If you took a left from the Sunagakure Hospital, walked straight for about 500 meters and turned right, you'd arrive at the doors of the Sunagakure Aviary. If you rounded the right corner of the Sunagakure Aviary and took a short, 2-block walk before turning right again, you would find yourself facing a flower shop— the only flower shop in The Village of Sand.
Against a backdrop of beige limestone and stucco, Sunagakure Flowers is a fragrant, glistening, beautiful drop of rainbow. The entirety of the flower shop was painted in white and almost caged in handmade wooden trellises to assist the growth of morning glory, wisteria, roses, clematis, and hundreds of other small blossoms that maybe only the shopkeeper could name. The blooms on display outside the shop seemed to be "leaking" outside of the shop— perhaps, the interior of the shop was so full that the shopkeeper had no choice but to leave some outside. If you lifted the thick curtain of purple and yellow hanging orchids that bordered the doorway, you would find yourself in a room lined with overwhelmingly beautiful, well-nurtured flowers. And if you waited a little bit more, a young woman would enter through a door concealed by a wall planter overflowing with marigolds, greeting you with a cheerful grin.
"Good morning, and welcome! Feel free to look around and don't hesitate to ask for help… " The store owner called out behind the counter, meticulously arranging and rearranging several bunches of red roses sitting in buckets of cold water.
Matsuri's gaze passed over the garlands on the wall, the potted orchids displayed on shelves, and rested upon the shopkeeper, who was still wrestling with her roses. "I'll have some of those roses, please."
"Huh, you mean these?" she smiled, tugging a single rose out of the bucket. "They're very pretty. I love red roses. Are they for someone special?"
"Yes…" Matsuri's voice trailed off shyly. She looked at the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper's eyes were concealed by her bangs. Matsuri thought to herself that the shopkeeper really needed a haircut.
The shopkeeper gathered fifteen roses and pulled a ribbon around the stems in a bow before tucking the fresh flowers in a bouquet sleeve. She walked to the counter, and rang up the purchase. "These flowers really are gorgeous. I planted the shrubs myself! I promise that the recipient will absolutely adore these roses."
"I really hope he does. He's really hard to please," Matsuri said dolefully.
"Well, don't worry!" the shopkeeper smiled, handing her the bouquet of roses. "With my flowers, I guarantee that you'll win his heart."
Matsuri looked at the shopkeeper and took the roses. She smiled, and turned to the door.
"Thank you for your purchase, please come again soon!"
Matsuri strode out of the Sunagakure Flower Shop, a bouquet of fresh roses in her hand. She smelled the flowers, grinned, and started running; running all the way to the Kazekage's office building.
The shopkeeper stood at the doorway, tin nametag flashing in the sunlight. She reached out into the air, and a hawk landed delicately upon her forearm.
"Kazekage-sama!"
Gaara looked up from his paperwork. "What is it, Matsuri?"
Matsuri burst in through the double doors of his office with the bouquet of roses in her hand. She beamed at him before placing the flowers on his desk. "I bought these flowers for you to brighten up your room."
Gaara blinked, but his face revealed nothing. He nodded, waved to his cabinet, and asked her to place them in a vase. His eyes followed her movements across the room.
"There! All done," she said, placing the vase back on his desk. "It's almost noon, would you like lunch?"
Once again, Gaara looked up from his paperwork at her. He put down his pen and placed his hands under his chin. "Matsuri, is there any reason why… you've been so considerate lately?" he said, nonchalantly.
While his voice wasn't condescending or sarcastic in the slightest, Matsuri flushed, ducked her head, and stammered, "W-well, you've been working really hard lately, and I j-just really thought that—-"
"It's alright, Matsuri. Thank you for your kindness, you're dismissed. Enjoy your lunch," he said.
She coughed and ran out of his office, slamming the doors shut right into Temari's face as she went.
Temari sighed as she entered his office, reopening his double doors. "Gaara, how can you be so oblivious?"
"Oblivious of what."
