Chapter 46
A Betrothal

The room was spinning.

In a slowing stir that early morning, Nomasaki awoke from the guest bedroom with a growing knot in the pit of her stomach while her head pained with each breath. Remembering what Meiyumi would tell her after missions when they would have an evening meal together, she pieced together a potential diagnosis for her sudden horrible condition. If was she experiencing her first hangover, it was definitely not pleasant. As she pulled herself to the reach the floor, the cold wood sent a chill up her spine as her feet touched its tatami texture. While her stomach ached, she fastened the straps of her flak jacket and slipped on her shoes – strapping her mask to her back after grabbing it from the nightstand beside her. Sensing the chakra of the Kazekage and his sister nearby, she tried her best to avoid them for the first few moments of her morning. She did not want Gaara to see her vomit again, and alone-time would help her piece together her scattered recollections of what occurred the night before.

Stepping outside into the courtyard of the Nara clan's residence, the ache in her stomach became suddenly hostile. Rushing to the cover of the shrubbery, she hung her head low as she knelt hidden, puking into the tall grass with a cough. Surprisingly, she felt much better as she stood up – although disgusted with herself at the same time. Somehow, she managed to taste the skewer the second time. She would be sure to remember the consequences of dabbling with alcohol in the future, her body pleading with her to keep her word. As she walked out into the courtyard, she noticed a tranquil forest in the distance across from where she made her path. The tree leaves were beginning to return to their green foliage to signal that the long winter was once again coming to an end – although the winds still held onto a light tinge of the cold.

Prey approached.

Sensing eyes watching her from the cover of the forest, she turned towards the shadows that coated the darkened trees like a veil. Cautiously, a doe emerged from the thicket, her fur a comforting light brown with small splashes of white. Intrigued and wondered by the sight, Nomasaki carefully and slowly stepped forward, reaching her hand out towards its calm wide eyes. It was years since she last seen a deer in person – not since living in the far northern mountains when she was a child. The tundra had great-horned elk, but the deer of the mountains were rare even in her recent visit.

"There, there…" She cooed, hoping to gain its trust. "I won't eat you... yet."

After a moment of silent staring, the doe sniffed her hand and took in her trust and her wolf scent. Carefully, Nomasaki reached further and placed her palm upon its reared head, its ears down in submission. Smiling, she gently patted its head, honored by its surprising gesture. Although it could sense the wolf within her, it knew she posed no harm. Soon enough, Nomasaki could feel another set of eyes watching her from behind – their chakra light and featherlike as if only a shadow.

"I'm surprised they warmed up to you so easily. They must be able to sense you're no danger. Funny, being that you're actually their predator."

The voice surprised her.

Turning, she seen a young man with a spiky black ponytail and a tired glance from his defined brown eyes. He had a slight slouch in his stance as he stood on the winding porch of the clan residence – appearing exhausted from his night's sleep. Remembering the faint glimmer of his face from the war, her memory jolted from meeting his gaze – Nara Shikamaru.

"Deer meat is a delicacy where I'm from, but I admire their swiftness and meaning to the forest." She replied, smiling towards the doe as she made her way back into the shadows of the thicket. Directing her attention back to him, she met his distance glance with a friendly expression – hiding her embarrassment for the recent mess she left in the garden. "Are the deer yours? The Nara clan, I mean."

"Yeah," He nodded, a slight smirk on his tired expression. "We use their antlers for our medicines. They also guard and protect us from the forest and have for generations."

Turning towards the green shroud of the forest behind her, she admired its towering trees and essence of life – taking it all in with every breath. While the scent of pine filled her senses, she stepped closer to it. "This forest is breath-taking! It's so healthy," She awed, gazing at the rich green canopy. Looking back towards him on the porch, she gave a small smile. "I envy you. Being that I'm from the northern mountains of Yamagakure, I miss this. Sunagakure doesn't exactly have anything like this, so only scarcely do I have a chance to see something this amazing. It's remarkable!"

