Hello fans new and old, I'm elated to be giving this another go after a ten year hiatus. I've completely wiped this story, but it still has a lot of the same plot.

This takes place a couple months after the Gaara Hiden Light Novel, and three years after Chaos, thus leaving the Senshi and Gaara roughly around 23/24.

My goal is to sew these worlds together in a seamless fashion, it's my favorite part of writing crossovers. I'm incredibly proud of this chapter to be my first step back into writing, I hope you all enjoy it as well.

Desert Rose

Chapter One: Misunderstandings

"Wait... What?" Usagi whispered, tenderly holding her stomach while her eyes studied Setsuna's in concern.

Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, she had gathered all of her Senshi at Hikawa Shrine to announce alongside Mamoru that they were with child. It marked the true beginning of Crystal Tokyo. After the defeat of Chaos, Japan had taken notice more than ever of Sailor Moon, and politically began redirecting authority to her and the Senshi. The citizens now relied on the Senshi to protect Tokyo and its future in more ways than it ever had. But to leave Tokyo now, she wasn't sure if she could do that.

"It would only be until Chibiusa is born. But it is for the safety of you all. I know it will be a difficult situation for you to conform to considering this is also a major adjustment for your body as well, but please you must understand, we are not safe here." Setsuna pleaded, eyes scanning across the room at all nine women.

"But, I don't understand. Nothing has happened; our world is at peace." Mamoru proposed, gingerly putting his arm around Usagi, sensing her ever-growing fear.

"I was instructed during the Silver Millennium, that when Usagi is with child, you are all to be moved to a different location until the child is born. As soon as Chibiusa is born, we can all come right back home, and all will be well." Setsuna spoke, walking closer to her queen, sweetly grabbing her hand.

"Please, my queen, we must leave soon." She pleaded gently to Usagi, the blue eyes of the soon-to-be mother welling with tears.

"And go where?" Haruka spat haughtily, enraged that the woman would keep something like this for so long without telling any of them, let alone Usagi so that she at least could prepare.

"And what about our families? What about my shrine, and our jobs? We just leave those?" Rei added, fidgeting anxiously in her seated position at the floor table.

Setsuna let go of Usagi's hand, turning her attention to the rest of her comrades.

"There is a continent within our world, hidden from the outside," She walked closer to each of the girls, her voice strong and unwavering.

"They are called the Elemental Nations. Long ago, during the height of the Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity made a pact with the leaders of the nations that each of us would have a refuge when Usagi would become pregnant, or if need be, in other times of necessity. Now is one of those times. For the time being, our world will no longer remember any of you, it is what must be done." She paused, knowing this was only causing them more concern.

"But I promise you, you will all be safe, and so will your loved ones. As soon as you return, so will their memories. It will be like no time has passed at all." She smiled gently. She was trying to assuage their fears and apprehensions as best as she could, given the position that she was in.

"So you're saying that there is an entire continent on our planet that is unable to be detected by the rest of the world?" Ami asked in disbelief to the green-haired woman.

Before Setsuna could answer, Haruka slammed her fist onto the table and stood up.

"You're still not telling us why this is happening! What are we running from!? Why do we have to put Usagi through this?!" Michiru grabbed Haruka's clenched fist, gently pulling her to sit back down, trying to calm her lover.

"Haruka-papa…" Hotaru whispered, reassuringly putting her other hand on top of Haruka's when she was once again seated between her and Michiru.

"I cannot tell you. I have a duty, just like the rest of you, and a part of my duty is to fulfill this for all of our futures to follow the timeline that they should… To keep all of us safe, and to ensure the proper rise of Crystal Tokyo. Every timeline before this goes through this process, and each time the proper Crystal Tokyo then takes place." The room was left with a palpable silence that clung to the air as Setsuna finished.

"Well," Minako started, standing up and stretching her arms above her head, "I suppose we could try to look at this as a nine-month vacation then, right?" She smirked, walking over towards Usagi, trying to do her best to lighten the mood and cheer her comrades up.

