Grand Entrance

"And the true bride of the Kazekage." The words circled through her mind like bees around a particularly alluring flower.

While the statement was true, it didn't serve Rin to aggravate the head of the Oribe clan, particularly if she were going to hold any hope of working with them in the future. That was a dumb, proud move, but what was more upsetting was how she knew she would do it again, if he pushed her.

Something about the arrogance of the Sand just rubbed her the wrong way.

The tiny hands that had been in her grasp were gone and now she waited in front of her mirror in the silent bedroom.

Their cries of, "Good luck Rin! We're rooting for you!" Stayed in her mind. At least there were a few people in the village who wanted her to stay, though she doubted the rest of the Sand would share that sentiment.

Especially when they saw her in comparison to the other two.

The other girls had servants to help him them, days of preparation for beauty's sake. Rin didn't have such luxury.

She'd spent every single hour of the day studying. There was no time for long baths, lotions or relaxation, which was ironic considering her profession.

Her hair wasn't cooperating. Her skin was burnt from her afternoon out and the bags beneath her eyes were nothing to scoff at. Hardly her best form.

Rin sighed, lifting the powder brush to dab at the dark shadows. "Come on Ito, you were created to entice men! Prove it!"

She smacked the edges of her face a few times and then rested her forehead on the desk. "Enticing indeed. I look like a tired rat."

The scent of jasmine drew her attention to the lotion bottle she carried with her to every appointment.

Her head still fixed to the desk, she reached over and cradled it to her chest, the image of Gaara holding her from behind, drinking in the scent of flowers at her neck, filled her body with delicious tingles.

He always loved the way she smelled.

Rin dabbed her fingers in the light scent and trailed it along the curve of her shoulders, and the inside of her wrists.

She wasn't going to lose to them.

The jade comb, a gift from Orochimaru, took its turn at calming the mess of tangles from the hot wind.

She wasn't going to lose to them.

The unruly locks twisted back into a bun and stayed in place with the same dangling hairpiece she wore the first night she met Gaara.

She wasn't going to lose.

This mantra repeated in her head over and over, as she slipped into her best kimono, the purple and black one with koi swimming up the side. She draped the fabric of her obi over her shoulder and twisted her body until it was snug to her waist, but not so much that she couldn't breathe.

It would have been much easier with another person, but Rin was used to doing things on her own. The world wouldn't hand her anything, she had to fight for what she wanted. This was no different than any battle in the mind or any experiment forced upon her.

By the time she'd finished, Rin took one final look in the mirror. It wasn't the greatest beauty she'd accomplished, but it was better than where she started and would have to do for now.

The giant shoes that sent her tumbling with her first arrival remained safely tucked in the closet. There was NO way she would allow this to happen in front of the noble families, fashion or tradition be damned.

Her feet snuggled into some safe flats and she covered them with the hem of her kimono for safety.

Knock, knock.

Rin smiled, Gaara must have come to see her off.

"Come in." She called and the door opened to reveal not the love of her life, but the small boy who had become her shadow.

"Oh, Koji."

He noticed the slight disappointment in her voice but tried to ignore it. "I'm s…s…supposed to av..v..void you for a wh…wh….while."

"Avoid me? Why? Who says?"

"K…K….K."

She knew how hard "k" was for him, so she offered. "Kankuro did?"

Koji nodded. "He s…s…said I'd m…m…make you l…l…look b…b…bad."

Rin felt her temper rise but quieted it. She knew why Kankuro said that, cruel as it may sound, but he was right. In this fight against nobles, she was already considered trash, walking in with a boy from the streets would only add to that image.

The harshness of it left a bitter taste on her tongue, but Koji didn't need to know that ugly truth.

With a gentle sweep of her arm, she held them open to the boy, who happily entered her embrace. "Well, my brave knight, it's because those other girls don't have a champion of their own. Can't you imagine how jealous they would be? All they have are servants and stuffy old men. I have the bravest boy in the Sand. Who is the lucky one here?"

Koji nestled into her lap, wrapping his arms around her neck and holding himself close.

He was a little too big for such an action, but Rin didn't mind. She wasn't feeling all that secure either. She'd welcome any acts of kindness she could get tonight.

Koji sighed. "Y…y…you need to g..g…go now?"

"So, it would seem."

"Are y..you s..s..scared?"

Rin pulled back slightly and regarded him. "Look at my face. Do I look scared?"

His dark eyes scanned her features, as he had many times when she wasn't looking. "No."

Her familiar smirk filled his cheeks with red, as she bopped his nose. "Fooled you, didn't I?"

"Y…you're s…scared? B…b…ut you're a g…g…grown up."

