Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Credit for the Naruto manga and its characters goes to Masashi Kishimoto. I hope you all enjoy the story. Please Review!

Chapter One: Arrival

Temari paced the walls of Sunagakure, wringing her hands. She loved her brother, and he was the Kazekage, but she was having a hard time fighting the overwhelming urge to smack him with her fan. Why, in the name of Kami, had he posted her for patrols on the hottest day of the year? And it was Friday, for Kami's sake! She licked her dry lips and took a swig from her canteen. "Oh well." The wind user sighed and leaned back against the guard tower's rough stone walls. "Gaara or no, the Kazekage is still the Kazekage." She might as well get comfortable—guard shifts didn't change for at least another three hours.

The young shinobi she shared her post with put down the binoculars he had been holding for the last fifteen minutes and turned to look at her. "Did you say something, Temari-sama?"

"No, Akihiko. Give it a rest, will you?" Temari wanted to punch Akihiko in the face—the newly-minted chuunin was getting on her last good nerve. All she wanted was a little peace, and Kami help her, if he couldn't keep his mouth shut, she was going to shove him off the cliffs. At her snap, he turned away and resumed his scouting. Termari snorted; for a kid whose name meant "bright," he wasn't exactly the sharpest kunai of the bunch. In fact, he was so stupid and obnoxious that she couldn't comprehend how he managed to pass his exams. "They probably let him pass just to get rid of him," Temari rolled her eyes at his back. "I know I would have."

"What was that, Temari-sama?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." He nodded and resumed his scanning. Clueless idiot.

She was nearly asleep when Akihiko yelled, "Temari-sama! Something is headed toward the village!"

Temari jerked awake and stomped over to the edge of the battlements. Forget shoving the idiot off the cliffs; bashing his skull in sounded like a much better idea. "Has the heat gone to your head?" she snarled. "That's impossible!"

Akihiko shrank back a little but shook his head. "N-no, Temari-sama! I saw something!"

"Give me those!" Temari snatched the binoculars from his grasp. She adjusted the focus and peered though the lenses with ferocious intensity, fully intending to murder that stupid boy when his "something" didn't show up. "Where is the blasted thing? What direction?" He pointed a shaking finger eastward, and, fully expecting to see nothing, she said, "See? Nothing! You're just seeing things. there's nothing out there but sa... what is that?" A black blur had entered her sights. A black, moving blur.

Akihiko looked smug. "I told you, Temari-sama." Kami, I'm going to break his nose...

"Shut up and stay here," she snapped, flipping her pigtails in his face as she stormed off. "I'm going to go look." There was a woosh and snap as she unfurled her fan, and then she dove headfirst off the walls.

Temari crouched on the edge of her fan and flew low across the dunes as she canvassed the area. Sand. Sand. More sand. Maybe it was a mirage, but Temari seriously doubted that. She wouldn't have been able to see it too. She flew up a little further and circled back to the northeast. "I might as well check the other sectors," she said to herself. The moving black blur might have, well, moved.

When Temari finally found the blur, it wasn't moving. Correction—she wasn't moving. How a Kumogakure kunoichi managed to end up here, she didn't know, but Temari wasn't just going to leave her lying face down in the sand like that. She jumped off her fan and snapped it shut, then flipped the kunoichi over and checked her pulse. "Well, you aren't dead," she told the unconscious girl, "and that's always a good sign." I suppose I'll be taking you with me, then. At least I'll have something to put in the report. She hefted her passenger over her shoulder and flew back to the village.

"Oh, Temari-sama! Let me help—"

"Gods, Akihiko! Would you just move?" Termari shoved the overzealous chuunin out of the way with her free hand and, ignoring his garbled apologies, stomped off towards the gates. She knew she'd been rude, but she really didn't care; carrying a one hundred something pound girl is not easy when you have the world's most obnoxious chuunin breathing down your neck. She shifted the girl's weight on her shoulder and sighed. "Well, at least he isn't that little shrimp from Konoha." Temari hadn't seen Naruto in a while, but he had to be worse than what she was stuck with. No time to worry about that, though. She swept through the gates and hurried on to the hospital.

