4 - The Hidden Leaf!
"This is amazing!" Rena exclaimed as she took a bite out of the sweet, succulent moist chocolate cake she was eating. It was delicious, the smell, taste, and texture completely enveloping every sense she had. "I don't think the Hidden Sand has anything like this!"
"No, it's delicious!" Kankuro agreed, elated that he was finally alone with Rena. He had been shoving cake into his mouth the entire time, nearly crying with joy. Gaara and Temari had gone to check everyone into the Hidden Village, making sure that the proctors knew that they were there. Tsukiyomi and Suno had gone to check them into the inn and while everyone was doing that, Kankuro had dragged her away. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and setting his spoon down before he began. "Ever since we met, I've loved you. I've loved everything about you. For you to have been friends with a spoiled brat like me... it was amazing. You taught me so much about myself and other people, opened me up to new possibilities I never knew. Life was so bland without you and I honestly didn't want to go on anymore. The only thing keeping me going was knowing that you were alive. For the longest time, I hated Gaara... I thought he'd crushed you but after the analysis... I just want you to know that I... I love you. And after we're done in the Hidden Leaf, I want to marry you. I want you to be mine always- I promise I'll protect you. I'll never let you get snatched away ever again. You don't have to respond now- but I'll always love you no matter what. No matter who stands in my way, someday, you'll be mine."
He heard the sound of crashing plates and opened his eyes. Rena was nowhere to be seen, but in her place was a rather flustered waitress. She had dropped everything in her stupor. "S-Security! H-Help, anyone, help!"
"W-Wait! I'm not a creep, that confession isn't for you- Rena, where did you goooo?!"
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As Rena exited the shop, she bashed straight into what felt like a brick wall. Rubbing her face and making sure her nose was okay, she looked at what she had run into. It was Gaara and he did not look amused. "G-Gaara..." Sand swarmed around his feet, keeping him stable. He remained to stare at her as she picked herself up off the ground, looking around. She walked forward and turned left, starting down an alley. When Gaara followed her, she got her first clue. She turned right, looping around the back of the store. He entered the alley just as she did. "You're... you're lost, aren't you?" She stifled her laughter, earning a deeper glare from Gaara, causing her to slap both hands over her mouth, but he could see the laughter in her eyes. His face darkened. "Okay, okay, I'll stop laughing! But... you're lost."
After a few moments, when her laughter had truly died down, he nodded. His reluctance to reply was clear in how long it had taken him to respond, but Rena gave him a gentle smile as a reward for his compliance.
"It's okay, Gaara. Everyone gets lost sometimes, even me."
A yell pierced the air and both of them stood still for a moment, confused. "Rena, where are you?!" He ran past the alley, stopping and looking around, in full view of the two. "Crap, if I make too much noise it'll make the Hidden Sand look bad and Gaara will kill me... I have to whisper or something!" Kankuro dashed out of their sight, leaving the two dumbfounded and Gaara with a second emotion on his face; blank-faced confusion. His mouth was slightly open and he had the eyes of a dead fish, which made Rena start laughing. His face snapped back to what it always is, annoyed.
"Ah, but this is troubling," Rena said, trying to leave her laughs behind her. "Kankuro has the worst sense of direction out of all three of you. He takes after Rasa..." Rena walked forwards, so she couldn't see Gaara's face at the mention of his father's name. Had she, she would have known her life was definitely in danger of being forfeit. "Well, Gaara, let's follow them together!" The tone of her voice and the way she spun around and gave him a big, bright smile, holding out her hand to him... all of those negative feelings suddenly disappeared. Gaara remembered this feeling- it was as if, on a blisteringly hot day with no water in sight in the middle of the desert, a light, gentle breeze crossed his path, caressing his skin. Had this... always been what Rena was like?
Gaara walked past Rena, ignoring her hand, to which her face fell. He suddenly stopped in the alleyway, not turning to face her, but her eyes widened- was he waiting for her to follow? She sprinted a little to catch up to him, only for him to turn to the left. "Um... Gaara, that's not the direction Kankuro went. He went right..." Gaara was wordless and nothing showed on his face, but he was shaken with embarrassment. He began advancing in the proper direction, ignoring Rena and moving faster than she was. "W-Wait! Weren't you going to wait for me?!"
They walked around for a good ten minutes before Gaara slowly raised his arm, causing Rena to stop. Rena wasn't paying as much attention as she should have been and she walked straight into it, bouncing back. She steadied herself from stumbling, frowning at Gaara. "Stop."