"Thanks," He acknowledged, smiling in return. "I take it you had a rough night. Temari woke me up after my assignment to let you in. You're Nomasaki, the wolf girl from Suna, is it? Or is that just a nickname?"

"O-Oh," She stammered, growing embarrassed. "R-Right, sorry about that!" Nodding, she hid her shame behind her purple eyes. "But yes, I'm Nomasaki. I'm acting as Kazekage-sama's bodyguard for the time being. This is probably the first time we formally met, Shikamaru. I'm sorry for the events surrounding last night… but thank you for letting me spend the night here. We didn't anticipate staying an extra day in Konoha." Chuckling to herself in quite shame, she averted her glance. "I'm so embarrassed… I can't believe I didn't know I was drinking sake… I probably made a complete fool of myself."

Shrugging, he gave a tired sigh. "We all mess up sometimes. And that's nothing, so don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing to fixate over."

After giving a thankful nod to his words, her mind grew worried. Knowing that a conversation about her behavior was incoming, she looked around the courtyard with a slightly concerned look to her eyes. "Where is Gaara-sama? Is he…–?"

"He's talking with Temari." He answered, a small smile visible as he gestured to the hall at his side. "They'll be leaving for Suna soon, so you should get ready." Turning his body towards the hall, he gave a nod. "I have some things to take care of for the Hokage, so I'll leave you be. I'm sure I'll see you around." As he made his way inside towards the sliding door, something caught his attention.

"Shikamaru," Quietly, Gaara approached him from the doorway – a solemn and broken tint to his seafoam eyes.

"Oh," Shikamaru said. "Gaara. Er, Kazekage-sama. Did you need something?"

Looking at the floorboards below with saddened eyes, Gaara was prepared for what was to come – the conversation he was avoiding the entire mission was finally at the forefront. Their final day had approached at an incredibly sudden pace. In his hand was a scroll from the aviary that arrived earlier that morning – from the Suna Council. Because of his bodyguard's hungover state hours before, he had to retrieve the scroll from her pack himself, and he was glad he did. The council and the Hoki Family had put a rush on the arrangement and demanded that he return to Suna at once.

The contents were still fresh in his memory.

"Gaara-sama,

It would be in your best interest to return immediately to Sunagakure. Time is of the essence, and therefore the Suna Council and honourable Hōki Family have decided to move the impending marriage to an earlier date, to the first day of spring - which is at the end of the month. Hakuto-sama will be escorted by the clan's entourage to the oasis in three days' time, so we expect you to return promptly in order to meet your future bride.

With the insistence of Zarō-sama and Baki-sama, they introduced a clause for you to reject the marriage offer. If a suitable bride of Suna heritage is found containing the blood of our lands, you may reject the offer from the Hōki Family. Please be aware that you must decide upon your arrival. The village craves stability in the future years to come, so even with this clause in place, it will ensure that an heir is produced to succeed the bloodline of Reto-sama our founder.

Remember that which ever you may choose, you must still make a choice.

May the desert gods protect you on your travels.

Ebizō"

The fact that Elder Ebizō wrote himself was astounding.

Since his elder sister's passing, Ebizō had grown too weak and frail to preside over the council as Grand Elder. Fortunately, he did not appear sold on the idea of the tenet - but still, the old ways of Suna were strong. She is not of Suna, he reminded himself, She was born in the mountains, in the north. Hopelessness grew, worsened by the events of the night before. And she told him she loved him. Drunk or not, he knew it was the truth. Nomasaki was neither from Suna nor a member of the Hoki Family, so her confession was the final nail in the coffin of their bond. Putting away the scroll into his pack, he was prepared to come clean to her and tell her everything at last – whether it tore him apart or not.

"Can I… have a moment alone with my bodyguard?" He asked, his saddened glance onto the floor unwavering. "There's something I must discuss privately with her before we leave."

After examining his puzzling expression, Shikamaru nodded. Nonetheless, he stepped aside to let him pass. "By all means."

