Chapter 55
Kazekage's Secret

The journey was an uneventful one.

Partnered with Temari for the first time in years, Nomasaki enjoyed her company thoroughly. The desert passed them by as if in a moment's notice, with the two taking their leisure to stop at tea shops for rest. Making japes and blasting off would-be mercenaries with her war-fan, Temari proved to be quite the entertaining and comforting companion. She did not even question when Nomasaki would enter her wolf-form and scour the forested lands for a fresh kill - usually boar or a great stag. However, awkwardness soon ensued when the subject of Gaara was brought up in conversation during one of their stops. Not even the shared friendship between the kunoichi was exempt from Nomasaki's timid explanations. The new relationship between Nomasaki and Temari's youngest brother was an expected one, but it still made for cautious tread.

"I already know, Nomasaki."

Her hand flinched onto her tea, her cheeks nervously blushing. "Y-You do?"

"Gaara told me everything." Temari smirked, leaning back into her seat. "I think he finally understands now, even if he is still sort of clueless."

Nomasaki averted her eyes to the table, warmed of his memory. "H-He's very kind." A soft smile formed on her lips. "I think he's just... shy."

"Shy? Well that's an interesting thing to call him." Temari snickered. "I could never imagine someone calling Gaara of the Sand Waterfall shy."

Nomasaki shared the sentiment, chuckling to herself. "It is funny, to think of it that way."

"I suppose it's only fair I tell you... what's going on with me, since I made you uncomfortable first."

Catching the hesitation in Temari's voice, Nomasaki looked up to meet her face. "What do you mean?"

"That Nara guy, Shikamaru... we're sort of... seeing each other." Temari admitted, her arms crossed against her chest and green eyes averted to the side. But despite her tough exterior, her cheeks reddened by each second. A thought suddenly ran through her, provoking her to glare darkly at the kunoichi who sat across from her. "Don't you dare say a word to those damned councillors, alright?! They near tried to push Gaara into a corner but I'm not falling for it that easy! I don't care if my clan is in jeopardy... I'm letting those traditions die with me."

It was enough to make Nomasaki flinch.

Taken aback by the temper, she nodded. "I won't. Promise." She assured, smiling timidly. "Besides, I figured that... you were seeing him anyways."

"Was it that obvious?" Upon seeing Nomasaki's snickering face, Temari sighed. Falling back into her seat, she closed her eyes and placed a hand at her tea. "Shit... Well, at least it won't matter too much in a few weeks. Once these exams are over, I'm moving to Konoha."

Nomasaki leaned forward, curious. "Really?"

Temari nodded, taking a final sip of her green beverage. "It'll be an adjustment, but it sure will beat living in a desert for the rest of my life." Resting the cup down with a clunk against the wooden table, she eyed her face with curiousness. "Are you thinking of going back to Yamagakure anytime soon? I'm sure Gaara won't mind too much if you go back and forth."

Nomasaki's heart froze.

All she could remember was the foe she saw obliterated amongst the snows - the one who wanted her in exchange for her village's survival. She wanted nothing more than to have the freedom to return, but it seemed those mysterious foes had other plans. If only she were free from all her burdens - but the curse mark against her tongue reminded her otherwise. Placing her cup onto the table, she kept her glance low to her lap.

"That's... something I'm trying to figure out. Maybe someday, but for now I'm content with staying in Suna."

The Land of Rivers grew larger behind them as they neared the border to the Land of Fire.

Leaving the tea shop behind, they stopped to make camp near the border outskirts.

Conversation grew scarce as the night grew. At least in earnest, Temari felt comfortable enough to tell Nomasaki of her relationship to Shikamaru. It felt as if the two years spent in separate lands was nonexistent between the two kunoichi - even with the silence in between them. On that campfire lit night during their travels, Temari let slip before going to sleep that she thought of Nomasaki as a 'little sister'.

"You're like family to us now... so don't expect to get away with anything, you hear me?"

She was warmed by the gesture - albeit, a sleep-induced murmuring.

"...Thanks, Temari-senpai."

"Oi! Stop calling me that! We're the same rank, damn it!"

Dawn arrived, and the spring was close behind it.

