Chapter 1: Decision

"Temari-sama, what are the orders?" A teammate asked while they all were hiding behind some thorny bushes.

She observed the situation carefully. There were six men. They weren't from Akatsuki, and they didn't have any other distinctive marks she could use to determine their affiliation. That's why she didn't push herself to give an answer right away.

"We will follow them in diamond formation. You will take the lead," she whispered without taking off her narrowed teal gaze from them.

The man who had asked for orders made signals with his hands for the two other ninjas, and everyone prepared themselves to jump…

"Go!" the woman ordered silently, raising her hand in "go", and prepared herself to jump. The others did the same.

Then the fog appeared. It began crawling fast, wrapping everything around them in thick mist, impairing their vision and with that, the perception of distance and location.

"Halt!" Temari shouted and stopped in her tracks. They couldn't see anything. She couldn't see her own hands, and they were just in front of her face. iThis is not an ordinary mist,/i she thought to herself, knowing full well exactly where shinobis could learn that ability.

A sneering voice came towards them, "Now what? What do you think you could do, you feeble insects?"

Temari's face tensed for a second, but then she frowned and clenched her jaw.

"Who are you?" she asked angrily.

"Who are we?" another voice said. "We are just those you shouldn't have gone after…"

Somebody screamed behind her, causing her eyes to widen.

"Minna!" someone yelled desperately…

iMinna,/i she repeated in her mind. He was one of her teammates.

She straightened her back, grasping her giant, battle fan. That was enough. Whoever those shinobis were, attacking her people, aiming for a kill and actually killing, wasn't acceptable. Her anger boiled from within her chest, strong enough to bury her fear.

"That's it!." Temari declared coldly. "All the kindness and patience end here!"

She opened her fan slightly, taking an offensive stance, and said commandingly, "Now I will get rid of this fog!"

Steps echoed in the hallway outside. Someone was running… running fast, actually. Gaara frowned and was just about to lift his head, as his elder brother rushed into the office. Not knocking was something way out of character for his polite, in general, behaviour.

"Gaara!" he yelled while trying hard to catch his breath. His face was visibly pale even under the layers of makeup and skin paint. "Temari…"

There was no need for something more to kick out the usually composed man from his chair. After less than 5 seconds, the two young men were running along the hallway as fast as they could.

"What happened?" the Kazekage asked while they were going down the stairs.

"They have been attacked… The others are dead…"

Gaara's gaze darkened, and he increased the pace even more. Soon they got out of the building and rushed into the hospital. Kankuro smashed the front door with his hands and headed to the emergency ward. There were nurses and doctors in the way, looking at them with criticism and annoyance. There were even remarks like, 'This is a hospital! Don't run!'. But neither of them took notice of it. Kankuro turned around the corner and stopped at the door, labelled "emergency ward 1". The red-haired man was following him like a shadow…

"No, you can't come in right now!" one of the nurses yelled, ran ahead and stood in their way. Even though she was shaking and her face was pale, she still found the strength to firmly state, "Temari-sama is in critical condition!"

"Get out of my way!" Kankuro shouted angrily, causing her to step back. "My sister is in there!"

After rightfully assessing Kankuro was out of his mind, the nurse sidestepped, pure fear all over her face. Gaara just scowled, grasped at her shoulder, and pushed her a little more to the side. "It is not a good moment to contradict him," he said quietly, and entered the room after his brother.

Kankuro was already standing near the bed with a blank expression on his face, when the Kazekage stopped in his tracks. He had never seen his brother looking like this before. Even when he fought in a really tough battle, he looked like… He had those flames in his eyes, warning of surprises. Now his stare was… was… empty?

"Temari…" Gaara whispered when his wide gaze laid on her.

The blond woman was unconscious, completely motionless and pale. She had two open wounds – one in the stomach and one on the upper side of her left shoulder. Her left arm seemed dislocated, and hung lifeless on the side of the bed. Her whole face was dirty, covered with blood from her broken nose and crushed mouth. Not only that, but her clothes were ripped and soaked with blood – that indicated other open injuries hidden at first sight.

