There's soooo much foreshadowing in this chapter, both cannon and for my story. ^_^
This chapter was a little rushed but I'm going to have a full schedule the next few weeks.
Politcal Pawns
The golden cliffs enclosing Sunagakure greeted Temari almost three and a half days later. She was a little behind schedule because she allowed herself to sleep in the first night of her journey in order to regenerate her energy, but not without mentally scolding herself for already picking up Shikamaru's lazy habits.
Good thing it stopped when it did…
The shinobi guarding the narrow entryway to her village came into her view. She assumed they must have saw her too when one of guards sprinted away as she continued to approach them. Her brothers most likely instructed the gate keepers to notify them of her arrival. As she motioned for the guards to come out of their bow, she heard Kankuro's voice booming from the path behind them.
"Temari!"
Shifting her gaze to the tall figure behind the guard, she watched as Kankuro swiftly made his way towards her.
"Hey, Kankuro."
"This was an unusually long trip for ya, Tem. I don't think you've ever stayed for more than a day or two in Konoha unless the Chunin exams were going on."
"What's wrong? Did you burned down the office building while I was I gone?" she teased. She laughed when Kankuro snorted and rolled his eyes. "It's just that I've been traveling every other week these past few months," she continued. "I decided to stay a little longer so I wouldn't have a six-day commute for a one-hour meeting with the Hokage." Omitting details is not the same as lying, right?
"That makes sense," her brother replied as he stroked his chin. "Sorry for troubling ya, sis. If you need me to take over for a bit, just let me know."
"Will do," she replied. Kankuro couldn't have found a better time to extend that offer to her.
"Temari," came another familiar voice. "I'm glad to see you've made it home safe."
She peered over Kankuro's shoulder to see their youngest brother walking towards them.
"I have some changes I'd like to make to a few districts," he continued. "Because you are more familiar with the villagers, I was hoping you could advise me on which steps to take first."
When Temari wasn't acting as a liaison between villages, she took on the role of being her brother's personal ambassador at home. Gaara never had enough time to visit the villagers as often as he'd like to, so she took the liberty of being his eyes and ears for him. At least once a week, she would make her rounds in Sunagakure to search for areas that needed improvement by either chatting up the villagers or simply just making note of what she saw. She found that this simple routine allowed the people to acknowledge that Gaara was constantly finding ways to help their village, which garnered further support from them in return.
Her mind quickly flashed back to her tsukuyomi dream that she shared with Shikamaru the other night, thinking that this was exactly what she wanted.
Right?
She could feel her nose scrunching from the overwhelming mix of emotions but smiled through them as she wrapped her arms around bothers to pull them into a hug. "I've really missed you guys."
Kankuro and Gaara tensed up as they both awkwardly stared at the back of her head when she buried her face between their shoulders. Temari's idea of displaying love for her brothers usually involved something amongst the lines of sarcastic comments, pinching their cheeks, and affectionately roughing up their hair. This was rather out of character for her.
"Oi!" Kankuro shot at her. "Are you alright?"
Temari tightened her grip around their shoulders until the hug became more of a headlock. "Of course I am! I've been spending almost every other week in another village and just really missed being at home." She released her grip around Gaara and used that hand to drive her knuckles into Kankuro's scalp. "Besides, what's wrong with missing my brothers?"
"Let me go!" Kankuro cried out as he attempted to escape from her iron grip. This was more like the Temari he knew.
"Are you sure?" Gaara's asked. The concern in his voice made her stop and look up at him.
"Yeah," she smiled, releasing Kankuro's head. "I think I just really appreciate being home," she partially confessed as she stared into the village.
"Oh," Kankuro scoffed. "So you're just delusional from being tired?"
"Pretty much," she chuckled back at him. He wasn't entirely wrong. She was exhausted, but more so mentally than anything. Traveling alone for three days gave her too much time to think.
He chuckled at her before inquiring about her meeting, "What did the Hokage say?"
"We should let her rest," Gaara interrupted him. He turned to face his sister. "Take your time and we can discuss your meeting with the Hokage once you're ready."
