T H E L O S T Y U N A

Cacti

Amara's POV

My feet were rooted to the spot as I continued to stand in the middle of Gaara's office. With hair still damp from my quick shower, all eyes turned in my direction. I couldn't stop the heat from rushing to my face as I suddenly felt a pang of deja vu.

T-temari was here? And Kankuro?

Ugh, why didn't I use my chakra to sense anything before I opened my big mouth.

"Speak of the devil," Temari smiled at me as I finished mentally yelling at myself. "What were you saying?"

"I, um," I quickly looked down at the book in my hands, suddenly not feeling as confident as I was moments before. In one motion I stowed it in a pocket on the inside of my jacket as I fumbled for my words. I felt a water droplet run down the side of my face as I turned my attention to Gaara. "I was just apologizing for not being here sooner. I'm sorry Lord Kazekage."

I bowed to punctuate my statement.

"An apology is not necessary," Gaara said as I returned to an upright position. "I summoned you here earlier than our usual meeting time, I'm actually pleased with your punctuality."

He let his eyes linger on me for moment as he talked. I smiled at his words and watched as Temari turned to look at his brother with an eyebrow raised. She was clearly surprised.

"You summoned her here early?" She asked with a hint of interest in her tone. Gaara turned to her with a suddenly stern expression.

"Temari, if my memory serves me correctly, you should be attending a meeting with the Anbu that just arrived from their week long mission, am I right?" He challenged her, ignoring her question.

She scoffed and held her hands up in front of her in a mock surrender.

"Alright, alright. I'll go, but don't think this conversation is over."

She turned back to me and sent me a smile before making a hand sign and disappearing from her spot by his desk. As soon as she was gone, Gaara's body language relaxed noticeably.

"Kankuro," he address his brother. The Kazekage's voice seemed to take him off guard as he dropped the pen he'd been playing with and turned quickly in his direction.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama?" Kankuro asked as he quickly bowed in the chair.

Kazekage-sama? Since when does he use honorifics?

As if hearing my thoughts, the older of the two turned to me and sent me a wink, just out of Gaara's line of sight. I shook my head, stifling a smile as I watched the scene play out.

"I need you to send these out for me," Gaara continued, clearly ignoring his brother's actions and reaching for a stack of answered mail. He handed the stack over and Kankuro seemed to drop his act. "And I also need you to give this response to Lady Chiyo, it is very important."

Gaara reached back and gave another scroll to Kankuro as he stood from my chair.

"Uh, okay Gaara. You got it. I'll deliver these for you, just send a summons if you need anything else."

Gaara nodded his answer as Kankuro turned towards the door. As he walked passed me he gave me a nod and another wink before heading out. I smiled slightly, reliving his childish antics in my head.

How Gaara was related to him with his serious demeanor, I would never understand.

Running my hands through my still drying hair, I turned back towards the young Kazekage. He was watching me with a small smile beginning to emerge on his features. I raised an eyebrow at him as I stalked closer to his desk. His gaze strayed slightly down my jacket as I approached.