"Ehhh?! The Daimyo's son?!" Temari exclaimed, her jaw wide open for any passing flies to freely enter. She had an incredulous look on her face and she was looking at Gaara as if his head was missing. Gaara sighed, pinching his non-existent brows.

"Yes, the Daimyo's son will be coming-of-age soon. The Daimyo expects his son to get well-acquainted with Suna and its Kazekage."

The Kazekage needed to ensure the best possible future for Suna. This required money, lots of money. Money that only the Daimyo had. Leaving a good impression on the future Daimyo was imperative for Suna. Added to the fact that Gaara hasn't been Kazekage long enough for him to have any outstanding achievements yet made this even more crucial.

"Therefore, he will be touring the village for a week."

Unfortunately, that wasn't the main issue at hand. Accommodating the Daimyo's son for a week would be no problem. Suna was very safe and he would be well-guarded at all times, Gaara would guard him himself if he had to.

"But this is unreasonable!" Temari slammed her hand on the Kazekage's desk. "If he needs an escort, then it should be Sand shinobi!"

The cause for Temari's outburst was the picture on Gaara's desk. It was obviously taken by an amateur and at a very bad angle at that. Even though the person wasn't facing the camera, her main features could still be clearly seen. Her gentle dark eyes and milky caramel hair braided into a crown adorned atop her wavy hair were quite distinct after all. There was only one shinobi with such fawn-like features.

"I agree, but his instructions were very specific." Gaara grimaced, not wanting to think about the other instructions the Daimyo's son had, they were quite strange and Gaara felt very uneasy when he first read it. This whole situation perturbed Gaara, the pit of his stomach slightly burned and his chest felt tight. It wasn't the first time he felt this way about Miyu and it still frustrated him that he couldn't understand where such feelings arose from. He was hesitant to bring it up with his siblings; it was a difficult sensation to put into words.

Temari heaved a great sigh, but her fists were still clenched on the table.

"We can't leave Miyu alone with such a pervert!"

Ah so Temari knew about the Daimyo's son's… inclinations. At first Gaara felt a surge of relief, but then realized the implications of what Temari had just said.

"Has he done something inappropriate to you before?" Gaara asked with alarm visible in his eyes.

Gaara knew that his sister occasionally had escort missions for the Daimyo's son since he demanded that he only wanted females guarding him. Gaara didn't think that his sister wouldn't be able to handle any attempts the Daimyo's son made, but he had never asked before. Temari was always in a stormy temper after those missions.

"Nothing other than always trying to take pictures of my butt and asking me to use my fan to create a gust of wind to blow up girl's skirts," Temari huffed.

Gaara winced. The ideas of Miyu being in that sort of position made him feel sick to his stomach. He was definitely going to have indigestion tonight after dinner at the rate of this conversation.

"Miyu is very capable, she can handle him." Gaara reasoned, with both Temari and himself. The Konoha kuniochi was not to be underestimated despite her delicate appearance. She can take care of herself Gaara thought almost desperately.

"And we have no choice; the Daimyo's son refuses to visit unless she is here to personally escort him."

Temari heaved another sigh, the finality of the decision no longer up for debate from Gaara's firm tone.

"I will have a message sent to Konoha right away then."

"Have you ever meet the Wind Daimyo's son Miyu?" Tsunade peered over the letter in her hand. She had summoned the petite kuniochi after receiving the message from Suna this morning. The candid photo of Miyu had even been included, as if to provide undeniable proof that she was the perpetrator of a serious crime.

"I don't think so." Miyu furrowed her brows, trying to recall if she had ever met someone like that. She was never someone with a great memory for people, but she always made an extra effort for important officials for her missions. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the palm of her hand, filtering through all her recent missions.

"Ah!" Her eyes lit up with realization. "It might have been a couple months ago, when I escorted our Daimyo to a famous spa hotel for his birthday. I think there were some officials from the Wind Country staying there as well."

