Hello all. I would just like to inform you that I've recently started at a boarding school that has loaded me with more work than I anticipated. I will always make a large effort to update in a timely manner (and work on the story as a whole) but please be patient if I'm a little behind. Like I was this time. Thanks for understanding. Enjoy.

4. Hot Winds

Hana realized with mild distaste that dinner was going to be a daily occurrence. She sat on her knees in front of the table and thanked them for the food as it was laid in front of her. Her appetite, however, was nonexistent. She remained silent throughout the meal, only picking at her food.

"What about your siblings, Lady Hana? What are they like?" Baki asked, trying to draw her into the conversation. The girl gulped, taking a deep breath to clear her thoughts.

"Eri and I do not get along at all. Kaito is kind, though."

"Were you close," Temari prompted, being civil.

"The closest I've ever been to someone."

"Why's that?" Even Kankuro took an interest. He had also been scolded by Gaara earlier due to his harsh treatment of the foreigner.

"Kaito is the one who took to training with me when my father got fed up with my failures. I believe he pitied me."

"How close is close?" It was Gaara's turn to join the group. He had noticed the friendlier tone in which she spoke of her stepbrother. Although, if his theory was correct, they still hadn't been entirely open with one another. Hana mused over the question trying to find an honest yet vague answer. She had no desire to reveal her loneliness to this group. They'd probably just think she was begging for their pity, which she most certainly didn't want.

"Kaito knew of my dreams… and my nightmares. All of it was in private, however. In public, we barely regarded each other with more than a look."

"Why?" Temari demanded.

"Kaito had his reason and I had mine," was all she would allow to slip. This frustrated the others but they couldn't get Hana to talk anymore on the subject. Eventually, they released her. This time Gaara didn't follow her around, sure that she'd be able to find their room on her own. Once in the safety of solitude, the first thing she did was take a shower and get dressed for the night. She stepped out of the bathroom, ready to discard her clothes when she felt his chakra enter the room.

"Lord Kaze… err… Lord Gaara," she stuttered, holding her bundle of used materials over her chest where her nightgown dipped a little more than necessary. But his sight didn't even stray to her body.

"Are those bruises?" he interrogated her. A slender hand lifted to a purple cheek, reminding Hana of Eri's and her father's punches.

"It's nothing," she responded instantly. "I bruise easily." The young man didn't believe a word of it. He strode closer, taking the bundle of clothes from her and putting them in the dirty clothes pile. Then, he captured her wrists in one hand so he might inspect her face with the other. They were all over her, not just her face but her entire body. On her arms, her legs, he imagined even her ribs. They appeared to be a few days old, nothing that could've occurred while she was under his protection.

"Your family did this," he concluded with absolute conviction. The redhead's heart faltered, remembering the pain of when his father had attempted to have him assassinated. The memories were soon swiped from his mind, refocusing on the issue at hand. Mayonaka no Hana's lack of an argument reassured him of his verdict. "How long has this occurred?"

"Since my father remarried."

"No one ever came to your rescue?"

"I didn't have anyone who cared enough to." Sadly, all she could think about as he studied her was the things Eri had said. What was Gaara like? Did he want to covet her body? Was he going to hit her, knowing no one would bother to put a hand up to stop him? She just couldn't make sense of his kindness.

"Kaito…"

"Kaito would never speak against my father or his mother out rightly. He may have put in a kind word for me but that was all." Gaara frowned.

"There must be some way to treat them."

"They're just bruises," she assured him. "They'll heal." The young Kazekage said nothing, unsure of how to go about with this conversation. He knew in his heart that she needed help that only he was capable of giving her. He knew that he had to show her the light, but he didn't know how. She was stubborn and wary of others. It would be no easy task to make her accept him.

"Fine," he finally relented. "May I lay with you tonight, Hana?" he asked a few moments later, after releasing her from his hold. Gaara was attempting his very hardest to treat her properly, but it was difficult.

The ghosts of those fingers once again made their way down the girl's petite form. "It's your bed too," she responded despite her personal feelings. The redhead nodded and changed in the bathroom. Hana was already laying down by the time he returned, her bruises covered by makeup. Gaara was as quiet as possible as he placed himself next to her, resting on his back.

Hana was turned on her side, facing away from him. Her knees were brought inward, protecting herself from him. The white, lacey material only brought out how thin and pale she was. Her legs were long and lean yet muscular. Skin wrapped tightly around her bony wrist and slender fingers. She was one of the most beautiful women he had laid eyes upon.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he muttered softly, trying to reassure her. "There's no reason to be afraid of me." The girl rolled over, violet eyes boring into ice.

"I don't know what to think of you, Lord Gaara. You're so kind to me but I know, somewhere inside of you, you must be like the rest of them. You have to be."

"Like the rest of them?"

"You hate my existence. You hate the fact that I'm here." His brow furrowed, confused.

"Hana, I invited you into my home. I agreed to this marriage personally, against my brother and sister's advice. Why would I be angry with you for coming?"

"Surely you expected someone with more skill."

"No. I knew exactly who I was being sent." Hana gulped. Unsure how to react, she kept her mouth shut and began to play with her fingers. Then, almost as though he didn't know what a miserable thing he was asking of her, he said, "Don't cover your bruises tomorrow."

"Lord Kazekage…!"

"Gaara," he corrected her.

"You can't ask that of me, it only demonstrates how truly incompetent I am. No. I won't." She was expecting him to yell at her, to demand she do as he pleased. Instead, the redhead just nodded and let it be.

