50 Reasons Why

Chapter Twenty-Three

Hokage Godaime,

I am pleased to inform you that your team has left and are on their way back to the leaf village. There should be no trouble on their return back and a team has been sent to watch them on their departure. Again, I am truly sorry for the events that occured that has caused injuries to the team members. We are, however, in yur debt for the work they have done to help us here. If there is anything else I can do, please let

"Gaara." A voice called breaking my concentration from the letter.

"I made it clear for people to knock before entering." I replied without even bothering to look up. My hand clentched around the pen and I could hear slight cracking. I was very uneasy today.

"I've never knocked before, I'm not going to start now." He responded, his voice unchanged.

"What is it, Kankuro?" I sat up in my desk with a sigh while I blinked back the exhaustion from the hours of paperwork. "Shouldn't you be watching the leaf team off for their departure?"

"Why are you here?" He asked completely ignoring the question. His hands hung at his sides and he stared at me with a stern expression; that damn make-up covered expression. That purple make-up, I have suddenly never hated it more than today.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Gaara, why are you here?" He frowned but returned it to a straight grin.

"I have work to do. I am behind." I muttered while tilting my head to the direction of stacked papers.

"Like hell you are!" He commented. He ran a hand through his brown hair, resembling a habit we both have when under stress. "Matsuri told me she has seen you working here since five this morning! How long have you been in here, Gaara?"

"Since two." I muttered not finding the need to lie to him.

"Kami," he muttered under his breath. He looked towards the floor with irritation before looking back at me. "You haven't done stuff like this since you first became Kazekage. What happened, Gaara? Did you talk to her last night after I told you to?"

Last night. Who could forget last night? The night Ino said the three forbidden words that I was too afraid to believe or even comprehend.

"I did." I responded after a moment and he raised his eyebrows.

"Well? Tell me." He leaned on the desk, eyeing me carefully.

"Kankuro... anything that happened. It's over." I responded turning my attention back to the unfinished letter in my hands. My hair stuck to my neck instead of brushing over it like usual.

"What do you mean 'it's over'? What the hell happened, Gaara?" He asked enraged. He pounded the desk slightly.

"I'm the Kazekage of Suna, Kankuro; she is a leaf kunoichi of Konoha. It was not bound to work." I pointed out the obvious trying to leave the topic. I furrowed my brow as I felt my robes sticking to my flesh. Kami, am I sweating?

"So you're saying Temari and Shikamaru can never work it out, right? Because she is an advisor from Suna, and Shikamaru is a leaf shinobi. Do I understand clearly?" He asked with sarcasm lacing his voice like venom. I stared at my handwriting on the letter. Underneath it, was the paper containing forty-nine reasons of fifty. He had a point. A point I didn't want to make clear.