Welcome back!

I'm sorry for the long wait and I hope that you enjoy the chapter :D I would like to thank everybody who faved and put this story on alerts! Also, LittleEcho12 and cathyscloud9 for the wonderful reviews :D

Here goes my playlist:

Anoushka Shankar - Lasya

Raul Ferrando – Yearning (a little modified during Eileen's dance)

Banks - You Should Know Where I'm Coming From

Chapter 10: In which Gaara makes a choice…

Gaara had learned even before arriving to the Summit that Wanderers had an uncanny ability to pack fast. Sure, shinobi were often trained to be as quick as possible while on a mission. And, that was the difference. A shinobi on a mission could pack their essentials in under a minute and be out of his residence in under two. If you asked one to evacuate their home, though, they would need a substantial amount of time to get ready to leave.

Wanderers, on the other hand, were nomads by origin. Even now, over eighty percent of their tribes travelled by caravans or carts, living off nature. For them, packing was as much a daily routine as washing was for a shinobi. Well, a properly kept shinobi, that is.

The redheaded Kazekage watched in fascination as Chaizen's clan selected a couple of volunteers and prepared two boats that would take the shinobi to their village. The voting for an ambassador was already finished, and now, all that was left was for the Grand Priestess to count the votes and call out the name of the envoy. The person in question would need to leave everything they knew behind and live among Gaara's people.

The Kage had been approached by Kan earlier, as the war veteran had finally been released from the Healing Houses. The older shinobi had wanted to ask Gaara about his preference. And truly, the question had thrown the young man for a loop. Who did he want as a Wanderer ambassador? Usually, he had no choice. An old man or a heavily made-up lady would stumble into his office, sick from the desert heat already, and declare their name and status as an envoy. He was used to dealing with spoiled and unreasonable requests that came from that sort of guests.

Wanderers, they didn't have a lot of elderly. Most of them were young or middle-aged, as a lot of lives were lost during their harsh lifestyle. Not enough food, the cruel desert storms or frequent moving about did in the older tribe members. He had asked Kisara about those. The young priestess-in-training had told him that some of the elderly choose to give up the lifestyle of a Wanderer. They settle down somewhere and make themselves useful for as long as they live. When Gaara remarked about the cruelty of such a lifestyle, the teenager had shrugged at him. They knew what they were getting into, she had explained, no one had ever forced them to stay in the tribe.

"Gaara." The Kage turned away from the group which was quickly throwing provisions up a line and into the sandboats. "Vote ready." Lim stood there, smiling, as always. He had picked up the Common tongue so fast that, in all honesty, Gaara had been pleasantly surprised.

He followed the young Wanderer back into the Great Hall, this time through a maze of tunnels and doorways inside the Temple. There had been something off about the space since the moment that Gaara had had the opportunity to explore it a bit. It was bigger on the inside, wider and led to different places where it couldn't have led to.

On the West side, where the Healing Houses were as well, there were large balconies which led into an open space with beautiful waterfalls and open pools, full of plants that the Kage had never seen before. Further than the ponds, the water pooled into the sea over large, rocky cliffs of white stones. The whole west area of the Temple was complete in blue, turquoise, white and green, making it a rather enchanting part of the Temple. On the far east side, there was the Great Hall and the main entrance into the building. But, the space where Chaizen's tribe had moved their sandboats to was a level lower, where the large ships were docked and bound, so that they could be repaired for future travel. To say that Gaara had no idea how they got them in there or out, was quite an understatement. He had spent at least two hours trying to think of a way and then bugged Lim as much as he could to receive the answer.

The Wanderers had stayed a well-kept, traditional civilization since well before the First Shinobi War. If he was able to earn some of their methods, he would perhaps be able to transform them to his needs and implement them in Sunagakure, strengthening it further. Gaara was curious to the point of sneakiness, which he had probably acquired in his years as the child assassin. He had it set that he would find out the methods behind the sandboats before his leave, and it would be so on the pain of his death.

