At the hot springs, Temari and Tenten had a chance to catch up. They barely made it into the water when Temari could not wait anymore to ask, "I am going to be straight with you. Do you like Gaara?" The question caught Tenten off guard. She did not imagine that Temari would bring up that topic so abruptly. "I think he is a very nice man. He is intelligent and kind."
Temari, with a playful look, replied, "He is, but I was wondering if you like him in more than a friendly way." Tenten replied in a shy tone, "Does it matter?" Temari was puzzled by that answer. "It does not matter how I feel. In his position, he cannot simply date. If he courts someone, it is with the expectation of marriage. Otherwise, the Sand's council would look down upon the relationship."
Temari was not sure how to take that last comment and replied in a little defensive voice, "Wouldn't you see yourself marrying someone like him?"
Tenten sensed that Temari went on big sister mode, "I can't marry someone without getting to know the person first."
The proud big sister agreed. She was excited about the possibility for her little brother to have a romance, but things in her head were moving fast. "You are right, Tenten. So would you like to get to know him more?"
Tenten had a sad smile on her face, "It is more complicated than that. Let's say I get to know him; I fall in love with him, would he be allowed to marry me? In his position, he needs to marry someone from a prestigious clan or with political influence. I am just a kunoichi with a weapon shop".
An angry Temari firmly responded, "...just a kunoichi with a weapon shop. My brother would be lucky to have such a strong woman in his life. You are one of the top Jonin in the Leaf, independent, entrepreneurial, and beautiful."
Those kind words meant a lot to Tenten. She felt appreciated. Temari continued, "I am just saying what I see. I understand your concern, but things have changed. Gaara has been Kazekage for almost two decades at this point. The people of the Sand and the council respect him for his actions and judgment. If he decides to "date," no one will question it. It might have to be kept private because of his position, but he has the freedom to get to know you".
A nervous Tenten thought of another possibility, "He might not like me in that way. He probably was just being polite". Temari's playful smile came back, "I think he does. He smiles a lot when he is with you. That man does not smile easily. Maybe that is why I am so nosy. I just want to see my little brother happy, and from what I saw, you made him happy".
Meanwhile, in the men's bath, Shikamaru noticed that Gaara was having a difficult time trying to relax, and Shinki had similar behaviors. Since the young boys moved to the opposite side of the pool, Shikamaru found the space to bring up his concern to Gaara, "I am aware how hard the job of the Kages is, but you need to learn how to relax. It is good for your body and your mind. And for Shinki…" Gaara agreed. He was aware that Shinki took after him. Gaara made a conscious effort to model better behaviors for his son. Shikamaru cheered him up, "Relax, man… Just show your boy that powerful, serious men know how to take a break".
Gaara did his best to relax. He admitted that it was not the easiest, "I usually don't come to this type of place. Too public." Shikamaru smiled, realizing why Gaara was uncomfortable, "Nothing to be ashamed of. We are all men here. Forget about what is around. Maybe if Tenten were here, it would be easier for you to relax".
Maybe Shikamaru was way too relaxed that he did not think what his mouth just said. His comment would make Gaara uncomfortable if he were not already. He needed to save the situation quickly. The fastest and most straightforward solution was to blame it on Temari, "Sorry, man, I was out of line. I just said it because Temari thinks that you like Tenten."
"I do," Gaara replied without any hesitation. Shikamaru needed to make sure he was not misunderstanding, "As more than friends?"
Gaara took a second, "I think so… I have never felt like this. I like being around her, and she is beautiful. But if she were here right now, I definitely would not be able to relax. I would be very embarrassed without being properly clothed".
He never thought that his brother-in-law was self-conscious of his appearance, especially since he was such a powerful man. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. You are an attractive man in great shape. Tenten would approve, which means a lot coming from her. She has trained with the top taijutsu masters, Guy sensei and Lee".
That comment reminded Shikamaru that Gaara trained taijutsu with Lee once a month. It was in the Hokage's calendar that they could not send Lee on missions one weekend a month since he taught the Kazekage. "Why don't you invite Tenten to visit you next time Lee goes to train you, so it would be a casual way to see her and get to know her more."
Gaara took a second to think, "That is a good idea. However, I also have to think about Shinki. I am unsure what his reaction would be if I start frequenting Tenten."
As a father himself, Shikamaru understood Gaara's concern, "Shinki is very mature for his age. I am sure he would understand. He loves you, and I am sure he wants you to be happy. Plus, you just want to get to know her. We are not talking about a wedding".
After the hot springs, the group got together outside. Temari invited Tenten to get dinner with them, but she declined since she had a mission early in the morning the next day.
As Tenten was saying goodbye to everyone, he remembered that Gaara had left the weapons he purchased at her shop. "I almost forgot! Gaara, I will send someone tomorrow morning to the station before your train's departure to deliver the weapons you purchased".