"Just think of all the new food you can try!" She exclaimed, grabbing both of Usagi's hands, her blue eyes beaming into her queen's.

"I do really like food…" Usagi peeped, wiping away what was left of her tears, a minuscule smile gracing her lips.

Setsuna gave a sigh of relief, mentally thanking the Senshi of Love for running interference and adding some comic relief to the situation, she wouldn't expect any less from the leader of the Inner Senshi.

"We must all leave tomorrow morning. Go home and get some rest, and pack only clothing essentials you think you will need, we will be able to get any other supplies when we get there. Let's all meet here tomorrow at dawn." Setsuna finished, finally relaxed enough to sit back down at her place at the table, taking a sip of her now cold green tea.

Makoto sighed, allowing herself to lay flat on the floor from her sitting position, arms folded behind her head leisurely.

"Well…this will be interesting. I suppose I can't complain about a nine-month vacation free of danger with the girls." She mused in her thoughts somewhat gleefully, thinking about all the things she now needed to pack and hoping that Luna and Artemis could take care of her house plants.

Gaara looked up from the paper that he held within his grasp and sighed gently through his nose. Trade negotiations with Kumogakure were becoming a daily docket on his desk. Suna knew they could rely upon Konoha for things that would become too pricey from the land of lightning, but preferred to try and work as harmoniously as possible with all the other allied nations. Peace was so important to Gaara for the happiness of his people considering all the turmoil that they had endured.

He stood, adjusting his robes and grabbing his gourd, effortlessly slinging it over his shoulder while making his way for the door. Just as he set foot outside of his office into the arid Sunagakure sun, he nearly walked into his older sister.

"Where are you off to? I was just coming to see if you wanted to get lunch and discuss the upcoming council meeting." His sister chided lightly, watching her sibling as he leisurely strolled passed her side.

"I'm going to take a look at the outskirts of the city." He tossed over his shoulder, and with a soft wave of his hand he whirled himself off within his sand.

She smirked knowing that was code for needing a break from the diplomatic issues. She couldn't blame him, a lot was going on in light of the recent years; peace wasn't as easy to maintain as one might think.

Just as she watched the last traces of his whirlwind of sand reach over the city walls, she spied a messenger hawk circling its way down from the sky towards her. She outstretched her arm for it to land, making quick work getting the rolled note off of its leg.

Her eyes swiftly darted across the lines, expression changing from confused to intrigue.

"Well… That might help things." She smirked to herself.

Just as she turned to follow after Gaara to inform him of the letter, one of the Council Elders burst through the Kage Tower door; his breathing was labored, leaving Temari easily able to deduce that he had run all the way down the stairs.

"Temari-san, where is Kazekage-sama?! I have an urgent message for him from Konoha!"

"Dammit!" Makoto cursed, stopping one more time to catch her breath and wipe the ever-flowing trails of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"I don't know what do." She whined softly to herself, flipping her communicator open to once again be greeted with static.

Roughly an hour before this moment in time, Makoto had landed in the middle of a desert after they had teleported from Hikawa Shrine. While she knew she was supposed to be alone, this did not at all seem like the place Setsuna had informed her she would be going.

"There's no way this is the right place," She whispered, scrunching up her eyes, trying to peer as far in the distance around her as possible.

"She told me to dress for damp climate… Kumokagure, Raikage. Kumogakure, Raikage." She repeated quietly to herself as a reminder of where she was to go, all the while taking notice of how her once loose t-shirt was now clinging uncomfortably to her damp skin.

"I wonder if it had to do with my hand slipping from Haruka's for that split second…" Makoto murmured through arduous steps whilst removing her t-shirt and readjusting the tank-top that she had been wearing underneath, her mind retracing the memory from the mere hours before.

Makoto, along with the other Senshi, were all a little disheartened to learn there was yet another catch to this pact. Each Senshi would be sent to a corresponding nation that was attuned to the element that was most related to their powers. They learned that each of these places had shinobi, and in those nations, the shinobi had elemental powers that they excelled with the most. Meaning that only a few of the girls would be sent to the same villages, the others were on their own as soon as they reached their destination.

