The Storm

Mai excelled in the trial of grace, but that surprised no one. Kumi faltered with knowing what tea to serve and that docked points, but she would most likely recover with one of the other tasks.

They were trained contenders for a reason; it was naïve to hope that one question would knock her competition out of the running. Even if she desperately wished it would.

"Ms. Ito?"

Her attention snapped up, as all eyes went to her.

"Take your turn, please."

Rin took a deep breath, the hot, desert air oddly centering whereas it used to choke her.

She took a hesitant step on the stone face and thought back to the woman she was when she first arrived at the Sand, only a few months ago.

So worried to meet the legendary Gaara and his fierce abilities. The desert throwing her about with each gust of hot wind, and of course, the council, who greeted her like she was trash the cat dragged in before them.

Her eyes brushed over the silent members.

It was clear their first impressions of her hadn't changed, except they were wise enough to know that she was dangerous for entirely different reasons than they assumed.

She may not have been the assassin they suspected, but she did hold power they never dreamed.

That brushing gaze went to the man who had become her guiding marker in this entire endeavor.

He looked so regal in his Kazekage livery; she almost didn't recognize him.

It made him look older than he was, stern and reserved. It suited him; however, she so much preferred the other expressions she'd seen on his face.

Rin bowed at the center of the stone, kissing her fingers and setting them to the ground, as she'd seen the other do; thankful she'd had the good fortune of going last.

This crowd wasn't just waiting for her to mess up, they were encouraging it, eager to devour the slightest blunder she'd make.

Her breath felt unsteady in her lungs, until she felt a different pair of eyes on her.

Standing at the North point, willing her to focus only on him, was the gaze that held her happiness and her desire in its wake.

Gaara may have maintained his stern countenance, but it softened ever so slightly for her. Enough for her to notice and to calm the fluttering butterfly in her chest. He believed in her.

Rin rose back up to full height and awaited her question. She could handle teas and diplomats; this was the one trial she may actually exceed in.

A strange feeling of confidence came over her.

Bring on etiquette, she knew more about ceremony and manners than any of these primped snobs.

The memory of Orochimaru's cold fingers sliding down her neck and shoulders made her want to shiver.

She was designed to be pleasing to the eye and gentle to the touch, to put men at ease with her manner. An easy little question wouldn't phase her like it did Kumi.

She prepped herself for whatever they would ask, but came out, was anything beyond her expectations.

"Ms. Ito. You have brought chaos in your wake since coming to our village. Disorder, destruction and, as many have assumed, were responsible for the attack on the Southern Wall and a councilmember finding his death as a direct result of said encounter."

Her eyes widened as the charges were brought against her. This wasn't what she expected at all, but from the anger in the council's eyes, she knew they were waiting for this very moment for weeks.

She'd heard a councilman, Yashida, had passed during her mother's assault on the village, though she wasn't sure why that was her fault or even how he passed.

Temari straightened at the question, but only enough for her to notice.

She noticed everything.

The councilman who was speaking to her now, barely held the fury in his calm tone, as he continued. "You have nothing to bring this union. No title, no land, nothing. You shouldn't have been allowed to participate in this ceremony and yet, as usual, allowances have been made for you."

She felt the nods of agreement around her, more than she saw them. This wasn't just the council who were coming for her, this was a combined effort; a coup if she ever saw one.

"As if this isn't enough, which it should have been, there is more. An investigation was done on you in preparation for the Cleansing."

"An investigation?"

The hint of a smile was clear on the councilman's face, the silence of the families, as they strained to listen for facts on the mysterious Sound girl, making each of his words harsh and biting. "Yes. As there is with any young lady who is presented as a suitable partner for the Kazekage. Your competition has been evaluated since birth for their compatibility, so why wouldn't you? It's clear you think you're quite special indeed."

