They passed! Six years of learning ninja basics and skills, Gaara and Hinata finally passed the Academy. It took a while because the education system in Suna was a little shaky, but these two still passed with high honors. The both of them tied as the top students in their class! In addition, they had become well accustomed to each others' combat styles that they were the best team in their class.

Hinata was anxious. The day after they graduated the Academy, the new graduates would be assigned their squads. 'They just have to put us together, I just know it! How could they not? We're a perfect team!"

Gaara was feeling just the same way. He not only wanted Hinata as a partner, but maybe even more than arguing buddies. What was the term... true friends? 'Yes, she's become my "true friend."' Not only that, but the sight of her just kind of stunned him too. He used to just see her as a shy and timid girl with long hair, but now he saw her as a bold, strong, smart girl, and complete gorgeous. Long hair flowing in the consistent wind, pearly eyes showing she was actually seeing him as Gaara, not just a monster. 'No, I can't have these thoughts. If this is "love," it can only destroy. It breaks easily and brings no benefit. No I can't so that. It's a weakness. Oh but she's so..."

"Ok genin! Here are the assigned squad groups! And there is an exception for one of you not only that the class can't be divided in three, but one of you has... special needs."

Hinata noticed Gaara looked down at this last comment. She knew exactly what he was thinking: his Shukaku would cause him trouble in a group. 'But wait, does that mean that...'

"So, this person is..."

'Please don't say his name...' Hinata saying desperately, even crossing her fingers for this luck.

"Sabaku no Gaara, you will be with you brother and sister for further training."

Gaara stood up, and walked toward the gate where Hinata could now see his siblings standing. She did not know them except for what Gaara had rarely mentioned anything about his family and they only saw each other around school hours. 'Please, take good care of him...' she said in a small prayer bowing her head.

Gaara looked back only once he got to the exit. He saw her looking away on the verge of tears. He hid his face from her view to walk away. 'Will I be able to see her anymore? Oh please, let us do a team mission occasionally at least.'

"Hinata," the instructor called out after him leaving, "you will be with Kega and Itami. Go through the door in the back of the room to meet your new sensai."

Hinata and two others stood up to leave. Kega and Itami had been sitting next to each other so she assumed Itami must be a buddy of his. She did recognize Kega to be one of her taunters. Kega was quite tall now and gave off a mean, evil vibe with his spiky, crazy, jet-black hair. Itami was slightly shorter but fairly broad, looking very strong. His white hair sent a chill down her back just looking at it. 'Well, hopefully we'll become friends... I hope...'

They simultaneously walked out and they had to pass through another door. Hinata tried to walk through first but Kega slapped her sending her back into the wall. "Hey, the saying 'girls first' doesn't apply here. So stay out of our way, White-Eyes."

"I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean to make you m-mad."
"Oh we have a stutterer eh?" Itami immediately concluded. "Well, it looks like we're going to have to show you the proper way of doing things here."
"Oh it certainly looks like," Kega added in a frightening, evil tone.
"P-please, we're supposed to be p-partners..."
"Who needs other people? Especially you. You're weak. The only reason you got top marks is because you hung around that demon who would kill if he gets mad. So it was to make sure he was tamed."
"N-n-no! That can't be true! I-I trained my a-absolute hardest!"
"Well you can't train to be a ninja if you have no talent."
"Yeah White-eyes. You might as well leave."
"Stop calling me that! And n-no, I won't leave. I want to be Kazekage!"

The two looked at each other the started bursting out laughing, so hard there were tears in their eyes and collecting dust from rolling.

"HAHA! YOU? KAZEKAGE?! RIDICULOUS! YOU'RE TOO WEAK TO BECOME A CHUNIN!"

But still, Hinata walked through the next door first again, and once more she was pushed back against the wall. Although this time, Kega held a kunai to her throat and his elbow on her chest. "If you get in our way, even by accident, I'll kill you." He pushed his elbow on her as a final statement then released her to walk through the door with his friend.