It had been quite an unremarkable mission Miyu recalled, but she did enjoy taking a dip into the hot springs. However, other than the Daimyo and the people around him, she hadn't paid much attention to anyone else. No one had spoken much to her either, but that wasn't a surprise, Miyu tried to make sure she didn't stand out after all.

"But I never met with any of them personally."

Tsunade hummed thoughtfully, reading over the letter again before carelessly throwing it atop her cluttered desk. She laced her fingers together, providing a mount for her head to rest on before she spoke.

"Well, he would like you to be his personal escort on his week-long tour of Suna in a couple of weeks."

Miyu's eyes widened, the warm Konoha sun giving her eyes a chestnut glow. Her first thoughts flickered to the red-haired Kazekage, wondering what he thought of this circumstance and why he permitted them to happen.

"But why? Surely there are other shinobi more qualified than me to escort the Wind Daimyo's son? I'm not as familiar with Suna as them." Miyu shook her head, unable to comprehend why she was singled out.

"It seems the Wind Daimyo's son is insistent on you," Tsunade chuckled, clearly amused by the situation, "he even went so far as to refuse to arrive in Suna unless you're there to accompany him."

"I… see."

It wasn't the first time Miyu had been singled out. Unlike most shinobi, she carried herself with a sweet demeanor and was well-suited for escort missions though she didn't realize this herself. She was popularly requested by officials. However, Miyu did not particularly care for babysitting silly old politicians. She'd rather walk dogs or even clean up the river. Tsunade noticed the disdainful expression on Miyu's face.

"Now I know you don't enjoy such missions, but Suna is an important ally to us."

The pout on Miyu's face didn't budge.

"I'm sure Gaara would appreciate the favor."

"…"

Tsunade sighed.

"And I'll give you a week-long vacation."

"You're going to be gone for two weeks?!" Naruto garbled through a mouth full of ramen.

"To escort the Wind Daimyo's son for a week in Suna," Miyu confirmed before taking a spoonful of ramen herself. With the amount of time it takes to travel to travel to Suna and the week-long escort, she wouldn't get to eat such good ramen for a while.

She had met Naruto on her way home from the Hokage's office and had been promptly dragged to eat Ichiraku with him for lunch. They both lived in the same apartment building so it was no surprise that they frequently ate ramen together. After almost being force fed ramen one time, Miyu decided it was easier to just start walking to Ichiraku any time she ever saw him.

"You always get picked for these sorts of mission," Sakura observed, a tint of jealousy in her voice. She had long since finished eating her bowl.

"It's cause you're too ugly for them," Sai commented bluntly. He was quickly silenced with a punch in the face that sent him flying down a few blocks. It would be a while before he returned to his seat. Miyu laughed weakly at her violent friend.

"Yeah you're always gone for a long time!" Naruto complained through the noodles, careful not to make eye-contact with Sakura.

"It's not like I want to!" Miyu protested, "I'd rather go on missions with you guys to find Sasuke."

Naruto and Sakura gave each other a depressing look, but both smiled at the whining girl between them. They appreciated her sentiment a lot, she was one of the few people who actually believed and supported bringing Sasuke back.

"But I'm sure Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara would be delighted to see you!" Sakura nudged Miyu in the side in a teasing manner.

"I doubt I'll have time to hang out with them, I'll be escorting the Wind Daimyo's son the whole time," Miyu pouted.

It was unusual for Miyu to complain so much, she was usually the optimistic one of the bunch. She must really hate these kinds of missions Naruto and Sakura both thought. A sweat-drop formed on their heads when Miyu comically slunk her head onto the table.

"Well then, it's Gaara's fault that he's not pretty enough to escort the Wind Daimyo's son himself then!" Naruto chimed, "some Kazekage he is!"

Sakura shook her head disapprovingly while Miyu giggled from the table.

"Is the Kazekage gay?" Sai sat back in his seat, a smile on his face despite the beating he had just taken.

