AN: No one reviewed last chapter. That makes me sad. I get I left you on a cliffhanger, but ya'll have no idea how much your reviews boost my inspiration, negative and frustrated or excited and happy. I was hoping to be a little further when I posted this chapter. I'm 2.5 chapters ahead of this, since the next few chapters just came pouring out, until a week ago when I got a little stuck, and there were no reviews to get me unstuck.

So, even if I leave you off angry, tell me I made you angry or frustrated. Even angry reviews inspire me to write when I'm a little stuck. I'm hoping, I can get enough written over the next two weeks that I can go back to posting every week.

I'm currently posting this at the tail-end of Hurricane Nicole pummeling my house last night (we're good, but I have a horrible migraine that I can't take medicine for because I'm pregnant). Also dealing with a sick kid, but I'm still posting when I promised. Next chapter will be posted November 24th, or on Thanksgiving for the Americans. Honestly, might be the night before, since I make my dressing, which takes pretty much all morning to do.

Positive thoughts! Please review.

Chapter 17

Gaara acted quickly as the explosion rattled the chambers, shaking the walls and ceiling, causing debris to fall. First he jumped over Emika, shielding her from debris as he summoned what little sand he could to protect their side of the stage. If he had his gourd, he could have done more. Gaara's ears were ringing as he looked around to the general chaos of the chambers. People were scrambling for exits. At the podium, one of Ginmaru's attendants jumped up and dragged the Regent away. Before being pulled away, Ginmaru looked at Gaara with the icy hatred of a spurned lover.

Gaara grabbed Akira by the collar, and demanded, "How'd you get in here?"

Akira could only shake his head dumbly as he gaped at the hole in the chamber wall where flames and smoke were flickering from the rubble.

"Akira!" Gaara snapped, shaking his shoulder, hoping to shake him from his stupor. He understood the man was shocked, never seen battle before. But time was of the essence, and their entrance was blocked. "What path did you take to get here?"

"Th-the janitor's hall has a stairwell to the stables," Akira finally stumbled out shakily.

Gaara gave a hard nod, and made a sand clone to reconnect with his brother and provide safe evacuation of the hall. "Alright, Akira, you are leading us out. I'll cover our flank." He stood, and said to the queen and her attendants, "All of you follow Akira."

Queen Ichika scowled and huffed, "I am the Queen. I don't get ordered about."

"Mom," Emika snapped, "Not the time to pull rank. Akira go. Everyone, you heard him."

Akira nodded, and led them to a back panel that hid a door, and the attendants filed behind him into the hallway. When Ichika showed reluctance to leave, Emika grabbed her elbow and dragged her along with surprising strength.

"Emika!?" Ichika yelped.

Emika set her jaw, huffing, "Mom, one bomb's gone off. We don't know if there are others. Have an ounce of self-preservation." Gaara followed them to the hidden door. Had their guards been with them, Gaara would have felt comfortable staying and helping evacuate the other guests, but after the assassins last night, and now the bomb, Emika needed to be protected. It felt a bit like the marriage meeting all over again, except now he was surrounded by civilians and daimyos, not fifty or more ninja.

They ran down the Janitor's hallway to the carriages, Gaara kept looking back to make sure they didn't have a tail. If he had his sand, he'd have been easily able to sense oncoming attackers, but he didn't, and so had to rely on his vision. He did have enough sand to form two sand eyes He didn't see anybody.

They made it to the carriages, the Queen's attendants mostly cramming in a very ornate one, yelling at the drivers to prepare to leave. Emika stopped her mother worriedly, then said, "Mother, come with us. If this gets any worse…"

"I'll be fine," Ichika said, placing a tender hand on Emika's cheek.

"Even if you don't want to go all the way to Suna, please get out of Futen," Emika pleaded. "Uncle Ginmaru will take what you did today as a betrayal against him. And if this goes any further south …"

Ichika cut her off by grabbing her hand. "I've made preparations to go to Sunafuki, where I will be staying until you are in power." She leaned forward, kissing her daughter's forehead, then saying, "You have all my love and all my faith. Now, go."

