It was busy at the Kazekage's office. The Fifth Kazekage had only been in power for a short time, but he was already making progress that many of the villagers never expected. You would never hear the word "monster" used to describe him anymore.

Temari listened to the sound of her shoes clacking on the floor as she waltzed to her younger brother's office. She would always bring Gaara any letters or notifications he might have when she came to assist him. One very important letter had come today, and she was going to make sure it went straight to his hands.

It was addressed to "Lord Kazekaga" (the thought of her brother being called "Lord" or "Sama" still made her giggle at times), the address coming from Hanagakure, a "Lady Eiko". While she wasn't familiar with the name, she was familiar with the country's name. She remembered Kameko's warning from months ago that they would eventually come to visit Suna, and it seemed that the day had finally come.

Temari didn't bother to knock on the door of Gaara's office, she just simply strode right in and gave a proud smile. Her little brother, the head of the village. How could she not be proud of him for making a difference? For turning his life around. He was so much different than he was two years ago. She knew he still had a long way to go, but she was proud nonetheless.

"I have some mail for you." She sat the letters down on his desk and crossed her arms.

His red hair waved as he glanced at the stack and mumbled out a "thank you". His focus went back to the paper he was scribbling notes on.

The smile dropped from her face and her eyes squinted. "Read the damn letters, Gaara," she huffed. "They're important, okay?"

Gaara finally raised his eyes at her, a lifted brow pointed at her in confusion. He sighed, sat his pen down, and picked up the small stack.

"I don't possibly see how these could be so important," he started. "If they were drastic, someone would have brought them to my attention immediately." She watched his gaze flick over the envelopes and scrolls, one by one. Finally, he landed on the letter she was excited about.

And then tossed it into the growing pile of 'glanced at, will get to later'.

"Gaara!"

His face refocused on her. "What?"

Temari pinched her nose, struggling to stay calm with him. She sighed. "The letter! From Hana, see?" She picked it up and put it in his face. He took it from her hands and looked it over again.

"Ah, I see." He stared at it for a few moments longer. She could see the wheels turning in his head until it finally clicked. "Oh! Right. The girl we met before. What was her name again…? Right, Kameko. Is she coming for that visit now?" He pulled a letter opener from his desk and unsealed the envelope.

She watched his eyes scroll over the words, taking them in. She almost hit him when he sat the letter down and went back to his work. Temari grabbed the pen from his hand, causing him to now glare at her in frustration.

"Are you going to tell me what it say?"

"What do you think it says? 'Dear Kazekage, I'm sending my daughter to spend six months in your village to learn how to be a leader. Please treat her well, thanks.' What else could it possibly say?" She could tell by his tone that he was getting testy.

Temari pouted her lip and picked up the letter herself, reading it.

Lord Kazekage,

My name is Lady Eiko Endo. I reign over a small country to the north. I have begun preparing my only descendant, Kameko Endo, for training in order to be the next leader of our territory. She has been traveling for over two and a half years now, and is almost done with her journey. Her last major stop is to visit you and your trusted teachers, advisors, and council in order to learn from a great country.

This letter is leaving the same day as her, and should only arrive two days prior to her arrival. I only request that she and her company are treated with respect, as I am sure they will treat you.

I would also like to congratulate you on your new position as Kazekage. I am sure it is a difficult task, but greatly rewarding. I have heard many good things so far, and I hope to hear even more in the future.

Thank you for your time and service,

Lady Eiko Endo

She glanced at her brother and back to the letter. This woman sounded just as formal as Kameko did. It was no wonder at this point.

"So two days, huh?" Thoughts for preparation spun through her head. Should they make living arrangements for them? Or should they let their guests choose where they want to stay? Would it be fine to invite them to dinner the evening they arrive?

"I can practically hear you thinking from here, Temari." She looked at Gaara, who had already returned to his scribbling when she sat the pen down to pick up the letter.

"Just thinking of ways to greet our honored guests is all."

"Nothing big, Temari," he warned, taking a second to glance at her with a stern look. "Offer them somewhere to stay and if they agree, to eat. We treat them respectfully and with honor, but I remind you that they aren't royalty of any kind."

Temari huffed. "Technically, she's an heiress." Gaara looked at her again with the same stern eyes. "Fine, have it your way. I'll be with Kankuro getting ready.

Gaara let out the breath he was holding when Temari finally left his office.

Finally, he thought. Some peace and quiet.

His hands came up to wipe at his face, rubbing some of the sleep out of his eyes. He stood up from the desk and went to the balcony doors and outside. He needed fresh air. He had been in the office for too long.

The wind whipped around him, shuffling his hair and clothes. It was refreshing for him, to say the least. He went to lean against the balcony and empty his thoughts, only for a moment.

What was Temari so excited about anyway? It's not like they hadn't had guests before, even important ones. Was it because she actually knew these people to some extent? Or was she wanting to make new friends?

Gaara shook his head. Worrying about these things wasn't going to help him any.

He sighed heavily, picked himself up off the railing, and headed back inside. Just a few more documents and he would head home for the day. Perhaps he would read the rest of the letters that he had gotten as well.

Two days seemed to fly by for Temari. She and Kankuro had made some plans for their guests. They had made living arrangements for this, a small vacation home that wasn't rented too often. It's not like people actually came to vacation in a desert. It was a three bedroom house with a small kitchen and living area with two bathrooms, surely that would be well enough for them.

