Lady Temari and Lord Kankuro were standing behind Lord Kazekage, each just behind a shoulder.

Lord Kazekage gestured towards the group of people next to him and said, "This is the team from the Hidden Leaf Village, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimihi Choji and Sarutobi Asuma. They are my guests for as long as our business is being conducted."

"Welcome, guests of Lord Kazekage," Mother says with another bow, not as deep, but still respectful. "This is my daughter, Tsukio, she will show you to the rooms available and will help you settle in, she can also answer any questions you have."

I smiled and gave a small bow when the group looked at me. "If you are ready, please follow me." I say.

"Tsukio?"

"Yes, Baki-senei?"

"Once you help them get settled I would like a moment of your time, with your teammates."

"Of course Baki-sensei," I reply, glancing over at the boys in the corner. I raised my eyebrow questioningly.

Amagi smiled, "Hideo and I will help you get everyone settled and then we can talk to Baki-sensei."

Hideo nodded.

The girl, Yamanaka's eyes widened in surprise as Amagi spoke. I am not sure if it was because she didn't notice them, or if she didn't expect my teammates to be here, or even if it was simply because Amagi spoke.

"Please lead the way," the oldest man, Sarutobi, said.

I smiled and walked towards the stairs. I could hear the other team following me, the girl, Yamanaka was complaining about the heat. I don't roll my eyes, because even though the guests are behind me, I can't afford to be rude even behind their backs. Besides Sarutobi is in front and a Jōnin, and I don't know what he can do.

"We have four different apartments on this floor, two are two bedrooms and the other two are one bedrooms," I say over my shoulder. "Each bedroom has its own bathroom, while each apartment has its own living area and a small kitchen, in case you wanted to cook some of your own meals. We were not sure what type of sleeping arrangements you would want…" I let my voice trail off, hoping Sarutobi would answer.

"I think Choji and Shikamaru can share," Sarutobi said, once we arrived on the second floor I watched Sarutobi look at the girl, "Ino, did you want to share with me, or have your own space?"

"I'll take my own space, Asuma-sensei," Yamanaka answered.

"Very well," I pointed to the apartment I set up, "Nara-san and Akamichi-san can have that room, it faces South, so you will have sun all the time and you will also be able to take advantage of the evening winds." Walking over and opening the door, the two boys walked in., "Amagi, could you show them the rooms?" Amagi nodded, "Sarutobi, did you want to stay on the same side or would you like to be across the hallway?"

"Does the room across the hall face North?"

"Yes."

"Will it also take advantage of the evening winds?"

"Not as much, however it does get the early morning winds, along with a cooler sunlight."

"I will take the room across from Shikamaru and Choji, Sensei. I don't think I can stand having that much sun and heat in my room," Yamanaka interrupted whatever Sarutobi was going to say.

I glance over and see Sarutobi smile at the girl. "Okay," I walk across the hallway and open the door to a room with cream colored walls and darker tan and sage green accent colors. The bedroom had sage green walls with cream colored bed linens and different shades of tan pillows.

I watch as Yamanaka looked around the rooms. "Do you have any questions?"

Yamanaka frowned, "How do you keep cool in this heat?"

I walked over to the windows, "Since your room faces North, you avoid the harshest of the sun," I reach the top of the windows and with a snap, the windows unlock, then I press the bottom of the window and it slides up, "Also during the evening and night hours, and even the early morning hours you can open your window to allow the cool air to help fight the heat," I walk over to the center of the room and pulled a chain hanging down from the ceiling. The soft hum of the ceiling fan turning filled the room. "Also by keeping the fan on, while it might not physically make the room cold, it feels cooler when the air moves."

The ceiling fans in every bedroom of these apartments were the same. They were all made of a light colored wood with the blades being large paper fans in the shape of leaves. When the fan moves, the leaves push the air around creating a cool breeze if it moved during the evenings. It also helped to keep the cool air circulating and not allow the heat to stay at the top of the ceiling.

"How can you stand the heat in that outfit?" Yamanaka asked as she pulled her ponytail off her neck.

I glanced down, "Today is cooler than it could be, and I am wearing these robes to protect my body from sunburn. It also protects me from sudden sand storms. The lighter color also prevents fabric from absorbing the light."

Yamanaka studied my robes before shaking her head, "Well I don't think I could wear that much clothing."

I shrug, "Is there anything else?"

"No."

"Very well, if you have any questions, someone will be downstairs to answer them. I will leave the key on the counter in the kitchen." I bow my head slightly before walking out the door.

In the hallway, I see that Amagi is in a conversation with Nara, while I can hear Hideo point out the sights from the window. I walk over to the room Hideo and Sarutobi are in. "Yamanaka is settled in her room. I would not be surprised if she took a cool shower. There should be someone at the desk if you have any questions or are looking for recommendations for restaurants or stores." I pull another key from my pocket and hold it out to Sarutobi which he grabbed, "Here is the key to your room. I need to go give the boys their keys, if you don't need anything else?" When Sarutobi shook his head I bowed mine and walked out the door.

"Hello, do you have any questions that Amagi isn't able to answer?"

Amagi grinned at me and shook his head, "I have already told the other two, but there will be someone downstairs at the desk, should you have any questions. Here are two keys for your doors, one for you and one for Akimichi. If you don't need me for anything, I will leave you to rest." Nara shook his head also and I bowed my head, one last time and walked out the door.

