Show Yourself

The roar of applause echoed in her ears, like the pull of the ocean waves.

Rin had never been to the sea, but she'd read about it and been exposed to it in her client's memory.

He had continual nightmares about being stranded in the middle of the ocean, creatures tearing him limb from limb.

She remembered the fear of dark things circling beneath their wading bodies and had to remind herself that it wasn't her memory or her nightmare. She was there to help him process this trauma, not add to it with her own panic.

However, that didn't stop her from revisiting the scene in her dreams.

Her beloved river held no threatening creatures or roaring waves, salt didn't choke her lungs and she wasn't thrown about at the mercy of the tide.

Standing in the grand hall, hands clapping together, cheers and calls on either side, she would have given anything to dive into the cool waters of her home and disappear into the quiet.

Rin's eyes trailed along both sides of the crowd, taking in the faces who wouldn't give her the time of day and for the first time since she arrived, she felt the sting of isolation.

She didn't matter to these people, not really. Not beyond a brief curiosity or a hostile dismissal. To them, she was a bug that crawled in the path of tradition and they would see her squashed before the end of the night.

Her gaze went to the council, all of whom were ignoring her, chatting amongst themselves about the best contender out of the two they'd witnessed. She saw their furrowed brows, their excited expressions, fingers pointed at the woman of their choice and certainly, none spared in her direction.

"My Lords! Please! I beg for quiet! We still have one more contender!" The announcer's voice tried to rise above the crowd, to no avail.

He gave her a sympathetic shrug. "I'm sorry, my dear. It looks like you're out of your depth here."

Rin's stomach twisted in knots. No truer statement had ever been said. She noticed the lovely Mai, sitting in a circle of her servants and family, reveling in the sunlight of their praise. She hadn't even broken a sweat from her demonstration. Living perfection.

Kumi was holding the handkerchief she recognized as Gaara's to her cheek. Her shoulders were being jostled and proud hands came to pat her back for her wonderful demonstration of their clan's strength.

No one looked at her or acknowledged her place in this competition. She was no competition.

Suddenly, a great gust of wind rushed over the hall, sending people to their seats, their hands rushing up to protect hair and jewels from flying off.

Rin looked up to see Temari, her giant fan at its second moon, the scowl deeper on her face than usual.

Gaara sat in the middle, his fingers clutching the sides of his chair in a way that spoke to his annoyance. Though his face was a mask of impassivity, Rin could feel the heat of his mood all the way from her spot and it hurt her heart.

Kankuro stood up, clearing his throat. "My lords and ladies, it is the request of the Kazekage that you show respect to this ceremony and ALL its contenders. There is one more to demonstrate her abilities and she will receive the same amount of consideration as her predecessors."

Now, all eyes were on her and Rin realized it was better to be ignored.

The announcer nodded to his Kazekage and held out an arm in Rin's direction. "My lords, presenting Rin Ito of the….um…."

He whispered to her. "What is your clan's identifier?"

She shook her head. "I have no clan."

"Of course, you do! Everyone has a clan! What are the Ito known for?" He hissed and she offered a small shrug.

The announcer's face blushed when he nervously cleared his throat. "Rin Ito of…. the Sound."

There were whispers at the name of her village, but there always was, that was nothing new. Honestly, she shouldn't be surprised anymore. It was the curse that left their tongues and clouded their hearts, as was true of every other village.

Her eyes briefly trailed over the Oribe and the Houki daughters and she felt a pang of envy. Why couldn't she have a clan to support her as well? She didn't have traditions passed down for generations or secrets she could call upon to set her apart.

No one would be there to cheer for her.

Yua's face flashed before her eyes; a tender moment where they were cuddling in front of the fireplace, the sounds of their shop faded into the background. She smelt the scent of orange tea, the smoke trailing into the clear night, felt the woman she considered mother, brushing her hair with a gentle comb.

Then it transformed into her holding the pronged whip, torturing Haru, mocking her pain, her teeth clenched and hatred in her eyes as she tried to end everything.

The familiar anxiety crept into her lungs, robbing them of air. She felt their eyes on her, judging, critical eyes that regarded her as trash.

Her thoughts rushed through her head with a panicked edge. "What am I doing here? I haven't prepped for this my whole life! Three weeks can't compete with a lifetime. What do I know about politics and policies? I have no clan. I have nothing to show that's as impressive as they did. I'm nothing to these people."

Her watering eyes went to Mai, who was watching her from the corner of her kohl-lined gaze.

That was the proper person to be at Gaara's side. She was practically royalty already. There would be no hesitation for diplomats to fall for her charms. Compared to her grace and confidence, Rin was practically an urchin.

Kumi stopped her laughing with her clansmen and gave Rin a cocky look.

Her thoughts rushed even quicker. "And look at her! What kind of power would the Sand wield with that kind of warrior at his side? I'm out of my league here. I'm no competition. I'm nobody."

"Don't ever say that about yourself." Gaara's voice came to her memory.

Her eyes trailed up to the Kazekage's seat, where the love of her life was watching intently.

"You will never be a nobody to me."

That's what he told her weeks ago, when he unofficially asked her to marry him and the two of them started this crazy journey.

The sea green of his gaze enveloped her and so softly, she barely noticed, she saw his lips move to say. "Eyes on me."

She inhaled a deep, calming breath and stepped forward, away from the announcer and towards the middle of the hall.

What was she panicking for? She already had something neither of these families and more importantly, neither of her competitors had.