A tear fell down Emika's cheek and she nodded, before hopping into her own carriage, waving at Gaara to follow her. He did, clambering in behind her and yelling at Akira to take them to his flat. Akira whipped the horses, and they were off.

It didn't take them long before they were on the road. Gaara saw shadows of ninjas flanking the carriage, worried momentarily it was more attackers until he saw his brother's painted face. They got back to the flat rather quickly, and rushed inside. Kankuro handed Gaara his sand back, and Kura was the first to speak up as Gaara took off the heraldry, robe, suit jacket and tie, and put his sand holster back on. "What do we do, sir?"

Gaara began unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves as he looked around, seeing the smoke still rising from the capital building. "Kankuro, you and I are going back to assist and investigate. I want Emika back in Suna immediately."

"Gaara," Emika started to protest.

"This just turned into a battleground, Emika. You will defer to my judgement on this," Gaara said over her.

"You are the target," she argued. "Not me."

"I can handle myself," Gaara stated. He turned to Chie, Shijima, and Kura, ordering, "I want you all to pack up and get on the first train to Suna. Kankuro and I will catch up in Cobra Town."

Before Emika could argue further, his ninja bowed and said, "Yes, sir." Then began running through the flat to make sure everything was packed away properly. Gaara turned to Kankuro, who only nodded as they shunshined back to the House of Daimyos.

First, Gaara used his sand to sweep through the building, smothering the fire and pulling away rubble people were stuck under. Then Gaara supported the structure with his sand, then sending in sand clones along with Kankuro to pull out stuck survivors. After thirty minutes, they were joined by emergency workers, doctors and guards, who all took Gaara's directions to clear the building properly. After an hour of working together, the people and debris were cleared away enough that Kankuro was able to start his investigation.

Bombing a public building usually fell under the Terrorist Division's jurisdiction anyway, and since he was the head of it, there was little arguing on who had rank. Kankuro seized the security tapes, and ran a kit over the burnt debris.

While Kankuro did his work, Gaara discussed with the Emergency workers about reconstruction, which would take a couple months. Gaara then moved over to where the casualties were laid out. Twenty-three dead so far. Too close to the wall when it exploded, or were on the balcony above and fell through. Several had been transported to the hospital after being trampled from the ensuing mob evacuating the compromised building. Most of them civilians, although some of them Daimyos.

That was the hard part of war, Gaara thought. Not necessarily the deaths of soldiers or ninja actively engaging in battle, but seeing the innocents who had nothing to do with it caught in the crossfire.

Kankuro joined back with him as he walked over the bodies, past the first aid tents where he could herar a child crying. He'd heard the boy when he walked by earlier. They'd been in a hotel opposite the wall that exploded, and the glass doors had shattered, turning to shrapnel that killed his mother who shielded him from the blast with her body. The boy had minor scrapes, but was inconsolable. Gaara had been assured by emergency workers that they were contacting the child's father.

"Have you gathered what you needed?" Gaara asked tiredly.

"Yeah," Kankuro grunted. "All evidence is sealed away in a few scrolls I happened to bring with me. I can run it through the forensics lab back in Suna. But I think I have a good idea what happened."

Gaara's eyes narrowed, not looking at his brother. "You do?"

Kankuro nodded. "The kit revealed the explosive residue was from paper-bombs and C4. The size of the explosion would indicate a massive bomb. Likely was carried in and set rather than worn due to the amount needed to create such a blast. It blew through all the walls of the outer halls leading back to the West Offices. See how large it is?" Kankuro gestured to he gaping of the exploded wall. The blast radius easily reached 50 to 70 meters. The ceiling had caved around that part of the dome, and would seriously need restructuring. The golden roof slats were pealed back like Shukaku had tried to rip them off the building himself. "The center of the blast was the men's bathroom, which is open to the public. So, it could have been anyone who came in, and from there it's a guess exactly who did it. But the hallway has cameras, which is how I was able to take the security tapes."

