Gaara sat at his late-father's desk leafing through a stack of mouldy reports. It was incredible the amount of junk Kages received on a daily basis: mission requests, bills, Icha-Icha mail order forms. At last he found what he was looking for - a letter pad, stamped with the official Sunagakure seal. According to protocol, he was allowed to invite a total of five shinobi from the allied lands - including Konoha - as onlookers for the Kazekage Induction, barring, of course, the Hokage and her personal assistants.

Useless, he thought, Because I can only think of two. He tore off a single sheet of paper, scribbled a brief invitation and slipped it into an envelope marked 'Uzumaki Naruto'. He sealed the envelope with a dab of wet sand and made a mental note to hail a courier ninja.

It would be unnecessary to send the second one.

---

It would be autumn soon - not that you could tell in a desert. The only clues of the change in season was the slight dip in the temperature and the shortening of the days. There was no one about save a handful of sullen-looking vendors so Gaara decided to take a walk.

There was a time he hated the streets of Suna; their dirt and dust-storms, the frenetic haggling between barters, the steady, hypnotic scratch of sandals against baked Earth. It reminded him of life - the raw, uninhibited pulse of it; everything he was not.

And, of course, for much of his childhood, there had been an assassin in almost every one.

"Gaara." A familiar, somewhat hesitant, voice called from the back and Gaara stopped.

"Yes, what is it, Kankuro?"

"The elders...have summoned you. Sounds serious."

"Everything sounds serious to you." Gaara half-turned and fixed his brother with an inexplicable stare. The older boy didn't know if that was a threat or a taunt and gulped reflexively. "Something about a missing talisman, Gaara...sama."

"I'll be there," Gaara took a step forward, "You are dismissed." There was a gust of wind and the older boy was gone.

So it was serious after all.

---

"I hope you understand, Gaara-sama. We do not wish to offend you in anyway, but it would be quite impossible for us to proceed with the Induction without the Union Medallion." The elder finished bluntly, trying his hardest not to look intimidated by the young, but terribly menacing, shinobi before him.

It has a name, Gaara thought absently.

"No, I don't understand." His reply was curt, bored.

"The Union Medallion is an extremely powerful talisman, your...Highness," The elder's eyes turned bright, "It has been passed down from for generations, from each Kazekage to the next in line, come Induction. It is an item of immense and terrifying significance"

"Well, what does it do?" Gaara asked, an unmistakable drawl in his voice. He knew, of course, but it would be funny to hear the wizened man explain it.

"The Union Medallion and ONLY the Union Medallion can help us and the Kazekage choose a suitable consort!" The elder thundered while the rest of their council bowed their heads in acknowledgement.

Gaara's eyes widened momentarily, "Now, how in the deserts does it do that?"

The elder's eyes were livid and he appeared extremely torn between a desire to reproach the boy on the spot and fear from what could happen should he try. Barely containing himself, he rose to his feet and raised a finger, "Your respectful highness, Sir, I must implore you not to question the sanctity and power of the Union Medallion. Some say... it is older than the desert itself!"

Now that, Gaara thought, is impossible.

"Igoku-sama," Gaara said, calmly, "I am a boy of thirteen. A consort is unnecessary." There was a flurry of hushed whispers and Igoku raised a hand.

"Gaara...sama, let me explain. Taking a consort is a highly symbolic gesture: accepting as your wife a woman chosen by the desert itself signifies our allegiance to it and its allegiance to us. This is an age old alliance that we must not disturb!" There was fire in the old man's eyes. "Certainly, we do not expect you to bear a heir immediately," he added, as an afterthought.

"The desert chooses, you say," Gaara continued, "And the Union Medallion is its tool."

"Yes, that is right."

"Well then, since the Medallion is missing..." Gaara crossed his arms over his chest, "I can only think of two possibilities. Either the desert has decided that I am to be without consort or...it has chosen one already."

With that, he turned and walked calmly out of the chamber.