Author's note: Wow… it's been a while. Sorry for the wait. I can't seem to get over this huge wall of writer's block. This is seriously the first story I've written in five years. Thanks for all of your support!

Chapter 4

Ino awoke the next morning to a loud… rooster crow? Since when were there any roosters in her community? She started to open her eyes immediately snapped them shut when she was met the blinding sunlight. What happened to her black-out curtains? Slowly, she gained the courage to address the light. Ino laid in bed as the allowed her eyes to adjust to the light. She looked around at her surroundings, and was slightly alarmed at being in an oversized bed with mahogany posts and silk covers. It took her a few minutes to recover from her disorganized awakening and to remember that she wasn't in her own bedroom in Konoha. This was the Princess' bedroom… Her confusion was immediately replaced with nostalgia. Ino had thought about the repercussions of accepting the mission. She knew she may never see her friends and family again. She knew she would wake up everyday to cut fresh flowers for her shop. For the sake of her village, she was prepared to make those sacrifices. Before this moment, she had thought about what she was giving up. She had missed Shikamaru with his smart-ass remarks. She had missed Sakura and her giant forehead. Until this moment the impact of her leaving hadn't really taken its toll. Ino closed her eyes again, and rolled into fetal position.

It was odd, to say the least. Why now, when she had held herself for so many months. Ino thought back and tried to retrace her last conscious moments before falling asleep.

Wait… how did I get into bed?

The last thing Ino could remember before falling into a deep slumber was gazing at the stars. Gaara must have brought her up here…

Gaara? Is that why?

Is he the reason she had woke up feeling dazed and confused. For one thing, it's weird not waking up in the place you had fallen asleep in. And Gaara… he had been the only thing she's encountered recently that was so obviously a reminder of her old life. She thought back to their conversation, and felt slightly ridiculous. She had gone off on one of her existential ramblings. As if the Kazekage really cared about her views on human nature. He probably only stayed with her out of obligation. The "get to know the bride before you marry her" kind of thing.

Ino began to feel a strong urge to avoid him for the next couple of days… Heck, a lifetime wouldn't hurt…. But that wouldn't be very civil. It's not like he had done anything wrong. Heck, he could have been completely engaged in their conversation for all she knew. The man was impossible to read. She questioned whether she could really get through his mental barriers if she fully tried. It was truly an odd feeling to have to guess how someone thought of her. Since Ino gained the ability to read minds, she had never needed to guess someone's feelings… she never had to worry about how people would gage her actions. She'd never take her ability for granted again.

Knock Knock

Ino turned her head to the direction of the double doors of her bedroom. Her attendants were here to dress her for breakfast. It was the same routine everyday, and will continue to be the same routine. She use to love the daily treatments. She loved having people work in her… molding her into perfection. After all, she was living the life of a royal figure. In the past, Ino had always obsessed about her own appearance. Having other people obsess over her appearance was an entirely different experience. The morning routine now only reminded of the freedom she'd given up… The freedom that no holder of a royal name would likely experience. Being a princess really wasn't all it was hyped out to be.

--

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

The leader of Sand Village sat at the long breakfast table. He pushed his scrambled eggs around his plate, occasionally ingesting one while one of the Silver Village officials tried to make small talk. The Gaara tried to pay attention, but was distracted by the repetitive ticking of the Grandfather clock.

BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG

10:00am. Footsteps. Gaara turned towards the doorway. Ino stood there in an elegant, layered sundress with a handmaid at each side. She bowed slightly and made her way to sit across from him.

"Good morning." Ino offered as a staff member pulled out her chair. She sat. Another servant appeared with her breakfast. She appeared to avert her gaze as she started to eat.

Gaara frowned. He was surprised to be disappointed that she was as talkative as she had been the night before… even though she mostly appeared to be talking to herself. Afterwards, she had fallen asleep under the night sky. He used his sand to carry her back to what was most likely her room.

The Kazekage continued to look at the Princess as he started to open his mouth as if to say something. He wanted to start another conversation, but was thwarted when no topic of interest came to mind. Years of being a tyrant, followed by years of trying to overcome that image had left him deficient when it came to the art of conversation. Frowning at his inability to start a simple conversation, Gaara returned his attention to his eggs, pushing them into a large mound in the center of his plate.