"So, this was a planned attack," Gaara clarified. An accidental explosion always needed to be ruled out in such a case.

"Absolutely," Kankuro answered.

Gaara chewed on the inside of his cheek in thought. Was this the start of the Wind's Civil War? Surely the first to say War was the one declaring it, but it was hard for him to think as a ninja and previously a general to the Allied Shinobi Forces that this wasn't an act of War. Especially after last night.

Off to the edge of the caution tape, Gaara saw film crews set up, and a thought struck his head. He walked over, Kankuro calling after him, "Gaara? What…"

During the speeches, Gaara had realized Ginmaru's greatest asset as the Regent was controlling what the public believed. Getting to tell them "the Crown's" side first. Unless the people saw Gaara working with the Emergency workers. Unless they saw him with the wounded, rather than fleeing. Unless they heard that he was proactively investigating the explosion with his top men on the case. The public would see what kind of leader he was. Not just in peace times, but in a crisis.

The newscasters were immediately flustered seeing him approach. "Lord Gaara, what an honor."

"Yes, well, circumstances being what they are," he grumbled.

The news-lady's eyes fluttered, clearly surprised. "Right. You were there. What was it like? Is there anything you want to say?"

He smiled sadly, then said, "Yes, there are a few things I'd like to say."

She blinked, still surprised at such a moment. Clearly this was going to earn her a promotion. She spun to her cameraman, then moved her hand as if to tell him to roll the shot.

It was four thirty in Konoha, and while Shikamaru was usually preparing to go home at such a time, he stood with Kakashi, both glued to the television watching the news stations roll out their play-by-plays of what was going on in the Wind's capital city, Futen. The broadcast had started around noon, and Shikamaru had been watching it in his office at first.

It showed the House of Daimyos entering with the newscasters giving their commentary on how the proceedings would go. They watched Gaara enter with his wife, dressed very differently from what Shikamaru usually saw him wear. They saw the Queen Mother show favor to her daughter and new son-in-law over Ginmaru, which of course titillated the newscasters, as it was considered a rather prominent and public snub to her brother-in-law. They saw the speeches, and Shikamaru wanted to clench his fist and yell at the screen when the Regent accused Gaara of killing his ex-fiance, except it was a secret that only Shikamaru, Gaara and his siblings, and Kakashi even knew the truth of. It wasn't something Gaara could just explain away. According to him, he was in love with Emika at the time. Hindsight of course being what it was.

Then the explosion.

The newsfeed cut for obvious reasons. He quickly sent for Kakashi to inform him to tune in, as things had clearly escalated. Kakashi issued Shizune to handle incoming issues as they watched news reporters discuss what happened with new reports coming in every ten to fifteen minutes, counting who was safe, who was injured, and how many were dead. Gaara and the princess were never mentioned, nor the Queen mother. Ginmaru and his cabinet were declared safely returned to the palace, and promised a word from the Crown's position in the morning.

Shikamaru could practically see his wife pacing at home worried out of her mind for her brothers' well-being. Despite knowing Gaara was fairly indestructible, she also knew where Gaara was, so was Kankuro usually. Except Kankuro wasn't in the Chambers when they blew. None of their guards were.

He regretted not being home to comfort her, but Kakashi needed him there.

The numbers kept trickling in. Up to 24 dead on site, including people caught by the blast in neighboring buildings. Almost 200 injured, with 48 of them in critical condition, either from the blast itself or being trampled from the panicked stampede.

"No one knows yet the cause of the explosion, however one news crew was able to get this from a surprising emergency responder: The Kazekage." Shikamaru immediately straightened, his body flooding with relief as he saw his troublesome brother-in-law, no longer in the Daimyo heraldry or robes, with smudges of soot on his face from the explosion. He still wore the suit from that morning, but had removed the jacket, and rolled the sleeves of the dress shirt, which was now ruined with smudges of soot and rubble. His hair hung messily over his forehead, and his arms crossed.