Setsuna had contacted one of the main villages that would be hosting the girls, informing them of their arrival. They had assured her all the villages would be happy to oblige an age-old rite that would only happen once in a lifetime.

Once each Senshi was informed of where they would be going and which Kage they would be meeting with, they transformed and readied themselves to teleport. As Sailor Jupiter was next to Uranus, and mid-teleportation her pack began to slide down her shoulder. Without letting go of Uranus' hand, she wiggled her shoulder to try and get the strap higher up, and for a small moment, she thought perhaps she ever so slightly let go of Uranus' hand. After that, she found herself landing hard in the desert, immediately returning to her civilian form before she even reached the ground.

She opened her eyes from reliving how she had arrived at this point and grumbled audibly to herself, knowing it just had to be her fault that she was here.

"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!" Makoto shouted, throwing her hand into the air forcing all the power within herself that she could to transform.

Nothing happened, just like the first time she tried after landing.

"This doesn't make sense!" She shouted, tossing her hension rod back into her pack.

"I feel like she would have warned us that our hension wouldn't work here! What am I supposed to do if I get attacked by one of these shinobi while getting somewhere safe!?" She shouted incredulously as she dug through her pack, thankful she had decided to bring a water bottle with her.

She took as little sips as possible, hoping to make the water last another day or two if needed. At the very least she was grateful she was somewhat confident in her survival skills, but that didn't dull the shards of worry growing in her chest at being stranded and unprepared in a desert. Stuffing the water bottle back into her pack and the nagging fear out of her thoughts, she tied the sleeve of the shirt around the strap of her bag as of means of letting it dry out while she would continue this journey.

"Not exactly desert attire, but it will have to do." She spoke evenly, again adjusting her tank top. A lengthy and exasperated sigh passed through her chapped lips as she tossed her pack over her shoulder, and chose to make her way towards the direction that the sun would set.

"Dammit, Setsuna, where am I supposed to go?!" The helpless Senshi cursed her friend, her feet sinking a few inches with each step, shoes annoyingly filling up with scorching sand around her ankles.

Gaara landed softly on the far outskirts of his village, the sun was still somewhat high in the sky, but his accustomed body did not notice the heat. His mind had become tangled with thoughts of trade negotiations, monetary issues from the Daimyo due to debt still needing to be repaid from the war, and how to keep the Elders from seeing any weakness from him.

During the previous two years after The Fourth Shinobi War, the council and Gaara's people had trusted him more than they ever had, but there were still some who made him feel as if they were waiting for him to fail at times and would overtime seize the crumbs of control. Essentially the Elders were the true diplomats of Suna. They were there to keep the Kazekage in check, and Gaara was the solitary figurehead for the people to look to. But that was no matter, protecting his people and keeping them happy was his top priority.

"I must move forward the best way that I can." He murmured to himself, controlling the grains of sand that were being heaved in the wind, stopping them from pelting him mercilessly.

Suddenly his body tensed, eyes snapping in the direction that he had just felt the strong flare of a chakra burst from.

He pursed his lips together, swirling his sand around himself, and blasted forward towards the direction of the signal. His mind raced through all of the papers that he had read and approved over the last few days, none of which were a request dealing with travel acceptances from other nations.

"This doesn't feel right." He thought in frustration, having never felt a chakra signal as strange as the one he was now hunting down.

Gracefully launching himself over a sand dune with precision, he spied the person he was searching for – it was a young woman. He momentarily paused, unsure of why she emitted not only a strange chakra, but there was something else that he couldn't seem to pinpoint. He watched her tie a shirt to her backpack and begin trudging inefficiently through the sand, partially stumbling with each step.

He made the quick observation from his distance that she did not look to be a shinobi. He quickly noted she donned poor fighting attire, he spied no visible weapons, and she also slightly lumbered through the sand which indicated poor training in all elements.

