Chapter 44: Late Night Tea

"What a fucking day . . ."

It was the only words that crossed through Temari's tired mind as she looked up at the ceiling of her room, which was pitch black save for the beams of moonlight that poured in through the windows. After returning from their talk with their escort, the quartet had separated to their rooms as soon as they walked into their suite, unconsciously agreeing to wait till the morning to discuss things further.

As soon as her head touched her soft pillows, Temari knew that the precious embrace of sleep was not going to greet her easily on this night.

Too many thoughts were running through her head, with most of them being caused by what she learned during the meeting earlier in the night, and there were many, especially regarding her status . . .

At this point, the best way to describe herself to the world is as the Wind Kingdom's Queen presumptive. Itwas a rare position to be in, practically unheard of in fact, especially where the Wind Kingdom was concerned, but in it she was, and now she had to deal with the list of consequences that came with it.

Officially, the Wind Kingdom practiced absolute primogeniture for its succession lines, which meant as the last king's eldest child, Temari was well within her right to claim her position as the next ruler of the land.

However, though it was official law, many lords still chafed at it, with jealous younger brothers and heavily traditionalist elders leading the charge on that front.

It was one of the many things she would need to deal with once safely home, a saga that included her father's funeral, her eventual coronation, and building her power base while also weeding out her opponents in court . . .

. . . Yes, she had quite a lot on her plate to prepare for, and it was interfering with her rest.

"I'm definitely not getting any sleep at this rate . . ." She mumbled to the darkness as she sat up. Slipping on her favorite lounge sandals, the blonde stepped out of her room to see that she wasn't the only one that was having sleeping troubles.

"Hey sis!" Kankuro called to her as Gaara looked up from his warm tea. ". . . Figured you would make your way out here before the night was up."

"I see I'm not the only one struggling to sleep tonight," Temari mused as she took a seat next to the redhead. ". . . Should we expect to see Baki joining us anytime soon?"

"You just missed him by about thirty minutes," Kankuro conceded as he refilled his teacup. ". . . Stepped out for a walk. Said he wanted to clear his head for a bit."

"And the tea set?" She asked as she picked up a biscuit, before eating it in a couple of unladylike bites.

". . . Eh, I got hungry, managed to find a maid doing some late-night laundry, made a quick request, and here we are."

"Hmm, fair enough," The young blonde conceded before turning to her other sibling. "And what's your excuse little brother?"

"I already had plenty of sleep going into the meeting earlier . . . I guess I'm just not tired yet," Gaara conceded as he took another sip of his drink. "Would you like some ginseng?"

"I'd love some actually." Temari nodded in gratitude as Gaara prepared a cup for her, before smirking in delight as she took the hot beverage in hand.

Leaning back in her seat, she took a minute to savor her first couple of sips, letting the taste of the drink take over her senses before she let the stark reality of her situation set in.

"So, what's stopping you from getting a good night's rest hm?" Kankuro decided to ask after a few silent minutes, his eyes a mix of amusement and concern as Temari looked off into nowhere.

". . . As if you couldn't already guess," She mumbled as she took another sip. "The meeting has left me with a lot on my mind, and I simply don't know where to begin."

"Yeah, that meeting felt like one paper bomb after another," Kankuro mumbled as he reached for another biscuit. "Look, I'm usually not one for speaking ill of the dead . . ."

"Since when?" Gaara suddenly asked, which elicited a snort from Temari.

"Since now!" The puppeteer answered just as quickly, looking his brother right in the eyes, as if daring him to say otherwise. ". . . As I was saying, I'm usually not one for speaking ill of the dead, but let's face it, now that we know the truth, any and all negative feelings we have towards our old man are now definitely justified."

"Hmm, glad to know I have permission to feel the way that I do after all this time," Gaara sarcastically mumbled, which only earned him another snort from their sister.

"You know what I mean!" Kankuro bit back, grimacing as he did. "Look, the old man was a decent ruler, I will concede that much, but he was no family man. . . He never really treated us like how a father should treat his children. The realm was his highest priority over all else, including us."

"That's what nobility gets ya. Yes, you live rich and comfortably, but the priorities maintained lead to people getting hurt," Temari mused as she took another sip of her tea. ". . . Especially the children."

"It really is the curse of the nobility to care about your status more than your actual flesh and blood huh?"

"Not really. You can have a high station and still care about the people you share blood with to the point that you don't see them as pawns on a shoji board," Kankuro mused as he looked around. "But what a lot of families fail to do is treat them equally. It's usually one above the other, and it's usually the status that wins out, much to the other side's detriment."

"And such preference for one over the other leads to a lot of infighting in the end," Gaara mused as he took another sip of his tea.

"Entire clans have been wiped out for reasons that range from members thinking that they know what's best for the clan, to the downright pettiest of choices," Temari added in agreement. ". . . Maybe the risk of infighting was why father never remarried after mother died."

"A second wife would bring her own fair share of complications, especially if she gave birth to a new set of royals . . ."

