AN: Yes, You are reading that chapter number correctly. So, the last 2 chapters were over double the average chapter length I have for this story (6,300 words), and it's honestly been bothering me more than it should have. Even this chapter as I was writing it was reaching 14,000 to 15,000 words (so, I obviously split it). That's not a habit I want for this story, because it puts too much strain on me if I'm going to get back to posting weekly. Which I will go back to posting weekly, except not this coming week. I'm traveling this holiday weekend, and will not get as much writing done.

Clearly, this book is going to dwarf the first. It's probably going to be the longest of the series. The thing is, there are 2 very important chapters in this story where I will easily reach over 10,000 words in all likelihood, and I want them to stand out. So, others reading this story will enjoy a more fluid, even story. And I want to get back to my schedule. So, what I've decided to do is this weekend, I'll be reorganizing the previous chapters, so instead of 9, there will be 11 chapters. If you see an update notification to this story then, that's what it is. I just wanted to give you this chapter, tell you what's up before I did it. And then starting September 15th, we'll go back to a weekly posting on Thursdays.

Chapter 11

After everything that had happened this morning, Gaara couldn't believe the audacity Emika had when he stepped out of his room with his bags packed and ready to port. It had been not even a few minutes when she walked up to him and said, "Gaara, I don't want to fight."

He looked at her pointedly. It was funny, because she seemed to always say that just before saying something that would inevitably start an argument.

She licked her lips nervously, then said, "We need to appear united from here on."

He only blinked at her, tilting his head slightly.

She pressed her lips in a tight line, then said, "Until we go our separate ways, our decisions have to be made together. We need to appear as a unit. Unbreakable. Unshakeable." He looked away, but she pressed on, "Any public event, we are at each other's side. Any interviews that will definitely be coming our way now, our stories have to line up perfectly. And we have to live together until we separate. This will all be easier if we can be friends."

He licked his lips pensively, then forced a smile. "Friends," he repeated. Like she hadn't just cut out his still beating heart and told him to eat it.

She offered her hand to shake, but he turned away, grabbing some fruit as he set his bags by the door. The concierge was supposed to pick them up soon, putting the bags in a holding scroll for the ninjas running the train to unseal. All rather standard for current traveling practices. It was how most of these new mass transits handled traveling for most of their guests. He wore his regular ninja gear, with his sand belted at his side.

The vacation was nice, but after this morning, he was craving reality.

She pressed her lips in a hurt frown, which was rich coming from her. Finally, she snapped, "I know you don't believe me, but I truly don't want to hurt you. This whole process is going to be difficult for both of us."

"It would be less difficult if you told me everything," he stated plainly. He licked his lips, then said, "It would also be less difficult if you explained why last night you said you loved me and asked me to get you pregnant, but this morning you're acting like it was the worst thing that could happen."

"I didn't ask you to get me pregnant. I said that you would get me pregnant without a condom, which was a turn on for you, apparently," she blurted frustratedly.

He looked up, raising his brows curiously at her, then sneered, "I thought you couldn't remember."

She blushed at her error, and looked away.

He tongued his cheek. "You lie a lot," he pointed out.

"I don't lie that much," she argued.

He tilted his head, his eyes narrowed showing his disbelief. He looked out the bay windows as he listed, "You lied to your friends about us. Apparently, you've lied to one of your previous fiances. According to the news, you lied to your family about what this little trip really was. And now you're lying to me." He looked at her pointedly, and saw her dark eyes were filling with tears. But he was still bitter from this morning's pain to coddle her. He shook his head as he muttered, "I wouldn't be angry about the lie if I knew why you were lying in the first place."

"Fine," she huffed. "I lied because I thought it would be easier for you. But yes, I remember most of last night. It doesn't mean that it wasn't a drunken mistake that shouldn't have happened. That I shouldn't have told you how I felt. That I shouldn't have had sex with you. And I sure as shit shouldn't have let you cum in me. That I knew better than doing all of that, but Goddammit, I did it anyway! Because for one moment, I wanted to live in a world where we could be together."

He scoffed. "We could if you wanted."

"No, we can't," she declared, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I had to learn that the hard way six years ago. Our worlds are so different. And until you're ready to give up your world, your life, we can't be together, because I can't give up mine."

She wiped her cheek turned away, walking back to her room.

"And if you get pregnant?" he asked. "If you're carrying my child, what then?"

She pursed her lips, then looked at him over her shoulder and answered, "This isn't the first time you've cum in me. I'll figure it out." He flinched at the reminder, mostly because she sounded a little bitter about it. But before he could ask, she shut the door with a snap.