Just as he began to slightly relax, no longer viewing her as much of a threat as he had originally presumed, he heard her in the distance shout to herself about Suna. At that point he knew he couldn't leave this woman to happen upon his village and his people; not without knowing her intention and where she came from. He had to be sure there was no threat to those he was in charge of keeping safe.

The sand engulfed his body once more, and he aggressively made his way towards the perpetrator, he was the Kazekage and could not afford to risk any chances.

Her body shifted suddenly, instinctively sensing an attack, becoming aware of the sound of the screeching sand churning violently in the distance behind her. She flung her body around as gracefully as she could in the cumbersome sand, spying a massive sandstorm approaching her at an inhuman speed.

"Shit!" She cursed, as she lobbed her legs high in the air above the sand, trying to move as nimbly as she could. After putting enough distance between her and the storm's path she quickly looked back and saw that not only had the sandstorm redirected to her new location, but what looked like a human form was within the thrall of the tempest. She was now positive that this wasn't a simple act of nature, something or someone was in control of the sandstorm heading towards her.

She bounded away from the storm yet again, trying her best to take longer strides, but she found that running through the desert sand was akin to running through mud. She couldn't transform, she was alone, and there was no way she could keep trying to outrun this person. But she had to try.

"My only option left is to stand my ground, and pray that my hand-to-hand combat is superior." She thought, gritting her teeth together as she bounded through the sand, feeling her exhaustion hinder her usually precise movements.

"I have to try!" With that thought, she focused her mind intensely, hearing the sand get closer and closer to her.

As Gaara approached the woman, he could tell she was growing weaker by the minute as her pace had reduced to an unsteady lumber in front of him. As he closed the distance he was now certain that she had no weapon on her, though her body did have an athletic build with slight muscle definition to her frame.

He was a meager five feet from her back when suddenly she caught her foot too deeply in the sand and fell. She was down on her hands and knees, breathing heavily, back facing him; he took that moment to reprimand her as peacefully as he could.

"I order you to stop in the name-" Just as his feet touched the ground a couple paces from her, he was cut off by the girl rearing back on her hands. She put all of her weight on her palms and one leg, striking a kick backward at lightning speed, his sand rushing automatically to his protection.

With her backward lunge kick blocked, she rolled to the side and gracefully pulled herself up into a fighting stance, letting not one second be wasted as she began a barrage of attacks on him yet again.

Makoto couldn't believe that this man was able to manipulate sand, let alone manipulate it quickly enough to block her movements.

"This must be one of the shinobi." She spared a thought while launching punch after punch, jumping in and pulling back, creating distance before going back in and attacking fiercely once again. It was clear he was in control of the battle, he was blocking all of her moves with the sand alone, and had yet to attempt to fight back. His face was without any emotion, proving he was a seasoned fighter, making Makoto apprehensive as to what strength he had that lay in wait.

Her anger began to take hold, gritting her teeth she and launched herself viciously towards the man with an enraged shout, power now surging through every muscle.

"Why won't you fight back, you coward!?" Her fist slammed through part of the sand that had launched in front of him to protect his face. Through the cracks in the sand, she saw for a split second his eyes slightly widen in surprise. She launched herself back to create distance once again, but mid-jump her body was suddenly encased in sand.

"Aragh!" She screeched in agony, doing everything that she could to free herself from the tightened hold.

"Because there is no point." His voice was close to her now, his answer as sharp and even as his tone. While still struggling she finally dared to open her eyes, only to feel the grip of the sand tighten around her.

Her vehement emerald eyes bore daggers into his relaxed gaze.

"We'll see!" Makoto shouted, blasting all the energy that she had left through her body. Much to her elation, electricity sparked wildly from her form, threading through his sand and making contact with his body.

For just a moment Gaara's grasp on the woman loosened as he felt the surges of electricity go through himself. Damn him for being fooled again into thinking she had no power, if his sand wasn't such a poor conductor, her attack could've done a decent amount of damage to him.

He swung more of his sand back around her body, tightening it even more. He covered her eyes and mouth with clods of sand, assuming that she must have imbued chakra in her voice to call upon the lightning since she couldn't use of her hands to form seals.

