Sugar, Spice, and a Handful of Sand

Chapter six: Hate is a special kind of love for people who suck

Izzy sat in the miniature living room with Rakki, yawning and petting the cat as she looked over the book. She had been trying to get a hold of the Suna culture and therefore, was reading up on it. There was a lot of history, more history than she could have imagined and it was tiresome at best. Yawning one more time, she closed the third history for that day and started up the next volume. Rakki was purring and sleeping at the same time, curled around her and keeping her hips warm.

"Suna was the holder of the… the…" Izzy trailed off in another yawn before laying her head back and falling asleep. Suddenly her whole mind was in another place. It was a giant party in the Suna mansion that Izzy was in. There were flowing gowns of silk and satin, gems and jewels glittering everywhere. People talking and the smell of wine and sweet sugary treets. The ceiling covered in glowing candle chandeliers, the sound of heels and mindless chatter filled the air.

"Lady Izzy!" Izzy looked up from a glass of cider in her hand to a man walking up, a elder woman on his arm. With a giant grin, she welcome the man and began talking, meaningless topics, like the weather of late, the problems with the economy before hearing the sound.

"Lord Ishatar, please, don't be bothering my wife with that stuff, you do know she must write up the state of the nation soon and you're bogging her mind" Izzy turned around with a giant grin, to see Gaara walking up and slinging an arm around her waist. She put a hand on his chest, and grinning into a kiss.

"OH MY GOD!" She screamed, flipping up from her position and looking around her. Breathing hard, she closed her eyes and could see the kiss. No! No! No more crushes, no more guys. Izzy shook her head, trying to get the idea of her and Gaara kissing.

"You okay Izzy?" Flipping around, she looked to Gaara furrowing his brows at her. In his hand was a giant parchment and some elder men were beside him, all reading it. She blinked for a second, waiting for the image and the flutter, clenching in her chest to stop before smiling.

"I'm good, just a bit… tired is all, had a nightmare"

"Well, Take Rakki on a walk, I need the room" He Whispered, looking at her with a pleading look. She pulled on a giant grin, thanking the thought of being outside to get fresh air. Petting the desert lion awake, she got to her feet and rushed for the door, before looking back and waving to Gaara sitting down. With his own little half smile at the crease of his lips, he flicked half a wave at her before looking back to his paper work.

The was one thing about him that was a great choice for a crush: He was a gentleman. No matter if he had been one before she met him or not, he was one of the nicest guy right off the bat to her, without any inclination he was getting in her pants. Hopefully, she could be great friends with him, because he seemed to be a good guy.

Holding her palm to the ruffled hair of Rakki's neck, she strode out to the street in her new clothes. She felt right at home in the long puffy pants with belly shirt and bangles that graced her stomach, her hair pulled up into messy buns on the back of her head.

"Flowers… Flowers for the pretty lady? Only a pent a rose?"

"Jewels? Gems? Something to shimmer against your ivory skin?"

"Beads? Beads for the lady?" Izzy waved to the bead guy and shook her head. She didn't have the money to spend on luxuries, besides she already had enough jewels from her room, she couldn't possibly want more. But, that was when she heard the whispering. It wasn't about Rakki, no that wouldn't logically be the epic news story, no it was Izzy.

"I Hear she's from The Leaf…and she's not a ninja"

"Weird, she's living with the kazekage?"

"Maybe he's getting married like he promised he would"

"This first Kazekage unmarried and only because he promised us heirs… is she pregnant? No, she's way to unfed"

Izzy looked to her stomach before quickly covering it up and pressing her body to the lion. Rumors, Rumors were bad. Pushing her and Rakki into a market, she tried to drown into the crowd, but Rakki made it hard to be subtle and fade in. Besides, most people here had tan skin or atleast golden, her skin was ivory, almost albino pale (Tans weren't a strong point for Izzy). Feeling everyone stare at her, she did something drastic.

Clambering up onto Rakki's back, she pleaded him to rush, and at the feel of her on the lionesses back, the mighty beast bolted from the crowd and towards the court yard garden. Surrounded by bushes that seemed to grow by themselves, trees that climbed up and shaded with long palm tree like features. Izzy buried herself into Rakki's fur and could feel herself tear up.

