Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the said characters. And I do not own the Kokia song "Pinku no zou (Pink Elephant)."
All translations will be provided at the end of the chapter.
Readjusting the pile of papers on his desk, Gaara casually flipped through the top few glancing over the basics. Mission reports, complants, estimated budget for housing renovations, invitation to Kankuro's upcoming birthday luau, more mission reports.
Wait. What was that last one. Luau. Like hell I'll go. Persistent bastard.
A quick knock on the door interupted his silent bickering. Without looking up he signaled his assisstant to answer the door as he plucked the offending paper from the pile and tossed it into his bottom drawer.
"Kazekage-sama, Haruno Sakura from Konohagakure is here to see you." Out of the corner of his eye caught his assisstant's bow and acknowleded his departure with the nod of his head. "You may leave Surya."
With a soft click, the Genin shut the doors behind him and the room was once again silent except for the soft footsteps that stopped at the center of the room.
The fragrant scent of sweet fruit reached his nose first, but within half a second his brain registered an assortment of disturbing smells that he could only guess were sweat, dirt, and more dirt.
And what was that? God. I don't even want to know. While he determined the overall smell to rate that of a bloating camel carcass, he finally decided to look up at its source.
What. A homeless prostitute?
Squinting his eyes at the figure before him, he discovered that under the caked dirt he could make out the signature pink cropped hair that he remembered.
New outfit though. Red sleeveless top, black shorts, white skirt. And were those black high-heels?
His stone features did not falter during his evaluation, but the involuntary eye-twitching betrayed his attempt to seem oblivious to her phyical appearance.
"Haruno Sakura. You have been sent here by the Fifth Hokage in order to assist our village in the training of Medic nin, correct."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama." Sakura replied as she stared into his percing green eyes.
When the nin reached into a drawer for a file, she took the opportunity to let her eyes momentarily wandered over the familiar red hair, the etched symbol on his forehead, and back again to his black ringed eyes. However, his ability to intimidate her with a cold stare was ruined by the twiching. A movement that was now the sole focus of her obsessing mind.
There it is again, the twitching. That can't be good.
Suddenly recalling her sensei's parting words and her first encouter years ago with the sand nin sitting before her.
I'm going to die!
Trying to remain calm, she forced herself shake off those ridiculous thoughts as she remembered the package she was carrying.
"I have a scroll from Tsunade-sensei, as well as a list of needed supplies for the Medic training," she said reaching into her pack and removing the tighly wrapped package containing the two scrolls and placing it in his open hand.
Opening the sealed scrolls and glancing over their contents he vocalized his approval with a quick, "Hn," as he placed them aside.
"You may leave now Haruno. You will be staying in the guest quarters downstairs. I have your number and key. Your duties will begin tommorrow morning."
Handing Sakura a small envelope from his top drawer and giving her a look that she could only identify as relief. "Temari to escort you to the Medical building at dawn."
"Thank you Kazekage-sama."
She bowed and opened the heavy doors. The soft click of the doors echoed as she moved into the hallway. Halfway down the hall she finally allowed herself to release a deep sigh.
Perfect.
"Pinku no zou paoon paoon, Watashi wa pinku no zousan na no paoon paoon," Sakura sang as the warm water ran through her soapy hair and down her back. Pink Elephant indeed, she thought glancing at her sunburned shoulders and forearms. Ignoring the irony of her favorite song lyrics, she went on.
"Hai hai minasan goissho ni! Hai hai minasan goissho ni!" Sliding her fingers freely through her short hair checking for any remaining shampoo, she sighed as she reached down and turned off the water.
It had taken her nearly an hour to remove all of the sand and filth from her hair and body.
And it was totally worth every minute, she thought as she grabbed a towel and carefully dried herself off.
Humming softly as she slipped on a clean pair of shorts and a snug t-shirt, she stepped out into the living room of her small apartment.
After her meeting with the abrupt Kazekage, she had been pleasantly surprised to discover that the guest quarters were equipped with a kitchen and nicely sized living room as well as a small bedroom.
The furniture was modest, which she found to be fitting as the true appeal of the room was the incredible view. Her two windows provided a contrasting scope of color and shapes against the simplistic design of the small living quarters, which provided a first impression that had left her gaping in the doorway for several minutes.
However, the moment of wordless appreciation for the designer's great sense of aesthetics was pushed aside once she remembered her pressing need for a bath and food.
But now that I'm clean, I can finally get something to eat.
But her efforts of rummaging through the cabinets and refrigerator produced only a small package of soup and a few cans of vegetables. With such mouth-watering choices she quickly decided to go with the next best option, the venders.