With the sliding of the tatami door behind him, the Kazekage and his bodyguard were granted their much-needed privacy. Stepping out onto the grass, he watched his bodyguard admire the Nara clan's forest before her – a somber tint to his guilt-ridden eyes. The time had come for him to finally tell her the truth, and he was prepared for the future consequences. As he approached closer, she felt his chakra drawing her behind her in the courtyard.

"Gaara! I…–," She turned, startled. As he paused in front of her, she averted her gaze in shame. "…I wanted to apologize for last night. I don't remember much of what I said, but I'm sorry. I was your bodyguard on this mission, and the way I acted was uncalled for… I should've known better than to drink while on an assignment so crucial."

"It's alright." He replied with a subtle nod. "You were drunk. You weren't yourself."

Lightly, she chuckled to herself as she brushed off her past behavior into the back of her mind, imagining how foolish she must have been around him. Still, he was surprisingly forgiving. Pondering to herself with her fingers held to her lips, she timidly glanced to the grassy terrain at their feet. "Maybe next time, I can avoid the alcohol." Chipper, yet nervous, she smiled to herself. With a friendly soft smile, she looked up to meet his gaze. "I'll pay, too, to make up for yesterday."

While the young Kazekage gazed at her with a guilt evident in his glance, he could feel his heart sink into his chest – and her innocent words made it worse. For a moment, he looked down towards the grass, mulling over the troubling thoughts in his mind. As the internal pressure was mounting on him to speak, he brought himself to meet her kind gaze again.

And tell her the truth.

"Nomasaki," He began, his tone cold and silent. "I… have something I need to tell you."

His tone alarming her slightly, her soft smile faded into that of a concerned expression. While she met his pained glance, she could sense that something not okay. She could see it written all over his face. "What's wrong?" She asked, looking up to him. "Did something happen?" She jolted. "The scroll -! Is it my father -?"

"No, he's fine. It... wasn't about that." Averting his gaze from hers, he glanced to his side with sadness tinting the gleam of his ringed turquoise eyes from the morning sun. "Nomasaki, what I've been trying to tell you is that the council… They are requesting that I… take part in an arranged marriage when we return."

Shock entered her eyes.

Promptly, Nomasaki stepped back from him, startled by his confession. "Marriage? What do you mean? You're… betrothed to someone?" As he met her eyes, the hurt confusion upon her expression bore through him to his core. "But… why were you…? I thought that you… liked me…? On this mission… you said that…–," Her soft voice cracking with swelling sorrow and hurt, she could not piece the words together. A brief airy chuckle passed by her lips in self-pity. "I was foolish, then..."

"They said the fate of my clan depends on it. I tried to refuse, but… when we return to Suna, I may have to go through with it…–," He realized the gravity of his words, his heart weighing heavy in his chest. "...I'm the Kazekage, so it's my duty -,"

"And you waited the whole mission to tell me this now?"

Her voice was as crisp as winter ice.

Feeling her eyes beginning to swell up with forming tears, Nomasaki walked away from him towards the forest boundary of the courtyard. Alarmed by her movements, he followed behind her with a pleading glance to his defeated expression. "Truly, I'm such a fool. I should have never come back... I should've stayed in Yama!"

"Nomasaki, I would've told you sooner but I –!"

"No!"

Her voice barked harshly towards him, her fangs visible as she whipped her head around to face him as they stood across from each other. The wolf's blood in her boiled, her jaws snarling while her wolfishness made an appearance. Startling him slightly from her tear-ridden anger, it was clear she was losing control of her emotions – and her ghastly expression proved it to him. "You knew this was going to happen all along, and you still didn't make it clear?!" She shouted. "You're going to be married to another woman when we return… yet you still…–!" Suddenly, her sobs began to cut through her voice. Giving in to her feelings, she turned her back towards him as her tears ran down her cheeks, clutching her folded arms against her chest. As he stood silent behind her, he could feel every ounce of pain while he witnessed her silently sob before him. Guiltily, he watched – hoping desperately that she would forgive him. Seeing the woman he admired most in such a state broke him inside. "I love you, Gaara… but…" She sobbed silently, as she tried to hold in her tears. "That's not enough… is it?"