The thought of Gaara being gay never crossed Miyu's mind. He didn't seem like the type to hold romantic feelings for anyone in general. If he is gay, then the target of his affection would most likely be… Miyu looked at Naruto thoughtfully.

"What is there something on my face?" Naruto asked.

"You can always go to Suna early too," Sakura suggested, choosing to ignore Naruto and Sai's questions.

Miyu brightened slightly at the thought of spending time with the Sand Siblings. She hadn't seen them since the end of the mission to rescue Gaara. It had been such an emotional mission for her that she hadn't had time to properly spend time with them when the mission ended. Gaara had also been acting strange towards Miyu, but she assumed it was a side-effect of him no longer having his tailed beast anymore.

"Yeah I think I will!"

After getting permission from Tsunade to depart a few days early, Miyu was at the grand entrance of Konoha. The giant gates loomed over her tiny figure as she summoned a large red elk adorned with flowers on its antlers.

"You summoned me Lady Miyu?" The red elk had an unexpectedly traditional way of speaking.

"Formal as always Koji," Miyu affectionately stroked her traveling companion, "we're headed to Suna."

The red elk dipped his head lowly, granting Miyu access to his antler crown for her to hoist herself onto his back.

"It should take less than two days," Koji promised.

Red elk were well-known for their stamina and traveling speed. They have always been a dignified species and only formed contracts with those who had earned their respect. Miyu had saved Koji from a pack of wolves when he was still a fawn. She was a child then and bore the bite mark from the encounter with pride. With Koji's fast pace and without the need for breaks, it took a little over half the usual amount of time to arrive in Suna. They would have easily arrived in a day and a half if the sand terrain didn't slow Koji's jog.

"Halt! Who goes there?" The tall defensive walls of Suna were reminiscent of Konoha's entrance. Miyu gingerly slid off Koji's back, her body a little stiff from the journey. A Sand shinobi walked out to meet her and the fatigued stag. She said farewell to Koji and he disappeared in a puff of smoke before the greeter reached her.

"Ah Miyu-san! We just received word from the Hokage that you were on your way!" He exclaimed, shocked that she had made the journey from Konoha to Suna in such a short amount of time.

Most of the Sand shinobi were well-acquainted with Miyu, she had spent quite a bit of time in Suna helping them implement the new Ninja Academy curriculum as well as acting as a mediator for the alliance before she departed for her own training agenda like Naruto. Even at a young age, Miyu's diplomatic talents were used to Konoha's advantage. There was a reason she was assigned so many escort missions for high-ranking officials other than her pleasant demeanor.

"Yes, well I travel slightly faster than your average shinobi I suppose," Miyu gave him an easy smile, "I have Koji to thank for that."

"Well we're always happy to see you!"

A few other Sand shinobi had joined them at this point as they walked towards the city. They were asking her all sorts of questions and filling her in on how Suna was doing as if she was born and raised in Suna all her life. Despite the stark difference in terrain and climate, Miyu felt at home in Suna just as much as in Konoha.

Ever since Gaara had received the message of Miyu's early arrival to Suna, he had not been able to concentrate on his paperwork. As usual, there were many projects to be approved and things to be noted to bring up with the Daimyo officials. It was certainly not a glamorous job in the largest office in Suna, even if you did get to wear silk robes.

In contrast to the Hokage, Gaara was very efficient with his documents thanks to years of insomnia. He never thought that he would one day come to appreciate his lack of need for sleep. Even with Shukaku no longer residing inside him, he could only manage up to a few hours of sleep before naturally waking up again. With all those extra hours, Gaara could read through and sort all the documents before they became a substantial pile on his desk. Therefore, it was highly unusual to see even the small stack of paper he had accumulated.

