'Damn, Sasuke's gotten out of shape,' Aiko noted.
To be fair, in most aspects he'd shown significant improvement in his shinobi skill set. He hit terrifyingly hard, had encyclopedic medical knowledge (even if he couldn't treat more than the basics for any number of ailments outside his specialties), and all-around seemed to be a much more well-rounded, mentally stable individual than he had been the last time she'd worked with him. Working with Tsunade as he did, he was also remarkably skilled at evading hits, a frustrating fact that dragged out their occasional morning spars for far too long.
But the long confinement in the village hadn't done any favors for his stamina. It was pretty obvious that although he'd devoted a significant amount of time to speed conditioning, he hadn't been doing the really long endurance runs that would have prepared him for this type of mission.
Behind his back, Aiko exchanged an unsure look with Kakashi's mildly amused and indulgent one. Having Sasuke on point allowed them to easily keep an eye on his pace and state… and kept him from seeing them assessing his condition. It was largely to save his pride. Normally a sensor should take the front, but Kakashi was skilled enough that it didn't really matter where he stood in formation.
Besides, they were at least nominally his subordinates for this mission, in a way. A visiting ninja dignitary was meant to be formidable in their own right—generally more powerful than their bodyguards who accompanied them.
In practice, Sasuke was a bit more like a civilian client being escorted than a visiting Kage with bodyguards, but they were meant to at least give the impression that he had significant authority. If he didn't actually have any clout, sending him could be seen as an insult to the Kage he was meant to be dealing with… if they had a stick up their ass about that sort of thing, anyway. It wasn't like Gaara would care. He just wanted to get shit done. But other Kage might care in future, so even if this specific deception was unnecessary the practice might serve Sasuke well in later endeavors. Even being the Hokage's apprentice didn't give him any real authority over anyone above his ranking and experience. Seeing as how he was still technically a genin… Well.
'It's probably a little weird to be arranging the Chuunin exams he's going to be participating in.' She pressed her lips into a thin line, forcing down the smile. Would he even be allowed to? It might make more sense for Tsunade to give him a field promotion. But if she were to do that, he'd have to do some actual fieldwork. The Hokage seemed strangely reluctant to allow that.
Aiko wasn't certain why—it wouldn't be hard for Sasuke to demonstrate Chuunin competency. He was easily a rank above genin. He probably would have made Chuunin at the last exams as an absolute rookie if it hadn't been for Orochimaru. Roughly two years later it was a hilarious joke that he was a genin. She rather imagined that Naruto would be the same way when he finally made his way home.
(Aiko took a moment to wish he'd come home soon. She wasn't sure about the timeline, but she'd hoped he'd be back in Konoha before their rapidly approaching fifteenth birthday).
At least Sasuke didn't complain about the pace, despite his obvious fatigue. He did pretty much collapse the instant that they had set up camp and choked down rations, however. That left Kakashi to run the perimeter check while Aiko combined the first watch with setting up traps for the night. A soft snuffle from Sasuke's bedroll caught her attention. She had to smile when she looked over. 'Damn, he's adorable.' She didn't know how Shizune kept a straight face all the time—Sasuke was just such a cutie that she had to bite her lip every time he made a grumpy face. Right now, though, he appeared too worn out to be properly sassy. That was an unusual state of affairs, to say the least.
'The poor, tired boy.' She almost felt guilty that they'd pushed him too hard, but they did have a deadline to make. Gaara was a sweetheart, but it still wouldn't do to be late without a damn good reason.
"He'll be fine." Kakashi settled down next to his pack with what had to be an intentional rustle of his clothing. If he hadn't thought about it, the movement would probably have been silent. He was just that good.
"I know." Aiko unconsciously mimicked her mentor, changing her pose from 'crossed legs' so that one leg was bent, her left toes nestling under the knee of the straight leg. "How long are the watches tonight?"
He hmmed thoughtfully. "Wake me in three." She nodded, scanning the horizon and patting the strings attached to her alarm system while he lazily dragged his own blanket over his body and flopped over as if he was going to instantly fall asleep. Aiko suppressed a wince—if she had to choose between sleeping on the ground with a blanket above or sleeping on a blanket without a covering… Well, it was a hard choice, one that Kakashi seemed to make nonchalantly. He probably didn't want the loss of mobility from making the blanket into a roll. It was sensible, but it wasn't the only logical solution to the problem...