They had plans to go to a restaurant that night, somewhere that showed off the local cuisine. Gaara wouldn't be able to complain about her choice either, since it was somewhere she knew he would be willing to go.

Now all she had to do was wait. Which is hard when you're not a very patient person.

Luckily for her, Kameko was apparently known for arriving on time.

"Hey, it's that girl!" Kankuro pointed them out as they entered the village gates.

Temari rolled her eyes. "As I've said before Kankuro, that girl has a name, so please use it!" She glided past her brother and greeted them accordingly. "Welcome to Sunagakure. We've been expecting you." She smiled and Kameko returned it.

"Thank you. Then I assume my mother's letter made it alright?" Kameko looked around the village and then back to the siblings. "It's incredibly hot, I haven't a clue how you're both wearing black. I need to change into some lighter clothes myself."

Temari watched as the younger girl tugged at her collar to let air flow.

"Kameko that sounds rude." Jun reminded her. "I think she means that it's nice to be somewhere warmer. She actually doesn't like the cold very much."

Kameko glanced at her cousin, but Temari was still focused on the girl's eyes. It wasn't every day that she met someone with heterochromia, so she was excited to get the chance to study them.

Their eyes met the next instant. Temari wasn't sure to turn away from the girl's solid gaze or not, but she was thankful when Kameko looked down, avoiding direct contact.

"We have a place arranged for your stay here. If you'll follow us we'll lead you to it."

Kameko was investigating the home that they had been lent to stay in. Konoha had been somewhat crowded when they were staying there, so they could only stay in an apartment. It was nice having space for her to be alone when she wanted.

The master bedroom had an adjoining bathroom. The two spare bedrooms were connected by a hallway to the third, with a second bedroom at the end of the hallway. She would take one of the spares and let Isao have the master. But she would be damned if Jun got the one closer to the bathroom. She waltzed into her claimed room and dumped her pack down onto the bed.

Kameko went to inspect the bathroom next and was thankful that there was a tub deep enough that she could soak in it if she wanted.

"We have plans to go to dinner tonight too," Temari said from the other room. Jun and Isao had stayed in the living room to talk with her and Kankuro.

"It'll be us and our brother. He's busy so we won't be going until later tonight," Kankuro explained. "Here's the address and the name. We'll be there around seven, so join us around then, okay?"

There was more talk and some small laughter between Jun and Kankuro, but she had blocked the noise out at the point. Instead, she went to find some paper and a pen so she could write to her mother to have sent out the next day, assuring her that they all made it safely.

When the letter was done she finally stood up and stretched. It was only have past five, so she still had plenty of time to get ready. Jun and Isao had already prepared and were reading while she had been writing.

"I'm going to take a bath," she announced.

"Don't be too long, we have to head out soon," Isao said. She waved her acknowledgement and went to her room. She grabbed clothes to change into then went to draw a bath.

They had arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early. Kameko's eyes scanned the room, looking to see if the siblings had arrived already. She caught the Temari's gaze and the sister waved them over with a smile. Kameko touched her cousin's shoulder to catch his attention and their own trio made their way over.

"Gaara hasn't made it yet, but he should be here soon." Temari explained.

"Is it always this busy for him?" Jun was always the one to break the ice and start up conversation.

"Usually," she replied. "Although I told him to be sure he was free today so he could join us on time." A partial frown spread on her face and she glanced at the door. The frown was instantly replaced with a smirk and she waved her hand to whoever she saw. "Speak of the devil!"

Kameko turned to watch as the Kazekage entered the restaurant and made their way over to them.

"Lord Kazekage, it is an honor to have you dine with us tonight," Isao greeted.

He held his hand up to him. "Please, there's no need for any formalities. I'm here as Gaara, not as Kazekage." He picked up the menu, done with the conversation.

It bothered her a bit that he didn't seem to be as interested in his company as he probably should have been.

"You'll have to excuse him," Temari apologized. "He's socially inept and overworked." She pinched his shoulder, which in turn got a squint from Gaara. "At least act like you're happy to see old friends."

Kameko's gaze widened a bit. She hadn't realized that these people (well, at least most of them) had considered her a friend. It did make her happy that they did, though. Her list of friends wasn't very long after all.

"I am happy they're here," he argued, tearing his gaze away from the menu again. "I'm tired and hungry, let me rest."

Drinks and food were ordered shortly after and it seemed that everyone at the table had finally loosened up some. Talk was kept casual, mostly each side giving details about what had been happening the last six and a half months since they had seen each other. Kameko had given short answers – she just wasn't too sure how to make something like training sound exciting.

The food came out rather quickly and they all began to quiet down to eat. Kameko looked around to see what everyone had ordered, comparing it to her own choice. A plate of sautéed meat with rice and vegetables, with seasoning and a light sauce. She only glanced at the others food as she started to eat, but her eyes locked onto the strangest thing she had ever seen.

"Is… that fried gizzard?" She glanced up to meet Gaara's eyes, faint red spilling over his cheeks.

"I-," he paused to look to his siblings, who offered no help but smug looks. "I like it." He ignored the questioning look that she gave him and averted his eyes, focusing on his meal instead.

Jun burst out laughing. "Who-who would have thought that Kameko would make someone feel awkward?!" He put his hand over his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter. It didn't help that Temari and Kankuro were also holding back their own giggles.

Kameko herself hadn't meant to make them laugh at Gaara, she was just honestly curious. She tried to catch his eye again, to send an apologetic look, but it seemed that he was done with social interaction for the night.

She decided that she was as well.