Exhaustion, acute dehydration, minor wounds… Temari nodded dumbly as the young medic rambled on. She rubbed her temples, trying to clear the beginnings of a headache. She had a report to write, and for once she couldn't afford to procrastinate. Her recent find may be an unconscious dried-up raisin for all she cared, but she was a foreign dried-up raisin, a raisin Gaara would want to know about. "Oh, gods…" Temari sighed and smacked her forehead. Had she just called her rescuee a foreign dried-up raisin? "I hate paperwork." Bowing awkwardly to the healer, she left the girl in the hospital and headed back to the tower.

Two days passed before the girl awoke. Gaara stormed off in the direction of the hospital as soon as he got word. When he arrived, the girl lay very still, only acknowledging his presence with a blink and a shift of her head. The healers had assured him that she was coherent and lucid despite all evidence to the contrary. Robes billowing behind him, he took the only chair available in the room and moved it closer to her bedside.

"Hello. The healers tell me your name is Reina?"

When her mouth refused to form words, Reina nodded pathetically. Violet eyes watched him suspiciously from underneath strands of ebony hair; they were ringed in black as his own were, suggesting prolonged insomnia, but with the hospital blankets tucked to her chin, Gaara could discern very little else.

"Since it appears you are unable to speak," he began, "I am going to ask you simple yes or no questions. Do you understand?" She nodded. "Good. Now," he let his chin rest in his hands, "the healers tell me you are a Kumogakure ninja. Is that correct?"

Reina nodded a bit uncertainly, but he didn't press the matter further. "Did you intend to travel here, Reina-san?" She shook her head. "So you were lost, and you collapsed?" Reina nodded, shivering a little underneath what was already a pile of blankets. He took another from the cabinet in the corner of the room and threw it over her, pulling it to her chin. She smiled at him and nodded in thanks.

"Were you on a mission?" She shook her head no. Something in her eyes suggested that her appearance had nothing to do with Kumogakure. Gaara cursed inwardly; if she was a missing-nin, keeping her would be problematic, but he needed more information. "Well, Reina-san, I shall return when you are feeling well enough for conversation." He bowed deeply in his guest's direction. "Until then, I hope you are comfortable." He left the room, his voluminous robes once more billowing behind him.

A new week had begun when notice of Reina's full recovery found its way to the Kazekage's desk. He sent word to Temari who, as Reina's rescuer, had been given the responsibility of seeing to it that she was well-fed, clothed, and didn't cause trouble. Gaara laughed a little when he remembered his last meeting with Temari; her language had been…colorful, to say the least, when he'd doled out her latest task. She was right, of course. Her schedule was full, so Gaara had excused her for morning patrols indefinitely until the whole business of their visitor could be sorted. After all, one did not simply let random ninja go gallivanting through the streets without some sort of guard. He felt that their guest might prefer a female companion, and there was no other woman in the whole of Sunagakure that he trusted with the task.

Breaking off his internal monologue, he gazed out the window of his tower to the streets below where, fates had it, his dear sister and her charge were walking by. Each woman held a shopping bag in the crook of her arm. They were chatting away and seemed to be getting along, which Gaara sincerely hoped was a good sign. He looked up at the clock hanging on his wall. It read 3:20 PM. In less than an hour, Reina was due in his office for their scheduled meeting. He hoped she would still be in such a genial mood at four o' clock. He rubbed his temples and sighed, wishing he had a hot cup of tea.

Gaara had been so deep in thought when he heard her knocking that he started and almost swept half his paperwork on the floor. He sighed exasperatedly and smoothed his robes. "Come in."