"You couldn't have said that before I ran into you?!"
Her attention diverted from Gaara to a scene unfolding before them in an alley. They hadn't been noticed yet, but she saw Temari and Kankuro. She raised her hand, ready to call out to them, but stopped when she saw that they weren't alone.
"Say sorry, punk." That was Kankuro's voice, but she didn't recognize the tone. The alley was partly deserted, but two little boys were standing beside a pink-haired girl and a blonde-haired guy that was at least Rena's age or a little younger. From where she was, she saw a black-haired boy perched in a tree, but she didn't think Temari and Kankuro did.
"What are they...?" Rena asked, confused as to why Kankuro was so on edge. Her eyes widened in shock as Kankuro picked up the smallest boy of them all by his shirt collar and she felt herself boil over with rage. Her eyes narrowed. "What the hell does he think he's doing?!"
"You ran into me. Now apologize." Kankuro's voice was threatening, a low growl.
"Stop. We're going to get scolded later." Temari's gaze pierced Kankuro, but it was clear he wouldn't listen to his sister. A rock sailed from the direction of the tree to Kankuro's hand, clearly hitting its mark as Kankuro dropped the poor child. He grabbed his hand, glaring at the boy who had thrown it.
"I have to stop him!" Rena was more than ready to move forward to step in, but she was stopped by Gaara, whose hand rested on her shoulder. It was the first contact they'd had since she got back. His grip lasted on her shoulder a little longer than he intended, but he enjoyed touching her too much to let go.
"Wait." Gaara's voice was as gentle as it had ever been. Rena's head turned as his features faded into grains of sand, flowing through the air as she watched it move to the tree. He reformed, becoming the same Gaara as before. "Kankuro. Stop." His voice was filled with disdain. It was completely different from what it had been a second ago and Rena couldn't understand for a second why. "You're a disgrace to your village."
The black-haired kid recoiled in shock, almost losing his footing on the branch. "What...? I didn't even sense him..." What surprised her, even more, was Kankuro's reaction to Gaara. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before, his face cloaked in absolute terror.
"G-Gaara..." Taking a step back, Kankuro's expression and attitude toward Gaara puzzled her. She didn't get why.
"Did you forget the reason we came all the way here?" The usual blank expression on his face changed in her mind for some reason, inducing terror rather than that usual feeling of affection she possessed for him. She couldn't move, not even to talk to Kankuro or try to interlude between the two... no, the three parties. Gaara felt like someone else entirely.
"I... I know!" Kankuro insisted, stepping forwards again. He had a desperate smile on his face as he did. "They started it! They provoked us, see, here's what happened..." He began, trying to explain his actions. Gaara's eyes narrowed, his only target Kankuro, as if it was all he could see and the sheer secondary effect terror Rena felt was unimaginable as her legs shook. She didn't... She didn't want him to look at her like that.
"Shut up... or I'll kill you."
The threat was completely unnecessary. Was this really... the Gaara she knew? Had the Kazekage been right about him? It felt like ice was creeping over her heart as his eyes moved to her. They were watching her, for some inexplicable reason, choosing her to rest on. She didn't know what to do, how to escape his gaze- it felt like she was trapped and running away wasn't an option. It was then, at that moment, she understood that to Gaara, she, too, was a target.
"Right. I was totally out of line." Kankuro said and even from a distance, she could tell he was shaking. "I'm sorry, I was totally out of line... I'm sorry, Gaara." He sounded like a broken record, which made Rena want to comfort him. She wanted to protect him, but she couldn't. He was dripping with fear, not being able to hold himself together.
Gaara burst into sand, flowing down to the ground and in the blink of an eye, he was him again. He turned, halfway, to look at the Genin of the Leaf, "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused." There was a secret there, something Rena knew and something she was sure Gaara knew too... he didn't feel sorry. Rena was sure that Gaara didn't feel anything at all.
Gaara's eyes were focused on the black-haired boy, though. He'd stopped Kankuro with a pebble and made it look easy as he did it. This person was a threat, someone he'd be watching closely. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play games." He was talking to Temari and Kankuro but Rena knew better than that. He was signalling her, exercising just how much power he had over her. He wouldn't turn away from her direction until he saw her make a move and it felt like time came to a slow, just as it had when she fell from the kunai wall, the feeling of being trapped in an endless space where the concept of time was nothing. Still, even though it felt like an eternity before she could, she took one step forward, then the next, each step toward Gaara feeling easier than the last. Gaara did have a good amount of control over her and his eyes passing her by made her shudder, realizing that perhaps that was his form of praise for coming when she was called.
