Unrivaled celebrations erupted the day Temari's engagement was announced.. it was a pity the sand elders did not reflect their people's happiness. Konoha had always been a formidable rival and losing the bloodline of the fourth kazekage, Lord Rasa...
"Hey.. Hey!" My eyes opened only to squint at the sudden burst of sunlight. "Oh good, you're finally awake." Awake? I must've fallen asleep. I glanced around - the storm had passed... and.. the desert?! I bolted upright, taking in our surroundings. "You must have used up all your chakra and passed out, so I thought you could use the recovery time." My eyes slowly panned the open plains back to the man kneeling before me. He had.. carried me here? Wow he's close.. and staring straight at me! I could already feel the blood travelling to my cheeks. I tilted my head, breaking our stalemate. "We should get going." He nodded in agreement, standing upright before offering me a hand up. I must have been staring at it for too long because blue strings forced my body off the ground. His chakra lingered for a few seconds longer than necessary.. almost as if he was deciding what to do. The old Kankuro would have pulled me to him.. but things were different now. I walked past him, taking the lead to hide the tears that had started to blur my vision.
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My pace slowed as the trees thinned, the sound of gushing water echoing in the distance. We were almost there. I reached into my pocket, ensuring the scroll was still safely tucked away. It wasn't long before the echoing water was visible. I could see why it was called the land of waterfalls.. several of them cascaded from the rocky terrain before us, pooling into a single lake at the bottom. Its crystal clear waters looked more than inviting. Kankuro's arm stretched out before me, pointing out the distant village nestled between the cliffs and water. It was a good vantage point for detecting intruders and barely visible amongst the surroundings.. necessary defences given it wasn't a village known for its shinobi.