At the break of sun that next morning, the two Suna women approached the village gates of Konohagakure through the waking forest, the once brittle branches beaming with life as a hint of winter's end danced on the air. Draped in their mission attire, Temari and Nomasaki stepped along the cobble path leading through the village's entrance, prepared to face the exams as Ambassador and proctor, respectively. As they made their way towards the towering gates that guarded the village entrance, a familiar face was seen leaning against the giant doors that welcomed them – their expression worn and tired.

"So, you've arrived. And not a minute too soon."

Realizing who it was, Temari smiled as she turned to meet his glance, the two Suna shinobi paused before him. "Shikamaru," She spoke. "Still waiting for that shogi rematch, right?"

"Don't count on it," He yawned. "I'm running on empty here with the exams. I'll be lucky if I can get through the first phase without falling asleep."

"Then don't be so lazy!" She scoffed, playfully. "Seriously, you're a Jonin! You should be able to manage a reasonable sleep-schedule!"

Sensing the tension and feeling uncomfortable from her unsuspected sarcasm, Nomasaki clutched the straps of her backpack, lightly nudging her friend's elbow. "Uh, Temari?"

"O-Oh," Looking to Nomasaki, she glanced back to Shikamaru, gesturing to her socially awkward friend at her side. "You remember, Nomasaki. Eh, Shikamaru?"

Slightly caught off guard due to his tiredness, glanced at her strange violet eyes, remembering their last encounter after her drunken arrival to his residence late in the night. Fresh in his memory was the scene of witnessing her and Gaara yell at each other in his clan's courtyard about the secret arranged marriage, watching her storm off into the forest while the Kazekage shouted for her to come back.

It was an awkward second meeting, for sure.

"Oh, yeah," He nodded, turning to her, brushing aside the thought. "How are things, by the way? Much better than last time, I take it?"

"M-Much better!" Nomasaki beamed, her voice stammering. Pondering of what to say next, she thought of the newly developing romance that she kept to herself, the thought warming her in the cool winds of the fading winter. "I'm... actually seeing Ga–,"

"Nomasaki got asked to be a proctor from Suna. Gaara sent her to accompany me."

"Temari…?" Nomasaki asked, surprised and confused by her sudden interruption, catching the cold tone of her voice.

"Shh…!" Temari leaned in, whispering in her ear. "Don't say anything about you and Gaara yet…! The council is still pretty sour about that arranged marriage falling through… Remember that Gaara asked you to keep it on the down-low…!"

Jolting her for a moment, she then realized the reasoning – remembering his parting words to her only days before. Sadly, she averted her glance from her friend, swallowing her pride. "Oh… right… I'm sorry."

"Nice," Shikamaru smiled, unaware of their hushed conversation, drawing her gaze to him. "Since it's your first time being involved in the Chunin Exams as a proctor, I'll be sure to give you the run down. Kakashi-sama asked the Chunin Exams Committee to place you in the second phase, the Forest of Death. Since you are 'one with nature' if I can stretch the truth a bit."

"R-Right," She nodded, awkwardly, giving a light smile. "I guess they had my Kekkei Genkai in mind, then."

Gesturing to the village streets behind them, Shikamaru turned his stance upon the cobble at their feet, ready to lead the way towards their next destination. "I'll show you two where you'll be staying during the exams–,"

"Shikamaru!" Suddenly, a wild-looking young man riding a large white dog slammed onto the marble entrance before them, an excited grin painted upon his bearded expression. "You wouldn't believe what just happened to me and Akamaru!" Kiba beamed, turning to his animal companion. "Right, Akamaru?" Loudly, the white dog he was sitting on gave a deep bark as a response, its fur ruffled from its stance.

"Ugh, Kiba," Shikamaru groaned, dismayed by the interruption. "What is it now? I told you before, video-chats aren't that complicated. You just turn on the–,"

"Not that!" Kiba barked, hopping off the back of his dog to stand before him. "I was going to–,"

Entering his senses, his sense of smell jolted him from the scent of a nearby creature. In surprise, his beastly eyes widened as he absorbed the presence of something strangely alluring and dangerous – enticing him and striking his amazed curiosity.

"What the…?!" He stammered, looking around as he followed the scent from his nostrils. Shocked, he turned directly towards the Suna shinobi before him – looking directly towards Nomasaki with a wide stare of intrigue. "A… A wolf?!"

