A/N: Pretty much the Setsuko version of chapter 14. Is it bad that my favorite chapter right now is 14? I shouldn't be playing favorites, but it makes me smile every time I read it.
It had been two days and there had been no word from Setsuko. She must have been far more exhausted then he originally thought. And he did in fact know she was sleeping, having had Aoi make sure. In that time, he had plenty of time to think about whatever was going on in his brain and yet, thinking about possibly seeing Setsuko still kind of unnerved him. Maybe he hadn't worked out all the details after all. It actually terrified him to think that someone could cause him to react like this. Especially someone he barely knew. He sat back in his chair with a sigh, neglecting his paperwork; as he often did the last two days. He was still so unsure.
Gaara swung his chair around so he was facing the windows of his office. What was he to do? He just couldn't believe that a woman, one that was still new to him, was causing his mind to be so out of whack. Considering who he was, it amazed him and he was sure it did the same with Temari when they spoke about it. Maybe there was a way that he could get her away from the village for at least a day. Even if it was nothing she wanted to do, he could come up with a viable excuse right? His finger tapped against the arm of his chair; maybe not to her face. He called for someone to summon Temari and it wasn't long before she was entering his office.
"You wanted to see me?" she questioned as the door shut behind her.
Gaara turned around in his chair, facing her, "I have something I need you to do for me."
She cocked a brow curiously, "Okay, like what?"
"I want you to escort Setsuko to the Hidden Leaf," he replied, looking down at his desk and scribbling something on a scroll.
"I'm sorry, what? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard given the situation and why?" she retorted, crossing her arms under her chest. She watched as he ignored her and continued to scribble. Walking up to his desk, she slammed her hand down in front of him, "Hey! Are you going to answer me or not?"
Slowly he looked up at her, "I figured she's been too confined here. Since Aisugakure is an isolated village, it would do her some good to make diplomatic friends."
She watched him give a shrug and go back to the scroll, "Gaara…"
"Have this sent before you leave. It will arrive before you do so they'll know you're coming," he said holding out the scroll for her.
She gave him an annoyed sigh but took the scroll anyways. "I think this is the dumbest thing you've ever done."
"Which is why I'm sending you along." He stared up at her glare as if it were nothing knew to him, which it wasn't.
Setsuko was enjoying a hot, relaxing bath in the peace and quiet of her hotel room. She felt a hundred times better after catching up on her sleep for the past two days. Laying her head back against the rim, she sunk lower into the bath water and sighed happily, a small smile gracing her lips. Although still in inner turmoil over what had happened back home, she was slowly starting to cope with it. It was terrible and it tore her up inside to know the man she loved was gone, but she was also painfully aware that there was nothing she could do about it. Even if she had been home during the attack, it was doubtful she would have been able to stop it from happening. Her eyes slowly opened and looked down at the water with nothing but detached sorrow. Things would change when she returned home. This experience had already taught her so much and she had only been gone about a month, maybe a little less.
Inhaling a shaky breath, she sighed and turned her gaze to the ceiling. Before it could make its way down her face, she wiped away the lone tear the moment she felt it slip from her eye. Maki was the man she's loved since they were children; it only stands to reason that she would be heartbroken. They had promised to get married ever since she first stepped foot into the orphanage. He had always been there for her; keeping his promise to always protect her. Then why had her dreams been of nothing but Gaara for the two days she was passed out? She felt her face heat up almost instantly as she remembered her dreams. Some of them had been far too graphic than she would ever care to admit. She sunk lower into the bath, covering everything from her mouth down. How could she think about someone like that when she was in such pain?
Besides, Gaara, of all people? That was preposterous! He was so, grumpy; all the time. He hardly ever showed emotion. He was rude to practically everyone he met. He had even threatened her! His stupid red hair that was more of a mess than Maki's, and framed his face in such a way that allowed that scar to stand out against his pale skin. And his green eyes, they were nothing to be desired. Looking as if they had come straight from the ocean of a tropical paradise; he thought he was so cool. Her cheeks puffed out as she tried to make him seem like he was a high and mighty jerk. But who was she really trying to convince? In a weird way, he was kind of her only friend here; so far away from home. She probably talked to him the most even if he almost never talked back. He was so cryptic in most of his answers and always crossed his arms across his chest. She found her mind wandering to what his bare chest looked like under all those robes he wore. Her face grew even redder, if it were possible, feeling the sting even on her ears. She had to stop.
She was just being crazy, right? He liked Hui anyways; it was amazingly obvious from the way he had acted the other night. Of course he would like someone like her; she was powerful, beautiful and knew just what she was doing. She couldn't compete with someone that had been in the field and had the kind of experiences they had. Unlike them, she had been cooped up most of her life, forced to do things she never actually wanted to do. Despite what people might believe, Setsuko never wanted to rule her village. She wanted to be a ninja just like her parents. She could do far more good fighting the enemy than sitting back and having to deal with political powers. It's not like she hadn't learned though. Behind everyone's backs, she had learned to do the same things as ninja; she had just never been on a mission until recently.