Reina shuffled in soundlessly, bowing as she closed the door behind her. Behind a tangled curtain of black hair, Gaara could see carefully concealed fear in her violet eyes. Though smiling was not his forte, he did his best. "Please sit, Reina-san." He gestured to one of two armchairs in front of his desk. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, Kazekage-sama." Though she had taken to twisting a lock of her hair out of nervousness, Gaara was pleased to see that she met his gaze.

"I trust your stay has been pleasant?" As he spoke he glanced at the report lying in front of him. Could the girl behaving so cordially before him truly be the same one? But no, the picture clipped at the folder's edge was unmistakable. A touch younger perhaps, but he could not recall seeing such striking violet eyes anywhere else.

She simply nodded. He flipped open his report (everything that Sunagakure intelligence could scrounge up short of demanding personal records from Kumogakure) and scanned just the first page before snapping it shut again. He had made up his mind. "I'm pleased to hear that," Gaara said softly, "but I am afraid it must come to an end. You will leave for Kumogakure by noon tomorrow, or you will be forcefully ousted from Sunagakure."

"I cannot…will not…return to Kumogakure." She visibly stiffened. The forced calm masking her features slipped, and Gaara saw fear trickle into her eyes. "They do not want me back." Reina averted her gaze and would not look at him.

Heaving another sigh, he again opened his report and began to read: "…listed in the Bingo Book as an S rank nin…flee on sight order issued…wanted on several counts of arson...manslaughter…" He fixed her with a steady, penetrating gaze though she still refused to look at him and said, "Given your record, I would not want you back either, Reina-san." Reina looked stung, but he did not pause.

"Your crimes are worthy of severe punishment, but as you are not under my jurisdiction, I cannot sentence you. I should have you detained, locked away. In fact, this meeting should never have even transpired; I should have sent word to the Raikage immediately upon discovering your identity and yet, I did not."

He leaned over his desk a little. In the back of his mind he registered his gourd sitting hidden in the corner of his office. If she struck, he was prepared. "I did not send word," he continued, "because despite what this report contains, you have been nothing but respectful, cordial, and cooperative during your stay. And make no mistake, I have been watching you very carefully.

"I will decide a course of action when you have explained this," he said, holding the report up and tapping it with his index finger, "to me." Gaara sat back in his chair and waited patiently as Reina processed his speech; her mouth was slightly open, her expression unabashedly shocked and surprised.

"I…" She faltered and looked pointedly at the floorboards, obviously unsure of what to say or where to begin. When Reina finally did look up, she stared at him for several long moments. Gaara knew his offer seemed preposterous; he couldn't blame her for her skepticism, so he wasn't surprised when she shook her head and muttered, "You're joking. I've finally lost it…"

"I am most certainly not joking," he said calmly, resting his chin on steepled fingers and watching Reina closely, "and while I cannot vouch for your sanity, I can assure you that mine is perfectly intact and I am completely serious. Unless you'd rather decline?"

Reina shifted in her chair and eyed him again. "No. No, I don't think I will." She pushed her ebony locks from her eyes and, stretching out her hand, asked, "May I see that report?" She rifled through the pages quickly and purposefully, though what she was searching for Gaara didn't know. She finally sat staring dumbly at the last page, looking utterly confused and somewhat relieved all at once. "It…it's not here." Reina spoke so softly that Gaara would have missed it had she not had his full attention.

"What's not there?" he asked politely. Reina was so lost in thought that she jerked bolt upright when he spoke. The report fell to the floor, pages flying in all directions. Reina gave a little surprised gasp and rushed to pick it up, but Gaara caught her wrist and sat her back down. "What's not there?" he repeated.

Reina, who was still in shock at being thrust back into her seat rather quickly, shook her head. "I will tell you," she began hesitantly, "If you can answer a question for me." Gaara gave a little nod and motioned for her to continue. "Is it true," she asked, her voice a near whisper, "that a…a jinchuuriki lives here? Here in Sunagakure?"

