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A/N: This fic is for thatreevesgirl's GaaraNaru Contest.

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of its respective owners. I do not own it, nor do I make any money off of writing fanfiction. Thank you.

Chapter One: Damsel in Distress

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Her movements were fluid and seductive as she sat between the two sleazy looking men. The larger, more muscular man sat to her right; his arm was possessively slung over the back of her chair. The younger, more handsome of the two sat on her left, her own arms wrapped around his right. He was the more social of the two, chatting up the table; pausing every once in a while to run a hand over her flawless, pale skin. He was the target.

Naruto couldn't help but be amazed at how Temari handled herself. He was surprised, to say the least, to even find her in the this sleazy bar in the middle of one of Fire Country's largest cities. But she was there, flirting with his target--obviously on a mission of her own.

Glancing around the area, he found an empty seat at the bar between a scroungie looking brunette and plastered old man. He took the place, happy that it gave him a good vantage point of Temari and his target. She was one of his closest friend's girlfriends and while it may mean compromising part of his mission, he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Naruto had little doubt in his abilities to kill the man outright, if need be.

Sitting down, the blond looked down the bar to find the bartender. He was flirting with a couple of female patrons; their own revealing outfits keeping him distracted. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Can I buy you a drink," a gruff voice asked next to him, the brunette.

Glancing out of the corner of his eyes, he took in the man only quickly. "Nah--"

"No," the man said. "I insist."

Naruto turned, looking at the other man more fully. He almost laughed when he recognized who he sat next to. It was unusual, to say the least, to find Kankuro without his customary hat and makeup, but nonetheless, Suna's puppet master sat right next to him as if he was any other man.

"Alright," the blond agreed.

Kankuro nodded. "Oi, barkeep," he yelled.

The man looked up from where he was staring down the women's dresses. He spotted the two men and reluctantly made his way down to take their orders. He kept sending glances down at the women, as they followed his every move.

"Top me off," Kankuro said. "And get my friend here--"

"Just whatever he is having."

The bartender nodded and quickly placed the orders. Seeing nothing else, he returned to his female customers.

"So what's your name, mister?" the blond asked.

Both were on a mission and it wouldn't do for their cover to blown. Kankuro lifted his own drink to his lips, a sly smile over his lips "I am Ningyoutsukai," he said. "But you may call me Tsukai."

"Nice to meet you, Tsukai. I'm Benkei."

Kankuro snorted into his glass. "Nice to meet you, /Benkei/."

"And you--thanks for the drink too."

"Not a problem."

Naruto took a sip of his drink. It was bitter and burned as it flowed down his throat. The first taste he winced as it flooded his taste buds. The second was much better, his entire mouth already being numb from the first swig. "You drink this shit?"

Kankuro laughed. "Yup, it's a real man's drink. You can get something more mild, if you're too much of a pussy."

The blond growled, slamming down his drink on the bar. The bartender looked up from down the bar. He measured the two patrons up, trying to gauge if they were about to bust out into a fight. Deciding they were safe, he went back to flirting.

"Excuse me?" Naruto said. "Did you just call me a pussy?"

"I believe I did."

"I'm going to kill you Kank--"

A man walked between the two of them, leaning against the bar. He signaled the barkeep. He came and took the man's order.

Naruto looked at the dark brunette. His face was slightly tanned, though it looked to be fake as there were discrepancies in the shading on his neck, and a thin line of foundation on his shirt collar. His eyes were a piercing hazel and his brows were drawn in.

The blond's eyes widened. He brought his drink up to his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Shut the fuck up," the man said, though if he was talking to them both for the earlier argument or to Naruto for laughing, neither were sure.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto guffawed.

A heated argument over at the other table stopped any further discussion. All three men looked cautiously over at the table where Temari was sitting. The man she was earlier wrapped around was now yelling at another man at the table. The muscular man on the other side of Temari had straightened up and was looking dangerously at the offending man.