"I just need a shower," Temari assured him. "Sakura gave me some of her special food pills so I feel fine."
"You know… we should really recruit her. She saved my life and helped Temari return in tip-top shape," Kankuro joked.
"We'll have to recruit Sasuke first," she smirked back at him.
They burst out in laughter while Gaara bit his lip and turn away, trying not to smile.
Temari gradually worked her towel through her hair as she savored the rejuvenating feeling of a shower after a long journey. She sighed blissfully and closed her eyes as she fell onto the couch in her apartment. There was something much more satisfying about being able to freshen up in her own home than on the road or at an inn.
She slowly lifted her her eyelids and scanned over the contents inside her apartment, comparing the details of it to Shikamaru's. Both of their buildings were relatively new, and share many similarities when it came to the architecture. However, her apartment was only furnished with necessities while his had some minimalistic decoration.
Because that loft was the very last gift from his father, Shikamaru went out of his way to treat it with care. She'd learned that he had furnished it with furniture from designers that Shikaku favored and frequently purchased from, which explained why everything seemed unusually extravagant for his tastes. Still, he justified the purchases, believing that investing quality products now meant he didn't have to go through the trouble of going shopping again to replace them.
Exactly what you'd expect from a lazy genius...
Her eyes fell on Tenten's scroll sitting on a counter next to her tessen. She lingered on her couch for a moment before getting up to release the photos that were sealed inside. A laugh escaped her when she saw how awkward and stiff she appeared in the photo with the girls before thumbing to the picture behind it.
There they were, completely obviously to the entire group around them.
Her time with Shikamaru suddenly seemed so surreal. The feeling she got when she was with lately came crashing down on her like a wave, and she impulsively invited it to wash over and pull her underneath. Although it was an irresponsible decision, she was still thankful for being able to experience it. She got to enjoy herself even though it was short-lived, but now it's time continue on with her life.
It was so much easier to think more rationally now he wasn't around. She reminded herself that she'd lost so much more than a silly romance. Besides, they were still friends and will continue work with each other.
Another small breath escaped her as she made her way to the table in the corner of her living room. Her fingers adjusted the photos until they sat up amongst the miniature succulents decorating it. She figured there was no harm in displaying the photos since she was never in her apartment anyway.
Temari had met up with her brothers prior to gathering with the elders so that they could discussed the proposals independently first. It gave them time to decide how they were going to approach the older members in the council since they often found themselves on opposing ends. The three of them were now waiting patiently as the elders processed the proposal Temari had presented to Kakashi.
"That's a wonderful idea," Ebizo beamed when he finished thumbing through the papers. He looked over at Gaara. "I think strengthening our alliance with Konoha is one of the best moves we can make. Chiyo put a lot of faith in you and that boy Naruto."
Gaara nodded at him to express his gratitiude. He turned his attention to the remaining elders. "I know that you guys only want to protect Sunagakure, but please consider this. We fought together to save all of the world and have proven that we are stronger together. This will help us take one step towards bridging a permanent alliance with Konohagakure."
Tojuro blankly stared at the papers in front of him. Fine, foolish boy. I'll go along with your plan until we get rid of you. "I suppose you're right," he pretended to agree. "Nothing wrong with keeping them close on our side." Except for the fact that you want outsiders crawling all over our village.
"But we now have the resources that will allow us to have power based on finances alone," the female elder next to him argued.
"Eh," Kankuro grunted. "All the money in the world means nothing if our village gets obliterated in any future wars."
"He's right," Ebizo said. "Chiyo believe that Gaara and Naruto were destined to find sustainable peace together. She gave her life for this belief and you know that she would have been the one to resist this plan the most if she wasn't completely sure of it. I believe we should give them this opportunity to show us what she saw in them."
"At worst, we'll just scrap the project." Tojuro pretended to edge on. That was exactly what he planned to do anyway.
The other elders exchanged concerned glances and eventually shrugged. There wasn't much they could do to protest against the Kazekage and the two heads of the council.
"Temari also has another proposal," Kankuro announced. The elders all turned and gave him a questioning look.
"I want to build a sanctuary for the children," she chimed in. "For troubled youths or simply children who feel alone and abandoned."