"Want mine for now?" she offered, patting her own (still folded) blanket sitting on top of her pack where she'd left it after she unsealed her night kit. "It's not like I'm going to use it until you get up, anyway."
He turned just enough to peer at her when he cracked open one eye, but didn't reply. Aiko rolled her own eyes and just tossed the damn thing to him. "It almost physically pains me to see you sleeping directly on the ground," she explained briefly with a shudder. "So gross."
Granted, he didn't seem to care about his hair at all, but she just got the heebie jeebies at the thought of insects getting in hers while she slept.
Kakashi sounded amused when he pointed out that, "It's not like a blanket will really do much to keep off bugs and germs." But he did catch the blanket and readjust his position, using his bedroll directly on the ground and pulling hers over his body. "You just want to steal my body heat when you get to go to bed," he teased in a tone of sudden discovery.
By now, she was mostly immune to his teasings. "You got me," Aiko said dryly. "That's exactly my wicked plan, and you're playing right into it."
He made to reply, but-
"Oh shut up," Sasuke muttered into his own bedroll, lifting his face just enough to glare sleepily at them with one red eye.
"Aye aye, captain," Kakashi snickered, closing his own eye and appearing to pass out instantly.
Aiko rolled her eyes at both of them and dismissed the conversation, but couldn't help but notice when her watch ended that Kakashi hadn't been wrong about her benefitting from his body heat. They weren't even into the desert properly, but she was ridiculously relieved to crawl inside and pass out.
A good night's sleep did wonders for Sasuke's temper—and by that Aiko meant that it was returned to normal. Granted, his attitude may have been influenced by the fact that they were set to spend another day running. Once again, he was flagging throughout the all-day run and gradually their breaks became slightly longer every time they stopped to stretch and have a drink. Aiko spotted Kakashi keeping a sharp eye on Sasuke for signs of dehydration or excess exhaustion. Their genin escort was clearly unused to the dry desert air and not particularly pleased by the environment.
To be fair, it was frighteningly foreign from the perspective of someone raised in Konoha's forests. Sasuke wasn't one to complain, never had been, but the face he allowed himself to make when he saw Suna (Aiko realized was the first time for him, wasn't it?) was hilarious. He expertly wiped it off his face before the gate guards waved them up to check their papers and let them in.
'Has she just been slated as their official liaison to Konoha already or what?' Aiko wondered when the Chuunin that left while their documents were verified returned with Temari. It made sense—there couldn't possibly be that many qualified shinobi who Gaara personally trusted enough for the role—but that girl must be ridiculously overworked.
"Welcome to Suna," the girl in question drawled, sounding less enthusiastic than her words implied. "The Kazekage thanks you for making the journey. Please, let me lead you to the diplomatic quarters where you will be staying."
Sasuke nodded stiffly and made to follow, but Aiko teasingly raised an eyebrow at the older girl when they began to walk.
"That's pretty cold. Hi to you too, Temari-san. You're looking well."
She was—the sand kunoichi had changed her work outfit since they'd worked together on the border only a few months back. She seemed to like purple and had retained elements of that hue, but she was actually in a dark blue skirt instead of the one-piece outfit she'd had before.
Temari nodded politely. "You are as well, Aiko-san." Somewhat uncomfortably, she noted the other girl making a similar up-and-down of her apparel. It seemed dull in comparison to Temari's—she'd found light grey pants and a long sleeved shirt for the trip to avoid soaking in too much sun. Both of her companions in dark blue could suffer if they liked (and Kakashi was in that god-awfully heavy Chuunin vest as well!) but she had dressed plainly and minimally.
Then Temari seemed to examine the other two for the first time. "Are you Uchiha Sasuke?" The question was politely disinterested (as well as a bit confusing, hadn't they already been introduced at the exam?) but the widened eyes and slight blush that Temari sported when she eyed Sasuke like he was 150 pounds of eye candy were definitely not disinterested.
Aiko resisted the urge to cackle. 'Temari, I didn't know you were a cougar,' she purred internally. The other girl had to be like, three years older than poor Sasuke.
