Chapter 53
A Night in Suna

Silently and without question, things have resumed to normal in Suna after the events in the Land of Mountains.

As the dead of winter reached its end, the Suna Council hosted its annual meeting with the ANBU and tracking unit to discuss the changing village security that came with the gratuitous peaceful times of post-war conflicts. One early morning within the council meeting chambers, the Kazekage sat before his council with the leaders of their respective organizations – the silent ANBU leader concealed by his cloth shroud and an empty seat for Commander Moro of the Suna tracking unit.

Moments before the meeting could begin, a masked shinobi entered the room after a polite knock and apology for their tardiness. As Gaara watched the tracker-nin take their seat, he could see the glint of their lilac eyes through their wolfish mask – Nomasaki. Although it has been weeks since their confession upon the mountaintop, their contact with another had been scarce due to both of their professions catching up to them – an influx of missions for Nomasaki, while in his case it was a growing pile of paperwork. With his face painted with a calm and stoic expression, he kept his feelings to himself while he listened to the ongoing meeting.

"So, in summary," A councilman reading the reports sighed. "The village is indeed secure with these peaceful times, but at the same time there is also room for improvements."

"What do you suggest?" Gaara asked, glancing at the faces sitting at the chamber's round table. "As respective organizations that keep Suna secure, we would highly value any input you may have."

As the silent ANBU leader reflected to himself, he slowly lifted himself from his seat – the gleam of his dark eyes meeting the young Kazekage across from him. "I'd like the Suna ANBU to have more of a strong presence at the gates and mansion entrance, as well as the main roads. That way, we can stop stressing about the outside and focus on maintaining order on the inside of our walls and borders." He said, catching the attention of the councilmen before them. "Our recruitment has also slowed down, so we would like to ask for additional funds to support that."

Watching the ANBU leader return to his seat, one of the councilmen eyed the masked tracker-nin beside the shrouded leader. Looking at her as if in a condescending manner, the essence of dismay was upon his tone. "What say you, proxy?" He began. "I take it Moro-sama had more important matters to attend to?"

"Yes," She nodded, her violet eyes meeting his gaze in calm retaliation from the menacing shape of her mask. "Moro-sama is currently on tracking unit-business, so he sent me in his stead." Looking towards the rest of the council, she stood from her seat as her calm voice reached every attendee – with Gaara listening closely to what she had to offer. "I suggest the same with the tracking unit, in regards to funds for furthering our recruitment. We're running low on shinobi as it is, so being able to hire the man-power would be much appreciated."

Reflecting to himself for a moment, Gaara gave a subtle nod towards the councilmen sitting in on the meeting. Standing before them, he placed his arms crossed behind his back, giving them a stoic expression in recognition. "Thank you all for your input. This meeting is adjourned."

After the meeting was finished, Nomasaki found herself summoned to his office shortly after once all the councilmen resumed their normal duties. Alone, she stood before him with a curious tint to her eyes behind her porcelain shroud – meeting his gaze that she could feel was carrying slight nervousness, which was much unlike him, she thought to herself.

"You sent for me, Kazekage-sama?" She asked, her voice calm and dutiful.

Averting his glance slightly as he sat in his chair, he focused on the growing amounts of paperwork on his desk. Hearing her call him by his formal title was becoming strange to him and offered the tinge of uncomfortable to his senses – reminding him of their changed statuses to each other since their time in Yama.

"You don't have to address me here," He said. "This is for… a domestic issue, not tracking-related."

Meeting her eyes as he turned to face her, he examined the detail to their beast-like mask. The red markings upon it mired her in mystery while its shape gave clue into who or what she truly was – a wolf of the desert. Finding amusement in her surprised glance towards him, he focused his undivided attention towards her.

"You can take your mask off."

Snapping off its hold from her face with the click of its strap, she moved her strands of gold from her vision so she could see him clearly. Going without her mask was still quite an adjustment for her, as well as meeting with the village leader behind closed doors. "My bad," She apologized, chuckling lightly to herself – holding her porcelain mask at her side. "I'm just so used to wearing it while on duty."