He looked to his feet a little guiltily. She was right. It wasn't the first time he'd cum in her. Over the years, he'd thought they'd just gotten lucky. But the way she'd mentioned it just now made him think the reason he hadn't heard of a royal bastard was because she'd intervened in some way. Neither of them really thought about the repercussions of having sex resulting in a possible child when they were fifteen. At least he'd thought that had been the case. But maybe she had stopped it, to save them both.

The horn sounded, announcing their imminent porting in Ao Nami, and effectively breaking his train of thought. It meant the concierge would soon be there to get their bags and seal them into a storage scroll. As soon as they came, Gaara placed his used bowl on the food cart and walked out, needing a breather from the princess, who was still situating her final bags.

As he stepped out, he saw Kankuro waiting for him, leaning against the wall next to his and Tenshimi's room door. Kankuro smirked as he saw him, and Gaara's expression immediately soured. "So," Kankuro drawled knowingly, "a little birdie said you had an interesting night."

Gaara scowled at him, then said, "I don't want to talk about it."

"You can talk a little about it," Kankuro pouted. "Is she a screamer? She seems like a screamer."

"She's your sister-in-law," Gaara admonished.

Kankuro shrugged. "So? Figuring I should know if I need to invest in some headphones for next time."

Gaara rolled his eyes under his eyelids before stating, "There won't be a next time."

Kankuro winced. "Oof. That bad, huh?"

Gaara didn't dignify that with an answer.

"What? Did you miss?" Kankuro joked.

"It was a drunken mistake, Kankuro," Gaara finally huffed. "Shouldn't have happened."

Kankuro frowned. "'Drunken mistake,'" he repeated as if the thought was laughable. "You don't even drink!"

"I had two beers last night," Gaara corrected.

Kankuro shook his head. "That's not drinking." Gaara didn't comment, and Kankuro tongued his cheek, clearly miffed about something. "I'd believe her being drunk last night. What was she drinking? Cosmos?"

"Margaritas," Gaara stated.

"Tequila," Kankuro chortled, tossing his head back. "Yeah, that'll get girls horny." He eyed his little brother carefully, then asked, "So, are you two thinking about staying together?"

Gaara cleared his throat, then said, "No."

Kankuro looked a little worried. "No?"

Gaara pursed his lips, then said, "We apparently want different things." He frowned as he thought about it. He wanted a family with her. He had ever since the Tsukuyomi. But she was right. He wasn't ready to give up his title, his world as a ninja. Not when he still had so much left to change, so much to fix.

"This isn't the first time you've cum in me. I'll figure it out." Her words echoed in his brain solidifying the realization that she'd cleaned up their mess last time. Last time, he'd been the one to lie, and cum in her while he told her they were going to be married in a few hours. This time she'd lied, insinuating they could stay together. But this time, he was sticking around. At least for a little while.

A part of him thought letting the chips fall where they may would serve them right. That if she didn't want to get pregnant, she shouldn't have seduced him. But another part reminded him spite was a horrible reason to bring a child into the world. He'd grown up thinking that was the only reason he existed. That his parents had him to spite each other, all the while hating him. He'd be damned if a child of his thought that.

He swallowed his frustrations down, then turned to his brother and said, "Can you make sure she gets on the thunder train?"

Kankuro frowned. "What? Are you staying in Ao Nami?"

"I need to run an errand," he said.

Kankuro raised a curious eyebrow at him. "Can it wait?"

Gaara pressed his lips in a thin line, then said, "No. Not really."

Emika walked out of the suite, seeing the brothers. Gaara could see Kankuro's miffed expression again, which Emika seemed to ignore. She stood next to Gaara, who shifted a little uncomfortably next to her. The rest of the party came out shortly as the concierge workers exited the hallway to go to their porting positions. Tenshimi and her guards left first. She gave Emika a hug bye, and Gaara a small bow. Then she promptly left, leaving Kankuro notably without any regard. Kankuro didn't seem upset.

As the three of them made their way to the gangplank, Emika turned a little to Gaara. "Are you ready?"

She didn't see him making a hand seal. Just that he seemingly offered his arm to her, which she looped with her own. "United front, right?" she asked.

He nodded, plastering on an easy smile as the sun greeted their faces, and they heard the hollering of eager reporters and their photographers to get the perfect picture of the new Royal Couple.

Emika was irate. Gaara had given her no warning as they stood on the crowded Ao Nami train platform silently until they called, "All aboard!" All he did was give Kankuro a solid nod, then collapsed in sand, disappearing with the breeze rolling through the platform. "What the hell?" she gasped, looking at the space Gaara was just standing in.

