Lord Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, headed to his office as soon as he and his entourage returned to the Hidden Sand Village. It was late evening by the time they arrived and his siblings headed straight to their quarters to bathe and rest, expressing their concern at their little brother's apparent dedication to his work. It was just a small piece of business he had to see to, he assured them. He would be home soon.

The Kage Tower was quiet and dimly lit at this time, with a few members of security greeting their Lord as they passed him while patrolling the halls. His office had been kept secure since he left for his visit to Konoha: it was one of the places he felt the most safe, that he could keep the most private, even from his siblings.

Gaara slipped behind his desk and unlocked the lowest drawer on the left hand side. Inside was a small wooden box. He took a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it to read it for a final time before saving it in his box.


A few day's earlier...

Yoshino Nara stormed into the Hokage Tower before the Kazekage and his team had even met with Lord Sixth. She shoved Kakashi out of the way to be the first to greet the three siblings from the Sand while they waited for him in his office.

"Where are my Sand babies!?" she exclaimed as she entered the room.

Shikamaru put his face in his hand. "Mom, they're not children. Gaara is Kazekage, remember?"

"Of course I remember, and we're all so proud!"

Gaara's eyes widened, unsure of how to react, while Temari flashed her boyfriend a questioning look. He shrugged apologetically, blushing slightly. His mother had been respectful of her son's privacy in regards to his relationship with Temari, but that had changed when he had finally agreed to let her meet her, the three of them having dinner together during her last visit to the Leaf Village. Yoshino had vocally approved of her son's choice in partner, but things had started to go wrong when she asked when Shikamaru was going to meet Temari's parents. He should have known she would react strongly upon learning that the Sand Siblings were orphans, and made a point of trying to calm his mother down after Temari had left.

"Please don't scare her away, Mom," he had pleaded with his mother. "I really want this to work. Try not to be so intense."

"Don't be ridiculous," she had told him, "I'm not intense."

And yet, here she was, asking if Temari and her brothers had stayed hydrated through their long journey to the Leaf Village.

Kakashi had caught up now and entered his office, rubbing the bump on his head from where Yoshino had pushed him into the wall. He attempted to greet his visitors but she talked over him.

"I've made sweaters for you all," she said, pulling three softly wrapped parcels from her bag. "Remember that it's much chillier in the Leaf than you're used to, especially at this time of year."

Temari had an amused smile on her face now, while Shikamaru slunk into the corner of the Hokage's office in embarrassment.

He had wished it would be over after that interaction, but his mother had also interrupted them as he attempted to say goodbye at the Leaf Village's main gates when their visit was over. She had brought the three of them packed lunches for the journey home. It seemed he would never be allowed to have alone time with his girlfriend again.

"What did you guys get?" Kankurou had broken into his lunch as soon as they were out of sight, not a mile from the gates. "I've got mini dango and stuffed dates! And is this cured pork?"

His sister scolded him for his eagerness, but was secretly warmed by the gesture, though she would be begrudged to show it.

"There's a note in here, too!" Kankurou picked a folded piece of paper from his pack and read it out loud to his siblings. "It says: Be as brilliant as I know you are. Temari, is your boyfriend as adorable as his mother?"

She was glad that he was not. Still, she had grown up surrounded by men and had always wondered how different her life might have been if she had had the influence of a mother; how different all three of their lives might have been.


Gaara was crouched in his office, reading the unfolded piece of paper that he had been carrying in his pocket. It was Yoshino's handwriting.

Your family loves you more than you know.

He refolded the note and placed it inside the little wooden box in the lowest drawer of his office desk, along with other small treasures he had kept over the years that his siblings didn't need to know about.