"That poor girl is head-over-heels for you," she put her hand on her hips, and pointed at the vase of roses. "Do you have to treat her so coldly?"
Gaara placed his pen on the table for the second time, and leaned back in his chair. He was surrounded in massive stacks of paper and visibly annoyed from all the times he'd been interrupted from doing work. Gaara made eye contact with his sister and calmly, very very calmly said, "I don't have time for silly office romances."
"I know that people look up to you as the Kazekage, but there's nothing wrong with having a girlfriend. I don't see any harm in at least giving her something that shows your appreciation for her."
"I really don't think that's a good idea. I might just be leading her on."
"No, you're going to buy her something."
"I don't want to."
"As your older sister, I'm commanding you to buy her flowers."
Gaara's eyes narrowed. "There are no flowers in the desert."
Temari brushed his menacing glare and angry comment off with a flick of her hand. "You really need to go outside more, little brother. There's actually a flower shop in Suna. The only one, I guess you could say, but the flowers they grow are absolutely gorgeous. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if those roses on your desk were from Sunagakure Flowers. Please, Gaara."
With another exasperated sigh, Gaara pushed the heaps of paperwork aside and stood up. "Well, I suppose I could show her a bit of my appreciation. I really still don't think this is a good idea."
"Good." Temari grinned, and marched confidently through his doors, slamming them closed with a satisfying bang.
"Hello…?"
Gaara floated through the flower-adorned doorway of Sunagakure Flowers, Kankuro walking closely by his side. Clusters of purple-pink petunia and sunset-colored begonia dangling from hanging baskets grazed Gaara's red hair.
"Wow, this place really is something!" Kankuro exclaimed. He looked around the store. His gaze fell upon some yellow roses on a nearby table, some trimmed, others waiting to be properly cut. "Those look exactly like the flowers that Matsuri gave you, except red."
"Well, this is the only flower store in Sunagakure, so I would be surprised if you said otherwise!" the shopkeeper poked her head out of a door totally concealed by a marigold-covered wall planter.
Kankuro jumped, Gaara blinked, and she gasped when she realized who her customers were. The young lady threw the door open and bowed. "I'm sorry, I was in the storage room unpacking some ribbon. Let me know if you need anything, I'll be right over here!"
The shopkeeper scrambled to the table, reached in her apron pocket to produce a pair of scissors, and resumed trimming the roses, while Gaara and Kankuro started to wander the small shop. Despite the sheer amount of flowers packed into every nook and cranny the flower shop had, Sunagakure Flowers still looked exceedingly well-kept. The work table where the shopkeeper trimmed away was well-painted and clean. The walls were neatly painted white to match the color of the furniture. An occasional speck of dust drifted along the ground, but nothing was out of place.
Gaara noticed several bouquets with assorted flowers in them. It was a bouquet with several large blush-colored roses, a few sprigs of baby's breath, some apple blossoms intertwined between the flowers. What caught Gaara's eye, moreover, were the snow-white jasmine blossoms and their overpowering fragrance.
"Matsuri…" he murmured.
Gaara delicately plucked the bouquet from where its container and brought it to the counter. Kankuro had taken a liking to the small herb planters in front of the cash register and pushed over a planter containing cilantro seedlings.
"Hey, Gaara," he poked his little brother's shoulder. "I'll make some hamburger steak for us tonight, and top it off with some of this fresh cilantro."
"Hm." Gaara craned his neck to see over Kankuro's shoulder, trying to catch the attention of the shopkeeper. She was meticulously cutting away at the flower stems. Bits of stem and leaf flew in every which way.
"Oh, excuse me!" she dusted her apron off and got up. She fluttered over to the cashier and started ringing up their purchases. "I'll even give you a discount! It's such a pleasure to be working for you."
She gazed at the bouquet of flowers in Gaara's hand, and her face lit up in realization. "A gorgeous lady came here a few days ago and bought some roses 'for a special someone.' Those roses were the same color as your hair, you know." She nodded at Gaara's hair. "I don't really read or keep up with the news, but I believe that it was Matsuri! Isn't she your assistant and student? Very thoughtful, buying jasmine flowers for her." she grinned.