"It is!" He shouted back, his expression pleading. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but –,"

"But what?! You might consider being with me someday?!" She shouted back, turning to him in anger – her cheeks stained with the remnants of tears. "I haven't seen you in two years and this is what you're hiding from me?!" Her voice tore through him, piercing him like ice. "If you really meant what you said to me during the war, we would've been together by now! Or even if you answered to my godforsaken letters! But to tell you the truth…" She cried out. Turning away from him, she could feel more tears coming. "…I don't think you know what you want."

To his shock, she began to step closer towards the forest.

"Wait! Nomasaki!"

As she approached the forest even closer, she felt something touch her wrist. Shocked, she looked and saw a light stream of sand grasping it – just like that time when they first met many years ago. Turning to him, she was surprised of the sight before her. With a pleading glance, Gaara's eyes glistened with forming tears – his sorrow painted all over his pained expression.

"Please…" He begged, quietly. "I can explain…–,"

As he reached out towards her, the scroll he received from the council that morning fell onto the grass below along with the letters from his pack. They went unnoticed by the feuding pair, peppering the grass with parchment. Anger and sadness pierced through her all at once from his last-ditch-effort. Struggling, she broke free from the sand's grasp, and bolted for the forest's edge. As the tree leaves swayed rapidly between them as the cool winds blew past, he could see the shape of a wolf looking back at him. Tears flowing from her eyes, sadness painted her beastly yet humanoid appearance as she stood in hurt silence from the cover of the forest – their pained expressions meeting in mutual devastation. In an instant before his eyes, a white blanket of thick fur coated over her as she rescinded her humanity and became a wolf. Her sudden form change startled him slightly. The beast's size even larger than he last remembered, nearly as large as the legendary direwolves of the Land of Frost yet smaller than Hanone once was. Bounding through the thicket and disappearing into the forest shadows, the large wolf vanished into the blackened thicket in a flash of white.

She was gone.

Shocked and saddened of what happened, he stood before the forest boundary in silence.

"Gaara!"

The shrill voice on the winds caught his attention. Turning towards the familiar voice, he seen his sister quickly approaching him from the Nara residence with her expression furrowed in anger. "Temari, I–,"

"What did you just do?!" She shouted, her storming approached solidified before him. "Do you have any idea how stupid that was?!"

Taken aback by his sister's words, he glared at her - trying to brush off what happened as he hid away his pain. "I'm the Kazekage," He spat through his teeth. "You can't talk down to me like a child." Averting her angry expression, he glanced to his side with his eyes closed halfway, trying to hide the sadness he felt from her. "I… had to tell her the truth, before it was too late. Besides, you wanted me to tell her... so I did nothing wrong."

"But it was too late! She's had feelings for you since ever! What in the hell did you think was going to happen?!"

Surprised from her rebuttal, he jolted. As he realized the tragic turn of their conversation, sorrow swept him. "She had to know what was to happen. She would've found out anyways. But still... -," His voice quieted. "The arranged marriage –,"

Sighing to herself, she placed her hands on her hips. "If you don't want to get married, then don't get married! Tell the council and apologize to her!"

"The council won't be easy to persuade. You heard from me last night, I already tried to –,"

"Ugh!" She groaned. "You men are so thick-headed, honestly!"

"Hey, hey," Turning towards the voice, the two Suna shinobi saw Shikamaru approach them from the porch, pausing before them in the courtyard. "Not all men, Temari."

"Shikamaru!" She barked, turning to him. "Stay out of this! This is a family affair, specifically the Kazekage clan!"

"Uh…" Shikamaru gulped. "S-Sorry." He sighed, dismayed by her shrill tone. He was not prepared for such a tongue-lashing so early in the morning. "I only came out here because I heard yelling. What's going on?"