She wasn't judging, of course. Given half a chance, Aiko would give into urges that were far more shocking. It was just that Sasuke did not seem prepared for displays of sexual interest from such a mature specimen of kunoichi. He deflected answering by way of a grunt and turning away in apparent disinterest. It was probably awkwardness, but it did the trick and Temari snapped back into professionalism. "And Hatake-san, of course."
'She seems much more careful to be respectful of him than us,' Aiko noted with some amusement. It made sense, but it was still funny to see Temari looking nervous around someone she knew to be so mild natured outside of combat.
'How would she know that, though? The last time we saw her, our whole team was on edge. We definitely did not make the best impression possible.'
"Indeed. Lead away, Temari-san."
Kakashi might have been thinking something similar, because that was almost unusually friendly for him.
They didn't have their first appointment with Gaara until two days later. It was frustrating and meant that they were cooped up, but they didn't exactly have the option of demanding an earlier audience. Waiting was just part of how these things seemed to go.
Aiko did her best to look impassive and alert when they were finally led to a conference room and placed on the opposite side of the long table as the head where the Kazekage would sit.
It was a bit pointed—it placed them furthest from the center of the room, and implied that all of the council were of higher importance. Later meetings might be less formal, but at least this first one included a panel of Sunagakure's elders in addition to Gaara and his siblings, who were apparently serving as his bodyguards/personal council. (It stank a bit of nepotism, but ehhhh).
She knew better than to speak up in front of a group like that and undermine Sasuke's authority where it was already respected little. But she would be paying close attention so that she could point out anything he missed later—either to him, or to Gaara himself.
'Getting this mission was a lucky break,' she mused, watching the room fill up. 'I mean, I suppose I could have asked Tsunade to send Gaara a seal as a mark of trust or something, but I'd really rather keep this simple.'
She didn't particularly like the idea of letting a seal out of her reach in unknown hands more than absolutely necessary. If someone intercepted it… well. It didn't bear thinking about just how much trouble she could be in if she attempted to flash cross-continent (which would almost certainly strain her ability to flash again until she'd acclimated) to Gaara's side and found herself surrounded by hostiles who had an idea how her technique worked. Kakashi had been right—for as long as possible, she should make sure that anyone who knew about her technique was either trustworthy beyond doubt or dead.
Aiko didn't mind Kakashi and Yamato having copies of her seal, as they were her team and both highly formidable shinobi. But she would prefer not to have anymore placed in the hands of people that might not be able to protect them. She vaguely hoped that no one would ask why she wouldn't give the seal to Temari or Kankuro who she knew better than Gaara after their long posting—it would be embarrassing for them if she had to admit that she didn't trust their strength.
Aiko felt comfortable that her logic was sound, and that Tsunade would have approved it if she'd thought to mention the idea in time. Their mission briefing had made it clear that Suna and Konoha's relationship wasn't in doubt, and Tsunade wanted to bind them together in every way possible. That was a large part of why they were here in the first place.
The stated reason for requesting Suna's aid with this upcoming exam and other things was a desire to strengthen and publically display their alliance, but it wasn't the only logic. Suna was considerably weaker and poorer than Konoha. Scratching out an existence in the desert was hard, brutal work, doubtlessly made more so because they lacked in both clients and active forces. It wasn't a coincidence that one of the requests Tsunade had for this mission was that they secure contracts for Konoha to pay Suna shinobi to serve as security and organizers for the upcoming exam.
It was veiled charity, but also a cold, logical decision to improve Suna's standing so that they could be more powerful allies and therefore more useful to Konoha. Constant income from safe postings would help Suna regain their feet. If at all possible, they were to get Gaara to agree to other forms of aid, like Konoha supplementing their border forces.
As much as that all sounded like solid policy that Gaara would snap up in an instant, affairs were unfortunately more complicated than they would seem. Konoha was already supplying a great deal of aid to Suna in the form of food relief that took stress off of Suna's coffers.