Makoto felt her body become restrained and then slammed into the ground. Her muffled cry emanated from behind the sand clasped over her mouth, eyes still shielded from what would happen next.

"This is it. I'm not going to live through this." She cried in her thoughts, tears pricking the sides of her eyes. The thoughts of this life ending ripped at her panicked heart, emotions traveling through her like lightning. She had lost. She had let all of her Senshi down.

"I hereby charge you with treason and attempted murder against the Kazekage of Sunagakure." Gaara's words wafted calmly through the air, like sand being blown in the wind.

"What!?" She shouted in her thoughts.

"Does that mean… I just attacked one of the leaders that are supposed to protect us… What have I done?" Makoto allowed her body to go limp, unsure of what to do now. All she could hope was that she had a chance to explain herself, and pray she wouldn't be killed for this, or worse, that the Senshi would no longer be granted protection.

Gaara let out a sigh, staring down at the woman trapped within his sand, her expression now as vacant as her eyes. The old Gaara would have killed her as soon as she ran away from him, but that Gaara had ceased existing for quite some time now. Besides, he needed to find out just why this intriguing woman was searching for his village and who sent her to attack him.

As he watched her for a moment, he noticed her forehead had a glowing seal in the shape of a green four.

"Perhaps that is where she sealed her lightning power, much like Haruno Sakura's Rebirth seal." He mused in his mind, still surprised this woman had twice staggered him in combat.

He hastily grabbed her and her pack with his sand and made his way back to Suna, hoping to find Baki or his siblings; they were the only ones he could trust. Suna did not often have to take people prisoner in the reign of this Kazekage, and he preferred to not make a show of bringing in a body, causing the villagers to become alarmed. He had to take her to their home, the Kazekage's Tower wasn't safe as it was in the middle of town, and many of the council members would be in the building. For now, he had to keep this from the Elders and his people. He had to interrogate her before the Elders had their way and kept as much information as possible from him.

Gaara shot through the sky, keeping the girl's sand-encased body as close to his as possible to appear normal. He made sure to separate the sand she was in from his as to not get shocked once more. Just as he soared over the sidewall near the gates, he did not notice his sister down below having just made her way outside.

Before Temari could catch his attention, Gaara was gone in a flash, though not before she could spy a glimpse of a slightly human-shaped glob of sand next to him.

"Shit!" She yelled, quickly pulling out her fan and taking flight, speeding after her brother.

Gaara made swift work, stealthily reaching the shared home of his siblings without causing a panic. His feet touched down softly on to the balcony and he opened the doubled doors that led directly into his study, deeming it the best place to question the woman. She had made no sounds of defiance or effort to fight back since he had engulfed her within his sand

"Strange." He whispered, allowing his prisoner within the sand to float from outside the balcony into the center of the room as he made his way over to his desk, sitting down with a sigh.

"I am going to ask you only once, who are you and what business do you have with Suna? If you lie, I will not hesitate to kill you. I will do as I must to protect my people."

Makoto couldn't believe he was giving her a chance to speak. Thankfully during the small time she was trapped she had been going over just what it was she should say if given the chance. The sand around her mouth melted away slowly, allowing her to speak. She hoped her voice wouldn't fail her.

"My name is Kino Makoto, I am one of the Sailor Senshi who were sent from Tokyo to seek refuge amongst the Elemental Nations. Forgive me for attacking you, I am looking for the Raikage of Kumogakure."

Gaara had absolutely no clue what this woman was talking about, and none of it had to do with why he had heard her talking about Suna. He tightened his grip on the woman.

"I asked you what business you had with Suna. I overheard you speaking to yourself in the desert asking where Suna was. I told you not to lie." The Kazekage gritted through his teeth.

Makoto gasped at the pain, her eyes still shielded with his sand.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not even supposed to be here! Please! One of my comrades was the one who was supposed to seek protection within your village! You have to know what I'm talking about!" Makoto shouted, her lungs becoming restricted of oxygen as the sand snaked around her form tighter.

Just as Gaara stood up and began walking over to the woman, he felt his sister's presence enter the house.