Gaara, unable to help himself, smiled back at her. "You're very insightful."
"Thank you for your purchase!" She handed their items back and bowed again.
"No problem." Kankuro gave her a thumbs up. Gaara nodded and they made their way back to the doorway. However, before they stepped outside, Gaara turned around. "I didn't catch your name…"
She flashed her name tag at the doorway. "My name is Suzume!"
Gaara exhaled. Her name suited her perfectly.
Against the flurry of flowers in her shop, Suzume seemed plain. In fact, it seemed almost strange that such a plain girl worked at such a colorful, bright store. She wore a beige, lantern-sleeved shirt under her white apron, and some black pants with black sandals. Upon her head sat a nest of black hair, and he couldn't even see her eyes under her messy hair. She was very plain. But her voice sang out like the chirp of a sparrow— welcoming, cheerful, familiar.
Gaara tore his eyes away from Suzume and Suzume's store. He grasped the bouquet of flowers and pressed them against his chest, and walked back to his office with Kankuro. A falcon screamed overhead, and soared away.
"Not going to lie, Gaara, that Suzume girl is kinda cute."
Kankuro was wolfing down his hamburger steak. True to his word, he had made dinner for him and his little brother. Gaara was still tackling a mountain of paperwork, so he brought the food into Gaara's office and they were enjoying dinner. Kankuro had prepared a meal for Temari as well, but Temari was on a mission to Konoha. For all they knew, however, she was probably shopping on a date with Shikamaru.
"She's not colorful, and super boring looking, but the way she carries herself is pretty adorable. Her voice like, lifts my spirits, ya know."
"Hm." Gaara thoughtfully sipped his cup of tea and nibbled his food.
"Don't you agree?" Kankuro put down his utensils with a clatter and wiped his mouth. "Just kidding. She doesn't look your type. Matsuri, on the other hand…" his voice wandered off, as did his thoughts…
To Gaara's gorgeous assistant. Her fawn-colored hair was always perfectly styled, her makeup was always flawless, her clothes were adorable and in fashion, and although she usually wore more practical clothes out on the field like her flak jacket and ninja boots, one could hear the unmistakable clack of her black high heels through the Kazekage's building for miles around.
Matsuri was also undeniably one of Gaara's best students— doting, hardworking, and clever. She learned very quickly, and she was extremely talented at using weapons. Her skill was almost parallel to that of Tenten's. As Kankuro's thoughts slowly drifted back to reality, and he shook his head. Crossing his arms, he sighed, "Damn, Gaara, how'd you get all the girls? Matsuri is totally in love with you. If she wasn't so obsessed with you I would've made her mine already."
Gaara coughed slightly in disapproval, and told him to go back to work. Kankuro picked up their plates and made his way down to the kitchen, laughing all the way.
Gaara watched as the doors closed, and placed his head down on the table, gently cradling his head in his arms. He closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. The smell of arabian jasmine was everywhere in his room.
Despite it being six in the morning, the village was already awake. Vendors pushing carts of fruit and vegetables imported from distant lands loudly announced what they had in stock. The streets bustled with people running to work and working to open their shops. The birds were singing, children were playing, and Gaara was grueling away at his paperwork. He leaned back, and sighed, then put his head on his desk.
He heard loud footsteps approaching outside his door, and knew immediately from the sound of those heels that the recipient of his bouquet had arrived.
"What's the matter, Matsuri?" Gaara didn't bother moving his head from his desk.
"A-are you alright, Gaara-sama?" Matsuri almost threw her tray of tea into the air, seeing Gaara in such a state.
"Yes, I'm fine." he lifted his head from his desk, and picked up the bouquet.
Matsuri's face darkened, seeing the flowers. "Who are those for?"
"For you."
Matsuri immediately turned bright red, as red as sunburn on a blistering Sunagakure day. "W-what do you mean, for me?" she stuttered.