Amagi followed me and together we walked down the stairs, at the bottom we were met by Hideo. The three of us walked over to where Baki-sensei and the three siblings stood.

I glance at Mother, "Everyone has chosen their room, Yamanaka is in the North single, while the boys are in the South double and the man is in the South single. Everyone has their keys and know they can ask questions from the desk person."

Mother nodded, "Put the final key back in the box before you leave, I will have Isamu pack the North double tomorrow, so long as no one wants to change rooms."

Lord Kazekage nodded in Mother's direction, "Thank you for taking such good care of my guests."

Mother gave him a big smile, "It is my pleasure, and the pleasure of the Merchant guild."

Lady Temari gave Mother a big smile, "How long will your family be at the desk?"

"I will be here for the rest of the week."

"We will let you know who the shinobi who will be staying on the first floor will be," Lord Kankuro said.

"Of course, those rooms have also been prepared."

"Good," Baki looked over at Lord Kazekage, "This morning you three heard that we will provide the protection and tour guide detail for our guests. This is ranked as a C-rank mission due to the people involved and the length of time required for the mission. You will have a few hours to pack your bags and get yourselves settled in the first floor apartments. Do you have any questions?"

I look at Amagi, whose eyes are starting to glow with the idea of a C-rank mission. "Baki-sensei, what will this do for our D-rank mission count?"

"Why?" Lord Kankuro asked.

"Lord Kankuro, we are trying to get to the required twenty D-rank missions so that we may proceed to C-ranks so that we meet the requirements of the chūnin exams," I answered.

Lord Kankuro grinned, his purple face paint creating a stark contrast to his white teeth, "Very good. What is your current count?"

"Ten counting the babysitting mission," Hideo replied.

"So eleven counting the mission to set up the apartments then?" Lady Temari asked.

"Due to this mission's requirements, the limited number of shinobi we have that can fulfil those requirements, that leaves you three. Therefore the mission requirements doesn't count for you." Lord Kankuro said.

I glanced at Lord Kazekage, who was just watching his two older siblings talk, with a blank look on his face. Well not blank, but definitely a lack of emotion on his face for sure. However there was a small crinkle at the corners of his eyes when Lady Temari hit Lord Kankuro over the head with her fist.

"Idiot! You could have just said that mission requirements are guidelines to ensure that there is plenty of training done before more and deadly missions are given to genin. This ensures they don't die on their first mission."

"Temari, I didn't want to scare the kids!"

I hold back a sigh, but I see Amagi roll his eyes from the corner of my vision.

"I need to go home and pack my things, how long should we pack for?" I asked

"Plan for a week, but it will probably be longer," Baki replied.

I nod, "There are laundry facilities on this floor if we need them."

"Very good, Tsukio. Remember, you will still have your training sessions every morning. Every afternoon two of you will be at your classroom for lessons, you will need to exchange every day so that no one person falls behind on their training. Also be prepared to finish at least one simple D-rank a day for the duration of this mission." Baki informed us.

"Yes Baki-sensei," my teammates and I chorused.

"Oh and make sure you wear your traditional robes while you are escorting the guests around. For the most part they will be in meetings with Lady Temari about the upcoming chūnin exam."

"Yes Baki-sensei."

"Dismissed, you have two hours to pack and get set up in your new rooms. I will also be staying here and the bazaar will have a larger patrol presents than normal."

I walked over to where Mother was standing behind the desk reading a book and handed her the extra key, "I need to go and pack for my stay. Any advice?"

"You will only be a quick five minute walk away, so any clothes you need, you can easily pick up. But you should make sure you have at least two different robes and cowls, then all you need is your training clothes and something light for under your robes. The weather report says that it will only get hotter."

I nod, "Sounds good. Thank you Mother."

Mother gave me a smile and waved her hand, "Go pack and make sure your teammates have plenty of robes to wear, if not, then go and get some from your father's trunk and we can hem them."

"Thank you," I whisper as I lean across the counter and give Mother a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in a little bit." I walk out the door and run through the streets to get to my house. I run up the stairs once I arrive and pack four sets of my normal clothes, two sets of training gear and two extra robes, in addition to the one I was currently wearing. The first robe was a light brown with a sage green edging, very similar in design to the one I was currently wearing, only instead of a slit on each side, there was one long slit going up the front of my right leg. The second robe was more like a large coat, similar to what the boys were wearing, only mine was a dark brown with a dark pink lining, with matching pink strings across the chest to keep it closed. I put everything in my backpack, then I threw the scroll with all of my toiletries inside, and extra set of sandals and a pair of boots with closed toes to keep the sand out of my toes. I also added my brush, a couple pairs of chopsticks for my hair and a handful of hair ties.

After double checking my bags, I walked downstairs and out the door. I jumped onto the roof and ran towards the barracks. Landing on the ground in front of the door, I quickly ran up the stairs and knocked on the door of my teammates rooms. Hideo opened the door and I walked through.

"Mother wants me to make sure you have enough robes for this mission, she recommended at least two, so that we can change robes depending on what we are doing. Or at least have extra cowls in the event one gets dirty. If you don't have robes, Mother said you can use some of Father's all we need to do is shorten them, which she and I can do tonight."

"Why is your mother willing to do that?" Amagi asked.

I shrug, "I don't know, but I have learned never to question Mother when she is like this, it is just easier to go with it."