"You mean like an orphanage…? We already have on those." Tojuro raised his brow at her.
"No," she replied. "An orphanage is for those who do not have parents. As you can see…" her voice trailed off as she looked over at her brothers. "One doesn't necessarily need to be without their parents to feel rejected or alone… I want a place that welcomes all children. Perhaps we can even open it to all ages, but I definitely want a strong focus on the young ones. They are the future of our village and I want them have the support that took my brother years to receive. Look what Gaara has done for the village since becoming Kazekage. He lost his life for Sunagakure and is only standing here because of Chiyo-sama. Now, our village is flourishing. Imagine the possibilities if we nurtured all the children early on."
Temari's role in their government usually kept her hands pretty full. However, she decided to pursue additional endeavors in hopes of preventing herself from turning into one of those girls who wasted their time moping over romance. Determined not to be that person, she figured all she had to do was to keep herself busy. Because the frequents boring meetings about Sunagakure's finances were just as equally as painful and annoying, she came up with this idea in attempt to kill three birds with one stone. There would be no time to think about miniscule boy problems, less time to spend in boring meetings, and all while giving back to the community.
"Well…" Ebizo began. "I supposed that's a great investment for our village. I say we should go for it if we have the funds to do so."
Tojuro shrugged. None of it would matter soon to him anyway. "Sure, why not."
Temari had to blink a few times to hide the sudden uneasy feeling inside her. That was almost too easy… Ebizo has been a lot more progressive since Chiyo's death but this guy… she thought as she stole a quick glance at Tojuro. I can't help but feel like something is off.
"Temari-hime." Tojuro's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"I told you not to call me that." Being called a princess never sat quite right with her.
"I apologize," he replied. "But I do have a proposal for you as well."
She curiously looked over at him.
So there was a catch.
"I believe that your concern for the future generation of Sunagakure is actually rather fitting," he continued. "Well, you see… your mother was about your age when she married your father…"
She narrowed her eyes in annoyance at him while Kankuro and Gaara widen theirs in shock.
Marriage? Really?
Tojuro couldn't help but to stiffen under her glare. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Temari-dono, we need to start worrying about an heir. Karura was not much older than you when she conceived you."
Temari continued staring at him, using her loss for words in her advantage. One of the things she learned about psychological warfare was that silence made people very uncomfortable. She simply sat there quietly as she thought about the irony of her predicament.
"Not to worry!" Tojuro said almost too quickly. "This matter doesn't require immediate attention... yet. I know you are a very busy young woman. We will wait until you've completed your projects. In the meantime, please do keep this in mind. Of course, we are in no place to tell you who your suitor should be, but we hope that you will find someone of your liking here in Sunagakure soon." He forced a smile in attempt to win any favor with the frigid woman in front of him.
"Are you serious?" Kankuro's voice flooded her ears.
Temari continued to remain silent while the entire table quietly anticipated her next move. She was well known for her strong, independent spirit and never failed to voice her distaste whenever someone wanted to dictate her personal life.
"Sure. Whatever," she replied indifferently.
Although she never one to be so informal during meetings, she was to physically and mentally exhausted to care. She took this as the universe telling her that she had made the right decision and that it was definitely time to move forward. It merely reinforced the fact that their lives were two completely different stories. He lived in fairy tale where he grew up in a loving home, had a happy life with wonderful friends, and probably got to marry whoever and whenever he wanted to. She, on the other hand, appeared to be subjected to the same fate as the women in history books who were nothing more than baby-making pawns in political affairs.
I guess I should be thankful they're not marrying me off for some bullshit peace treaty.
"Temari! Are you sure?" Kankuro asked her. This was something the Temari he knew would have protested against until the elders prayed for an early death. He shoved his face in front of hers until there were only a few inches apart. His eyes searched hers for anything that would help him identify the person in front of him. "Are you really my sister? How do you I know you're not some shadow clone trying to infiltrate our government?" He sneered at her.
Temari glared back at him before reaching her hand out to pinch the tender skin behind his armpit. Once she had an ample amount of flesh between her fingertips, she twisted her hand and yanked on it until Kankuro wailed. "Don't be stupid."