"Come on, Princess," Kankuro huffed, practically dragging her on the train.

"What? Where did he go!?" she demanded.

"Don't know," Kankuro answered boredly as he pushed her up the steps. "Just get on the train."

"Well, we can't just leave him!" she snapped, gesturing back to the platform.

Kankuro looked at her pointedly with a bitter smirk as he said, "Look. Gaara told me to put you on the thunder train. So, you're getting on the train."

Her eyes narrowed on Kankuro. "Is he really so pissed he can't ride the same train as me? That's so petty."

Kankuro rolled his eyes, "Petty isn't a word I'd use to describe Gaara."

"Oh, really?" Emika scoffed. "Do you even know why he's pissed?"

"He didn't give me particulars," Kankuro answered as he pushed her along.

"It's because I told him I didn't want to get pregnant," she huffed, clearly looking for some sympathy. "And now he's throwing a fit."

Kankuro pursed his lips, then said, "I'm not going to get in the middle of your marital spat. So, just take your seat," as he pushed her into her cabin. Then he murmured, "And since that's what you want to rant about, I'm getting a drink."

She growled and slammed her cabin door shut while Kankuro made his way to the bar car. She dropped her purse carelessly in the seat next to her before sitting down and glaring out the window as the train whistled and began to move. How dare he!? How dare he abandon her over this. Did he really want a child that bad now?

She reached for her purse, pulling it closer to her and clenching her fist around its opening. Momentarily, she thought about telling him her big secret. The reason for all her lies. The reason she was doing all of this. But almost as quickly as the thought entered her mind, she cast the thought aside. Spite was not a good enough reason to tell him. It would likely not turn out like she'd hoped, and the smug joy she'd get out of it in the moment would be dwarfed by his resolve to change her mind.

But she couldn't change her mind. This was how things had to be.

She sighed tiredly, reaching into her purse's secret compartment, and pulled out the one reminder of her secret she kept with her at all times. Her one reminder of why she was doing all of this, which always renewed her resolve in her path. Her goal. She held it close to her chest as a tear slipped down her cheek, and she lied down in the booth.

Why was the world like this? Why did it force her to sacrifice one dream for the sake of another? Make her choose between one half happy ending for herself, all for the greater good?

Still struggling with her hangover and lack of sleep, she drifted off to sleep, carelessly holding her reminder as she remembered the events of last night. She loved Gaara. She really did. But all her life, she'd been told being royal meant her life wasn't built for happy endings. And six years ago, she realized how true that was. Happiness and dreams for royals was like holding sand in your hands during a sandstorm. It was all around everywhere you looked, but if you tried to hold it, the wind would dash it away, and holding the little left in your hands tighter only caused it to spill out.

The dream that took her was another world where both of her dreams were achievable. Where everything was perfect. As it should be.

It was disrupted by a knocking on glass. She stirred, unsure how long she was asleep, however she disregarded the knocking as ludicrous as she drifted back off. The only glass in the cabin was the window. And who'd be knocking on the window?

Another knocking on the glass caused her eyes to open fully. She twisted her head up to see a pale hand tapping its knuckled on the glass. As she sat up, she heard a clattering on the ground and blanched. She'd dropped her secret reminder on the ground. She'd fallen asleep with it out, where anyone could see it.

As she stood, she saw outside the window wasn't just anybody's hand, but Gaara's. And he was actually keeping pace with the train. "Oh my God!" she blurted.

His gaze caught hers as he held a hand up to guard his face from the sand and dirt kicked up by the speeding train. He gestured to the locks and said, "Open the window."

She blinked, trying to organize her thoughts, which swarmed with questions of how Gaara was floating alongside a speeding train to the realization that she'd fallen asleep with her reminder out, and if he saw it, everything was up. The thoughts whirled until there was only a dull humming in her mind muddling it all together in a storm of confusion. She held up a finger, telling him to, "Hold on," before dropping down to the floor and trying to hide the reminder safely away in her purse without being conspicuous.

As she stood in front of the window, she saw his gaze was watching her like a hawk. She licked her lips, then opened the window with a scowl before leaning out at him and barking, "What on Earth are you doing? Why are you flying beside a train?!"

He looked at her pointedly, but said nothing as he readied himself on his sand cloud, then used his sand to drift into the window and reform in the cabin behind her. She spun to face him and noticed his gaze tracking her purse curiously. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly. She cleared her throat with a scoff and asked, "And since when can you fly as fast as a thunder train?"