Hinata was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath. 'H-how... could this be so terrible?' Unfortunately, she didn't know her week was about to get much worse.

"I can't congratulate you enough for finally becoming a shinobi!" Hinata's mother had been burdening her with praise ever since yesterday's graduation. "So, did you get good teammates today?" This was the question Hinata had been dreading to answer. She knew her mom was going to ask.

"Well, they're quite strong, and they work well with each other." The truth but not the story, that's what she'd been going for. She had rehearsed this saying in her mind multiple times on her way back home from meeting her new sensai, Riko.

"Well that's good then," her mom said while putting the food on the flames for dinner in ten minutes. "Hopefully they'll easily let you into their group."

'Fat chance.'

She noticed her mother also had a huge pile of honeysuckles on the counter. Surely it couldn't be for her alone, but why would Matsuri need any? She doesn't start the Academy until next year as she had heard her parents planned.

"Hey MaMa, what are these for?"
"Oh um... well, I kind of have to tell you and your sister something later on, so this is a... treat."

Showing her confusion, Hinata decided to go upstairs and read. She had found a new hobby a few years ago with Gaara's aid. Sometimes during their lunch hours, they would go to the small library and read. Together they ended up reading all the books on the different jutsus. Now, she decided she was going to borrow them and try to learn them since she was now at a decent age to learn special techniques. Her new-found interest: medical jutsu.

'If I knew this type of jutsu, I could heal all my comrades in battle! And this book even states they are extremely rare and receive a lot of recognition! I really could become Kazekage!' Her mind was set; she would start to read tonight and ask for advice tomorrow.

"Girls! Dinner!"

She jumped the steps two at a time to help her mother set the table. She had a grand idea to ask her mom at dinner.

The four of them say at the small, scratched up, wooden table crowdes with bowls of rice, veggies, and herbs along with their own chopsticks and bowls.

"Ma, Ba, doesn't Lady Chiyo know really good medical jutsu?"

"Yes, she does," her father answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I want to learn medical ninjutsu." Her smile was wide. Matsuri could tell just how excited her sister was because the most she would normally do is look down timidly with a grin.

"Why, you'd have to get approval from the elders and other people before you train with her. You remember now, she is a very important figure in Sunagakure."

"Yes, I know, Ma. But this could be a chance to prove how great I am."

Her mother gave a smile of admiration for her daughter's determination. Her father looked likewise with a glance at his wife. "Ok dear," her mother replied. "We'll help you check with the authorities once we get back."

"Back from where?" Matsuri spoke up.

Their mother gave a sigh full of hesitation and dread. 'I hope they don't he too wound up at this,' their mother pleaded in her mind. She looked to her husband who nodded back.

"We have been given a mission." Matsuri and Hinata stared at their father in shock.

"But you're not even ninja!"
"We know, Matsuri, but the authorities have requested us to help then in an alliance."
"Bullshit I say! You guys still have us! Why should you two have to leave of all people? What about other ninja?"
"Matsuri, calm down," her mother said in a gentle tone. "Other couples like us are in worse situations: new borns, deadly injuries, or special city jobs. The other hidden village specifically requested that innocent, untrained civilians would come to prevent them any chance of spies. So altogether, we were in a way their only choice. Believe me darling, we checked."
"But Ma, why did you accept? This could still be dangerous. Can't I come with you? I'm a genin now so I'm qualified for these type of missions! I could have just waited outside the gate."
"For the sake of the city in hopes of bringing a lasting peace. As to you coming, you'd need a squad and you haven't trained with them yet, so at the moment you cannot come along. However if we receive another mission of the sort in due time, we will specifically request you as a body guard if we are sure Matsuri will do fine on her own. So basically once she's at the Academy next year."

Both children leaned back in their chairs helpless. "Cheer up you two," their father told them. "We'll be back in no time."

"Promise?" the children asked in unison.

"Promise." The parents said in unison.