Bamboo Hearts Firefly

And That Should Have Been The End Of...

And that should have been the end of her business with Kankurō of the Sand and his chronically single Kazekage brother. 

However, rumors spread fast in the matchmaking world. 

When word got out that the Kazekage was looking for a wife, and that should he not find one, the Kazekage's brother would be looking for one next--her shop door was near busting off its hinges with girls from every which clan and village, starry-eyed for an interview  and a chance to tie the knot with one of the Suna brothers. 

"I'm gonna need more copies,'" the matchmaker murmured, as she scanned the jittery and chatty line wrapping around outside her shop door. Absently handing over her last application to the 546th candidate today, a promising girl from the Land of Rain who wouldn't stop bragging that she was the obvious choice because she was the daimyō's niece's cousin's aunt's third best friend's dog-sitter. 

"What's so great about this Kazekage guy anyway?" the stunned matchmaker asked. 

"Have you been living under a rock?"

"The Kazekage is so quiet, and strong, and hot, and cool!" 

"And elite!"

"Really, is there anything hotter than a Jinchūriki in bed?"

And with the dust of that argument thus settled, the snowy-haired matchmaker blew gently on her scroll of record, drying the last ink character with the 5864th name of the Kazekage's potential bride. 

Staying up all night analyzing each candidate's profile for compatibility, before narrowing down her final three picks for the Kazekage's soul-match. 

Matsuri, shinobi of the HIdden Sand.

 Akari, granddaughter of the Sand elder, Ebizō.

Suigetsu Hōzuki, swordsman of the Hidden Mist.

And just as she lifted her brush again to make her ultimate decision on the match, a single honeybee buzzed in through her open shop window, stalling the matchmaker from making her selection. 

"Akirabachi-sama is asking for me?" the matchmaker furrowed her brow curiously, after the honeybee buzzed his message. 

It was rare when the Grand Matron Bee summoned her in the middle of her work, except to find occasional fault with the quality of a match. Her young student having a naively sentimental habit of prioritizing love over practicality in her matchmaking decisions. 

And with so many important village celebrities asking to be matched in the shop lately, she wondered if Akirabachi was getting inpatient with how much time it took her to match them all. 

But upon leaving her sandals outside the Great Queen Bee's honey hive for their tea ceremony, and taking her first sip of honeysuckle tea sweetly blended with sake, nothing could prepare the matchmaker for what came next. 

"Forgive me, Akirabachi-sama, the sake is very strong," she pardoned herself politely. "For a moment, it sounded as if you believed I'm a possible match with the Kazekage." 

Great Akirabachi's black and golden lion mane for a thorax heaved with laughter.

The matchmaker laughed too....Nervously. 

"I'm only disappointed that you haven't considered yourself for the match already," Akirabachi went on chirpily. "Of course, I endorse any daughter of the Kamizuru Clan. And being my most exceptional student, it is now up to me to correct this glaring oversight for the sake of your reputation as a matchmaker." 

"But this is so..." The young matchmaker began to protest.

Though catching that abrupt little twitch in Akirbachi's left antenna, she quickly decided it was in her best interests to replace her intended phrase 'utter banana slugs!' with-