"Lord Gaara. First let me say it is an honor to be able to speak with you," the petite brunette newscaster started. Gaara only responded with a terse smile. "As we all know, the session was scheduled to vote on whether Lord Ginmaru would retain power, or would power transfer over to you. Now, the Crown has said they won't make an official statement until tomorrow."

"I am not speaking for the Crown at the moment. I am speaking a witness, and as the Wind's Kazekage," he stated plainly.

The lady nodded, then said, "Then as a witness, can you explain what happened to the best of your knowledge? You were seated with your wife, the Princess Emika, and her mother, the Queen…"

"And their attendants," Gaara added carefully, as if to remind her, and everyone watching, that it wasn't just the Daimyos caught in this explosion. Regular civilians were as well. "Yes. All of them are safe. I wasn't able to do much for the chamber on the whole during the explosion, as security had me check my ninja tools at the door, but I was able to get them evacuated safely, and returned immediately with my brother, who is head of Suna's Anti-Terrorist Division, and would be heading this investigation, regardless of the circumstance."

"It's lucky he came with you from Suna."

"He's also the head of my personal guard, as there's no man I trust more, and terrorist threats are a hazard of any leader's job."

"And was this an act of terror?"

Gaara nodded smally as he answered, "Kankuro's preliminary investigation suggests this was an intended attack, as the kit revealed the explosive residue left behind was caused by C4 and paper-bombs. We will know more once the evidence collected is run through forensics."

"The timing of it was very suspect. Right in the middle of Lord Ginmaru's speech." Shikamaru frowned at the insinuation. Like Gaara had ordered the explosion.

Gaara's eyes narrowed, then added, "It is even more suspect given last night the Princess and I were attacked by assassins in my own flat. Another incident which is being investigated in conjunction with this explosion."

"You and the princess were attacked last night?" she blurted, flabbergast. "Why didn't you report it?"

"Because we deduced its purpose was to stop the vote. And that was the last thing we wanted."

"Pardon my confusion, you seemed completely unfazed by this."

Gaara moved his mouth oddly, as if thinking carefully of his words, then said, "Well I've faced assassins many times in my life. But if you rewatch the broadcast this morning before the explosion, you can see my wife was still visibly shaken by the attack. Which is why I've decided until the House has a clear voice on who it's backing, we will be returning to Suna, where security is easier to manage at the moment."

"Do you have any suspects on the attack last night? Are they the same people who performed the bombing?"

"The assassins last night were killed, and according to their headbands, still in good standing with their ninja village, whom I will be contacting as soon as I return to my offices. So, no it wasn't the assassins. Whether the same village is responsible for the bombing is uncertain, however I would assume it's unlikely. Assassination and Terrorism are two very different beasts when it comes to ninja warfare." Shikamaru pursed his lips at the statement, appreciating the sad but true insinuation.

Assassination was an honorable skill as a ninja, as it was all about the money, and was frequently used regardless of borders. Terrorism sponsored by another ninja village in another country only invited dishonor and distrust. It was why the Hidden Rain Village was still so reviled, as their main source of income these last two decades was a result of the Akatsuki.

Given what they knew, it was far more likely a political faction of the Wind sponsored the bombing by paying a Wind native to plant it, or more likely, asking a zealot of their cause to do it. A zealot wouldn't care who was caught in the blast, just that the blast did as it was intended, either draw attention from the actual issue or to stop it altogether. It was also very likely the same faction hired an outside ninja village to perform the assassination.

"Again, we will know more after forensics gets a look," Gaara added.

The anchor was silent for a moment, letting the statement sink in, then asked, "Ehrm, Emergency and First Response efforts have been underway since the explosion. As you mentioned earlier, it wasn't just the Lords caught up in this explosion, but civilians, their attendants. We've heard from other First Responders that you've been helping stop the fires, and remove rubble, freeing people trapped by debris."