Meeting his glance towards her, her expression grew dismayed and visibly annoyed. Despite her familiarity with the village to the far east from her home, the vapid stench of dog still bothered her with each breath from her sensitive nostrils – and now she met the source.

Inuzuka Kiba.

"Hello, dog…" She muttered under her breath, a faint snarl on her tongue.

"Nomasaki…!" Temari nudged her, whispering. "Contain yourself…!"

"I can't help it," She whispered back, meeting her annoyed glance. "You know I don't like dogs…!"

"So," Kiba jumped in front of her, attempting to act cool and alluring. "When did you roll into town? I've never met a wolf before!"

"Kiba," Shikamaru groaned. "Don't flirt with our Suna proctor, she's a guest for the exams."

"Suna?!" Kiba repeated, shocked, whipping his head towards her. "What's a wolf doing there? Shouldn't you be in the mountains? Are you sure you're not a jackal or something?"

Keeping her composure, she felt her eyebrow twitch and her lips curl into a forming snarl, sensing her canines pulse within her silent jaws – attempting to keep her anger at bay for his lack of understanding personal boundaries, especially with a stranger. To her internal surprise, it was the first time someone was actively intrigued and interested by her heritage and bloodline – if only the person was not behaving so intrusively.

"Long story short," She spoke, biting her tongue. "I immigrated."

"Ah," He sighed, his cheeks reddening. "So your name? What is it? 'Tsubaki', I'm guessing?"

"Nomasaki."

"That's a weird name! What about your clan? Maybe we're from sister-clans?"

"We should get going," Shikamaru reminded, as he started to walk into the village streets behind where they stood. "The proctor orientation starts in an hour, we don't exactly have much time to kill with conversation."

"Come on!" Kiba groaned, dismayed at the sight of them leaving. "Chill out, Shikamaru! I'm just asking–,"

Akamaru barked in dismay alongside him, voicing his discontent along with his master. Suddenly, Nomasaki's head whipped towards them catching his glance. Horrifying him, her expression morphed into that of a snarling beast, equipped with fangs and menacing wolfish eyes. A monster. Shocked, he flinched in response, with Akamaru growling fearfully in response to the wolf, his back arched in preparation to attack. Giving her head a shake as she walked on, her wolf features disappeared, walking alongside Temari with her face painted with a smile – satisfied by his fear and hoping that he would leave her alone.

"You didn't have to scare him with that," Temari chuckled, noticing the brief interaction from the corner of her eye. "I thought he was seriously going to pee himself."

"I wanted to," Nomasaki replied, smirking up at her. "Since he was interested in my wolfishness, I gave him a front-row seat."

"You're right," She agreed. "But wolves should pick on something their own size, don't you think?"

Nomasaki chuckled in response, walking alongside her friend. "As should mutts."

Suddenly, freezing her in her path, she suddenly sensed an alarming presence enter her mind – the chilling feeling of someone watching her trembling down her spine. The chakra was faint, although still exerting a threatening presence. Through her senses, her instincts were on high guard. A hint of bloodlust lingered on the dull winds around her. Glancing towards the direction of their foul strength, she stood on high-alert, trying not to draw attention to herself for fear of attack.

"Huh? What's wrong, Nomasaki?"

Startling her, her turned towards her curious friend's glance, pausing to see what the fuss was about. Meeting Temari's narrowed emerald eyes, she reluctantly brushed off the unsettling feeling she felt upon the winds, catching up to her and Shikamaru. "Nothing, I'm sorry."

As the two Suna kunoichi departed to the heart of the village hidden amongst the tree leaves, a figure veiled in black watched from upon the nearby cliffside, examining their path with menacing dark eyes as they disappeared into the shadows of the forest, concealed in darkness.

Vanishing among the winds.

The Chunin Exams drew closer.

Later that day around noon, the selected proctors from each participating village were gathered into the orientation hall of the Konohagakure Ninja Academy. Within each row of proctors were shinobi of Suna, Iwa, Kiri, Kumo, and Konoha, with scattered representatives from the small villages of Takigakure and Amegakure sitting in amongst the large group of shinobi. Within the middle row, Nomasaki sat in her assigned seat around people she never once met nor seen before, timidly keeping to herself and glancing at the pile of forms placed on her desk. Before the new proctors at the front of the classroom was a towering man covered in scars and a stone-faced expression as if carved from slate – reminding her of Commander Moro.