Putting on her sandals and finding a thin white jacket in her traveling pack, she walked out into the hallway after locking her apartment door.
It was only a little after sunset, and the moon had just begun to peek through the partly cloudy sky as Sakura began her search for some fine Suna cuisine.
Finding herself amid a lively crowded street not too far from her room, she finally decided on a small tavern simply named Oashisu which she found to be quite cozy inside.
Sitting near one of the windows she glanced around at her surroundings. Her first surprise this evening had been the fact that although the people of Suna wore plain robes during the heat of the day they quickly shed them for more ornate clothing during the night.
Looking down at her own clothing she felt more than a little self-conscious, a plain pair of black shorts and her favorite old blue t-shirt. Not to mention the stylish white jacket that had been waded up in her pack during her journey, with all the wrinkles to prove it.
Wonderful Sakura. You've been putting all of your training and Tsunade-sensei to shame this entire trip. At least try to behave like an appretince to the Fifth Hokage. Idiot.
Trying to ignore her mental critisms, she looked at the menu in her hands.
Hmm. Maybe the house special will be good?
Deeply contemplating her choices, she heard the waitress approach her table.
"Welcome to Oashisu, my name is Hasna and I will be server tonight. Would you like to start with something to drink or do you have any questions about the menu items?" The girl asked while pulling out a small pad of paper and a pen from her drapping purple robes.
"Hmm. Just water. And what is the house special for tonight?"
Smiling the waitress answered, "Oh! The special is one of our most popular dishes, it even has the approval of the Kazekage himself."
"Really." Raising an eyebrow Sakura mused over this new piece of information. Doing her best to seem casual she went on with her next question, "Is he a regular customer then?"
"Yes he is. It seems that he is quite partial to our late night hours."
"Hai, I'll take the special then. Thank you for helping me decide."
"No problem. Oh, and not to be rude, but you're not from Wind right?"
"Was the Konoha symbol a dead giveaway?" Sakura asked pointing to her forehead protector.
"Kind of." Pausing for a second the girl hesitated with her next statement, "You wouldn't know it, but it wasn't so long ago that the Suna you see today was a dying village."
Gesturing to the people around her, "The villagers had lost part of themselves because of war and corruption."
"I guess that I'm telling you this because I want you to understand us and our loyality to the new Kazekage."
Noticing a faint blush radiating from the girl's cheeks, Sakura listened as she continued, "He has changed Suna, and Suna in turn has changed him.So, as an allied ninja, please don't judge us too harshly for our past mistakes."
You can't be blamed for the ambitions of a mad man. You're village also lost many people because of him. Yodaime Kazekage.
"Hai. No hard feelings."
With a smile the girl took the menu and hurried to welcome in a group of new guests that had seated themselves near the bar.
She was nice, and full of information. Gaara's been busy since the Chunin Exam, but he wasn't the only one.
With a smirk, Sakura watched the people passing by her window until Hasna returned with her drink.
"Here's the special. Enjoy!" Placing the large plate infront of the drooling guest, she stifled her giggle.
"Hai. Thank you." Looking at the steaming food before her, Sakura broke apart her chopsticks and took the first bite.
Delicious! This is just too good. Maybe I could get the owner of Ichiraku Ramen to make this in Konoha.
Halfway through her meal Hasna returned to see how she was doing.
"Everything okay? I hope the spices aren't too overwhelming."
"No, everything is perfect. I've never had anyhing like this in Konoha, and I was wondering just what makes the special so…well, special?"
"Nothing really, its just a mixture of well-known spices and suigyuu tongue. Nothing too out of the ordinary…um, are you okay?"
Struggling to swallow down the piece of meat in her mouth, she was able to get out "Fine. Just need some water. Suigyuu tongue you say?"
"Yes, it's one of the Kazekage's favorite ingrediants."
Grabbing her cup she took a drink. Suigyuu tongue?Oh my god, I just ate the taste organ of a huge desert bison!
Get a grip. Despite that small detail it's still a very good dish, don't be rude or you'll make Hasna cry.
Taking her own advise she thanked the concerned girl for the wonderful meal and asked for a to-go box and the bill.
Better leave a fat tip.
Lyrics for "Pink no zou (Pink Elepant)," by Kokia. If you would like to read the entire translation let me know. It's a cute song.
First set: Pink elephant, paoon paoon, I'm a pink elephant, paoon paoon.
Second set: OK everyone, all together! OK everyone, all together!
Word translations:
Oashisu oasis
Suigyuu Water buffalo