He raised his brow at her interestedly, then said, "I can fly faster than a thunder train. It's just very draining, and I can't keep it up for longer than a couple hours." His gaze flicked back to her purse curiously, and she pushed it behind her. A clear sign of distrust. He pursed his lips solemnly, then said, "I got you something," as he reached for his back pouch.

She frowned disappointedly and with disbelief. She bit her lips before snorting derisively, "You abandoned me at the station to get a trinket?"

He paused, scowling at her, then reached in, pulling out a white cardboard package labeled Contrasylph. His scowl didn't move from her as he handed her the packet.

Her eyes fluttered as she looked at the packet, and her heart sank with humbling bitter relief. "Oh," she breathed as she took it. He'd gotten her the sylph pill.

He gave a small eyeroll before he sat down. He let out a sigh as he crossed his arms, clearly tired from expending so much chakra. "Where's Kankuro?" he asked.

"Bar car," she answered. She licked her lips holding up the pill package, then said, "Thank you… for this." He looked at her with mild interest as she gulped back her shame as she said, "I know you don't want me to take it."

He only blinked at her before he closed his eyes, tilting his head down as he murmured, "I just don't understand how last night, you wanted it, but this morning it seemed like the end of the world to you."

She pouted, looking at him sadly as she said, "Drunk me wasn't taking everything into account. If it wasn't …" He looked up at her expectantly as she started her excuse. Clearly curious if she was finally going to reveal the secret she'd been hiding. Her eyes fluttered closed sadly, then she said, "If the Wind's future wasn't in the balance things would be different."

He set his jaw, clearly disagreeing with her, but not going to push it. He'd said his piece already. He cleared his throat, then said, "Well, they said the pill only has 48 hour window it works in. And the later you take it, the less it works. So, you better take it now."

She nodded, knowing the rules. "Do you need some water?" she asked, walking over to the cabin phone. "I've got to get water for it anyway."

"Yes. Thank you," he grumbled as she lifted the phone handle.

She dialed the three-digit number for the bar car, and when someone picked up, she said, "Hi. Can I get two bottles of water brought back to the Daimyo Car, Cabin 2? Thank you." She hung up, and sat back down.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Emika fingering the pill package as she read the side-effects listed on the back, and Gaara just watching her. Finally, he asked, "Is that what you used?"

"Hm?" she grunted.

He pointed at the package with pursed lips. "The pill. You used it last time we …" he trailed off, his gaze dropping guiltily.

She flinched a little surprised by the suggestion. "Yeah," she answered.

He gave a solemn nod, then after another pregnant pause, he asked, "Then you had to tell someone what had happened. Can't buy it under eighteen."

She flinched again. "Chie," she said with a gulp. "I told Chie. …And Rinri."

He took a bracing breath, then smirked a little. "That explains the look."

Emika frowned. "The look?"

"When I asked about the offspring part of the contract," Gaara said emptily. "Chie gave me an odd look." He chewed the inside of his cheek, then said, "I should have figured it meant he'd cleaned up my mess." He tilted his head with a guilty glimmer in his eye as he said, "That's why I decided to get you the pill this time. At first, I thought we'd just gotten lucky last time. I didn't realize you took care of it."

She felt the lump developing in her throat, then muttered, "Yeah. They're always cleaning up my messes."

There was a knock on the door, and she stood, taking the water bottles from the train attendant. She closed the door, handing one bottle to Gaara, and again he murmured, "Thank you," as he took it, and drank.

She set her bottle aside as she opened the package. As she pulled the pill sheet out, Gaara spoke up, "You don't have to take it. I'm here," he offered. "I'd be willing to figure things out if something happened."

Her eyelashes fluttered again as she looked at him sadly, then she said, "I know. But the thing is I need you to be the Kazekage after all this. Me taking over solely is a big change for the country. People will naturally rebel against change, but if I show the change isn't so big, then they'll be more willing to accept it. So, I need you to be the face of stability in our government, as it's Kazekage. Not another Daimyo."

He nodded understandingly, even though he clearly didn't agree. He just understood the reasoning better.

She popped the pill out, but before popping it in her mouth, she asked, "Why do you want this?"

He frowned, now confused. "I don't want this. I thought that part was clear."

"No, I mean," she started. She licked her lips, then pointed to her womb, and said, "Why do you want a child so bad?" His eyes widened, and cast his gaze to the floor, his brow furrowed in thought. "I mean, have you always wanted to be a father?"