"I don't want a handout," Hideo said as he picked up his backpack.

"It is not a handout, Father has more robes than one person needs, and chances are when he returns he will bring a new robe with him, he is always doing something to ruin a robe. So the robes we will look at are ones that we use for scrap fabrics and stuff."

I was lying. I hope no one noticed that I was lying. I just didn't want my teammates to be offended by Mother's offer, and I knew that at least Amagi needed robes, and it wasn't hard to say assume that Hideo would need them too.

"Besides, you heard Baki-sensei, we should wear the robes because that is the way Suna civilians dress. Whether the Konoha shinobi understand it or not, the rest of Suna will understand that these shinobi are friends and should be treated as such, because enemy shinobi or even shinobi we are watching, will not be watched over by civilians."

Amagi held up his arm, "Does your father have any robes like this one? It is more comfortable than the ones we had to wear before."

I nod my head, "I am sure he does. Did you have a preference, Hideo?"

"One of each, I think. So long as you promise that this is not a handout."

"I promise," I said my face and voice solemn.

Hideo nodded, "Okay then. Do we need anything else?"

"I packed a full pack of kunai, shuriken, and some poisoned senbons. Since we are still in Suna, I am not sure we need too much," I replied.

"I also have kunai, shuriken and my knives," Amagi added.

"We should make sure we have plenty of canteens filled with water with us any time we have to go places with the Konoha shinobi," Hideo replied.

I nod, "I believe the merchant quarters have bottles filled with water that we can use, but I will ask Mother and if needed we can always buy some."

"We need to ask Baki-sensei if there are any parts of Suna that are off limits to them, or if they want to train, where should we take them," Hideo continued.

Amagi and I nod.

"Did we want to stop by the mission desk and get our pay stub for the babysitting mission?" I asked.

"Might as well," Amagi said.

Again I nod and the three of us walked out the door with backpacks on our backs.

A glance at Amagi's backpack made me happy, after we got the babysitting mission, Amagi and I went out and got him a brand new backpack and I was able to negotiate him a good deal for the backpack.

A brief stop at the missions desk to collect our pay, and we were heading back to our temporary home. My poor teammates, they have a new place to live and they have barely used it, it made me sad, but also it was funny.

"What is so funny?" Amagi asked.

"I was just thinking that if Mujin was still looking for your new room, he wasn't going to find it, simply because you are never there."

Amagi paled at the mention of his former roommate, but then smiled as I finished my thought. "That is right! At least I don't have to worry about him."

"You don't have to worry about him now, Amagi," Hideo said, "We are teammates and we will stand with you."

"That's right!" I yell.

We arrive at the apartments and Baki-sensei is waiting for us.

"All of the rooms on this floor are two bedrooms, which means Amagi and Hideo will share and Tsukio will share with me," he said once we walked over to him. "I have already secured the rooms, before you open the door after you unlock it, just place your hand on the seal and unlock it with your chakra."

"Yes Baki-sensei."

"Go put your stuff away, I am sure our guests will want something to eat soon. When they do, Lord Kazekage would like you to bring them to the Kage house. Lady Temari is overseeing the preparations for a small dinner. The large formal dinner will be tomorrow evening. You three will need to dress up a little," Baki-sensei looked like was choking on the words, "because you three will be accompanying the Konoha shinobi. I will have more information tomorrow."

"Yes Baki-sensei."

I frown, we will be attending the formal dinner? "Baki-sensei?"

"Yes Tsukio?"

"Will we be attending as guests or guards?"

"Why?"

"I am just wondering how dressed up we will need to be. Should we stand out or should we blend in? Did you want us to look like shinobi or civilians or maybe just something in between?"

"I will let you know tomorrow, right now I don't know."

"Yes sensei."

"Go and unpack, Tsukio, you can choose your room first, I will take whichever room is left."

I nod and walk into the apartment on the left. I take the right bedroom because it should be the quietest of the rooms and quickly hang up my robes and place my folded clothes into the shelves inside the closet. Then I unseal my toiletries and set them in the bathroom on the counter. I glance around the room to make sure everything is in its place.

My bedroom was simple. It had cream colored walls, some tan and light orange accent colors. The bed was a simple platform bed that was centered on the high windows. There were two nightstands on either side of the bed and a small painting of a desert sunset was on the wall.

The living room was also done in shades of cream, tan and an orange-red color. Instead of a couch, there were two oversized chairs under the high windows with a small round table between the two chairs. The kitchen was slightly larger than the ones upstairs, but it still was very basic. It had an eat at counter instead of a table. I glanced in the refrigerator and saw that it was stalked with bottles of water and some vegetables and a couple pieces of fruit.

I walked into the main lobby area and a quick glance around showed me that the boys were still in their room. I walked over to Mother and spoke in a low voice, that wouldn't carry, "Amagi and Hideo will need some robes. One traditional set and another like the ones they are wearing. I told them that we would take them from our scrap pile, so it is not a handout."

Mother nodded, "Will you need something more formal?"

I glanced at her, eyes widening slightly at the question.

Mother shrugged, "I heard your sensei say something about a formal dinner for our guests."

"I don't know yet, but we might want to get something fancier than everyday robes for tomorrow."

Mother nodded, "I can hem the four everyday robes tonight, if we need something more formal, you can help me get those robes hemmed."

