AN: Hey, So I've got this chapter up a lot sooner than I have in the past couple months. I've had a lot of time to myself to type and just clear my head and let the words flow through this week. It's thanksgiving break over here, which I had for a week, and I'm stuck on an island off the coast of Maine. So I've been staying in the house and writing, well that and watching movies and cooking. It's been pretty cold, so I've been trying to stay near a fire. Anyway, onto the reviews and chapter. By the way, thanks for over 11,000 views! It's freaking awesome!

And to Thomas Drovin, Well, Yes, it was time to split them up again. And maybe Gaara will grow the pair he needs for the task of telling the council off. ^.^

And to Luxford Xigbar, I'm glad you like it so much. The lemons were definitely very interesting to write, and I will say there are several more in the coming chapters.

And to seshoumaruluver1, Yes, well Aleera convincing them is tempting, but I think Gaara can work it out. I mean, he's not Kazekage for nothing.

And to Gaaras1girl, Yes, well, Shikamaru was a given. Just wait. It will be very interesting, I promise. And Cordi running to Aleera? I think it would be Aleera running to Cordi to eat the council members…. ^.~

And to Me and Gaara 4ever, Yes, well they needed a little something something. ^.^ Don't worry, crap always happens to the best people. It builds character.

And to Blueangel, I'm glad you like it so far. And I'm glad it brought you back into the fold of Naruto. Why would you ever leave?

And to DantesFreezer, I'd prefer to have a boyfriend that is just completely awesome with his cooking abilities and his awesome style… but he's pretty hard to come by isn't he? No, I think I've found him… And yes, Mrs. Nara will be crazy, but that's another chapter, for another day. And Yes, Gaara should have spoken up sooner, but he's a guy who has had his heart ripped out and stomped on several times by the last girl he loved. So obviously he'll hold back.

And I to my fav.+ and alerts+, Luxford Xigbar and lizifang. Thank you guys sooooo much!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters etc. You know the drill. Oh, and Kirigi belongs to Thomas Drovin, which I'm very grateful he's letting me use. Thanks a bunch!

Chapter Sixteen: Kage's Choice

Gaara's mind had gone blank. He only saw Cordi for a millisecond, but that was all he needed. He saw the hurt, the betrayal, and the understanding flash over her face in that small millisecond, just before she ran away. She wasn't supposed to know. He was going to tell her – he didn't know when, but he was going to. He knew holding this information from her was selfish. It made him feel weak that his life was being so easily controlled. He didn't want to seem weak, especially not to her.

Seeing her run off with the pain of betrayal freshly stinging her heart obvious on her face froze him. After he stood just in time to see her face over Baki's shoulder, he couldn't move. He just looked at the spot she had just ran from. He didn't notice Baki had brought over the young girl, most likely eighteen, over to Gaara's side. Baki didn't show much emotion, but slight disgust, or maybe annoyance, was obvious.

"Lord Gaara," Baki started. "This is Kata Maro."

"It's just Kat," she corrected, flashing a smile that was obviously meant to be a warning to Baki, but he didn't care. Nor did Gaara, honestly. She seemed to be shallow, and was obviously not the sharpest kunai in the pouch.

Baki bit his lip and let out a small regretful sigh, then stated, "She is the woman the council has chosen for you to marry."

That snapped Gaara to attention. He looked at the girl. She had dark brown hair and fair skin. She'd be beautiful if something in the back of his mind didn't scream that she was just in it for the money. Something seemed off about her that he didn't like. She took his hand and gave it a shake, showing him how forward she was. He didn't like that either.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Lord Gaara," she sighed contentedly. Gaara removed his hand from hers as she added, "I hope I am everything you've been looking for … in … a … wife." She trailed the last end, because he had stepped away and headed for the door when she was in mid-sentence, and she had no idea how to correct it.

"Lord Gaara, what's the matter?" one of the council members asked, eyeing him curiously as the other council members were doing.

"I'm sorry, I have an urgent issue I must tend to," Gaara spluttered, shaking his head slightly trying to organize his thoughts. He needed to find her. He wrenched open the doors and walked the way he had seen Cordi run off to.

In the conference room, the council members turned their gazes to Temari and Kankuro, who were eyeing each other and shrugging. When they looked around seeing the council members' curious glares turned on them, they shrugged again and muttered in unison, "I don't know."

Gaara was running now. He had broken into a full on sprint when he reached the stairs. He couldn't believe it took that girl Kat saying something like "I hope I'm everything you've been looking for in a wife," to realize he already had found everything he was looking for in a wife. The best choice for him had just run out the door because of his stupid mistake. He prayed that he found her in time, that she hadn't left yet so he could explain. He needed to explain; just to have the chance to be heard out. He couldn't believe he had been so blind before. He knew where she was headed. It was where she always spent her free time; the fighting arena. If not there, she was in her room, a place he did not want her to be.

It was as he suspected. He ran into the arena, seeing her collapsed in a ball in the far corner. She had one hand in the ground slowly picking up the sand and letting it slip through her fingers. He slowly walked in, not trying to be obvious he had just run across the village to find her.