He began to walk forwards, past the Leaf Genin. Rena bowed her head to them, giving them an apologetic smile as she attempted to dispel the glares of hatred. "My apologies, Genin of the Leaf! They're simply tired from a long journey." Her efforts had the opposite effect as the pink-haired girl's glare worsened, now focused on her before her head whipped around to focus on Temari.
"Hold up! Hey!" Temari came to a stop, turning around, her face scrunched up in distaste.
"What?" Rena could tell Temari didn't like the pink-haired girl. There had to be a good reason for it...
"I can tell from your headband that you come from the Village Hidden in the Sand." Temari gave her an oh, really? I didn't know, look. "Of course, the land of fire and the land of wind are allied, but no shinobi can enter another's village without permission!" She said, matter-of-factly. Rena was starting to understand why Temari was so annoyed with her. "So state your business, and it better be good!"
What the girl didn't know was that when Temari clapped back, she clapped back. Rena was filled with pride at her childhood friend's response. "Have you guys all been living under a rock or what? You don't know what's going on, do you? We have permission." As Temari flashed them the identification card given to them by the Kazekage, she was smiling a shit-eating grin, one so smug and confident that it caused the pink-haired girl to lose a bit of that confidence she had in her eyes. "Of course, you're correct. We are Hidden Sand Genin. Our home is the Land of Wind and we're here for the Chuunin exams! Get the picture?"
The girl had deserved that.
"The Chuunin exams? What's that?" It came from the rather ignorant-sounding blonde boy, who hadn't been speaking nearly as much as the others. "Well, I've never heard of any Chuunin exams, believe it..."
Here came Temari with her clapbacks again. "Heh... Oh, I believe it alright... That you're totally clueless!" Now she was just mocking them. This was the same Temari she knew all those years ago.
"Hey, Boss!" The kid that Kankuro had picked up earlier spoke, "Those are the exams that every Genin's got to take to become a Chuunin!" Rena wasn't a Genin, but... she'd become a Chuunin either way.
"Oh, wow! Well, why didn't you say so? I am so there!" The kid began jumping around, prompting everyone to turn their backs on him and start walking away. Still, there was someone remaining who was bold enough to challenge the Sand Siblings yet again...
"Hey, you." Rena turned around to see it was the black-haired boy who had thrown the rock. "Identify yourself." He was even more damned annoying than the other girl! Who was he, demanding someone introduce themselves before he did?! And he should define who he was talking to, damn it! It was just unnecessary confusion!
Temari was the first to turn around, a slight blush spreading across her face. Rena couldn't believe it- that was the type of guy she was into? He was a jerk! He sounded like one, too. "Hm? You mean me?"
"No," He replied, "Him. The guy with the gourd on his back." A little late, but the guy pointed directly at Gaara, who turned back to look at him.
"...Hunh...? My name is Gaara, of the desert. I'm curious about you too. Who are you?" Gaara's face was unreadable, but Rena wasn't so sure about this interaction... this was the longest sentence he's said to anyone since he got back. Something was up.
"I am Sasuke Uchiha," The boy said proudly. It was like static had trapped itself in Rena's head. She... that was familiar, but not... it didn't make any sense to her. She brushed it off. The sudden interruption of the annoying blonde-haired boy broke the tension.
"Hi, there! I bet you're dying to know my name, right?"
Then, the most Gaara-like thing happened, something that almost made Rena laugh out loud; she had to cover her mouth again lest Gaara glared at her. "I couldn't care less." He cooly brushed off the poor kid, glancing at Rena. There was no glare this time...
Rena followed behind Gaara, eager to get out of there and leave the foreign Genin behind.
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"Temari, Kankuro, what the hell were you thinking?! And in a village that's not ours, as well? Did I teach you nothing when we were kids? You can't just act that way to everyone you come across!" Rena's voice was loud enough that it caused several people to turn their heads as she scolded the two.
"But- Rena!"
"Don't but Rena me! Are you still spoiled brats or not?!"