"For the Forest of Death, all proctors assigned to the simulation grounds must remain unseen by participants unless they suspect cheating or death," His thundering voice continued. "The second stage is three days in length, so be sure to remember your rotating shifts at the tower. By looking at the forms in front of you, you can see the completion records dating back to…–,"

Drawing her attention to the scattered forms before her, she scanned the parchments as the instructor's voice entered the background of her focus. As she read the page regarding the Forest of Death, she saw the completion records that were mentioned. Surprising her, at the top of the leaderboard she saw Gaara's name, along with the names of his siblings, ranked at the top – completing the Forest of Death in less than twenty-four hours, a record-breaking time of one hour and thirty-seven minutes. Remembering what he previously told her about the failed Konoha Invasion plotted by his late father and the legendary fiend Orochimaru, she looked on at the mention of his name in sympathy – remembering the subtle hurt upon his tone for participating in such a doomed venture. Knowing how far he came since that time, she thought of him fondly to herself – admiring the man who she held in her arms only days ago for all that he was. As the instructor moved on to further details, she directed her attention towards the front of the classroom, taking in the procedures that needed to be done for the upcoming exams.

When the evening made its approach, the orientation finally wrapped up, with all of the newly assigned proctors going their separate ways until the exams were set to begin the next day. Making her way to the winding corridor of the building, she could feel Temari's chakra on her senses. As she could catch a glimpse of her friend at the far-end of the hallway, she approached her. Sensing someone behind her, Temari turned towards her, giving a smile in a familiarity.

"Nomasaki," She spoke. "Did you finish your orientation?"

"Yeah," Nomasaki nodded. "And you?"

"They have me sitting in for the written portion of the exam," Temari sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "I thought they'd keep the village representatives together, but maybe Konoha wants to extend the 'friendly' approach amongst the villages? Even so, my duties as Ambassador just got more hectic thanks to this abrupt change in schedule."

"Hey, Temari!"

Turning towards the friendly tone, the two Suna kunoichi directed their attention towards the hallway. Approaching them was a young woman dressed in a red qipao dress with a pleasant expression painted on her green eyes, her pale pink hair bouncing on her shoulders as she came to a stop before them – Haruno Sakura. Slightly surprised to finally meet the well-known medic from the Fourth Shinobi War, Nomasaki stood in silence as she paused before them – remembering that Sakura was the kunoichi who saved Kankurō from Sasori's deadly poison nearly five years ago.

"Sakura," Temari said. "What brings you here?"

"I'm acting as the Medical Officer for the exams," Sakura replied, a friendly smile on her lips. "A bunch of us are going to grab a bite to eat now that the orientation's finished. Did you want to join?"

"I would, but I have some things here to take care of, reports and whatnot." Glancing at Nomasaki from the corner of her eye, she smirked to herself, placing her palm upon her shoulder – startling her from her awkward silence. "But my friend here would be able to!"

Nervously, Nomasaki looked up to her friend. "Temari…–!"

"You seem familiar," Sakura smiled, vaguely remembering a glimpse of her from the war – her strange violet eyes striking her memory. "You're from Sunagakure, right?"

"Yeah," Nomasaki nodded, with a timid smile. "Nomasaki."

"Ah, I remember you!"

From the chattering crowd behind them at the classroom doorway, Sakura's eagerly sociable friend joined in – a tall, slender blonde dressed elegantly in a revealing purple garb - Yamanaka Ino. "You fought with us in the war! Fourth Division, right?"

"Yeah," Nomasaki replied, her nervousness slowly slipping away from her tone – glancing at the two Konoha kunoichi before her. "It's nice to meet you."

"Sakura," Ino whispered in her friend's ear, gesturing towards the exit with an annoyed glance. "We should get going before the shop fills up…!"

"Oh, right!" Sakura jolted, remembering the time.

Following the two women, Nomasaki paused, glancing back at her friend who stood in the hall. "Temari?"

"I'll catch up later," Temari said. "I got some things here to sort out."

"Are you sure? I can wait for you."

"Not necessary! Go out and enjoy yourself."

After exchanging a timid and warm nod, Nomasaki continued on her way with Sakura and Ino towards the village streets that evening. Realizing she forgot to say something, Temari's memory jolted – an urgent expression on her face.