Gaara nodded mutely again, then said, "I've done what I can. When I became Kazekage, I swore to protect the people of the Wind, and part of that job is assisting in rescue efforts if I can, where I can. While the explosion was chaos and I was unarmed, I have always had faith in my ninja to react in a crisis. Regardless of whether they have retired from active duty and become first responders and security officials or not. Thanks to their cooperative efforts, we were able to clear most of the rubble, enough so architects can start looking toward reconstructions efforts for the damage done."

"Do you have anything to say to the victims of today?"

Gaara's eye twitched and he closed his eyes for a moment to think, then said, "Pray for the families who lost loved ones today, for the injured struggling to recover. To the Daimyos of the country, I hope this doesn't silence your voices on the matter of succession. What was being discussed in the chambers today is the most important decision for the future of our great country, and that decision is in your hands. To stay silent out of fear is a big mistake."

The news lady nodded, then said, "Thank you, Lord Gaara, for your time."

Gaara gave a silent bow at the neck before the camera shifted back to the brunette, who signed off, back to the regular news anchors.

Kakashi hit the power button on the tv, and rubbed his forehead. "This mess is getting bigger and bigger."

Shikamaru pursed his lips, then asked, "Has it altered you mind on if we should go or not?"

"No. If anything, it solidifies it," Kakashi stated. "Our biggest ally is in trouble, facing a war with itself. Whatever the outcome, Gaara needs to be in power, so we need to support."

Shikamaru blinked, then said, "Isn't that … generally not recommended. We don't usually pick a side when a country is tearing itself apart. And aren't we allied on both sides of the Wind? You know, after the Crush failed."

"No, we are allied to Suna. The previous Wind Daimyo did sign an agreement of peace between nations, as it was Suna's actions with Orochimaru's, not the Wind Daimyo's orders," Kakashi clarified. Shikamaru frowned, still not entirely following. Kakashi sighed. "Since the Wind Daimyo that had signed that agreement has been dead for six years, that agreement is void."

"Oh." That made more sense.

Kakashi set his hands on his hips, then grumbled, "Go home. I can add this information into my report. And I might have to ask you to stay in Suna longer than the rest of us as my eyes and ears." Kakashi's expression softened as he looked over his master strategist, then added, "I'm sure your wife has been distraught with all this news."

Shikamaru chuckled. Yes, Temari was probably a bit panicked or upset, but distraught was a bit much. She was almost as stoic as her youngest brother.

"Go," Kakashi urged again, scratching his head.

Shikamaru bowed, and left. Konoha's streets were as lively as ever. It was hard to believe that what he'd just saw on the news was happening in the same world as this happy village. As Shikamaru came home, he found Temari sitting in their living room, crying quietly. He didn't say anything as he sat down beside her and held her. He knew she was crying out of both fear for her brother's safety, and happy relief that neither of them had died. "Goddamn hormones," she cursed anyway.

Shikamaru squeezed her shoulder, and kissed her where her hairline met her forehead. "Explosions and attacks. You're sure you want to go back?" he asked.

She nodded affirmatively. Nothing was going to stop her. Shikamaru inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, saying a small, silent prayer to whatever being was in charge of the Universe would keep his wife and baby safe on this trip. Then he exhaled, whispered, "Ok," and kissed her head again.

Gaara used his sand clouds to transport him and his brother to Cobra Town's train station, where they caught up with his wife and her entourage just before hopping on the last train to Suna. As they landed on the platform, and heard the train whistle to allow passengers onboard, Gaara saw Emika, except she was in her scarfed disguise again, covered completely head to toe. Gaara blinked as he faced the train, and grumbled, "You changed."

She scoffed. "We were going into my hometown, which my Uncle has pitted against me. You think I wouldn't pack this?"