"I'm honestly sorry, Rena!" Kankuro threw himself at her feet, tears dripping from his eyes. He was being scolded by his angel, his future wife. Temari wanted to kick him for being so pathetic. "That brat- he bumped into me and didn't apologize, and then the pink-haired girl had the nerve to go and harass us just because we're Sand nin! It's unfair! We're being judged for-"
"I thought you were better than that, Kankuro." It looked like Kankuro had been frozen in stone as tears welled in the corner of Rena's eyes. "Someone I looked up to. How could you...?"
"I... but, I..."
"I told you this would happen, Kankuro! She was raised by the Devil Tactician of the Hidden Sand!" Temari gave a nonchalant shrug, which earned her a hard, half-crying glare from Kankuro.
"Did you two at least check us in with the Hokage?" It was a question she should have asked when she first saw Gaara in the alley. Temari looked to Gaara, who shook his head. Rena sighed, crossing her arms. "Kankuro, take Temari and go look for a suitable place to train during the exams." Kankuro and Temari looked at each other. They did not want to be in the same place as one another at the moment. "Gaara and I will head to the inn. We'll find Tsukiyomi and Suno on the way. Shall we go? We'll explore the town as we do!" She was eager to see the Hidden Leaf. Gaara gave her a look that meant okay, I'll comply, but I'm not going to actively participate.
As Temari and Kankuro turned away, Kankuro hung his head in shame at being scolded by Rena. If it had been Gaara... he didn't want to think about what that would mean. It was pretty depressing to be reprimanded by his future wife, but he'd bear it. Surely Rena was going to reprimand him plenty more when they were married, so he had to learn how to like it.
Watching Temari and Kankuro argue off into the distance was a sight to behold, but Rena turned to Gaara and smiled at him. With a skip in her step and a sing-song voice, she began to go forth to explore the leaf. "Walking, walking with Gaaa-ra. Walking, being with Gaaa-ra. Walking with the red-haired boy, Gaaa-ra. Gaara Gaara Gaara Gaaaaaaa-ra. Going to check into the inn with Gaa-ra. Going to run around town with Gaaaaaa-ra!"
Feeling an unnatural presence that meant to do her harm, she craned her neck to see Gaara looking very much not impressed.
"Got it. No songs. Okay."
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Sunday 5:00 P.M.
ARRIVAL TIME: 2:00 PM
Gaara & Rena's Relationship Level: 2%
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The sales going on caught Rena's eye, more particularly a jewelry vendor who had a shiny necklace on a pedestal, a little raised compared to others. Gaara watched as Rena walked over, examining the table, but her eyes always went back to that specific necklace. It had a silver chain and a silver rose with a small diamond in the middle. He could tell she desired it. "Hey, little lady! Do you want to buy it? It's expensive."
Rena's face fell. "Ah, but I don't have any money..."
The vendor's disposition to her changed to ice immediately. "Get lost, kid. Stop loitering! I only have time for paying customers, not curious children!" Rena backed away from the stall, deciding to move on rather than staying. As Gaara passed by the stall, he glanced at the vendor. Their eyes locked and the man took a step back, feeling the weight of the boy's glare. Sand swept across the table as the asshole was distracted and the rose necklace was gone. Gaara began walking away, the small amount of sand he expunged flowing back into his gourd.
Gaara never wanted to see an expression like the one the man had made Rena wear; to this end, he caught up to her. He walked beside her, his palm opening. Rena looked down at it and a smile stretched across her face. "Thank you, thank you! Gaara, how did you pay for this?" He looked back, seeing the vendor panicking about his missing item, searching the crowd with a Hidden Leaf nin. He grabbed her hand, the touch sending jolts of electricity through both of them. They dashed through the Leaf and this is the first time Rena had ever seen Gaara run. She wondered why, but the contact of skin on skin was welcome and she found herself blushing as she looked at him.
After a while, they both slowed to a stop and went about their original path, hoping to come across the proper inn. They passed three, which were full and didn't have their reservations, but finally came across one in the corner of the Hidden Leaf. "This one looks like it could be ours! The Dancing Leaf, huh?" She pointed to the sign hanging and blowing in the wind, a beautiful leaf in exquisite detail painted on it.
Gaara remained silent as he entered the inn before Rena did. There was a girl behind the counter, at least thirteen years of age. She wore a traditional kimono which she adjusted as she looked at them eagerly. Her eyes trailed over to Gaara, her cheeks flushing a slight pink. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail, long enough that it went farther down to the point where Rena couldn't see the end. "Oh, welcome to the Dancing Leaf. Can I help you, cutie?" The girl winked at Gaara, clearly not off-put by his surreal appearance and lack of eyebrows. He gave her no response as Rena walked up to stand beside him at the counter.