"I mean exactly what I said, Matsuri." Gaara cocked his head slightly, and extended the flowers to her further. "This is my token of appreciation for everything you've done for me."
Matsuri gasped, placed the tray on Gaara's desk, and took the flowers from him. She buried her face into the flowers, and squealed, "Do you really mean it? These are beautiful!" She pressed the bouquet to her chest, and bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, Gaara-sama!"
Gaara smiled. "You're welcome. Thank you for the tea, Matsuri."
Matsuri bowed again, and backed out quickly from his office. She closed his doors, and even through the closed doors, Gaara could hear her gushing to Yukata. "Is this real life? Are you seeing this? Look at what my precious Kazekage-sama just gave me!"
He did think that Matsuri was the slightest bit cute. Her excitement over the smallest things made him smile. He heard them walking away, tittering and gossiping about what had just happened, and turned back to his paperwork. He flipped through the piles of paper methodically, when something caught his eye.
"Sunagakure Aviary… wishlist?" he mumbled to himself. It was a neatly highlighted piece of paper underlining the necessities that the Sunagakure Aviary was in need of. There were some basic supplies, like bird food, raw meat, bandages, and other weapons like explosive tags and smoke bombs. He read it through, and placed it back in the pile where he found it.
Maybe they had some more hatchings this year, I've never seen them make out a formal request for supplies. Just as he was about to start focusing on his work again, he heard rapid footsteps outside his door again.
"Gaara-sama!" a nurse burst in through the doors. "The Suna Greenhouse is in need of goldthread. The medicinal herb? Some patients have gone down with severe cases of dyspepsia. How can we obtain this herb as soon as possible?"
Gaara's eyes widened in alarm. "Is this disease life-threatening?"
"No, but the patients are in pain. The faster we get a hold of this herb, the faster we'll be able to help them." She bowed deeply.
"Alright; I'll make a call to Konoha immediately." the Kazekage picked up the phone sitting on the desk.
"Wait, Kazekage-sama!" she cried. "We've already contacted Sakura-san. It'll take her at least 24 hours to arrive, however; we need immediate relief."
Gaara sat down and leaned back. Despite his calm and almost complacent demeanor, he cared deeply for his people and racked his brain for cures. "The florist? She seemed to have a variety of plants. Perhaps they'll be of use. What was her name...? Suzume."
He watched the timid nurse, who stood wringing her hands nervously and sweating bullets. There was no doubt that she was concerned for the wellbeing of her patients. He eyed her name tag: Emiru, meaning kindness and grace. Just like her name, Gaara sensed how considerate and genuine she was.
Gaara pushed his chair back and stood up. "Sunagakure Flowers may have what you need."
"I'll go and ask the florist there, then. I doubt she'll have anything though; thank you for your help, Gaara-sama…" the nurse darted out of the office.
"Hmmm…" Suzume drummed her fingers on the counter, head resting on one of her hands. "I don't usually keep in stock any of these rare medicinal herbs, but I suppose I can see if there's any in the back. I understand how dire your situation is, but I'm really not sure if I can help you…" Suzume turned on her heel and floated to the storage room door.
The nurse peered into the crack left by Suzume.
"Nope, not here…" As Suzume rummaged through the back, various seeds and plastic pots flew out from behind the door, narrowly missing the young nurse. "Ah, jeez!"
A few minutes of anxious waiting later, she poked her head out from behind the door with a baleful smile. "I'm sorry… I don't think I have any back here…" Shutting the door behind her, she walked toward the rows of flowers on the wall.
"That's alright," Emiru sighed. As she backed away to leave, Suzume called to her.
"Wait! I'll look through the flowers. There might be stray seeds or something in the pots." Suzume buried her head in the neat rows of flowers.
"Ah, wait— Miss, you don't have to—" Emiru nervously called out as she dodged various plant parts.
"No, I don't want you to have come here for nothing!"
