Author's note: Once again, sorry for the long delay. This chapter was hard to write for some reason. I've lost count of how many times I brought up the document only to stare at it, write a few sentences, and give up.

Anyway, thanks for not giving up on me. As usual, if you guys find any mistakes in grammar or anything, please let me know.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

Chapter 11

The ray of light shining through his blinds was currently focused on his coffee mug, which meant that it was exactly 4:45 in the afternoon. It had shifted two inches since the last time he looked at. He heard shuffling outside of his office, and the predictable click of his secretary's heels, slightly muffled by her attempt at discretion while trying to sneak home 15 minutes early.

Everyday was exactly the same…. Everyday since HER was exactly the same.

As soon as Gaara returned to Suna, he resumed all of his usual duties. Every morning, he would come into his office, sign contracts, read requests, and assign mission. For the past few years, Suna had enjoyed peace. As great as that was, being a sign that the Kazekage was good at his job, it also made his life very boring. The most intensive conflicts these days involved things like feuding siblings fighting over the land of their recently deceased predecessors or people refusing to pay their contractors for their home remodelling services because they performed a less than adequate job. Crime was not an issue because people still afraid him and the possibility of life-threatening consequences they deemed him completely possible of invoking due to his past.

Of course, things weren't any different from life before Silver Village. Now that he had something to compare it to… now that he had known what it was like to have someone around who was fun, witty, and most importantly wasn't afraid to speak their mind to him, his old life just didn't seem sufficient.

Gaara looked toward the neat pile of mail on the inbox of his desk… mail that he'd looked at but haven't dealt with yet. Embedded in the pile was an invitation from Konoha's Hokage to go over some peace keeping issues on the east coast. There was no urgency in the matter… but perhaps it wouldn't be a bad time to visit Konoha.

--

Word about her engagement traveled fast. Within no time, strangers on the street were offering their congratulations…. Teenaged girls were giving her death glares. Sakura was outwardly happy for her. However, Ino could see defeat in her friend's eyes… whether it was because Sakura felt that she had lost in their ongoing rivalry, or if Sakura was still truly in love Sasuke.

All in all, the whole experience was pretty depressing. Her friends and family… those that truly cared for her… were ecstatic for her. She was sure they felt that because she had once been infatuated with her current betrothed, she must be marrying for love… a luxury that had supposedly been taken away from her when she agreed to go to Silver Village. Ironic how things turned out…

--

She's engaged?

Gaara felt numb. He felt the blood in his body drain from his face and pool at his feet. He wasn't sure why the news of her engagement made him feel that way. It wasn't as if they were romantically involved, and it wasn't as if they had ever intended on anything of the sort.

The first thing Gaara had done in Konoha after reporting to the Hokage was to seek out his old friend, Naruto. Naruto… the boy who single handedly helped him regain his heart back in the chuunin exams had ironically just rammed a shard of ice though it.

Completely ignorant to what he had just done, Naruto continued to ramble on about the upcoming nuptials. At this point, Gaara completely stopped listening…. Only catching a few key phrases that served to drive the shard a little deeper…

Crazy…

… the most unexpected thing…

Childhood crush…

… in love with him for years…

Everyone… happy for her…

…

"Hey, Gaara? Are you in there?"

The deadened Gaara looked up to meet blue eyes… slightly shocked that they were a different blue from the 'reflection of the sky off a clear lake' blue that were Ino Yamanaka's eyes. Naruto's confused glare brought him back to the present situation.

"Gaara?"

Realizing that he hadn't said anything in at least 10 minutes, Gaara started to say something, but choked on his now dry throat. Cough for a few seconds, Gaara gratefully gulped down some tea, and tried to clear his throat.

"Sorry…" cough cough… "I… umm… I guess I'm still tired from the trip…"

"Tired...? Naruto stared at him blankly for a few more minutes, then burst out laughing. "The Kazekage of Sand… Tired from a short three day trip. Man, you ARE getting old! HAHAHA…"

Despite Gaara's gratitude for his friend… he DID find him annoying sometimes.

"OH MAN! I'm late for a date with Hinata!"

With that, Naruto jumped out of his seat and ran out the door… leaving, of course, the bill for Gaara to cover.

Yes… quite annoying…

--

Ino had just locked up the flower shop and started on her walk home. Walking home was one of her favourite things to do. Ino loved the cool air and walking under the starry night sky. The path generally led through a secluded and dimly lit path over the small bridge that crossed the river. A short distance away, across the river, a bright glow and the faint chatter of voices indicated the presence of the night market. It was one of the few instances where Ino could hear and acknowledge the presence of others without being bombarded with their mental voices.

Ino decided to spend a few minutes on her little bridge in solitude, and was surprised to see a familiar head of red hair on her usual spot. She was even more surprised at her inability to detect him telepathically before seeing him. Getting over her initial reaction, Ino remembered that she was never able to hear him unless she took the effort to look into his mind.

Unexpectedly, Ino felt a bubble of bitter sweetness rise up her chest, as a stream of questions flew through her mind. Why is he here? For me? Surely not… he IS an important diplomant… he must be here on business…But maybe?

Sasuke…. Shit.

Ino's heart fell at the thought of her engagement… but the thought did little to alleviate the bittersweet clenching behind her throat.

"Kaze… Gaara-sama!"

Without thinking, Ino leaped up and wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck, squeezing a little too hard. Slowly, and awkwardly, Gaara brought one arm around her waist, then placed his other arm around her shoulders in a light embrace.