"Gaara!" He heard her muffled shout from the distant front room, her rapid footsteps pounding as she ran through the house, making a beeline for his study. His eyes flicked to the 'Senshi' in his grasp, slightly concerned for his sisters' safety, unsure what this woman was truly capable of.

Before he could decide whether to keep his sister from the situation or not, she burst through the door in a flurry.

"Gaara- Oh my god! Is that her!?" Temari ran over to the woman in the grasp of sand. Behind the sand, Makoto turned her closed eyes toward the direction of the voice of the female who just entered the room.

"Temari, step away from her. She was in the middle of the desert looking for Suna and proceeded to attack me. She has the ability to use lightning, do not touch her." Gaara warned his sibling, before he could add anything else Temari shoved two scrolls into his hands.

"Read those. They were sent via messenger hawk to keep it as hushed as possible." She ordered as she walked closer to Makoto, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Remove the sand from her eyes," Temari demanded, and after what felt like minutes, to Makoto's surprise, he begrudgingly obeyed.

Makoto fiercely blinked the bits of sand out of her eyelashes, squinting up at a pair of eyes matching those of the man who had trapped her.

"What is your name?" The woman asked in a stern and even voice.

"Kino Makoto."

"…Gaara. You need to let her go right now." He had just finished quickly scanning the documents, one of which described the ancient pact of the Elemental Nations and the Sailor Guardians. It explained that they had once helped restore peace to the world a millennia ago alongside the Elemental Nations and that they were instituting the agreement as of today and would seek refuge. The second letter was from Hatake Kakashi, informing Gaara that there had been an unforeseen mix-up and that Suna's intended guest, Tenoh Haruka, would be replaced with Kino Makoto, who was presumed to be somewhere in or around Sunagakure, and to retrieve her at once.

Gaara was so ashamed of himself. He had put his country in jeopardy by doing what he had just done.

He gently brought Makoto to the ground, and as soon as her feet began to squish into the sand, making contact with the floor, the remaining sand dropped from her body like falling rain. She took in her first full breath in quite a few minutes, noticing that she had no sand remaining on her body, presumably thanks to his ability.

"Kino Makoto, on behalf of myself and my nation, please accept my sincerest apology." Gaara bowed his head to the woman, his sister following suit.

"Please, Kino-san, forgive my brother's misjudgment, the scrolls were delayed and we had no idea you would be coming until just an hour before."

Makoto flushed a deep red, realizing that two of the most prominent figureheads on this continent were bowing to none other than herself.

"Please, I accept your apology. Please, stop bowing." She requested in a small and awkward voice, throwing her hands up, her eyes scanning the two before her. The woman was beautiful and had a mature aura about her, truthfully reminding her of Haruka a bit, she was curious though what the giant fan on her back was for. Her eyes then locked with the Kazekage's, her once dissipating blush now creeping back to her cheeks.

She somehow had not noticed that in the heat of the battle he was in fact very handsome. His skin like chiseled porcelain, his hair which was slightly unruly was more red than it was brown, and his eyes a stunning sea glass green. The one thing she surprisingly noticed last, was the kanji of 'love' on his forehead.

She quickly averted her gaze, realizing they had locked eyes for far too long of an appropriate time.

"Please, have a seat." He spoke, his voice steady and calm, outwardly absent of any of the self-loathing emotion he currently felt towards his mistake.

Makoto, still with a slight blush gracing her cheeks, awkwardly took a seat in the dark leather chair at the desk, Gaara now seated directly across from her.

"I'll go make us some tea," Temari spoke softly, quietly taking her exit. She shut the door behind herself smoothly, leaning against it for a moment and letting out a long sigh of relief. After a few seconds, she pushed herself forward from the door and made her way down the steps towards the kitchen. She planned to prepare their guest a place to sleep and a change of clothing while she waited for the tea to boil and steep.

"I would like for you and your injuries to be evaluated by one of our top medic-nin." Gaara started, his eyes lingering on some of the gashes and bruises on the woman's exposed arms. He knew they were his fault.