"Just don't drink the sake like last time!"

The nightlife of the village was even louder than that of Suna.

When the night approached, Nomasaki found herself seated between the two kunoichi and their friend who joined in after returning from her mission – Tenten. At a loud restaurant stall, the four young women sat before trays of anko dumplings – conversing about the impending exams that were less than twenty-four hours away as the loud distant voices of nightlife filled the village air with the thin glow of the neon signs that lined the streets.

"I mean, who are they kidding?" Ino scoffed to herself, stuffing her face in the process. "The exams start tomorrow. I've already had to change my entire shift schedule with the flower shop because of their last-minute changes!"

"Well," Sakura sighed, placing her palm under her chin, worn out from the day's briefings. "If they plan on doing the exams like this, it's best to work out the kinks before something goes wrong."

"Nothing could go as wrong as our first attempt at the Chūnin Exams," Tenten added, a light chuckle to her voice. "Remember?"

"How can I forget…" Ino sighed. "It was an international crisis! The Third Hokage was killed by that criminal Orochimaru... did you hear he was pardoned?"

"Hm," Sakura nodded, unsettled. "Hokage-sama did so because of the war. Without his help, the outcome may have been different. Same as why he pardoned Sasuke–,"

"And don't forget – that sand-creep fought Sasuke in the final matches and next thing we know – Otogakure and Suna are attacking–!?"

"Ino...!"

Sakura's concerned glance towards her gave her the signal to stop talking. Curious as to why, Ino followed Sakura's head-nods to the silent Suna kunoichi who timidly sat close by at the stall. Flinching slightly in error, Ino let out a sigh. "But ya know – the times have changed. I mean, that so-called sand-creep is the Kazekage now and those villages are allies."

Remaining silent to herself, Nomasaki reflected on their words as she remembered the stories Gaara told her about those dark days. She could not really blame them for remembering him that way, she thought – she probably would have too if she had taken the exams at that time. Still, the fact that they recognized him as what he was, the Kazekage, made her feel assured.

"Did you take the Chūnin Exams back then?" Sakura asked, turning to her silent acquaintance at her side.

"Me?" Nomasaki turned to her, slightly alarmed by the question – interrupting her from her timid thoughts. "No," She smiled, lightly, clutching her cup of water in her hands at the counter. "I was… living in Yamagakure at the time."

"Yamagakure?" Ino joined in, curiously.

"That's my homeland," Nomasaki replied, a friendly smile upon her face. "I'm actually an emigrate from the Land of Mountains." Thinking to herself, she gently smiled as she acknowledged her growth over the years – it made her proud. "It's funny… I was never destined to become a shinobi, but I ended up becoming one in Suna, nonetheless. It makes me wonder if destiny really exists. But I've come to realize it's something you choose, just as I chose the path to be a kunoichi."

"That's so interesting," Sakura beamed, astonished by her story. "I can't imagine journeying through the desert, let alone the mountains!"

"It gets easier." Nomasaki smiled, a warm chuckle present on her breath.

"Ah, look! The sake arrived!"

Catching the scent of alcohol on their table, Nomasaki's eyes glanced at the tray of shot glasses laid out for them on a silver tray. Watching her new friends take their shots with laughs and gasps of brief disgust, she hesitantly reached for hers – remembering the embarrassment she caused Gaara and Temari last time she mixed with sake. Never again, she thought to herself. "Should I…?" She whispered to herself, holding her glass of weakness before her, peering into it with a nervous glance.

"Nomasaki," Sakura spoke, turning to her, noticing her worried expression. "Are you going to take your shot?"

Thinking it over, Nomasaki gave in to her gut. "I guess one shot wouldn't hurt much…"

Hours later into the night, at the same stall on the village street, Nomasaki was slinging back a shot of sake – while Sakura, Ino, and Tenten watched in horror as she accidentally drank herself into a stupor. Disturbing them, their new friend from desert lands was not handling her alcohol very well.

"N-Nomasaki!" Sakura stammered, horrified. "That's your eighth one!"

Attempting to reach out to her, she remembered what she muttered to her only a few moments earlier – Kekkei Genkai, wolves, fangs, beasts. Hesitantly, she retracted her hand, nervous at the thought of her lashing out in drunken anger – and wondering if the slurred words she spoke about her nature were true.