Naruto put down his drink, ready to take the opportunity of a bar fight, if it should arise, to take out his target. A hand grasping onto the fabric on his thigh startled him. "The man she hangs onto," the new man said. "Is our target, do not get in the way."

"Mine too," he replied back.

The man nodded. "She will handle it."

Naruto didn't reply, just watching the blonde beauty as she was pushed away as the targeted man stood. She stood with him, slightly behind and holding onto his dress shirt, looking every bit the frightened damsel. The man he was fighting with stood, along with several of his allies. It was odd, to say the least, to see such a normally strong, dominant, and independent woman--/shinobi/--cowering behind a man for protection from some C-rate criminals.

The bartender had stopped flirting to yell at the arguing group. A bar fight could shut him down. They ignored him; and as the first man broke his glass bottle, Naruto watched as Temari, with all the practiced grace and skill of a shinobi her caliber, pulled out a kunai from somewhere within her outfit.

Two men jumped over the table, another overturned it, and a third came straight at the target. The muscled man fought off two of them at once. It was as the one who attacked directly came closer that Temari made her move; she smoothly inserted the weapon into the target's back. He fell forward into the arms of attacker, who in his anger, didn't realize his opponent had already been lethally wounded. He put four more stab wounds into the body, hiding Temari's attack effectively.

Still playing her character, Temari screamed, her kunai already hidden somewhere else. The bar, already avidly watching the fight; watched wide eyes as the dead man hit the floor with a sickening crunch. The muscled man dropped the man he was pummeling to attack the other who seemed to be the murderer.

Meanwhile, the real murderer snuck out in the confusion with her allies, as most of the other patrons of the sleazy joint fled from the scene of the crime.

-----

"Who would have thought we'd come across you here, kiddo?"

Naruto grinned at the woman as she stripped down out of her dress behind a cheap screen. The three siblings had been renting a rundown apartment as they graced themselves in the gang that held their target. A metal washtub, only big enough to sit in it with legs held close to the chest, behind the screen had warm water poured into it so that she could wash off before they headed out.

"I guess whoever was out for this guy wanted to make sure he was dead," he replied.

Gaara snorted. In the corner was hand basin on a stand. He furiously scrubbed at his face trying to get all the makeup off. His red hair had already been revealed as the brown wig was discarded almost immediately. The hazel contacts had been taken off too.

Kankuro sat happily in the corner, sipping on a bottle of water, fine without his hat or makeup. Naruto half wondered if he was trying to sober himself, or at least keep a hangover at bay, by drinking so much water.

"So what are you plans now, kiddo?" Temari asked.

The sound of water echoed in the small room, indicating she was bathing.

"Go home, I guess. You've already accomplished what I was sent for. No reason to stay around."

"I'm sure your Hokage will be just thrilled to know you didn't finish your mission," Kankuro said.

"Can't be helped," Naruto said with a shrug.

"So when are you going to come and visit us in Suna?" she said.

"Are you saying you'd actually want me to come visit?"

Temari snorted. "No, I just asked for no reason."

"I didn't think you could put up with me for that long."

The other two men laughed in amusement. Gaara's quiet laughter was muffled in the towel he was using to dry off his face.

"Kiddo, don't I come and visit you every time I'm in Konoha? I can put up with you plenty long enough; and if by chance you did start to annoy me, I'd just throw you out."

Naruto laughed, knowing all of that to be true. He had missed the signals once, while dining with Shikamaru and Temari: the gentle touches to the arm, hushed tones and lowered lids. When he hadn't excused himself from their apartment after several minutes of their flirting, Temari had gotten up and literally dragged him out of the apartment.

"I'll see if I can't talk Obaa-chan into letting me take a short vacation. Though we've been busy as of late, so it may not be possible."

"The Hokage spoils you," Gaara said.

Kankuro agreed; they were both sure, if Naruto asked, she would allow him to leave for a short period of time.