"No, I knew you packed it," Gaara stated. "I just didn't realize you had the time to change."

The train worker waved them onto the train, and as Chie showed him the tickets, the worker bowed, and gestured for them to move further back to the Daimyo's car. As Emika went back to the Daimyo's suite, Gaara told the guards to get situated in their rooms before joining her. He watched as she removed her scarf. She sighed as she discarded it on the chair, then said, "I should have better prepared you for the House of Daimyos."

His brow furrowed and he gave an odd laugh. "The law is on your side. Kyuurou made that pretty clear." He crossed his arms as he shifted his stance, adding, "And you could hardly know about the bomb."

She rolled her eyes. "To the House, the law bends as they see fit." She began to pace, and gestured to him, adding, "And with your father's tendency to overreach, with the whole trying to start a war with the Leaf when my father and the Daimyos were expressly against it is proof enough, that added with what Ginmaru said, it's not a stretch they're thinking the same thing about you. Plus with your rank as Kazekage, it will shape some of the Daimyos' decisions." She set her jaw, clearly fretting over the details.

Gaara frowned, grumbling, "That's not really something I can change," wondering exactly where that came from. When she kept pacing, he set his jaw and added, "Everyone just saw me helping the victims of the blast, while your Uncle cowered in the palace. I think that will shape their decisions more."

She shook her head. "Some of the Daimyos will argue it's a double-bluff to skew the optics to your advantage."

He made an odd face, unsure how that would work, but grumbled, "Well, if that's the case, it'll be the first time being a good person and good ninja will be used against me." She began pacing again, and he huffed, "Look, next time, I'll be ready."

"That's the thing. I don't know if this is something you can learn," she said, chewing the inside of her cheek. "To use your words as weapons. To know how to bend the truth so you look like the hero."

Gaara scoffed. "Did you not see the newscast of myself at ground zero? I thought I did a good job."

"It's a start, but my Uncle will issue his own statement that will shift blame on you or someone who supports you," she stated. "We know he had to be behind the blast, but it did go off in the middle of his speech. Meaning people are thinking he was silenced." She was pacing again, gesturing wildly as she fretted. "I mean telling them we were attacked last night will give us some sympathy, but people will also think you might be lying to shift the focus away from the explosion." She set her jaw, then said, "He also did say a couple things that have been bothering me."

"We knew he sent the assassins," Gaara sighed boredly.

"It was more that you have been flirting with him, I'm confused about."

Gaara grimaced. "Again, not what I would call flirting."

She licked her lips, eyeing her husband carefully. "What would you call it then?"

"Harassment," Gaara answered plainly. He shrugged as he added, "Possibly blackmailing." She raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue. Gaara pressed his lips into a thin line, then answered, "If you must know, for the past two years, your Uncle has been withholding funds and missions from Suna, regardless of prior promises from the war, because I refused to sleep with him."

She scoffed softly to herself, clearly unhappy to hear that. "So, I am paying you more."

Gaara blinked at her, surprised she thought so little of them. "You're also the only woman I've ever loved." He licked his lips. "Don't act like that means so little in this enterprise."

"Right. And the woman you murdered out of jealousy?" she asked pointedly. She lowered her gaze, clearly unable to look him in the eye.

He hung his head, knowing that was going to come up. "That wasn't as it seems," he stated. She looked at him skeptically, and he hated that she was thinking of him like that. "Honestly."

"Ryuki did say there were a lot of conflicting rumors around it," she sighed. "I just didn't know how bad."

Gaara frowned. "What did Ryuki know?"

She frowned, as if surprised he didn't know this about the man. "He was a Suna ninja with a lot of connections even when he became an actor. If I had any questions about what was going on in Suna, I always asked him. Hell, he was how Tenshimi got the Shōrikoko tickets the night I ran into you."

Gaara's eyes widened with the realization. "He was the guy in Tenshimi's posse that night. The pretty boy with the hair."