"I noticed you're Moro-sama's proxy. He must have great trust in you for the unit."

"Yeah. He's promoted me to his right-hand recently, so I've been busy on all fronts for the last while."

"I see. That's good. Your sensory skills are among the best in Suna, so they shouldn't go unnoticed."

Her glance becoming slightly nervous as she could feel the air of midday approach, she gave him a timid smile. "Not to sound rude, but I have a mission soon, so I'm running short on time. Was there something you needed from me?"

Catching his attention, he remembered why he called her into his office in the first place. Jarring his memory, he leaned back in his seat while he felt his hand flinch on its armrest. As he met her curious eyes of lilacs, he could feel his heart pound in his chest – startling him as he attempted to appear calm and collected. Surprising her slightly, she watched him approach her, pausing before her as she looked up to meet his ringed-eyes.

"Yes, well…" He began, his tone quiet, averting his glance to his side as he scratched the back of his head for a distraction. "When we were in Konoha a few weeks back, you said you wanted to 'make up for last time'…" As his face began to feel hot, he let his arms rest at his sides and eyed her with an expression of uncertain nervousness – a side of him rarely seen by others, including her. "Would you… want to… try that?"

Jolting from his words, her cheeks reddened as she took in his request. Timidly, she smiled up at him. "S-Sure," She nodded, her answer surprising him in silent relief. "I should be back from my assignment this evening. Would that be alright?"

"…Yeah," He nodded back, a soft smile on his lips – his nervousness receding. "I'll be finished up here around the same time."

Blushing, she smiled. "Great! I guess then… it's a… date."

"A date…" He repeated, averting his eyes from her in his returning shyness. "Yeah…"

After sharing a brief smile, she realized her strict schedule was creeping up on her. As she saw the midday sun beam through the window, she secured her wolfish mask back onto her guise. "I better get going, my assignment is about to start." She spoke, forming a hand-sign with her right hand. "I'll see you tonight!"

Within an instant, she vanished within the cover of a cloud of smoke – all evidence of her presence disappearing from his office as if in a wisp of the winds. As he stood in silence once he was alone, he soon realized what was to come in his future. And he needed advice on the matter as soon as possible.

Making his way to his siblings' living quarters after his work was finished, Gaara happened upon his older brother. Sitting on the floor fixing one of his many puppet projects that early evening, Kankuro turned to him as he heard the door close, catching his brief attention. Tired from his previous mission, the evidence of exhaustion was evident in his darkened eyes.

"Oi, Gaara," He said, raising a brow at his unexpected arrival home. "What's up?"

"Kankuro, I need... help."

"Help? With what, exactly? It's not like you to suddenly approach with something out of the blue like this."

His nervousness becoming apparent, Kankuro could sense the urgency faintly on his flustered expression. Pausing on his puppet after he tightened the last bolt, he placed his tools aside and examined his younger brother's nervousness, intriguing him yet striking him as suspiciously curious at the same time. It was unheard of to see him this way, he thought.

"I… I'm going –," Gaara began, averting his glance. "On a…–,"

"Yeah?" Kankuro pressed, confused. "Going where?"

"…date."

Springing up from his seated position on the carpeted floor, Kankuro grinned ear to ear as he stood before his timid-appearing sibling. "Ah, so you've finally mustered up the courage! It's Nomasaki, right? I mean, you did go to Yama just for her."

"Actually," Gaara fumbled, averting his gaze as he scratched the back of his head. "She was the one who asked… first. I just… reminded her."

"Wha–?! Really?!" Kankuro stammered, in shocked admiration. "That's brave of her! You aren't exactly the approachable type when it comes to this stuff."

Raising a non-existent brow, Gaara narrowed his eyes at him in a questioning nature. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, uh…" Kankuro sighed to himself at his brother's naivety. "You're very hard to read, you're also the Kazekage, so that's intimidating… And you don't understand women –,"

"What makes women so different?"