With a groan, she walked over to him. Leaning towards him, she whispered in his ear while Gaara turned back towards the direction of the forest in silent sorrow. "Gaara and Nomasaki had a fight…"

"Ah…"

Catching her attention, Temari noticed the shape of a scroll and numerous letters by their feet. Upon the letters, she saw her friend's name etched onto them, along with letters that held no name at all. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she picked up the letters and examined them carefully. "Hm?" She rose a brow, flipping through them. "What are these?"

Her eyes widened.

Glimpsing at the scattered contents, she suddenly realized they were love letters. She saw it written clearly between the lines, within every held word and structured phrase. The evidence was directly in her fingers. And then she saw the words upon the final letter, "I love you". All frustration faded, her green eyes near glistening in realized hurt. "Are these -? Gaara, you didn't -!"

Grabbing the scroll from the ground before she noticed, he gave her a glance in anger. "Don't read those. They're mine -,"

"Are you seriously telling me you chose to leave behind this?" Temari glared back, holding up the unsent letters. "After everything that's happened? Well?"

"I told you." He shot back, his sands snatching the letters. "I don't exactly have a choice... even with the clause in place."

"What clause?"

Reluctantly, he passed her the scroll. Catching her attention, she saw the insignia of her village, 'Suna' written on the front. Taking it from his sands, she opened it and glancing over its contents. "What's this? Is this from the council?"

"Yes," He spoke, his tone quiet. "It's the notice I've received about the betrothal this morning. Nomasaki didn't have the chance to read it, but… that may have caused more damage if she did…"

"Let's see…" She sighed, scanning through its vast contents with narrowed green eyes inspecting every passage. Then, she saw something – her eyes slightly widening from the written words. "Hm? Strange..."

"What is it?"

"The rules of the betrothal…" She answered, looking up to him. "It says if you don't want to follow through with the Hoki Family's arrangement, you must have a bride from Suna that contains a bloodline from the village." Closing the scroll, she smirked to herself in her smug nature – baffled by their old-aged thinking. "It seems the council is dead-set on a marriage, huh? I didn't think they'd care that much."

"And?" Gaara stepped forward. "She was born in Yamagakure, in the Land of Mountains. How would that change anything?"

Turning to him, she gave him a stern look. "Her father is from Sunagakure," She explained. "So that means she has blood from the Sand in her veins, not just from Yamagakure. She's of the Sand – by blood, just as we are."

Surprised by the revelation, his ringed-eyes widened.

A glimmer of hope at last.

What she said was true – Nomasaki was not a full-blood citizen of Suna, but a half-blood nonetheless. The council would have no choice but to abide. "Of course!" He said, his tone sounding brighter than before. "Why didn't I realize it sooner?" He jolted. "But that means... I would have to -,"

"Marry Nomasaki. That's your loophole," Temari smirked. "If you want to go against the arranged marriage, that is."

"...The bastards want a heir badly, it seems." He grumbled. "But does it have to be this way? So... forced?"

Temari smirked. "If I were you, I would just play along for the ride. Talk to the council and tell them your decision, then find Nomasaki and apologize. And from there... who knows? I think she'll forgive you, but it won't be easy. She is a wolf, you know... and beasts don't exactly have very good tempers."

"And while I'm at it, I'll name Kankurō my heir should I... meet a premature end."

"There you go," Temari sighed. "Was that so hard? Jeez, this all could've been avoided if you decided this sooner than later."

After a shared glance, he turned back to the cover of the forest before them – eyeing the swaying tree leaves as he had a new mission he must complete. "Temari," He began, his voice calm. "We're returning to Sunagakure. I need to make things right, not just to the council… but with her." Sadly, he closed his eyes halfway while his gaze moved to the grass below. "I've… hurt her. The one thing I never wanted to do, and I did it without even realizing."