Gaara looked out the window from his office again. He had been doing that a lot today, gazing towards the entrance into the village facing Konoha. Then his thoughts would wander to Miyu. The last time he had seen her was when she rescued him along with Naruto and Kakashi. It was the first time he had seen her in over a year and she was crying. It was the first time he had ever seen her cry. Part of him ached because he knew that he was part of the reason she had been crying. The other reason had been Chiyo's sacrifice and the memory made Gaara's chest tighten a little.

Then she hugged him. It was the first time he had ever been hugged by her. Gaara's chest tightened a little more.

He didn't receive hugs that often. The only person who gave him hugs was Temari and even that was rare. The first time Temari hugged him was when he gave her a birthday present last year and the following time was when he was revived by Chiyo. Neither of those times had made Gaara's chest constrict like the way Miyu had.

At first, Gaara had assumed it was a side-effect of being revived. His body was stiff and still getting used to functioning after being dead for a while. It was a one-time occurrence he thought. But then it kept happening. Like when she gave him a warm smile or when she tucked her hair behind her ear or when she caught him staring at her absent-mindedly.

Thinking back on it now, Gaara wondered if anyone had noticed his odd behavior. The thought that Miyu had noticed him acting strange made him suddenly feel very self-conscious. He tried to remember how he usually acted around Miyu before, but that was well over a year ago and he was still getting used to getting along with people in general at that point.

Gaara sighed at the futility of his thoughts.

I really need to get back to work.

Temari was the first to find Miyu. Even though Miyu was supposed to report to the Kazekage right after arriving, she had gotten sidetracked by so many citizens and Sand shinobi that it was already almost nightfall and she was not even halfway to the Kazekage's office yet. From local store owners to little kids, it seemed like everyone in Suna wanted to chat with Miyu and Temari was one of them.

"Popular as always I see!"

Miyu looked over to see Temari waving at her and smiled warmly at the site of the Kazekage's only sister. Miyu thanked the owner of the fabric store she was chatting with; she had just received a set of kimonos from the store owner. It wasn't the first gift Miyu had received today.

"I helped her design a few patterns that became popular" Miyu explained to Temari when she caught up.

It was quite overwhelming to be bombarded by the local citizens. Miyu didn't expect so many people to remember her from a couple years ago and she hadn't had time to walk around the city the last time she was here either. The village was in a crisis without their Kazekage after all. Even so, Miyu wasn't expecting to be hailed as a hero. This inadvertent humbleness was part of what made her so likeable though. Many people waved as she and Temari walked towards the Kazekage building.

"When did you arrive?" Temari asked as she helped her carry some of the bags in Miyu's arms. There really were a wide variety of goods from foodstuffs to weapons.

"A little past noon I think."

"What?! The sun's already setting!" Temari gasped, thinking about Gaara waiting in his office. He was probably still there. She had noticed him working more slowly than usual. She had also noticed him staring at the village entrance and had an inkling of an idea of what, or more like who, was occupying his thoughts.

"I didn't expect to get sidetracked so much," Miyu sighed, hoping Gaara wasn't upset with her. The Sand shinobi who had greeted her at the village entrance had probably already informed the Kazekage of her arrival.

"Do you think he'll be mad at me?" Miyu gave Temari a hopeful look, seeking advice. She hadn't spoken with Gaara properly for a while and the idea of their first conversation being an unhappy one due to her extreme tardiness made her apprehensive.

I think a part of him is hoping you'll never arrive Temari mused, but the look on Miyu's face was just begging her to be teased.

"I don't know," Temari said as neutrally as possible, suddenly pretending to be quite interested in a passing store selling sandals.

"What? How could you do this to me?" Miyu begged, "what should I say when I see him?"

Temari hummed, not giving Miyu an answer. She was thinking of all sorts of funny things Miyu could say to Gaara that would make even his stoic face blush. Temari was very observant when it came to her youngest brother and she might have been the only one to notice Gaara's odd behavior towards Miyu. Kankurou was a little denser when it came to these sensitive matters and she had a strong suspicion that Gaara didn't fully understand his feelings himself. She was usually quick to explain unfamiliar emotions to Gaara, but she was determined to let him figure this one out himself. He might feel a little uncomfortable with the Wind Daimyo's son in the upcoming week, but Temari trusted Gaara not to do anything stupid. He was the Kazekage after all.

