Familiar Faces

Rin took her place at the back of the hall, in a single chair that rested near the door. Her kimono was tight, and her shoes were pinching, but that was fine. If anything, the small amounts of pain were enough to ground her to this moment.

She knew she failed this challenge, but there would be others.

Her eyes turned to the back of Kaba's head at the front of the room and by the way the woman's shoulders shook, the magnitude of what they shared and what Rin protected, was clear.

Perhaps she hadn't failed as much as she believed?

The rumblings of the crowd were like a swarm of locust, buzzing with confusion over her demonstration. They knew nothing of the Sound, beyond their involvement with attacking the Leaf and murdering the previous Kazekage.

Assassins, experiments, cruel mockeries of the human condition, but that was all and most of it was legend over fact anyway.

If her jutsu was all the Sound could do, why were they so feared to begin with? She must be hiding something more.

Rin's thoughts drifted to her village, where the people were just learning how to live on their own. Farmers mostly, some hunters and few merchants, but no one as dangerous as they believed.

Granted, there were some experiments designed with unique jutsu for Orochimaru's use, but nothing on a grand scale that would be any threat to the Sand.

For the most part, the people of her village were just confused and trying to find their way in life. They wanted to be left alone, not concocting plans to cause harm or devastation to anyone else.

They all knew suffering, why would they subject anyone else to it?

The buzzing room quieted to silence as the Kazekage stood from his seat and held his arms wide. "Lords and ladies, thank you for your attendance and consideration of this year's Cleansing. As we can all see, there are three strong contenders this year."

His eyes trailed over Mai and then Kumi, before searching for Rin. When they fell on her, she felt a swell of emotion rise. She wanted to run to him, bury her face in his shoulder and cling for dear life. She wanted all of this to disappear and for it to go back to just being the two of them, but she stilled.

Deep calming breaths, no major embarrassments tonight.

One of his hands came to cross over his chest and he bowed his head. "This opening night is now concluded. You are welcomed to stay and converse, but I will excuse myself to deliberate on what I've witnessed and heard so far. Please, enjoy your stay within our walls and do not hesitate to let us know how we can make your stay more comfortable. Thank you and goodnight."

The crowd responded in kind and kept their silence until the Kazekage and his siblings left the hall.

At the sound of the door closing, the room exploded into loud conversation.

Rin listened as the Oribe clan snuffed all other displays and praised Mai for her elegance and eloquence with the Kazekage:

"You presented yourself beautifully. There is no way either of those girls have a leg up on you."

"Did you see his face when he saw her smile? His eyes said everything."

"I don't know why those ruffians are cheering. They don't stand a chance."

Mai straightened up even taller, but Rin didn't miss how tight her shoulders were. There was something she was hiding from the others, but what could it be?

The Houki Clan's voice were louder than before, all arguing over the top of each other, as they cheered and debated about Kumi's demonstration:

"Five men! By herself! What a display!"

"This is what the Sand stands for. Strength, determination, prowess, you have them all Lady Kumi!"

"Those preened snobs will be forgotten by the end of the night. Did you see how the captain looked at you? It's clear Temari knows talent when she sees it and word has it, she is the person Lord Fifth listens to more than anyone else. We've got this in the bag!"

Kumi smiled her adorable grin at all the praise, but for some reason, it didn't seem to meet her eyes the way it had in the past.

Rin noticed she carefully folded up Gaara's handkerchief and slid it in the pocket, conveniently placed over her heart.

She felt the darkening in the atmosphere when conversation shifted her way and it was all Rin could do to keep from running out of the grand hall. She couldn't run, couldn't show any more weakness than she already had that night.

Even though she knew in her heart that no one noticed her anxiety or the way her hands clammed up, it was impossible not to comment on her lack of impressive ability compared to the other two.

She closed her eyes and waited for her breathing to calm. Be calm, be calm, breathe. Maybe if she stayed very still, they wouldn't notice her presence anymore?

Instead, her savior came in the form of a guard, who came to stand beside her, and a familiar voice grunted. "You know, you don't have to stay if you don't wish."

Her gaze trailed up to a face that filled her with smiles she didn't know he could. "Kazue."

He nodded, offering her an arm. "I've been sent to escort you back to your room. I know you would have preferred Ikki, but…"

"No," she said taking his strong arm, "I'm happy to see you. I could use some steady silence right now."

Without another word spoken, Rin rose from her chair and allowed Kazue to escort her out, but not before she glanced back over her shoulder.

Through the den of noise and chatter, the shouts and jeers and debates, she made eye contact with the other two women.

Mai, who's smile was stained-glass happiness, and Kumi, who stared at her like she was suddenly smaller than she ever felt.

Three women, all in love with the same man, and none of them willing to lose.

Rin gave a brief nod and allowed the door to close behind her without a word.