"Ehm, no," he answered awkwardly. He cleared his throat, then said, "When we were fifteen, I didn't even think about marriage and children as a possibility. No one had ever looked at me romantically, and I don't waste time day-dreaming about things I know can never happen." He moved his mouth wordlessly, clearly thinking of his next words. "And then we happened, and the idea of being married solidified, but only to you. And then the Infinite Tsukuyomi revealed to me the possibility of becoming a father, and what that would be like." He nodded, looking off to a far point past the walls of the cabin. "And then last year with the Council discussing the heir issue, and Temari getting married… It just made me think more about the family growing." He bowed his head and shrugged. "It's not something I need to happen now. But yes, I'd like to be a father in some capacity."

She nodded, her lips puckering guiltily. "I'm sorry," she finally said. He frowned at her, and she teared up and said, "I am. Really. My Tsukuyomi was … similar, I guess." She blinked away her tears as she looked out the window to the passing desert. "I dreamed my Dad wasn't dead, and we'd married in Ao Nami and … we had children … and we were … happy…" She trailed off sadly. The dream made her sad when she thought about it. For many reasons. She sucked on her lips and sniffled. Then she popped the pill back and opened her water, swirling it back and washing the pill down.

Gaara watched her, flinching in his eye a little at her resolve. He pouted a little, then said, "I still love you."

She closed her water, a single tear sliding down her cheek as she said, "I know." She turned to look at him, her eyes glassy with tears as she said, "I'm sorry for all of this." He nodded emptily, and she reached across the cabin for his hand and gave his hand a small squeeze. "I am sorry," she said again, her eyes gazing through his into his soul so he could see she was being sincere.

He nodded, giving her hand a small squeeze back as he said, "Me too."

They'd returned to Suna the morning after they'd reached port, to a surprising amount of paparazzi and journalists who had traveled to Suna for the newest scoop on the newlyweds. They rushed home to escape the cameras. They ate dinner, caught up on the news cycle, and Emika had a somewhat rude introduction to Kankuro's cat, Unagi, who she hadn't met earlier, because they'd only been at the penthouse an hour before going on their trip. Unagi was a fluffy black house cat that liked to think he was a ninja as well, frequently hiding in shadows and clawing at feet from underneath the couch. That was how he introduced himself to Emika. She jumped three feet in the air off the couch and cursed as he hissed and sprinted across the penthouse, probably back to Kankuro's room. Kankuro couldn't stop laughing, and even Gaara chuckled a little.

Unagi wasn't a well-known addition to the family outside of the siblings, as Kankuro got him shortly after the Fourth Ninja War and he was predominately an indoor cat. For the most part, Unagi only liked Kankuro, but he tolerated Gaara and Temari. Shikamaru had only met him a couple times, and sometimes Unagi seemed to hate the Leaf's top strategist, and other times he wanted him to hold him like a baby. Clearly, Unagi was not a fan of the princess just yet.

Gaara's first day back at work was Wednesday, February 4th. While Baki had handled a lot of the paperwork in his office, he knew he would still be inundated with a mountain of reports and not to mention meeting and interview requests. Tsuno had told him when he returned that the Council was pushing hard for another first quarter budget review. He got a feeling it was because he was married to the princess now, and was possibly the Wind's "Daimyo," which changed the way things were talked about at the last meeting, which was only two weeks ago, just before Gaara had gotten engaged. It was odd to think of, since it felt like so long ago now.

On top of all of that, Emika had assured him this morning over breakfast to keep an eye or ear out for the House of Daimyo's invitation to Futen. She pointed out it likely wouldn't be for at least a month, since the major and minor district daimyos had to debate the vote amongst themselves, and they liked to take their time. Then the regional daimyos would be invited before the royal houses. However, technically it was the next step in their plans, and they had to be ready. Kankuro was already gone, doing a presentation at the school on puppet jutsu and garnering interest in the puppet corps. He'd be back before Gaara's afternoon appointments.

She'd also asked if he had any public appointments that day, to which he said that afternoon, he had the weekly hospital visit, his check-ins with R&D, and assisting with his citizens requests between visits.

She nodded and said, "I'll join you for the hospital visit."

He frowned, then grumbled, "That's not necessary." It would be gruesome injuries of his citizens she'd be greeted with.

"United front, remember?" she asked before sipping her tea.

He cleared his throat, then murmured, "Alright. I leave around noon."

She pouted pensively, then asked, "If we made it 11:30, would you be able to squeeze in a lunch?"

"That seems doable," he answered, a small smile subconsciously finding its way to his face.

"Good," she said, smiling back easily.