--

After announcing her presence, Ino immediately averted her attention to her breakfast. Sitting in front of the Sand master, Ino felt none of the comfort she was blessed with the night before. After taking a few minutes to compose herself, Ino looked up to find Gaara separating his eggs into finer bits with his fork. Was he bored? Disappointed in herself for letting her own shyness place her on the brink of being rude, Ino decided that she needed to take action. The Kazekage was a guest in her "Kingdom". It was her job to keep him entertained, regardless of how insecure she felt at the moment. Since when did she ever feel shy or insecure?

"Gaara-sama?"

Gaara looked up and she was met with clear aquamarine eyes. They reminded her of pools of glacier-fed springs. His face remained expressionless. Ino felt a shiver travel down her spine. She wrote it off as intimidation as she tried to remember the purpose of her speech.

"I…" She looked away in order to recompose her thoughts. A princess should never studder.

"If you do not have plans with your company for the rest of the morning, I'd be honoured if you would join me on an excursion to the royal gardens". If she needed to keep anyone entertained, she should at least be in a good mood herself.

--

"You know, this is probably my favourite area in the kingdom," Ino exclaimed as she spun around and bent down to smell what looked like a yellow, star-shaped flower.

The garden was elaborate to say the least. Petals of all the colours of the rainbow littered the floors, trees, and bushes. Everything looked full of life. A bee landed on Gaara's nose. He crushed it with sand.

"There's too many insects". Gaara looked around expressionlessly as two mating dragonflies flew past him. It was almost noon. There were never this many bugs in the desert… Especially with the sun directly above them. It was simply too hot in the desert for any cold-blooded creature to withstand without seeking out shade. They lacked the mechanisms to maintain any constant body temperature.

"They're attracted to the flowers. Who wouldn't be?" Ino signed as she admired a stick of purple puffs.

"What's so great about flowers? Aren't they just the reproductive organs of plants?"

"That's a very… cold way of putting it." Ino frowned at him.

"It's not incorrect."

"Well, no… You're not incorrect. It's a very simplistic view though. It's like saying a castle is just a place to live. The ocean is just a pool of water. Flowers are… they have so much history and symbolism to them. The ancient Greeks worshipped flowers. Take the red rose for example." She cut a red rose at it's stem and handed it to him. "Did you ever wonder why men give red roses to their lovers every Valentines Day? Why it's the symbol for love".

"…"

"It stems from an ancient myth. According to Greek mythology, red roses come from the goddess Aphrodite. When she found her true love, Adonis, mortally wounded by a wild boar, she ran to him, cutting herself on the thorns of white roses. Her blood stained the white blooms, causing them to become red. From then on, it became known as the symbol for love. If you ask me, I think it's very fitting. Love is beautiful… but if you aren't too careful, you'll prick yourself on it's thorns. There are other famous allusions as well in history. You know the famous nursery rhyme 'Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posies'? The rhyme actually describes the black plague. The 'ring of roses' refers to the red blotches that accompany the disease… and 'We all fall down'".

"Isn't that a little morbid, Princess?"

"Life is morbid. Deceptive too. Let's go over there". Ino walked over to the tropical plants section. She stopped at an elaborately shaped green flower with streaks of red on top a thin stalk. A black wasp landed on the flower and tried to… What was it doing? "Calandenia tentaculata. The green spider orchid. It emits the phermones of female wasps in order to attract male wasps. When the males try to mate with the flower, it picks up the pollen and goes on to fertilize other plants it lands on. Most flowers at least give their pollinators a meal." The wasp swung on the flower, and then flew off.

"Interesting". It really was. He prompted her to continue. "Which would you say would be your favourite?"

"My favourite??? Well… I wouldn't really choose one… there are some flowers I'd really like to see though. All my life, I've wanted to see the bloom of Cereus greggi. Also known as Queen of the Night. It's a desert plant. Most of the year, the plant just looks like a dead bush. One night in the summer though… only for one night, it blooms into this beautiful spectacle. It's fragrance is suppose to be unforgettable… but as soon as the first ray of light hits it, the bloom closes for the rest of the year." Ino's face lit up excitedly as she described this plant. Then her smile fell as she looked away. She seemed suddenly overtaken by melancholy.

"Let's head back". Without explanation, Ino picked up her pace and walked ahead back towards the main building.

--

Author's note: True story. Flowers are amazing! I'm trying to develop their relationship, but I'm finding it a little hard. The next chapter should be more eventful.