Despite their Kages' genial relationship, Suna as a whole did not have especially fond feelings to Konoha. Taking charity from a perceived enemy would sting the pride of any shinobi nation. One that prided itself on enduring against horrible odds (in a godforsaken desert with no natural resources except poisonous animals that cost them considerable numbers of their own genin and civilians, mind) was especially prone to posturing. It was an old-fashioned train of thought, but unfortunately it was still a powerful one. Many people in Konoha held similar sentiments about a village's self-sufficiency.
Regardless of their ideological differences, Tsunade and Gaara were both very committed to an alliance that was more than amiable—they were talking about permanent peace between the nations. That would require a lot of work and engendered positive feelings. It was not something that could be settled in a day.
So, they were intentionally avoiding topics that might be perceived as charity in these public sessions. Team Kakashi knew perfectly well that this meeting was a necessity to pacify Suna's stuffy important old people. The real politicking would hopefully be done with Gaara in a more private setting, once these people had been satisfied as to their own importance.
Sasuke had accordingly come armed with a ridiculous amount of very boring things to talk about very politely. Only an hour into discussion, Aiko had to fight to keep her eyes from glazing over. It would have been easier to stay focused by ignoring the babble altogether and just concentrate on keeping an eye out for threats, but she unfortunately had to pay attention to conversation. She learned far more than she really wanted to about trade schedules and setting criteria for promotions (apparently, the Elders didn't trust Gaara's impartiality after he went and informed them that he and his siblings had all been promoted after his own exams. It was a fair enough criticism, if a bit petty to be dragging out as dirty laundry in public).
'It's amazing that these people can make a five minute conversation last two hours,' she marveled silently.
It wasn't like Konoha was probably any better, of course. Tsunade's personal council was relatively efficient, but even she couldn't get around the startling ineptitude of the large council. Powerful family heads (both shinobi and civilian), the leaders of various merchant guilds, well-respected retired shinobi or politicians, and even a few nobles from the Daimyo's court all jockeyed for position and influence.
Luckily, they didn't meet very often. They were probably also treated much like this one—pacified with comparatively minor issues to soothe their egos. Anyone whose voice was really respected or relevant would be sought out on an individual basis.
As was tradition, the first to leave the meeting room was the Kazekage and his escort. At that point the room broke down into quiet conversation. Sasuke intentionally remained in his seat when the meeting was over, letting the locals give him curious glances as they quietly filed out. As if he'd gotten a message, Gaara and his siblings re-entered the room after everyone else had filed out of their seats, startling a couple lingering to chat in the door into hustling out.
For the first time, Sasuke slowly bowed his head… but not so much that he couldn't maintain eye contact.
"That's not necessary." Temari winced, but Gaara pulled out a seat across from Sasuke and casually sat, abandoning all decorum and procedure. Aiko had to force down a smile. "Please forgive us for the pretense. If you are not too tired, we would like to continue discussion."
"Not at all," Kakashi spoke up for the first time, taking a seat at Sasuke's right and nodding for Aiko to pull out a chair on his left. Temari and Kankuro similarly flanked Gaara, seated so that Kankuro was directly across from Aiko. That either meant that Aiko had misinterpreted the dynamics between the siblings, or that they didn't care for procedure at all.
'Or possibly that they thought it was more important for their canniest member to keep a close eye on Kakashi than it was to display that Temari is Gaara's right hand,' she allowed.
The smirk on Kankuro's face told her that she wasn't going to figure out their motivation without more clues, so she gave it up as a bad job and intentionally relaxed her posture. It wouldn't do to seem hostile or nervous around these three even if she had been—they were trying to portray themselves as true allies, not friends of convenience waiting for an opportunity to stab the other in the back.
It wasn't hard, because she really did trust these three to the extent she trusted anyone outside of her team. Kankuro and Temari were hard to get a read on, but she trusted that even if they were malicious, they were committed enough to Sand's interests that Gaara's genuine good feelings would keep them friendly.
She spared an open smile for Gaara, who didn't seem to know how to respond. Instead of giving a corresponding expression, he slowly nodded at her before turning back to Sasuke.
"Hey." Kankuro hissed, leaning across the table to whisper while Sasuke and Gaara began to talk. "How are you doing, red?"
Aiko stuck her tongue out playfully at the older boy. "I should ask you that," she murmured quietly, leaning her chin onto a palm. "Last time I saw you, you were bleeding out your gut."