"We're looking for the reservations made by the Hidden Sand. Are they here?" Rena was completely unaware of the girl's attitude toward Gaara, but it was clear that the girl was disappointed.
"Oh, are you his girlfriend?"
"Um, well, n-"
"Yes." Rena felt as if she was going to turn to stone, unable to move or turn to look at Gaara. As he took in all the information and even took the key to her room, she tuned out everything that was going on in the background.
"Well, your friends checked in with us first. Floor two and three are reserved for the Hidden Sand during the Chuunin exams. There are about six rooms on each floor or so, don't break anything." She flipped open a magazine on her desk, resting her cheek on her closed fist, looking as bored as ever. "Totally unfair, why are the hot ones always taken or uninterested in me?"
Gaara dragged Rena upstairs, her confusion leaving her on autopilot. In the stairwell between the first and second floor, Rena stopped in her tracks. "...What?" Gaara asked. She could hear the annoyance in his voice, but she couldn't help it.
"You called me your girlfriend."
He stared at her, before turning to her. "I don't know what that is, but it shut the girl with the annoying voice up. She would've just kept going if I didn't say that." He turned to continue the climb to the second stairs, but Rena stepped forwards, grabbing his hand and stopping him from going any further.
"I... you promised when we were kids. A kiss. You remember what that is, right? That if I was like Sansa when we were both older and didn't have anyone to love, that you'd kiss me!" Her insistence was persistent, to say the least. "You... you remember what a kiss is, right?"
"You want that?" He asked, staring at her with an expressionless face. Gaara stepped closer to Rena, their noses so close that if they were to move even an inch they would touch. She felt the brush of his lips against her own, an inexperienced, trembling kiss between two children who didn't understand. Gaara pulled Rena closer, the feeling enveloping him as a whole, setting something inside him aflame. She didn't shy away from his embrace, but it lasted for a moment longer than it probably should have. As if instinct, Gaara's hand raised to Rena's chin, angling her face for easier access. Breaking away from her, his eyes widened as he saw tears drip from her face.
"Why would you..." Searing pain filled Gaara when he saw her expression, as he couldn't understand. "When you're making a face like that..." She shoved him to the side, darting up the stairs and away from him. She didn't want his reaction to their first kiss to be absolutely nothing! She thought he had felt something, anything- this was her last attempt to try and see if he was the Gaara she had once known.
Gaara couldn't understand any of it. This feeling was a weakness. He traced his lips with his thumb as he stared in the direction Rena had gone. Her scent was familiar, relaxing. He had almost forgotten his mission in Konoha, just for a moment. Another searing pain ran through his head, causing him to grab it, digging his nails into his scalp. This girl... she was a distraction that kept eating away at him.
He refocused his priorities, and started up the stairs, hoping to have a moment alone for himself.
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Sunday, 8:00 PM
1 Week Until Chuunin Exams
Gaara and Rena's Relationship Level: 5%
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Gaara left his room, locking his door behind him. It'd seem like he was still within his room without him even having to be there, which was the intention. Kankuro, Temari, Suno, and Tsukiyomi had gone out to secure everyone's dinner and Rena had stayed behind wanting to take a nap. Gaara hadn't been invited to come with them.
He came to a stop in front of her door, putting two fingers over his closed eye. Sand flowed from his gourd through the door lock. With one hand, he formed his third eye, which surveyed the room and determined it was a good time to enter. The door lock made a click sound and it swung open with a slight creak. Slipping inside as gracefully and quickly as his sand, he sat on Rena's bed after closing her door.
Her chest raised and fell while she slept, and his breathing synced with hers. It made him feel calm to watch her, but he wasn't content with just watching. He took a strand of her abnormally long hair and gently stroked it. Soft and silky, lazily combed at best but not tangled. None of it frizzed up and it held a certain weight to it. It felt a bit squishy, as well... but warm. Like a heater, or a fire. The strands were thick and looked a little bizarre when singled out. His hair wasn't anything like it; his fingers slipped through her hair and he let it be.