Rin sighed and hugged the boy again. "All grown ups get scared, Koji. We're just better at hiding it. In fact, some adults are scared all the time. I'm scared of making a fool of myself in there."

"H…h..how?"

She shrugged. "I won't be as smart or as pretty as the other girls. Lord Fifth will look silly for wanting to be with me. All the hard work, that you helped me with, will be for nothing."

To her surprise, Koji tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, making sure not to disturb the dangling flower piece. "I th…th..think you're very p…p…pretty."

"Smart too?"

He hesitated and Rin gave a loud laugh, pulling him close and giving him a good tickle, which made him erupt in laughter.

"You hesitated! I can't believe you hesitated in how smart I am!"

"Y…you're s…s…smart! S… s….smart!"

She joined his laughter until another knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Rin giggled, but it faded away when the door opened and Kankuro walked in. "Sorry to disturb the fun, but it's time to go. I've come to escort you, Rin."

The bright feeling of love Koji gave her plummeted to dread in her stomach. Rin sighed and gently set Koji down, patting his head. "Stay here in the room tonight. You can play with my herbs if you like but put them back when you're done. Make sure you don't go wandering around the estate until these people leave."

He nodded and gave her hand a final squeeze.

Kankuro held out his arm to her. "Shall we?"

She took it and allowed him to help her down the long hallways and twisting stairs.

Their footsteps were echoing in the silence, each one bringing her closer and closer to the party, which could be heard rising up from the second floor.

Rin looked up to Kankuro, who had his finest attire on. "Well, don't you look strapping?"

He glanced down at her. "As do you. I remember that kimono."

She smiled. "Yes, I thought you would."

He steadied her on the last stair and patted her hand. "Crazy to think this is how it all began, isn't it?"

Rin felt a wave of nostalgia. "It is. About what you said to Koji…"

"I knew you wouldn't like it, but it's the truth."

She held up a hand to his shoulder, so that he would look at her. "I know why you did."

"Oh… well that wasn't the fight I anticipated."

"Trust me, it was going to be, but then I realized why you bothered to say anything anyway. You want me to succeed, don't you? So, you're trying to eliminate any possible thing the nobles could use against me."

Kankuro shifted under her gaze, biting his lower lip. "Yeah. We kind of like you, okay?"

She smiled. "Even Temari?"

His eyes sparked. "Especially Temari. She's the one that's been rushing around making sure everything is in place. If it's possible, she's even more high strung than usual."

"I can't even imagine that."

"It's safe to say, I haven't seen her this strict since the war and that's saying something."

Rin looked down, feeling her stomach twist. "I just hope I don't let you down. Everyone is working so hard for me and I…"

"That's what family does."

Her heart stammered a beat. She looked up to Kankuro again, who was watching her with warmth in his eyes. He patted her hand again. "You're family, Rin. No matter what they say in there. We already think of you as our sister."

She was going to cry. The tears were coming and there was no stopping them, so Kankuro patted a handkerchief to her eyes. "Hey now, none of that. Your face will run everywhere. Trust me, I know makeup."

Rin laughed dabbing at her eyes. "You're right. How do I look? Presentable?"

He nodded. "Like you are going to kick some noble ass. I can't show you any favoritism anymore, so from now on, you get strict Kankuro. Just know, we're all silently rooting for you, okay?"

"Okay."

The double doors that stood between her and the party seemed like the guards to the gates of hell.

Kankuro inhaled. "Ready?"

Rin exhaled. "Let's do this."

"Spoken like a Sand-born. Here we go."

The doors opened to the deafening conversation of the full dining room. The long table with tall chairs and fine china looked like something out of a fairytale.

Everything was shined, polished and perfectly placed, along with the people seated in their evening wear.

The two honored clans were in their livery, the Oribe wearing the bright blue of the sky and the Houki the jade green, with golden medals of military honor on display.

The Kazekage, along with Temari and Kankuro, wore the red of their clan, which the present councilmembers adorned for respect, deep crimson amongst the other colors and there was Rin, in her kimono, no clan, no entourage, a small spot of purple standing out like a bruised thumb in a rainbow of coordinated colors.

Her ears echoed like the roar of the tide, so much that she almost missed the announcer who was stationed at the door. "Our final contender has arrived. All three brides will assemble at the door and present themselves to the Lord Kazekage."

Kankuro cleared his throat, gently pushing her to where she was meant to stand.

She didn't look at the other two, who were whispering to each other at her approach. She didn't look at the waves of eyes who were assessing her every move. All she could see, were the two sea-green eyes staring at her from his chair.

He didn't look happy.