"Spoils me?" Naruto said in a huff. "More like she tortures me. Just last week she made me babysit a different genin team each day on all their stupid D-missions."

"What did you do to deserve that?"

"Nothing!"

Kankuro shot him a disbelieving look. Naruto flicked him off, turning to see if he couldn't find some support from Gaara. The redhead was currently changing in the corner. He had stripped down from the musty old clothes he had been wearing, already having thrown those into a corner to be burned later. He had just finished slipping into his black pants. They hung low on his hips, sliding down when he bent down to fasten on the leather ties around his legs.

Coughing to cover his attentive stare, he turned back to the screen. He watched the shadow of Temari as she stood in the metal tub and and reached for her towel. "So," she said. "What did you do?"

"Oh," he coughed again, to clear his throat. "Um, nothing really. I thought one of my former sensei's needed to lighten up, so I slipped in pictures from the new Icha Icha Paradise book into a bunch of the mission scrolls; he works in the mission office while the academy isn't in session."

Both men stopped to stare at him. Temari came out from behind the screen, her towel wrapped around her body. "How did you get them into the mission scrolls?"

"I'm a ninja," he said. "How do you think?"

All three siblings glanced at each other before looking at him. Either Konoha's security was too lax or the prankster in front of them was a lot more powerful than most gave him credit for--even them.

"What?" he said, blinking bright blue eyes in confusion.

Temari shook her head, going back behind the screen to change again. "Nothing, kiddo. Just amazed."

"At my skills?"

"No," she said, not wanting to give him a big head. "At the fact that you got away with only genin babysitting after pulling of a prank that broke all sorts of village security, and I assume laws too. Anyone else would have been seen as a traitor and locked up, if not killed."

"For some pictures? I doubt it."

Temari sighed. It was no use arguing with him.

"I repeat myself," Gaara said. "Hokage spoils him too much."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the other teen. Gaara ignored him for putting on the last of his outfit, a half-vest breastplate. His sand gourd was already forming itself in the corner.

-----

The four ninjas snuck out of the city soon after everyone was dressed. The apartment had been removed of any hint that the sand siblings had lived there and all the stuff used on the mission was incinerated.

Heading down a path that would eventually bring them to a fork, the four nins casually walked towards their respective villages. They didn't feel a threat, as thoroughly as they had covered their tracks. Kankuro was back to his usual outfit, the purple lines staining his face and the eared hat covering his shaggy hair.

"Glad to be going home?" Naruto asked.

The two blonds were the only ones really making conversation. Kankuro continued to sip on his water, grunting if asked a question. Gaara remained quiet, though he walked closely to Naruto's left. Temari walked on the other side of the Konoha ninja and Kankuro was several steps behind them.

"You can't even imagine. I hate it when they make me play the 'damsel in distress' role."

Naruto laughed. Sure, Temari was probably one of the most capable female ninja he had ever met (and one of the strongest ninja, no gender barring), so there was no doubt she could accomplish a mission; but putting her in such a role was really just /wrong/.

"At least the job was accomplished. Any plans now?"

Temari shook her head. "I plan on soaking in a hot tub for days after this mission. I feel like my skin has a permanent coat of oil on it. Those people are so disgusting."

"And then will I be seeing you in Konoha?"

The older blonde smirked and winked at him. Their mission had been an extended one and neither she nor Shikamaru had seen each other for quite some time. Naruto laughed in return. "I should rephrase that," he said. "Will you be coming to Konoha after that, since I doubt anyone will see you except Shikamaru and whatever little creatures he has in his apartment for lack of cleaning."

Temari groaned. Shikamaru's laziness seemed to be getting only worse with age; or rather, it was just becoming more apparent when he moved out on his own and his mother was no longer there to clean up after him.

Kankuro snorted into his water. "She'll be in Konoha for days just washing his clothes," he said.