"Cordi?" he asked softly.

"Go away," she groaned into her arms.

"Cordi," he sighed, pain gripping into his heart. He took another step.

"I SAID LEAVE!" she screamed, pulling her face up to glare at him. Not just at him, but into him, cutting him deep. Tears were streaming down her face fast, streaking her cheeks with each water trail.

He stopped, just a couple feet away from her. "I can't," he stated tenderly. She just glared at him. Gaara averted his gaze under the pressure of her stare as she slowly got up and marched up to him.

"What do you mean you can't?" she snarled.

He pursed his lips and muttered, "I need to explain what happened. Why…"

"I know what happened!" she snapped. "It's law that the Kazekage must be married by their twenty-third birthday."

"Yes," Gaara stated slowly. "Then you understand that it's…"

"It's not your fault?" Cordi interrupted. "Yeah, right. And it wasn't your fault when you led me on into thinking I had a chance to actually be with you when you knew, you knew, that it would never work out!" With every five words, she slowly got closer until she was right in his face. And every time he backed up, she took a step forward, very much imitating a predator on the prowl.

"You left," Gaara mumbled.

"What?" she replied.

"You … left!" Gaara stated slowly and loudly, lifting his head to make sure he wasn't just going to take her words.

"I had to," she growled. "Remember the prophecy? Or did you forget that?"

"I didn't forget," he sighed, shaking his head.

Cordi crossed her arms, taking on a very defensive stance and said, "Then why?" she asked. She choked a little trying to keep her tears back before continuing. "Why did you lead me on knowing what would happen? You knew our time was too late, but you still …"

Gaara bit his lip, pausing to try and find the right answer. "You were my last hope," he stated. Cordi narrowed her eyes, confused by what he was saying. "When you left two years ago, we had just had that amazing night. I know you were ok with me after that, but it always made me feel weird. I was still hung up over Matsuri and her betrayal. Temari and Kankuro can tell you, I was a complete mess when you left. I was silent, miserable, and avoided going home a lot of the time with Kazekage work. The entire time, I was contemplating how Matsuri had seemed so perfect for me, and then you came along with all your charm and grace, and just as a friend you seemed perfect. The more I thought, Matsuri seemed to no longer fit the aspects of the woman I wanted to spend my life with. And when Matsuri died, that fixed it. I moved on shortly after. I started dating a couple months later, but no one seemed to be able to soothe the heartache I had gotten from falling in love with Matsuri the first time. That and they all seemed so shallow, like there was nothing to them but a pretty face and they were fake to try and impress me. I missed the companionship we had before you left. I wished I could talk to you again. But I didn't know when you would return.

"Within the last year, the council began to be brutal with their reminders of me needing to marry. If I went on a date, they would always hear about it somehow and begin to ask if I had proposed yet. This was after just one date with one woman. I began to stop dating to avoid it. Then two months ago, they decided they needed to remind me of the contract I signed when I was fifteen to take this job. They then stated because I hadn't found a bride yet, they were going to find someone for me. After that, I couldn't wait till I got to go to Konoha for the Jounin Exams. Naruto asked me to come a good three weeks earlier because all the kages had to be present for his inauguration, but we were also told we had to keep this information quiet. Two days after we got there, you came back. As soon as I saw you, I knew you were my last chance at getting to choose which woman I'd end up spending the rest of my life with. You were going to be the only chance I'd get to try dating without the council breathing down my neck. Everything was going great. You were different from all the other girls. You were real, and I already knew you weren't after my status or money, but you wanted me because you had wanted to be my friend even if I didn't want to be with you. The only issue I was having was getting over the knife Matsuri stuck in my heart. Something in the back of my mind said you would do that too, and I wasn't strong enough to go through it again.

"Then the council sent me a message saying that they had found a woman that fit all of their requirements. That was about a week ago. Ever since, I've been on edge. I didn't tell you because I felt bad I put you in that position and I didn't want you to think I was weak because I am having my life controlled so easily by these people," he finished.

Cordi had her jaw set, keeping her eyes from tearing up. Now she not only just felt like Gaara wanted a little tryst with her, but that he hadn't felt anything for her when she had been giving him everything. "So, everything you did… everything you said was a lie?" Cordi shuddered.

"No," Gaara sighed. "No, I wasn't lying. I did feel something for you that I felt I should check out before it was too late." Cordi furrowed her brow in confusion. He pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously frustrated. "I'm saying this all wrong."

"Then don't say anything and leave," Cordi ordered. When he didn't say anything she walked around him to leave, but he snatched her arm closest to him. "Let go of me," she snarled, her glare once again pierced through him.

"Please, just wait and hear me out," he pleaded. She could see the sadness in his eyes and knew he sincerely needed her to hear what he had to say. He took her silence as ok to continue. "I liked you, that's why I wanted to see if this would work. I know it was selfish of me, and I'm sorry."

"Are you done? I've got bags to pack," Cordi growled, crossing her arms and leaning away from him, preparing herself to rip her arm out of his grasp and continue on her way.

"Please don't leave yet," he begged.