He grimaced. "Yeah. That sucked. I was on light duty for weeks."
Her eyebrows shot straight up, but she managed to politely not share her first thought, being that it was, "Your medics must be really terrible".
The resigned amusement in his eyes implied he knew her thoughts anyways. Konoha was famous for their medical programs and the quality of the shinobi and civilian practitioners that they produced. It had only gotten better in the time since Tsunade had taken office and prioritized funding for her personal projects.
Gaara's rumble caught her attention. "I'm afraid that won't go over well."
"Is that a no?" Sasuke asked in an air of disinterest.
Aiko had to resist the urge to snort. 'Sasuke, there's no point in playing mind games here. He knows you're invested in this project, and he appreciates bluntness.'
She couldn't blame him, though. It was his first chance to apply what he'd been learning at Tsunade's knee.
"No," Gaara admitted easily. "I think that both propositions are sound. But my citizens will not look fondly on Konoha pitying us twice by paying our shinobi to perform safe work and sending medics to improve the hospital."
Aiko suppressed a twitch. Seriously? The answer to that problem was obvious.
Kakashi expressed her thoughts with flawless grace. "The problem is one of rhetoric, not the actual practice."
Both the boys had turned to look at him, but Temari had already picked up his train of thought with a nod. "He's right. We just need to frame this as an equal exchange rather than two gifts from Konoha. It might not even hurt to make it look like you somehow wrangled beneficial concessions out of Konoha," she added dryly. Kankuro suppressed a snicker at some private joke.
Gaara just nodded gravely. "The idea is sound. But if we were to do that, the exchange would have to seem equal or we would run into the same issue."
"We could easily work in the issue of our mutual border," Sasuke pointed out. "We cannot hope to send you as many medics as we would like in security forces, but we could send an equal number to replace numbers pulled from your side of the border. By having equal numbers of shinobi exchanged, it just looks like a mutual gesture of goodwill and shared strength."
Aiko looked directly at Gaara, opened her mouth to speak… and pressed her lips together to stop the thought that came up from spilling out. She'd bring it up later. For some reason, she wasn't keen on the idea of interfering publically (even in so small a dialogue.) She would really rather prefer an opportunity to speak to Gaara alone… Even if she eventually chose to tell Sasuke about her Hiraishin, that didn't mean that she would feel comfortable telling Temari and Kankuro as well.
Clever Temari caught the motion, raising an eyebrow skeptically in question. She kept an eye on Aiko while the conversation moved on.
"That is a valid possibility," Gaara allowed. "But I would feel more comfortable discussing the addition after we have decided on the exchange of medical personnel."
That was a topic Sasuke was well-prepared to discuss. It was going to be run two ways. First, Suna would be sending low-level medics to Konoha for training and to work on various skills in the hospital there (while serving as staff in whatever capacity they were qualified to do, providing Konoha with extra labor). A few specialists from Konoha would be simultaneously leant to Suna to improve the quality of the shinobi who would be training future iryo-nin, as well as a few talented civilian administrators to overhaul and make the actual facility more efficient. The exchange benefitted both hospitals (though Suna's disproportionately) and maintained enough staff at both locations to keep them running smoothly during the transition.
The program would also be a valuable tool for engendering positive relations. Exposing so many people to the other side of the alliance in a daily capacity would help tie the villages together. It was hard to think of people you actually knew as faceless foreigners, after all.
She actually let herself give a smile when Kankuro thought to specify that they get a poisons expert. Temari gave her a suspicious look, not seeing the humour, but Aiko didn't feel a need to clarify.
From what she understood, Konoha only had a handful of poison specialists, but the ones that they did have were excellent. Aiko knew that, because several of them had been Karin's mentors in some capacity. Tsunade and Shizune were probably the best – they were the best in Konoha's medical system at many procedures due to Tsunade's sheer genius and Shizune's decade of private instruction—but they were closely followed by a few older individuals… and in that one small field, Karin, who did a downright shocking amount of funded lab work with rare venoms and only spent her required hospital time on-call for any necessary poison extractions. As the only person on the list of specialists without real political clout or more important things to do, Karin was probably going to get stuck posted in Suna for half a year trying to pass on what she knew.