He finished his breakfast he got up to leave only to hear a knock at the foyer door. Gaara frowned and opened the door to see Tsuno there standing next to Chie, who was dressed in more casual ninja gear rather than Suna's standard police uniform he'd gotten used to seeing him in, with the sash of the Wind Daimyo's Guard tied around his waist.

When Gaara looked at them confused, Tsuno cleared her throat and said, "He said he was here for the princess. And he's wearing the Wind Guardian crest."

Emika stood, putting a hand on Gaara's shoulder as she walked up to the door. "Thank you Tsuno. Yes, he's here for me. Why don't you come in for a minute, Chie." Gaara stepped aside, letting the older ninja in. Tsuno bowed to leave when Emika stopped her, "Tsuno, I know you're currently being inundated with both Kazekage business as well as daimyo business requests."

Tsuno's mouth twitched a little, clearly stressed about the workload, but not wanting to say anything.

"I just wanted to ask that you go ahead and set all of my daimyo business and requests aside. I'll be sending someone to pick it up this evening once my office is situated," Emika explained.

Tsuno let a small relieved sigh out with a smile. "Oh," she breathed, "thank you, Ma'am." Then she gave a small bow to them, and then went back down the stairs to the elevators.

Gaara quirked his head curiously, grunting a small, "Hm."

As Chie looked around, taking in the penthouse, he asked, "How are you adjusting, Emika?"

"Quite well," she said. "Did you set up the offices?"

He nodded. "The Premier Hotel has granted us access to their dignitary office suites. With full amenities, which is nice."

Emika smirked, then said, "You thinking of spending your breaks in their sauna?"

"It's a thought, though I was more interested in their sand baths," Chie chuckled. Then his expression shifted back to business as he said, "Sadly, Rinri and I decided she couldn't rejoin guard detail full-time. Someone needs to watch Hira."

Emika sighed, but nodded understandingly. "That means we have two spots to fill, rather than just one." She snapped her fingers as if she'd forgotten something, and turned to Gaara, "Gaara. I hate to add to your to do list today, but can you send my offices some recommendations for those appointments. They'll be providing extra round the clock security to the Penthouse during off hours, so I'd suggest picking people you trust."

Gaara frowned a little, then said, "We have my guard."

She made a face, then said, "That's just you and Kankuro."

He smirked. "You need more?"

"I'm hiring three, including Chie, so you can rest and do your job as Kazekage while I do mine," she explained. "It's just a security precaution."

He set his jaw, then sighed, "Alright then. I'll send some over to you."

"Thank you," she said softly, before turning back to Chie, and asked, "And the assistants?"

"Kyuurou sent one of his to get you started, since your family's attendants are in Futen. A Mr. Akira Sato. He will be your Private Secretary," Chie answered blandly, rattling off everything he needed to report. "He arrived two days ago, and has been helping set up things. But you still need to hire the press secretary, your private treasurer, and your legal advisor for the remote office, and workers underneath them. Mr. Akira did arrive with several recommendations for each."

Emika frowned, tilting her head. "My private treasurer is Mr. Tomi Akatsuchi. He's the one who's been handling my funds for years. Has he not arrived?"

Chie frowned. "I wasn't aware you had someone."

She sighed, picking up her dish and putting it in the sink as she said, "I'll call him as soon as I get in. He'll want to bring his own people in, which is fine. I'll be along in a moment." She walked back to her room to grab her purse and reapply her lipstick as Gaara followed her, leaning against the doorframe. "What?" she asked.

"When did you hire Chie as your personal guard?" Gaara asked.

She pressed her lips together, then cleaned the line of her lipstick before answering, "Before I asked you to marry me." She stood straight, looking at him carefully, then asked, "Is that a problem."

"No. I guess not," Gaara murmured. "I just didn't realize you needed extra guards."

She smirked bitterly, then said, "You aren't the only one in this room who's had assassination attempts on them. Or threats of kidnapping. It's the hazard of being a royal. It's expected almost." She made sure her purse was fastened as she added, "People frequently will do horrible things to gain power. Or keep it."

She straightened her black turtleneck and her gray slim fitted slacks. The outfit surprisingly showed off all her curves favorably. Then she grabbed one of her ponchos. It was blue with a striped knitted pattern on the ends. She tugged it in place, then fixed her hair so it didn't look unkempt, then smiled at him and said, "This is the start of a whole new ball game, Gaara. Good luck today," before walking out.

"You too," he murmured, more to himself as he saw Chie follow Emika out. Then he took in a deep breath then left for his office. He had a lot of work to do today.