Images of his bare skin beneath her fingers, the longing in his voice when he said her name, waking up in his strong arms with the sunlight reflecting off his red hair, lingered in her mind.

She had Gaara's love and that was worth everything.

Rin raised her arms, her voice sure despite the sweat dripping down her back. "Lords and ladies of the Oribe and Houki clan."

Her eyes flittered over the council, focusing on Kaba, who was sitting in the front in all her finery. "Fair Councilmembers."

They sniffed at her words, though she didn't miss a few of them shifting, uncomfortable under her attention.

She then looked up to where the Sand siblings sat, their faces trained impassivity and her voice softened. "Lord Kazekage."

He nodded and she felt the pinpricks of a blush rise to her cheeks. She loved having all his attention, even if it were in a terrible circumstance like this. This wasn't the time to buckle, this was the time to show what she could do.

Her eyes turned to Temari and Kankuro, who, despite their best efforts, were looking at her with pride and expectation.

"I already think of you as my sister." Kankuro's words came to her mind.

She did have a family and she wouldn't let them down.

"I have no clan or a jutsu to represent myself. The name "Ito" was given to me as a courtesy. I am a member of the Sound and with that, comes certain skills. I can't enchant a room or fight a crowd of armed men, though both displays were impressive."

She spared a smile for the other girls and continued. "But there is something I can do that no one else in this room possesses. I will need a volunteer."

Not a single hand rose.

Why wasn't she surprised?

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Kankuro starting to approach her, but she stopped him with a raised hand. "Oh, no, Captain, I couldn't ask one of the Kazekage's trusted guard to give up his post just to assist me. How about…. Lady Kaba?"

All eyes turned to the old woman, who narrowed her eyes at the request. "Oh, I doubt there is anything someone like me could do for you, Ms. Ito."

She gave her most genuine smile. "Nonsense! You are perfect for my demonstration. Who better to represent the Sand's hospitality and bravery than the head of its council?"

Kaba gave her a look that could freeze the desert sun. "Fine."

She rose from her seat, her dress swishing at her feet, as she approached the middle of the hall.

The room had gone silent and the once dismissive eyes became hungry. No one knew what the Sound could do, only that they were dangerous. What would a member of their village display to be worthy of the Kazekage's hand?

Mai and Kumi were among the curious spectators, though the former would never admit her interest.

Kaba came to stand beside Rin, her mood foul and suspicious, but Rin's smile never wavered. She gave a slight bow to her reluctant volunteer and spoke so all could hear. "There we are. Now, Lady Kaba, have you and I ever shared a conversation about your past at all?"

"No."

"And have you ever divulged privileged information to me in private?"

"Certainly not. I would never be in private with you to begin with."

There were a few chuckles from the crowd and Rin joined them, unbothered. "As fiery as ever, I see. But, it would be honest to say, that you and I have never discussed anything private from your past, yes?"

"Correct."

"You swear on it?"

"I swear."

"Perfect." Rin's smile was warm, as she made a show of reaching into the secret pocket of her kimono, pulling out the red ribbon she favored so much.

Gaara straightened in his chair slightly, an action that wasn't missed by his observant sister.

Kaba gave Rin a suspicious glare, when she took her hand and wrapped the ribbon around their grasp, her voice soft and low. "It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

"Of course, you're not. You wouldn't try something like that in front of all these witnesses."

"I wouldn't try something like that because I have no desire to harm you, Kaba."

The older woman's mouth quirked to the side. "Well… good."

After the ribbon was secured, Rin reached into her pocket again and produced a small vial of oil she used for induction. "This is a combination of herbs. Nothing more. You're going to feel relaxed, but you'll be aware the entire time. Nothing happens without your consent."

"What's going to happen? What will you do to me?"

"I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm going to share something with you. You're not afraid, are you?"

Rin felt the wrinkled hand in hers tense and it took everything she had not to laugh. It was so easy to rile up the Sand.

"Of course not!"

"Good. Then close your eyes."

Kaba hesitated, looking around at the crowd and back at the strange girl from the Sound. "Why?"

"Because I have to put this oil on your lids, and I don't want it to sting."

She thought about it for a moment and fixed her mouth into a scowl but closed her eyes regardless.

Rin smiled. This was going better than she thought it would. There was something in Kaba that, despite her clear dislike of the girl or the situation, wanted to trust her. Now what that was, she couldn't be sure, but she wanted to find out.

She placed the induction oil on the top and bottom of Kaba's closed eyes and started humming a very soft melody to herself as she did. The young, smooth hand cradled the wrinkled one gently, her thumb trailing along Kaba's index finger.

There was a quiet sigh that left the woman before her and Rin didn't miss it for a second. What was it about this gentle touch that called to the councilwoman so much?

Rin took a step closer to her, placing her free hand on Kaba's forehead. "Breathe in 1…2…3. Breathe out 3…2…1."

The room was silent, all eyes focused on the pair, but as she commanded the woman's breathing, Rin noticed the rest of the room following the exercise as well.

What funny creatures humans were.

Her attention went back to the old woman, who was breathing deeply on her own now and Rin gave a small smile. She leaned closer so that her voice was a whisper only Kaba could hear. "Everything is all right. You're safe."

She removed her hand from her subject's forehead, cradling the back of her neck. Rin stepped close and rested Kaba's head on her shoulder, wrapping her arm around her waist so she wouldn't fall. "Somnam Jutsu."