►§◄

Mayonaka no Hana awoke the next morning to Temari drawing the blinds and casting sunlight in her face. The girl didn't protest, just sighed and wiped at her eyes. "Yes, Lady Temari?" she said. The eldest Sand Sibling regarded her judgmentally but didn't bother to respond. In her eyes, Hana was only digging herself into a deeper hole with her ignorance. "Hello?" Hana called, sincerely confused.

"You're getting married today," the kunoichi finally relented. "You should be up and ready to go by now!"

"But Lord Gaara said there wasn't going to be a ceremony." Despite her knowledge, she immediately got up to get dressed. Afterwards, she braided her hair with expert fingers as she put on a pair of sandals. All the while, Temari never let her out of her sight. By the end, Hana was in a black kimono with blue and purple designs dancing around the edges. She had a violet obi, the same color of her eyes, tied around her waist.

"You put yourself together quickly," Temari admired reluctantly. "You're right, there's not going to be a ceremony but you still have to sign the marital agreement."

"Oh. Of course," Hana muttered, feeling like an idiot.

"Were you really not prepared for any of this?" It was said so kindly that it took Hana aback. "I mean, getting married, sharing your life with someone else."

"No. I wasn't. I always knew that the only way I'd get married was if my father arranged a marriage for me. Personally, I fancied the thought of dying alone, not having to stare a second family in the face knowing I'm just a disappointment to them; a burden they have to bear for the sake of money or, in this case, peace. Perhaps his reasons were noble, and I'm not upset with Lord Gaara because of it, but I hate this. I hate all of this. I never wanted marriage."

"You realize you would have had to live with your father for the rest of your life."

"I'm not an idiot. I had a plan. When I turned eighteen, I was going to leave. Escape the village and make a home elsewhere. I didn't care if I was poor for the rest of my life, or if people thought I was some trashy beggar on the side of the road. I would've been free. No one would hate me for the things I couldn't do. There'd be no expectations. My life would be defined by me, what I'm capable of; not what I couldn't achieve. That's all I've ever wanted. And, to think, all that taken away just three months before I would've been free." Temari didn't know what to say, shocked by her honesty. She began to see it, the girl who was trapped in a situation she couldn't handle. Someone without the means to appease her peers. "Now I can't."

"You should face you fate, not run away from it."

"I don't know why I bother to tell people these things. How could you ever understand? You weren't born a disappointment, a disgrace. Perhaps you had to be a ninja, but you could be whatever type of ninja suited you. You didn't have to be a Kuomori; you didn't have to fight with their techniques, within their set of beliefs. You had options, but I don't. I either did it or I failed and, quite obviously, I've failed. There was never a choice, so I made one."

"Why not teach yourself a different technique? Something you could do that would earn you the title of ninja?"

"That's not the way of the Kuomori clan." The kunoichi sighed but let it go, leading the already late fiancée to her soon-to-be husband's office.

Gaara's eyes fell upon Hana's slight form as she entered his office, followed closely by Temari. Kankuro stood by his side, along with Baki. He had already signed where he needed to. A brush and a bottle of ink lay in wait for Hana's use.

"Forgive me for being late," Mayonaka no Hana muttered, immediately taking up the brush and scrawling her name. No one commented, watching her with hawk eyes. Baki began to explain what would be expected of her politically, which was mostly just keeping out of the way since she wasn't a ninja. Temari explained what was expected of her as the woman of the house, which wasn't much since she wasn't skilled as a ninja. And Kankuro explained what would be expected of her as a member of the family, which amounted to keeping a low profile since she had never become a ninja.

And so my life as an eternal disappointment begins, Hana thought sourly. She didn't let her emotions show on her face, remaining impassive. "I pledge to do my best." They didn't release her until after dinner that night. Hana was in no mood to sleep, something nagging at the back of her mind. Trying to be sneaky, she slipped out of the Kazegake's headquarters and to the training field. It was surprisingly chilly compared to the day time. For once, she wished for a hot breeze to sweep the landscape. Pushing that aside, she took her place in front of the target. She threw a variety of shots from all different positions, but nothing worked.

"This is crazy," she muttered to herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Once again, her mind's eye drew up an image of everything around her using her skills with echolocation. It wasn't exactly the same, since even the air made shapes. Mayonaka no Hana had to focus to clear her mind, to rely on this internal picture instead of her eyes. As soon as the girl was sure she was just as relaxed as when the little girl was with her, she threw her kunai knives. She even jumped around, as though she were dodging someone else's attacks. She heard the impact of metal and wood and opened her eyes.

"That's not… that's not possible." Each weapon had made its mark, something she hadn't achieved with years of training with her eyes open.

"You're amazing!" Hana spun around as the little girl ambled forward. "I told Momma about it, but she didn't believe me. Said it was a lucky shot if anything. She doesn't seem to like you."

"I'm used to people not liking me," Hana answered honestly.

"I like you. I think you're nice. Do you like me?"

"Yes, I like you a lot. What's your name?"

"Nao."

"Well, Nao, can you do me a favor?" The girl nodded excitedly, short, brown hair bouncing around. "Don't tell anybody else. I want to find out how I'm doing it first. Okay?"

"Okay. You're at least going to tell the Kazekage, aren't you?"

"Of course," Hana lied without thinking. "Goodnight, Nao."

"Goodnight, Lady Mayonaka no Hana."

"Please, Nao, just Hana." The girl grinned.

"Night, Hana."