"Okay Mother, just let me know if you need some help, I can still sew a decent hem."

Mother leaned over and gave me a huge hug, "Thank you my darling daughter."

I blush, Mother doesn't give hugs often, at least not since my brothers were born, but when she does, I feel like I am on top of the world.

I heard a three doors close upstairs, a glance showed that the Konoha shinobi were coming down the stairs. I give Mother another smile and walk over to my teammates room.

"Guys, the Konoha shinobi are coming."

"Coming!" Amagi said.

Both Amagi and Hideo had taken off their robes when we entered and I watched as they shrugged back into them. Nara was in the lead with Yamanaka next to him. Yamanaka was talking about something, while Nara looked like he was bored.

I summon a friendly smile when they come to the bottom of the stairs. "Hello, are you ready to eat? Or did you want to explore some of the bazaar?"

"Can we do both?" Akimichi asked.

"Of course, in the bazaar are some food venders that we can visit. However we are supposed to bring you to Kage manor when you are ready to eat."

"Can we go through the bazaar to get to the Kage manor?" Sarutobi asked.

Amagi nodded, "Of course, honored guests."

I refuse to roll my eyes, but I really want to. The higher pitch of Amagi's voice along with the slightly blank stupid look in his eye made me want to cringe. I looked closely at him, and saw that his shoulders were hunched in and he was slouching. This was bad. I saw Hideo's eyes widen a fraction from the corner of my eye. Good, so I wasn't the only one who was confused by this Amagi. Then again, I was acting very formal with all visitors, so maybe he was taking a page from our other missions and is taking a personality trait to ensure that he can't be recognized. Or something like that. I wonder what Hideo is going to do? Well other than being very quiet all the time. Oh, maybe he is trying for the strong silent type.

"Is there something specific you are looking for in the bazaar or in the way of food? Or did you just want to browse?" I asked.

"I just want to window shop," Yamanaka replied.

"If we are supposed to eat with the Kazekage, I would just like a small snack and maybe something to drink," Akimichi replied.

I nod, "Of course, please follow me." I turn and walk out of the building. I glance at the sky, the sun is bright and the sky is clear, but something feels off about the weather.

Hideo notices me looking at the sky and he looks up also. "The winds stopped," he tells me.

I nod as I pull my braid over my shoulder and then pull my cowl over my head. I see Hideo and Amagi pulling their hoods up and taking their belts and tying their robes closed.

"What is going on?" Yamanaka asked, her voice high and very annoying.

"The winds have stopped blowing, which means that the sun will be very hot, especially since we are entering the late afternoon," I inform her. "Which is why we are covering our faces. This also will keep the glare down."

"How do you keep your hair from getting messed up with the hoods?" Yamanaka asked.

I turn my head to look at her, "My hair is in a braid just for this purpose. When I take the cowl down, my hair will look just fine."

What I didn't tell them is that with my cowl and the boys' hoods up, our eyes are shaded so you couldn't see where we were looking. Most shinobi don't like to have their vision obstructed like this, but it is something that civilians use all the time. Also it will allow us to keep an eye on the Konoha shinobi without them noticing that we are staring. Just something we learned at the Academy.

We walked through the bazar, stopping at a small yakitori stand to pick up some food for Akimichi.

I grin at the cook in the stand as he greets me, "Tsukio! It has been a long time since you stopped in. Has the Academy kept you busy? Or maybe it is a new boy in your life?" He looks at the people around me. Taking in the four strangers and the two boys that are dressed in traditional caravan robes.

"I graduated from the Academy, so it is doing missions that is keeping me busy."

"Oh were you one of the ones hanging lights?"

I nod, "Down the main road to Kage tower."

The cook nodded, his brown hair waving with the movement of his head, "Very good. Will you be participating in the festival this year?"

I shake my head and drop my smile, "Not this year. I am going to give the younger people a chance to show off."

He leans over the grill and hands me a skewer of chicken meatballs, that I didn't ask for, "On the house. I will miss seeing you dance."

The cook handed everyone else their food, including another skewer of meatballs to my teammates.

As we moved on, Yamanaka asked, "What festival?"

I paused before answering, mainly to see if my teammates will answer, when they don't I speak up, "Next week is the festival to honor our ancestors. We start the week with flowers, offerings and prayers to our ancestors. Finally we will end the week with a festival with dancing, fireworks that ends with everyone who wants to send a lantern into the sky with a wish attached to it."

"What did the guy mean when he said he would miss your dancing?" Nara asked.

I shrugged, "To signal the time of quiet remembering is over, there is a small parade of people who announce to everyone to go to the festival square, where boys and girls perform a dance."

Amagi smiled, "After the dance performance, the festival lights turn on and it looks magical. At least that is what some people say."

"I want to see that, festivals are the best at home." Yamanaka said. "Wait, what do you wear for festivals here?"

I shrug, "Some people wear their best clothing, while others wear more traditional clothes. It depends on the individual. No one will expect you to have brought your best festival clothing."

Yamanaka frowned, Nara's face got a pinched look, while Sarutobi sighed and frowned,

"Ino, we are here to help Shikamaru and Temari plan the chūnin exams, not for you to dress up and attend a festival," Sarutobi said.

"But I want to attend the festival, sensei, which means I need a better outfit than what I brought with me," Yamanaka whined.