"Uh… No worries, I can help! Consider me your wingman!"

Confused by the term, Gaara was unsure of what it meant. "Wingman?"

"Ugh,"

Walking into the living room, Temari entered into the conversation, dismayed and humoured at her younger brother's attempt at seeming like a lady's man – knowing of all of his past failures and misconceptions of women. Not to mention, Kankuro liked to frequent the red-light district of the village when no one was aware. His history was full of holes - and nights spent drunk with his puppeteering teammates. Drawing their attention from her disappointed groan, they both turned towards her narrowed green eyes and crossed arms against her torso.

"Kankuro," She scoffed. "You've been on how many dates and not lasted in a single relationship?"

"It's not like I haven't been trying!" Kankuro barked back. "Suna women are so –,"

Shooting him a bitter and angry glare, Temari whipped her head towards him. "Say it, Kankuro! I dare you!" Flinching from her sudden reaction, Kankuro stopped talking – rightfully so. Sighing, she directed her attention to Gaara, who remained innocent in the respect of relationships. "Gaara, dating is very complicated and requires lots of preparation. Kankuro doesn't know what he's talking about… which is why I'll be helping you brush up on your etiquette! I can't afford to see you screw up with Nomasaki!"

Kankuro shuddered, reminding himself of a thought. "Not to mention... Nomasaki is a wolf. She could lose her temper pretty bad if you step on her toes with things. I mean, she's kind-natured and sort-of timid, but under all that... she's kind of terrifying."

"I know." Gaara said, remembering the tongue-lashing she gave when he confessed about the engagement. "But... I like terrifying."

Kankuro snorted a laugh. "You masochist."

Temari groaned, stomping her feet as she broke past her brothers. "Enough of this!"

Grabbing Gaara by the wrist, she started down the hallway of their residence. Surprising him from her sudden gesture and guide, his sand did not bother to stop her. "Uh, Temari?" He began, confused and slightly nervous. "What are you doing –? Where are you taking me?"

"You're going to get ready!"

Nearly an hour later, Gaara found himself sitting on a chair before his siblings near their bedrooms in the foyer. With a slightly uncomfortable expression on his pale face, he sat reluctantly before them with his crimson hair combed to the side and gelled and dressed in his burgundy jacket and pants, his gourd of sand noticeably absent. Not being used to his hair combed so strictly, he messed to its normal state it by running his hand through it.

"So… what exactly do I… do on one of these?"

"Talk about your interests!" Temari smiled. "Find something on common ground to talk about to break the ice. It's usually the hardest part. Conversation is very important."

"Well," He pondered. "I really like breeding cacti and botany. There's a species that grows in the Land of Frost she might be interested in, since she likes the cold. Some from her clan came from there, so maybe she'd be interested."

"I don't think she's really into plants that much, Gaara." She sighed, slightly embarrassed by his naivety. "But you can try it." Leaning in closer, her expression turned serious, glaring at him slightly. "Also be sure to compliment her! Make her feel comfortable. And most importantly, treat her with respect! Got it?"

"Got it."

Nodding in agreement, Kankuro closed his eyes, placing his hands on his hips. "And pay for her meal."

"She's a shinobi on a tracker salary," Gaara stated, standing up. "Is there a reason for her not to pay for her meal?"

"No, no," Kankuro explained. "Gaara, the guy has to pay on the date. That's how things work. It's being polite."

Temari glared at him, visibly annoyed. "That is totally not how things work!" She snarled towards him while Gaara witnessed their feud. "If she wants to pay, she can pay!"

"But she shouldn't pay because that would be disrespectful to Gaara's offer!"

"If she wants to pay, she has every right to do so! She doesn't owe him chivalry!"

Sensing their ongoing feud, Gaara backed off, heading towards the doorway as he realized the time. Sneaking past their attention, he grabbed his gourd and opened the door. "I'm going to leave now," He interrupted. "Thanks for the… advice."

It was not before long that nightfall soon approached.