"Uh…"
Ten more minutes passed before Suzume's shop had been turned inside-out. There were soggy stems, wet mud, and a flurry of petals all over the place. "I'm sorry, I couldn't be of any help…"
Emiru quickly helped Suzume up from the ground. "My goodness. You've already done more than you could've. The Kazekage would be touched by your determination and kindness." Emiru smiled gently.
"You're too nice!" Suzume stood up and brushed herself off. There was a smile on her face. "I don't suppose I have to start rearranging this mess."
Slightly surprised by her sudden mood change, Emiru nodded. "Good luck, Miss. Thank you for your help, I'll stop by again sometime to buy your flowers."
"Bye, Emiru!" Suzume laughed cheerfully. "It's good I messed up my shop, ya know, because I really needed to re-organize it, like, clean it up!"
Emiru sighed deeply while walking away from the store. They had failed miserably, and her patients would have to lay moaning on hospital beds as nurses frantically passed out painkillers for another few hours.
"I guess their condition isn't dire, but I still feel guilty and responsible for the pain they're going through…"
Rubbing her head, Emiru speedwalked back to the hospital. Despite everything, however, the faintest thought of Suzume waving and seeing her off sent a smile sprawling across her face.
Emiru's smile only widened when she heard that Sakura had arrived early. Apparently, Sai had offered to accompany her. By using his artistic ninjutsu to draw birds, she could get to Sunagakure faster. She was already in the hospital by the time Emiru had walked through the door, bunches of goldthread and goldthread seeds in hand.
She was bent over patients in the hospital, while Gaara stood closely behind her. His eyes followed her every movement. "Give them a few hours to recover; after a good night's rest they'll probably be alright. Thank you for contacting me!" she smiled enthusiastically. Her distinctive pink hair flew when she turned around to look at Emiru.
"No, thank you for coming so quickly." Emiru bowed politely, blushed, and retreated from the double doors.
"She seems like such a sweet person," Sakura untied her ponytail, pulled off her gloves, and straightened her hair.
"Emiru is one of our best nurses. Even though she's shy, she does everything in her ability to give her patients the best treatment and really cares for them."
Sakura smiled gently towards the doors, still swinging shut from Emiru's swift exit. "Heh, sounds exactly like a particular blond guy… minus the shy part." She handed the seeds to Gaara. "Here are the goldthread seeds, in case Sunagakure needs any more. Give Konoha a call if you need me!"
Sakura strode confidently out of the hospital, pulling her normal black gloves on and marching to Sai's inky bird. She ascended into the sky, spiraling higher and higher, when she nearly collided with another hawk.
"Sorry!" she said apologetically to the bird, as if the bird could understand— but as if the bird could understand, it screamed angrily in reply.
"Ah, hello! Sunagakure Flowers. Oh, this is…?" Suzume snatched her phone from the wall, and pressed it to her ears, waiting for an order, a cancellation, or just someone to chat with.
"Hello, Suzume."
Excitedly, Suzume dropped the scrap ribbon that she had been ripping up in pure boredom. Prior to the unexpected phone call, she was sitting absentmindedly at the counter, munching on an orange and making a mess.
"Kazekage-sama! Are you calling to order flowers? Our peonies are growing so well. I'd be pleased to just send you some, on the house!"
"..."
Was it just him, or could he hear her eyes twinkling?
"I was calling to thank you for everything you did for the patients at the Sunagakure Hospital two days ago."
Suzume stiffened. "That was really quite embarrassing," she chuckled into the phone. "I'm assuming Emiru told you about what happened?"
"We had called someone from the Hidden Leaf to deliver some, with a reward; she had arrived earlier than we had expected and we were able to straighten everything out."
"Ah, that's good. I'm sorry I really wasn't much help!" Suzume sheepishly twirled the cord around her fingers.
A brief pause in their conversation became an awkward silence.
"Er, is there anything else you wanted to discuss, Kazekage-sama?"
"...No, nothing in particular. I was just calling to show my appreciation. Thank you for your hard work, Suzume."