Suddenly, she tensed up and winced in pain…

The medics started to make a fuss around her. The main medic grabbed Kankuro's shoulder and boldly shook him. "Get out! We can't do anything for her while you are here, you are getting in the way!"

"Temari!" Kankuro yelled at her, even if he subconsciously knew that she wouldn't hear him… or at least she wouldn't answer.

Gaara pushed his brother out of the room's door. Like it or not, now they had to obey the people who could do something. Because neither of them could do anything. So they sat down on the hallway's benches in front of the emergency ward in complete silence. Each of them sunk in deep thoughts with gazes staring at the floor. Their nostrils were filled with the nasty scent of bleach, but they didn't seem to care.

Two hours had passed since they came here. The only clear sound was coming from the nurses' footsteps, rushing past Kankuro, in case he decided to ask something they wouldn't be able to answer. The room was sound-proof, so there wasn't anything coming from the inside.

After the third hour had passed, Kankuro finally spoke, "It was broken…" he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the floor.

The Kazekage lifted his head from his palms. "What are you talking about?"

"Her fan was broken," he repeated through clenched teeth.

Gaara looked up at his elder brother for a couple of seconds. And then he nodded. Her fan had never been broken before… that unfortunate battle. She always managed to keep it intact somehow. It was a symbol for her, just as it was a symbol for her Kankuro – it was showing her strength, firmness and destructive force – all of this, preserved in something so beautiful and fragile as a fan. And Gaara had never seen his sister in such a condition, ever. She always managed to maintain a serious demeanour or pull a mischievous smile over her lips, and a strange glow in her green eyes. She was standing proud, confident, and even arrogant at times… And now? That woman, laying over there, didn't even resemble his sister. He sighed, iBut now she needs us to be here for her the most./i He glanced at Kankuro, who had forgotten to take off his hat until just a few seconds ago. iI have to do something. I can't just sit here and wait,/i Gaara narrowed his eyes, and rubbed his forehead absentmindedly.

Abruptly the Kazekage got up on his feet.

"Where are you going?" Kankuro asked, his eyes finally leaving the spot on the floor he was glaring at.

"Someone has to know who attacked Temari and the others. I'll write to Tsunade-hime… Konoha is the only ally that we have left now and…" he never finished, but rushed back to his office.

Godaime – The Fifth Hokage of Konoha. The woman, called Tsunade, was around 50 years old, but she didn't look over 30, in fact. Her hair was long, blonde, and most of it was tied in two loose ponytails, laying over her back. The gaze of her amber eyes was often stern and sharp.

However, her exclusively immodest bust was the first thing one would be drawn to look at, if seeing her for the very first time. Though, people, paying too much attention to it, would usually fall victim to her rage. Which was a paradox, as she was the most capable medic to be found, and her rage's victims needed the best medical service they could get.

Tsunade settled comfortably behind her desk, opened the note, which just came straight from Sunagakure, and started to read. Her eyes restlessly moved over the letters as she ran a hand through her hair. When she finished, Tsunade leaned back, closing her eyes for just a moment. Her nails tapped on the desk nervously.

The door opened with caution after an unheard quiet knock. "Tsunade-s—"

"OUT!" Godaime shouted and the woman, attempting to enter, shut it right away.

Tsunade's assistant had short black hair, black eyes and troubled facial expression most of the time. It was not an easy task to work with Godaime. Her imperious, short-tempered nature, really induced fear. Apart from her famous medical skills, Tsunade possessed enormous physical strength, which could be seen in her ability to easily break a tree with bare hands. She could also create a crater into the ground with ease. No sane person would voluntarily stay in front of her precisely directed fist. Also, she could be infuriated pretty easily. When she was angry, she screamed loudly, and her eyes were capable of throwing almost tangible lightning bolts.

Having such a leader, Konoha was well protected in case of danger. Anyway, the highest protection level didn't change the fact that Tsunade had a nasty temper.