She looked back, flicking him off, before turning to look down the path. The dirt road was haggard and small; the three walking side-by-side just barely fitting on it. It wasn't used a lot, most people didn't have a reason to come this way. The road eventually forked between a large road going to Suna and another to Konoha. However, seeing as the road was uncovered, it left a person a bit vulnerable and most ninjas kept to the trees and the relative safety it provided.

"What about you kiddo? What are your plans when you get back?"

Naruto shrugged. He looked around the area before returning his to the road. "I'll probably just pick up a couple of other missions, since I doubt I'll be getting paid of this mission. Cash has been a bit low lately."

"How? Ramen doesn't cost that much," Kankuro commented.

They all laughed, including Naruto. He didn't answer, however. "And how is that girl you were crushing on? What was her name?"

"Ana--"

"Yeah, her. How is she? Any luck?"

The blond was unusually quiet. "Naruto?" Temari said.

He looked over to her and smiled. All three siblings, being now long-time friends with the blond, noticed how forced the action was. Gaara slowly began to walk closer to the blond, his own way to show support to his friend, his first friend. Naruto looked over, his smile fading to something much smaller, and yet more sincere. Their hands brushed against he each other, just the slightest of touch--a comforting contact that both boys seem to need.

He answered in a tone quieter than usual. It made the siblings worry even more. "No luck, I'm afraid. I'm," he paused, thinking over his words carefully before continuing. "I'm not the type of guy she's looking for."

They understood. The animosity Konoha had for Naruto was not foreign nor unnoticed by the three Suna nins. Gaara had gone through something similar, though usually tainted with more fear than hatred. The undeserved emotions of the elder generations were still filtering down to the younger; and while some had accepted him, still a large majority did the best they could to ostracize and isolate the blond.

"Eh," Kankuro said. "Who needs the bitch?"

Temari agreed. "I was never impressed with her. She wasn't that pretty, her teeth were this weird shade, as if she had tried to bleech it too many times; and her personality was sub par. And don't get me started on her intelligence. You can do better, and you deserve better."

Naruto smiled at the attempts to cheer him up. In truth, this was the fifth girl to turn him down within the past year. They all had similar responses to his attempts to ask them out: 'families would disapprove,' 'too obnoxious,' or just 'didn't want to be seen with him, much less date him.' The last bit was what Ana had said. It had stung.

Another fleeting touch over his hand let the blond know that Gaara was still very much in tune with his emotions--an unique ability of the redhead. Blue eyes met green as Naruto looked over to his friend. Neither of them had drifted off too far from each other.

Just within sight range the fork that led to the two different villages lay. It wasn't the most direct way to Suna but it was probably one of the safest given their mission.

"So you'll be coming to Konoha soon, Temari?"

She nodded, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "Don't forget," Kankuro added. "To ask for permission to come visit us sometime."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Of course, it's only natural for you to miss me."

The puppet nin snorted, looking away when his brother grabbed hold of Naruto's jacket sleeve at the wrist. Gaara's attention to Naruto had always been odd. There was a desire for contact, small touches here and there, that both boys had been denied growing up and both gladly gave and received now. Kankuro suspected, however, that things may run a bit deeper for his brother, than it did Naruto; and that worried him. Rejection didn't sit well with Gaara; but then again, it could be that he didn't know what he was feeling anyway. Kankuro made a mental note to have a discussion with Temari. Someone would have to give him "the talk" and given that he was nearing eighteen, it was about five years overdue.

Naruto jogged off ahead of them, turning backwards once he reached the fork to wave goodbye. Temari waved back, a smile on her face. Kankuro lifted an arm as a means of saying goodbye; Gaara just watched as his friend disappeared from sight.

"So what now?" Kankuro asked.

"I don't know about you guys?" Temari said. "But I'm really ready to get home."

The other two echoed her desire with grunts. Temari rolled her eyes. Not for the first time she silently wished she had sisters. They weren't nearly as...disgusting as boys. Without another word to each other, the three sand siblings took off down the road, taking the left fork opposed to the right which their blond friend had gone down moments earlier. Suna was waiting for them and they were desperately happy to hear its call.