However, as Lim pulled him by the sleeve into the Great Hall, Gaara emptied his head of the hanger full of sandboats that he had seen (not only Chaizen used the ships, after all). The Grand Priestess was sitting in her original spot, murmuring with the small child, the Devil's Merchant. Gaara hadn't spoken to the strange boy much. There was something wrong with Jin and it made the Kage very uneasy. The Merchant was too mature, too knowing. His eyes seemed to follow and analyze your every move. He was wrong somehow. Like Shukaku was wrong. Gaara wasn't sure how to explain it, but, he knew that he wanted nothing to do with the boy.

Lim led the Kage through the slowly gathering crowd and towards Chaizen's group. As they sat down, Shura appeared, tucking her messy side fringe behind her ear. The hair fell back into its original place stubbornly, causing Gaara's lips to tilt upwards into what resembled a smile.

"Shura." He addressed with a nod. "I would appreciate it if you could translate this time." The Kage spoke, causing the kunoichi to flinch in her seat and bow her head.

"My apologies, Gaara-sama." She straightened. "That is why I'm here now." Then, she looked about at the various Wanderers who were piling in. Some were staring at the shinobi shamelessly, while others were stealing glances and whispering. All in all, they were most certainly the center of attention. "The Priestess should announce the winner of the vote soon." The kunoichi spoke, stretching and twisting her neck so that she could see the woman in question who was still sipping tea with Jin in the front.

A couple of Wanderers from a Northern tribe (blue details in their clothing, as Kisara had told him) to their right began playing drums and singing. Lim yelled out a cheer from Gaara's left, grinning happily and clapping with the rhythm. There were water pipes being lit left and right as more and more tribes settled down into their seats. All the food from before was gone, now, there was only Spirit Water and various sweets. Gaara stayed away from the drink, cautious of its effects, but Shura sipped it confidently.

The Grand Priestess stood, speaking in Wanderer tongue to the tribes. Loud cheering erupted, Lim whistling with his fingers from his spot. Shura bent towards Gaara, whispering as they quieted down. "The Priestess is calling for song and dance, one of their sacred and precious arts, in the honor of the tribes. A girl named Eileen will dance, one of the priestesses-in-training, as they are the only ones who are properly taught the art."

The pale Wanderer in question walked out to the center of the room and there was a space cleared instantly, as the tribesmen moved back. The large circle in the middle of the Hall became visible once more, its delicate black and silver designs hypnotizing if you looked too long. From there, the shinobi group had entered the Spirit World.

Eileen was dressed in a blue dress, the color of the clearest sea, which fell in waves around her bare feet. There was a white sash around her small waist, decorated with crystals which shined like tiny stars. Her long, blonde hair had been partially pinned in a decorated bun, some locks left to cascade down her back all the way to her hips. If Temari were here, she would've been jealous of the young woman's pure beauty and grace. If Kankuro was there, he would've called her hot and marrying material. Gaara, he acknowledged the beauty, but he didn't want any take in it.

Eileen spoke, in Wanderer tongue, causing Shura to immediately translate. "She is going to dance Vashna Shui, the dance of the Waves from the Spirit Sea. The myth is that that was one of the dances with which the First Priestess danced when she flipped the Earth around to save her love."

The music started once more. The drums were playing a slow, rhythmic beat, accompanied by a metallic rattle of some sort. Then, a flute of sorts joined in and Gaara lost track of the instruments once again. If there was one thing that the Wanderers were good at, it was art. Their music and dance was infamous around the Land of Wind, and only the luckiest of shinobi had had the chance to witness it firsthand.

The priestess-in-training in the middle of the room moved. The young Kazekage couldn't tear his eyes away. He knew that he didn't find the fair haired Wanderer attractive. Yet, he still couldn't look away. Shura was telling him the meaning of the dance, something about the Gods and the First Priestess, but he couldn't hear her.

Eileen moved slowly, her hips and shoulders following the beat of the drum. There were small metal plate-like instruments on the tips of her fingers, zills, with which she clanked from time to time. The warm lighting of the thousands of candles in the room got dimmer and dimmer, somehow becoming blue and turquoise. The air seemed to open up and Gaara could smell the salt of the sea. He knew that it was irrational, as the sea was on the other side of the Temple, all the way in the back, yet, he could hear the waves every time Eileen's satin skirt flowed.