Makoto covered her bare arms with her hands, embarrassed that she was now in more of a revealing shirt than she preferred for a conversation with the head of a nation.

"Please, I'm fine. I heal very quickly, I assure you." She spoke softly, looking anywhere but at his alluring eyes.

"Wow, this guy sure can make a turnaround when you're on his side." Makoto thought to herself, licking her dry lips and tasting the saltiness of her old sweat upon them.

"I'm sorry, but I insist. If you are in the care of myself and my people, it is important that I succeed at the mission I have been given." With his word final, he reached for his phone on his desk and dialed a number, waiting patiently for the other end to answer. He was thankful to have something to keep from having to watch her be too afraid to look him in the eyes.

"I am in need of one of our top medic-nins at my residence. I am fine, it is for a high priority guest." While he spoke on the phone Makoto let her eyes roam over her current surroundings, immediately taking note of the numerous cacti on the windowsill and the faint dry wood smell that the room emitted. It was oddly comforting to her given the situation.

Gaara thanked the person on the other end and gently placed the phone back into the receiver cradle.

"Is there anything that I can offer you right now, Kino-san?" Gaara's eyes finally met hers for the first time since she had broken through his sand with her electricity, he watched as she nodded her head gently.

"I would like to speak with one of my fellow Senshi, Meioh Setsuna. She is the person I was shouting for in the desert. Is there a way that can be arranged?" His eyes widened ever so slightly at the woman's name.

"Setsuna…. I mistook her for saying Suna. I could've have caused a war over this if I had harmed this woman any further." Gaara cursed himself in his thoughts once more.

"Of course. I can arrange for a private line to be provided so that you may contact her shortly. I will have to look over the paperwork to find out which village she is in, and speak with the Kage in charge." His eyes darted to Temari, who was now entering the room, a tray of tea in hand.

"In the meantime, I'll allow my sister to escort you to your quarters so that you may shower and change clothes before your medical examiner arrives. After your medical examination, I will have food prepared for you for dinner. Is there anything else I can get you before then?" Gaara asked, standing and taking the tray from his sister, and motioning for his guest to stand.

"No. No. This is too much already. Thank you, Kazekage-sama, I'm sorry for the trouble I have caused you and your village." Makoto bowed deeply, the long chestnut locks of her ponytail falling to the right side of her shoulder, embarrassingly she noticed a couple grains of sand fall from her hair. She was thankful that her hair hid her blush of humiliation.

"I must look and smell terrible for him to mention that!" She thought, slamming her eyes firmly shut. Gaara was uncomfortable with the amount of respect he was receiving that he felt he did not deserve after his grievous mistake. This woman in his eyes was essentially a high ranking diplomat from another continent, they were nearly on equal ground, and he had hurt her.

"Please, you do not need to call me Kazekage-sama. Gaara will do."

She looked up, eyes huge and almost scared as she was taken aback by his obvious respect for her position. "To think this is my first official interaction as a foreign diplomat. How embarrassing…"

"Then would you as well please just call me, Makoto? It's nice to meet you, Gaara-san." She beamed warmly, hoping she was able to cover the nervousness in her tone.

He noted that even though there were layers of dirt and streaks of dried sweat lines down her face he could see she had pleasant features, especially when she smiled. It softened his worry a little to see that she clearly held no ill will over the misunderstanding between the two of them.

"And you can also just call me Temari, Makoto-san. Come, let's go this way," Temari interrupted the pause of silence and ushered the woman towards the door, grabbing the tray of tea, "I'll bring this with us, it will restore your chakra and dehydration."

As the door closed behind them before Makoto could say a proper goodbye. Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away from the empty entrance. He knew he now had to go and do damage control with the Elders, Konoha, and he also had to keep the medics coming to treat Makoto from spreading rumors.

With those thoughts swirling in his mind he made his way to the Kazekage Tower; dealing with the Elder Council first would be best.

Thanks for reading, I hope to be updating this within the next few weeks!

As always constructive criticism and reviews are always welcome!

-Kat