As he sat down at his desk, his morning tea in hand, he began chugging away at his work, clearing out quite a bit of reports. He saw that while he was gone, the Land of Flowers issue that was holding up the delivery of the soil had been resolved and the bandits apprehended. He also had the issue of recommending Emika guardian ninja. He had it narrowed down to several individuals. Shijima seemed to be an obvious choice, given her skill and loyalty. Over the past few months, she'd become one of the strongest Suna ninja of his acquaintance. Kura and Akane also seemed to be good choices, since they were both on his Final Trial mission. Doshi, their sixth team member in the Trial had sadly passed in the war, having been in the first division on the beaches. Then of course there was Baki.

However, Baki was 39 and looking eagerly at retirement from active duty with nearly 700 missions under his belt. He'd been a ninja since he was 8, which was undoubtedly young, and made chunin during the Third Ninja War at 12. He'd been on his Uncle Yashamaru's genin team as a new ninja, and they'd made chunin together after perilous mission in the Land of Bears, none of which Gaara hadn't known until he saw Baki's record when he became Kazekage.

It wasn't that he didn't think Baki could handle the task. It was just that he was fairly certain Baki would suggest he find another ninja for the job. One ready for the rigors of being the Daimyo's guardian. At the same time, Baki did like sand baths, and having access to the Premier Hotel's spa would definitely interest him. Plus, Chie was only four years younger than him, and he looked to be the one Emika picked as her head of security. However, Chie had been part of the Wind Guardians team since he was sixteen, and was assigned to Emika's detail two years later, when he was 18, she was four. Gaara had peeked at his old record when he and Rinri had moved to Suna with their foster son.

Chie was in the Kazha clan, who originally hailed from the area west of Star Lake, called the Great Plateaus Region. Kazha was one of the oldest Land of Wind clans, having started well before ninshu even became commonplace in the Land of Wind. Before becoming a ninja clan, it was a well-known clan of Hidalgos, or Knights of the realm of Wind, producing many Generals in the Winds early wars. Likely he was a descendent of the most famous Kazha clan member, Kihote Kazha, whose servant wrote a book about his travels across the Wind four-hundred years ago. When Gaara's great great grandfather, Reto, settled Suna, the Kazha clan was one of the first to settle a branch in Suna, along with the Miraju clan and the Kamekaze clan. Since the Kazha clan was old, and fairly well established, there were a decent amount of them throughout Suna's ranks and in various branches. One of Kankuro's current underlings in the Counter-Terrorism Division was from the Kazha clan. Heck, there was a Kazha clan member on the Elder Council.

Since Chie had an established clan in Suna, that's where he and his family lived. Northwest of the hospital, between 10th and 11th street on the upper slope of the basin, with buildings with the Kazha clan symbol painted all over them, four green triangles that form a pinwheel over a gray circle.

After sending his recommendations to Emika's office, deciding on sending four she could choose from, Gaara made good headway through his work through the day when he received an odd call at 10:30. "Hello?" he said as he picked up the receiver.

"Sorry to interrupt Lord Gaara. It's Sota in accounting," the voice over the phone greeted.

Gaara tightened his grip on the phone tiredly as he said, "Yes. I saw the ID. What is it?"

"I just needed to verify something. We got a notification from a man named Tomi Akatsuchi about three incoming wires from some private accounts to the sum of 150 billion yen."

Gaara coughed as he sipped his tea. "150 billion?"

"Yes. The first is 38.5 billion yen from an unnamed account. The second is 66.9 billion yen from Wind Ventures Holdings, which we're finding is a company with its hands puppeteering a lot of companies across the Wind. And 44.6 billion from the Touma estate. The problem is sir, we don't have an invoice to charge this to. So we're having difficulty processing this payment. And given the amount, we figured you had handled a deal that hadn't been processed yet."

Gaara's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Touma estate. "Hold on one minute. Let me get back to you." He quickly dialed the Premier Hotel, and requested his call be transferred to the dignitary offices.

It rang a couple times before a man answered, "You've reached Princess Emika's personal assistant. How can I help you?"

"Uhm, hello. I'm Gaara, Emika's husband. I'm not sure if you're aware," Gaara stumbled awkwardly.

"I am aware," the man said. "I was at your wedding, sir."

"Oh," Gaara breathed, hoping that made things a little easier. "I was wondering if I could talk to my wife for a moment."

"I'm sorry, Lord Gaara. But the princess is currently in staffing meetings until 11:30. I can take a message, if you'd like."

"Ehm, no," Gaara answered quickly, biting his cheek in thought. "Maybe you can help me. Does the name Tomi Akatsuchi mean anything to you?"