I sped up a little bit as we left the bazaar and moved into a more civilian area as we got closer to the Kage manor. I glanced at the sky and saw that some wispy clouds began to arrive. Hideo also glanced at the sky and nodded at me, the winds were returning.

We finally made it to the Kage manor. I knocked on the door and waited for someone to come to the door.

From inside the manor I heard, "Get the door Kankuro! I'm busy!"

A few moments later, the door opened. Lord Kankuro was standing there with his face clear of face paint and his hood down, leaving his brown hair sticking up.

I smile and bow, "Your guests, Lord Kankuro. We have walked through the bazaar and had a small snack, so Lady Temari can rest easy that no one is starving."

Kankuro grinned, "You hear that Temari, you can rest for a minute."

"I will once Gaara gets here!" came the shouted reply.

Hideo spoke up, "Would you like us to go and inform Lord Kazekage that his guests have arrived at the manor?"

Kankuro shook his head, "Baki-sensei saw you coming and left to go and get Gaara." Kankuro backed away from the door and the Konoha shinobi walked in. My teammates and I stayed at the door. Kankuro waved at us, "Well come in, you should stay at least until Baki gets back. He will tell you what to do for the rest of the evening. Also you shouldn't be in the sun right now, Gaara said a storm is coming."

Reflexively we all look up at the sky, the wispy clouds were slowly changing to larger clouds, a storm was growing more and more likely. The fact Lord Gaara said one was coming, well that meant we were going to be preparing.

"Did you want us to spread the word?" Hideo asked.

"No, others are doing that," Lord Kankuro replied.

Amagi dropped the idiot act and straighten his posture, "What would you like us to do, Lord Kankuro?"

"Why don't you three go to the roof and focus on keeping watch. That way when Baki arrives, you can get your orders and go do whatever you need to do."

The three of us place our right fist over our heart and bow, "Yes, Lord Kankuro." Then with a chakra enhanced jump, we land on the roof.

From below we could hear the Yamanaka girl screech, "What is that? Do people always bow to you Kankuro?" Or maybe that was just the way she spoke.

Lady Temari answered, "They bow to all of us and call us Lord and Lady. It is the Suna way show respect for us."

Hideo rolls his eyes, "Are all Konoha shinobi like her?"

"I don't know. The Academy teaches that all Hidden Villages have different values that they put onto being a shinobi. Maybe in Konoha they value her outspoken nature," I offer.

Amagi rolls his eyes mirroring Hideo, "Well she is annoying. That Akimichi isn't too bad, That Nara kid though, he kept talking about things being 'troublesome' and when we heard Yamanaka speak, he would sigh and mutter 'troublesome woman,' since Akimichi didn't do anything, I think it is a common occurrence."

"Speaking of, why are you acting like an idiot?" I asked.

Amagi grinned so wide I could almost see his back teeth, "Well we have been training to blend in and be something else, so why not let these Konoha shinobi underestimate me," he shrugged, "That way if we end up meeting them in battle, they will be caught unaware."

"Good strategy," Baki-sensei said as he landed on the roof next to us. "I think that will be your assignment, to continue with the charade you three have been playing. While I doubt it was as well thought at Amagi's charade, Hideo and Tsukio, you have been acting like something other than your normal selves. Keep that up, Tsukio, you continue being formal and a little shy around them, while Hideo, continue the silent type that only speaks in small sentences. Try to see if you can add in grunts and sighs, and have your teammates translate them."

"Yes, Baki-sensei."

"Now I know you had questions that I need to answer, let's move into the shade and continue this briefing."

We moved into the small area of shade from the small doorway we walked through the last time we were here and were practicing wall climbing.

Baki gave us a short briefing. Mainly it was what we were allowed to do, that list turned out to be shorter than the list of things we couldn't. If the Konoha shinobi wanted to go to the festival, we were to make ourselves available to go. There would be two of us at the apartments at a time, anytime they were at the apartments. We were to escort the team to and from Kage tower, which we would use the excuse of getting a new mission from the mission desk. If they wanted to train, there were two training grounds we could use, mainly we should try and use the Kage's training ground. The shinobi were not to go to any of the areas deemed sensitive in nature, such as the barracks, or any of the Intel buildings.

The sudden gust of wind had all four of us looking into the sky, clouds were starting to fill the sky. We all stood up and started scanning the horizon for the telltale brown for an impending sand storm.

"East," Amagi said, his voice low.

Baki quickly did a few hand signs, but before he could finish them, a large siren sounded. I looked over the edge of the roof and saw people starting to rush to get inside and secure their areas. Shinobi were starting to appear on roof tops securing and covering any of the roof top weapons.

"We need to secure the windows of Kage manor," Baki said.

"Yes sensei!" we said before running to the edge of the roof and dropping down. The first window I saw, I pulled the shutters closed and locked them, before moving onto the next window. I could see the civilians who worked in the manor securing the lower windows, so I concentrated on the windows that were high up.

"Done!" Hideo called.

"Help Amagi," Baki yelled as the wind slowly picked up.

I moved faster, finishing the top windows and moved down to the next floor. Baki ran up to me and started to help with the windows. Through one window I saw Lord Kankuro pull out his puppets and run out the door. I kept moving. The storm would come fast and we didn't have a lot of time.

A siren sounded two short blows, the storm was almost here. As a child I was told to get into a building, any building if I was outside when the siren sounded twice. I looked at Baki, who was still pulling the shutters closed. I continued moving from window to window. Who knew that there were so many windows in Kage manor?