Kankuro tore himself from her grip and fell back into his chair. His eyes grew red and began to glistened as he tried to soothe the inflicted area with his hand. "Never mind," he croaked. "That's definitely her."
She blinked at him before rolling her eyes and sighing. "Look, Gaara has poured his heart and soul into building up his village despite… you know." Her voice trailed off as she steered the conversation from her brother's past. "I love this village too because it'll always be my home, but I cherish it even more because of everything Gaara has done for it. And everything that Chiyo gave her life for." She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before continuing, "That's why I will also do whatever I have to for this village."
"Spoken like a true princ—I mean… Lady of Sunagakure. Your father would have been proud of you," Tojuro smiled at her. "Great, then I have one thing I wanted to address with you."
Temari grew stiff when he mentioned her father. Her head slowly rotated in his direction. The look she was giving him spoke for her. She was running out of patience for this man.
Tojuro went on to explained to what his conversation with Ebizo a few days earlier about assigning a substitute body guard unit in her place. She sat there with a displeased expression on her face the entire time he spoke. As if the idea of strangers following her around town wasn't troublesome enough, he had the audacity to propose that they also look after Gaara in her place when she traveled.
"We have plenty of abled shinobi. I don't understand why you're assigning strangers who haven't even lived in Sunagakure for quite some time now to be my substitute," she protested when he finished.
"Yes, but they are not remotely on the same level as you or Kankuro. Gaara needs shinobi who matches your skill level to take your place when you're not in town."
Temari resisted the urged to call him out on his sudden suspicious flattery, but she couldn't help but feel that he was right as well.
Tojuro turned around and called out, "Katsuie, please bring in Yukimura and Mitsunari."
Temari and her brothers watched as the men emerged from the door. The first man had a tall, athletic build and a chiseled face that reminded her of Shira. The man next to him was the complete opposite. With his long locks and carefully sculpted features, he had the transcendental aesthetic where he could also pass for a beautiful man or woman. It made her think of Neji.
She raised her brow at them when her eyes dropped to their foreign clothes. Tojuro mentioned that they've spent most of their lives living in different villages to learn various styles that would supplement their ninjutsu. They were dressed in robes similar to those from Ko no Kuni and Tetsu no Kuni. They're going to last long in Sunagakure dressed like that, she thought.
"So you assigning a guy who can't figure out whether he's a shinobi or samurai and his concubine to be my bodyguards?" Temari scoffed. Kankuro tried contain his laughter but failed when he snorted loudly at his sister's imprudence.
"I'm not a woman!" The red head snapped at her.
Satisfied with her ability to trigger the stranger, Temari smirked.
"Could have fooled me."
Ko no Kuni = Land of This and Tetsu no Kuni = Land of Iron. First town was used in fillers I think and had very traditional Japanese clothing. :)
"I guess I should be thankful they're not marrying me off for some bullshit peace treaty."
How funny that this is... well. You know. Like I said, some canon "foreshadowing" but would you even call is that since the series is already over?
I'm actually at work and my laptop is at 14% so I'll have to make this quick!
spiritedarray - you are so sweet. thanks for all the support and i will definitely reach out to you if i decide on one!
ayingChan - ahhhh. you have so many predictions and i think i'm going to send you on a rollercoaster of emotions when you see what happens! hehe.
KangerTop21 - glad you like the development with the girls! i took the liberty of making up for kishi's overwhelming bromance huehuehuehue.
Mirin Hanashi - please please please don't stop critiquing. it really helps me figure out what to write next and i really appreciate it. 3
whattadragg - hiii hun. no worries. i know all about that adulting life. and yes! i love all the female characters promise there will be a lot of interaction between them coming up!
Simone137 - ah ok. i don't remember shiho's character too well. i know a lot of people write her as an opposing character for Tem... soooooo... just wait and see what i have in store for her. hehe.
everyone else, thank you! i do love your kind words but i'm actually crunched on time (battery) this chapter. i just tried to address the inquiries/suggestions/critiques but will definitely get around to making some shoutouts.