Gaara hoped his shock at her query did not reach his face. He paused to collect himself then said quietly, "Yes." The seal on his stomach prickled uncomfortably; Shukaku always knew when he was mentioned. "Why do you ask?"

Without warning, she got up from the armchair she had been sitting in and turned around so that her back was to him. The sand in his gourd swirled in anticipation; he braced himself for the attack.

But she did not attack, or even move. Instead, she pulled her shirt above her head.

"Wha-?" But his initial shock at her shiftlessness faded when he saw emblazoned upon her back an unmistakable tattoo-the same seal seared upon his abdomen that marked him as what she undoubtedly was.

"I received this mark at the age of six when the elders of Kumogakure ordered that the Two Tailed Demon, Matatabi Niibi, be sealed into another host following the death of Nii Yugito, the original host." Reina pulled her shirt back down and curled up in the armchair again. "You can imagine what happens when a volatile fire demon is forced to share a body with a six year old." There was a bitterness in her voice that Gaara knew far too well.

"I can't say that Matatabi is to blame for everything I've done, but he is for most. I just…I was so angry, so alone. I couldn't control myself. I couldn't control him. If you had my personal records you would know the Raikage has pardoned me for my offenses. It was not his decision to seal the Niibi into me, and he never blamed me for my outbursts."

"Then why have you left Kumo?" Gaara asked, abandoning all pretense of polite indifference. "You act as though you are in danger; if the Raikage has pardoned you, you are safe."

"Yes," Reina said quietly, chin resting on her hands as she gazed out the window. "It's all so simple from your position isn't it?" She laughed bitterly, turning to fix him with her own penetrating gaze. "Don't you understand? Not everyone agreed with the Raikage's decision. How many people do you know that would ever wholly forgive a murderer, if at all?

"I was in danger," she said, turning away from him and drawing her knees up to her chest. Her eyes were far away, and when she looked at him again they shone with unshed tears. "I was in danger, and though the Raikage did all he could to protect me, it was not enough. I feared for my life, so I faked my own death and fled Kumogakure. It was pure cowardice. I could not face my enemy, so I ran from him." She shut her eyes against those words, self-disgust etched into her face. For a moment she froze that way, and then she stood and faced him.

"Here is where the story ends, Kazekage-sama." Reina swept her arms out to indicate his office. She was smiling at him as though her predicament was amusing, eyes still glassy. "Here, with a supposedly deceased Kumogakure missing nin awaiting your decision."

Shock prevented him from answering at once. Could her situation have been so terrible that she would kill herself? But then, hadn't his own uncle attempted to take his life? How many times had assassins tried to kill him on his father's orders? Gaara knew that, had he not been so closely watched, he might have attempted something similar.

"Well…that is certainly a story, Reina-san." He had moved from behind his desk now, and sat perched on its corner as he spoke. "And it seems that because the Raikage assumes you deceased, you are in fact under my jurisdiction at the present."

"You will," he began, "remain under surveillance until further notice. Should you in any way cause harm, I will see to it that you are, as I said before, ousted immediately and sent on your way. Your future here will be decided when I receive word from the Raikage concerning your status as a—"

"No!" Reina sprang up so quickly that her chair fell backwards with a crash—neither of them noticed. "You cannot let him know that I am alive!" The words were a near hiss. She shook with rage; Gaara could feel his sand rushing to his aid, but he coaxed it back and willed himself to stay calm.

"I must," he said.

Reina hadn't heard him; she was still shaking, her face contorted with fury. "No! He will want me to return! He will not let me stay here, and if I set foot in Kumo he will kill me! I can't go back! I won't! I won't go back!" Her rage dissolved into hysterics; she collapsed onto his office floor in a sobbing heap and lay there, choking and gasping for air with her face in her hands.