He didn't know how long the dance lasted. It was in absolute trancelike silence that she finished, lowering herself onto the floor, the layers of her skirt flowing around her like the sea. There was a moment where Gaara stared at the young woman, the blue fabric around her form in a perfect circle, where their eyes connected. And then, the applause and cheering burst into his ears, and he, too, clapped slowly. He could see now why the Wanderers were such a wonder when it came to dance. Eileen had been positively enchanting.

The room quieted and the Priestess spoke once more, in Wanderer tongue. "She is saying that there had been a lot of deliberation at the council, because they couldn't agree on an ambassador after the votes were counted." Shura frowned. "Now, she is calling for all of the candidates to join her in the front."

Kisara stood as soon as her name had been called, giving a small smile and wave to her brother before rushing to the front. She met up with Eileen in the middle, the two girls locking hands. Kisara squeezed once, not even bothering to suppress the giant grin on her face. She hadn't expected anyone to speak up for her. She wasn't as dedicated to her studies as Eileen was. When she thought about it, even Ari probably knew more than she did. But, she was grateful. This was a grand opportunity for her to realize her dream.

"Nervous?" Eileen was smiling softly, ever the proper lady, as the two came to stand behind the Priestess.

"You gave no idea." Kisara shakily said to her friend. But, by the way their hands tightened their hold on each other's, she realized that Eileen, in fact, understood. It would be a great honor to be chosen as an ambassador. Even more, it would expand their knowledge of the world and allow them to spread respect for their tribes. "I want it to be you." Kisara whispered, feeling the coldness of Eileen's hand. She was nervous. Terrified, probably.

"And I want it to be you." The fair haired girl told her back, their shoulders brushing by the closeness. And then, the Priestess spoke once more.

"After much deliberation, our clan leaders have managed to reach an unbreakable tie in their voting. We have agreed, however, that the Kazekage of the shinobi would be allowed to choose the ambassador himself, as these two are equally worthy of the title." Then, the woman turned back, calling out a name. "Eileen, if you would step forward."

Kisara felt her heart drop into her stomach, creating a dull, heavy pit there. Eileen tore her cold fingers from their grip, walking forward gracefully. She smiled and bowed at the crowd of clapping and cheering Wanderers. After all, the priestess-in-training had just delivered a flawless Vashna Shui. Kisara couldn't compete with that.

"Kisara." The Grand Priestess was looking at her. Straight at her. The wanderer felt her mouth go dry and her heart race. "Come here, Kisara." There was chuckling all throughout the room as she tripped on her own feet, still gaping rather ungracefully. Kisara managed to catch herself and walk forward, grinning wide. She could feel her cheeks hurting from the smile.

And then, the wonderful scene of clapping Wanderers vanished from her sight and she was instead looking at the stone floor of the Hall. Laughter rang throughout the room and Kisara felt her smile grow even bigger. Now, this was familiar. She folded her legs underneath her, jumping up and giving a small bow to the laughing and clapping crowd.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" The girl yelled out over the noise, walking finally all the way forward to the spot next to the Priestess. The beautiful woman gave her an amused smile and then patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"Now that we are all here." She spoke, her lips tilted upwards in amusement and turned to the Wanderers once more. "If the Kazekage would choose his ambassador." The room turned deathly quiet, every pair of eyes turning to the redheaded shinobi. The kunoichi beside him leaned away, finished with her translation of the speech. The young man looked from one to the other Wanderer with his expressive eyes before speaking.

"Kisara."

The sash was fairly easy to undo when you knew the trick to the knot. As soon as it was loose, it fell to the ground, staying there. Next came the hand painted haori, with beautiful, colorful stitching that showed desert scenery. It flowed down to the stone floor, laying there. The kimono-like dress fell next, along with the undergarments, leaving the girl bare.

She couldn't take anything with her.

The teen walked to the small chest in the corner of the room, opening it. It hadn't been used in ages. Two years to be exact. The items inside were perfectly folded and arranged. The girl pulled out the tunic and the pants, pulling them up to her face and inhaling the nostalgic scent. They smelled of the sand and of the desert. Of heat. Of travel. Of adventure.