With a gesture of springtime grace, the orange desert sun retreating beyond the cover of the clay cliffs that surrounded the village. Sitting at a bench-like table alone, Gaara waited for her to show up to the barbecue storefront. The decision was on their meeting location based upon how they both knew they ate meat, and it was strikingly similar to the place they ate together that time in Konoha. Evening had just gone by and the night was evident as the village streets began to go silent with clatter and hum with nightlife. While the crowds slowly dissipated, he looked towards the entrance – a rush of familiarity striking his vision. Making her way towards him, Nomasaki gave him a timid smile as they met eye contact that night.

"Sorry I'm late," She apologized, taking her seat across from him at the table. "My mission took a little longer than expected."

"No worries," He nodded, lightly smiling at her presence. "You're right on time."

Relieved, she smiled at his words. Looking into her lilac eyes across from him, he could feel his face begin to redden – the reality sinking in of what was happening. Temari's suggestion echoed in his mind as he pondered what to say – 'Also, be sure to compliment her'. As he looked at her timid and excited expression, he noticed her gold hair was neatly combed and soft, and she was wearing her favourite blue kimono-like dress, its white trim along its collar drawing his attention. A flush of red near crept to his cheeks, realizing how fair she was.

"You look… really good."

"O-Oh," She stammered, blushing from his observation. "T-Thank you."

Moments passed while they sat in shared conversation with each other, unaware of the bustling nightlife outside of their stall. "So," He started, thinking carefully of his words – once they were finished of their meals. "Forgive me if I never asked, but… what are your interests?"

Curiously, she looked up at him from her bowl. "Interests?" She repeated, poking her chin with her chopsticks. "I like to read. Fantasy novels are my favorite. I like being outside and seeing nature because… well, you know… my 'wolf' thing. Yamagakure has lots to see, so I often went exploring in my clan's forest."

Cautiously, he made his move. "Do you… like cacti?"

"Cacti?"

Upon seeing him nod in response, she smiled. "I think they're neat plants." She chuckled to herself. "I like the one that was just found in the Land of Frost, with the blue blossoms. It reminds me of the snow lilies in Yama."

Surprised and relieved of her answer, his expression became filled with relief – he found his common ground, as Temari told him earlier. "Really? That's great!" He spoke, enthusiastically. "I've started breeding cacti in my spare time, so I'm researching more into hybrid species. The Land of Frost species is one I'm currently reading up on."

"That's so cool!" She smiled, almost as excited as he was. "I never knew you were into botany like this. Do you breed them often?"

Averting his glance for a moment, he gave a small smile to himself to mask his faintly evident blushing. "If I wasn't Kazekage, I'd be a botanist." He said, humble. "I'm… still trying my hand at botany, though, when I have free time."

"I have a book on the herbs and plants of the Land of Wind. I think I got it from a thrift store. You can borrow it, if you want."

"Sure. I'm a collector of sorts for those books, so thank you."

As if natural, the conversation between the two continued until their green tea was gone from their cups.

Nighttime grew in the darkened skies, with midnight soon approaching. As they stood outside the shop to pay for their meals, she passed the cashier some bills and coin before he had a chance to even reach for his wallet – surprising him for a moment. "Thank you! Have a good evening!"

Once the server left, they started down the dimly lit village street together, walking side by side as the neon signs illuminated their path. "You didn't have to pay for the meal." He spoke, turning to her.

"I wanted to!" She smiled, walking beside him. "Just because you're the Kazekage doesn't mean I'll let you foot the bill every time." As she looked at his surprised and flustered expression from her response, her face turned bright red. Turning away, she tried to brush it off. "I-I mean… Next time, I'll pay. For the both of us." She gave a chuckle and smiled to herself. "Besides, I still owe you from the last time. I didn't mean to get drunk, but at least next time I do you won't be on the hook."

He could not help but smile back.