What Godaime needed at the moment was some time, some peace and a bottle of sake. The sake wasn't something she could have free access to during work time. But recently she has been restrained from drinking as much as she wanted, even after work. Her assistant, named Shizune, very conscientiously took care to hide the sake immediately, wherever Tsunade went…

The Godaime tapped her nails on the desk for a couple more minutes, then she took a clean sheet of paper and a pen. She tapped the pencil's tip on the paper and slowly wrote Gaara's title, Kazekage of Sunagakure…

Gaara unfolded the letter. His eyes ran quickly over the paper's surface. His almost invisible eyebrows raised with pure surprise when he reached one particular sentence. He read the text a few times, just to be sure he understood it correctly. Then he put the paper aside. His face changed — his lips pursed slightly; his forehead frown in a thoughtful expression. Shortly after, approval appeared on his face. Just before he got this note, there had been a written inquiry from another village about Sunagakure's eventual change of allies. He still hadn't replied, as he held in high regard the Union with the Hidden Leaf Village, Konohagakure. Konoha's shinobis had saved him in the past not once, but twice, in fact. One could count on them. He knew that from the most valuable source — was there a source more valuable than personal experience?

Tsunade's offer, contained in the note, was pointing at a way for strengthening the union between the two villages — of the Hidden Sand and the Hidden Leaf. It was old-fashioned, easy to perform and highly respected in all the other villages. The answer was so simple that only a genius mind could think of it. Or, apparently, someone with greater life experience.

Gaara picked up the note and continued reading it. The further text was informing him that Konoha's shinobis had also been attacked. Fortunately, they didn't have any victims and even had brought a body for an autopsy. When they had any further information, they would send the results to Suna. That would be very valuable information. If the union was called off, he wouldn't get that information. Gaara suspected that the ninjas Temari and her team fought with were from "The other union". And if they dared to attack Suna now, when Suna had an ally, what would they do if the union with Konoha was called off?

The red-haired man sighed, thinking about who would get the job done. He considered every single option, and they all seemed unsuitable for the task by one criterion, or another.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in…" he said, rubbing his temples tiredly.

"Gaara," started Kankuro when he opened the door, "Temari has been stabilised for the moment. But…" he paused, his eyes strangely dulled.

"But…?"

"She is still in a coma. And it is unknown when or"— he swallowed —"if at all she will wake up."

Gaara's eyes lightened up. He barely paid attention to the essence of the information he was just given. He was well aware of what was going on with Temari - he knew she was in a coma. He was the Kazekage, after all, and he got regular and immediate reports of whatever was happening. His mind, however, was consumed by Tsunade's letter. Gaara had put all of his current efforts into problem-solving, and so the answer had presented itself on a silver platter. iThat's right! Who would be more suitable for the task than the Kazekage's brother himself?/i Gaara thought and leaned ahead slightly.

"Kankuro, we must talk."

The older brother was frowning as he listened with his head down, while at the same time, he was squashing his black hat in his hands. This sounded unreal and a bit insane. Although, looking at it from another point of view, it sounded logical and even kind of wise.

"And the solution is to marry me off to… a kunoichi from Konoha?"

"Unless… if your personal preferences are… for a male shinobi…?" Gaara shrugged. He has recently been introduced to the conception of the possibility that a relationship could exist between individuals of the same sex; on a sexual level. He had never given it a thought before the enlightening speech of his former sensei. As a modern Kazekage, he was determined to try to be open-minded and considerate on the matter. And since he had never discussed this with his brother, he wasn't entirely sure what Kankuro's preferences were. If he had to be completely honest, he never cared about it. At least that was until now.

The older man was so shocked, he couldn't muster anything better than "No, thank you. A woman would be fine."

"Then it is decided." Gaara nodded. "We will strengthen the union this way iand/i get help for Temari. So you are getting married."

"It would be great if there was another way, or anyone else—" Kankuro said with a sigh.