"Temari!" Miyu whined, noticing that they were finally closing in on the largest building in Suna; it had the kanji character for Wind engraved on the center of its round walls. She was starting to get nervous, imagining Gaara's reaction when she walked in dreadfully late.

What if he Sand Prisons me? Miyu gulped at the thought realizing that she had never seen Gaara angry before. She had only seen him bloodthirsty with aching loneliness, but never truly angry. It wasn't something she was looking forward to seeing either.

"Just tell him you missed him so much that you came a few days early to spend time with him," Temari said as gravely as she could, her eyes betraying her amusement. She was secretly looking forward to seeing her little brother's reaction.

They were standing before the door to the Kazekage's office. Miyu's heart skipped a beat, excited to see her old friend and afraid to see him at the same time. She gave two soft knocks on the door, hoping Gaara had already gone home.

"Enter."

Miyu's heart plummeted and she considered hiding behind Temari, but decided that wouldn't be very respectful. So, with a deep breath, she slowly turned the doorknob and walked in as if she was about to meet her executioner. Little did she know that Gaara could feel his pulse pounding in his head when she walked in. Her footsteps were so light and quiet that Gaara swore she floated in. He was vaguely aware of the time, noting that she has already been in Suna for several hours. But even if she had arrived five days after Gaara received word of her arrival, it still wouldn't have been enough time for Gaara to prepare himself for the sensation of seeing her float in.

"Beautiful," Gaara whispered aloud the first thought in his head. He then wanted to bang his head on his desk when he realized what happened. He humorlessly wondered if he would even feel any pain with his sand guard. Instead, he had to settle for the heat wave that burned his cheeks like the scorching desert. Temari was certainly enjoying the scene already and Gaara knew that his older sister would tease him about it later.

For Miyu, seeing Gaara's flushed face and averted eyes confirmed her fears. So he is upset with me Miyu thought despondently. She had been so preoccupied with what to say to Gaara that she had entirely missed his whispered blunder. Now she was confronted with an ocean of silence that she swore she was drowning from the sound of her own breathing.

"You're here a few days early," Gaara broke the silence first, his face already back to its normal pale shade. He decided to stick with the facts. He was familiar with the facts. It was a safe topic that he could navigate with ease.

"I missed you and wanted to spend a few days with you!" Miyu blurted out, desperately not wanting Gaara to be angered any further.

Gaara's eyes widened, his voice suddenly caught in his throat. Everything he had planned on saying seemed to disappear from his mind, the direction he was planning on taking with the conversation and the facts he had lined up gone. The facts were clearly no longer a safe topic.

"Uhm... w-well…" Gaara stammered over his words, trying to suppress the blush that was threatening to blossom on his cheeks again. Miyu's words were already starting to repeat itself like a broken record inside his head. He felt light-headed and struggled to compose himself. All the while, his heart was pounding against his ribcage. It was almost deafening.

"I-I missed you too." Gaara managed to slowly state. He was extremely conscious of how much of a fool he must have sounded and he tried to summon all the composure he had to just get through this one conversation. Temari was silently laughing at her brother's inner battle.

"Really?" Miyu asked. She had noticed Gaara's struggle and was worried that he was going to explode at her. When she saw him calm down and say he had missed her as well, she felt relieved beyond measure. She took it as a sign that he was no longer angry.

"Yes." Gaara nodded to confirm, deciding to stick to short responses for now.

"Thank goodness! I thought you were going to kill me for coming to your office so late after arriving!" She gave Gaara her signature warm smile and he felt his heart swell at the sight. The entire office seemed to brighten and he couldn't help but return her smile with a small one of his own.

"It's no problem," Gaara assured her, his heart finally getting used to her presence, "you are a few days early."