The girl would not be pleased.
By the time they had hashed all of that out, it was late. Gaara stood and strode out first, Sasuke on his heels and Kankuro next. Kakashi was aware enough that both kunoichi were lingering to give them a purposeful look, but dutifully kept close to Sasuke while the group trailed out the door.
Once they were seemingly far enough behind, Temari leaned into Aiko's side and muttered, "You looked like you had something to say back there."
'Clever girl.'
Aiko nodded. "Yes, but I was hoping to speak to Gaara about it." Kakashi twitched slightly, but Aiko had already known he could hear their conversation. Kakashi had sharp senses on the worst of days. Temari eyed her carefully, but gave a short nod.
Conversation clearly over, Aiko picked up the pace to stay with her group and led their momentum carry her back to their suite. Sasuke seemed completely oblivious that he had missed something, but Kakashi kept an eye on her until it was time to go to bed. "First watch again, Aiko?" he asked casually. She nodded, letting him take what he would from the motion.
He probably knew that she would be waiting out on the balcony to see if Gaara stopped by. The boy didn't sleep, after all. If Temari was going to arrange a remotely private conversation, it would have to be at night.
The Kazekage either had excellent timing or someone watching their building, because he appeared in a quiet rush of sand after she had only been outside for a few minutes. They regarded each other silently for a moment—and then Aiko grinned, channeling her inner Uzumaki. "Hi there." She didn't let his wordless reaction inconvenience her. Things seemed to work well with Gaara when she overwhelmed him with personality and words. "So, that was whole heaps of fun, right? Haven't seen you in forever." She adjusted, leaning up against the railing and intentionally averting her eyes. "You know, Naruto mentions your conversations a lot in his letters."
It was true. She felt like she knew the guy a lot more than he knew her.
Aiko turned to catch his expression. He looked mildly stunned by the information that Naruto talked about him. "I worry about him," she confided quietly. "I'm sure you know about the suspicion that Akatsuki is after the tailed beasts, right?"
"Yes." Gaara shifted, sand swirling gently around their ankles. "I do know."
"Are you worried?" she asked quietly. It was clear that she wasn't just talking about Naruto. Gaara didn't seem to understand her train of thought, frowning slightly.
"I am concerned with Suna's welfare, not my own," he eventually deflected.
It was the reply she'd prepared for. "Aren't the two connected?" She gave a small smile to soften the statement, and let her fingers trail to her leg holster. He clearly caught the motion, back stiffening and eyes narrowing. It was understandable—it was generally considered rude to reach for weapons in the presence of a Kage.
"This is something I'm keeping quiet, but I'd feel a lot better if you had one."
With slow, deliberate motions, she drew out a single marked kunai and held it out to him hilt first.
At this point, he really did look confused and a bit off-kilter. "I have my own weapons."
She was surprised enough to laugh. "It's not for you to throw. It's tagged with my Hiraishin seal." His eyes went wide with comprehension, and he finally took the outstretched weapon to examine it more carefully. "I just have a bad feeling, you know?" She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "The next time I see him, I'm giving Naruto one too. If it's not too much trouble, could you keep it in your office or something? Even if nothing ever happens, you'll still have the speediest method possible of contacting Konoha. You can't use it, but if you spark chakra against it I'll feel it no matter where I am."
Aiko wasn't even lying. The seal was active and she could use it at any time, but Minato had written about using the seals this way and giving them to his team. Even unintentional chakra flares made in distress could draw attention, making it a good safety tool for his young team.
"Why me."
She glanced up to gauge his reaction, but his face was blank and body language guarded. This was a test.
"Well, I know that you're in danger," she answered honestly. "And I want you to be safe or at least reachable. I think you're a good person, and Naruto agrees. He's a lot better judge of character than I am," she admitted easily, "but I think that he'd approve." Awkwardly, she shrugged as if to say, 'that's it.'
"I thought you said you were keeping this technique secret," he pointed out, clearly pushing for something.