"Weapons…?" Shikamaru asked. "Yes, Gaara got some weapons to take for Kankuro to evaluate," Tenten replied.
Gaara was hoping to walk with her to the shop to pick up the weapons and invite her to visit him with Lee, but he couldn't do that now. Probably she wanted to rest before her mission. He thought to maybe send her a message when he got home.
Tenten said goodbye and walked in direction to her house, thinking of how lovely these last two days had been. She wished she could have had more time with Gaara.
Meanwhile, the Nara's, Gaara and Shinki stopped at a tea shop nearby to get sweet dumplings. They were known as the best of Konoha. Gaara got an idea, "Temari, do you know if Tenten likes these dumplings?" Temari signaled a yes. Gaara ordered a small box of dumplings to go, "I will get some for her. I am sure I can catch her. She is still close by.
Gaara was able to catch up to Tenten, "I am sorry you could not stay for dinner, but I thought you might like these sweet dumplings. Please take them". The sweet gesture touched Tenten. "Thank you! They are my favorite. You shouldn't have troubled yourself".
Gaara's face turned serious, "No trouble at all. It also was an excuse to find you. I wanted to invite you to the Sand Village. Lee is my taijutsu master. He visits me once a month to train. Maybe you can come together so that it won't be a lonely trip". Tenten happily accepted the invitation. They both were looking forward to that visit.
Back at the tea house, Gaara found Shinki refusing to eat the dumplings that Shikadai offered to him. "Common, man! They are good, I promise". Shinki's expressionless face looked at his cousin, "I don't have an appetite for sweets."
Gaara knew that Shinki did not want to try them because they were colorful sweets that would not necessarily be associated with warriors. He didn't usually eat that many sweets himself, but he was going to try for his son. "Could I try the pink one? Are there different flavors?"
Temari also noticed the reason behind Shinki's refusal to try the dumplings, so she tried herself. "Shinki, why don't you try a bite? They are delicious. If you don't like it, you can leave them".
She was the closest he had to a mother figure, so he could not refuse. "Your recommendation means a lot to me, aunt Temari. I will be happy to try". An annoyed Shikadai responded, "My recommendation doesn't mean anything to you? Man, what a drag..."
Shinki tried not to demonstrate that he liked the dumplings, but Temari saw it in his eyes. She got an extra box to give to his nephew to take home.
Gaara and Shinki returned to the Sand Village. Kankuro received them and asked about their trip. "Temari sent some dumplings." Kankuro was excited to hear that, "Awesome. Leaf dumplings are the best". To his surprise, when he opened the box, he saw that it was half empty.
A regretful Shinki intervened, "I apologize for my excess, I did not realize I ate that many." Gaara smiled. There were very few instances where Shinki acted like a kid. He enjoyed those very few moments, "That is fine, son. I have another box for your uncle. I have to go to a meeting. I will see you two later,".
While Kankuro was enjoying his dumplings, he noticed that Gaara brought more things with him. He usually traveled light. "What is all that stuff your father brought?"
In a dry tone, Shinki responded, "He bought weapons." Kankuro was confused and had a similar reaction to Shinki's in the weapon shop, "Weapons? For what? His weapon is the Sand."
"He said that he wanted you to evaluate them for our shinobi force," Shinki responded.
Kankuro was intrigued and checked the weapons, "These are not conventional weapons. What are we going to do with a flying guillotine? Where did he get them from?"
Shinki looked at Kakuro with a face that said, 'can you believe this' and responded, "Father got them from Miss Tenten's shop."
Kankuro noticed his nephew's facial expression. "Tenten...I see. So you guys saw Tenten?"
"A few times," Shinki replied, not changing his facial expression.
Kankuro with a suspicious face, "A few times… I see,". Shinki had complete trust in his uncle but did not want to appear like he was meddling in his father's business. He could not ask directly, but he could ask some questions. "It appears that my father enjoys Miss Tenten's company."
"Why do you say so?" Kankuro was now intrigued. It was not like Shinki to make that kind of observation. Shinki responded in a monotone to cover his curiosity for his uncle's conclusions, "He smiled more often than usual when they conversed."
"I am happy to hear that. Gaara works too hard for all of us. I am glad he got to spend time with a friend that made him smile".
Shinki did not expect that answer from his uncle. His uncle was right. He wanted to see his father happy, but there was something about the whole situation that did not sit well with him. "I'm glad that my father enjoyed his holiday. However, I have not collected any intel on her yet. We don't know Miss Tenten."
Kakuro laughed, "On Tenten? She is a friend. No need for intel. Relax and eat some more dumplings." He noticed that his nephew was uneasy with Gaara's potential love interest, but that was a problem for the future. However, he was happy to hear his brother and Tenten spent time together. He always thought they looked good together.