Sympathetically, she glanced at her younger sibling. She understood not only his political strife but his emotional struggles – especially considering it was her friend that was his object of affection. For years, she knew about Nomasaki's growing infatuation of her brother and his mutual feelings, although he was completely oblivious until it was too late to act. In typical 'Gaara' fashion, as she thought. Closing her eyes, she let out a tired sigh, smirking to herself with a small chuckle. "You never really had a good grasp on emotions, Gaara." Opening her eyes, she put her hands on her hips. "We should get a move on, then. The sooner we get to Sunagakure, the sooner you can set things right with Nomasaki and clear the air with the council." Trying to change the mood, she turned to him with a smirk. "Maybe try to pin the responsibility of saving the clan to Kankuro - have him marry that Hoki heiress instead. He could use some direction!"

"Do you think they'll listen?" He asked, second-guessing himself. "She's not a pure blood from Sunagakure, would that matter in their eyes?"

"It shouldn't," She replied, a light smile on her lips. "If the council doesn't agree, they're fools. You're the Kazekage! It shouldn't matter if you're married or not, that's your call. They'll have no choice but to bend to your will... if they want the bloodline of our ancestor to continue, that is. If you ask me, this is their mess."

Assured from her words, a small smile formed on his lips. Strangely enough, he was somewhat hopeful for the inevitable confrontation with the council. Setting those elders straight appealed to him, finally putting an end to their annoying squabbles. Putting his scroll and parchment back into his pack, he donned his cloak and hat and started off, with Temari soon accompanying him at his side.

"Alright, let's go."

"Oi, Temari," As she turned to the voice, she saw Shikamaru stepping towards them. "You two have safe travels." He said, with his casual friendly smirk. "Visit again soon. Perhaps under different circumstances?"

Smirking at his passive smile, Temari nodded back. "I'll be seeing you around. And I'm reclaiming my title as shogi master next time, too."

He chuckled to himself, faintly blushing from her taunt. "We'll see about that."

Rage blinded the beast.

Charging through the thicket, trees swept her by as her paws thundered on the forest floor. Snarls heaved through her jaws while she breathed the cold dead air in her nostrils. Shadows of green pines and bare tree trunks flew before her beastly purple eyes, her path set to the north. Anger propelled her, drowning out all her sorrow and hurt. By the scent of the winds, she was growing closer to the Land of Rivers. By day's end, she would be amongst the snows again. Yamagakure was her sanctuary, and she needed healing of the desperate sort. Maybe if she was lucky, her wolfish mind would forget all about Gaara and his impending marriage. After all, she was a wolf - and wolves did not belong with tanuki.

A wolf belongs to the pack, she remembered, And the pack is my clan.

Before long she saw white grace her vision.

Snow began to fall as she crossed the northwestern border, blinding her sight save for her senses. She could hear the snow crunching from the weight of her paws as she dashed against the blankets of white, the cold seeping through each press. This was where she belonged - in a world of never-ending winter. The desert was nothing but cruel to her and her blood, bringing her only suffering and heartbreak. She chose to leave it all behind, even if it meant running from her past. Soon enough, the skies turned dark and the snow turned into a blizzard.

And the beast kept on.

Snarls escaped her mighty jaws, the she-wolf sensing that strange chakra upon the winds. There were four of them chasing her, tailing her from beyond the snows that fell. Taking in their scent, the chakra burned her nostrils as rage filled her once more. It were as if the were mere shadows, dancing within the dark as they eyed their prey. Turning in her anger, the she-wolf decided that the hunters should become the hunted. Snapping her fanged jaws, she knocked aside the first one and evaded the other three. Sensing their whereabouts, she threw her large body towards them and slammed them towards the blankets of snow that lay upon the ground. Their figures were unseen - shadow upon shadow, with scarcely a fragment of allegiance or even armour.

They hardly felt even human.

Knocking them aside, the shadows narrowly evaded her vicious jaws. One of them tried to grab hold of her from the back, tugging on the thick fur of her back. With a rumbling growl, her body twisted and flailed until they let go - allowing the beast to strike them away. The others tried to tame her, capture her, gag her, but all had failed. As the snows grew blinding, the shadows danced a final time and struck again.

And as quickly as they appeared, they vanished.

Into nothing.