He placed his hands on either side of her, leaning down and gently pressing their lips together again. He was curious, wanting more from this interaction; for all of the things he studied, the only thing he knew was that a man and a woman were supposed to make a child. Their bodies were different, that much was apparent even over their clothes. His fingers gently slid down her shirt, undoing the buttons one by one, exposing the middle of her chest. His fingers splayed out against it and he felt her beating heart underneath it.
Pulling back his hand, he instead rested his head in between her breasts, listening to the pulse of her heartbeat. Time slowed, each beat lasting what felt like an eternity. Like this... Like this, he could sleep forever...
Kankuro burst through the door, his voice as loud as it could get. "Rena! Look what I've got! I brought you a giant cookie!" Rena shot up, sitting upwards, but the cookie fell from Kankuro's hands, crashing to the floor and breaking into five bits. Her fingers twitched as he gawked at her body. "Buh...buh?"
Rena, confused, followed Kankuro's stare. At first, she seemed calm, rubbing her head sheepishly before picking up her pillow and whipping it at Kankuro, shrieking shrilly while covering her chest with her other arm. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT! YOU DAMN PERVERT, KNOCK FIRST!" She screamed, causing Kankuro to scream as he ran out of her room and shut the door with great force behind him.
Gaara watched from the darkness of the closet, knowing that what had happened just now was a close call. It couldn't happen again. If he hadn't turned into sand at the last minute and crept across the floor while Kankuro was distracted, he'd have gotten caught by both of them- and this wasn't something he was keen on explaining. Unfortunately, now that Rena was awake, it meant he was stuck in the closet until she was gone. After all, despite how dumb he thought she was, she was at least smart enough to notice if a torrent of sand came flying out of her closet.
Rena turned to the things she had packed, removing a set of clothing. She tied her hair back loosely, letting it fall over her shoulder as she removed her shirt. Gaara's eyes widened as the fabric slowly slipped down her shoulders, exposing scars he had never seen before. He hadn't seen her exposed like this, so of course, he wouldn't have, but the most prominent one was one in the shape of a jagged diamond. It stretched from her lower back to her upper back and when she turned around, it was as if it had been mirrored. A scar like that meant she must have been stabbed through at some point in time. Just what the hell happened in the six years she had been missing? What had she gone through? The light hit her back at an odd angle, outlining what looked like the groove of two more scars on either side, stretching down her shoulder plates to her mid-back.
The scars looked as if they were once deep, painful gashes, mostly her upper torso with a few on her upper legs. Yet, despite all of that, she was smiling. She held up the necklace Gaara had [stolen] bought for her and gently fastened it around her neck. She then picked up something else- something she hadn't been wearing this entire time. "Is it okay for me to wear this when I'm not a Genin...?" He recognized the object in her hands as a headband from the Hidden Sand. It seemed like she already answered for herself as she put it to the side, on her bed.
"I'm not worthy yet. The Kazekage wants me to marry Kankuro, and..." She let out a deep, sad sigh, her eyes staring at the ground. "I hurt Gaara. A lot. I'm sorry that I wasn't there when he became Shukaku. I'm sorry I couldn't make it in time. Even if the Kazekage wants me to walk away and have a steady life, I can't! I have to... have to make it up to Gaara!" The look on her face was one of determination, her eyes shining. She rushed out of the room, past Kankuro, who grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry, Rena. I should have knocked first."
She stopped, giving him one of her very forgiving smiles. "It's okay, Kankuro, it was a genuine mistake. I swear I locked the door, but I should be more careful next time, too."
As she moved to keep going, Kankuro made his grip firmer. "Um, Rena. If you want... there's a really pretty place in the Hidden Leaf we can go." He had spent all night setting up the picnic and had specifically told Temari NOT to interfere. As far as the takeout everyone was eating in the other room, it didn't exist!
"Ah... now? I'm sorry, I have to go do something with someone..."
"Who?" Who could be wanting to do something with Rena at this hour other than him?! Was it some random suitor!? She couldn't fall in love with some schmuck from the Leaf, she belonged to the Hidden Sand! To him!
"I'll tell you later, okay, Kankuro? I'm already late!"
He watched her walk off, but he was livid. Even if he had to invade her privacy, there had to be a clue to the identity of her mystery suitor. He crept into her room, looking around, only to see the closet door slide open. His jaw dropped and he and Gaara just stared at one another wordlessly. His brother picked up an object that had been on the bed, shoving it into his pocket before turning to sand in front of his very eyes, floating out of the window.