There was nothing more to be said.

~~~

Kazue stuck to his promised silence the entire walk back. He didn't have much to say most times anyway.

If anything, that was the best part of having his idiotic partner. He did all the talking so Kazue wouldn't have to say a word.

He spared a few glances down to his charge, who was uncommonly quiet.

It was unnerving to have her not chattering about or berating him for his behavior. It was even more so to notice that the pale hands, which were still clutching his arm, were trembling.

This wasn't like the Sound girl he met so long ago.

What would Ikki say? Probably get on him for not being compassionate or understanding enough. Maybe he should crack a joke? Something to make her smile. She did have a lovely smile, if he were honest with himself.

Kazue cleared his throat. "So, how did the first round go?"

She shrunk.

He grimaced. "Sorry."

His thoughts punished him in a loud voice. "You made it worse! This is why you don't talk! Everything you say is rough. She doesn't need rough. Why can't I do this right?"

When her bedroom door finally came into view, he stopped and said in a gruff voice. "We're here."

"So we are."

"All right then…"

To his surprise, the Sound girl rested her head on his shoulder, and he froze, his mind firing off alarms. What was the protocol? How did he handle this? What was he meant to do??

"It didn't go well." Was all she offered.

"No?"

"No."

He shifted from one foot to the other, careful not to jostle her in the process. "Well, you have a few more rounds, don't you? What are they again?"

She sighed, robotically reciting. "History, etiquette, debate and grace."

Kazue nodded. "Well, you've been studying non-stop, so you know our history fresh. I heard you put on quite the tea show, so that's etiquette. We both know you can handle yourself in a debate."

"We do?"

"Sure. How many times have you told me off and I couldn't reply?"

She laughed and it sent an electric wave through him. He was doing it! He was making a woman laugh.

Kazue placed a hand on the back of his neck. "And as far as grace, you can walk in those high shoes and tight kimono, so that's grace. You've got this down! So… don't worry about it."

The Sound girl looked up at him with a small smile.

Suddenly, she pulled his arm down and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Kazzy."

He blushed at the nickname and opened the door for her. "You're welcome. Goodnight."

She wafted into her bedroom. "Goodnight."

Though he wasn't sure why he did it, his right hand shot up in a sharp salute, surprising them both.

The Sound girl blinked her lovely eyes, waiting for an explanation.

Kazue's voice came out louder than he intended. "You'll do well. We… um… we're rooting for you… so… do good. Walk nice and all that."

And then she let out a sound that captivated him. A full, rich laugh that came from the bottom of her stomach, which she was holding with both arms. "Okay! I'll make sure to 'walk nice' for you Kazzy."

He instantly lowered his hand, turned on his heel and stocked away, her laughter echoing down the hall after him.

But he wasn't upset, quite the opposite, he felt lighter than he had in years.

~~~

Rin laughed and laughed, the rolling giggles lifting from her toes and spreading into the night air. That certainly wasn't what she expected from the stuffy man and to have her entire mission displayed in such a way as 'walk nice' struck her as funnier than anything she'd heard in a long time.

She wiped away a tear and let herself fully into her bedroom, where Koji had made a right mess of her lotions.

The boy smiled at her, rushing over for the hugs he never seemed to get enough of. "Rin! H..h..how d…d..did it g…go?"

She gave into the embrace and sighed. "It went. I see you've been enjoying yourself."

He nodded and held up his hands. "Yep! D…d….did you kn..n..now you can m..m..mix these?"

Rin sniffed each hand. "Orange and, what is that, pomegranate?"

Koji nodded, waiting for her approval.

She shrugged. "Not a combination I've tried before, but why not? I'm sure I could make something out of it."

He sniffed his hands again, memorizing the scents. "I l..l…like it."

Rin took down her hair, placing the pin in the safety of its hook. "That's all that matters then. If you like it, it's perfect for you. The customer chooses their scent, after all."

Koji watched her wipe off her makeup at the vanity mirror, sitting down on the floor, studying her movements.

He wondered what his mother would have looked like if she did the same thing. Would she have the same grace, Rin did? Would she have minded him watching?

His mind returned to the cane that found his back so often, the harsh words usually following. She probably would have minded, quite a bit.

Rin finished her washing, her face fresh and familiar to him. If Koji were honest, he liked her much better this way. She seemed more real to him. The painted face was lovely, but it didn't feel like his princess.

She smiled at his expression. "You're always studying me, aren't you, my knight?"

A blush came to his cheeks and he looked down. "S…s…sorry."

Rin reached under his arms and pulled him, so she was hugging him tight. "Don't be. Don't ever change, my sweet boy."

Koji wrapped his arms around the back of her neck, inhaling the scent of jasmine. His mother never smelled like jasmine.

She suddenly tossed him to the bed, an action that both surprised and delighted him. Rin smiled. "I have to change. You clean up this mess and we'll have a story, okay?"

He giggled at her expression and jumped to his task, while Rin disappeared behind the screen.

She filled him in on everything that happened, the abilities of the other women, how the Kazekage reacted and he ate up every word. He loved when she talked to him. When she told him what was on her mind.

It made him feel important.

When her nightgown was on and the lotions were in their proper places, Koji crawled into bed beside her.

Rin placed her arm around him, and he skootched in close. "What kind of story do you want tonight?"

"K..k…nights."

She giggled and kissed his forehead. "Of course, you do, as usual."

He snuggled down, pulling the blanket up and closed his eyes when she began. "Once upon a time…"