Amagi and Hideo appeared at the base of the wall, "Baki-sensei, we are done. What do you want us to do?"

"Go inside and make sure Lord Kazekage is secure along with our guests. The last thing we need is an ally to decide to go out in this storm."

"Yes sensei!" They called.

"Same for you, Tsukio, get inside," Baki ordered.

I look over and all I see is the wall of sand at the edge of the village.

"Baki-sensei!" I yelled pointing.

Baki looks up from securing the last shutter, "Shit!"

We both jump to the ground. Baki-sensei grabs my arm. I pull my cowl over my mouth as we work our way to the door. Sensei runs his hand along the wall, just as the sand hits our back.

I stumble forward and Baki tightens his grip on my arm. The wind at our back pushes us forward. I struggle to breath as the sand engulfs my head. Thankful for the cowl that helps to keep the sand out, but it was still very difficult to breathe through the sand. I close my eyes and trust Baki-sensei to get us into the house.

Arms wrap around me and yanked me sideways. Suddenly the roaring of the wind is muffled as a door closes.

I open my eyes and look straight into Lord Kazekage's face, paler than normal.

"Are you okay, Tsukio?" Amagi asked, grabbing my hand.

I nod, pulling my cowl down with my other hand. "Baki-sensi?" I look around and see Lord Kankuro and Lady Temari helping him remove the sand from his clothing.

Lord Kazekage stood up and moved over to the worried looking Konoha shinobi, "Let's go make sure tea is available for everyone," holding out his arms to move the group away from us.

I take deep breaths, coughing as I breath in some sand.

Hideo hands me a wet cloth and I use it to wipe my face, which is dirty when I look at it. I fold the cloth to find a clean spot and wipe my eyes harder to remove any sand that may be caught in my eyelashes.

"That came up quickly," Hideo said.

I nod, "Much faster than I expected."

"You are lucky Baki-sensei was there and that Lord Kankuro had his puppet to pull you in," Amagi whispered.

"Lord Kankuro's puppet pulled me in?"

"Yes," Baki said from behind me. I turn and see that he is standing with a small pile of sand at his feet. Lady Temari was gone, but Lord Kankuro was standing behind Baki-sensei.

I take Amagi's offered hand and stand up, I turn and bow to Lord Kankuro, "Thank you for using your puppet to bring me inside, Lord Kankuro. I am in your debt. If there is anything you or your family needs and my family can provide, do not hesitate to ask." I spoke the words, Mother had drilled into my head since I was very little.

In the Land of Wind, we took sand storms very seriously, being allowed entrance into someone's home was not unusual. In fact, it was an unspoken rule that when a storm was approaching, any one could gain shelter anywhere. It was highly unusual to have someone go into the storm to save someone.

Lord Kankuro waved his hand, as if to wave away my words, "You were delayed seeking shelter because you were securing our home. I did what anyone would have done."

That might be true, but you still didn't have too, I was very careful not to voice that thought, it would be an insult to his sacrifice.

"The offer is still there, Lord Kankuro. Please don't hesitate to ask." I bow again, the seriousness of the situation was ruined by a clump of sand falling from my robe onto the floor. "If there is a broom available, I can easily get all of the sand taken care of."

"Don't worry about it, your teammates will take care of sweeping up the sand, you just need to worry about coughing any sand you might have collected in your lungs," Lord Kankuro said.

I take my robe off and give it a strong shake, sand came off in clumps and I focus on breathing and coughing. Baki-sensei took my robe from my hands and hung it on a hook next to the door. I place my cowl on the hook and brush the sand off my head and arms. I also take my sandals off and set them under the robe. I notice Amagi and Hideo's sandals have also been placed near the door.

Lady Temari walks back in with a tray in her hands, "Tea is ready, so come with me," then she turns around and walks away.

"Come on," Baki said as Kankuro follows his sister, "We will take care of the sand in a little bit."

"Yes Baki-sensei."

I tug on the hem of my shirt nervously. I was in Kage manor with honored guests of Lord Kazekage, I was just saved by Lord Kankuro from the sand storm and I am covered in sand. Mother would cheerfully kill me if she heard about this.

"Baki, are you and Tsukio okay?" Lord Kazekage asked.

"Nothing that some tea and a shower wouldn't cure," Baki answered.

"This storm should be over in a couple hours. You should be able to clean up then, but for now, Temari has made us some tea." Lord Gaara said.

I sat on the floor on a cushion between Amagi and Hideo. Amagi handed me a cup of tea, which I quickly took a sip. A very nice white tea with a hint of honey, I smile my thanks to Amagi while Hideo puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to lean against him.

"Thank you," I murmur.

Hideo nods and turns to look at Baki-sensei, who was being fussed over by Lord Kankuro. Baki was also holding a cup of tea while Kankuro was trying to get Baki to eat something.

Hideo glances at me and sighs, I give him a grin in return and smother a laugh by taking another drink. Amagi looks at me, my shaking shoulder alerting him to something going on. Hideo grunts softly and tilts his head over to where Baki and Kankuro were talking. After taking a moment to observe what was going on, Amagi jumped up and walked over to where the two men were standing.

