A/N: Could someone please email me with this information (I can't quite remember or find it on the internet):
The Village of Leafs is also known as Konoha Village, so what is the Village of Sand known as? The information is greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Why do I bother? I mean, I wouldn't be writing fan fictions if I owned the series!

Chapter Eight: MissionIn Konoha

Shai woke to the sound of something breaking in the hallway. She shot out of bed when she realized that it was only a half hour before the dawn of the full moon.

She hopped throughout the room and collected a pack full of clothes, dressed and collected her mission scroll. She dashed out of her room and into Temari as she collected broken glass. Luckily, she didn't cut anything as she hopped over the shards that had flewn in front of her room and into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and made sure her hair was in order before dashing back into her room again to put on her sandals.

As she scrambled to pull together her money, which was everywhere through her room, she noticed that she did indeed have a cut on her toe. She sighed and wiped the blood off her sandals and ripped a peice of cloth off a rag she kept near her bed for such times.Having bandaged her toe,she ran out of her room to the front hall where Gaara and Kankuro waited, and they set out the second the sun crested the horizon. Shai was glad she had gone to train with Temari and Gaara, or else she would have never have kept up with the three siblings as they raced over rooftops and into the desert.

They didn't stop once until they had almost reached the border of the Fire country. They rested for a half-hour before setting out again. They made it to Konoha in less than ten hours, with an hour ofthe dayto themselves. They hadn't been expected for that hour so they treated themselves to dinner at Ichiraku ramen. They paid no attention to the stares they recieved as they joked about in a booth at the back and as they ate.

When the sun reached the tops of the trees, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and Shai were in front of the Hokage's building. They were ushered in and told to take a seat. They had just begun to get comfortable in their seats before they were told they could see the Hokage.

Shai had never been out of the Village of Sand, let alone out of the country of Wind. She hadn't expected the buildings to be structured much like the ones in the Village of Sand because the Village of Leafs was in a grassy, tree-filled area without the harsh sands to buffet the houses and bury anything that was small enough to be held by the desert.

Not to mention that this was her first mission as Gaara's assistant. There was nervousness bubbling up in her throat that she wished wasn't there. It threatened to make her gag or sneeze, and she had to blink nervous tears away from the corners of her eyes before the bubbling went away.

They walked down a lengthy corridor and turned down another hall before stopping in front of two big doors marked with the Hokage's symbol and Konoha's symbol. They waited patiently as the ninja that had led them there slipped inside and returned to hold the door open.

As Shai entered the big room, she had to hold back a gasp of surprise. She hadn't imagined the Hokage's office to be filled with so much clutter. Four chairs sat in front of her desk, but the desk itself was covered with papers and scrolls of every kind. Some of which had fallen to the floor. The old man sitting at the desk was trying to fill something out, but stopped and put it aside when they had taken the seats at the desk. Temari satalmost in the middlewith Kankuro at her right, and Gaara to her left. To Gaara's left sat Shai.

Shai had wanted to sit on the couch that sat at the right wall, facing a TV across the room. She guessed that it was for veiwing important tapes, but she still wanted to know how comfortable the couch was.

She silently chasted herself for thinking such thoughts as Kankuro and Temari delivered their reports, and tsked herself for not paying attention.

" ... Inform you of the new threat from the Village Hidden in the Grass."

"Hmm .. Interesting. Do you have a scroll to give me as well?"

Temari nodded and handed over the scroll she had been given the previous week, but this one was a bit thinner than her original one. The Hokage opened it and quickly skimmed through it before rolling it back up and offering it back to Temari.

As she took the scroll, Kankuro produced his own.

"I was sent with a message for you as well, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage took that one and opened itas well, but didn't hand it back to Kankuro. Instead, he turned to Gaara. "I know you have something for me."

The Hokage was talking to Gaara as if they had known each other for a long time. Shai supposed they must, as Gaara often had to travel to Konoha to deliver important messages that couldn't be trusted with anyone otherwise.

Gaara nodded and handed the Hokage a scroll as well. He didn't offer any explination, but that seemed to be fine with the man. He opened it and briefly read over the contents. He sat back and rolled the scroll upbefore heplaced it inside of a drawer. He thought for a while before he remembered that he had guests and turned his eyes on Shai.

She swallowed a lump in her throat as she returned his solemn gaze.

"And who are you ...? I don't recall the Village of Sand ever having a four-man team sent to me." Shai nodded and opened her mouth to explain, but Temari beat her to it.

"Hokage-sama, her name is Shai. She was assigned to our household a few months before now, as Gaara's mission assistant. Kazekage-sama told us that she was to ensure Gaara wouldn't harm anyone on missions such as this." Temari glanced over at Shai, who looked extremely releived of not having to speak.

"Ah ... I see ... And is she a mute? Couldn't she have answered the question?" The corner of his mouth twitched. Shai realized that he had been teasing. Temari giggled and shook her head.

"No, she's not a mute. She looked like she was going to choke on her tongue though." Temari let out a chuckle, and Shai gaped at her in horror.

"I-I ...Temari!" Shai felt herself turn three or four different shades of red as she sank back into her chair. She wished she could dissapear.

Everyone except Gaara and Shai laughed. When they had settled down, the Hokage dismissed them with an adress for where they would stay. They all bowed and left the Hokage to properly veiw the reports he received and headed to the building that they were going to stay at for the next three days.

Shai noticed that it was still a half-hour before sundown. Before she had to meet Sayami Jiiru behind the building. She began to unpack her things and thought of an excuse to go out back. She decided that she'd just slip out the back door.

When the sun was only a few moments from dissapearing behind the hills, Shai quietly opened the back door and sliped off into the back alley. She waited for only a minute before Gaara did the same as she had just done. She hid behind one of the neighbors fences and watched Gaara. He seemed to be waiting as well...

Then Kankuro and Temari slipped out the back door. When they saw Gaara, they burst into laughter.

Shai shook her head and decided that she should show herself as well. She straightened and snuck around behind Temari.

"What're you up to?" She whispered into her friends ear. This made Temari jump and whirl around, kunai in hand. Shai too had a kunai out, and countered what would have been an attack.

Temari growled and put the knife away when she saw Shai.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." Temari struggled to keep a smile off her face. Shai giggled and patted her shoulder.

"Getting rusty, are we?"

Everyone turned to see who had spoken from the depths of the alleyway.


;Gaara enters the room, holding a blackjack threatiningly;

;Authoress's friend screams and tackle glomps Gaara;

;Authoress sweat drops and runs for the door.;


A/N: Bleh, sorry for the long update time o.O I had to revamp this story and now I have a fictionpress account so... Yeah, I've been busy.

A blackjack is a lead-weighted baton thing.