At this rate, we'll have to carry her home, Sakura thought to her, witnessing her friend's unquenchable thirst for alcohol, Who knew she'd be such a light-weight…!

Rocking back and forth, drunkenly, Nomasaki placed her elbows on the counter, looking up at her with a wide, reddened grin. "I'll be FINE… trust me, I can handle my sake like a dream!" She slurred. "I've only drank once before this, so I got lots of practice."

"Once?!" Ino gasped. "That's not enough to know! You're cut off–!"

As Ino reached out to stop her from taking another shot, Sakura stopped her – grasping her wrist before she had a chance to come into contact with Nomasaki's hand. "Ino…!"

"Eh?"

Leaning in her ear, Sakura whispered to her. "She's got fangs," She hushed. "She might bite…!"

"O-Oh, really?" Ino stammered, shocked by what she was hearing. "Wait… what?!"

"What are you whispering?" Nomasaki questioned them slowly, raising a brow. "Are you... talking about me?"

"U-Uh, nothing! Nothing at all! Hahaha!" Ino lied, nervously, sensing a bead of sweat on her forehead. Changing the subject, she leaned in towards her, putting on a happy facade. "So Nomasaki, we wanna know… Are you… seeing anyone?"

"I can see you right in front of me!" Nomasaki huffed, in a slurred way. "There's one, two… two? No, three… Three? Yeah, three."

Sighing to herself, Tenten sat embarrassed as she watched the conversation transpire before her. As the only truly sober person there, she was definitely going to be the one responsible for getting them all home – and she was already regretting when that moment would arrive. She's really drunk… Hopefully she's not a headcase like Lee…

"No, no, not that!" Ino corrected. "We mean like dating! So, spill it! What's the scene like? Any cute Sunagakure guys got your eye?"

"Ah," Nomasaki sighed, leaning back in her seat. Instantly, her 'secret' lover came to mind. As she thought about him, she began to blush wildly, uninhibited. "Well… I've been seeing this guy for over a month now, and he's really cute!"

"Ooo! Amazing! Tell us more!" Sakura pressed, excitedly. "What's he like?"

Lost in her drunken thoughts, Nomasaki closed her eyes as she thought of him, feeling her flushed cheeks feel hot. "He's sweet, kinda shy, and he's worried to death about me being a proctor!" She gushed. "He's a great listener, too."

"Ah! What does he look like?" Ino leaned in. "Tall? Dark? Handsome?"

"Well, he's taller than me… He has messy red hair… and he's super handsome!" Glancing to her side, she blushed again, giggling to herself. Leaning in towards Sakura and Ino, she grinned mischievously. "He's got a cute butt, too…!"

From her drunken words, Sakura began to slowly piece them together – messy red hair. Sunagakure. Her memory suddenly jolted, realizing the answer her drunken friend was dancing around. Shocked, her eyes widened from her assumption – was it 'him'? She grew stunned. Wait a second… she can't mean…?!

Reaching the same shocking conclusion, Ino held back her temptation to use her Mind Transfer, hesitantly – desperately wanting to know the truth. Tall…? Red hair…?! Wait… does he have a cute butt…? I can't remember…

"Nomasaki," Sakura leaned in, urgently. "Can you tell us his name?!"

"His… name?" Nomasaki repeated, slurred.

"Yeah!" Ino nodded, leaning in closer. "We really REALLY wanna know!"

"Yeah!" Sakura chimed in. "Tell us! Now! We have to know!"

"Spill it!" Ino shouted, excited. "Tell us!"

"Guys," Tenten chimed in, nervously. "Tone it back a bit, she's very drunk! You might overwhelm her."

Smiling widely from ear to ear as she lay her torso on the counter, Nomasaki blushed wildly from the thought of him – ready to tell them who her lover's true identity. "His name is Ga–,"

"Again?!" Suddenly, Temari stormed in their stall from the street-side, surprising everyone at the counter. "Seriously, Nomasaki?!" She groaned, visibly annoyed. "You know you can't handle alcohol or keep secrets!"

"T-Temari?!" Sakura stammered, awkwardly.

"Hi, Temari…" Nomasaki hiccupped, speaking very slurred and slow. "Come… sit down with us… we are ~drinking~…!"

Pulling up her sleeves, Temari put Nomasaki's arm over her shoulder – her body having the same dexterity as a ragdoll. "Come on," She sighed. "I'm taking you to bed."