Her eyes flickered over the councilmembers, each staring at her with a different expression. Some were anxious, others clearly uncomfortable, but the hatred was clear in the speaker's eyes. Even Kaba didn't look at her the way he was, if anything, she seemed angry with him for his manner.

"I… um…."

He cut her off, his voice dipping a bit quieter. "When you first arrived, councilmember Yashida spoke of his suspicion of you. While we all shared it, no one was quite as clear with his concerns and, as his brother, I should have listened to him."

Her breath caught in her lungs. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

His tone returned to its former volume, so all could hear. "That investigation has resulted in some troubling findings, to say the least. Findings that shook this very council to discover. You, Ms. Ito, were not born into any semblance of a noble family, in fact… you weren't even born at all."

There were shocked gasps and confused faces that followed this information.

"You were designed in a lab, along with others of your kind. You are the product of the taboo of human experimentation. And, to make matters worse, your purpose was that of espionage and interrogation. You've been personally responsible for extracting information from other villages through your…. talents and have been responsible for deaths and torture on behalf of the Sound.

Yet, despite your questionable past, your destruction to the peace of our village, your hand in the death of a member of this council and your sordid past that would disqualify you as anything but pure, you can walk amongst the Sand without punishment or even reprimand for your actions. How do you account for this blatant favoritism and do you think it's right for you to have it? Why should a whore have a place as a Bride of the Kazekage?"

The silence was deafening.

The line of questioning was a hailstorm that she couldn't escape, and its pace was relentless.

Rin opened her mouth to answer, but a different voice responded.

"How dare you."

All eyes turned to host of the voice, shock and awe following its intensity.

The stern countenance was disturbed. The calm gaze, furious. The Kazekage was angry and, for the first time since she came to this village, she began to understand why Gaara was feared by his people.

He stood at the North point, the deadly sand circulating him in his own personal tornado, resulting in everyone around him taking a step back.

There were nervous murmurings from the crowd, everyone shrinking back from the rage that once brought death with it.

The councilman slowly turned to address him. "Lord…. Lord Kazekage?"

Gaara's mouth went into a snarl, fixating on the offending councilmember. "How dare you disgrace this ceremony with this line of questioning! This isn't a test; this is a trial and it's woefully unfair to Ms. Ito. You've purposefully embarrassed her and done it on my behalf, and I will not stand for it. This is completely unacceptable!"

Rin's attention turned to the frightened members of the noble families, their gaping mouths and watering eyes, as they backed up a few more steps, protecting their prized daughters in the process.

Mai and Kumi trembled beneath the growing anger in the air.

Temari and Kankuro gave each other worried looks, before the eldest of the three approached her brother. "Lord Fifth…"

His sand pushed her away.

The wind rushed around them, releasing a new wave of frightened cries, a few members of the crowd making ready to rush away from the scene.

Rin's heart thundered in her chest, her voice coming out in a whisper. "Oh no."

Gaara trembled with fury, the look on her face was too much for him to stand. His strong, fiery Rin was standing like a deer under the line of questioning. She was ashamed of her past and it was brought forth to the world with no concern to her.

He knew of no investigation and would have never authorized such a thing. She had to know that. Please let her know that!

He would have never shamed her like this.

How dare they? How DARE they!

His fury bubbled strong within him, the image of her horrified expression flashing in his mind again and again.

He should have never subjected her to this nonsense. He shouldn't have allowed his council to ever suggest the Cleansing. This was his fault. It was all his fault. She was going through all of this for him. He was the cause of her suffering.

He was a monster.

A hot, fierce wind came to him, the desert responding to its Kazekage's wrath.

Sharp, biting sand, beat down on the surrounding nobles, who were held in place by their fear. What would he do if they ran? What hell would the demon of the Sand expose them to for this insult to the woman he clearly loved?

"He hasn't changed."

"The monster is still there."

"Lord Fifth…. this can't be right!"

Rin heard the frightened cries, each filling her with more dread.

