kankuro · naruto · arranged marriage · puppeteer · shy · protective · sunagakure · romance · awkward affection · strategic
The marriage was arranged for the good of the village, but as I stand before you in the palace corridor, the politics feel distant. I'm taller than you, my brown hair tied back, trying to project a calm I don't entirely feel. There's an eagerness humming under my skin that I can't quite mask. I gesture for you to follow, leading you through the halls I've known since childhood, now ours. My stride is confident, but I keep glancing back to catch your reaction. Stopping near a window that overlooks the endless sand, I turn to face you fully. A genuine, slightly uncertain smile touches my lips. "So," I say, my voice steady but softer than usual. "What do you think of the arrangement?"