"Divided allegiances between her birth family and the family she married into, the possible urge to supplant the children from the first marriage with her own . . . Yeah, I can see where the issues may arise." Kankuro complained. "Maybe that was why the old man never remarried?"

"Hmm, a lot of families have thrown their female relatives into his path over the years, but he never acknowledged any of them," Temari summed up, smirking slightly. "Maybe it was the guilt of knowing what he put our mother through that stopped him from entertaining the idea of a second wife."

"Whatever guilt he felt, it certainly wasn't strong enough to better his treatment toward us, me especially." Gaara reminded them as he looked down at his cup. "I'm pretty much the walking reminder of the poor choices he made that day after all."

"And I hope the thought of you haunted his mind every single waking day he was alive. . . It was the least he deserved," Temari mumbled. "I cannot knock his skills as a king, but the man could have been so much better as a father."

"And now here we are. . . Three siblings having a late-night tea session chatting casually about our dead patriarch," Kankuro summarized. "What a time for the Wind Kingdom indeed."

"Ah, don't remind me of our homeland right now," Temari complained as she looked over at her sibling. "I don't want to be reminded until the sun's out, okay? Let me enjoy the nighttime and my tea in peace."

"Not ready to don the 'Queen Temari' mask just yet?" The puppeteer teased as her sister managed to pout in his direction, which was not going unnoticed. ". . . Are you actually pouting right now?!"

"What a strange sight indeed." Gaara concurred, his words only serving to make Kankuro's smirk grow bigger, and Temari's pout grow deeper.

"It's not like I'm pouting for shits and giggles you know . . . It's just that we're going to be in for it once we're back home, me especially!"

"Yes, we all know things will not be smooth sailing once we get back to the desert, but you are not going to be alone on this Temari," Kankuro reiterated, looking determinedly at his sister. "You have me, you have Gaara, you have Baki, and you have allies within the court . . . Unless something happens otherwise, you are the monarch that will lead our kingdom, so don't get all doom and gloom on us now before the hard work actually starts."

"Kankuro's right," Gaara added. "The ones that are going to raise hell about your ascension are the old pricks that are too stuck in their old ways to accept the idea of a woman ruling over them. They're too prideful to accept any change that doesn't fall in line with the long-standing ideas they were raised with . . . That just gives you even more of a reason to knock their skulls together so that they're much more compliant."

"That's true, but I can't knock every skull until they finally get with the program," Temari argued as she picked up another biscuit. "I just need to knock together enough skulls so that I'll get the majority of the nobility to fall in line."

"You'll have to start with the big clans first. The Nishimuras are on your side, and any allies and vassals they have will follow suit . . . The rest are all a bunch of toss ups."

"Well, if Scorpion is correct in his earlier assessment, you won't have to deal with certain people once we return." Gaara added. "So, some should be easier than others."

"Anyone that was stupid enough to voice their plans to any ally of ours within earshot will certainly be dealt with," Kankuro was quick to say. "The ones that will give you the most trouble will be the quiet ones. They're the ones more likely to plot in the shadows."

". . . Until they get forced into the light that is," Gaara mused, shaking his head. "But that's going to take a while."

"And yet we were never ones to back down from a challenge," Temari reminded them. "This is going to be one long, painful journey, but before we continue with it, I want to make this one thing clear first."

"And that would be?"

"Gaara's my heir."

"SMARTEST DECISION YOU MADE ALL NIGHT!"

Kankuro's immediate proclamation earned him some exasperated, but amused looks from his siblings, but he was unperturbed. "What!? We all know that among the three of us, I'm the one that's the least interested in the throne."

"At this point, it is a sentiment that most of the nobility back home are aware of," Gaara added as he placed his empty cup on the table. "It won't stop some of them from trying to crown you anyway."

"They'll only attempt that because they believe it will be easier to control the kingdom through me rather than through Temari," Kankuro countered. "In their eyes, a disinterested ruler is better to control than a stubborn one."

"Until the disinterested ruler remembers they're the one with the power and bites back, that is," Temari was quick to say. ". . . Especially when those that were making the moves do a little too much that even said disinterested monarch notices."

"Wasn't that what happened with one of our ancestors?" Gaara asked, his mind racing to remember which one fit the bill. ". . . The second king, yes?"

"That would be King Shamon indeed, little brother." Temari agreed, smirking slightly. "The Puppeteering Great, as the people like to call him . . . It was well known that he also would have preferred to work on his puppets all day instead of ruling, but when it came down to it, he did what he had to do for the sake of the kingdom."

"My personal hero, if I'm being honest . . . Plus, he technically didn't have any choice in the matter as his heir was still basically a baby when he was officially crowned," Kankuro added, shaking his head. "Still though, it's nice to see that you are being serious about establishing your line of succession here . . . You are being serious, right?"

"I am, and I'll even put it in writing and sign it with witnesses present if it will make you feel any better," Temari declared as she moved toward the window. "Look, I'm not going to tell you to suck it up and accept your spot as heir until I birth my own. You've made your feelings on the subject known for years now and I would be wrong to look past it."