"Lord Kankuro, is there a broom…"

The rest of Amagi's sentence was cut off by the large boom that sounded from outside. We all jump to our feet, a second boom sounded and I ran towards the stairs to go higher, the windows were blocked, but the shutters could easily be unlocked and opened. Lord Kazekage and Lady Temari were faster than I was, and so took the lead, while the rest of my team and Baki-sensei were right behind us.

Lord Kazekage didn't stop until he reached the stairs to the roof.

"Gaara!" Lady Temari called out.

"The sand can't hurt me, Temari. I need to see what is going on," he said before rushing up the stairs and opening the door. The howling wind brought in a huge amount of sand and for a moment, Lord Kazekage was lost in the middle of the sand, then I could make out his red hair before the sand surrounded him in a sphere of sand.

I ran over to one of the rooms that face the most of the village. I opened the window and was faced with the shutters. Lady Temari pushed passed me and used a small hook to unlatch the lock on the shutters. She pushed the shutters open and a gust of wind and sand came in the room. We all crowded around the window and squinted to try and see through the sand. I could see just as far as the next block over, but not very clearly it was more shadows and shapes.

Boom!

Our heads snap towards the sound. I see a person, ducking a large shadow as it hit the side of a building. Boom!

I don't think, I just jump out of the window. Lady Temari and my teammates yell, but what they are saying is carried away in the wind. There was a person stuck in the sand storm and was being assaulted by the things that were not secured well! I ran across the sand, pulling my shirt up over my mouth and nose. I blinked to keep the sand out of my eyes, it wasn't working, but at least it helped.

I grabbed the person's arm, it turned out to be either a tall child or a short teen. I wrapped my hand around their arm and pulled them towards the nearest building. I ducked into a small space between two buildings and took a shallow breath. The space was sheltered, sort of, from the sand storm, which meant I wasn't getting too many cuts from the sand and other things being thrown around in the storm.

"Are you alright?" I yelled.

"Yes, thank you for saving me. Dad's cart got loose and I tried to grab it, but the wind just kept pushing it into walls and I couldn't hold it," the child replied.

"Stay here!" I tell him. I dart into the street and grab the cart. I glance around, looking for something to tie that cart to so it stops bouncing down the damn street! I lean my whole weight on the cart to hold it in place while I look.

A tendril of sand appears out of nowhere and wrapped itself around the cart. I glanced in the direction that the sand came from and I saw Lord Kazekage standing there, his red hair waving in the wind, but there was a small space between his body and the sand wiping around us.

"Go find the child," Lord Kazekage ordered.

I nodded and sprinted back across the street to the alley I left the child in. The child was sitting against one of the walls, his legs bent at the knee and his arms wrapped around his knees and his head buried in his arms. I gently put my hand on his shoulder and his head jerks up.

"Don't worry," I smile at him, "Lord Kazekage has come to help."

The boy struggled to keep his head up, even with the shelter of the wall, the wind was still gusting and the sand was still harsh on the exposed parts of the body.

I grab a kunai out of my weapons pouch and cut the bottom part of my tunic off and wrapped it around the boy's face. Making sure to cover both his mouth and nose, I tied a knot at the back of his head to keep the cloth in place. I didn't even have a moment to worry about the fact I ruined another shirt when Lord Kazekage appeared in front of the two of us.

He held out his hand and I picked up the child, who really was not that much smaller than I was, and grabbed the Lord Kazekage's outstretched hand. As soon as my hand touched his, I felt my stomach land somewhere near my feet, as I was pulled into a body flicker. I closed my eyes, because that is what they taught you in the Academy. It supposedly helps you from getting sick from moving at such a fast speed. Truthfully, I am not sure that it worked..

A moment later, I was on the roof of the Kage manor and Lord Kazekage was pulling me through the rooftop door. I walked down the stairs and set the boy on the bottom step. I knelt down to examine him closer to make sure that he didn't have any serious wounds. Other than scratches from the sand blowing around and a nice sized bruise forming near his eye, it looked like he was fine.

"What were you thinking?" Lady Temari shouted from next to Lord Kazekage. She was moving him around, looking at him as she did.

Oh, she must be looking for any wounds.

Lord Kazekage didn't have a single scratch on him.

"Tsukio!"

I turned and saw Amagi running up the stairs. I try to smile, but it hurts.

"Tsukio?" Hideo asked, right behind Amagi, his eyes wide as he takes in my appearance.

I must look really bad. But did I really expect any different? I did go out into a sand storm without any protective gear and not shoes.

I could feel the slight burn of shallow cuts as I took some deep breaths to try and calm my racing heart. I instantly regretted taking deep breaths, as I was wrecked with coughs as the sand caught in my lungs wanted out.

Amagi rushed past Lord Gaara and Lady Temari and knelt on the floor next to me. Hideo shouldered his way through and handed me a small cup of tea. I smiled, feeling a scratch on my face open and bleed with the movement.

Amagi pulled out a clean cloth and pat my face to clean both the sand and blood from my face. "Does it hurt?" he asked when I hissed as he pushed too hard on an open scratch.

"I'm okay. Hideo, could you check this child," I glance at the boy, "I'm sorry, what is your name?"

The boy looked up at me, his eyes still slightly glazed, "I'm Kyo, my father runs one of the fruit stands, he asked me to watch it for him while he went to collect more fruit."

"Hi Kyo, I'm Tsukio, my father is Masahi and he…"

Kyo's eyes widened and he grabbed my arm, "Your father is Masahi?"