"Well, I can't make Temari get married at the moment, can I?" Gaara said dryly, and Kankuro took a sharp breath. His first thought was "Since when can Gaara use sarcasm?", but he decided to leave that one for another time. He went back to the main issue: He is right, he thought. iMy sister is in critical condition, and Tsunade is maybe the only one capable of saving her. And here I am, whining like a little kid… A marriage between Suna and Konoha would be the perfect excuse for the Hokage's visit — official and safe, as safe as it could possibly be. It would be especially justified, if it is about the Kazekage's brother./i

He bit his lower lip, staring at Gaara with his dark eyes. "All right," he said in defeat.

"All in all, this marriage will last about a year. It is not that much."

Kankuro nodded thoughtfully. If that would help his sister, he would keep it even for 10 years.

"Tsunade-sama wrote that if we think it is a suitable solution, she would find someone to take care of the task immediately. But you must leave tomorrow morning, so we could rush it as much as possible," Gaara explained patiently.

"Why should I go there? Won't she be the one to come here?" Kankuro frowned.

"To avoid problems and suspicions, you must be seen together. You need to deceive everybody, do you get that? It is common to have arranged marriages, but for what we have planned, it just won't work this way."

"What is the problem with an arranged marriage?" Kankuro wasn't absolutely sure what the issue was, though he had one or two ideas about it.

"The problem isn't that it is an arranged one…" Gaara sighed and paused.

"But the time frame of arranging it, eh?" Kankuro smirked at the slightly exasperated expression of his brother.

"Yes, exactly." The Kazekage glared at the other one. "Because no matter how careful we guard the villages, there will always be spies. And if the other union finds out this is all a lie, they may go to war the second the Hokage leaves Konoha's borders. I can't and don't have the right to apply such a risk. And Tsunade-sama wouldn't agree to something like that. No Kage would."

Kankuro nodded yet again, this time in understanding. Their main goal was to provoke a deception — to imply that the arranged engagement and subsequent marriage were planned years ago and now were legitimate.

"You are Temari's brother, and you do that for her, but the girl from Konoha… it will be just a mission to her. You understand that, right?" Gaara sighed and waited for a nod. "There will be a wedding certificate signing in Konoha. Then you will both come to Suna, hopefully accompanied by Tsunade-sama. Here, we will hold a public service with a reception, of course. Your blood lineage as a Kazekage's son requires some publicity." Kankuro really hated his descent sometimes; hated that it was raising public interest in his doings. The expectations about his behaviour, the way people would look at him — it was often so damn limiting. The elder brother clenched his fists.

Gaara, seeing his brother silent and tense, decided he could finally express the feeling weighing on his chest. He suddenly stood up and crushed his fist onto the desk: "Damn it, Kankuro! I love our sister no less than you! I would do that myself, but until the Council gives me permission, Temari would probably be dead." The pale green eyes tried to soak in the dark ones unsuccessfully. "But you can do that."

The two men continued to stare into each other's eyes. Kankuro was aware of the difficulties Gaara had to express emotion, so he was not going to comment. At the end, he nodded and left without saying a word.

Special thanks:

to my alfa and beta readers:

to Pink Shirt, for helping me to start translating this, fixing some tricky sentences, and in general being there (your support has been really important for me);

to Vicar Amelia for correcting some of my comma errors and for finding the text entertaining;

to Ellen, who agreed to beta-read part of this story and correct the pile of mistakes (all kinds), making this text all the better.

to my current beta-reader, mfw_no_gf, who turned to be curious enough to take a peek in the story (from Chapter 1 onwards).

This is the first long fanfiction I've written. It is finished in general, but it is undergoing yet another edition.

I'm aware the pairing is not really common, and Tenten has most fans connecting her with Neji. Well, I like Tenten&Neji pair. I like Tenten&Kankuro pair as well. They have different dynamics and are charming in their own way.

Note2:

This fanfiction has been published on

but it will soon be taken down and replaced by the new version.

Anyway, I am revising the chapters and making a lot of changes in the content (it looks like a different story sometimes), apart from the editing errors.