"I think I've heard enough," Cordi snapped, wrenching her arm out of his hand and walking away.

"Cordi, I want to marry you!" Gaara yelled after her.

She stopped dead in her tracks, and sharply turned around. "What?" she rasped.

"I said I want to marry you," he clarified, talking a couple steps toward her.

"You're only saying that because you don't want an arranged marriage," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. She dropped her arms to walk away, but he grabbed her hand and whipped her towards him.

"I'm saying I want to marry you, because I've finally realized that you are the woman I love and you are the perfect woman to spend the rest of my life with," Gaara stated. Cordi's eyes were wide, not understanding completely what was happening. Even as he lowered his lips to hers and enveloped her in a passionate kiss. She kissed back, everything forgotten. All the pain from betrayal and the anger and the sadness all fell away, just leaving them together.

He pulled away and whispered, "I'm going to take that as a yes."

"I don't remember you ever asking me a question," Cordi stated, a little breathless.

He smirked, taking her hand and getting on one knee. "Cordelia Turner, would you please do me the favor, give me the honor of being my wife?"

Cordi couldn't believe it. For years she had dreamed of this moment, but never thought it would come. She let out a small giggle before muttering a small agreeing grunt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Gaara laughed.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Cordi said jokingly. Gaara smiled and stood back up and gave her a small peck on the lips. He then took her hand in his and walked her back to the Kazekage building to explain what was happening to the Council members and his siblings.

Today was a crazy day at Konoha's ninja school for genin. Of course, that could be because today was the day genins were assigned their teams, people they would be working with for basically the rest of their days. It was Iruka's nightmare and dream all in one. Oh, he loved teaching and the kids were always great … when it all started out. The cliques always became apparent, especially with Akemi and Fuji around. He had never seen girls like this in any of his classes. They weren't rivals. They didn't care about boyfriends they each had, like Ino and Sakura did in their day. They were best friends, and the most popular girls in school, and the most vicious. That made it ridiculous trying to figure out teamwork activities to do, especially with the cliques so obvious like those two girls made sure it was. So he was completely happy to get rid of that class.

He was walking down the hall and could hear them yelling and messing around in the class room. He let out a loud sigh and opened the door to see paper airplanes flying around. Girls chatting about new hairstyles, hot boys, and the like. The boys were all trying to look macho and some of them were even pulling pranks on each other. Some were just chatting about which teachers they wanted.

"Alright, everyone quiet down and get in your seats," Iruka snapped, setting the list he was given down onto his desk, waiting for everyone to get in their seats. As soon as order was again instilled he began to call roll. As usual it was dull on both ends. Iruka would call out a name, bored to death, and the student would call back "Here," just as bored. Until he came across, "Koichi." Silence came back to him. He called again, then again, until the young boy ran in.

He had light brown hair and expressive blue eyes. He was panting as he shoved open the door. He caught his breath and huffed, "Sorry I'm late. There was a…"

"Just sit down," Iruka interrupted, motioning for the empty seat next to Fumio Yamanaka, Koichi's best friend. The boy nodded and took his seat. "Obviously Koichi's here," Iruka muttered to himself, checking the boy's name of his list before continuing the roll call. As soon as he finished he announced, "I have your team assignments here." He held up his list and began calling out the teams.

"Team Four: Akemi, Fumio, and Koichi. Your teacher is Winnifred Butler," Iruka called out. Fumio and Koichi high-fived, well Koichi held up his hand and waited for Fumio to return the favor. When he didn't, Koichi grabbed his best-friend's closest arm and slapped it against his own hand. Fumio laughed, but contained it to keep his brooding demeanor. Akemi, the queen bee of the school, had her face twisted up in a scowl, showing her disproval of the two.

"Team Five: Masato, Hitomi, and Takumi. Your teacher is Roxanne Turner," Iruka announced. Masato, Akemi's twin brother was smirking, until he noticed Takumi looking bored at Iruka. Honestly the only way Masato and Akemi could be noticed that they were twins was their light brown eyes, slightly pale skin, and vibrant red hair. His was more of a flaming red while hers was more of an auburn. Hitomi was extremely quiet, but her smile was obvious she was happy about the placement.

"Team Six: Fuji, Hiroshi, and Kei. Your teacher is Ronni Butler," Iruka stated. Kei was wide-eyed with excitement. Iruka could see him muttering something about training under a Legendary. Hiroshi was smirking and nodding at Fuji, obviously trying to hit on her from a distance. She gave a disgusted face and turned away with a shudder. Her best friend Akemi gave her hand an encouraging pat.

Iruka finished after listing off the eleventh team. So he ended his speech with, "Please come up and get your meeting times your teachers have scheduled for tomorrow. After that, good luck." He stood, letting the students walk up to his desk, grab the slips of paper with their meeting times on it, and then leave. After all the students had filed out, he looked to his empty classroom and frowned. When he walked in this morning, he couldn't wait to get rid of this class, but now … now seeing the empty classroom left a small ache in his heart. As much as he thought he wouldn't before class began, he knew he would miss this batch of students.