"Ah! Call again anytime, Ka—"
Gaara forcefully put the phone back on the receiver, much harder than he usually would've. Did I really have to call her just to thank her?
He picked up his lukewarm cup of tea and sipped thoughtfully. Gaara had actually thought about calling Suzume right after the hospitalized patients went back home. Long before he had reached the phone, however, anxiety gripped him and he had always turned back away to do more work. He knew that Suzume would have greeted him with enthusiasm. The usually calm, cool, mild-tempered Kazekage suddenly put out of countenance by a simple phone call?
"A simple, unnecessary phone call," he absentmindedly said out loud.
Maybe I should've accepted that offer of peonies…
Suzume, on the other side of the line, stared perplexedly into her phone after Gaara's abrupt farewell. She hung the beeping phone back up on the wall, and walked outside to check on her precious peonies. The soft blooms waved at her as she walked past each one. Bending down, she cupped a lilac-colored peony in her hands and kissed the petals.
"People must think I'm insane, talking and treating my flowers like this. Flowers really do grow better like this, though!" she whispered to the peony. "You really have to love them like you'd love your own child. Anything you do with love, is done well!"
Suzume felt dizzy when she stood back up. She had been bending down for so long. Grabbing some garden scissors from her apron, she delicately snipped some flowers from where they grew and gathered them in a basket nearby. She hummed a melody as she trotted back into her store, ready to prepare the peonies. Just as she started cutting the stems, however, a customer burst through her doors.
"Welcome!" Suzume said, a little startled. "How can I hel— oh, it's you again!"
Matsuri greeted Suzume with a polite hello. "You seem busy!"
"No, it's totally fine! I was just getting ready to prepare some flowers for a bouquet. Would you like a bouquet of peonies? I'll give you a special deal: one bouquet for only 50 ryo." she waggled a purple peony at Matsuri playfully.
Eyeing the pretty blossoms, Matsuri relented. As she waited for Suzume to finish wrapping up her flowers, she explained, "I was here to buy flowers anyway."
Suzume nodded. "Ah, I see. Well thank you for your continued patronage!" She handed the small bouquet of flowers across the counter to Matsuri and bowed politely. "Come again soon!"
Matsuri cradled the flowers in her arm and hesitated at the counter. "Did… Kazekage-sama say anything to you when he dropped by?"
Suzume leaned forward across the counter, eyes twinkling from through her thick bangs. "Not in particular, but I'll have you know that he put a lot of thought into those flowers he gave you. It took him half an hour to choose."
Matsuri turned on her heels and hurriedly thanked Suzume and ran out the door, but not before turning several shades of pink and red.
"Goodbye, darling!" chortled Suzume, before dusting off her apron. Turning back to the endless rows of flowers and bouquets, she ventured towards an aisle of red roses. She felt rather queer— a bizarre series of events had unfolded in the few days that she had met the Kazekage and his associates. Selecting a single stem from a lush bouquet, she pondered, "What a lovely color! What a lovely, yet despairing color this is." The color of a juicy apple— no, cherries— no, the color of a field of poppies, or single blooms before a fallen soldier's grave. Red is the color of a camellia bush, crimson against sleek white snow, fresh blood spilled across eggshell quartz, the color of his hair, parted to reveal intense turquoise eyes, his hair, shining softly in the desert sun.
Author's Note
Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've published my first fanfiction. I'm pretty ashamed of my first one as it was published in my middle-school years, I was an aspiring author, but I literally had no clue how to write or form a coherent story. Hopefully, seven years later, I can finally come up with something worth reading. :) This single chapter took two years to whip up (I first opened the document on June 26, 2018 to give you guys an idea of how much of a procrastinator I am) and there might be some inconsistencies in writing style as my writing has changed a lot over the course of these two years as well. For instance, I thought about editing the part about Emiru and the hospital out because it seemed kind of... random? But it could also showcase more of Suzume's character, so I decided to leave it in. Let me know if you have any feedback! I have high hopes for this story, I've thought about it a lot! I hope you guys enjoy and thank you for reading.