Gaara hesitated, not knowing what to do with the distraught woman crumpled on his floor. Reina, however, showed no sign of stopping. He had to do something; she was going to make herself sick. Worse, he thought as his heart fell into his stomach, she could lose control of the Two Tails.

He rose from the desk and knelt on the floor beside her. Reina was curled into a ball with her back away from him, and hadn't seemed to notice him move at all; she was sobbing so fiercely that her words were unintelligible. With his sand close by in case she worsened, Gaara laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Reina-san," he said softly, "look at me." When she didn't respond, he repeated his order a little more firmly. Finally, and with great difficulty, Reina managed to uncurl herself and lay flat on the floor, chest heaving with barely controlled sobs.

"S-stop…," she choked out, but she wasn't talking to him. Gaara could feel her trembling; her eyes were wide with fright, pupils dilating rapidly. The skin beneath his fingers was suddenly hot, prickling with demonic chakra. If he hadn't known better, Gaara would have thought she was seizing; Reina lay there convulsing, her mouth opening and closing in strangled speech. Gaara called his sand and pinned her down within seconds.

He leaned over Reina again and looked into her eyes; she was fighting it with all she had. A pang of sympathy shot through him, but he shoved it down and forced himself to remain calm. He had to keep it together right now. Gaara redoubled his grip and continued to stare into her eyes. "Focus, Reina-san," he said calmly. Control your emotions. Concentrate on my voice—don't look away! Focus. Don't lose control."

Moments passed; Gaara wondered if she had heard him, but suddenly looking self-aware, Reina heaved one last great, shuddering gasp and lay very still. Her chest shook and her face shone with sweat, but she seemed in control. Gaara released her restraints and she slowly sat upright. "I didn't mean to—I—I…" Her voice cracked and she trailed off, looking at him as though she expected punishment.

"It's quite all right," Gaara said as he helped her to her feet and guided her back to her chair. He poured her a glass of water and returned to his desk, watching in silence as she drained her drink in a few large gulps. He poured her another glass. "Better?"

"Yes." Reina sipped her second drink slowly, holding it with both hands as she spoke. "I'm sorry. Emotions make it…hard."

"Understandable," Gaara said, waving his hand dismissively. "This is quite an emotional discussion." Reina laughed harshly, and for a while they were silent. When Gaara was sure she had calmed down, he asked, "Why would the Raikage want to kill you? Did you not say he had forgiven you?"

"He did," Reina replied, setting her empty glass to one side. "That's not who I meant…It's my brother. My brother wants to kill me. He's wanted to kill me for a long time.

"When they sealed Matatabi into me, my parents came. They never came back. My brother, Keiichi… he blames me. He says I killed them." Her long black hair hid her face from his view, but Gaara knew she was crying.

"Did you kill them?" He asked.

"I… I don't know. I don't remember anything."

"I see." He gave a curt nod and returned to the topic at hand. "As I was saying, I will send a letter to the Raikage—let me finish—explaining your current situation. I will do my best to protect your privacy, though I cannot leave him completely in the dark. If all goes well, you may remain here in Suna, but I make no guarantees. Is that understood?" Reina nodded. "Very well. You may leave. Better yet, why don't you go find Temari and have something to eat? It will help." She nodded again, bowed, and turned to leave.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gaara saw her linger at the door. "Kazekage-sama?"

"Yes?"

"You won't tell him who tried to kill me?"

"No, I will not."

She left the room without another word, and Gaara collapsed into his chair immediately after, silently thanking the Gods it was over. A quick glance at the window behind him told him they had been in here for hours; the sky was a brilliant pink and orange, and the sun was no more than a red blur on the horizon. Gaara sighed and rubbed his temples, then picked up his pen and pulled a stack of paperwork towards him. After staring at the words but not really reading anything, Gaara pushed it away and slouched back into his chair. He was far too tired, and Temari would want him downstairs for dinner in a short while. Instead, he called a servant to bring up tea; he had time for a cup or two, and after that meeting, he was sorely in need of one.