The fabric was rougher than that of the priestess trainee's clothing. It was far more practical, as well. The girl unfolded them and slipped the underwear and the pants on first. They came to her knees, wide and decorated at the rim. The waist was a bit loose, but she knew that a sash would fix that. She had lost some weight during her studying at the Temple. The girl bound her breasts tightly with a clean bandage. The shirt that she slipped on next was sleeveless and much softer than the other parts of the outfit. She remembered that top. Lim had used almost all of his savings to buy the fabric from some of the non-desert Wanderers. She had been so mad at him.

The top that she put over the pale shirt was the last part of her old outfit. It was pale blue, like the rest of the clothing, decorated on the rims. The top was open and came to the edge of her chest, comfortably. It was hardy and good protection from the elements, shielding her from the sun and the harsh sand during the desert storms. She liked the fact that the sleeves were similar to those of her priestess haori. They were wide and breezy, but came only to the middle of her forearms. She had almost forgotten how those clothes felt.

A knock came from the door and Kisara rushed to open it. "Please, come in." She pulled the door open all the way, letting the visitor in. The Grand Priestess came in, silent, and walked to the center of the room. Kisara pulled up her pants, preventing them from slipping to her knees. The Priestess looked a little out of place in the simple room, looking around with mild curiosity. "Grand Priestess-"

"Please, Kisara." The woman interrupted her, locking onto her with her pale eyes and making the girl freeze. "Call me Chun'yan. I am not your superior anymore." The woman looked tired somehow. It was different from what Kisara was used to seeing. She was used to seeing the invincible, untouchable holy being which held all the answers.

"You will always be my superior, Grand Priestess." Kisara murmured. She had never really known how to address the woman. She was holy. She was an ancient legend. She was the Goddess of their world. She was an artifact not to be touched. She was the hero from all of those stories that Kisara had listened to in her clan. She was a dream.

"I am flattered, young priestess." The woman spoke, giving a small smile. "I am glad to see that you are a child of the Old Religion." There was a moment of silence in between them. Kisara wasn't really sure what the woman meant. She knew that there was a new wave of their religion, but it wasn't very popular. The clans all respected the Old Letter, never straying from the teachings. "I came to give you some things that might help you on your journey. Come sit." The woman patted the space next to her and the girl rushed to oblige.

The Priestess lowered a small leather satchel on the bed and slid it over to Kisara. With one more glance to the holy woman in front of her, the girl opened the bag slowly. She pulled out the first item. It was a very familiar small book of Wanderer circles and chants. She had studied from it since she had arrived to the Temple.

"To guide your Faith." The Priestess told her softly and Kisara pulled the next item out. It was a see-through vial, decorated with waves and filled to the brim with clear liquid. When the girl looked at it closely, she noticed that it had tiny sparkles inside, like little glimmering stars. It was pure Spirit Water from the springs.

"To heal your Body." The woman told her once again, smiling. The last thing which Kisara found in the satchel was a small decorated box, perfect in reds and purples. Kisara slowly opened the ceramic lid, gasping when she saw the contents inside. It was a small brown bag, sealed shut. But, the girl could tell what it was full of. Powder. Bright, red powder.

"I-I really c-can't." She was forbidden from wearing it, after all. She was finished with her training to become a Priestess. She wasn't allowed to wear the clothing of a medium. She wasn't allowed to pull her hair up and put gems in it. She wasn't allowed to paint the two dots on her face as a way of proving her years under the tutelage under the Priestess. She had failed in her studies.

"To remember your Gift." The woman folded her fingers around Kisara's, closing the girl's palm so that she was holding the porcelain box tightly. The young Wanderer felt her eyes prickle and she sniffed, her free hand wiping at her eyes. She was happy to be chosen for the ambassador position, yes, but she was also sad. Kisara knew that by their tradition, she wouldn't be able to go back to the Temple. She wasn't allowed to become a Priestess. "Come here." The woman in front of her opened her arms and pulled the former trainee into them, enveloping her in a fresh, salty scent of the sea. "You will do great, I'm certain of it."

Kisara pulled her hair up, tying it tightly into a Grand ponytail. From there, she braided it into a firm braid all the way to the bottom. She was a bit surprised at the sheer length of her dark hair. The healing springs at the Temple had done their thing on her, that was for sure. Standing straight, she decided to deal with her long braid by using it as a scarf and wound the long line around her neck. Perfect.

