Time

The bedroom mirror was a friend, trusted and valued above all others.

A woman sat in its reflection, grinning a satisfied smile at the person within.

Her eyes were heavily lined, turning up on the edges to give her the cat image her family was known for. Her black hair, oiled and brushed exactly two hundred times by the servants the night before, was looped in elaborate twists behind her head, the jade clasp silently bragging her standing.

"The Oribe Clan are the blossoms of the desert. Every single daughter has been blessed. There's no one who competes with them!"

"And our Mai is the crowning jewel of them all."

She smiled, holding out her hand for her maid to rub coconut lotion up and down her arm.

Her mother smacked the worrying fingers of another servant, who was trying to make herself useful by adjusting her now perfect makeup.

"Of course, she is. No one stands a better chance at winning the Kazekage's gaze, than our girl. Really, the rest should just give up now. It's our time."

There was a chorus of agreements from the surrounding maids, until one voice rose over them, cold and commanding. "Beauty isn't enough."

All eyes turned to the head of the family, who had stationed himself in her bedroom door.

Mai didn't turn around, but her eyes fixed on the man in the mirror. "Good morning, Father."

His fingers snapped and the bowing heads around them rose, but shuffled off quietly, leaving only the Head, his wife and their prized first born.

She felt his looming presence fill the room like a heavy cloud, her back straightening ever so slightly, shoulders back, head up to the appropriate angle.

"Husband, why do you say that? You know as well as we that none of those girls will compete with Mai. She is obviously the best choice to represent our clan and our village."

"Because I refuse to be made a fool of and you shouldn't either. You've heard the rumors of the Kazekage's recent madness, just as I. That wench from the Sound parading on his arm, like she's in any way suitable and now the welp at their side. It's disgraceful."

Mai bit the inside of her cheek.

Of course, she'd heard the whispering of the villagers, but hadn't seen the girl herself. She wasn't often allowed outside the estate's walls and if she were to venture out, it was always accompanied by a chaperone who would shield her from such a sight.

Her mother waved a manicured hand. "A passing fancy, nothing more. It wouldn't be the first time a member of that family has fiddled around with random women. Lord Kankuro keeps a revolving count of a number of conquests, whose to say his brother wouldn't lean the same way?"

"Even he has been stilled by one woman lately and his lieutenant, nonetheless. Honestly, what is happening to the standards of the royal family?"

Mai's eyes returned to her reflection, now searching for a flaw that didn't exist before. Would people say the same things about her that they did about these other girls? What could there be about her that wouldn't be perfect for him?

Her father's rough voice answered that question for her. "Mai. It's not enough to be beautiful, you must be cunning and, if the time calls for it, vicious. You will not ruin this chance for us. Tell me, daughter, what is the best strategy for attack in our land's borders?"

"Ambush."

"Correct and why is that?"

She lifted her chin slightly, her voice as militant as the tutors who filled every hour of her day. "The desert shifts and changes with each passing day. A tower of sand may block one entrance and open to another within hours. Our enemies rely too much on familiarity. We know how to take advantage of the terrain and the opportunities presented to us."

"Does the desert take prisoners?"

"Never."

The weight of his hands was suddenly on her shoulders, his face, which held the high cheek bones and dark eyes they shared, joining her in the mirror. "So then, daughter, will you?"

"Never."

"That's my girl. Finish your primping, but always remember this, you are the prized daughter of the Oribe clan, and we will not lose to trash from the Sound. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes, Father."

He left as quickly as he'd come, but it took more than a few seconds for his presence to finally drift away as well.

Her mother let out the breath she was holding and grabbed the red, lacy veil from the nightstand, adjusting it over her nose. "I have absolute faith in you, my dearest one. It's our time now."

Mai took one final look in the mirror, the crimson veil making her dark eyes sparkle like stars in the summer sky. "Yes. Our time.'

She wouldn't lose. The seat beside the Kazekage was hers and she would eliminate anyone who stood in her way.

~~~~~~~~~

"Lady Kumi! Lady Kumi! Where is that girl?"

The servants fussed and fretted, scurrying about the courtyard like ants.

Kumi held herself tight to the shade of the estate's south wall, focusing on the camouflage jutsu she'd perfected in the past month. Last time, it took them two hours to find her, she betted she could double that, if she could keep herself from laughing at their panicked faces.

"Lady Kumi, please! We still have so much to do before we leave! Please come out!"

She giggled into her hand, trying to keep herself perched on the thin ledge.

This was going to be the best game yet. They'd already passed her five times and couldn't detect her presence at all. Flawless execution.

"What is the meaning of this? Why isn't she in her quarters, preparing?"

Kumi froze where she was.

The voice of her elder brother rang out over the panic like a clap of thunder. She was in trouble now.

Her fun game of hide and seek turned into hiding for real and she held her breath when he passed under her ledge.

One of the servants gave an exasperated bow. "Lord Riku, your sister has gone missing… again. We have no idea if she's even on the grounds anymore."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Kumi barely shifted her foot, trying to find the edge so she could propel herself away before he noticed.

Unfortunately, Riku always noticed.

Before she could blink, he removed the scythe behind his back and swung it in her direction. However, it wasn't the blade she worried about, but the gust of wind it summoned.

Suddenly, she was sent spiraling from the high wall. Though she managed to land on her open palm, leaping into a front flip that stopped her from falling on her butt.

Riku crossed his arm, glaring down at his sister, who was ten years his junior. "Really, Kumi."

"It was just a bit of fun. I was training."

"Training when you should be preparing for the Cleansing?"

"What do you think training is? It's preparing."

He smacked her upside the head. "Not the proper training."

Kumi winced at the throbbing in her skull and brushed her hand up and down the sore spot. "Come on, big bro, it absolutely is. Isn't part of it showing your skills? What's more impressive than my athleticism?"

"Do you think Mai is clinging to walls and hiding from her tutors? She is the competition here."

"So what? She's pretty and all, but it's not like she can do much beyond being waited on. I'd be surprised if she can even wipe her own ass without her servants attending to it first."

Riku smacked her again, harder this time. "Language! That's not the proper way for a noble lady to speak. How can you hope to compete for the seat at the Kazekage's side if you can't show proper manners? The Oribe Clan is going to wipe the floor with you and there is no way the Houki will be upstaged by them. Failure isn't an option; do you understand me?"

Kumi grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. It's important for me to charm this guy."

"We're doomed if you continue on like this."

"I'm plenty charming! My only real competition is Mai, who will faint if she sees a hair out of place and some Sound girl who doesn't stand a chance, regardless. Don't worry, I'll wipe the floor with both."

Despite himself, Riku smiled. He loved his younger sister's spunk. She was the fire of the Houki Clan and, if she could manage to paint herself as a true lady for five minutes, he had no doubt they would be joined with the Kazekage line by the end of the month.

"See that you do. It's our time now, right?"

Kumi flipped her trusted daggers out of their sheaths and twirled them around her fingers. "Yep. Our time."

~~~~~~~~

Rin taped up her fingertips, hissing in pain at the papercuts that lined each one in various depths. She'd spent so much time hitting the books in the library, it seemed like they were starting to hit back.

She finished with her pinky and looked up at the window. The sun was rising, the opening night of the Cleansing would begin soon.

Her stomach twisted into knots as she looked at her reflection the water glass seated on her desk.

"It's time."