"Yes," the man answered. "Mr. Akatsuchi is Princess Emika's financial secretary. He handles all of the princess's major accounts not tied to the crown." He sounded bored as he informed Gaara of this mysterious money boon. "Oh, did you receive the wiring?" he chirped. "Tomi did mention he was going to push the first payment through before he left Futen with his team."

"Yes," Gaara answered, relieved to know where the sudden money came from. "That is exactly why I was calling. So, it is from Emika?"

"Yes sir. It is to cover the missing payments from the crown last year. When Tomi comes to Suna with his team, I'm sure he'll want to renegotiate a payment plan for the coming year. But he will contact your offices for that when ready."

"Thank you," Gaara chirped. "That was all." He hung up, staring off into the ether as he tried to comprehend what that meant. He thought she was kidding a bit when she said she could pay the first half of the war debt up front. He thought surely once her offices were set, he would have to work out a payment plan with her financial secretary until their claim was backed, and she had access to the crown's coffers. However, he didn't know his wife was beyond independently wealthy.

That wasn't to say Gaara didn't grow up wealthy himself. The Kazekage position earned 21 million yen a year, over half of which went back into the community. With all of Gaara's assets liquidated, he might be worth 75 million total. That would be selling the flat in Futen he used for business and the vacation home he and his siblings had enjoyed for the past five years in Coyote Village. The penthouse went to the current Kazekage, and was rented rather than owned, with the rent being pumped back into the village's budget.

But the fact his wife just dropped 150 billion yen, which was quarter of the war deficit and what her Uncle would pay out over the course of a year was mind boggling. Not to mention she used her own money from her private business ventures, and what she'd inherited from Touma, who had gone missing without a next of kin, except that he was engaged to her at the time. As Gaara blinked at the far wall, still processing it, the realization solidified. His wife was richer than sin. Without the Crown, that is. He hadn't realized when she said she made strategic investments what exactly that meant. But if it meant a payout like this, which was more money than Gaara had ever just been handed, even as Kazekage, he was starting to get an idea.

He called the accounting office and told them the invoice was to the Daimyo's invoice last year for the War. He then called the Academy Head and informed him that the financial setback they were facing two weeks ago had been cleared, and wanted to request a retention meeting for going forward as soon as possible. He pushed back his meeting with R&D, and scheduled his meeting at the Academy after the hospital visit. A part of him was sure Emika would want to be there for that.

He couldn't stop smiling. Even laughing a little in shock as he covered his mouth. This was ridiculous. In the best way.

AN: I'm mapping Emika's wealth off of the Saudi Arabian Royal family, which is one of the wealthiest royal families, but specifically one of the princes, which if my research is correct also has a lot of investment in tech moguls, which is essentially what Emika's been doing with her Wind Ventures Holdings company. Total worth now with the crown is 3,450 billion Yen (for easy conversion, about 34.5 billion USD). However, without the crown (so on her own) she's worth 1,210 billion Yen (or 12.1 billion USD), which she just dropped 150 billion Yen in a day (1.5 billion USD). Meaning the crown is worth 2,240 billion Yen (22.4 billion USD). So, to put it in perspective, Gaara's annual salary is 21 million Yen (210,000 USD) and total worth is about 75 million Yen (or 750,000 USD). I mapped his finances off the US Secretary of Defense position.

Since a lot of people tend to not understand what the relationship between the Kage and the Daimyo is (at least there is a lot of discussion questions about it on reddit), I was hoping to better clarify in this story the dynamic, especially around the money, because the Daimyos hold the majority of the money, and own the land. Suna taxes go to not only the village, but to the Central West Regional Daimyo (Kyuurou, whose palace is in Kin Village is where Gaara and Emika got married), but also to the Wind's Royal family, the Fuedai Daimyo. That money adds up. Also, the Land of Wind is an old country. If I remember correctly, it was mentioned when Kaguya landed (and Garaga mentioned being attached to a shinobi in the Land of Wind hundreds of years ago). The borders have changed, sure, but with a royal family that's been more or less intact for 2 millenia, that also adds up.

I could get into population, but when you skew the published statistics with the war losses and real world comparisons, it get's near impossible to math pretty dang quickly. And not to mention the anime suggests the Wind has its own private forces of genin level military separate from the ninja (Gaara joins the regular units, and they can't walk on water etc.). Another statistic said that Suna was second in population to Konoha, which we know is not true. So, I'm not touching GDP or population. And when I go into active duty personnel vs reserves, I'm largely mathing off of surviving totals of the war, roughly. (Which again, doesn't make any sense with real world math, but whatever.)

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