Emergency Meetings

Gaara stood outside his council-room, listening to the rising voices of panic, through the double doors.

This wasn't going to be easy.

There was nothing to suggest an attack would've happened during his absence, if there was, of course he would have stayed to defend them.

When he heard about the spy, all he could think was it would upset Rin and that's never what he wanted.

This was a problem.

She'd only been in his life four days and already, he was rearranging things for her happiness.

He'd have to take some time to work out what he could do about this knowledge, but, for now, it needed to wait.

One problem at a time.

He took a breath, braced himself and entered into the chaos.

Before him, the council of the five elders stooped over a giant map of the village, pointing fingers, slamming their fists on the table, each trying to be heard over the other.

"We have to act now, before more retaliation comes down on the village!"

"If we don't know what we're walking into, we could make matters worse!"

The Kazekage approached, his voice a calm in the storm. "We aren't going to do anything, until we understand the situation completely."

All eyes turned to the young leader; their arguing silenced.

Gaara took his seat at the head of the table and waited for the barrage of questions.

Right on cue, the elder councilwoman, Kaba, was the first to berate him. "Lord Gaara! There you are. What in the world took you so long to return?"

"I had a private matter to attend to."

"A private matter with that Sound girl?"

His eyes shot across the table, holding her in their wake. "A private matter, meaning it isn't anyone's business, but mine. I'm here now, what's the status report?"

One of his generals brought the map up for his inspection.

The burly man brushed his hand over the paper, focusing on the southern wall. "There's been significant damage here. The guards posted to that side of the wall, state the explosion happened around three in the morning."

"They didn't see any suspicious activity leading to the explosion?"

"Negative, sir. It came out of nowhere."

Gaara's mind raced back to the last time explosives were used against his village. "Nothing spotted from above?"

Everyone in the room knew what he was implying. "No, Lord Kazekage, there wasn't anything to suggest an aerial attack. In fact, we aren't even sure if this was due to a jutsu or physical explosives, but we're investigating it."

The red circle surrounding the wall on the map, glared at him.

Gaara leaned forward on his elbows, assessing the situation. "Were there any casualties?"

"Thankfully, no, only the three guards posted at the top of the wall."

His eyes took in the general. "That's nothing to be thankful about. They are part of my village, just like everyone else."

"Yes, of course, Lord Gaara. My apologies. There weren't any fatalities, but all three guards were hospitalized from the fall."

He thought for a moment, eyes scanning the room of elders and settling on the one face he trusted more than any of them.

She'd remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"Captain Temari, as head of security, what have you to say about the situation?"

She left her post at the door and walked to the table; her eyes were cold when they brushed over him.

"It seems like a single incident, by a rogue individual. No evidence has been produced suggesting multiple attacks are likely, but security has been tightened around our borders. I've posted additional troops in our most vulnerable positions and sent word to our neighbors about the attack. We will remain on heightened alert, until more information comes into our possession."

This seemed to satisfy the council, if only for a moment.

One of the male elders, Yashida, who rarely voiced his opinion without being asked, spoke. "Lord Gaara, I understand you've had Ms. Ito as your private guest, for your own health benefits. I don't doubt the reasoning behind it, but something has been troubling your council, if I may?"

Though he knew it was coming, Gaara suppressed a grimace at the following question and nodded his head.

Yashida placed his hands behind his back, his discomfort in asking the question, clear on his face. "Why did you leave the village, right when we'd captured a spy from the Sound? Is it not the Kazekage's responsibility to oversee interrogations and maintain the security of his people, before his own needs? There was a time where you would have agreed, my Lord."

He felt their eyes on him. A rush of adrenaline pulsed through his veins.

He had nothing to hide from his council, but the thought of telling them about his experience with Rin, the vulnerability he felt, seemed like a nightmare.

He doubted they would understand.

Gaara was about to answer, when Temari cleared her throat, coming to stand by her brother and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Lord Kazekage trusted me with this information. The trip out of the village was scheduled previously, before the spy had been captured, and it couldn't be rearranged. There was a far more pressing issue and he entrusted me with the village's security. The fact that there was an attack on my watch, is my fault, not his. I take full responsibility for it and will continue to oversee the strengthening of our defenses and the gathering of any further information."

That wasn't fair to her.

Gaara's mouth opened to defend his captain, but her hand squeezed hard enough, to force the protective sand to push back against her grasp.

He got the message loud and clear.

"If there are no further questions, I call this emergency council meeting to a close. You are dismissed until more information is brought forth. Thank you for your help, in these matters."

The council left, their murmurings echoing with their passing. He knew they weren't pleased with the way the meeting went, but his word overruled them.

Until he had his bearings, Gaara wasn't going to press them further and Temari's hand still hadn't left his shoulder.

He looked up to her cold eyes. "Temari?"

She turned on her heel and went to stare out the window.

By the way her arms were crossed and the tension radiating in her shoulders, Gaara knew what was coming. "Temari."

"Permission to speak freely, Lord Kazekage?"

"Of course."

She spun around and fixed on him, her mouth a hard line. "What were you thinking?"

"About?"

Temari sneered. "The council is perfectly right to call you out the way they did. You knew there was a spy from the Sound and you still left to that retreat of yours and with one of their members in tow. How could you be so reckless?"

"You knew I was going. What you said about me leaving you in charge was factual."

She slammed her hands to her hips, anger flaring in her cheeks. "For a few hours! I didn't think you'd be leaving for the entire night and long into the next morning! Who do you think you are, Gaara? Some every day person in the village? A merchant? A traveler? No. You are the Kazekage. You don't get to be away from the village that long without notifying your head of security."

"You were notified and Kankuro stayed to keep watch over the Oasis. I didn't expect to be gone as long as I was. Rin... Ms. Ito, made some real progress."

Temari's arms crossed, her posture rigid. "Meanwhile, you have a spy from her village in our prison and you just waltzed in here as if your southern wall wasn't destroyed and the Sound wasn't behind it."

"We don't know for certain they were. All we have is an undocumented member of the Sound detained, who hasn't told us why he is here in the first place. He's young, it could just be youthful rebellion and not wanting to justify his presence to us. You all just assumed he was a spy based on prejudice and fear.

The captain scoffed. "And this attitude has in no way come about, due to your new sleeping companion?"

"What are you implying?"

"I think I'm making myself very clear. You're infatuated with this girl and it's clouding your judgement."

Now it was Gaara's turn to be angry.

He rose from his chair, matching his sister's stance. "My judgement is far from clouded. I am the Kazekage of this village, the leader of the war which brought the Five Nations together. How would it look if I automatically blamed the Sound without a scrap of real proof?"

"A headband at the scene isn't proof enough for you?"

"What headband?"

She strode towards him, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the scuffed-up headband, with the sign of the Sound on it.

Slamming it on the table, she snapped. "Here is your proof. I suggest you listen to your council, the head of your security and your own family, before a girl who has her own interests to consider."

She turned to leave, when Gaara's voice caught her mid-step. "You really think she has a hand in this, Temari?"

"I'm not ruling it out."

Suddenly, his words became low and the edge of his former-self sent chills down her spine, when he breathed. "Don't go near her until I've had a chance to speak to the prisoner, myself. Do you understand me?"

Temari didn't move from her spot, but she did manage to swallow her fear long enough to reply. "Yes sir."