How strange it was to him to feel so comforted by another's mere presence. Just the sound of her laugh, her voice, her mumbling thoughts as she pieced her words together was enough to make him realize how much she meant to him. And he was comforted even more that she felt the same way about himself. Talking amongst the dimming lantern light, the sand from his gourd slowly pushed his hand to hers. Timidly, she took his hand as they made their way down the streets into the night.

Stopping by the park outside the plaza, they sat on a bench under a streetlight while the sounds of rowdy villagers at sake bars echoed in the ambience of the night around them – it was peaceful, almost. Sitting next to each other, there was still an awkward space between them, both being unsure of how to overcome the nerve to sit comfortably close together.

"Listen… Nomasaki," He started, looking across from where they sat. "I care about you, and I want to be with you." Glancing to his side, he played out his words carefully – allowing himself to become temporarily vulnerable. "I've never done anything like this before, so… I would like to take things slow, if that's alright with you."

Slightly surprised from his request, she smiled timidly. "O-Of course," She nodded. "I understand."

"Were you…" His words trailed, becoming troubled by the thought. Scratching the back of his head as he averted his gaze from her, he brought himself to ask the question. "Is this… your first date?"

Alarmed by his question, she felt her fingers flinch upon her lap – surprised and unsure of how to answer. Looking down, she gave a guilty smile. "Actually, no… I was… set-up on a blind date once."

"You were?"

Meeting his wide eyes, she met his glance with a sigh in embarrassment – her expression hiding her discontent with an air of calm. Remembering how she was lured by her friend to a date with a total stranger, she grimaced at the thought of how uncomfortable she was during the ordeal. "Meiyumi thought I was too lonely after I quit my job as your assistant. So before I left to live in Yamagakure, she went out of her way to lure me to an unsuspecting date with a fellow shinobi. He was nice. He talked a lot, even though I didn't because I wasn't too invested. I was more scared than anything. And when he realized who I was…–,"

In her mind, the young man's stammered yells rang through her ears as she remembered him cowardly standing from their table and bolting for the exit – making a public scene that late night months ago.

Seated alone as she waited for her medic-friend to show up, Nomasaki peered around the shop nervously as things suddenly grew crowded that Friday night. Meiyumi was not one for being late but it certainly was not the first time she took her sweet time arriving to meet with the timid tracker-nin. Hearing someone approach, she turned only to meet the face of a shinobi she never saw before. He was tall, sharp of jaw, and brown-haired, and introduced himself as Hidei. Before she knew it, Hidei sat at her table and started making conversation with eyes that looked at her as if she were something to decode. She could tell that he was rather interested, his heart being propelled by the want and chance of intimacy.

Her heart felt nothing but utter confusion and nervousness.

It was only twenty-minutes in that he asked her name and near fell from his seat in fear.

"Y-You're the…! You're the w-wolf!?" He stammered. "The foreigner–!?"

"Yes?" She rose a brow, watching him quiver. "Is there… something wrong?"

"I-I… g-gotta go, see you around!"

Only then as he fled did she realize Meiyumi was there to witness the entire thing.

Sighing awkwardly, she closed her eyes in embarrassment. "He basically ran."

Looking down at the ground at his feet and averting his glance, he closed his eyes halfway in understanding – feeling bad for asking her the question in the first place. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," She assured. "I was kind of glad he was gone, although he didn't have to flee from the restaurant like he did…" Averting her glance, she timidly smiled to herself. "Also, I… couldn't get past my crush on you, so I was interested in someone else anyways." Her hands gripping the bench tighter, she prepared herself for what she was going to tell him as she looked down at her lap. "If I can make a confession, I've… loved you for a long time."

Surprised, he turned to her, their eyes once again meeting in the night. "How long?"

"Remember that time you saved me from the assassin during our mission to Ishigakure?" Upon seeing him nod, she smiled warmly. "I've had feelings for you ever since."

For a moment, his eyes widened from her confession. All those years. Looking down, he smiled gently to himself – Hanone was right after all.

"But I was afraid you thought I was weird," She sighed. "I'm awkward, anxious, and I'm a wolf… so for a long time, I thought you deserved better."