She chuckled. "Yeah, he was." She licked her lips, then said, "So what happened with your fiancé?"

Gaara sighed. "You want the truth?"

"Please," she answered plainly.

Gaara moved his mouth wordlessly, then said, "I helped her and her lover fake their deaths, so they could live peacefully in Konoha. My brother-in-law works in the Hokage's office, and helped get their records handled on that side so they could be Konoha ninja as part of his clan, rather than be reported as missing ninja."

She blinked at him, a bit surprised, then said, "That sounds like bullshit."

Gaara shrugged. "If you don't believe me, feel free to ask Shijima. She was my fiance's older sister, and was there when everything went down." She looked to the door, as if thinking about it, clearly not having put those pieces together. He tongued his cheek, realizing she knew all of his secrets now. It wasn't fair, considering she was still hiding so much from him. He sighed, then said, "I think it's time you told me."

She blinked, confused, then turned to him and asked, "Told you what?"

"Who your heir is, and any other secrets I need to know about," he stated plainly.

She straightened her spine and huffed, "Why?"

"Aside from having just told you all of my secrets?" She blinked at him as if not seeing the connection. He tongued his cheek with a small scoff. "Ok. I don't want to be the first to say it, but the bombing today was an act of war," Gaara answered gravely. "Your Uncle is not going to give up that throne without a fight. That much is clear. And he doesn't care who is hurt in the process." She averted her gaze as he continued, "That means not only you and I are in danger, but whoever your heir is. I'm assuming since Ginmaru is your uncle, he has an idea who it could be. That means they need to be protected if we don't want them to become your Uncle's pawn."

"Ginmaru has no idea who it is," she stated plainly.

"Because you don't actually have one?" Gaara pressed.

She laughed bitterly. "I have an heir!"

"You have a family member from the royal line your uncle doesn't know about?" Gaara countered, still doubtful of the claim. "That, I know, is a lie."

"I have an heir, and he is safe and anonymous because I have sacrificed everything to make it so," she snapped, her nose wrinkling in a snarl.

Gaara straightened, and tilted his head. "He?" he parroted. "I thought you said your cousin wasn't your heir."

She blanched, her eyes going wide as if she let a big part of her secret slip. "Fuck," she hissed under her breath.

"Emika?" Gaara pressed.

She stood, snatching up her purse and marching to the door, mumbling, "I need a minute."

Gaara used his sand to barricade it because he wasn't having her run away when he needed answers. She froze, staring at his wall of sand as he said, "No. Emika, you are going to tell me what is going on," standing up behind her so she couldn't escape.

"Let me go," she demanded, not meeting his eyes.

He spun her to face him, and saw she was crying. "Emika, what is going on? What are you hiding?" His voice was soft, but tinged with frustration that she was so determined to keep this secret.

She just shook her head hard. "I can't tell you like this."

"Tell me what?" he pressed.

She only shook her head and avoided his hardening gaze.

He frowned, realizing the crux of the matter was what was the most important. "Whatever game you're playing needs to stop. I cannot support you into war if I don't know what you're hiding." When she still refused to look at him, he exhaled sharply through his nose, and pointedly asked, "Who is your heir?"

She closed her eyes, shamefully, then answered, "My son. He's my son."

Gaara's eyes widened, unable to process that news. He stepped back from her, his hands letting go of her. She looked up guiltily, her brown eyes shining at him. His throat dried up. "Son?" he rasped.

"Gaara," she tried.

He held up his hand to silence her. "I need to think," he stated. Deep down, he knew he needed to ask, despite being terrified of the answer. "Who was the father?" he finally forced out.

Her answer hit him like one of Lee's punches to his gut. "You," she said shakily. She sniffled as she said, "You're his father."

AN: I know. Another cliffhanger. Next chapter will be the longest of the book for good reason, and most of you will have a long holiday weekend to read it. Also, if this ending is a surprise, reread the story. I haven't been subtle about it at all.

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