"You may have gone through the needed training like the rest of us," Temari continued as she looked over her shoulder. "But let's face it. Your sense of duty in this particular instance is not strong enough to overcome your passion for puppetry. The only way you would accept the mantle is if all other options were exhausted, basically forcing you into the role you obviously don't want."

"Damn straight!"

". . . And so, I'm the next best thing?" Gaara suddenly asked, his face not hinting at anything as he looked over at his oldest sibling.

"At the very least, you will not dare to let anyone try to push you around, and you won't take anyone's bullshit lying down. I'd say that those are definitely two things in your favor." Temari admits as she walks over to the redhead. "Not only that, you've certainly put your years of sleepless nights to good use."

"And how do you know?"

"Don't play dumb with us Gaara. Aside from the castle roof, the library must have been the second-best place to find you at night," Kankuro added, smirking at the slightly exasperated look that appeared on Gaara's face. "That or the desert itself."

". . . Hmm, having an empty library all to myself for eight to ten hours every night does have its advantages." Gaara conceded, much to his siblings' amusement.

"Is it safe to say that you also used those sleepless nights to improve on your training?"

The redhead's silence was all the answer his siblings needed.

"Instead of resting on your laurels every night, you worked to improve on yourself, and that is very much commendable," Temari approved. "It's that kind of self-reflecting and self-improvement that would make you a good ruler Gaara. . . You may not dislike being king at the level that Kankuro does, but I know that you would do an impressive job if the role ever fell on your shoulders."

". . . Are you trying to make me blush?" Gaara sarcastically mumbled, looking off to the side as he continued to digest his sibling's kind words.

"As if you would ever let us see it when we all know you keep your Sand Armor on basically 24/7!" Kankuro called out.

"Well, maybe we're the wrong people to coax it out of him," Temari mused, smirking slightly. "Maybe a blonde princess we know will do the trick."

"You think she'll do it if we politely asked?" Kankuro then asked, ignoring the glare Gaara was shooting his way.

"Please don't try to talk as if I'm not here," Gaara ordered, glaring at the two people he called family. "You are not being funny."

"I don't think we were trying to be, little brother," Temari said in their defense, just as the door opened to allow Baki to enter the suite. ". . . Ah, welcome back Baki."

"Thank you . . . The walk did me some good," Baki admitted as he stepped further into the room. ". . . And it seems that I am not the only one who couldn't sleep well tonight."

"Join the club sir!" Kankuro declared. "We were all just shooting the breeze and drinking tea while you were gone."

"Anything interesting discussed while I was gone?" He asked as he moved toward his room.

"Just the usual," Temari mumbled, before adding. "Oh, I did say that I was gonna name Gaara my official heir!"

"I thought that was already a given?!" Came Baki's immediate reply as he stopped in his tracks to look at the trio.

"It was. I just plan to make it really official now," Temari conceded with a shrug. "Consider it one of the first things on my to-do list once we return to Suna, and it's not like I'm taking Kankuro completely out of the line of succession. . . Gaara's just leapfrogging him."

"And you have thought about this before making this decision?" The jonin asked as he turned to Temari specifically. "Any change to the line of succession will get the tongues at court wagging. . . I'm just making sure you understand what you've chosen here."

"I am 100% confident in this decision, Baki. Kankuro has no taste for the throne, and I have no plans in putting him in a position he doesn't want unless absolutely necessary."

"And you are fine with being pushed to the front of the line Gaara?"

"I will do what I must to sustain the stability of the kingdom, even if that means serving as my sister's heir until she has children of her own."

"Spoken like a true king in the making." Kankuro spoke, a little proud of his sibling's response, a sentiment shared by Temari, while Baki only looked a little amused.

"Well, as long as you all understand the implications of such a decision, then I will stand with you. . . For now, I'm going to bed," Baki announced as he moved toward his room. "You all should do the same, even you Gaara!"

"Did he . . . Did he just order me to go to sleep?"

"You're gonna hear a lot more of that now that you can sleep without any issue." Temari mused as Baki disappeared from sight. "And he's right. After all, we got ourselves quite a day ahead."

"Hmm, shouldn't be long now before we're back in Suna," Kankuro agreed as he got up from his seat. "It'll be nice to get back home. The proverbial wasp nest that is the court, eh, not so much."

"To be honest, the wasp nest is more preferable."

"You only say that because you know the wasps won't be able to get through your defense."

"So?!" Gaara asked in return. "What's your excuse?"

Temari couldn't help but grin at the fuddled expression that crossed one brother's face, and the interestingly smug expression on the other's. It was good to see that things could still be light between the three, even with the circumstances that surround them.

The young queen knew that these moments would not last long, not when they have such an uphill battle to face once they're back home. Still, she preferred to enjoy the moment now.

Light moments such as this one would be exceedingly rare once they returned to Suna.

A/N: Please review!