Leaning forward, he gazed ahead into the streets, his turquoise eyes narrowing, sadly, almost. "Trust me, I'm the weird one," He corrected. "I was a jinchuriki with a… dark past. I'm from the Kazekage clan, and I'm the Fifth Kazekage."

"But you had the fangirls, remember? Like Matsuri, your old student - and that Sari." She chuckled. "They were amusing to watch, when I was your assistant back then. But they never did like me, even if all I ever said to them was 'hello' or a quick nod as I walked past."

"I did?" He was confused. "Matsuri was an academy student when I trained her, and Sari was her teammate."

"You didn't notice?" Looking up at the night sky, she smiled. "Well, that's kind of you. It's also nice to know they grew out of it. Maybe I should invite them out for dumplings some time. Meiyumi knows Sari pretty well, she said she's quite nice. And if I'm going to be living here for a while, I should make some friends. Don't you think?" His silence prompted her curiosity. "Gaara?"

"Also," He started. "I… had feelings for you, for a while."

Her cheeks tinted pink in the night, she looked at him with her lilac eyes wide and amazed. "R-Really?"

After giving her a nod, he looked up at the stars, and her gaze soon followed his. "It was the same moment as you. Since that mission we had together, before the Fourth Shinobi War. When I… ran to protect you." Turning to her beside him, his ringed-eyes gazed at her in a protective nature as he felt the words leave his lips – the truth finally slipping out. "That's when I realized."

Softly, a light stream of sand moved her hand to his as they sat on the bench together. Startling her slightly from its touch, she glanced at him then to their hands upon the cold cobble bench. Noticing his gesture of closeness, she smiled warmly to herself as her eyes closed halfway, accepting his affection.

"May I… walk you home?" He asked, turning to her. "It's getting late."

A gentle expression upon her face, she nodded. "Yeah, I would like that."

While midnight soon made its approach, they reached the steps towards her apartment building outside the village plaza. Standing before the doorway of the alleyway complex, Gaara looked at her with a warm yet timid expression.

"Let's do this again… sometime." He spoke.

"Yes, of course!" She nodded, softly smiling. "Um," Turning to her door as she found her keys in her satchel, she looked back to his curious glance. "Did you… want to come inside?"

Slightly catching him off guard, he was surprised by her offer. He was never inside her home before, not even for a casual visit. The thought made him nervous, although he knew he had to sooner or later. "I should be heading back. I have tasks I must do early in the morning. Chunin Exams are arriving, so I have to help out on that front."

"Okay," She nodded. "Well, I'm turning in for the night. I'll be seeing you."

Stepping towards her apartment door, she turned back to him, meeting his curious and confused glance from his ringed-eyes as she paused before him with a timid expression painted on her porcelain face. Surprising him, she gently kissed his cheek as they stood upon her step. Meeting his gaze as they parted ways, she warmly smiled.

"Goodnight!"

Turning swiftly, she entered her apartment, closing the door behind her. Stunned and faintly blushing from what happened, he placed his hand on the cheek she kissed.

"G… Goodnight."

Once he got home that late night, he retired to his darkened bedroom at the end of the corridor in his family's residence. In the spacious room, cacti littered the windowsill and dresser, while books were scattered in every crevice and shelf possible. On his bed, he looked up at the worn ceiling above, his arms folded behind his head while he thought about the events fresh in his mind. Yama, the mysterious armoured assassin, and his realized love for his former assistant and confidante. As the moonlight lit the room, he looked at his open palm for a moment, the light fragments grazing his fingers. The memory of his hand in hers entering his mind, he remembered how soft and delicate her fingers were, how she flinched at the first touch, and how she accepted the gesture willingly. Returning his hand behind his head on the pillow where he would have troubled sleeps, he gazed back to the ceiling.

He closed his eyes halfway, gently smiling to himself.

"A wolf, huh?"

Notes: Song recommendation / / "A Werewolf" by Attic Basement