Kisara looked around her old room for a moment. It was empty in a very nostalgic way. The bed was perfectly arranged, witch clean sheets tucked in, ready to accommodate the next trainee. The mirror in the corner had been wiped clean of all the little notes that the girl usually wrote to herself in the evening as reminders. The small wardrobe in the corner was perfectly arranged, all the items that a girl needed to train for a Priestess there, clean and ready. The window on the side was open, a soft breeze coming in, carrying the scent of the sea and the warmth of the desert. It was a bit melancholic, Kisara decided and picked up her only bag, tossing it over her shoulder. With one last glance in the mirror, she grinned.

She was ready for her adventure.

"Kazekage-sama, all that I am saying is, it might've been better to have chosen the other girl, no?" Toru followed his leader like a lost, nagging, puppy, complaining about the Kage's choice of ambassador. "She speaks our language, for starters." The noble seemed to be shocked at the idea of one not being able to learn the language of the shinobi. "And the other… Well… She is uncultured, Kazekage-sama. She couldn't even walk properly! Perhaps, if we asked, we could still take the other one?"

Shura couldn't suppress the eye-roll as she listened to the shinobi complain. She was helping Lim pack the leftover bags and crates into the two sandboats that they would be taking with them. There was little work left to be done, as the Wanderers were quite efficient when packing. But, they were also very generous when they offered gifts. And this time, they had wanted to send the leader of the shinobi off as their esteemed guest.

"My decision is final." Gaara's voice was indifferent, but it had a certain edge to it. He ended the noble's rant with those words, much to Shura's joy. She still wasn't sure how the man had become a ninja. He certainly didn't show many qualities of the profession. And, not to mention that he blatantly and openly disagreed with their leader.

"Are you sure that these are safe?" Kan asked from his seat on one of the stones, looking distrustfully at the small, canoe-like boats.

"Very fast!" Lim grinned, passing next to the worried shinobi.

"That doesn't anything to reassure me, Lim." Kan murmured, pushing himself off the rock with some trouble. Shura was by his side in an instant, making him place an arm around her shoulders to steady himself.

"You aren't supposed to strain yourself, Kan." The kunoichi chastised. "You know what the Grand Priestess said. She's only allowing you to travel because we are taking the sandboats."

"I wasn't straining myself." Complained the shinobi as Shura helped him into one of the boats. "Walking isn't straining." The kunoichi made him sit and then showed him how to properly position his legs, so that he could safely ride in the boat.

"You were swaying." Kan was about to argue when the Priestess entered, followed closely by Kisara and Sul, a silent woman from Chaizen's clan. The Grand Priestess walked up to Gaara and smiled at the young Kage.

"I am giving you my precious student, Kazekage-san." The Priestess told him, looking at Kisara who was helping Lim and Sul with the rest of the cargo. "Take good care of her."

The redhead gave a small nod, following the laughing Wanderer with his eyes. He didn't know a lot about the girl, but he was sure that the Council was going to do everything that they could to make her life hell. And, if he had learned one thing about her during his time with her, it was the fact that she was open to learning about a different culture. He needed that. He needed someone who could help him shape his village into a new, better Suna.

"We cannot send her off, Kazekage-san." The Priestess said quietly. "Our customs forbid it." She made a small pause, as if thinking. "But, do tell her to look back as you leave, for we will show her just how much she will be missed."

"We be ready!" Kisara waved over, grinning. Gaara gave one more nod to the Priestess before walking over to the sandboats. Sul climbed into one with her usual, stern face, not giving the frowning Toru even a glance. Lim got behind the boat where Kan and Shura were sitting comfortably, while Kisara pushed the other slightly, just enough for the necessary tip-off.

The sandboats flew across the small expanse of a tilted tunnel, the sand flying everywhere, before they soared through the air and into the desert, taking the Kage and his team home.

That's all for now, folks!

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Onto the reviews!

Cathyscloud9: Thank you! Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter as well :D

LittleEcho12: Thank you for the review! I know exactly what you mean, and I must admit that it does make me feel a bit bad xD But, that's good, because it makes me want to write this story again hahahaha

I'm usually not a quitter, so I will do my best to continue. I absolutely love this story and all of the OCs, I just lost my inspiration a bit… Hopefully, I will drift back soon with another chapter xD

Thank you once again for the review, I hope to hear from you again :)