The lionesses bounds were long and powerful, and soon she glided to a stop among a circle of trees and fell to a slow, graceful laying position. Izzy rolled off and curled up to her pet. She could see the memories flooding around her, surrounding her ghosts of her unwanted lovers past.

"There's no way she's dating him? She's not skinny!"

"She's the one dating Sasuke-Kun! WHAT A SLUT!" The insults from every jealous girl over any guy she had dated, they swirled around her. Then she could see the snickering and the pointing of the freakishly skinny girls. Hands on hips and sneers, they taunted her with her pathetic brunette hair that was just frizzy to not be straight but not curly enough to be bouncy. Flicking her small nose and calling her pathetic for liking the same guys they did.

"You're fat, what would make him like you?" Crying, she buried her face in Rakki's fur.

"Hey… Hey! Don't do that!"

.x.o.x.o. Sugar, Spice, and a handful of sand .x.o.x.o.

"Hey… HEY! DON'T DO THAT!" Kankuro screamed, chasing after a long blond haired boy rushing for the room.

"I Must see my Izzy-Honey, I must!" The man cried, barging into the first room he came upon. Which happened to be Gaara's Office. Both stopped with wide eyes and looked to each other blankly. Then the man pulled out a piece of paper with a crude drawling on it.

"Are you… Gaara-kun?" He asked, striding up to the desk. Gaara watched with confusion as the man seemed to strut like a woman. He had long blond hair pulled into a braid over his shoulder, a long flowing outfit with tight pants, and a giant water gourd upon his waist.

"Gaara…" He grumbled, going back to his paper work. Hopefully this was Mishito talking to him and not some crazed fan of Izzy's. That would certainly hurt Gaara's Feelings if another man liked Izzy.

"Well Izzy-Honey says 'Gaara-kun needs your help. They need your magic water' so… I bet you know who I am?" He seemed to gleam like a certain figure Gaara knew. Then suddenly he saw Might Guy, but a blond, better looking form. His whole body glowed with a certain flamboyancy that uneased Gaara.

"Mishito?" Gaara asked. Then the blond was on him, hugging and snuggling him, raising up the need for personally space. Ripping the blond man off, he sat on the desk and grasped Gaara's hand, holding it in his soft ones and looking into the red head's eyes.

"I am Mishito, the water god here to save your country from a waterless existence. And… Oh my, Izzy-Honey didn't say how adorable you were. You are a darling. I can't wait to work with you, but Alas I must retire and see my Dear Izzy-Honey, She says that your sibling got me a room and it is far too late for me to think and work. Adue… My sweet Gaara-Kun" With that, he was up and leaping off, skipping more or less with a spring in his step that was just un natural.

Gaara sat stunned, looking to his hands then his door. For an hour, he sat there unable to realize what was going on. He felt violated, he felt unnerved, and suddenly not liking the thought of working with the man. Looking to his papers, he finally sighed and tried to focus again. But he knew everything was wrong now, because everything smelt like sweet sugar and undertone of spices.

"Gaara?" Jumping in his skin, he looked up to Rakki and Izzy slowly creaping into the room. Instantly he was unnerved again because her eyes were red and she was rubbing her nose with a tissue.

"Are you alright?" He asked, putting his quill down and looking to the girl who found a smile among the tears.

"Yea, just a bad case of flash backs… love isn't really my strong point, and damn do I know it, Good thing Temari found me in the market and followed me. She gave me a hug…" She whispered, before walking up. Then she took a deep wiff of the room and burst out into a giant smile that set Gaara back to himself. "I see Mishito was here, so… what do you think?"

Gaara was set back. What did he think of the man. "He's… very… outgoing" Gaara sighed, looking to his paper before setting his pen down and furrowing his would be brows at her.

"He's odd… He… he hugged me then called me…um…adorable?" Gaara winced at the word. It was just something a man did not call another man. It was… just not right! He shivered but stopped when he saw Izzy laughing hard and nodding.

"Yea, that's Mishi-san for you, I should go find him before he rips your house apart looking for me" She got up and strode towards the door before stopping at the door. "Um… fair warning… he might try to kiss you" She waved and stepped out. Once she was gone, Gaara shivered and shook his head, ringing for his private guards, instantly instructing them to keep the man from kissing their Kazekage. That was just not an experience Gaara wanted. Gross!