"Well I was serious about wanting to spend time with you," Miyu said, shyly making eye contact.

Gaara gripped his robes tightly, creating bundle of crinkles in the silk fabric. His heart was threatening to jump out his throat again and he felt uneasy with the idea of being alone with Miyu.

"And with Temari and Kankuro too!"

The tension in Gaara's shoulder visibly relaxed and he let out a small breath of relief.

"Aw only you could say such sweet things!" Temari declared as she brought Miyu into her arms for a tight hug. She really acted like a doting older sister sometimes. Miyu's stomach growled in response and she gave a sheepish chuckle.

"Ah ha ha… I guess I could go for some sweets right now."

Miyu rustled her hair in embarrassment, she hadn't had eaten any substantial food in almost two days unless you counted the food pills she had eaten while riding on Koji. Temari smiled affectionately and patted Miyu on the head as if she was a hungry little pet waiting to be fed.

"How about dinner instead?"

It was a little jarring for Miyu to have such a peaceful meal. She was so used to the rambunctious company of a certain ramen-loving ninja that she felt that there was an odd lack of presence with the Sand Siblings. Although both Temari and Kankuro seemed to have a lot of say. They filled her in on the going-ins and outs of Suna as of late while Gaara mostly remained quiet, only speaking up to clarify certain points in the conversation. Miyu had already been well-informed of the changes in Suna from the villagers, but she respectfully listened all the same. It was important for Konoha to know how their neighboring ally was doing and Miyu would have to include such information in her report to Tsunade.

"So Miyu…" Temari began, a mischievous tone in her voice that Miyu became wary of.

"Any men catch your eye today in the village?"

Miyu nearly choked on the piece of tofu she was about to swallow. Kankuro chuckled good-naturedly as he gave Miyu firm pats on the back to help her regurgitate the tofu that was caught in her throat. She glared at Temari, not noticing that Gaara had also stopped eating to listen to Miyu's response. However, Miyu didn't want to give Temari the satisfaction.

"Why? Are you in the market now?" Miyu teased back, taking a sip of water to help clear any debris that had been left in her throat from her coughing fit.

"Is that what you spend your free time doing nowadays Temari?" Kankuro interjected jokingly, "man-hunting?"

"Like I have time for that!" Temari retorted, flustered that the tables had been turned on her, "we've been too busy preparing for the Daimyo's son's visit in a few days! Right Gaara?"

Everyone turned to Gaara and he gave a solemn nod. He was still waiting to hear Miyu's response to Temari's question. Were there any men she was interested in from the village? Gaara desperately wanted to know, but Miyu and his siblings were waiting for him elaborate on the preparations for the Daimyo's son.

"The Daimyo's son has many… quirks that we need to accommodate."

"You mean fetishes Gaara," Kankuro stated matter-of-factly.

"I thought Kankuro's doll fetish was weird already," Temari admitted.

"They're not dolls, they're puppets and I use them for combat!"

"This is the first someone has ever demanded their attendants to wear maid outfits and cat ears," Gaara sighed.

"Have you ever considered dressing your puppets in maid outfits Kankuro?" Temari asked.

"No! That would defeat the purpose of them looking intimidating!"

"But have you ever thought about it?"

Miyu giggled at the idea of Kankuro dressing up his puppets in maid outfits. No one besides Miyu saw this side of the Sand Siblings and she felt warm to be included as if she was part of their family. Even though her home was technically in Konoha, she could feel the same warmth of the sun from the village around the Kazekage and his family.

"Do I need to wear a maid outfit and cat ears?" Miyu asked light-heartedly, wanting to join in on their family banter.

The Sand Siblings glanced at each other in silence. Temari gave Miyu a pitiful look and Gaara's mouth formed a hard line. Kankuro was trying to imagine about what his puppets would look like in maid outfits and decided it was too horrifying to even visualize. Miyu was suddenly filled with a sense of dread and regretted opening her mouth.

"…yes."