I nod.

"Oh thank you, most precious daughter of Masahi, leader of the Merchant Guild. This humble boy thanks you for saving this child."

My frown grows deeper the longer he talks, "There is no need for that. I just pulled you into an ally," I wave my hand towards the Kazekage and his sister, "The one you should be thanking is Lord Kazekage, he is the one that brought us into his house and to safety."

Kyo fell to the ground in front of the siblings, "Thank you Lord Kazekage for saving this foolish child."

Lord Gaara's face was bland as he looked at the young boy in front of him. "It is my job, as Kazekage to protect all my people." Then Lord Kazekage walked away from us.

Lady Temari watched him go.

I pulled Kyo up off the floor, "Let's get you cleaned up, there should be some more tea downstairs. But I am sure you can stay up here, out of the way if you wanted too."

Lady Temari nodded, "There is a second living area, if you wanted to stay there, Tsukio's teammates were just talking about how they wanted to stay in there."

I smile, "Lead the way, teammates."

Hideo grabs Kyo's arm while Amagi gently puts my arm around his shoulder, "Come, Tsukio. Time to get you cleaned up and healed."

I walk with my teammates, slow step after slow step. I can feel every single cut and scratch now that I'm moving. Putting me on a blanket next to the small table in the second living area, Amagi ran downstairs. A few moments later, he arrived with two bowls and many towels tossed over his shoulder.

He set one bowl next to Hideo and he brought the other bowl over to me. Tossing half of the stack of towels over to Hideo, Amagi set his half on the floor, grabbed one and dipped it in the water. Then he took my arm and held it way from my body and started to wipe my arm with the wet cloth.

"Give me one," I said. Amagi shrugged and gave me the cloth in his hand before preparing another towel. I used the towel to wash my arms, while Amagi washed the bottom half of my legs. Those parts not covered by my pants anyway.

I took a clean cloth and washed my face, then my neck and upper chest. Good thing the towels were not white, else they would be a dirty brownish gray color by now. I look over and see Hideo is helping Kyo to get cleaned up also.

Baki walked in with a tray full of food and drinks. "Tsukio, do you need a medic?"

"No, Baki-sensei. It is just scratches and shallow cuts. They should be healed enough to train tomorrow."

"Very good. Drink your tea, eat some food. When the storm is over, take Kyo home and then you should go and get cleaned up and put some ointment on those cuts."

"Yes Baki-sensei," I say.

Baki sets the tray on the small table and turns and walks away. The four of us eat some food and drink tea. Amagi and Hideo take the dirty towels and the bowls back where they came from. I lean back and rest, my whole body aches, but it is a manageable ache, one that I will be able to get rid of when I finally take a bath, or a shower.

"Tsukio! Wake up!" Amagi shook my shoulder.

I opened my eyes. When did they close? Amagi was kneeling next to me while Hideo and Kyo were standing next to the door.

"The storm has passed. I brought your robe and cowl. They should give you enough cover so no one will see your cuts," Amagi held up my robe.

I smiled, "Thank you, Amagi." I struggled to sit up and bit back a groan as my muscles protested any movement. I got to my feet and experimentally moved my body. Everything was in working order, if only a little stiff and sore. I nodded to myself.

"Baki-sensei says we are to stay here until the Konoha shinobi are ready to leave," Hideo said, "You are to take Kyo home before going back yourself. You are to get cleaned up, put ointment on your cuts and scrapes and get some sleep."

"Yes Hideo." I slip my robe over my head, wincing as another cut opened. I tied my belt and slip my cowl around my neck. "Do I look okay?"

Amagi and Hideo come over and look at me, "You should pull your cowl over your head, to hide the cuts on your face," Amagi said finally.

I nod and pull my cowl up.

"I will come and check on you when we return. Does your medic friend's shop have medical ointment also?" Hideo asked.

"They should," I answer.

Hideo nodded and walked back over to Kyo, "Time for you two to head home."

Amagi walks behind me as I follow Hideo and Kyo. I slowly made my way down stairs and try to keep my movements fluid and not stiff. I keep my head down so no one could get a glimpse of my face, if they could even see through the shadows the cowl made.

We stop at the door and I pull my sandals on. A hand finds its way to my shoulder, "I will check on you later tonight, Tsukio."

"Yes Baki-sensei."

"Go back to the apartment. No training or stretching, just shower, clean your cuts and go to bed."

"Yes Baki-sensei," I say straightening up.

"Look at me, Tsukio."

I lean my head back to be able to look Baki in the face. My cowl falls off my head as I do.

"You did a good job." Baki said, his face serious, but did I detect a hint of pride in his voice?

"Thank you Baki-sensei."

Baki-sensei then turned around and walked away, I took that to mean that I was dismissed and I walked out the door with Kyo right behind me. I took Kyo home and explained the situation to his parents, they were just happy their son was safe. Then I walked back to the apartment. Took a shower, made sure I wasn't bleeding anymore, put an oversized tee shirt and a pair of shorts. I turned the fan in the room on and laid in bed, letting the soft whisper of the fan send me back to sleep.

AN: As promised a longer chapter. Team Asuma is here. We are slowing time down a little, because these interactions are important, but it won't be an 'every day here is what we did' chapters anymore. Those just end up being short, because they might not do much. Let me know what you think, we will be back with a new chapter in two weeks.