As the two started for their room at the inn, Nomasaki drunkenly waved the Konoha kunoichi goodbye. "Bye, guys," She yawned, intoxicated. "I'm going to take a nap…! See you at… the big day…!"

Once the Suna women were gone, Sakura and Ino turned to each other, speaking in hushed tones. "Shit!" Ino groaned. "We were so close to figuring it out!"

"Ugh… Yeah," Sakura agreed, closing her eyes with a sigh. "But… could she really be with him?! I thought he was… You know...? Guess we were wrong about that."

Ino crossed her arms, nodding her head in approval. "If so, I respect her big time!" She smirked, satisfied. "She landed a Kage, that's crazy! And the stoic-cool-type, too." Opening her pale blue eyes, she grinned at her in a teasing manner. "Almost as impressive as you, Sakura… being that you got Sasuke!"

Surprised by her words, Sakura began to blush. The mere sound of his name made her excited with the thought of seeing him again. She could hardly contain herself. And she knew he had to return to Konoha soon. "I-Ino…," She stammered, flustered.

"She seems nice," Tenten sighed, twirling a kunai. "But maybe adding alcohol wasn't the best way of getting to know her…"

They entered the inn with a thud.

Once they reached their room at the crowded and noisy inn that night, Temari was gathering her things before heading to bed, while Nomasaki laid on the couch with a blanket draped over her. With her face woozy and reddened from her unquenchable taste in alcohol, she looked up at the white ceiling above, her tiredness catching up with her.

"Temari,"

Turning to her friend, Temari took out the ribbons holding her pigtails as she sat before her pack on the floor. "What is it?"

"Why can't I… No," Nomasaki corrected, sounding more coherent. "Why doesn't he want anyone to know that we're… together? I don't understand… You and Kankurō know, but no one else can… So… why is that?"

"I told you," Temari began with a sigh. "He doesn't want the council to be angry. You're from a different clan, they're old-school so they–,"

"No… That's not it…" Flipping her body around on the couch, Nomasaki placed her folded arms under her chin, resting on the arm of the sofa – her eyes drunken and puffy, yet narrowed in suspicion at her friend while she watched her brush her sandy blonde hair. "The alcohol is wearing off, but my senses can tell. Are you… lying to me?"

Walking towards her with a tired sigh, Temari sat down on the floor near the couch before her. "Don't tell Gaara I told you, but," She spoke, hushed. "…He doesn't want to tell anyone yet because he's… nervous."

Her flushed expression calming, Nomasaki looked upon her friend with surprise tinted upon her glance, confused by her choice of words. "Why would he… be nervous?"

"He loves you," Temari smiled, warmly. "He just… sucks at showing his emotions, or even expressing them. Remember, it's Gaara we're talking about." Comfortingly, she placed her hand on Nomasaki's arm in a friendly manner. "He's a very private person. You of all people should know that."

Watching Temari make her way towards the bed in the far side of the room, Nomasaki huddled back into her blanket cover on the couch, feeling herself become unusually timid. "Temari, can I tell you… a secret…?"

"Hm? What's that?"

Retreating back to the cushions of the sofa, Nomasaki looked down at herself, blushing as she hid her expression within the blanket. "…He… kissed me."

"What?! When?!"

"In Yama, when he apologized for the marriage-thing," Nomasaki sighed, huddling closer in the couch, as she prepared herself for sleep. "He wasn't nervous to do that. Although… he hasn't kissed me since…–,"

"B-But you know what I mean!" Temari barked, awkwardly. "He will tell, eventually. He just… needs to feel comfortable. He will eventually… Stop dwelling on it."

"You're right," Nomasaki rolled over, still slightly drunk. "I was… overreacting. I just wanted to tell our Konoha friends because… he makes me so happy."

Smiling to herself at her friend's words, Temari yawned, pulling up the bedsheets as she made herself comfortable. "Go to sleep. The first phase of the exam is tomorrow, so you should start brushing up on the second phase before it arrives."

"Alright. I apologize in advance if I get sick in the morning."

"You can clean it if you make a mess. I'm basically Kankuro's hangover maid, I'm not going to be yours either!"

And the two Suna kunoichi retired for the night, ready to face the exams as proctors in the morning…