For once, she genuinely did not understand the logic behind this conversational direction. Aiko didn't like going into a conversation blind, but at least she thought on her feet well. "I am. Including you and I, five people know I can do Hiraishin. I really don't want it getting out that I have it. But I think I can trust that you and my team are strong enough to keep the seals away from anyone else and have enough discretion to keep it quiet." As she talked, she gathered her hair into a tail at her neck to keep it from whipping around in the cold desert air, wrestling an elastic off her wrist. She suddenly understood why Temari kept her hair so tightly bound—it hurt when it whipped into your face.
"You… trust me. As a person."
Aiko furrowed her brow. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"
Granted, had she not known as much as she did about him, she wouldn't have trusted him. They had only briefly spoken before on a few occasions, most of which had been one-sided. The trust she extended him would not be afforded to many other people with whom she had stronger relationships.
But she trusted both in his decision to change himself for the better and Naruto's ability to spot what others couldn't in people. He'd always had a remarkable sense for understanding critical truths about people's inner lives. It was only possible for Naruto to fool himself—when he really wanted to believe in something, he was completely blind. That was why it was easy for him to be manipulated with a few kind words: He really wanted to believe that people were intrinsically good.
The thing was that in her experience, he was right. Most people were good at their core. Of course, lacking in charisma as she was, she wasn't always able to convince people the way Naruto did. She resorted to pre-planning and careful rhetoric, and used force when that failed.
The idea that a near-stranger trusted in his inherent goodness seemed to rock Gaara to his core. It was actually a little uncomfortable to see just how open his face was with his emotions at the moment, so she had to struggle not to avert her eyes. Looking away now would indicate insincerity. With difficulty, she faked the calm acceptance that would have been so natural to Naruto.
Someone like Tsunade or maybe even Yamato would have caught the bluff, but Gaara never stood a chance.
A muscle jumped in his neck, taut as if he was about to leap into motion. Slowly, he inclined his head into a shallow bow. "I will not betray that trust."
"Of course you wouldn't." Impulsively, Aiko crossed the distance and wrapped him up in a brief hug, ruffling his hair like she would do to Naruto. She only let it last for an instant, not wanting to deal with the awkwardness of him deciding whether or not to hug her back. Either way he chose would be weird, so she didn't let it be an issue, flashing him a grin and talking as she walked towards the door. "I'm going in, then, it's super cold out. Have a good night!" She gave him one last look before shutting the door.
Gaara swallowed, wrapping his hand tightly around a skin-warmed hilt that had been recently owned by a girl he barely knew. It was a kingly gift, despite its apparent plainness.
That had not gone as expected at all.
Why did she trust him so? He remembered hitting her so hard she lost consciousness in the attempted invasion of Konoha. Surely the girl held a grudge because of that? It was one thing for Naruto to forgive him—Naruto, who had experienced similar pain and loneliness growing up as a jinchuuriki, but his sister?
Ah. That was it. Naruto's sister, who had always stood by him. He had to push back a zing of jealousy—what would his life had been like if Temari had never feared or ostracized him? There was no way to know, and no point in questioning. They had reconciled and were actually quite close now. Temari was an excellent sister to have.
What kind of person must Naruto's sister be, to have never once doubted him even as a small child when others clearly feared and hated him? It… it defied explanation.
'Perhaps it is a commonality between Uzumaki,' he finally decided, blinking down some strange sensation. That conversation convinced him that two out of the two Uzumaki he had encountered were remarkably forgiving people, after all.
He couldn't help but keep an eye on the girl—Aiko, she was called, he reminded himself—the next time he met with Uchiha Sasuke for a meeting. The Uchiha still displayed an irritating habit to mimic his absent mentor's sideways manner of speech, but Gaara easily enough arranged for the concessions he desired. He managed to insure that Suna would be paying for thirty percent of the Chuunin exam's expenses to prove their investment and several other details while still devoting some of his attention to the other redhead in the room. She was slippery and hard to read, showing emotions at times that indicated she was keeping a running commentary… and uncomfortable with his staring.
Gaara took his eyes off of her just in time to catch a severely disapproving expression from the Copy Ninja, and suddenly decided it would be for the best to go back to focusing on the Uchiha. He didn't want to give the Konoha ninja the wrong impression about his interest.
Of course, it was entirely too late to throw Temari off the scent of a secret after she'd caught him glancing at Aiko. His sister was incorrigible.