----

Temari walked down the road towards Konoha truly feeling that she deserved her two weeks vacation. The Kazekage obviously felt the same, once he read the report...and saw her two very menacing looking brothers demanding a vacation for their sister. She took it back, it was nice having brothers, disgusting or not.

She had sent a message ahead to Naruto and Shikamaru to be expecting her. Normally she wouldn't seek out the blond man until after she had some time with her boyfriend, but she couldn't help feel sorry for him. He was an artist at hiding behind all of his walls, but the loneliness that still haunted Gaara obviously still haunted Naruto too. She worried for him, just as she worried for her brother.

"What idiots," she murmured to herself.

For the past mile of her trip, right after she had just passed the fork that split the road to Konoha and Suna, she felt the presence of several people following her. Men, she deduced from their foot fall; two following her behind the trees on her right, another on her left, and a couple in the trees. The ones in the trees seemed to be ninjas--rouge, as their chakra levels seemed to be pretty untrained.

Sighing she finally stopped, sick of the cat and mouse game. "I know you're all there, might as well come out."

There was a murmur to her right before the two men stepped out. Then the one on the left stepped out too. The men in the trees stayed there. /Definitely hired help/, she thought.

While she didn't recognize any of these men personally, she certainly knew why they were there. Around each of their right arms was a single red band, professing they were part of the gang of whose leader she had just assassinated. "Just my luck," she groaned.

With a single movement of her body, she twirled around in a complete circle. She assessed the area for further surprises in that moment, as well as took her fan from her back. She now held her weapon in front of her, her eyes narrowed, and looking everything the dangerous beauty she was.

"So, what can I do for you boys?"

"You can die, bitch," the man on the left growled.

His teeth were rotten and as he spoke spittle flew from his mouth.

"Well I apologize, but I simply refuse to do that. Is there anything else? Or can I continue on my way?"

The men on her right laughed. "Like hell we're letting you go after you killed the boss."

"Me? Kill your boss? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," said one of the men in the trees.

Temari looked to her left where the voice came from. "Are you two going to show yourselves or just stay hidden up there? It's not very polite, you know?"

Both hidden men laughed. "Well then, we'll have to apologize for our rudeness, Temari-chan."

She started at her name, unaware of how they could have figured it out. She threw open her fan and crouched down ready for an attack. The hidden men laughed at her again. "Do not worry," the same man from before said. "We won't kill you, just give a warning."

"Like hell you'll even touch me," she growled, not liking how they were underestimating her. Hell they could barely seem to be able to hold their chakra with enough control to stay in the trees.

It hit her then. They weren't having trouble staying in the trees. They were deliberately trying to seem weak. Growling, Temari attacked the men on the ground with enough force to kill. They had only bee distractions, she was sure of it. Once the wind attack was released, she turned and started as fast as she could towards Konoha. It was quicker going through the trees and she soon took to the branches opposite side of the road that the other men were. She found out quickly how much she had underestimated their abilities as a blow from across the path hit her hard.

She flew off the branch and hit a tree. Sliding down, she took off once again the second her feet touched the ground. One of the men crossed the path to follow her more directly. Various weapons were thrown at her, but never came close. They were playing with her, guiding her as she avoided the weapons, towards the other.

Closing her eyes for a brief second, she realized her only option was to stand and fight. She was never a coward, nor was she weak. If she was going to be in a battle, she as going to do so on her own terms.

Hitting the next branch, Temari rotated her foot so she could spring off in an opposite direction. It took her attackers by surprise, though they followed her anyway; however, it gave her enough time to start her preparations. She bit her thumb, drawing blood, and prepared for her next attack.

-----

TBC

Sorry, I'm not very good at doing action scenes. Hope I didn't mess it up too much. That's it for now, the next chapter should be forthcoming within the next couple weeks (hopefully next week, if everything goes as planned.)

Reviews are Love!