She could barely see him through the storm surrounding him, but she could feel him. His wrath, his shame, everything he was feeling was projected out in that sand.

Gaara fought so hard for his people's love and trust, he couldn't lose that because of her. She wouldn't allow it.

Rin left her perch in the middle of the stone face, approaching Gaara, though the wind nearly knocked her off her feet.

Both Kankuro and Temari were doing their best to calm him, but their cries fell on deaf ears. The anger and self-blame he felt were louder than their voices.

Soon, the sand became too intense even for them and they were forced to leap away from him before they were cut to ribbons by its fury.

Kankuro turned to the crowd and shouted as loud as he could over the cacophony. "Everyone! Remain calm! Evacuate to the cliffs around us!"

That was smart thinking. If they all rushed to the narrow exit of the valley, it was likely they could be trapped there, if Gaara saw fit.

Now was the time to take cover and that's exactly what they did.

Oribe and Houki alike, including the councilmembers, retreated to the safety of the large rocks surrounding them, tucking down to protect themselves and wait for the storm to end.

It's what children of the Sand knew to do.

The only one who didn't have this knowledge, was a girl from the Sound, who was trying her best to fight against the hurricane of anger and pain and fight her way through.

She wouldn't leave him.

A gust of sand cut her face like a sword.

She would never leave him like this.

The wind choked the air from her lungs.

Too many people abandoned him.

Her hair flew wild from its careful pins, each tugging with its forceful removal.

"Gaara."

The wind was too much, it brought her to her knees, the sand choking the life from her, assaulting her with its relentless pace.

Suddenly, air returned, but only because part of it was blocked.

Rin opened her eyes, though the hot wind still stung them, and saw the three purple moons of a large fan.

"Temari?"

The fierce woman grunted, holding her body against the open fan, pushing against the hurricane her brother created. "You need to get to safety, Rin! Go!"

"No!"

"What?"

"Gaara needs us now! I must get to him! Help me!"

She peeked over the top of her fan, the image of her brother's anger reminding her of blood, of death, of all the things she feared in her nightmares when she saw him as the monster, he believed himself to be.

He wasn't that anymore.

"How?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to try."

".... Let's go."

Temari tried to push, tried to hold them up against the storm, as she always did. No matter the force that was presented against them, she held strong.

But that was all she could do.

If she lost her footing, they would both go flying and the sand was quickly slicing away at her fan.

"I can't hold it!"

"We can together!" The voice of her other brother was enough to make her want to cry.

He crowded in beside her, holding up the fan from the top, his favorite puppet, Crow, thrust in front, to make even more of a barrier.

"Kankuro…" Rin began.

"You've got this, little sister. Help Gaara."

Their combined strength touched her, the expressions on their faces worried, but sure. They knew Gaara was worth standing by and it didn't matter how frightening he became; they wouldn't abandon him either.

This is what a real family was.

Rin peeked out from behind the fan, finding herself about five feet from him. How quickly could she cross that distance before being blown away?

Her eyes turned to Temari. "We only have one shot at this. I need to get close to him."

Both captains looked to one another and the years of battle shared between them showed. They didn't even need to speak to execute a plan.

Kankuro nodded and removed Crow, bracing his body against his sister's. "Do it, Temari!"

She inhaled a sharp, fortifying breath, summoning all the strength she had and swiped her giant fan against the force Gaara summoned.

It was a pocket of calm, the smallest break in the wind's assault, but it was enough.

Rin slid forward, the stone face cold against her bare legs, as she stopped at the feet of the man she loved.

"Gaara!"

He couldn't hear her, couldn't think or feel anything beyond himself.

He'd done this to her. He was the source of her pain and her embarrassment. How could he?

"Gaara! Please!"

Sand wrapped around her feet, trailing up her legs, her torso, holding her firm so she couldn't advance further.

Her arms reached out, holding him tight against her, as she placed her hand on his forehead. "Somnam Jutsu!"