Exhaling through her nose, she felt the water ripple against her skin. She was just being ridiculous! There was no way she liked Gaara and there was certainly no way that he liked her. If anything, she was living a fantasy if she continued to think that way. Finishing her bath, she got out and wrapped a towel around her body. She was drying her hair when she thought she heard a knock at the door. Setting the hair dryer down, she looked towards the bedroom door for a moment, wondering to herself if she had been imagining the sound when she heard it again. Walking to the door, she was surprised to see the tall blonde standing at her door. She had met Temari once the entire time she had been here, and it hadn't been very eventful for her to stick out in her mind.
"Yes?" she asked, wondering just what she was doing here instead of one of the ANBU or Gaara himself.
"Get dressed Princess, we're going out!" Temari said with a beaming smile and a sparkle in her teal eyes.
Setsuko blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, what?"
Without being invited in, Temari sauntered into the hotel room and flopped down on the couch crossing one leg over the other. "We're going out! I'm taking you outta town for a few days. Stretch your legs, get away from this boring hotel room, see some sights…maybe even meet a few guys," she gave the Princess a sly smirk and a playful wink.
She blushed lightly at the way the older woman said her words. "I don't know…Gaara might get mad if I leave."
"Oh pfft! Who cares? Besides, he actually suggested it," she said, getting up and wrapping an arm around the younger girl.
"He…did?" She looked up at Temari in bewilderment that Gaara would actually allow her to leave since he had been so adamant that she didn't even leave her room.
Temari leaned against her playfully, "Oh yeah! A change of scenery will do you some good kid! But you gotta look nice, you're gonna be meeting the Hokage for the Land of Fire. Need to put your Princess foot forward."
"Oh uhm…" she paused as she processed Temari's words. She would be leaving town for a few days. A whole new change of scenery. She wondered what this village would be like compared to Suna. "Okay!" she said, giving her an excited smile.
"That's what I like to hear! Now pack some things and meet me at the gates okay?" She let go of Setsuko and walked towards the door.
Setsuko nodded, watching Temari open the door to leave. "Alright!"
The door closed and Setsuko couldn't help but let out an excited squeal. Finally she was going to be able to get to go to and see more than just sandy old Suna! As she rushed back to the bathroom to finish doing her hair, she wondered just what village in the Land of Fire they were going to. What would the people be like? What kind of things did they offer to visitors? Most of all, what did the village look like? Putting her hair in a high ponytail set a little off to the side, she curled it and let it drape over her left shoulder. All the smaller strands of hair framed her face to give her an innocent, yet regal appearance.
Getting into her closet, she threw off the towel that covered her body and pulled out a dress. Looking at herself in the body mirror, she ran her hands along the fabric, trying to smooth everything out. The light maroon colored dress brought out the paleness of her skin, but the contrast was offset by the splash of blue that decorated the top half. It was a slightly more casual dress from the others she owned; she only figured that it would just be the two of them and they would be doing a lot of walking. No need to wear something formal out in the middle of nowhere. The sleeves stopped a few inches past her elbows, the hem of the skirt was about an inch above her ankles and the collar dipped into a low v, showing more of her chest then normal. Strapping her heels to her feet, she grabbed a small bag and filled it with a few pairs of clothes and toiletries. Grabbing a brown cloak as she left the room, she swung it around her shoulders as she raced down the hallway, feeling the silver clasp bounce against her chest.
She ran and ran and ran towards the gates, never stopping even after accidentally bumping into a few people. She mumbled her apologies, but never once stopped, far too excited about leaving Suna. "Temari!" she shouted, seeing the blonde standing by the entrance to the village.
Temari turned slightly, smiling when she saw Setsuko. "Oh, there you are! I was wondering what was taking you so long."
"Sorry…" She finally stopped, placing her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. "I tried to hurry as fast as I could."
Temari chuckled, "Oh it's okay. We have plenty of time to waste, it takes about three days to get where we're going." She took a moment to look Setsuko up and down. "You're wearing that?"
"You said I was going to be meeting the Hokage! Of course I'm wearing this! Wait…what's wrong with my dress?" She looked down at her dress, starting to have second thought about her choice in clothing when Temari started laughing.
"I'm only joking. You look fine," she couldn't help that the look of defeat the Princess wore made her giggle; she was so easy to tease.
Setsuko huffed, crossing her arms across her chest in a pout.
Temari couldn't help but continue to laugh. "Let's get going!" With a slight nod, Setsuko threw the hood of her cloak over her head and the two ladies made their way towards the Hidden Leaf Village.