A/N: Alright, ladies and gents, I'm very sick so this might not be some of my very best work, but I wanted to do a sister story to A Little Distance. What I wanted to do, because In Plain Sight is such a Sasuke-oriented story, or it will moving in that direction shortly. So this is kinda to keep the balance between them relatively even. This is taking place during the month of negotiations that Gaara was supposed to be doing with the Raikage.

Without further ado,

Gaara scowled as he stared at the calender. For 2 months now Sasuke had been in the Water country - technically he wasn't supposed to know the details of the mission but he knew the location and knew that this was an undercover mission - doing god knows what. 2 months there and Gaara could have no hand in bringing him home. He couldn't send out reinforcements, he couldn't even send out a scout, personal request from the Hokage in order to maintain the integrity of the mission.

So he sat behind his desk, and tried very hard not to curse the gods.

However, on the bright side, Sasuke came home today. Not so bright, he wouldn't be spending much time. He had a list of missions that only Sasuke could handle. Probably another month before they spoke, really spoke. He had to admit 2 months and 2 weeks in, that he was definitely missing the Uchiha. As pathetic as it sounded he genuinely missed that sarcasticly charming voice belonging only to the raven. Music sometimes couldn't compare to the sound, it also didn't cause the same thrill to run up his spine.

3 months now they'd been apart and it finally seemed like they'd manage to get together. Gaara had gone home early and cooked dinner, intending to call the Uchiha so they could eat, talk, and remember what the other actually looked like.

Instead his cellphone had rang and his sister had called him back to the office. He went back to the office and sat back at the desk he was beginning to hate just a little.

"The negotiations with Lightning-" Temari's hair had been straightened and she was dressed nicely, she and Shika were probably going out to dinner when her cellphone had gone off. Damnit the Sabaku name was beginning to be such a damn curse.

"Aren't for another week." He leaned back in the chair, why did he care about something he had plenty of time to prep himself for. He had a week. A week to a Kage could be negotiations with 3 countries prep time.

"-Weren't for another week. The Raikage is impaitent to see you and bumped them up. It's short notice, it's rude and you can totally decline. But it means making the ANBU protection detail he sent to escort you wait for a week."

"It also means being closed off and unwelcoming to them when they try to ask me nicely. I have to go." Gaara groaned in annoyance. The Raikage had recently taking quite an interest in him. More then likely due to the fact that he somehow had Sasuke Uchiha - the rogue who fought the Raikage and won - under his thumb. So he'd been particularily insistant on getting Gaara into his country.

Gaara on the other hand, was unnerved by this idea. In Suna he was much safer and Suna was safer with him there. But he couldn't refuse. refusal meant that the Raikage might get insulted and might play a harder game. How annoying politics could be was constantly going to amaze the red headed man.

"Yea, you have to go." Temari sighed as well and sat on his desk languidly. She seemed just about as miserable about this developement as he did. They both groaned but nodded.

"Can you-?"

"Yes, I can handle the country for a month. Good luck. Will you-?"

"Of course I will write and confirm I'm safe. But don't expect a letter a day, I'll write for perhaps once a week." Gaara smiled softly. He and Temari knew this routine so well. Kankuro was still in Konoha and would be remaining there until The Kazekage and Naruto worked out Shika staying here perminantly. So in the meantime he and Temari figured out how to work with each other. Two fiery personalities? Their arguements are famous for being explosive.

"Take a protection squad." Not a request.

"I have the one from Lightning, they'll keep me safe." Gaara frowned.

"Gaara. Take a protection squad."

What started calm ended something like this.

"If you so much as exit the office without a goddamn ANBU I will personally kill you! Don't you dare shrug them off! Don't even think about ditching them! Gaara if I get a letter saying that you lost the protection squad, I'll write the Raikage and ask him to lock you up and throw away the key until I get there."

It also ended smacking him upside the head. "Sasuke isn't here so he can't give you that I-know-you'll-do-it-if-I-ask-really-nicely look but I am here and I can give you that," this is where she smacked the red head, "I'm-your-sister-and-I-will-kill-you beat down. Got it?"

"Yea, got it." Gaara laughed quietly. "Go find me a good squadron to take, I'll summon the Lightning ANBU." Gaara laughed happily. His sister's methods were unorthadox, but they certainly worked. The Kazekage was well aware that his sister actually would have him locked away until she could get there. So while she was gone, he strolled into the apartment connecting to his office and changed for travel and battle. He glanced at his older battle-wear and laughed softly. "Did I really wear this stuff?" He donned his traveling cloak for a moment before shrugging it off. Both their countries were hot places, the cloak would only over-heat and hinder him. No point in wearing it.

Temari walked back in along with both squadron's just as Gaara closed the clasp on his bag.

"Damn you're good. I didn't even summon them yet."

"I know. I found them all scattered on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Evidently, their instructions were that their mission starts on arrival."

"Hmm. Interesting. "

They left that night. 12 ANBU shinobi and one Kage set off for the Lightning Country. Every they stopped and made camp Gaara prepped himself for negotiations, running through everything from the countries assets to it's disadvantages. Doing this for the Lightning country as well would give him a leg up on the Raikage - presuming he hadn't done so himself. But he highly doubted it, the Raikage was more of a strong arm kind of man then Gaara. The red head prided himself on being more of a mental fighter.

"Lord Kazekage, are you going to get any rest at all?" Kooisi smiled at him from her bedroll. He had been pouring over the files he brought for hours and the young ANBU was beginning to wonder if the Lord really was a vampire. She heard rumors about his sleeping patterns or lack thereof from the Suna protection squad that came with them.

"Yes I will. Go to sleep Kooisi, my team can watch me for tonight. I'm not going anywhere." Gaara tried to offer a comfortingly charming smile. Acording to his family, if he tried he could be quite comforting. He aqquitted it all to the title of Kage. Kages were supposed to be the biggest and baddest so everyone felt safe when they said that it was. He just seemed to more adept at it then most.

"I know, but Lord Kazekage, if I may, do you really not sleep?" The woman batted her pretty blue eyes at him and made an attempt to make it look like this wasn't about to become her next juicy piece of gossip. Most of the young ANBU took every chance they got too figure out fun facts about everyone. Amongst themselves it was usually done in a bonding truth or dare game. If they where given the chance, they'd try to figure out the 5th Kazekage too.

Unfortunatly, Gaara also prided himself on being a damn good liar.

"I do. But luckily I got in a damn good rest before the mission. You're an ANBU, tell me how many days I can run for on 13 hours sleep."

"13 hours? For any ANBU that's good enough for 3 days. Well technically 2 days and 3 fifths of another but your a Kage so I'm bumping it upwards." Kooisi smiled and Gaara immediately could tell she was hiding something from him. Her smile didn't reach her eyes and there was noticable traces of guilt lining her lips.

"Thanks for the ego boost," he jested quietly, "but luckily we will be in the Lightning country by the time I need to sleep again. On the other hand, you need sleep. Don't make me knock you out."

Kooisi nodded and put her head back down, watching as the Lord Kazekage bent back over his files and began studying them again. In the beginning betraying hims had been easy. He had no face to her then, he had no personality and no one to care about. Now she had a face to the name Gaara Sabaku. He had a sister and brother to leave behind and he had a personality. Hell, she couldn't know, he might even have a lover.

In the back of her mind Kooisi wonderd if he really loved whoever he might be with.